Lord's Day Evening, 1st. Lecture to Young Men-Spiritual Arithmetic.

Wednesday Evening, 4th. Daily help. Lord's Day Morning, 8th. Religious Patriotism required for Victoria.

Lord's Day Evening, 8th. Is there Sin, and what is it?

Wednesday Evening, 11th. Christ acknowledging Believers.

Lord's Day Morning, 15th. The power of Faith.

Lord's Day Afternoon, 15th. Sermon to Children.-The Child nourished.

Lord's Day Evening, 15th. The evil of mistakes concerning Sin.

Wednesday Evening, 18th. God's eyes over the Righteous.

Lord's Day Morning, 22nd. The Spirit of love and of a sound mind.

Lord's Day Evening, 22nd. The use of Sin.

Wednesday Evening, 25th. Monthly social meeting of the Church.

Lord's Day Morning, 29th. Lecture-The Mission of the Baptist.

Lord's Day Evening, 29th. The Wages of Sin.

Prayer Meetings, on Monday evenings at half-past seven o'clock-on the 2nd, Missionary-the 9th, The Jews-the 16th, Personal and Family religion-the 23rd, The Ministry of the Gospel-the 30th, Our Colonial prosperity.

We see much hope in the foregoing. There is special provision made for young men, then for children, then for monthly social meetings of members, which must materially tend to cultivate friendship, and bind the members together. Then there are the weekly prayer-meetings, in particular, to be noticed. The subjects are most vital, indicating a man at the head of affairs, who has his eyes open to the wants of his flock, of the colony, and of the world. The circulation of such Bills in a town to which a crowd of strangers is every week repairing, must be important; and the views which he appends to his "Monthly List' excellent. The following is a specimen:

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Dear Friends,-Some, who attend the ministry of the Gospel in this place, need not to be entreated, "Yield yourselves unto God," since this already is a past transaction in your experience, and has been made manifest in the public profession of your faith. But others come to, and go from, "the place of the holy," without any determinate religion beyond this observance. Regularity of attendance would indicate your general approbation of what you hear; yet impression has not led to decisive avowal of your acceptance of Christ as your Lord. Still there is need to urge the entreaty, "Yield yourselves to God," and this, by presenting unto him, as living sacrifices, your body, soul, and spirit,

influenced by a realizing appreciation of the tender mercies the Godhead, Father, Son, and Spirit, so richly display towards you ;to walk with his people; and sit in heavenly places with them in Christ Jesus. However affectionately entreated, you still occupy the position of those, who halt between two opinions. I would, in this form, solicit your attention to the fact, that every kind of apology and excuse for such conduct, is inadmissible. I suppose that every one of you sees the value of real religion, and proposes at some period to give in adhesion to Christ, and his people. But now is the accepted time, and never will a more convenient season arrive. What you resolve will be more suitable at some future day, is really more appropriate at present, and of the highest urgency. It will be matter of keen regret at last if you succeed in parrying this claim. You may also imagine that you 66 are not good enough." Now the Gospel requisition is the opposite of thisyou require "to feel yourselves bad enough" to come to JESUS: and, so coming and obtaining mercy and grace, ought in the congregation of the saints to praise him, for what he hath done for your soul. You may fear the restraints of religion, if you make an open profession-but can you hope for heaven if you mortify not your members on earth? You dread the danger of lapsing from the profession of faith-who is sufficient for these things? Yet Christ is able to keep you from falling, and to present you, ultimately, in the presence of Divine glory unblameable. You are deterred because you see the inconsistencies of professors, who "are no better than others," yet you in this are judging God's professed servants. Surely you might leave them in the hands of their MASTER; and wisely ask, But WHOSE professed servant am I? Even so far as being professedly on God's side, he whom you account inconsistent is more excellent than his neighbour. But alas! dear friends, the real cause of your hesitancy will be found, not in any alleged objections -but in your strong love of a sinful world, and less powerful impression of the absolute need of religion; and, under this double impression, you are endeavouring to serve God and Mammon. But God hath said, and be you entreated to act thereon: "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty," 2 Cor. vi. 17, 18. "For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead; and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again," 2 Cor. v. 14, 15.

