remain firm in this day of trial, not having sought with sufficient ardour the aid of Him who "giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not;" and who suffereth no temptation to befall his children, "but will also, with the temptation, make a way of escape."

Yet there was a blessed number strong in faith, who walked manfully on in the path allotted to them. Multitudes bore testimony to the truth of their religion, resisting unto death every attempt to turn them aside from the true faith. Many were the martyred saints who expired during this period on the scaffold and at the stake, and many more in hidden dungeons, where the wrath of man worketh in secret, that which no earthly eye may behold; but which He who seeth from his throne in heaven, and from whom no secrets are hid, will one day reveal to an assembled world. In that day, how shall the persecutors tremble! and oh! how many unrecorded victims of their fury shall then be seen, "clothed in white robes, and having palms in their hands," ascribing honour and praise unto Him who hath brought them through great tribulations to their glorious rest! Even among those who had fallen into the snares of their oppressors, and had been prevailed on to abjure their religion, great numbers afterwards sincerely and bitterly repented their conduct, and sought the earliest opportunity to confess their fault to their brethren. Many had the courage to declare openly to their enemies, that they had signed against their consciences, that they repented it as a crime, and that they were resolved to live and die in their first and purest faith.

The following are some of the most memorable instances taken from records handed down to us of these days of persecution.* The follow. * And information is chiefly drawn from the following works:

History of the Cevennes.

ing we give as a specimen, to be followed by others, of the implacable spirit with which adherents of the Protestant faith were hunted, both dead and alive.

M. De Chevenix, the persecuted Invalid.-Many striking proofs of penitence were furnished after abjuration of their faith by Protestants, and some of the most remarkable were often exhibited in the sick chambers of the new Catholics, as they were called. From their dying beds, they often made the most affecting protestations to the Catholic priests, who came to offer them the sacraments of the church, and (if possible) to compel them to receive them. In these awful moments, on the point of appearing before the Judge of quick and dead, those who until then had concealed their opinions, often felt themselves obliged to raise the mask, and confess their real sentiments, giving glory to God, and testifying their faith in Jesus as their only Saviour. Alarmed at these instances of defection among their forced converts, their persecutors now obtained the enactment of a law, decreeing, that those who relapsed into the Protestant faith, should be condemned to the amende honorable, and to banishment with confiscation of property. For the sick who should refuse the sacraments, and declare they desired to die in the Protestant religion, in case they recovered from their sickness, they were to be subjected to the same law, with this addition, that banishment should be exchanged for labour in the galleys for the men, and confinement in cloisters for the women. If they died in these dispositions, the same decree ordained, that their bodies should be drawn on a hurdle, and then thrown on the highway, and their property confiscated.

Among the penitents whose names have descended to us, and whose dying Bion's Narrative of the Sufferings of French Protestants. Gilly's Waldensian Researches.

confessions have not been without their earthly record, is M. de Chevenix, a venerable man, fourscore years of age, one of the oldest counsellors of the parliament of Metz. When the soldiers of the king had invested the town, and pursued their barbarous system of conversion by means of every cruelty they could devise, the aged senator, overcome by their persecutions, had, with many others, signed the abjuration, in order to be relieved from the presence of their oppressors. A short time after he fell sick, and during his illness, which lasted about two months, he gave many proofs of his repentance for that act of sinful weakness. As soon as this was known, a number of priests hastened to the chamber of the sick man, to set before him the danger of relapsing into his former heresy, and, if possible, to confirm him in the Romish faith. Even the bishop laboured to secure the constancy of the new convert. Nor was it priests alone who came to disturb the quiet and repose so necessary to an invalid. The governor and the principal members of the council likewise gathered round his bed, harassing him with arguments, and pressing on him the superstitions of their church. But his hour of weakness was past. Though he had fallen, he was strengthened to rise again; so that the enemy could not finally triumph over him. He was enabled to resist all their arguments and entreaties with the greatest firmness. A short time before his death, the cure of the place came to offer him the sacraments as a final trial of his faith. He thanked him mildly, but said he was not disposed to receive them. The priest withdrew, but it was to carry the complaint of his contumacy to the proper court. Life was now rapidly waning, and the sick man expired before any further measures could be taken. It was too late to inflict personal suffering on the relapsed heretic; but there was still time to expose his lifeless remains to the indignities de

creed by the new law. The seneschal commanded that the dead body should be carried to prison, and condemned it to be drawn on the hurdle, and afterwards thrown on the highway. To prevent a circumstance so distressing to the feelings of his surviving friends, an appeal was made from the decree of the seneschal to the parliament of Metz. The senators, though Catholics, were struck with horror at the idea of confirming such a sentence against the body of one of their colleagues. They addressed themselves without delay to the court, to obtain permission to reverse the decree: but they received immediately an order from the king, commanding them to execute it in its fullest rigour. They were then obliged to confirm the sentence of the seneschal, and to deliver the body to the executioner, to perform the rest of the revolting decree.

