We will give ourselves credit for being devoted and earnest in our work, but we need something more than good motive or earnest purpose. We have to study the secret of adapting ourselves in attitude, word and look, to the scholars, so as to exert, both directly and indirectly, consciously and unconsciously, by example and precept, a healthy, moral, and spiritual influence upon them? And inasmuch as our power as teachers and guardians of the young is relatively less intellectually, it ought to be compensated by a power of the affections more and more Christ-like and tender, cultivating and shewing a similar spirit to that of the Master when in that beautiful and loving action " He put His hands upon them and blessed them.”

More will depend upon how we feel towards our charge, and upon the feelings we enkindle in them towards us, than upon the direct instruction. Superintendents and teachers must do all they can to make the general routine of the school interesting and attractive by all legitimate means and methods, cultivating and fostering a fond attachment to the school both in ourselves and in our scholars. The school should be dear as the place where Jesus meets us altogether, and waits to shew His love.

I. Preparation for work.-All teachers should think out their lessons well before they go to their classes. I have found it an excellent plan to select my lesson a fortnight in advance, put down memoranda of thought, consult commentaries and other helps, and two or three days previous to the day for teaching, put the subject in shape, write out thoughts as briefly as possible in the best words, so as to make the lesson instructive and impressive. This method works admirably. The scholars soon see the teacher has come prepared for work; and some, if not all, will pay that attention a diligent teacher deserves. Besides, a preparation like this will be a great blessing to the teacher himself. How can a teacher interest and instruct his class when he sees his lesson for the first time at the school, or perhaps changes the lesson when two or three verses have been read in the one chosen at haphazard. Every teacher should so prepare that he can see thoroughly through his subject before he takes possession of his class on the Sabbath. He should spend all the time he can possibly spare in preparation. Political and social meetings should not absorb the time which his class demands; and he who loves the work as he ought will devote both time and energy to it. As an assistant to Sunday school teachers in preparation, a work has been written by the Rev. J. C. Gray, of Halifax, "The Class and the Desk," published by Sangster & Co., of London. Every teacher ought to possess it.

II. Careful teaching.-Those who teach children should be discreet in the selection of lessons, and give their expositions in language adapted to their capacities. When suitable words and sentences are used, there is a chance of making a child understand what we mean, but a contrary method is simply losing valuable time, “darkening counsel by words," and damaging, to a serious extent, the perceptive and receptive powers of the scholars. Our impression is that those teachers will be most successful who teach by sentences short and few, a little at a time, giving the children time to think and imagine, or, if they wish, to ask a question. Lord Bacon says, "Children are narrow necked vessels, and teachers should pour the material very carefully into them, or two-thirds of it will run over.' We fear there are many who, though wonderfully gifted with teaching power, yet, for want of careful method, accomplish but little.

III. Arrangement of Classes and promotion of Scholars.-Our own and other denominations have long been hindered by the lack of separate class rooms. Cannot old school rooms, which are low, badly lighted and ventilated, and old, be pulled down and modern buildings erected? Or, if funds will not admit of that, cannot an improvement be effected in the interior of these old schools and class rooms, which would, to some extent, answer the purpose? It is high time we gave our earnest attention to this matter, and provided more modern machinery. Classes should be fewer and on a larger scale, especially if efficient teachers can be secured, teachers who have as much influence over forty scholars as others have over two. Monitor and Bible classes, conducted on a larger scale, in large class rooms, would be more effective than the smaller ones at present so common. Our opinion is that all Bible classes should be permanent-like a family in the relationship between scholar and scholar, and between scholar and teacher. The connection, once happily formed between scholar and teacher, not being disturbed or broken, until the scholar is ready to become a teacher of others. In a class like this, scholars will ever afterwards remember each other, and the instructions they received side by side for so

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349 many bright years in their Sunday school life will have their influence in after years, and perhaps be a link of friendship and goodwill when they meet again in the conflicts of future days. And should death take one from such a class they will all feel the stroke; and such an event, if properly improved, might, under the Divine blessing, lead to the conversion of many.

A scholar should not be promoted for good reading, or even for good behaviour. Promotion leads to suspicion, and unsettles a class; while you may take away the boy or girl who is the controlling or winning spirit, perhaps the very child whose intelligent look and gentle nature had become the magnet, drawing the attention of the others to the eyes and words of the teachers. Classify mind and capacity with a view to permanency; and if the teacher is changed, try to secure a more efficient one, and thus from one degree to another lead onward and upward the same class in the knowledge of Christ.

