the river of life? flows into this celestial stream, has more sublimity and importance than the mightiest rivers upon earth, and will be traced with the deepest interest upon the map of the Redeemer's kingdom, millions of ages after the ocean itself shall be dissipated into nothing. Justly therefore, may it be accounted an object worthy our attention to trace, by a rapid survey, the origin, the progress and improvement of the SUNDAY SCHOOL INSTITUTION.

The smallest rivulet which

To the greater part of those who are employed in diffusing the benefits of this admirable system, it is almost impossible to form an adequate idea of the extreme ignorance of the poor, before its introduction. Except where a happy few of their children were gathered beneath the wings of some charitable institution, the great mass of their offspring grew up in the most deplorable ignorance. Myriads of children of both sexes were continually rising into life, to whom the letters of the alphabet were a set of mystic symbols, and every page of inspired or uninspired writ, an insoluble enigma. This was the least part of their calamity. Ignorance is the prolific mother of crimes and of miseries. It is during a state of mental night,

that the worst vices of the human character steal from their coverts in the heart, to prey upon the peace and the comforts of society. To the children of the poor, the sabbath seemed to suspend the toils of the body, only to afford them greater leisure for effecting the ruin of their souls. They claimed the sacred hours as their own, and diligently employed them to aid their growth in wickedness. In the vicinity of every large town, multitudes were to be seen practising every boyish sport; while others spread over the face of the country, to commit their depredations on orchards and gardens. In many places the farmer was detained from public worship to guard his property, or else employed his servants in the same task. Persons going to the house of God, not only had their minds disturbed, but their peace interrupted, by numerous bands of these unhappy youth; of whom the more desperate, sometimes associated for the purpose of molesting those whom conscience led to worship in the meeting-house, rather than the church. Thus every generation of the poor was growing up successively, without any general effort to instruct their ignorance, to check their violence, to repress their vices, or to form their manners,

His heart was

In this state matters remained, till God in his great goodness raised up a man, whose memory innumerable multitudes will bless; and to whose name, religion will assign a distinguished rank in the roll of benefactors to the human race, which she carefully preserves in the archives of the church. To the last moment of time, and through every age of eternity, ROBERT RAIKES, will be venerated as the father and founder of Sunday Schools. This illustrious individal was a native of Gloucester, and born in the year 1735. one of mercy's earthly temples. His benevolence was ardent and active. The first object which engaged his philanthropic exertions, was the miserable situation of the prisoners confined for lesser crimes in the county jail, for whose instruction and reformation he made a noble and successful struggle. The circumstances which led to the institution of Sunday Schools, shall be stated in his own language. In a letter to a gentleman who had applied to him for the particulars of the nature and origin of his plan, he thus writes:

"Some business leading me one morning into the suburbs of the city, where the lowest of the people (who are principally employed

in the pin manufactory) reside, I was struck with concern at seeing a group of children, wretchedly ragged, at play in the street. I asked an inhabitant whether those children belonged to that part of the town, and lamented their misery and idleness. Ah! sir, said the woman to whom I was speaking, could you take a view of this part of the town on Sunday, you would be shocked indeed; for then the street is filled with multitudes of these wretches, who, released on that day from their employment, spend their time in noise and riot, playing at chuck, and cursing and swearing in a manner so horrid, as to convey to any serious mind an idea of hell rather than any other place. We have a worthy clergyman, said she, minister of our parish, who has put some of them to school; but upon the sabbath they are all - given up to follow their inclinations without restraint, as their parents, totally abandoned themselves, have no idea of instilling into the minds of their children, principles to which they themselves are strangers.

"This conversation suggested to me, that it would at least be a harmless attempt, if it were productive of no good, should some little plan be formed to check this deplorable profanation.

of the sabbath. I then enquired of the woman if there were any decent, well-disposed women in the neighbourhood, who kept schools for teaching to read. I was presently directed to four. To these I applied, and made an agreement with them, to receive as many children as I should send on the Sunday, whom they were toinstruct in reading and the church catechism. For this I engaged to pay them a shilling for their day's employment. The women seemed pleased with the proposal. I then waited on the clergyman before-mentioned, and imparted to him my plan. He was so much satisfied with the idea that he engaged to lend his assistance by going round to the schools on a Sunday afternoon, to examine the progress that was made, and to enforce order and decorum among such a set of little heathens.

"This, sir, is the commencement of the plan. It is now about three years since we began, and I could wish you were here to make enquiry into the effect. A woman who lives in a lane where I had fixed a school, told me some time ago, that the place was like a heaven upon Sundays compared to what it used to be. The numbers who have learned to read and say their catechism are so great that I am astonished at