Notes on Books.

Dr. WATTS's DIVINE AND MORAL SONGS.

Amended Edition. John Wright

and Co., Aldine Chambers, London.

This edition of Dr. Watts's immortal little work has been produced in consequence of some passages in the general editions being disapproved of by religious parents and teachers; and other passages being above the comprehension of children, or containing inadvertencies of expression. We refer to the example given in the preface as one illustration of these observations; and to the first verse of the first hymn as another; in the seventh verse of the second hymn is a good correction of the inadvertent expression, God smiles-with wrath in hell beneath. This edition contains a great number of other corrections. It is difficult, with all their faults, to displace old favourites, but we are sure considerate teachers will prefer this new edition to the former editions of the same work, and we have no doubt its circulation will, ere long, be counted by thousands. We speak from facts that have come within our own knowledge when we say, that the publishers will shew the greatest liberality in supplying Sunday and other charity schools, and we trust many managers of such schools will thus be led to introduce it among their classes.

THE ADULTS HELP IN LEARNING TO READ. John Wright and Co., Aldine

Chambers, London.

A good book for the object from its large type, easy language, rhymes to guide the ear, and frequent repetitions of words. We do not agree with any plan of Alphabetic teaching for adults, and we refer to the article on this subject which we have inserted in this number from the American Annals of Education. It appeared some years ago, has been tried, practised, and approved. We do not fear the result of closely following it, and would most strongly recommend ' The Adult's Help' as a first book, to be taught on the principles there laid down.

SELF TEACHING COPY BOOKS. John Wright & Co., Aldine Chambers, London. Decidedly the best method that has yet been developed for the attainment of the art of writing, and quite worthy the appellative Self Teaching.' The plan unites the Smith and Dolier principle with that of the transparent slate, and it is the only one we have yet seen by which a pains-taking adult can rapidly, and at a very small expense, learn to form the letters and to write. We will endeavour to describe the principle, though the books should be seen to be fully understood and appreciated. The second side of each leaf is printed upon with reversed writing, this reversed writing is seen through the paper in its own proper form, and thus becomes a guide to the learner, while it saves the time of the teacher in setting copies. The paper is well sized, and sufficiently strong for writing, while it is thin enough to show through it even the upstrokes of the letters. In the copies, which are graduated from the simple elements of letters to a small round hand, many are given first in a full stroke, then in a broken stroke to be made full, and many are in a faint or skeleton stroke to be thickened by the learner in going over them. We are convinced of their usefulness for all classes

of learners, and cannot but recommend them to the evening classes connected with Sunday schools, Mechanics' Institutions, &c. as the best of all aids to the art of writing, and more especially to save the time of adults. We believe that a single set will teach the art of writing, the attainment of quickness and freedom depending afterwards on practice only.

SIX VIEWS OF INFIDELITY. By J. FLETCHER. London, Snow. We have peculiar satisfaction in introducing this small volume to the confidence of our readers. It is, we fancy, the maiden production of a son of the late Dr. Fletcher, of Stepney. We congratulate him on his effort, and the church of Christ on the succession of consecrated talent in the Fletcher family. The volume consists of six lectures-on the creed, the biograghy, the morality, the consolation, the charm, and the antagonist of infidelity. It abounds with just principles and powerful appeals. We highly value it, and believe it will become a standard work on a subject of fearful importance.

The Portion.

SEPT. 10. THE TARES.-Matt. xiii. 24-30.

NOTES.

Ver. 24. Good seed, clean, and without mixture, Deut. xxii. 9. Ver. 25. 'Tares,' darnel, not like our tares, for they are food for cattle, though at first they resemble wheat: these were for burning. Ver. 26. 'Then appeared, &c.' the difference was not perceptible till the weeds began to blossom. Ver. 29. 'Lest, &c., the roots might be entwined, so that in pulling up one the other might be destroyed. Ver. 30. ‘Gather, &c.' separate the two kinds, and burn the weeds on the field, that they may never again be mixed with the wheat. By this parable Christ refers to Adam and Eve as the good seed, and to Satan as the enemy, and to the intermixture of the good and bad people until the end of the world.

QUESTIONS.

