C, 
 
 r 

 
 Bangers antr Btt
 
 ' Am! soi/in; ihe boy by the shoulder, turned him over, rnrt 
 rfood across him, kecking u firm, and, as il seemed, a disabling 
 hoi, I." P.^-c 7J.
 
 DANGEKS AND DUTIES. 
 
 BY CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH. 
 
 NEW-YORK : 
 
 M . W . D D D , 
 
 BRICK CHURCH CHAPEL, OPPOSITE THE CITY HALL. 
 MDCCCXLII.
 
 UNIVERSITY PRESS JOHN F. TROW, PRIVI'MR.
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 " IT is high time," said Ed ward Seymour to 
 his brother, " to let this Tutor of ours know we 
 are not his slaves. He is engaged to teach us, 
 and we are willing to learn, as far as is reason- 
 able, what he chooses to set us ; but I have no 
 notion of being domineered over at the rate we 
 are." 
 
 " To be sure not," said Frank ; " I am eleven, 
 and you nearly thirteen ; and certainly we two 
 ought to be more than a match for this grand 
 gentleman, who may be very glad if we do what 
 he requires of us in a civil way, and not .take 
 upon himself to lord it over us." 
 
 " Was not it a good joke, Frank, to hear 
 him telling how things were managed at his 
 school, where the master's word was law, and 
 1*
 
 O DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 no boy had a notion of rebelling, as he calls it 1 
 A fine sneaking set they grew up, no doubt 
 a regular pack of old women, like our worthy 
 Tutor himself." 
 
 " I believe it was the way in most of the 
 schools then," remarked Frank ; " but things are 
 altered for the better now. Why, Phil Taylor 
 told me that at the end of the last half-year the 
 boys of his school got mightily praised for not 
 smashing the windows as they did in the half 
 before it. Masters are beginning to know their 
 places, w y hich are some pegs lower than they 
 used to fancy. As for Mr. Wright, we'll soon 
 let him into that secret too." 
 
 Edward laughed, and then said, " The worst 
 of it is, that he will be sure to complain to Papa, 
 and he will order us to do what he thinks right." 
 
 " Well, in that case we shall be obeying 
 Papa, not the Tutor, which will be something 
 gained. I have no objection to obey Papa, be- 
 cause he is reasonable, and certainly thinks of 
 our good in what he does."
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 7 
 
 Edward agreed ; adding, " Besides, there is 
 a direct commandment to obey our parents; 
 but as for letting other people master us, I 
 know of no reason for it, but a great many good 
 ones against it, unless they can prove to us that 
 they are right in every thing they order, and 
 we wrong." 
 
 This conversation took place in a play- 
 ground belonging to the boys, which was fenced 
 round with a thin circle of laurels and other 
 evergreen shrubs ; outside of the inclosure ran 
 a broad walk, where Mr. Seymour was accus- 
 tomed to take exercise. The young gentlemen, 
 while discoursing as above, had raised their 
 voices so that their father, passing at the time, 
 heard every word ; and great grief it caused 
 him. He stopped, and calling to them through 
 the bushes, inquired whether they would like to 
 accompany him in a long walk that he was 
 going to take. The boys jumped at the propo- 
 sal, arid were presently at his side. 
 
 After some general conversation, Mr. Sey-
 
 8 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 mour said, " I suppose, my lads, you did not 
 mean to make any secret of the opinions and 
 intentions you were both declaring just now : 
 the tone in which you spoke made them public 
 to all passers-by." 
 
 " We did not suppose any body was near, 
 Papa," replied Edward ; " or rather I should 
 say, we forgot it altogether." 
 
 " I am glad, however, that I was within 
 hearing, my dear boy ; for you have taken up 
 some very dangerous notions, and are most se- 
 riously in the wrong. Resistance of authority 
 is a greater offence than you seem to be aware 
 of." 
 
 " But we never dreamed of resisting your 
 authority, Papa : we agreed that we ought to 
 submit to it." 
 
 " Yes, I heard you ; and I also heard the 
 grounds on which you w r ere willing to submit to 
 it ; namely, that my commands are reasonable, 
 and that I seek your good." 
 
 " And is not that true, sir ?"
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. U 
 
 " I hope so ; but that is not the foundation 
 on which your obedience ought to stand. Lis- 
 ten to me, my dear boys ; for you are treading 
 among snares and pitfalls of which it is my duty 
 to warn you ; and I feel it a great encourage- 
 ment that I should have been led within hear- 
 ing of a conversation but for which I might 
 have remained ignorant of your present dan- 
 ger." 
 
 Edward and Frank stole a look at each 
 other ; that of the elder seemed to say that their 
 father was making too much of a small matter, 
 and that of the younger, that he did not mean 
 to be convinced by any thing he should hear. 
 However, they said nothing, for they both 
 loved and respected their Papa ; and Mr. Sey- 
 mour having taken out his small Bible, thus re- 
 sumed : 
 
 " You began by protesting against what you 
 consider an overstretch of your Tutor's autho- 
 rity 7" 
 
 " Yes, Papa."
 
 10 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 " You then denounced the old system of 
 strict government in schools ; and observed that 
 the boys so disciplined must have grown up a 
 sneaking set ?" 
 
 " Something of that sort, Papa." 
 
 " Then you quoted with satisfaction an in- 
 stance to prove that the authority of superiors 
 was being disputed, and young people begin- 
 ning to transgress with impunity ; adding a de- 
 termination to act upon the same plan with 
 your own Tutor ?" 
 
 No answer w T as given: the boys looked 
 rather foolish. 
 
 "Then you agreed that if I was appealed to 
 by Mr. Wright, you would submit to me, for the 
 reasons I just now stated ?" 
 
 " Yes, Papa." 
 
 " And Edward finished by acknowledging 
 the force of God's commandment in reference 
 to parents and children, but which he said went 
 no further, nor did it require you to submit to 
 any other person, unless he could prove himself
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 11 
 
 to be in the right, and you in the wrong. Now 
 say, have I or have I not correctly stated the 
 purport of your discourse ?" 
 
 "You certainly have done so, Papa," an- 
 swered Edward : " exactly as we said it," 
 added Frank. 
 
 "Now, my children," said Mr. Seymour, 
 solemnly and affectionately addressing them, " I 
 need not repeat to you what you have learned 
 out of this blessed book, and what your expe- 
 rience, young as you are, has often, by your 
 own confession, proved to you that man's na- 
 tural heart is corrupt and evil, full of all wick- 
 edness, and always ready to rebel against God. 
 It has been so from the day of Adam's trans- 
 gression ; but we are here also taught by the 
 Holy Ghost to expect a great increase of evil, 
 in one form especially, among professing Chris- 
 tians, in these latter days; and I want to show 
 you some remarkable features in that prediction. 
 Here it is, the Second Epistle to Timothy, third 
 chapter, second, third, and fourth verses. Read 
 them, Edward."
 
 12 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 The boy obeyed, and read, " For men shall 
 be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, 
 proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, 
 unthankful, unholy ; without natural affection, 
 truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, 
 despisers of those that are good, traitors, 
 heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more 
 than lovers of God ; having a form of godliness, 
 but denying the power thereof: from such turn 
 away." 
 
 " And I would turn away from such charac- 
 ters, Papa," continued Edward; " and not for 
 the world would I belong to such a black list." 
 
 " Nor I, indeed, Papa," added Frank. 
 
 " Not of purpose, I trust, would my dear 
 boys have any thing to do with such transgres- 
 sors," said Mr. Seymour ; " but when I see all 
 around me proofs that the ' perilous times ' 
 here spoken of by St. Paul are come, and when 
 I find the tempter trying to plant in your young 
 bosoms the seeds of these vile principles, I can- 
 not but tremble, and seek to warn you. It is
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 13 
 
 too true, what you noticed, Frank, that in 
 schools, first instituted for the stricter preserva- 
 tion of discipline, the ' heady ' and ' high- 
 minded ' are prevailing to create disorder. They 
 are ' fierce ' in resenting whatever would con- 
 trol them ; they are ' proud ' in asserting their 
 presumed independence ; ' unthankful ' for 
 much care bestowed, much error pardoned, and 
 much indulgence granted by those above them : 
 and while ' traitors ' to the persons in authority, 
 they are ' despisers of those that are good ' 
 among their companions, who will not join in 
 their misdoings ; and ' boasters ' of that for 
 which they ought to be most bitterly ashamed. 
 See how much of the character from which you 
 shrink belongs to that which you are desirous 
 to assume!" 
 
 " But if I was in a school I should not join 
 them, Papa, 1 ' said Frank. 
 
 " Your wish to introduce the same system at 
 home proves that you would," answered the 
 father. " The object that Satan places in the 
 2
 
 14 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 view of those whom he thus misleads is what he 
 teaches them to call independence. They are 
 * lovers of their own selves ' by nature, as we 
 all are ; and he turns them from seeking that 
 which is really good for themselves in every 
 sense, to be ' covetous ' of present ease, liberty, 
 and impunity in mischief, and so by degrees he 
 fills out the character here drawn by the Apos- 
 tle." 
 
 " St. Paul says ' men,' not school-boys," ob- 
 served Edward. 
 
 "True ; and what we desire the man to be- 
 come, to that we carefully train the boy : Satan 
 is too cunning to neglect bending the young 
 sapling, to the form that he wishes the tree to 
 take ; and many a tender plant he is now twist- 
 ing to his wicked purpose, by instilling into the 
 youthful mind such notions as you were giving 
 utterance to this morning." 
 
 " I should be sorry to think he was doing so 
 to me, Papa," said Edward. 
 
 " Then pay particular regard, my dear, to
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 15 
 
 the warning mercifully given ; and answer me 
 a few questions that I wish to put. In the first 
 place, whose authority do you confess, as being 
 supreme and irresistible over all ?" 
 
 " God's authority, sir." 
 
 " Who is head over all things to his church ; 
 holding all power both in heaven and earth ; 
 King of kings, and Lord of lords ?" 
 
 " Jesus Christ." 
 
 " Cannot his authority be resisted ?" 
 
 The boys considered a moment, and Frank 
 said, " Yes ; there is a great deal in the Second 
 Psalm about the kings and rulers and people 
 taking counsel together to resist him : and the 
 Lord says to him also, ' Sit thou at my right 
 hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool.' 
 There are many other passages to show it." 
 
 " A great number, indeed," answered Mr. 
 Seymour. " Multitudes are ever declaring, like 
 the citizens in the parable, ' We will not have 
 this man to reign over us.' Now, if Christ is 
 to be resisted in his office as king, how can it
 
 16 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 be done ? You cannot march against him ; you 
 cannot make war upon him ; you cannot alter 
 the course of his providence, nor resist his 
 mighty power if he puts it forth to crumble you 
 into dust." 
 
 " I think I begin to understand you now, 
 Papa," said Edward. "Our Lord Jesus being 
 the King of kings, an earthly king is only, as it 
 were, his viceroy." 
 
 " Exactly so, my dear child. As a viceroy- 
 represents the monarch, acts in his name, re- 
 ceives honour and submission for him, and can 
 indict any one for high treason who rebels 
 against his authority, so the kings of earth derive 
 their power from Christ, being raised up to rule, 
 and appointed by his secret providence ; 
 and here we have gained one step in our dis- 
 coveries. A man who rebels against his law- 
 ful king, commits treason against the Lord 
 Christ." 
 
 " I see that now," said Frank : " and it makes 
 treason look blacker than ever. I hope I shali
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 17 
 
 always be a loyal subject, and no traitor." He 
 took off his hat, and raising his voice, cried out, 
 " God save the Queen," an example which his 
 brother immediately followed j while their 
 father, also uncovering his head, devoutly eja- 
 culated, " Amen !" 
 
 " Oh, how I do hate treason !" resumed 
 Frank, taking a long stride, in the energy of 
 his feelings. " Thank you, Papa, for teaching 
 me to see how doubly wicked it is." 
 
 " I am glad I have succeeded in showing you 
 its extreme sinfulness, my boy ; but this is not 
 all ; remember, it is written that Christ is head 
 OVER ALL THINGS to his Church, that is, to the 
 whole company of them that believe ; so a 
 Christian will always see the Lord Jesus to be 
 the Head, and will view every thing in its proper 
 rank beneath him, the supreme Governor. Thus, 
 you see, He is over me, your father ; and the 
 duty you owe me, the honour, the obedience, the 
 respect, are due to me on Christ's behalf, be- 
 cause he is Chief in every thing, and gives me 
 2*
 
 18 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 the place I hold over you, to govern you for 
 Him." 
 
 The boys looked much surprised, as they 
 turned their gaze upon their father, and together 
 said, " We never thought of that." 
 
 " Indeed ! Does not the Scripture bid you 
 obey your parents ' in the Lord ?' What did 
 you suppose it to mean ?" 
 
 After a pause, they confessed they had not 
 considered its meaning. 
 
 " But you ought to consider the meaning of 
 all that you read in this precious book., particu- 
 larly what is addressed to yourselves, as chil- 
 dren. You must obey me for the Lord's sake, 
 according to the Lord's command, in submis- 
 sion to the Lord's laws. If I told you to do any 
 thing plainly contrary to the word of God you 
 could not obey me in the Lord, for I should be 
 no longer his representative to you, any more 
 than the viceroy, who should arm and lead the 
 people he was sent to govern to battle against 
 their king and his, would be viceroy of that
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 19 
 
 king. But while I own the Lord Christ as my 
 Head and Master, you must look on me as 
 placed over you by Him, and reverence that 
 authority accordingly." 
 
 Edward had been thinking much ; he now 
 said, " It is not only your authority, Papa, but 
 every person's who is over us, that we must 
 look on so, I fancy ; for St. Paul uses that argu- 
 ment for obeying magistrates, does he not ? and 
 it seems to me somehow to go down into every 
 rank of life. I remember some commands are 
 given to masters and servants that seem to ex- 
 press it too." 
 
 " I am most thankful that my dear boy sees 
 my meaning, and on what it is founded : and 
 now, Edward, think again, and tell me how the 
 doctrine of Christ being head over all things 
 bears upon the subject of your conversation this 
 morning." 
 
 Edward did not need to be told to think ; 
 for he began to feel alarmed at the serious of- 
 fence he had been purposing to commit ; and
 
 2U DAIS'GERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 wishing to persuade himself that he was not so 
 much in the wrong, he pondered deeply on the 
 real meaning of those awful passages in Scrip- 
 ture. He had an honest mind, and did not wish 
 to shut his eyes against the conviction which 
 soon forced itself upon him ; so he answered 
 after some time, " Indeed, Papa, it seems as if 
 we had been very wrong ; for if the Lord gives 
 you authority over us, and you give it to another 
 person to act for you, we have no more right to 
 resist him than to resist you. The reason I did 
 not consider this before was, that I thought your 
 right to rule over us a natural right, just because 
 you are our father; and did not suppose that 
 you could give the same, or indeed any right, 
 to another person." 
 
 " And what makes you look differently on the 
 matter now ?" 
 
 " Why, I can hardly explain it, Papa ; but 
 from what you have said it seems to me as if 
 there was a sort of kingship in your right. You 
 seem to be a viceroy, set over us by the Great
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 21 
 
 King ; and our tutor is one of your officers of 
 state whom we are bound to obey, because you 
 appoint him to his office." 
 
 " But suppose I was unreasonable and tyran- 
 nical ; or that the master whom I set over you 
 abused his authority, and was harsh, severe, 
 unjust?" 
 
 " If he was so, Papa, I should tell you of it, 
 and ask you to interfere ; and if if I had a 
 Papa such as you describe, just the contrary of 
 what you are to us, why then I must remember 
 that the Lord holds all hearts in his hand ; and 
 since it was He who gave that parent authority 
 over me, I must hope he will teach him to use 
 it more gently and kindly." 
 
 Mr. Seymour looked at his son with delight ; 
 and after a moment's silence said, "The feeling 
 that you have now expressed, my dear boy, is 
 exactly what the Bible inculcates ; and on the 
 same principle must obedience be rendered to 
 superiors in every relationship of life. Laws 
 are instituted in all civilized countries, and
 
 22 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 ours, God be thanked ! are founded on the 
 Bible, therefore they are just and right, affording 
 protection to all classes of people. The king 
 or queen, being supreme ruler, the laws are ad- 
 ministered in their name ; they themselves being 
 sworn to uphold them faithfully and impar- 
 tially. If any one possessing inferior authority 
 is guilty of oppression, the law provides a re- 
 medy; and so the liberty of the subject is safe : 
 but he who resists the exercise of lawful power 
 in any shape rebels against God. Do you not 
 perceive what a strong consolation this view of 
 the matter affords, where tyranny is really 
 exercised and power abused ; and what a mo- 
 tive for cheerful obedience it supplies under all 
 circumstances ?" 
 
 " Yes, Papa, I do," replied Edward. Frank 
 said, "There would be very little treason in 
 the world, if every body understood this." 
 
 " That is true," said Mr. Seymour, " if men 
 always acted up to the knowledge they possess ; 
 but unhappily they do not. We are often wil-
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 23 
 
 ling to admit the truth of a doctrine, and even 
 to praise its excellence until called on to put it 
 in practice; and then we shrink back, either 
 complaining of its strictness, or else in some 
 way avoiding the part we ought to perform. 
 You may remember what our Lord says to his 
 disciples, 'If ye know these things, happy are 
 ye if ye do them.' Disobedience is so natural 
 to man, in his fallen state, that the grace of 
 the Holy Spirit is necessary to make him really 
 and willingly submissive to the powers that be, 
 even when he knows them to be ordained of 
 God." 
 
 Thus conversing, they came to the house of 
 a neighbouring gentleman where Mr. Seymour 
 wanted to call. As they walked through the 
 avenue a man met them, coming from the 
 house : he had a rather large pack fastened to 
 his shoulders, and in his hand a yard measure. 
 Mr. Seymour looked very hard at him as he 
 passed, but the man kept his eyes fixed on the 
 ground, and pretended not to observe him.
 
 24 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 When they went into the parlour they 
 found Mrs. Clay, the lady of the house, examin- 
 ing a heap of ribbon, lace, and other things that 
 lay on the table before her, and which her maid 
 was beginning to fold up. She asked her visit- 
 ors to sit down, dismissed the servant, and after 
 a few civil speeches, took up the end of a rich 
 ribbon, saying, " I have made some great bar- 
 gains to-day ; these articles are really French, 
 and I have got them as cheap as the com- 
 monest home-manufacture, though they are 
 the best of their kind ; particularly the 
 gloves." 
 
 " I am sorry to hear it," remarked Mr. Sey- 
 mour, " for I conclude you purchased them of 
 the pedler I met in the avenue, and whose cha- 
 racter, I regret to say, is far from being good." 
 
 " Why," said the lady, alarmed, " you don't 
 think he has deceived me ? I consider myself 
 a judge of foreign articles, and these have every 
 mark of being French." 
 
 " I don't question that, ma'am ; but I fear
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 25 
 
 they are contraband : that man is a known con- 
 federate of smugglers." 
 
 " Oh, if that is all, it confirms the genuine- 
 ness of the articles ; and of course they would 
 not sell so cheap if the full duty had been paid. 
 But that, you know, is no affair of mine. I 
 gave what the owner asked for them, and so all 
 was fair, as far as I am concerned." 
 
 " The royal owner was certainly not a party 
 to the transaction," said Mr. Seymour. 
 
 " Royal owner!" 
 
 "Yes ; they belong to the Queen." 
 
 " They belong to me now at any rate," ob- 
 served Mrs. Clay, who did not seem very well 
 pleased at his remarks. 
 
 " Pardon me, they are forfeit to the Queen, 
 by the law of the land, having been smuggled 
 into the kingdom ; and if traced they could at 
 this moment be seized by her Majesty's war- 
 rant, transferred to her stores, and publicly sold, 
 without affording you any compensation what- 
 ever. Such is the law." 
 3
 
 26 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 " An unjust and tyrannical law," obsen ed 
 the lady, " and which I, for one, should never 
 think of keeping." 
 
 " Surely it is not unjust to make statutes 
 to protect at once the fair trader and the native 
 manufacturer; nor tyrannical to enforce them 
 when made." 
 
