the duties which are required of you are so strongly marked and so exactly defined, that they cannot be mistaken but by those who mistake them wilfully. In every situation there may, and must be, many unpleasant circumstances, many things which we fancy might be altered for the better. But if our religion be substantial, and not merely consisting of words; if, when we call ourselves by the name of the Lord, we do not use that sacred name altogether in vain; we must consider ourselves bound to fulfil unpalatable duties, as well as those which are altogether agreeable, if we pay any regard to that memorable declaration of the Saviour, He that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. (Matt. x. 38.)

"Now," continued Mr. Mills, “I have always been in the habit of considering a patient performance of the simple duties belonging to the station of any individual, as the most decided, the most rare, the most valuable, and the most acceptable proof of the excellency of piety, which can be possibly given by any faithful follower of Christ; and I feel my esteem for such a person very little affected by the circumstance of his being called to act in a wide or narrow sphere. He or she who does every thing to the glory of God, is, doubtles, equally precious in his sight, whether inhabiting a cottage or a palace, whether stationed in a crowded city, or fixed on the side of a Welsh mountain."

Mr. Mills here stopped a moment, expecting Anna to speak; but as she did not seem inclined to interrupt him, he went on.

"Your duties lie first, my good girl, in your own family, and you owe to God a more decided fulfilment of these; but you cannot expect to derive any pleasure from the performance of them till your heart is more deeply interested in their success, and they become, as it were, a part of your religious exercises. Till you are made a real partaker of that grace which marks all the sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty, I shall never hope to see you such a daughter at home as I could wish: and if you find your filial duties not sufficient to fill your time, and occupy your mind, your poor cottages and little school present you with further occasions of service. In short, the Almighty has, even in your little sphere, confined as you may VOL. III. L

think it, given you, that to perform for which no man of himself is sufficient.

Anna replied, that she thanked Mr. Mills for his reproof, and hoped that she should have grace to consider her own duties more seriously, and to perform them, by the divine help, in a more exemplary manner. She confessed that she had always been inclined to indulge a dissatisfied spirit ever since her return from school; and that, even in her religion, she had hitherto considered herself more than the glory of God or the good of her fellow-creatures.

"You may hereafter see reason," continued Mr. Mills, "to thank God for the retirement in which he has placed you, and to be grateful for his having kept you out of that professing circle which Miss Parker describes as a state so truly desirable. In these societies, unless very judiciously conducted, young people are taught to use the language of religion before the spirit of it has touched their hearts, and to make a parade of their Christian virtues, while in fact they had nothing more than the semblance of them. The name of Jesus is put into their mouths, but in other respects they differ not from the rest of the world. Thus are they drawn into a state of self-deception in consequence of which they believe themselves to be far advanced towards Mount Zion, when, in the language of Bunyan, they are still in the Valley of Destruction.'

"In these societies, moreover, young women are frequently led into other dangerous errors. They are taught to suppose that they have given up the world, because they no longer frequent the playhouse and assembly-room, and because cards are interdicted in their families; at the same time that they are so frequently called abroad by popular preachers and speakers, religious societies, and different kinds of meetings, that the young Christian (if such an expression may be permitted) is lost in one continued round of religious dissipation. And thus it often happens that those domestic and retired duties which ought to be considered as the peculiar glory of women, are considered only as secondary objects of attention: whereas it admits of no question, that in the fulfilment of these quiet and humble duties the female character chiefly discovers its appropriate excellency and loveliness."

Anna here interrupted Mr. Mills, to ask him, whether he

disapproved of females being engaged in the promotion of those public charities and great undertakings now in hand for the conversion of the heathen, which she understood to have called forth an extraordinary degree of female exertion. Mr. Mills answered, that he should not consider himself a Christian, if such an idea could ever enter his head. "I oppose not," said he, "the doing of the thing, but I object to the manner of doing it. The time, the place, and the temper in which it is done make it commendable or otherwise. There is, as I before suggested," continued this good man, 66 a certain post appointed to every Christian on earth. The parental abode is assuredly the station assigned to most unmarried Christian females. When every domestic duty, however irksome, (and there will be some irksome duties in every situation) is duly and diligently performed, as in the sight of God, and with a view to his glory, then every spare hour may be well devoted to such services for the people of God as the party may be qualified to engage in; always however remembering, that in every state of life, or line of duty, self denial must be daily practised and the cross be taken up. The vanity of dress, the vanity of praise, the vanity of pre-eminence, must all be renounced; and these two difficult qualities must, at least, be aimed at a consciousness of the imperfect manner in which every present duty is performed, with a readiness to undertake new duties, provided that there be sufficient evidence of their being prescribed by the Almighty. But, my good girl," added the pious man, smiling kindly, "there is much inconsistency in a young Christian, like yourself, crying out for a wide field of usefulness, when she has not even as yet attempted to fulfil the duties of her own little domestic circle."

