Set Good Examples before the Children.
By A. C. Bourdeau
At the close of my last report, I made a brief statement about the prosperity of the cause in West Enosburgh, Vt., and spoke of an interesting meeting held Dec. 8, during which nineteen united with the church, nine of whom were youth and children of Sabbath-keepers. Truly our hearts were filled with joy, and we felt to praise our heavenly Father, when we saw our children identifying themselves more fully with the people of God, in covenanting to “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Since then I have spent a few weeks with the church at home, holding three meetings per week, and visiting lonely ones who live at a distance from Sabbath-keepers; and I am happy to say that the good work is still progressing among the young in Enosburgh and vicinity, which evinces that the parents are also trying to get into a better place. It is very evident that when parents practice the truth faithfully, their children are induced to respect and love them more. They have more confidence in their religion and in the truth. But when parents who make a profession do not strictly perform their duty in living out the truth, the children are led to lose confidence in them, and to disregard the truth; and often when they are favorably inclined to serve the Lord, on account of the inconsistent course of their parents, they become disheartened, lose their interest in the things of God and their own salvation, and thus are shut out of the kingdom. Some complain about their children because “they do not pray,” or “they do not keep the Sabbath,” etc., while they are guilty on these points themselves. Our children are not ignorant in regard to these things. They watch us, and know when we err. For instance, they know when we neglect family prayer; and when the sun is going down, just before the Sabbath, they notice if we are careless and indifferent in regard to preparing for the Sabbath, and when we infringe upon holy time in doing our own work. I know a farmer who once owned a dog that was trained to bring the cows from the pasture at milking time; and when the sun was going down, the faithful dog would watch the sun, and then go to his master and bark to remind him that it was time to go after the cows. Thus it is with our little ones. They often remind us that it is time to attend to family worship by getting their Bibles; and that the Sabbath is drawing near by their anxious looks, and the earnest inquiries that they make relative to commencing the Sabbath. ¶ May we, as parents, get out of the way of our children, and by our example win them to Christ and the truth, that we, as entire families, may have a gathering influence upon others. Irasburgh, Vt. Feb. 8, 1867.