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circulation of periodical literature, and calls upon us to increased preparation of our Scripture lessons on behalf of our classes. I think we can never urge too much upon our teachers the importance of preparation. I urge our teachers, if their lessons form a part of a previously arranged scheme, to look at those lessons on a Monday morning previously to leaving their bed-room; to put it off to Monday evening is hazardous. Make yourself sure of the opportunity while it occurs. You read, perhaps, your Bibles every Monday morning; take one of the Sunday school lessons as your subject that morning, even though it break your chain of daily reading. The fact of reading in order to teach others, need be no barrier to your personal edification. On the contrary, the fact that you read with a view to find out, for your own profit, all that the passage contains, will the better enable you to apply them to the hearts and consciences of those whom you teach. If you devote Monday morning, then, to the work of preparation, you will go forth prepared to turn the events of the week to purposes of practical utility. An illustration, cut from the columns of a newspaper-a providential escape, a calamitous accident, a wreck on shore, or a storm at sea-will all subserve important ends. It needs but a pair of Sunday school eyes, and every incident that transpires around you will illustrate your subject; every book that you take from your shelf will afford you a contribution, while every person that you meet will enable you to solve some doubt, or will supply to you some information. As an instance of the mode in which we can collect materials for teaching and preaching, if we keep our eyes and ears open, I will mention to you that I was travelling to-day in a railway carriage, and was conversing with a gentleman upon Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac; and the gentleman remarked to me this-his view was so novel that I think it worth while to propound it to you-"I have never regarded Isaac so much as a type of our blessed Saviour as of this sin-sick and guilty world bearing its own burden, tied and bound, ready to be placed upon the altar, and to be consumed by the stroke of Almighty vengeance. The ram was the true type of Christ, which was offered up upon the altar in the stead of his son." I merely throw the thought out to you; it may or not be correct; but its novelty struck me, and the more I thought of it, the more I was persuaded of its accuracy. However, not only should we, on Monday morning, get a cursory view of our lesson; but it becomes us, during the week, to devote some time to its close and critical study, find out the meaning of every word it contains, the design of every precept it enjoins, the connection of every incident which it details. Look at every parallel reference, hunt your subject through its every ramification, master its geography and its chronology, find out the place where and the time when each event occurred, look at all the varied events mentioned about the same subject in the word of God, so that you may be prepared, if need be, to group them around your special subject in chronological order. Work your mine, until from its deep dark bosom you draw up load after load of precious ore, and stand appalled and amazed at the riches which have requited your search. And if the subject be thus studied, it will generally resolve itself into appropriate divisions, and these divisions will make the lesson itself memorable to our scholars. I do not mean, neither did my friend on my left mean, that by some Procrustean process of expansion or contraction we should bring every subject to harmonise with some artificial frame. work; but every lesson has its salient points, and by diligent study and earnest prayer we shall be enabled to draw out these. I will give you one or two instances of what I mean by having a kind of framework on which to hang our lessons. One of the most interesting subjects I ever taught a class, was the quarrel of Abraham with Lot. I took as my divisions the scene of the quarrel, the circumstances of the quarrel, the settlement of the quarrel, and the sequel to the quarrel. Again, upon another occasion I took the first Psalm, and I showed how it described the Christian;

