Jews was therefore to be circumcised, and be made federally holy, by receiving the sign of the covenant, and being admitted into the number of God's holy people, because they were born in sanctity; then, by like reason, the holy seed of Christians ought to be admitted to baptism, and receive the sign of the Christian covenant, the laver of regeneration, and so be entered into the society of the Christian church." (Benson.) "The unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife," or, rather, is to be reputed as sanctified on account of his wife; she being a Christian woman, and he, though a Heathen, being by marriage one flesh with her: her sanctity, as far as it refers to outward things, may be considered as imputed to him so as to render their connexion not unlawful. The word "sanctification" here is to be applied much more to the Christian state than to any moral change in the persons; for "saints" is a common term for Christians-those who were baptized into the faith of Christ; and as its corresponding Hebrew term Redoshim signified all the Jews who were in the covenant of God by circumcision, the Heathens in question were considered to be in this holy state by means of their connexion with those who were, by their Christian profession, saints. "If this kind of relative sanctification were not allowed, the children of these persons could not be received into the Christian church, nor enjoy any rights or privileges as Christians; but the church of God never scrupled to admit such children as members, just as well as she did those who had sprung from parents both of whom were Christians." (Dr. Clarke.) "Else were your children unclean; but now are they holy;' that is, they would be Heathen, out of the pale of the church and covenant of God. They would not be of the holy seed, (as the Jews are called, Isai. vi. 13,) but common and unclean, in the same sense as Heathens in general were styled in the Apostle's vision. (Acts x. 28.) This way of speaking is according to the dialect of the Jews; among whom a child begot by parents yet Heathens, was said to be begotten out of holiness ; and a child begotten by parents made proselytes, is said to be begotten within the holy enclosure. Thus Christians commonly are called 'saints;' such they are by profession, separated to be a peculiar people of God, and, as such, distinguished from the world; and therefore the children born to Christians, though married to unbelievers, are not to be reckoned as part of the world, but of the church, a holy, not a common and unclean, seed." (Henry.) My apology for dwelling thus largely on this point, and quoting these authorities, is, that I have a deep impression that this subject either is not correctly understood, or is not duly considered, by many of our religious community. Let me ask, What is done for great numbers of our youth, as to preparing them to occupy a place in the church, or leading them to love that church, and to esteem a union with it a privilege? admit the truth, that our youth ought actually to be a part of the church of God, and deal with them, in the way of instruction and training, so as to fit them for the place they ought to fill? How many Mr. Wesley was not professedly engaged in forming a "church," but a society," when he drew up the "Rules of the Society of the People called Methodists;" and hence he very properly laid down "only one condition as previously required in those who sought admission into this society; namely, a desire to flee from the wrath to come; to be saved from their sins."" The application of this rule has, it is feared, given rise to errors in opinion and practice in reference to our youth. Where the desire above mentioned has not been professed, we have not, at least not generally, sought to secure a visible union with the church for our children; and, in consequence, their religious interests have often been neglected and injured. By pursuing this 66 course we have narrowed the church in a way injurious to its welfare and enlargement, and contrary to the injunction of her Divine Head, who, addressing Peter, said, "Feed my lambs." And surely the lambs ought to be with the "sheep," living among them, and lying down with them in the green pastures" of the ordinances and means of grace. In accordance with this view, it will be found, that when Lydia was baptized, so also was her "household." When the jailer was baptized, so were "all his," "all his house." The Apostle also baptized "the household of Stephanus." Now, no candid mind, unless there is a theory to support, will deny that these terms imply that youth of various ages must have been found in these families, and that they were admitted into the visible church as members thereof. The Apostles, being Jews originally, were well acquainted with the instructions and requirements of the Mosaic law in reference to the youthful part of the church of their forefathers. Those instructions were as follows:-"And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." (Deut. vi. 6, 7.) These instructions they would endeavour to carry out personally, or by proxy, as to their religious and moral tendency, in the Christian, as had been already accomplished in the Jewish, community. How this duty was performed in one instance, we learn from the Apostle Paul : "And that from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures." (2 Tim. iii. 15.) masters. The persons thus distinctively addressed, are all included in the general terms previously employed; and children, it will be perceived, occupied, in the mind and writings of the Apostle, a prominent and important position, and were considered as part of the church. It appears, therefore, both from fair inference as well as from the express language of Scripture, that the children of professing Christians ought to be viewed as a part of the visible church, and treated accordingly, and, conse quently, some provision, adapted to their case, should be made for their instruction in righteousness, and placing them directly under suitable pastoral care. It may be asked, In what character should youth, forming a part of the church as above stated, be viewed; and in what position should they stand? I answer, in the character of catechumens; and as junior branches of the family. As such, they would require careful instruction, much forbearance and kindness. The children of our respective households bear the family likeness, and, by constant intercourse, they