 " Well, I shall not argue the point with 
 you. Here comes my husband, and now I will 
 bid you good morning, having several things 
 to attend to." 
 
 When Mr. Seymour and his sons left the 
 house, Edward said, " Papa, if the same thing 
 had happened yesterday, I don't think I should 
 have seen much harm in the smuggling : but 
 when you were talking with Mrs. Clay, I con- 
 sidered it by the rule you laid down this morning, 
 and do you know I was quite shocked at it ?" 
 
 " I am glad to hear it, Edward, as it will help 
 to convince you that the rule of which you speak 
 is a safe aad sure one : but tell me how it struck 
 you ?"
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 27 
 
 " I will, Papa. First, I considered the Lord 
 had said to us, ' I give you this Queen to reign 
 over you : obey her, because she is appointed 
 by me.' Then the Queen says, ' You must not 
 bring any foreign goods into my kingdom, 
 without paying me a sum of money for leave to 
 import them.' So the person who deals in 
 smuggled goods encourages another, and per- 
 haps a more ignorant person, to disobey the 
 Queen's laws, which he cannot do without dis- 
 obeying God ; and that is very sinful." 
 
 " Well stated, Edward," said his father : 
 " do you see any other sin in smuggling ?" 
 
 " I do," said Frank. " You have often told 
 us, sir, that a lie, when it is acted, is as much a 
 lie as if it were spoken ; like Ananias bringing 
 part of the money and laying it down at the 
 apostles' feet, to make them suppose it was the 
 whole. He said nothing, yet his action was 
 called lying unto God. Now if a smuggler 
 does not even tell a single untruth with his lips, 
 he must act a great many to deceive the cus-
 
 28 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 torn-house officers, and get his contraband goods 
 safe to the market. I see in this one thing 
 three bad crimes lying, cheating, and rebel- 
 lion." 
 
 " Yes," remarked Mr. Seymour, " and all 
 because men are ' covetous.' A little worthless 
 gain is the temptation to so much wickedness ; 
 and if you knew how much more is added to it 
 in the characters of those who pursue this un- 
 lawful traffic, how often blasphemy and cruel- 
 ty, treachery and murder stain their lives, you 
 would shrink from giving the slightest encour- 
 agement, for the sake of even the greatest ad- 
 vantage to yourself, to the system. Depend on 
 it, a man who knowingly and intentionally 
 breaks one law, will be bound by none, farther 
 than his own interest or pleasure is concerned 
 in keeping it. Do you not now perceive, my 
 dear boys, that in entering upon a path of dis- 
 obedience at home or at school, you would 
 place yourselves in a dangerous track, likely 
 to lead you astray from God's commandments,
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 29 
 
 even in things that you now regard as exceed- 
 ingly sinful ?" 
 
 "Yes, Papa : we see it, and we thank you 
 for showing us our danger." 
 
 " The discipline of which your tutor spoke 
 as distinguishing the schools in former time, was 
 a great blessing to those who were under it. 
 Instead of growing up old women, as one of 
 you expressed it, they furnished a race of as 
 brave and independent men as the world has 
 seen. Nobody governs so well as he who has 
 learned to obey : no one less likely to abuse 
 power when it falls into his own hands than he 
 who has respected it in the hands of others. 
 It is a lesson that the King of Glory himself 
 did not disdain, as man, to learn ; and what a 
 lovely example has he left us of submission and 
 obedience to constituted authorities ! No man 
 had a right to demand from him the tribute 
 money that was levied for the support and ser- 
 vice of the Temple ; for he was greater than 
 the Temple, Lord of it, and the service there 
 3*
 
 30 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 .done was offered to Him, God over all, blessed 
 for ever : yet after shortly explaining to Peter 
 that he was free from the obligation to pay it, 
 he commissioned Peter to draw a miraculous 
 supply from the depths of the sea, in order to 
 occasion no offence, no stumbling on the part 
 of others, by omitting to pay that very tax. 
 Oh, believe me, my children, that is a weighty 
 truth which says, ' Before honour cometh hu- 
 mility ;' and no less solemn is the warning 
 added, ' and a haughty spirit before a fall.' It is 
 one of the darkest signs of these evil ' perilous 
 times ' that the bands of ancient discipline are 
 so loosened, and those in authority so willing 
 to slacken, if not to throw down, the rein of 
 judicious restraint. I should grieve indeed to 
 see the master I have set over you yielding to a 
 spirit the first aspirings of which I am striving 
 to check, because I know it is not a spirit of 
 wisdom, or according to godliness." 
 
 The boys whispered to one another, and 
 then Edward said, " Papa, we are both sin- 
 
 V-
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES.' 31 
 
 cerely sorry to have given way to our proud, 
 rebellious thoughts ; and very thankful indeed 
 that you overheard and set us right. Indeed, 
 Papa, it is no proof of our obedience to the 
 Lord if we respect and obey you, for we can- 
 not help it, you are so good and kind : but we 
 wish to acknowledge our fault to Mr. Wright, 
 to whom we have already been rude and re- 
 fractory ; and to request he will always watch 
 us, to stop in time any such bad behaviour." 
 
 " But you must also watch yourselves, my 
 dear lads ; and constantly pray to the Lord for 
 that assisting grace without which no care of 
 ours can preserve you from the snares of the 
 devil." 
 
 " We will do so, Papa, and as we are going 
 to Mr. Taylor's to-morrow, to meet some of 
 Phil's friends, we shall have an opportunity of 
 arguing the matter out with them ; for I fancy 
 they are all of his way of thinking." 
 
 " Well, be careful in what spirit you enter 
 on the work; and remember that pride may
 
 32 
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 break out in an argument with your equals no 
 less mischievously than in resisting a teacher. 
 The command is general, ' Submit yourselves 
 one to another in the fear of God.' " 
 
 The boys promised great caution and pru- 
 dence ; and prepared to set forth on the morrow 
 as champions of good discipline and proper sub- 
 ordination. How they succeeded the sequel 
 must show. 

 
 PART II. 
 
 BRIMFUL of their new subject, our two young 
 friends joined the party at Mr. Taylor's, deter- 
 mined to lose no time in opening a discussion 
 upon it ; and confident that, having truth on 
 their side, they should silence all opponents. 
 They found half a dozen young gentlemen as- 
 sembled, all intent on making the afternoon as 
 pleasant to themselves as possible, and delib- 
 erating with great earnestness on the various 
 plans suggested for accomplishing that object. 
 Cricket, football, hockey, and sundry other 
 sports were proposed and in turn rejected, as 
 being daily within their reach ; thfey longed for 
 some novelty, and at last decided that a stroll 
 in quest of amusement would be better than such 
 a standing committee of ways and means for 
 providing it. So, having invited the two dogs,
 
 34 ' DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 Mr. Taylor's Newfoundlander and Phil's terrier, 
 to accompany them, away they all scampered 
 in the direction of a river, about a mile from 
 the house. 
 
 " We shall have good fun with Caesar," re- 
 marked Phi]. " You never saw such a dog for 
 the water : he'll dive, I don't know how 7 deep, 
 after a mere pebble, and fetch it up without mis- 
 take from the bottom." 
 
 Caesar, who was jogging beside his young 
 master, wagged or rather waved his long bushy 
 tail, in grave acknowledgment of the approv- 
 ing tone in which he heard himself mentioned ; 
 and the boys noticed it and praised his sagacity. 
 
 " I should like him better though," said one, 
 " if he had more spirit : he is too quiet, and 
 minds every word you say. Our great dog has 
 a will of his 'own : even Papa can't manage 
 him without blows, and 'tis such fun to see how 
 he will set every body at defiance. Caesar is a 
 sneak to him, and would run away from him 
 like a hare."
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 35 
 
 " You are vastly out in your reckoning, I 
 can tell you," said Phil somewhat angrily. 
 " Cffisar is no sneak, but a noble, brave dog, 
 strong enough to do as he likes, but sensible 
 enough to do as he is bid. Ah, my fine fellow," 
 he added, patting his head, " you'd soon show 
 any bullying brute of an ill-bred cur what stuff 
 you are made of, and send him away howling." 
 
 Csesar lifted his bright eyes to the lad's face, 
 and wagged his tail more energetically. 
 
 " I am sure I believe you, Phil," said 
 Edward Seymour, colouring a little as he spoke. 
 " Obedience is the best proof of a proper spirit, 
 and the want of it shows that something is 
 wrong." 
 
 " To be sure," replied Phil. " Why, if a 
 dog of mine pretended to have a will of his own, 
 I'd break every bone in his skin, but I'd teach 
 him who was master." 
 
 The boy who had provoked these remarks 
 laughed ; " I should like to see you set about 
 breaking Rover's bones."
 
 36 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 " The great beast ! he's not worth any 
 teaching, by your account of him: if you had 
 any sense you'd have broke him in from a 
 puppy : but as I said, I dare say he's not worth 
 the trouble." 
 
 " That was a sensible speech," whispered 
 Frank to Edward ; " just like what Papa said 
 about beginning while young. Can't you put 
 in a word ?" But Edward could not : nothing 
 is easier than to resolve on introducing profit- 
 able discourse among those who have no relish 
 for it ; few things harder to accomplish, without 
 help from above ; and it is to be feared our 
 young friends had neglected to pray for it ; they 
 trusted to their own knowledge and strength, 
 and so came unarmed to the combat. 
 
 The river was soon reached, and Caesar 
 excited general admiration by his docility, clev- 
 erness, and great strength : his young master, 
 nettled by the slight put upon him, took pains 
 to show him off to advantage, and every one 
 was obliged to admit he was any thing but a 
 sneak.
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 37 
 
 Suddenly Taylor exclaimed, " Why what a 
 fool I was to forget there's a boat-house not a 
 quarter of a mile higher up ; and we can get 
 the loan of a boat and have a capital row." 
 
 "Hurrah!" said the boys; and ran off at 
 full speed in the direction proposed. 
 
 One among them, however, began to look 
 blank : he seemed uneasy, and at last, when 
 they came to a pause in the race, looking for an 
 opening in the fence through which they must 
 pass, he said, " It's very unlucky, and very pro- 
 voking, but I can't go boating with you." 
 
 " No ! what's to hinder you, Tom ; are you 
 afraid ?" 
 
 " Not I ; but other people are, and I can't 
 help their fears." 
 
 " Stuff ! are other people's fancies to make 
 you a coward ? come along." 
 
 " I'll walk by the river side. You see, 
 Mamma had a very dear uncle of hers drowned 
 while boating : and my eldest brother was lost- 
 at sea, just after he entered as a midshipman. So
 
 <53 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 she is fearful, and won't let me go on the water 
 unless with experienced people." 
 
 " Well, now," said Taylor, " if ever I heard 
 such nonsense ! Why the chances are all 
 against three of one family coming to the same 
 end, and you are the least likely to be drowned 
 of any here. Come, I would not let all the 
 Mammas in the world make such an ass of me." 
 
 Very likely," said Tom ; " but I won't dis- 
 obey mine." 
 
 " 'Tis only for once, and she won't know it 
 either ; so come along." 
 
 " She must know it, if any thing happens to 
 me." 
 
 " Don't you see, boys," shouted Rover's 
 master, whose name was Clarke, " it's all his 
 own cowardice ! he is thinking of nothing but 
 being drowned, and dare not go; and then 
 throws all the blame on his poor mother." 
 
 " If you think me a coward," said Tom, 
 
 . " you've only to strip and try. I am not coward 
 
 enough to deceive my mother, nor brute enough
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 39 
 
 to make her unhappy : and I won't break my 
 promise to her either." 
 
 Several of the boys applauded this declara- 
 tion, and Taylor said, " If you gave a prom- 
 ise, that alters the case, it would be dishonour- 
 able to break it. We'll give up the boat." 
 
 " Pray don't : I am quite satisfied to stay 
 ashore till you return." 
 
 " Oh, no ; I know better manners than to 
 treat my guest in that way ; we will go back 
 round by the hill, and if nothing better turns 
 up, have a game at home." 
 
 The rest agreed, but all felt disappointed, 
 and one remarked, " Mind, Tom, if it hadn't 
 been a promise given, I would not have hu- 
 moured you so : I have no notion of our moth- 
 ers keeping us in leading-strings when we are 
 old enough to judge for ourselves." 
 
 " 'Tis a bad plan," observed Taylor. " If 
 we wait till they give us any liberty, we must 
 be babies till twenty-one, when the law sets us 
 free."
 
 40 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 " But," said Edward Seymour, " we are 
 commanded to obey them that have the rule over 
 us, and submit to the authority of our parents 
 and governors." 
 
 " Hear him ! hear him !" shouted the boys : 
 " the reverend Mr. Seymour is going to preach." 
 
 " Here's the stump of a tree a capital pul- 
 pit," exclaimed Clarke. " Up with you, and 
 give out a text." 
 
 " It would do you no harm to hear a good 
 sermon on your duties," said Edward, sharply ; 
 "for yo'u seem to know special little about 
 them." 
 
 " Hear ! hear !" repeated the boys : and 
 Taylor said, " I set my face against your doc- 
 trine altogether. We give a great deal too 
 much trouble to elderly people, letting them 
 manage for us. At our Sge we can take very 
 good care of ourselves ; and we ought to get 
 our own way, and to keep it." 
 
 " Like the dog Rover," observed Tom. 
 
 " Pho ! dogs are different things. I'm speak-
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 41 
 
 ing of rational beings like us. As to the old 
 fangled notions about authority, and all that, 
 it's mere nonsense. Don't you see that reason 
 shows us when we are old enough to look after 
 ourselves 1 and though I am for behaving re- 
 spectfully and dutifully to our parents, I expect 
 they will let me judge for myself in things 
 where I am as well able to do it as they." 
 
 " You may call it preaching if you like," 
 said Edward ; " and it's easy to stop any body's 
 mouth with noise and clamour ; but I could 
 soon prove you in the wrong." 
 
 " Let's hear," cried several of the boys ; 
 and one said, " Divide into two parties ; and 
 the one that tries to stop the other shall be de- 
 clared beaten." 
 
 This was agreed to : but on separating, no- 
 body sided with Seymour except his brother 
 and Tom. 
 
 " Now," began Edward, " does any body 
 deny that the Bible is what we ought to be 
 ruled and guided by ?" 
 4*
 
 42 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 " If we understand it," said Taylor, " not 
 else : and every body has not time to read it." 
 
 " Oh, I beg your pardon ; every body has 
 not time to read acts of Parliament, but- you 
 w; n't say they are therefore at liberty to break 
 the law of the land '?" 
 
 " We all know what the laws are." 
 
 " And we all know as much of God's law 
 as we need do t^ understand this case. Come, 
 boys, every one of you was at church last Sun- 
 day I saw you all there, and the second les- 
 son was about this very thing." 
 
 The boys declared they did not recollect 
 it ; and the Seymours were conscious that they 
 had forgotten it too, when it would have check- 
 ed them the day before. So Edward content- 
 ed himself with saying that nobody could deny 
 the Bible commanded obedience to parents, 
 and submission to all in authority ; and that if 
 it had not been right, God would not have or- 
 dered it so. 
 
 Phil Taylor, on the other hand, insisted that
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 43 
 
 the rule only held good in those times when 
 young people were kept back in society till 
 they w r ere men and w r omen ; and when the 
 lower orders had no education, and could not 
 think for themselves. By degrees the whole 
 party became interested in the discussion, and all 
 but Tom sided with Taylor. Even Frank Sey- 
 mour began to waver, and doubted whether he 
 had not suffered his father to convince him too 
 easily ; while Edward, not being very clear, 
 and secretly wishing to keep religion as much 
 in the back-ground as he could, to avoid the 
 charge of being a Methodist, was losing ground. 
 In the midst of their discussion, they came to a 
 narrow stile, which it was necessary to pass, 
 and there, with one leg thrown over it, his arms 
 folded, and his cap stuck on one side of his 
 head, sat a boy of about Phil's age, vulgar, 
 dirty, and rude, who took no other notice of 
 their approach than by a broad stare and con- 
 tinued whistling.
 
 44 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 " Get out of the way, will you 1" said Tay- 
 lor, " and let us pass." 
 
 The boy did not stir. 
 
 " Move off, I say," cried Taylor. 
 
 " S'pose I do'nt choose to move, my fine 
 spark ?" said the other with a grin, settling 
 himself more steadily in the middle of the little 
 stile. 
 
 The young gentleman got angry, at which 
 the boy laughed, and told him he was bringing 
 his quality airs to the wrong market : that he 
 had as good a pair of fists as the best of them, 
 and would lick them all round. When asked 
 if he thought they would disgrace themselves 
 by fighting such a low fellow as himself, he 
 answered, " Low feller ! I be as tall as the 
 biggest of ye, and a deal stronger." 
 
 " But you are a low-bred, vulgar, ignorant 
 creature, and we are gentlemen." 
 
 The boy, whose cool impudence was more 
 provoking than the most noisy anger would
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 45 
 
 have been, placed his hands on the bar where 
 he sat, lifted himself for a moment like a horse- 
 man on his stirrups, and leering round with an 
 unconcerned look, stoutly replied, " As to breed- 
 ing, I'm bred of good flesh and blood, and no 
 mistake : being vulgar is neither here nor there, 
 so long as my fists aint crippled ; and I've 
 laming enough to know that your gentility 
 can't push me off this here gate." 
 
 The young gentlemen were exceedingly ir- 
 ritated ; but as he sat in a rather commanding 
 position, able and willing to break the first 
 head that came within reach, no one seemed 
 anxious to commence an attack. Edward said, 
 " You ought to remember your station, and treat 
 your betters with more respect." 
 
 " My betters ! pray where is they 1 I'm 
 your betters, for I keep you all at a respectful 
 distance, you see." 
 
 Several of the lads here made a rush at him ; 
 but by suddenly throwing out his foot he dealt
 
 46 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 a kick that reached Clarke, and sent him reel- 
 ing to some distance. The others pressed on, 
 but in an instant the boy was safe on the 
 further side, with a large stone in each hand, 
 armed to fling at them. 
 
 " We'll pelt you to death, you rascal !" ex- 
 claimed Taylor, in a violent rage. 
 
 " Do, do : but the first wot stoops to pick up 
 a stone shall have this pitched into him." 
 
 The missiles were so large, and the arms 
 that held them up so strong, that the boys did 
 not wish to try their weight ; so they stood still, 
 railing at the enemy, who returned their abuse 
 with interest. 
 
 " I'll tell ye what, you mollying pups, we aint 
 going to let you carry it over us this way much 
 longer. We'll get our rights, depend on't. 
 Lawk, what a show !" he continued, in a tone 
 of derision, " one, two, six seven bits of tailor- 
 ing, brass buttons and all, big and fine, squeak- 
 ing in their skins for fear of a tough country
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 47 
 
 chap, with two pebbles in his hands ! A fine 
 defence you'll make when we come about your 
 gingerbread works in arnest." 
 
 A group of men were now seen approach- 
 ing from the other side, and Taylor declared he 
 would have him taken up, and lodged in the 
 cage by them. 
 
 " 0, by the navigators, is it? Them's just 
 the chaps to do it, aint they ?" 
 
 The men were labourers on a neighbouring 
 railway, returning from their day's work; and 
 as they came near, Taylor called out to them 
 that he was the son of a magistrate, and desir- 
 ed them to seize that young villain, who had 
 been insulting and threatening them, and to 
 bring him before his father. 
 
 The men exchanged looks with the boy, 
 who winked to them, allowing them to pass; 
 and then they crossed the stile in silence, look- 
 ing with evident satisfaction on the party of 
 discomfited young gentlemen. 
 
 After jeering a little at them, the mischiev-
 
 48 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 ous boy said, " Come, now, ax me on your 
 bended knees, and may -be I'll let you get over." 
 
 But rather than do this, the party turned, 
 and retraced their steps towards the river, follow- 
 ed by the shouts of their tormentor, and half 
 afraid that he would send a stone after them 
 too. " I almost wish," said Taylor, " that I 
 had set Cffisar upon him : indeed the dog was 
 ready to spring." 
 
 " Rover would not have waited for leave," 
 said Clarke, reproachfully. 
 
 " You see," returned Taylor, " he would 
 have been killed by the navigators with their 
 pickaxes. Depend on it, that young ruffian 
 belongs to them; he is a stranger here." 
 
