The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-05-16

9SO.
question, a school for the study of the Divine
word, and might, without doing violence, be
styled the preparatory department. TO the
| church.
Now, In the next place, we may come to
the discussion OF the main qnestlon-is such 6
school justified in sacred scripture?
| First, then, does the Bible eDjoin the study
of Gods word upon His people? From oul
SaviOur's own lips we have the command
sSearch the Scriptures" Luke commend
the Brreans as being more noble than those VI
Thessalonca, because they searched the Scrip
tnres. ~ cnsrge you by the Lord" says
Paul, "that this epistle be read unto oil the
holy brethren" Says Jeremiah, Proclaim
ull these words in The cities of Judeah, and iu
the streets OF Jerusalem, saying. hear ye the
words of This covenant and do them" Ezra,
with the Divine approval, prepared his heart
| to seek the law OF the Lord and do 1t. and to
teach In Israel statutes and Judgments" Nor
Is the tare reading OF the Bible enough to sat-
| isfp the Divine requirements. The question
that Phillip put to the treasurer OF Queen Can.
dace, 'Und-rsi andest thou what thou readest?
| Ia the all-important question In Bible study.
For this purpose was the Christian ministry
founded-that they "might teacn the people
Knowledge" they being thoroughly fur
nished," from having given "much attention
to reading" TO the overseeing OF The flock.
The second question is: "May the Bible be
appropriately studied and taught upon the
| Sappath. Here sgain we have the authority
| of His own example. II was on the sabbath
day that he entered into the synagogue, and
| taxing The book Of The prophets, unrolled 1t.
read IL, and eXpounded IL To the people. The
| apostles, who, like Apollos, were ''mlghty In
| the Scriptures" initiated our Saviour in this,
| from Sabbath to Sabbath "eXpounded and tes-
titled the kingdom of God, persuadlng them
concerningJesus, both out ofthe law OF Moses
and out of the prophets" In Perga, we are
told that ION the Sabbath day Came almost
the whole city together to hear the word OF
God" At Thessalonica. paul, as his manner
| was, went In unto them, and three Sabbath
days reasoned with them out Of the Scrip
tures." In Corinth she reasoned In the syna.
gogue every Sabbath and persuaded the
Greeks and the Jews" But 1t Is needless TO
multiply examples, since the Sabbath itself
was Instituted liOr the very purpose of bring
Ing US nearer 10 God by premeditatlon and In
slruclon in the Divine word.
Proved then that the Bible is to be studied
to be studied on the Sabbath. Query the
third should 1t be taught to children? Since
children are as much human beings as was
Methuselah, and are as deeply Interested In
the death of Jesus as was Peter, such query
would a. pear entirely needless, but, to make
assurance doubly sure. let us hear Mo-.
ses. Speaking of Gods dealings with
Israel, he says. "bnt teach Them, Thy
son and thy sons SOUS" Having given
them the commandments, he says:
'.Thou shalt teach tnrm diligently unto Thy
children. and thou shalt talk of them when
tnou sitteSt in thine house, and when thou
walkest by the way, and when thou Hest
down, and when thou rIsest up" Again !:
leather the people together, men and women
aud children, tnat they may hear, and that
thew NAV learn, and fear the Lord your Cos,
and observe u do all the words of this law"
Proved. then, In the third place, that not only
Is the Bible to be Taught OH the Sabbath day,
but that 1t Is to be taught also to children.
Here, then, We have all The warrant NEEDED
10 justify us in the prosecution OF This noble
work. Some seem to think that the religious
instruction Of youth on the Sabbath Is an en-
tirely new thing; but this Is not tru'. Aaimon-
ides informs US that In the ancient jewish
congregation religious instruction was fire.
uuenlly given TO children, while II is fact
familiar tO all students of early churca history
that the young were catechlsed frequently,
and thus prepared tor union with the visible
church. With such explicit authority fur our
work, and with the example of the ancient
church, let us go forward with zeal. The lime
has gone by when priests thought that every
effort 10 teach Jesus, outside Of the official
ministry, was an infringement OF their pre-
rogatlve. "Let him that heareth. say, come J"
The very children In the temple shouted "Ho-
sanna 10 the son of David" We cannot have 100
many workers, 30 long as they are working
for Jesus God has Bet the seal o. his ap-
proral upon the Sabbath school. It Is the
church, like the mothers who brought Their
little ones to Jesus, folding her lambs In her
arms, and asking her L rd's benedlction. II Is
the church inviting her. .Eunices and her Loises,
her serving MarLhas aud her loving Marya, 10
caring for these, her Lords precious little
ones 10 care also for Him, aud they who for
bid the work will hear our Lord Jesus saying
TO them, as he did 10 some of old, "Suffer the
little children 10 come unto me; forbid them
not, for of such ls the kingdom Of heaven"
Rev. DR.. Thomas Smylhe was next invited
to address the convention upon the same sub
ject. Dr. Smythe, as many of our readers will
remember, was visited some time ago with
a severe paralytic stroke, aud he has hardly
vet recovered the use of his lower limbs or the
iull strength Of his voice. In consideration OF
these inhrmities he was invited to seat upon
the platform, and he retained his seat during
the delivery of his address, which was listened
to with marked interest by the convention.
He said that it was important TO be assured OF
the Divine authorization Of the Sunday-schoOl,
fnasmuch as all must feel that If they were
engaged 10 work which was commanded
by the Great Head of the Christian Church
that It was their duty to work with all their
hearts, full OF that love and energy which
would enable them to POW the good seed un-
lirIngly, even without the Immediate manlfes-
tation of It's results, we'll knowing that he
who gave the seed would make 1t fruitful In
His own good time. He claimed as beyond
doubt that the establishment of the Sunday
school was divine ordinance of Christ. He
said that, without quoting the many texts of
Scripture which tended incidentally 10 corrob-
crate this view, he would SO at once to the
great commission given by Christ to his
apostles, the magma charter of every denomi-
nation of protesting Christians. This was
contained chiefly, he said, In the twenty
eighth chapter of st. Matthew, beginning at
the sixteenth verse, and iu the sixteenth
chapter of st. Mark. Quoting from the
Gospel of st. Matthew, he showed that Jesus
had said, "All power is given unto Me 10
Heaven and earth"-this was His warrant, His
authority for the command He was about to
glve-and then He said, "Go ye, therefore,
and teach all nations, baptizlng them in the
name of the Father and OF the Son and OF the
Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all
,binno uhataoavpr 7 have commanded yOu,