Library of Emory University THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER; OB, ®|t Catctjjtfratl (Met. BY THOS. 0. SUMMERS. N a % Ij 6 {111, t it it.: PUBLISHED BY A. H. REDFORD, Agent, FOR THE M. E. CHURCH, SOUTH. 1874. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, by JOHN EARLY, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. ®tr8I V Mijafefc&re should be deeply ijMfcessed with the /^ ! ibrary 62 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. fact, that they can exert an almost unbounded in fluence over the children of their charge. But to bring this influence to bear on them, it is neces¬ sary that the pastoral relation which they sustain to them should be practically and constantly re¬ cognized. Children are not much affected by ab¬ stractions. They must beoome acquainted with their spiritual guides: they must have the most palpable assurances that they are cared for by them. When that is the case, the word of the faithful and affectionate minister is law to the im¬ pressible and confiding child. But how is this impression to be made, and this confidence se¬ cured ? The minister, in his visits from house to house, may become acquainted with some of the youthful members of the families visited by him, and a vast amount of good may accrue to them from this domiciliary intercourse. But every pastor knows that he can bring his influence to bear, in this way, upon only a fraction of his charge—children as well as adults. Many of them are at school, others at play, or attending to business; and he might repeat his visits weekly, and never find them at home. Our fathers in the ministry appreciated this difficulty, and endea¬ voured to meet it by convening the children on Saturday afternoon, to catechize them, and to give them spiritual counsels, mingled with prayers CATECHETICAL SYSTEM. 53 Although this was hut a partial remedy, it must he confessed the godly custom resulted in much good. The reminiscences of those catechetical meetings are exceedingly grateful to thousands in our communion. But, for ohvious reasons, this expedient proved inadequate to the wants of the rising generation. And so soon as Sunday-schools were established and properly conducted in any place, the Saturday afternoon catechumenical meetings went into desuetude. Pastors could not but avail themselves of the superior facilities which Sunday-schools afford for the spiritual su¬ pervision of the children of the church. The large numbers that are brought under religious discipline and instruction by this economy—the valuable assistance derived from the intelligent and pious portion of the laity, acting in the capa¬ city of teachers—the systematic dissemination of useful knowledge by libraries and books of in¬ struction, published expressly for these nurseries of the church—together with numerous , other ad¬ vantages—recommend the Sunday-school system, above all others, to the patronage and attention of those who are appointed to feed the lambs, as well as the sheep, of the flock of Christ. This chapter cannot be more appropriately closed than by subjoining the excellent regular tions of the Methodist Discipline on this subject ,• 64 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. they define a pastor's duty in no ambiguous terms. " Let Sunday-schools be formed in all our con¬ gregations where ten children can be collected for tkat purpose. And it shall be the special duty of preachers having charge of circuits and stations, with the aid of the other preachers, to see that this be done; to engage the co-operation of as many of our members as they can; to visit the schools as often as practicable; to preach on the subject of Sunday-schools and religious instruc¬ tion in each congregation at least once in six months; to lay before the quarterly conference at each quarterly meeting, to be entered on its jour¬ nal, a written statement of the number and state of the Sunday-schools within their respective cir¬ cuits and stations, and to make a report of the same to their several annual conferences. Each quarterly conference shall be deemed a board of managers, having supervision of all the Sunday- schools and Sunday-school societies within its limits, and shall be auxiliary to the Sunday-school Union of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South; and each annual conference shall report to said Union the number of auxiliaries within its bounds, together with other facts presented in the annual reports of the preachers, as above directed. "It is recommended that each annual con- CATECHETICAL SYSTEM. 55 ference, where the general state of the work will allow, request the appointment of a special agent, to travel throughout its bounds, for the purpose of promoting the interests of Sunday-schools; and his expenses shall be paid out of collections which he shall be directed to make, or otherwise, as shall be ordered by the conference. And it is recommended that, in all cases where it can be done, our Sunday-schools contribute to the amount of at least one cent per quarter for each teacher and scholar. One half of the amount so collected in each school shall be appropriated for the pur¬ chase of tracts, to be distributed under the direc¬ tion of the preachers and superintendents, and the other half shall be forwarded to the treasurer of the Sunday-school Union of the Methodist Epis¬ copal Church, South, for the purposes specified in the constitution of said Union. " Let our catechisms be used as exclusively as possible, both in our Sunday-schools and families; and let the preachers faithfully enforce upon pa¬ rents and Sunday-school teachers the great im¬ portance of instructing children in the doctrines and duties of our holy religion. " It shall be the special duty of the preachers to form Bible-classes wherever they can, for the instruction of larger children and youth; and 56 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. where they cannot superintend them personally, to appoint suitable leaders for that purpose. " It shall be the duty of every preacher of a circuit or station to obtain the names of the chil¬ dren belonging to his congregation, and to leave a list of such names for his successor; and in hie pastoral visits he shall pay special attention to the children, speak to them personally, and kindly, on experimental and practical godliness, according to their capacity, pray earnestly for them, and diligently instruct and exhort all parents to dedi¬ cate their children to the Lord in baptism as early as convenient; and let all baptized children be faithfully instructed in the nature, design, privi¬ leges, and obligations of their baptism." What a pity, what a burning shame, that these salutary regulations are so frequently disregarded! Yet it is encouraging to see them in the statute- book of the church, and to know that they are far from being a dead letter. They are operating for good; and we trust their full intention will soon be carried into effect. CHAPTER n. THE TEACHER'S QUALIFICATIONS. r avoutness—Intelligence—Communicativeness — Dignity— .Gentleness—Punctuality—Perseverance. § 1. Devoutness.—The object of Sunday- school instruction is eminently spiritual. The end proposed is the salvation of the soul. There is, therefore, an incongruity in employing as teachers the careless and profane. They are incapable of discharging the responsibilities inherent in the teacher's office. They may, indeed, be capable of teaching their pupils the appointed lessons of the school—they may instruct them in the prin¬ ciples of religion and morals; hut how can they bring them to Christ? Can the blind lead the blind ? Will they not both fall into the ditch ? How can the teacher appreciate the worth of his pupil's soul, when he has not learned the value of his own ? How can he administer spiritual counsels, cautions, and reproofs, when he is ob¬ noxious to the retort: " Thou which teachest an¬ other, teachest not thou thyself?" Can he speak W 58 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. to the children's hearts, when his own heart is :old and dead ? Will they not be more likely to imitate his ungodly example than to follow his religious instructions ? And will not his incon¬ sistent and hypocritical course be attended with a most pernicious reaction—indurating his con¬ science and perpetuating his impenitence ? Sacred things cannot be profaned, but with imminent peril. There are some persons, we admit, who are not, in the strict sense, religious, but who are impressed with the importance of religion, are under its restraints, intend to be its votaries, and love the society of the pious, whose tenders may not always be declined. In the lack of such as are more suitable, they may be employed as teachers, with the hope that while teaching others, they themselves may be made wise unto salvation, through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. But it is reprehensible policy to admit to this office the gay, the thoughtless, and profane. Indeed, Sunday-school teachers ought not only to be Christians, but Christians of the highest style. Devoutness is a quality highly becoming the position they occupy. We use this term to indicate that spirit of earnest piety, which, alas! is characteristic of comparatively few of the mul¬ titudes who profess and call themselves Chris¬ tians. It is a serious and prayerful spirit. It QUALIFICATIONS. 59 implies communion with God, and consecration to his glory. It gives character, consistency, vitality, force, and effect to our religion. It seeks out the purest, loftiest motives, and acts from them. If we possess a devout spirit, we shall he always abounding in the work of the Lord—we shall not act from the impulse of accidental considerations —we shall he comparatively unaffected by such adventitious circumstances as persons, places, times, successes, failures; hut we shall enter every open door of usefulness, and whatsoever we do in word or deed, we shall do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Where there is this tone and temper of the mind, we may rationally look for success. Nothing, then, can he more desirable, nothing more important in a Sunday-school teacher. It not only secures the divine approbation, which is indispensable to success in any religious under¬ taking, but it is in itself philosophically adapted to promote and insure the end which is proposed in this department of pious and benevolent enter¬ prise. The earnestness of the teacher fixes the attention and enlists the feelings of his scholars. They may be careless and indifferent—they can scarcely be otherwise—if they discover levity and heartlessness in him. But if he deals with them as never losing sight of the immense interests which they have at stake—if he " handles the 60 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. word of God," as constantly and profoundly im¬ pressed with its divine importance—if he lets them see that his concern for their spiritual wel¬ fare is the genuine yearning of a pious and bene¬ volent heart—the impressible and ingenuous nar ture of the young will not be proof against such an influence : a sympathy will soon be established between the teacher and his spiritual charge, which is the earnest of success, as it is the rational and divinely-recognized method of securing it. In Homer's Hymn to Ceres, that goddess, in disguise, is represented as nursing Demophon, the son of Celeus and Metanira. In order that the mental and physical powers of the princely boy might be developed into godlike proportions, Ceres nursed him with the greatest care and assi¬ duity, and had recourse to a rare expedient to se¬ cure the end which she proposed :— " Oft as the child was on her bosom laid, She heavenly influence to his soul convey'd. At night, to purge from earthly dross his frame, She kindled on the earth the annealing flame; And like a brand, unmark'd by human view, Amid the fire wide-blazing frequent threw The unconscious child—his parents wondering trace Something divine, a more than mortal grace, Shine in his form; and she design'd the boy To chance superior, and to time's annoy, Crown'd with unceasing joys, in heaven should reign-* Those thoughts a mother's rashness render'd vain." qualifications. 01 What is our business, as teachers of babes, but to convey "heavenly influences" to the souls of the little ones committed to our charge ? And is it not our duty to " anneal" them with the holy fire of love—subjecting them to the constant action of that penetrating, quickening, purifying flame 1 This will generally give efficiency and insure success to all our other efforts to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Under such a regimen they will increase rapidly in wis¬ dom, as well as in stature, and in favour with God and man. Happy would it be for the church, were all her pastors and teachers thus intent on nursing the spirits of their juvenile charge. Happy would it be for the children of the church were there no Metaniras to render such nursing vain, by maternal rashness—that is, a fondness, ill- judged, ill-timed, and ill-displayed. But for his " mother's rashness," Demophon might have been a demi-god, instead of sharing "man's common lot." Alas! how frequently is it the fault of doting parents that their children are not in early life made partakers of the divine nature. § 2. Intelligence.—Not every good man is fit for the ministerial office. So not every good man is fit for the office of a Sunday-school teacher. In the latter, as well as in the former, a certain degree of intelligence is indispensable. And yet we have 62 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. known very illiterate and ill-informed persons not only aspiring to the sacred office, but actually employed in it, greatly to the detriment of the cause, which, perhaps, they sincerely desired to promote. Sometimes we have suspected an un¬ hallowed ambition moved them to assume the teacher's functions. But in most instances, per¬ haps, it may be laid to the account of that igno¬ rance which constitutes their disqualification for the office. From the very nature of the case, they are not good judges in the premises. They are not aware what knowledge they ought to possess, to qualify them for the responsible office. Sincere, devout, zealous, they want to be employed in ad¬ vancing the Redeemer's cause; and no one has ventured upon the delicate matter of hinting to them, that there may be other fields of religious activity open to them, but that they are not adapted to the work of teaching, never having been properly taught themselves. It is greatly to be deplored, that those whose peculiar business it is to oversee the interests of Christ's flock, so fre¬ quently betray a want of firmness and fidelity in this matter. The apostle tells us that a pastor must "hold fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers." He must not QUALIFICATIONS. 