good, may be performed in as high a manner by other people as by yourself. Let this therefore be your only motive and spur to all good actions, honest industry, and business-to do every thing in as perfect and excellent a manner as you can, for this only reason, because it is pleasing to GOD, Who descries your perfections and writes all your actions in a book."

you

"I am teaching you Latin and Greek, not that should desire to be a great critic, a fine poet, or an eloquent orator. I would not have your heart feel any of those desires-for the desire of these accomplishments is a vanity of the mind, and the masters of them are generally vain men: for the desire of anything that is not a real good lessens the application of the mind after that which is so. But I teach you these languages that at proper times you may look into the history of past ages, and learn the methods of God's Providence over the world that reading the writings of ancient sages, you may see how wisdom and virtue have been the praise of great men of all ages, and fortify your mind by their wise sayings.

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Study how to fill your heart full of the love of GOD and the love of your neighbour, and then be content to be no deeper a scholar-no finer

a gentleman than these tempers will make you."

When Godfrey had read this chapter, Barrow talked it over with him; and Godfrey naturally observed that the opinions maintained in it seemed inconsistent with the whole conduct of schools, and with Barrow's own endeavour to "get the essay."

Barrow replied, that he had conversed with Dr. Wilson before upon the same subject, and that he had said that he did not agree with all which Law had written. "The love of praise," he said, "is natural and given by GOD, and our great concern is to direct it aright. The highest state is to seek God's praise as the summum bonum: but boys can scarcely be induced to do this. And if only they can be brought to despise the opinion of bad companions and to desire the praise of the good-of their parents and their masters, it is nearly all that can be expected at first. Besides," he added, "all our life long we are bound and encouraged to serve authorities, and by doing well to have 'praise of the same.' 'But the mischief, I fear for you, Davenant," continued Barrow, "is lest you should value praise for its own sake, and not care who gives it to you, so you get it. Pray take care of this. Do your

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work because GOD wills it, out of love to Him; and then for encouragement, and to test your powers, and to please your parents, get any distinction you can upon the road. But be just as industrious and earnest without these as with them."

What Barrow said, always had great weight with Godfrey, and he resolved to strive against the temptation for the future. But alas! there was another evil principle at work in his heart of which Barrow knew nothing. We have already described the indignation and disgust with which Godfrey first listened to the "filthy communications" of his bedroom companions. They soon ceased to persecute him about his prayers, when they saw his courage in the fight; but they did not change their usual conversation on his account.

At first Godfrey would stop his ears at prayer, or hide his head in the clothes after he had got into bed; but gradually he left off his precautions and became used to what was going on. The most important precaution of all, however, earnest prayer-earnest constant prayer, against a powerful and ever present temptation, was gradually remitted also, and thus Godfrey left himself open to the corrupting influences which

surrounded him. At first he felt no difference in himself then gradually he became conscious that he listened, where at first he shrunk into himself with horror. When he found this to be the case he knew it was a fearful sign, he was alarmed, and with tearful eyes uttered an ejaculatory prayer for help. But here an effort and there an effort will not save a drowning man, nor a soul over which the tide of sin has begun to flow. There is no promise whatever to occasional prayer. Then came in the curse of curiosity. Part of the corruption of the Fall is a desire to know evil without any motive, except an indefinable wish to see what ought not to be seen-to know what ought not to be known.

O my readers, for your souls' sake resist this sinful curiosity at the first-it can do you no good to know what sins other men are capable of committing what devils they have been and still are. It will do you infinite evil if you seek such knowledge from curiosity. It will be to you as the tree of knowledge was of old, and will cause your ruin, your expulsion from the heaven of your purity and peace, into the wastes of sin and suffering.*

* In revising these pages, the author cannot resist bringing before his readers a passage from Mr. Words

Poor Godfrey was not fully aware of his danger. He listened, and the love of listening grew in him. At last he let himself meditate upon these subjects, and instead of passing them worth's admirable Winchester Sermons, which should be read by schoolboy and parent alike.

"And this (the corrupting power of evil knowledge,) will suggest a warning which requires more almost than any other, the warning to repress curiosity in things which are ungodly, which are contrary to God's will either in themselves or for us. I say this warning concerns us most closely, because there is no temptation more subtle, or more difficult to resist; and because knowledge is in a manner our occupation; and a thirst of knowledge, (that is a good and laudable curiosity,) which is amongst the noblest aspirations of our nature, is our own especial privilege; but for this very reason, and because there is nothing so bad as the corruption of what is best, we have the more occasion to be upon our guard against a desire of knowledge, falsely so called, which is an evil curiosity. And need I remind you that the Tree of Knowledge, under the shade of which we live, has many a bough upon which is hanging the forbidden fruit? Even the blessed word of GOD Himself-the Tree of Life which His own hand has planted in the midst of our garden-has here and there that beneath its leaves which we may not pry into; which is a savour of death unto the froward and impure. And how much more the writings of those, who were themselves sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death? And whence came they to be darkness? Even as Adam and Eve, the common parents of us all. Professing