father? If Christ has never benefited you personally, how can you describe in a feeling manner his unspeakable kindness? You may, indeed, give very important instructions without feeling a personal interest in religion, and God may bless them. But how different are our descriptions of the character of a friend, who is constantly making us feel his worth; whose wisdom and love are intimately connected with our personal enjoyments and hopes, from those, which we give of a man, of equal, perhaps of superior worth, but with whose excellences we have been made acquainted by the representations of others only. In exerting a moral and religious influence, much is effected by the power of sympathy. This power we cannot employ in the cause of Christ, unless we are personally Christians.

It deserves consideration, whether the teachers may not exert a salutary influence over the children, by employing some care to procurc for them good situations, after they shall have left the school. Many, who come to you for instruction, will be obliged to provide entirely for the supply of their own wants, and at a very early age to seek employment, by which they can procure a maintenance. Would it not be very useful, if the teachers should give this subject some attention? If children are suffered to loiter about the streets in idleness, after they have ceased to attend the exercises of our public schools; or if they are thrown into the society of the irreligious, when they are placed out to labor; whatever may have been their attainments and promise, while under your care, the danger is imminent, that they will soon become vicious members of the community.

Let

the teachers pay particular regard to those, who appear to be disposed to improve instruction. By a very little attention, they may generally be placed in situations, in which their good habits and principles will be strengthened. This will be a very suitable reward for exemplary conduct in school, and the means of continuing the blessing of christian instruction, and of forming virtuous members of society.

EFFECT OF A SUNDAY SCHOOL.

Ir was near the close of a Sabbath which I was spending during the last summer in a retired village in a neighboring state, that I accepted the invitation of my friend to accompany him to a Sunday school, which had been recently established, and in which he was much interested. After walking a short distance, we came in sight of the school house, a neat and commodious building, situated at the bottom of a hill. It was a pleasing sight to see some of the children on each side of the road, neatly clad, going towards the school house, and others who had reached it, sitting on the door step, reading their hymns, and intently engaged in conversation, waiting for the door to be opened. Their cheerful countenances and modest address on our arrival, proclaimed to me, more audibly than words the pleasure they enjoyed on meeting their teacher.

Soon after we entered, many other teachers came in, and the exercises commenced. I was alike pleased with the remarks of the superintendant, and their adaptation to the minds of the children, and with the good order and

attention that prevailed; as well as the faithful manner in which the few classes I was able to listen to were taught. The exercises occupied about an hour, when after singing a hymn, in which all united, the school was dismissed.

I was highly gratified with my visit, and could easily account for the interest taken in the school by the children, many of whom as my friend informed me, lived at the distance of one or two miles, but who nevertheless attended very regularly every Sunday.

It was near sunset when we left the school house, and on our way home we stopped at the house of the clergyman in the village. Among other things in the course of the evening, the conversation turned upon the Sunday school; when a lady present, who was a teacher in the one we had visited, remarked, that she was almost dis.couraged at times, by the dulness and inattention of her scholars, and for her part, she could see but little as yet effected by the establishment of the school, that was encouraging. "It is true, my young friend," said the good pastor, "you may at times be discouraged by the indifferent progress your pupils make, and the apparently slow advancement you may witness in them, but are we not wrong to require sudden and visible improvement? Good habits are slowly and almost imperceptibly formed, and often we do not produce the reformation we looked for, until the child approaches manhood. It is gratifying however to know that by assembling them together, you cause the Sabbath to be improved and honored by them, that day which would be far otherwise employed; and to know that idleness and indifference to religious duty is overcome, which is accomplishing a great deal towards forming sound moral and religious habits and

principles. But you may rejoice that you are permitted sometimes to witness results from your labors which are not only encouraging, and which stimulate you to persevere, but which render the labor and exertion spent, as nothing in comparison with the good effected. Have you forgotten the circumstance of Mr W-?" said he.— Oh no, was quickly answered, that to be sure was enough to pay for establishing the school, if nothing else. I was struck with the answer, and could not refrain from inquiring what the circumstance was, when the good pastor related to me the following.

On commencing the school, the families who lived in the neighborhood were invited to come in, and visit it, and among them was Mr W- Some remarks were

made at the time on the importance of instructing the young, and the duty incumbent on those who were able to assist in this good cause. He was much affected by them, and was led to inquire more particularly about the school; and after some considerable conversation upon the subject, by solicitation he was induced to take a class, and happy I am to say, that, though he was previous to this, indifferent to religious subjects, and had not attended public worship for many years, yet he soon became interested, and has now the principal charge of the school, and remarked not long since, "that he looks forward to Sunday, and the hour spent by him in the Sunday school, with the greatest pleasure."

A pause ensued when the good man finished, and 1 could not but consider on hearing this fact, which forcibly impressed my mind, how much these institutions are effecting. Soon, thought I, the ignorance which we now regret to see, will pass away, and a more perfect know

ledge of the word of life be diffused even in our remotest villages, through their instrumentality; and circumstances like this, will frequently occur in them, which will serve as encouragement, and show the good effected by a Sunday school.

R.

INTELLIGENCE.

Unitarianism in Connecticut.-Extract from a letter to the publishers of the Advocate, dated Brooklyn, Con. Feb. 14, 1828—“ A few days since I received the pleasing intelligence, that a Unitarian Tract Society or Association is to be formed in Preston, a town about twenty miles from this.-I hope soon to send you an order from them.” "It is my intention to go to Preston to assist in forming their proposed Association—and I think I shall take the hint and attempt the formation of similar Associations in various other places."

Gibbs's Gesenius. The highly valuable translation of Gesenius' Hebrew Lexicon, by Professor Gibbs of Yale College, is republished in London. We notice also an advertisement of " Hope Leslie," as in press.

Balance of Crime. Rev. Isaac Taylor of Ongar, has issued a work entitled " Balance of Crime, or Socinianism compared with the guiltiness of profligacy, addressed to young doubters."

German Theology. The Christian Observer states that the representations which have been made to the discredit of the German Universities and ministry, apply rather to a period past by, than to the present time.

Bibles imprisoned. At a meeting of a Bible society in Glasgow, last fall, the Rev. Dr Paterson remarked that when he was on the Continent," he found six thousand copies of the New Testament, filled with Socinianism, which being put into his hands to be destroyed, he consigned to a fortress, where they remained in good custody."