imbibe the same views, embrace the same opinions, assume the same character, and cherish the same affection, as far as the family is concerned. Now, take a child away from his own domestic circle, and let him be brought up in another; as a general rule, it will be found that he will acquire the character of the society in which he is reared, and lose that of the family in which he was born; while affection for his natural relations will be almost extinguished. The same rule, I contend, will, to a great extent, apply to the youth who ought to be members of our church. We have not given them a standing amongst us; they are not on the church-roll; our Ministers do not generally exercise direct pastoral care over them. In fact, as a body of youth, baptized by ourselves, and the children of our members, they have no place amongst us. We do not allow them to be brought up in the family, we children and parents, servants and shut them out; and thus compel In writing to the Ephesians the same Apostle gives direction to various descriptions of persons in the church suited to their relative position. He addresses the entire body as 66 saints," "faithful brethren," and "dear children :" then, descending to particular classes, he gives rules of conduct for wives and husbands, them to be reared in another; and the truly sad and lamentable results, alas! we see, as it respects many, in the alienation of their affections, in their absence from our sanctuaries, and in their association with others, who, if not our enemies, are far from being our friends: and whether we study the operation of the principles of human nature, or of true religion, we have no ground to hope for other results, until we pursue a different course. Το establish union, and an increase cf affection, there must be intercourse, there must be fellowship. It has been received by some as a rule, that none, not even our youth, ought to be admitted into the Methodist society in any character till they are either professedly "awakened" or "converted ;" and, as this may be urged as an objection to any alteration or additional provision, it may be proper to notice it. First, then, I would remark, that children, reared in religious families, where family-prayer is regularly performed, the Sabbath duly observed, the ministry of the Gospel punctually attended, and religious instruction statedly communicated, are generally, at an early period of life, the subjects of enlightening and restraining grace. The testi mony of those who have been brought to the enjoyment of religion on this head is so general and decided, that its truth cannot be questioned. But many have not had courage to disclose the workings of their own minds, and of the Spirit of God; and hence, though they were really the subjects of divine influence, to a great extent, their parents, and those around them, were in ignorance of it. I meet the above objection by observing, in the first place, that I believe the great mass of our youth are ordinarily brought under that spiritual influence which, according to the above rule, ought to secure for them a place amongst us. The circumstances to be regretted are, that too generally we remain ignorant of the fact, consequently are unable to cherish it; and as they rise into life, and mix with the world, they grieve the Spirit, and forfeit the grace that has been vouchsafed. A second answer I would give to this objection is, that as in nature a reward follows the diligent and persevering use of proper means; so in religion faithful culture will secure a bountiful, and therefore grateful, return. There may be more uncertainty in the latter case, as to individuals; but the general result is certain. And why are men brought into the church? because they are already perfect in knowledge, wisdom, and holiness? The reverse is the state of the case. The church was instituted for the benefit of the ignorant, the sick, and the poor; that they might be made wise unto salvation, that the sin-sick soul might be healed, and that the riches of grace might be communicated. Such being the condition of our youth, they are the very persons who ought to be brought into connexion with the church, and placed under that mode of treatment which, by the blessing of God, might lead to the happy results we have just enumerated. We have divine warrant for this assertion: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." (Prov. xxii. 6.) "Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days." (Eccles. xi. 1.) Sow thy seed liberally; it shall produce an abundant harvest. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Cor. xv. 58.) Having, it is hoped, proved that all our children who have been baptized ought to be received and treated as in intimate connexion with the church, and that we cannot labour in vain for their spiritual benefit; we may proceed to consider the question, What may be done to meet their case, in order that suitable provision might be made for them? To this question we reply: The adult members of our church meet in class: let all our youth be met in catechetical classes. We have Leaders for our adult members: let Catechists be provided for our youth. We give tickets to our members, whereby they are acknowledged as such: let tickets be given to catechumens, as catechumens, and in that character forming a part of the Wesleyan church. Our members are visited quarterly in their classes by their Ministers: let the catechumens be visited in a similar way. By some such plan, arrangements might be made, by which the entire youth of our people could be enclosed in the visible fold of Christ; and its privileges generally they should be permitted to enjoy, until, by their immorality, or their own voluntary act, they dissolve the connexion between themselves and it. The necessity and advantage of forming the children of our people into classes have both been repeatedly and distinctly asserted. In the year 1744, Mr. Wesley wrote in the Minutes of Conference, Might not the children of every place be formed into a little society? 66 "Let the Preachers try, by meeting them together, and giving them suitable exhortations. At such meeting we may, first, set them a lesson in the Instruction,' or 'Tokens for Children.' 2. Hear them repeat it. 3. Explain it to them in an easy, familiar manner. 