priestly intercession by which alone we can approach the throne of our Heavenly Father.

Perhaps to a still larger class in Roman Catholic countries such scenic representations are scarcely less injurious, from their effect in inducing a habit of scepticism. They are felt to be untrue, are treated as only adapted to work upon the fears of women and children; are only referred to, to give special pungency to some profane witticism or coarse jest; while the unhappy jester is thus schooled into infidelity by the unscriptural teaching of the self-styled church of the Redeemer.

How can we be sufficiently grateful to the Father of all our mercies for our birth on the western side of the narrow channel which separates Romish Belgium from protestant England. There are, unhappily, too many at home, who rest satisfied with mere ritual services, who are deluded by the performances of a mechanical religion, and are thus lulled into a false security. There are but too many of our own countrymen who prove that they also are released from the restraints of conscience, and the influence of hope or fear with regard to the future; but with a free Bible, and full liberty for its faithful exposition, notwithstanding all our admitted misimprovement of privileges, the contrast forms large matter for congratulation and praise.

We pursued our walk through the principal streets to the ramparts; near the beach we passed the shop of a gaily dressed Asiatic with a flowing beard, a vendor of Oriental essences and cosmetics. He accepted a tract which my friend Mr. W. offered him, and with an expressive shrug at the religion of the Belgians, professed himself a member of the Greek church, saying, that he did not believe in the pope, as it was absurd to put so much confidence in one man. How much of his antipapistical zeal was excited by regard for his own patriarch, and how much was intended to be complimentary to his English customers, I am not able to determine.

It was now time to return to breakfast; when we had finished our repast, we were conducted by the commissionaire of our hotel to the custom-house; here we were very civilly treated, our luggage liberated from custody, and our passports examined. Our next object was to secure places by the railroad to Bruges, and this being accomplished, we proceeded to the terminus. In the

waiting-room, which is only a temporary shed that will hold about twelve people, we were happy to meet with our fellowvoyagers of the day before; we parted with them, however, again when we arrived at this town, and can only hope that in their contemplated visit to the sunny clime of Italy, they may meet with that restoration to health of which they are in search.

A short but pleasant ride through a perfectly flat country, that looked as if it was often under water, brought us to this town. I had intended in this letter to have given you some description of it, but must defer it until my next.

Believe me, my dear H.
Yours affectionately,

E.

EGYPTIAN BRICKS.

"THE mud carried down the Nile is extremely slimy, and proves a valuable manure to the fields, after the retiring of the waters. Of this slime the Egyptians also make bricks for buildings, by the simple process of mixing it with a little straw or stubble; and then having shaped (or mis-shaped) it into the form of bricks, they leave them to dry in the sun. In some of the towns, half-burned bricks have been employed in buildings; but I did not see any kilns during my sojourning in the country. The edifices of Alexandria and Cairo are formed of stone; and in the upper country, there are so many desolate houses and villages, that the inhabitants take the ruins of one place with which to build up another. The above practice, however, explains that passage of Scripture, where Pharaoh refused to give straw to the Israelites to make their tale of bricks, and they were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw."" Exod. v. 6-12.-Mac Brair.

THE TEACHER TAUGHT.

[Address by a Sunday school superintendent.]

SOMETIME since, I paid a visit to the village of W, in which a Sunday school had just been formed. The following Sabbath was fixed upon for an address to the teachers, and being invited to attend, I accepted the invitation with sincere pleasure.

The superintendent, who was to deliver the address, was highly esteemed and beloved, as a truly pious and zealous Christian, through whose exertions the children had been collected. I was delighted with the order which prevailed, and much more so, with the manner in which the hymn was sung by the teachers and children. The superintendent read a few verses from the book of Proverbs, and offered up a short prayer, remarkable for its simplicity and fervour; after which he delivered the following address to the teachers :