first, negatively; next, positively; and thirdly, metaphorically. Do away with the hard words, if you please; and then you have, first, what a Christian does not do-"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly"-and so on; secondly, what the Christian does do-"he delighteth in the law of the Lord, and therein he meditateth day and night;" thirdly, what the Christian is like, namely, a tree planted by the running water; and, fourthly, what the Christian is not likethe chaff carried away by the wind. What the Christian does, what he does not; what the Christian is like, what he is unlike. Again, I took once the account of the borrowed axe, mentioned in 2 Kings vi., and we found there a beautiful illustration of these four points-diligence in work, companionship in work, conscientiousness in work, God's blessing accompanying and crowning work. First, diligence in work. The sons of the prophet knew that an abode would not drop into their laps ready made from heaven. Wishing would not procure it; but they knew where there was a suitable site on which to build, and suitable materials with which to build; they had hands that would wield the axe, backs that would bear the burden, and immediately, in a united troop, they set forth. A plan was concocted, the foundations were laid, the walls were reared, and presently the edifice stood forth, fitted and furnished, ready for their comfort and convenience. There we have an illustration of companionship in work. "Go, I pray thee, with thy servants," and accordingly Elisha accompanied them. Companionship in work contracts miles into furlongs, makes heavy burdens light as feathers; it hangs squalid walls with sunbeams. Now, although we cannot have what the world calls good company in our work, we can have the best company-the company of the Triune Jehovah--and, as a little girl said in her crib, when waking up in the middle of the night, "I think one wants but three things in this world-the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to make him holy; the love of God, to make him happy; and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, that he may be always in good company." Next, we have an illustration of conscientiousness in work. "Alas! Master, for it was borrowed." Not-"it is no consequence, because it was borrowed," but "Alas! Master, for it was borrowed." Then we may enlarge on the blessedness of a good conscience; a conscience void of offence towards God and towards man. It is a rare thing to find a person thoroughly conscientious,-one who, if he finds a bank note, will be as anxious to find an owner as he was glad to find the note; one who, if he borrows money, will be as cager to repay as he was willing to borrow; one who will work behind his master's back as vigorously as if his master's eyes were beaming upon him like two stars. Nevertheless, a conscience is a blessing. A man without a conscience is afraid to go through a wood at night; afraid to go into a room where there is a dead body; afraid to step on deck in the storm but a man who keeps a conscience void of offence towards God and man, can look the whole world in the face, for he fears not any man. Finally, we have an instance of God's blessing accompanying and crowning work. The man of God said, "Where fell it?" The place was pointed out, and the axe was restored. It shows that in little things God can bless us; that ordinary work may become acceptable worship; that in the running of an errand, in the lighting of a fire, in the writing of a copy, in the hemming of a pocket-handkerchief, or in the nursing of an infant, we may manifest as much of the essential Christian spirit, and have as much of the Divine blessing, as when we meet in solemn conclave, where the great congregation bend together the knee in prayer, or raise together the voice in praise. Let me give you another illustration of a lesson that I once gave. It was a description of the character of Barnabas. We are told, when the work of grace broke out in Antioch, the church at Jerusalem sent down Barnabas to take cognizance of what occurred; and we are told that when he was come, and had seen the grace of God, "he was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the

