The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1886-06-09
The Great Work of Sunday
SchoOlS

Tn Assembly in behalf of the several
great causes of the Church, was that for
Sunday Schools, at which DR.. Craven
presided and made short address.
Secretary Worden spoke well, as he al
ways does, and the singing was very
spirited. DR.. Howard Crosby made
ringing speech, according to the report
OF one OF the papers of Minneapolis, from
winch we take the following:
He believed that the Church of Christ
was to be coextensive with the lost race
OF Adam. This work was not to be ac-
cSomphshed by any angelic power, or by
the second coming of Christ, as though
Ills first coming had been a failure. 1t
was to be accomplished through the
agencies which God had placed in our
hands. Among the chief of these agencies
was the Sunday School. We had seen it
grow from weakness into strength. Its
rise to power and influence was one of
the signs OF the millennial day. There
were many other of these signs about us.
and they were most apparent in the man.
ner In which the cause of FOREIGN Mis-.
slons had gained of late wears. The
speaker agreed with bishop" Worden
In his remarks regarding the danger of
OUTSIDE influences and alluI ements. But
ne believed that there were great dan
gers also lurking in Christian homes.
how many Christian families are being
led away from Christ, where children are
being brought up under delusion in the
name OF art, which art is but cover for
RIGHTEOUSNESS and folly How many
families are being ruined because the
heads OF those families are giving their
whole energies to the making of money
Inc evidences of such influences as these
IN our home life are all around us, and I
believe that the Sunday School is one of
the most efectual barriers that we have
TO oppose to these errors. We need the
0aooath School, where pastors and teach
ers can speak faithfully to the little ones,
and guard them against the evils which
are to be found in their incipiency in
their own homes. There is not enough
OF what we may call sanctifed common
sense In Christian families to-day. While
there may not be any lack of piety there,
there is very great lack of common.
sense In the bringing up of children. The
intelligence that Is applied to the affairs
OF everyday life is not applied to those
Things which pertain to the advancement
OF Ohrlst's kingdom in the family.
DIR. Crosby combated the idea quite
prevalent among some classes, that
young child ls not open to religious in
Huence and conversion by reason of its
tender years. Another error which had
crept into Christian homes, he said, was
the sentiment expressed by the proverb
about sowing wild oats" That was a
desperately wicked maxim. There was
no promise to children az companied with
the parenthetic provision LATTER they
have sowed their wild oats.
Let the Church be more faithful in her
teachings In these matters. What does
this imply? 1t implies that we have got
to make the line OF separation between
the Church and the world a yerv broad
one. We should not allow ourselves to
be so identified with the world thoughts
that the world methods shall be found
In the Church of Christ. This very
worldliness is the thing which the epistles
to the seven churches inveigh against.
We should make our separation from it
very complete. We have got to leave
those theatres alone. They are the very
gates of hell. We have got to leave those
Sunday newspapers alone, and not bring
them In to corrupt our families. We
have got to avoid all those methods and
habits which the world uses, and by
which it roots itself in its worldliness. I
think if we do this, we will know little
about what DR.. Craven told us in his ser.
mon something about suffering with
Christ something about being persecut-
ed something about being ostraoised
from families that we would like to be
very intimate with because they are SO
high in position. Against this world
illness Of which l speak, believe the
Christian Sabbath School, where the plain
and simple truths of Christ are taught, is
one OF the best guards we have. What
we want to do Is to spread the church
organization. For the church is an or
ganlzation it is not Plymouth Brother
Jellyfsh We want to spread this or.
ganization through the whole land, and
the foundation Of true, organized church
is Sabbath School Therefore let us
bring ourSabbath School interest out into
greater prominence. Make bishop Wor-'
den an archbishop Instead of planting
one hundred or two hundred schools a
year, plant two or three thousand.
believe more good will be done by one
Sunday School out in the Territories
than by Sn army Of colporters selling
their goods and then clearing out