3. That they choose a Minister of the Church of England to direct them.

4. That they shall not be allowed in their meetings to discourse on any controverted point of divinity.

5. Neither shall they discourse of the government of Church or State.

6. That in their meetings they use no Prayers but those of the Church, such as the Litany and Collects, and other prescribed Prayers; but still they shall not use any that particularly belongs to the Minister, as the Absolution.

7. That the Minister whom they choose shall direct what practical divinity shall be read at these meetings.

8. That they may have liberty after prayer and reading to sing a Psalm.

9. That after all is done, if there be time, they may discourse each other about their spiritual concerns; but this shall not be a standing exercise, which any shall be obliged to attend unto.

10. That one day in the week be appointed for this meeting, for such as cannot come on the LORD's Day; and that he that absents himself without cause, shall pay threepence to the box.

11. Every time they meet every one shall give sixpence to the box. 12. That on a certain day in the year, viz., Whitsun Tuesday, two stewards shall be chosen, and a moderate dinner provided, and a Sermon preached, and the money distributed (necessary charges deducted) to the poor.

13. A book shall be bought in which these orders shall be written. 14. None shall be admitted into this Society without the consent of the Minister who presides over it; and no apprentice shall be capable of being chosen.

15. That if any case of conscience arise, it shall be brought before the Minister.

16. If any member think fit to leave the Society, he shall pay five shillings to the stock.

17. The major part of the Society to conclude the rest.

18. The following rules are more especially to be commended to the members of this Society, viz., to love one another; when reviled, not to revile again; to speak evil of no man; to wrong no man; to pray, if possible, seven times a day; to keep close to the Church of England; to transact all things peaceably and quietly; to be helpful to each other; to use themselves to holy thoughts in their coming in and going out; to examine themselves every night; to give every one their due; to obey superiors both spiritual and temporal.

THE STORY OF ZITA, THE CHRISTIAN MAID

SERVANT.

Ar the village of Montsegradi, near the town of Lucca in Italy, there lived in the thirteenth century a poor but pious woman, of

whom little is recorded but that she had a daughter named Zita, whom she brought up with more than usual care in the way of godliness, and the blessing of the LORD rested in so especial a manner upon this good mother's work of faith and labour of love that from her earliest childhood the little Zita was noticed for her gentleness, modesty, and obedience. Trained up as she was from her baptism in the love and fear of our FATHER Who is in heaven, it was at any time enough for her mother to say, this, my child, for it is pleasing to GoD, and in doing it you are doing His Will," or on the other hand, "You must not do this, Zita, or you will offend GOD," and the loving simple-hearted child would hasten to do the one or to avoid the other.

"Do

It is most likely that neither mother nor child ever learned to read, for they were very poor, and had to labour hard for their daily bread; but probably, in addition to her good mother's instructions, Zita learned with the other children of the village from the priest, or some one appointed to teach them, the LORD's Prayer, the Creed, the Ten Commandments, and such other things as are necessary for every Christian child to know; and as it is written that a good understanding have all they that do the commandments of the Lord, it was so that as Zita grew up in holy obedience, she grew in wisdom also, and all who knew her could not help loving the good and gentle peasant child.

It was not Zita's way to talk much about the things she loved to hear, for she was always remarked for her silence and retirement, but she never tired of hearing from the Gospels the story of the Holy Child JESUS, and of His wonderful subjection to His earthly parents in that lowly home at Nazareth; and, as she went about assisting her mother in the occupation by which they gained their livelihood, she would call to mind how the LORD of glory had condescended to share the lowly labours of the carpenter, and in her heart she thanked GOD for having placed her in a station where she too might learn to labour after the example of her LORD and SAVIOUR.

From her pious mother Zita learned to look upon labour, not so much as a part of the punishment for the sin of Adam, but as GOD's loving discipline, and a means in His hand of our sanctification, and such thoughts made her work, whether in the vineyard, or the olive-yard, or in gathering the leaves of the white mulberry trees for the silkworms, or in the more homely labours of washing, or cleaning the house, very easy, for her heart was in it, and what we do willingly is no longer hard. Zita and her mother had their enjoyments too, and perhaps one of the greatest of these was to go together to the beautiful house of GOD to worship Him, and to listen to the teaching of His priests, and often in an evening, when their day's work was ended, the mother and her child might sit at their cottage door, or walk in that lovely country, enjoying the

rich sunset of an Italian sky, and admiring the beautiful works of GOD, while they called to remembrance the land that is yet very far off, even the new heavens and the new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness, and whence the faithful followers of the Lamb, shall one day behold the King in His beauty. And while Zita, in a child's simplicity might say, "He will not come forth then, mother, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe," her mother might delight to answer in some such words as these "No, my child, but many crowns shall be upon His head in the day when the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our GOD, and of His CHRIST, and He shall reign for ever and ever."

Many a rich Italian lady upon whose children all the luxuries of this world were lavished, might have envied the happiness of the poor peasant and her daughter whom she scarcely noticed as she passed them by in her chariot, but Zita, as she made her lowly courtesy to the richly-dressed lady and her children, had no wish to change places with them; for her own dear mother, and her lowly cottage home, were more to her than the noblest lady and the finest palace in all Lucca.

