wisdom and rectitude of his moral government, and the care he cxcrcises over every order of his creatures-the existence of angels, and the offices they perform under the Divine administration-the immortal destiny of man, and the prospects opened to the righteous of eternal felicity in the future world. Selections in reference to the affections and the duties incumbent upon persons in the different relations of life. In this department those duties and affections which are peculiarly christian, should stand prominent, such as humility, lowliness of mind, love to enemies, doing good to those who hate us, striving against sin, loving our neighbour as ourselves, cultivating heavenly desires and affections, &c. Selections addressed to the taste and imagination—embodying the beauties of history, poetry, and eloquence, which are profusedly scattered throughout the sacred writings. Selec tions of biography, including the lives of Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Elijah, Hezekiah, Daniel, John the Baptist, the Apostle Paul, &c. These, along with selections on various other subjects, might be illustrated with critical remarks, extracts from works on Eastern manners and customs, descriptions of modern Palestine, and the adjacent countries, the accomplishments of Scripture prophecies, as recorded in history, anecdotes of young persons, the lives of true Christians, the judgments which have befallen persecutors and apostates, the progress of Christianity through the world, and the benign effects it has produced on the state of society. Such a work, if judiciously arranged and executed, and studied with care, could not but produce a beneficial influence on the taste and affections of the young, and lead them to admire and venerate the oracles of heaven. It is, doubtless, one cause of the low state of Christianity, and of the influence of Pagan maxims in general society, that such text-books have never yet been introduced into our seminaries of education.

CHAPTER VIII.

Sabbath Schools.

Of late years these institutions have rapidly increased, both in Great Britain and in the United States of America, and, if properly conducted, are calculated to produce a highly beneficial ef fect on the religious improvement of the rising generation. In a preceding part of this volume I offered a few strictures on the mode in which some of these institutions were formerly conducted; and, although the evils there complained of still exist to

a certain extent, I am happy to say, that in many of these schools a more rational and efficient system is now beginning to be adopted. The teachers, many of whom are men of piety and intelligence, are now convinced of the futility of mere memorial exercises, and are beginning to address the understanding and the affections of their pupils, so that they may be enabled to enter into the spirit and meaning of the truths inculcated. Still, however, I am decidedly of opinion, from all that I have ever witnessed in these institutions, that the system of religious instruction is far from having reached its highest pitch of improve. ment, and that it is susceptible of being carried to a degree of perfection which it has never yet attained. The evils and defects which adhere to the system as it exists in most of our Sabbath school institutions, are such as the following:-1. The memory is still too much exercised and burdened with the retention of words, while a corresponding degree of attention is not paid to the exercise of the rational faculty. 2. Religious instruction is too much confined as to the range of its objects and illustrations. Instead of confining it chiefly to a few propositions in regard to what are termed the fundamental doctrines of the gospel, it should extend to the whole range of objects comprised within the compass of Divine Revelation, and to all the illustrations of those objects which can be derived from history, geogra phy, the sciences, and the works of nature. 3. Discussions on systematic theology too frequently usurp the place of pointed moral instructions addressed to the affections and the conscience. 4. Catechisms and other human formularies are too frequently set in competition with the instructions to be derived directly from the Scriptures. 5. Many of the teachers, however pious and well intentioned, are deficient in that degree of biblical and general knowledge which all religious instructors ought to possess. This last circumstance I consider as one of the greatest deficien. cies in our Sabbath school arrangements, and therefore shall offer a few remarks on the subject.

It is generally admitted, that a professor of any science, such as chemistry, ought to be acquainted not only with all its principles and facts, but with those subjects, such as natural history, experimental philosophy, and physiology, with which it stands. connected. It is also admitted, that the religious instruction of the adult population, in order to be respectable and efficient, requires that the ministers of religion be trained to all those branches of knowledge which tend to prepare them for their office, and that they be men not only of piety, but of talent and intelligence, and found qualified by their superiors for the duties they undertake

And can we suppose, that either the literary or the religious tuition of the young, can be intelligently or efficiently conducted by men who are comparatively ignorant, and who have undergone no previous training for such an office? On the contrary, I have no hesitation in asserting, that instructors of youth ought to have as much information on every subject as is usually judged necessary for a respectable minister of the gospel, and even more than many of this class actually possess. Besides, they ought to possess not only clear conceptions of every portion of knowledge they wish to impart, but also of the best modes in which it may be communicated with effect to the juvenile mind. It requires even more information and greater powers of mind to simplify knowledge, and render it perspicuous to the opening intellect, than to convey it to the understandings of those who are advanced in years. The man who wishes to act as an intellectual and religious instructor, should, if possible, acquire a comprehensive view of the whole of the revelations of Heaven, and of the collateral subjects with which they are connected-of the leading facts of ancient and modern history-of the scenery of nature in all its varied aspects of the operations of the Creator which are displayed in the "firmament of his power," and of human nature as exhibited in all the scenes and relations of social life. For it is from these, and similar sources, that he is to derive his illustrations of divine subjects; and unless such subjects be illustrated by sensible scenes and objects, no clear and distinct ideas can be communicated to the young, nor any deep impressions made upon their hearts. The instructor of the young must have the faculty of ascertaining the range of thought possessed by his pupils-of adapting his instructions to that range of thought-and of rendering the ideas they have already acquired subservient for increasing their number, and for opening a wider field of intellectual vision. For this purpose, his imagination must roam over the whole circle of his own knowledge, to select objects, events, scenes, circumstances, and similes, adapted to the comprehension of his pupils, and calculated to expand their views, and to illus trate the particular subject to which their attention is directed. He must sometimes extend his views to the histories of ancient times, both sacred and profane, to the circumstances which attended the accomplishment of ancient prophecies, and to the doctrines, maxims, and precepts of the Bible-sometimes to the knowledge he has acquired of the earth, the ocean, or the atmosphere, the animal and vegetable creation, or the glories of the heavens-and sometimes to the state of barbarous nations, the persecutions of the church, the lives of good men, the progress of the gospel

