The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-06-01

vices, singing of q verse or two of psalm,
hymn or spiritual song, will be in order, and
we hope that any occasions thus offered will
be employed.
| 8. 1t is recommended that on this We'd
nesday evening there be held, in this
Church, beginning at 4, p. M, q general
conference and concert of prayer. on behalf
of, and for the early conversion Of the chill
dren and youth of our country; and that
Chatham Square NJ. E. Church, beginning at
the same hour, children's meeting, which
shall close the convention.
| 9. The committee in all things bespeak of
the delegates much prayer, and great earnest
ness in considering the interests Of this good
cause, that it may not merely be said when we
close our convention that we have +" had q
pleasant time" "happy reunion" &C.,
but more, that the Lord has been with us in
all our councils, that He has bestowed upon
es His Spirit-that he has strengthened our
hearts, quickened our energies, increased-our
faith, and made US wiser, and more competent
to labor in this most hopeful department Of
| His vineyard.
| 10. The committee deem it scarcely nee
essary to remind delegates that this is Union
Convention, composed Of all evangelical de-
nominations, and that it will be neither proper
sectarian or doctrinal questions All of which
is respectfully submitted.
II. ScoTr HOWELL, Chr mn.
Charles Hubbell, Esq, Rev. 5. Pckard
and Hon. r. A. Russell were appointed a
committee on statistics.
Thirty minutes were taken up with devo-
tional exercises, when the discussion Of the
topics began.
| The first topic was read by the chairman,
viz: That relation does the Sunday School
sustain to the chnrch 7'
Rev. Mr.. Wood said this was question
deserving OF the most profound attention,
and was properly the first question to be con-
sidered. The relation of the Sabbath School
to the church nigh. be viewed in various
aspects; but he would notice but one viz .
1t was subordinate to the church Some
would place it above the church bu, the
church was dearer to Christ than anything
else. for it was sanctihed body, purchased
with his blood He alluded in an eloquent
manner to the freedom with which the mar
tyrs had poured out their blood, in the times
of Romish persecution, for the integrity and
purity of the church. When Robert Raikes
led out his little band, and formed them into
Sunday School, he would have trembled at
the thought of their being equal to the church.
The Sabbath School did not do all that was
necessary, and there was danger of the child
being lost between the Sabbath School and
the church.
! Rev. Mr.. Beaman said the relation of the
Sabbath School to the church was SO obvious
that 1t was more easily conceived than ex-
pressed. He offered the following resolu-
tion:
| Resolred, That the convention considers
all well regulated Sabbath Schools SO INSOFAR
ably and vitaliy connected with Christ and
His church that ouch Schools should be re-
garded as the nursery, in which precious
| souls are reared into Chri1t, and then trans
planted into His church militant sand from
thence, by death, into His church ,rium
phant
In support Of the resolution he obser. ed
| first, that the truths revealed from heaven are
the truths taught in the Sabbath Schools.
Secondly, The spirit delights to bless His
own truth. Third, In Sunday Schools pa-
ticular attention is paid to those truths which
| pertain to the salvation of the soul: and,
with tie blessing of God, they are sure to
have saving effect. Fourth, The statistics
of all the evangelical churches demonstrate
the truth of the resolution
Rev. Mr.. Waring said that this question
had become so important in the church of
| which he was miniser, that tie General
Conference had found it necessary TO define
the relation of the school to the church
The Sabbath school was really department
of the work Of the church; and the church
can never afford to entrust it to other hands,
or to allow of its separation. The same mas
ter who said to his apostle, Feed my sheep,
said also to him, Feed my lambs. = The
instruction of the young is the work of the
minister and the church. To the church
Paul wrote: Bring up your children in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord
Every minister should be Sabbath School
laborer. Every adult member of the church,
and especially every christian parent, should
be engaged in the work. The church should
work for the school and the school for
the church, and both for Christ
| Mr.. Paxson, jr., said there was no difficult
| ty. such as seemed to exist here, in the State
in which he labored. There, instead of put
ting the Sabbath School too high, they did not
get it high enough. The work was to take
the children out Of the world into the Sunday
School, and out Of the Sunday School into
the church Every Sunday School ought to
! be connected with some evangelical church
Mr.. Paxson, senior, said the Sunday School
was the tcorksaop Of the church, and he was
sorry there were not more good workmen in
it-more good men and women Of 1.-THE spec.
tacle class the aged men aud women OF the
church. In the Sabbath School the unde-
yeloped talent of the church was brought out
Parents too often committed the error of
turning the children out of the Sabbath
School, after the hour of instruction, to 90
home, or to roam the streets, and violate the
Sabbath. They should take them with them
to church, and the services of the church
should be conducted with view to their in
terests. He alluded to the practice of Dr.
Albert Barnes, of Philadelphia, who taught
a Testament class in the Sabbath School, and
in that class were aged men and women
some as old as sixty and seventy. After
school was over the the Doctor would stand
shaking hands with the children, and then re-
tire to his study. The children we're taken
up stairs and properly seated in the church
and there were seats for the infant class,
where they could sit without their feet dang
ling six inches from the floor. He felt anx-
ious to hear what that profound scholar and
dren, and he was glad to find that they under
stood the sermon, and listened to it with close
attention.
Mr.. II. Scott Howell did not agree with
Mr. Wood about the Sabbath School being
ought not to entertain that idea He thought
we had a modern word that expressed the re-
lation exactly-he would call the Sabbath
School the rendezvous of the church. He
also illustrated the relation by that OF tt g
husband and wife, and parent and child.
While the wife was in q sense subordinate to
the husband, and the parent to the child !; af-
ter all they were helpmeets. The parent
would do any thing in the world for his child
1t was not necessary for every Sunday Scho 81
to be connected with a church. Two or