On Tuesday there is another similar service, and again on Friday, with this exception, that that on Friday is generally a singing meeting, by which we do not mean a meeting to learn singing, nor one for chiming over a few children's ditties, but a meeting for praising Christ, in a variety of verses, selected from different parts of their hymn book. The above are public meetings, but on Wednesday and Thursday are more private meetings, held in the "prayer hall," or vestry, for special religious instruction of a catechetical description. That on Wednesday is for the girls, that on Thursday for the boys, and the minister is the only authorised teacher here. A short manual of christian doctrine is committed to memory for this meeting, and simple interesting explanations given on the doctrines it contains. The meeting occupies an hour, and has been found of great practical good. It is here where the minister gains the affections of his little flock, who find themselves as much the objects of an affectionate oversight as any of their parents.

Once a year there is a high day for children, called "the children's festival," which is looked forward to, all the year round, with no ordinary feelings of pleasure. In the morning of the day, all capable of receiving instruction go one by one to the laborer, who speaks simply to them about their souls and gives them some little token of good-will, a book or other trifle. In the afternoon, the families assemble in the chapel-parents and children, comprehending infants at the breast, and all under twelve, to a delightful "love-feast." The benches are moved out of the centre of the chapel and a large square formed, round which the children and their parents sit. Tea and buns are handed round-verses sung by and for the children-hymns and passages from the scriptures repeated, and a short and simple address given. Some have attained the age of twelve, and as these have now to be advanced to the next choir, their names are mentioned, and they are kindly commended to God in prayer. At the close the minister goes round, shakes hands with all the little ones, and by his kind looks and words, gains their confidence and love. Few scenes on earth have ever been witnessed by us with more holy joy than this. The beautiful arrangement of the seats-the happy faces of old and young-the sweet songs-all there is eminently calculated to impress the mind with the idea of its being a fine picture of the day when these blest families shall meet in heaven.

We have thus sketched the system pursued with the children till they reach the age of twelve, when they are advanced to the second choir in our list, that of "great boys" or "great girls." They now come under a higher class of instruction. Generally, they still continue with the lesser children at "the instruction meeting," till removed to learn their business or otherwise; but have in addition to the ordinary means, a monthly "choir meeting," i. e., a meeting with their laborer, who gives them an address suited to their age and position. Once a month too, they meet with the upper choir to a social tea meeting, at which the laborer presides. At this meeting of boys and young men, a few papers are generally read on some given subject, which receive the pastor's criticisms: conversation is engaged in by him, and an address is given. During the continuance of the youths in this choir, the most affectionate and watchful attention is paid them. They now come under a fine system of moral training. A strict watch is kept upon their conduct, and they are reproved and admonished if found going wrong. Much is done to lead them to give their hearts to God, and great solicitude shown that they should not pass this period without making this surrender. Once in every two months they have a private

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speaking" with the pastor in his study, in which he seeks to discover their real state of mind, and urges on them the responsibilities arising from their baptismal covenant. The consequence is, that many give themselves to God while young, and we have often seen a long row of youthful communicants sitting down at the Saviour's table.

Amongst the privileges to which this choir is admitted, are the meetings kept in commemoration of certain events in the history of this extraordinary people. At these meetings they become interested in the doings of their ancestors. They hear of their martyred and persecuted forefathers. They drink in of their spirit, and learn to be true to that cause for which they bled. Often have we retired from such meetings to talk about these ancient worthies, and as often did we feel that the highest, noblest honour to which we could aspire was that of treading in their footsteps, and becoming in our turn David Nitschmaus, Leonard Dobers, Matthew Stades, and Schmidts.

It is in this way that the Moravians still hand down the spirit of the martyrs. It is here where their simple devotedness to

God is nurtured, and where those holy men who have laboured in the most inhospitable regions, first imbibed that fire of zeal which was only extinguished with their lives, or rather still burns on in a holier, happier, freer clime.

