to imitate Christ, are not chief motives towards the purification of human passion, this brotherhood of a guild may tend to little except self-righteousness, and it will be well if hypocrisy and secret sin does not accompany that open boastfulness of a White Cross Order.  After all said and done, a man—­or woman—­or precocious child—­must simply take the rules of Christ and Paul, and Solomon, as his guide and guard, by “Resisting,” “Fleeing,” “Cutting off—­metaphorically—­the right hand, and putting out the right eye;” so letting “discretion preserve him and understanding keep him;” but there is nothing like flight; it is easy and speedy, and more a courage than a cowardice.  Take a simple instance.  Some forty years ago, an author, well-known in both hemispheres, then living in London, received by post a pink and scented note from “an American Lady, a great admirer of his books, &c. &c.:  would he favour her by a call” at such an hotel, in such a square?  Much flattered he went, and was very gushingly received; but when the lady, probably not an American (though comely enough to be one), after a profusion of compliments went on to complain of a husband having deserted her, and to throw herself not without tears on the kindness of her favourite author, that individual thought it would be prudent to depart, and so promptly remembering another engagement he took up his hat and—­fled.  He had afterwards reason to be thankful for this escape, as for others. I, fac simile; as no doubt you have done, and you will do, for there are many Potipheras; ay, and there exist some Josephs too.

Other forms of evil in the way of heterodoxy and heresy have assailed your confessor, as is the common case with most other people, whether authors or not.  The rashest Atheism or more cowardly Agnosticism are rampant monsters, but have only affected my own spirit into forcing me to think out and to publish my Essay on Probabilities, whereof I shall speak further when my books come under review.  But beyond these open foes to one’s faith, who has not met with zealous enthusiasts who urge upon his acceptance under penalty of the worst for all eternity if refused, any amount of strange isms,—­Plymouth, Southcote, Swedenborg, Irving, Mormon,—­and of the other 272 sects which affect (perhaps more truly infect) religion in this free land?  I have had many of these attacking me by word or letter on the excuse of my books.  Who, if he once weakly gives way to their urgent advice to “search and see for himself,” will not soon be addled and muddled by all sorts of sophistical and controversial botherations, if even he is not tempted to accept—­for lucre if not godliness—­the office of bishop, or apostle, or prophet, or anything else too freely offered by zealots to new converts, if of notoriety enough to exalt or enrich a sect; such sect in every case proclaiming itself the one only true Church, all other sects being nothing but impostors?  We have all encountered such spiritual perils,—­and