"Was yet the meekest man beneath the sun. Let teachers cultivate sensibilities like these by prayer to Him, from whom cometh down "every good and perfect gift, who giveth liberally, and upbraideth not," and we are assured they will succeed; where the possession of knowledge, and the power of imparting it, being alone, have signally failed in effecting the great end of Sunday schools-a Christian Education. G. N. S. The Teacher in his School. AN ILLUSTRATION OF FAITH. "FATHER," said a little Welsh boy to his parent, who had been explaining the Scriptures to his family in the hall of what was once the Manor House, but which was then occupied by a farmer.— Father, you said you would one day when I was old enough, teach me what Faith is. Am I old enough now?" "Well-I think you are Willy-come to me," said his father, rising from his chair. The boy had no sooner approached, than his father raised him from the ground, and set him on the top of a double chest of drawers that stood beside the wall. The child's colour went and came, and he was evidently afraid to stand upright in so unusual a situation. "Now Willy," said his father, placing himself at a little distance, and holding out his arms" now, Willy stand upright, and jump into my arms." The child's position, and the father's command, were alike calculated to produce alarm, and did produce it; but the father's look was calm, and kind, and serious, and the child had invited the lesson, so he had nothing for it, but to turn his mind to compliance. Raising himself somewhat, at length he made an effort to jump, but his heart failed him, and he drew back, and stood further from the edge of the drawers. "Ah Willy," said his father, "thou hast no Faith-try again.” Willy thought a moment, and perceived the nature and drift of his father's experiment. He came again to the edge, and this time he did make the spring; but so imperfectly, and with so divided a mind, that he would have fallen but for a beam of the ceiling just above him, on which he clapt his hands, and recovered himself. His father smiled, and said, "Willy, thou hast no faith yet; but that was better than the last; come, try once more." The look of quiet love in the father's face, and his still open arms at length, assured our little hero, that there really was no danger, or it may be that he saw so much to reverence and to trust in that parental smile, that he forgot the danger. Be this as it may, this third time little Willy stood bolt upright, and jumped over the dreaded gulf into his father's powerful arms. He looked up with a smile, and his father, setting him on the floor, said, "there, Willy, that was Faith. There is the gulf of hell between you and eternal life; but your Heavenly Father holds out for you the arms of his love; and has sent his only Son to die, and prove it to you. Trust Him, as you have trusted in me, and you will save your soul." This anecdote, I have put as nearly into the form, as well as I can remember, in which it was related to me. In repeating it to his class, the teacher can relate it in his own words, and add his own comment. To me it seems not only to afford a comment on the Prophet's assurance, “The Eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms;" but more especially to supply a plain and speaking illustration of the exercise of that grace of faith, whereby alone we can "live to God"-find any pleasure in the self-denying duties of life, sufficient to counterbalance the attraction of the pleasures of sin, or, in a word, save our souls. G. N. S. A LESSON FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT, DRAWN FROM THE EPISTLE FOR THAT DAY. [This Lesson is an extension of the outline in the "Second Series of Scripture Outlines"pages 38, 39; and has been prepared for the Magazine by the Author.] Teacher. First: we will read the Epistle round. (The children read from Gal. iv. 21-31.)-This is rather a hard portion of Scripture to explain; but there is one lesson in it which is very clear. How many sons had Abraham ? Children. Two. T. What were their names ? C. Isaac and Ishmael. T. Who was the mother of Ishmael? C. Hagar. T. And of Isaac. C. Sarah. T. Were they both "children of promise ?" C. No, Isaac only was "the child of promise." T. And Isaac was the elder, or the C. The younger, Sir. T. It was not then, because he was the elder that he was r the child of promise." No; for he was the younger; but he was "the child of promise" through God's grace. One of these children then, was the child of promise, one was not. One was "born after C. "The flesh." T. And the other was born after T. And how did he that was "born after the flesh," behave to him that was "born after the spirit ?" Read verse 29. C. "Persecuted him that was born after the Spirit." T. Once there was a very good boy in the school at Lowestoft, whose name was William Littlewood; he was a peaceful and gentle boy, yet even he did not escape persecution and ridicule. Some of the elder boys, with a cruel sneer, called him "chicken." Yes, he was a chicken under the Saviour's wings; he was dignified with the Saviour's love. He was walking with a schoolfellow one Wednesday afternoon, when a boy threw some stones at him, and called him names his companion wished to defend him, but William simply said, "Leave him alone," and in a few days, this very same rough boy who had pelted him, came to him with a look of grief, and in a humble tone of voice requested his forgiveness. William instantly shook hands with him, and said, "I freely forgive you, and I hope my sins in the sight of a holy God may be forgiven too."* ; T. Why have I told you this short story? C. To show that the "carnal mind is enmity against God." T. Can we learn any other lesson from it? C. That we ought to forgive injuries. * See "The Pilot's Son, a Sermon to the Young." NISBET'S. [The object of the following lesson is, by means of what passes under the children's ordinary observation, not only to direct their minds to analogous spiritual truths, but also to enable them to realise strongly the truths thus brought out.] Teacher. Have any of you ever seen, on a cold winter's day, a poor, ragged, half-starved beggar-boy? Children. "I have," and "I have," &c. T. All who have seen such a boy, hold out your hands that I may know. (Most of the children held out their hands.) T. Ah; I see a great many of you have met with such a boy as I mentioned. How was he dressed Mary? (pointing to a particular child.) C. So ragged, teacher, and he had no shoes or stockings. T. Poor boy, was he very cold? C. Yes, he did shiver so, and he said he had got no fire to warm him. T. Have you any fire, Mary? |