all through the school time looking as if it was very disagreeable, and we were wishing it were over. No work can possibly succeed if the heart is not in it, and the heart will not be in it unless we have a love for it. Therefore, if that love of children is not naturally implanted within us, we must pray for it and strive to gain it by every means in our power, or resign our work as Sunday school teachers, for which we have no vocation, into the hands of those who have. Nor must we pass over without notice the power of teaching, which it is necessary every teacher should in some measure possess. The power of acquiring knowledge and storing it up in the mind, and the power of imparting that knowledge to others, are perfectly distinct; a man may possess the one in a high degree without the smallest trace of the other. Therefore it by no means follows, because we are intelligent and well-read, that we are capable of teaching others, for that talent may be, as in many cases it is, denied us.

And these remarks apply very forcibly to the instruction of the young. The Sunday school teacher must be able to bring down his intelligence to the level of that of his scholars, he must be able to think their thoughts and speak their language, to illustrate by homely similes all that seems difficult to be understood, to arrest their attention and fix their thoughts when they are wandering, to quiet them when inclined to be unruly, to wake them up when sleepy. But the tyro need not be alarmed because he is not able to do this all at once; in this, as in all else, experience is the best instructor, in fact it is the only real and efficient one; the more we teach the better we shall be able to do so, practice will eventually make perfect; while we are imparting knowledge we shall be unconsciously learning a lesson ourselves, which we may give back in the future to our pupils.

We will now suppose that a class has been taken in a Sunday school under the superintendence of the clergy of the parish, that there are a certain number of boys or girls looking up to us for more or less elementary instruction in Christian Faith and Practice; how are we best to set about the task? where are we to begin, and how are we to carry it on so as to ensure the greatest amount of success ? An efficient teacher, or one who desires to be efficient, will not leave his work to be commenced in the school-room itself. In some parishes teachers' classes are held, superintended by one of the clergy, and where this is done much help is afforded in the preparation of each Sunday lesson; but whether such a privilege is granted to us or not, still there is the

same need of private preparation if any good is to result from our efforts. Let the lesson, then, whatever it be, be thought over and carefully considered some time in the previous week. If it be the Collect which is to be explained, let all the difficult words be marked, and their exact meaning ascertained. Such words as prevent," "eschew," "endeavour ourselves," "laudable," "regenerate," are seldom properly understood, and require careful explanation. Nor must we imagine because a word is familiar to ourselves, and we have never had a doubt about its meaning, that therefore it is plain to our scholars; none which are in the smallest degree unfamiliar should be passed over until we have ascertained that they are perfectly understood. Then the point of the petition should be brought out, that we may be able to make the children comprehend what it is for which they pray. Should it be the Epistle or Gospel, or any other portion of Holy Scripture, this should be previously studied, until we have fully grasped the subject of which the passage treats. A good Commentary should be used, and the practical bearing of the narrative upon the lives of the children well considered. Then, after much prayer for guidance and for a blessing on the work we have undertaken to do, we may go forth to our duty with the feeling that we are not offering to GOD of that which has cost us nothing; but that, having done our best, we leave all else in His Hands, to grant or to deny, as, and when, and how He pleases.

Should they possibly not be known to our readers, it may be as well to mention that no better helps for the preparation of the Sunday lesson can be procured than "Lesson Notes for Sunday School Teachers," by Stafford C. Northcote, and "The Church Teacher's Manual," by the Rev. M. F. Sadler. The former contains a series of lessons, each complete in itself, for one year; while the latter is as full and as simple an exposition of the Church Catechism as the teacher could require.

But now let us enter the school itself. And here we must have a plan clearly marked out to work upon; different teachers will form different plans according as they are disposed; we would only mention one here which appears suitable, but may be modified or altered to any extent. In the first place, the lessons which have been learnt at home should be said, which would naturally be the collect for the day, a hymn, and for the elder children the gospel or a portion of it; then should follow a thorough explanation and application of what has

been said, and if any time remains a further portion of Scripture may be read and explained. The afternoon school would be occupied in hearing the Catechism, and in reading to the class an instructive but interesting story. Then the boys and girls would go away satisfied that they had both learnt something, and also, which is very important, spent their time pleasantly. But, whatever plan it is, let there by all means be a plan; things must not take their chance and fit in just where they will, for in this case much time will be wasted and much left undone.

There is often a complaint made that those attending Dissenting schools grow up as Dissenters, while Church scholars do not, as a body, grow up as Churchmen and Churchwomen, but fall away in very many cases either to carelessness or dissent. It is doubtful whether there is much ground for this complaint in these days, but if there is the remedy lies in our own hands, let us train up the young in Church principles, and when they are old they will not depart from them. Let the Sunday school teacher be sure that he trains those under his charge to appreciate the different Festivals and Fasts, and to distinguish them one from another as they come round year by year, let him instruct them in the meaning of the different services, let him teach them the true doctrine of the Sacraments, not only in a general way, but applying them to their own needs and their own difficulties, and then we shall not have to complain that our youth wander astray as soon as they leave the Sunday school.

