out ways and
means for bringing these things out in your public reading. Remember
that for very many of your people (I fear I am right in saying so) the
Church Lessons are the most solid pieces of Scripture they ever hear,
or ever read. Many years ago it was not uncommonly said that in "these
days of universal reading" we might perhaps abbreviate our Church
Lessons. But since that time it has been more fully and sadly realized,
by very many of us at least, that universal reading does not mean
universal Bible reading by any means, but much rather universal
newspaper and novel reading. The heavenly Book is _terribly unfamiliar_
to multitudes of churchgoers, as you will find, if you ask, when you go
about your parish; of this we have already thought. Therefore, make all
you can of the reading of the Lessons in public worship. [Greek:
Proseche te anagnosei], says the Apostle to Timothy, "Give attention to
the reading" [1 Tim. iv. 13.]; does he not mean, be diligent in reading
the Scripture to the people? The precept is as much as ever in point in
our day.

OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED BY THE OCCASIONAL SERVICES.

iii. As regards the occasional services, Public and Private Baptism,
Marriage, Burial, I would earnestly counsel my Brother to put
personality into his reading in them all, in the moderate sense
indicated above. The fact that such occasions are necessarily more or
less _special_ in their interest for some at least of those present
should never be forgotten; bring the power of a sympathetic interest and
earnestness to bear upon it. In administering Public Baptism I have
often realized this to a very peculiar degree. Who can feel the least
fondness for little children, and have the slightest insight into a
parent's heart, and not do so? Our service is undoubtedly long; very
long indeed when accompanied by a chorus of perhaps several little
crying voices. But let the servant of God "be in it," and he will find
himself much more touched than troubled by the babies' lamentations as
he speaks to the sponsors about the young helpless souls, and turns to
the Lord of all grace to dedicate them to Him and to invoke His blessing
on them for time and eternity, and then applies the watery Seal of all
the promises to their small foreheads. I have always found it very hard
to get through that service with a perfectly steady voice; and after
all, why should we be so careful to do so?

_Private_ Baptism is indeed a special occasion. Th