The Duty of the Church in Relation to Sunday Schools [pp. 377-393]

Duty of the Church
planation, than most doctrinal catechisms. But the secret
lies in a short line-the conversion of children was not
expected and laboured for as a direct object. With a selfishness, like that of the apostles who would have restricted the
announcement of the Gospel to the lineage of Abraham, the
Church has comparatively disregarded, not only the claims
of Paganism, but of its own children (as a class) on its gtuardianship. And God seems to have chosen, by a dispensation
more evident and striking than even Peter's vision, to awaken
Christians, as he did the Jews, to the conviction that they
have taken a narrow view of his benevolence. There is credible evidence for the belief, that during the year endintg in
May last, the Holy Spirit has been "poured outt also" upon
five thousand Sunday School pupils. The announcement has
created as much astonishment as did the calling of the Gentiles;
but the mere statement of such an unequalled accession to the
visible Church from the ranks of youth demands the attention
of that Church, and an inquiry into the nature of a system
which must produce such an influence upon its future history.
It is a subject for deliberate investigation, whether it be of
God or not; and the decision should be made whilst its infancy may be taken advantage of to dispose of it in the easiest
and most effectual manner. If the fact be admitted, all the
abstractions of the argument are superseded, and we had better imitate our mother of Jerusalem, "hold our peace and
glorify God," and obey his Providence.
In our judgment, the system of Sunday School instruction
is a means, favoured by God, of supplying the deficiencies of
ordinary ministerial duty, and of carrying into more extensive effect the designs of his mercy. It is not necessary to
sutggest any hypothesis respecting the moral and intellectual
points of difference in the character of the people addressed
by the apostles and of those of our day, which have caused a
change in the style of preaching and in the discharge of other
ministerial functions. Nor need we stop to fix the charge of delinquency upon the Church for not providing for the instruction of every class of the community. Taking admitted facts,
we may, without prejudice, assert, that owing to the general
character of preaching, the mixed nature of our congrega,
tions, their number, variety of employments, peculiarity of
situation, and other causes, it is impossible for a single individual to apportion his services to all. This could not be effected unless every minister had a number of lay assistants,
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