edged tools, which children should never be allowed to do. On the barren soil of their minds no useful vegetation will flourish : let the ploughshare pass over them, then, and let them lie fallow, rather than suffer them to produce a herbage which poisons the air of the neighbourhood.

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But is it not true that faults are committed on every side, and are these faults to be passed over without remark? By no means. "Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him," Lev. xix. 17. "Go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone," Matt. xviii. 15. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye who are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted," Gal. vi. 1. In correcting the faults of others, two ends are to be kept in view, the good of the community and the reformation of the offender-neither of which can be attained by the encouragement of a censorious spirit. When sin is committed, good men should weep; and if even kindness and candour allow that it is required to be named in public, the Christian, while with one hand he holds up the record of the deed, should, with the other, cover his face with his mantle.

There is a distinction between censuring what is wrong in itself, and heaping reproach on the head of the person who does wrong. Let the voice of society be lifted up ten times more boldly than as yet, against all that is evil. We are too much in a state of slavery to the fear of man. How little of speaking out there is, when the prejudices of others, or our own interests, are in the way! How few there are, who can use the words that Racine puts into the lips of his Jewish high-priest, “Je crains Dieu, et je n'ai point d'autre crainte." Man! if you have hold of something that is good and true, give it expression. If God has granted you power to discover, or opportunity to receive it, his intention is that you should impart it; and let neither the grinding hand of the strong, nor the covert sneer of the conceited, nor the open reproof of the ignorant, hinder you from its avowal. Better would it be for you, at the day of account, that you had never possessed it, than that you should have hid it in silence.

In conclusion, let every man look round his own immediate oircle, and inquire, Do the oracles of Divine wisdom furnish the

code of morality here observed? Is the worship here practised, the worship of Truth? Is the soil here watered by a stream flowing direct from the fountain of life? In my most considerate moments, when I see furthest and clearest, and when I seriously contemplate man's highest duty in the life that now is, and his interests in that which is to come,-does this appear to me a fold in which the lambs may be safely gathered? Is it here that the young will find examples of Christian self-denial in the appropriation of property, of the culture of benevolent emotions, of moral courage to maintain the rights of conscience, of undeviating obedience to the spirit as well as to the letter of the Divine word? Is it here that they will be joined to a lofty fellowship, which shall confirm their wavering purposes, which shall hold them up when lame and halt, which shall restrain their feet when ready to wander, and which shall give voice and utterance to the whispered dictates of their better nature?

Society, constituted on these principles, shall be no longer a moral volcano, sending forth its scorching, desolating tide, to wither all flowers that bloom, and to destroy all creatures that have breath; but it shall be an elevation, on whose sides shall flourish the plants of joy and of righteousness, and whose summit, ascending midway between earth and heaven, shall be a link of intercourse between the creature, man, and his Creator, God.

SELECT SENTIMENTS.

XVI.

A truly gracious man, like a thorough good watch, may deviate and point wrong for a season; but, like the machine just mentioned, will, after a short time, with a single touch, come round, and point right as before.

XVII.

In the present state, the least part of the saint's worth is visible. As the earth is fruitful in plants and flowers, but its riches are in mines of precious metal, and the veins of marble hid in its bosom; true grace appears in sensible actions, but its glory is within. The sincerity of aim, the purity of affection, the impresses of the Spirit on the heart, the interior beauties of holiness, are only seen by God. Besides, such is the humility

of eminent saints, that the more they abound in spiritual treasures, the less they show; as the heavenly bodies, when in nearest conjunction with the sun, and fullest of light, make the least appearance to our sight.

XVIII.

While Israel marched through the wilderness, the blackest night had a pillar of fire, and the brightest day a pillar of cloud. So in this world, things never go so well with God's Israel, but they have still something to groan under; nor so ill, but they have still comfort to be thankful for. In the church militant, as in the ark of old, there are both a rod and a pot of manna.

XIX.

Generally speaking, the sunshine of too much worldly favour weakens and relaxes our spiritual nerves; as weather too intensely hot, relaxes those of the body. A degree of seasonable opposition, like a fine dry frost, strengthens and invigorates, and braces up.

XX.

Reason is God's candle in man. But as a candle must first be lighted, ere it will enlighten, so reason must be illuminated by divine grace, ere it can savingly discern spiritual things.