1. Why did Jesus so often teach by parables?-2. What is this one called?-3. Can you give an outline of this parable?—4. What is the best way of getting instruction from parables? (1) To find out the facts or customs on which they are founded, and (2) to receive the spiritual lessons they were meant to teach.-5. What is the field in which Jesus sowed good seed?-6. Who were the seed sown?— 7. Whence came the tares?-8. Who are the tares ?-9. Why cannot we tell what persons are good and what are bad?-10. What did the servants propose in verse 28?-11. Why did not the Lord allow them their wish?-12. Have good people sometimes wished to root up the tares by civil power?—13. Can you give some reasons why we ought not to remove the wicked out of the world? (1) We cannot search the heart to know which Sunday scholars are converted and which are not: (2) we cannot tell which of the unconverted may hereafter be changed by divine grace.-14. How should pious children feel at the sight of those who are unchanged? (1) Adoring gratitude for their own conversion 1 Cor. xv. 10; (2) incessant watchfulness and prayer for their own preservation, Ps. cxix. 117; 2 Cor. vi. 17; Prov. i. 10: (3) deep anxiety for the salvation

of their school fellows, Esther viii. 6; Ps. cxix. 136.-15. What important good is secured to the wicked by being mixed up with the righteous for a time? (1) Many have been converted by seeing the happiness of those children who love the Lord: (2) judgments are kept from them, lest their righteous friends should suffer unnecessarily: (3) they are reminded of divine things, and will be left without excuse at last.-16. When will the separation take place between the tares and the wheat?-17. Why will the separation be perfect? -18. How may we ascertain now which we are?-19. What is to be the end of each ?-20. Will those who have sinned together suffer together?-21. What prayer does David breathe, Ps. xxvi. 9.

SEPT. 17.-THE HARVEST.-Matt. xiii. 36-43.

NOTES.

Ver. 36. 'Into the house,' probably Peter's, at Capernaum: 'declare, &c.,' the disciples were particularly struck with this parable, and wished to have it explained. Ver. 41. 'Out of his kingdom,' his universal dominion, not his church, for when persons in churches proved they were tares, they were to be removed; see Gal. v. 12; Matt. xviii. 17; 1 Cor. v. 11-13. Ver. 42. 'Furnace of fire,' the wrath of God imparting the keenest sufferings to the spirit, as fire does to the body; perhaps there is an allusion to the burning alive which was practiced in the east, Dan. iii. 11: 'wailing,' doleful noise of persons in distress: 'gnashing of teeth,' rage and despair.

QUESTIONS.

1. What do you know of the last portion?-2. How did the disciples act when Jesus had delivered this parable?-3. What does their conduct teach us?-4. Can you explain the various parts of this parable?-5. Why are the good and the bad intermixed in this world?-6. Does this parable sanction the mixing of the good and the bad in the churches of Christ?-7. Should unconverted people partake of the Lord's supper? 1 Cor. xi. 27; 2 Cor. viii. 5.-8. Do the converted and the unconverted often belong to the same class, and live in the same house?-9. Who will be employed in making a final separation between the two kinds of persons?-10. May we fear there will be dreadful separations-the child from the motherthe teacher from the scholar?-11. In what are the good growing preparatory to the harvest?-12. In what are the bad growing?13. Do both grow under the same means? 2 Cor. ii. 16.-14. What should that fact excite?-15. Why will there be bitter regret to those who at last are found to be tares?-16. How may the wrath of God be compared to fire?-17. What will be the glory of the righteous?-18. Why is the end of the world compared to the harvest? give several reasons.-19. Is it your deep concern to be gathered into the garner of heaven?-20. If so, how do you show that concern?

SEPT. 24.-ELIJAH'S CHALLENGE.-1 Kings xviii. 17-29.

NOTES.

Ver. 17. 'Ahab,' king of Israel, who began to reign 918 B.C., and reigned 22 years: troubleth Israel,' in causing God to withhold rain. Ver. 19. 'Carmel,' a mount in the tribe of Issachar: 'Jezebel's table,' this woman was wife of Ahab, and daughter of a heathen king; the 400 chaplains were most likely kept at her

expense. Ver. 22. 'I only, &c. 'the rest were in concealment, Rom. xi. 2-4. Ver. 24. 'The God, &c.,' the true God often did this, 2 Chron. vii. 1; Lev. ix. 24; Judg. vi. 21; Acts ii. 3; if Baal were the Sun as the God of fire, this was a fair test. Ver. 26. 'Leaped, &c.,' a sort of frantic emotion. satirical; how different is our God, Ps. cxxi. 3, 4. thinking thus to move their God; this practice was forbidden by God, Deut. xiv. 1,

QUESTIONS.