Lord; for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith." Now these were the divisions, simple enough,-just, in short, the natural groupings in which the lessons, by a diligent study, fell. First, what Barnabas saw. He saw the grace of God. Grace is a thing which is to be seen. The Bible does not recognise secret grace. Secondly, what he felt," When he saw the grace of God, he was glad." Joy, then, is the genius of the Christian dispensation. Thirdly, what he did,-"he exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord,"-the sum and substance of all religion,-its Alpha and its Omega. Cleaving unto the Lord is the hum of the six days, and the rest of the seventh; in conflict and sorrow, in prosperity and joy.. What Barnabas was,-"a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost ;" and more especially of that which is the cardinal fruit of the Spirit-faith. What he saw, what he felt, what he did, what he was. Now I leave the work of preparation, and speak for a moment or two upon the second point, which the resolution calls upon us to bear in mind,—that is, the importance of earnest prayer; the importance of seeking, by specific prayer for and with our scholars, and by personal and individual appeals to their hearts,—to render the class instruction more interesting and efficient, and thus to bring them to an early decision for Christ. I was thinking to-day of that striking passage in the forty-fourth chapter of Isaiah, "I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: and they shall spring up as among grass, as willows by the water-courses. One shall say, I am the Lord's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel." I thought of the first clause especially, "I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring ;" and it struck me that the clauses were identical, only that different terms were used in each. In the first part, it was "thy seed;" in the next, "thine offspring." In the first, "my Spirit ;" in the next, "my blessing;" and I deduced from it this conclusion,-that God meant His Spirit to be identical with His blessing. It is not so with us. We say, 66 Blessed are the strong," for in this world might has often triumphed against right, and justice walks about desolate, for want of a friend. "Blessed are the rich," for a hundred tongues are ready to trumpet their praise; a hundred hands are ready to work in their service; and a hundred feet ready to run their errands; and "blessed are the wise," to them knowledge unlocks its stores, science its secrets. They know how to calculate, in any given case, the probabilities of success or failure, and to take time at the time which, if taken, will lead on to fortune. A competency for life, celebrity in the literary world, a commission in the army or the navy, a name in the commercial world, which shall be the symbol of credit, of respectability, and of honour,-these are the withered gourds with which we seek to embower our children's earthly heritage; this is the false jewellery with which we bedeck their persons. But when the Lord says, "I will bless," what saith he? "I will give them that which, if they are the proudest of earth's nobles, will constrain them to pour contempt on all their pride, and which, if they are the pitifullest of earth's sons, will fill their hearts with holy joy, and invest their persons with sacred dignity. I will give them that which shall warm the heart if it be cold, break the heart if it be hard, comfort the heart if it be troubled; that which shall be as fire to penetrate, as the wind to purify, as the water to cleanse, as the dew to refresh and fertilize." I will pour upon them my Spirit in giving unto them my blessing; thus upon thy seed will I do." In the first part of the verse the church had been mentioned. "I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground." And then succeeds the mention of the churches younger members: "I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, my blessing upon thine off spring." When the rain descended upon God's heritage, the oaks of Bashan, the cedars of Lebanon, and the vines of Eshcol, all felt its fertilizing effects, but the

tender grass of the valleys also became, from its effects, greener and sweeter; the little hyssop upon the garden wall became hung with liquid jewels; the rose of Sharon emitted a richer fragrance to the breeze, and exhibited a deeper purple to the eye. Thus shall it be when God's Spirit comes down upon a church. The old shall feel its effects; in their case the formalism of half a century shall fall in one vast flake from the spirit; a new world shall dawn upon their sight, and they shall ask themselves for the first time, "What must I do to be saved?" The middle aged shall feel it; they shall realise then, that the tilling of their farm, the selling of their merchandise, is not life's great end, that they may run a risk by too much worldly effort of bartering the everlasting for the perishable; and they shall brace themselves up with a vigour, which neither earth nor hell shall stop, to press towards the work for the prize of their high calling. But chiefly the young, those in whose eyes the fires of youth are flashing, and upon whose cheeks the glow of youth is mantling; they shall come, and in the morning freshness of their existence, in life's spring time, they shall consecrate their powers to the service of their Redeemer, and open their hearts to the breath of the Sanctifier; they shall spring up as flowers among the grass, as willows by the water-courses. Instead of the flippant tone, and the volatile disposition, there shall be a listening ear when the things of God are preached, a yielding spirit when the claims of Christ are urged, a throbbing heart when the hopes of God's elect are pourtrayed, a liberal spirit when the claims of the heathen are advocated; there shall be an earnestness of countenance, and an expression of eye, which shall show clearly that the heart's great question is, "What must I do to be saved?" They shall spring up in love, in zeal, in hope, and in all manner of fruitfulness; and, at the same time, there shall be the downward shoot in humility and in faith, a grasping of the tree of life with a closer hold, and a fixing of the roots the firmer in the Rock of ages. One shall say, "I am the Lord's;" his, because made by him, preserved by him, redeemed by him, renewed by him.

