Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1874-05-06
Communicated.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.

never he Topped OF without greatly manning th,
life Of the tree.
This limb has two branches. Tho first brancl
Is tho mission, or union Sunday School; the sec
ond Is the dcnominational, or church Sunda,
School.
The mission Sunday School in its field Of labor
IL combination and substitute Of the family
pulpit and pastoraIe. 1t goes In advance Of III,
church into tho 'wilderness, hedges and ditehes,
gathers together and teaches the untaught and
neglected children. 1t is the forerunner OF the
church, and il, like John the Baptist ever cries
"Behold" " while pointing the untaught multitudcs
to the Lamb Of God. II Is the true god mother
of the church, folding to her bosom the neglected
orphaned ones, and giving them in holy consecra-
tion through the church to God. Thus, in lis
aggressive field of labor, we repeat, II has the
three-fold duty--ihat Of the pulpit, the family
and the church school.
The denominationai or church Sunday School
Is quite another Institution. II is not intended
to be substitute for tho family, the pulpit, the
pastor, or even tho secular school, nor Is Il de-
signed to be exclusively a chiljrens institution.
What, then, is a dcnominational, or church
Sunday Schooll First II is not an independent
self organization, seciarian, ignorant and bigoted
in its character and nature, as II is said to be-
however, by those only who are either hypocriti-
cal, ignorant, or bigotcd, concerning the different
missions of the two schools. The denominational
or church Sunday School is simply that depart
ment OF any ortholoxical branch Of the church of
Christ, in which the children, the youth and adults
of the church and community are thoroughly
trained in christian knowledge, christian expert
ence and christian work. II co-operates with the
family and the pulpit; II depends upon the min
isry of the Holy Ghost It takes for its textbook
the Holy Scriptures; il is the training department
Of the church. II is not merely for conversion.
IL that work has been neglected in any case, then
conversion is the first thing to be sought. But
the main thing In the church Sunday School is
the development, training and growth of the dis
ciplc sold and young. 1t is not merely biblical
school for intellectual furnishing of divine truth
il is for spiritual edGcation. 1t is not merely for
children, but for christians Of all ages. Inas-
in the sanctuary for children as well as adults,
so also, the church Sunday School is for adults as
we'll as children. In the church Sunday School
the instructions of the family the pulpit and the
secular school are supplemented by class rccita-
tion, discussion and conversation. Verify, in the
church Sunday School the actlviiy--tho attrition
of brain and heart take place by which the truth
is made clearer to the understanding and more
deeply lodged in the affections Of the heart. And
this, We affirm, is indispensable to the highest
form Of christian life.
In the great battle between knowledge and
ignorance, right and wrong, good and evil, Christ
and Satan, tho church by means of tho mission
Sunday School seeks and enlists soldiers; by |
means Of the church Sunday School ii drills the |
recruited and by means of the pulpit 1t informs
sion Sunday School, the church Sunday School
and the pulpit have their individual missions,
agencies and fields of labor; therefore, when all
are in their proper sphere Of action they do not
collide with one another. In tho same field Of
labor the church Sunday School co-opcrates with
he pulpit and the family; in the same field Of
labor the thrce-fold duty of the mission Sunday
School collides with duties of the family and the
'ulpitj therefore, the church Sunday School should
,ecOmpany, and the mission Sunday School should
20 in odpanee Of The church.
The denominational and the union Sunday
schools, however different in their means, modes
md places Of labor, do not, in principle and de-