The Social Church Meeting will be remembered for the last Wednesday of the month.

Your affectionate Friend and Pastor,

ALEXANDER MORISON.

OUR friends, Lay Preachers and Exhorters, we fear, are beginning to think we have forgotten them; but it is not So. We greatly prize their services, and only wish for an indefinite increase of their number-and if they will bear with our plainness-of their competency for their honourable work. They are, as ever, ready to lend an attentive ear to counsel; it is a pleasure to address them, either in original terms, or to cater for them from other approved sources. On the present occasion, we shall set before them a very interesting and very valuable lesson, comprising much sense in a few words, from the late excellent C. Simeon, of Cambridge. The following is the passage in question:

It has long been my habit, and in it, I conceive a considerable part of my ministerial usefulness has consisted, to instruct young Ministers how to read easily, naturally, distinctly, impressively. This is, indeed, a kind of instruction which no man gives, and no man desires; but is greatly needed, and of vast importance, as well to the health of the Ministers as to the edification of their flocks. How often are the prayers of our church spoiled, and good sermons rendered uninteresting, by bad delivery in ministers! I thank God I could specify many, some that were in a very hopeless state, who have been exceedingly benefited by my poor endeavours. But a remarkable case occurred last night. Mr. who once read extremely well, and delivered his sermons well, both read and preached in my church; and, to my utter astonishment, acquitted himself extremely ill in both. He had contracted very bad habits, reading with great rapidity, and with his teeth closed, and with very bad cadences, and no pauses. And in his sermon there was a flippancy and indistinctness that almost entirely destroyed its usefulness, except to those immediately close to him. After the service, I pointed out to him his faults, and prevailed on him to stay till Thursday, and preach again for me. In the meantime he read to me, and I pointed out to him what I wished him to attend to:

1. In Composition-Not to have a rhapsodical collection and continuous concatenation of Scriptures; but to make his text his subject, which he was to explain-confirm―enforce.

2. In Enunciation-Not to form his voice but with his lips and teeth; and to open his teeth as well as his lips; and, at the same time, to throw out his words, instead of mumbling.

3. In Delivery-Not to have any appearance of levity and flippancy, but to show sobriety-reverence-respect.

Well, last night he officiated again; and the difference exceeded my most sanguine expectations. In every part of the service he was admirable; and he himself was as much struck with the difference as I was. He saw an attention which might be felt; and he had in himself an ease which rendered his exertion comparatively nothing.

Now, I record this, because I think it much to be regretted that Ministers do not get instruction on these points, and that there are none who qualify themselves to instruct others. I could write a book upon the subject; but I could not make any one understand it. I could say:

1. Form your voice not in your chest, nor in your throat, nor in the roof of your mouth, but simply with your lips and teeth.

2. Deliver your sermons, not pompously, but as a professor ex cathedrâ, and as a father in his family.

3. Let there be the same kind of pause and of emphasis as a man has in conversation when he is speaking upon some important subject.

What is to be guarded against ?-Monotony and Isochrony-a continuous solemnity. It should be as music; and not like a funeral procession. Guard against speaking in an unnatural and artificial manner.

At the same time, levity is even worse. The point for you to notice is this: see how all persons, when in earnest, converse: mark their intonations, their measure, (sometimes slow and sometimes rapid, even in the same sentence,) their pauses. But especially mark these in good speakers. Delivery, whether of written or extemporaneous discourses, should accord with this, so far as a diversity of subjects will admit of it.

Too great a familiarity does not become the pulpit; but a monotonous, isochronous solemnity is still worse. The former will at least engage the attention; but the latter will put every one to sleep.

Seek particularly to speak always in your natural voice. If you have to address two thousand people you should not rise to a different key, but still preserve your customary pitch. You are generally told to speak up; I say rather speak down. The only difference you are to make is, from the piano to the forte of the same note. It is by strength, and not by the elevation of your voice, that you are to be heard. You will remember that a whole discourse is to be delivered; and, if you get into an unnatural key, you will both injure yourself, and weary your audience.

As to the mode of delivering your sermons, speak exactly as you would if you were conversing with an aged and pious superior. This will keep you from undue formality on the one hand, and from improper familiarity on the other.