IV. Conducting Bible Classes.-In these classes would it not be of service if a little more variety could be interwoven with the instruction. If possible let onehalf of the day be devoted to the study of one uniform lesson by all the Bible classes, so that at intervals, say every month, an afternoon may be spent in the chapel or lecture room in a kind of examination interspersed with singing of hymns. Occasionally all the junior scholars might be invited to attend, hear the examination, and join in singing. The introduction of more singing might be so managed as both to fix in mind and memory the good sentiments of the hymns, and increase the variety and attractions of the exercises. It would not be out of place if one or two young men were asked to give short addresses. In a school where there are many young men who have become members of the church, opportunities of this description should be given so that youths who have abilities in this direction may be encouraged. There ought to be in connection with every Sunday school, week evening classes for instruction in music by notation, for those who have time and desire for it. Prayer and praise are channels through which the soul finds access to God; and it is difficult to determine which is most acceptable to Him; and whilst we try to teach a child how to pray we should not omit to teach the child how to praise Him who "out of the mouths of babes and sucklings has ordained strength." It would be a great blessing if all Sunday school teachers were good singers, and able to lead on their classes in the general song of praise. Curwen's system of notation in psalmody is easy, true, and very pleasing, and if it could be introduced would be certain to interest, and greatly assist in this part of Christian education, which is so very important.

V. Conducting Children's Classes.-Many teachers of the young have now an objection to such classes as Reading made Easy, &c., at least to the form in which they have been conducted. In place of these classes, we advocate having two classes only-call them children's classes-one of boys, another of girls, age say from six to ten, a separate room for each class, and teach them on the principle of an infant school or simultaneous teaching. In these days we have to teach A B C only in cases where children have been entirely neglected: and in the teaching of letters and small words, let it be done by the use of the movable box of letters fixed in a conspicuous place in the room so that every eye can see the lesson at once. This is preferable to the black board, because the letters being in large type, would be easy to interpret, while every teacher might not be able to put an X or a Z in very good style on a black board. In the case of larger boys and girls of ten or twelve in these classes, there should be continuous lesson books on Scripture subjects, in short chapters, numbered distinctly, arranged in simple but expressive language, the scholars rising in turn to read, the teacher seizing an opportunity of making seasonable comment. Such a class should have large pictures shewing biblical characters, illustrations of the life of Christ, scenery of the Holy Land, mountains, rivers, and extensive plains, so that the organs of veneration, wonder, admiration, and benevolence, may be developed, and a love of the good, the beautiful and the sublime cultivated.

I would not select a teacher for this class who was morose and stupid, however gifted in other ways, who, if a scholar offended him, would give him a hasty and hard blow, and thus put himself and the class into a bad temper; but rather select one who could give a gentle rebuke, and with an expressive look (which an efficient teacher knows how to give) teach the child the consequence of disobedience, and extract a promise not to repeat the fault. Much of the right sort of education is done by watching our opportunities and acting at the right season. But how should

children's services be conducted? asks one. I suggest that the superintendent select four of the best teachers in the school to undertake these two nursery classes, taking care that two of them were good singers, and withal sweetly tempered. Singing imparts life and vigour, and gently impresses the mind with pious thoughts. The other teachers who are not good singers, might do their share of work by giving a short practical lesson on some interesting subject. Ask great questions in little words, watch and correct manners, check signs of bad behaviour, tell anecdotes of good boys and girls, and in this way draw out their sympathies with, and desires for, all that is virtuous and good, taking care to let "Jesus Christ and Him crucified," be the theme around which all lessons centre. Then sing again-say that beautiful hymn by Toplady, "Rock of ages cleft for me," or that hymn by William Cowper, "There is a fountain filled with blood," &c. The singing of these hymns would do the children good, while an opportunity would be furnished to the teacher for preaching a short sermon on Christ as the Rock of our Salvation, whilst the doctrine of atonement would be clearly set forth, especially in the latter hymn. We press for the establishment of these classes, and the adoption of methods of this kind-1st. Because these exercises would awaken a spirit of inquiry in the children, and become a channel through which the blessed truths of the Bible would find their way to their young and tender hearts. 2nd. Because, through the children, the blessings of a religious education might be carried to their homes, and unconverted fathers and mothers get to hear from the lips of the child, in some beautiful hymn, the message of mercy. In this way the children in our schools may become channels of usefulness in different ways. Teacher, be encouraged to "cast thy bread upon the water, and it shall be found after many days." Remember the words of Dr. Bonar

Not yourselves, but the truth that in life you have spoken;
Not yourselves, but the seed that in life you have sown
Shall pass on to ages, all about you forgotten,

Save the truth you have spoken, the things you have done.

You will not be missed, if another succeed you,

To reap down the fields which in spring you have sown;
They who plough and who sow are not missed by the reaper,
They will all be remembered by what they have done.

GENERAL BAPTISTS THE FOUNDERS OF LIBERTY OF

CONSCIENCE.

