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by David E. Sumner, Ph.D. How ironic that the ecumenical officer of the Episcopal Church wrote a column condoning an action that has done more to damage the ecumenical relations of the Episcopal Church than any other in its history. The suspension of cooperation with the Episcopal Church by the Russian Orthodox Church, the postponement of dialogue by other Orthodox bodies, and the replacement of the presiding bishop on the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission all reveal our deteriorating relations with other Christians. Add to that the suspension of relations with the Episcopal Church by Anglican bishops and provinces worldwide. Church leaders such as the presiding bishop who have accused George Bush of being the “lone ranger” in foreign policy have themselves formed a small band of “lone rangers” in acting unilaterally against the other 67 million members of the Anglican Communion and 1.3 billion Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians. Our 2.3 million members represent one-tenth of one percent of the world’s 2.1 billion Christians. Has God told us something new? In discussing those difficult biblical passages that condemn homosexual behavior, Bishop Epting assumes—like so many—that these passages form the only reason for opposing the ordination of homosexuals. Tradition is the neglected “leg” of the Anglican three-legged stool of scripture, tradition, and reason. The reason that gay rights advocates don’t talk about tradition in this debate is that they would definitely lose this argument. Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches, which represent 64 percent of the world’s 2.1 billion Christians, reject homosexual behavior as inconsistent with both scripture and tradition. Neither of these two faith traditions are fundamentalist—a term many Episcopalians use to describe Christian denominations that interpret scripture literally. The Roman Catholic catechism says, “The manner of interpreting scripture is ultimately subject to the judgment of the Church which exercises the divinely conferred commission and ministry of watching over and interpreting the Word of God.” (p. 39) In The Orthodox Church, Orthodox bishop Timothy Ware writes, “It is from the Church that the Bible ultimately derives its authority for it was the Church which originally decided which books form a part of Holy Scripture; and it is the Church alone which can interpret Holy Scripture with authority.” Yet both the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches arrive at the same conclusion about homosexuality as the fundamentalist churches. “The Orthodox Christian teaching on marriage and sexuality, firmly grounded in Holy Scripture, 2000 years of church tradition and canon law, holds that marriage consists in the conjugal union of a man and a woman, and that authentic marriage is blessed by God as a sacrament of the Church,” wrote the Standing Committee of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas in an Aug. 23 statement issued three weeks after our General Convention. Their statement, signed by nine archbishops, went on to say, “The Orthodox Church cannot and will not bless same-sex unions. Whereas marriage between a man and a woman is a sacred institution ordained by God, homosexual union is not.” The Roman Catholic catechism says of homosexuals: “They do not choose their homosexual condition; for most of them it is a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity.” Yet, the Catechism continues, “Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedoms…by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.” (p. 626) Bishop Epting and other Episcopalians who defend the consecration of Gene Robinson have replaced “scripture, tradition and reason” with “experience, reason, and General Convention.” While they may argue that scripture doesn’t mean what it seems to mean, they can’t argue that scripture or tradition supports the ordination of homosexuals. Those who do not recognize the weight of tradition nor the continuing consensus of Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant churches are naïve, I believe. When I hear you say, “God is doing a new thing,” you remind me of the Mormons and other sects who have argued throughout history for their “new revelations.” The rest of Christendom is unconvinced and isn’t yielding. David E. Sumner holds a master’s degree in church history from the University of the South, is a Ball State University journalism professor and member of Trinity Church, Anderson, Indiana, in the Diocese of Indianapolis.

By Frank Stirk Canadianchristianity.com & BC Christian News 2/4/2004 Four Anglican primates in Africa and one in Asia have offered “alternative episcopal oversight” to Canadian Anglicans disillusioned over the way their bishops have addressed the longstanding controversy over same-sex blessings. So far, four parishes and eight priests in the diocese of New Westminster, as well as one priest in Calgary, have accepted the offer. Recently, Archbishop David Crawley, the Anglican Church of Canada’s acting primate, spoke with CC.com—and left no doubt what he thinks of their offer. Archbishop David Crawley: The offer that the primates have made is improper within the understanding of the Anglican Communion… And so they’re acting improperly and inappropriately. They know perfectly well that we have entered a process, at the request of that meeting of the primates last fall, to provide alternate episcopal oversight internally for dissenting groups. At this juncture they’re behaving very badly. And I have, as acting primate, written them to tell them so. CC.com : One of the issues from among those who have accepted this offer is that they have been waiting for — ADC: That’s rubbish. They have a bishop—Michael Ingham is their bishop. Anglican parishes do not have the freedom to disassociate themselves from dioceses. We are not a congregationalist church. Right from the very time that this motion was passed by [the New Westminster] synod [in June 2002], the synod itself agreed that they would provide alternate episcopal oversight. The national House of Bishops provided a retired bishop for them from eastern Canada who would have the same position as their alternative episcopal overseer, and they’re not prepared to accept it, because they ‘want a bishop with full jurisdiction.’ Well, that can’t happen. I mean, it’s not part of our structure to do that. In England, where they talk about ‘flying bishops’—and these people use that as an example—they have less authority than the bishop who was appointed by the House of Bishops to provide episcopal oversight for these dissenting parishes has. They say they’ve been without a bishop, but they have simply refused alternate episcopal oversight when it was offered to them. CC.com : And there is that commission [of four bishops studying adequate/alternative episcopal oversight] that has yet to report. ADC: Yes. It’s reporting to the House of Bishops in April. CC.com : So there is a process underway to try to resolve this internally. ADC: It’s inappropriate for those foreign primates to intervene at any time, but it’s particularly unhealthy at this juncture. CC.com : And so what can the Anglican Church of Canada do about it? ADC: We cannot of course stop them from coming in. I mean, we don’t have any legal power. Anything they do here is unlawful, according to our canons. The only way that any action can be taken would be the diocese of New Westminster might choose to act against the priests, the clergy. But the diocese can’t deal with the primates. All they can deal with is clergy. The Anglican Communion, uncharacteristically, does not operate on a written constitution. We are bound by common traditions and by a common understanding of how we treat one another. And when people choose to break the common understanding, we have no way of enforcing it. There is no authority in the Anglican church that can kick a province out of the Anglican Communion. CC.com : As I understand it, the offer that the primates have made is not just for member-parishes of the Anglican Communion in New Westminster, but could extend to other parishes, perhaps even dioceses, across Canada. ADC: Yes, I expect they’d be prepared to do that. They just have—well, I won’t say it. They have no business doing what they’re doing. They just have absolutely no business doing it, and it’s appalling that they’re doing it. CC.com : Are you concerned that with the offer out there, that other priests, other parishes, perhaps even dioceses, could take up the offer? ADC: I don’t know about that. There may be other places where they would think of doing that. But what they have to understand is that by doing so, parishes are reading themselves out of the Anglican Communion. CC.com : Well, they would say that this offer allows them to remain part of the Anglican Communion. ADC: No, because those bishops have no jurisdiction here. Anything those bishops and those primates do here is unlawful and improper. They have no jurisdiction. So these parishes are becoming outlaws. They fondly think that this keeps them part of it, but it doesn’t. CC.com : So you object obviously strongly to what has happened, but there isn’t much you can do about it. ADC: We don’t have a centralized authority, like the Roman Church. And so there’s not much we can do about it, except express our unhappiness to these people. I think the whole thing’s a bit silly myself. I think the primates from the global south who are doing this are—well, I’m not sure of their reasons. I think they just fail to understand how our church works. CC.com : Is this a subject that you could bring before the primates as a whole? Are there any avenues of dealing with this? ADC: Yes, it could be brought before a primates’ meeting, but there’s nothing a primates’ meeting can do. They’ve already said they shouldn’t do it…

Solange De Santis, Staff Writer Anglican Journal BURLINGTON, ONT—(3/3/2004)—Conservative Canadian Anglicans opposed to liberal views on homosexuality attracted a nationwide audience on Saturday, Feb. 28 for a four-hour video conference entitled For Such A Time as This. Hosted by Bishop Tony Burton of the diocese of Saskatchewan and television personality Lorna Dueck, the conference was broadcast from the studios of a religious cable channel in Burlington, Ont., about 50 km west of Toronto. The video conference was beamed nationwide by satellite to 22 churches and other locations and was also available in private homes on satellite channels. The event, said Bishop Burton in his opening remarks, was intended to “prayerfully consider the future of our church” and was not intended “to promote the establishment of another church or a structure within our church.” It was produced by Essentials, a coalition of conservative Anglican groups, at an approximate cost of $70,000, said producer Doug McKenzie. Traditionalists, who believe the Bible condemns homosexuality as sinful, have voiced concern for years about more liberal church attitudes toward gays. The concern became more vocal since the diocese of New Westminster in 2002 voted to permit the blessing of gay relationships and since the Episcopal Church in the United States last August confirmed the election of an openly-gay bishop. The conference also featured Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh, who is leading a dissident coalition of churches in the U.S. opposed to Bishop Gene Robinson’s election. Also appearing was Rev. David Short, a leader within the Anglican Communion in New Westminster, a group of parishes opposed to gay blessings. “The New Testament warns us that there are limits to our communion,” he said, addressing the question of whether this issue will split the Anglican Church. (Based in England, the Anglican Communion is a federation of 38 national or regional churches.) Also appearing were Rev. C. Dawn McDonald and Michel Schnob of Montreal, who said they were formerly homosexuals. A member of the studio audience, Margaret Willoughby, of St. George’s church in Lowville, Ont., said she found the conference interesting. “I appreciate the Anglican Church and it is helpful to know it is intellectually sound to believe in the accuracy of the Scriptures. I hope the Anglican Church carries on,” she said in an interview. Bishop Burton said one of the purposes of the conference was to “ignite a holy hope” that the Anglican Church would “return to the authority of Scripture.” He also said that “part of what we are doing today is we are forming a network” of traditionalist Anglicans. The conference broadcast a telephone number for supporters to call and register their names and/or donate to Essentials. Looking ahead to General Synod 04, Bishop Burton said that if the triennial governing convention approves the blessing of same-sex relationships, the network will form a way that “Anglicans across the nation can demarcate themselves publicly and say ‘(General Synod) may agree with that but we do not.’” Mr. Short said such an action would “affect all of us across the country... the same as the blessing of any other sin like idolatry.”

