time apprehended, and crowded together in prisons; from whence some come forth again to make fresh ravages in society, tenfold more the children of hell (if possible) than they went in; while others furnish out mournful and horrible executions of twenty or thirty at a time, to the astonishment of the kingdoms around us, and our own shame and confusion of face. How happens it, say foreigners to our countrymen, when upon their travels abroad-how happens it, that under a constitution, of which you boast as the glory of the world, monthly scenes are exhibited which would shock the minds of Turks and Tartars? This is a question more easily asked than answered. The fact, alas! is certain; and even the public prints begin to exclaim, that there is no police amongst us, no remedy for these disorders, and, in short, that all is over.

But let us not by any means despair. This would only make bad worse. If we once bring ourselves to fancy that no remedy can be found, no remedy ever will be found, for none will ever be sought.

The persons to be taught under this institution are children.

It is a great happiness that men, in their present state, are not immortal. An evil generation passes away; and therefore, if proper care be taken, it may be succeeded by a good one. Else were the case of the With old offendworld lamentable indeed. Hard labor, spare ers little can be done. diet, and, above all, solitude, might do something; and the experiment, it is greatly hoped, will be made. But, in general, if the husbandman has in vain dug about the trees in his garden, and taken every other step necessary for their improvement; his method must be, to train up younger and better plants, which may answer the end of their plantation, and bear fruit, when the others shall no longer be suffered to cumber the ground.

The children proposed to be instructed are those of the poor.

Of every community, as it has pleased God to ordain in the present constitution of things, the poor must always form a very Dark as the prospect was, a ray of light considerable majority. The necessities of has broken in upon it, and that from an unmankind could never else be supplied; expected quarter. An institution has been for the rich will not labor; but they are set on foot by a private individual,* to the constrained to pay those who, for their excellency of which every man who loves own and the common good, can and will his country must rejoice to bear his testi- labor. In return for these services, the mony. From small beginnings it has in- rich, if they were wise, should do every creased, and diffused itself in a wonderful thing in their power to make and to keep manner; and if it be generally taken up poor honest, virtuous, and religious; through the kingdom, especially in the to instruct, or procure them to be instructmetropolis, with the same zeal and judged, in the knowledge and practice of their

ment which have been shown in the man

agement of it among you, the sagacity of the wisest cannot foresee how much good may in the end be done by it, and how far it may go towards saving a great people from impending ruin. At the moment in which I am speaking, not less than one hundred thousand pupils are said to be in training under its care. There may soon be ten times that number; and if it finally succeed with half these, five hundred thousand honest men and virtuous women, duly mingled in the mass of the community, will make a great alteration. In the case of good as well as bad, "a little leaven (and this can hardly be called a little) leaveneth the whole lump."

The institution intended, as you all well know, is that of SUNDAY SCHOOLS, which seems to address itself to the parties concerned in the words of the text, "Come, ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach you

the fear of the Lord."

Mr. Raikes, of Gloucester

the

duty to God and man; more especially, to
set them a proper example. This, I say,
would be to act the part of wise men, as
For when the religious
well as good men.
principle is once perished and gone in the
poor, human laws will lose their effect, and
be set at nought.

*

I will mention a remarkable instance of this, well attested. A servant, who had made the improvement that might be expected from hearing the irreligious and blasphemous conversation continually passing at the table where it was his place to wait, took an opportunity to rob his master. Being apprehended, and urged to give a reason for his infamous behavior, "Sir," said he, "I had heard you so often talk of the impossibility of a future state, and that after death there was no reward for virtue nor punishment for vice, that I was tempted to commit the robbery." "Well but,” replied the master, "had you no fear of

* The table was that of the late Mr. Mallet. The fact is related by Davies in his Life of Garrick, vol. ii. p. 59.

that death which the laws of your country contrive to give them on a Sunday that ininflict upon the crime?" "Sir," rejoined struction which they can obtain on no other the servant, looking sternly at his master, day. "what is that to you if I had a mind to venture that ? You had removed my greatest terror; why should I fear the less ?"