Anna seemed a little disconcerted by this remark, and asked, with some degree of impatience, by what failure she had deserved so severe a reprimand.

The good man smiled again and answered, "There are few services less thankfully received, or less useful, than that of acquainting people with their faults."

"To be sure," replied Anna, fretfully, "it is a service that our friends are seldom thanked for; but, at any rate, I should have judged it a useful service."

"It is useless, in general, for this reason," replied Mr.

Mills," because most persons are sensible of their faults before they are told of them.”

"But indeed," said Anna, "I do not exactly know wherein I have failed in my duty to my parents."

"Not exactly!" said Mr. Mills; "then you have some indeterminate conjectures on the subject? But, to speak more seriously, use the light you have, my dear Anna, in correcting your faults, and more will undoubtedly be bestowed on you."

Anna now somewhat peevishly requested Mr. Mills to point out some of those faults to which he alluded. But he answered seriously, that having given her the hint he thought necessary, he should now leave her to a better teacher; and so saying he walked into the house to drink tea with Mr. and Mrs. Williams. Anna soon followed Mr. Mills, and he judged favourably of her, by observing that she had quite recovered her good humour, although she still appeared pensive.

According to Mr. Mills' supposition, the hint he had given to Anna by the divine blessing proved sufficient; for she began to consider more deeply, and with prayer, the nature of her past life, with her many short-comings. This soon enabled her to discover, even in her religion, so much error, as to humble and depress her in no ordinary degree. She speedily perceived herself guilty of a breach of that commandment which saith, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain:" and this led the way to a painful conviction how greatly her practice had fallen below her professions, and that not in a few solitary instances, but habitually. She had been, of late, continually crying "Lord, Lord," even while she was bringing reproach upon the name of her Saviour, by the inconsistency of her conduct, and that never-ceasing reference to self which marked her every action. Self, she found, had been nearly as much her object, ever since she had professed religion, as before; and she had even gone so far, under the cloak of increasing seriousness, as to desire a removal from the post in which God had placed her, in order to take a part in more splendid employments than she could find at home, and to enjoy the applause which she fancied her virtues could hardly fail to call forth when displayed on a more public theatre.

But without pretending to enter upon any description of the various workings of Anna's mind, I shall satisfy myself by saying, that, after a few days, her duty was made plain to her, and she was enabled to resolve, with God's help, to sacrifice every selfish thought, and to offer her assistance to her mother in all those plain domestic duties which her education at L- had naturally led her to despise, and which the gentle entreaties, and sometimes less gentle complaints, of her mother could never yet induce her to attempt

Mrs. Williams was therefore not a little surprised, when her daughter, one morning, followed her to the dairy, and asked if she could render her any assistance there. It would be no easy matter to describe the feelings which this new mode of address excited in the poor woman, though it may readily be imagined that they were of the most gratifying description.

Anna found herself, at first, rather an awkward dairymaid; and her pride once rose, when the maid whose business it was to assist in the dairy laughed outright at her many uncouth attempts to shape the produce of the churn into a handsome form. Neither did she evidence more skill in the kitchen, whither she followed her mother in order to make herself acquainted with other parts of housewifery. Her poor mother was, however, delighted with these first attempts of her daughter to render herself useful, and could not forbear repeating Anna's exploits to her good man at dinner. Anna made her father equally happy some days afterwards, when she had overcome some of her difficulties in the dairy and kitchen, by asking permission to have the care of the poultry, a service which she had declined ever since she left school, although pressed to it by her father.

We do not in this place pretend to make any remarks on the conduct of Mr. and Mrs. Williams. It had always been weak and injudicious towards their daughter, so that by a want of judgment, and an abundance of improper indulgence, they undoubtedly made her difficulties greater. But the excessive tenderness of parents is no excuse for the disobedience of children; and it only shows a depraved and ungrateful state of mind where such excuse is ever pleaded. When Anna found herself capable of accomplishing what she had first undertaken, she proceeded to encounter other