The heart
must be set right before the life can be."
"But what shall I do to set it right?"
"Pray."
"Dear Miss Alice, I have been praying all this morning that I
might forgive Aunt Fortune, and yet I cannot do it."
"Pray still, my dear," said Alice, pressing her closer in her
arms — "pray still; if you are in earnest, the answer will
come. But there is something else you can do, and must do,
Ellen, besides praying, or praying may be in vain."
"What do you mean, Miss Alice?"
"You acknowledge yourself in fault; have you made all the
amends you can? Have you, as soon as you have seen yourself in
the wrong, gone to your aunt Fortune and acknowledged it, and
humbly asked her pardon?"
Ellen answered "No" in a low voice.
"Then, my child, your duty is plain before you. The next thing
after doing wrong is to make all the amends in your power;
confess your fault, and ask forgiveness, both of God and man.
Pride struggles against it — I see yours does; but, my child,
'God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.' "
Ellen burst into tears, and cried heartily.
"Mind your own wrong doings, my child, and you will not be
half so disposed to quarrel with those of other people. But,
Ellen, dear, if you will not humble yourself to this, you must
not count upon an answer to your prayer. 'If thou bring thy
gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath
aught against thee' — what then? — 'Leave there thy gift
before the altar; go first and be reconciled to thy brother,
and then come.
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