(2.) That we should hate and forsake sin.

(3.) That our obedience to God should be cheerful and constant.

(4.) That all our duties should be done to please God rather than ourselves.

7. Application of the Lessons.

Of what should we beware? (1.)

What should we hate and forsake? (2.

What should be cheerful and constant? (3.)

Whom should we seek to please in the performance of duty? (4.)

8. Devotional Excrcise (from the Answer.)

Petition.-Bestow upon us, we beseech thee, those graces which thou requirest from all those who will be saved. Give to each of us true faith in thy Son Jesus Christ, true repentance of all our sins, and a new and sincere obedience to all thy commandments, arising from love to thee who hast first loved us.

9. Devotional Exercise (from the Lessons.)

O Lord, may we always be upon our guard, (1.) and constantly beware of falling into the sin of unbelief. May we sincerely repent of all our transgressions, (2.) and heartily hate and forsake all sin. And grant that (3.) our obedience to thee may be cheerful and constant; and that (4.) all our duties may be done to honor and obey thee, rather than to please ourselves.

10. Paraphrase formed.

God [asks or demands] from those who will be [delivered from the power and consequences of sin,] true [belief and assured confidence] in his Son Jesus, [the anointed Saviour,] true [sorrow for, and hatred] of, [the whole of] their sins, and [not the former, but a better] and [a pure, simple, and honest] submission to and ready compliance with] all his [wishes and orders,] [arising out of, and proceeding from,] love to [God,] who [had previously showed his love to us, by sending his Son to die for us.]

Other Modes of Teaching.

There are also various other modes of teaching that can be used on different lessons. One plan is to raise the questions Who? What? When? and Where?

Another is to take the letters P. P. D. D. D. D.,

children to tell him

the two P's and four D's, and inquire for P-ersons, P-laces, D-ates, D-oings, D-octrines, and D-uties. Another still is to take the word "F-i-d-d-l-e-r," as a mnemonic for the teacher's use. The first letter, F, will remind him to call on the what facts, and how many, are to be found in the first verse or in the lesson. The next letter, ¿, may prompt him to call for inferences or instructions. The letter d repeated would remind him to ask for the doctrines and duties, I will call for lessons, e for examples, and r for rebukes. This will give active employment to the children—a thing which they delight in, and it will aid the teacher in the difficult but sublime work of teaching divine Truth.

XI.

ILLUSTRATIVE TEACHING.

O illustrate is to throw light upon, to illumine, to make clear and plain. Illustration has, also, a decorating power as well as an enlightening power.

Illustrative teaching is not merely entertaining or amusing the children with stories and anecdotes, but may comprise them incidentally. Explanation appeals to the understanding, while illustration appeals to the observation of the young. Says one writer: "It is by illustration alone, which appeals to their observation, that ideas are conveyed to children's minds." Anecdotes and stories are generally too long for Sunday-school teaching, and the danger is that they will overshadow the truth. Illustrative teaching should be employed in the Sabbath-school to make divine truth glow and become plainer, clearer, and better understood-nothing else. It must never displace the lesson, but be held in strict subordination to it. Illustrations of divine truths are very useful-in fact, indispensable; but danger

ous, unless well guarded so as never to withdraw attention from the Bible.

This was one of our divine Saviour's chosen modes of teaching, as we see in the beautiful parable of the sower, and, in fact, in almost all of His inimitable parables. Mankind, as well as children, delight in this form of instruction. Says Mr. Groser, in his excellent work on this subject: "Children have a passion for details and revel in analogies. Mark their fondness for stories, however frivolous; wordpictures, however meagre, and comparisons, however commonplace." Tupper says:

Principles and rules are repulsive to a child, but happy illustration winneth him.

In vain shalt thou preach of industry and prudence till he learn of the bee and ant.

Dimly will he think of his soul, till the acorn and the chrysalis have taught him.

He will fear God in thunder, and worship His loveliness in flowers.

And parables shall charm his heart, while doctrines seem dead mystery."

Illustration is something laid alongside of parallel -for comparison, and should be short, obvious, and appropriate. There must always be something to illustrate.

For instance: If we were teaching, "Take us the foxes, the little foxes," etc., we could illustrate the danger and influence of little evils or sins by saying: Chemists tell us that a single grain of iodine will color

7000 times its weight in water; so a little sin may discolor and destroy a good character. A ruined man once said: "It was that ten minutes on the streetcorner, reading a bad book, that destroyed my whole life." "It was that penny I stole when a very young boy," said an old man, "that sent me four times to prison, and confined me twenty-eight years out of sixty of my life, and all for stealing less than thirty-eight dollars."

Or if the lesson was, "No man "No man can serve two masters," etc., let the teacher say: "The other day I saw two men together walking down the avenue, and a little dog was running behind them; so they went on for a while, and I wondered to which of them the dog belonged. When they came to the corner of a certain street they shook hands and went opposite ways. Then I saw at once to which of them the little dog belonged. He could not follow both; so he trotted after his master. So, dear children, it is with you; you may try to be Christ's servants and the servants of Satan at the same time, but it will be in vain; 'You cannot serve God and mammon.'

If on the subject of falsehood, we would impress our pupils with the fact that the degree does not affect criminality. An apt illustration will be found

in "Eve and the forbidden fruit."

The Bible is full of perfect examples, if rightly selected. "Old Humphrey," the English writer for children, abounded in pertinent illustrations. I copy