It was not without some surprise at this unusual conduct in our paternal friend, that we heard what he last said. Many of us seemed to differ from his opinion, and one of our number remarked, “No, by no means; we would gladly hear more of this child of God."

"You have mentioned a woman called Esther," said Paternus, taking no notice of this observation, and addressing Mr.Montague, who was quietly awaiting the issue of our determination as to whether more was to be said of his friend, Abel Sandford, "have you not something to tell us respecting her: how through the Divine workings of a blessed Providence, a change of mind was wrought in that woman; and how, the old man got a footing in her house, the door of which had always been so carefully closed againt him? It is a curious story, my brothers," he added, looking up and about him with his usual beaming aspect. "It is sweet to trace the movements of Omnipotent love, when working out its purposes of mercy; and if Mr. Montague would shew how the two-leaved gates of human obstinacy and enmity to God, were opened in this instance, never again to be closed, I am certain that the narrative would greatly please you."

Perhaps," said Mr. Montague, drily, “the story might come better from you, dear Sir; I am not so well furnished with the particulars as you appear to be?”

"There is nothing very much out of the common way in it," resumed Paternus, as if endeavoring still to throw off some embarrassment, which we were too dull to comprehend. "This Esther, who was a bad specimen of a very hardened creature, had a daughter to whom she was very strongly attached, and having one day sent this child as usual to carry her father's dinner to the iron works where he was employed, some man, with whom Esther had had a violent quarrel, threw a piece of hot iron at the girl. Whilst the poor child was shrieking in her agony, old Stephen happened to be passing. The venerable man always carried with him a little store of such matters as were needed under injuries of this kind, so frequent in districts where fire is much used; he instantly obeyed the call of anguish, and as quickly relieved the child by applying fine flour and cotton wool to the burn, binding it up, and begging that it might not be removed till the healing process was far advanced; nor did he

leave the little girl till he saw her laid in the arms of her mother. Thus he was enabled to open the door of the heart of Esther to suffer, nay, to take pleasure in, his presence,—for he had relieved her child, and the child was sensible of his kindness. Through his representation, too, the man who had thus cruelly wounded the child, was so punished as to cause him to avoid all future acts of similar violence; and thus we got a footing in that house, which we never gave up, being from henceforward welcomed by Esther as the harbingers of Him who comes with healing on his wings."

"We got a footing there?" repeated Mr. Montague, in his dry way, at the same time giving the company a look which seemed to say-" You understand it all now, my brethren, you are very slow, or you must have seen it before." Abel Sandford was Paternus!

Here

He had labored indefatigably among the collieries in the earlier period of his ministerial career, and like his Great Master, "learning obedience by the things which he suffered," had grown rapidly in grace and the knowledge of his Lord, before Providence removed him, many years ago, to his present cure. he had been spared to a good old age, to receive and comfort those who were weaker in the faith, to edify all by a life of consistent piety, and to exhibit in every relation of life the beauty of holiness. Yet this was the man who felt sincerely, deeply grieved, to hear one word in commendation of those labors of love, on account of which, blessed as they had been to many, he felt himself to be as less than nothing.

Perhaps it was pardonable in Mr. Montague to feel some little amusement, when in meeting the suggestion of Paternus, to speak of those living characters around them who were adorning the profession of the gospel,* he had availed himself of the opportunity, by instancing that venerable man himself, especially as his early history was not known to many of the party. But Paternus evidently shewed serious embarrassment-more than the younger portion of the company quite understood, for it was evidently not of that nature which a young minister feels when he hears his last sermon extolled by an intelligent

* See page 5.

audience, but a demonstration of real pain, as if he felt that he had been drawn in to countenance what was really wrong, by suffering himself to be spoken of, as he had done during the latter part of Mr. Montague's story, under a false name. His color rose, and he seemed to feel himself in a painful dilemma between the difficulty in which he lay of adopting and countenancing his own praises on the one side, and of shewing severity to his wellmeaning friend on the other. After a few seconds, however, his features relaxed into a smile, he looked up and around him, and even took the lead in a low and merry laugh, saying, "Well, as it is out, I must make the best of it, especially as the betrayal of my identity with this poor Abel Sandford proceeded from my own inadvertency, and not from any want of caution in my friend Montague."

