Him to whom alone it is due, I dare not disesteem, much less vilify a Church whose ministers, and those among the humblest of her servants, assuredly became instruments of such vast and extensive good. It equally fell to my lot to hear Dr. Buchanan, a Churchman, preach a sermon for this important society, one week day, on his return from India, which so affected me (and these are the best sermons) that I resolved on the spot, as a proprietor of East India stock, that if I should stand alone I would protest against the abominations of idolatry and murder, which he then publicly charged upon that company that they suffered to go on with no pretence and no necessity; and yet, I repeat, this man was no Dissenter, but a Churchman. I went to another Churchman in consequence (afterwards a bishop), and advised with him respecting a motion which I then made at the India House against all this pollution; though it was gravely asserted that such madness as mine must end, and speedily too, in the loss of India : but now mark what happened-for why should I withhold the truth? The chairman and his deputy, two persons of high reputation, had, the same morning in the court of directors, resolved upon what they all called 'an amendment,' the object of which was to cushion me, for all time, by virtually declaring that, however desirable, the whole thing was impracticable. On coming to the vote, the unprecedented result was, that my motion was carried, contrary to all human probability. Such was the beginning of all that afterwards followed, though by the slowest degrees, nor till after the lapse of twenty years! I only mention the first triumph of humanity, in the prohibition of Suttees, having been an annual saving of the lives of six hundred and sixty-six females (widows) from being burnt alive-many of them under circumstances of gross compulsion, and most having unprotected children thus left to the wide world without either of their parents. Now, how came Dr. Buchanan to be in India? Why such Churchmen, as Mr. Grant, Mr. Simeon, Mr. Venn, and other like-minded Churchmen, sent him there, as the chaplain of a Church company, founded on royal charters, the avowed objects of which

charters were to bestow on India the blessings of the Church of England-(no matter to me if this alliance between Queen Elizabeth, King William III., or their successors, and the Church of England may now cause that Church to be called 'a State Church.') So the fact stands; and I must needs honour the Church Establishment, for the keeping up of which this blessed man was sent out; and then, in the providence of God, was brought back on account of his sickness, to write in England such heart-stirring books, and preach such heart-stirring sermons, as he did.

"It fell to my lot to receive a petition, among many others, against the encouragement of the Indian idolatrous practices, from all the clergy of Birmingham, regular and irregular, which I carried to Lambeth, aud entreated the archbishop to present. Never did I receive greater kindness; and his grace would not let me go till he had extracted from me every fact which seemed likely to aid his object in presenting it to Parliament; and although my personal friend, the Bishop of Chichester (dear Dr. Otter, now gone to his rest), spoke ably to the petition, I thought the primate's address much the most powerful and lucid which I had ever heard in public: but his grace, it must be remembered, was the head of the Church which is notwithstanding denounced as 'a State Church.'

"It equally fell to my lot, as a very old member of the venerable Christian Knowledge Society, to advocate the sending of a petition to Parliament from that society against the remaining idolatries of heathen India, when I was ably supported by a lay Churchman, Mr. Montague Burgoyne. More opposition was, I confess, manifested on this occasion than I expected, by one or two who should have known better; but when things seemed going hard with me, the present Bishop of London (being fortunately for me, in the chair), came to my rescue, and saved the whole question, by declaring it to have his whole heart; and so the most important, perhaps, of all the petitions that were presented, passed almost by acclamation. I call this the most important petition, because every one knows what blessed mission

aries, as for instance, Swartz, Kolhoff, and many others, had been supported by that church society from our earliest connection with India; and must equally feel that it was not at all likely that such a society would lend itself to any unwise or improper request-nay, we had evidence enough, in the long-continued support by the company itself of our church schools, church college, and by grants of books and otherwise, to permit us to doubt of their patronage, or of their anxiety to carry out the noblest purposes of their original institution-the conversion of India to Christianity by mild and peaceable means."-Poynder's Literary Extracts.

SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHERS SHOULD VISIT THEIR SCHOLARS.

