Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-06-01


and instances are by no means rare
where children under ten years OF
age have given their hearts to the
Savior and honored the Master by a
constant Christian life.
That teachers leaves an important
mart Of his duty undone who merely
explains the doctrines OF the bioie
but does not exhort and urge MS
scholars to s'lay hold on eternal llfe."
The great teacher to the Gentiies
was not only mighty in argument
las his letters to the Romans album
dainty testify)-such was his love Tor
souls that he ceased not to warn men
day and night with tears. While
our checks remain dry our scholars
will be slow to believe that their
danger is as great as we represent it.
The faithful teacher will not only
labor to bring the truths OF Scripture
before the minds of her scholars; she
will also watch for golden opporfu-
mites to speak those words vn'c',
are like apples of gold in picfares o.
silver and her soul will cen'inue II,
travail as long as a singpmember OF
her class remains a ranger 70 'he
new birth. TO brig all destitute OF
L.
saving grace inv vital union with NJ
Chr;st Is the dark at which the
t teacher :. sbo,yfaim. Fellow teacher,
had we hyfaith to grasp the prom
;aea Whatsoever We shall ask, be-
1919, We shall receive" "He that
In forth and weepeth, bearing
Mcious seed, shall doubtless come
again with rejoicing, bringing his
sheaves with him." and according
to your faith be it unto YOU" con-
versions in our Sabbath Schools
would no longer be rare but Of COM
mon occurrence. Failing to occupy
the high vantage ground Of the
teacher, the fruit Of the Sabbath
School is meagre when 1t ought to
be abundant.
Lest we should be misunderstood,
we would emphasize that little word
all, fearing that the idea is still too
prevalent that the Sabbath School Is
designed only for the young, when
it has been demonstrated that it may
prove to adults as well as to children
the stepping stone into the Church.
Statistics show that thousands, of
ripper years, are entertaining the
hope Of sins forgiven, who would
doubtless still be found in the by
paths of. sin and folly but for the
Sabbath School. Fellow teachers,
when will we awake out of sleep,
and labor more directly and with
stronger faith for the salvation of
those committed to our care!
But we pass to the second head:
Christian nurture also the design of
the Sabbath School.
Justification by faith is but the
of the new life. And it
would be as proper to neglect the
newborn babe as not to look after
the wants Of the young convert. DO
some tell us that, Christ having re-
ceived anew member into his family,
He will care for His own, we need
concern ourselves no farther? We
confess we have not SO learned to
interpret the text "Fecd my lambs"
No matter how choice the kind of
plant, shrub or tree procured from
the nursery, no sooner is it trans
planted in the garden than we expect
to look after it and cultivate it.
Unless the soil is enriched, the plant
watered, the weeds kept down, the
vine pruned and trained, but little
fruit is expected. 1t is a part OF the
Sabbath School teachers work to
cultivate plants in the garden of the
Lord. And the reason why there are
SO many sickly plants, vines like the
fig-tree that produce nothing but
leaves, and so flew bearing trees whose
branches bend to the earth under
their load Of fruit, is that the culti-
walton of these plants and trees is so
often neglected.
The convert needs daily food, first
unadulterated Gospel milk, then
healthy Bible bread, and finally
strong doctrinal meat. In the rank
and file of Gods army today you
will find many dwaris, for the reason
that the child Of grace was not prop
erly fed and cared for. Many are
mere babes when they ought to be
strong men and women in Christ
Jesus.
What instability and inefficiency
among many who bear the Christian