communion! There are twenty little excuses that some persons are ready to make against uniting themselves in fellowship. But let conscience do its office, and examine sincerely whether such excuses will be a sufficient apology in the great day. A late eminent divine, well known to some of us, Mr. Nathaniel Taylor, gives this direction to those who have given up themselves to God in Jesus Christ. "Join yourselves," says he, "as members to some particular church of Christ or other. For the better edification of his body, our Saviour has appointed the erecting of particular churches. And wherever a sufficient number of persons were called, it was the constant practice of the primitive times, to unite in such societies as stated members of them, under the guidance and conduct of those pastors and teachers, which, with their own consent, the Holy Ghost had set over them to rule and feed them. This is a constitution of Christ, which is directly thwarted and opposed by a generation of loose and rambling christians, that content themselves with bare hearing, and that too in a very odd way. For they are a sort of volatile auditors, perpetually frisking to and fro, who can fix nowhere. Were all men of this humour, there could be no such thing as particular churches, which Christ has appointed for the edifying of his members. And how they can rationally expect to flourish either in grace or peace, while they live in a direct opposition to a manifest institution of our Lord Jesus, which was not more an effort of his authority, than of his wisdom and goodness, I wish men would seriously consider. Are any of you so self-sufficient, that you need no pastor, nor the assistance of your fellow christians to watch over, admonish, rebuke, exhort, comfort, strengthen, and counsel you? Are there none of the churches of Christ that are pure enough? None of them that have latitude or strictness enough for you; none of them worthy enough for you to join yourself unto? When our Lord has given such variety of gifts to his ministers, is there none of them whose abilities suit you, and please your curious palates, that by settling under them you may be edified? I may say to such persons as Constantine once did to such a self-conceited man, 'Take a ladder and climb up to heaven by thyself alone.' In short, a society of believers walking together in gospel order, is like the excellent composure of syllables, words, and sentences, that have a great deal of sense

and signification in them; but a separated and divided christian, that will join himself to no church, is like a single letter or disjointed syllable, that is perfect nonsense."

When we behold a society of christians flourishing in holiness, and honourably maintaining the beauty of this sacred fellowship, let us take occasion to raise our thoughts to the heavenly world, to the church of the firstborn, who are assembled on high, where everlasting beauty, order, peace, and holiness, are maintained in the presence of Jesus our common Lord. And when we meet with little inconveniences, uneasiness, and contest in any church of Christ on earth, let us point our thoughts and hopes still upward to that divine fellowship of the saints, and the spirits of the just made perfect, where contention and disorder have no place. There the glories and the graces of the Redeemer, who is the head of the church, are diffused over all the happy assembly. They adore and love their God and their Saviour with supreme fervency, and they love one another with pure affection, their hearts and souls are one, and they rejoice in the love of God, and in the presence of the Lamb for ever and ever.-Watts.

OUR BAPTIZED CHILDREN.

RELIGIOUS TRAINING AS CONDUCTED IN THE MORAVIAN

CHURCH.

Of all matters connected with pastoral labour in our churches, there appear to us but few of greater importance than the religious education of our children, yet we question much whether any has received less attention or been more imperfectly understood. In many of our churches no line of distinction is drawn between them and the children of the world, while in very few is there any set system of moral training, on right principles, at work. By the language adopted at public baptisms, and in books defending our views on that sacred rite, one might suppose that the children of the church were born under peculiar advantages, and must henceforth be the subjects of peculiar blessing. But where are these privileges seen, and what blessings can be said to result from the performance of the rite? Truly, with the great mass of those that have un

dergone it, they had been as largely benefited by no baptism at all.

We have often mourned over this negligence on a most important point, and as friends of the young, make our appeal in their behalf. Neglect here is fraught with present and eternal mischief; attention and diligence, with immense, incalculable good. When will our churches be alive to it? When will they wake up to discharge their duties to God and to immortal souls, by making every church a nursery for its future members? We long to see the time, and though we feel our influence goes but little way towards bringing it about, are anxious to bear our humble part in directing attention to it. Some minds of greater powers and greater influence may thereby be induced to take it up and urge it on the churches in a welldigested form.

