The Newtown bee., 1895-11-01

have poisoned the youthful mind, and |
before the young heart has fixed its af-
lection on the worlds glittering but de |
lusive toys. In early life, instruction
only taught at the beginning of their
way, many of the rising race have been
led to claim the Divine promise, ssThose
that seek me early shall find me-"
What we desire our children to be at 40,
we should train them to be at 10. III
they are led to acquire the habit of Civ
ing largely, and are taught to look upon
giving as happy privilege, and not a.
disagreeable tax, they will in all prob
ability, as they grow up, find increasing
pleasure and satisfaction in giving free
ly to every good cause. We may be
poor, but our children may live to be
rich, and have much to give. Let us see
| to it that by our precept and example
| they are educated to honor God with
| their substance. Thomas A. Beckeb's
mother did all she could to raise her son
| to be a pious and charitable man.
Every birthday she seated him in the
kitchen scales and placed against him in
the balance his weight of food and cloth
ing to be given to the poor. The heav-
| Ter he became, the more were the gifts
he was to distribute to the needy around
him. This mode OF training him to be
charitable impressed his heart and in
fuenced his life. The apostle Paul
wrote to the Christian church at Ephe-
sus, "Provoke not your children to
wrath; but bring them up in the nurture
I and admonition of the Lord.''
IT is THE DUTY AND PRIVILEGE
of Christian parents to bring up their
children in the nurture and admonition
of the Lord, to initiate or instruct them
at the beginning of their way, to teach
them the principles of religion, to speak
a word for Jesus before the world has
, corrupted their youthful minds. But
many parents are not Christians, and
therefore they cannot be expected to
train their offspring in the fear of God.
AS they find no charm or music in the
name of Jesus, they will not teach their
children's lips to lisp his pra Use. The
rescue, and helps to deliver such chill
rem from the evil influences of the world
and from the evil examples of ungodly
men. The Sunday school is the nursery
of the church. The children are as trees
planted by the waterside, and we are the
| 1ardannrs who have tho ouItura of thou
and according to the buds we graft upon
them now,-buds Of truth, of virture, of
weakness and godliness,-so will be the
fruits they will yield hereafter. Chill
dren are the clay, and we are the
potters; and as we mould them
now, So will they take. their flu
ture be. We are the engravers,
they archie tablets; and may we be en-
/ abled to write upon them as with the
finger of God, in order that the inscrip-
ton may prove to be enduring. The
smallest influence will turn child this
way or that; even as in the natural
world the smallest stone upon a noun
tain top may influence the course of q
rill of water, and determine whether it
shall flow down as river to the east or
west. So will the slightest influence
brought to bear upon the lives and ac-
tions Of childhood, give bias to their
whole life, a color to ils future issue,
which will in no small degree prepare
| them for destruction and ruin or for
glory and Immortality. The object OF
the Sunday school is to instruct both old
and young in Christian truth land through
that truth to lead souls into the living
and loving fellowship with Jesus Christ.
Solomon says, "a wise man is strong,
i yea, man of knowledge increaseth
strength And more modern writer
i expresses the same idea in the we'll
known words, acknowledge is power"
The young claim this knowledge which
is power, Of the Christian church, they
claim this instruction at the beginning
OF their way.
| Knowledge is power physically. On
the great railroads, we can see noun
tains ieveled, rocks cleft and rivers
passed, while nature, in countless varie-
gated forms, lies cultivated before us.
And by the same power, we can stand
in the lighthouse, amid the blue expanse,
bidding defiance to the towering waves.
knowledge is power also mechanically.
The natural state Of water is rest, but
here we find water in motion. What
puts it in motion? knowledge. Thus
even water serves to inform us as to the
time Of day; what the temperature is !;