Contrary to the hopes and wishes of the Catholic party, this severity against so important and respected an inhabitant of the place, instead of intimidating the Protestants, tended to rouse their spirits, and determined them to declare their sentiments with more boldness. As the body was drawn through the streets, many testified their indignation at the sight. "Behold a man of God!" exclaimed

some.

"He is in his car of triumph," said others. The melancholy spectacle passed on, and others were heard to say, "His body is in the hands of the executioner, but his soul is with his God." Others said, "His body is defiled with dust, but his soul is washed in the blood of Jesus Christ." The soldiers, who accompanied the executioner to support him in his duty, in vain endeavoured to keep the people silent; the powerful feeling which had been excited, could not be suppressed in an instant. When the executioner had performed his part, and ended by throwing the lifeless body on the highway, the people of Metz had the courage to carry it away and inter it honourably. It was not the Protes

tants only who testified their abhorrence of this act; even the Catholic inhabitants were incensed at this treatment of one of the most respected of their citizens. They wrapped the body in a cloth, and bore it into a garden, where a grave was prepared to receive it. Many persons attended to assist in performing the last offices; and it is said more than four hundred women were present. While the body was lowered into the grave, they sung with a loud voice the 79th Psalm, where the prophet deplores the ruin

of Jerusalem in such affecting strains, saying, amongst other things peculiarly appropriate to the present case, "The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth."

Instances without number might be adduced of far severer treatment than that of M. De Chevenix; but we do not wish to shock the feelings by a detail of too many of the horrible excesses of the persecution.

A.

are

YOUR position as Sabbath School teachers is one of the most honourable you can hold on earth. You are engaged not merely in exercising the intellectual powers of the young-in inculcating an outward respect for religion---but you contemplate a much higher and holier object. Your aim is to produce such impressions, and communicate such instructions as will, by the blessing of heaven, lead them to Jesus, and thus secure their eternal salvation. You "fellow-labourers with Christ;" you are occupying a chief place in the great contest betwixt truth and error, betwixt Christ and Satan; and when the deeds of the worldly great shall have passed into oblivion, and the "hero of an hundred fights" shall have ceased to be remembered, ye who have been the teachers of "babes," ye who have laboured to turn their young hearts to the Saviour, shall not only be remembered but graciously rewarded. Yes, your "witness is in heaven, and your reward is on high." They "that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and ever."

In discharging the duties of your honourable and momentous office,

let me entreat you to be attentive to your own personal religion. I trust that there is not one of you who are teachers, who have not yourselves drunk of the sincere milk of the word; that there are none who are professing to instruct others, who are ignorant themselves of the first principles of the oracles of God; that there are none who are professing to care for the souls of others, whilst they are neglecting the great salvation. We can assure you, brethren, that we who are ministers, and ye who are Sabbath School teachers, are very apt to deceive ourselves with a kind of official piety; to mistake the form of godliness for the power; to content ourselves with a mere mechanical excitement for true grace. Forget not, then, that ye are interested in the truths which you are teaching; that you likewise have souls to be saved; and that the same holiness of heart and life, which you inculcate upon them as necessary for their salvation, is as necessary in your case if you would inherit the kingdom. Cultivate, we beseech you, personal piety.

Again, in prosecuting your important labours, let it be your study to interest the scholars in the various exercises in which they are engaged. To do so with any thing like success,

you must present before their young minds the truths of religion in an attractive form; you must speak to them with all simplicity, and must see that you are not using language which is above their comprehension. From From what I know of Sabbath School teach ing, I am persuaded that there are many teachers who labour to little advantage, just because they adopt a method of instruction which is beyond the capacity of their pupils. They seem to forget that they are teaching children; that they are speaking to persons who are in a great measure ignorant of the very expressions which they are using-and, therefore, their zeal, and diligence, and fluency of speech avail but little. Teachers, therefore, should strive to communicate instruction in as interesting and intelligible a manner as possible, and they should leave no lesson-they should pass on to no other topic till they have the satisfaction of knowing that what they have said has been fully understood. Unless this be attended to, the earnestness, the piety, the learning, the eloquence of the teacher are of little advantage. They labour, they teach in vain. They are giving an "uncertain sound"-they are speaking into the air. By all means, therefore, let it be your constant endeavour to simplify the various lessons which come under examination, and the remarks which you feel it necessary to make in the consideration of the same, so that the youngest and the dullest of your scholars may thoroughly understand the truths which you are seeking to impress on their youthful