THE Sunday-school Teacher has many and great difficulties to encounter. Besides the barrier which ignorance opposes to his progress, he has to contend with a mighty stream of evil home-influences to which his scholars are exposed, which is constantly sweeping away his precepts and instructions, and neutralizing his best efforts for the improvement of his scholars. Prejudice, bad example, parental unfaithfulness, and temptations in every form are arrayed against him; and until he can make himself familiar with the peculiar circumstances of his pupils at home, the particular temptations to which they are exposed, and the state of the moral atmosphere in which they live, he will in vain attempt to reform their condition. Unless he can get the parents to co-operate with him and to superintend minutely the conduct of their children at home, he cannot expect much good to result from his teaching. The best way of obtaining the co-operation of the parents is by visiting them at their homes. In these visits the Teacher's first aim should be to obtain the confidence of the parents, and this he can easily accomplish by shewing a becoming interest in the children, for parental love is so strong that any attention shewn to children will be as much esteemed by their

parents as if it was shewn to themselves. Let not the Teacher imagine that on any of these visits he is unwelcome, as it will be a source of gratification both to parents and children to be visited by him. Surely the parents will be delighted to see the individual to whom they have entrusted the religious education of their children. These visits will be attended with many beneficial results. In the first place, they will tend to confirm the Teacher's authority. If the scholars find that the Teacher has the good-will of their parents, and that he can refer to them in any cases of disobedience, they will be careful not to offend him by acting contrary to his expressed wishes. Secondly, the Teacher will discover to what particular temptations his scholars are exposed, and he can mould his instructions accordingly. The knowledge of any disease is said to be half its cure; and if the Sunday-school Teacher can discover what are the symptoms of the moral disease with which his scholars are affected, he can make use of the necessary remedies for effecting a cure. Perhaps the parents are addicted to the too frequent use of intoxicating liquors; then the Teacher can expatiate to his scholars on the evils of intemperance, and distribute among them some temperance tracts, which, when carried home, may, on some happy occasion, have the effect of breaking the chain with which the moral nature of their parents is fettered, by this vicious and degrading habit.

Perhaps the scholars are accustomed to see the Sabbath violated. In such a case the Teacher might explain to them the nature of the Sabbath, the object for which it was first instituted, the commands which were enjoined as to its observance, and the denunciations against those who violate it. If the children are convinced of the necessity of keeping holy the Sabbath-day, they will be less likely to imitate those whom they see desecrating it, and they might even be instrumental in convincing their parents of it also, as instances have been known of children reforming their parents, and converting them from their sinful practices, by their mild remonstrance, and the silent condemnation which their uniformly virtuous conduct carried with it. The Teacher can only

discover these impediments to his teaching, by visiting his scholars at their homes. Thirdly, they will increase the love existing between the teachers and scholars. Children are very fond of having any one, on whom they have bestowed their affections, taken notice of by their parents; and the consequence of such notice is, that their love for the individual will increase. So with the Sunday-school Teacher; the love which his scholars bear towards him will be strengthened and augmented, by every visit which he makes to their parents; and this alone, if there were no other, would be a sufficient argument in favour of teachers visiting their scholars. Fourthly, they will insure a more regular attendance. Besides visiting his scholars periodically, once a month, the Teacher should visit every one that he perceives to be absent from the school, in order to inquire the cause of such absence. Perhaps the child is unwell and unable to attend in that case the Teacher should visit him to cheer him, and see if he could render any assistance; at such a time the child will be doubly glad to see his Teacher. Perhaps he is absenting himself without the knowledge of his parents. Then it is manifestly the Teacher's duty to acquaint them with his absence, and see if it be sanctioned by them. If this occur once, and the scholar knows that his Teacher will not fail to inquire after him, it will deter him from absenting himself in a similar manner again. When inquiring into the cause of any scholar's absence, the Teacher should not be satisfied with evasive replies, such as "I couldn't get;" as such answers are very often given when not strictly true, and sometimes serve as a cloak to cover laziness, if not deception. When the importance of visiting the scholars is taken into account, when it is considered that it is the key-stone on which the prosperity of a Sunday-school depends, it is really amazing, and at the same time deplorable, to see how little it is attended to. Many Teachers come to the school Sunday after Sunday, and sigh over their daily-diminishing classes, without ever thinking it their duty to go and inquire after their absent scholars. Some Teachers say, by way of excuse, that they have not time to visit their