And then as to the proper mode of conducting the devotional part of the service, do not read the prayers, but pray them; utter

them precisely as you would if you were addressing the Almighty in the same language in your secret chamber; only, of course, you must strengthen your tones, as in the former

case.

But the whole state of your own soul before God must be the first point to be considered; for, if you yourself are not in a truly spiritual state of mind, and actually living upon the truths which you preach or read to others, you officiate to very little purpose.

To these admirable observations, we shall add a passage from a man of great sagacity-a member of the medical profession-the late Dr. Mackness, which is the following:

Where the mind is not engaged, reading becomes mechanical, and a habit is acquired of raising and sinking the voice without any reference to the sense. There are three rocks to be avoided, on which clergymen, especially young ones, are very apt to split, viz., a rapid utterance, a feigned unnatural key, and long sermons. Rapid utterance is a habit which is at once exhausting and injurious to the speaker, and also very unprofitable to the hearers, especially to those of the unlettered class, as their minds can seldom take in ideas very rapidly, and whilst they are yet striving to catch the meaning of one sentence, the speaker is gone off to another, leaving their comprehension far behind. Any one who will talk to the poor on this subject will often hear the complaint, "Mr. So-and-so is a very fine preacher, but he speaks so fast I can hardly follow him." A deliberate and distinct utterance is a great help to persons of this class, and would certainly tend much to prevent over-fatigue in the speaker. It is, unfortunately, rather difficult to convince persons that this is the case with themselves, whilst those who know them and their natural tone in conversation can easily detect the difference. This feigned tone is sometimes adopted under an idea of giving increased solemnity or impressiveness to the reading; but as nothing that is unnatural is really impressive, it is a great mistake. If the feeling exist, the tone will follow; if it do not, the remedy is to strive after it rather than its expression.

Examples are not wanting of those who, even with natural defects of voice, have, by judicious management, become good speakers, and been enabled to practise public speaking without detriment to themselves.

The exercise of the voice, under proper regulations, is so far from being injurious, that it is positively beneficial to health, expanding the chest and strengthening its muscles, and thus aiding the important function of respiration.

We shall conclude with a very valuable hint from Mr. Macready, one of the most natural and efficient speakers that ever appeared before a British audience:

Relaxed throat is usually caused, not so much by exercising the organ, as by the kind of exercise; that is, not so much by long or loud speaking as by speaking in a feigned

voice. Not one person in, I may say, ten thousand, in addressing a body of people, does so in his natural voice, and this habit is more especially observable in the pulpit. I believe that relaxation of the throat results from violent efforts in these affected tones, and that severe irritation, and often ulceration, is the consequence.

THE PRAYERFUL TEACHER.

MAN is a dependent being. From the moment he is brought into existence, not only is he dependent upon his fellow creatures, but upon the great, eternal, invisible God. Hence he derives life, breath, health, strength, and every comfort he here enjoys. He may raise the mighty pyramids of Egypt, he may traverse the ocean against wind and tide, he may outstrip the swiftest steed in his travelling, and employ the lightning as his messenger, and yet of himself he is perfect weakness and helplessness. What are the cries of the infant but the expression of its wants and fears, in language which quickly reaches the mother's attentive ear, and opens the mother's tender heart, and rouses the energies of her love to act for her helpless babe? And what are the cries of that poor heavily-burdened, penitent publican, of that smitten Saul of Tarsus, of that young Samuel on his knees before his Maker, of that aged Israel worshipping on the top of his staff?" what, but heart-expressions of wants, fears, and joys, clothed in language which, quick as imagination, cleaves the vault of heaven, and reaches the throne of the Eternal, who "like as a father pities his children, pitieth them that fear him?"

"Prayer is the soul's sincere desire
Uttered or unexpress'd;

The motion of a hidden fire,

That trembles in the breast."

