News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1893-10-19
him, he is often disappointed in the

! question them on the common fact
of the Bible and vacant expression
, will be the reply from many. Thei
theology is sound but they have lit
tie acquaintance with the great text
book of theology which gives God'i
thought.
Go around this class again tC
learn how many have studied tn,
lesson of the day and it will be founC
that many of them onot even know
what it is about. 1t is a shame tC
our churches that this is true. i
would not be a bad idea for th'
superintendent, having turned owe
, a new leaf and studied tie lessor
himself. to poll the school Tor Few
SMry|,vs and ascertain the real truth
Of tbe matter. He could perhaps
arouse the teachers and scholars
TO such a study as would familiarize
them with the essential contents of
the lesson.
Many of our schools need to clear
; the air of intellectual laziness. And
yet we must beware of bringing too
much of the secular school into the
Sunday-school. The purpose of each
is different. The methods and tone
of the day school might paralyze the
spirital nerve of the Sunday-scbool
and fill it with learned Pharisees or
dogmatic higher criticism skeptics.
The good teacher in the secular
school is sometimes a failure in the
Sunday-school, while the ignorant
Saint, who couldn't for the life of her
get third grade certificate or take
class through fractions, might do
noble work with the right class in
Sunday-school. The Sundav-school
must not lose sight of it's proper
work and become a place for nerve
intellectual study. But so long az
the human mind must have a clear
knowledge of facts before it can
draw right conclusions, just so long
will it be necessary to study the
Bible, text and letter.
1t may be said that "the letter
kiIleth," but many of our Bible class
es are in no danger on that account.
1t might kill the Scribe, who spent
years in the mere intellectual study
of it, but it won't kill the man who
doesn't study it. We very much
need the Scribe's knowledge of the
Bible without his spirit and tradi-
tions. We need to inspire each other
to learn of God out of his word. We
need enthusiasm to excel as Bible
students. We need to feel the bracing
air of research, inquiry and aquisi-
tions that will stir the pulse every
Sunday like a mountain breeze. The
atmosphere of the Sunday-school
should be charged with an intellect
nal ozone that will make the nerves
tingle. We must stir each other up
to study the Bible.
The teacher should be able to draw
out from the class thecontents of the
lesson the first fifteen minutes and to
send back the spiritual application
during the rest of the time. But to
apply the spirit of the law to one
who knows nothing about the text
of the law is like seasoning an empty
plate, while to the scholars whose
hearts have been prepared by care
ful personal study of the work the
teacher can appeal with real power
and success. We need this intellect
ual atmosphere to do our best work.
THE SPIRITUAL ATMOSPHERE.
But as the scholar needs to study
as well as to be entertained and well
coined, he needs also to study for n
purpose. More accumulation of
Bible knowledge will not in itself ac-
complish the desired result. Weneed |
in addition to this invigorating at |
mosphere another one, the most inn |
portant of all, the spiritual atmos-
phere. We want scholar and teacher |
alert and interested, but when thus |
aroused we need to be careful on |
what quest we send them. We want |
them to find fundamental truth. |
Even intellectually we must send |
them toward the kingdom, for if
they don't find the kingdom our |
labor is in vain. We may SOW the |
seed, but if it doesn't grow what is
the good of it? We need an atmos- |
phere in the Sunday-school that will |
start spiritual life. Now it is about |
as easy to start seed in a snow-bank |
as to bring sinners to the point of
decision in an icy prayer-meeting or
the scholar to Christ in an atmosphere
not charged with the Holy Spirit.
Our Sunday-schools are not doing
all they should to save sinners.
Sometimes we find teachers bringing
their scholars to the Master and into
the church. but too often the teacher
neglects to make this the direct and
positive purpose in teaching. know
that we make a good showing in our
church reports. 1t appears that the
larger number of conversions are IN
the Sunday-school. The real facts
often are that they were not convert
ed in the Sunday-school, that there
was little there to invite conversion,
and that some of the converts entered
the school after conversion and be-
fore baptism and so became enrolled
as converts from the school.
That the school aids i'm getting
the sinner to the church and thus
brings him in reach OF church and
pastor, and in greater or less degree |
prepares him for the direct spiritual
work in the church, which results in
conversion, is true. But when we
say so many conversions are from
the Sunday-school it does not neces-
sarily mean that the Sunday-school
has the spiritual life to bring forth
all these children of the kingdom.
But should not the school directly
reach and save the sinner? Many of
our scholars never get near enough
the church services to do them any
good. If the school does not snatch
them from sin, what hand will? Let
the teacher not only tell them how
Christ died but why he died, and for
whom he died, and with Gods help
lead lost souls to the Master. Wait
for no revival meetings, nor for any
agency or means apart from the
Sunday-school doing it's own God
given work. Let Pentecostal power
come down on the school, brought
there by prayer and faith, expected
because of the promises, enjoyed the
year through like daily food, and
there will be conversions in the school
itself.
And how sadly do the scholars
coming into our Sundayschools need
this heavenly atmosphere. They
need to breathe the spirit of prayer.
We cannot do better work for them
and for God than to open gates
from the Sunday-school directly into
the kingdom and lead the lost ones
through. The teacher needs to look
through Christ's eyes upon the class
and with the same purpose that led
him to give spiritual drink to the
woman of Samaria while she was
full of idle questions. he Should draw