371 the building, to inspect the various objects which were set out on the tables. After addresses in the lecture hall, this interesting re-union was brought to a close with prayer and praise. Sunday School Institute. THE QUARTERLY RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS. In the past Quarter a continuous series of meetings have been held at the rooms of the Institute, the first of which Thursday, 14th August. "Why am I a Churchman ?" Thursday, 21st August. the Handmaid of Religion." Knowledge Thursday, 18th Sept. Astronomy." Mr. N. E. GREEN. Thursday, 25th Sept. "Money." By Mr. S. B. POWER. A CONVERSATIONAL MEETING was held on Thursday evening, the 7th of August, at which the important and always interesting subject of "Sunday School Management" was discussed by the Teachers and Superintendents present. The conversation was opened by Mr. FLEET. In addition to these Meetings at the Rooms of the Institute, a series of Training Lessons has been arranged for delivery at PENGE, Surrey, the Rev. D. Mc.Anally in the chair, as fol lows: 22nd Sept. To a Bible Class. 29th By Mr. NORTON. To a Testament Class. By Mr. Power. By Mr. REID. to Senior Scholars belonging to schools in connexion with the Institute, and such Junior Teachers as wished to at- 6th Oct. To an Elementary Class. tend, has been delivered as follows :— In connection with the labours of the Young Men's Society, the Committee have arranged to deliver a series of Training Lessons at St. George's School Room, Bloomsbury, as follows:Oct. 21st. To a Testament Class, by Mr. HEALD.-Subject, Luke xvii. 11-19. Nov. 18th. To a Bible Class, by Mr. To an elementary Class, by Mr. REID.-Subject, Matt. xv. 21-28. And at the ISLINGTON Branch, on Nov. 25th, a Training Lesson to a Testament Class by Mr. REID, Subject, the "Transfiguration," Mark ix. 1—10. At the request of the South London Sunday School Association, Mr. NORTON will give a Training Lesson, on Dec. 16th, at the Bolton Street School Room. DEPUTATIONS from the Institute, will proceed to BOSTON, Lincolnshire, on the 24th November, to a Teachers' Meeting, and also to BELFAST and its neighbourhood during the month of October. The next DEVOTIONAL MEETING will be held on Thursday evening, the 2nd October, at half-past eight o'clock, when it is hoped that the Rev. E. AURIOL will conduct the proceedings. The following books have recently been added to THE LIBRARY, for the use of the members of the Institute, viz., Night Scenes of the Bible, by Rev. C. D. Bell, M. A. Justification by Faith, by the Bishop of Ossory and Ferns. The Adopted Child, by the Author of Katherine Douglas. Sunsets on the Hebrew Mountains, by the Rev. J. R. Macduff. Good Words, for 1860 and 1861. Footsteps of the Reformers in Foreign Lands. Sunsets and Sunshine, or varied aspects of Life, by Rev. Erskine Neale. Forty Years' experience in Sunday Schools, by Rev. Dr. Tyng, of New York. The Way to Life; Sermons by Dr. Guthrie. Life of Arthur Vandeleur, Major R. A., by Miss Marsh. Twenty Years in the Church, and Elketon Rectory, by Rev. James Pycroft. Due notice will be given of the NEW PUBLICATIONS of the Institute for the year 1863. The Committee would solicit the help of their friends in promoting the cir culation of all of these, among those engaged in the work of the Sunday School, and would also invite their at tention to our MAGAZINES, the circulation of which might be largely increased, if our friends would kindly make them known to others similarly employed, and to whom they might prove of advantage, and also invite them to become regular subscribers for them. The Committee receive very pleasing assurances of the assistance which many who are teaching in Sunday Schools derive from the encouragements, sug gestions, and Notes on Lessons thus regularly supplied; but they also discover continually that, though thus by God's blessing made useful to many, there is a much larger circle of fellow-labour. ers to whom these publications are altogether unknown. The New Year is a favourable season for commencing periodicals, and we trust, with the help of those who are acquainted with them, that in the coming year, the QUARTERLY and the MONTHLY Magazines for Teachers, and the SCHOLARS' COMPANION for our young friends may be adopted in many schools, and find many more readers than in the past. May we here also invite, not only assistance in the literary part of our work,-for this we need greatly, that new thoughts and minds may be employed in it--but also "THE SPIRIT IN THE WORD: Facts gathered from a thirty years' Ministry. By W. Weldon Champneys, M.A., Canon Residentiary of St. Paul's, and Vicar of St. Pancras." London, Seeley, Jackson and Halliday. Though a small book, this is one of great interest and value. None who know the peculiarly attractive style of its author, his pointed sentences, his abundant illustrations, and his simple but convincing arguments, will doubt that such a subject treated by him would be made interesting: and those who know how long and earnestly, how patiently and devotedly he has fulfilled the duties of his sacred office, chiefly in one of the large and most unpromising parishes of the east of London, must feel that such "facts" as he has gathered together from among the records of his past labours, are not only a comforting assurance to himself of the Divine blessing on his work, and that the Spirit of God has accompanied the Word preached by him, but also, what the author wishes them to be considered, an evidence of the truth of the religion taught in that Word-the testimony of experi ence, in its manifold forms, to the power of the Divine Word in our own day, analagous to that given by the blind man in the days of our Lord, "One thing I know-whereas I was blind, now I see." In telling what the Lord has done for our own souls, and in pointing to the results of a true faith in His Word upon the minds and hearts of others, we possess an argument for the truth of the religion we profess, easily to be understood even by the most ignorant, and not to be gainsaid by the most bigoted or prejudiced unbeliever. The instances collected together in this little volume are varied, touching, and important, as the accuracy of each is vouched for by the testimony of an eye-witness. Nor has the author failed to suggest the lessons, and to enforce the arguments which each illustration is calculated to afford; while among these incidental teachings, are some points of great value to every one desiring to make known God's truth, or employed in the task of teaching. Here, for instance, is a suggestion worth the notice of the visitor to the poor :"Abrupt intrusion on them at unreasonable times, interruption of their meals, a patronising manner, an air of conscious superiority, a tone of condescension, inquiries that savour more of impertinent curiosity than of kind and sympathising interest-all these should be carefully avoided. . . . Acting on these convictions, I have always, in my visits among the poor, tried to go at times most convenient to them." As an illustration of the good effects of such kind considerateness, an instance is given of the case of a young man prejudiced against religion, upon whom the author called in his sickness.