 While hastening back, to make up for lost 
 time, the boys overtook Mr. Seymour, to whom 
 they eagerly related all that had passed, inquir- 
 ing whether they could not punish the boy. 
 
 " It is doubtful," he replied, " as the path 
 that he obstructed was not the highway, and 
 by your own account you made the first assault.
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 49 
 
 It will be better to pass it over, and to be thank- 
 ful that no greater harm was done." 
 
 " But, sir, we were so shamefully insult- 
 ed, mocked, and threatened, and by such a dirty 
 fellow too, that it was ten times harder to 
 bear," said Taylor. 
 
 " It was very mortifying, no doubt ; but you 
 must take the lesson, and try to profit by it." 
 
 " I'm sure I don't know what lesson it could 
 teach us, except to keep a tighter hand over 
 the lower classes." 
 
 " If we can," observed Mr. Seymour grave- 
 
 iy- 
 
 " They have been too much indulged, sir : 
 I often heard Papa say so, and now I see the 
 consequences." 
 
 " My Papa," said Clarke, " is of a different 
 opinion : he thinks the people have been op- 
 pressed till they can bear it no longer, and that 
 they are roused at last to assert their rights." 
 
 " And my Mamma has another way of ac-
 
 50 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 counting for it," remarked Tom. " She lays 
 the blame on two sorts of people; some who 
 have given them learning without religion, and 
 others who have taken advantage of their not 
 knowing what is right, to lead them into every 
 thing that is wrong." 
 
 " I agree with her," replied Mr. Seymour, 
 " and I am anxious to impress on you, my dear 
 young friends, the importance of what you have 
 this evening witnessed. We are all sometimes 
 tempted in our respective stations to murmur at 
 restraints which God has seen good to lay upon 
 us, and to desire greater license than he knows 
 is proper for us. Submission to the will of God 
 we are all ready to profess, and in some parti- 
 culars may think we are practising it, even 
 while striving against the lawful authority that 
 he has placed us under." The boys looked 
 rather conscience-stricken, and Edward eagerly 
 said, " We have had an argument on that very 
 subject, Papa."
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 51 
 
 " Arguing a point," answered his father, 
 " frequently leaves the parties each more con- 
 firmed in his own opinion than before." 
 
 " I believe that was the case with us, sir," 
 said Tom : " but we certainly did noL expect 
 such a finish to it." 
 
 " What you call a finish," remarked Taylor, 
 " had nothing to do with our debate. We were 
 talking about independence ; and not the dis- 
 tinction of rank." 
 
 "Independence," said Mr. Seymour, "is 
 man's natural desire, and in savage life the 
 strongest always triumph, and oppress the weak. 
 To remedy this, to check the evil propensity of 
 our nature, and insure good order, God has been 
 pleased to ordain different ranks in society, not 
 depending upon our personal claims, but estab- 
 lished so that one is born to occupy a higher, 
 and another Slower position, though the former 
 should be the most feeble, and the latter the most 
 powerful man in the land. He has told the 
 strong not to oppress the weak, the rich not to
 
 52 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 despise the poor ; and so long as this order is 
 kept, and these commands obeyed, both classes 
 may be respectable, respected, and happy. But 
 we are so perverse by nature that we are 
 always straying from the right way ; those who 
 are high like not to ' condescend to men of low 
 estate,' but frequently seek to increase their ad- 
 vantages at their poorer brethren's expense, 
 while they, in turn, murmur at their low station, 
 and try by wrong means to rise above it. Now 
 what is the best way of correcting both, and 
 keeping each within their proper bounds ?" 
 
 He waited for an answer to the question, 
 but none being given, he proceeded : " The only 
 sure way is to have a rule to which both may 
 appeal, and a judge to try the cause of both. 
 This rule we have in the Bible, and this judge 
 is the Lord. The more powerful, when tempted 
 to do a wrong to his poorer neighbour, is re- 
 minded of the command, ' That no man go be- 
 yond or defraud his brother in any matter, for 
 God is the avenger of all such.' The humbler
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 53 
 
 class in like manner find themselves admonished 
 to yield honour where honour is due, to be pa- 
 tient and contented in their stations ; and are 
 also encouraged by being told that God hath 
 chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, to 
 be heirs of his kingdom. At the same time, 
 both parties are reminded they must appear be- 
 fore the judgment seat of Christ, to give ac- 
 count of things done in the body. By such 
 means, means of God's appointing, and of him 
 blessed, the framework of society is settled, 
 and kept in fair order; while high and low, 
 rich and poor, one with another, enjoy the be- 
 nefit." 
 
 The lads were very attentive, so Mr. Sey- 
 mour went on : 
 
 " There is a spirit abroad now, which some 
 falsely call the spirit of freedom and indepen- 
 dence, which would stir men up to throw off 
 these merciful restraints, to cast God's word be- 
 hind them, and either to forget or to disbelieve 
 that he is to be their Judge. As they do not 
 5*
 
 54 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 own His authority, of course they care little for 
 any that he has appointed, and they begin to 
 reckon upon their numbers and bodily strength, 
 both of which are great, and to threaten their 
 superiors, as that boy seems to have threatened 
 you. The root of all the mischief is in this 
 they 'despise government,' because they do 
 not see that God has ordained it, or will not re- 
 spect his ordinance, and the prospect is a very 
 serious one, if this spirit should spread as it 
 seems likely to do. We shall see servants dis- 
 obeying their masters, soldiers their officers, cit- 
 izens their magistrates, subjects their monarch, 
 and children their parents. It is all from the 
 same source : it is 'the spirit that now worketh 
 in the children of disobedience,' and every per- 
 son whom he deceives and leads into rebellious 
 practices, whether against public or private au- 
 thority, is an advantage gained, an encourage- 
 ment to persevere in his pernicious devices." 
 
 The boys looked at one another : a sudden 
 thought seemed to have struck several of them ;
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 55 
 
 and after a moment Taylor said, " I now see, 
 sir, that Tom was right not to go in the boat." 
 Mr. Seymour did not know what he meant ; 
 but when it was explained he looked greatly 
 pleased. 
 
 " I am very glad indeed to hear you make 
 that admission, Philip, for it will lead you to 
 see many things in a new and serious light of 
 which now, perhaps, you think very little ; and 
 it may, under the Divine blessing, lead you to 
 pray, and to strive against this pernicious ' spi- 
 rit of the age,' which is wholly opposed to the 
 Spirit of God. Do you not remember that pas- 
 sage in Isaiah which describes such a state of 
 things ' The child shall behavehimself proudly 
 against the ancient, and the base against the 
 honourable.' ' 
 
 Mr. Seymour then spoke to them as he had 
 before done to his sons, upon the danger of 
 despising the Lord's authority in disobeying our 
 lawful rulers and guides, showing that all do- 
 minion is derived from the Lord Jesus, and to
 
 56 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 be respected according to the respect that we 
 owe to Him. 
 
 When he had finished, Taylor said, " I thank 
 you, sir, for this : I had no idea how wrong I 
 was, and a great many with me. I hope, when 
 I go back to school, to set a better example, 
 and to be able to give a reason for it too. And 
 I will read the Bible carefully ; for I see it con- 
 cerns me in more ways than I thought." 
 
 " Ah," said Tom, " if I WES able to make a 
 little stand against a temptation to-day, I owe 
 it to God's blessing on the Bible. Mamma 
 always tells me it is a message to me a letter 
 from my Heavenly Father, she says ; and so I 
 study it just as if it was written on purpose for 
 my use." 
 
 " You are right, my dear boy," said Mr. 
 Seymour. " Happy is he who looks up for 
 daily, hourly guidance from above, and who is 
 able to say with David, ' Thy word have I hid 
 in mine heart, that I should not sin against 
 thee.' "
 
 PART III. 
 
 Two days after the visit to Mr. Taylor's, 
 while Edward and Frank were busily employed 
 in their small gardens, Tom came to them with 
 an anxious face. " Do you know," said he, 
 " that Clarke has a very foolish plan in his head, 
 which will lead to no good ? He is going to 
 take a few thoughtless fellows like himself, and 
 that mischievous dog of his, and to look out for 
 the boy who kicked him. I don't think it safe, 
 even supposing it was not otherwise wrong ; for 
 you may depend on it the boy has others to 
 back him ; and those railway workmen are a 
 desperate set, sometimes." 
 
 The Seymours leaned on their spades, and 
 asked, " What's to be done ?" 
 
 " I don't know," replied Tom. " You may
 
 58 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 be sure he did not come to me on the business ; 
 and the person I had it from is a poor depen- 
 dent on Clarke's family, who would lose his 
 living if it was known that he informed. I 
 thought it better to see your father, who is so 
 clever, and prudent, and good ; and to ask his 
 advice." 
 
 The boys looked delighted at hearing their 
 dear father so spoken of, and Edward said, " Pa- 
 pa deserves all you can say in his praise, and 
 more : and it is so provoking that he is out now, 
 and won't be home till very late to-night, per- 
 haps not till to-morrow morning. Will that be 
 time enough "?" 
 
 " No, I am afraid it is this very afternoon." 
 
 After consulting for some time, they agreed 
 to go to Taylor, and try if he knew any thing 
 of the business : it was quite early, and they 
 hoped to find his father also at home, who 
 might, as a magistrate, interpose to prevent 
 mischief. 
 
 Phil was on the lawn, playing with Casar,
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 59 
 
 and when they mentioned to him the object of 
 their visit, he looked displeased, saying, " Why, 
 if Clarke chooses to punish that ruffian for his 
 bad conduct, I don't see what business you have 
 to prevent him." 
 
 " No more we would, to screen the fellow 
 from punishment," replied Edward ; " but we 
 are afraid he will get into danger himself." 
 
 " Oh, you need not fear ; he has his won- 
 derful dog to take care of him." 
 
 Taylor and Clarke were not very good 
 friends, though their families were so intimate 
 that they were often together ; and now it was 
 plain Phil cared very little about what might 
 happen. However, they tried to persuade him 
 to interfere, and at last he said : " The truth is, 
 they wanted me to join them, and I don't know 
 but I might, only I saw they would break some 
 laws, and it does not become a magistrate's son 
 to do that, you know. However, I promised 
 not to tell about it ; and if my father heard any 
 thing they must think it was I who blabbed."
 
 60 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 They could not change his determination, 
 but he promised to ride out in that direction, 
 with a groom, so as to be in the way ; and the 
 others, after they left him, agreed to tell Mr. 
 Wright, the tutor ; and ask him also to go the 
 same road. He readily agreed, and at the time 
 appointed he, with Edward, Frank, and Tom, 
 set out, not a little anxious for the result." 
 
 " If Clarke would read the Bible," observed 
 Edward, " he would not be so revengeful." 
 
 " I am not sure of that," said the Tutor : 
 " many read the Bible and go quite contrary to 
 it every day, because they are content with 
 knowing those things, and don't pray for grace 
 to do them." 
 
 " I am sorry to say, Clarke is a veryunduti- 
 ful son," said Tom. 
 
 " And yet," observed Frank, " his parents 
 never contradict him they give him his own 
 way in every thing, with plenty of money to spend 
 as he likes : he is the most indulged boy I know. 
 I wonder how he can possibly be undutiful !"
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 61 
 
 " Nay, Frank," said Mr. Wright, " accord- 
 ing to your account, I should wonder very 
 much if he was otherwise. God commands us 
 to * train up a child in the way he should go ;' 
 and as every one by nature chooses the way he 
 should not go, poor Clarke being allowed to 
 please himself in every thing, must be always 
 going wrong. If young people considered this, 
 how thankful would they be for those restraints 
 which they now account a hardship !" 
 
 " But, sir," said Edward," there is one thing 
 I want to ask you, for it puzzles me. There 
 are some people, you know, who grow up, and 
 grow old, and die, and all without once learn- 
 ing the good way. They neglect church, they 
 live very idle lives, if not worse, card-playing, 
 and racing, and keeping vain company, and 
 laughing at those who are godly. Now sup- 
 pose, sir, only just suppose such people having 
 children ; they can teach them no good : and 
 I want to know what are the children the bet- 
 ter for obeying such parents ?" 
 6
 
 bZ DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 Mr. Wright knew very well that Clarke's 
 family was just what Edward had been des- 
 cribing, and he was pleased at his delicacy in 
 not naming them. He answered : " My dear 
 boy, in the book of Malachi there is an account 
 of the rebellious sayings of people who had for- 
 saken their God : one of them is, ' It is vain to 
 serve God ; and what profit is it if we have kept 
 his ordinance ?' Obedience to parents is an 
 ordinance or appointment of the Lord, and even 
 where they have not the true knowledge of 
 what is best for them, still to be under control 
 in early life is a great blessing. ' A proud 
 look, and a high stomach,' are natural to a 
 man; and happy is he in whom they have 
 early been brought down ! I speak now in re- 
 gard to the things of this world, which are not 
 to be despised. Would not your mind be ha- 
 rassed, and your temper tried by having a noisy, 
 rude, tyrannical, quarrelsome neighbour, and 
 your comfort promoted by the reverse?" 
 
 " Yes, sir, I see the truth of that."
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 63 
 
 " Listen to me, my young friends," continu- 
 ed the Tutor, " and I will tell you something of 
 my own history." 
 
 They pressed nearer to the good man, and 
 he, after looking up for a moment, began : 
 
 " I was and orphan almost from my birth; 
 my father was killed by a fall from his horse 
 the day after I was born, and my mother died 
 within a week. I had neither brother nor 
 sister, and the care of the property, together 
 with myself, devolved on an uncle. He and his 
 wife were the most good-natured, but also the 
 most indolent people I ever knew : they had a 
 large family, with money enough to keep them 
 from all anxiety, and they never took the trou- 
 ble to correct or restrain a child. No difference 
 was made between me and my cousins ; or if 
 any, I was the most indulged. ' Poor thing !' 
 they w r ould say, ' we must not let him feel his 
 fatherless and motherless condition ;' and with 
 this generous thought they encouraged their 
 own children to yield to me in every little mat-
 
 64 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 ter. Had I been of a quarrelsome or overbear- 
 ing disposition, I should have been a torment 
 to all : through mercy, I was not so, but when, 
 at nine years old, it was judged right to send 
 me to a public school, I had never known what 
 discipline was. 
 
 " Here I proved most refractory, giving 
 more trouble than any two other boys ; misera- 
 ble because I could not have my own way, and 
 resolved not to give it up. The discipline of 
 the school was not severe, and the boys who 
 submitted to it were happy enough ; but I had 
 been used to see my own pleasure consulted in 
 every thing, and because it was not, I grumbled 
 at things I should probably have chosen if left 
 to my own choice. Thus, you see, at that early 
 age, I should have been far better and happier 
 if kept in some restraint by friends who, I am 
 bound to say, w r ere not religious." 
 
 " Thank you, sir," said Tom, " for this les- 
 son : will you tell us some more ?" 
 
 " Plenty if you like to hear it. I gained a
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 65 
 
 bad name in this school for sullenness, discontent, 
 and rebellion. After two years I was sent to 
 another, far more strict, when I secretly deter- 
 mined, for my own comfort, to behave better; 
 but it so fell out that during the vacation my 
 old and new masters met ; I was mentioned ; 
 and the character given of me, which I well 
 deserved, was any thing but favourable. For 
 fear I should lead the other boys into rebellion, 
 a great watch was kept on me : all my actions 
 were judged of according to what I was known 
 to have been at the former school ; and any 
 little improvement in my behaviour was consi- 
 dered hypocrisy, and a trick. My life was 
 really unhappy ; and every day gave me fresh 
 cause to wish I had been brought into subjec- 
 tion at the proper time. A habit of obedience, 
 even where the principle has not been rightly 
 inculcated, is always found to be both a com- 
 fort and advantage in early life, and I began to 
 wish I had suffered even from undue severity 
 6*
 
 66 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 at borne, rather than to reap such daily fruits of 
 over-indulgence. 
 
 " I had no thought about religion ; but one 
 Sunday a strange minister preached at our 
 church, whose discourse struck me greatly. He 
 took for his subject the lesson of the clay, 
 which was the 16th chapter of Numbers, and in 
 speaking of the rebellion of Korah and his com- 
 pany, he showed the sinfulness of resistance 
 against constituted authorities, and spoke so 
 feelingly to the young on the very point where I 
 was most concerned, that I could not forget it. 
 I begun to practise obedience from a far higher 
 motive, and so consistently, that many believed 
 I was really in earnest, wha before set me down 
 as a deceiver. 
 
 " I had been nearly three years at the 
 school when a plan was laid for doing some- 
 thing that was quite contrary to all the rules of 
 the place and the commands of the nfaster. My 
 help was wanted ; but instead of giving into
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 67 
 
 the plot, I set my face against it, and plainly 
 told them that I would not be a conspirator. 
 Persuasions, bribes, threats and ill-usage were 
 all tried upon me, but I stood fast, and prevail- 
 ed on two or three others to do the same ; so 
 that, through fear of our informing, the rest 
 gave it up. I underwent a good deal of per- 
 secution for this, but it did not last long one 
 of the principal boys in the intended mischief 
 got me into a scrape, through spite; I was pun- 
 ished unjustly ; and another of them, also a 
 leader, was so indignant at the meanness of it 
 that he told all to the first usher, who repeated 
 it to the master. A rigid inquiry was set on 
 foot, the whole truth was discovered, the re- 
 vengeful boy expelled, the informer forgiven, 
 and I became a favourite with all those whose 
 authority I had upheld." 
 
 " That was very gratifying indeed, sir," 
 said Edu'ard. 
 
 " It was more : the failure of a bank de- 
 prived me of all the little property to which I
 
 68 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 should have been entitled ; and I must have 
 become wholly dependent on my relations but 
 for the goodness of God in thus making me 
 trustworthy in the sight of my master. The 
 school being increased, he engaged me, still 
 very young, as an assistant teacher, took me 
 into his family, and led me into what I have 
 found to this day a line of honourable and use- 
 ful independence." 
 
 " Well," exclaimed Frank, " if that is not 
 one of the nicest histories I ever heard !" 
 
 " And one of the most encouraging," add- 
 ed Tom. 
 
 " It was some years," resumed Mr. Wright, 
 " before I was brought to see the truth as it is in 
 Jesus, and so to understand both the true source 
 of all government, and the main spring of all 
 acceptable obedience. What I have been telling 
 you was to prove how unerring is the wisdom 
 of God, how safe a rule we find in all his com- 
 mandments. I w r as proud of my own compar- 
 atively right conduct, and so made it an occa-
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 69 
 
 sion of sin, instead of a merit, until I learned 
 that valuable lesson, that ' Jesus Christ is the 
 end of the law for righteousness to every one 
 that believeth.' Still the Lord, who led me 
 and preserved me before I knew him, had gui- 
 ded me, being blind, into a path that I found it 
 my blessing to continue in, when he graciously 
 opened my eyes." 
 
 The boys were so much interested in what 
 they heard, that the object of their walk was 
 forgotten for a time ; and they were almost 
 surprised to meet Taylor, at a cross-road, on 
 horseback, Csesar beside him, and a stout groom 
 following. " I mustn't stop," said he : "I saw 
 Clarke and his company not far off, by looking 
 over the hedges ; and I don't want them to see 
 me. Good bye," and he trotted away. 
 
 " What shall we do, sir ?" asked Frank. 
 
 " Nothing : walk quietly on." 
 
 Presently a loud noise of shouting, laugh- 
 ing and singing announced the approach of 
 Clarke's party, who came across a field, and
 
 70 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 over a high gate into the road. There were 
 several young gentlemen, and two or three 
 who were not quite of that rank, nor consider- 
 ed respectable in character, being very quarrel- 
 some and rude : and all were armed with tough 
 sticks, a little curved at the end to make them 
 resemble hockey-sticks, for which however 
 they were too short and thick. When they 
 had all passed the gate, Clarke began to whis- 
 tle and call " Rover !" and as the dog did not 
 obey the summons, they were obliged to wait 
 for him, so that Mr. Wright and his party 
 came up with them while they stood there. 
 Several of the boys spoke to the Seymours and 
 Tom ; and Clarke, who seemed a little out of 
 countenance at meeting them, said, " We are 
 going dow T n by the meadow to have a good 
 game of play. I suppose you won't come, as 
 you have no sticks." 
 
