THE LEMON-PLANT. 275 



such an atmosphere of tranquil happiness around 

 her : it was the calm and holy frame of a spirit 

 subdued, a heart attuned, under the hand of sancti- 

 fying grace. She was eminently devout, and had 

 a method in all her exercises ; a methodical ar- 

 rangement of her time, which conduces, beyond 

 any other mere means, to the consistency, the use- 

 fulness, the self-possession of a child of God. A 

 perfect knowledge of herself gave her infinite ad- 

 vantage over those who had more superficially, or 

 more partially investigated their own characters. 

 Beholding continually her original and actual sin- 

 fulness, her failures in attempting to follow the 

 steps of a perfect Guide, and all the secret iniquity 

 of a heart naturally most proudly averse from god- 

 liness ; beholding these things in the sight of the 

 Omniscient, she was kept from the fatal snare of 

 thinking of herself more highly than she ought to 

 think ; and thus no slight, no rudeness, no sevei- 

 ity of remark, could ruffle even the surface of her 

 patient temper. With all this she was exceeding 

 cheerful, and by her frequent flashes of genuine 

 humour often won a smile, when no one else could 

 have extorted it. 



In many points, Marie, resembled D. Like 

 him she owed all to the sanctifying influence of 

 the divine Teacher ; and the fruits of the Spirit 

 were very similarly manifested in them. He knew 

 her not ; but I have often, in conversing with D. 



