In order thus to realize the love of the branches-or of the young lambs God, and the blessedness of His presence, that sport themselves in the lights and they ought to be accustomed always to shadows of the green pastures; these and think of Jesus as one with God, or as all such proofs of God's goodness should God. For it is not difficult to picture to be presented to the child's heart to draw the mind and heart, through the words it to God, even when it cannot take in of the Gospel history, the reality of the those proofs of love through Jesus which presence and love of Jesus as a living amaze angels. person, journeying with and teaching His disciples; doing good in every possible way to all who came to Him; living in the house of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus; weeping with his friends in their sorrow; taking little children into His arms and blessing them; and restoring to their parents those who were sick or even dead. And the transition is not difficult from knowing about such a person to believing that it is this God who loves us and is with us still, and who says to every disciple, old and young, " It is I, be not afraid!"

Such training as this will be in harmony with the teaching of God's Spirit. It will help to fan the flame of love from their infancy, so that, with increasing years, they may be able, with increasing intelligence and affection, to say, "Our Father;" and, like David in the 139th Psalm, to sing with joy at the thoughts of His presence.

3. Children ought also to be habituated to "Remember" the authority of God their Creator and Father. Any system of education which tends to exclude thoughts of God as One to whom we It will also help to make children wel- owe obedience, is an ungodly system. It come the thoughts of His presence, by is quite possible, and nothing more comleading them to associate their daily mon, to accustom children to regulate common mercies with God in Christ. their conduct by motives quite irrespecMost people do not forget to speak of tive of God's being, presence, or authorHim in connexion with sickness or death ity, and merely by what is agreeable or in the family, or any sudden accident pleasing to themselves; gratifies their which may occur, until the young are pride, vanity, ambition, love of ease, and apt to become impressed with the idea, self-indulgence; or gains the approval of that only on such sad occasions does He their friends, or their own advancement ever enter their dwelling. Instead of in life, or the like. Now, without dethis, let them be habituated to remember spising, or treating as valueless, innuHim as the Giver of every good and merable inducements to encourage young perfect gift; as giving us "all things and old in their obedience, and to cheer richly to enjoy;" as opening His hand them on their journey, yet the habit and liberally supplying the wants of should be fostered of their doing what is every living thing. Let them remem- right, just because it is right, irrespective ber God as He who gives to them their of all present consequences. Let them days of sunshine and health; their joy-be accustomed to thoughts of duty, and ous sports, innocent songs of glee, lov- to what ought to be done, come what may, ing companionships,—all, in short, that but believing all must come well in the is good and worth having. Let them end. And if they are to learn this alllearn that He not only permits such important lesson, the best and truest happiness on earth, but gives it to them, method of teaching it is to connect their and that He withholds nothing, or life with an ever-present Person, God in forbids anything, but what is bad, or Christ; to lead them to remember Him would injure them; or in order that He as One who is really personally conshould, in some other way, do them more cerned, so to speak, with their welldoing good, and make them better and happier. and happiness; who, because He is their The very joyousness of the birds, that Creator and Redeemer, loves them as His have been safely brought through the cold own dear children; who rejoices over and stormy winter, and now sing among them when they do well, and is delighted

with them when they try sincerely to do what is right; who is ready to forgive their many faults when they forsake them; who is always with them to help them and strengthen them to be good; and who is displeased with them only when they wilfully and obstinately continue to love and to do what they know He hates and has forbidden, because it is wrong.

Such habitual thoughts of God—of His love, presence, and authority-will produce habits of conscientiousness in the young-a living "before God" as One who knows the heart. Such a "seeing of Him who is invisible" will also root out hypocrisy and eye-service, and produce sincerity and truth.

4. Once more, I would suggest that children should be trained to remember God as the Hearer and Answerer of prayer.

may hear from them, in riper years, a prayer so acceptable at a throne of grace!

One other hint on the cultivation of right habits of thought regarding God, and it is this,-check all irreverent words and conduct that are positively inconsistent with faith in God's presence or authority, especially in connexion with whatever is intimately associated with ideas of God, such as any of His names, titles, sacraments, or Word, by which He reveals himself; His sanctuary where He is worshipped; or His holy day, which He has set apart for himself.

