lways busy at your drawing, edwin?” said his elder brother henry, as he entered the school-room one morning.

edwin looked up for a moment with a smile, and then went on tracing with evident pleasure the outline of a face. his brother came behind him, and looked over his shoulder; edwin listened for his remarks, though without ceasing to draw.

“you are taking pains, i see,” said henry at last in a kindly tone; “but i am afraid that you will have to use your india-rubber here, and here; these lines, you may perceive, are not in good drawing.”

[107]

“i don’t see much wrong in them,” replied edwin, suspending his pencil, with something of vexation in his tone, for he had expected nothing but praise.

“if you compare them with your study, you will perceive that all this outline is incorrect. where is the study?” asked henry, looking in vain for it on the table.

“oh, it’s somewhere up-stairs,” said edwin. “i remember very well what it is like, and can go on without looking at it every minute.”

“would you oblige me by bringing it?” said his brother.

edwin went up-stairs, rather unwillingly, and soon brought down a beautiful study; a face most perfect in form and expression.

henry silently put the two pictures together. edwin gazed with bitter disappointment on his own copy, which but a few minutes before he had thought so good.

“i shall never get it right!” edwin exclaimed, in a burst of vexation; and snatching up the unfortunate drawing, he would have torn it asunder, had he not been prevented by his brother.

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the brother’s criticism.

“my dear edwin, you have doubly erred; first in being too easily satisfied, and then in being too easily discouraged.”

“i shall never make it like that beautiful face!” cried the disheartened boy.

“you need patience, you need help, you need, above all, often to look at your copy.”

edwin took up the pencil which he had flung down, and carefully and attentively studied the picture. he found very much in his copy to alter, very much to rub out;[109] but at last he completed a very fair sketch, which he presented, with a little hesitation, to his brother.

“i shall have this framed, and hung up in my room,” said henry.

“oh, it is not worth that!” exclaimed edwin, colouring with pleasure and surprise.

“not in itself, perhaps,” replied henry; “but it will serve often to remind us both of an important truth which was suggested to me when i saw you labouring at your copy.”

edwin looked in surprise at his brother, who thus proceeded to explain his words:—

“we, dear edwin, as christians, have all one work set before us: to copy into our lives the example set us by a heavenly master. it is in the bible that we behold the features of a character perfect and pure. but how many of us choose rather to imagine for ourselves what a christian should be like! we aim low; we are content with little progress; we perhaps please ourselves with the thought of our own wisdom and goodness, while every one but ourselves can[110] see that our copy is wretched and worthless.”

“what are we to do?” asked edwin.

“we must closely examine the study set us in the bible; we must compare our lives with god’s law; and we shall then soon find enough of weakness and sin to make us humble ourselves before god. when we read of the meekness and gentleness of christ, we shall be ashamed of our own passion and pride; when we find how holy was our great example, we shall be grieved to think how unlike to him we are.”

“we can never make a good copy,” sighed edwin; “we may just give up the attempt at once.”

“you judge as you did when you wished to tear up your picture in despair, as soon as you saw how imperfect it was. no, no, my dear boy; i say to you now, as i said to you then, you need patience, you need help, help from the good spirit of god; and, above all, you need to look often at your study, to keep the character and work of your lord ever before your eyes.”

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“but if i do my best, i shall still fall so short!”

“i know it,” said henry gravely; “but feeling that you never can reach perfection here, should not prevent your aiming at it. god will complete his work in the hearts of his servants, not on earth, but in heaven. there the copy, feebly commenced below, shall be made a likeness indeed! for what says the word of god: we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is!”

“to see the lord, and to be made like him; it seems too much to hope for!” cried edwin.

“it is not more than god has promised,” replied henry, “to those who come to the saviour by faith. worthless as our copy is in itself, it will be glorified, made beautiful, made perfect; and will be raised to a place of honour in the mansions of our heavenly father!”