 " No," replied Edward, " we are for a quiet 
 walk. Have you lost your dog ?' 
 
 " He's always running away, and won't be
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 71 
 
 restrained," answered one of the party : " the 
 more he's wanted, the surer he is to be a mile 
 off." 
 
 " Well," remarked Tom, " I never heard of 
 a dog being wanted at hockey." 
 
 " No more he is," said Clarke, with an 
 angry glance at the former speaker : " we nev- 
 er thought of bringing him, but he slipped out, 
 following us at a distance, and it was not worth 
 while taking him back." 
 
 Just then Rover made his appearance 
 through the hedge ; his young master seized 
 and bestowed on him several blows and kicks, 
 which he returned by growling ; but when an- 
 other boy lifted his stick, the dog sprang to- 
 wards him so fiercely that he was glad to make 
 a hasty retreat. They went on, and Frank ex- 
 claimed, " How shocking of Clarke to tell three 
 such downright falsehoods almost in a breath ! 
 They are not going to play hockey ; they are 
 not going near the meadow ; and Rover did 
 not follow them in the way he says."
 
 72 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 "It is melancholy indeed," observed Mr. 
 Wright, " to see such a total disregard for 
 truth ; but it is not surprising ; for when God's 
 authority is scorned, his laws will never be 
 kept. Clarke's father heard of the quarrel, 
 and suspecting his son's plan of revenge, posi- 
 tively forbade it ; so that every step he is now 
 taking is in the path of direct disobedience." 
 
 " That great dog will do some terrible mis- 
 chief, I fear," said Edward. 
 
 " I should be more afraid of Caasar in a real 
 fight," observed Tom. " The other has too 
 much of the bully about him to be truly brave." 
 
 They walked on, uncertain in what direc- 
 tion they had best go ; and at last took a 
 roundabout road towards the stile where the 
 first meeting of the boy had taken place. They 
 had not come within sight of it when a violent 
 shouting to the left startled them ; and running 
 hastily to a heap of loose stones from which 
 they could see over the hedge, they beheld 
 Clarke's party in full chase after their old ene-
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 73 
 
 my across one field, while in another, and in 
 the very opposite direction, Rover was .driving 
 a flock of terrified sheep before him. 
 
 " I'm so glad the dog is away !" cried Ed- 
 ward : " 1 only hope he won't mind their 
 shouts ; that miserable boy would be torn to 
 pieces by him. How cowardly for such a party 
 to attack one !" for the boys were brandishing 
 their sticks, and the foremost often struck at 
 the lad as they pressed on him happily not 
 near enough to touch him. 
 
 But the scene soon changed ; the boy made 
 for a gap in the farthest hedge, through which 
 he sprang, followed by those who were close 
 behind him ; but ere their companions could 
 also pass they came tearing back, with cries of 
 terror and pain, running over those whom they 
 met, and pursued by four or five lads, much 
 bigger than themselves, who were hurling stones 
 at them, which flew about in all directions. 
 " There !" cried Tom, " there's the boy running 
 after Clarke with a stick that I saw him wrest 
 7
 
 74 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 from one of them. Oh, sir, I fear he will over- 
 take him ! What a rage he seems to be in ! 
 There, he has fallen over something, and poor 
 Clarke has got the start by a good bit." 
 
 " But he will be overtaken yet," said Frank ; 
 " for there's a big fellow with a pole in his 
 hand coming up the other way to catch him ; 
 and you see the boy is running faster than ever. 
 Now where is that dog of his ? it would be right 
 to use him in such a case, would not it, sir ?" 
 
 But Mr. Wright was too much alarmed to 
 notice the question : he saw that what Frank 
 called a pole had a sharp point of some 
 metal, and he dreaded the consequences. Tay- 
 lor now rode into the field, and made for that 
 part of it, but his pony, struck by a stone, 
 backed and reared : Taylor, who was a boy of 
 great courage, immediately threw himself off, 
 and ran at full speed towards Clarke, Caasar 
 close beside him, evidently wishing to inter- 
 pose, but kept back by his master's uplifted 
 hand and voice. Presently, however, the boy
 
 DANGERS AND' DUTIES. 75 
 
 overtook Clarke, knocked him down, and began 
 beating him, on which Taylor threw his hand 
 forward, with a word of encouragement, and 
 Cffisar, with every hair of his shaggy neck bris- 
 tling, and every muscle of his body braced, 
 made a momentary point, then a rush, and 
 seizing the boy by the shoulder, turned him 
 over, and stood across him, keeping a firm, and, 
 as it seemed, a disabling hold. 
 
 " Oh, fine dog ! noble fellow ! brave Cae- 
 sar !" ejaculated the boys ; while Mr. Wright 
 exclaimed, " he is killed !" and at the same 
 moment, while Taylor assisted Clarke to rise, 
 the man before noticed came up, and plunged 
 his sharp prong into the clog's side. They all 
 jumped down from the stones, Mr. Wright 
 saying, " Boys, we must help them if we can," 
 and struggling through the hedge they all ran 
 into the field : but at the same time a larger 
 company entered it from another quarter ; and 
 to their great relief they saw Taylor's father 
 with a party of police, who gave chase on all
 
 76 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 sides to the assailants, and captured two or 
 three. The rest got away. 
 
 Mr. Taylor and others reached the spot 
 where Clarke was supported by Phil, at the 
 same time with Mr. Wright and his boys ; the 
 fellows were both taken, Caesar, in spite of 
 his wound, keeping a long hold of the first of- 
 fender : he was now, however, exhausted by 
 bleeding, and lay a sad mangled spectacle, 
 writhing and moaning, and looking most 
 piteously at his master, whose hand he strove 
 to lick when he stooped to examine his hurt. 
 
 " Poor fellow ! poor fellow !" said Mr. Tay- 
 lor, " there is nothing left but to put you out 
 of your misery." 
 
 " Oh don't, Papa, don't kill him !" cried 
 Phil. " He saved Clarke's life, indeed he did." 
 
 " I don't doubt it ; and he saved your little 
 brother once. A more noble, faithful creature 
 never was. He may thank you for his cruel 
 fate, who chose to be a party to this outrage 
 and bring him here too ; instead of appeal-
 
 4 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 77 
 
 ing to me, whose office it is to preserve the 
 peace." 
 
 Caesar gave a howl of such agony that it 
 went to every heart. Phil burst into a fit of 
 crying, while his father drew a pistol from his 
 pocket, saying, " 'Tis the only return I can 
 make you, my poor fellow, for all your love and 
 fidelity to me and mine." He once more strok- 
 ed the dog's face, who again tried to lick his 
 hand, and then stepping back a pace, took a 
 steady aim, turned his head away, and fired. 
 The shot took effect: one convulsion shook 
 the noble creature, and he lay quite still in 
 death. 
 
 Philip sobbed violently ; he was not the only 
 one who shed tears ; and Clarke exclaimed, 
 " As sure as I live, I'll hang that brute Rover to- 
 night." 
 
 " You may spare yourself the trouble, sir," 
 
 answered Mr. Taylor. " Your cur is lying in 
 
 a ditch with his brains knocked out, I suppose, 
 
 by the man whose young lambs he had just 
 
 7*
 
 78 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 been worrying. However, you have been se- 
 verely punished yourself, I see ; and let me tell 
 you the laws of this country are not to be brok- 
 en with impunity by high or low. Come, Phil, 
 I forgive you, in consideration of your losing 
 Caesar, though he is a greater loss to me ; and 
 because you have shown some courage in this 
 affair, without being actually a principal in it." 
 
 " Well now," said Edward, as they walk- 
 ed home, " I did not think I could have cried 
 for a dog as I did for Caesar." 
 
 " His fidelity, bravery, and sufferings deserv- 
 ed a tear," said Mr. Wright ; " and even in the 
 case of a brute, which compared with man ' hath 
 no understanding,' how finely is the value of obe- 
 dience to lawful authority proved by what we 
 have seen to-day ! Clarke's dog, untaught in 
 that important lesson, forsook his master when 
 most needed, did great injury to the property of 
 another, and only escaped by a violent death the 
 more protracted sufferings that it is but too prob- 
 able a revengeful owner would have inflicted on
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 79 
 
 him. Csesar, on the contrary, well instructed 
 in his duty, resisted all temptation to rove from 
 his young master's side, restrained his evident 
 impatience to rush among the combatants un- 
 til permission was given, and the quarter point- 
 ed out where he should act, and then became 
 the means, probably, of saving a life, and of 
 bringing a very dangerous public offender to 
 justice. He died in discharge of his duty ; but 
 his sufferings were very short ; and to the last 
 he had what his race prize above all other things 
 the caresses of his master. To him there is 
 no hereafter : he was given to afford us valua- 
 ble lessons, and now he ceases to exist. How 
 awful it is to contemplate the too probable fu- 
 turity of several among the human actors in this 
 day's scene !" 
 
 "I remember," said Edward, "that the 
 other morning when Papa was instructing us in 
 the duty of obedience, he showed us what St. 
 Paul says about the ' perilous times,' of the last 
 days ; and he traced out the different marks of
 
 80 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 the bad character given to the men of whom 
 the apostle speaks. Certainly we saw a good 
 deal of it this afternoon." 
 
 " Yes," added Frank : " there was fierce- 
 ness, headiness, high-mindedness, disobedience 
 to parents ; and most of them were proud, and 
 all of them were traitors, for all helped to break 
 the law : and" 
 
 Mr. Wright interrupted him, saying, " My 
 dear Frank, let us take heed lest, while thus 
 freely condemning others, we unduly exalt our- 
 selves for having, in a measure, escaped this 
 particular snare, and so become ' boasters.' " 
 
 " I am sure, sir," remarked Tom, " that 
 character belongs to me: for though I have said 
 nothing I have thought a good deal in my own 
 praise." 
 
 " It behooves us to be very watchful, my 
 young friend; for pride is exceedingly hateful 
 to God, and Satan knows how to fill our minds 
 with self-applause, while we condemn in others 
 what is perhaps more openly sinful, but not
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 81 
 
 more displeasing to Him who searchelh the 
 heart, than a vain-glorious, self-righteous 
 spirit." 
 
 " It seems to me," said Edward, " that do 
 what we will we must go wrong in something. 
 'Tis enough to make any body melancholy, to 
 watch himself and judge himself always." 
 
 " Certainly," answered Mr. Wright, " the 
 Christian must be ' of all men most miserable,' if 
 to the discovery of his soul's inveterate disease, 
 and of his own inability to remedy, or to pre- 
 vent its breaking out, there was not added the 
 knowledge of that Great Physician who has both 
 the power and the will to heal him. They who 
 come to Christ daily for supplies of grace and 
 strength, do, indeed, find a conflict going on, the 
 flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit 
 against the flesh, so that they cannot do the 
 things that they would ; but they also experi- 
 ence the mighty power of Him in whom they 
 trust, continually aiding their weak efforts : and 
 they know that however imperfect in themselves
 
 82 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 they are complete in Him, being justified be- 
 fore God by faith in his Son. Therefore, instead 
 of the watchful believer being always melan- 
 choly, he is ' alway rejoicing.' God, by the 
 mouth of the apostle, has told him to ' rejoice 
 evermore.' The experience that he has of his 
 own corruptions keeps him humble, and fearful 
 of transgressing ; but the very depth of his na- 
 tural misery is an additional call for praise, and 
 rejoicing in Him who hath delivered him from the 
 bondage of that corruption, and translated him 
 into a kingdom, the character of which is right- 
 eousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." 
 " I understand a little of this," said Tom : 
 " not so much, I am sorry to say, from my own 
 experience, as from what I constantly see in 
 my dear Mamma. Before Papa died, I did not 
 observe it so much ; but since that, from my being 
 the eldest of us now alive, I have kept with 
 her as much as I could, trying to comfort and 
 amuse her; and I am sure, sir, what you have 
 now been saying, just describes her feeling."
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 83 
 
 " You are all greatly favoured in your pa- 
 rents, my dear boys," said the tutor affectionately ; 
 *' how much should it increase your desire and 
 endeavour to be made useful to those who are 
 not so privileged !" 
 
 "I feel most for Phil," remarked Edward ; 
 " because when his Mamma had her health she 
 used to take great pains to teach him what is 
 good ; but since she became so ailing as to be 
 always laid up, I don't think any body does as 
 much for him. I myself heard Mr. Taylor say 
 that religion was a very melancholy thing, 
 when carried farther than it ought to be." 
 
 " And did he explain how far it ought to be 
 carried V asked Mr. Wright. 
 
 "Yes, sir; he said we should always be re- 
 ligious at church, and never jest at sacred 
 things : never swear, nor break any of the com- 
 mandments. Papa answered him by showing 
 how constantly we break them all; but he 
 would not agree with him, and so it ended." 
 
 " Poor Phil will break his heart about
 
 84 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 Ceesar," observed Tom. . " We must go and 
 see him to-morrow, and console him." 
 
 " Probably we shall all be summoned," said 
 Mr. Wright, " as having been the only im- 
 partial witnesses of the affray. I suppose the 
 examination will take place to-morrow." 
 
 He was not mistaken : they received a sum- 
 mons to attend ; and Mr. Seymour, who return- 
 ed late that night, prepared to accompany them. 
 
 The two brothers lay awake a long while, 
 talking over the event of the day. " I can't get 
 that poor dog out of my thoughts," said Frank. 
 " I seem to see him dying, with his eyes turned 
 on his master. What a beautiful creature it was, 
 Edward, and how sensible and obedient !" 
 
 " Ah, Frank, I begin to see a great deal of 
 beauty in obedience. You know we jused to 
 think between ourselves that it was a mark of 
 a mean spirit, and that wilfulness was courage. 
 Did you notice Mr. Wright's story ? Obedience 
 made him brave, so that he not only refused to 
 have anything to do in the rebellion of the school
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 85 
 
 but opposed it openly, and persuaded others 
 against joining it, though he made himself ene- 
 mies, and got ill-treated, and little hope of ever 
 being the better for it, I dare say." 
 
 " I took notice of that, Eddy j and I'll tell 
 you something more : every single bit of mis- 
 chief done this day came of disobedience. 
 First, that bad boy insulted us all, disobeying 
 God's command to be peaceable, and courteous, 
 and so on. Then our party disobeyed, by re- 
 turning railing for railing, and so made it worse. 
 Then to-day, Clarke broke a command by trying 
 to avenge himself, and also disobeyed his father 
 completely : and really, I am afraid he is very 
 badly hurt, for his head swelled up terribly, 
 and he got quite stupid. Phil did what he knew 
 his father would have positively forbidden, and 
 that was disobedience. Certainly there is no 
 end to the mischief of disobeying !" 
 
 " Then, Frank, let us determine from this 
 time never to leave our room without praying 
 to be kept watchful, that we may not be led 
 8
 
 00 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 into disobedience. We have not wisdom or 
 strength of our own to avoid the snares set for 
 every foot ; and the recollection that we have 
 engaged help from above will greatly encourage 
 us when we are tempted to do wrong." 
 
 Having made this resolve, and also deter- 
 mined to cultivate a greater intimacy with Tom, 
 in whose character they saw r so much to respec'., 
 the two boys settled themselves to sleep.
 
 PART IV. 
 
 THERE was a large room detached from Mr. 
 Taylor's house where he used to hear the cases 
 that were brought before him as a magistrate, 
 and to this Mr. Seymour and the Tutor went 
 straight, while the three boys looked for Philip. 
 They found him, very pale and sorrowful, stand- 
 ing by a little mound, while the gardener gath- 
 ered up a spade and other implements, and 
 touching his hat, said, " I'll get some fresh sods 
 in the evening, sir, and smooth it down neatly. 
 Poor fellow ! it's little enough to do for him 
 that was the best guard my garden ever had. 
 If he heard but a cat or any mischievous ver- 
 min about, how he'd scare them away with his 
 warning bark, or his bustling trot, as if he was 
 going to swallow them alive ; and yet he never
 
 00 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 set his big paw inside the border, nor broke the 
 stalk of the least flower that grows. Poor fel- 
 low !" he repeated, still looking back on the 
 mound, as he slowly retired. 
 
 " I am glad you have buried him," said Ed- 
 ward. " He deserved the best grave you could 
 give him." 
 
 Philip did not answer ; his heart was too 
 full for a word. 
 
 " My Mamma cried," said Tom, " when I 
 told her of his death : she sent her k>ve to you 
 Phil ; and she hopes you will always cherish 
 poor Caesar's memory, and value his beautiful 
 example." 
 
 " We will plant a tree, shall we ?" said 
 Frank. " You shall have my beautiful young 
 acacia : it will bear removing." 
 
 How sweet is sympathy, even in childish 
 sorrow ! Their young companion felt it : "I 
 am sure," said he, dashing away the tears that 
 would start, " I am sure you are very kind to 
 me, and more than I deserve or expected, for I
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 89 
 
 was afraid you might reproach me with Caesar's 
 death, as I caused it by neglecting your good 
 advice." He then added, " Mamma sent for 
 me last night to her bed-side, and made me 
 kneel down and thank God for protecting me 
 from injury. She talked a great deal to me, 
 and showed me how wrong I had been. To 
 tell you the truth I am more to blame than 
 poor Clarke, for I knew he seldom gets a word 
 of good advice from his parents, though they 
 give him money and indulge him enough ; 
 while I have my Papa always telling me to be- 
 have like a gentleman and a good loyal subject ; 
 and poor Mamma is never so happy as when I 
 go and read the Bible to her, and let her talk to 
 me of my duty to God. I am very wicked, I 
 fear ; and I feel this the more because it is a 
 punishment of my sin." 
 
 " I hardly think," observed Edward, " that 
 we can call the loss of a dog a punishment of 
 sin." 
 
 " I think we may, Edward," said Tom, 
 8*
 
 90 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 " for it is not the greatness of the thing itself, 
 but the degree of trouble it causes us that makes 
 the punishment. Now Clarke would not fret a 
 bit for the loss of all the pets in the world, be- 
 cause he cares for nothing but himself: and I 
 dare say he thinks it very dreadful to be laid up 
 with a broken head, and kept from his play for 
 some time ; but I do believe Phil would be glad 
 to have Caesar alive now, at the expense of a 
 broken bone, and a long laying up." 
 
 " Ay, that I would, Tom. When I came 
 down this morning, and into the court-yard, 
 nobody can think how I missed my faithful dog, 
 with his welcoming face and joyful bark : but 
 when I saw him stretched out under the trees, 
 as he often was in his sleep, and could not help 
 calling to him, and he never moved at that or 
 my step, which would make him jump up, and 
 fly to meet me, it was worse ; and when I looked 
 at his torn side, and considered how he came by 
 his death, I declare that what with sorrow and
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 91 
 
 self-reproach, I don't know any punishment I 
 could have felt so much." And his tears flowed 
 again. 
 
 Some boys, seeing a companion so distressed 
 on such an occasion, would have treated it as 
 foolish : some would have told him not to think 
 any more about it ; and I fear there are some 
 who would have laughed at his talking of sin 
 and punishment ; but neither the Seymours nor 
 Tom were the boys to do so ; they felt very 
 sorry for their friend ; and as they knew he had 
 certainly been wrong, they were thankful that 
 he took as a correction the sad consequences of 
 his error. They comforted him without trying 
 to alter his feeling ; Tom reminded him of the 
 text, ' Let us search and try our ways, and turn 
 again to the Lord ;' and Edward noticed how 
 mercifully he had escaped being hurt by the 
 large stone that struck his pony; and how 
 thankful he ought to be that the loss of an ani- 
 mal which had no soul had been the means of 
 saving Clarke from a swlden death, which they
 
 92 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 feared he was sadly unprepared for. Frank 
 added, that the boy, who was plainly very igno- 
 rant and wicked, would then have suffered as a 
 murderer too : and altogether they proved to 
 Taylor that he had very much to be thankful 
 for. 
 