It is usually a mistake to allow the children to read too much of the Bible at once; a long chapter read through verse by verse, occupies much time, and the ideas of the young mind are apt to be confused. Mere Scripture History alone is of little use to the children of the poor. It is often found that a knowledge of the lives of Noah, Abraham, Joseph, &c., coexists with a lamentable ignorance of Christian principles and distinctive Church doctrine; and this because these histories are taught without any reference to Him, Who is the Antitype of them all, and from Whom they derive their whole importance. Much Christian doctrine and many Christian precepts may be gathered out of the lives of the Old Testament saints, if they are viewed in their right light; but the teacher should undoubtedly educate his pupils first in the different articles of the creed and in the gospel narrative before he takes them to the Old Testament, which can only be studied with profit in the light of the New.

The Church Catechism is a grand foundation on which to ground our teaching, as everything necessary for a child to know is contained in it, so that if this be intelligently mastered, we need not fear that anything important has been omitted. But this need by no means exclude Bible teaching. Far otherwise; the catechism should be approached Bible in hand, enforced and strengthened and driven home by Scripture proofs, so that both may be shown to agree, and the children led to feel that the only true Bible teaching is the teaching of the Church. But, beyond this, it is most desirable that boys and girls should find in their teacher a sympathising friend; he should do his best to know them personally and individually, and win their confidence by kind looks and kind words, not in school alone but out of it as well, wherever he may chance to meet them or hold any intercourse with them.

This brings us to the teacher's duties out of the Sunday school; and these though by no means very onerous or difficult should not be overlooked or omitted. First, of course, must come prayer; this is absolutely essential; no teacher who does not pray for himself and his class can expect any great blessing on his teaching. He should make a point of bringing before GOD the temptations and difficulties and the needs of each child, as far as he knows them. A general prayer for the whole class should be said daily; but once a week a certain portion of time should be set aside for this more detailed and particular intercession, accompanied perhaps by meditation on the Sunday's lesson, and prayer for the HOLY SPIRIT's guidance on behalf of the teacher himself. We cannot estimate the benefit that would be derived from such a practice as this, as it would be incalculable; for we should go to our work with tenfold power, our words would have a weight which they could never otherwise have, and the children themselves would be influenced by the knowledge of the fact, which they could not but perceive, that they were being taught by one who "had been with JESUS." If we can only grasp the truth of the words of our Blessed LORD, "Whatsoever ye ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive," our work will never fail of a blessing, though it be feebly and imperfectly performed.

There is another duty, too, which it will be well not to omit, viz., the visiting the children at their own homes. A private register should be kept by each teacher for his own class, in addition to the school register, that he may mark the attendances, behaviour, and progress of

the members of his class. He will then be able to ascertain at a glance who attend regularly and who do not, who say their lessons perfectly and who do not. The absent ones should be inquired for every week, as it often happens that children absent themselves from school without the knowledge of their parents, who are very glad to be informed if such is the case. These visits will frequently give an opportunity for conversation on other matters connected with the children, which may be the means of impressing upon the parents the necessity of a sound religious grounding, without which education is not worthy of the name. For it is upon the fathers and mothers that we have to depend in the future. If they will only stand up and demand that religion shall not be banished from our elementary schools, depend upon it the Government will never sanction such a divorce, but if they are careless and indifferent, no one else will be able to stay the onward advance of secularism.

But before we close our remarks on the subject of the Sunday school there is one other which must be made, because it is hard to overestimate its importance. Let the teacher take care that he, in some measure at least, retains a hold on the boys and girls after they leave the Sunday school; let his influence still be felt and felt for good. If he has been able to win the affection of his class, and has led them to take an interest in their instructions, this will not be difficult. The young men will usually remain at work in the same place in which they have been brought up, and may be drafted into an adult class, or at least invited to tea once a year, and occasionally visited at their homes. They may be urged to become regular communicants and encouraged by a friendly word of advice whenever the opportunity offers. The girls are different, as they usually are sent to service as soon as they are old enough, but these may be corresponded with, and it is well if the priest of the parish, into which they are going, can be communicated with, that they may not be altogether lost sight of. The Girls' Friendly Society," recently formed, would be a great help in many cases, as it would ensure constant supervision and advice which often is wanting altogether.

In conclusion, let us as Sunday school teachers not be content with a low standard, but take care that we aim at a high one, however far we may fall short of reaching it. Those whom we teach are fellowmembers with us of the same Body, fellow-sharers in the same grace, the same promises, the same hopes, and if we realise these blessings