The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-02-10
The Hope of the Church.

people. They will constitute and give char.
acter to the Church of the immediate fu-
ture The hope of the Church for higher
development of Christian experience and
activity is cen,ered upon them. 1t can
scarcely be hoped that there will be any
considerable advance made by those who
have reached or passed middle life. Their
experiences have assumed their permanent
type, their habits run in those channels
which they will follow until death. The
impressible element, the element which may
be moulded into higher form, and impelled
to accelerated activities, is the youthful ele-
ment. 1t is therefore all important that the
Church should understand and appreciate
its responsibility for the young people, and
discharge its duty towards them more faith
fully. For it is patent fact that our young
people are being lost to the Church and to
Christianity. The very "children of the
Church" wander frAa its fold swallowed up
in the seething vortex of worldliness. Mem
bers of the Church of God, followers of Je.
sus, to the rescue The salvation of yon-
children is at staN. The future of the
Church is involved in this matter! But
what can be done?
1. Let parental authority be exercised By
Christian parents. Until their children
reach the years of discretion, and go cut
from under the parental roof and authority,
they should be governed and managed with
direct reference to their religious welfare
and church relations-the latter no less than
the former. You cannot teach your child
to respect, love and embrace Christianity
except as it is embodied in visible church
organization. If you hold membership in
church which you cannot teach your chill
dren to love and respect, in the name of God
and for the sake of their immortal souls we
beseech you to leave that church and go tc
one into which you can take your children
0, how many nominally Christian parents
on this coast will soon die and leave theil
children adrift upon life's perilous sea with
out any settled religious belief or prefer
ence-to drift by accident to some friendly
shore, or to be drowned in the depths oi
scepticism and sin Christian parents
awake to your duty before it is too late
2. A better example mast be set before thu
children Of the Church. Our children soon
pass the period when they can be controlled
by any other than moral influences that is
to say, the influence of reason, persuasion
argument, and above all, example. Mem
bership in the Church without consistency
of religious life drives the children of the
household from Christianity and makes then
infdels. In such cases this alternative il
presented: The child must believe that hi
parents are hypocrites, or that Christianity
is delusion; and it is but natural that h'
should adopt the former conclusion. The
neglect of family aOorship on the part o
many heads of families, and the hurried ant
mechanical manner in which it is performed
by others, weakens the faith of many gener
Gus, truthful, and earnest sons or daughters
in religion, and prepares them for the re
ception of those errors which will inevitably
present themselves to their receptive minds
Fathers and mothers, think of this, pray
and do better.
8. Let our preachers make special efor
IN behalf of the young. Let them bring th
young people of their charges into organized
associations, and employ their zeal and en-
ergy in that cause of God. This can b.
done. The youthful mind is responsive tt
the claims of Christianity. 1t is susceptible
of the most generous impulses and burning
enthusiasms Our young men are wastin,
themselves on follies simply because the,
have heard no trumpet-pea summoning then
to the standard of Christ, to fight for truth
for humanity, and for God.
One aspect of his subject excites the graves
reflections of the deepest solctude. Ther
is no future for Church that does not reac
the young This is self f-evident proposi
ton, and the announcement of it speaks t
us in a thunder tone of exhortaton to be u
and doing. 1t calls upon parents to be NOR
faithful to their obligations as such; it call