The Church of Ireland could see the introduction of same-sex blessings within two years, an international Anglican leader from Vancouver, Canada has warned. The Rev. Dr David Short, whose parish St. John’s Shaughnessy, along with ten others in the Canadian diocese of New Westminster, broke fellowship with their bishop Michael Ingham after same-sex rites were introduced there. Addressing Church of Ireland clergy and lay leaders on Wednesday at a lunchtime meeting in St Mark’s Church Hall, Portadown, Short’s warning came after reading the Irish bishops’ recent pastoral letter on human sexuality. Such sentiments, he said, had been published by his Diocesan authorities about two years before they allowed gay ‘marriages’ to be blessed in churches. He feared that the Church of Ireland might be following a similar trend, he told the forty church leaders organised by the Evangelical Fellowship of Irish Clergy. Dr Short said the Diocese of New Westminster was the first diocese in the Anglican Communion to authorise same-sex blessings, forcing conservative parishes to formally separate themselves and establish a network — the Anglican Communion in New Westminster (ACiNW). It is they, and not the bishop, who are maintaining the biblical principles of Anglicanism within the diocese, he said. The ACiNW has been recognised by five Anglican primates and numerous bishops worldwide, including the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. George Carey. He also emphasised that Scripture and not experience must govern the debate within the church. “The listening process must be about listening to the Bible first, ahead of the experiences of church members,” he said. Outlining the biblical view on sexuality, Short denounced homophobia as a sin alongside homosexual activity. The problem in New Westminster, he said, was that a lifestyle that St. Paul prohibits in 1 Corinthians 6:9 as a hindrance to God’s kingdom, is now seen as positive, good and blessed by God. He also discussed the nature of ‘communion’, a topic currently being examined by the Lambeth Commission, chaired by Archbishop Robin Eames. In the Bible, communion is not only that living bond we share in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, it is also a sharing together in the work of the gospel. How then can the ACiNW have structural fellowship with the bishop and diocese of New Westminster, when that agreement in the gospel is not present? he asked. Short said that fundamentally the issue was not about same-sex unions, but about the place and function of Scripture in the life of the Church. FOOTNOTE: The Evangelical Fellowship of Irish Clergy (www.efic.org.uk ) exists to provide its members with encouragement, refreshment and teaching from the Bible. We want to see the clergy of the Church of Ireland equipped in biblical ministry, that Jesus Christ may be better known. Please contact Clive West (028) 90419317 (048 from RoI) for further details. END

Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes Structure and Strategy The Steering Committee of the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes (commonly referred to as the “Anglican Communion Network”) met March 2–4, 2004 in Pittsburgh, PA for strategic planning. The committee is comprised of one representative from each of the 12 original dioceses who signed the Anglican Communion Network’s structural Charter, as well as Moderator, the Rt. Rev. Robert W. Duncan, and Secretary, the Rev. Canon David C. Anderson. The Committee was joined by acting Convocation Deans, representatives of Global Mission Partners and the American Anglican Council’s Strategy Group. “We accomplished an enormous amount of organizational work and are committed to rapid forward movement,” said Bishop Duncan, Moderator. “This is an action-oriented group focused on addressing the urgent crisis of the men, women and children in the pews who feel disenfranchised and abandoned by ECUSA, many of whom are experiencing intimidation and harassment in revisionist dioceses.” Defining the Anglican Communion Network as a “biblically driven missionary movement”, the Steering Committee developed Mission and Vision Statements as well as Core Values based upon the structural and theological charters. A centerpiece of Steering Committee actions was the election of Convocation Deans who had previously served provisionally. Convocation Deans are: The Rev. John Guernsey, Mid-Atlantic Convocation The Rev. James McCaslin, Southeast Convocation The Rev. Ron McCrary, Mid-Continental Convocation The Rev. William Thompson, Western Convocation The Rev. David Moyer, Forward in Faith North America Convocation Appointment of Dean for the New England Convocation is pending. These Deans established Convocation structures and developed procedures for association with the Anglican Communion Network, procedures which will be available in mid-March. In addition, they are developing a framework to provide organizational, spiritual and pastoral care in the Convocations. The Steering Committee also began a funding and budgeting process and approved formation of an Anglican Communion Network Missionary Society. This Missionary Society’s primary purpose will be to bring into fellowship groups of people who have left ECUSA and those who are seeking to explore the tradition and worship of Anglican orthodoxy. In addition, the Committee unanimously voted to appoint the American Anglican Council as provisional Secretariat for the Anglican Communion Network, providing the necessary infrastructure to implement plans and strategies during this time of transition and growth. The Committee also discussed relationships between the Anglican Communion Network and other organizations and coalitions such as the Anglican Communion Institute, Ekklesia and Global Mission Partners. In addition, various committees were formed to define and implement tiered priority goals and action plans. “The American Anglican Council is delighted to continue to serve the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes,” said Canon Anderson, AAC President. “We have pledged the resources and staff necessary to meet the demands and fulfill the realignment goals established by the Steering Committee.” The Anglican Communion Network held their Organizing Convocation in January 2004 during which they adopted both structural and theological Charters. Twelve dioceses voted to provisionally associate with the Network and to date six dioceses — Central Florida, Ft. Worth, Pittsburgh, Rio Grande, San Joaquin, Springfield — as well as the Forward in Faith North America (FiFNA) Convocation have ratified association. The American Anglican Council is a network of individuals, parishes, specialized ministries and Episcopal Bishops who affirm Biblical authority and mainstream Anglican orthodoxy within the Episcopal Church. For more information on the AAC, please visit http://www.americananglican.org Contact: Cynthia P. Brust 202-296-5360 (cell), 202-412-8721 END

Bishop Terence Kelshaw’s message to the Diocese of the Rio Grande From the Diocesan newsletter “Together,” February 2004 Plano is passed! The gathering of a group of over 150 clergy and lay people of the Episcopal Church met in Plano, Texas, in January 2004 to formulate details of a Network of individuals, parishes, and dioceses in response to an idea from the Archbishop of Canterbury that such a network be established as a way of expressing a way forward for those who share a common unity which is seen to be at variance from where the Episcopal Church is at present. It is not a group dedicated to break away from the Episcopal Church, as some have portrayed it, and neither is it an attempt to take the Diocese out of the Episcopal Church, as has also been charged. It is an attempt to remain within the Episcopal Church and make a voice heard which is largely at variance with decisions made at the last General Convention in August 2003. So, the response might be “Why not live with the decision of the majority?” Because the majority is not always right, and in matters of faith and doctrine, the majority is not the arbiter. We have differences about the way we view things, certainly — and there are different appreciations of the role of Scripture in discussions — but in matter of faith and doctrine, let us always have in mind that the majority vote is not the end of the story and that others have a position which needs expression also — especially when that expression is contrary to the vote. Thirteen million Anglicans around the Communion signed their disapproval of the actions at the last General Convention which led to the consent of Consecration of the Bishop of New Hampshire, a man living in a sexual relationship other than in marriage and also the recognition of local option for the blessing of same-sex relationships. In response to that the Archbishop of Canterbury, meeting with a team of bishops from the United States, suggested the idea of a network. Now I realize this debate is all over the country and that the politicians are presently making hay with it all (not to mention the media and the press), but there are those in the church who are not so easily convinced, and they have been told in no uncertain terms by Bishop Barbara Harris and others to “leave the church.” Well, in the words of Bishop John McNaughton (retired bishop of West Texas), we are not going to leave the Episcopal Church, and we are not going anywhere other than to make our congregation the best it can possibly be for the proclamation of the Scripture and for newness of life in Jesus Christ. And that seems to some to be a crime! The next objection might be that Doctrine divides! To which I respond it is bad doctrine which divides, and that it what we are seeing, surely. It has been bad doctrine which for many years has divided our church and made us weak and often irrelevant. It is bad doctrine that has turned us into a caricature of the political circus which has captured our television networks from Iowa and New Hampshire and will soon impact us in New Mexico. It is bad doctrine which hinders our working together and drives our constant temptation to maintain our churches rather than get deeply into mission of the gospel. It is bad doctrine that leads so many Episcopalians to work within their churches as if the churches were local political offices rather than Christian centers for mission and ministry. And, finally, as we have seen in our own diocese, the next objection is the bishop polarizes us. Let it be said not only of this bishop but of many others in the Church that this is a common complaint! The Standing Committee at its recent meeting voted unanimously to be joined with the Network of parishes and dioceses, because it sees this as a way forward to work within the Episcopal Church and also to work with the wider church for a way forward to continue in ministry and membership. Now I know some will say, “I don’t want to be high jacked by the Network!” (as the Via Media contact in the Diocese of Fort Worth has said of the situation there) so don’t worry, you are not being high jacked. If you want to be a part of the Network you can sign on, and so can your parish. If you don’t want to be part of the Network then don’t sign on. The Standing Committee has signed on and will convey to the Diocese such information or actions as are deemed necessary. They will also be sending out information concerning the Bishop Coadjutor Search and the steps they propose to follow so that everyone has a chance to be involved and make his/her voice heard. Because there are already dissident voices making people very nervous, it is time for us to be daily in prayer for this search and election process and to cease second guessing what is happening or what will happen. These are rumors and often lies which do no one any good. What is the Network? It is a group of individuals and parishes who will seek to provide encouragement and ministry in places where there is a punitive culture, and it is also a group of people who will try to work with the Archbishop of Canterbury and also with our own Presiding Bishop to find ways forward through the disagreements and pain which currently beset us. Let us pray for peace rather than assume peace would come if we would all go away! Let us pray for a unity in which the Gospel is not compromised and in which churches can grow and flourish. +Terence Kelshaw Bishop of the Rio Grande END