63 be a novice, "lest being lifted up with pride, he fall into the condemnation of the devil/' or, at least, bring reproach upon the cause he is labouring to promote. He must be " nourished up in the words of faith, and of good doctrine:" he must "give attendance to reading," that he may be " instructed unto the kingdom of heaven," that he may be " like unto a man that is a householder, which bringeth out of his treasure things new and old." All this, with a little qualification, applies to the Sunday-school teacher. How can he teach others if he has not been taught himself? How can he teach with confidence—teach so as to inspire confidence in his pupils—if he knows but little more than they? He cannot teach others the art of reading unless he can read himself. He cannot very well urge the inquiry, " Understandest thou what thou readest?" unless he has that measure of information which will qualify him to be "a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes." It is not easy to designate the minimum amount of intellect and knowledge necessary for the teacher's office. The standard will vary according to circumstances. But no one ought to be em¬ ployed in this work who cannot read the Scriptures, and who has not a general acquaintance with their 64 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. contents. In addition to this, the teacher ought to be able to explain such difficult passages as have been opened up in Commentaries and Bible Dic¬ tionaries, which, in the providence of God, are now accessible to men of limited means, and may be studied with great profit by those who have but a fragment of time to devote to such pursuits. He ought to make himself familiar with the lead¬ ing facts of history, secular and ecclesiastical—the manners and customs of the various nations and tribes of men, especially the Hebrews—the pecu¬ liarities of the different sects of religion—the principal phenomena of science and art, such at least, as may be readily acquired from the cheap and convenient manuals which are constantly issuing from the press—religious biography, and such other subjects as are-adapted to illustrate the Scriptures, shed light upon the ways of Provi¬ dence, and make a man wise unto salvation. It is not affirmed that every one ought to possess this knowledge before he enters upon the teacher's office. He ought not to enter upon it unless he possesses the lowest amount which we have speci¬ fied—has an intellect capable of expansion—a dis¬ position to apply himself to the studies which we have designated—so that from a well-furnished jnind he may be able 11 to pour the fresh instruo- QUALIFICATIONS. 65 tion" on tlie minds of those who may ho committed to his charge. The teacher's office will never be what it ought to he, until those who fill it shall make a business of their profession. The chair of instruction is no place for a drone—for an empty-headed, hot- brained enthusiast—for an ignoramus, one that cannot teach because he will not learn. The teacher must teach himself—he must be his own preceptor and his own student. He must labour industriously to acquire, in order that he may be able to communicate. He ought to have his mind well stored with such knowledge as is " fit for man to know," that from a full fountain he may send forth refreshing streams to all around. The pastor excepted, there is no man who should so heartily endorse the abjuration of the poet, who invokes "common sense" to "defend" him from "the to il" " Of dropping buckets into empty wells, And growing old in drawing nothing up." § 3. Communicativeness.—Not every one who possesses the requisite amount of knowledge is suitable for the office of a Sunday-school teacher. A man may be knowing, and yet not apt to teach; and this is required by St. Paul in the occupant of the pulpit, and is equally indispensable in him who fills the chair of instruction in the Sunday- 3 66 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. school. It is admitted that no one can he apt to teach who has not himself been taught. He must know something, or he will of course have nothing to communicate. But then, aptness to teach im¬ plies the faculty of imparting to others such know¬ ledge as they may require, and as we ourselves possess. To do this effectually, it is necessary that a man should have a well-disciplined mind. His stores of knowledge ought to be orderly arranged, so that he may know what he really does possess, and be able to make it available whenever had in requisi¬ tion. You may find many a man who has made himself well acquainted with science and art, and yet, so far as practical considerations are involved, knows nothing as he ought to know it: " The book-full blockhead, ignorantly read, With loads of learned lumber in his head." A man with a well-ordered mind, possessing a tithe of his knowledge, or rather his book/ulness, is of a hundredfold more service to the church and the world. It is important, too, that one should know how to bring forth out of his treasure things adapted to the circumstances of the party to be instructed. Considerable judgment is necessary for this. It was a just remark of one of the fathers: " The QUALIFICATIONS. 67 Holy Scriptures are a sea in which a lamb may wade, and an elephant may swim." But who would think of confining the elephant to the shal¬ lows, and plunging the child into the deep ? And yet there are some so injudicious and ill-advised as to restrict the proficient to the alphabet, and others who advance the tyro, per saltum, to the algebra of Christianity. A want of discrimination is in like manner manifested by some in regard to the moral character of their students. It is the teacher's business to administer counsels, warn¬ ings, reproofs, and encouragements j but it requires great consideration and care to adapt all these to their proper objects. There is a liability of ex¬ hibiting anodynes and emollients to patients that need blisters and drastics, and vice versa. The pearls of the gospel may be cast before swine, and that which is holy may be given to the dogs. The hungry lambs of the flock may look up and not be fed with food convenient for them: the children of the church may fail to receive their portion in due season. Aptness to teach will prevent these evils. Each teacher should possess a certain flexibility of the mind. He ought to be able to accommodate himself, with readiness, to all the intellectual and moral developments of his pupils. He should anticipate their wants and provide for them. He 68 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. should have the faculty of bringing out his re* sources at the proper time, and to the greatest advantage. " A word spoken in due season, how good is it !" "A word fitly spoken, is like apples of gold in pictures of silver"—like golden citrons served up, in due course at an entertainment, in baskets of silver—appropriate, refreshing, and de¬ lightful. " The preacher sought to find out ac¬ ceptable words" by which to convey his instruc¬ tions, and the Sunday-school teacher would do well to imitate his example. He ought to cultivate that versatility of mind by which he can readily adapt himself to any exigency; and though no man ought to wish to appear more learned than he really is, yet a teacher must not let his acquire¬ ments be held cheap by his pupils. He ought to bring out his knowledge with practical effect; com¬ bining the meekness of wisdom with its robuster elements. He will thus be prepared to meet the paradoxical requisitions of the wise man: " Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou be like unto him.—Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit." A social disposition is indispensable in a teacher. A secluded man—one who is shut up in himself, though he may not be morose and churlish—is not adapted to the teacher's office. No matter how extensive and varied his attainments, he cannot QUALIFICATIONS. 69 make them available to others. He will always he straitened in himself—will always act under re¬ straints or constraints—and he will never know what the poet meant when he spoke of the "delightful task to rear the tender thought." A task, indeed, he will find it to be; hut a very irksome, tiresome, tedious task. "We have met with good men of this character—men who really wished to serve their generation, according to the will of God: who piously addressed themselves to the task of teach¬ ing the young; hut they plainly declared that they considered the employment "the burden of the Lord," and they evidently attended to it against their will, because necessity was laid upon them. Such forced and unrelished performances are scarcely ever productive of much good. Children will not fail to discover that they are not labours of love with the teacher, and no great marvel if they do not love the labours thus performed. No sympathy is established between the parties; and the connection is productive of no valuable results. On the other hand, if a man can enter into the feelings of the young—can breathe forth a warm affection for them—can maintain a condescending and friendly intercourse with them—he instantly removes all undue restraint from their minds, puts himself in the possession of a key which will un¬ lock every bosom and give him access to the most 70 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. interior departments of the soul. The opinions, reasonings, sentiments, sensibilities of the child are all laid open to him. Of what advantage this may be to a judicious teacher, we need not attempt to state. We would not have him, however, act the part of a pragmatist, intermeddling with things beyond his province; or of a ghostly confessor, wishing to be the depositary of everybody's secrets. But he must make himself acquainted, intimately acquainted, with the character of his pupils—he must manifest an interest in all that concerns their spiritual and eternal welfare—and this must be done with unaffected ease, as if it proceeded from the spontaneous promptings of a generous nature— as, indeed, should be the case. This involves the free, but judicious, use of one's colloquial powers. We do not want a man to be an unceasing talker. Garrulity is the vice, the besetting sin, of some teachers; and though perhaps it is more venial than stolid taciturnity, yet it stands very much in the way of success—it weakens the authority of the teacher, and minifies the effect of his instruc¬ tions. But there is a great difference between loquacity and such a use of our conversational powers as is here suggested. The loquacious man talks for talk's sake—because he loves to hear his own voice, and foolishly imagines that others like to hear it too—but he who has tamed his tonguo qualifications. 71 without tying it, uses it freely, and at the same time discreetly, for the benefit of others—taking pleasure in communicating to them such informa¬ tion as he may have at his command, and as may be conducive to their improvement. His " speech" is always with grace, " seasoned with salt," and never fails to minister profit to the hearers. No one is "apt to teach" who is destitute of this communicative disposition and no teacher ought to pretermit his efforts to acquire this rare and important accomplishment, in the nearest approxi¬ mation to perfection. § 4. Dignity.—"Let no man despise thee," was the apostle's caution to the youthful evangelist. The language implies, that although a minister may not always be able to secure the affection of others, or their practical regard of his instructions, it is his own fault if he does not command their respect. They may hate him, because they possess the carnal mind, which is enmity against God, and, of course, opposed to his servants^ but if he mag¬ nifies his office, and maintains a dignified port, for his office' sake, they cannot despise him—con¬ tempt is out of the question. All this applies, mutatis mutandis, to the Sunday-school teacher. The importance of the office demands a dignified incumbent. We suppose this will not suggest to any mind the ideas of pride, vanity, pomposity, 72 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. self-importance, and a magisterial bearing. These are all opposed to the dignity of which we speak, which is not only compatible with humility and modesty, but absolutely inseparable from them. It implies such an elevation of the mind and moral feelings, such a high sense of propriety, such a gravity and decorum, as will effectually preserve its possessor from every thing puerile, frivolous, vulgar, and mean. The intimacy involved in the intercourse of the Sunday-school will inevitably degenerate into un¬ due familiarity, if there be not a settled purpose to maintain and cultivate a dignified demeanor. Friendly personal relations are established among the teachers themselves, which are not only un¬ avoidable, but also desirable, as they may be made subservient to the highest interest. Yet they have to be sacredly and sedulously guarded, or they will produce effects the very reverse. We do not ad¬ vocate demureness, prudishness, and formality; but we would sooner see teachers of the opposite sexes, in their bearing toward each other, err on that extreme, than transcend in the smallest de¬ gree the bounds of discretion, propriety, and deco¬ rum. Though there be a common platform on which the labourers in Sunday-schools come to¬ gether, yet the friendships there contracted must be held in constant check, or a harvest of evil con- QUALIFICATIONS. 73 sequences will be reaped as the result. Sunday- school ojachers must never be oblivious of the dis¬ crepancies of "mind, body, and estate" which obtain among them, though they have been provi¬ dentially brought together as co-labourers in the Master's vineyard. The distinctions which obtain in society—except such as are obviously fictitious, foolish, and hurtful'—must not be lost sight of in the Sunday-school. The proprieties of refined in¬ tercourse must not be disregarded, as it is an apostle that enjoins it upon us to be courteous, or polite. This must be carefully impressed upon the minds of the children, who should be taught to look upon their teachers with a measure of that respect and observance, honour and reverence, with which they regard their superiors at home. The teacher must be condescending to his pupils, but he must never forget—he must never let them forget—that they are his inferiors : they will not forget it, or be regardless of it, if, in a becoming manner, he bears it in mind himself. But let him lay aside the dignity which becomes his office, and descend to a familiarity which puts him on a level with his pupils, their respect toward him will cease, and they will be very apt to regard his in¬ structions with contempt. A proper estimate of the work in which they are engaged, will generate in the minds of the 74 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. teachers that spirit of decorum which will repress and keep in abeyance every tendency to levity which might otherwise be developed. The mag¬ nitude of the interests which they are professedly labouring to subserve, if duly regarded, will pre¬ clude all foolish talking and jesting, which are not convenient at any time, or in any place, but are specially inconvenient in the Sunday-school. Teachers degrade themselves in the eyes of the scholars, whenever they indulge in gossiping and laughter, either with them, or with one another. This will materially interfere with their useful¬ ness—not to say, effectually prevent it—and bring reproach upon the cause of whose interests they are the recognized guardians. As " order is Heaven's first law," it must not be supposed that any Sunday-school can prosper where that is set aside or disregarded. It behooves teachers to support the dignity of their office, by the maintenance of just and lawful authority. There must be no anarchy in the Sunday-school: no, nor must there be any democracy. The governors and the governed are two different par¬ ties there. The government must be of a parental complexion—mild, affectionate, but strict and unyielding. Superintendents and teachers must never temporize—they must never pretermit their authority, or suspend their laws. The discipline QUALIFICATIONS. 