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No one can accomplish anything either truly good or great without prayer. The work of the Sunday-school Teacher is both good and great. It is good, inasmuch as its aim is to teach young immortals the way to heaven. It is great, in a general point of view. Is it not a pleasing fact to know that some 302,000 teachers go forth every Sabbath to teach Divine truths to 2,280,000 children in these realms? The influence this vast machinery is exercising cannot be small. Vast as it is, and great as is its influence, outlying necessities are astonishingly greater. Thousands of children, even in favoured Britain, have not been taught a Saviour's love, know not his saving power. By taking a nearer view of the work, its greatness will appear. The teacher has in his class five or more children; he is training them, not for time merely, but for eternity. Each before him has a soul to be fitted here for endless bliss or endless woe. What a responsible charge! His desire is, or ought to be, that each of these souls should be converted to God. For this he labours. His thoughts concentre here. In the prosecution of his work numberless are the difficulties he must expect to meet; many the enemies he must stand prepared to fight. He knows his charge have corrupted natures. They gather round

him at an age open to receive impression; but while, in a majority of cases, he stands as their only religious instructor, how numerous are the channels through which evil is conveyed to their minds from without. Satan is employing his endeavour to catch away or destroy the seed the teacher in tears and hope has sown. The world and its pleasures allure to death. Evil companions do what they can to entice from the good and right path. Ungodly parents set a bad example at home. Natural aversion to that which is good discovers itself in various ways. Tell your children some pleasing anecdote, or amusing tale, and they will attentively listen to you; but talk with them seriously about their souls, God, eternity, heaven, and hell, with what difficulty oftentimes can you secure their attention. With them it is, as it was with Adam after he had fallen, who "hid himself among the trees of the garden."

These are some of the difficulties the Sunday-school Teacher must lay in his account to meet with. If, then, he goes to his work in his own strength (rather weakness), can we wonder if, when reviewing his labours as followed by no pleasing results, he should grow dispirited? He may have diligently prepared for his class, he may have been invariably punctual in his attendance, he may have presented Bible truths from a wellstored mind in a beautifully simple manner before his children, yet in looking back behold no fruits of his labour. He may conclude all has been in vain; the work is great; he has done all in his power, and to no purpose. He begins to despair. But stop! Sunday-school Teacher, why are you in the dark dungeon of Doubting Castle? Why under the cruel grasp of Giant Despair? You have wandered from the king's highway-the path of duty. Do you think your work done when the children leave the school? "Paul may plant, Apollos may water," but who gives the increase? You have been trying to build a tower without fully counting the cost-hence your failure. You have gone forth alone; how could you expect to succeed? Feel in your bosom, there you have the key that will open to you every door. As you love your own soul, and the souls of your children, up! and be doing. Your work may be great; so was Moses', in leading Israel's children through the desert, but he accomplished it. Your work may be difficult; so was David's, when with a sling and a stone he slew Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, who had "defied the armies of the living God." Other instances are abundant of a nature to encourage perseverance in the prosecution of works that are great. But where was the secret of their strength? Their success was no more of themselves than can yours be. They were men of prayer. God was their strength. "Enoch walked with God." "God talked with Moses face to face." David was "a man after God's own heart;" whether on the mountain's slope, keeping sheep, or occupying the throne of Israel, he prayed seven times a day. Daniel, the Prime Minister of Darius, the virtual ruler of the mighty empire of Babylon, surrounded by pomp and splendour, in the face of a cruel death,

dared to pray, "as was his custom, three times a-day." What gave Daniel his wisdom, his knowledge, his boldness? What kept him pure and in the path of duty amid luxury and revelry? What-but COMMUNION WITH GOD? But why linger we with these examples; there is a brighter still. It is midnight. The busy crowds of Jerusalem have dispersed, the city gates are closed, and all is hushed into stillness; nature is taking its repose; but look at that Man with furrowed brow, and solemn mien, looking as if a world's cares were hanging upon him; surely he is "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;" he treads along the solitary path. Who is he? What can induce him at such a lonely hour, and while others are taking rest, to expose himself to the cold-falling dew? It is Jesus, the Son of God, the world's Saviour, "God manifest in the flesh," going, as is his wont, to the Mount of Olives to pray, to hold communion with his Father. The supplications which ascended from such a heart at such seasons, when of his people there were none with him, survive in no human record, yet, doubtless, to the end of time our world will owe much to those lonely hours when its greatest and best of Teachers watched and prayed on the heights of Olivet. Though he had no inward corruptions to harass his holy soul, his exemplary devotion manifested his love to prayer, and proclaims to all his followers, and to every Christian teacher, that prayer should be alike their pleasure and their strength. His was a life of prayer, as well as of effort and suffering. Go to the garden of Gethsemane, look at him there. The Son of man had no dwelling of his own, but Gethsemane was his closet; "He ofttimes resorted thither, and as he entered it did, as it were, shut to the door, to commune with his Father. Here is our great example. Jesus Christ was truly a prayerful teacher. May it be our endeavour to follow in his footsteps, and learn of him.