Lagos, 2 March 2004 The head of the world’s largest Anglican Communion, Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, has turned down an invitation to a meeting of church leaders in protest at the presence of US clerics who supported the ordination of an openly homosexual bishop, his office said yesterday. As primate of Nigeria’s 17 million Anglicans, Akinola led opposition from the churches — especially those in the developing world — which condemned last year’s decision by the US Episcopal Church (ECUSA) to name Canon Gene Robinson, an avowed homosexual, as Bishop of New Hampshire. In a letter to Canon John Peterson, General Secretary of the Anglican Communion Office, Bishop Oluranti Odubogun, General Secretary of the Church of Nigeria, said Akinola would not attend this week’s meeting of the Anglican Consultative Committee in London, which began yesterday. “Archbishop Akinola is baffled that ACO continues to act as if what ECUSA did does not really matter,” said the letter. The letter said Akinola felt he “could not sit down with ECUSA at any meeting of the Global Communion,” saying it would “undermine the position” of the developing world church leaders who opposed Robinson’s confirmation and have since dropped links with their US colleagues. In September last year, African church leaders warned that if the US bishops did not rescind their decision to recognise Robinson’s ministry then “they would have removed themselves from the fellowship of the Communion,” the letter recalled. “I believe that you can understand Archbishop Akinola’s position better from the foregoing. It is a situation that is most painful to him,” it concluded. The Anglican Consultative Committee oversees the running of world Anglicanism’s central secretariat, and is meeting all week in London. It comprises a large number of the church’s leading bishops, including Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual head of the church, and Frank Griswold, the Presiding Bishop of the US Episcopal Church. Disagreements over the issue of homosexuality, most notably over Robinson’s nomination, have threatened to permanently tear apart the church — a loose congregation of autonomous national and regional provinces around the world. END

3 March 2004 The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, warmly greeted the leadership of the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA), welcoming them to Lambeth Palace, the Archbishop’s official residence and office in London. Following informal conversation over coffee, Archbishop Williams invited the two AMiA bishops, the Rt. Rev. Chuck Murphy and the Rt. Rev. TJ Johnston, to share the work and ministry of the Anglican Mission with an advisory council that he has established to gather information on developments within the Anglican Communion. During that meeting, the Archbishop of Canterbury consulted privately with the two sponsoring Primates of the Anglican Mission, the Most Rev. Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda and the Most Rev. Yong Ping Chung of South East Asia. At the conclusion of the conversations, Archbishop Williams again met briefly with the AMiA bishops before they departed Lambeth Palace. Bishop Murphy, the Anglican Mission’s Chairman, felt the time was very helpful. “We’re very grateful for the opportunity to meet and talk with the Archbishop of Canterbury, and to share with his advisors the growing work and ministry of the Anglican Mission in America. I feel the conversations created increased understanding and were constructive.” Archbishop Yong concurred, noting that, “Our meeting was very warm and covered a wide range of topics. Archbishop Kolini and I are thankful, especially, for the opportunity we had to pray, together again, with Archbishop Williams.” Last year the Archbishop of Canterbury asked Archbishops Kolini and Yong to arrange a meeting with the leadership of the Anglican Mission. The original meeting, scheduled for last October, was postponed due to an emergency meeting of the Anglican Communion’s Primates during the same week. This emergency meeting was called in the wake of The Episcopal Church’s consecration and election of V. Gene Robinson as the new bishop coadjutor of New Hampshire — the first openly gay bishop in the history of the church. The Anglican Mission in America is a missionary outreach of the Province of Rwanda, under the oversight of two Anglican Primates. Their focus is on the 130 million unchurched people in the United States. The AMiA is committed to church planting and evangelism. The AMiA currently numbers 65 congregations nationwide. END

BBC News The Right Reverend Gene Robinson, bishop of New Hampshire, was to argue a gay lifestyle should not stop clergy becoming bishops. But he said taking part would not help the church at this time. An Anglican commission is examining the implications of the election of Bishop Robinson, a practising homosexual. The openly-gay divorced father-of-two was consecrated in 2003 amid protests from traditionalists. Prayed long and hard He was due to speak on 11 March, proposing the motion “This House believes a gay lifestyle should be no bar to becoming a bishop.” But he said in a statement he had thought and prayed long and hard about the invitation. He said: “It has become clear to me that for me to participate would not be in the best interests of the Anglican Communion at this delicate moment in its history.” The Reverend Richard Kirker, general secretary of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, was due to speak with Bishop Robinson. He said he was deeply saddened by the decision, “all the more so as it seems likely to all he was put under pressure to withdraw.” “It will seem strange to all fair minded people that while others discuss and debate him in a very personal and often offensive way, he finds himself forced into silence,” he said. “The Church has once again shot itself in the foot.” ‘Gagging order’ The Oxford Union, which attracts high-profile speakers ranging from farmer Tony Martin to Hollywood star Clint Eastwood, said the cancellation was a blow to free speech. Oxford Union President Edward Tomlinson said: “It is a shame the archbishop’s newly appointed commission should act as a gagging order, rather than as a catalyst for discussion. “I understand that Bishop Robinson is a figure of totemic importance in this debate, and his love for the Anglican Communion has meant for the time being he believes silence to be the best course of action. “As the president of the most famous debating society in the world, and as a committed Anglican, I look forward to the day when free discussion of this matter can and does take place.” END

By Eric Gorski, Denver Post The Colorado Episcopal Diocese projects a 20% pledge shortfall in 2004—$350,000 below target—due to conservative parishioners restricting diocesan giving in protest of Bishop Gene Robinson’s consecration. Some parishes redirected funds to causes like a Tanzanian hospital or Habitat for Humanity. At Grace and St. Stephen’s (Colorado Springs), pledges to the diocese fell from $107,000 to $11,000. Bishop Rob O’Neill acknowledged the emotional stakes but questioned the protest’s effectiveness, noting that diocesan funds support youth ministry and new congregations—not “a political agenda.” Nationally, the shortfall is milder (~6%). England: Archbishop of Canterbury Meets with AMIA Leadership 3 March 2004 Archbishop Rowan Williams hosted AMIA bishops Chuck Murphy and T.J. Johnston at Lambeth Palace, along with sponsoring Primates Emmanuel Kolini (Rwanda) and Yong Ping Chung (South East Asia). Bishop Murphy called the talks “constructive” and said they increased mutual understanding. The meeting—originally scheduled for October 2003 but postponed due to the Robinson crisis—reflects growing engagement with AMIA, a Rwanda-affiliated missionary effort with 65 U.S. congregations focused on church planting and evangelism among the unchurched. Nigeria: Primate Shuns London Talks Over Robinson Consecration Lagos, 2 March 2004 Archbishop Peter Akinola, primate of Nigeria’s 17-million-member Anglican Church, boycotted the London Anglican Consultative Committee meeting in protest of ECUSA’s presence. In a letter from General Secretary Oluranti Odubogun, Akinola stated he “could not sit down with ECUSA” without undermining African leaders who have severed ties over Robinson’s consecration. The letter recalled African bishops’ 2003 warning that ECUSA would “remove themselves from the fellowship” if Robinson’s ministry was not rescinded. Akinola remains “baffled” that the Anglican Communion Office treats the issue as if it “does not really matter.” (Note: Entry 448—“Nigeria: Primate’s Snub Points to Communion Split”—has been removed as a near-duplicate of 446, though it adds context about the Joint Standing Committee and Central Africa’s stance. That key detail is retained in the intro summary above.) Bad Doctrine Turned Episcopal Church Into a Political Circus — By Bishop Kelshaw Bishop Terence Kelshaw, Diocese of the Rio Grande Following the Plano meeting, orthodox Episcopalians formed the Network to remain in ECUSA while resisting doctrinal revisionism—not to schism, but to uphold biblical orthodoxy. Kelshaw rejects majority rule in matters of faith: “The majority is not the arbiter.” He warns that bad doctrine—not disagreement—has weakened mission, politicized parishes, and turned the Church into a “caricature of the political circus.” The Network, he insists, is voluntary and pastoral: sign on if you wish; stay if you choose—but let Scripture, not sentiment, guide the Church. Pittsburgh: NACDP Network Moves into High Gear March 2–4, 2004 The Anglican Communion Network’s Steering Committee met in Pittsburgh and elected Convocation Deans for regional structures (Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Mid-Continental, Western, FiFNA). They defined the Network as a “biblically driven missionary movement,” adopted mission/vision statements, and approved forming a Missionary Society to welcome those leaving ECUSA and seekers of orthodox Anglicanism. The American Anglican Council was named provisional Secretariat. Six dioceses (Central Florida, Ft. Worth, Pittsburgh, Rio Grande, San Joaquin, Springfield) and FiFNA have ratified association. Ireland: Church of Ireland to Have Same-Sex Blessings “Within Two Years”? Evangelical Fellowship of Irish Clergy Rev. Dr. David Short (Vancouver), whose parish left the New Westminster diocese after same-sex rites were approved, warned Church of Ireland leaders that similar developments may follow within two years—mirroring the trajectory of his former diocese. He criticized the “listening process” that prioritizes experience over Scripture and stressed that biblical authority—not cultural accommodation—must guide communion. Short noted that New Westminster’s conservative parishes now uphold Anglican orthodoxy more faithfully than their bishop and have gained recognition from five Primates and Archbishop George Carey.

2 March 2004 The Most Revd Frank Griswold, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the USA, celebrated the Eucharist at Canterbury Cathedral on his 19th anniversary as bishop. The service, held in the Chapel of Modern Day Saints and Martyrs, was attended by members of the Joint Standing Committee, Church of England Diocesan Secretaries, and regular worshippers. He was assisted by the Cathedral’s Precentor. Today’s agenda included a budget report from Archbishop Robin Eames. Oxford: ECUSA Gay Bishop Cancels Oxford Union Debate BBC News The Right Reverend Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire, withdrew from an Oxford Union debate where he was to propose: “This House believes a gay lifestyle should be no bar to becoming a bishop.” In a statement, he said participation would not serve the Anglican Communion at this “delicate moment.” The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement’s Richard Kirker expressed disappointment, suggesting pressure led to the withdrawal and calling it another instance of the Church “shooting itself in the foot.” Oxford Union President Edward Tomlinson lamented the loss of free speech, calling the Eames Commission a “gagging order” rather than a catalyst for discussion.

Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.—Prov. XXII. 6. I suppose that most professing Christians are acquainted with the text at the head of this page. The sound of it is probably familiar to your ears, like an old tune. It is likely you have heard it, or read it, talked of it, or quoted it, many a time. Is it not so? But, after all, how little is the substance of this text regarded! The doctrine it contains appears scarcely known, the duty it puts before us seems fearfully seldom practised. Reader, do I not speak the truth? It cannot be said that the subject is a new one. The world is old, and we have the experience of nearly six thousand years to help us. We live in days when there is a mighty zeal for education in every quarter. We hear of new schools rising on all sides. We are told of new systems, and new books for the young, of every sort and description. And still for all this, the vast majority of children are manifestly not trained in the way they should go, for when they grow up to man’s estate, they do not walk with God. Now how shall we account for this state of things? The plain truth is, the Lord’s commandment in our text is not regarded; and therefore the Lord’s promise in our text is not fulfilled. Reader, these things may well give rise to great searchings of heart. Suffer then a word of exhortation from a minister, about the right training of children. Believe me, the subject is one that should come home to every conscience, and make every one ask himself the question, "Am I in this matter doing what I can?" It is a subject that concerns almost all. There is hardly a household that it does not touch. Parents, nurses, teachers, godfathers, godmothers, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters,—all have an interest in it. Few can be found, I think, who might not influence some parent in the management of his family, or affect the training of some child by suggestion or advice. All of us, I suspect, can do something here, either directly or indirectly, and I wish to stir up all to bear this in remembrance. It is a subject, too, on which all concerned are in great danger of coming short of their duty. This is preeminently a point in which men can see the faults of their neighbours more clearly than their own. They will often bring up their children in the very path which they have denounced to their friends as unsafe. They will see motes in other men’s families, and overlook beams in their own. They will be quick sighted as eagles in detecting mistakes abroad, and yet blind as bats to fatal errors which are daily going on at home. They will be wise about their brother’s house, but foolish about their own flesh and blood. Here, if anywhere, we have need to suspect our own judgment. This, too, you will do well to bear in mind. As a minister, I cannot help remarking that there is hardly any subject about which people seem so tenacious as they are about their children. I have sometimes been perfectly astonished at the slowness of sensible Christian parents to allow that their own children are in fault, or deserve blame. There are not a few persons to whom I would far rather speak about their own sins, than tell them their children had done anything wrong. Come now, and let me place before you a few hints about right training. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost bless them, and make them words in season to you all. Reject them not because they are blunt and simple; despise them not because they contain nothing new. Be very sure, if you would train children for heaven, they are hints that ought not to be lightly set aside. I. FIRST, THEN, IF YOU WOULD TRAIN YOUR CHILDREN RIGHTLY, TRAIN THEM IN THE WAY THEY SHOULD GO, AND NOT IN THE WAY THAT THEY WOULD. Remember children are born with a decided bias towards evil, and therefore if you let them choose for themselves, they are certain to choose wrong. The mother cannot tell what her tender infant may grow up to be,—tall or short, weak or strong, wise or foolish he may be any of these things or not,—it is all uncertain. But one thing the mother can say with certainty: he will have a corrupt and sinful heart. It is natural to us to do wrong. "Foolishness," says Solomon, "is bound in the heart of a child" (Prov. xxii. 15). "A child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame" (Prov. xxix. 15). Our hearts are like the earth on which we tread; let it alone, and it is sure to bear weeds. If, then, you would deal wisely with your child, you must not leave him to the guidance of his own will. Think for him, judge for him, act for him, just as you would for one weak and blind; but for pity’s sake, give him not up to his own wayward tastes and inclinations. It must not be his likings and wishes that are consulted. He knows not yet what is good for his mind and soul, any more than what is good for his body. You do not let him decide what he shall eat, and what he shall drink, and how he shall be clothed. Be consistent, and deal with his mind in like manner. Train him in the way that is scriptural and right, and not in the way that he fancies. If you cannot make up your mind to this first principle of Christian training, it is useless for you to read any further. Self-will is almost the first thing that appears in a child’s mind; and it must be your first step to resist it. II. TRAIN UP YOUR CHILD WITH ALL TENDERNESS, AFFECTION, AND PATIENCE. I do not mean that you are to spoil him, but I do mean that you should let him see that you love him. Love should be the silver thread that runs through all your conduct. Kindness, gentleness, long-suffering, forbearance, patience, sympathy, a willingness to enter into childish troubles, a readiness to take part in childish joys,—these are the cords by which a child may be led most easily,—these are the clues you must follow if you would find the way to his heart. Few are to be found, even among grown-up people, who are not more easy to draw than to drive. There is that in all our minds which rises in arms against compulsion; we set up our backs and stiffen our necks at the very idea of a forced obedience. We are like young horses in the hand of a breaker: handle them kindly, and make much of them, and by and by you may guide them with thread; use them roughly and violently, and it will be many a month before you get the mastery of them at all. Now children’s minds are cast in much the same mould as our own. Sternness and severity of manner chill them and throw them back. It shuts up their hearts, and you will weary yourself to find the door. But let them only see that you have an affectionate feeling towards them,—that you are really desirous to make them happy, and do them good,—that if you punish them, it is intended for their profit, and that, like the pelican, you would give your heart’s blood to nourish their souls; let them see this, I say, and they will soon be all your own. But they must be wooed with kindness, if their attention is ever to be won. And surely reason itself might teach us this lesson. Children are weak and tender creatures, and, as such, they need patient and considerate treatment. We must handle them delicately, like frail machines, lest by rough fingering we do more harm than good. They are like young plants, and need gentle watering,—often, but little at a time. We must not expect all things at once. We must remember what children are, and teach them as they are able to bear. Their minds are like a lump of metal— not to be forged and made useful at once, but only by a succession of little blows. Their understandings are like narrow-necked vessels: we must pour in the wine of knowledge gradually, or much of it will be spilled and lost. "Line upon line, and precept upon precept, here a little and there a little," must be our rule. The whetstone does its work slowly, but frequent rubbing will bring the scythe to a fine edge. Truly there is need of patience in training a child, but without it nothing can be done. Nothing will compensate for the absence of this tenderness and love. A minister may speak the truth as it is in Jesus, clearly, forcibly, unanswerably; but if he does not speak it in love, few souls will be won. Just so you must set before your children their duty,—command, threaten, punish, reason,— but if affection be wanting in your treatment, your labour will be all in vain. Love is one grand secret of successful training. Anger and harshness may frighten, but they will not persuade the child that you are right; and if he sees you often out of temper, you will soon cease to have his respect. A father who speaks to his son as Saul did to Jonathan (1 Sam. xx. 30), need not expect to retain his influence over that son’s mind. Try hard to keep up a hold on your child’s affections. It is a dangerous thing to make your children afraid of you. Anything is almost better than reserve and constraint between your child and yourself; and this will come in with fear. Fear puts an end to openness of manner;— fear leads to concealment;—fear sows the seed of much hypocrisy, and leads to many a lie. There is a mine of truth in the Apostle’s words to the Colossians: "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged" (Col. iii. 21). Let not the advice it contains be overlooked. III. TRAIN YOUR CHILDREN WITH AN ABIDING PERSUASION ON YOUR MIND THAT MUCH DEPENDS UPON YOU. Grace is the strongest of all principles. See what a revolution grace effects when it comes into the heart of an old sinner,—how it overturns the strongholds of Satan,—how it casts down mountains, fills up valleys,— makes crooked things straight,—and new creates the whole man. Truly nothing is impossible to grace. Nature, too, is very strong. See how it struggles against the things of the kingdom of God,—how it fights against every attempt to be more holy,—how it keeps up an unceasing warfare within us to the last hour of life. Nature indeed is strong. But after nature and grace, undoubtedly, there is nothing more powerful than education. Early habits (if I may so speak) are everything with us, under God. We are made what we are by training. Our character takes the form of that mould into which our first years are cast. "He has seen but little of life who does not discern everywhere the effect of education on men’s opinions and habits of thinking. The children bring out of the nursery that which displays itself throughout their lives."—Cecil. We depend, in a vast measure, on those who bring us up. We get from them a colour, a taste, a bias which cling to us more or less all our lives. We catch the language of our nurses and mothers, and learn to speak it almost insensibly, and unquestionably we catch something of their manners, ways, and mind at the same time. Time only will show, I suspect, how much we all owe to early impressions, and how many things in us may be traced up to seeds sown in the days of our very infancy, by those who were about us. A very learned Englishman, Mr. Locke, has gone so far as to say: "That of all the men we meet with, nine parts out of ten are what they are, good or bad, useful or not, according to their education." And all this is one of God’s merciful arrangements. He gives your children a mind that will receive impressions like moist clay. He gives them a disposition at the starting-point of life to believe what you tell them, and to take for granted what you advise them, and to trust your word rather than a stranger’s. He gives you, in short, a golden opportunity of doing them good. See that the opportunity be not neglected, and thrown away. Once let slip, it is gone for ever. Beware of that miserable delusion into which some have fallen,— that parents can do nothing for their children, that you must leave them alone, wait for grace, and sit still. These persons have wishes for their children in Balaam’s fashion,—they would like them to die the death of the righteous man, but they do nothing to make them live his life. They desire much, and have nothing. And the devil rejoices to see such reasoning, just as he always does over anything which seems to excuse indolence, or to encourage neglect of means. I know that you cannot convert your child. I know well that they who are born again are born, not of the will of man, but of God. But I know also that God says expressly, "Train up a child in the way he should go," and that He never laid a command on man which He would not give man grace to perform. And I know, too, that our duty is not to stand still and dispute, but to go forward and obey. It is just in the going forward that God will meet us. The path of obedience is the way in which He gives the blessing. We have only to do as the servants were commanded at the marriage feast in Cana, to fill the water-pots