75 of Sunday-schools does not admit the rod: it, how¬ ever, admits and requires precepts, admonitions, and reproofs, as well as counsels, encouragements, and rewards; but when all these fail to secure obedience and correct deportment, expulsion is the only alternative; and it must be resorted to, how¬ ever painful the task. The teacher must not allow his prerogative to be invaded with impunity : his legitimate authority must not be lightly esteemed. If one of his scholars be contumacious, he should tenderly remonstrate with him—sharply rebuke him—report him to his parents or guardians: if all these methods fail, deliver him over to the superintendent, who will place him beyond the reach of contaminating others. The maintenance of authority by the enforcement of discipline upon settled and recognized principles of government— without arbitrary and tyrannical visitations on the one hand, or a capricious and temporizing policy on the other—cannot fail to be productive of the most salutary and conservative effects. § 5. Gentleness.—St. Paul, addressing the Thessalonians, says : "We were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children." And again: "Ye know how we exhorted and charged every one, as a father doth his children." What an instructive and impressive example! If the apostle found it necessary to act thus toward per- 76 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. sons of adult age, surely the "teacher of babes" ought to be gentle. Gentleness implies a condescending disposition, and, of course, involves humility. A proud man cannot be gentle. The teacher ought to accom¬ modate himself to the character and condition of his pupils: he ought to enter into all their feel¬ ings, study their dispositions, ascertain their pur¬ poses, and modify his instructions accordingly. A cold, stiff, distant, lofty manner will repress the warm and ingenuous sentiments and affections of youth, and preclude the teacher's success. Con¬ descension on his part will insure confidence on theirs—a point of immense magnitude. The temper which we are recommending is per¬ fectly compatible with the maintenance of official dignity and rightful authority. It is not neces¬ sary to drop the reins of government, and per¬ mit the children of our charge to have their own way, subject to no restraint, in order to manifest a spirit of condescension toward them. The most imperative communications may be conveyed in the mildest terms; and an inflexible regimen can be maintained without the exhibition of an acrimonious temper. The case of the apostle is in point. At the very time that he is asserting the powers and prerogatives of his ministry—dealing out his official increpations, enforcing the salutary QUALIFICATIONS. 77 discipline of the gospel with boldness and fidelity —he does not appear to be sensible of any incon¬ gruity in saying: "Now I, Paul, myself beseech you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ." He fortifies himself in the exhibition of this amiable spirit, by the example of the Saviour. The great Master, who spake as one having autho¬ rity, and as one, too, who never temporized or compromitted the authority with which he was vested, could nevertheless afford to he mild and conciliatory in his tone, kind and condescending in his manner, thereby disarming the prejudices and overcoming the opposition of his hearers, who wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. His affectionate spirit made way for his teachings, and won the hearts of all who were not invincibly callous and incorrigibly obstinate. He commended his instructions to the favourable regard of the people by his mild and imperturbable temper : " Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly of heart." Suclu, gentleness is not only worthy of our imitation, but absolutely indispensable to success in our attempts to impart the knowledge of salvation, either to the old or young. Love is the parent of gentleness. The apostle gives this as the reason of his tender solicitude: " Being affectionately desirous of you"—" because 78 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. ye were dear unto us/' It would seem to be no hard matter to love children. See how Jesus loved them! Listen to his gentle voice : " Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God." Behold how he loved them ! " He took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them." The Saviour loved little children, and we must love them too. If we would present the little ones to Christ, we must bring them in the arms of love. This is how God does himself: " I drew them with cords of love, and the bands of a man." And surely, he who constructed the delicate and complicated machinery of the mind, knows by what power it is to be set in motion. Love is that power. Let the children be convinced by the softness of our expression, the kindness of our manner—the absence of all sternness, sourness, petulance—that we love them, and they will reciprocate the affection. We may find it a task of considerable difficulty to be tender and long-suffering with many of our charge : they may be rude, ignorant, stupid, uncivil, untract- able, obstinate; yet our mission is to them, and it is a mission of love. We are teaching them the religion of love—we are leading them to the God of love; and how can we be suecessful in our undertaking, if we have not the spirit of love? QUALIFICATIONS. 79 We may plume ourselves upon our fidelity in ad¬ ministering reproofs, and may conclude that our discipline is salutary, because it is severe; but all the while we may be increasing the carelessness of those who are averse to instruction, and causing the disobedient to become desperate, or breaking the bruised reed and quenching the smoking flax. " The truth you speak Doth lack some gentleness, and time to speak It in. You rub the sore when you should bring The plaster." The importance of gentleness in administering reproof is strikingly illustrated in the example of Jeremiah Flate. "Fifty years ago," said this venerable teacher, "1 was master of the Orphan Asylum in Stuttgard, and had a whole room full of children to instruct. It was my custom to pray every morning for meekness and patience in the fulfilment of this arduous duty. One day, as I was walking up and down among the children, I observed a boy, about twelve years of age, lean¬ ing with both his elbows upon the table: I re¬ proved him for this improper behaviour, and walked on. The next time I passed, he was doing the same thing; and I was obliged to re¬ peat my desire that he should take his arms off the table. He obeyed me for the moment; but 80 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. when I returned for the third time, I found him angry and perverse, and could read in his face that he was determined to despise my orders. I was much annoyed, hut restrained myself, and prayed inwardly for strength to exercise patience toward this poor child, even as my God had been patient toward me. My ill-humour vanished im¬ mediately, I became calm, and was enabled to continue my instructions. The boy obstinately remained in the same attitude, but I took no notice of him. When school was over, I sent for him into my study, praying, in the mean time, for wis¬ dom and composure of mind. He stamped in, and banged the door after him in a violent pas¬ sion. 1 Why did you bang the door so violently ?' I asked. ' I did not bang it,' he replied. ' Yes, you did, my boy,' said I. 11 tell you, I did not,' was the answer. Upon this I went up to him, took his hand, and asked him in a gentle voice, 1 Do you know, my son, against whom you ara sinning ? It is not against me, but against your Saviour, your best friend! Examine yourself, and try to find out why you behave in this man¬ ner.' The boy's heart was touched: he burst into tears, and entreated me to forgive his wicked behaviour. ' I had determined this morning:.' O/ continued he, ' to tease you by my disobedience, till you should beat me, thinking you would suffer QUALIFICATIONS. 81 much more from it than I should. Pray, pray, forgive me: I will never do so again in all my life.' I pointed out to him from what a great temptation he had been delivered, and then dis¬ missed him, with the assurance that I had long since forgiven him. He left me, but still ap¬ peared almost inconsolable. In the afternoon, having finished my classes, I was sitting alone in my little study, when I heard a knock at the door. The boy came in, his eyes red with weep¬ ing, and saying it was impossible I could have forgiven him, for he had behaved toward me like a devil. He begged I would tell him once more that I had forgiven him, repeating that he would never vex me again, not even by a look. I again assured him of my full forgiveness, but told him he must ask pardon of his Saviour, against whom he had chiefly sinned, and who would certainly hear his prayer, if his repentance was sincere. The boy, however, left me, still crying. I had scarcely risen the next morning, when my little penitent came again, crying so bitterly that I wa3 quite astonished. He said the remembrance of his conduct the day before had prevented his sleeping, and entreated me, with his whole heart, to continue to love him as I had done before. He could not imagine what had led him to form such a naughty resolution, and as* 82 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. gured me he had determined not to allow any punish¬ ment to overcome his obstinacy, but had been quite unable to resist the kind and gentle means I had used to convince him of his fault. He begged me to tell him how it had been possible for me to bear with this wicked behaviour as I had done. To this I answered, 'Dear child, I cannot exactly explain that to you; but if I must express it in a few words, it is because I have my¬ self received much mercy from the Lord, that I have been enabled to show mercy toward you.'" Thus spoke this venerable man, and concluded his narrative with the satisfactory intelligence, that the boy had, from that day, become his best scholar, and was still living in Stuttgard, es¬ teemed by all who knew him as an honest and virtuous citizen. Some children need encouragement. We do not mean flattery—nobody, young or old, needs that, though everybody seems to take it kindly. What we mean is, the giving of a hopeful and cheering word to those who seem to labour under difficulties and embarrassments in pursuing their studies. A word fitly spoken to such may be of immense importance. Dr. Adam Clarke relates the following anecdote :—" A stranger who was itinerating as a teacher called upon my father and requested permission to examine some of the QUALIFICATIONS. 83 boys. I was among the number. My father, by way of relieving the feelings of the man, said, ' That hoy is very slow of learning; I fear you will not be able to do much with him/ My heart sank. I would have given the world to have been as some of the boys around me. The man spoke with kindness, gave me some directions, and lay¬ ing his hand upon my head, observed, ' This lad will make a good scholar yet/ I felt his kind¬ ness : it raised my spirit; the possibility of being able to learn was in this moment, and for the first time, impressed upon my mind; a ray of hope sprang up within me; in that hope I lived and laboured; it seemed to create power; my lessons were all committed to memory with ease, and I could have doubled the effort, had it been re¬ quired/' From this period, Adam never looked back nor paused. The same quickness of per¬ ception and tenacity of memory, discoverable from the dawning of intelligence as applied to other things, now accompanied his pursuit of learning : he was no longer like the animal scam¬ pering round the same spot, in consequence of the chain by which it is bound; he became like the racer : there vas progress in every movement; he sped over the course with prodigious swiftness, and he felt the pleasure of it himself. It must Lave very much encouraged young Wesley, when, 84 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. on his father's asking his mother, "How could you have the patience to tell that blockhead the same thing twenty times over ?" she replied, " Why, if I had told him but nineteen times, I should have lost my labour." Let parents and teachers profit by these examples. Never scold, never flatter your children; hut do not fail to give them judicious encouragement. Children will love us, if we love them; and acting under the impulse of the pure affection thus generated in their bosoms, they will yield themselves up to our guidance and control. Where there is mutual love, how facile, how plea¬ sant will he the communication and reception of religious instruction! If there he nothing distant, nothing surly, nothing tyrannical in the teacher's manner, there will be no shyness, no restiveness, no indifference on the part of his pupils. They will not fail to be affected by the thrilling and momentous truths of religion, if he manifests a deep interest in them himself. They will weep, if his eyes he moistened with tears. If they dis¬ cover that he feels for them, they will be certain to feel for themselves. Besides, he will not grow weary in well-doing, if he is employed in "a labour of love." He may be tried by discourage¬ ments, provocations, a thousand difficulties, but he will hold on his way, strengthened and animated qualifications. 85 by pure and strong affection for the young immor¬ tals committed to his charge. He will bear with their manners, after the divine example—dis¬ solving their prejudices, subduing their obstinacy, and enlisting their attention, by the manifestation of a meek and quiet spirit, a patient and forbear¬ ing temper, prompted and sustained by the con¬ trolling influence of love. His entire demeanour will correspond with his u inward affection." Let love be in his heart, and the law of kindness will be very apt to be in his tongue. § 6. Punctuality.—No Sunday-school can prosper where there is a want of punctuality. The prompt attendance of the children is of course necessary to their improvement 3 but they will generally be punctual, if their teachers set them the example. But if their teachers are in¬ constant in their attendance, the school will go down, or it will do worse, it will prolong its exist¬ ence as a nuisance to the community in which it is located 3 for young people may as well be con¬ gregated on the prairies and in the streets, as in a church or school-room, if they be not placed under competent and judicious oversight. That teacher loses caste, who wilfully absents himself from the school, or allows himself to be late in his attendance. The work which he has to do is of immense importance, and, like Demos- 86 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. thenes, he ought to be ashamed if any are in their places before him. He suffers an imputa¬ tion to be cast on his character, by his irregularity in coming to the school; for it will be concluded that he has erroneous views of the value of time, of Sabbath time, and of the responsibilities which he has assumed in allowing himself to be placed in the teacher's chair. Indeed, we know not how to defend unpunctual teachers from the charge of moral obliquity. Whatever right they may possess, or think they possess, in regard to their own time and their own movements in themselves considered, they have no right to deprive others of their time, and to derange their movements. There is a contract between them and the superintendent, which in¬ volves punctuality. How is he to carry on the varied operations of the school, if those on whom he depends, in the several departments of the work, are untrue to their engagements ? Can he provide supernumerary teachers to fill their places when they are late or absent ? And if none can be found to fill their places, is there no wrong done to the classes thus neglected? Is not a solemn obligation violated when the children come to their school on the Sabbath and find no teacher to instruct them ? Is it a small matter to set so pernicious an example to other teachers QUALIFICATIONS. 