The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1855-09-13

81 Plead for the vital interests of your
Children"
A SERMON preached in the Metlodis
; Episcopal Church, of Stroudsburg, BY
the PASTOR, and published by request
PROVERBS, %. 6.
"Train up child in the way he should
90, and when he is old be will not depart from
it,"
But, all long the way of this discus
cussion, [ fancy l hear behind me the
steppings of cautious orthodoxy, saying
that these things conflict with experience
that the children of religious families
do not uniformly, nor perhaps, usually
become pious-while not few of the sons
and daughters of ungodly and unbelieving
parents are converted. This may be in
a measure true, and yet it does not cast
suspician on the soundness of the princi-
pies advanced. They are sustained by
obvious facts. Where do the majority of
those who are members, good and true,
of the different branches of Chrit's church
usually come FRONT Are they not gen
orally the fruits of christian training in
christian families, while conversions from
other quarters are exceptions to the gen
eral rulci These are facts, and they es-
tablish rather than over-turn our position.
1t should also be considered that we sell
dom see the results of these opposite in-
fuences upon childhood in form to be
most'striking. Child hood is mostly ac-
ted upon by the blendid influences of good
and evil example and association. 1t is
a painful acknowledgment, but neverthe-
less true, that the piety of most religious
families is shamefully defective, and so is
shorn of most Of its power. If the parents
are orderly and tolerably uniform chris
tians, yet they may lack fervor, or faith,
or affection, and so their influence is i'm
paired, if not completely neutralized. If
the father is piousA mother it may be,
is given to fashion and worldliness, or in
some other respects is careless of the pie
ty which should ever preside in chris
tian family. If home be place of sane
tity and security, the children most like
~ are allowed to associate out Of doors
with wicked companions, and thus the re-
ligious influence that should control the
children of professedly pious parents is
greatly impaired, if not lost. So in re-
gard to the sons and daughters of irreli
gious parents, they often find partial
antidote for homeimpiety in outdoor asso-
ciations,- at school-in the Workshop
at church or in good books. We answer
this cautious authordoxy then, that the
tendencies of piety or impiety in the pa
rent and at the home circle, are precisely
what We have stated them to be; that these
causes always produce their proper effects
and no others, however much they may
be modified by other agencies.
But what are some of the causes of a
want of success in realizing the fuliment
Of the promise annexed to the duty en-
joined in the text "train up child in the
way he should 60 and when he is old he
will not depart from it" Doubtless We
shall find that all departures from the
right way, follow the cause of not having
been thoroughly trained up in it, And
lst. That disobedience We see almost eve
ry where manifested on the part of chill
dren, and permitted, in many instances,
even by religious parents, is one cause,
and one much to be deprecated, for the
family institution as q DiUiae Ordinance,
designed to fit and qualify children for the
reception of religious truth, and the per-
formance of religious duty; and every
thing like success depends upon pre-occu-
pying the soul with right habits, of which
none is so intimately connected with. fa-
vorable religious developments, as the
habit of strict obedience to legitimate a~-
hority This, none will deny to be a fun
damentol principle of the religion of the
holy scriptures, and is the first object in
correct family government.
Every parent, therefore, who fails to
establish this unquestioned dominion,
does, in the same degree, entail upon his
children, curse Of fearful omen. He
fosters the inborn enmity of the child's
heart to the claims of religion and SO rad
icates and strengthens his soul against the
claims of God. The child suffered to do
as be plcases, will most assuredly be long
in yielding to the claims of Christ,-veri-
ly, it may be laid down as an axiom that
the spirit which refuses obedience to pa
rental authority, will be the last to rem
der it to God. The disobedience allowed
in many families becomes Fundamental
gice, well worthy of our most careful con-
sideration, when we bear in mind the spe-
cial form it assumes in its connection with
religion. There are many parents whose
ordinary administration Of family govern
ment is judicious, who nevertheless act
upon that most mistaken theory, that
upon all matters relating to christian faith
and practice, their children are to be let
alone-free from all control to do as they
please. Hence their children are suffered
to grow up in opposition to religion if they
choose so to do, though they may bear
much aboutit. They go to church when
and where they please, or not all if they
please. They frequent the Sabbath school
if they choose, and only as often and as
lono as thew NAV bappen to coincide with