Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-11-25

dmlleu ana CaLecnlstu. here Jueug W
hnd that more than three hundred year
ago leading thought in the Palatinat
scheme was 70 gather the children Oi Ia
church, to instruct them n sound ant
wholesome doctrine, and u engage thea
In the public worship OF Jehovah. No
content with this antiquity, venerable
a. il is, / seek the origin Of this system
in an earlier sge, and upon enusecrstet
ground, aud am rewarded for my search
bv finding the sacred writings flsgran
with records of tender admOniliOns
OF besuteOus thought and sweet mem
cries Of such teachings OF youth. II
his Holy book the vigilsnt care Of Goo
over the growth and welfare OF children
bt ans through repeated and unvaryiDC
expressions OF parental love. In the
establishment OF his church, under tbs
! Abrshamic covenant, the children o
I the patriarch were teDderly embraced
/ Under Moses this relation Of the chill
uren Of Israel with the church was con.
fined and guarded by prescribed rules
| which regulated their admission into
/ the church, and the manner OF their in
| strUciOn 10 the religious Obervances o.
their fathers. Children were taught by
! precept, by ordinance, that they might
fear tue Lord, set their hopes on God
aud keep his commandments. The
careful readers Of the scriptures will be
/ constantly impressed with the intimate
/ connection sub-isting between the an.
Gent church and children; for through
all the multiform changes in Jewish &c.
| clesissticism the recognition Of therightS
OF children was scrupulously preserved
In fact, the Bible everywhere deals ten
I =. rHH y Ill =
| hood nestles like young bird under the
folded wingsof its mother. When Esau
| observed the women and children ac-
companying Jacob, he asked, "WhO
are these?' and Jacob replied, "rhe
children that God hath grsciJusly given
me-" the style Of answer indicating that
they were the objects Of graee-bless-
ings. An outcast child of honda ge,
found amODg'th the flags Of the Nile, has
/ his history wriaen, tracing il until be
| became = leader aud lRWgiveT for three
| millions Of freemeu. The Germans
| have legend that on Christmas day
( the child that was born in the msuger
comes back to earth to look sitter little
ones. This Is but another form of saw
| iUg that Bethlehem has brought Chrisl
! forever near the childish heart. But
within the range Of inspired literature
what Is more touching than
the story Of Christ laying his
| hand upon children's heads And
when be announced the strange
| doctrine that the kingdom of heaven
was likened unto little children the
philosophy Of the age was startled; but
the new revelation streams like Gun
beams over the world, continuing to
fa1sA,A - -,
christian land to this day. The fascinat-
ing sentiments expressed In Gods took
IN reference to children develop the real
value OF these little ones, snd establish
their important relation to the family
If faith and to the Christian church
By virtue Of the esteem in which Christ
held them they maintain more ex-
allied position in our Owl hearts, so that
rejecting parents are ready to eXclsim
''COme, let Us live for our children. -
stern duties and grave responsibilities
rest upon parents snd the evaBgeiic
church respecting the spiritual culture
and religious training Of the YOU b
During the two thousand years OF patri-
archal dispensa.io the family was the
church, and instituted and carried out q
rigid development OF tue religious
nature Of the child. Every house
hold was temple Of God,
every fireside was an altar, and
all the essential and real elements
Of devotional and sscrifeiai life were
there. Neither the changes in dispen-
satiOns nor the lapse OF ages has altered
the relation so early established between
church and child; nor has anything
,rsDspired in divine or family economy
70 relieve parents from their obligation
10 look after the spiritual interests Of
their offspring and to plant and cultivate
in their hearts q love for the scriptures
aud OF the uueTriDg admOnitiOns of the
Lord, that these so beautifully unfold,
aud which bring the mind to a love OF
Christ. @ ID intends the christian fami-
" to be q school OF Christ; and he would
have children put on the Lord Jesus with
their first garments, imbibiDg christian
sentiments from mothers lips ''ss they
hang upon their snowy breasIs.p Child
rem should learn religion from the tone
Of the family; from their vocal thanks
giving and songs of praise; from tue
observance OF the Lords day, ard from
the peniteniisl and Ieverential manner
Of the father, "when as priest.
be offers the daily sscritices.n
parents and the church the duty Of
training children ia the ways of truth.
Human nature, however, IL fraii, and
the undlsciplined energies of parents are
often unequal to that faithful adherence
to divine injunction which is essential
to the proper religious education Of their
own offspring. But God, tenderly CON-
passionate of this weakness of human
h,z ;s,k -
and women to supplement the feebleuess
of individual with the strength OF Or
ganized power, and has thus provided
an agency, which, under the patronage
of his church, proposes 10 instruct chill
dren TeligiOusly and morally by associat-
ed efforts and well-Ordered methods. I
need hardly remark that this agency is
the SunCay-schOOl. This institution,
however, is neither a substitute for fam
lily teachings, nor for the pulpit; but is
a helper, that all may grow in grace.
such schools ffe but Obedient conserve
tors Of those divine laws that command
ed ''thst all the people, men, women
and children, and the stranger, shall be
gathered together, that they may hear,
learn, and fear the Lord, and observe to
do all the works Of the law" And OF
that later injunction: ''Let the
word Of Christ dwell in you
richly, IL all wisdom; teaching and adj
moDishing one another in psalms,
hymns aud spiritual songs, singing.
with grace in your hearts, unto the Lord"
This institution for good has OutgTOwu
all human expectation; its machinery is
vast, and weekly increasing in simphci-
Is and perfection; its accessories are
numerous, grand and attractive, while
the numbers participating have rolled
up in mighty sceretiOns, until they go
forth like Regions Of legiODs with ban
ners: The Spsrtans brought up their
in the care Of State; the Eng
people have measursbly
committed the spiritual interests Of then
offspriDg to the Sunday school. By
earnest, unTemittiug efirts; by humble
aud constant prayer; by the self-sacTi
fieing labOrs, that cannot be estimated,
OF its workers, two continents have been
filed with 8 degree Of spiritual prosper
ity, that the world has never before seen, /
and yet the Sunday-schOOl is only in It's |
infancy. It's work is not con-
dned merely to the imparting |
nf divine instruction to impressible, !
flexible minds, the development Of a /
knowledge OF christian dufy It resche-
far beyond these. To tx In y0uLhfu |
minds the truth pertaining 10 God anu
The grand scheme - redemption; to
enlarge their afiecuC o convert