When these questions and answers were concluded, the lady of the manor asked the young people whether there were any passages in the portion of the Catechism which had been repeated which did not appear clear to them. "Of the word sacrament," said Miss Emmeline, "I certainly do not understand the etymology."

"The word sacrament," replied the lady of the manor, "is derived, as I have been informed, from the Latin, sacramentum, which signifies an oath. Hence we understand, that the individual who partakes of the sacraments ordained by Christ, binds himself in allegiance to Christ, and vows to be faithful to his Leader."

The lady then proceeded to point out the nature of the sacraments, by shewing that they are emblems, or visible signs, of benefits, which, when received in faith, become the means of nourishing the soul; while, too often, the unbelief of those who partake of the outward and visible sign, hinders the benefit of the inward and spiritual grace. -She then asked her young people what was the outward and visible sign in the sacrament of Baptism.

They answered, "Water."

On which, she required them to tell her what was the general signification of springs, fountains, and brooks, mists, and dew, in the language of prophecy.

They replied, that these emblems signified the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit, or the life from above.

"The washing the body with water," replied the lady, "then, signifies the cleansing, purifying, and revivifying operations of the Holy Spirit, as applied to the soul; and when this inward and spiritual grace either accompanies, follows, or precedes the outward and visible sign, or form, in Baptism, the individual has then, and not till then, become a partaker of the thing signified, and is born again unto everlasting life."

The lady then repeated the following questions and an

swers.

"Q. What is required of persons to be baptized?

"A. Repentance, whereby they forsake sin; and faith, whereby they stedfastly believe the promises of God made to them in that sacrament.

"Q. Why then are infants baptized, when by reason of their tender age they cannot perform them?

"A. Because they promise them both by their sureties; which promise, when they come to age, themselves are bound to perform."

"I enlarged on the subject of the baptism of infants," said the lady," in the early part of our acquaintance, my dear young people; and, because I have no doubt, should you ever become mothers, that you will be most anxious to devote your infants to the Lord, I think it the less necessary to enlarge on the subject in this place; especially as there is no question in our national Church as to the propriety and importance of infant baptism. With your permission, I will, therefore, add something respecting the necessity of an entire change of heart; or, as our Catechism expresses it, 'a death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness.'

"I have spoken to you largely and repeatedly, my beloved young people, of the present depraved state of man; whereby he is subject to everlasting misery, and is justly termed a child of wrath. We are born children of wrath, and continue such till we are born again.

"Wrath has gone as wide as ever sin went,' said a valuable old writer. 'When angels sinned, God brake in upon them as a flood: God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell; and thereby it was demonstrated, that no natural excellency in the creature will shield it from the wrath of God, if it becomes a sinful creature."

"What this wrath of God is, can only be proved by its effects. Who can fully describe it? and what created being could bear it, if let loose upon him in all its fury?— The terms, however, in which the wicked are spoken of in Scripture are sufficiently marked to denote the anger of the righteous God against them-The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. (Psalm v. 5, 6.) God is angry with the wicked every day. (Psalm vii. 11.)

"The wicked, in Scripture, are compared to dogs, and swine, and whited sepulchres, and even to vipers and venomous serpents. Being unbelievers, they cannot please him; because, without faith, it is impossible to please God; and their very duties, because not done in faith, are an abomination to the Lord.

"The Almighty shews his hatred of sin, on occasions without number, even in this world. Temporal death is the punishment of sin. Every pain we feel, every infirmity we experience, every imperfection of our body, whether visible or invisible, is the effect of sin, and an evidence of the divine displeasure against it. There is also the wrath of God on man's soul. The natural man can have no communion with God; he is separated from him; he is foolish, and shall not stand in God's sight. (Psalm v. 5.)

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But," continued the lady of the manor, "as, my dear young people, I have carefully endeavoured to establish you in the doctrine of man's depravity, and the consequent anger of God against man, I shall dwell no longer on this part of my subject; but proceed to explain how needful it is that he should be entirely renewed in the spirit of his mind, and become a new creature in Christ Jesus, before he can become an object of the divine complacency.

"We must, therefore, consider how man may be recovered from this state in which he is born, and enquire whether he is able, of himself, to effect this recovery.