87 and to the scholars—to derange the machinery of the school, thereby weakening its influence—per¬ haps reversing its salutary effects and threatening its existence ? Unpunctuality is never defended; but it is too common to speak of it with feeble denunciations, as scarcely a vice, instead of con¬ demning it severely as actually a sin—if the scholastic distinction between sins and vices be of any import. A man of sound principles and a well- disciplined conscience will practise any amount of self-denial, and take up any cross, rather than vacate his obligations by a want of punctuality. Those teachers who are irregular in their at¬ tendance ought to be dealt with like those who, after a fair trial, have been found incompetent to the work—they ought to be respectfully requested to resign their office. Better disband their classes and merge them in others, if suitable teachers can¬ not be provided, than continue their desultory ser¬ vices—better disband the school itself, than keep it in existence as a Babel or a bedlam. The vice complained of is the less excusable, because punctuality is a virtue which all may ex¬ hibit : it is one, too, of capital importance, being the life of business, secular or sacred. A man with moderate attainments and comparatively small force, may accomplish much, and be con¬ stantly acquiring ability to do more, if he be re- 88 sunday-school teacher. gular and economical in the employment of his time, cultivating the virtue of punctuality, and securing the reputation of a punctual man. § 7. Perseverance.—In reading the Scrip¬ tures, we are struck with the frequent occurrence of exhortations to perseverance—especially to perseverance in good works. " Let us not be weary in well-doing." " Be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." It seems strange, at first view, that such exhorta¬ tions as these should be at all needed. Works of piety and benevolence are so congruous to the re¬ newed nature, and withal so profitable, as well subjectively as objectively, that it seems Chris¬ tians would naturally, instinctively, spontaneously, universally address themselves to their perform¬ ance—relishing the service in proportion to the time they were engaged in it. Inspiration, how¬ ever, has decided otherwise; and the judgment is confirmed by the testimony of experience. There is a sluggishness of mind, a disinclina¬ tion to put forth exertion, requiring continuous thought and sustained effort, which is hard to be removed, even by divine grace. It costs many a struggle before it is overcome. And when it is conquered, a tendency to relapse into that state is the besetting sin of most Christians, and not a few give painful proof of its power. None can QUALIFICATIONS. 89 rise above it without a constant use of the Psalmist's prayer: " My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word." The evil in question develops itself no less in re¬ lation to the Sunday-school enterprise than other departments of religious activity. There are some, too, that have a peculiar in¬ stability of mind. They seem to be incapable of plan, purpose, and execution on an extended scale. They enter readily into any laudable en¬ terprise; but so soon as the charm of novelty is gone, their interest is gone too. They are not prepared for the routine of constant service— they are not equal to the tug and toil of a life¬ long effort. Their exertions are suspended, or brought to a premature close, a when tribulation ariseth." They lose their first love, and the de¬ votion which it originated dies of inanition, if it does not suffer a violent death. There are few Sunday-schools that cannot furnish painful illus¬ trations of this; and surely none have more need to pray for " continuing grace," than those who fill the teacher's office. Some comparatively good men possess a nervous, irritable temperament, which makes them pecu¬ liarly liable to take offence at the conduct of others, if it be at all susceptible of a sinister con¬ struction. Your interest in their friendly regards 90 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. is in jeopardy every hour. You cannot always measure your movements, forecast your expres¬ sions, and weigh precisely every sentence you utter—at any rate, you will not do it when among brethren and friends—children will not do it with any : they cannot do it, and it is unphilosophical to expect it from them. But unless it be done, the jealous-minded, suspicious, and irascible will find occasions of umbrage, and perhaps suddenly dissolve a connection which was designed to be permanent, and might have been so, to the great advantage of themselves and others, but for this unfortunate idiosyncrasy. Indeed, such cases are so numerous that we can scarcely consider them idiocratic; and from their prevalence, we cannot help admitting some of these touchy people to the teacher's office; but it is obviously unwise to make any calculations upon their continued ser¬ vices. So soon as we ascertain the complexion of their minds, it would be well to seek others as reserves, held in readiness to supply the places which soon will be vacant. Such unfortunate persons ought to be exhorted to study St. Paul's portraiture of charity, or true religion, 1 Cor. xiii., and to form themselves upon the model there presented; as without this there seems to be no place fit for them, or rather they are fitted for no place, either in the kingdom of graco QUALIFICATIONS. 91 or of glory—but this is no part of oui present duty. A multiplicity of engagements is pleaded cy some as a reason for suspending or closing their Sunday-school labours. This, in many instances, is a valid reason. It is so in the case of mothers, who have their infant charges on their hands and on their hearts. St. Paul assigns them their place : it is not in the Sunday-school. There are other demands, nearly as imperative as these, which cannot be met but with the surrender of the teacher's chair. In many cases the reason is reluctantly recognized—the step sorrowfully taken. But it must not be disguised, that fictitious con¬ siderations are sometimes adduced in justification of an abandonment of the work. A little economy in the expenditure of time—a little forecast in the arrangement of business—a little more self-denial and love for souls, and zeal for Glod—would mi¬ nify mountains into molehills, and render conti¬ nuance in the service not only possible, but facile and certain. Continuance in the teacher's office is of great importance, as the art of teaching is not acquired in a day; and the teacher ought not to vacate his place just as he is prepared to render efficient service. We have no normal schools to fit per¬ sons for the work of teaching before they enter 92 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. upon it: indeed, the art can only he acquired by experience. The knowledge must be gained ir the chair of instruction. Those, therefore, who enter upon the teacher's office, ought to apply themselves industriously to the discharge of their duties, having reference not only to the immediate improvement of their pupils, but also to their own improvement, so that they may be prepared to render more valuable services, increasing their capacity of usefulness in proportion to the time they are engaged in the field. In this way they will become acquainted with the character of their children. They will gain an insight into their intellectual and moral habi¬ tudes, and will know better how to adapt their instructions to each particular case. This will heighten the teacher's interest in his pupils, and draw out his affections toward them. It will also establish teachers in the affectionate regards of the children to be permanently asso¬ ciated with them. They will be interested in the instructions of those who thus manifest a settled and fixed concern in their welfare. They will throw aside all undue shyness and reserve. They will comprehend all the peculiarities, and adjust themselves to all the plans and arrangements of their teachers, if they are continued under their care. Frequent changes in the corps of instruc. QUALIFICATIONS. 93 tion, though they may secure some advantages on the score of novelty and variety, are attended with evils, radical and essential evils, which more than counterbalance such temporary and circumstantial advantages. It is only by perseverance that we can secure the end proposed in the religious instruction of the young. We must not expect to accomplish every thing at once: indeed, we can accomplish scarcely any thing by sudden, subsultory, short¬ lived efforts. Patience is the price of success. There must be line upon line, line upon line, pre¬ cept upon precept, precept upon precept—here a little and there a little—or we shall fail in our undertaking. The assurance of success is based upon this condition—"in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." CHAPTEK in. the teacher's difficulties. Inherent Obstacles—Repulsive Traits of Pupils—111 Temperi and Habits of Co-labourers—Delinquency of Churches, Pastors, and Parents. § 1. Inherent Obstacles.—The work of the Sunday-school teacher is not unattended with difficulties. It cannot be performed without effort and sacrifice. There are trials to meet, and dis¬ couragements to brave. The teacher cannot ad¬ just himself to the conditions of his office without considerable inconvenience and self-denial. This is inherent in the system. Our natural love of ease and self-indulgence presents a serious obstacle which we have to sur¬ mount. To say nothing of the effort to be put forth during the week, to prepare ourselves for the responsibilities of the Sabbath—an effort which must be made, if we would meet the re¬ quisitions of our office—there is the demand made upon our stated services on the day of rest. "Wo look forward to the Sabbath as a blessed season of respite from toil—a merciful provision mada 94 DIFFICULTIES. 95 by the God of grace for our weekly refreshment and recuperation. The exercises of public wor¬ ship will not be burdensome to us if we have spi¬ ritual tastes and devotional feelings. As these are usually conducted, we do not minister so much as we are ministered unto. There are men set apart for this ministration. It is their busi¬ ness to break to us the bread of life; and it is surely no hardship for us to sit down quietly and receive it from their hands. But when we have to turn ministers ourselves, after having passed through our six days' toil—to be obliged to repair to the scene of duty and service, instead of re¬ posing until the hour of public worship, no matter how much the wearied body and jaded spirit may groan for rest—this is a responsibility which in¬ volves sacrifice and invokes effort. It is not always that we can accommodate our¬ selves with facility to the restrictions which the teacher's office imposes. Our Sunday-school duties must not be looked upon as of secondary import¬ ance. We must take the time necessary for study —we must attend the teachers' meetings, where such are established—we must never let our chair be vacant when the hour of school arrives. To meet these demands, we must lay the account with ourselves to forego many a privilege, recreation, or entertainment in which we might otherwise in* 96 sunday-school teacher. dulge, and to which we should be lawfully en¬ titled. If our duties take us from home in one sense, they make us keepers at home in another sense. This, indeed, independent of the benefits resulting to ourselves as well as others, from the service in which we are engaged, may be of ad¬ vantage to us. But it cannot be denied that it is considered by many in the light of an exaction; and not a few regard it as a yoke too grievous to be borne: they will not receive it upon their necks, or having received it, they are restive under it, until they are released from it. § 2. Repulsive Traits of Pupils.—Serious difficulties arise from the natural aversion of chil¬ dren to religion. This, indeed, is " the fault and corruption" of human nature: it is the great moral epidemic, whose fatal tendency we are en¬ deavouring to arrest. We resort to the regimen of the Sunday-school as an excellent means to facilitate the action of those remedial agents which Heaven exhibits. We find it, however, a difficult task to enforce that regimen. Our patients cherish their disease, and desire not a cure; consequently, they are almost invincibly disposed to decline tho remedy. In endeavouring to impart religious instruction to the young, we find it wellnigh impossible to secure their attention. We experience no diflfi- DIFFICULTIES. 97 culty in interesting them when addressing their senses and appetites; but they are lamentably listless when subjects of a moral complexion are proposed. We are obliged to resort to stratagem —such as story and song—to captivate their at¬ tention ; and, after all, we not unfrequently fail in our attempts. If we succeed in securing their attention, how few manifest a decided aptness to receive instruc¬ tion and to profit by it! Here is another task. The ineptitude of our pupils must be overcome. We have not done with them—we have scarcely begun with them—until we discover by the intelligent features and the thoughtful brow, that we have made a lodgment of the truth in their minds. A difficulty may indeed sometimes arise in reference to the mental and moral capacity of those who are accounted idiots—on whom it may be supposed our benevolent efforts will be spent in vain. Very few of those, in ou£ opinion, should be considered absolutely incapable of moral culture. All who can be made sensible of their accountability should be considered entitled to our attentions. If they have any mental or moral capacity, nothing is so well adapted to develop it as the agencies of religion. There is a penetrativeness, a pungency, a force, in the principles of Chris¬ tianity, singularly adapting it to act with stimula- 4 98 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. tive and developing effect upon natures so inert and inept. And the experiment has been made, with triumphant success, upon many who were scarcely removed from the brutes that perish. There is, however, great difficulty in determining when such are susceptible of moral influences, and the manner in which those influences are to be exerted. But there are multitudes of young persons, who are not lacking in intellectual and moral ca¬ pacity, who are nevertheless so wayward as to set all discipline at defiance. They are resolutely de¬ termined not to be interested in the great verities of religion. Stubborn and intractable as a wild ass's colt, they will not be affected by counsel or caution, remonstrance or rebuke, no matter how earnestly and affectionately administered. And yet we must bear with them—we must vary our expedients and extend our endeavours to overcome their indocility, until success shall reward our efforts, or the task be absolutely desperate—the forlorn hope being forced to surrender. Those who are thus obstinate, in regard to their refusal to receive instruction, manifest a deplorable pliableness in regard to evil influences. In vain does the teacher reiterate, " My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou notthe first tempta¬ tion that is presented takes effect: they forget the DIFFICULTIES. 