quired for, they are frequently not to be found; and when they come in, it is often in the midst of a discussion, or in the midst of the reading of an important paper, without a knowledge of which the cause under consideration cannot possibly be understood. In these circumstances, with what face can a conscientious man stand up, and request such a paper to be read over again, and a statement of facts-it may be a long one-made before his arrival-to be repeated, to accommodate him, who has been criminally neglecting his duty? Yet he must either make this modest request, to the great annoyance of all the more punctual members; or forbear to vote when the cause is ultimately decided; or, what is still worse, for the sake of avoiding trouble, vote in the dark, and run the risk of giving his influence to the cause of falsehood or injustice.

From the moment, then, that you take your seat in any Judicatory, I counsel you to make a point of being punctual and constant in your attendance on all its sessions. Never allow yourself to be absent a single moment, if you can possibly avoid it. Ever be among the number of those who make conscience of being present as early and as uniformly as the Moderator; who never leave the body till he has descended from his chair; and who never fail to unite in those prayers for the Divine presence and bless

ing which open and close every session. In short, be exclusively devoted to the business of the Judicatory. As far as may be necessary for. unfailing attendance until it is finished, lay aside every interfering engagement and care. The advantages of this habit are so numerous, so important, and so obvious, that I am persuaded it is not necessary to dwell upon them in detail.

7. When you are sitting in a Judicatory, BE

UNIFORMLY ATTENTIVE AND DEVOTED TO THE BUSINESS, AS IT IS GOING ON.

It is very possible for a member of a Judicatory to be punctually and constantly present at every session; and yet to pay very little of such real attention to the business as deserves the name. Some sit reading a newspaper, or a new pamphlet others are, a great part of the time, conversing with those who are so unfortunate as to sit near them; sometimes on the subject under discussion, but more frequently on one altogether foreign. And this, often, at the expense of disturbing the whole Assembly; and, at any rate, at the expense of turning off the attention of all with whom they converse, for the time being, from the subject before the body. I have seen respectable and excellent men, who appeared to be incapable of sitting silent in a deliberative assembly for five minutes together; who rendered themselves conspicuous

by whispering and laughing in the midst of the most solemn discussion; and who came, at length, to be shunned as a nuisance, by all who wished to pay fixed and undivided attention to the business before the Judicatory.

This is a fault which every one who regards either his reputation or his usefulness, ought to avoid. Let secular men, in their assemblies, walk about, and converse, and make a noise, while others are speaking. Let them be regardless of the feelings of their fellow members; let them violate equally the laws of urbanity and benevolence, and run the risk of disturbing the whole body by their unceremonious expressions of indifference or contempt. It certainly ought not to be so in ecclesiastical bodies. There every men.ber ought, even at the expense of no little pain to himself, to learn the important art of giving silent and close attention to every speaker, and to all that passes. Whenever he attempts to hold a private conversation, in the midst of business, with a fellow member, his own attention is, of course, for the moment, withdrawn from what is going on; and he treats his fellow member badly by constraining him, perhaps against his inclination, to be guilty of the same ill manners with himself. I have often known a member, after having his own attention, and that of one or two others, thus withdrawn, for a few minutes, by

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a private conversation, to rise and ask questions, or make a speech, which he would never have thought of uttering, if he had heard what passed while his attention was diverted. Repect for your brethren, then; respect for yourself; and regard to the proper order and despatch of business, should all prompt you early to fix the habit of paying uninterrupted attention to the business of every judicatory in which you are sitting. Resist every solicitation to the contrary, from whatever quarter it may come. ver allow yourself on any occasion, except one of the extremest urgency, to go into a deliberative assembly, and call out a member, in the midst of a debate, for the purpose of conversing with him; nor allow yourself, in similar circumstances, to be called out. During the ten minutes which may pass in such an absence, the most important statements and reasonings relating to the cause in hand, may be presented. They, of course, will be lost to you. And by giving your vote, without a knowledge of them, you may be quite as likely to trample on truth and justice as to support them. I have often wondered how conscientious men, when they reflected that, by occupying a seat in a judicatory, they had a SOLEMN TRUST committed to them, could so frequently abuse it in the manner that has been suggested. Especially have I wondered to see this so frequently done in

the General Assembly, by men formally delegated, as the representatives of Presbyteries, to perform a certain duty; and above all, perhaps, by a man who was the only commissioner present to represent the Presbytery from which he came! Surely such an one is peculiarly bound to be always present, to neglect nothing, and to let nothing that passes escape him.

8. When you take your seat in any judicatory, especially in one of the higher classes, I would earnestly recommend that you CARRY

IN YOUR POCKET A COPY OF THE RULES OF THE BODY, AND THAT YOU CAREFULLY AND REPEATEDLY READ THEM OVER BEFORE BUSI

NESS COMMENCES.

Few young ministers, and, indeed, few of any age, are so perfectly familiar with the rules of judicatories, as not to be the better for having their memories refreshed by repeated reperusals. This is evident from the frequency with which the plainest rules are violated, not by the inexperienced merely; but by those who ought, long since, to have known better. Do not think it superfluous, then, to aid your memory by a new perusal every time you are called upon anew to take your seat in a church court. Endeavour to render the rules in question as familiar to your mind as your alphabet; so that, at length, even an inadvertent infraction of them may be impracticable. The ad