practising them, in order to please God, and never think or care much for your example; that cannot fail to be good, if your heart is bent on doing right for God's sake. In some cases, indeed, it might be a duty to forget that you are or can be setting any example, and you might do more real good to the children in forgetting it, than by being careful to set a good one.'

'Generalizing again, Mildred!' said Elinor. 'But I have my meaning distinctly before me. I was referring especially to prayer. You attend the school prayers, I suppose? This, then, is just a thing in which, I suppose, Mr Sutherland would bid you set a good example. But I would say,-Forget that you can set an example; forget that any one can see you; try to feel as if you were alone with God; and if this be your earnest, single aim, not only will your example be more impressive, but also you will be doing the children a service in another way.'

6

'How?' asked Elinor.

First; do you not see that if you are, never so little, thinking about your own demeanour, and the effect it will produce upon others, this thought will inevitably distract your mind in a greater or less degree from God. Your prayers will not be single-minded, for you will have a double object in view, a double purpose to answer. And, as a double-minded man is unstable,' so must a double-minded prayer be unstable; that is, weak, only half-earnest, wavering. But if you could quite forget (or, as this is nearly impossible to us, if you did earnestly desire to forget) that any human eye watches you, and could look stedfastly straight to God, with the one single desire of being heard by Him, and of pleasing Him, such a prayer must needs be effectual. And with such a prayer your example cannot fail to be good, the better probably, the more you are unmindful of it. And so, then, as I said, you may do a real service to the children, by praying heartily for them.'

'Dear Mildred,' said Elinor sadly, 'you do not know how worthless my prayers are, or you would not talk of their doing good to any one.'

'I speak, dear Elinor, under the supposition that your prayers would be earnest and hearty-as earnest and hearty as lies in your power. And, in that case, I think it is really wrong to doubt their being heard by God with favour; it is downright disbelief of His reiterated promises. We should fear to doubt His hearing us, as we would fear any other sin, it seems to me. Besides, such a doubt will

help to accomplish itself in a measure; for surely God will not hear and answer a doubting prayer in the same way as a faithful, trusting one. I think the Psalms would show us a very different spirit of prayer. I think they show a spirit of such firm hope, that no fear, or doubt, or danger, can permanently disturb or shake it; and, surely, we can hardly dare to say that such firmness of hope is presumptuous, because we so pronounce David, the man after God's own heart, guilty of presumption.'

'Yet suppose we imply as much,' said Elinor, when we think we should be presumptuous to indulge in this same confident hope.' 'I suppose so, too,' Mildred answered.

'You are tired now, I am sure,' Elinor added, 'so I will leave you to rest yourself now;' and as Mildred only replied by silently returning her caress, Elinor departed.

'You see I am come in good time for my lesson to-day,' said Elinor Clifford, as she entered her friend's room the next afternoon, 'so I can stay very long with you, if you won't tire yourself too much.'

After they had talked a little while, Mildred said: 'I was wanting to show you yesterday that it is no presumption, but rather a duty, to believe in the efficacy of our prayers. Now, to apply this to the case of which we were speaking, namely, joining in the schoolprayers. It would be well, I should think, to make them as intercessory as you can.'

'Can you make all prayers intercessory?' asked Elinor.

Yes, I think so; by applying them in intention to those others

for whom you wish to pray.'

'For instance?' said Elinor.

For instance, the Lord's Prayer ;-while you say that, the idea in your mind might be: "Hallowed be thy name," especially by these children (here you see is a prayer that they may be reverential; and, by the way, do you not think that, the fact of the first petition in the Lord's prayer being a petition for reverence, may teach us that it should be the first thing we should seek to gain ?) then, "Thy kingdom come," especially into the hearts of these children: "" Thy will be done," especially by these children: and so on all through. Acknowledge now, that the Lord's prayer said earnestly through as an intercession for the children might do them more good than the best example you could set.'

'I see it,' said Elinor; and besides, as you said, the good example would be set at the same time, though unintentionally.'

'Just so. Now then, can I help you in any thing else?'

Yes, in every thing,' said Elinor, for I know nothing. Tell me how to teach; I speak especially of religious teaching. I know the sort of things one ought to teach, but I don't know how to teach them.'

