have all his books, pencil, &c., looked out and put in a place where they may be obtained without loss of time on the Saturday, so that these may not keep him waiting, searching for them, on the Sabbath morning. He should take care also not to lengthen the dinner hour.

Come a quarter of an hour, or ten minutes, before the time of commencement. When Lord Nelson was leaving London on his last but glorious expedition against the enemy, a quantity of cabin furniture was ordered to be sent on board his ship. The upholsterer employed stated to his lordship that every thing was finished, and packed, and would go in the waggon from a certain inn at six o'clock. "And you go to the inn, and see them off!" "I shall, my lord. I shall be there punctually at six." "A quarter before six, Mr. A.," returned Lord Nelson; "be there a quarter before six: to that quarter of an hour I owe every thing in my life." Let teachers then follow this great admiral's example. And perhaps by thus coming "a quarter of an hour before the time," to that quarter of an hour they may owe much of their success in their Sunday-school life. If every Teacher would adopt and practise this sentiment, they would, by God's blessing, be the means of effecting a greater conquest in the annals of Sunday-schools, than he did in the annals of the conquests of Britain. That conquest, if it be but a conquest of punctuality, it will indeed be a "glorious expedition" against one of the evil habits of many Sunday-school teachers.

"And suppose," a Teacher may ask, "I do come as early as you name, how shall I use the time?" If none of your class are there, meditate on the lessons, or put up a silent prayer to God for a blessing on the instructions which you are about to impart to your class; and you will find it "good to be there" thus early.

And if it is in the morning, and the children are there, "go directly to your class," ask them a few questions relative to their family, if you like, to shew your real interest in them; or "a little private conversation with a scholar on the subject of personal religion, previous to the commencement of the exercises, which has sometimes

done more good than has been effected by the more public instructions of the class for many Sabbaths."*

And if it is in the afternoon, ask them what they remember of the sermon, or refer them to some of the references to Scripture referred to in the sermon.

But whether morning or afternoon, your presence and authority will prevent much of that idleness which we have before spoken of. And thus you see, it will not be a loss of time your coming so early.

Indeed a want of punctuality augurs a want of love for the Sunday-school; for it is generally found that those who attend the most punctually are the most interested in it. You will never find a frequenter of the theatre behind the time of the commencement of the representation. Why? Because he has a love for the stage.

Lastly, we would hint to all, be punctual in your movements in the school. If the bell is rung, obey its call, and be silent; do not stop to finish the sentence, but obey immediately. Let every order of the school be instantly attended to.

Shakspere says, "Use doth breed a habit in a man.' Let therefore every Sunday-school Teacher make a resolution to "use" himself to be punctual. Let perseverance carry it out into practice; and let a constant practice "breed" the habit of punctuality.

WM.

KNOWING NOTHING AMONG THEM BUT JESUS CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED.

To the Editor of the Teacher's Visitor.

"Knowing

SIR,-I had used, not long since, the expression, nothing among them, but Jesus Christ and him crucified," and was shortly afterwards applied to to give the meaning of the words. The following is the substance of my reply; which, if suitable to the pages of your "Teacher's Visitor," you are welcome to insert for the benefit of your youthful readers. A. L. F.

To the words, "Knowing nothing among them, but Jesus Christ and him crucified," I attach the same mean

*Collins.

ing as I believe St. Paul does to his similar passage to the Corinthian converts, 1 Cor. ii. 2, viz. That in all my ministrations as a clergyman, whether in the pulpit or out of it, the doctrine of the atonement made by our blessed Lord, by the one oblation of himself once offered as the full, perfect, and sufficient oblation and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world, is the great and prominent truth which pervades them; that in the exhibition of this glorious truth, as shadowed forth in the Old Testament, and more fully developed in the substance of the New Testament, my object would be to invite sinners to be lieve in Christ, to confirm those who are already believers in Christ, to strengthen the weak, to comfort the desponding, by urging them yet more and more to look altogether out of themselves, and by faith to look at that all-sufficient Sacrifice, concerning whom the Divine assurance is given, (John iii. 15.) that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Moreover, in the reception, and the further development of this one cardinal truth, flows forth in the life as a consequence, an exhibition of all the graces of the Christian character, an aim at the highest moralities of life, a (not slavish, constrained, but a) willing obedience to the law of God, and indeed a progress in holiness, a meetness and preparedness for heaven, by the power of the Holy Ghost, of which St. James speaks when he says, "I will shew thee my faith by my works," (James ii. 18.) and in giving the character of a faithful Christian he says again, "Let him shew out of a good conversation his works, with meekness of wisdom." (iii. 13.)

