The Atlanta constitution., 1900-08-27
OUR S0W7T W7TIHIE|RM PULPIT

hold its own Ii should be so organized
as TO insure the perpetuity OF its new life
In all Its families. as u matter of course.
infant baptism recognized and prac-
uced by most chur ches gets its meaning
In such expectation and planning. But
4 fear the philosophy of church life and
work which generally obtains in the
churches of today IS not IN accord with
tnis inherited practice. This common
philosophy is individualistc. Each per-
son. from birth to death, is a unit COM
plete In Itself The babe is complete in it.
Sclt and must await the time OF full un-
dcrstanding and conscious responsible
lty before IL can take its life positions. III
Is bern n sinner and must develop in sin
until years OF full responsibility come
when conversion may take place. For
tGnately mother-lJve often AMI father
love sometimes reject this philosophy.
The good Baptist mother prays and works
for the conversion of her SiX-year-old
child. The great Baptist Spurgeon was
StfenGous advocate of child CONVERSION
and child church membership. lie de-
clarCd that he often lost from the flock
these who We're converted in their years
Of fun responsibility. but never one con-
Nertcd I'm childhood.
Slowly hut surely the Christian mind
Is correcting the false philosophy ana IS
adopting one more in accord with scrip
ti--al and experimental standards.
The true unit within the urch Is not
church HI ITSELF SELF is the larger unit within
which the single family finds its larger
completeness. The character 4 the indi-
vidual is normally formed and established
wi hin the family before the years OF iull
responsibility. III that formation be evil
or untrue to the divine constitution or
the nature of man. the individual,
through personal choice. acceptance or
Christ and the power of the Holy SPIRIT
may break away and become new Gre
ation in christ Jesus This is the mis-
siouary process. II is the same "s th.tt
by which Christianity nrst enters the
life ga a people IL is not normal, Dut.
thanks be- 10 God, il is possible
The church should never neglect It's
missionary commission. IL should always
be pushing on its missionary conqucstS
To the ends of the earth. No fn1SSarreS
by the unspeahabie Turks nor by me Ia
natical and frcnzled chinese Shou4d or
will be allowed to check its onward
course Ii il fails 10 hold its own IN
amy church. neighborhood or nation. II
should seek TO retrieve itself 40 REGAIN
its loss by revival effort or 10y amy effort
that will accomplish the result.
kut II is the business of TIE church
to hold it's own wherever IL once makes
a conquest. l would have il 50 sure of
hollins its own. 80 sure that Ii Is Gods
viii tAat IL should do 50, and that lie
has made provision for it. that il would
e;;-erly iav its ba"tiSmsu bands upon the
head of every child born into "a christian
home, and with "A mighty falth, say:
4 baut.~. thee into the name of the
Father and OF the Son and Of the Holy
Spirit" Then / would have IL set at
work the spiritual agencies and energies
character ana hold within its fold for
ever. militant on earth, triumphant IN
heaven. all Of its own.
While I would have the church see TO
il with all faith and effort that not one
Of it's own little ones should perish,
would have Il remember also that n h.
not Gods VIII that other little ones
should perish.
Tho church struggles by missionary
methods to get within heather lands. X
must struggle then for adult converts
and put forth vast efforts for mrager
apparent results. The number OF such
converts must be small after years Of
work. and The quality hunt. AS a whole.
be unsatisfactory. What the church Is
really struggling for or should b.. Is 10
get ~ childhood In 4 hcatuon land. It's
first mission and its never failing mission
is 20 children. some day its foreign mis-
sionS VIII b. closed for want Of heather
people Some later day it's home nit
SiOnF viii cease because t.e church will
d. Thoroughly established everywhere.
But its mission 10 childhood will never
end until children cease To- be born.
II must receive with its evangelical
arms the babes Of each genera ton IL
must minister the living spirit of God 10
each little soul. feed the new soul with
the milk az B word. and in due time
with the strong meat. until II shall be
able 20 20 fursh t. its life work and
experiences ia the might Of God. II
should never forget that the Master said;
eye must be born again But as the
family provides the conditions of the
first birth. So the church. the larger fam
ily. should provide n conditions OF the
second. the birth lrum above. As the
first birth comes before the day of re-
membcred consciousness, 50 The second
may come. ana should In saying this
know ! am laying the AK at the root
Cf - wide range of modern church ideas
and methods But l 60 il deliberately
after years of careful cons deration. II
could sound - voice throughout ChriSten-
dom and gain careful hearing for nut
or., tnessa.s- IL should be this: %
safrr az
yursr efforts 10 the edges OK tne vast en-
terprisc uf applying redemption 10 lost
world. Cuuc 90 the heart ol the matter.
and work from the center out. Your first
work. your unCtasiug work, your might
lest work, s. for children. All else Is pre-
Iimlnary. partial and transient This Is
final. complete, permanent"
Slowly but surely modern Sunday
school effort T. leading the church To
recognize its chief mission The work Is
buuElirias, unsatisIactory. ana often on
wrong principles. Taken as "A whole to-
day ID does hot compare, from an edu-
Catiunal point OF view, with educational
standards that the caurcn has made pos
sib.c. directed. and inspired in the world.
Its indirect educational work ls bctteE
than its direct. But something better is
m. best thing about the Sunday school
OF today is the EreaJ amount OF love II
has called forth and applied. 40 cause rs
dea-Cr To the heart OF the church todag
than the Sunday school cause.
But how Jar short Uf the work that
needs ~ b.. done does the very Ideal
" SUNDAY school work. 50 far, fdll! How
irssit.sr..tf.. is its system. How UnSclen-
tile are its methods Ihc pupllc SchooiS,
colleges ana professional schools are
leading their students b. definite routes
and well planned steps toward personal
culture powtr and skill. No sentimental
idea OF uniformity keeps the little tot oL
six in her kindergarten and the Dig
brother Of twenty in his university on
tne Same lessons. Yet foolish sentiment
Is doing this in the school OF the cnurch
Primary children IN the sunday schpol
are given lessons they can no more COM
ureherd than they can solve the prob
icrns OF higher mathematics OF Muster
the intricacies of difficult sciences
To make the matter worse. learned
committee spends years OF Thought ana
study 10 plan new series OF IessOIs. II
nerchance some ingeuius teacher succeeds
in finding how To break OF rev crumbs
for her class after searching caFcIuliy
and long. the new series eNoINed bN tihS
| learned committee viii never peIiIit heI =
| 10 pass that way again, Is II any Won
dor that success in Sunday scnool tcdcI;-
I in1- has come TO mean. not how fnGcn
| tht. teacher gets out OF the lesson lpr Her
| bovs or girls. but how much sAe Is aple
l H. get of something else To nahS on any
/ n,.. she may lind in the assigned lesson
[ ar how much of supplementary work sile
irtrO,iuces TO crowd out the un5Lltaple
Lesson [ am speaking now OF common
evuerfence CEristemuosa over. ItdchcIS
I are discouraged I'm their Efforts. some OF
/ tbs brightest are giving up The tralhcd
7 eGucatiOnalists in the enuIeh att i IouI,4
4 iass and less in the Sunday school work.
I -~5,a,- rannot violate their every cduca-
l tfnrsl instinct and principle. OccaSlonaiiy
| 81 ask for something better. But
! 10 is the denominational plDllSnlhS
/ house, Il must be supported. It's l!i, sun,