 By this time the justice-room was filling, and 
 a servant came to tell them they had better 
 make haste. So, after another kind look at 
 poor Caesar's grave, they went in. Mr. Taylor 
 and a neighbouring magistrate were sitting at 
 a table, the clerk being near, with plenty of wri- 
 ting materials, acts of parliament, summonses, 
 and other things, and a Bible to swear the wit- 
 nesses on. Mr. Seymour, the Tutor, Mr. Clarke, 
 and several other gentlemen sat by ; there was 
 also the owner of the field where the affray 
 took place ; and the shepherd whose flock Ro- 
 ver had worried, and all who could find any pos- 
 sible pretext for connecting themselves with the 
 event, which had excited great interest in the 
 neighbourhood. Some very ill-looking men,
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 93 
 
 strangers, were anxious to be admitted, saying 
 they could speak to the characters of the pris- 
 oners ; and one declared he would prove they 
 were not on the spot at all : but the magistrates 
 said it was a private examination, with which 
 character had nothing to do; and as for their 
 proving an alibi, the offenders were taken in 
 the very act of breaking the laws, so that was 
 impossible. 
 
 When the boys came in, and had looked 
 round the room, Tom whispered to his compa- 
 nions, " What a blessing our laws are ! Those 
 fellows, though they were near committing 
 murder, cannot be punished, nor even sent to 
 prison, without such a full inquiry as this." 
 
 All being ready, the prisoners were brought 
 in, handcuffed; for they had shown a strong 
 disposition to break away or to do some mis- 
 chief. They looked very surly and hardened, 
 and showed no sort of respect to any of the 
 gentlemen. Mr. Clarke was first examined : he 
 deposed that his son was very severely cut in
 
 94 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 the head, and bruised in various parts of the 
 body : not dangerously it was hoped, but so as 
 to render it quite impossible for him to attend. 
 One of the elder boys next came forward, and 
 related the circumstances of their being pelted 
 with stones and driven back, when passing 
 through a gap in the field j after which, he said, 
 they were attacked and hunted in all directions, 
 and the younger prisoner, James Martin, over- 
 taking Clarke, had struck him down and beaten 
 him, until a large dog seized and held him fast. 
 Here Martin interrupted : " I say, young chap, 
 who began it ?" The boy replied that the 
 other party began, as they had not touched 
 them. 
 
 " Wasn't I running for my life from half- 
 a-dozen of you, when my comrades came up ?" 
 
 The other replied, that Martin had insulted 
 and threatened all a few days before ; and they 
 certainly expressed some anger on seeing him. 
 
 " Deny if you can," said Martin, " that you 
 came out with strong sticks and other things on
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 95 
 
 purpose to look for me and give me a beat- 
 ing." 
 
 This could not be denied ; and the prisoners 
 clamorously demanded to be set at liberty, in 
 order that they might swear to the attack on 
 them ; but Mr. Clarke said he had a witness to 
 prove that the prisoners and others had been 
 looking out for his son's party, and arming 
 themselves with stones, &c., and that when the 
 boys approached, Martin went forward alone 
 on purpose to entice them to the very spot 
 where the stones were piled, and his confede- 
 rates concealed. Martin replied, that if fellows 
 came against him to break his head, he had a 
 right to do the best to defend himself and to 
 punish them. Some of those present seemed to 
 be struck by the remark, and inclined to think 
 so too ; but the magistrate said that he might 
 either have avoided the meeting, or have claim- 
 ed protection from the laws, which were made 
 for the benefit of all classes, and especially for 
 the poor.
 
 96 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 Mr. Wright proved that Martin showed 
 himself to the boys, and then ran before them 
 to the spot where the rest were hid ; but he 
 also admitted that the young gentlemen fol- 
 lowed him in a body, threatening, and attempt- 
 ing to strike him when they thought he was 
 alone and defenceless : on which Mr. Taylor 
 observed, that persons capable of such cow- 
 ardly, disgraceful conduct, did not deserve to 
 be called gentlemen. 
 
 The farther the examination went the more 
 blamable both parties appeared; and every 
 body had something to complain of, or to threat- 
 en. The owner of the field said he must have 
 compensation for the damage done to it ; Mr. 
 Clarke said he would indict the shepherd for 
 killing a valuable dog, and the shepherd said 
 he must be paid for the lambs worried by that 
 vicious animal. The prisoners demanded to be 
 discharged, but did it in so insolent and mena- 
 cing a manner, that the magistrates agreed to 
 let it go to the sessions, which were very near
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 97 
 
 at hand. The prisoners were ordered to find 
 bail, which they could not do, no man liking to 
 be surety for such desperate characters, stran- 
 gers, too, in that place; so a committal was 
 made out, and the officers were ordered to es- 
 cort them safely to gaol. 
 
 They were conducted from the justice-room ; 
 and the witnesses having also retired, the gen- 
 tlemen were about to separate, when Mr. Clarke 
 received a note, stating that the surgeon had 
 arrived to see his patient, and was so far from 
 being satisfied about him that he wished his as- 
 sailants to be detained in custody for the present. 
 A stricter charge was given to the policeman, 
 and Mr. Clarke hastened away to see his son. 
 The Seymours begged their father to invite 
 Phil to accompany them home for the day, 
 which he readily did ; and while the boys were 
 arranging their plans together, he went, with 
 Mr. Wright and Mr. Taylor, to a back room 
 where the prisoners w r ere ordered to get some
 
 US DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 refreshment, and to wait till the crowd outside 
 were dispersed. 
 
 " Here's pretty justice, aint it ?" said Mar- 
 tin to his companion, pretending not to see 
 them ; " we are the honest people and they 
 the rogues; but because they've got better 
 coats on, they may trample us in the dust. 
 They'll be sick of it before long." 
 
 " Young ruffian," said the magistrate stern- 
 ly, "you may find justice too strong for you 
 yet : you may be tried for your life." 
 
 Martin nodded, as if knowing better than to 
 believe this ; and Mr. Taylor added, " The 
 young gentleman whom you so savagely as- 
 saulted, is now in danger." 
 
 Martin, for a moment, changed counten- 
 ance, and his companion, with a jog of the 
 elbow, muttered, " That would be an ugly job, 
 Jem." 
 
 " Manslaughter," replied the other, coolly, 
 "and mayhap not that, for they began. If 
 luck's on my side, I'll get off."
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 99 
 
 " And if you did escape the judgment of 
 man," said Mr. Seymour, " the stain of murder 
 would remain on your conscience, and where 
 would you flee from the vengeance of God ?" 
 
 The lad looked at him with a grin of in- 
 credulity and derision ; while the other, who 
 appeared a good deal startled at Clarke's 
 danger, civilly said, " Your honour, he don't be- 
 lieve a word of it ; and that's why he don't 
 answer you." 
 
 " Not believe what ?" 
 
 " He don't believe in God, sir : he's a So- 
 cialist." 
 
 " But," said Mr. Seymour, who shuddered 
 on hearing the word, " his disbelieving in the 
 Divine Power will not save him from its ter- 
 rible weight, any more than his denying that he 
 is now bound would set his hands at liberty." 
 
 " Oh, I don't know nothing about that, sir : 
 it may be or it mayn't ; but Jem's got all the 
 arguments by heart, and a power of books to 
 prove the Bible aint true."
 
 100 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 " Unhappy being !" said Mr. Seymour, 
 looking with mingled horror and compassion 
 on the young culprit, " have you ever read that 
 blessed Book, whose truth you deny ?" 
 
 Martin carelessly replied, "No;" and af- 
 ter some fruitless attempts on the part of Mr. 
 Seymour and the Tutor to awaken him to a 
 sense of his dreadful condition, and some very 
 earnest exhortations to the other, who listened 
 w T ith apparent respect to them, the gentlemen 
 departed. 
 
 As they walked home, Edward inquired 
 about the prisoners, and asked his father, 
 " What is a Socialist ?" 
 
 " I hardly know how to answer you, my 
 dear boy. The character is so very dreadful, 
 that it seems almost sinful to speak of it. How- 
 ever, I must tell you, that Socialism is the 
 breaking of every command that God has given ; 
 the rending asunder every tie that God has 
 formed. The Socialist owns no monarch, no- 
 country, no home or parent, no wife or child,
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 101 
 
 no brother, sister, or friend ; and, as you may 
 suppose, the root of this monstrous and hor- 
 rible system is, that he believes, or says he be- 
 lieves, there is- no God." 
 
 "What a frightful picture, Papa! but I 
 don't understand it. How can a person man- 
 age to have no parents, or other relations ?" 
 
 "Their detestable principle," replied Mr. 
 Seymour, " is to reduce men as nearly as possi- 
 ble to the condition of the brutes, though among 
 all beasts of the earth I know of none, and 
 among all birds only the ostrich, that resem- 
 ble them. Their project is to take children 
 from their parents in the earliest stage of infancy, 
 and to bring them all up together, without the 
 knowledge of any relationship; to level all 
 ranks, equalize all property, do away with mar- 
 riage, and utterly abolish the very name of re- 
 ligion from off the whole earth ; denying the 
 immortality of the soul, and scoffing at the exist- 
 ence of a God." 
 
 " Now, Papa," said Frank, " if I did not 
 9*
 
 102 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 know you always speak truth I should not be 
 able to believe this, it is so horrid." 
 
 " It is but a part of the horrors of this awful 
 delusion of Satan. Tongue cannot speak, nor 
 heart conceive the depth of wickedness that 
 prevails among them." 
 
 " But surely, sir," said Tom, " they must be 
 a very small party indeed ; I should not sup- 
 pose there were a hundred people in all En- 
 gland wicked enough or mad enough to belong 
 to such a set." 
 
 " My dear young friend, there are thousands 
 and tens of thousands ; and if we may credit 
 their own statement there are hundreds of thou- 
 sands, openly or secretly holding these diaboli- 
 cal doctrines. We do not know the power of 
 Satan, where God in any measure removes the 
 restraint laid upon him. Secure of souls, if only 
 they reject or neglect the salvation that is in 
 Christ Jesus, this great enemy is content to 
 gather them in separately to his dark kingdom, 
 without noise or show : but when it suits "him
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 103 
 
 to lead his captives into open, daring rebellion 
 against God's sovereignty, the lengths to which 
 he makes them go are fearful indeed ! And in 
 our day he seems to be exhibiting his hideous- 
 ness in them, beyond what former times have 
 witnessed." . 
 
 " These are indeed then the * perilous 
 times ' we were talking of, Papa," said Edward. 
 " Nothing described in the Bible is so very bad 
 as this; it frightens me to think of it; and to 
 think we have really to-day been looking on 
 one so far gone in wickedness." 
 
 " It cuts me to the quick," observed Taylor, 
 " to remember my first meeting with him : per- 
 haps if, instead of resenting his impertinence I 
 had spoken mildly, it would have softened his 
 bad feelings, and not only all these distressing 
 things would have been prevented, but he might 
 have been brought to listen to some good coun- 
 sel, such as you, Edward, or you, Tom, could 
 have given him. Oh, I am sadly to blame in 
 this, and very sinful !"
 
 104 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 " My dear boy," said Mr. Wright, " we all 
 have daily cause to join in the humble and 
 humbling confession of not only having done 
 those things which we ought not to have done, 
 but having also left undone those things which 
 we ought to have done. The error that you 
 now so deeply feel arose, as all transgression 
 does, from a neglect of God's commands. He 
 has said, ' Be pitiful ; be courteous :' we are 
 taught by the rules of polished society to be 
 courteous to our superiors and equals, and we 
 generally consider it becoming to be pitiful to 
 those much below us in rank : but the Spirit of 
 God alone can teach us to exercise both these 
 graces towards all classes. The unawakened 
 who wears a ducal coronet is truly an object of 
 the Christian's pity. The famished beggar who 
 crosses his path, and the insolent reviler, who 
 insults him without cause, are alike entitled to 
 his courtesy entitled, not by any right of their 
 own, but because God has awarded it to them. 
 Had this been uppermost in your thoughts, you
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 105 
 
 would not now have had such cause of self-re- 
 proach." 
 
 "There is another word," added Mr. Sey- 
 mour, " which appears to be almost universally 
 overlooked : ' Honour all men.' I often think 
 what a wonderful change would come over 
 society if that precept were duly considered." 
 
 " But surely, Papa," said Edward, " you 
 would not honour a Socialist ?" 
 
 " In one sense, Edward, I should. The 
 Bible tells us concerning the creation of man- 
 kind, ' In the image of God made he them :' 
 and again, when Noah and his family stood 
 alone upon earth's surface after the flood, and 
 received a law from the Almighty God, part of 
 which was to denounce death against the being, 
 whether man or beast, who should shed man's 
 blood, the Lord's care over our lives was ex- 
 plained by repeating the same expression, ' For 
 in the image of God made he man.' This divine 
 ' image,' this spiritual ' likeness' of the Most 
 High was wholly lost when Adam, by sinning,
 
 106 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 became the servant of Satan : but the eternal 
 purpose of God in Christ Jesus had provided a 
 remedy, and His people, as temples of the Holy 
 Ghost, in whom the Lord God Almighty has de- 
 clared that he will dwell, as you may see in 
 many parts of Scripture, especially in the sixth 
 chapter of the second Epistle to the Corinthians, 
 are undoubtedly entitled to honour for His sake 
 who lives in them." 
 
 " To which we may add," said Mr. Wright, 
 " that the nature of man became ennobled in no 
 common degree by the act of our Lord and Sa- 
 viour, the Eternal Son, ' The mighty God, the 
 everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace,' vouch- 
 safing to take it on himself. In the form of man, 
 God has deigned to appear among men, ' seen of 
 angels' as God manifest in the flesh : and even 
 the wretched Socialist, who, in the madness of his 
 guilt, denies God, is entitled to a share of that 
 * honour' decreed to ' all men.' I would not dare 
 to revile any human being, Edward. I would 
 not say ' Raca' to a brother of my nature, how-
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 107 
 
 ever far he might be from the brotherhood of 
 faith. The divine command is sufficient in itself 
 to restrain me ; but, by God's grace, my reason 
 also admits the propriety, the beauty of such re- 
 straint ; and so far from finding the command- 
 ment grievous I bless the Lord for it, while ask- 
 ing from him a heart to obey his gracious 
 law." 
 
 " Oh, sir," said Philip, " every word spoken 
 to-day seems, somehow, to concern me, and to 
 reprove me. I had no idea how wicked I was ; 
 indeed, I thought myself really good, and now 
 I do think the few years of my life have all been 
 spent in breaking God's righteous laws." He 
 turned his head away, and the two gentlemen 
 looked at each other, while Tom affectionately 
 put his arm through Phil's, and said, " I have 
 long ago found that to be my case ; and if" I did 
 not know that the Lord Jesus had satisfied for 
 me the demands of the law which I am always 
 breaking, I should indeed be a miserable crea- 
 ture."
 
 108 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 " I'm sure, Tom," replied the other, " no- 
 body but yourself would accuse you of disobe- 
 dience. You are a pattern to us all." 
 
 " You only see the outside of me," said 
 Tom. " To be sure I avoid doing things openly, 
 and knowingly, and wilfully, that I am sure are 
 wrong if I loved sinful ways, I could not hope 
 or believe that Christ would own me : but for 
 all you may think of my being better than oth- 
 ers, I know myself to be worse. I compare 
 myself not with those who are ignorant of 
 God's laws, but with the law itself, by which 
 I must be judged. And, Phil, the reason you 
 feel so self-condemned to-day is just that God 
 has given you grace to do the same thing, and 
 what a blessing that is !" 
 
 " A blessing indeed, my dear boy," said 
 Mr. Seymour : " and a blessing too to last for 
 ever and ever. Pray that such feeling as you 
 describe may remain on your mind, and that in- 
 stead of seeking to banish the uneasiness it now 
 occasions by driving away such thoughts, you
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 109 
 
 may be led by them to search and try your ways, 
 and to bring the whole burden of this newly- 
 discovered sin to your compassionate Redeemer, 
 who will assure you of the pardon purchased 
 by his blood ; and give you grace to walk in 
 newness of life ; and bestow on you such peace 
 as the world cannot give." 
 
 Edward and Frank were very glad to hear 
 Phil speak as he did : they had not made such 
 advance in knowledge of themselves and of 
 their Saviour as Tom, who had been much tried 
 by the afflictions of his dear mother, and effect- 
 ually taught by her example : but they knew 
 very well what true piety was, and how happy 
 it made all who possessed it, and they rejoiced 
 to think that Phil, of whom they were very fond, 
 would become a valuable friend to them. After 
 a little time, Frank said, " Papa, I can't help 
 thinking that a Socialist must be not only wicked 
 but downright mad." 
 
 " All wickedness is madness," replied Mr. 
 Seymour. " The use of our reason is to disco- 
 10
 
 110 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 ver and to follow what is for our advantage, 
 and to shun what would injure us. A little 
 child will go and put his hands on the hot bars 
 of a grate, and if you saw him you would easily 
 account for it by saying he was not yet able to 
 reason ; but if a man did the same thing, you 
 would say at once he had lost his reason, or was 
 mad. Suppose you found a man thro\ving all 
 his money into the sea, or making, as we say, 
 ducks and drakes of it, on a deep river, and 
 carefully putting into his purse the pebbles and 
 straws that lay at his feet ; what would you 
 think ?" 
 
 " Oh, I should think he had got loose out 
 of Bedlam." 
 
 " But if, in addition to this, you saw him 
 persuading others to jump down a precipice 
 into deep water, where they were sure to be 
 drowned, what would you say then ?" 
 
 " Then, Papa, I should say he was a dan- 
 gerous madman ; and I should call some strong 
 men to take him and put him into confine- 
 ment."
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. Ill 
 
 " To be sure," said Edward ; " and I only 
 wonder the Government does not take up the 
 Socialists, and stop their mischief. Surely they 
 must be bad, disloyal subjects, Papa." 
 
 " Certainly : they are those who most es- 
 pecially ' despise government,' as St. Jude 
 says : but if by taking up you mean arresting 
 and imprisoning them, that cannot be done. 
 The enemy sows his tares among the wheat, 
 and both must grow together until the harvest. 
 We have no laws to prevent the spread of un- 
 godliness." 
 
 " Then they should make some," observed 
 Edward. 
 
 " I agree with you," remarked Mr. Wright. 
 " Our laws as they stand are excellent, but 
 with the help of the Bible some valuable addi- 
 tions might be made to them. Meanwhile, as 
 neither you nor I possess the power of law 7 -ma- 
 king, we must be doubly watchful in guarding 
 ourselves and warning others against the evi 
 that is in the world. We may do more good
 
 112 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 than could be done by acts of parliament, so far 
 as our own influence extends ; for the best of 
 human laws can only affect men's outward 
 conduct, and supply them with motives based 
 on selfishness ; whereas we, by bringing them 
 to God's perfect standard, and showing them 
 the evil, not only of their lives but their hearts, 
 and pointing out the terrors not of mere tempo- 
 ral, but of eternal punishment and loss, may be 
 the happy means of so leading our fellow-sin- 
 ners to seek the gift of true repentance to the 
 acknowledging of the truth ; that they may re- 
 cover themselves out of the snare of the devil, 
 by whom they are led captive at his will." 
 
 Mr. Seymour said, " Nothing half so bad as 
 Socialism was ever yet seen in the world, as re- 
 spects its outward and boastful trampling upon 
 every thing moral and decent. It proves the 
 awful state of the world when in a country 
 professedly Christian, and possessing Christian- 
 ity in its only real form for Popery has the 
 name alone, and is not Christian in reality
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 113 
 
 when in such a country, in the face of the 
 Bible and of the preached Gospel, Socialism 
 should exist, and spread, and none to hinder it, or 
 to make these daring blasphemers afraid. When 
 Satan has such power given him ought we not all 
 to tremble, and to be doubly watchful, lest we al- 
 so become the prey of some of his many devices ' 
 The party had now reached home, and the 
 boys went to the play-ground to enjoy them- 
 selves j after which Mr. Seymour showed them 
 his collection of coins, and some curious objects 
 of natural history, explaining them in a very 
 pleasing and instructive manner. The old 
 house-dog, too infirm to quit the premises, re- 
 ceived many caresses from Phil, who listened 
 with great interest to some anecdotes told by 
 the gentlemen, illustrative of the strong and 
 faithful attachment of that noble creature, the 
 Dog. After a very nice visit, Phil was prepar- 
 ing to take leave, when his father arrived with 
 the very distressing tidings that Clarke's state 
 was suddenly become most dangerous, inflam- 
 10*
 
 114 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 mation and every bad symptom had appeared : 
 and the alarm of his friends was great. 
 
