The Congregationalist

DR. HUMPHREY'S THOUGHTS ON
EDUCATION.
THE SABBATH.

I have already in commenting upon the Decalogue, alluded to the fourth commandment, as the authoritative standard of appeal in our families, with regard to the observance and sanctification of the Sabbath. What then is the Sabbatical law, and how is it to be administered in the religious education of children? If, as has been often, and I am sure truly said, the Christian Sabbath is essential, not only to the prosperity of the church, but to the very existence of "pure and undefiled religion" in the world, it follows as a matter of course, that children cannot be brought up in the fear of God, without its restraining and hallowed influences. They must not only be taught, but as far as parental authority can reach, be required to "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." Parents are so far from having a right to put any secular labor upon them on the Lord's day, that they are solemnly bound to keep them from it. The language of the command on this point, is too explicit to be misunderstood. "In it thou shalt not do any work, thou nor thy son nor thy daughter," nor in the field, nor in the shop, nor the warehouse, nor the factory, nor the mill—not to gather and secure the most precious fruits of the earth, in the most critical season, even—“for in earing time and in harvest shalt thou rest.” The parent who allows his sons to work under any circumstances on the Sabbath, sins most grievously not only against God, but against them likewise: for when they have once overleaped the sacred barrier, what shall keep them from habitually trampling upon the divine institution, as they quicken their steps down the "broad way which leadeth to destruction?"

But the spirit of the fourth commandment goes much further than this. It "forbiddeth the omission, or careless performance of the duties required, and the profaning the day by idleness, or doing that which is in itself sinful, or by unnecessary thoughts, words or works, about worldly employments and recreations. We are bound therefore, while we spend some part of every Lord's day in teaching our children the great principles and duties of religion, to watch over them from morning till night; to know where they are, and as far as practicable, how they are employed; and to restrain them from whatever is inconsistent with the design of the sacred institution. I know it is extremely difficult to arrest perpetual motion, in the nursery, even for a few minutes; and it seems as if some indulgence of locomotion within restricted limits, ought to be granted to very young children. They cannot sit still, all day, if they would. The ever-sparkling spontaneity of nature, will assert its prerogative over their little frames. But then, I hold that there ought to be a very great difference, even in the nursery, between the Sabbath and other days of the week. Children of two or three years old, can be restrained, and it does them no hurt, to intermit their noisy frolics, one day in seven. They enjoy themselves so much the more, when the restraint is taken off: and to be often called upon when they are acting rude to repeat that beautiful little verse:

"I must not work, I must not play,
Upon God's holy Sabbath day,"

has a powerful tendency to imprint a sacredness upon their memories, which I believe is rarely if ever obliterated.

As for the older children, they ought not only to be confined within doors, but to be kept still, and to be employed as much of the time as they can be, without real weariness, in reading the Bible and other suitable religious books, and in receiving oral instruction. If you give them an inch they will take an ell. If you allow them to go out in the morning, or after the public exercises of the day, to walk, they will play, or at any rate, it will be setting a bad example to other children in the neighborhood. If you permit them to spend much time in the garden, they will in one way or another, take liberties; which if you saw them, you could not but disapprove. If you send your boys off a mile or two, on Sabbath morning, to salt the sheep, or young cattle, you must not expect that they will think that there will be any harm in stopping to pick berries, or in amusing themselves with other boys, whom they may happen to meet on the way; and if they should rob orchards, and do other mischief, how can you wonder at it?

It may be a question with some parents, how early it is best to take their children with them to the house of God. I cannot advise them, habitually to carry their infants in their arms "to meeting" because it can be of no possible advantage to the children, and may give much disturbance to the congregation. At the same time, I never could find it in my heart to chide a pious mother who hungering for the bread of life, comes occasionally with her babe, because there is no one with whom she can safely leave it at home. Much, however, will depend upon the habits and circumstances of the people. In many places it can scarcely be done at all. But if I were settled over a very poor and sparse congregation, or if I were a missionary in one of our new settlements, I am sure I should rather see mothers with their babes in the place of worship, than not to have them come at all.

That it is the duty of parents to lead their little ones up to the courts of the Lord, as early as they can be kept still, during the exercises, and before they can understand what they hear, I think every one who looks at the subject candidly, must admit. The utmost that any child should be able in after life to do, is just to remember the first time, when he went with his mother to the house of God, and looked with wonder at the preacher, and listened with mute astonishment to the songs of Zion. The habit of attending public worship on the Lord's day cannot be formed too early; and when thus formed, it exerts a powerful influence upon the future character, and in a multitude of cases, I doubt not, upon the eternal destiny of the child.

In every house of worship, parents and children ought to be seated together. Strongly as I confess myself attached to a great many old puritanical notions and fashions, their fashion of building and seating their meeting houses, I never could, (since I was a boy myself,) away with. It is difficult to conceive of a more objectionable arrangement, than that of seating the parents below, and sending the children up gallery, to select their associates, and laugh and play, with the trifling interruption of hearing a rap, or feeling a shake now and then from the tithing man. And then the construction of the old meeting-house—how could human ingenuity have contrived any thing worse? Not to mention the great difficulty both of speaking and hearing, what shall we say of those square high pens, in the galleries, some of which, "remain (or rather the ruins of them,) unto this day," and which would seem to have been designed expressly as hiding places for all the bad boys in the parish. Surely, there is nothing so becoming, so orderly, so beautiful, as to see whole families sitting together "in heavenly places," and listening with fixed attention to the words of eternal life.

'Tis pleasant as the morning dews,
That fall on Zion's hill,
Where God his mildest glory shows,
And makes his grace distil.

Let me add, that in country parishes, Christian parents cannot be too strenuous and vigilant with their children, between forenoon and afternoon services. The habit which extensively prevails, of allowing them to stay, during the intermission, or to wander about the vicinity, amid all the exposures of "evil communications," is exceedingly dangerous. Thoughtless boys associating together, will tempt and corrupt each other, on the Sabbath, as well as on any other day of the week. How often do we hear the complaint, from those who live near our houses of worship, that their orchards, and even their gardens are robbed, almost as regularly as the Sabbath returns. I have no doubt that many a boy enters a course of Sunday breaking, by being permitted to roam at large during the intermission of public worship.

pilfering, through the neglect of parents, in the way just specified, which puts him upon the high road to the State's prison. If you cannot remain with your children, or put them under the care of a pious Sabbath school teacher, by all means require them to go home in the intermission.

Having in my last number laid so much stress upon the duty and importance of faithful catechising, I need not introduce the subject again in this place. But there is one excellent practice of former times, which I fear is falling more and more into neglect, even in pious families. Our fathers and mothers used to make a point of questioning their children upon the sermons, after meeting, in order to find out what they recollected, to quicken and improve their memories, and by a concise repetition of the most important truths, to impress more deeply upon their consciences. This habit is of great advantage to parents as well as children; and by persevering in it, almost any parent will find himself able to conduct the exercise with a good degree of ease and advantage.

Ours is an age of more hearing than thinking and remembering and digesting. Too many, who feel as if they could hardly live without three sermons a day, greatly neglect the religious instruction of their families at home and excuse themselves by the plea, that they have no time, or that they are too much fatigued with hearing, to do any thing else. This is permitting one duty to crowd out another; or rather, it is, except in extraordinary cases, hearing one sermon too much for their own profit, to the neglect of those fireside duties which by the blessing of God would be of the highest advantage to their children.