"I answer, from Scripture, that he cannot; for the Scripture saith, When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (Rom. v. 6.) No man can come to me, except the Father, which hath sent me, draw him. (John vi. 44.)

"True wisdom, then, consists in being sensible of our utter depravity and helplessness; and in a disposition to receive the Saviour with thankfulness, and (if we are enabled to obey) to give the glory to him to whom only it is due. Hence it belongs to the Holy Spirit, to restore the lost sinner to a state of grace and favour, by humbling the soul, abasing self, and creating a desire for divine assist

ance.

"We proceed now," continued the lady of the manor, "to describe this state of grace, or recovery of human nature, into which all that shall partake of eternal happiness must be translated, sooner or later, while in this world.

"This change, which is, as I before said, the work of the Holy Spirit, is called regeneration, or the new birth. It is a real and radical change, whereby the man is made a new creature. (2 Cor. v. 17.) The old man is put off; the new man is put on. As it is written, That ye put off,

concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." (Eph. iv. 22-24.)

The lady then paused for a moment; after which, she added, "I have by me a short history of two young ladies, in which the doctrine of the new birth is clearly elucida ted; and, as it is my intention to read it to you, I shall forbear to enlarge on the doctrine, so much as I should have done, had it not been so fully explained in the course of this narrative. Permit me, however, to caution you. Be solicitous, my young friends, to avoid, in this important affair, every deception. It is very easy, through the love of self, and satanic influence, to suppose this change to have taken place where it has not. It is of the highest importance, my dear young people, that we should be aware of this; and that we should be disposed to search our own hearts, lest we should be deluded to our everlasting shame.

Many, I fear, call the Church their mother, whom God will not own to be his children. Simon was baptized, yet still remained in the gall of bitterness. (Acts viii. 13, 23.) Judas received the sacramental bread and wine from the hand of our Lord himself; yet was it said of that man, 'It would have been better for him had he never been born.'

"Education may moderate the passions of men, and render them amiable; but it cannot change the heart. Men are often induced, by precept, example, or interest, to forsake profanity and scandalous vices; but neither precept nor example can form the new creation. Men may go through a long and continued course of duties, and yet be wholly unconverted.

"But, as I have promised you an illustration of this subject, I will detain you no longer from it; but will express my hope that you will carefully distinguish the effect of true and converting grace, in one of the characters I am about to set before you, from that of the partial change produced by circumstances in the other."

The lady of the manor then produced a manuscript, and read as follows.

The History of Eleanore and Antoinette.

Near the public road between Paris and Roüen, in a situation where the valley of the Seine is considerably contracted by the higher lands on either side approaching unusually near to each other, are the large possessions of the noble family of J A traveller from Paris may

see from the eminence of the road, on the left banks of the river, the towers of the château lifting their Gothic heads above the forest-trees by which they are surrounded; and not far distant, the spire of the parish church, and the ruins of an ancient monastery, which, having been delivered to plunder during the Revolution, now present only bare walls and dilapidated turrets. Nevertheless, the Tour de Tourterelle, which stands on a considerable eminence above the castle, and which gives its possessor the title of the Baron de J, still remains in high preservation; having escaped, by some extraordinary oversight, the fury of those who waged war against all things honourable or sacred among men. It is built of a kind of chalky stone, and forms a strong contrast with the dark green of the fo

rest.

The occupant of this château, and possessor of these lands, about forty years before the Revolution, was Ernest Adolphe, Baron of J. an officer of the guard of honour, and chevalier of the order of St. Louis. This nobleman had married a lady of high and imperious temper, who brought him one son and one daughter. It had been long determined in the family to marry this daughter, Mademoiselle Adele de J to the Marquis de F

a man

of three times her age. But while the relations on both sides were engaged in drawing out the settlements, and preparing the marriage gifts, the young lady effected a union with a Mr. Northington, who had been an officer in an Irish brigade, and with whom she had become acquainted in a way unknown to her mother. For, although the utmost licence is allowed to females, in France, after marriage, the French mothers perhaps excel the English matrons in their care of their unmarried daughters.

Immediately after this marriage, Mrs. Northington, being utterly rejected by her family, accompanied her husband to Ireland, where she remained till the improvident