XXI.

Satan will seldom come to a Christian with a gross temptation: a green log and a candle may be safely left together; but bring a few shavings, and then some small sticks, and then larger, and you will soon bring the green log to ashes.

PRAYER.

THE question sometimes occurs, "Why are we required to pray at all?" Surely God needs no information as to our wants and necessities, and nothing we can say can induce him to change any of his purposes, or make him any more desirous to promote his own glory, or the best interests of his creatures, than he now is. A Persian fable may help to illustrate this point:

"One day as I was in the bath" (says the fable), “a friend put into my hand a piece of scented clay. I took it and said to it, Art thou musk or ambergris, for I am charmed with thy

perfume?' It answered 'I was a despicable piece of clay, but

I was some time in the company of the rose. of my companion was communicated to me, be only a bit of clay as I appear to be.'"

The sweet quality otherwise I should

The same idea is illustrated by 2 Cor. iii. 18. We are required to pray that our souls may be brought into contact with our God and Saviour, that his sympathies and feelings may flow into our hearts and transform us into his image, that we may thus be fit to receive the blessings that he gives, and learn to value them. God neither converts nor sanctifies us by the direct exertion of his physical omnipotence; but by shedding abroad his love in our hearts, and, as it were, magnetising our souls with his own unspeakable affection.-Calvin Stowe.-Amer. Biblical Repository.

ADULT BIBLE CLASSES.

NEXT to the ministry of the gospel, we know of no means more likely to do good than the formation of adult Bible classes. Should our reader be a teacher of such a class, who has long waited for fruit to reward his labour, and has waited in vain, the following facts may prove an encouragement to persevering toil and to redoubled prayer.

In a certain town a young lady meets once a fortnight a class of the mothers of the Sunday scholars, for the sake of reading the scriptures with them and instructing them in Divine truth. One evening she told them that the next time they came, they might bring their husbands with them, and addresses would be delivered to them from the minister and one of the deacons of the church. They accordingly came; and, amongst others, one man was seen sitting by his wife, before the service began, evidently uncomfortable at his situation. "I wish I had not listened to your advice," said he to her; "I wish I were safe at home now. If I could get out, I would. I don't see any men here beside myself, and every one will be looking at me, wondering to see me." "Never mind," replied his wife," others will most likely be coming soon; and if not, sit still; supposing that people do look at you, it will be only to welcome you amongst us. The man waited, nor did he wait in vain. He had no cause of repenting himself that he had listened to the solicita

tions of his wife. The word of the Lord was "like as a fire, and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces." It touched and melted and changed his heart.

The teacher of this class, at another time, embraced an opportunity of speaking privately to one of the women who composed it, on the state of her soul before God. "Long have I wanted to speak to you," said the woman, "but I did not like to take up your time." Now, if her teacher had been asked who amongst the class was the least promising the least impressible -it is quite possible that she might have pointed to her, and said, "I am greatly afraid it is that woman." But "the Lord seeth not as man seeth, for man looketh at the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh at the heart." The woman was a penitent, earnestly inquiring the way of pardon and peace with God. She was in great mental agitation, and, when the interview with her teacher closed, remained as distressed as before. For many days her heart was heavy within her, weighed down by the burden of unremoved guilt. One night she could not sleep. She dare not sleep. She would not sleep. She rose to pray. Stealing gently out of the room, as she thought, without disturbing any one, she found her way to a distant apartment; and, closing the door behind her, there-in the stillness and darkness of the midnight hour-she prostrated herself before God. There she agonized "to enter in at the strait gate;" she counted all things but loss that she might win Christ; and the promise was verified, "Ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." Her husband, to her surprise, was awakened, and followed her, wondering what might be her intentions. He listened to her fervent prayer, and -"Oh! the depth of the riches" of the MERCY of God!—he, too, was moved to pray. Up to that time he had been an ungodly man, and had disliked his wife's attendance on public worship. But then he learned a new lesson. On the first Sabbath of last month, both husband and wife united in commemorating the dying love of Christ.

Oh! let the people of God be roused by facts like these! The multitude are perishing for lack of knowledge. Say not, "The means of instruction are provided; there is room in our churches and chapels yet unoccupied-let them come there and learn." This is not enough. The usual style of preaching is