Page images
PDF
EPUB

in the passage at the door of the house appeared two bare-armed Welsh damsels, and an old labourer, poking out their faces with a vacant stare to catch all that was to be seen.

Such was the scene which presented itself to the travellers as they drove up to the cottage-gate: and I ask my young reader, if the joy of such a moment was not sufficient to repay the amiable Margarita for that long series of self-denial by which, through the divine favour, she had acquired some sort of claim to so rare a happiness?

And now, inasmuch as I despair of depicting with any accuracy the circumstances which followed this happy meeting, I shall simply satisfy myself, and I trust my readers, by shortly summing up the events to which they led the way, and by giving a slight historic account of the several persons with whom I have made them acquainted during the course of my narrative.

The village bells rang again as merrily as ever not many weeks after the arrival of Margarita, and she again provided the occasion.--It was on that happy day when Augustus Claverton secured to himself a powerful assistant in his honourable and pious plans for benefiting his poor tenants and dependents in Ireland.

Augustus made an offer of the superintendence of his household to the excellent Mrs. Hill: but she declined with tears of gratitude the honour he intended her, confessing her wish to remain in Wales for the purpose of administering consolation to Mrs. Freeman.

66

"If so," said Augustus, you shall receive the same salary as you would have received in my house; and if you are enabled to administer to the consolation of our dear Dorothea, we shall always consider the obligation as being on our side."

This arrangement was particularly consolatory to Dorothea. Fanny chose to follow the fortunes of Margarita.

The noble young pair on their wedding-day presented to Dorothea a paper by which £400 a year was secured to her for life, to be paid quarterly; Rachel and Edmund were presented with another paper, by which they found that the rent which they paid was to be laid up for the use of their children. Margarita also gave five guineas

to Martha Lawley, and sent the same to Mrs. Green at Mowbray-hall.-Augustus also presented to Dorothea an elegant piano-forte together with a case of books.

The happy pair then proceeded to Ireland, where, residing in a noble old mansion coeval with the mighty oaks which shaded its beautiful environs, they found an inexhaustible supply of the means of doing good, in the practice of that Christian self-denial which faith alone can render at once consistent and delightful.

Fanny remained with Margarita till her marriage with a pious and well-educated young clergyman, whom Augustus had presented to a living in the immediate neighbourhood of Claverton-castle.

Of Robert Mowbray, Jane, and Celia, I have little to say, excepting that they were always distressed for money; and that Robert Mowbray was at last compelled to repair his ruined finances by marrying a woman of double his own age, and one who was otherwise not desirable.

And now, my dear young people, if I have succeeded in setting forth The Economy of Charity in such a form as may render it a desirable attainment in your eyes, my labour is not lost, and my reward will be such as I would not exchange for "all the pomps and vanities of this wicked world."

The lady of the manor having concluded her narrative, requested that the young people would join her in prayer; remarking that the evening was far spent.

Second Prayer for Power to resist the Love of the Pomps and Vanities of this wicked World.

"BLESSED LORD GOD, we, thy poor and sinful creatures, humbly implore thee to impart to us such a portion of thy grace, as may enable us to resist those vain desires by which so many of our sex make shipwreck of their happiness upon earth, utterly destroying the comfort and peace of their families. We daily see before us instances of this kind, and we have no reason to think that we shall be more prudent and stedfast in resisting the temptations common to our nature than the rest of our fellow-creatures-on the contrary, we know ourselves to be weak and miserable creatures, and, unless divinely

upheld, liable to fall every moment. Temptations from within and temptations from without are continually assailing us. Nevertheless, we desire to maintain a becoming confidence in thee, knowing that he that is with us is greater than he that is against us. Enable us, O Lord, to walk steadily through the trials of this life; turn away our eyes from beholding vanity; set the glory of heaven perpetually before us; and teach us so to use the unrighteous mammon that we may not be brought to shame thereby, as the unwise servant, who slothfully hid his talent in a napkin. And, O Almighty Father, if through grace we are assisted to use that which thou hast given us to thy service, make us constantly to remember that we are still but unprofitable servants, that our best works are but as filthy rags, and that unless divested of these and clad in the righteousness of Christ, we shall be cast out into outer darkness, where the worm never dieth and the fire is not quenched. And now, O blessed Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in whom is our only confidence, we cast our cares upon thee, anxious in every concern of our lives to be directed by thy counsels, and guided by thy providence: so that whether riches or poverty be our portion, our single desire may be, while we live to live unto the Lord, and when we die to die unto the Lord. Hear us, O merciful Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ our only Lord and Saviour, in whose blessed words we conclude our petitions.

"Our Father," &c.

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

IT was a fine evening in the month of April when the little party again met at the manor-house. The days were now considerably lengthened, and they sat before the windows to take their tea and to converse on indifferent subjects while they enjoyed their repast, being regaled at the same time with the glorious prospect of the last rays of the departing sun, as it descended behind the dark groves which crowned the neighbouring heights.

When the tea-equipage was removed, the lady of the manor immediately applied to the business upon which they were assembled; and addressing herself to Miss Sophia, she said, "What, my dear young lady, is to be the subject of our conversation this evening?"

Miss Sophia replied, "We were speaking in our last conversation of the pomps and vanities of this wicked world;' and we are now to proceed to the sinful lusts of the flesh.""

The lady of the manor then asked the young people what they understood by these words.- "What," said she," are the sinful lusts of the flesh?"

At length,

The young ladies looked at each other. Miss Louisa replied, "The sinful lusts of the flesh, are those kind of evil desires to which wicked people give way, when they yield to intoxication, gluttony, and other gross vices."

"Am I to understand by this," said the lady of the manor, "that these lusts of the flesh are unknown to any but gross sinners? and that you, my young people, have no desires or wishes which are not entirely conformable to the will of God?"

"O Madam," said Miss Louisa, "I did not mean to insinuate any such thing."

"Beware then, my dear young lady," returned her pious instructress, "how you confound the root of sin with its branches and fruit. In an unregenerate state the whole race of mankind are alike subject to the secret workings of sin in the heart. And although, in some cases, circumstances may prevent the full growth of the branches, yet let it be remembered that the poisonous nature is the same in the sapling as in the full-grown tree, and that there is as deadly a nature in the germ and bud as in the ripe and luscious fruit; which leads me to a reconsideration of that important doctrine which I have already brought to your notice on several former occasions.

"The sin that dwelleth in man is called inbred or original sin it is that corrupt frame which inclines man to evil continually.

"It is thus spoken of in the Ninth Article of the Church. 'Original sin standeth not in the following of Adam, (as the Pelagians do vainly talk,) but it is the fault and corruption of the nature of every man that is naturally engendered of the offspring of Adam, whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil, so that the flesh lusteth always contrary to the spirit, and therefore in every person born into this world it deserveth God's wrath and damnation. And this infection of nature doth remain, yea in them that are regenerated: whereby the lust of the flesh, called in Greek, phronema sarkos, which some do expound the wisdom, some the affection, some the desire of the flesh --is not subject to the law of God. And although there is no condemnation for them that believe and are baptized, yet the apostle doth confess, that concupiscence and lust hath of itself the nature of sin.'

"From this Article as well as from the general tendency of Scripture it appears," continued the lady of the manor, "that sin is a disagreement or nonconformity of the will of any creature with the will of God. Consequently, when we desire any thing, however small, however seemingly unimportant, contrary to the declared will and pleasure of God, we indulge a sinful lust of the flesh.

66

Any person therefore who in lesser matters is habitually discontented, and continually desiring that which

« EelmineJätka »