1833.] ADVICE OF A NATIONAL SCHOOLMASTER.

27

You are the

ablest and best assistants within his reach. shepherds, your assistant teachers are your faithful helpers insubordination, idleness, and inattention, are the wolves which infest your flock: like the shepherd, you must have your eye upon every part of your fold, and know every lamb in it; yet, if you would have your charge under command, you must look well to your helpers, and see that they do their duty. They must teach the children, and you must teach the teachers; and though your teachers and their parents may think that the one cannot learn thus, and that the other will lose what they have learnt, you will find, that, on the contrary, both are advancing, and that the teacher learns at least as much as the learner.

"Who teaches dunces, will be brought

To learning, sooner than the dunce he taught."

This is a much better way to establish authority, and to secure progress, than the method used by some masters, who, like bad coachmen, are shouting, stamping, and whipping their horses, when they should be handling the

reins.

These men never have their schools in order; and they add to the confusion, by their mistaken exertions to procure it.

"They make the hubbub they impute."

A good general does not gallop up and down the field of battle, shouting, scolding, losing his authority, and risking his life; but he looks quietly upon every part of the field; he calls about him his best helpers, his choicest officers, and, through them, he gives his directions, and thus is, in effect, present at once in every part of the field: were he to fight, as some of us teach, he might appear very active and bustling, but he would gain no conquests. Turn to the eighteenth chapter of Exodus, and read from the seventeenth verse to the end of the chapter.You will see much to our present purpose; and, besides this, one thing I am sure will strike you, as it did me, when I read it; and that is the humility of Moses. Nor will you fail to make this reflection,-that, if Moses the servant of God, a prophet of God, the great lawgiver, who

received revelations from God himself, and was the type of Christ, thus suffered himself to be taught by another, so greatly his inferior, how well does it become us to receive with meekness the advice which we may derive from others, and to endeavour to improve thereby.

Moses was very zealous in judging the people; but in this respect he had a zeal, but not according unto knowledge. "The thing which thou dost is not good," said Jethro; "Thou wilt surely wear away: both thou and this people that is with thee, hearken unto my voice." And so he did, and chose able men, and made them rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens; and the hard causes they brought to Moses.

The Bible contains a pattern of every thing which is good; and though, in the passage given above, there is not the most distant intention to give us directions as to our peculiar duties as schoolmasters, yet still as all Scripture is written for our learning, it will become us to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest every portion of it; and to let no word fall to the ground which may be useful to us in every capacity, whether as men or as Christians.

C.

SCRIPTURE READING.

IT is a subject of frequent inquiry among sincere Christians, as to what is the most profitable method of reading Scripture. Some persons make a point of reading a portion every day, beginning at the beginning, and taking the chapters in regular order. Others read the Psalms and Lessons appointed for every day, according to the service of the Church. Others read, as a regular exercise, what are called the historical parts of Scripture, omitting at the time what does not belong to the progress of the history, and taking up the other portions at other times, for the more particular purpose of meditation and devotion, according to the method pointed out in the Porteusian Bible, where the different characters of the chapters are marked at the head of each. Others read a few verses, referring to the parallel passages, according to the marginal references. On these points there is some

1833.]

BIRTH-DAYS.

29

difficulty in positively stating which is best,-as so much will depend on the different circumstances, occupations, trials, and feelings of individuals.-All, however, should beware of reading carelessly. The book they have in hand is God's book, and it must be read with care, with devotion, with meditation, and with prayer for His blessing. As the Church directs us to return thanks to Him for having giving us "all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning;" she likewise directs us to pray that we may be enabled to "mark, learn, and inwardly digest them;" that we may "embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life," which we have through Jesus Christ, that through Him we may, by the mercy of God, finally obtain everlasting life. Every blessing belongs to those who thus "read the Scriptures." One little word of advice may here be of use. Whenever you meet, in books, with references to Scripture, which are not quoted, for want of room, take your Bible, and read with attention the passage referred to. This will add much to your scriptural knowledge, in addition to any other plan of learning.

V.

BIRTH-DAYS.