'Rather a comprehensive request!' said Mildred, laughing. 'I must needs generalise now, and even that to no great extent, for here experience must be your teacher. I suppose the best general rule is that "Line upon line; precept upon precept; here a little, and there a little." Your teaching must be very gradual-very slow; you must never tire of going over and over again the same ground, as in painting you would put on coat after coat of the same colour. Never be disheartened because what you have done seems invisible, but just go patiently and carefully over it again; always keeping in mind that only your own will is in your power, and that it is for God to work as He sees fit. If you are aware of your own powerlessness, you will never be too greatly cast down. Self-distrust and humility would keep you from expecting great results, and from ascribing that to yourself when they were produced; while trust in God would give you courage and strength to go on in one quiet, earnest, persevering course. Your teaching must of course be always as practical as possible. Try to bring it home to each child. Really, Elinor, I cannot give you any definite directions, I can but suggest my own fanciful notions for you to try ;-one of these is this; having selected some one particular subject on one day of the week— say Sunday, or Monday-perhaps from the Collect, Epistle, or Gospel for the week, or from any thing else you please, and having made that one point the especial subject of instruction on this day, to dwell on that during the rest of the week. I would try to make any chapters they might read bear on that, and the meanings of Scripture are so manifold that you could often do this. Thus one single duty having been put prominently before the children for so long, and their attention in some measure concentrated on that for the time, they would be far more likely to remember it, than if you had given them seven different lessons on the seven days, they would recollect them. I should think, too, that it might be possible, and if so, a good plan, to group different things together, so as to make them bring out each other's meaning.'

'What is grouping?' asked Elinor.

'Grouping is, bringing things together into a group,' Mildred answered, smiling.

'Of course it is; but what do you mean by it now?'

'I am trying to think of an illustration for you,' said Mildred, 'but I cannot find one to my mind. I mean that you should bring together into one group different passages from different sources, as, for instance, from different parts of the Bible and the Prayer-book, which all teach the same lesson; or through which you may discover one meaning running, half hidden, like a string through a row of various beads.'

'You have found an illustration, Mildred.' 'Yes,' she said, 'such as it is.'

'Give me also an instance,' said Elinor.

For instance :-take the Collect for any one particular Sunday ; you will probably find some one grace put prominently forward in it; make this grace the thread on which to string your beads for the week; or use it like a coloured glass to look through, so that it may cast its own colouring on all things. Or, if you like a musical illustration better, make your Collect the key-note, and tune whatever else may fall in your way with that. You might bring together any part of the lessons, or of the morning and evening services, the Litany, &c., or of the Catechism, or of the Baptismal Service, or of the Psalms-any thing, in short, which will harmonise with your key-note. It sounds rather complicated, does it not? and is very likely impracticable; but, if practicable, I should fancy it might be a good method; and it would enable you, as well as your pupils, to enter more deeply into the many meanings of all these things.'

'I believe I have an idea of your meaning, but I am not at all certain that I could carry it out,' Elinor answered: but I should think you might write me down something by way of specimen. Perhaps, if you would help me for a few weeks, I might get on better afterwards alone.'

'It would test my theories in a degree,' said Mildred, musingly;' 'I mean, it would be something just a little more practical than the mere talking I have been doing hitherto: you know, however, that I cannot write much, only for a few minutes at a time; and you would find my pencilled scratches difficult to decipher. Still, I have

rather a fancy for trying to do what you ask me. though most likely with very indifferent success.'

So I will try,

‹ Thank you, dear Mildred; how kind you are,' said Elinor. Very,' answered Mildred, laughing, to be willing to amuse myself with an occupation which will make some of these long hours pass quickly by.'

'But I would not wish you to try to teach anything, only by word of mouth, Elinor: I would apply the same principle to all religious duties and graces, which I recommended with regard to reverential prayer. Teach all by example, or try to do so, yet without making your example your own object or intention. Always try to bear in mind, that you have yourself to learn what you are desirous of teaching; and I feel sure, that the more heartily you are trying to learn, the better your teaching will be. To return to our old illustration—if you try to teach what you are not also trying to learn, you will get on about as well as one who tries to push others forward while he stands still himself: or rather (for there is no standing still on this road) like one also who, while attempting to push others forward himself, is going backward. Remember, all must be travelling on together-all striving to reach the same end. And I think you will find, that the advance of those you teach will bear some proportion to your own; at least I think it will do so, for it is not to be supposed that you can judge of your own progress. I • think, that when you are most striving to subdue all pride and vanity in your own heart, and to humble yourself to your real position, as you stand in God's sight, then will your lessons of humility be most earnest and effectual. When you are most stedfastly bent on denying your own likings, and on resigning your whole will to God, then will you best teach submission and meekness to others. And when you are most deeply conscious of your own sinfulness, and of God's long long-suffering with you, in spite of all your obstinate provocations and perverseness, then you can hardly fail to be most patient, gentle, earnest, attentive, even with the froward and stubborn, and wilfully disobedient. In short, whatever grace you feel yourself most deficient in, and to work hardest to gain, you will be likely to teach the best: whatever fault you are struggling most to conquer in yourself, you will be most successful in overcoming in others. Only, let your will be right, and your intention single, and your efforts hearty, and then rely confidently on God for the result. As the great Bishop Taylor says, "Do thou take care only of thy