Christian Theology - Media Sabda Org

more assiduity than formerly; looking to God to bless their endeavours,
by pouring light upon the minds of their little ones, and peace and love
into their hearts. Everywhere the most blessed fruits of such labour are
seen; and we safely aver, that infant salvation is as frequent now as that
of adults was a century ago; while the latter are in a tenfold ratio to what
they have been, within the memory, at least, of the present generation.
And it is not unfrequent that what formerly began at the greatest, and
went down to the least, (at the parents, descending from them to their
children,) now, in many cases, takes a contrary direction; as I have myself
known many instances where little children at a pious Sunday school,
having been brought to the true knowledge of salvation by faith, have
become instruments in the hand of God of converting their parents. Some
years ago the spirit of infidelity laboured hard to prevent all religious
instruction to children. "Leave them to themselves," said this spirit of
error; "do not prepossess their minds with religious notions and religious
creeds! Bias them not; and when they come to age let them choose for
themselves; and then we shall have religion without superstition." This
has been tried, alas! in numerous cases; and the neglected child has found
it more rational—that is, more according to the unfettered sinful bias of
his own mind—to be a skeptic or an infidel than to believe with the
orthodox; or, to perform an easy set of moral duties, with the careless and
the unawakened, being at ease in Zion, and trusting in the mountains of
their Samaria.
SCHISM.
SCHISM in religion is a dangerous thing, and should be carefully
avoided by all who fear God. But this word should be well understood.
In theology, it is generally allowed to signify "a rent in, or departure from
the doctrine and practice of the apostles; especially among those who had
been previously united in that doctrine and practice." A departure from
human institutions in religion is no schism; for this reason, that the word
of God alone is the sufficient rule of the faith and practice of Christians;
and as to human institutions, forms, modes, &c., those of one party may
be as good as those of another.