Prayer takes hold of the arm of the Omnipotent. It fires our zeal, inflames our love, strengthens our faith, smoothes our difficulties, and sends us on our way rejoicing. The teacher who would be successful should commit each individual in his class to God. He should go from his closet to his class, and with a face beaming with the light of God's countenance, and a heart glowing with love, tell them of Jesus. From his class he should return to pray. Through the week the thought of the temptations and dangers to which his charge may be exposed should be present to his mind, and his heart should be lifted up to God on their behalf. "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."

Christian labourer! you are engaged in God's work; engage, therefore, in God's strength. You may as well think of maintaining life without breath as rightly performing your work without prayer. How important that we who undertake the great work trust not to ourselves, but with the Psalmist say, "I will go in the strength of the Lord."

Clouds may gather thickly in the horizon, difficulties may arise in our path, enemies may beset us behind and before; whom or what shall we fear? God is our strength! Our success is certain. 66 Prayer engages the hand that moves the world." Its power and importance will not be known till the day the dawning of which shall put an end to every hope that is not immortal. Then, when the sepulchres of brass and marble melt away, the pyramids of brick and stone moulder back to dust, when humble cottages and gorgeous palaces, little villages and mighty cities, fruitful plains and barren deserts, lowly valleys, lofty mountains, and the world itself shall be weltering in flames; then, when the solemnities of eternal judgment commence, proceed, conclude, and all have entered their unchangeable abodes; then, and not till then, will the true value of devout and earnest intercourse with God, and of labours carried on in communion with Him, be fully known.

In conclusion, fellow-teachers, let us commit each individual in our classes to God. He is the hearer and answerer of prayer. Pray and do not faint. If we pursue this course, and cleave to the great Teacher, our gracious Intercessor, in a little time, and in a brighter world, prayer shall be changed into endless praise. There, with those for whom, and with whom we prayed on earth, shall we join in praising God and the Lamb. Shall we then regret that we chose the somewhat difficult and self-denying work of Sunday-school labour? In looking back upon the difficulties we have surmounted, the dangers we have passed, the enemies we have overcome, shall we then wish there had been one difficulty less to surmount, one danger less to pass through, one enemy less to contend with, or conclude that we offered one prayer too many? No, but rather shall we be ever saying, "Not unto us, not unto us, O Lord, but unto Thy name be all the honour and glory."

E. W.

JERUSALEM AND THE JEWS.

IT is a remarkable circumstance, that in the East, according to the last reports, the only city which appears to be increasing is Jerusalem; all others are mouldering away, as if it were the design of Providence to obliterate them from the map of the earth. Many other circumstances contribute at present to point to Palestine. It is impossible to foresee the result of the present war on the ultimate condition

of the chosen people; but that it will affect them, and we doubt not beneficially, there is no reason to dispute. It requires but little sagacity to perceive that the hand of Providence, on a great scale, is working out the problems of the Eternal Mind in the East. The Students of Prophecy are full of speculation, but the utter want of harmony, which, as usual, obtains amongst them, divests their deductions of all solid value. There are, nevertheless, facts deserving of particular consideration, relative to the numbers of the ancient people. They constitute, at the present hour, in point of wealth, the richest community in proportion to their numbers, on the face of the earth, while these numbers in the aggregate form a powerful kingdom. The facts lie within a small compass. Some erroneous statements concerning the existing number of the seed of Abraham in the world, have drawn out from the late Judge Noah, of New York, the following statistics. The total number of Jews he places at full six millions, which are divided and located as follows: