Spirit. Remember you can do the children no good, unless the Holy Spirit accompany your efforts. But do not simply think, "I can do nothing;" but think, "Now the Holy Spirit will aid me."

2nd. Study the portion of Scripture you are going to talk to the children about. Sometimes you will understand it better-that will not always be the case; for you may understand it equally well at first sight, but the order of your questions will be better; you will more readily seize on the important points, and your illustrations will be better chosen. Frequently teach by anecdotes. If you meet with anything in your reading that is suited to them, and may tend to illustrate the subject, you could introduce it. The Scripture teaches very much by history, because God knows the bulk of mankind can receive impressions more easily in that way. Teach also by questions. What children tell you, they know; what you tell them, they do not know.

Let teachers consider the children in their class a charge committed to them by God, to do them all the good they can in any way, so long as they have knowledge of them.

Pray much for the children in the week. Pray for them by name, with reference to their respective circumstances and peculiarities of character. Let your manners be friendly, but not familiar; let them be such that it may be a pleasure to the children to come into your presence.

Always uphold the authority of the superintendent. Be particular to observe the rules of the school. If you do not attend to them, how can you expect the children to do so. Be punctual and regular in your attendance. Be sure to be in time for the opening prayer. If the children see that you are careless about it, they will think that it is a mere form, and that there is no use in it. Do not stay away without urgent cause. If you do, how can you complain of the irregularity of your children. Maintain your own authority with the children. Never suffer them to disobey you. If you tell them not to talk, and they persist in doing so, this is contempt of your authority. If you can avoid giving a command,

do; but when it is given, enforce it. Avoid any thing like partiality. Do not give any occasion to suppose you have favourites. You may like one child better than another—and I do not mean to say that you should not -but do not let it influence your conduct. Never pass by in one child what you would punish in another. Do not praise the clever children for those things which evidently result from their superior abilities, and blame the stupid ones because they are not so quick. Talents are the gift of God, over which persons have no control. The industrious children are those which should be praised; and the idle ones those who should be blamed. Let me say to those who teach very little children, “Be contented with little children. It is almost, if not quite, as encouraging to teach them, because their minds are more pliable and open to receive impressions of Divine truth. Be patient and considerate. Remember that the children have great hindrances, and do not expect too much." Let me add, that it is very desirable that the teachers should not talk to one another during school. If they do, the children will do the same, and it will be impossible to maintain order.

Never despair of the worst child. Always teach in hope. If you can but teach them early the importance of prayer from the heart, you will have conferred a great benefit upon them. It is very desirable to visit them at their own homes as often as possible, and to converse with their parents about them.

The behaviour of the teachers towards each other should be courteous. Those who are inferior in rank must not be assuming, and think that because of their relation in this work they may claim a familiarity which they would not think of in the ordinary intercourse of society. Those who are superior in rank must be friendly and amiable to their inferiors. They should pray for one

another.

There are advantages and disadvantages connected with this work. It presents many advantages to young persons. It leads them to gravity of conduct, when they feel that they are responsible for the teaching of their children. It leads them to study the Scriptures.

responsibilities, or from an accurate survey of the difficulties by which we are encompassed. It is good for the mariner to inspect the chart of his voyage before his departure, that not one rock, quicksand, or shoal may escape his vigilance, but that he may be prepared when they are nigh to steer safely and prosperously past them. And even should we be over depressed by the contem plation, or rendered over anxious by the anticipation, it is far better to be over watchful than too supine, over vigilant than to sleep too securely because ignorantly, too careful in shunning even the appearance of evil, than over reckless in encountering it. To be himself, then, first imbued with a sound and accurate knowledge of the leading principles of our religion, combined with an earnest desire and continual waiting for fuller instruction, which implies an appreciation of religion in the life, should be the great object of the Teacher.

I fear that we are often inclined to forget that such a knowledge requires much diligence to be expended on it. From somewhat the same notion as that by which most men are persuaded that they can compose religious poetry, because religion is the business of every man, its truths are considered to be so superficially exposed, as to be within the reach of all without toil or labour. Now, this idea is partly true, and partly false. The leading truth of the Gospel, without which a man cannot be saved, is so plainly and undisguisedly revealed, that even a wayfaring man shall not err therein; but to comprehend the full proportion of faith, the connection of truths with each other, so as to form one beautiful harmony, so as that each may fit into the rest without deformity or disproportion, to be able to fill up truthfully and clearly the outline of the Gospel, this demands a diligence of no ordinary kind. Besides, what may be in the thief on the cross full knowledge for him, may be in one whose life is devoted to the instruction of others, and teeming with religious advantages, utter nakedness. So plain indeed is the vision of God's word, as an old writer remarks, that he who runs may read; but, without doubt, he that stands still, and surveys it with leisure and attention, will enter more into its spirit, and be more

It makes them more decided in religion. The disadvantage is, that you are tempted to have a busy Sunday. When a great part of the day is spent in public, you are tempted to neglect those private duties, by which it may be made a blessing to your souls. But it is a blessed work, and you need not be losers by it. Only take time in the morning for meditation and prayer; and, if possible devote Saturday evening to the same holy exercises.

HINTS ON THE INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES.

NO. 1.

THE office of a Bible teacher, as the name itself imports, is to impart instruction to scholars on the doctrines of the Scriptures, which constitute Christianity, and on the duties, as they are gathered from the same source, which are incumbent on those who believe them; in other words, to draw continually from the information which his own resources contain, of the revealed will of God, as to what he would have us believe and do in the work of our salvation. The office of a teacher, did it embrace only secular topics, would be felt, if rightly viewed, to repose a great responsibility on him who undertakes it; but when it takes cognizance of our highest interests, and its topics are those the importance of which, either for good or evil, will be felt for ever, this responsibility must be felt to be infinitely increased. And the reflection as to our qualifications for the post we have taken, and the question whether we as teachers have ourselves that sound knowledge on religion which becomes it; whether our practice is such as to enable us to draw from our own experience maxims coinciding with the word of God for the edification of others in their Christian course: or whether we are not blind leaders of the blind-teachers of others, not having taught ourselves; such a reflection, and such a question, will often present themselves anxiously before the mind. We must not, however, shrink from being duly impressed with a sense of these