with water, and we may safely leave it to the Lord to turn that water into wine. IV. TRAIN WITH THIS THOUGHT CONTINUALLY BEFORE YOUR EYES—THAT THE SOUL OF YOUR CHILD IS THE FIRST THING TO BE CONSIDERED. Precious, no doubt, are these little ones in your eyes; but if you love them, think often of their souls. No interest should weigh with you so much as their eternal interests. No part of them should be so dear to you as that part which will never die. The world, with all its glory, shall pass away; the hills shall melt; the heavens shall be wrapped together as a scroll; the sun shall cease to shine. But the spirit which dwells in those little creatures, whom you love so well, shall outlive them all, and whether in happiness or misery (to speak as a man) will depend on you. This is the thought that should be uppermost on your mind in all you do for your children. In every step you take about them, in every plan, and scheme, and arrangement that concerns them, do not leave out that mighty question, "How will this affect their souls?" Soul love is the soul of all love. To pet and pamper and indulge your child, as if this world was all he had to look to, and this life the only season for happiness— to do this is not true love, but cruelty. It is treating him like some beast of the earth, which has but one world to look to, and nothing after death. It is hiding from him that grand truth, which he ought to be made to learn from his very infancy,—that the chief end of his life is the salvation of his soul. A true Christian must be no slave to fashion, if he would train his child for heaven. He must not be content to do things merely because they are the custom of the world; to teach them and instruct them in certain ways, merely because it is usual; to allow them to read books of a questionable sort, merely because everybody else reads them; to let them form habits of a doubtful tendency, merely because they are the habits of the day. He must train with an eye to his children’s souls. He must not be ashamed to hear his training called singular and strange. What if it is? The time is short,—the fashion of this world passeth away. He that has trained his children for heaven, rather than for earth,—for God, rather than for man,— he is the parent that will be called wise at last. V. TRAIN YOUR CHILD TO A KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. You cannot make your children love the Bible, I allow. None but the Holy Ghost can give us a heart to delight in the Word. But you can make your children acquainted with the Bible; and be sure they cannot be acquainted with that blessed book too soon, or too well. A thorough knowledge of the Bible is the foundation of all clear views of religion. He that is well-grounded in it will not generally be found a waverer, and carried about by every wind of new doctrine. Any system of training which does not make a knowledge of Scripture the first thing is unsafe and unsound. You have need to be careful on this point just now, for the devil is abroad, and error abounds. Some are to be found amongst us who give the Church the honour due to Jesus Christ. Some are to be found who make the sacraments saviours and passports to eternal life. And some are to be found in like manner who honour a catechism more than the Bible, or fill the minds of their children with miserable little story-books, instead of the Scripture of truth. But if you love your children, let the simple Bible be everything in the training of their souls; and let all other books go down and take the second place. Care not so much for their being mighty in the catechism, as for their being mighty in the Scriptures. This is the training, believe me, that God will honour. The Psalmist says of Him, "Thou hast magnified Thy Word above all Thy name" (Ps. cxxxviii. 2); and I think that He gives an especial blessing to all who try to magnify it among men. See that your children read the Bible reverently. Train them to look on it, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, written by the Holy Ghost Himself,—all true, all profitable, and able to make us wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus. See that they read it regularly. Train them to regard it as their soul’s daily food,—as a thing essential to their soul’s daily health. I know well you can not make this anything more than a form; but there is no telling the amount of sin which a mere form may indirectly restrain. See that they read it all. You need not shrink from bringing any doctrine before them. You need not fancy that the leading doctrines of Christianity are things which children cannot understand. Children understand far more of the Bible than we are apt to suppose. Tell them of sin, its guilt, its consequences, its power, its vileness: you will find they can comprehend something of this. Tell them of the Lord Jesus Christ, and His work for our salvation,—the atonement, the cross, the blood, the sacrifice, the intercession: you will discover there is something not beyond them in all this. Tell them of the work of the Holy Spirit in man’s heart, how He changes, and renews, and sanctifies, and purifies: you will soon see they can go along with you in some measure in this. In short, I suspect we have no idea how much a little child can take in of the length and breadth of the glorious gospel. They see far more of these things than we suppose. As to the age when the religious instruction of a child should begin, no general rule can be laid down. The mind seems to open in some children much more quickly than in others. We seldom begin too early. There are wonderful examples on record of what a child can attain to, even at three years old. Fill their minds with Scripture. Let the Word dwell in them richly. Give them the Bible, the whole Bible, even while they are young. VI. TRAIN THEM TO A HABIT OF PRAYER. Prayer is the very life-breath of true religion. It is one of the first evidences that a man is born again. "Behold," said the Lord of Saul, in the day he sent Ananias to him, "Behold, he prayeth" (Acts ix. 11). He had begun to pray, and that was proof enough. Prayer was the distinguishing mark of the Lord’s people in the day that there began to be a separation between them and the world. "Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord" (Gen. iv. 26). Prayer is the peculiarity of all real Christians now. They pray,—for they tell God their wants, their feelings, their desires, their fears; and mean what they say. The nominal Christian may repeat prayers, and good prayers too, but he goes no further. Prayer is the turning-point in a man’s soul. Our ministry is unprofitable, and our labour is vain, till you are brought to your knees. Till then, we have no hope about you. Prayer is one great secret of spiritual prosperity. When there is much private communion with God, your soul will grow like the grass after rain; when there is little, all will be at a standstill, you will barely keep your soul alive. Show me a growing Christian, a going forward Christian, a strong Christian, a flourishing Christian, and sure am I, he is one that speaks often with his Lord. He asks much, and he has much. He tells Jesus everything, and so he always knows how to act. Prayer is the mightiest engine God has placed in our hands. It is the best weapon to use in every difficulty, and the surest remedy in every trouble. It is the key that unlocks the treasury of promises, and the hand that draws forth grace and help in time of need. It is the silver trumpet God commands us to sound in all our necessity, and it is the cry He has promised always to attend to, even as a loving mother to the voice of her child. Prayer is the simplest means that man can use in coming to God. It is within reach of all,—the sick, the aged, the infirm, the paralytic, the blind, the poor, the unlearned,— all can pray. It avails you nothing to plead want of memory, and want of learning, and want of books, and want of scholarship in this matter. So long as you have a tongue to tell your soul’s state, you may and ought to pray. Those words, "Ye have not, because ye ask not" (Jas. iv. 2), will be a fearful condemnation to many in the day of judgment. Parents, if you love your children, do all that lies in your power to train them up to a habit of prayer. Show them how to begin. Tell them what to say. Encourage them to persevere. Remind them if they become careless and slack about it. Let it not be your fault, at any rate, if they never call on the name of the Lord. This, remember, is the first step in religion which a child is able to take. Long before he can read, you can teach him to kneel by his mother’s side, and repeat the simple words of prayer and praise which she puts in his mouth. And as the first steps in any undertaking are always the most important, so is the manner in which your children’s prayers are prayed, a point which deserves your closest attention. Few seem to know how much depends on this. You must beware lest they get into a way of saying them in a hasty, careless, and irreverent manner. You must beware of giving up the oversight of this matter to servants and nurses, or of trusting too much to your children doing it when left to themselves. I cannot praise that mother who never looks after this most important part of her child’s daily life herself. Surely if there be any habit which your own hand and eye should help in forming, it is the habit of prayer. Believe me, if you never hear your children pray yourself, you are much to blame. You are little wiser than the bird described in Job, "which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in the dust, and forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labour is in vain without fear" (Job xxxix. 14–16). Prayer is, of all habits, the one which we recollect the longest. Many a grey-headed man could tell you how his mother used to make him pray in the days of his childhood. Other things have passed away from his mind perhaps. The church where he was taken to worship, the minister whom he heard preach, the companions who used to play with him,—all these, it may be, have passed from his memory, and left no mark behind. But you will often find it is far different with his first prayers. He will often be able to tell you where he knelt, and what he was taught to say, and even how his mother looked all the while. It will come up as fresh before his mind’s eye as if it was but yesterday. Reader, if you love your children, I charge you, do not let the seed-time of a prayerful habit pass away unimproved. If you train your children to anything, train them, at least, to a habit of prayer. VII. TRAIN THEM TO HABITS OF DILIGENCE, AND REGULARITY ABOUT PUBLIC MEANS OF GRACE. Tell them of the duty and privilege of going to the house of God, and joining in the prayers of the congregation. Tell them that wherever the Lord’s people are gathered together, there the Lord Jesus is present in an especial manner, and that those who absent themselves must expect, like the Apostle Thomas, to miss a blessing. Tell them of the importance of hearing the Word preached, and that it is God’s ordinance for converting, sanctifying, and building up the souls of men. Tell them how the Apostle Paul enjoins us not "to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is" (Heb. x. 25); but to exhort one another, to stir one another up to it, and so much the more as we see the day approaching. I call it a sad sight in a church when nobody comes up to the Lord’s table but the elderly people, and the young men and the young women all turn away. But I call it a sadder sight still when no children are to be seen in a church, excepting those who come to the Sunday School, and are obliged to attend. Let none of this guilt lie at your doors. There are many boys and girls in every parish, besides those who come to school, and you who are their parents and friends should see to it that they come with you to church. Do not allow them to grow up with a habit of making vain excuses for not coming. Give them plainly to understand, that so long as they are under your roof it is the rule of your house for every one in health to honour the Lord’s house upon the Lord’s day, and that you reckon the Sabbath-breaker to be a murderer of his own soul. See to it too, if it can be so arranged, that your children go with you to church, and sit near you when they are there. To go to church is one thing, but to behave well at church is quite another. And believe me, there is no security for good behaviour like that of having them under your own eye. The minds of young people are easily drawn aside, and their attention lost, and every possible means should be used to counteract this. I do not like to see them coming to church by themselves,—they often get into bad company by the way, and so learn more evil on the Lord’s day than in all the rest of the week. Neither do I like to see what I call "a young people’s corner" in a church. They often catch habits of inattention and irreverence there, which it takes years to unlearn, if ever they are unlearned at all. What I like to see is a whole family sitting together, old and young, side by side,—men, women, and children, serving God according to their households. But there are some who say that it is useless to urge children to attend means of grace, because they cannot understand them. I would not have you listen to such reasoning. I find no such doctrine in the Old Testament. When Moses goes before Pharaoh (Ex. x. 9), I observe he says, "We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters: for we must hold a feast unto the Lord." When Joshua read the law (Josh. viii. 35), I observe, "There was not a word which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them." "Thrice in the year," says Ex. xxxiv. 