Do you earnestly desire to give yourself up to Him, as His servant, to live for eternity and not for time? and does this show itself in (1) thinking daily of God and Christ and your own soul? (2) regularity in private prayer, and attention at the public prayers? (3) reading the Scriptures, and listening devoutly to them when read in the Church Service, or in school? (4) spending Sunday as a day of religious rest?

Do you habitually refer events to God's providence, pray for His help when you are tempted to sin,-and show that you believe in Christ as an Everlasting and Almighty Saviour, by seeking Him in temptation and distress?

Do you ever think of Him when you are tempted to any sort of unkindness, profaneness, or impurity, to the neglect of any known duty, or to any such immoderate pursuit of pleasure, as would turn enjoyment into sin? And do you ever overcome the temptation by remembering Him? Are you at least conscious of a struggle with yourself against the power of sin? And when you

have fallen into any sinful act or word or thought, do you at once seek from Christ forgiveness and new strength?

To ascertain how far you are habitually under the guidance of Christian principles, you may ask further,—

What effect has it on you to be ridiculed for strictness on any subject? Do you ever boast of a sinful habit or action (such as violation of school rules, readiness to take offence, successful deceit, &c.,) to gain credit. for manliness or spirit?

Are you doing your best to commend your religious convictions to others by your obliging and amiable temper, by the absence of pharisaical pride, and by feeling tenderly for the temptations to which others are exposed, but from which you, by God's blessing, may seem to be at present free?

Are

you improving? Do you now succeed better in stopping yourself when you feel tempted to fall into any sin to which you are liable, as swearing, equivocation or lying, illnatured remarks on others, passion, ill-temper,

idleness? Are the cases fewer in which you are drawn away from God's service, either by the world, the flesh, or the devil? Do you begin to take any pleasure in prayer, in the Scriptures, or in receiving the Lord's Supper?

Do you love your neighbour? This is shown by such habits as (1) praying for your father, mother, relations, and friends,-for the school and all its members,—and others for whom you know that you are bound to pray: (2) trying to give pleasure to others, as by writing home, by helping boys weaker than yourself, by readiness to serve all in any way you can; (3) civility to servants and others who are your inferiors in worldly position, and more especially by abstaining from the great sin of asking or persuading them to do anything wrong inorder to promote your own selfish gratification, or to procure some forbidden indulgence.

Are you conquering selfishness? Do you ever give up any pleasure for the sake of others? Do you ever deny yourself in order

to give to the poor, or even merely to gain the habit of self-denial?

Do you take any pleasure in hearing bad conversation, or associating with those who use it, or in seeing dangerous books?

Are you vain of any of God's gifts, especially cleverness, or bodily strength? Do you use them to God's glory? For instance, do you, by means of the latter, protect the weak, and establish for yourself a good influence over others?

Are you conscientious about your school duties? And do you try already to view things as God views them: not allowing yourself, for example, to regard or speak of passion as any excuse for swearing, or to admire cleverness more than diligence, or to consider good-nature and kindheartedness as making up for an ungodly and thoughtless life; remembering, again, that it is no less sinful to deceive a master than a schoolfellow, no less a duty to try to keep others from evil than yourself, and even more shocking to take

G

pleasure in the sin of others, than yourself to

fall into it?

PRAYERS AFTER SELF-EXAMINATION.

I

O Lord, I confess to Thee with shame and repentance all the sins of which I feel myself to be guilty; and besides them I would pray Thee to pardon the many secret faults which I cannot now discern, but which are written against me in Thy book of remembrance. know, O Lord, that nothing can cleanse me but the blood of Christ; O wash me and purge me by it, and send to me Thy blessed Spirit, that He may renew my soul, and enable me daily to grow in grace, and to advance nearer and nearer to Thee. O Lord, without Christ I can do nothing, but with Him I may do all things. Enable me through Him to resist temptation, give me the increase of faith and hope and love, and fill me with the fear of offending Thee, and the desire of pleasing