99 »-frmonitions and instructions they have received, and yield themselves to the control of the corrupt¬ ing agencies which abound in the community. It seems to be of no avail to take pains with them, their inconsiderateness and frivolity make them the ready prey of the designing and depraved. This is a sore trial to the faithful teacher. He is obliged to witness the futility of his efforts, and the wreck of his hopes; and there seems to be no remedy or redress. It is, moreover, frequently the case, when salu¬ tary impressions are made upon the minds of the young—the promising buddings of piety are put forth, and the teacher entertains sanguine expecta¬ tions of success—that every bud of promise is blasted in an hour, and there seems to be no ground to hope that renewed efforts will produce more satis¬ factory and permanent results. Alas ! so great is the fickleness of youth. How discouraging, when, by dint of arduous and persevering effort, we have surmounted the difficulty arising from their inepti¬ tude to religious instructions, to be thwarted at last by their instability, thereby losing " the things which we have wrought," when we were expecting " a full reward." Sometimes, too, this repulsive feature shows itself in our enterprise : the children of our charge feel and act toward us as if we had some sinister 100 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. and selfish design to subserve in our efforts upon them. This is cruel ingratitude; and many a faithful teacher knows the bitterness of it. We are engaged in a labour of love—an angelic, a godlike work—one which ought to shield us from all base imputations and secure to us the most grateful acknowledgments. It is not to be so much wondered at that the minister of the sanc¬ tuary should be charged with sordid motives, as if he sought the fleece rather than the flock—this being the case with many clergymen—and as the Lord hath ordained that they that preach the gospel should live of the gospel, it requires no more malice and uncharitableness than falls to the lot of most men, to take occasion from this to put every pastor in the same condemnation. But Sunday-school teachers labour without fee or re¬ ward—they subject themselves to many inconve¬ niences and make numerous sacrifices, "hoping for nothing again," except the improvement and salvation of the young immortals committed to their charge : surely their motives should be above suspicion—their character should be deemed sa¬ cred—and their services held in grateful regard. A contrary course is calculated to lacerate the feelings of the teacher, and to cause him to leave the field in grief and disgust, or at least to persist in his labours with a heavy heart, sighing for an difficulties. lOi honourable release, and sorrowing because it can¬ not be obtained. §3. Ill-tempers and Habits of Co-labour¬ ers.—It is not always easy to adjust ourselves to the various tempers and habits of those with whom we are associated in the work of instruction, as well as those to whom our instructions are im¬ parted. "We meet with characters in almost every Sunday-school that would try the faith of Abra¬ ham, the meekness of Moses, the patience of Job, the zeal of St. Paul. And yet such must be borne with, if we would serve our generation according to the will of Grod. We must frequently sacrifice what are called our natural rights—we must look with the eye of a philosopher and the heart of a Christian upon the foibles, caprices, whims, prejudices, and the still more ugly and distorted features, not only of our pupils, but also of our fellow-teachers. We must bear with their manners, which will not unfrequently be exceedingly repulsive. We must essay the difficult and delicate task of concealing, without hypocrisy, the aversions which we cannot but feel, and overlooking, without pusillanimity, the provocations which we must not resent. This is a work: this is a labour—and so it will be found by every one who will make the experi¬ ment ; and the experiment must be made, on a 102 sunday-school teacher mora or less extended scale, by all who occupy the teacher's chair. § 4. Delinquency op Churches, Pastors, and Parents.—The want of co-operation on the part of those who ought to be most deeply in¬ terested in the religious instruction of the young, is a sore trial to those who are engaged in the work. It must be singular logic, curious casuistry, which can make a score of persons in a Christian congregation alone responsible for the moral cul¬ ture of the youth within its range. "We admit that not all who profess and call themselves Chris¬ tians are capable of teaching, and, of course, not all are obnoxious to censure for not engaging in the work. But where is the Sunday-school that has a competent staff of teachers? And where is the congregation that does not number men and women enough to answer all the demands of the school, if they would prepare and offer themselves for the work ? And where is the man, whatever his grade of intellectual attainment, that may not do something to further the interests of the Sun¬ day-school established in the community to which he belongs ? He might express sympathy with the teachers, and encourage them in their work—he might contribute of his means to assist in defraying expenses—he might use his influence DIFFICULTIES. 103 in multiplying pupils; and, above all, he might remember the cause in earnest and constant ad¬ dresses to the throne of grace. All this he might do; but there are many thousands of professing Christians that do it not. There are pastors, too, who systematically neg¬ lect the children of their charge. No matter what the canons of the church may enjoin—no matter how serious and responsible the obligation bound up in the command of the great Shepherd : " Feed my lambs"—this is a work for which they have no relish; and they give themselves but little concern about it. If the children attend the school, well; but if not, it gives the pastor no trouble. He rarely visits the school to inquire into its condition; and when he does visit it, he feels out of his element. He has nothing, except a few bald commonplaces, to give by way of ad¬ dress. This, too, is the character of his sermons, when, once a year, he preaches on the subject of Sunday-schools. He never attends the teachers' meetings. If they want counsel, he knows not how to give it: sympathy, he has no acquaintance with their trials: stimulus, it would come with a bad grace from one who would lay heavy burden* on other men's shoulders, but touch them not himself with one of his fingers. Now, to say nothing of the various other evils that result from 104 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. the pastor's neglect of this department of his work, it cannot but be discouraging to both teach¬ ers and scholars. As a consequence of this pas¬ toral indifference, many never enter the school, who might be advantageously connected with it, and many who have been engaged in the work of instruction abandon the field. Nor is the delinquency of parents to be lost sight of in this connection. Many seem to con¬ sider it a favour conferred upon the school, if they patronize it by sending their children. They are not careful to assist them in acquiring their les¬ sons, or to secure their regular and punctual at¬ tendance : they never dream of visiting the school, or of contributing to its support. The pains-taking bestowed upon the children meets with no grateful recognition by the parents; and it is well if the course of the faithful teacher be not subjected to a censorious review. Such is the patronage with which the school is frequently blessed. The trials and discouragements at which we have glanced, present serious difficulties to those who are engaged in the work of Sabbath-school instruction. And none ought to enter the field who have not laid the account with themselves to labour amid circumstances thus embarrassing and repulsive. CHAPTER IV. the teacher's encouragements. Children the most Hopeful Subjects for Moral Culture-* Ecclesiastical Patronage — General Eavour — Beneficial Results. § 1. Children the most Hopeful Subjects for Moral Culture.—H^w much soever we may be disposed to enlarge upon the difficulties attendant on the Sunday-school teacher's office—■ and they are obviously great and manifold—it in¬ volves no contradiction to affirm that no work is so full of encouragement. The teacher is engaged in an undertaking, which, in its very nature, is promissory of success. It is admitted that children have a natural in¬ eptitude to religion—that they are very generally heedless and trifling: nevertheless, the period of youth is much less antagonistic to religious influ¬ ences than any period of after-life. Children, with all their obstinacy, are more docile than adults. The latter possess a pride of opinion which is easily offended: the former are free from this. So are they from the influence of 105 106 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. inveterate habit, which, in persons advanced in life, becomes almost impregnable. Indeed, from the construction of the human mind, it would seem impossible to change the current of the thoughts and feelings, purposes and aims, after it has been running for a long series of years in one and the same channel, and that, too, with an in¬ creasing volume and precipitant force. It is com¬ paratively easy to arrest, divert, and direct the action of the mental and moral powers, in their earliest developments. A pebble in the streamlet scant, Has turn'd the course of many a river: A dewdrop on the baby plant, Has warp'd the giant oak for ever. The trustfulness, ingenuousness, and simplicity of children, lay them open to any influences, either good or bad, and the teacher can take advantage of this, by bringing the agencies of truth and virtue to operate upon their impressible nature. H? will not be confronted with ingenious objec¬ tions, and thwarted by invulnerable aversions. When this is the case—and it is almost always so with unregenerate adults—those who essay their conversion soon find that prejudice has no eyes to see, ears to hear, mind to apprehend, or heart to feel. The imitative propensity of the young can also ENCOURAGEMENTS. 107 be turned to account by tbeir preceptors. If ex¬ emplary influence be potent for evil, it can also be made potent for good. Children do not usually affect independence of thought and opinion. Their minds reflect with great readiness the pecu¬ liar hue of those principles which are brought be¬ fore them, especially if they are embodied in life and action. And although the purity and sub¬ limity of the great verities of Christianity make them unacceptable to the corrupt nature which we bring with us into the world—so that evil ex¬ amples are more naturally imitated than good— yet the constant and consistent exhibition of vir¬ tuous principles, accompanied with correspondent precepts, admonitions, and exhortations, will rarely fail to counterbalance the evils in question and elicit a profound admiration of religion thus de¬ veloped ; and, with the superadded grace of the Holy Ghost, we may reasonably expect that when the objects of our solicitude have proceeded thus far, they will go still further, "nor stop to ad¬ mire, but imitate and live." Their moral improvement is greatly befriended by their freedom from the cares, anxieties, and embarrassments to which almost all who have reached mature age are a prey. They are not yet debased by sensual indulgences—distracted by avaricious pursuits and aims, intoxicated by ambi- 108 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. tion and worldly honour—which supersede the claims of religion, and incapacitate the mind for serious thought and reflection. The frivolity of youth is unfriendly to this) but the antagonistic elements in question lay an almost absolute em¬ bargo on the whole undertaking. Young people are not absorbed in a whirlpool of secular cares —they can be induced to bend their ear to the instructions of the wise, and give their heart to the precepts of the godly: they can, and if judi¬ ciously dealt with, it is not extravagant to expect that they will, " attend upon the Lord without distraction." They are better prepared to urge the question, " What must I do to be saved ?" than they would be were they edged to the clamor¬ ous and incontinent inquiry of the world around them, " What shall we eat, and what shall we drink, and wherewithal shall we be clothed ?" As yotfng people are more accessible and more impressible than others, so they are more reten¬ tive of religious instructions, convictions, and im¬ pressions. Those who think they are made of " matter too soft a lasting mark to bear," aro greatly mistaken. What we learn in childhood is very frequently uppermost in our minds in old Ige. The opinions and sentiments received in early life become incorporated with our intellec¬ tual and moral being, and are thus made part of ENCOURAGEMENTS. 109 ourselves. Scriptures, catechisms, prayers, and songs, committed to memory in that period of our history, may, indeed, he measurably forgotten during the hurly-burly of after-life, but they are not lost. They have given a complexion to the mind, which it generally perpetuates: they arrest us when about to yield to temptation—they wake up with monitorial force and severity when we have wandered from the good and the right way —they are the first links of that chain of instru¬ mentalities which is to draw us back to God, and they renaain sound and strong when others are snapped asunder. They are the good seed of the kingdom, which may lie buried up a long time in the earth; but we may expect it to germinate at length, to grow up, and bring forth, in some thirty, in some sixty, and in some a hundred fold—ac¬ cording to the time of its sprouting, the character of the soil, and the attentions bestowed. It would he a marvellous exception if it never came up at all. § 2. Ecclesiastical Patronage.—It is pleasing to notice the attention which the great and good in every age have bestowed on the reli¬ gious education of the young. The Scriptures and the writings of the Christian Fathers show in what estimate this subject was held in ancient times. The Reformers and their successors, aa 110 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. we have elsewhere observed, took the matter in hand with great zeal, and prepared catechisms for the young in every language of Protestant Chris¬ tendom. The necessity of paying greater atten¬ tion to the use of these venerable formularies is beginning to be properly recognized by some of the dignitaries of the church by whom the sub¬ ject has been too much ignored. The Bishop of Bath and Wells has caused the following ques¬ tions to be addressed to the clergy of his diocese: ■—" 1. Do you make it a rule to teach all the chil¬ dren in your school the whole of the Catechism ? 2. In so doing, do you ever vary the method and order of teaching? 