spoken about, where evidence has to be given as to the work of grace in their own heart, and it is surprising what a number of excuses they seem to have ready at hand. They are sure to be busy on that particular evening; and I do think sometimes that a little tact is displayed in so arranging matters that there is sure to be some errand or work to be done at the very time when they know that the class-meeting is to be held. But we think the question may very properly be asked, What has caused this state of things? We hesitate not to answer, a spirit of worldlymindedness.

A hungry man needs no second invitation to come to dinner; and so, if there were that hungering after spiritual things that characterised the pioneers of our own and other Methodist bodies, there would need no invitations, either from ministers or leaders, to come to the means of grace, and partake of the blessings so richly provided. Let us face our difficulties like Christian men and women; and if our appetite for spiritual things be weak, let us go back to our various Churches with this determination, that we will miss no opportunity of attending the means of grace, either public or private, praying that our longings after holy things may be made stronger, that we may enjoy the fellowship of each other on earth, and eternal felicity in the world to come.

And, now, just a few words about leaders. And I must say that, except the minister, I have always regarded the position of a leader as being the most important that any man could hold in connection with a Christian Church; because upon leaders depends very much the prosperity or otherwise of that Church. If you find a leaders'-meeting the members of which are themselves cold and indifferent, how can you expect the members of the Church to be otherwise? Whereas, if the leaders be a body of men fired with holy zeal, anxious for the spread of God's cause, it will be a marvel indeed if some of the members do not catch the flame, and good results spring therefrom.

In speaking to leaders personally, we would say, Never neglect your class; regard it as a solemn obligation for which you will have to be accountable, and let no pretence, either of business or pleasure, keep you away from the place of meeting at the appointed time. I have often been grieved at seeing leaders and members playing at what I might term a game of "hide-and-seek." The leader would go to the meetingplace one week, and the members would stay away. Then the following week the members would go, but the leader would be away.* The consequence was that no meetings were held, and very soon the class ceased to exist, except in name. The Rev. T. W. Ridley, in an article published in the large Magazine, nearly twenty years ago, says, "We know instances of leaders who never attend the leaders'-meetings; their classbook is never seen; the state of their members is not known; and many are allowed to slip in and out of the Church without the due recognition of the leaders'-meeting. These things ought not to be. They injure the Church, diminish her numbers, limit her resources, enfeeble her strength, and bring about a formality which leads us to weep in secret places, and shed tears of anxious solicitude."

Surely this is a mistake, or a figure of speech.-ED.

Then we think that it should be the object of the leader to make the meeting as attractive as possible. Let there be a warmth and geniality about the whole that shall make the members feel at home in the leader's presence. And while at times we may be compelled to find fault with the conduct of our members, let us not do so unnecessarily, but rather strive to encourage them in their desires after holy things. Much good may be done by endeavouring to enlist the sympathy of our members in the work of the Church, thus giving them to see that the Church is a family of which they form a part. It may be found necessary, in classes where there are a number of young members, to vary the manner of conducting the class; so that there may be no dulness or monotony about the meeting; but that all may be able to thoroughly enjoy, and profit by, these means of grace. But, in whatever way our meetings may be conducted, let us never lose sight of the object for which we come together, the building up of the Church of Christ, the strengthening and encouraging of its members, and the gathering in of those who are still running in the road to destruction. And though our efforts may be humble, though we may have many discouragements by the way, yet, if faithful to our charge, the Judge of all shall at last say to us, "Well done, good and faithful

servants."

J. B.

ACCORDING TO YOUR FAITH.

A MINISTER, in a paper on the faith that should inspire those who are seeking to win souls, relates the following incident: "When I was in college a good brother was greatly troubled, and went to our president and said, 'I do not see many conversions.' Our president said, Well, do you expect to have souls converted every Sunday?' He spoke it in that tone. Do you expect to have souls converted every Sunday?' The young brother said, Well, no, of course not.'Well, then,' said the president, 'according to your faith be it unto you. If you expected them every Sunday, you would have them.' Work for God with a high and holy expectation, not putting out just one net in unbelief; but let us fling out all that we have.”—Communicated by NEW CON.

MEN are apt to mistake the strength of their feelings for the strength of their argument. The heated mind resents the chill touch and relentless scrutiny of logic.