A child should be early led to connect those holy things with God, and to treat them with respect, and not with levity, just because they are, in a peculiar sense, sacred, and speak of the Creator. But do not suppose that a child, however truly it possesses this reverential feeling, will ever express it in its outward conduct as an advanced Christian will do. The child will still speak and think as a child, and cannot, until it becomes a man, put away childish things. Do not, then,

This thought of God will naturally spring out of those which I have been inculcating, and the child cannot but feel how an ever-present loving Father must be a hearer and answerer of prayer. I have yet to address parents upon the sub-force it into an unnatural or premature ject of family prayer, and shall not therefore here point out how intimately it is connected with the cultivation of the habit of prayer in each child. But in whatever way that habit is attained, children, from the time in which it is possible for them to possess right thoughts of God, however imperfect these may be, should be habituated to speak to himself directly in prayer.

"Hold the little hands in prayer, teach the weak knees their kneeling."

A form of prayer may be taught the young, with words and thoughts suitable to their age. But with or without this, it would be well to cultivate in them the habit of uttering their own thoughts to God, thanking Him for what they have received from Him, confessing to Him the faults for which they have been corrected, and asking from Him what they wish for themselves and others. In all this there will be, no doubt, the thoughts, reasoning, and speech of a child; but there may be also a child's faith, simplicity, and love. And, oh! that angels

growth of feeling and behaviour, or compel it to appear without, what it cannot possibly, from its years, be, or feel within, lest all genuine, truthful feeling be obliterated, and mere cant or unreality take its place. In one word, train it to feel aright, and to act aright in reading the Bible, attending church, and keeping the Sabbath holy; but, oh! do not demand in all this the self-control, the thought, the relish of what is good, characteristic of more advanced years. As it is in the days of our youth, so must it be with the feelings which belong to such days, that our Creator can be remembered and revered; and He who remembers that we are dust, and that "childhood and youth are vanity," will accept of a child's heart, and a child's services, though these may be expressed in a form which, in manhood would indicate thoughtlessness, indifference, or ignorance. Only cherish right thoughts and feelings towards God, and these being in the spirit, will, as they grow stronger, more and more express themselves according to the letter, of the law.

CHRISTIAN MEDICAL BIOGRAPHIES *

science falsely so called-to point out the bearings of medicine as a handmaid of religion-to stir up a missionary spirit, so that by a holy walk and conversation, they may commend the Gospel of Christ to others—and to shew them that the only means of a young man purifying his way is by attending thereto according to God's Word, which is a lamp unto his feet, and a light unto his path."

THE happy change which the minds all for God's glory, and the value of that of the accomplished members of the wisdom from above, which is first pure, medical profession have gradually under- then peaceable, gentle and easy to be gone in relation to Religion, may be re-entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, garded as one of the noblest triumphs without partiality and without hypocrisy which Christianity has obtained in the to guard them against oppositions of present age. In regard to the matter of religion, and the inseparable affinities which appear so visibly to subsist between it and medicine, medical men and medical students now, to a great extent, judge from a new and genuine standing point. The infidelity and materialism which so long disfigured the profession are becoming like the things of the past; and instead of everything of a religious nature being banished from the medical curriculum, Religion now receives the Dr. Golding Bird's professional career homage of the elite of the profession. justifies, to the fullest extent, the obAn extensive experience has enabled Pro- servations now made, and commends fessor Balfour to declare that there is medical missionary associations to the "now much less scoffing, less of heterodox approval and encouragement of every views: more general respect for religion, earnest mind. Although not a long and less persecution of those who pro- career, it was energetic, successful, and fess it." And believing, as we do, that deeply instructive. It exhibits the picmedicine cannot by any possibility fulfil ture of a devoted student, prosecuting its lofty mission until it is combined with zealously his professional studies, yet culreligion, we hail with delight the efforts tivating, with scarcely inferior assiduity, now made by liberal, enlightened and the collateral sciences. It illustrates the Christian members of the medical pro- course of one who, avidus gloriæ, had fession, through the medium of medical determined to realize the climax of promissionary associations and otherwise, to fessional ability, and whose hopes were bring, not direct medical missionary not disappointed. It pictures him, yet work under notice, (we quote the words further, in the possession of the objects of Professor Balfour,) "but to call the of his ambition, smitten by the chastenattention of students of medicine to the ing hand of God, and, under this chasimportance of those things which con- tisement, discovering the vanity of tercern their eternal wellbeing-to the re- restrial things, and the emptiness of sponsibility under which they lie to do ambition. Lastly, it shows him coming • Biographical Sketch of the late Dr. Golding forth, purified like gold, from the furBird: being an Address to Students, delivered at nace-dedicating all his talents to Christ the request of the Edinburgh Medical Mission--working with new motives and new ary Society, by John Hutton Balfour, M.D., F.R.SE, Professor of Medicine and Botany in the University of Edinburgh. Edinburgh: T. Constable and Co; Hamilton, Adams and Co, London. 1855. Thomas Zuckerbecker: a Biographical Sketch, addressed to Students of Medieine by William Brown, F.R S E. Edinburgh: William Whyte and Co 1855.

