A tall thin lady followed close: Mrs. Percy inquired if she was his wife, and was informed in reply, that his wife was confined to the house, and that this was a hearer and great admirer of his, a maiden lady, a most excellent, active, benevolent person. "Indeed," added Mrs. Darling, who was replying to Mrs. Percy's inquiry in a very low tone of voice," she is the most energetic person possible, and so fond of Mr. Clayford it is quite ridiculous; I sometimes tell her, if I was his wife I should be quite jealous," and Mrs. Darling laughed good-humouredly, but in the same subdued tone, as if afraid of an echo, and with the same step moved off on the points of her feet, which was her custom. Mrs. Percy turned towards Mary with an inquiring look, as much as to say "are they all so quiet and cautious." She quickly found they were not, at least, all equally silent, for loud laughing resounded from the other end of the room. The young ladies had discovered that the tall maiden lady had travelled from with Mr. Clayford, and been several times taken for his wife, which mistake had occasioned some very ludicrous scenes; and Mr. Clayford being naturally of a lively disposition, was detailing them with considerable humour; the young ladies tittered

and looked exceedingly amused, the heroine of the tale also laughed, but seemed half annoyed at the awkwardness of the circumstances. Mrs. Percy observed to Mary, that she was glad to see that religious persons could laugh and be lively. Mary was pleased more on her account than on her own, that the party appeared to have got rid of their reserved chilling manner, and were inclined to be social and friendly; she attributed the change to the presence of Mr. Clayford, which, in fact, was the truth: he was a leading character in the religious world, and as eminent for his sweetness of disposition as for his ministerial labours.

Much agreeable and interesting conversation took place after tea, Mr. Clayford had been visiting in different parts of the country, and was giving an account of his journey and the progress of religion in the various places at which he stopped. On the whole, he said, he thought that the gospel was spreading in a most extensive manner; but that he, with others, had occasion to lament, that while there was a great increase of knowledge and profession, there was, unhappily, a sad deficiency in the proportion of genuine operative piety among professors; he meant that there was perceptible, in too many instances, a languor in spiritual

religion, a sort of sloth and deadness, which, although it had not undermined so entirely as to level the outworks of the citadel, had nevertheless committed such fatal depredations within, that a skilful engineer would easily discover that very little was wanting to shake the whole fabric. He lamented this evil in strong terms, and exhorted all his friends to bear constantly in mind that we can none of us stand a moment in security, but as we are watchful in prayer and active exertion, “I am persuaded," he added, " that prayer is all in all, but it must be constant, humble, fervent prayer, we must lie low at the foot of the cross, looking unto our blessed Saviour with hope and consolation, but never losing sight of our own sins, so keeping the mind balanced as it were, not too much elated on the one hand, nor too much depressed on the other-to rejoice, yet with fear and trembling-to mourn for our sins, yet not as those who have no hope-to have full reliance on the Saviour, and yet to act as if the work of salvation depended on our own exertions, while we are still conscious that nothing we can do has any claim to acceptance but through Christ alone. We must press on, not stand still; those who do not advance, fall back; there is actually no such thing as

standing still in religion; we must seek to attain greater degrees of holiness, for though man is utterly corrupt and incapable of any good before he is renewed by the Spirit of God, he becomes capable of great efforts by the agency of that gracious influence, after he is regenerated; and it is expected of him that he should show the nature of his new birth and the attainments of which it renders him capable; that he should be devoted in heart and life, in word, in deed, in thought, to his heavenly Father.”

"Don't you think," said the tall lady, addressing him, “that there are different degrees of sanctification?"

"Most assuredly there are ! ”

"And do you not think that it is in our power to attain to greater or less degrees of holiness by our own exertions ? ” Certainly."

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I mean to say, am I not right in concluding that every one has it in his power to advance progressively in grace, until he appears to have reached a very exalted height in the scale of human perfection, and to have attained that happy state of feeling, which seems to bury the creature with its sinful inclinations in the pure love of God, and conformity to his will?"

"If you understand by burying the creature with its sinful inclinations, the total cessation

of the actings of our corrupt nature while we are on earth, I object to this theory; for I am persuaded that no man, let his attainments in holiness be what they may, ever so completely gains the ascendency over himself as to destroy the power of sin altogether. I allow that some few by extraordinary efforts of self-denial, mortification, prayer, and watchfulness, have arrived at a most exalted and enviable state of sanctity, a state to tempt one almost to question if they are of the same stamp as ourselves; but these are rare, very rare instances; however, we should all hold before ourselves the most perfect patterns, that, in admiring their excellence, and envying their exalted position, we may endeavour to imitate their example."

"I think," said the tall lady again," that Mr. Hervey, that excellent, heavenly-minded man, is as perfect a specimen of what a Christian may be as any one that ever lived, it is quite a treat to look at him! he seems so full of the love of God, and so purified from all the infirmities of the flesh! I think I never met with a more spiritually-minded person!

Mr. Clayford rather warmly joined in the eulogium.

"We might," continued the lady,“ select a few from the little circle we know, who would