THERE are three things which the true Christian desires with respect to sin Justification that it may not condemn; sanctification, that it may not reign; and glorification, that it m ay not be.-Cecil.

THINGS THAT CONCERN US.

OUR Editor is pressed for space, and we are hard pushed by many claims on our time. We propose, therefore, to conform to the rule of brevity.

THE MAGAZINES IN EVERY HOME.

Why should we not aim at this in relation to our own Connexion? Is the appeal extravagant? Let the man who thinks it is, calmly sit down and ask himself the reason why? He will certainly find more reasons for making the attempt than for giving it up. Are there a hundred families in the entire English Connexion who are too poor to spend a penny a month for such excellent family reading as is found in the Juvenile Instructor, or sixpence a month (14d. a week only) for such high-class religious literature and multiform connexional intelligence as appear in the large Magazine in the course of a single year? Subscribers of last year, glance down the "Index" of those articles and news items which appeared in the large Magazine during the past twelve months (you will find the "Index" in the December number), and ask yourself if, for the sake of the trifling monetary cost, you and your family could have afforded, as loyal friends of the Connexion, to miss the monthly stimulus and information the pages of the Magazine give to those who constantly read them. You may be tempted to put your own Magazine aside in favour of those attractive popular periodicals so constantly pushed on your attention by rival publishers; but you will be the loser in loyalty, in spiritual profit, and practical usefulness if ever you do. If you can take only one magazine, let it be your own.

We trust all our ministers and agents have read the appeal of the Bookroom Committee and the Editor's Preface in the December Magazine. These, along with the bills and circulars sent out, are telling pleas in favour of a wider diffusion of our Connexional serials. Let the statements they contain be made the basis of earnest personal appeals on the part of our ministers and teachers in every home, every school, every class, every week-night service, every Sunday congregation. We may say we have never yet made a thorough explanation of the matter, and a kindly appeal in a public service, without gaining new subscribers; but our greatest successes have been realised by individual appeals. We need not unduly push the claim. Indeed, very often a simple statement of what is desirable on the part of our members and friends is enough. It is a trouble to have the tedious, time-consuming labour of distributing magazines monthly; but we are unworthy of our position if we are unwilling to take that trouble. We, personally, shall fail in our endeavour if we do not double the list of subscribers in our own circuit for the new year. We believe it will increase the interest of week-night services, and lead to inquiries about our periodicals, if now and then, say monthly, the sermon be shortened, and about ten or fifteen minutes be taken up in earnest talk about the circuit and missionary intelligence, and suggestions for increased spiritual life and usefulness contained in the large Magazine.

The following extracts from opinions were not written in regard to our own literature at all. They will show us that other denominations have their circulation-difficulties as well.

"Every member should feel it to be his duty to do his utmost in persuading the people to support the papers and periodicals of Methodism." "Methodist books are not known. Many of them, if known outside of Methodism, would command a much larger sale among ministers and members of other Churches than they do amongst Methodists themselves." "Our ministers go in and out

amongst their people, and by a casual word of commendation or a gentle intimation of the demands of Connexional loyalty, they would greatly increase the circulation of the periodicals of their Church."

BOOKS FOR LOCAL PREACHERS.

A year or two ago the Conference passed a resolution recommending the circuits to establish circulating libraries, with a view to assist our local preachers in the cultivation and enrichment of their minds; and suggestions for the formation and management of libraries for this purpose were afterwards offered in this Magazine by the honoured minister who first introduced this subject to Conference. We fear that little has been done to carry out this desirable object. If anything has been done in any of our circuits we should be much obliged if correspondents would report to us the results. Our local preachers are worthy men; they deserve encouragement; much of our success comes from them. They work faithfully, without fee and reward. We have about 1,000 services conducted in our 500 chapels every Sunday. Of these services perhaps less than 400 are taken by our circuit ministers. We may therefore estimate that between 500 and 600 sermons are given by our local preachers every Sunday, or above 25,000 every year Consider how much the character of our work, the efficiency of our services, the growth of our membership, and the instruction of our hearers depends on the mental culture and the scriptural knowledge of their worthy, hardtoiling brethren. Many of them are remote from suitable libraries, or are too poor to buy many books. What can we do for them? We are doing much to train and store the minds of our circuit ministers. Let us do more to cheer, to instruct, to stimulate our honoured locals-our "true yoke-fellows who labour with us in the Gospel,"—our "fellow-labourers," whose names and deeds are in the Book of Life.