II. By appropriating the charitable fund to the use of Sunday alone, numbers may be comprehended (perhaps all the poor children in a place) who stand in need of such assistance: where a very few only could be benefitted, at the same expense, for the whole week.

Behold the wisdom of propagating infidelity and atheism in a nation! As the middle and lower orders of mankind are always ready to imitate the behavior of III. Sunday being a day of rest from the their betters, this is one woful specimen, labor of the hands, from worldly business among millions, of the manner in which of all sorts (for such it ought to be among the general corruption of faith and morals Christians,) we are the more at liberty to has descended, and infected the world. We employ it in the opening of the understandmust now, therefore, take up the matter at ing and improvement of the heart, which is the other end, and try, if by reforming the the proper employment of the day. And poor, we cannot shame the rich into better blessed are they who do so employ the manners and better principles. And for hours which remain after the attendance on our encouragement, in opposition to the in-public worship is over. One of the great. stance of a master perverting his servant, lights of the law, in the last century, Lord let us recollect that mentioned in the Scrip- Chief Justice Hale, went so far as to say, tures of a female servant, who waited on and has left it upon record, in his instructhe wife of Naaman, a general officer of the tions to his children, that he never failed to Syrians, and converted her master to the experience the kindly influence of a wellworship and belief of the God of Israel.* spent Sunday, on the business of the sucTo the poor the Gospel was at first preached: ceeding week. He supposed (and I know to the poor let it still be preached. The of no good reason to be given why we rich must do as they please; but for the should suppose otherwise) that, by the depromotion of their interest, temporal and vout exercises of such a Sunday, the mind eternal, they cannot do better, than to be- and the temper were formed and prepared lieve and practice it themselves, and to see to encounter the fatigues and difficulties that every body belonging to them does the which might occur; as also, that the favor God defend all masters from free- of Heaven was a natural consequence of thinking servants! and all servants from having kept its commandments. Give me free-thinking masters! leave therefore, to take this opportunity of entreating you to consider, whether the face of things would not be very soon and very much altered for the better among us, if each master of a family should resolve to institute a kind of SUNDAY SCHOOL (if I may so speak) in his own house, and dedicate the evening of the Lord's day to the instruction of his children and his servants in matters of religion. I am not pleading for a Jewish or a puritanical sabbath, for a sour face or an ill-temper.* But it seems reasonable, that one evening, at least, out of seven, should be given to this good and neIt is to be observed, then, first, that cessary work, and that Sunday evening when the managers of all other charitable should be fixed upon; for unless some time foundations have done their best, numbers of children must still be left in ignorance, being employed from morning to evening, during six days of the week, and all little enough to earn the bread they are to eat. Their case therefore is desperate, unless we

same.

The foregoing considerations have been of a more general nature. It is time now to note the peculiarities which distinguish the institution of SUNDAY SCHOOLS, and recommend them to particular notice and encouragement. These have already been set forth to great advantage by a worthy clergyman in our neighborhood.† I have only to draw his arguments to a point, and state them in as concise a manner to you as I am able, adding withal what may have occurred to myself in the way of confirmation or illustration.

* 2 Kings, v. 2

†The Rev. Mr. Moore, of Boughten Blean, in his Sermon on the subject, and the excellent and very useful Appendix subjoined to it.

be fixed upon, the work will never be done at all. A man may live fifty years, perhaps, without once recollecting, that it is his duty to take this care of his household over which it has pleased God to place him.

* On the design of the Christian Sabbath, and the proper manner of observing it, see a very sensible letter in the Supplement to the Gentlemen's Magazine for the year 1785, p. 1020.

