Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-12-07
Sunday School Work.
BY REV. J H BABBrrr, swANToN.

Of effort. This is emphatically true in h
department of Sunday school labor an
will be treated of as a reality.
In Sunday school assooi ,tions we ma,
expect to find more or less of pleasurabl,
experiences; of recreation and socialtv
but these are the instrumentalities BY
which the desired end may be promote,
and not the end itself. The picnics, ex
cursions, reunions and other social occs
sions with recreation and amusement evel
are all timely and helpful in promoting
the acquaintance and in cutivating {
common sympathy in the work of our
Sunday school,
But although these things may and dc
involve care and calculation and perhap.
something of sacrafice on the part of the
friends of the school, yet this is not bv any
means the measure of the ambition of 4
true Sunday school worker.
With proper safe guards and prudent
management these influences are very
helpful in popularizing the Sunday school
as an institution, but | think it of the first
importance that we draw the line of dis
tinction between the great end in view and
the means to that end in Sunday school
work.
That effort which extends only to the
accomplishment of recreative manage
ment, is not worthy to be dignifed ss
work " in the sense in which our devine
Master used this word when he taught
men to work in his vineyard. The care.
less attendant upon the Sunday school
may be Influenced in this way and posi-.
bly, led into deeper thought of the reali
ties of the work in hand. but real work is
OF more thorough character and finds its
motive and its inspiration in deeper soil
and richer conceptions of human need.
Sunday school work to meet with any
degree of permanent success must have a
definate and permanent aim. Too much
of our so called work is aimless, and
therefore profitless beyond the passing day
OF effort. Its inspiration is only an impulse
and therefore it has no permancy of pur-
pose, no stability of hope, no continuation
of care for its outcome, and no prospective
attainment which is the sustenance OF its
prolonged life. To-day it is enthusiastic
because the sun shines and the multitude
attends the school, but tomorrow it shivers
in the autumn wind, it droops in company
with the fading flowers and disappears
with the populace who chase some novel
scheme of recreation. Hence il is of high
importance that the true nature of the
work in hand he duly comprehended, and
that we study to so feel its importance MS
TO realize burden of care for its success
ful issue.
| will therefore attempt to speak of some
of the features of Sunday school work
which may first impress and then encour.
age those who labor in this department,
of the Lords vineyard. M.ny character
istics might be mentioned. but | will only
speak of three general properties:
First, IL IS q Oor6 of great magnitude
1t contemplates no less an undertaking
than the entire change of the purpose OF
life of such AS are brought under the per
manent influence of Its teachings.
The Sunday school of to-day is the right
hand helper of the church, and second in
influence and power only to the pulpit As
public teacher.
The work of the Sunday school is there
fore secondary in magnitude only to the
work Of the Christian pulpit, and it under
takes both to prepare human hearts to
receive the seed of gospel truth AS 1t is
cast abroad by the preaching of the
Christian minister, and also 20 enforce and
emphasize that truth and cultivate its
growth in the human heart after the work
of sowing has been done. We should con-
slider the magnitude of the work of the
Sunday school therefore as co-extensive
with the work of the church, and hence
paramount to any other undertaking in
the world. 1t is indeed no less an under
taking than the changing of the purpose
Of human lives, and the re-drecting OF
their course from natural choice of ma.
ture, TO that of an entire reverse purpose
Nature faces to the world and away
from God, but the work of Sunday school
Instructions is to bring the human face
toward God and away from the world in
its voluntary act of allegiance. This under
taking involves a change of nature so rad
ical, that former objects OF affection will
become objects of hatred. and former OBJ
jscts of hatred will become objects Of
affection. This must apply moreover. tc
every moral issue before the world.
involves the winning of the heart to love
virtue and hate vice as a natural instinct
and that with such an intensity of emotion
as to seek the one and flee from the Other
by involuntary impulse. In order there
fore to bring about this complete result
the undertaking also involves due cours
OF education as TO the nature of virtue ant
vice, and the marks by which each can b.
identified; for vice sometimes seeks t.
Disguise its form, and virtue sometime
appears under disadvantageous surround
lngs, and that by no fault of its own
Hence the work is further magnifed b.
the necessity Of such complete course O
education as to exat all moral truth an
condemn all immoral influence so clear
as 10 mark the distinction by their know
fruits.
Our Sunday school work, acting wit
and supplementing the certain sound @
the gospel trumpet Fl ON the utterances {
the Christian minister in his pulpit, shoul
include the whole gospel message as de
hVered by Paul to Felix, the Roman gov
ernor, of righteousness, temperance an
judgement to come.
Our work herein is incomplete and to