ALTHOUGH stated long since in our denominational histories, that the honour of the "first perception of the full principle of liberty of conscience, and its first assertion in English speech," belongs to our fathers and founders, yet it is pleasant to have it confirmed by so high an authority as Professor Masson. Firmly does he maintain, in the iii. vol. of his "Life of Milton," that they were the first to seize and to enunciate the idea of liberty of conscience. His words deserve a place in our records. He says:—

"There was, however, one body or band of separatists in James's reign who had pushed farther ahead, and grasped the idea of liberty of conscience at its very utmost. Strangely enough, as it may seem at first sight, they were the separatists of the most intense and schismatic type then known, the least conciliatory in their relations to other churches and communions. They were the poor and despised Anglo-Dutch Anabaptists, who called John Smyth their leader. In a confession, or declaration of faith, put forth in 1611 by the English Baptists in Amsterdam, just after the death of Smyth, this article occurs: The magistrate is not to meddle with religion, or matters of conscience, nor compel men to this or that form of religion; because Christ is the King and Lawgiver of the church and conscience.' It is believed that this is the first expression of the absolute principle of liberty of conscience in the public articles of any body of Christians. Contact with the Dutch Arminians may have helped Smyth's people to a perception of it; and it certainly did not please the English Pædobaptist Independents of Holland when it appeared among them. Robinson, for example, objected to it, as he was bound to do by the views of the civil magistrate's power which he maintained. He attributed the invention of such an article to the common inability of ignorant men to distinguish

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351

between the use of an ordinance and its abuse. In other words, he thought the remnant of Smyth's Baptists had been rather silly in leaping to the conclusion that, because there had been much abuse of the interference of the civil power in matters of religion, and it had led to all sorts of horrors, there was nothing left but to set up the principle of absolute non-interference.

The principle of the Anglo-Dutch Baptists, with the same exact difference between the Baptists and the rest of the Independents on the toleration point, was imported into England. It is supposed that the person who had the chief hand in drawing up the confession of the English Baptists of Amsterdam, after Smyth's death, was Smyth's successor in the Baptist ministry there, Thomas Helwisse. Now, this Helwisse, returning to England shortly after 1611, drew round him the first congregation of General or Arminian Baptists in London; and this obscure Baptist congregation seems to have become the depository for all England of the absolute principle of liberty of conscience expressed in the Amsterdam Confession, as distinct from the more stinted principle advocated by the general body of the Independents. Not only did Helwisse's folk differ from the Independents generally on the subject of infant baptism and dipping; they differed also on the power of the magistrate in matters of belief and conscience. It was, in short, from their little dingy meeting-house, somewhere in Old London, that there flashed out, first in England, the absolute doctrine of religious liberty. 'Religious Peace, or, a Plea for Liberty of Conscience," is the title of a little tract first printed in 1614, and presented to King James and the English parliament by "Leonard Busher, citizen of London." This Leonard Busher, there is reason to believe, was a member of Helwisse's congregation; and we learn from the tract itself that he was a poor man, labouring for his subsistence, who had had his share of persecution. He had probably been one of Smyth's Amsterdam flock who had returned with Helwisse. The tract is, certainly, the earliest known English publication in which full liberty of conscience is openly advocated. It cannot be read now without a throb. The style is simple and rather helpless; but one comes on some touching passages. Busher's tract of 1614 was not the only utterance in the same strain that came from Helwisse's conventicle of London Baptists. In 1615 there appeared in print, Objections Answered by Way of Dialogue, wherein is proved, by the Law of God, by the Law of our Land, and by His Majesty's Many Testimonies, that no Man ought to be Persecuted for his Religion, so he Testifie his Allegiance by the Oath Appointed by Law.' The author, or one of the authors, of this dialogue, which is even more explicit in some respects than Busher's tract, is pretty clearly ascertained to have been John Murton, Helwisse's assistant. Helwisse himself is not heard of after 1614, and appears to have died about that time. But his Baptist congregation maintained itself in London side by side with Jacob's congregation of Independents, established in 1616. As if to signalise still farther the discrepancy of the two sets of sectaries on the toleration point, there was put forth, as we saw, in that very year, by Jacob and the Independents, a Confession of Faith, containing this article: 'We believe that we, and all true visible churches, ought to be overseen, and kept in good order and peace, and ought to be governed, under Christ, both supremely and also subordinately, by the civil magistrate; yea, in causes of religion, when need is.'

The year 1616 was the year of Shakespeare's death. Who that has read his Sonnet lxvi. can doubt that he had carried in his mind, while alive, some profound and peculiar form of the idea of toleration? In Bacon's brain, too, one may detect some smothered tenet of the kind; and even in the talk of the shambling King James himself there had been such occasional spurts about liberty of conscience that, though he had burnt two of his subjects for Arianism, Helwisse's poor people were fain, as we have just seen, to cite 'his Majesty's many testimonies' for the toleration they craved. And yet not to any such celebrity as the king, the philosophers, or the poet, had the task of vindicating for England the idea of liberty of conscience been practically appointed. To all intents and purposes that honour had fallen to two of the most extreme and despised sects of the Puritans. The despised Independents, or semi-separatists of the school of Robinson and Jacob, and the still more despised Baptists, or thorough separatists of the school of Smyth and Helwisse, were groping for the pearl between them; and, what is strange at first sight, it was the more intensely separatist of these two sects that was groping with most success.

SCRAPS FROM THE EDITOR'S WASTE BASKET.