Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1851-12-04
COM n u MIC MS.
fUh THE ADvkRTIsER.
The sasperintelldant's Monthly
Report for October,

lGCpOE1 1OE VCtVUCV,
Or THE SUNDAY Schools IN CONNECTION WITH
TRINITY (P. E.) CHURCH IN THIS VILLAGE =
Rev. AND DEAR S1R-Thc ultimate end Of
Sunday School, properly conducted, is nothing
less than the salvation of immortal souls. But
in most cases, as in both our Schools, the ma
jority of pupils arc quite young. Does this fact
diminish at all the importance Of earnest labor
and patient looking for blessed and early results?
So rare amongst us is picty in childhood that
the few, whose plans of education arc laid with
a view, in reliance upon Gods blessing, to its
attainment incur the risk of being charged with
extreme singuarity, perhaps fanaticism. But
one object being, in our judgment at least, in
word, the possibility of few hard names need
not deter us from considering subject replete
with interest to our enterprise. 1t may be OBJ
servd, indeed, that the acknowledged infrequen-
cy Of carly conversions may very naturally be
traced to the small expectations and deserves
cherished on this subject. 1t is not Gods
method ordinarily, in grace, more than in nature,
to force blessings. upon unwilling and unintercs-
ted recipients, man must both desire and sow, if
he is to reap. Besides, as a matter of fact, no
converted adult can question the possibility Of
the Lords taking possession of the heart of
child rs well as his own. Neither can the SUBJ
ject present difficulty to any mind which ad-
mitting the doctrine of original sin-yet believes
in the salvation Of infants
Believing that Gods word teaches that the
human heart is by nature cstranged from and
hostile to God, and, at the same time, that the
service of God is the highest privilege of his
creatures, we must contend for the great advan-
tagcs of seeking and laboring constantly for the
piety of children.
The honor Of God is involved The Lord can
and ultimately will over-rule all weakness for
the display of his holy perfectons. Meanwhile,
the language of mans rebellion is that the ser
vice Of God is rigorous or unsatisfyng. That of
repentance is, God is righteous, His command
ments are not grcvious, man is sinner. An
carly adoption of the service Of God declares
that happiness is found in the ways Of religion,
even in those days usually given up to thought
lessncss as to God and eternity. The affections,
too, are not then chilled by frequent disappoint-
ment. The heart pours forth without stint its
whole treasure oflove upon Him who so loved it
as to give himself for its salvation.
The Church of God reaps great benefit from
the conversion Of the young. The energies
which would otherwise be spent in the service
of the enemy Of souls, are devoted from the
period Of their early development to the Captain
Of our salvation. These youthful recruits, Civ
ing their whole souls to the work, soon become
good soldiers ofJesus Christ, and with the ardour
and vigour of youth, sanctfed by the spirit of
God push forward the conquests of the Redeem
er's grace. "Bcsidcs present usefulness" )" says
DR.. HcTroN, I" a speedy conversion will great
ly increase their power to be useful in time to
come. Doing good is an art for which we need
! to be trained, as for other arts. The earlier
children enter into the service of it, the more
complete will this training be: they will have
greater amount of christian knowledge, and
greater experience ofthc truth and having been
accustomed in carly life to make the glory of
God their end, and his word their rule, they
will not have formed those sinful habits or con-
duct which even grace itself docs not wholly
eradicate. The active men in our several con-
gregations are those, as u general thing, who
enter early into the church"
The family is greatly benefited by the pro-
sence Of q consistent christian son or daughter.
The influence for good Of such an example upon
other children of the same household is ncalcu-
liable. But after all, the individualsubj of this
great spiritual change, which we have called
conversion, gains by far the most. Goodness
is profitable unto all things, having promise of
the life that now is, and that which is to come"
=" A christian, in the nature Of things, cannot be
dronc lie serves master whom he loves,
and whom he desires to serve with all his pow