In fine, a minister not only in the pulpit, but also in his life, determining to "know nothing, but Jesus Christ and him crucified," as the Alpha and the Omega of man's salvation, is, I believe, what the Holy Spirit especially blesses to the conversion of unbelievers and the strengthening of believers in Christ. So it was in St. Paul's

time, in St. Peter's, St. John's, St. James'; for by a believer I mean, not a merely nominal, empty professor, but one who has that real faith in our Lord Jesus Christ which, according to St. Paul, "worketh by love," (Gal. v. 6.) which, according to St. Peter, "purifieth the

heart," (Acts xv. 9.) which, according to St. John, "overcometh the world," (1 John v. 4.) which, according to St. James, "is made perfect by works," (James ii. 22.) and which, according both to the Old Testament and to the New, when it apprehends the righteousness, that is, the active and the passive obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ, as its object, is, as it were, the instrument by which the Christian lives for happiness temporally and for salvation eternally. So Habakkuk, "The just shall live by faith." (ii. 4.) So Paul, "The just shall live by his faith." (Heb. x. 38.) These glorious doctrines I hold in connection with our beloved Church of England, and with a sincere wish to be a consistent member of that Church, which would manifestly make religion the great business of life, not merely on a Sunday, but also on every day, the while she presents to us, in her Arti cles and Liturgy, the one great truth, “Jesus Christ and him crucified as the foundation of Christian faith and obedience."

Manchester, Dec. 1845.

DEATH OF A SUNDAY SCHOLAR.

ANNA DOWNES and her two sisters, being left orphans, were taken by their aunt. Anna and one of her sisters were sent to the Sunday-school, at Clare. She was naturally a dull scholar, and quite conscious of it. She requested, as a favour, to be removed from the class in which she was first placed, to a lower one; for she said, "I am sure I am not forward enough for this class." However, by dint of attention and perseverance, she progressed satisfactorily, and her general conduct and demeanour were upon the whole, very good, although no positive symptoms of awakening of mind were evinced, until a short time before the commencement of the illness which terminated her earthly career, at the early age of sixteen years.

According to her own account of the matter, her first alarm of conscience arose from an apparently trivial circumstance; but God's ways are in the great deep. Her aunt was in the habit of taking Anna with her to a

prayer meeting, which is held in the vestry of the church, at seven o'clock in the morning. On one of these occasions, her aunt observed, as she was rising after prayer, that she was laughing. After they had returned home, her aunt reproved her for it, telling her how wrong it was so to mock God with unmeaning and hypocritical services. She said she could not tell why or wherefore she laughed. But it pleased God to bring home that word of mild reproof, with the mighty power of his Spirit, and thereby to fix the arrow of conviction which led to her thorough conversion from dead works, to serve the living and true God, in spirit and in truth. She said, "I thought a great deal about it, which made me very uncomfortable all the day; and the impression on my mind was, that I had committed a very great sin, and should never be forgiven." She continued to attend the Sunday-school, and other means of grace, until January, 1845, although sometimes prevented by indisposition from doing so. Her illness then took a more serious aspect, and kept her almost constantly confined within doors, which occasioned her many serious regrets, for she said "My teacher has taught me with tears in her eyes, and sought to lead me to the knowledge of Jesus, who died for sinners, and I am sure I am a great sinner." Early in May last, she appeared to be recovering her health, and became so much better, that, on one Sunday, she was permitted to attend the public service in the church once, and appeared to have been much delighted and comforted under the sermon; but as she was leaving the sacred place, she cast a lingering look at it, feeling at the same time a strong impression upon her mind that it was the last time she should be permit ted to enter there. And this was indeed a correct impression, for she immediately relapsed; and it now became evident, that the insidious disease had taken a deep seat, and was making rapid inroads into her constitution. The hectic flush, and hollow distressing cough, left no room to doubt what would be the speedy issue. Her delicate frame daily sunk under the pressure of the disease. Her heavenly Father saw good at this stage of her experience, to exercise her with a season of