San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1877-12-01
| The Church at Homo.

~ STuVo 4uSp0No - Wi AANV'~HS
training, that we sat about the religious
education OF our children as II it were
something distinct from all other train
ing, and not father the object Of all cub
ture and development that they may
grow intoa sSund, Hsaltky, sweet-spirit-
ed, we'll balanced Christianity; that the
body is to bs the templeI Of God, conse-
Grated, from the outer court to ,thelvery
holy of holes; % that every poweriof the
mind. every lnapability of the nature, is
to find its part in making up thatiper-
feet manhood, e the measure ofTthe stat
ure Of, the fYllness of Christ.ni looo Ia
The, rsligion Of babes is something so
sweet and simpplAgt bat ye seldom st STUN
bic oyer difficulties forg the first two or
three years. They are full Of reverence
ana love; they kneel beside US with their
tender prayers, and their faith is as
str6nk oin9D ready forgiveness for the
naughty, asr it is i'll protecting angels
aboSt the COCA. yBaf as they grow Old
er. wepneplect to1lead them on from
grace to grace, and when 0the' fight be-
gins III good earnest they get very little
HELM. poll Anoid hue bodsInsdiis'b odi
Can we not bring this matter Of the
Christian, training of children up to
the level of goodscornmon sense, and
make theiri religion a. thing of conyic-
ton and rational understanding, rather
than of septimentpoi rot eaa,.rAms2
IThe, child who, prays with unqnestiifofno-
ing faith for whatever he wants, a clean
heart, ora Yelooipede, or 2 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 big boy should be
rather ashamed Of. We talk a great
deal, about the beautiful faith iitlhp< Of child
hood, but, there is no reason why. the
BOYS faith should not be stronger than
the child IS faith, and the mans more
confident than the boys ''"'H
7The' little child may vaguely know Of
Gods benevolent love- as something
that has placed him in a pleasant world,
with PLEASANT things about him; but he
needs, to be SO taught that by and by,
when thereRbegins to come to him a
sense of sin and weakness, knowledge
of two, natures wearing against each
other, he shall at once take refuge in
that which is infinitely. greater, Gods
forgivipg love, without beg beginning and
without end. There is nothing radical dig !
in Christianity, nothing vital in Chris.
tian living, which may notIbe made.so
clear and simple a thing that 3, child
can comprehend, and live ip itiurp,uo-
The home need not teach sectarEiiialnli;
ism, but it,should, teach, the ,delibeelraattee
convictions oi the father and mother
upon what is best and soundest and q
wisest in church polity; and if you can az
not give to your child a clear and suff:
cieht reason for your election in the mat,
ter Of a church home, it is time you
looked into the subject to make Sure you
are the rightplace.19f 7''d' o"h Ysn
All the great benevolences' and mis-.
sionary enterprises of the church should
be matters of thorough instruction al
home. 1t is a shame to our Christian
ity that our children growoup 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, a gratuity to, be regulated by im i'm
pulse, and not matter q simple obll-
CATION which no honest man would
think Of repudiating.I 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. 20 y7S'.'d 'fi to 'in"'
emust bring Christianity into our
everyday life, and teach our childrento
lay holdrof itss a help not simply
against sin in 8 the abstract, but their
own sins d. in particular, their special
temptations to i'll temper and fretfulness
and earelessness and disobedience; and
that the, :. hour, Of prayer is the hour
when the temptation comes sharpes'
and the silent cry for help goes straight
from the heart to God and brings it.