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One shall say, I am the Lord's, and there shall be a blessed contagion in the work. Another shall subscribe himself by the name of Jacob, and here and there they shall ask, "What! is the heavenly dew coming on all around, and shall my fleece alone be dry?" One and another, starting to the ground, shall say, What! are my friends become Christ's free men, and am I to remain for ever the devil's drudge?" Thus there shall be a blessed work on the right hand and on the left, and they shall flock unto the church like doves into their windows. Now, if this blessed picture is to be realised, it must be in answer to prayers of believing people. Now, though I have no confidence in prayer without effort; I have a little less confidence in effort without prayer. If the work be accomplished, it must be accomplished by the Lord. Conversion, like all other of God's works, is a mighty work. Ignatius, I think it was, remarked long ago, a Christian is not a work of persuasion, but of majesty; and if the blessed Spirit is to come down which is to quicken these dry bones, to clothe this instrumentality with power, and make our words so many seeds of everlasting life, we may try to bring our children, our scholars, to the sound of the word; but oh! when they are under that sound, and before they come to the sound, and when they retire from the sound, let us pray that their hearts may be like wax, ready to receive the heavenly impression; like ships upon the ocean ready to sail north, south, east, or west, in the direction in which the heavenly breeze shall blow like strings of the Æolian

harp, through which the gales of the spirit sweeping, shall wake the responsive echo, "Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth." Let us have the pains, but let us have the earnest prayer of which the resolution speaks. Elliot says, "Prayer and faith in the Lord Jesus will accomplish everything." What we want is to impress the hearts of our scholars with the living truths which we teach them. I remember, during my residence in Sheffield, one of our colporteurs came to me, and said he had met with a person, in the course of his day's canvass, who had shown him a copy of the Word of God, which had saved his life. "I was once in a storm," he said, "and the vessel was wrecked, and all on board were in imminent danger of finding a watery grave. One secured this article of property, and another secured that; I fixed around my neck my Bible, and I determined that, lose what I might, I would at least retain, as long as life lasted, God's Word. I thought that, at length, I must go down to the bottom, for the storm was so furious, and my strength was so small; but as I was on the point of sinking, I felt my Bible bump at the back of my neck, and I thought I shall never perish as long as I have a book upon my back with these words in it, 'When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee." The text acted like a stimulus; the man was buoyed up till help came, and he was thus rescued. What we want is the living word, not upon our children's backs, but in their hearts. Then will they be able to walk upon the top of the waves; in flames the Lord shall preserve them, and they shall lose nothing in the flames but their bonds; if they are exposed to sorrows, thick as flakes of the winter's snow-storm, or sparks from the blacksmith's forge, he will enable them to go resolutely forward, saying, "Come, brethren, let us sing the forty-sixth Psalm, and let the devil and Rome do their worst; we are nothing compared with our foes, but our foes are nothing compared with Jesus Christ."

The Rev. JAMES H. WILSON, of Aberdeen, seconded the resolution. He said: Mr. Chairman and my dear friends, I suppose most of you have heard the anecdote about the good Mr. Hervey, who on one occasion was praised for the works he had written by a very kind but somewhat injudicious friend. Mr. Hervey stopped him in the midst of his praise, and said, putting his hand upon his heart, "O, my brother, if you knew how much tinder there is in this box of mine, you would not strike the sparks of praise so freely." I assure you, friends, that my tinder box is not empty; and while I thank you for your kindness in recognising a stranger, I would pray for humility of spirit on this exciting occasion. I hope we shall this day receive the unction of the Holy Ghost; so that after the joy and exuberance of feeling now produced, there will remain an earnest determination to live more for God in the time to come than we have ever yet done. I thank my good brother, the mover of this resolution, for the logical manner in which he has analysed it, and I trust we shall all carry away with us the practical truths which he has illustrated. We hear a great deal at the present moment about war, and the little town of Milan is probably at this hour the theatre of one of the bloodiest wars which has ever desolated Europe. I was just looking into a catechism which is issued by authority in that town, and ordered to be used in the instruction of youths in the Government schools of the country. Just hear one or two sentences from this catechism, and tell me what you think about it. The question is asked, "How must subjects behave towards their sovereign?" And the reply is, "Subjects must behave towards their sovereign like faithful slaves towards their master." Again: "Why must subjects behave like slaves?"" "Because their sovereign is their master, and has power over their property as well as their life."-" Are subjects bound to obey bad sovereigns also " "Yes;" subjects are bound to obey not only good, but also bad sovereigns." When there is such a catechism as that in the Government schools of Italy, how can we wonder

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