desires-and exhibiting the sanctified result of this mighty change in his heart by his "consistent holy walk, his lowly view of himself, his anxiety for the spiritual good of others, especially of his patients, and of medical students; his

advocacy of Christ's cause in spite of the | 1853, he was under the necessity of seek

sneers of the world, and his patient resignation in trial and affliction, and his peaceful and triumphant death."

ing repose in the country. We cannot give a better idea of the tenor of his daily walk than by quoting from a letter Our space will not permit us to allude of his friend, the Hon. and Rev. Mr. to the details of Dr. Bird's professional Villiers, Rector of Bloomsbury. He life. For information regarding this, we thus writes :-" Dr. Bird's ardent desire refer the reader to the book before us. to speak for his Master, and to make his It may suffice to observe, that it is full well-known talent in his own profession of inspiration to the ambitious, persever- give weight to his word when he spoke ing, self-denying student, and strikingly for the soul-the manner in which he illustrates, what is now so often illus- faithfully rebuked sin, which he knew to trated, that earth's honours are open be the cause of particular diseases-his to all; while, at the same time, it utters generosity to the poor, and to the clergy forth a solemn warning, as it reveals the in particular-his sensitive faith and refacts, that over-exertion may be fatal to verence for God's Word-his zeal to the frame, and that the proudest distinc-establish Bible reading among medical tions of earth possess no qualities which students-were all points strongly devein themselves can satisfy the noblest loped in my departed friend. His fault aspirations of our heaven-born natures. was, in my opinion, that he thought he It is not surprising to find that the in- must attend to his patients when he felt cessant study and professional labour to it was to cost him his life. There was a which Dr. Bird exposed himself as a little vanity in this, as if, as I often told London physician, and a public lecturer him, God could not do without him; the on scientific and medical subjects, told result being, that if he could not content at an early period, and fatally, upon his himself with attending to a few patients, constitution. About the year 1848-49, tili his health was re-established, then when about 34 years of age, symptoms of the Lord would take him away altogether. heart disease became apparent, but whilst I never saw any man who seemed to this arrested his ambition, it proved the illustrate more forcibly Phil. iii. 8.” blessed instrumentality by which his soul was led to take shelter under the divine" hiding-place from the wind, and covert from the tempest." Previously, indeed, he had not overlooked the duties of religion, but he had not placed his trust in Christ as his all. "It was but late in his short life," remarks a medical friend, "that he gave that earnest attention to religion, which ended in his mind undergoing a very decided and happy change. To this he was led by his affliction, and by being compelled to see that his brilliant worldly success was about to be cut short, and his prospects blighted. This he told me himself, saying, at the same time, that he had never cared for money, but that his snare and idol was ambition-reputation." Henceforth the spirit of the Christian disciple and the devoted missionary was conspicuous in his laborious, brilliant, but brief life.

In the autumn of 1851 his health again failed, and, in the summers of 1852 and

We were greatly desirous to insert a letter from the Rev. Dr. James Hamilton, as beautifully illustrative of Dr. Bird's professional and Christian spirit; and a letter of Dr. Bird himself, written to a dear friend at Torquay, from whom death had taken a favourite child-but we are compelled to rest satisfied with the simple recommendation of them to the attention of the reader. It will, perhaps, subserve our purpose quite as well, and bring out the ideal of a medical man, by inserting here a letter, written by Dr. Bird, which is thus prefaced by Professor Balfour,-"Dr. Bird had been consulted in regard to a friend of my own, who suffered under an obscure affection of the kidney, &c. My friend was one who knew the value of religion, and his godly mother had frequently corresponded with Dr. Bird in regard to his case. The interest which he took in the patient's welfare was beautifully shewn in the following letter, which was transmitted along with