What more could a queen do for her little daughter than had been done for Zita by her mother when she brought her up to the priest of God to be made in holy baptism the child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of Heaven? And was not her cottage home the place appointed for her whom she was training up for glory? It might be Zita loved to think it was more like the home at Nazareth than a palace would have been, and yet it was not that the little peasant had not eyes like other children to distinguish all that is gay and goodly, and to be desired, all that is pleasant to the eyes, and grand, not in one's own sight only, but in the sight of all. To be handsomely lodged, richly clothed, and delicately fed, to ride about in a carriage, and have plenty of money at our command; to be well attended and honoured in the sight of men, are things which we naturally desire, but then the Christian child has higher and better things in prospect; pleasures at God's right hand for evermore, riches that shall endure, and a crown of glory that fadeth not away, and such an one is contented now to be as JESUS was in this world. There is an old book called the Pilgrim's Progress, where this is represented under the similitude of two children whom the pilgrim, Christian, saw in a room the house of the Interpreter, sitting each one in his chair. The name of the eldest was Passion, and the name of the other Patience. Passion seemed to be much discontented, but Patience was very quiet. Then Christian asked, What is the reason of the discontent of Passion? The Interpreter answered, The governor of them would have him stay for his best things till the beginning of next year; but he will have all now; but Patience is willing to wait. Then I saw that one came to Passion, and brought him a

bag of treasure, and poured it down at his feet; the which he took up and rejoiced therein, and withal laughed Patience to scorn. But I beheld but a while, and he had lavished all away, and had nothing left him but rags: and as the Interpreter explained it to Christian,-Passion was a figure of those who would have their good things in this world, and would not be content to wait until the next year, that is, the age to come; while Patience was a figure of the Christian whose good things are all to come, and so he is patient because he looks not at the things which are seen, the things of this present world which are only for a time, but he looks forward to those things which we see not yet, but which are eternal. And in this way Zita was content to wait for riches, and glory, and honour in the kingdom to come, and to suffer poverty, and hardship, and contempt now.

The simple lesson of the little child, to love and to obey had been so learned by Zita, that the harder lesson of after days found her not unprepared. The poverty of her parents rendered it necessary for her at twelve years old to be put out to service in the family of a citizen of the neighbouring town of Lucca, whose name was Fatinelli. No doubt it was a trial to Zita to leave her happy home and her own dear mother, but it was the will of God, and this reconciled her; and as her new abode was very near a Church, she was glad and thankful in the hope that she might now and then get leave to go there without its interfering with her work, for Zita had been too well taught to suppose that neglecting her work even to go to Church could be acceptable to God. The Church alluded to was called by the name of S. Frigidian, who is said to have been an Irishman, and the son of a king of Ulster, who, coming over from Ireland to Italy to study in the schools there, made such progress in knowledge and in all godliness, that, upon the death of Germinian, the Bishop of Lucca, he was chosen to succeed him, and, dying in 578, he was buried in the place where the Church bearing his name now stands.

Zita's place of servitude was by no means an easy one, for her master was a man of most violent temper, and from some cause or other her mistress took so great a dislike to the meek and unoffending girl that she would hardly bear her in her presence. Very likely there were those in the household who endeavoured to excite the anger of her employers against the new comer, for Zita's diligence was felt as a silent reproach by her fellow-servants; they could not bear to see her rising before them every morning that she might thus obtain time for her own private devotions, and also when leave was granted her to attend the early service at the Church close by without trespassing upon the time required for the duties of her situation. If Zita had neglected the work assigned her, the other servants would have at once attributed it to her Church-going and prayers, but as it was, they were the more afraid

lest her diligence should lead their mistress to compare her work with theirs, and to ask "If Zita can get through so much, how is it that you cannot do the same?" So they not only misrepresented the poor child to her master and mistress, but they loaded her with reproach and accusation, calling her piety hypocrisy, her simplicity stupidity, her meekness want of a proper spirit, or affectation, and her diligence pride, or an artful design to recommend herself at the expense of others. Zita had one defence, and it was silence. They threatened and reviled, and she answered not again, or if they insisted on an answer she gently excused herself as young, and ignorant, and awkward, but desirous to learn and do her duty; and of what use was it for them after such an answer, to go on upbraiding one whom all their injurious words could not provoke to anger, or even to justify herself?

They threw upon her all the work they could, and she did it as best she might, cheerfully, ungrudgingly, and though unjustly despised, overburdened, reviled, and often beaten, she still possessed her soul in patience; and while she studied to be quiet, and to do her own business, she returned only good for evil, and gave thanks unto God for the opportunity thus afforded her of doing that which He accounteth thankworthy and acceptable. How very different was Zita's conduct from the conduct of most in a similar situation. It was but the other day that I heard of a servant most highly recommended, but who was at the time in a family where he was not treated kindly, and by whom he was suddenly turned away without a character. On inquiry, it turned out that his master, having struck him in a fit of passion, he instantly returned the blow, and was of course dismissed. The master was indeed to blame, but was not the servant also forgetful of his high and holy calling, to follow in the steps of his LORD and Master ? How few, like Zita, learn to rejoice in suffering for well-doing; and yet, if Zita's lot was the hardest of any in the household of Fatinelli, her face was the brightest, and her heart the lightest among them all, and those who looked on her day by day marvelled at it, but so it was: and even so in our days it might be with many a poor servant of all work, labouring from morn till night to earn her hard fare, unthanked, uncheered by her employers, would such an one but learn, as Zita learned, to lay to heart the words of the holy Apostle Peter; words not spoken, be it remembered, to servants in our sense of the word, but to those who were as slaves, the property of their masters, in many, perhaps in most cases, of heathen masters; yet to such are the words addressed "Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thank worthy, if a man for conscience toward GoD endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently ? but if, when ye do well, and