 " I have been there," continued Mr. Tay- 
 lor, " but did not see the boy : he showed some 
 disposition to sleep, and that w r as the only good 
 sign about him. I must go to-morrow morn- 
 ing, to try if he can make any deposition, sup- 
 posing him to continue in such danger. When 
 I informed my wife she earnestly requested me 
 to persuade you to accompany me, hoping you 
 might, as a religious man, do some good in that 
 house where, to be sure, there is a great want of 
 it. Her nerves have been shaken enough ; and 
 I was glad to soothe her by saying you certainly 
 would not refuse." 
 
 " By no means," replied Mr. Seymour : " I 
 will meet you there willingly, as a witness to 
 any deposition that may be taken j and as a 
 witness also, I hope, to truths that alone can 
 benefit the dying, or yield comfort to the living 
 mourner." 
 
 Mr. Taylor thanked him, and Phil said,
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 115 
 
 " Papa, I feel how very much I have been to 
 blame in all this : indeed,! am the most guilty ; 
 first, by getting into a squabble with that 
 wretched, ignorant boy, and next, by conceal- 
 ing from you what poor Clarke was about, and 
 which you would have prevented. It is too 
 late now ; and two lives may be lost through 
 my fault." 
 
 " Well, my boy, I am glad to see you sen- 
 sible of it, and I readily forgive you. If you 
 passed more time with your Mother, and listen- 
 ed more to her excellent advice, you would be 
 a gainer. You need not look far to see what 
 listening to a pious mother will do for a sensi- 
 ble lad." 
 
 Every body was pleased by this allusion to 
 Tom ; and though Mr. Taylor mixed up more 
 of man's doing in the matter than was right, Mr. 
 Seymour rejoiced that he could so understand 
 and value his wife's excellence ; and hoped he 
 might yet be one of those men whom the Apos- 
 tle speaks of as being ' won by the conversation
 
 116 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 of their wives,' to seek the knowledge of God. 
 They separated; and poor Clarke formed the 
 subject of much conversation and prayer that 
 night. Mr. Seymour was to be at the house by 
 ten o'clock next morning, and the two boys 
 had leave to walk there too, and remain out- 
 side, as Phil was also to do. Poor young Clarke 
 was a favourite with no one ; and the generous 
 boys on that very account felt the more for his 
 miserable situation.
 
 PART V. 
 
 ALL was very still about the Lodge, as Mr. 
 Clarke's elegant place was called : Rover's ill- 
 tempered bark was silenced for ever, and the 
 other dogs had been taken out of the way. 
 The knocker was tied up ; the bell-handle fas- 
 tened, and all proved how strict were the pre- 
 cautions against disturbance. As they passed 
 up the avenue, where the boys were to stay, 
 a servant came, and requested them to go round 
 to another entrance, as he said the parties were 
 in a distant room of the house. Edward and 
 Frank would have turned back, but the servant 
 begged they would not : his young master had 
 been calling out for his play-fellows, and Mr. 
 Clarke wished them to be at hand.
 
 118 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 All this looked very alarming ; and when 
 they entered the room, a "large laundry, they 
 were startled to see the wretched lad, Martin,, 
 and his fellow-prisoner, sitting on a bench, well 
 guarded, while Mr. Clarke was earnestly talk- 
 ing to the magistrate, and one or two other 
 persons. Phil came to meet his friends, and 
 whispered, " He is very, very bad ; we are wait- 
 ing for the doctor to tell us what to do." 
 
 Presently, the doctor was heard at the door, 
 speaking loudly, as it seemed, to let them know 
 Mrs. Clarke was with him ; and then they heard 
 her, in a shrill, agitated voice, insisting upon 
 going in also. Mr. Clarke made a hurried 
 sign to take the prisoners out ; and Mr. Taylor 
 gave another sign for the boys to follow them ; 
 in a minute Edward and Frank found them- 
 selves shut up in a small room with Phil, and the 
 three policemen, and their charge. They trem- 
 bled as they looked on the Socialist probably 
 soon to be tried as a murderer and pressed 
 close together j but Phil went up to him and
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 119 
 
 said, " You and I were the first in this sad bu- 
 siness, to begin a quarrel." 
 
 " Ay," grumbled the other, " and now 
 you've the ups on it and I the downs." 
 
 " We were both very wrong," said Phil, 
 " and I believe I was the most so ; for I ought 
 to have set you a good example instead of re- 
 turning your rudeness as I did." 
 
 Martin grinned at him, in a way so like his 
 look when inviting them to ask his leave on 
 their knees to pass the stile, that it made Phil 
 colour. The other said, " For shame of you to 
 be so unmannerly to the gentleman that's speak- 
 ing so kindly to you !" " I ax your pardon, sir, for 
 sticking your dog : I did it to save the life of that 
 fellow, what's got neither gratitude nor feeling 
 in him. The dog was worth ten such as he." 
 
 " My dog," said Phil, " was indeed worth 
 ten of his own kind ; but all the dogs that ever 
 existed are of no worth compared with one im- 
 mortal soul, which must live to all eternity, and 
 be happy or miserable for ever."
 
 120 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 Here one of the policemen gave a nod to 
 the others, that showed how heartily he agreed 
 in this : Phil saw it, and felt encouraged to go 
 on. 
 
 " Martin, God only knows what your fate 
 may be, but whatever it is you are living in sin, 
 and in sin you will die, sooner or later, if you 
 don't come to Jesus Christ for pardon. He is 
 ready to forgive you, and able to give you a 
 new heart, and to snatch you from destruction." 
 
 Martin was evidently going to make an in- 
 solent and scoffing reply, when the policeman, 
 seizing him by the shoulder, said, "I'll tell you 
 what, sir, if you dare to speak a word of your 
 vile blasphemy before these young lads, I'll let 
 you know there's law against it." 
 
 The young fellow looked up insolently, but 
 could not stand the officer's stern gaze: he 
 dropped his eyes, and what he muttered could 
 not be understood. 
 
 " Now, sir, go on," said the policeman to 
 Phil, " though I fear you are casting pearls be-
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 121 
 
 fore swine. But good must be done somewhere 
 by it, and good will come to yourself; for he 
 that watereth shall himself also be watered." 
 
 " I have very little to say," answered Phil, 
 looking down : " I only know that I have been 
 wrong myself in the matter, and that it is great 
 comfort to me to be told that the blood of Jesus 
 Christ cleanseth from all sin. I wish these 
 poor fellows to know it too ; and I want them 
 to know that there is no middle way ; for God, 
 who has declared ' He that confesseth and for- 
 saketh his sin shall find mercy,' also says, ' Ex- 
 cept ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.' 
 The Lord Jesus says, ' He that believeth in me 
 hath everlasting life ;' and he says too, ' He that 
 believeth not shall be damned.' These are 
 awful words, and spoken by Him who cannot 
 lie." 
 
 " And we can have[no reason for telling you 
 of it," said Edward, " except that as we know it 
 its true we would bring you to Him who alone 
 can save your souls." 
 
 11
 
 122 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 Martin said nothing, nor did he look up. 
 The policeman's hand was still on his shoulder, 
 and seemed to keep him in check. There was 
 a short silence, and then the door was opened, 
 and they were called again into the large room, 
 and the boys went with their fathers and Mr. 
 Seymour into-the dining-room, where Mr. Tay- 
 lor and Mr. Clarke left them to go to the sick 
 boy. When they were gone, Mr. Seymour said, 
 " I am very much afraid your poor young friend 
 will die; the doctor evidently thinks so; and 
 the danger is rendered greater by his afflicted 
 mother, who not having learned to cast all her 
 care upon Him who tenderly careth for us, finds 
 the burden too great for her. She can neither 
 be kept from him nor be persuaded to act judi- 
 ciously in his presence. How much she claims 
 our sympathy and prayers! That alone can 
 rightly control the mind, and regulate the feel- 
 ings, which shows us the hand of a wise and 
 loving Father in every dispensation. I would 
 not speak of poor Mrs. Clarke's weakness, but
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 123 
 
 that I must prepare you for something of the 
 kind." 
 
 " Are we going to see Clarke, Papa 7" 
 asked Frank, rather alarmed. 
 
 " I believe so : he was calling out, as the 
 servant said, for you all ; and though it was 
 plainly in delirium he did it, his poor mother 
 will not believe so, and insists on his being in- 
 dulged, if he asks for you again. In your earth- 
 ly pilgrimage, my dear boys, you must encoun- 
 ter many painfully distressing scenes ; and I fear 
 there is one now about to be presented that will 
 grieve and shock you. May it be blessed to 
 your souls, in showing you not only the uncer- 
 tainty of human life, but the utter worthlessness 
 of all that the world can give to afford help or 
 to impart comfort in that hour which awaits 
 the children of men !" 
 
 Mr. Seymour was indeed much troubled at 
 finding he must probably expose them to the 
 dreadful spectacle that the surgeon had led 
 him to expect; but this was preferable, he
 
 124 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 thought, to denying the distracted mother what 
 she vainly fancied would soothe, and by that 
 means perhaps save her dying child. Mr. Tay- 
 lor agreed with him ; and within a few min- 
 utes after this preparation, they were called by 
 Mr. Clarke to accompany him up stairs. 
 
 It was a beautiful room that they were led 
 into : every thing that luxury could desire and 
 wealth supply was there. The hangings, car- 
 peting, pier-glasses, and in short all the furni- 
 ture, were of a very costly description ; and a 
 canopied bed, carved, gilded, and hung with the 
 most showy drapery seemed almost to mock, 
 by its contrast, the ghastly object that reclined 
 on its fringed pillows. Mrs. Clarke had insist- 
 ed on his being placed in this apartment, be- 
 cause, as a child, he had called it " the pretty 
 room j " and more lately had been proud of its 
 expensive beauty. Poor woman ! she thought 
 such toys would have power to soothe the pain, 
 and to amuse the mind of a dying sinner. Not 
 that she believed him to be a sinner she had
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 125 
 
 dismissed a pious nurse the day before for trying 
 to comfort her by the assurance that his sins 
 could be washed away in the blood of the cross. 
 " Sins ! what sins has a young creature like that 
 committed 1 So innocent and good as he is, 
 do you suppose he could go anywhere but to 
 heaven ?" said the lady indignantly ; and then, 
 after a fit of hysterics, she insisted on the wo- 
 man leaving the house, that she might not 
 agitate the dear boy's mind by such crazy talk. 
 In the midst of all the splendour that we 
 have described, Clarke lay writhing with pain 
 and fever. His head was dreadfully swollen, 
 and the discolouration had spread to his face, 
 which was red and purple, and every feature 
 seemed distorted. From the leech-bites that 
 covered his temples the blood still trickled, 
 and added to the dreadful alteration of his coun- 
 tenance. He had just overheard his mother be- 
 wailing his frightful appearance, and was in a 
 violent rage at being refused a looking-glass to 
 examine it himself. When the party entered, 
 11*
 
 126 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 Mrs. Clarke, to direct his attention, cried out, 
 " Here they are ! they are all come :" on which 
 the boy set up a scream, and exclaimed, "They 
 shan't have me !" 
 
 " There's an end of it," whispered the sur- 
 geon to Mr. Taylor : " I knew she would set 
 him off again, with her foolish agitating ways. 
 Now you will get nothing from him but rav- 
 ings, probably to the end." 
 
 Meanwhile, Mrs. Clarke was arguing that 
 his young friends the Seymours and Taylor could 
 not possibly mean him any harm : that he had 
 been asking for them continually ; and that since 
 they saved his life he should welcome them 
 kindly. 
 
 "Particularly Master Taylor, 5 ' she added, 
 " for you know his nice dog was killed for pro- 
 tecting you." 
 
 " Dog, dog !" repeated Clarke, " let me hang 
 him up. I beat him well when he was a pup- 
 py, and now he does not care for a beating ; 
 but I'll hang him, I will."
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 127 
 
 " My dear child, Rover is dead ; but you 
 shall hang the pointers if you like," winking at 
 the rest, to humour him. 
 
 " Taylor, where's Phil Taylor ?" cried 
 Clarke impatiently ; and Philip immediately 
 stepped softly up, attempting to take his hand. 
 
 " Stand off ! I'll not be knocked down by 
 a vagabond like you. I want Phil Taylor ; I 
 
 want " and then he ran over several 'names, 
 
 among which were the Seymours, who then 
 approached him, but he swore at them, and they 
 shrank back, horror-struck at his language. 
 He knew nobody now ; and went on talking in 
 a way that showed so much cruelty and vicious- 
 ness of disposition that his father at last walked 
 away from the bedside in tears, saying, " I wish 
 he had never been born, or that he had been 
 better looked after." 
 
 " You must not mind him," said the sur- 
 geon : " he is not accountable for any thing he 
 says just now. He is fairly raving." 
 
 But Mr. Clarke seemed to feel that things
 
 128 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 were brought forth, though unconsciously, from 
 an evil treasure within ; he shook his head, and 
 leaning it against the sculptured mantel-piece, 
 remained very miserable. Mr. Taylor whisper- 
 ed to the surgeon, " I see no use in our remain- 
 ing here : any deposition seems out of the ques- 
 tion." 
 
 " Entirely so ; and as to identifying, if he 
 could recognize the fellow, the sight would kill 
 him now." 
 
 " Then I shall go, and at once despatch them 
 both to jail, on the strength of your certificate." 
 
 The surgeon nodded ; and having accompa- 
 nied them to the door, quite out of the hearing 
 of the family, he said in a decided manner, " I 
 can certify you that the case is hopeless : he 
 must die." 
 
 With heavy hearts the visitors departed, 
 Mr. Taylor going to make out the commitment, 
 and Phil accompanying his friends towards their 
 home. It was long before a single word was 
 uttered ; and Frank spoke first : " I am afraid
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 129 
 
 there's nobody to speak to poor Clarke what 
 Phil spoke to his murderer this morning." 
 
 Mr. Seymour looked surprised, and Edward 
 repeated what had passed in the little room ; at 
 which his father expressed great thankfulness, 
 saying, "I do hope, and confidently believe, 
 that some good will result from it ; besides the 
 satisfaction our young friend must feel in having 
 openly pointed out the way of salvation to a 
 fellow-creature in such awful circumstances." 
 
 " Oh, sir j" said Phil, who could not restrain 
 his tears, " I feel so guilty in the whole matter, 
 it seems as if I had to answer for every thing. 
 Being the first in the former quarrel at the stile, 
 I was the more bound to prevent the mischief 
 that followed. I knew I ought to have told 
 Papa, but I had given a promise, and could not 
 bear to act dishonourably." 
 
 " I do not wish," said Mr. Seymour, " to 
 make you appear to yourself less blamable 
 than you are : but to satisfy your mind on this 
 point I will tell you that your negligence did
 
 130 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 not prevent the warning from being given. 
 Mr. Wright informed your father, as soon as 
 you could have done it ; and the police would 
 have been on the spot in time to prevent mis- 
 chief, only for a mistake that occurred through 
 the stopping of a watch." 
 
 " There, Phil," said Edward, " are you not 
 glad of that?" 
 
 " Yes ; very glad : however, though it proves 
 my not doing my duty was not the cause of 
 what followed, I am not a bit less sinful in hav- 
 ing neglected that duty." 
 
 " I admit it," said Mr. Seymour. " You 
 spoke of being dishonourable : now there are 
 few things in the world more contrary to god- 
 liness than the prevailing notions of honour. A 
 promise ought to be kept, I know ; but then the 
 Christian will be most careful never to give a 
 promise unless he is quite sure that the obser- 
 vance of it cannot lead him to any neglect of 
 duty nor other wrong thing. It is not by strictly 
 keeping promises, but by rashly making them,
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 131 
 
 that we involve ourselves and others in sin and 
 trouble. A good man will guide not only his 
 affairs but his words with discretion. Bear this 
 in mind, my dear boys ; and before you pledge 
 yourselves to any line of conduct, or become 
 parties in any undertaking, consider well what 
 its character is, viewed in the light of God's holy 
 word." 
 
 " I really think Tom does that," observed 
 Edward ; " he never says ' yes' hastily to any 
 thing ; and when he refuses to do what is ask- 
 ed, he always gives a reason that shows he is 
 thinking of his duty more than any thing else." 
 
 " He did so about the boat, that unhappy 
 evening," said Taylor; " and you may remem- 
 ber the argument we had on the subject. You 
 did not say much, but what you did speak had 
 more effect on me than you think. I believe it 
 prevented my joining Clarke's party by making 
 me more mindful of my duty to my parents, 
 who would so very much have disapproved of it : 
 and then your great kindness to me about poor
 
 132 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 Caesar's death set me upon thinking how plea- 
 sant it is to have tender hearts, which I am sure 
 nobody can have who goes on purposely in sin. 
 Oh, sir, how sad it was to hear poor Clarke 
 boasting of his cruelty when raving as he did j 
 I would gladly have thought it was only raving! 
 but I know too well it was all true." 
 
 " I fear so : he spoiled his dog's temper by 
 cruel, tyrannical usage of him when young, and 
 you see he lost all control over him by it. The 
 animal was sure of a beating, do what he 
 would ; and instinct led him to gratify himself 
 while he had the opportunity. Had he been 
 like your noble Caesar, affectionate and obedient, 
 he would not have left his post; and no man 
 would have dared, without firearms, to attack 
 his master, so guarded. Were you ever cruel 
 to Caesar? 
 
 " No, sir, never : but I was kind to him more 
 because I thought it mean and unmanly to hurt 
 a poor dog, than that I feared offending God by 
 oppressing his creature."
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 133 
 
 " Cruelty to animals is a grievous sin," said 
 Mr. Seymour. " I believe when all God's deal- 
 ings are made manifest to us, as they will be 
 hereafter, that vengeance will be found to have 
 followed that crime, in every instance, most 
 strictly, except where it was truly repented of 
 and forsaken. We see little of it now ; but 
 depend on it justice overtakes every one who 
 abuses the authority with which the Lord has 
 intrusted him over the work of his hands." 
 
 " Bad as it was to hear Clarke talk so," 
 said Edward, " it shocked me more when his 
 mother, not being delirious like him, put it into 
 his head to hang the poor innocent pointers. 
 Suppose he had insisted on doing it, I am sure 
 Mrs. Clarke would have ordered them up to be 
 hanged before our faces." 
 
 Mr. Seymour shook his head : " Many allow- 
 ances must be made for a mother's distressed 
 feelings. However, I found a profitable lesson 
 for myself in what you have noticed j and I 
 
 12
 
 134 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 trust I shall always be resolute not to encourage 
 or indulge you in any thing that is wrong." 
 
 " Here comes Mr. Wright," cried Frank. " I 
 hope we are wiser now than when we talked of 
 rebelling against him ; and only obeyed Papa 
 because we considered him reasonable and 
 kind." 
 
 Mr. Wright listened with great concern to 
 the history of their morning's work : he grieved 
 for Clarke, and asked Mr. Seymour if he thought 
 a charge of murder could be sustained against 
 Martin. Mr. Seymour thought not : the prov- 
 ocation given, and the fact that the party went 
 out on purpose to look for him and to attack 
 him, would go far to divest the case of that 
 character. He did not at all suppose Martin's 
 life to be in any danger, but thought they would 
 punish him as severely as possible. " There 
 is no crime that a Socialist may not commit, 
 consistently with his own principles," said Mr. 
 Seymour : " for as he rejects the being of God,
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 135 
 
 he cannot of course own his authority, and is 
 therefore subject to no government ; nor has 
 he any law but his own will. He looks on 
 death as the final end of existence ; and if he 
 likes to run the hazard of it for any present 
 gratification there is nothing to hinder him. 
 You offend a Socialist ; he desires revenge, and 
 by exposing himself to the momentary incon- 
 venience of suspension from a gibbet, he can 
 take your life by whatever cruel mode he might 
 prefer. On this principle poor Clarke is beaten 
 to death ; and by this rule will men's lives and 
 properties be regarded by all who embrace their 
 abominable principles." 
 