den, nor detain them in school so long as that they shall be heard to say, "Oh, what a weariness is it, when will it be over?" There will be differences of scholarship and attainments among them; and whilst you inculcate diligence and perseverance in the acquisition of knowledge, give occasion to none of them to suppose that you are demanding too much at their hands. Give them short lessons, and see that they are accurately and intelligibly prepared. Let what they do commit to memory be committed thoroughly, and repeated to you correctly and distinctly; especially see to it that they understand both what they read and what they are required to learn. Let the intellect, the judgment, be exercised as well as the memory. Teach them habits of reflection to think for themselves; and by doing so you will have the satisfaction of seeing your labours crowned with success.

Let me counsel you to study regularity of attendance on the evenings of the Sabbath, and punctuality as to the hour of meeting and the hour of dismission-to be present every evening is doubtless a sacrifice; for there will be seasons in which you would wish to be otherwise employed. And as you receive neither fee nor reward for your instructions, as it is on your part a labour of love, you may sometimes be inclined to prefer another meeting or another service to the Sabbath school. But though you feel it to be a sacrifice to attend the class, nevertheless make the sacrifice. Remember the importance of the work in which you are engaged— that you are "workers together with Christ" that you are training the young for the kingdom of heaven. Recollect that frequent or even occasional absence will be hurtful to yourselves, and also to the scholars; that on your part it will produce apathy, and on their part such an indifference as will require a very small excuse to absent themselves altogether.

For

your own sakes therefore, as well as theirs, let no trifling reason prevent you from giving your regular attendance. And study, at the same time, the greatest punctuality as to the time of meeting. Fix an hour, and keep it. Let no paltry excuse, no want of arrangement on your part, keep you behind the appointed time of assembling. Be in your place; for rest assured that if you are in the habit of being late, the scholars will soon imitate your example. Besides, lateness disturbs the other teachers and classes meeting with you, and is attended with results most hurtful to the success of Sabbath School instruction. Study, then, regularity and punctuality of attendance.

Be

Lastly, let me counsel you to earnest, united, believing prayer. You require not to be told, that your fitness for the work, and your success in it, are from the Lord. Nor do you need to be informed, that you can expect neither the one nor the other unless you ask the same in prayer. For these he will be enquired of, and these will not be withheld if asked in sincerity—if asked in faith. Ask, then, assistance from on high. seech him to qualify you for the important work to which you have given yourselves; to give you that spiritual knowledge, that discretion, that energy, that "aptness to teach," that love for souls, which are necessary to the right discharge of the duties of your station. Ask these things for yourselves. Ask them for your fellow-teachers. Ask them for all whom you know to be thus engaged; yea, ask them for those who have not given themselves to the work, so that the band of teachers may be augmented, so that a still greater number of children may be brought within the influence of religious instruction. And seek not merely the requisite fitness; entreat him earnestly and unitedly to accompany your labours with success. Remember, that neither is he that planteth any thing, nor he that

watereth, but God that giveth the increase; "that the treasure is put into earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power might be of God and not of man." Suppose not that you will be the means of communicating one serious thought, of producing one good impression, of converting a single child, of saving a single soul, without the blessing which cometh from above. And, knowing this, believing in the efficacy of prayer, believing it to be the key which unlocks the treasures of the eternal, the electric wand which brings down to earth the blessing of heaven ;-let there be amongst you much fervent, humble, confiding prayer. Let your request be that of the saints of old, "Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us; and establish thou the work of our hands, yea, the work of our hands establish thou it." And then may you expect to see good resulting from your instructions; then "shall your sons be as plants grown up in their youth, and your daughters as corner-stones polished after the similitude of a palace."

But we must conclude these brief counsels, and in doing so let me again remind you that your office is honourable, that your work is all-important. See, then, that ye are diligent, earnest, and persevering. Let nothing cool your zeal, or damp your activity. Let not the coldness of professors, or the taunts of worldly men, lead you to abandon the post of duty. Let not the dulness or chilliness of your pupils dispirit you; the most thoughtless and the most deficient may yet be eminent saints in the church of God. Let not the smallness of your class discourage you; the Saviour himself preached to one individual at the well of Samaria, and he has promised his presence and blessing to the few as well as to the many. Let not the want of present fruit distress you; for yours is a "work of faith" as