American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1877-11-24
The Church at Home.

something distinct from all other train
ing, and not rather the object of all cul-
ture and development that they may
grow into sound, healthy, sweet-spirit-
ed, well-balanced Christianity; that the
body is to be the temple of God, conse-
Grated from the outer court to the very
holy OF holes; that every power of the
mind, every capability of the nature, is
to find its part in making up that per-
feet manhood, "the measure of the stat
ure of the fullness of Christi
The religion of babes is something so
sweet and simple that we seldom STUN
BILE ever difficulties for the first two or
three years. They are full of reverence
and love; they Kheel beside US with their
strong in ready forgiveness for the
naughty, as it is in protecting angels
about the good. But as they grow old
er, we neglect to lead them on from
grace to grace, and when the fight be-
gins in good earnest they get very little
help.
Can we not bring this matter of the
Christian training of our children up to
the level of good common sense, and
make their religion thing of convic-
ton and rational understanding, rather
than of sentiment?
The child who prays with unqnestion-
ing faith for whatever he wants, a clean
heart, or velocipede, or baby broth
er, needs as he grows older to be in
structed that he may not set aside belief
in prayer as one of the weaknesses of
babyhood which a big boy should be
rather ashamed of. We talk great
deal about the beautiful faith of child
hood, but there is no reason why the
boys faith should not be stronger than
the child's faith, and the mans more
confident than the boys
The little child may vaguely know of
Gods benevolent love, as something
that has placed him in pleasant world,
with pleasant things about him; but he
needs to be so taught that by and by,
when there begins to come to him
sense of sin and weakness, knowledge
of two natures wearing against each
that which is infinitely greater, Gods
forgiving love, without beginning and
without end. There is nothing radical
in Christianity, nothing vital in Chris
tian living, which may not be made so
clear and simple a thing that q child
can comprehend, and live in it.
The home need not teach sectarian-
ism, but it should teach the deliberate
convictions of the father and mother
upon what is best and soundest and
wisest in church polity; and if you can
not give to your child clear and suffi-
Gent reason for your election in the mat
ter OF church home, it is time you
looked into the subject to make sure you
are in the right place.
All the great benevolences and mis-
sionary enterprises of the church should
be matters of thorough instruction at
home. 1t is a shame to our Christian
ity that our children grow up in ig-
norance of the needs and the claims of
these enterprises, and with the feeling
that the aid they extend to them is pure
ly gratuity to be regulated by i'm
pulse, and not matter simple obi
cation which no honest man would
think of repudiating. We must in some
way get back for the home part of the
Sunday, the afternoon or evening, when
old and young may take counsel to-
gether over the Word; when the teach
ings of the church service and the Sun
day-school may be explained, enforced,
illuminated and made to fit into the
family life with real helpfulness; when
the land and the book may be linked to-
gether, and the places where sacred
feet once trod grow familiar in all their
surroundings.
We must bring Christianity into our
everyday life, and teach our children to
lay hold of it as help not simply
against sin in the abstract, but their
own sins in particular, their special
temptations to i'll temper and fretfulness
and carelessness and disobedience; and
that the "hour of prayer is the hour
when the temptation comes sharpest
and the silent cry for help goes straight
from the heart to God and brings it.
We must teach them that Gods serv-
ice includes honest, vigorous play,
faithful, conscientious study, and, first
and last, the helping hand for others.
Do give us one generation of Christians
who are not chiefly concerned for the
salvation of their own souls, but having
accepted Gods redemption through
Christ, can trust Him to keep what they
have committed to Him, while they go
about His work, and who are more anx-
ious to know what they can do than how
they happen to feel.
We must restore the father and moth
er to that sacred priesthood to which |
they were first ordained, and through |
which they may enter into the spiritual |
life of their children, setting apart some
hour of social communion when the
week that is past may be reviewed, its
blessings numbered and its mistakes |
and that which is to come
by prayer and watchfulness;
when parents are not afraid to say to
their children, "we too are subject to
and weakness; we make
and have great need of help
and forgiveness, and together we will
go to the Father who has pity on us all
and whose love never has and never
never will fail us. 1.-The Alliance.
MUTTON SoUP.-Take the bone left
from leg of roast mutton; crack it