among unenlightened tribes, the scenes of domestic life, or the wars and revolutions of nations. Circumstances, incidents, anecdotes, descriptions, and similes, derived from such sources, he will find expedient, and in some cases necessary, to be brought forward for explaining and illustrating many portions of Divine Revelation. And therefore, were it possible for a teacher to be a man of universal knowledge, so much the more qualified would he be for imparting religious instruction, provided he had the art of simplifying his knowledge, and rendering it subservient to moral improvement. If religious instruction, indeed, consisted in nothing more than prescribing tasks, and hearing children recite catechisms, psalms, hymns, and passages of Scripture, any man, however ignorant, who had been instructed in the art of reading, might be considered as qualified for such an office ;-and hence, I have seen men, pious and well-meaning perhaps, but ignorant of almost every branch of knowledge, and without any clear ideas on the subject of religion, appointed as Sabbath school teachers, who did nothing more than take the Psalm-book or Catechism into their hands, and put on their spectacles to see that the youngsters repeated their prescribed tasks with tolerable correctness. But if the great object of religious instruction is, or ought to be, the communication of clear ideas respecting the attributes of God, the principles of his moral government, the va riety and immensity of his works, the history of his providential dispensations, the plan of his redemption, and the way in which its blessings are to be obtained, the principles of moral action, and the rules of duty he has prescribed, and whatever tends to display the riches of his grace and the glories of his universal kingdom-in so far as such subjects can be imparted to the youthful mind-then it is evident, that a religious instructor ought to be a person endowed with as much general and Biblical knowledge as he can possibly acquire.

In throwing out the above remarks it is by no means intended to insinuate, that no good has been effected in Sabbath schools where he teachers were comparatively ignorant; as I believe many good impressions have been made upon the youthful mind by pious and well-meaning men whose range of information was extremely limited. But it is evident, at the same time, that were such instructors more enlightened than they have generally been, a much greater degree of important instruction would be communicated, and a more powerful moral impression made upon the heart.

It is consistent with the dictates of reason and the general practice of mankind, that every man should be trained for the

profession he adopts, and be found qualified for any office before he enter on the performance of its duties. And is the religious instruction of the young a matter of so trivial importance, that such a rule should be set aside in appointing teachers to Sabbath schools? If not, then every one who wishes to devote himself to the religious tuition of the rising race, should be regularly trained in all those branches of sacred knowledge which are requisite for rendering his instructions fully efficient for the purpose intended. It should likewise be ascertained whether he be of a communicative turn of mind, and has acquired a facility of imparting ideas to the youthful understanding; and for this purpose his qualifications should be tried by experiment, by placing under his superintendence, for a few days, the instructions of a religious seminary. Every one found duly qualified for the office should receive a certain pecuniary compensation, as well as the teachers of other seminaries, provided he chooses to accept of it. Hitherto our Sabbath schools have generally been taught gratis by the benevolent individuals who have devoted themselves to this service, and if duly qualified instructors can be found who will give their services without remuneration, no objection, of course, can be brought against such labours of love; but it is nothing more than equitable, that every man who devotes his time and the energies of his mind to any object, should receive a fair compensa tion for his exertions, especially when he is under obligation to cultivate his intellectual powers, and to pass through a course of training for this purpose.

The departments of knowledge to which religious instructors should devote their attention are such as the following:-1. Sacred History, or, in other words, the Records of the Divine dispensations, as contained in the Old and New Testaments. For elucidating certain portions of this history, unravelling difficulties, answering objections, and explaining various circumstances connected with the Jewish worship and economy, the perusal of such works as Horne's "Introduction to the study of the Bible," Shuckford's "Connection of Sacred and Profane History," and Stackhouse's "History of the Bible," particularly the last, will be found of great utility in expanding our views of the revelations of Heaven, and of the facts connected with the moral government of God. For illustrating the history of the Jews and surrounding nations, from the time of the prophet Malachi to the birth of Christ -a period of more than four hundred years, during which many of Daniel's prophecies were accomplished-the First Book of "The Maccabees," Josephus' "Antiquities," and his "History of the Wars of the Jews," and Prideaux's "Connection of the