23, "shall all your men-children appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel." And when I turn to the New Testament, I find children mentioned there as partaking in public acts of religion as well as in the Old. When Paul was leaving the disciples at Tyre for the last time, I find it said (Acts xxi. 5), "They all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed." Samuel, in the days of his childhood, appears to have ministered unto the Lord some time before he really knew Him. "Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him" (1 Sam. iii. 7). The Apostles themselves do not seem to have understood all that our Lord said at the time that it was spoken: "These things understood not His disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of Him" (John xii. 16). Parents, comfort your minds with these examples. Be not cast down because your children see not the full value of the means of grace now. Only train them up to a habit of regular attendance. Set it before their minds as a high, holy, and solemn duty, and believe me, the day will very likely come when they will bless you for your deed. VIII. TRAIN THEM TO A HABIT OF FAITH. I mean by this, you should train them up to believe what you say. You should try to make them feel confidence in your judgment, and respect your opinions, as better than their own. You should accustom them to think that, when you say a thing is bad for them, it must be bad, and when you say it is good for them, it must be good; that your knowledge, in short, is better than their own, and that they may rely implicitly on your word. Teach them to feel that what they know not now, they will probably know hereafter, and to be satisfied there is a reason and a needs-be for everything you require them to do. Who indeed can describe the blessedness of a real spirit of faith? Or rather, who can tell the misery that unbelief has brought upon the world? Unbelief made Eve eat the forbidden fruit,—she doubted the truth of God’s word: "Ye shall surely die." Unbelief made the old world reject Noah’s warning, and so perish in sin. Unbelief kept Israel in the wilderness,—it was the bar that kept them from entering the promised land. Unbelief made the Jews crucify the Lord of glory,—they believed not the voice of Moses and the prophets, though read to them every day. And unbelief is the reigning sin of man’s heart down to this very hour,— unbelief in God’s promises,— unbelief in God’s threatenings,— unbelief in our own sinfulness,— unbelief in our own danger,—unbelief in everything that runs counter to the pride and worldliness of our evil hearts. Reader, you train your children to little purpose if you do not train them to a habit of implicit faith,—faith in their parents’ word, confidence that what their parents say must be right. I have heard it said by some, that you should require nothing of children which they cannot understand—that you should explain and give a reason for everything you desire them to do. I warn you solemnly against such a notion. I tell you plainly, I think it an unsound and rotten principle. No doubt it is absurd to make a mystery of everything you do, and there are many things which it is well to explain to children, in order that they may see that they are reasonable and wise. But to bring them up with the idea that they must take nothing on trust, that they, with their weak and imperfect understandings, must have the "why" and the "wherefore" made clear to them at every step they take,—this is indeed a fearful mistake, and likely to have the worst effect on their minds. Reason with your child if you are so disposed, at certain times, but never forget to keep him in mind (if you really love him) that he is but a child after all,—that he thinks as a child, he understands as a child, and therefore must not expect to know the reason of everything at once. Set before him the example of Isaac, in the day when Abraham took him to offer him on Mount Moriah (Gen. xxii.). He asked his father that single question, "Where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?" and he got no answer but this, "God will provide Himself a lamb." How, or where, or whence, or in what manner, or by what means,—all this Isaac was not told; but the answer was enough. He believed that it would be well, because his father said so, and he was content. Tell your children, too, that we must all be learners in our beginnings, that there is an alphabet to be mastered in every kind of knowledge,—that the best horse in the world had need once to be broken,—that a day will come when they will see the wisdom of all your training. But in the meantime if you say a thing is right, it must be enough for them,—they must believe you, and be content. Parents, if any point in training is important, it is this. I charge you by the affection you have to your children, use every means to train them up to a habit of faith. IX. TRAIN THEM TO A HABIT OF OBEDIENCE. This is an object which it is worth any labour to attain. No habit, I suspect, has such an influence over our lives as this. Parents, determine to make your children obey you, though it may cost you much trouble, and cost them many tears. Let there be no questioning, and reasoning, and disputing, and delaying, and answering again. When you give them a command, let them see plainly that you will have it done. Obedience is the only reality. It is faith visible, faith acting, and faith incarnate. It is the test of real discipleship among the Lord’s people. "Ye are My friends if ye do whatsoever I command you" (John xv. 14). It ought to be the mark of well-trained children, that they do whatsoever their parents command them. Where, in deed, is the honour which the fifth commandment enjoins, if fathers and mothers are not obeyed cheerfully, willingly, and at once? Early obedience has all Scripture on its side. It is in Abraham’s praise, not merely he will train his family, but "he will command his children, and his household after him" (Gen. xviii. 19). It is said of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, that when "He was young He was subject to Mary and Joseph" (Luke ii. 51). Observe how implicitly Joseph obeyed the order of his father Jacob (Gen. xxxvii. 13). See how Isaiah speaks of it as an evil thing, when "the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient" (Isa. iii. 5). Mark how the Apostle Paul names disobedience to parents as one of the bad signs of the latter days (2 Tim. iii. 2). Mark how he singles out this grace of requiring obedience as one that should adorn a Christian minister: "a bishop must be one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity." And again, "Let the deacons rule their children and their own houses well" (1 Tim. iii. 4, 12). And again, an elder must be one "having faithful children, children not accused of riot, or unruly" (Tit. 1. 6). Parents, do you wish to see your children happy? Take care, then, that you train them to obey when they are spoken to,—to do as they are bid. Believe me, we are not made for entire independence,—we are not fit for it. Even Christ’s freemen have a yoke to wear, they "serve the Lord Christ" (Col. iii. 24). Children cannot learn too soon that this is a world in which we are not all intended to rule, and that we are never in our right place until we know how to obey our betters. Teach them to obey while young, or else they will be fretting against God all their lives long, and wear themselves out with the vain idea of being independent of His control. Reader, this hint is only too much needed. You will see many in this day who allow their children to choose and think for themselves long before they are able, and even make excuses for their disobedience, as if it were a thing not to be blamed. To my eyes, a parent always yielding, and a child always having its own way, are a most painful sight;— painful, because I see God’s appointed order of things inverted and turned upside down;—painful, because I feel sure the consequence to that child’s character in the end will be self-will, pride, and self-conceit. You must not wonder that men refuse to obey their Father which is in heaven, if you allow them, when children, to disobey their father who is upon earth. Parents, if you love your children, let obedience be a motto and a watchword continually before their eyes. X. TRAIN THEM TO A HABIT OF ALWAYS SPEAKING THE TRUTH. Truth-speaking is far less common in the world than at first sight we are disposed to think. The whole truth, and nothing but the truth, is a golden rule which many would do well to bear in mind. Lying and prevarication are old sins. The devil was the father of them,— he deceived Eve by a bold lie, and ever since the fall it is a sin against which all the children of Eve have need to be on their guard. Only think how much falsehood and deceit there is in the world! How much exaggeration! How many additions are made to a simple story! How many things left out, if it does not serve the speaker’s interest to tell them! How few there are about us of whom we can say, we put unhesitating trust in their word! Verily the ancient Persians were wise in their generation: it was a leading point with them in educating their children, that they should learn to speak the truth. What an awful proof it is of man’s natural sinfulness, that it should be needful to name such a point at all! Reader, I would have you remark how often God is spoken of in the Old Testament as the God of truth. Truth seems to be especially set before us as a leading feature in the character of Him with whom we have to do. He never swerves from the straight line. He abhors lying and hypocrisy. Try to keep this continually before your children’s minds. Press upon them at all times, that less than the truth is a lie; that evasion, excuse-making, and exaggeration are all halfway houses towards what is false, and ought to be avoided. Encourage them in any circumstances to be straightforward, and, whatever it may cost them, to speak the truth. I press this subject on your attention, not merely for the sake of your children’s character in the world,— though I might dwell much on this,—I urge it rather for your own comfort and assistance in all your dealings with them. You will find it a mighty help indeed, to be able always to trust their word. It will go far to prevent that habit of concealment, which so unhappily prevails sometimes among children. Openness and straightforwardness depend much upon a parent’s treatment of this matter in the days of our infancy. XI. TRAIN THEM TO A HABIT OF ALWAYS REDEEMING THE TIME. Idleness is the devil’s best friend. It is the surest way to give him an opportunity of doing us harm. An idle mind is like an open door, and if Satan does not enter in himself by it, it is certain he will throw in something to raise bad thoughts in our souls. No created being was ever meant to be idle. Service and work is the appointed portion of every creature of God. The angels in heaven work,—they are the Lord’s ministering servants, ever doing His will. Adam, in Paradise, had work,—he was appointed to dress the garden of Eden, and to keep it. The redeemed saints in glory will have work, "They rest not day and night singing praise and glory to Him who bought them." And man, weak, sinful man, must have something to do, or else his soul will soon get into an unhealthy state. We must have our hands filled, and our minds occupied with something, or else our imaginations will soon ferment and breed mischief. And what is true of us, is true of our children too. Alas, indeed, for the man that has nothing to do! The Jews thought idleness a positive sin: it was a law of theirs that every man should bring up his son to some useful trade,—and they were right. They knew the heart of man better than some of us appear to do. Idleness made Sodom what she was. "This was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her" (Ezek. xvi. 49). Idleness had much to do with David’s awful sin with the wife of Uriah.