IV. By a SUNDAY SCHOOL a number of children are kept out of harm's way; they are collected together, and inured to early and regular habits of attendance on God's worship; they are instructed in what is right; they are enabled to employ well their leisure hours when they grow up, and teach others after them to do the same. Let me say, that these are very great points gained indeed! For though the observation be trite, it is true, and cannot be too often repeated; that most of those unhappy wretches who suffer for their crimes, when they come to confession, charge their destruction upon the manner in which in the days of their youth they misspent Sunday, while their neighbors were at church. And how can it be otherwise? What wonder that they should turn out bad, who constantly missed the opportunities (the only ones, it may be, which they had) of becoming good? The thing speaks for itself. And in confirmation of what was said above respecting families, let it here be added, that more young people of either sex, servants especially, are ruined by being permitted to wander abroad, instead of being well employed at home on a Sunday evening, than on any other. The reason again is plain; because on that evening, for want of the discipline in families above recommended, there is a far greater number of idle young people stirring, whose sole business is to seduce and corrupt one another. Thus is the holiest of days, beyond any other, polluted and profaned! "If the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness !"

into them, these children will be disposed, in future, to provide for themselves and their families, the number of paupers will be diminished, and that heavy burthen of poors' rates lightened, which now threatens to overwhelm and crush the nation.

It is hard to conceive a scheme which promises more benefit to the community. And wherever it has been tried, the expectation has been answered. Children have pressed to be admitted; when admitted, they have made due improvement; and, in some instances, have, ere long, commenced masters, and been found teaching other children at home what themselves had learned at school.

At first, it was imagined, that what was learned only on one day of the week, must needs be forgotten before that day came again. The objection seemed plausible, but the event has shown that it wanted solidity. Impressions made on one Sunday, have been found to remain on the following Sunday. We are not in general aware, how much may be done by a few hours in a week constantly employed on the same subject, especially where there is a willing mind.

Nor let us be discouraged, though our endeavors may not succeed equally with all. What endeavors ever did so? What gift of God has not been bestowed on some person in vain? Rains fall on barren sandy deserts; but what would become of us, if none were therefore to fall on our fields and gardens? They must become deserts too. Nothing can be more trifling than this objection.

Another has been advanced in some of the public prints, though you will scarcely think it credible, namely, that they who teach the children are guilty of sabbathbreaking, because they work on that day for hire. Then the ministers of religion throughout the Christian world are verily guilty of sabbath-breaking, since they are paid for teaching. Were they not so paid, and had they no other means of getting their bread, they must all be starved.

V. The children of the poor, by being drawn out of their obscurity into notice and protection, are humanized and civilized. They are equally surprised and pleased, on finding themselves thus regarded, and quickly become different creatures. Their pastor has an opportunity of visiting, addressing them according to their capacities, examining them, commending and rewarding the good and diligent, and reproving those that misbehave themselves. In these circumstances, he is always sure of being attended Such are the objections which have been to with reverence and respect, and every hitherto produced against the institution of thing he says will be minded. To form SUNDAY SCHOOLS. If no better can be proearly in young minds a proper disposition duced, it must be said, that, for all which towards their spiritual father and teacher, appears, they are worthy of universal enis a great acquisition, which must be pro-couragement. To encourage them is to ductive of the best consequence, and would forward the great design of the Gospel, often prevent some of the worst evils within a case which seems to admit no other which we are troubled.

Lastly, let it be considered (for, though the consideration be of a less noble kind, it is by no means to be omitted) that by the principles of honesty and industry instilled

method of doing it. It is done with ease; for one person can instruct many children: and it is done at an expense which is a mere trifle, compared with the expenses daily incurred in ways which afford

DISCOURSE LXXIII.

THE DUTY OF CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH:

JUDE, VERSE 3.

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints.

IT has been a doubt among expositors, to involve in it "the common salvation." whether by the terms "common salvation," and "the faith once delivered to the saints," the apostle intended different things, or the saine thing differently expressed. The latter seems most probable. "The faith once delivered to the saints" seems necessarily

time usually allowed to an exercise of this | world, and distinguished from a multitude kind will permit, it may be expedient to of heterogeneous and erroneous opinions, bestow some reflections on the OBJECT to be by them disclaimed; a connection with the contended for, the NECESSITY of contending maintainers of which would justly have for it, and the manner in which the conten-brought discredit on themselves and their tion should be carried on.

cause.