My very dear FRIENDS,-I need not say with how much delight and satisfaction, I meet you on this occasion. The cause in which we are engaged commends itself, on a variety of grounds, to our sincere regard and diligent attention. The interesting characters who have been congregated here, cannot be regarded without deep feeling, and an earnest desire to promote their present and eternal happiness; should God spare their lives, they will hereafter occupy various, some of them, perhaps, important stations in society. It should then be our object, to instil into their tender minds, those instructions which may, by the divine blessing, be of essential service to them as servants or masters; and especially as they are expectants of immortality, it should be our earnest solicitude and endeavor to direct their attention to the care of their souls, and to seek early, diligently, and perseveringly, an interest in that great and glorious salvation, which Christ has wrought out and completed, and which is freely bestowed upon all those who seek it. All your instructions must be directed to that one great object, if by any means, you may be instrumental in saving some. They who teach children well, are amongst the best benefactors of the human family. Your office is as arduous as it is honorable; it will require much self-denial, and the exercise of the Christian graces, charity, meekness, forbearance, zeal, hope, and confidence in God. But whatever difficulties you may have to encounter, whatever obstacles you may have to overcome, they will be successfully met by the promise of God, "As thy day is so shall thy strength be."

In entering upon this labor of love, determine in the first instance to be punctual, always present at the fixed hour of opening the school; that you may be ready for your classes, and

unite in the prayer and praise which very properly precede the business of the day. Your presence then, is of consequence, as conveying to your classes the idea that you consider prayer as important. Your punctuality will have an influence on the children, and teach them to be punctual also. I have known Sunday schools ruined entirely by the want of punctuality in the teachers.

In the performance of your work, allow me to recommend diligence in hearing the lessons of your respective classes, and particularly, when they read the word of God. A judicious arrangement of the children, contributes greatly to the prosperity of the school. Attention should be paid to their abilities; their memories should not be unnecessarily burdened, and they should be taught to read their lesson well; and clearly to understand it before they attempt to lay it up in their memory. Neglect in this, has often tended to confirm children in a bad mode of reading and repeating, and what is worse than all, frequently leads them to suppose that they have only to do with words instead of ideas. Care should be taken to make them pronounce every syllable and word distinctly and with proper accent and emphasis; to observe the stops, and in all cases to study the At the end of each paragraph or complete sentence, I should recommend you to propose short questions to be answered by the child who reads it, in order that you may be fully satisfied that he understands as he proceeds. Permit me to add, that you, my dear friends, should be well acquainted with the subject in all its bearings, before you propose the questions; and thus your own benefit and the improvement of your class, will be mutually advanced, for,

sense.

'Teaching, we learn, and giving, we retain.'

Amongst your other important duties, is that of constantly impressing upon the minds of your scholars, the necessity of a strict observance of the Lord's day, and a regard for the public worship of God. Frequently converse with them on their sinful state, the necessity of being born again; and in these awful times, represent and explain to them the absurdity of baptismal regeneration, and other lamentable heresies. Much may be done by free, familiar, and affectionate conversation, illustrated

by striking similes or short anecdotes, after the manner of Todd's lectures. You must also instruct them upon the subject of self-examination, prayer, praise, and other Christian duties, such as obedience to parents, respect to superiors, the importance of truth, honesty, and integrity.

It is a pleasing part of my address to state, that in a diligent and conscientious regard to your duties as teachers, you will not be unrewarded, or without encouragement. In the Stockport Sunday school, the instances of conversion to God have been numerous. Many of the scholars have become members of Christian churches; some have died happily, and many have occupied some important, respectable, and useful stations in society.

Unity amongst yourselves is of the highest consequence. The cultivation of a spirit of gentleness and forbearance, will prevent those unchristianlike jealousies, feuds, and animosities that have often disgraced, and even ruined a Sunday school establishment. Each one should watch over his temper. The preservation of peace is an individual duty. "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all." into an offence which was not intended to be so. no evil, and covers, or throws its mantle over, a multitude of transgressions.

Never

construe that Love thinketh

In the arduous and honorable office of teachers, I trust you have adopted as your motto, perseverance; a determination to go forward amidst every difficulty and discouragement. Let no private pique induce you to quit the field of labor. Much is required of you, shrink not from the work, but resolve that if all the other teachers should forsake it, you, individually, will keep your hand to the plough. Many are zealous for a season, but alas! their zeal abates; first, they are irregular in their attendance; they complain of being too much confined; that they require some relaxation; that their health will not allow them to continue; but in most cases, their love is diminished, they are lukewarm, they want principle-the principle of desiring to glorify God.

Above all, my beloved friends, give yourselves to prayer: look to God for his blessing. Maintain the life of devotion by imploring the influences of his grace, and reflect upon the benefit