3. Explain the cause and amount of such variation, if it exist in any in¬ stance : e. g. in the case of unbaptized children, if any; or, of those who were baptized out of the church of England; or, of those who, however baptized, were never formally presented in the Church by sponsors; or, of those concerning whom there is a doubt regarding any of the above circumstances. Mention any other case, if there be any other, and state how you deal with it." The regular parochial clergy having so much neg¬ lected the duty, a new order of ministers, or rather the revival of an ancient order, has been suggested. Archdeacon Hale, in a late charge, declared his conviction that the time had come ENCOURAGEMENTS. Ill when the sub-diaconate should be revived i A the church. He said that he had " reason to believe that among the laity there would be found many members of the church engaged in trades and professions, and even of independent fortune, who would be willing, if permitted to do so, to devote much of their time to the fulfilment of those du¬ ties which now belong to the deacon's office, who would not disdain to assemble the poor in some humble oratory set apart for worship, who would catechize the youth, and visit the cottages of the poor. Nothing less than the establishment of such an order of ministers could meet the wants of the times, and as they must receive a public mission in a solemn manner, a new form of ordi¬ nation would be necessary." Local preachers, exhorters, class-leaders, and Sunday-school teach¬ ers are all exujfficio sub-deacons—so they ought to consider themselves. Of course, bishops, elders, and deacons are not too high in office to discharge the duties of sub-deacons and catechists. It can¬ not be unepiscopal, at least not unapostolical, to feed the Saviour's lambs. The favour with which Sunday-school instruc¬ tion, as revived, extended, and modified within the past three-quarters of a century, has been viewed by the great and the good of all parties, is truly encouraging to those who are employed in thij 112 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. labour of love. It is not necessary to specify tea* timonies in its favour. As Bishop Home says, "Every man who loves his country must rejoice to bear his testimony to its excellency: the saga¬ city of the wisest cannot see how much good may in the end be done by it, and how far it may go towards saving a gi^at people from impending ruin." Wesley and Fletcher, as we have else¬ where shown, entertained kindred views of its im¬ portance, and laboured earnestly in its promotion. The last public service of Rowland Hill was an address to Sunday-school teachers. He had wit¬ nessed the progress of Sunday-schools for half a century, delivered a great many discourses on the subject, written hymns for the children, and in other ways promoted the interests of the cause, and now, ten days before his death, he says : " My dear brethren, my strength is gone; but I am particularly anxious to drop this, my last testi¬ mony, on behalf of your important offices. Go on, my brethren : God bless you in every effort!" We have no fear for the prosperity of any church which bestows proper attention on the young; and we have no fear that this interest will be overlooked by the church, if the pastor be not delinquent. Let him visit the domestic circle and the Sunday-school—let him talk to the children closely and affectionately on the subject of per- en cotjft agements. sonal religion—let him preach to them and for them, and he will find his account in the duty thus performed. The angelic Summerfield prea ehed once a month to the children of his charge when stationed in New York; and multitudes have a grateful remembrance to this day of his eloquent and condescending discourses. It is a cheering fact, that the number of faithful pastors who are disposed to feed the Saviour's lambs is increasing, greatly to the encouragement of those who are employed in the blessed work. The Sunday-school cause may not yet have taken the rank we have assigned it; but it has come forth from its seclusion and isolation—de¬ manded and received an enlarged patronage. It has obtained ecclesiastical sanction and pastoral recognition, and is answering all the purposes for good which were subserved by the primitive cate- chumenical system. § 3. General Favour.—It is of some conse¬ quence, too, that the Sunday-school has " a good report" from the world at large. None but those whose denunciations are more to be desired than their benedictions, speak of it in other than lauda¬ tory terms. Those who are engaged in the propa¬ gation of infidelity and vice are, of course, opposed to its operations. One of those agents of the devil, after having lectured on deism in Munches- 114 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. ter, -without success, declared to his friend, that he could do nothing there on account of those accursed Sunday-schools !—a higher compliment than could possibly be paid by the friends of the institution. Christians, philanthropists, patriots—all unite in commendation of the cause. And not a few of them lend their efforts to advance its interests. Men who have occupied the highest stations in the country have not considered it inconsistent with their dignities to fill the chair of instruction in the Sunday-school. We have known the Chief- Justice on the Supreme Bench of one of our Southern States, since elevated to the gubernato¬ rial chair, engaged actively and statedly in teach¬ ing a class in a coloured Sunday-school, and wi\h him the Secretary of State, and others occupying places of equal importance. The Attorney-Gen¬ eral, and one of the J udges of the Supreme Court of the United States, may have both been seen at one time teaching their Sunday-school classes. General Harrison, Chancellor Frelinghuysen, when Attorney -of the State of New York, and others equally known to fame, have honoured themselves by labouring in the same field. The late eminent statesman, Daniel Webster, was a decided advocate of the Sunday-school sys¬ tem. With several other distinguished men, he ad- ENCOURAGEMENTS. 115 dressed a public Sunday-school meeting at Wash¬ ington, in February, 1831, eloquently setting forth its claims upon the sympathy and support of the community. We cite a paragraph from his speech on that occasion :— " Most great conceptions are simple. The pre¬ sent age has struck out two or three ideas on the important subject of education, and the diffusion of religious knowledge, partaking, in a very high degree, of this character. They are simple; but their application is extensive, direct, and effica¬ cious. Of these, the leading one, perhaps, is the distribution of the Holy Scriptures, without note or comment—an idea, not only full of piety, and duty, and of candour also, but strictly just and philosophical; since the knowledge of the general truth must, of necessity, be communicated before there can exist a capacity to examine and decide on those different views and inferences, embraced by Christians of various denominations and va¬ rious opinions. The object of Sunday-schools is, as we understand it, of similar large and liberal character. It is to diffuse the elements of know¬ ledge, and to teach the great truths of revelation. It is to improve, to the highest of all purposes, the leisure of the Sabbath—to render its rest sacred, by thoughts turned toward the Deity, and aspiring to a knowledge of his word and will, 116 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. There are other plans of benevolence, about which men may differ; but it seems to me, there can be no danger of error here. If we are sure of any thing, we are sure of this, that the knowledge of their Creator, their duty, and their destiny, la good for men; and that whatever, therefore, draws the attention of the young to the considera¬ tion of these objects, and enables them to feel their importance, must be advantageous to human happiness, in the highest degree, and in all worlds." " I am fully of the opinion," said Chief-Justice Marshall, " that virtue and intelligence form the basis of our independence, and the conservative principles of our individual and national happi¬ ness ; nor can any man be more firmly persuaded that Sunday-schools are devoted to the protection of both." It must have been a beautiful sight to see that great and good man leading up a Sunday- school procession in the capital of his native State. We could multiply instances of this sort: they abound in the records of this institution in every State of the Union. Nor is this to be wondered at: Sunday-schools promote virtue and discountenance vice with so much effect, that no right-thinking man—no one who loves his God and his fellows—can do less than wish it prosperity. It has been found upon ENCOURAGEMENTS. 117 examination, that the great mass of the criminals in our prisons and penitentiaries were never blessed with a scriptural education; and the vast majority had no early religious training whatever—like the vagrant boys and girls which infest the streets of London and New York. The notorious Gibbs remarked on the gallows : " Sunday-schools came twenty years too late for me: could I have en¬ joyed their instructions when young, never should I have come to this." The Recorder of London stated in a public meeting, that of two thousand children educated in Sunday-schools, only seven, who had been in them more than fourteen days, were ever brought before him for crime; and that, too, among a class of people peculiarly de¬ graded. The author of the " Convict Ship" says: " Of 1065 prisoners, who have in five different voyages been conveyed under my superintendence to the penal colonies of Australia, fourteen only had beun educated in a Sunday-school." The Bos¬ ton Journal recently stated, that of the 122 boys confined in the State Reform School at Westboro', only five ever attended a Protestant Sunday- school. We were present at a Sunday-school meeting in Philadelphia, May 31, 1853, at which some ten thousand dollars were subscribed to the Ame¬ rican Sunday-school Union, besides a conditional 118 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. subscription of five thousand dollars, and several excellent addresses were delivered and heartily responded to by an immense audience—the Hon. Judge Thompson being in the chair. Among the speeches was one by the Hon. Judge Kelley, who stated, that he had looked from the seat of the criminal judge upon the prisoner's dock and in the prisoner's cell—lie had ranged through the public schools of Philadelphia and examined their statistics, and was prepared to bear testimony to the excellence of the Sunday-school system, as a missionary police agent in the community. "I am not prepared to say," remarked the judge, " that no boy or girl who has ever entered a Sun¬ day-school has subsequently found his or her way to the criminal dock and in the prisoner's cell. How many children enter a school and attend ir¬ regularly—attend but a few times—attend for amusement ? How many children—answer me, you who have the ability to occupy the places of teachers—enter a school, and Sunday after Sunday enter the room and find no teacher there to take them by the hand, to encourage them to come again, to impart to them the instructions of the place, and enable them to procure the book from the library shelf? "With reference to individual cases, therefore, I say I am not prepared to go to the extreme point of saying that the Sunday- encouragements. school is an infallible remedy against the evils and crimes of human nature; but in taking a general view of society, I say that the Sunday- schools and the Sunday-school Union are the most potent police agents in Philadelphia, and do more to keep down the necessity of the police de¬ partment, than any other institution that can be named in comparison." But it is superflous to multiply testimonies on this subject. Sunday-schools have proved emi¬ nently propitious to the cause of piety and virtue —the best interests of the church and common¬ wealth : this is known and read of all men. That it is so, is no small encouragement to those who are labouring for the promotion of the cause. § 4. Beneficial Results.—The Christian fa¬ mily is the nursery of the church: the Sunday-, school is a nursery too. And it is a cheering augury of the times, that this institution is very generally viewed in that light. Our children are planted like seeds and scions within this sacred enclosure, to be cultured and guarded with re¬ ference to their future transplantation into more conspicuous places in the garden of the Lord. Thousands of children receive, from Sabbath to Sabbath, instructions and impressions in the Sun¬ day-school, which are sanctified and blessed to the conversion of their souls. Such persons consti- 120 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. tute the principal membership of the church. It is a patent fact, that almost all who are specially active, responsible, and useful in the cause of Christ, were drilled and graduated in the Sunday- school. This is, indeed, the great theological institution of the church. Here our promising and capable youth are trained for the ministry. They get thoroughly indoctrinated by biblical instructors as catechumens, and afterward acquire an aptness to teach in the exercise of the catechistical functions. As young Samson felt the Spirit of God move upon him in the camp of Dan, so the nascent apostles of the church feel his motions within them while engaged in their - unpretending work as the teachers of babes; or, indeed, while as babes they are taught by others. From reliable sta¬ tistics we learn, that nearly all the young minis¬ ters of the various evangelical communions, both in Great Britain and our own country, have come forth from the Sunday-school.- This is, in fact, the propaganda de fide of Protestantism. The first Protestant missionary to China—who has immortalized himself by his Dictionary of the Chinese language, and his translation of the word of God in that difficult and voluminous tongue— the indefatigable Morrison—was once a poor neg¬ lected hoy in the streets: the hand of charity ENCOURAGEMENTS. 121 conducted him to a Sunday-school, where his ta¬ lents—intellectual and moral powers—were de¬ veloped for the work to which the Lord most assuredly called him. A small town in the West of England sent out, some years since, ten mis¬ sionaries, who had all been identified with the Sunday-school. Nineteen-twentieths of all the foreign missionaries of the various British boards were Sunday-school scholars. The missionaries who have been sent out from our own country were nearly all connected with this institution be¬ fore they were summoned to their responsible sta¬ tions in the church of Christ. Nor need we wonder that Sunday-school in¬ struction is so productive of beneficial results. It is not only philosophically adapted to produce them, but it has the special and peculiar sanction of Heaven—the grand secret of all success. The primitive arrangement of the Most High is not obsolete—it will ever remain in binding force: " For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children : that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born, who should arise and declare them to their children; that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep 122 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. his commandments." To this effect is that well- known passage : " Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." This, of course, is not an absolute as¬ surance, as if the moral agency of the young were done away by religious culture; but the result predicated will be so commonly realized upon a faithful discharge of the obligation imposed, that a failure to realize it will be the exception, and the realization will be the rule. The course in¬ culcated is in itself precisely adapted to the end proposed; and as it originates with the Most High, and claims his patronage and blessing, suc¬ cess may be anticipated with the highest moral certainty. Nothing will be wanting to secure this result on the part of him who hath said: " Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven."—" Feed my lambs." Such considera¬ tions as these are animating, and very full of comfort. We might have noticed in this category that the reflex influence of Sunday-school instruction is most advantageous. The very best way to teach ourselves is to teach others. By doing this we become thoroughly proficient in the knowledge of God—mighty in the Scriptures. While study¬ ing for our pupils, we are studying for ourselves. ENCOURAGEMENTS. 