 " Yes," said Mr. Wright, " and they calcu- 
 late on making all men embrace them. They 
 see how man struggles against the rule of God, 
 how prone he is to all evil, how willing to be 
 deceived ; and this frightful deception setting 
 him at liberty at once from every law, divine 
 and human, giving license to all kinds of sin in 
 the very greatest degree, is really a strong
 
 136 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 temptation to such as like not to retain God in 
 their knowledge. Of course, these seducers do 
 not preach their horrible abominations all at 
 once ; but by little and little, and in various 
 ways, they lead the youthful mind astray from 
 God, until it is ready to receive the full dose of 
 poison that kills the soul for ever." 
 
 " And therefore, my dear boys," said Mr. 
 Seymour, " therefore it is that we are anxious 
 to place you on one secure point from which 
 you must watch that no man allure or drive you. 
 As I before said, our stronghold is this : CHRIST 
 
 IS THE HEAD OVER ALL THINGS TO THE CHURCH, 
 
 WHICH is HIS BODY. Cleave to this, and you are 
 safe. United to its glorious Head, the body 
 lives and thrives; separated from him it perishes : 
 and you, as members of the body, are governed 
 by this rule. The church of which the apostle 
 speaks, is the whole company of true believers 
 who hold the Head, who love the Lord Jesus 
 in sincerity and obey him with a willing mind : 
 who have no hope but in him, seek no help but
 
 DANGEHS AND DUTIES. 137 
 
 from him ; own his kingship as the source of all 
 authority, and look to his priesthood as having 
 offered the one only all-sufficient atonement 
 for their sins. ' Head over all things !' Yes, 
 belonging to him all things are yours : loving 
 him, all things work together for good to you. 
 Satan may tempt you into sin, in order to accuse 
 you before God ; but if you be members of the 
 body whereof He is the head, Satan shall not 
 prevail. ' If God be for us/who can be against 
 us?' You cannnot ask help of him and be 
 denied ; for, ' He that spared not his own Son, 
 but delivered him up for us all, how shall he 
 not with him also freely give us all things?' 
 The evil spirit who first brought sin into the 
 world, and who still ' worketh in the children 
 of disobedience,' may bring all his legions 
 against you ; but, if Christ be acknowledged 
 Head over all things to you, you can make an- 
 swer alike to his temptations arid his accusa- 
 tions, ' It is God that justifieth, who is he that 
 condemneth ? It is Christ that died, yea, rather 
 12*
 
 138 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 that is risen again, who is even at the right 
 hand of God, who also maketh intercession for 
 us. Who shall separate us from the love of 
 Christ V Oh, my children, vast are the depths 
 of that love !" 
 
 "Poor Clarke! poor Clarke!" said Phil, 
 hardly able to speak, " is there nobody to say 
 these precious words to him ?" 
 
 " He has often heard them at church," re- 
 plied Mr. Seymour ; " and though he probably 
 gave no heed to them then, remember the Holy 
 Spirit can bring them now to his remembrance, 
 without any further human help : and we will all 
 unite in most earnest prayer that so it may be." 
 
 " Let us walk faster then," exclaimed the 
 boys, " that we may get home the sooner to do 
 it." 
 
 "We are do'.ng it now," remarked Mr. 
 Wright, "for the Lord discerns the thoughts 
 and intents of the heart, and he sees how ours 
 are lifted up to him in most prayerful desire, 
 until we can fall down on our knees before him
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 139 
 
 and give utterance to the prayer. Now, I hum- 
 bly hope, ' The Spirit himself maketh interces- 
 sion for us with groanings that cannot be utter- 
 ed.' He who prompts the prayer will grant it." 
 
 Edward looked up at at him with great 
 affection, and said, " Oh, sir, how could we ever 
 wish to cast off the authority of one so kind and 
 good as you are !" 
 
 " It was against the authority rather than 
 against the individual, you were tempted to re- 
 bel, dear boys. Casting off even the temporary 
 rule of a schoolmaster is, as Satan well knows, 
 a wide step towards casting off the headship of 
 Christ. It is less startling to the filial mind than 
 direct rebellion against a parent ; and therefore 
 it seems well to begin with. He only wants 
 to bring into direct action the principle of diso- 
 bedience, which is found, alas ! in every child of 
 Adam ; and as he well knows there is no stand- 
 ing still, if he sets you off in a wrong course, 
 nothing but the power of God put forth to stay 
 you cau prevent your proceeding from bad to 
 worse.
 
 140 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 Phil observed to his young friends, " I dare 
 say that unhappy boy Martin began with some 
 small act of disobedience, at home or at school." 
 
 " Very likely," said Mr. Seymour : " but you 
 must remember, that although to disobey those 
 in authority over you is to disobey the Lord who 
 gave them that authority, still we may and conti- 
 nually do break God's commandments, and rebel 
 against Him without infringing any law of sub- 
 mission to man. What we are speaking of is 
 only one branch of Christian duty ; and I must 
 again remind you that obedience to man be- 
 comes a sin as soon as ma.n requires you to do 
 any thing contrary to the known will of God." 
 
 "I see that, Papa," said Edward. "The 
 father of a family might become a Socialist, and 
 command his whole household to follow his 
 example, which it would be great sin in them 
 to do." 
 
 " Exactly so, Edward." 
 
 " And I can tell you something quite in 
 point," said Mr. Wright, "which came to my
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 141 
 
 knowledge only this morning. Youn know the 
 widow Blake, down beyond the common 1" 
 
 "Oh, yes," said several; "and that nice 
 fellow John, who is such a dutiful son to her." 
 
 " Ay ; but John has become, by the grace 
 of God, a disobedient son. It seems, a Romish 
 Priest has been prowling about lately, and fall- 
 ing in with the widow Blake, won her over to 
 his church, of which not Christ but Antichrist 
 is the head. For a while this was concealed 
 from John, who was out all day, doing messa- 
 ges, and otherwise labouring for his mother's 
 support. At last she broke the matter to him, 
 and insisted on his going with her to mass. 
 John had a Bible, and praying for the teach- 
 ing of the Holy Spirit, he read that Bible with 
 a right understanding of its truths. He there- 
 fore not only refused to embrace a false religion, 
 but sought to bring back his poor mother to 
 the fold from which she has strayed. For this 
 he has been persecuted, ill-used, half-starved, 
 and constantly threatened with the wrath of 
 God for disobedience to his mother ; for he is
 
 142 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 only fourteen, and of course under her gov- 
 ernance. He bore it long and silently ; but 
 now his miserable parent has been complaining 
 to different gentlemen who employed him be- 
 cause of his excellent character as a son, and 
 they have turned him off. I met the poor fel- 
 low in tears, this morning, and prevailed on him 
 to tell me these particulars. He is mosi cruelly 
 used, and frightened sometimes by Iheir re- 
 proaches on his disobedience ; and you may be 
 sure I strengthened him as well as I could." 
 
 "I knew something of this," said Phil. 
 "The woman came with her story to Papa, 
 when I was with him ; but I was playing with 
 my poor dear Cassar, and did not much mind 
 what passed. Papa observed, when she was 
 gone, that she was a silly old goose to change 
 her religion, but that John had no right to take 
 it as he did ; for Papa said the Roman Catholic 
 church was a Christian church, confessing 
 
 7 O 
 
 Christ, and worshipping him ; and that John 
 had no business to be so illiberal."
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 143 
 
 " How many apostles were there V asked 
 Mr. Wright. 
 
 " Twelve," said the boys, rather surprised 
 at the question. 
 
 " They were privileged men, were they not, 
 chosen by our Lord, and sent to preach in his 
 name, and to do miracles, and finally to be wit- 
 nesses of his resurrection, and to order the 
 church after his ascension ?" 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " Of this ministry and apostleship Judas 
 had part : and you remember when the other 
 eleven were with our Lord, Judas, being still 
 ' one of the twelve,' drew near, hailed him as 
 Master, and kissed him. Now I ask you, was 
 Judas at that time any part of the real church 
 of Christ, or ought any Christian to be found 
 following him as a leader and an example ?" 
 
 " No, no : certainly not," cried all the boys. 
 " He was a vile traitor, and his death very soon 
 after removed him from the apostleship." 
 
 " Not so j" said Mr. Wright. " Peter ex-
 
 144 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 pressly calls it an office ' from which Judas BY 
 TRANSGRESSION fell.' He is never spoken of as 
 * one of the twelve,' after that betraying kiss. 
 Always bear in mind that a church, or teacher, 
 professing the name of Christian but ' not hold- 
 ing the Head,' Christ, according to the way in 
 which he is set forth in the Scriptures, no more 
 belongs to his body, the true church, than Judas, 
 the son of perdition, belonged to the faithful 
 company of real apostles, when he made his 
 loud proclamation of his Lord's authority his 
 ' hail, Master ' a signal for bearing him away 
 to prison and to death." 
 
 " It is remarkable," observed Mr. Seymour, 
 " that the term ' son of perdition,' applied by 
 our blessed Lord to Judas is also used in describ- 
 ing the Romish apostasy, in the second epistle 
 to the Thessalonians, chapter ii. John Blake is 
 right : and this very day I will take him into my 
 house as a servant ; and you, boys, when you 
 have studied the subject a little in the Bible, 
 and talked it over with your tutor, may go to
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 145 
 
 the poor deluded widow, and oppose the pure 
 gospel to that lie which she has been led to be- 
 lieve. The Romish church has 'by trans- 
 gression fallen' from the body of true believers ; 
 she demands implicit obedience as the supreme 
 vicegerent of Christ, whereas to obey her is to 
 separate from the Lord. The poor Romanists 
 are entitled to our pity, our prayers, our labours 
 for their conversion ; but as you value your 
 souls, have nothing to do with their idolatrous 
 religion." 
 
 " Is a Romanist as bad as a Socialist, sir ?" 
 said Frank to the tutor. 
 
 " If you ask me whether Romanism is as 
 bad as Socialism, I must say yes ; because it 
 destroys souls no less surely, and far more insi- 
 diously. The Socialist teacher tells his hearers 
 there is no such place as heaven ; and so they 
 give up all concern about eternity, and sin 
 without restraint : the Romish teacher assures 
 his flock there is a heaven prepared for such as 
 he is pleased to send there, and for no others. 
 13
 
 146 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 He tells them that sin unatoned for will keep 
 them out of heaven ; but that they may sin to 
 any extent, with perfect safety, if they inform 
 him of it, and pay him a sum of money. Both 
 are contrary not only to God's word but to 
 man's natural reason and conscience. Both are 
 snares of the devil, from which may the Lord 
 in his mercy graciously deliver us all !" 
 
 " Amen !" said Mr. Seymour. " And now 
 as we are just home, let us once more impress 
 upon our minds the fact, that all which we 
 have seen wrong since our recent conversation 
 on this subject, from the buying of a piece of 
 smuggled ribbon, to the murder of poor Clarke, 
 all have arisen from neglect of the divine truth 
 that " Christ is head over all things to the 
 church.' "
 
 PAUL, 
 THE MARTYR OF PALESTINE, 
 
 A CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN. 
 
 A NARRATIVE OF FACTS. 
 
 BY CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH.
 
 PAUL, 
 
 THE MARTYR 01 PAL1STII1 
 
 IN the history of those dreadful persecutions 
 which raged for ten years against the Christians, 
 commencing in the year 303, in the reign of 
 Diocletian, we meet with the following account 
 of a person named Paul, who, for refusing to 
 sacrifice to the idols of the heathen, was sen- 
 tenced to lose his head. 
 
 " Paul begged to be allowed a small space 
 of time : his request being granted, he prayed 
 with a loud voice for the whole Christian world, 
 that God would forgive them, remove the pre- 
 sent heavy scourge of their iniquities, and re- 
 store them to peace and liberty. He then prayed 
 for the Jews, that they might come to God, and 
 13*
 
 150 THE MARTYR 
 
 find access to Him through Christ. In the next 
 place he prayed that the same blessings might 
 be vouchsafed to the Samaritans. The Gen- 
 tiles who lived in error and ignorance of God, 
 were the next objeets of his charitable petitions, 
 that they might be brought to know God and 
 serve Him : nor did he forget to mention the 
 crowd around him, the emperors, the judge who 
 had sentenced him, and the executioner ; and in 
 the hearing of all, he prayed that their sins 
 might not be laid to their charge. The whole 
 company was moved, and tears w r ere shed. 
 The martyr composed himself to suffer, and 
 offering his head to the sword, he was be- 
 headed. 
 
 "An admirable Christian hero !" remarks the 
 historian : who will not agree with him ? We 
 live in times when the violence of open perse- 
 cution is restrained ; Satan wants not the will 
 to injure Christ's people, nor would he be at a 
 loss for ready instruments to accomplish his 
 cruel purposes, if the Lord withdrew the check
 
 OF PALESTINE. 151 
 
 which his providential care imposes on the ene- 
 mies of religion ; but the church is in greater dan- 
 ger now, from the lukewarm spirit that a sea- 
 son of perfect tranquillity is apt to produce, than 
 from such fiery trials as happened unto the early 
 professors of Christianity. 
 
 Yet the same foe is actively, though more 
 secretly, employed for our destruction ; and the 
 Christian, ordained through much tribulation to 
 enter the kingdom of heaven, though he may 
 not have to wrestle with flesh and blood, finds 
 principalities and powers, the rulers of the 
 darkness of this world, leagued against him in 
 an opposition so fierce, that he needs the whole 
 armour of God to defend him from their as- 
 saults. 
 
 In a conflict of this nature, it is refreshing to 
 remember those who have fought the good fight 
 finished their course kept the faith, and en- 
 tered into the joy of their Lord. They endured, 
 as seeing Him who is invisible, and found Him 
 a very present help in trouble.
 
 152 THE MARTYR 
 
 We will consider the sufferings and exam- 
 ple of the Martyr of Palestine, whose death we 
 have just now related ; and may the Holy 
 Spirit, who so manifestly supported him, bless 
 to our souls the lesson his story is calculated to 
 impart. 
 
 When Paul was condemned to die, and was 
 about to be admitted into that noble army of 
 martyrs who were beheaded for the witness of 
 Jesus, and for the word of God, we -find he re- 
 quested a little space of time. The Lord who 
 willed to show forth in him the power of his 
 grace, disposed his murderers to grant it. 
 
 Paul did not make use of this respite in at- 
 tempting to move the hearts of those around 
 him to pity and to spare ; much less did he 
 waste it in lamentations 01 expressions of re- 
 sentment : he would indeed gladly have called 
 down fire from heaven ; but it was that which 
 would enlighten, not consume his enemies. He 
 sought not to convince them by any powers of 
 argument ; for, alas ! they were so sunk and
 
 OF PALESTINE. 153 
 
 hardened in iniquity, that the utmost force and 
 beauty of reasoning on such a subject, would 
 have been but as pearls cast before swine. His 
 few remaining moments were too precious to be 
 hazarded in uncertainty : no the martyr knew 
 there was One who could alone fulfil every de- 
 sire of his heart, and give a blessing larger than 
 he was able to ask or think. He therefore 
 prayed : he prayed aloud, that all might under- 
 stand what intercession the Holy Ghost is wont 
 to make by the mouths of those in whom he 
 dwells ; and he prayed confidently, as one who 
 was assured that, in whatsoever he asked ac- 
 cording to the will of God, he should be heard 
 and answered. 
 
 The first object of Paul's fervent supplica- 
 tion, w r as the whole Christian world : in this he 
 followed the example of our Lord, who espe- 
 cially prayed for those whom the Father had 
 given Him ; and of the apostles, who so earnest- 
 ly and affectionately remembered in their 
 prayers the children of God, as we read in their
 
 154 THE MARTYR 
 
 epistles. At the time described, the Christian 
 world was groaning under the most fierce and re- 
 lentless persecution ever heard of: they w ere ac- 
 tually " killed all the day long," and " account- 
 ed as sheep for the slaughter." Dreadful tor- 
 tures were inflicted upon them, without regard 
 to sex or age ; and he was sure to obtain the 
 loudest applause and highest recompense, who 
 could excel others in devising new torments, or 
 in dragging a greater number of victims to the 
 stake. 
 
 Helpless, inoffensive, and peaceable, the 
 Christians had given no provocation to their 
 inhuman rulers. They refused to bow down to 
 graven images the work of men's hands, or to 
 acknowledge any God but Jehovah, the living 
 and true God ; they confessed Jesus Christ, and 
 would not blapheme that worthy name by the 
 which they were called ; but personally they 
 resisted not the evil, cheerfully resigning their 
 lives rather than deny the faith. Yet Paul dared 
 not to speak of them in the language of com-
 
 OF PALESTINE. 155 
 
 mendation : he saw a sword sent through the 
 land to smite them, and he knew that their 
 wickedness had provoked the Lord thus to visit 
 them : he was aware that the heart of man is 
 deceitful above all things, and desperately wick- 
 ed ; that in the season of prosperity many had 
 forgotten God, who now felt that in Him alone 
 they could be justified or could glory. Like 
 Daniel's, this martyr's prayer for his people was 
 an humble confession of their sins, entreating 
 the Lord " that He would forgive them, remove 
 the present heavy scourge of their iniquities, 
 and restore them to peace and liberty." 
 
 In the sight of mankind these victims pre- 
 sent a most glorious spectacle of voluntary 
 suffering for righteousness' sake ; but in that of 
 God, all their weakness, their unfaithfulness, 
 their innumerable transgressions were naked 
 and open. He saw them as polluted children of 
 the dust, defiled by continual sins, doomed to 
 everlasting death, and redeemed from it solely 
 by His free mercy ; made what they then ap-
 
 156 THE MARTYR 
 
 peared by His grace, and by that alone enabled 
 to continue faithful unto death. The Christian 
 will draw matter of humiliation from what 
 would puff up a worldly mind with pride, and 
 when he sees any one earnest in working out 
 his own salvation with fear and trembling, re- 
 members that it is God who worketh in him 
 both to will and to do, of His good pleasure. 
 See, therefore, how meekly Paul deprecates the 
 wrath of God on behalf of his brethren, and how 
 devoutly he prays for their peace and liberty, as 
 an unmerited gift. 
 
 Christian, are you also " praying always, 
 with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, 
 and watching thereunto with all perseverance, 
 and supplication for all saints ?" If not, you ne- 
 glect a duty enjoined throughout the word of 
 God ; and are cruelly indifferent to the souls of 
 your brethren. When Satan and his angels are 
 continually combining with the world, to hurt, to 
 harm, and destroy them, can you refuse the help 
 of your prayers against such a host of foes ? The
 
 OF PALESTINE. 157 
 
 principle of divine love must be weak indeed in 
 your heart, if it produce so little fuit of charity 
 towards the household of faith. 
 
 The Martyr 'of Palestine then prayed for the 
 Jews, ' that they might come to God, and find 
 access to Him through Christ." Here, also, he 
 bore in mind the example of Him who wept 
 over Jerusalem, lamenting that she would not 
 know the things which belonged to her peace : 
 he sympathized also with the apostle Paul, who 
 felt great heaviness, and continual sorrow in his 
 heart for his brethren " who are Israelites, to 
 whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, 
 and the covenants, and the giving of the law, 
 and the service of God, and the promises ; whose 
 are the fathers ; and of whom, as concerning 
 the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God 
 blessed for ever. Amen." 
 
 More than two hundred years had elapsed 
 
 since the destruction of Jerusalem and dispersion 
 
 of the Jews at the time this martyr suffered : 
 
 that unhappy nation had been most cruelly for- 
 
 14
 
 158 THE MARTYR 
 
 ward and active in persecuting the Christians, 
 yet how anxiously does he intercede for them in 
 the hour of his death ! He desires they may 
 find access through Christ, whom their fathers 
 slew and hanged on a tree ; that they may look 
 on Him whom they pierced and mourn, with 
 that godly sorrow which worketh repentance. 
 He knew that " salvation is of the Jews," that 
 though exceedingly afflicted, scourged, branded, 
 scattered among all nations, meted out, and 
 trodden down, they were still God's ancient 
 people, beloved for the fathers' sakes ; and that 
 the casting away of them being the reconciling 
 of the world, the receiving of them shall be as 
 life from the dead. It is wonderful that any 
 person who reads and loves the Bible can ne- 
 glect to pray for the Jews ; or regard with indif- 
 ference the signs of these times, that now 
 bespeak their approaching restoration. For 
 nearly eighteen hundred years they have been 
 a reproach to all that are about them ; but now 
 we are encouraged to believe that the Lord is
 
 OF PALESTINE. 159 
 
 lifting up a standard for this people ; that He 
 will arise and have mercy upon Sion : surely 
 the time to favour her, yea the set time is come ; 
 for His servants take pleasure in her stones, and 
 favour the dust thereof. 
 
