selves, and so tried to drive the nail right in. She asked if we had never slaved and toiled to earn our wages; and whether we had got all we expected as the fruit of our labour. She wanted us to think whether our savings had not often seemed to slip away out of our hands, almost as if they had been put into "a bag with holes ;" and, if it was so, whether it was not because God had blown upon them. She begged us to consider our ways, and to ask "why" He had done this. She asked whether we had not heard the proverb, "Too much breaks the bag;" and whether it was not with us, perhaps, just as it was with the Jews; whether we had not spent our money on ourselves and our own fineries, and given nothing, or next to nothing, for the cause of God. She assured us that the words are equally true in all ages, "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty." She told us there might not be a temple of gold, or silver, or brick, or wood, for us to build, but there was a spiritual temple we might help in raising. What had we done for the cause of God? Had we done as much as we ought? Could we look to Him to give us more money, when we grudged to give Him any of it? She said we ought to think of ourselves as stewards, whom God trusts with more or less to lay out on His account;-that if our mistress gave us a sum

out of which to board ourselves, and then expected us to return the rest to her, we should not be faithful servants if we spent the whole on ourselves, getting costly dainties to feast on; and that, in like manner, we have to answer to God for every sum which He places in our hands, whether large or small, and if we waste any by over-feeding, or over-dressing, or over-indulging ourselves, He will not hold us guiltless.

She also showed us those words in Proverbs, "Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase; so shall thy barns be filled with plenty." She told us this was spoken to the Israelites, yet we might take the spirit of it to ourselves, and must not expect God to prosper us, when we do not care for the prospering of His kingdom. She said that, of course, she could lay down no fixed rule as to how much every one of us should give away;-that we had different claims; some of us had parents to help; while some of the older ones (and she turned to me and another who sat next me) had children to care for. But, as a general rule, there should be something given by each of us to God's cause, if it was only two mites, like the widow; or even only half a mite, supposing we could give no more. The great thing (she said) was to give heartily and not grudgingly; and also to remember that there must be a certain "proportion" between what we give to God's

L

cause, and what we spend upon ourselves,-thus giving, when we do give, according to our means. Then she went on to say, that it might help us to find out this right "proportion," if we would search by the next Sunday, and tell her what share of their money and their goods the Jews used to pay, as commanded in the law of Moses.

There was a good deal afterwards, which I did not give much heed to, as my mind was running on what had been said before. Most likely what she went on to say was about the duty of giving to God our hearts as well as a part of our earnings. When I was roused up by the shutting of the Bibles all round the room, I saw that one of the girls had tears in her eyes; and she wept still more while the hymn was being sung. I wondered at her then, but I have often thought of it since, and have felt sure that her young heart was solemnly worked upon by something Miss Charlotte had said in those last words; so that though they were lost on me, they had not been spoken in vain.

The hymn was out of Watts ;-the hundredand-first in the second book. I marked it down when I went home, and wrote down the way in which Miss Charlotte asked us to sing it, while she played the tune upon the organ. She said the words were very beautiful as they stood in the book, but as they ould not be true words (she feared) for many

who were there, she asked us to sing it as a We had only the first and two last and this is the way we sang

prayer.

verses;

them :

I cannot say I entered into this at all. I had not learned to see things in "the light of faith," and therefore I could not understand what was meant by God being an 66 all-sufficient good." But though I went away from the class still unconverted, I did not go unprofited or untouched. I felt cut up by what I heard. I knew it was all true. I no longer thought God unkind or unjust. I found out that the fault had been my own. I seemed to myself to have been robbing God of every penny I had wasted, and I did not wonder that He kept back His blessing from every shilling I was now wishing to save. I began to see that I could earn nothing, and save nothing, but as God gave me power; and that if He gave me the power, I must set apart something for His service.

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CHAPTER VIII.

TITHES AND FIRST-FRUITS.

BEFORE the next Sunday came, I was out in service again. Miss Charlotte had promised to pray for me; perhaps this came in answer to her prayers. Perhaps it came, too, by way of trying whether I would profit by the lesson she had given me. At all events, when it did come, it was a striking proof how little we can judge what is best for us. I had been vexed enough at losing one situation after another, even though I should have had to go among strangers, and might (for aught I knew) have had many a peevish temper to put up with; but now I lighted upon one where I could feel at home directly, and where I was sure of having every comfort that I could reasonably look for. I said, I lighted upon the situation. I should have said, God guided me to it; for it was His hand, and His should be the thanks.

Somebody had told me of an advertisement; I think it was in the "Times," though I cannot say for certain. The address was in Cheapside. I saw the lady, but she told me that she thought she was suited, as she had an hour ago engaged with somebody else, all but enquiring the character. However, she would