In our present paper we purpose to do no more than present the outlines of a system already in existence in the Moravian body, the efficiency of which has been proved by the experience of some hundred years. We do not consider all this system adapted to our wants, but we think there are parts of it which are worthy our attention, and may be appropriated with the best results. The writer has seen them work well, both in the body to which he refers, and now in that with which he stands connected; hence he speaks from personal observation. He was born of pious Moravian parents, brought up in the bosom of the church, admitted to all its privileges, employed as an instructor of the young amongst them, and though now no longer in connexion, desires to record his obligation to this admirable system of religious training and his increasing gratitude to God, for having given him so rich a birthright.

Before entering on the development intended, it will be necessary to give a correct view of an important feature in Moravianism-the classification of the members. There is first a general, and then a more particular, classification. The first is as follows::

1. Society members, consisting of all that have been baptized by them, with such others as are desirous of attending some of the private means of grace, though perhaps not fully agreeing with the peculiarities of the body.

2. Communicant members, or such as having publicly professed

their faith in Christ, sit down at the table of the Lord. These may, or may not, agree with the brethren in all their views.

3. Congregational members, being such as enter into a peculiar covenant to live to God and maintain the distinguishing sentiments of Moravianism. These are the genuine Moravians, and no one can hold the ministerial office amongst them, who has not entered into "the brotherly agreement."

Besides this, there is a more particular classification, arising from age and circumstance. It is as follows:

1. All the baptized children under twelve years of age, forming the two divisions of "little boys" and "little girls."

2. All between the years of 12 and 18 constituting great boys" and "great girls."

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3. All above 18, and yet unmarried, forming "the single brethren" and "single sisters."

4. "The married brethren and sisters."

5. "The widows and widowers."

These classes are called "choirs," and to each one or more persons are appointed, called "laborers," whose duty it is to look after their spiritual interests. These persons generally meet once a week for conference and prayer, when reports are given in, respecting their various charges, and means adopted for carrying out their plans.

All this must be supposed to be in operation when the child of any member shall be born, and to much of its advantages is that child made heir on its birth and baptism. It at once falls into its class-the first on our last named list, and is enrolled a member of society. It is now the church's ward, and by its baptism, has been brought into much the same relationship to it, as were the Jewish children to the church of old, by the rite of circumcision. It is then prospectively admitted to many privileges, to which, as it grows in years and understanding, it is actually advanced, and never forsaken, unless by its impiety it is necessarily separated from the body, or by its own act joins some other section of the christian church.

For the proper instruction and training of these children, means are well provided. These lie partly with the parents and partly with the “laborers.”

With regard to the parents, much is done to induce them to discharge their duties in the religious training of their children.

They have a monthly choir meeting, in which these duties are exhibited and enforced upon them. An intimate connexion is kept up between them and their laborer, so as to enable both to help each other in the work. There is a regular system of pastoral visitation carried on, which is made to bear especially upon the young. The books they read, the company they keep, the amusements permitted them, everything, in short, bearing on the formation of their character and habits, is looked into at each such visit, and if need be, wholesome reproof administered, either to parents or to children. We look back with devout gratitude to many such visits, when affectionate reproof was given with regard to books, companions, and amusements, and would bear our testimony to the reciprocal efforts of pastor and parents, to train us in the things of God.

The right discharge of parental duties is, throughout the Moravian church, made a matter of first importance, and a neglect of it, considered as a matter of glaring inconsistency and almost to demand excision from the body. We should lay great stress on this-the surveillance of the families by the church, as we fear the want of it has tended to the introduction of that worldly-mindedness too manifest in many of our families, and the painful apostacy of many of our baptized young people; and we would hazard the conjecture that we shall never see our body as it ought to be, till some such course shall be adopted and submitted to in all our churches. Is not the want of attention here blasting the church's hopes with regard to her youth, and is it not high time that something like that we have just referred to be brought to bear amongst us?

Besides this watchful attention to families, there is, in all Moravian congregations, a system of religious instruction by the pastor and laborers, in active operation, and productive of the best results.

Every child, of a proper age to receive instruction, attends four meetings every week conducted by the minister or laborer. They are as follows:-On the Sabbath morning there is a meeting in the chapel of all the children for a simple address of about half an hour long. Excellence in addressing the children at this meeting, is a matter much aimed at by the brethren, and it is well known that in this department they excel most others.