 The Samaritans, who were next mentioned 
 in the martyr's prayer, were a mixed race, 
 chiefly of Israelitish origin, but maintaining so 
 bitter a controversy with those of Jerusalenij 
 that we find the woman of Samaria, as record- 
 ed in the fourth chapter of St. John's Gospel, 
 wondering that our Lord, being a Jew, should 
 even ask a draught of water from her. In this 
 country a great many believers were added to 
 the church, under the ministry of Philip, Peter, 
 and John ; but now all were scattered and op- 
 pressed alike. 
 
 Paul, being a native of Palestine, probably 
 regarded the Samaritans as his countrymen; 
 and surely it becomes us to remember, in an 
 especial manner, at the throne of grace, the 
 land of our birth, that the Lord may increase
 
 160 THE MARTYR 
 
 among us that righteousness which exalteth a 
 nation, and acknowledge us for His own. 
 " Happy is that people that is in such a case : 
 yea, happy is that people whose God is the 
 LOKD." 
 
 The Gentiles next formed the subject of 
 Paul's petitions, " that they might be brought 
 to know God and to serve Him." Had the 
 emphatic command of our Lord, " go ye into 
 all the world, and preach the gospel to every 
 creature," been made the constant rule of prac- 
 tice in the Christian church, our feelings would 
 not now be wounded by the dreadful recitals of 
 gross darkness and horrible superstition in 
 which so many millions are sunk. It is a la- 
 mentable stain upon the professors of our holy 
 religion through many ages, that the efforts for 
 its extension have been few, faint, and short- 
 lived. In our clay the Spirit is more abundant- 
 ly poured forth ; exertions are made to send 
 the word of God to them that dwell on the 
 earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and
 
 OF PALESTINE. 161 
 
 tongue, and people ; while pious men go forth 
 as Missionaries, to preach among the Gentiles 
 the unsearchable riches of Christ. With hearts 
 warmed by generous pity and divine zeal, they 
 go to proclaim in every clime the invitation, 
 " look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends 
 of the earth ; for I am God, and there is none 
 else." They appear as ambassadors from 
 Christ unto guilty, ruined men, in the spirit of 
 St. Paul, when he says, " neither count I my 
 life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my 
 course with joy, and the ministry which I have 
 received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel 
 of the grace of God." But while rejoicing 
 that thus it now is, let us remember that though 
 one apostle may plant and another water, it is 
 God alone who giveth the increase. It is our 
 duty to lend every aid we can furnish to this 
 glorious cause, always helping together by 
 prayer for them : " pray ye therefore the Lord 
 of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers 
 into His harvest." The fields may be white, 
 14*
 
 162 THE MARTYR 
 
 and reapers ready to go forth, but they must be 
 endued with power from on high ; God must, 
 by his own Spirit, make His word effectual in 
 their mouths. Could we behold but a very 
 small part of what is at this moment passing 
 in those cruel habitations, of which the dark 
 places of the earth are full, we should be con- 
 strained to join in the prayer of the martyr, 
 and supplicate that God would arise and scatter 
 all spiritual enemies, that His way may be 
 known upon earth, His saving health among 
 all nations, that He may take to Him His great 
 power and reign, and cause to be heard that 
 joyful song, " the kingdoms of this world are 
 become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his 
 Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever." 
 Hitherto this beautiful prayer of the martyr 
 has been general, and divided judiciously into 
 portions, as he brought the wants of earth's va- 
 rious children before the Lord. The little space 
 permitted to him was fast elapsing, and he 
 would employ his remaining breath in some-
 
 OF PALESTINE. 163 
 
 thing more immediately connected with his 
 present circumstances. What, then, was the 
 prayer 1 He mentioned " the crowd about him, 
 the emperors, the judge who had sentenced 
 him, and the executioner : and, in the hearing 
 of all, he prayed that their sins might not be 
 laid to their charge." This was, indeed, a glo- 
 rious exhibition of that charity which never 
 faileth ! We sometimes feel that we can par- 
 don from our hearts those who have wronged 
 us, and desire that the Lord should forgive 
 them too ; but not often, is this victory over our 
 evil and revengeful nature attained at the very 
 moment the offence is received. 
 
 If this be the general experience in the 
 petty troubles and injuries our easy life is ex- 
 posed to, what a shining instance of the power 
 of divine grace did the martyr Paul hold forth 
 at that hour ! The crowd around him were 
 more like savage tigers thirsting for human 
 blood, than rational men ; they had raised al- 
 tars to the vilest idols, deifying every crime that
 
 164 THE MARTYR 
 
 could disgrace humanity, and glorying in thei r 
 shame. On these monuments of infamy they 
 required Christians to sacrifice and burn incense; 
 and, on their refusal, were eagerly awaiting 
 the sentence of the presiding magistrate, to tear 
 them limb from limb. 
 
 The judge who condemned Paul, was a wil- 
 ling instrument of Satan's utmost rage and mal- 
 ice against the people of God : the price of 
 blood and wages of unrighteousness were his 
 daily recompense, and by the furious persecu- 
 tion of unoffending Ch/istians, he sought to re- 
 commend himself to the favour of his no less 
 inhuman master, one of the emperors (likewise 
 named by Paul), Maximin, who ruled over Pal- 
 estine, a most cruel tyrant, and insatiable in his 
 thirst for Christian blood. These monarchs, 
 who had divided among themselves the great 
 Roman empire, combined to oppress the follow- 
 ers of true religion, and were guilty of such 
 barbarities as men had rarely perpetrated. One 
 of them, Constantius (father of the first Chris-
 
 OF PALESTINE. 165 
 
 tian Emperor Constantine the "Great, who 
 afterwards exalted the remnant of these faithful 
 sufferers to great honour), was indeed compar- 
 atively mild j but the other was most merciless. 
 For these men, who had shed more innocent 
 blood than can be computed, and for the very 
 executioner who stood ready to destroy him, 
 did the martyr fervently supplicate his God. He 
 viewed them as those who must erelong ap- 
 pear before the judgment seat of Christ, to ren- 
 der a strict account of their dreadful deeds 
 against His people, of whom it is said, " he 
 that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of His 
 eye." Paul considered, we may conceive,J;he 
 horrors of that place, " where the worm dieth 
 not, and the fire is not quenched ;" he ponder- 
 ed that awful question, " who among us shall 
 dwell with the devouring flame 1 who among 
 us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" and, 
 in the view of those eternal torments, pity over- 
 whelmed his soul for the blind and wretched 
 beings who were about to murder him, after
 
 166 'THE MARTYR 
 
 the hardness of their impenitent hearts treasur- 
 ing up unto themselves wrath against the clay 
 of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judg- 
 ment of God, who will render to every man ac- 
 cording to his deeds. He felt himself a par- 
 doned and ransomed sinner, by grace alone 
 made to differ from them, and would expend; 
 his last breath in imploring that mercy for them, 
 which they sought not for themselves, that 
 their sins might not be laid to their charge, but 
 taken away by the Lamb of God, and remem- 
 bered no more. 
 
 Can we find it difficult to offer such a prayer 
 under this affecting view of the sinner's case ? 
 If the offences of others against us be of too 
 trifling a nature to call down the wrath of the 
 Most High on our behalf, does it become us to 
 be angry to clamour for our hundred pence 
 when ten thousand talents have been forgiven 
 us 1 And if they do amount to serious wrong, 
 knowing that God is the avenger of all such, 
 that vengeance is His, and He will repay, shall
 
 OF PALESTINE. 167 
 
 we not rather implore Him to have compassion 
 on the transgressors ? When the summons 
 arrives and death seizes them, it will be too late 
 to intercede ; we may and must pity, but can- 
 not then help them. " Now is the accepted 
 time, now is the day of salvation ;" now, " in 
 every thing, by prayer and supplication, with 
 thanksgiving, let your requests be made known 
 unto God." " Pray for them that despitefully 
 use you and persecute you :" beseech Him to 
 heal every dissension, and to forgive those who 
 trespass against you, as freely as you desire He 
 should pardon your own offences. 
 
 We are told that the assembly were moved, 
 and tears were shed during the affecting pe- 
 titions of the martyr; but we cannot now 
 know what answer the Lord might vouchsafe : 
 the great day will reveal it. When St. Stephen 
 was put to death, he interceded for his destroy- 
 ers in the same words : among them, the most 
 conspicuous for persecuting zeal, was Saul of 
 Tarsus, afterwards the blessed apostle Paul.
 
 168 THE MARTYR 
 
 Such an instance cannot but be highly encour- 
 aging to a devout reader of Scripture. The 
 martyr of Palestine was evidently one of these, 
 and he went to join the spirits of just men made 
 perfect to rejoice in a triumph far more glo- 
 rious than his sufferings and humiliation were 
 severe. " These are they which came out of 
 great tribulation, and have washed their robes 
 and made them white in the blood of the Lamb: 
 therefore, are they before the throne of God, 
 and serve Him day and night in His temple, 
 and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell 
 among them ; they shall hunger no more, nei- 
 ther thirst any more ; neither shall the sun 
 light on them, nor any heat, for the Lamb 
 which is in the midst of the throne shall feed 
 them, and shall lead them unto living fountains 
 of waters ; and God shall wipe away all tears 
 from their eyes." 
 
 In the title-page of this little work we have 
 described Paul as a Catholic Christian. What 
 do we mean by Catholic ? The word signifies
 
 OF PALESTINE. 169 
 
 general or universal. It is the term applied to 
 the true Church, which consists of" all who love 
 the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity :" all that in 
 every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ 
 our Lord, both theirs and ours." It will be 
 found at the day of judgment to consist of " a 
 great multitude which no man could number, 
 of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and 
 tongues." The Roman Church, which now as- 
 sumes to itself the title of Catholic, formed, in 
 the days of Paul, a small portion of this Chris- 
 tian company ; but it had not then experienced 
 to that extent those corruptions which led to a 
 great falling away from the doctrines of the 
 gospel. Among the Christians of those times 
 the Scriptures were generally known and read. 
 No teacher dared to forbid the free use of the 
 sacred volume; consequently the people be- 
 lieved what the Prophets, Evangelists, and 
 Apostles had taught, and no more that is to 
 say, they had not yet made void the command- 
 ments of God through the traditions of men. 
 15
 
 170 THE MARTYR 
 
 Such a place as purgatory had never been heard 
 of. Paul the martyr had not the miserable pros- 
 pect of being cast into flames, when he had 
 laid down his life for the profession of the gos- 
 pel. Christians then very well knew that to be 
 absent from the body was to be present with 
 the Lord ; that he who could say, " to me to 
 live is Christ," might confidently add, " to die 
 is gain." No one dreamed of praying for the 
 dead, whose future state, whether of good or 
 evil, they knew was eternally and unchangea- 
 bly fixed. Masses, therefore, were not offered 
 for souls, to enrich the clergy. Pardon is the 
 gift of God ; and we know what St. Peter said 
 to Simon Magus, when he wanted to purchase 
 the gift of the Holy Ghost, " thy money perish 
 with thee, because thou hast thought that the 
 gift of God may be purchased with money." 
 Nor had so strange a doctrine as what is called 
 the sacrifice of the Mass been introduced. 
 Taught by the word of God, every Christian 
 knew that " Christ was once offered to bear the
 
 OF PALESTINE. 171 
 
 sin of many ;" and " after He had offered one 
 sacrifice for sins, for ever sat down on the right 
 hand of God," by which it is plainly shown 
 that neither is any farther sacrifice necessary, 
 nor can the Lord personally appear upon their 
 altars, since it is contrary to reason, and indeed 
 manifestly impossible, that the same body should 
 be in two places at the same time. In his hu- 
 man nature the Lord Jesus ascended into hea- 
 ven, there to appear in the presence of God for 
 us, and by his Divine power He is present at all 
 times with his faithful worshippers, as the light 
 of the sun pervades every object brought be- 
 neath its beams, while the sun itself remains 
 fixed in its appointed station far above us. Our 
 Lord appears no more in the body upon earth, 
 until his second coming to judge the world. 
 Instructed by the dying command of their Mas- 
 ter, as recorded by the Evangelists, the Chris- 
 tians ate the bread and drank the wine, in the 
 sacrament of the Lord's Supper, in remem- 
 brance of Him ; and to signify, that as their
 
 172 THE MARTYR 
 
 bodies were nourished by those elements, so must 
 their souls subsist on the spiritual nutriment af- 
 forded by Him who is, metaphorically, the 
 Bread of Life ; feeding on Him in their hearts 
 by faith, and assured that in the due celebration 
 of the rite he had ordained, they would receive 
 large supplies of grace, and new power to walk 
 in the way of His commandments. Image- 
 worship, or the use of images in any way in the 
 religious services, was to them so far from be- 
 ing considered lawful among Christians, that 
 they resisted unto blood, yea unto death itself, 
 the sin of practising these heathenish ceremonies. 
 As to holy water, as it is called, one of these 
 persecuting emperors, Maximin, thought to 
 starve the Christians, by causing all the provi- 
 sions in the market to be sprinkled with liba- 
 tions, or consecrated liquor ; knowing it would 
 so pollute the food in the estimation of these 
 pure worshippers that they would rather die 
 than eat of it. 
 
 In the prayer of Paul we find no invocation
 
 OF PALESTINE. 173 
 
 of saints, no mention of human merits, ho hope 
 of justification by works, no dread of an imper- 
 fect salvation and future suffering to complete it. 
 He prayed to the one Jehovah, Father, Son, 
 and Holy Ghost, Creator, Redeemer, and Sanc- 
 tifier ; in so doing, he proved himself a Catho- 
 lic Christian, holding the head, \vhich is Christ, 
 and building up himself in his most holy faith. 
 Paul knew the prophecy recorded in the fourth 
 chapter of the first Epistle to Timothy, " in the 
 latter times some shall depart from the faith, 
 giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of 
 devils ; speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their 
 conscience seared with a hot iron ; forbidding 
 to marry, and commanding to abstain from 
 meats, which God hath created to be received 
 with thanksgiving of them which believe and 
 know the truth." But he died long before the 
 prediction began to be fulfilled before pastors, 
 calling themselves Christians, and successors of 
 the apostles, ventured to hide from the people 
 those Scriptures which are given as the rule of 
 15*
 
 174 THE MARTYR 
 
 our faith, and the sure test whereby to try all 
 doctrines. There is a prophecy in the ninth 
 chapter of Daniel, twenty-fourth and two fol- 
 lowing verses, so clearly proving that the Mes- 
 siah must have appeared long since, and so 
 plainly setting forth the true object of His com- 
 ing, that the unbelieving teachers of the Jews 
 have denounced a curse on any of their race 
 who shall endeavour to explain that prediction, 
 knowing that its evidence is so undeniable, as 
 to convince any unprejudiced mind : but they 
 never dared to withhold the volume; nor 
 would the Jews, in their most debased state, en- 
 dure such an encroachment on their privileges. 
 The Bible is every man's property ; every in- 
 dividual has as free a right to examine it as to 
 breathe the air of heaven ; nay, it is as necessa- 
 ry to the well-being of his soul, as that air is to 
 the continuance of his mortal life. Paul, the 
 faithful martyr of Palestine, the Catholic Chris- 
 tian, whose universal love embraced the whole 
 human race, was a beautiful instance of the
 
 OF PALESTINE. 175 
 
 power of God in purifying the mind, ennobling 
 the feelings, and confirming the faith of His 
 chosen people : he knew in whom he had believ- 
 ed ; he found the love of God shed abroad in 
 his heart by the Holy Ghost, and experienced 
 that nothing could separate him from that ever- 
 lasting love. 
 
 We are told of some " of whom the world 
 was not worthy ;" who " had trials of cruel 
 mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover, of 
 bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, 
 they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were 
 slain with the sword : they wandered about in 
 sheep-skins and goat-skins, being destitute, 
 afflicted, tormented. They wandered in des- 
 erts and in mountains, and in dens and caves of 
 the earth." We probably think that had we 
 lived in their days, we should have partaken 
 joyfully of their sufferings, and given as bright 
 a testimony of living faith : but do we prove it 
 in any degree, by bearing with a truly Christian 
 spirit our appointed crosses, light as they must
 
 176 THE MARTYR 
 
 be in comparison to those of the martyrs ? Do 
 we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of 
 God, when stretched forth to afflict us ? Are 
 we zealous for His glory, adorning the doctrine 
 of God our Saviour in all things, by a holy, un- 
 blamable life, and leading those under our in- 
 fluence to do the same 1 Are we urgent in 
 prayer for the Christian world, for the Jew, for 
 our own country, for the heathen, and especially 
 for those whose conduct may tempt us to a 
 breach of brotherly love 1 Are we kind one 
 to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one an- 
 other, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath for- 
 given us ? Do we renounce the world, the 
 flesh, and the devil ? Do we deny ourselves, 
 and abstain from luxury and self-indulgence in 
 order to administer to the wants of the poor ? 
 Do we sell all, devote all that we have to the 
 service of God? Do we feed the hungry, 
 clothe the naked, visit the sick and those who 
 are in prison 1 
 
 Of Paul, the martyr, we may conclude, from
 
 OF PALESTINE. 177 
 
 what we know of the fruits his faith bore, that 
 in every relation of life he would have been a 
 pattern of good works. As a parent, bringing 
 up his children in the nurture and admonition 
 of the Lord ; as a son> he would be dutiful and 
 kind ; as a master, leading his household to 
 serve the Lord ; as a subject, obedient and 
 peaceable, submitting himself to every ordi- 
 nance of man for the Lord's sake : in every 
 character labouring for the extension of Christ's 
 kingdom, and desiring that His will might be 
 done on earth as it is in heaven. 
 
 Such is, such ought to be, the character of 
 a Catholic Christian : the Scriptures represent 
 it so ; and though the ungodly may deride it 
 as unnecessary, and the superstitious object to it 
 as too simple, and the mere professor complain 
 that such perfection is unattainable, we must 
 reply, that God is able to make all grace 
 abound towards us ; that a new heart and a new 
 spirit are his gift, offered to all who seek it, and 
 sufficient to make us, with the guidance of the
 
 178 THE MARTYR 
 
 Holy Scriptures, thoroughly furnished unto 
 every good word and work. 
 
 To those Scriptures of truth, in every point, 
 we appeal : " to the law and to the testimony : 
 if they speak not according to this word, it is 
 because there is no light in them." 
 
 THE MARTYR. 
 
 Dyed in his life-blood's crimson stain, 
 The martyr's robe is rich and bright; 
 
 But ere a glorious rest he gain, 
 The Saviour's blood must make it white. 
 
 Oh, not of works ! no boast of man 
 In heaven's high courts can find a place ; 
 
 Of grace alone, salvation's plan, 
 Be all the praise to sov'reign grace ! 
 
 It is not that they dared to die: 
 
 The world can show her martyrs too ; 
 
 Pride oft hath fram'd a specious lie, 
 And led her wretched votary through. 
 
 It is because the deep-struck root 
 Bore on its stem a large increase; 
 
 And richly fed the ripening fruit, 
 In righteousness, and joy, and peace.
 
 OF PALESTINE. 179 
 
 Safe from the world's delusive snare, 
 Untainted by her noxious breath, 
 
 One Lord, one faith, one hope they share, 
 And welcome sorrow, pain, or death. 
 
 Taught to abound, no treasures lure 
 Their steadfast soul from Jesus' love ; 
 
 And taught to suffer, they endure, 
 As gazing on their crown above. 
 
 Be ours the crown be ours the cross, 
 Let Christ impart this grace divine ; 
 
 And scorn'd be all the idol dross 
 That glitters in an earthly mine ! 
 
 The Spirit shall his will declare, 
 And guide our steps to seek his ways ; 
 
 We 1 '11 watch our time, in faith and prayer, 
 Then pass eternity in praise. 
 
 THE END.
 
 LIBRARY
 
 00495 052