Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1875-12-02
tOfiglnal.]
SCHOOLS.

is to run into extremes. The Sabbath.school,
amongst many other good things, is abused.
Some one, in horror, asks how can Sabbath
school be abused2 We answer, in multi
tude of ways. You may abuse it by attach
ing an Importance to it which is not warranted
by the word of God. Now, this is just the
condition of things at present all over this
country. Home instruction around the fire.
side and the preaching of the gospel are made
of minor Importance to the Sabbath-school.
Now, the word of God clearly forbids US from
coming to any such conclusion. God or.
ganized the human race into families, and
Jesus Christ instituted the church and its or
dinances but it would be utterly impossible
to show from the Bible that our Saviour Or
ganized Sabbath.school or gave US any in
struction respecting such an organization
We wish it to be distinctly understood that
we do not say, or even intimate, that as a wise
and prudential measure, men have no right
to organize Sabbath-schools. All we wish to
say is, that no man has Bible warrant to
put the Sabbath,school in the place of family
instruction, or the preaching of the gospel ;
much less to place it in point of Importance
above these divinely appointed modes of in
struction. Preaching is, in the proper sense
of the word, teaching; and whenever pulpit
exercises cease to teach, they cease to be
preaching.
Again: the Sabbath-school may be abused
by the kind Of literature that is introduced
into it. Every one who is at all conversant
with the books that are put into the hands of
children by most of our Sabbathschools Of
the present day, knows that the very best
thing that can be said of them is that they
ares kind ofmoral novels of the poorest sort.
They are gotten up to interest, not to instruct.
Some of them are barely fit to be read on the
Sabbath. Parts of others may be read on
that day, and large number of them are not
fit to be read on any day. They are foolish
little books.
The Sabbath. school is good institution
when properly conducted, and we wish it
Gods speed but like many other things, it is
liable to be abused. 1t seems all out of place
to have Sabbath-school pic.nics and Sabbath
school festivals. We have no sort of objec-
ton to young people having pic-nics or any
other innocent amusements; but when we un-
dertake to serve God, or talk about God or
his word, let US be, if not solemn, at least Sc.
rious.
Such sentiments, we are aware, are at va
rance with the fast notions of this fast age;
but we are convinced that they are in har-
mony with the principles of Gods word and a
high-toned piety. There is no need of resort
ing to practices Of doubtful propriety in or.
der to make the facts which pertain to our
SOULS salvation interesting They are intense.
ly interesting in themselves. The Bible is the
most interesting book in the world. 1t may
be read over ten thousand times, and the in.
terest will increase with every reading. No
man ever grew weary of the historical parts of
the Bible. No novel can equal the story of
the cross in melting pathos. The tendency
of many of the Sabhath.school ceremonies of
the present day is to make the impression on
the minds of youth that the Bible is stupid
book, and the religion of Jesus Christ dull
thing. Such impressions are very dangerous
They are founded upon false principles, and
their final results must be adverse to godl-
ness.
aas- One of the most interesting things in
the Holy Land is the fact that one meets eve
rywhere in daily life things that illustrate the
words of the Lord. The streets of Jerusalem
are very narrow, and no one is allowed to 60
out at night without light. Throw open
your lattice in the evening and look out and
you will see what seems to be little stars twink
ling on the pavements. You will hear the
clatter of sandals, as the traveller rattes along.
AS the party approaches, you will see that he
has little lamp fastened to his foot to make
his step safe one. In an instant the verse
comes to your memory, written in the same
city 5000 years ago, "Thy word is lamp to
my feet and light to my path"
aas- Mohammed once said, "When a man
dies, men inquire what he has left behind
him angels inquire what he has sent before
him.
"The doctrine of sinless perfection is not to
be rejected as though it were thing simply
impossiblein itself, for nothing is too hard for
the Lord, but because it is contrary to that
method which He has chosen to proceed by.
He has appointed that sancti6cation should
be effected, and sin mortified, not at once COM
pletely, but BY little and little and doubtless