98 Darknefs and Light.

the Tenth, and wifhes for any thing that is not
his?

And fo, all the evil in the world begins by wi/b-
ing fomething wrong; and if you can cure your-
felf of wifhing wrongly, you will very feldom do
wrong.

Now you fee, I am fure, how important wifhes
are for evil; but they are equally ftrong for good.
For, if you with well to any one, you have opened
the firft door to doing hima kindnefs. And if you
heartily with to be good, you have opened the firft
gate on the road of becoming fo. Of courfe,
withes will not do every thing; but they do a
great deal.

And there is another thing. They,never fall
tothe ground unnoticed. Though you and I can-
not look into each other’s hearts, or hear the wifhes
breathed there, there is One who hears them all.
Good wifhes, my dear children, all afcend upwards
to the throne of Grace, like fweet perfume. They
are all accepted and remembered ; and, I fear I
muft add, that bad wifhes go up too, and are
noted in His book who takes account of all we do.

Be fure, therefore, that you encourage your
hearts in a habit of good, and kind, and charitable
wifhes ; and if ever the bad ones come into your
head, pray againft them, and drive them away.

Meanwhile do not be furprized that in Fairy
tales, Fairies are {uppofed to hear wifhes concern-
ing themfelves. And fo Eudora heard thofe about
her coming and curing the child of his folly ; and