123 By praying for them we acquire a more devo¬ tional spirit; and we cannot offer a petition for them that will not bring an answer of peace to our own hearts. The very admonitions which we administer to our classes are of benefit to our¬ selves. They make us more guarded in our con¬ duct. The moral sense is quickened and improved in us, by those means by which we are trying to educate it in others. The consciousness, too, that we are engaged in an honourable, pious, benevo¬ lent, and useful undertaking, cannot fail to spread a glow of honest satisfaction over the heart. This, of itself, is ample compensation for all our self- denial and all our toil. It is, therefore, of but little moment whether we have difficulties or not in the discharge of our responsible duties: they are not worthy to be compared with the encouragements with which the work abounds. In its very nature promissory of success—that success so signal, so striking, as to elicit the emphatic sanction of the church and the admiration of the world, securing a constantly increasing patronage from the wise and good—the sanction of Heaven guarantying the most advan¬ tageous results with the highest moral certitude— and the most beneficial reflex influence while en¬ gaged in the work, and the reward of eternity after it is finished. For " they that be wise"— 124 SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER. that is, teachers of wisdom—" shall shine as tha brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and ever." These are the encouragements of the faithful Sunday-school teacher; and greater than these we cannot suggest: greater than these he will not desire APPENDIX. I.—VINE! ON CATECHIZING. One of the best works recently issued from the press, is " Pastoral Theology; the Theory of a Gospel Ministry: By A. Yinet, Professor of Theology at Lausanne." The chapter on Catechizing is so excel¬ lent, that we cannot resist the temptation to cite it at length. We copy from Clark's Edinburgh edition, pp. 208-214. \ 1. Importance and Aim of Catechization.— This function is, among our duties, of primary im¬ portance. Religious instruction, properly under¬ stood, is a perpetual renewal of the basis of the church, and constitutes the most real and precious part of that tradition by which Christianity is per¬ petuated from age to age, not only as a doctrine, but as a life. The importance of the sermon, properly so called, is so much the greater as it is addressed to hearers prepared by religious instruction. Catechization is essential to those who are its im¬ mediate objects, useful to the parish, which itself needs to be catechized, and is so in fact, through its children, useful to the pastor himself, because the constant obligation to make religion level to the capacity of children reminds him continually of the simplicity which is essential to him, and brings his 126 APPENDIX. mind back to the first and most elementary names and forms of things. In all these respects it deserves our zealous attention, which, moreover, is demanded by the difficulty of the duty itself, a difficulty which varies with different pastors, but must be great for all; for in addition to all the conditions required for good preaching, this task involves special conditions. The pastor who can catechize well will not preach badly. It is true that catechism has repelling qualities which do not belong to preaching; but it has its peculiar attractions. Still more true is it that catechization involves a formidable obstacle in the small agreement, or rather in the contrast, between the teaching the child re¬ ceives from the minister and that which he, for the most part, receives from the world and from his own family. But, so far as this obstacle is not insur¬ mountable, it assumes the aspect of a motive for the minister to give the more attention to his part of pastoral duty, and it is even a chief reason for the institution itself. The object of religious instruction is not only to teach to children the religion that is specially theirs, (as if they already possessed it, and it were theirs prior to instruction,) but to establish in them a life.* Doubtless it is a form of instruction, taking the word in its ordinary meaning, and in a lower sense than that involved in its etymological significance; but it is much more really an initiation into the sacred mysteries of Christian life. "My little chil¬ dren," says St. Paul, "of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you." Gal. iv. 19. * For the development of this idea, see the Course of Catechetics. APPENDIX. 127 We must not give the preference to the most intel¬ ligent children, to those whose replies are best, [but must often recognize a superiority in spiritual quali¬ ties in those whose intellectual powers are moro limited. The heart's answers, when they are true, are worth more than the most striking indications of intelligence. The dull child which provokes our asperity, is perhaps more serious than the intelligent child whom we are much more disposed to caress.] I 2. General Characteristics of Catechiza- tion—Source and Method of Religious Instruc¬ tion.—Instruction, as such, may be as solid and com¬ plete as possible, but spontaneity and life must be sought; and, in order to attain these, the studies must not be too hurried, they should not be too laborious, [for that which too much occupies the mind may pos¬ sibly leave the heart still indolent.] There should be nothing which can suggest too close an approxima¬ tion between ordinary studies and those required from the catechumen—nothing which can leave be¬ hind it an unpleasant recollection. [Let the child remember these lessons during his whole life; at least so far as this depends upon the preacher.] Let these hours of lessons be hours of edification—let the child feel that he is exerting a healthy activity*—let religious instruction have the character of worship.f Activity and worship are two characteristics which mutually involve one another, but are too often lost Bight of. * The feeling of activity is produced by interrogations which elicit the exposition. t See on this subject a passage in Madame Necker's Progressive Education:—"Religion will never assume its most sacred aspect to young people, unless the very teach¬ ing of it is a mode of worship," &c. Book vi. ch. ii. 128 APPENDIX. Where should the child find his religion? [What¬ ever he can himself discover he should discover; but this is little: all the rest is] in the Bible. The knowledge of the Bible is that which he requires.* The catechism presupposes the Bible, of which it should be a summary and systematic digest; [and we may say, in passing, that] his employment of it after the Bible has not the same inconveniences as the employment of it before the Bible. [To abolish it altogether would be a fatal excess, but much less thau that of dispensing with the Bible.] By their interlacing one with another, the ideas of the Bible become as living fibres in a living body. Separation is death. The mind may distinguish be¬ tween facts, but in life nothing is isolated, and all those individualizations, personifications, entities which figure in the catechism, are fictions. All are but different faces or applications of one and the same truth. But there are difficulties attaching to the employ¬ ment of the Bible; [we must not enter upon this path without reflecting ;] we must organize a method, [and inquire how the Bible is to be read; what in it should be read; where we should begin ; and, lastly, we must carefully estimate the general procedure which the limitations of time may require.] \ 3. Advice to the Catechist.—It would be desirable for the pastor to begin with the youngest children in his parish, and having them under his guidance for several successive years, to proceed with their instruction at leisure. I can understand * See an article on M. Morel's Sacred, History in the Stmeur, vol. ix. No. 27, (July, 1840,) [and Aipendix, note viii., for the portion of that article which refers to the use ot the catechism.]—Ed. APPENDIX. 129 how, having them for only a short time under his control, he should be obliged to use a catechism. But whether he should be obliged by necessity to use it, (and especially under these circumstances,) or whether the catechism is used after the Bible, the use of such a manual requires especial care. It is difficult to make a catechism, and there are few good ones. Other things being equal, I would prefer the most elementary, that which, framed after a Christian model, should present forcibly all its teach¬ ings under a small number of principles, and should present, under each subject, only the most funda¬ mental ideas, expressed with vigour and feeling. I have not yret met with any catechism superior to Luther's. By adding to it a selection of passages, every thing necessary for our purposes would be pos¬ sessed. Whatever be the form of catechization, whether based upon the Bible or some manual, that which takes place in public ought to be calculated to meet the wants of the class of hearers for whom it is specially designed—I mean children. It is very desirable that adults should attend and feel interest in these meetings, but their presence need not alter the character of our instructions: this would be to act unfaithfully to the children, and to do injury rather than good to the adults. Religion is never more impressive, instruction is never more truly profound, than when Christianity is regarded from the point of view of childhood: thus to present it is the best means of attracting adults—the best sermon is less attractive than a skilfully managed catechiz- ing. Whether in public, or with each child apart, the matter ought to be carefully prepared: we must not 5 130 APPENDIX. say, I have only children to deal with; for in this respect, as in all others, maxima debetur puero reve- rentia,* the greatest reverence is due to youth. It is undoubtedly no easy matter to speak well to chil¬ dren. Some persons have the appropriate talent for this work. [With children we must be clear, strik¬ ing, impulsive; but in this case there is a great danger of transgressing the limits of decorum.] On this point I would commend to you the following remarkable confession by Bernard Overberg: "This morning again," he says in his journal, "I went to the school without sufficient preparation. Lord, as¬ sist me to improve in this matter! It is an illusion for me to say, that is enough—you know your task—here is something to be done more necessary than such preparation; for every thing which can bo adjourned is less important than this duty at this particular moment. The want of preparation in¬ volves many disadvantages: teaching is then dry, confused, irregular, diffuse—the children are em¬ barrassed and unable to sustain their attention— the lesson becomes wearisome both to them and to me."f Preparation for catechizing, even in public, which is called oratory, (in the German, Predigtcatechis- mus,) does not suppose a discourse to be written and committed to memory ; still less does prepara¬ tion for the special instruction which is communi¬ cated in the pastor's residence. Such occasions ought to wear the aspect of a free and familiar con¬ versation, which can hardly belong to a written discourse. But preparation ought not therefore to * Juvenal, Satire xiv. v. 47. ■j" Notice of Bernard Overberg, Teacher in the Miinstet Normal School, by J. H. Schubert, Professor at Munich. APPENDIX. 131 be less careful. (We may say, in general, that the two forms of preparation, if they are not identical, supplement each other.) Gentleness and patience are primary qualifications required in the catechist: satire is inexcusable— hardly less so is it to cause or allow embarrassment in the child before the rest of those present. Gen¬ tleness should be paternal but manly: love foi children will infallibly secure an amiable manner, and will admirably supersede the necessity for an artificially bland and languid style. Familiarity, [doubtless, ought not to be absent, but it] should be sedate and grave: in religious in¬ struction there is seldohi occasion for a smile, nevei for a laugh. We must interest, not amuse. [Soma teachers are in the habit of introducing anecdotes in their instructions; but they should be brought for¬ ward with moderation, and should be serious and suitable.] The physical comfort of children during the hours of catechizing is a matter to be taken into considera¬ tion. The exercise ought not to be too prolonged. Especially in exposition, judicious limits should not be transgressed, and the time should be relieved by interrogation, [which is less fatiguing to the child because it calls forth his own activity. We must not say all in exposition, but leave the general ideas to be illustrated by particulars in questioning. The worst mode of catechizing is when digressions are introduced which cause the principal object to pass out of sight, and from which it is difficult for the children, and even for the teacher himself, to return. This is the danger of the Socratic method, which, in other respects, is excellent, and is too little culti¬ vated. In an absolutely Socratic method, the child 132 APPENDIX. too readily persuades himself that he himself has found all that is elicited from him, which is inju¬ rious to the pastor's authority, and excites the self- love of the child. Moreover, it is impossible to foresee where such a method will lead to—what may be the issue of some point of detail which must be explained in answer to the questions of a child. Long circuitous routes are very undesirable.] The particular replies of each child in the course of instruction will not suffice for a decision concern¬ ing him: each child should, toward the end of the course, be separately seen and examined. [Those who are best instructed may not be the best.] He should also be seen that he may be enabled to arrive at a true mode of regarding the communion to which he is to be admitted. [The child should be carefully informed as to the true nature of the Lord's Supper. This subject, in its practical point of view, is one on which many prejudices exist, which is partly to be attributed to the human heart. In general, children are free from these prejudices, but they are ignorant. The child should be taught what it is that he is really about to do]—the confirmation of his bap¬ tismal vows should be presented in a true light be¬ fore him. [The formulary used among us is in many respects defective: it says nothing of the Lord's Supper, nor of the grace of God which is so neces¬ sary to be brought to mind when so terrible a pro¬ mise is formally solemnized. This promise ought rather to be a declaration. Our formulary, then, requires, at least, supplementary instruction.] The age at which, among us, this confirmation takes place, [sixteen years,] appears convenient, so far as regards the design of making the confirmation of baptismal vows a free and intelligent act. How* APPENDIX. 133 ever, so far as the question of admission or non- admission is concerned, the true qualification to be regarded is a knowledge of the mysteries of piety proportionate to the capacity of each applicant, and more especially an intelligence of the heart, the religious apprehension of this mystery. [For tba first we have a measure: there is no sure method ot* recognizing the second. Accordingly, as to this latter point, unless we have a decisive proof that the child has dispositions directly contrary to Christian¬ ity, he should be admitted.] We have a right to adjourn or refuse confirmation; but it is unreason¬ able to assume the right of preventing another pastor from administering it, if he thinks he can do what we have refused to do. It suffices for us to have warned our brother, in order to relieve ourselves from responsibility. 