It may be objected to our first proposal in reference to care in the selection of officers, that it is impossible now to obtain the class of men we desiderate; that there has been such an inroad of worldliness upon the Church, that men of wealth, culture, and enterprise, do not and will not offer themselves for the spiritual offices of the Church. We answer (1) that our present system repels them, (2) that a periodical elective system would bring them within our reach, and (3) that it is a fact that we can always obtain these men for Trustees, &c., and we do not doubt that if from the Christian pulpit the responsibilities of wealth, and culture, and leisure were faithfully pointed out, and the subordination of all interests to God and His cause affectionately urged, we should be successful in retaining the highest ability in the full service of the Church.

But a word, ere we close, on the relation of Leaders' Meetings to the Methodist Pastorate. It might be more accurate to speak of their work in the pastorate rather than of their relation to it, for, though subordinately, yet really the Leadership is a co-pastorate; and in its collective capacity as a church council it is a co-pastorate of the whole Methodistic community in a particular place.

It will not be denied that the itinerancy and the circuit system in Methodism militate largely against a thorough pastoral supervision on the part of the appointed minister or ministers. Indeed, it is evident that John Wesley regarded his preachers as evangelists rather than pastors; and this man of statesman-like mind and shrewd sagacity quickly discovered this to be an element of weakness in the societies he was founding, in comparison with the more efficient pastorate enjoyed under a settled ministry. How to obviate this objection, and yet to retain all the advantages of an evangelistic ministry was a very grave difficulty, but the Providence of God suggested the solution; and that thorough personal oversight which was impracticable to a minister with numerous appointments and the prospect of a speedy removal from his present sphere of activity, is secured by the admirable system of dividing each society into little bands of about twelve members each and appointing a leader over them for their spiritual edification, and making it his special and solemn duty to watch over them in the Lord, to visit the sick, to seek out the absentees, to reclaim the wanderers, in a word to be the pastor of his class, one of the under-shepherds of the flock of Christ, all looking to the ministerial pastor, and, above all, to the Chief Shepherd for guidance, and encouragement, and help.

If this system were only faithfully carried out through a

strong Leaders' Meeting as the executive, we do not hesitate to say that we should have in Methodism a far more efficient pastorate than can possibly be secured under any other existing system. But in our day we find a general forgetfulness of the wonderful adaptation and beauty and power of this arrangement for the pastoral care of our societies; a general neglect of this sacred duty on the part of our Leaders, and an almost universal shifting of responsibility from the shoulders of Leaders to Ministers; and men who never visit the absent and sick members of their classes, will be the loudest in complaint against the Minister at the Leaders' Meeting, for non-visitation.

Moreover, Leaders, we think, should accompany ministers in visitation, as elders of Scotch churches do their ministers.

However, as Disraeli would say, "they must be educated" to official and active co-operation with the ministry, and this being realized, our Churches would be visited with "showers of blessings," and "glorious things" would be spoken of Zion, the city of our God.

ART. IV. THE PRIVATE LIFE OF OUR LORD
AT NAZARETH.

OUR vivid realization of the incidents of scripture story, is much assisted by an acquaintance with the topography of scripture. Let us then imagine Nazareth. A little town of some three or four thousand inhabitants; situate about seventy miles north of Jerusalem, in a secluded basin closed round by hills and separated from the rest of the world, in that great plain of Esdraelon or valley of Jezreel, which divides the mountain country of Galilee on the north from that of Samaria on the south. "Fifteen gently rounded hills," says Dr. Stanley, seem as if they had met to form an enclosure for this peaceful basin, rising round it like a shell to guard it from intrusion;" and within the enclosure, on the inner slope of one of these hills, lies Nazareth. Probably because of its solitary position, cut off in a great measure from civilizing commerce with the world, the people of Nazareth acquired a rude and boorish character. The whole region of Galilee, indeed, to which Nazareth belonged, compared unfavourably, in point of social

TT

refinement, with the more southern parts of Palestine. The Galileans spoke a ruder dialect than the people of Judea; so that in Jerusalem they could be discerned by their provincial speech: "Thou art a Galilean; thy speech bewrayeth thee." We may suppose the inhabitants of the northern parts of Palestine to have been related to those of the southern, nearly as until recent times the country people on the Yorkshire hills were to the polished citizens of Bath and London. Hence to southern Jews it was a thing incredible that Messias, or any prophet, should arise out of Galilee. While such was the rude character of the Galileans generally, the stigma of an evil name had especially attached itself to Nazareth. To Nathaniel, who, coming from Cana of Galilee, a place only six miles north of Nazareth, was near neighbour enough to know all about it, it seemed impossible that any good thing should come out of Nazareth. Now it is a suggestive circumstance that by far the greater part of our Lord's earthly life was passed in the midst of this rustic populace. Of the three years of His public ministry the larger portion of it was devoted to Galilee, but of the thirty-three years of His whole earthly sojourn, at least twenty-seven, or nearly seven-eights of the entire period, were spent in Nazareth. Both the parents of our Lord,-His reputed father and his virgin mother,—were of Nazareth. There they lived before their espousals; thence in the time of the taxing they journeyed to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born; and thither they returned from the sojourn in Egypt. Again: from Nazareth, Jesus being about twelve years old, went up with His parents to Jerusalem, on that memorable occasion when, returning, they missed Him from their company, and found that He had stayed behind conversing with the doctors in the temple; and to Nazareth, having recovered their lost one, the family returned. Here comes a blank page in the sacred biography. Of the life of our Lord from His twelfth year until He began to be about thirty years of age, we have no detailed record. This is singular. If before the biography had been written, we had been asked to anticipate what would be its outlines, we should certainly not have supposed that over a whole period of eighteen years, occurring in what is commonly the most interesting portion of a man's life, a veil of impenetrable obscurity would be drawn. This is contrary to what we should have conjectured. Hence the fact that such is the case, may fairly be quoted as presumptive proof of the non-human origin of the sacred story. To supply this ellipsis in the narrative, the very early Christian writers invented a variety of grotesque and silly stories of wonderful