From this necessarily rapid and imperfect sketch, it will be seen, that the baptized never cease to be the objects of the church's care till they reach the years of manhood, but are ever, through all this period, the subjects of careful religious training, and to a certain extent, of church discipline as well. The results would scarcely need depicting. They must be at once imagined. to be good. An appeal to this people's history would perhaps be the best mode of showing this. From this source they obtain the majority of their members, for few join them from the world. Hence, too, come their missionaries, so honoured for their zeal, and who often enter on their work with little more theological training than what they have thus received. By this too is the devotedness of the fathers handed down to the children from generation to generation, which, where it was under the power of divine grace, has been productive of great good. In how far this system can be transferred with advantage to our body in general, or to individual churches in particular, we do not now undertake to show. As we have already said, we have adopted some parts ourselves, and hitherto they work well; but for a full development of the system we should propose to carry out, we must refer to future papers. In closing this we have only to remark, that the system is by no means so complex as it at first sight may appear. Much of it, we grant, is so interwoven with Moravianism that we could not possibly adopt it, but there is much that is not, and that we may appropriate. What we contend for is, not so much the precise number and character of the meetings, as the great principle on which the whole is based. It is to this we invite attention, feeling as we do that it is high time something more definite were done for the baptized children of our churches. God is saying to us as the princess to Moses' mother, “take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages." May there be a heart and wisdom to obey his high injunction! C. H. B.

A LESSON FROM THE BOOK OF NATURE.

My eye is now resting on a productive meadow, in which I behold a picture of human life. All the various plants which people it, though they draw their aliment from the same soil, yet follow, each of them, the shape and complexion of its own nature. How widely do they differ in size, in colour, in form, and in other qualities not obvious to the eye! How the strong and the frail, the upright and the crooked, the tall and the low, the beautiful and the deformed, the nutritive and the baneful, spring up together, and live to distress each other! How the lower fret the stems of the higher! and how the higher drain the nourishment from the roots of the lower! How these higher plants, chiefly weeds, overtop their neighbours with the stateliness of nobles-assuming the appearance of protection, while they do but intercept the sunbeams and the dew! How do those that are up oppress those that would rise! How the beautiful flowers are obscured or overborne by noxious herbs!

While I looked on and mused, behold a mower entered with his scythe whetted and ready for work. Neither the vigour of the strong, nor the pliancy of the weak; neither the uprightness of the straight, nor the crookedness of the straggler; neither the stateliness of the tall, nor the lowliness of the humble—can give refuge or defence from this fatal leveller. With impartial violence he lays them all in promiscuous ruin at his feet.

Is this their end? Against another season the Lord of the field shall extirpate the useless and injurious plants. He shall improve the soil. At the call of a more genial spring the better plants shall arise to life-adorned in a purer beauty-diffusing a richer and a sweeter fragrance. They shall grow together in peace. Their sun shall shine without a winter and without a night. "We according to his promise look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."

P. S.

HOW LARGE SHOULD OUR SUNDAY

SCHOOLS

BE?

This is the way to reckon :-It is estimated that two-fifths of any population are either too young, or are otherwise unable, to attend a place of worship. So that out of a thousand people, only six hundred may be expected to be present at public worship the rest being justifiably absent. In other words, if we have a congregation, whose average attendance is six hundred, it must be reckoned to have a population connected with it of one thousand.

It also appears, from statistical tables, that in this population of a thousand, there must be about two hundred and forty-one between the ages of five and fourteen inclusive; and about ninety-nine between the ages of fifteen and nineteen inclusive. So that our congregation, averaging six hundred in attendance, ought to have upon its sabbath school books at least

241 children under fifteen years of age.

99 youths above that age.

340 on the books of a sabbath school belonging to a congregation of six hundred.

No account has been taken here of children under five years of age, nor has any reckoning been made of those children whose parents do not attend the place of worship. These classes in some schools are very numerous. They must be added to our statement.

Do the numbers in our sabbath schools bear this proportion ?

66 But -,” we hear some one say, "you have supposed your Sunday school to be so excellent an one that all the children of the congregation are sent to it! and that even "respectable" parents have sufficient confidence in the quality of its instructions, and in the character of its teachers!! And, moreover, you have supposed it to be so attractive as to retain within its influence young people to the age of nineteen !!"

True-but we know several such schools, and all schools will be like them when pastors and churches remember to "feed the lambs."