St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-06-10

ihcdhS VI SidNO SHC.
will possess an attraction that wealth
and refinement cannot give, the teach
ing and moulding power in them will
be indelible, and God can bless such
homes and make them blessing.
2. The baptised children should
have a broader recognition by the
church. They should be treated in
everything as though they were Chris
tians, under the same loving nurture,
and bound by the same obligations of
love and fealty to the same dear Re-
deemer. They should be taught to
obey parents and teachers for Christ's
sake; to be dilligent, truthful, earnest
and upright in all things, because the
dear Lord sees and approves them
when they do right, and is grieved if
they do wrong. They should be taken
to church and prayer meeting as soon
as they can be present and not disturb
others land that is very young in a
well -ordered family. They should so
far as they are able join in the exer-
cises of worship there just as their pa
rents do. They should very early be
members of the Sabbath school, and if
they can look across and see both their
parents in other classes, either as
teachers or scholars, they will have no
disposition TO leave when they get old
er. And in the family, as soon as a
child can lisp prayer, let him offer it
with the other members of the family
as they mingle their voices around the
family altar. Make more of morning
and evening devOtions for the chill
dren's sake; read the Scripture togeth
er, each in turn, at least once day
let each member of the family, father,
mother and each of the children, and
the stranger present Gf he willy offer
his or her own individual prayer, clos
ing with the Lords prayer in concert.
Let each of the children feel that their
presence and voice is us necessary as
the fathers or mothers. In short, re-
cOgnize the children as standing in the
SaviOur's eyes just as you do. Some
one may say here, then you would give
them the communion. Yes, when they
ask for it they have the same right to
it that you have. And they should be
examined as to their knowledge to dis
Germ the Lords body, just like other
Christians, always remembering that
they are the lambs of the flock.
Again, l hear some one say, you
would grow the children up Christians
and not look for conversion. Well,
what is conversion? Simply being
willing. God does all the rest for the
little child or you. And after years of
rebellion are you any more willing be-
cause you have been a rebel9 Is the
Lord any better pleased with your
submission because You rebelled so
long? Do you think that the last part
of your defOrmed life, after the best of
it's strength and vitality has been
wasted in sin, until you have not an
unimpaired faculty to offer him, is
more acceptable than the whole of it
would have been, given i'll the fresh
ness of your youth and all the per-
feet powers of body, mind and soul
you started in life with? You forget
that He said "of such" is the kingdom
of heaven.
In every prayer meeting allow few
moments for fragmentary prayer, and
make it so familiar, and the petitions
SO short, that the children can feel at
liberty to join freely in it; so they can
feel that every prayer-meeting is for
them. Let them have mission circles,
and help them in doing their own mis-
sionary work. Make it easy for them
to get money to give to the Lord. Let
them contribute with their own hands
to all the benevolent objects the church
labOrs for.
AS supplementary to the home, and
fitted especial lily to their need the So
ciety of Christian EndeavOr seems, if
properly conducted, to be the best
means the church can use to further
her work for the children. Girls and
boys of all ages can be members, they
are under the direct watch and care of
the church through some of its most
active and earnest members, and all,
baptised or not, are received and treat
ed alike. Their mutual helpfulness is
surprising as they watch over and ad-
monish one another. And as boy
cares more for the opinion of boy of
his own age than for his fathers, it
puts the influence of boys and girls
over each other in the best possible
attitude, and almost at once they look
on them selves and each other from a
Christian standpoint. They learn to
pray with and for each other, and to
speak of their Christian hopes and ex-
| periences just as you and ought to.
/ Let me say in conclusion, that we
must never forget that the religion of
Jesus is given by God for the human
race, children and all, aud it is in itself
attractive, sweet and beautiful. In its
genuineness it needs no embellish-
ments, nor a mixture of worldly wis
dom to make it interesting. 1t reaches
and satisfies a child's heart just as it
does ours, and the spirit can reveal to
babes what the wise and prudent can
not receive nor understand
A Wife's Education.