4. Often ask, 'What have I been saying?' And strive to fasten it on their hearts." At the Conference of 1808, the question was asked, "What can we do for the spiritual benefit of the children of our people? Answer, Let the good old custom of holding a children's meeting once a week, be revived in every town, and wherever else it shall be found practicable; and let all the Preachers turn their serious attention to this important subject. We also recommend that the Instructions for Children' should be used in every Methodist family." In the Minutes of 1820, the following question was asked :-"What measures can we adopt for the increase of spiritual religion among our societies and congregations, and for the extension of the work of God in our native country?" In connexion with many other truly excellent recommendations, is the following:-" Let us, at least in every large town, establish weekly meetings for the children of our friends, according to our ancient custom; and let us pay particular spiritual attention, in public and in private, to the young people of our societies and congregations." The standing Rules now published annually in our Minutes are the following: : "1. Our Ministers are solemnly enjoined to hold regular weekly meetings with the children of our people, under the age of fourteen, on the most convenient day of the week, in every town where a Minister has his stated residence, according to our ancient rule and practice. "2. The attention of our Ministers is again earnestly directed to the necessity and importance of making some effectual arrangement, in every town where a Minister resides, for obtaining pastoral access, at stated times, to the young persons of Methodist families, between the ages of fourteen and twenty one, with a view to promote their spiritual welfare by personal instruction, exhortation, and prayer." The above regulations are excellent in principle, but practically they are deficient in reference to making full provision for the religious oversight and instruction of all our youth. They are based on the assumption that our Ministers, in their respective Circuits, can meet all who stand related to the church in the way already pointed out, and require their attention. It will be no difficult matter to prove this. As we have no data by which we can ascertain what proportion the youth of our members in their teens bear to the total number of communicants, we cannot say how many are springing up every year of this class. But it is intended that our Sunday-schools should be the subsidiary means for the religious instruction of our children, and we may therefore adopt the numbers returned from them as the data for our calculations. Take Nottingham and Derby as examples. According to the schedules returned in 1844, there are in Nottingham one thousand and twenty-nine scholars now, allowing that each of these remains in the school for seven years, (from six to thirteen years of age,) then one seventh leaving annually will give one hundred and forty-seven, of both sexes, for whom some provision should be made. Supposing that there were twenty in each class, this would require seven Catechists to be appointed annually. In Derby there are six hundred and twenty-three scholars; and, according to the same principle of calculation, eighty-nine scholars, on the average, will leave the school annually; and thus there will be a demand for four Catechists every year. Assuming that these youths remain in the catechetical classes only five years on the average, (that is, from thirteen to eighteen years of age,) then in five years there would be in Derby twenty Catechists raised up, each having under his charge twenty youths, making four hundred in the whole a number which we ought to have in catechetical classes, where we have so many children in our Sunday-schools. And on the same principle, forming an estimate for our whole Connexion, we shall have fifty-seven thousand one hundred and forty-three young people leaving our schools annually, and for whom provision ought to be made in catechetical classes. We might as well, therefore, expect our Ministers to meet all the classes in our respective societies, as to meet our youth in a way that would be commensurate with the necessities of the case. Again: our Circuits may be divided into two general classes, town and country. In the former a large proportion, nearly the whole, of the young persons contemplated are so much engaged, as apprentices, pupils, or servants, &c., that they could command only an hour in the even ing, or on the Sabbath. But then, with preaching, say two nights in the week, a band-meeting on the third, and giving tickets, prayer-meetings, and Missionary, School, and Tract Committee Meetings, attending Missionary services occasionally, and other extra duties, the Minister is deprived of the opportunity of meeting the catechumens regularly and extensively. In the country Circuits, the meetings connected with the secular affairs of the church may be less numerous; but the number of sermons is greater; and as these have to be delivered in the evening, the Minister here, equally with the former, is prevented from attending to the demands of our youth by personal exertion. Thus, without going more into detail, it is presumed that it is apparent to every reflecting mind, whether we consider the numbers to be provided for, or the circumstances in which the respective parties, both Ministers and youth, are found, that there is a loud call for some provision to be made that does not at present exist in a word, we need catechetical classes to keep up the union between us, and the youth committed to our care by Providence; as well as to prepare them, by the divine blessing, to occupy a permanent place in the church. As to the mode of conducting these classes, we may be permitted to notice a few particulars. One chief reason for the failure of "select classes," &c., it is believed, has been the defective character of the plan of instruction pursued. In some, perhaps many, instances, young people have been treated as though they were the subjects of Christian experience, which was not the case. They may have been acquainted with the gracious drawings of the Holy Spirit, and have had the fear of God before their eyes; but they have not had Christian experience. They could say little or nothing that was interesting, and the Leader felt he could say but little that was edifying to them. The result has been, that these classes, known by various names, have again and again dwindled away, though frequently revived. One method adopted is the fol |