hat. Mr. M also left and went home, saying I was crazy. We had a wonderful meeting that night, and from that day we had a meeting every evening for a long time. The work spread on every side." - Finney's Autobiography, Chapter iii.

APPENDIX C.

CLASSES FOR YOUNG EVANGELISTS.

BOTH in the Jewish synagogue and the Apostolic Church the members were trained not only to pray in public, but to address the congregations with which they were connected, both in expounding and commenting on the passage before them, and in giving an exhortation for the edification of the Church.

For fifteen centuries this practice has been discontinued ; and, as was natural at a time when the members of the Church were prohibited from taking any part in the services of the Church, or in evangelistic work, it could form no part of the minister's duty to teach or to train the members to do what they regarded as a sin. In other words, there could be no class for young evangelists when young evangelists were not tolerated in the Church.

As every duty that is incumbent on the members involves a corresponding duty on the part of the pastor, the revolution that has taken place during the last forty years, a revolution which recognises the duty of every Christian to labour in the cause of Christ, demands a corresponding change in the work of the pastor, because if it be the duty of the members to evangelise, it must be the duty of the pastor to teach and to train them to do it.

But in matters which do not involve any temporal interest, and when it is not to the advantage of any one to make a

change; more especially if that change would impose a new kind of labour and responsibility on the pastor, for which his college training had not qualified him, the power of custom would render it difficult to introduce an innovation.

The consequence has been that no education has been given to the members of the Church to fit them for the performance of this most important duty; and only those whose genius and enthusiasm have enabled them to triumph over the want of education, have acquired the power to evangelise successfully. They have succeeded without being taught; and so, although our present evangelists have acquired the power of evangelism, there are left behind them thousands who, never having been taught or trained, are not able to evangelise, but who, had they received a proper education, would have been the means of changing the religious face of the country.

For those who would wish to commence a class of this kind, it may be helpful, or at least suggestive, if I explain the plan adopted by my venerable father, who had many such classes during his lifetime.

Let us suppose that the passage that forms the subject of the lesson is the story of the cure of the lame man by Peter and John at the gate of the temple (Acts iii. 1-8).

The first exercise is to make the pupils analyse the verses one by one, dividing them into their several parts, in order that they may be looked at separately. Each division, therefore, must form a distinct statement by itself.

Analysis.

1. Peter and John went up into the temple.

They went up together.

They went up at the hour of prayer.

The hour of prayer was the ninth hour.

2. A man was there who was lame from his mother's womb.

The lame man was laid at the gate of the temple.

He asked alms from those that went into the temple.

He was carried there daily.

3. The lame man saw Peter and John going into the temple. He asked alms from Peter and John.

4. Peter and John fastened their eyes on the lame man. Peter bade the lame man look on them.

5. The lame man gave heed to them.

The lame man expected to receive something from them. 6. Peter told the lame man that he had neither silver nor

gold.

Peter told him that he would give him what he had.

7. Peter bade the lame man rise up and walk.

Peter did so in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Peter took him by the hand and lifted him up.
His feet and ankle bones received strength.
8. The lame man, leaping up, stood and walked.
He entered with them into the temple.

In the temple he walked, and leaped, and praised God.

Paraphrasing the Verses.

The second exercise consists in paraphrasing the verses, giving the meaning in different words, and introducing explanations and references to illustrate the narrative. The junior pupils may not be able to do more than change the Scripture words into more familiar language, and give any simple explanation that may occur to them. Perhaps the following might be an example of what a junior pupil would give as a paraphrase, perhaps with some difficulty and hesitation.

"Peter and John, who were two of Christ's disciples, accompanied each other to the temple, where the priests offered sacrifices. The time when

they went up was the afternoon at three o'clock, when one of the priests offered incense at the golden altar, while the people were praying without. "When they were about to enter the temple by the gate that was called the beautiful gate, they saw a man that had been a cripple ever since he was born. He was sitting begging from the people as they went into the temple." And so on.

The senior pupils, however, becoming more accustomed to the exercise, and profiting by their preparations at home, would amplify the narrative, and introduce such references and illustrations as their increased ability and acquaintance with Scripture would supply them.

As a specimen of what might be expected from the older pupils when they have been accustomed to speak extempore, we might offer the following:

"Peter and John were two of our Lord's disciples, who, with James the brother of John, formed the inner circle of three. Peter had lost his position by having denied his Master, but, he having repented, our Lord forgave him, and restored him to his place, John, therefore, received him into fellowship again, and the two became even more intimate than they had been before.

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'Although the Gentiles were not required to keep the ceremonial law, the Christian Jews continued to observe it until the destruction of Jerusalem-Peter and John, therefore, being Jews, continued to attend the Levitical ordinances.

"On this occasion Peter and John went up to worship at the time of the evening sacrifice, which was three o'clock in the afternoon, when one of the priests, chosen by lot, offered incense at the golden altar, representing the mediation of Jesus Christ, while the people prayed in the courts without.

"As they were about to enter by the gate, which, on account of its magnificent appearance, was called the Beautiful Gate, they observed a poor man sitting, who had been lame from the time of his birth, begging from those who were going into the temple. Being unable to walk or stand he was unable to support himself by his own labours, and every day he was carried by benevolent friends to his place to ask alms from those who were going into the temple. No doubt they judged that those who went up to worship God in the temple were the most likely to have compassion on the poor; but there might have been another reason. No lame man