to be served up for your gratification, and which were caught this very morning. It seems but a poetical justice that, as you have admired so much the beautiful surface of our transparent waters, you should enjoy some of the treasures hidden beneath them. I will not promise you," he continued, laughingly, "quite as large a dish of them as was enclosed in a net, some time ago, by a fisherman in the neighbourhood; for, without any poetical figure whatever, I must tell you, that he caught, at a single draught, twelve thousand trouts." "It does sound, indeed," replied Mrs. Gracelove," very much like the licence of poetry; but on your knowledge of it, as a fact, I cannot but rely. I must confess, however, that it is a very extraordinary circumstance, and proves the amazing fecundity of Ullswater, beyond any comparison with the other lakes of the two counties." 66 "Such is the truth, "responded our host; and, in addition to the number, may also be stated the size of some of these fish, which have, occasionally, been taken of the enormous weight of thirty pounds; and, to sum up the whole of their merits, their flavour is equal both to their number and size." An excellent repast terminated the day's excursion, of which the trout, so highly eulogized, formed the prominent dish; and the family retired to rest after the fatigues of the day. But, to the great grief of our friend, their retirement for the night was unhallowed by that family worship, which, rising from sincere and grateful hearts, while it offers thanksgivings to God for past mercies, lays a holy foundation, through the merits of the Redeemer, for blessings to come. On the following morning, while walking in the garden before breakfast, with the lady of the house, she took the opportunity of speaking to her on the subject. She insisted, with candour and firmness, yet with kindness, on the imperative obligation resting upon every family to perform this essential duty. She referred her to that striking passage in Jeremiah, where the prophet invokes the Almighty to vindicate his violated sovereignty by severe chastisements against such offenders-Pour out thy fury,' he says, 'upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name.' * "Pardon me, my dear Mrs. Sandford," she observed, "if I say, that it is Christianity, without Christ, to profess and not to practise. It is like the air-bubbles blown by children from the ends of pipes;-very fair outside, with reflected rays of light, but full of emptiness within, and which a mere breath will burst. We should all of us studiously remember what is said, in the Gospel of St. Matthew, about cleaning the 'outside of the cup and of the platter,' and about 'whited sepulchres'— and who it is that says it." + 66 I feel that we are quite open to your friendly expostulation," replied Mrs. Sandford, "for I am conscious of the propriety of having family prayers in the domestic establishment of every Christian. Mr. Sandford, however, is of a different opinion. His argument is, 'that the Almighty is perfectly acquainted with our wants without our telling Him, and that, therefore, it is a superfluous ceremony."" "This is a very strange doctrine truly," remarked Mrs. Gracelove."Such a principle would close the door of every church and chapel throughout Christendom; would prostrate every family altar; seal up every lip; deaden every heart; banish prayer from the world; and degrade mankind to a lower scale than the beasts that perish. This would, indeed, be to frustrate the grace of God, and to bar all access to the pardon and acceptance of our Divine Maker. Mr. Sandford can never have read his Bible," she further observed, "or such a wild theory, to speak mildly of it, could never have entered his ↑ Matt. xxiii. 25-28. * Jer. x. 25. head; for I am quite unwilling to entertain the other and more fatal alternative-that he has read but does not believe, or believing will not obey. This would reduce the question to one of infidelity; or, in the latter case, to something very proximate to it—a crime of such magnitude against the sovereignty of heaven, as I will not for a moment suppose your husband capable of committing." Oh, no!" answered Mrs. Sandford with somewhat of emotion, "I thank God my husband is not an infidel, though I regret to say, less strict in his religious duties than he ought to be." "Let me for an instant, my dear friend," resumed the former, recall to your remembrance three or four of the most powerful and authoritative exhortations to the duty of prayer contained in the sacred Scriptures; which, had your husband ever read, with the smallest attention, would never have suffered him to entertain the opinion to which you have just alluded. The subject is so familiar, and so deeply interesting to my mind, as to require no effort of memory to recollect the very words themselves. "The zealous apostle of the Gentiles, in addressing his Ephesian converts, thus enjoins upon them this sacred duty— 'Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God: Praying always, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.'* In his Epistle to the Romans, he affectionately beseeches them to continue 'instant in prayer;'+ and to the Thessalonians he gives the same short but energetic admonition, to 'pray without ceasing.' ‡ "If we turn," said this exemplary woman, "to the Gospel ↑ Rom. xii. 12. Eph. vi. 17, 18. 1 Thess. v. 17. of St. Luke, we shall find a more illustrious authority still, in the person of our blessed Lord Himself. In addressing his disciples- He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint.'* And in a subsequent chapter of the same Gospel, He delivered the following momentous warning, on the subject of prayer, to the disciples who accompanied Him-'Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.' † "To these solemn injunctions," she added, "did our adorable Saviour give a Divine sanction in his own person. How often did He pray Himself to his heavenly Father, and with what fervency of spirit!" They are, doubtless, striking passages, observed the lady of the house," and if you will have the kindness to write down the texts on a slip of paper, I will take an opportunity, on some early day, to call Mr. Sandford's serious attention to them in the Bible. I assure you, he is very amiable, and by no means an unreasonable man, if you can but fix his attention and awaken his judgment by the force of evidence; though I fear, like myself, he is sometimes very thoughtless." "I most truly hope you will succeed," replied her pious guest, "for I can consider no family strictly Christian, and sincere in their religion, who raise not up an altar of Divine worship, within the bosom of their household, to the praise and glory of God. Let us never forget,-in order that we may be delivered from it, the awful curse which I have already alluded to, invoked by the prophet Jeremiah, on the heads of the prayerless. 6 "All Scripture,' we are told, 'is given by inspiration of * Luke xviii. 1. + Luke xxi. 36. God;'* therefore does the Almighty, by the voice of his inspired prophet speak Himself the words of this fearful malediction. Do, my dear Mrs. Sandford," she said with emotion, "reflect deeply and seriously upon this important subject "Be wise to-day !-'tis madness to defer ! The vast concerns of an eternal scene !' * 2 Tim. iii. 16. ተ + Cowper. |