—I see in 2 Sam. xi. that Joab went out to war against Ammon, "but David tarried still at Jerusalem." Was not that idle? And then it was that he saw Bathsheba,—and the next step we read of is his tremendous and miserable fall. Verily, I believe that idleness has led to more sin than almost any other habit that could be named. I suspect it is the mother of many a work of the flesh,— the mother of adultery, fornication, drunkenness, and many other deeds of darkness that I have not time to name. Let your own conscience say whether I do not speak the truth. You were idle, and at once the devil knocked at the door and came in. And indeed I do not wonder;—everything in the world around us seems to teach the same lesson. It is the still water which becomes stagnant and impure: the running, moving streams are always clear. If you have steam machinery, you must work it, or it soon gets out of order. If you have a horse, you must exercise him; he is never so well as when he has regular work. If you would have good bodily health yourself, you must take exercise. If you always sit still, your body is sure at length to complain. And just so is it with the soul. The active moving mind is a hard mark for the devil to shoot at. Try to be always full of useful employment, and thus your enemy will find it difficult to get room to sow tares. Reader, I ask you to set these things before the minds of your children. Teach them the value of time, and try to make them learn the habit of using it well. It pains me to see children idling over what they have in hand, whatever it may be. I love to see them active and industrious, and giving their whole heart to all they do; giving their whole heart to lessons, when they have to learn;—giving their whole heart even to their amusements, when they go to play. But if you love them well, let idleness be counted a sin in your family. XII. TRAIN THEM WITH A CONSTANT FEAR OF OVER-INDULGENCE. This is the one point of all on which you have most need to be on your guard. It is natural to be tender and affectionate towards your own flesh and blood, and it is the excess of this very tenderness and affection which you have to fear. Take heed that it does not make you blind to your children’s faults, and deaf to all advice about them. Take heed lest it make you overlook bad conduct, rather than have the pain of inflicting punishment and correction. I know well that punishment and correction are disagreeable things. Nothing is more unpleasant than giving pain to those we love, and calling forth their tears. But so long as hearts are what hearts are, it is vain to suppose, as a general rule, that children can ever be brought up without correction. Spoiling is a very expressive word, and sadly full of meaning. Now it is the shortest way to spoil children to let them have their own way,—to allow them to do wrong and not to punish them for it. Believe me, you must not do it, whatever pain it may cost you unless you wish to ruin your children’s souls. You cannot say that Scripture does not speak expressly on this subject: "He that spareth his rod, hateth his son; but he that loveth him, chasteneth him betimes" (Prov. xiii. 24). "Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying" (Prov. xix. 18). "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child: but the rod of correction shall drive it from him" (Prov. xxii. 15). "Withhold not correction from the child, for if thou beatest him with the rod he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and deliver his soul from hell" (Prov. xxiii. 13, 14). "The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame." "Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest, yea, he shall give delight to thy soul" (Prov. xxix. 15, 17). How strong and forcible are these texts! How melancholy is the fact, that in many Christian families they seem almost unknown! Their children need reproof, but it is hardly ever given; they need correction, but it is hardly ever employed. And yet this book of Proverbs is not obsolete and unfit for Christians. It is given by inspiration of God, and profitable. It is given for our learning, even as the Epistles to the Romans and Ephesians. Surely the believer who brings up his children without attention to its counsel is making himself wise above that which is written, and greatly errs. Fathers and mothers, I tell you plainly, if you never punish your children when they are in fault, you are doing them a grievous wrong. I warn you, this is the rock on which the saints of God, in every age, have only too frequently made shipwreck. I would fain persuade you to be wise in time, and keep clear of it. See it in Eli’s case. His sons Hophni and Phinehas "made themselves vile, and he restrained them not." He gave them no more than a tame and lukewarm reproof, when he ought to have rebuked them sharply. In one word, he honoured his sons above God. And what was the end of these things? He lived to hear of the death of both his sons in battle, and his own grey hairs were brought down with sorrow to the grave (1 Sam. ii. 22–29, iii. 13). See, too, the case of David. Who can read without pain the history of his children, and their sins? Amnon’s incest,— Absalom’s murder and proud rebellion,—Adonijah’s scheming ambition: truly these were grievous wounds for the man after God’s own heart to receive from his own house. But was there no fault on his side? I fear there can be no doubt there was. I find a clue to it all in the account of Adonijah in 1 Kings i. 6: "His father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so?" There was the foundation of all the mischief. David was an over-indulgent father,—a father who let his children have their own way,—and he reaped according as he had sown. Parents, I beseech you, for your children’s sake, beware of over-indulgence. I call on you to remember, it is your first duty to consult their real interests, and not their fancies and likings;—to train them, not to humour them—to profit, not merely to please. You must not give way to every wish and caprice of your child’s mind, however much you may love him. You must not let him suppose his will is to be everything, and that he has only to desire a thing and it will be done. Do not, I pray you, make your children idols, lest God should take them away, and break your idol, just to convince you of your folly. Learn to say "No" to your children. Show them that you are able to refuse whatever you think is not fit for them. Show them that you are ready to punish disobedience, and that when you speak of punishment, you are not only ready to threaten, but also to perform. Do not threaten too much. Threatened folks, and threatened faults, live long. Punish seldom, but really and in good earnest,—frequent and slight punishment is a wretched system indeed. Some parents and nurses have a way of saying, "Naughty child," to a boy or girl on every slight occasion, and often without good cause. It is a very foolish habit. Words of blame should never be used without real reason. As to the best way of punishing a child, no general rule can be laid down. The characters of children are so exceedingly different, that what would be a severe punishment to one child, would be no punishment at all to another. I only beg to enter my decided protest against the modern notion that no child ought ever to be whipped. Doubtless some parents use bodily correction far too much, and far too violently; but many others, I fear, use it far too little. Beware of letting small faults pass unnoticed under the idea "it is a little one." There are no little things in training children; all are important. Little weeds need plucking up as much as any. Leave them alone, and they will soon be great. Reader, if there be any point which deserves your attention, believe me, it is this one. It is one that will give you trouble, I know. But if you do not take trouble with your children when they are young, they will give you trouble when they are old. Choose which you prefer. XIII. TRAIN THEM REMEMBERING CONTINUALLY HOW GOD TRAINS HIS CHILDREN. The Bible tells us that God has an elect people,—a family in this world. All poor sinners who have been convinced of sin, and fled to Jesus for peace, make up that family. All of us who really believe on Christ for salvation are its members. Now God the Father is ever training the members of this family for their everlasting abode with Him in heaven. He acts as a husbandman pruning his vines, that they may bear more fruit. He knows the character of each of us,—our besetting sins,—our weaknesses,— our peculiar infirmities,—our special wants. He knows our works and where we dwell, who are our companions in life, and what are our trials, what our temptations, and what are our privileges. He knows all these things, and is ever ordering all for our good. He allots to each of us, in His providence, the very things we need, in order to bear the most fruit,—as much of sunshine as we can stand, and as much of rain,—as much of bitter things as we can bear, and as much of sweet. Reader, if you would train your children wisely, mark well how God the Father trains His. He doeth all things well; the plan which He adopts must be right. See, then, how many things there are which God withholds from His children. Few could be found, I suspect, among them who have not had desires which He has never been pleased to fulfil. There has often been some one thing they wanted to attain, and yet there has always been some barrier to prevent attainment. It has been just as if God was placing it above our reach, and saying, "This is not good for you; this must not be." Moses desired exceedingly to cross over Jordan, and see the goodly land of promise; but you will remember his desire was never granted. See, too, how often God leads His people by ways which seem dark and mysterious to our eyes. We cannot see the meaning of all His dealings with us; we cannot see the reasonableness of the path in which our feet are treading. Sometimes so many trials have assailed us,—so many difficulties encompassed us,—that we have not been able to discover the needs-be of it all. It has been just as if our Father was taking us by the hand into a dark place and saying, "Ask no questions, but follow Me." There was a direct road from Egypt to Canaan, yet Israel was not led into it; but round, through the wilderness. And this seemed hard at the time. "The soul of the people," we are told, "was much discouraged because of the way" (Exod. xiii. 17; Num. xxi. 4). See, also, how often God chastens His people with trial and affliction. He sends them crosses and disappointments; He lays them low with sickness; He strips them of property and friends; He changes them from one position to another; He visits them with things most hard to flesh and blood; and some of us have well-nigh fainted under the burdens laid upon us. We have felt pressed beyond strength, and have been almost ready to murmur at the hand which chastened us. Paul the Apostle had a thorn in the flesh appointed him, some bitter bodily trial, no doubt, though we know not exactly what it was. But this we know,—he besought the Lord thrice that it might be removed; yet it was not taken away (2 Cor. xii. 8, 9). Now, reader, notwithstanding all these things, did you ever hear of a single child of God who thought his Father did not treat him wisely? No, I am sure you never did. God’s children would always tell you, in the long run, it was a blessed thing they did not have their own way, and that God had done far better for them than they could have done for themselves. Yes! And they could tell you, too, that God’s dealings had provided more happiness for them than they ever would have obtained themselves, and that His way, however dark at times, was the way of pleasantness and the path of peace. I ask you to lay to heart the lesson which God’s dealings with His people is meant to teach you. Fear not to withhold from your child anything you think will do him harm, whatever his own wishes may be. This is God’s plan. Hesitate not to lay on him commands, of which he may not at present see the wisdom, and to guide him in ways which may not now seem reasonable to his mind. This is God’s plan. Shrink not from chastising and correcting him whenever you see his soul’s health requires it, however painful it may be to your feelings; and remember medicines for the mind must not be rejected because they are bitter. This is God’s plan. And be not afraid, above all, that such a plan of training will make your child unhappy. I warn you against this delusion. Depend on it, there is no surer road to unhappiness than always having our own way. To have our wills checked and denied is a blessed thing for us; it makes us value enjoyments when they come. To be indulged perpetually is the way to be made selfish; and selfish people and spoiled children, believe me, are seldom happy. Reader, be not wiser than God;—train your children as He trains His. XIV. TRAIN THEM REMEMBERING CONTINUALLY THE INFLUENCE OF YOUR OWN EXAMPLE. Instruction, and advice, and commands will profit little, unless they are backed up by the pattern of your own life. Your children will never believe you are in earnest, and really wish them to obey you, so long as your actions contradict your counsel. Archbishop Tillotson made a wise remark when he said, "To give children good instruction, and a bad example, is but beckoning to them with the head to show them the way to heaven, while we take them by the hand and lead them in the way to hell." We little know the force and power of example. No one of us can live to himself in this world; we are always influencing those around us, in one way or another, either for good or for evil, either for God or for sin.