We have been delighted to hear several of our local preachers warmly express their gratitude for the valuable work which, with the generous assistance of a friend, our beloved Dr. Cooke has been able to offer to every local preacher who did not already possess a copy. "Tell Dr. Cooke," they have said, "how much we value the work, and what great profit we have had in reading it." We are glad to know that about a thousand of our brethren have availed themselves of this offer. The nominal charge of a shilling a copy must have done little more than pay the cost of that wide distribution, for which there could only be one motive-a desire to stimulate our local preachers in self-improvement, and to encourage them in their holy work.

We have now a plan to propose, by which most useful aid and stimulus can be sent to these self-denying workers. All of us have not new books to give; but most of us have good books in our houses which at present are doing no earthly, or heavenly, good. We have read them, or we have more advanced and costly books which cover their ground. We don't want to sell them; and if we did, no second-hand bookseller would give us half their worth. We venture to say there are hundreds, if not thousands, of such helpful and instructive books in the houses of our ministers and laymen. Why not give them to local preachers? But how could we send them where most needed?

We would suggest that two ministers and two laymen (the latter being well-to-do local preachers, not needing this kind of help) in London or Manchester, form themselves into a committee to receive and to distribute the books. This would be a labour of love indeed. If London were the depôt, the parcels might be sent out by arrangement with the Book-room. But if this be not practicable, Manchester would be most central and convenient both for receiving and dispatching parcels.

The kind of books most useful to our brethren would be commentaries, Biblical expositions, Biblical dictionaries, Church histories, volumes of sermons, works on theology, Christian evidences, histories of Methodism, Christian biography, bound volumes of religious magazines, homiletic literature, and numerous other works which defy strict classification, but which would be wonderfully stimulating to the mental and spiritual life of this indispensable corps in our army of preachers. Are there not circuit ministers with unneeded books encumbering their shelves now, and are there not retired ministers and worn-out local preachers who have good old books they will need no more? Will our readers express their views? Will they promise help? Will two or three friends volunteer for the central work? Personally we should be glad to send a parcel of a dozen or twenty helpful books, carriage free.

CANDIDATES AND EXAMINATIONS.

Young men who are being drawn to the work of the ministry, and those who wish to help them, will be pleased to learn that the "Manual for Candidates," which the Conference authorised to be prepared, is progressing. The author is the Rev. J. Hudston, and the work will be published under the sanction of the College Committee, where, we believe, the idea originated.

The new scheme of examination for ministerial candidates and probationers in the District Meetings is now ready, and will be brought into use next May. We admire it greatly. It reflects bright credit on those who have prepared it, and must have cost them many anxious hours of study. The principles on which it is based are-(1) That the subjects of examination should be more distinctly analysed and classified for previous study; and (2) that with respect to probationary ministers, the course of examination for the four years of probation should be more systematically arranged for each year. "In order to lead probationers to give due attention to theological study, it is desirable that they should undergo a fuller and more searching examination in regard to doctrines and ordinances than could be secured if the whole range of subjects came annually in review." They will therefore be examined each year progressively in a proportionate part of the articles of our Connexional formulary. A general declaration of belief in all the other articles will be required every year; and, if necessity arise, questions on any of the articles may be asked.

We are sure our readers will rejoice to hear of anything that will thus tend to make the working of our system and the services of our ministry more efficient.

A REVIVAL IN EVERY CIRCUIT.

Since we wrote on the above topic in our last article we have heard of several favourable signs in many of our circuits. There are some stirring themselves up to take hold of God. Special services have been held, a few conducted by foreign agents, but most of them by our own ministers. In one circuit a superintendent minister himself has preached or led meetings every evening in the week, attractive topics being announced on large placards. In another instance a minister and his wife have come from their own distant sphere to help a brother minister in a week's revival work. In a third circuit a superintendent and his colleagues, aided by local preachers, are carrying out a fortnight's series of special services at each of five or six different places; in one circuit the ordinary Sundayevening prayer-meeting is a time of ingathering; in another circuit a large class-meeting, where the holy fire glows with intense flame, is made the means of attracting elder scholars and awakened members of the congregation, and there are weekly conversions, and the testimonies of new converts weekly; in one circuit cottage services and prayer-meetings are