Ver. 27. This verse is keenly Ver. 28. Cut themselves, &c., common to heathens, but

1. What affliction was at this time upon the land? Ver. 2.—2. Why was it inflicted?-3. What part had Elijah taken in reference to the famine? Chap. xvii. 1.-4. Why must religious people expect to be regarded as troublers ?—5. Is it cruelty or kindness for christians to warn the wicked?—6. What did Elijah propose?-7. Upon what opinions were the people halting?-8. Can you state how some Sunday scholars halt between two opinions ?-9. What should induce them at once to decide on serving God?-10. If we trifle with convictions what may be the result? Hos. iv. 17; Acts xxiv. 25; Is. Ixiii. 10; Matt. xix. 16-22.—11. Why did Elijah propose the test of fire to prove whether Baal or Jehovah were the true God?-12. What directions did he give?-13. Why was not Elijah influenced by the numbers who were against him?-14. How must we judge of the goodness of any cause, by its followers or by its principles ?— 15. Can you name things in this and in other countries which have many supporters but are unscriptural?-16. How did Baal treat his prophets?-17. What did they do to move him?-18. Who alone can support us in trouble?-19. If we do not serve the true God with zeal, can we expect he will answer us?-20. Does he give us encouragement to call upon him in times of sorrow? Ps. 1. 15.-21. As this subject will be resumed next Sabbath, will you, during the week, prepare a good outline of it.

OCT. 1.-THE FIRE FROM HEAVEN.-1 Kings xviii. 30-39.

NOTES.

Ver. 30. 'Repaired the Altar,' probably one formerly used for the true God. Ver. 31. 'Twelve stones,' showing he worshipped the God of the patriarchs. Ver: 35. 'Water ran round, &c.,' this was done to make the miracle more evident. Ver. 36. The time of the offering, &c.' Elijah thus acted in concert with the servants of God at Jerusalem. Ver. 38. 'Fire of the Lord, &c.' a kind of lightning, which consumed the altar, lest it should afterwards be worshipped, or devoted to a false God. Ver. 39. 'The Lord he is God,' that is, we acknowledge the Lord to be the true God, and Baal only an idol.

QUESTIONS.

1. Which in the class can give the best outline of the last portion? -2. What feeling had the priests of Baal when no fire descended from the skies?-3. How did Elijah then proceed?-4. Why did he take twelve stones since there had been a division among the twelve tribes ?-5. What good would the water do?-6. Can you state the difference between the prayers of the two parties?-7. Why did Elijah pray at three o'clock in the afternoon? 1 Kings viii. 38-42; Dan. vi. 10.-8. Was it for his own glory or for God's honour that he thus acted?-9. What great truth was established by this trial?-10.

Do you believe that the God of the Bible is the only true God?11. If he be so, what does he require from us? Mic. vi. 8; Matt. xxii. 37.-12. Have any events still more wonderful occurred to make us decided for the Lord?-13. Why do so many young people halt between the church and the world?-14. Is it a sin to be undecided?-15. Should one scholar wait for another in giving himself to Christ? Josh. xxiv. 15.-16. If you this day take the Lord to be your God, how will it become you to act hereafter? Deut. xxvi. 16-19; Mic. iv. 5; Is. xxvi. 13; xliv. 5.

Entelligence.

America. From a file of American papers just arrived we select the following facts:

Within fifteen years seven thousand Sunday scholars have made a public profession of their faith in Christ, in the Baptist churches, and in recent months the number has been rapidly increasing.

In the Baltimore conference the number of scholars reported as enrolled among God's people last year is eight hundred and thirty-nine.

Sabbath schools have been formed in several of the large ships; one contains five hundred and eighty-five scholars.

Ten Methodist Episcopal churches holding from two to five hundred persons, have been built within the last twelve years in the city of Baltimore, directly through the instrumentality of Sunday schools.

In one school in New Haven thirty children were hopefully converted to God in a few weeks of this spring, and in the New Haven conference about two hundred were reported as having been born again in the year.

More than half the ministers of the United States received their first impressions in a Sunday school.

Out of ninety-three persons received into a Presbyterian church in Virginia last year, forty belonged to the school.

Dr. Dwight visited nearly all the prisons in the United States and did not find one Sunday scholar.

The New York Sunday school Union reports fifteen thousand attendants in sixty-three schools, having an advance of eight per cent on the preceding year: also that an unusual interest pervades many schools, and the year has been marked with a special measure of the divine favour.

From the reports of the Annual conferences in the Methodist church of New York, it seems the number of church members is 540,458, while the Sunday scholars do not exceed 273,000. To secure their fair proportion 800,000, all ministers are required to preach twice on the subject every year, and to open a school wherever ten children can be collected.

At the Boston Baptist Association held on February 8, out of forty schools, twenty-nine teachers and six hundred and seven scholars were converted in the year. Never has there been such a year for the outpouring of the spirit of God. Every school has had some over whom to rejoice as having passed from death to life.

One teacher, whose labours have been blessed to the conversion of nine out of the twelve in her class, has undertaken a post of labour in the Greek Mission.