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feelings. But whence came that learning which enabled him to reveal things which Socrates had never known, and which Plato had never taught? And he returned musingly to the grove, saying, "We will hear thee again of this matter."-But there are other faces whose changing expression marks the working of far deeper emotions, of far stronger convictions. It is "no cunningly devised fable" which has found entrance into the heart of Dionysius the Areopagite. He looks around, above, and within-and he feels, he confesses, that we ought not to think that "the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device;" and henceforth his heart is consecrate to the worship of Him who "dwelleth not in temples made with hands."-That inner shrine of worship is not the only one which in that hour received its new dedication. See how that graceful woman drinks in the new doctrine with the eagerness of a thirsting spirit ;—eye, ear, soul, all open unreservedly to receive the "glad tidings." will no longer weave garlands for the festivals of Minerva, nor compass her temple in the mystic dance and she will never again, with torch reversed and severed locks, mourn beside the ashes of her dead, because she has received into her soul the faith of Jesus, who is evermore "the Resurrection and the Life.”

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"After these things Paul departed from Athens;" but he left amidst her marble temples, and her myrtle bowers, souls who "clave unto him and believed."

T. F.

THOUGHTS

FOR PARENTS AND INSTRUCTORS.

ON SELF-CONTROUL.

THERE is nothing more indispensably requisite in those to whom, whether as parents or instructors, the guardianship of youth is intrusted, than the possession of a virtue which is of no easy attainment; a rigid and an habitual self-controul; the maintenance of an entire self-possession on every occasion. No provocation must tempt us to irritability of tone or manner, no case of youthful delinquency, however it may grieve our heart, must affect our temper, and cause us to use the language of irritation and anger. Do we say it is impossible thus to govern our feelings so as to be always temperate and calm? Then may we as well know at first, for we shall certainly discover at last, that we are totally unfit for the work of educating the young. Those who rule others should beyond all doubt first learn to command themselves"Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry," is a proverb which we may well insist upon as peculiarly and absolutely necessary to be attended to by those who have undertaken the solemn responsibilities, the momentous duties of an instructor of youth; for unless we gain such a mastery over our passions as shall produce a calm and collected manner, we shall never command the respect and obedience of the young. We sometimes expect too much; we are not content to wait with gentleness the gradual deve

lopment of the youthful intellect; we expect fruit, and when we find that which only we have a right to look for,-blossoms, we become impatient, and discouraged, and weary of repeating the often-told lesson. And when evil passions and sinful tempers manifest themselves, we sometimes act as if we were utterly astonished to find that our children are in very truth, what the word of God represents them to be-prone to evil, and disinclined to good-"Is it not a fundamental error," says Hannah More, "to consider children as innocent beings, whose weaknesses may, perhaps, want some correction, rather than as beings who bring into the world a corrupt nature, and evil dispositions, which it should be the great end of education to rectify?" This appears to be such a foundation truth; that if I were asked, what quality is most important in an instructor of youth, I should not hesitate to reply, such a strong impression of the corruption of our nature as should ensure a disposition to counteract it, together with such a deep and thorough knowledge of the human heart as should be necessary for developing and controlling, its most secret and complicated workings. We do indeed too frequently forget the nature of the beings with whom we have to do; we forget that the heart of a child is not a fountain untainted by evil; and when at last we become convinced of the fact, instead of seeking to cleanse the polluted waters by adopting our divine Teacher's method of patient forbearance and forgiving love, is it not true. that there are times when we permit our temper to be provoked, the morose look to be seen, the harsh expression, and the tone of irritation to be heard, by the youthful being who is placed under our train

ing, and who is to receive the impress of our character? And though in our calm reflecting moments, we feel assured that our hasty reproaches and impatient demands are not only in a high degree injurious as an example, but little calculated to effect our purpose, the moment of trial no sooner returns than our impatience and ill-humour return also, and instead of the mildness and love which should mark our tone in all our dealings with the young, we give way to a hastiness of speech and manner utterly inconsistent with our profession, as Christian parents and instructors.

Surely these things ought not so to be: we may rest assured that the young are not backward to perceive, that we require of them what we do not practise ourselves ;-we may rest assured that it will be of little avail to hold up for their imitation the lovely features of meekness and gentleness which shone so brightly in the character of our Lord, while we ourselves bear no closer resemblance to that pure and spotless pattern. The young are peculiarly quick in catching the spirit of those to whom they naturally look up as their superiors in knowledge, and if they perceive,-(and they are particularly acute in their perception-they are eagle-eyed on this point), if they perceive that we ourselves are after all uninfluenced by the instructions we give to them, it is but too probable they will neglect the precept, and follow the example. Let me not, however, be mistaken here; let me not be understood as advocating a system of unlimited indulgence, and misjudging fondness. Let us restrain by every means which our authority places at our disposal, the perverse, the refractory, the insincere and selfish dis

position. We must not dare to allow these, or any other poisonous weeds, to grow unchecked. Parents, and those whom they deem worthy to be intrusted with the education of their children, are invested with an authority which they cannot neglect to use, without incurring the guilt of disobedience to the commands of God. Let it not for one moment be imagined that we have any desire to act the part of Eli. "Why do ye thus?" is very far from being the point at which we would stop. We disclaim any approach to feebleness and timidity in dealing with the bad habits and evil tempers of the young, and we should, indeed, esteem ourselves to be verily guilty, not only before man, but in the sight of God Himself, if we could content ourselves with weak and ineffectual expostulation, when restraint and punishment were evidently the measures to which we ought to have recourse. Let the sins and the faults of childhood and of youth be met with measures the most firm and decisive: we have not the least idea that children, any more than men, are to be governed by half measures: all that we plead for, is that it be a firmness regulated by gentleness and kindness. I rejoice in being able to condense my own thoughts on this very important point, and to give my own sentiments in the words of one in every way better qualified than myself to offer counsel and advice,the reverend Editor of a Periodical, entitled "The Christian Beacon," the publication of which has been discontinued, and for which these remarks were originally designed to succeed others which had already appeared.

The words which I quote are to be found in a note appended to a story in "Legends and Records,” en

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