\"you could not understand it all, if i told you--my anxiety, for years

past, to know whether i had any right to hold my living--my efforts toquench my smouldering doubts by the authority of the church. oh!

margaret, how i love the holy church from which i am to be shut out!\"

he could not go on for a moment or two. margaret could not tell whatto say; it seemed to her as terribly mysterious as if her father were aboutto turn mahometan.

\"i hāve been reading to-day of the two thousand who were ejected fromtheir churches,\"--continued mr. hale, smiling faintly,--\"trying to stealsome of their brāvery; but it is of no use--no use--i cannot help feelingit acutely.\"

\"but, papa, hāve you well considered? oh! it seems so terrible, soshocking,\" said margaret, suddenly bursting into tears. the one staidfoundation of her home, of her idea of her beloved father, seemedreeling and rocking. what could she say? what was to be done? thesight of her distress made mr. hale nerve himself, in order to try andfort her. he swallowed down the dry choking sobs which had beenheāving up from his heart hitherto, and going to his bookcase he tookdown a volume, which he had often been reading lately, and fromwhich he thought he had derived strength to enter upon the course inwhich he was now embarked.

\"listen, dear margaret,\" said he, putting one arm round her waist. shetook his hand in hers and grasped it tight, but she could not lift up herhead; nor indeed could she attend to what he read, so great was herinternal agitation.

\"this is the soliloquy of one who was once a clergyman in a countryparish, like me; it was written by a mr. oldfield, minister of carsington,in derbyshire, a hundred and sixty years ago, or more. his trials areover. he fought the good fight.\" these last two sentences he spoke low,as if to himself. then he read aloud,-\"

when thou canst no longer continue in thy work without dishonour togod, discredit to religion, foregoing thy integrity, woundingconscience, spoiling thy peace, and hazarding the loss of thy salvation;in a word, when the conditions upon which thou must continue (if thouwilt continue) in thy employments are sinful, and unwarranted by theword of god, thou mayest, yea, thou must believe that god will turn thyvery silence, suspension, deprivation, and laying aside, to his glory,and the advancement of the gospel\"s interest. when god will not usethee in one kind, yet he will in another. a soul that desires to serve andhonour him shall never want opportunity to do it; nor must thou solimit the holy one of israel as to think he hath but one way in whichhe can glorify himself by thee. he can do it by thy silence as well asby thy preaching; thy laying aside as well as thy continuance in thywork. it is not pretence of doing god the greatest service, or performing

the weightiest duty, that will excuse the least sin, though that sincapacitated or gāve us the opportunity for doing that duty. thou wilthāve little thanks, 0 my soul! if, when thou art charged with corruptinggod\"s worship, falsifying thy vows, thou pretendest a necessity for it inorder to a continuance in the ministry.

as he read this, and glanced at much more which he did not read, hegained resolution for himself, and felt as if he too could be brāve andfirm in doing what he believed to be right; but as he ceased he heardmargaret\"s low convulsive sob; and his courage sank down under thekeen sense of suffering.