134 APPENDIX. II. METHODISM NOT INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE CATECHUMENICAL SYSTEM, AS ISAAC TAYLOR AFFIRMS. There are few works, perhaps, better adapted to bring the Methodist Church into discredit among in¬ telligent readers than Isaac Taylor's Wesley and Methodism. It is, nevertheless, a book which might be read with advantage by those who are in authority in that communion, according to the old maxim, " Fas est," etc.—" It is fair to derive instruction from even an enemy," albeit we would not say that Mr. Taylor is an enemy of Methodism, as he assumes "that it was indeed a dispensation from heaven." He thinks that an itinerant ministry, however excel¬ lent and necessary for aggressive operations, is in¬ compatible with the due pastoral oversight of the church, especially of the lambs of the flock. He says, " unless a Christian body becomes vital through¬ out its mass, in a domestic sense, it will be neither conscious of its want Oi ^stors, nor will it furnish such from its own bosom. An itinerating ministry, useful as it is in certain respects, and well adapted to the wants of a recently evangelized people, must be regarded as indicative of a crude Christian condi¬ tion : it is a practice that belongs to a transition state of things—a state which is not to be remedied by a more careful training of itinerating ministers; but in no other way than, by a far-reaching renova- APPENDIX. 135 tion of the social mass—in a word, by carrying Christianity, in its silent energies, from the chapel to the house." " Where children are not thought of as ' members of Christ,' and where they come under no discipline as such, the rite of baptism adminis¬ tered in infancy is a five-minutes' operation—profit¬ less, perplexing, unintelligible, and out of harmony, as well with the Christian scheme as with the system under which it takes place. An incongruity, not perceived by the parties, but yet serious, was it when these preachers, whose function was only con¬ vert-making, welcomed infants into a society from which they were instantly afterward thrust out, or thenceforward forgotten by it, until they were of age to listen to sermons." These are weighty, sug¬ gestive words. There is a profound Christian philo¬ sophy in this passage, which might be studied with profit by all the pastors and teachers of the church. Were the discharge of the obligation here brought to view indeed incompatible with an itinerant minis¬ try, we should unhesitatingly demand a change in the economy of the church, making a settled pastor¬ ate the rule and itinerancy the exception—the latter supplemental and subservient to the former. But we may be allowed to doubt the correctness of Mr. Taylor's assumption in this matter. There may be more difficulties in the way of an itinerant than of a settled pastor, in regard to the catechizing of the young; but we are sure these difficulties are not in¬ superable. Mr. T. says, "If the man of incessant journeyings may become a pastor, such as the people need, then also may oaks, in full growth, be had from a nursery-ground and set down before your window. We must have been used to trifle with our own souls, and we must have become regardless of the spiritual welfare of our families, of children and 136 APPENDIX. servants, if we have not often desired those influ ences for ourselves and for them, which a Christian minister—not a sermon-maker, but a pastor—may shed around him. Butshall he do this, who has been 'two years on our station,' and will be gone, the next and, who, while he stays, is called upon to despatch countless public services and to rid himself of a thousand formalities of office? This will not be." We think, however, it might be: we know it is in many instances; and why may it not be in*all? Why may not a " station" or even a circuit preacher be a pastor, and not a mere sermon-maker, as well as a settled minister ? Nevertheless, the passage is suggestive, and for that reason we bring it to notice in this connection. The greatest blunder, indeed an almost unpardonable offence, in Mr. Taylor's book, is his monstrous caricature of a Methodist class-meeting. He seems to have some distorted idea of a band-meeting—an obsolete affair, at least, in our country—and with it identifies the class-meet¬ ing, of which he betrays so much ignorance that we wonder he should allude to it at all. We have at present, however, nothing to do with Mr. Taylor's misrepresentations of the class-meeting—which, by the way, has, so far as we can see, as good a scrip¬ tural basis as any other institution of the church— our object is to call attention to the following pas¬ sage : "If the class of persons is considered who, for the most part, are brought together in these weekly conclaves, what is most needed for them, besides those devotional exercises which tend to keep fervent piety alive, is a course of sound in¬ struction, catechetical and didactic, embracing the doctrines and duties of Christianity—that is to say, instruction brought home to each mind, and brought down to the level of each understanding, in a man- APPENDIX. 137 ner which can scarcely be effected from the pulpit. That which the class-meeting urgently needs is a competent Bible-class teacher." Now, we think, it is much better to have one meeting for " devotional exercises" and another for " catechetical" instruc¬ tion—that is to say, a " class-meeting" in which ex¬ perimental and practical piety shall be the primary consideration, and a Bible-class and Sunday-school in which "didactic instruction" shall be the leading element. The necessity of the latter is assumed by Mr. Taylor—we think, in perfect accordance with a sound Scriptural philosophy ; but we have yet to learn that experience meetings and catechetical meetings are mutually antagonistic, or that attention to the one supersedes the necessity of attending to the other. Mr. T. says, "Christian families, trained within a church which should well understand its commission in the world, and should be alive to its duties, and mistrustful, never, of the grace, the power, and the faithfulness of God, such families, so trained, would send forth from their nurture- bosoms, for catechetical instruction, their junior members—' the members of Christ, the children of God, the inheritors of the kingdom of heaven'—those to who^a the customary hour's talking in a ' class- meeting' would be strangely unsuitable." Truly it would, if the class-meeting were such a monstrous confessional as Mr. Taylor imagines ; but if it be an institution admirably adapted to the maintenance of a salutary, scriptural discipline, as well as the com¬ munion of saints and the cultivation of vital godli¬ ness—which we affirm to be the fact—then a class¬ room might not be the worst place in the world for the children of the church. Family training and catechetical instruction are by no means incompatible with the spiritual regimen of a Methodist class- 138 APPENDIX. meeting. We have made these references to the work of Mr. Taylor, because he thinks, and many others think, that he has touched the weak point in Methodism—maintaining that it cannot secure an efficient pastorate, especially in regard to its youth¬ ful membership, and th<"-efore it is incapable of a large development, vigorous growth, and permanent endurance. If this be indeed the heel of Achilles, let those whose province it is supply what is needed to make it invulnerable. APPENDIX. 13a III.—DISCOURSES TO THE YOUNG. Some people think it is a small matter to address children; and, true enough, some of their perform¬ ances in this vocation are sufficiently small. For our own part, we do not care to be caught under the ministrations of those who think any thing will do for children, and that everybody can preach to them. Save us from such inflictions! We are of opinion that it requires serious premeditation and mental effort to secure success in discourses to the young. There must be a judicious selection of topics suitable to their age,—a perfect mastery of the subject discussed,—and an adaptation of lan¬ guage, illustration, and method to their capacities and tastes. There should be no buffoonery, some¬ times mistaken for wit—no silly baby-talk, mistaken for simplicity—no boisterous declamation, which some seem to think necessary to keep up the atten¬ tion of the young. He who addresses children must be sure that he has something suitable to say to them—he must have his thoughts arranged in proper method—his style and manner must be simple and easy—and he must never lose sight of the immense interests which are at stake, and which he is pro¬ fessedly labouring to secure. We are sure this is not too high a standard; and we are sure too that it cannot be measured up to by those wonderful ge¬ niuses, who need no study, no premeditation, but oan do every thing by mere extemporal effort. 140 APPENDIX. The standard which we have erected can ba reached by men who cannot boast of much genius, talent, learning, or eloquence. Any preacher, any superintendent, of ordinary abilities, if he will only take the pains, can make his discourses interesting and profitable to children. But we insist upon it, that unbeaten oil must not be brought into the sanc¬ tuary when it is to be burnt to enlighten the young. Let them have the clearest and most brilliant light that can possibly be procured. "We will venture to suggest to those concerned, that it would be well for them to select a number of Scripture subjects suitable for short discourses to children, and that they carefully study each topic with the help of such means as may be within their reach. If they commit the outlines of their ad¬ dresses to paper and then transfer them to their memories, so much jthe better. This will accustom them to think methodically and to speak with ease and freedom. By this means too they will learn to say in a neat and effective address of fifteen minutes more than they would otherwise say in a rambling harangue of thrice that length. In this way, too, they can note down apt quotations of Scripture to illustrate and confirm every point which they ad¬ vance. We are of opinion that the best method of instruction, especially for the young, is that which makes them the most familiar with the lively oracles. Of course, in those addresses there should be very little sermonizing arithmetic and no scaffolding—no parade of preparation, but only the result of it. You may use what art and what technicalities you please in your study, provided you take none of them into the pulpit or desk. You may have them on your skeleton paper, but they must go no further than that. Every discourse, indeed, must have a APPENDIX. 141 beginning, a middle, and an end—exordium, discus Bion, and peroration—and these should be duly ar¬ ranged in your mind. But as these are the natural parts of a discourse, you can pass through them without blowing a trumpet before and after them, as is so frequently done in the pulpit. We cannot, perhaps, explain our meaning in re¬ gard to this matter so well, as by giving an illustra¬ tion. We will select for our topic, David's charge to Solomon. It matters not whether it is to be a formal sermon by the pastor, or an address by the superin¬ tendent, in which latter case it is not customary to announce the text in pulpit style—we examine the passage with care and analyze it to the best of our ability, put the outlines of the discourse to paper and transfer them to our memory, in something like the following form: Text.—1 Chron. xxviii. 9. Introduction.—The scene, v.l—occasion, approaching death of the king—parties: David, Solomon. I. The Charge. 1. To know God. (1.) In what sense— Not absolute, Job xi. 7. But qualified—to have such a knowledge of his being and perfec¬ tions, as will constitute the ground of love, obedience, and enjoy¬ ment. Job xxii. 21, 22. Jer. ix. 23, 24. John xvii. 3. Acts xvii. 23, 27. (2.) How may we know him— By his works, Rom. i. 20,—Word, John v. 39,—Spirit, Isa. liv. 13. 1 Cor. ii. 11,12. 2. To serve Him. (1.) With a perfect heart. Heart—soul: perfect heart—whole soul. Two points here:—To eerve with a perfect heart implies sincerity, as opposed to hypocrisy, Ps. lvL 18. Matt, xv 8. John iv. 24—and concentration, as opposed to distraction, 1 Sam. xil. 20. Ps. Ixxxvi. 11. Matt. vi. 24. (2.) With a willing mind. 142 APPENDIX. Not forced, but free, Ps. ex. 3. Not reluctant, but prompt, 1 Sam. iii. 1-ld. Ps. xxvii. 8. Ik ill. 4. Not sullen, but cheerful, Ps. c. 2. n. The Grounds. 1. A doctrine—God's supervision of men (1.) God is concerned with us, 1 Sam. ii. 3. (2.) God knows all about us, Ps. exxxix. Jer. xvii. 10. 2. A promise—God will be found by those who seek him. (1.) In the closet, fields, temples, Scriptures, Proy. viii. 17. ($.) Implies his friendship, guidance, supplies, protection, 2 Chron. i. 7-10. S. A threatening—God will abandon those who fbrsake him (1.) A just proceeding, Ps. xviii. 26. (2.) An awful doom—to be cast off from all holy and happy beings —all good and desirable things, Gen. iv. 13,14. Ps. xvi. 11. Matt, xiii. 41-43; xxv. 41. 2 Thess. i. 9—from hope, for ever. Application.—1. Happy they who, having been blessed with a pious ancestry, know and serve the God of their fathers, 2 Tim. i. 6 ; iii. 14,15. 2. A pious parentage, apart from personal piety, will avail nothing, but rather increase our condemnation, Luke iii. 9; xvi. 24. John viii. 39. The discourse should he followed by a hymn suited to the subject. The prayer after the disoourse should rarely comprehend more than one or two pe¬ titions—a rule, by the way, which might be observed with advantage when children of a larger growth are concerned. Some preachers make no distinction between the prayer before sermon and that which comes after: the former should embrace what are called " the parts of prayer—" the latter, on ordinary occasions, should be only a short " collect." APPENDIX. 143 IV A PATRISTIC PASTORAL. At the end of the third book of the Paidagogoa of Clement of Alexandria, there is a Hymn to the Saviour, which we have ventured to call a Patristic Pastoral. The Hymn may be found in the original, with a Latin translation, in the folio edition of Clement's Works, iMtetice, 1639. It is written in a peculiar metre and style, and is not easily rendered in the form of an English lyric. Some one has at¬ tempted it in the measure of " God save the King but the version is free and the versification harsh— it may not be amiss, however, to let it occupy the last pages of this Appendix. Shepherd of tender youth! Guiding in love and truth, Through devious ways— Christ, our triumphant King—• We come thy name to sing, And here our children bring To shout thy praise. Thou art our holy Lord! The all-subduing Word I Healer of strife! APPENDIX. Thou didst thyself abase, That from sin's deep disgrace, Thou mightest save our race, And give us life. Thou art our great High-Priest 1 Thou hast prepared the feast Of holy love; And in our mortal pain, None calls on thee in vain— Help thou dost not disdain, Help from above. Ever be thus our guide ! Our Shepherd and our pride, Our staff and song! Jesus ! thou Christ of God! By thy perennial word, Lead us where thou hast trod— Make our faith strong. So now, and till we die, Sound we thy praises high, And joyful sing: Infants, and the glad throng Who to thy church belong, Unite and swell the song, To Christ our King. THE END.