-"Before I left I said 'will you allow me to call again ?' He did not say no, and I left him. I called again and again, and on my fourth visit he said, 'Do you know, sir, what I meant to say to you when you first called?' 'No.' 'I had made up my mind to tell you not to call again.' 'What,' said I, • You 'prevented your doing so?' asked me whether you might call, and I could not find in my heart to say No, and now I thank God that you did call.'" There is a very valuable testimony in the chapter entitled "Laying hold on the promises" to the value of Confirmation in affording the clergy periodically the opportunity of giving simple catechetical instruction to the young, and a striking illustration of its effects upon older persons. In another chapter (p. 95-6), when referring to a visit to a ་ ren have as real a right to the outward visible signs as they have a real share and interest in the body and blood." A conversation with a barefooted boy in the street leads the author to remark on the reverent tone of voice which should be employed in uttering the name of our God and Saviour: "I shall never forget the tone of deep quiet reverence with which that poor little shoeless boy repeated the name Jesus.' I have often asked the same question and obtained the same answer, but I have often been pained and not pleased at the tone in which that name has been pronounced, at which every knee shall one day 'bow;' of things in heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth, when every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.' I have heard that Holy Name uttered loudly, sharply, irreverently, and it has pained me, just as I have heard the conversations, arguments, and powerful and conclusive reasonings of the meek, and gentle Saviour read in a tone of sharpness, and self-confi dence, with which, we may be quite sure, they were never uttered by Him who spake as never man spake.'" May not this hint be usefully applied both to Sunday scholars and their teachers? But there are some passages in this interesting book bearing yet more directly upon the work in which we are specially engaged, and which will give it especial attractions to all who are concerned in the training of the young. In a chapter, recounting how a teacher and a scholar from different schools in Whitechapel met years after in the bush in New Zealand, and strengthened their mutual faith there, the author thus introduces the subject:-" Much of our work as Christian teachers is that of men sowing, not only beside all waters'—wisely choosing the best ground, even that which is rich and soft and moist, the young heart as yet unexhausted by actual sin, with its affections still tender and ready to receive impressions; but our work is that of men casting our bread upon the waters.' Men, as they see us work, might say, 'surely it is thrown away; you will never see those poor children again: they are so migratory in their habits, so irregular in their attendance, that like the changing waters, they will move away, and your work will be lost.' Not so if we cast 'precious seed,' even the seed taken out of God's own Book-that granary of life eternalupon many hearts, it will sink into them; it will disappear, but it will not be lost. If the Eternal Spirit only quicken its latent germ of life, if the Sun of Righteousness shine upon it, that seed will strike root in the softened heart, and bring forth fruit after many days, first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear."" The author's opinion as to the value of ministerial work among the school children is very decisive; he says "I am thoroughly convinced that no work rewards the ministers of Christ more richly than that of visiting and personally teaching the children of his schools. I do not mean that he should go in and take a class now and then and ascertain their proficiency as an inspector, but that he should regularly visit and teach the children, as an integral part of his flock, as their minister. He is, as I conceive, bound to do soas much as he is to teach the grown members of his congregation. Feed ny lambs' was said by the Chief Shepherd, before He said 'Feed my sheep; and that command to His penitent and loved apostle is not less said to us, His under-shepherds. I am perfectly certain that such teaching is not thrown away; that the associations created in the children's minds are not soon, if ever, blotted out. I have myself seen, after long years of absence, the careless man who had gone far astray from the innocence of his childhood into folly and sin, put back in an instant into the recollection and associations of his earliest and happiest days by the voice and face of his old minister and teacher......The minister of Christ who has been the loving teacher of the children of his parish will never be forgotten. The love of children is not hard to win, and once gained is seldom or never lost. I am so convinced of this that when the lambs of the flock have not had their portion of tender grass, however we may have led the sheep of Christ into the green pastures, I feel as if we have not done our work. Others may have done theirs faithfully, but our work, as His servants who has said, 'Feed my lambs' has not been done." We are greatly tempted to give our readers the benefit of the author's views on the way of fostering and encouraging a missionary spirit among children, and his account of the means he adopted so successfully in a large parish-but we feel we have given specimens enough to show how valuable the book in all its parts can be made, and we trust it will speedily be found if not in every teacher's possession, at least in every school library, that all may profit by the useful proofs it affords of God's means of blessing His Word, the encouragements it gives to those who are working in His name, and the many suggestions it contains, as to the right application of the great truths of our holy faith to our souls, and to those of others, in whatever condition we or they may be found. We can only briefly notice some other books lying before us. The second volume of the Religious Tract Society's new edition of the WORKS OF JOHN HOWE, M.A., contains three of the most admired of the treatises by that eminent man, whose appearance attracted the attention of Cromwell, as he saw him at one of the services at Whitehall, and led to his |