I. The object to be contended for is, For these reasons, the use of creeds ap"the faith once delivered." A question is pears to have been at first introduced, and at present warmly agitated amongst ussince continued. They who have at any What that faith is? A question somewhat time thought proper to depart from such as extraordinary at this time of day; but cer- were established in the body to which they tainly no trifling one; since either our op-originally belonged, soon found it necessary ponents are guilty of degrading and dishon- to establish some of their own. The Arians, oring the Son of God and the Holy Spirit; rejecting that agreed upon at Nice, drew up or the Christian church has been guilty of successively many others; I think, not idolatry from the very days of the apostles. fewer than seventeen in the space of forty This faith, as we say, is that system of years, And remarkable are the words of truths revealed in the holy Scriptures con- Mosheim concerning the Socinians: "They cerning the dispensations of the God whom dreaded the effects of intestine discord, we adore, and into whose name we are bap-which portended the ruin of their commutized; the Father, the Son, and the Holy nity, before it could arrive at any measure Spirit; three Persons in one God. These truths are proposed to us as the ground of our hope, our comfort, and our joy; as the principles on which the conduct of life is to be framed, accepted, and rewarded. We receive the revelation which contains the truths, upon that plenary and satisfactory evidence vouchsafed us of its authenticity; and we receive the truths which it contains, on the authority of the Revealer. There can be no better reason for receiving them, when that revealer is God. Ignorance and malice have sometimes pronounced faith to be want of sense; but, surely, there is as little sense in withholding assent when it ought to be given, as in giving it when it ought to be witholden.

of stability or consistence. This apprehension was too well founded; for, as yet, they had agreed upon no regular system of principles, which might serve as a centre and bond of union. A summary of their religious doctrine was first published in the year 1574. Their system, afterwards changed and new modelled, required a new confession of faith to make known its principles, and give a clear and full account of its present state. A new form was drawn up by Socinus himself, and styled the RACOVIAN CATECHISM, which is still considered as the CONFESSION OF FAITH of the whole sect."*

The true question, therefore, concerning creeds seems to be, not whether any shall be imposed, but who shall be the imposers? Now, let us only suppose that the direction of ecclesiastical matters in this kingdom should pass into the hands of those persons

The different articles of our belief, dispersed in the Scriptures, were very early collected in summaries, styled Creeds, recited at baptism, and constituting thenceforth the badge and test of a man's profes-who regard the doctrine of the Trinity as sion.*

By a formulary of this kind, the catechumen himself was instructed; the faith, once delivered, transmitted down to posterity; the members of the spiritual society were kept together; the doctrines by them believed and taught, made known to the

involving in it an absurdity equal to that of transubstantiation, and as being the grand obstacle to the conversion of Jews, Mahometans, and Deists; who deem the worship of Christ to be gross idolatry, and high treason against the majesty of the one supreme God; must not the new unitarian church, with its confessions and services, Nothing can be stronger for the doctrine of the exclude us from becoming members of it? be so constituted as utterly and for ever to Trinity, as one of its ablest advocates observes, than that the most ancient creeds should have been com- Most undoubtedly, and of necessity, it must. prised (for so many learned men, upon good grounds," An unitarian people," we are told, "will have conceived that they were comprised) in these not long be satisfied with a trinitarian estabfew words: "I believe in God, the Father, the Son, lishment." Indeed, I suppose they will not; and the Holy Ghost;" since it is declaring the Sacred Three to be the One God; and no man, who they will endeavor to overturn it; and it is had been baptized according to this form, could be our business to prevent them from so doing. ignorant of the doctrine.-See Waterland's Importance of the Doctrine of the Trinity, with the authors there referred to, p. 203.

* Mosheim's Eccles. Hist. cent. xvi. sect. iii. part ii. chap. iv. § ix.