"But now," he continued, "let us see what we can make of this ravelled thread, and endeavor to draw such conclusions from what has occurred this evening, as may benefit each and all of us, in our course as ministers of the gospel. Evil report and good report must alike fall on every individual who is lifted up in the smallest degree before the public observation, but never yet have I known, or even heard of the man, who, when allowing himself to listen to what is said of him, has been enabled to retain his peace of mind; I myself am no exception to this rule, therefore I say of the praises or dispraises of my fellowcreatures—“ Let them alone before they be meddled with'—to my own Master, with his grace, I desire to stand or fall."

The venerable man then took some pains to demonstrate the particular ill effects on the mind, of listening to the opinions of man, as they regard the conduct of a child of God. He shewed us that the necessary defect of all created intellect is to make self its centre of attraction; and always to act in reference to that

centre.

He also shewed us, that the work of the Divine Spirit is to control, and finally to annul the actings of this selfish principle, by the inspiration of the Divine nature. Then he proceeded to make it appear to us, that the way in which the good or evil report of man acted upon man, was by their immediate application to his selfish nature, addressing him in a voice and tone to which few are enabled wholly to close their ears. "And as I am

not one of these few," he concluded-" as I cannot hear myself praised or blamed without experiencing some such movements of my selfish nature as I would desire never more to feel, I pray you, my dear friends, henceforward to let me, the father of your society, pass over the little remainder of my way with no farther comments than circumstances may require."

(To be continued.)

M. M. S.

A WORD FOR THE COMING FLOWERS.

"There's not a plant nor flower below
But makes Thy glory known."

WATTS.

Ir was a splendid afternoon in the month of June. The mists that had obscured the scenery for many days had cleared away, and showed the mountains around a highland loch, in all their grandeur. The torrents were dashing down the glens, and with loud, yet various voices, seemed to be rejoicing in the bright appearance of all around; while the gentle ripple of the tide, and the cheerful songs of the birds, contributed to the universal animation.

Lucy Gray looked on the scene with wonder. Her life had been spent in London, and though it was now nearly a week since she arrived at Glenmore, yet during the whole time, the rain had been incessant, and mountains, loch, and sky, had alike been blended in one dull leaden hue. She could hardly believe that she now looked out of the same windows from which she had so often before gazed without being able to see anything. It seemed as if an enchanter's wand must have been waved over the scene. It was a half-holiday too, and all was bustle within the house, as her cousins were preparing for their first excursion of the summer. It was perhaps well for Lucy that she did not overhear a conversation of which she was the subject, or her own anticipations of pleasure would have received a severe check.

"Did you ever see any girl of Lucy's age so backward as she is?" inquired her cousin Marion.

Why as to that," her brother Frank replied, “perhaps I am no great judge; but I know I had rather see a girl backward than forward; if that's what you mean.”

"Well, for my part, I can see no merit in ignorance," retorted Marion; it certainly is a misfortune to have been so utterly neglected."

"It is a great misfortune, Marion, to lose a mother; and I suppose Lucy's education has not been taken much pains with; but she seems intelligent, and very fond of reading; and I heard mamma say to papa, she has such a lowly opinion of herself; that she is much more likely to improve than many an one who has had greater advantages."

"Why, yes; poor Lucy! she must feel sadly humbled when she contrasts herself with others; why, do you know, she cannot tell the name of a single wild flower? And as to intelligence, I am sure I don't know what you mean; for I was at great pains to teach her the names of some, as she said she would like to learn them I went out in the rain for the purpose of gathering some, and took all the pains I could to teach her the difference, but, when I had done, she could not tell which was an Ox-eye, and which, a Feverfew."

:

"My dear Marion," interposed Caroline, how could any one discriminate one flower from another, when you held out a large handful, and touched first one, and then another, as rapidly as possible, saying “that is an inula; and that, a hieracium; and that, a crepis; and that, a thlaspi; and that, a chrysanthemum leucanthemum: now show me an inula ?"

Frank laughed heartily at Marion's teaching, but she only replied," She asked me to teach her about flowers, and I did my best; but now she must get some one else, for I can make nothing of her."

"When you want to learn about dactyls and spondees, come to me," said Frank, "and I shall know how to set about it: but how very ignorant you must be, Marion, not to know such things, already."

"But just listen," persisted Marion, “ Lucy actually did not know what an herbarium was; just fancy such ignorance! But when papa offered a reward to the one who forms the best during the summer, she actually had the presumption to say she should like to make one too! She got you, Caroline, to explain what it meant-how you managed it, I don't know, but I shall leave all explanations to you, for I must say I have no taste for