works which they alleged were done by our Lord during this interval; a circumstance which justifies the inference, that had the course of the Gospel narrative "come by the will of man,' so great a blank in the story would never have been allowed. Divine wisdom, however, knew what was needful to be written, and what might be omitted; and those who penned the record wrote not as their own mere judgment dictated, but as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Of this period of our Saviour's life, thus passed over without any detailed record, there are, however, one or two hints given, which should be precious to us even because of their fewness, still more because of their instructiveness. The lustre of the three years' public life, studded as that is with teachings and miracles of divine brilliancy, has in a measure withdrawn us from observing those few rays of softer but no less divine beauty, which shone forth from that private life at Nazareth. Yet surely wherever, and under whatever circumstances, we may look upon that peerless life" that one perfect and pure chrysolite "we shall find it radiant with the light of God, that light which is of virtual power to transform our sin-stained souls into the likeness of its own purity.

1. The private life of our Lord at Nazareth, was marked by attention to filial duty. The record states (Luke ii. 51) that on returning from Jerusalem, He came with His parents to Nazareth, and "was subject unto them." This is one of those sweet touches in the narrative that make us feel how truly human was the life of our Lord; and, also, as a human life how truly exemplary it was. Though for a youth but twelve years old, He possessed a wisdom that was wonderful, enabling Him to cope with learned Rabbis of the law, and though even then, doubtless, He had some dawning consciousness of the Deity within Him, and of the destiny before Him; He does not on these accounts presume to set Himself above the natural duties and regards of filial piety. He Himself, afterward, by His spirit caused an apostle to write-"Children obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord;" and He Himself as a child set forth a perfect pattern of this obedience. At twelve years of age He is described as "subject unto His parents;" and there the record closes for many years, leaving us with a lovely image in our minds of the young Saviour as a sedate, home-loving, domesticated youth; acknowledging parental rule, not in haste to leave the shelter of the family roof-tree, but finding in the home-circle a sufficient and a happy sphere for the exercise of His affections, and for the cultivation of His virtues. This is an

instructive example for the young. The surest promise of future worth-the surest foundation of future greatness-is found in the faithful and loving discharge of home duties during the period of youth. While it is ever a bad omen indeed, prognosticating misfortune and sorrow in their future years, when young people are found, like the prodigal in the parable, impatient of parental restraint, scorning parental counsel, and eager to leave home in search of premature adventures in the perilous world. Yet it is to be feared that the spirit of the prodigal is far more prevalent among our rising youth, than the home-loving filial spirit of the young

Christ Jesus.

2. Another hint of the sacred narrative shews us that this obscure period of our Saviour's life was marked by honest industry. All are familiar with the fact, that among the Jews, every man, whether needing it or not as a means of livelihood, was required to learn some honest trade. Thus, Saul of Tarsus, though undoubtedly a youth of good family, had learnt the trade of tent-maker. And thus, it would appear, Jesus Himself learned the trade of His reputed father, and wrought as a carpenter. This conclusion is justified not only by the human and natural probabilities of the case, but by the very terms of the gospel narrative. For while in many places Jesus is spoken of by others as "the Son of the Carpenter," in one place (Mark iv, 3) it is recorded they said of Him, "Is not this the carpenter?" Does it seem to give a shock to our religious veneration, that we should have to conceive those sacred hands concerned in handling saw, and plane, and chisel? Doubtless it does. But this is because we have been too much in the habit (in our thoughts at least,) of dissociating religion from secular life as though religion were so unworldly in its nature that it could have nothing to do with business, or business so essentially unsacred, that it must not come near religion. This is a mistake, and to ourselves a two-fold injury. Our religion and our business alike suffer by the severance, the one in being narrowed down to set times, and places, and acts of devotion, instead of being a life-long, hourly, constant service; the other in being deprived of that which alone can be its ennobling, sanctifying principle. It is a mistake to speak of the secular life of a Christian. A true Christian has no secular life: not only his worship and work in the church are religious, but his trade is religious, nay his recreation and amusement are religious; everything essential to his life being sanctified, by the consecration of his life to God.