THE TRAINING OF THE YOUNG.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8584, 4 June 1891, Page 6

THE TRAINING OF THE YOUNG.

CONFERENCE "AT ST. DAVID'S. A conference of ministers and friends was '' ~ held' in „ St. , David's Presbyterian' Church,* last night, under the auspices of the Auckland Presbytery, for the purpose of taking Into consideration the; duty of the Church to ' the young people within her fold. Notwithstanding the unfavourable state of ' the weather, there was a very fair atteni dance. The Rev. G. B. Monro presided, and opened the meeting with the reading of a - passage of ' Scripture, . followed 'by prayer. > ? Mr. W. B. Hunter said tnafc he did not intend to make.'any exhaustive or elaborate speech on the subject which they had under consideration. .This was what, might be called a home conference, as they were only to discuss' the"duty of the Church to the young, within the Church ; , but at < the same'time he would like it to be underI stood that they none the less recogniscd | their duty to the young people with* ; ■; out the Church. When he spoke of the Church he referred to all the individuals of which the Church was made up, and not simply the ministry, Had the Church in the past done its duty -to the young within ■ its pale ? The gathering present was a confession that it had not, and . they were there to consider how they could make up , for this neglect in the future. - Nothing but V a consecrated effort' could bp successful in |l§§f bringing the will of the young people in harmony with the will of God. It was necessary to review our position, and see where we stood. The members of the Christian Church wanted to be christianised, and without this their work was simple drudgery, and ' could not prosper. There was ' too much organisation—too much dead . ' weight—in connection with ftho Church. * There, was no doubt that the young were , leaving the Church, and, no one but a fool would assert the contrary. It. was also true that in this city of Auckland there was a lamentable want of parental control and i - authority, even among ' those who should know better—among those who were members of the Church. All children formed their estimate of God from what they saw in their • parents, and if they did nob love, obey, and reverence : their parents, it was absurd to expect them to love and serve, God. 1 'What should be done? One of the first things was to give the young people ' a place in the Church —a special address on certain . occasions, suitable to the little ones, and be was glad to see many congregations waking up to the necessity of this. /There ■ was a tendency to leave the : young people ! to themselves until. they were approaching manhood and r able to contribute and pay ; • pew rents. This neglect was driving them j * away; and it was quite right of them to go •< . ■ \s> if they were offered chaff instead of wheat. ; i If they had a staff of Sunday-school teachers 1 filled with new. hearts they would revolutionise Auckland; but they did not have J such seachers. Until each teacher took as 1 . his motto "My Class for Christ" no great ! ' results could be expected. Mr. " Hunter objected to making paupers of the children " by free soirees. It gave the little ones far ; more satisfaction in feeling that they had paid for their entertainment and that it was their own. Mr. Lennox said that there was a great a deal -in what Mr. . Hunter had said with j which he could agree, and there was also a great deal with which he ; disagreed. He was : entirely opposed to Mr. Hunter's gloomy and pessimistic • view of the lack of - interest taken in Sunday-school work. The v fact of the matter was that they had too many lazy Christians in the Church, who ' were so imbued with the doctrine of justification by faith that they entirely forgot to : work. It was useless to say that we wanted teachers filled with a new heart, for anyone not filled with the spirit of Christ and who had liot the patience of (Job, would not bo Sunday-school teachers for any length of time. Mr. Tau:«t was of opinion, as a teacher , himself, that they were nob filled with sufficient zeal, and that the results were by no . means commensurate with the labour expended. He was in favour of a separate vice for the children on Sabbath morning. The Revs. Norrie, .Monro, . and YVorBOYB, and Messrs. Ancos and Kucstkr also spoke, which a vote of thanks to Mr. Hunter for his able address was carried; by. acclamation. The meeting was concluded by the benediction..