l peace, assurance, and
comfort; who _don't_ feel the perfect joy of the Gospel."

"Such persons grieve, but rejoice too," said Carlton.

"But tell me, Carlton," said Reding; "is, or is not, their not forgiving
themselves, their sorrow and trouble, pleasing to God?"

"Surely."

"Thus a certain self-infliction for sin committed is pleasing to Him;
and, if so, how does it matter whether it is inflicted on mind or body?"

"It is not properly a self-infliction," answered Carlton;
"self-infliction implies intention; grief at sin is something
spontaneous. When you afflict yourself on purpose, then at once you pass
from pure Christianity."

"Well," said Charles, "I certainly fancied that fasting, abstinence,
labours, celibacy, might be taken as a make-up for sin. It is not a very
far-fetched idea. You recollect Dr. Johnson's standing in the rain in
the market-place at Lichfield when a man, as a penance for some
disobedience to his father when a boy?"

"But, my dear Reding," said Carlton, "let me bring you back to what you
said originally, and to my answer to you, which what you now say only
makes more apposite. You began by saying that celibacy was a perfection
of nature, now you make it a penance; first it is good and glorious,
next it is a medicine and punishment."

"Perhaps our highest perfection here is penance," said Charles; "but I
don't know; I don't profess to have clear ideas upon the subject. I have
talked more than I like. Let us at length give over."

They did, in consequence, pass to other subjects connected with
Charles's reading; then they entered the house, and set to upon
Polybius; but it could not be denied that for the rest of the day
Carlton's manner was not quite his own, as if something had annoyed him.
Next morning he was as usual.

CHAPTER VI.

It is impossible to stop the growth of the mind. Here was Charles with
his thoughts turned away from religious controversy for two years, yet
with his religious views progressing, unknown to himself, the whole
time. It could not have been otherwise, if he was to live a religious
life at all. If he was to worship and obey his Creator, intellectual
acts, conclusions, and judgments, must accompany that worship and
obedience. He might not realize his own belief till questions had been
put to him; but then a single discussion with a friend, such as the
above with Carlton, would bring out what he really did hold to his own
apprehension--would asce