THE TWO SISTERS.

BY MRS. SHERWOOD.

ANNE BURTON and Jane Hill were sisters. Jane Hill the younger was a widow, but had no family. They lived together in a small house in a little town in Herefordshire; maintaining themselves by needlework and occasionally going out to wash and iron. to cook or nurse. They upon the whole bore good characters, and were supposed to be fond of each other, as sisters ought to be; but the truth was, that the house and furniture being a joint property, left them by their father, they lived together only for conveniency's sake; while there was in fact no sisterly regard between them.

The characters of these two women although passing, as I before said, pretty well in the eyes of the world, were such as would not bear a closer inspection. It was with

them, as with all other worldly persons; their affections were set on things on the earth not on things above. And although their natural dispositions were different— Anne Burton, on the one hand, being of a lively temper and free carriage; while Jane, on the other hand, was grave and souryet were they both equally the slaves of sin, each indulging privately her own darling propensity.

Anne Burton was given to excess in drinking, but not so as to expose herself to public shame; for she feared the world, and wished to keep up a respectable name in the town where her family had dwelt in credit for several years. She therefore never took her glass very freely, till she was going to bed and then, indeed, she treated herself whenever she could afford it, with so large a dram, as even to prevent her crawling up stairs, without her sister's help. And many were the times that the curtains of her bed would have been set on fire, by her carelessness, if Jane had not narrowly watched over her.

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During the day she indulged herself more sparingly, seldom taking enough to produce any visible effect; though she never failed (unless money run low) to take as much at

her dinner, as served to raise her spirits and set her a talking: and then, as she was never at a loss for words, and was fond of a joke, she would run on in a manner, which made persons who were at all nice and particular, shun her society; although in general she had command enough over herself, even at such times, to suit her discourse to her company, and especially when that company consisted of her betters.

Yet, with all this, Jane Hill was more disliked by her neighbours than Anne Burton, although she fell not into the gross sins of her sister; for she was temperate in her drink and diet, and offended less with her tongue. But she was exceedingly close and stingy, and had a high opinion of herself, while she despised her neighbours. She prided herself on the decency of her life, and looked with contempt and abhorrence on all her fellow sinners.

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She had married, early in life, an old man who had one son by a former wife. To this son she had behaved so ill that he ran away from home, and after having suffered every species of misery, had died, leaving one little boy.

This poor boy used to beg about the streets in the utmost wretchedness, and of

ten came to Jane Hill, his grandfather's widow, to beg a bit of bread. But Jane Hill never could be persuaded to do any thing for him although she had actually in possession more than twenty guineas which she had found among her old husband's stores after his death. But as she thought the world knew nothing of this circumstance, she pretended that having gained nothing by her husband, she could not be required to do any thing for his grandson.

Covetousness and pride were the besetting sins of Jane; and though these sins. were more decent than those of Anne Burton yet they proved equally effectual in separating the soul which was under their dominion from the Saviour, and in working out, we fear, its everlasting destruction.

Such was the situation of these two sisters, the younger of whom was about forty years of age when the minister of the parish being removed, the benefice was given to a man of extraordinary godliness, one who was enabled by his heavenly Master to set forth all the doctrines of the Christian religion in such order and harmony, that no one truth was ever brought forward in exclusion of another, but each one appeared in this

holy man's discourses, in its due place and fairest proportion.

This excellent man soon filled his church, insomuch that every part of it was crowded every Sabbath, the people running together as if they had never heard of the Christian religion before. Many who went only to stare and wonder, returned home to pray, and many were effectually converted and turned to the Lord, who is oftentimes pleased by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 1 Cor. i. 21.

Religion now became the fashion in the town and country about, while the last discourse from the pulpit for the most part afforded the subject of common talk when neighbours met together.

When all sorts were thus running to the church, Anne Burton and Jane Hill would not be left behind. They went at first, like the generality, to wonder and stare; but what they heard there had at least the ef fect of drawing them thither again. So that if the preaching of the Gospel did not reach their heart, it nevertheless informed their understandings, communicating to them a great deal of head-knowledge on the subject of religion, which every day increased,