180 THE YOUNG LION AND THE DRAGON. [READ. XXV.

mills, hearing the windows violently shaken, and feeling the whole house tremble. The mills had blown up, and every soul in them perished.

Well, then, if so much care is taken, and most rightly, that no accident should happen here, how careful ought we to be, seeing there is so much gunpowder of corruption in our minds, not to let any spark of temptation, if we can help it, be set to it! My children, think of this when next time you say, "And lead us not into temptation."

And now, &c.

READING XXVI.1

"Be sure your sin will find you out." NUMB. xxxii. 23.

IT struck me much the other day, my children, that there has been no death among you since I first had to do with you. With such numbers, and so long a time having passed, that was not to be expected. You know that there are persons whose business it is to draw up lists of all those who die every week in London, and in all the great towns of England; and so we have a way of judging how many it is likely, in such a time, GOD will call to stand before Himself. Now, had any one judged beforehand, when you first came to East Grinsted, how many of you it was probable GOD would have taken by this time, those who are learned in such matters would say, “Probably two.”

Now, if GOD has spared you more than His general dealings would have led us to expect, why do you think He has done it? Was it that you are so much better than other children? Was it that He has seen so much that He could love in you beyond other children? Was it that you, beyond others, take so much pains to please Him, take such pains to avoid anything that would offend

1 Preached to the children of S. Margaret's Orphanage, the eleventh Sunday after Trinity, August 19, 1860.

Him? I leave your own consciences to answer that.

Now, my childrem, you know how much oftener I speak to you of the Love of GOD than of His Justice how often I tell you; only deny yourselves here; only tread in the footsteps of your dear LORD; only try what you can do to be like Him; and then in time He will take you to that happy country, to those gardens where there is everlasting spring, to those streets which are made of gold, to that land where there is no night.

You know how seldom I have threatened you; how seldom I have said; If you do thus and thus, if you leave alone doing that and that, you cannot enter into the Kingdom of GOD; you will have your companionship, not with bright Angels, but with horrible devils; not in the glorious light that comes from the Throne of GOD, but in the thick darkness that is in the dominion of Satan. No; you know how I have tried to persuade you, rather than to frighten you.

But what, when I see that I cannot persuade you? What, when I see that when you are serving best, singing best, to all outward appearance getting on best; in real truth, deep down in your hearts you are not right with GOD? What am I to do then? Am I to speak to those that are over you, and so take care that you should be punished? But, unless that could touch your hearts, what benefit would that be?

Now listen to me, my children: and especially the elder ones. It has grieved me beyond measure to know how you are in the habit of yielding to one especial sin, in thought and word, with regard to those who are set over you. Your own consciences tell you well enough what I mean. Your guardian Angels, who are standing by you, know what I mean. Aye: and those evil spirits who are also standing by you to tempt you to sin, know what I mean too.

Yes it does grieve me deeply. Now I can see why it is that if GOD's good SPIRIT touches the heart of any one of you, and leads her to wish to Confess, the rest of you do your best to ridicule her out of the practice. You well may. "He that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved."

You know how dearly I love you all: how I rejoice to hear of your getting on well now with us; how I look forward to your winning for yourselves good characters, and gaining glory for GOD, when you go out to service by and bye. But can I think so, when I know how you are in the habit of talking of and ridiculing those above you; those who work day and night for you; those who would lay down their lives for you? When I think of this, I feel that if you were heathen children, I should call it sadly wicked, sadly mean. And when I further remember not only that you have been baptized, not only that you cannot commit any

sin without fighting against the HOLY GHOST; but how much knowledge many of you have of the Bible; how many of you have been confirmed, and, from time to time, receive our dear LORD's very Body and very Blood: what can I think of your hopes in this world, or the next?

"Be sure your sin will find you out." To a certain extent it has found you out now. You had no idea that I knew how you have thus sinned: how you have spoken most undutifully of those who have been most loving to you: and how there has been no one-yes, no one-to turn round on GOD's side, and say, "You may thus talk as you will: I have no lot or part in the matter."

"Be

But my knowing-what does that matter? sure your sin will find you out" still. My children, when I have spoken to you as if you were really trying to serve GOD, really trying to deny yourselves, really trying to be true children of the Child JESUS: must you not have felt like hypocrites, knowing that you were giving way to sins which proved you to be no such thing? And suppose it had pleased GOD to take any one of you suddenly, who had been in the habit of thus sinning, and I then for the first time had learnt, as I was standing by the coffin of one whom I believed to be my own dear child, God's own dear child, whom I hoped to see again some day, if by God's goodness I shall ever be counted worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven myself; what if it should then have been