WE may all profitably take notice of our birth-days, with thankfulness for the mercies of our birth, sorrow for the sinfulness of it, and an expectation of the day of our death as better than the day of our birth. But it seems inconsistent that worldly people, who are so fond of living here, should celebrate the end of one year after another of their short span of life with indications of joy. A Christian, however, may very properly observe his birthday. He has cause to rejoice that he was born, and also that he comes nearer and nearer to the conclusion of sin and sorrow, and to the completion of happiness. He may also take occasion to bless the Lord for the mercies of the preceding year, and to humble himself for his past sins, and to seek the blessing of God for the year ensuing. Sent by C. L. D.

66

EVERY MAN PAY FOR HIS OWN RELIGION.

"A Constant Reader," who sent us the following paper, will perceive that we have slightly altered the language of the newspaper from which it was extracted, for the sake of giving it a style more suited to us cottagers. "IF religion be the highest of all considerations for ourselves, it must be the highest of all considerations for others: and, since religion, as one of its first duties, commands us to do to others as we would they should do to us, we are bound to impart a sense of the importance of religion as far as we possibly can. The first duty of a Christian church, as a body of clergy and of people, is to seek to make the Christian religion known and followed. Those who do not understand or feel their obligation to fulfil this duty, are ready to say, "let every man pay for his own religion." If it is once understood that there is a "missionary duty" belonging to a church, and that every Christian government is bound to the performance of that duty, every Christian man must see that to pay for his own religion" is not enough, but that his duty calls him to do more than this: every Christian is bound to do all he can for the sake of teaching religion to others; and, if he be sincere in his profession, he will delight in doing so; he will know it to be his duty, and he will feel it to be his pleasure, to contribute to the extent of his power, that the careless and indifferent may be called to repentance, and brought to the faith and fear of God; that the ignorant may have the means of instruction; and that the "poor may have the Gospel preached unto them." Dissenters provide religious instruction for their own congregations, and support their own minister; but, before a person joins their congregation, and pays towards its expenses, it is to be supposed that the subject of religion has occupied his mind: it is not to be expected that they can supply opportunities of inviting the numbers of people who think little of religion, or that they can provide places of worship for those who dwell in remote, poor, and thinly inhabited districts which cannot support a minister. Upon the principle of " every man paying for his own religion," those people would have no religious instruction at all, for they certainly would not willingly

1833.] CHRISTIANS NOT TO BE FAINT AND WEARY. 31

pay for any. A national establishment alone can provide opportunities of public worship and of religious instruction for persons in such a state. The majority of respectable dissenters see the subject in this view; and, acknowledging the convenience and advantage to themselves of uniting with those whose views accord with their own, they still see, that it is the duty of a State to provide means of religious worship for all, that the most careless may be entitled to join in public worship, and have the means of being brought to right thinking; and they are aware that such means can only be afforded by a regular provision by law for the benefit of all, and that the notion of "every man pay for his own religion," would shut out thousands from the means of ever becoming acquainted with religion at all, and would therefore be a great wickedness." From a Constant Reader.

In considering the expenses of our church establishment, we are often surprised to hear the payment spoken of as something coming entirely out of the pockets of the people; whereas the tithes of land were left some hundred years ago for the promotion of religion! and the family of the first founder alone was the poorer for it. If the land has been since sold, it has brought a smaller price in consequence of being charged with tithes; so that the buyer has been no loser. When land not tithe-free is let, the rent is lower. The people generally do not pay tithes.

CHRISTIANS NOT TO BE FAINT AND WEARY IN THEIR MINDS. THE following observation is from the pen of Mr. Talbot, whose vast experience on the subject of which he treats,the sufferings cheerfully borne by emigrants,—makes his opinion of the greatest weight:

"It is," says he, "a grievance of no inconsiderable magnitude to be compelled, after a day of severe labour, to stretch one's weary limbs on the bare ground in the cold month of November, and to be protected from the fierce north wind, with his airy force,' and from the chilling frost, only by a miserable hut, with a fire only sufficient to counteract, in a small degree, their benumb