—They see our ways, they mark our conduct, they observe our behaviour, and what they see us practice, that they may fairly suppose we think right. And never, I believe, does example tell so powerfully as it does in the case of parents and children. Fathers and mothers, do not forget that children learn more by the eye than they do by the ear. No school will make such deep marks on character as home. The best of schoolmasters will not imprint on their minds as much as they will pick up at your fireside. Imitation is a far stronger principle with children than memory. What they see has a much stronger effect on their minds than what they are told. Take care, then, what you do before a child. It is a true proverb, "Who sins before a child, sins double." Strive rather to be a living epistle of Christ, such as your families can read, and that plainly too. Be an example of reverence for the Word of God, reverence in prayer, reverence for means of grace, reverence for the Lord’s day.—Be an example in words, in temper, in diligence, in temperance, in faith, in charity, in kindness, in humility. Think not your children will practice what they do not see you do. You are their model picture, and they will copy what you are. Your reasoning and your lecturing, your wise commands and your good advice; all this they may not understand, but they can understand your life. Children are very quick observers; very quick in seeing through some kinds of hypocrisy, very quick in finding out what you really think and feel, very quick in adopting all your ways and opinions. You will often find as the father is, so is the son. Remember the word that the conqueror Caesar always used to his soldiers in a battle. He did not say "Go forward," but "Come." So it must be with you in training your children. They will seldom learn habits which they see you despise, or walk in paths in which you do not walk yourself. He that preaches to his children what he does not practice, is working a work that never goes forward. It is like the fabled web of Penelope of old, who wove all day, and unwove all night. Even so, the parent who tries to train without setting a good example is building with one hand, and pulling down with the other. XV. TRAIN THEM REMEMBERING CONTINUALLY THE POWER OF SIN. I name this shortly, in order to guard you against unscriptural expectations. You must not expect to find your children’s minds a sheet of pure white paper, and to have no trouble if you only use right means. I warn you plainly you will find no such thing. It is painful to see how much corruption and evil there is in a young child’s heart, and how soon it begins to bear fruit. Violent tempers, self-will, pride, envy, sullenness, passion, idleness, selfishness, deceit, cunning, falsehood, hypocrisy, a terrible aptness to learn what is bad, a painful slowness to learn what is good, a readiness to pretend anything in order to gain their own ends,—all these things, or some of them, you must be prepared to see, even in your own flesh and blood. In little ways they will creep out at a very early age; it is almost startling to observe how naturally they seem to spring up. Children require no schooling to learn to sin. But you must not be discouraged and cast down by what you see. You must not think it a strange and unusual thing, that little hearts can be so full of sin. It is the only portion which our father Adam left us; it is that fallen nature with which we come into the world; it is that inheritance which belongs to us all. Let it rather make you more diligent in using every means which seem most likely, by God’s blessing, to counteract the mischief. Let it make you more and more careful, so far as in you lies, to keep your children out of the way of temptation. Never listen to those who tell you your children are good, and well brought up, and can be trusted. Think rather that their hearts are always inflammable as tinder. At their very best, they only want a spark to set their corruptions alight. Parents are seldom too cautious. Remember the natural depravity of your children, and take care. XVI. TRAIN THEM REMEMBERING CONTINUALLY THE PROMISES OF SCRIPTURE. I name this also shortly, in order to guard you against discouragement. You have a plain promise on your side, "Train up your child in the way he should go, and when he is old he shall not depart from it" (Prov. xxii. 6). Think what it is to have a promise like this. Promises were the only lamp of hope which cheered the hearts of the patriarchs before the Bible was written. Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph,—all lived on a few promises, and prospered in their souls. Promises are the cordials which in every age have supported and strengthened the believer. He that has got a plain text upon his side need never be cast down. Fathers and mothers, when your hearts are failing, and ready to halt, look at the word of this text, and take comfort. Think who it is that promises. It is not the word of a man, who may lie or repent; it is the word of the King of kings, who never changes. Hath He said a thing, and shall He not do it? Or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good? Neither is anything too hard for Him to perform. The things that are impossible with men are possible with God. Reader, if we get not the benefit of the promise we are dwelling upon, the fault is not in Him, but in ourselves. Think, too, what the promise contains, before you refuse to take comfort from it. It speaks of a certain time when good training shall especially bear fruit,— "when a child is old." Surely there is comfort in this. You may not see with your own eyes the result of careful training, but you know not what blessed fruits may not spring from it, long after you are dead and gone. It is not God’s way to give everything at once. "Afterwards" is the time when He often chooses to work, both in the things of nature and in the things of grace. "Afterward" is the season when affliction bears the peaceable fruit of righteousness (Heb. xii. 11). "Afterward" was the time when the son who refused to work in his father’s vineyard repented and went (Matt. xxi. 29). And "afterward" is the time to which parents must look forward if they see not success at once,—you must sow in hope and plant in hope. "Cast thy bread upon the waters," saith the Spirit, "for thou shalt find it after many days" (Eccles. xi. 1). Many children, I doubt not, shall rise up in the day of judgment, and bless their parents for good training, who never gave any signs of having profited by it during their parents’ lives. Go forward then in faith, and be sure that your labour shall not be altogether thrown away. Three times did Elijah stretch himself upon the widow’s child before it revived. Take example from him, and persevere. XVII. TRAIN THEM, LASTLY, WITH CONTINUAL PRAYER FOR A BLESSING ON ALL YOU DO. Without the blessing of the Lord, your best endeavours will do no good. He has the hearts of all men in His hands, and except He touch the hearts of your children by His Spirit, you will weary yourself to no purpose. Water, therefore, the seed you sow on their minds with unceasing prayer. The Lord is far more willing to hear than we to pray; far more ready to give blessings than we to ask them;—but He loves to be entreated for them. And I set this matter of prayer before you, as the top-stone and seal of all you do. I suspect the child of many prayers is seldom cast away. Look upon your children as Jacob did on his; he tells Esau they are "the children which God hath graciously given thy servant" (Gen. xxxiii. 5). Look on them as Joseph did on his; he told his father, "They are the sons whom God hath given me" (Gen. xlviii. 9). Count them with the Psalmist to be "an heritage and reward from the Lord" (Ps. cxxvii. 3). And then ask the Lord, with a holy boldness, to be gracious and merciful to His own gifts. Mark how Abraham intercedes for Ishmael, because he loved him, "Oh that Ishmael might live before thee" (Gen. xvii. 18). See how Manoah speaks to the angel about Samson, "How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?" (Judg. xiii. 12). Observe how tenderly Job cared for his children’s souls, "He offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all, for he said, It may be my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually" (Job i. 5). Parents, if you love your children, go and do likewise. You cannot name their names before the mercy-seat too often. And now, reader, in conclusion, let me once more press upon you the necessity and importance of using every single means in your power, if you would train children for heaven. I know well that God is a sovereign God, and doeth all things according to the counsel of His own will. I know that Rehoboam was the son of Solomon, and Manasseh the son of Hezekiah, and that you do not always see godly parents having a godly seed. But I know also that God is a God who works by means, and sure am I, if you make light of such means as I have mentioned, your children are not likely to turn out well. Fathers and mothers, you may take your children to be baptized, and have them enrolled in the ranks of Christ’s Church;—you may get godly sponsors to answer for them, and help you by their prayers;—you may send them to the best of schools, and give them Bibles and Prayer Books, and fill them with head knowledge—but if all this time there is no regular training at home, I tell you plainly, I fear it will go hard in the end with your children’s souls. Home is the place where habits are formed;—home is the place where the foundations of character are laid;—home gives the bias to our tastes, and likings, and opinions. See then, I pray you, that there be careful training at home. Happy indeed is the man who can say, as Bolton did upon his dying bed, to his children, "I do believe not one of you will dare to meet me before the tribunal of Christ in an unregenerate state." Fathers and mothers, I charge you solemnly before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, take every pains to train your children in the way they should go. I charge you not merely for the sake of your children’s souls; I charge you for the sake of your own future comfort and peace. Truly it is your interest so to do. Truly your own happiness in great measure depends on it. Children have ever been the bow from which the sharpest arrows have pierced man’s heart. Children have mixed the bitterest cups that man has ever had to drink. Children have caused the saddest tears that man has ever had to shed. Adam could tell you so; Jacob could tell you so; David could tell you so. There are no sorrows on earth like those which children have brought upon their parents. Oh! take heed, lest your own neglect should lay up misery for you in your old age. Take heed, lest you weep under the ill-treatment of a thankless child, in the days when your eye is dim, and your natural force abated. If ever you wish your children to be the restorers of your life, and the nourishers of your old age,—if you would have them blessings and not curses—joys and not sorrows—Judahs and not Reubens—Ruths and not Orpahs,—if you would not, like Noah, be ashamed of their deeds, and, like Rebekah, be made weary of your life by them: if this be your wish, remember my advice betimes, train them while young in the right way. And as for me, I will conclude by putting up my prayer to God for all who read this paper, that you…