THE PILGRIM’S BIBLE CHURCH IS MEETING IN THE CIVIC ROOM OF THE GEORGIA RR BANK IN DANIEL VILLAGE.

"THE MOLOSSIANS of old --

when they could not get a favor from their king, adopted a singular expedient: they took the king’s only son in their arms, and falling on their knees, cried, ’0, king, for thy son’s sake, grant our request.’

He would smile and say, ’I deny nothing to those who plead my son’s name.’"

-Charles Spurgeon-

"Could my tears forever flow;

Could my zeal no languor know --

These for Sin could not atone:

Thou must save and Thou alone.

In my hand no price I bring;

Simply to Thy cross I cling."

-Augustus Toplady-

"THE BELOVED SON --

Who sits in the bosom of the Father; unto Whom alone He looks; without whom He allows nothing; but whatever pleases the Father, it pleases Him with respect to His Son -- therefore, he that desires to go to the Father must cleave to His Beloved Son; nothing is of value or estimation with the Father, except His Beloved Son.

"Let Him flee to His Son if he will for by Him he finds access to the Father. Therefore Whosoever cleaves to Christ through faith abides in the favor of God: he shall be made beloved and acceptable as Christ is and shall have fellowship with the Father and Son."

-Martin Luther-

THE IMPORTANCE OF CATECHIZING CHILDREN

The Massachusetts Law enacted in 1642 which required masters of families to teach their children and apprentices to read was amplified in 1648 and read: No one should "suffer so much barbarism in any of their families as not to endeavor to teach by themselves or others, their children and apprentices so much learning as may enable them perfectly, to read the English tongue, and knowledge of the Capital laws: upon PENALTY OF 20 SHILLINGS FOR EACH NEGLECT THEREIN. Also, that ALL MASTERS OF FAMILIES do ONCE A WEEK (at the least) CATECHIZE THEIR CHILDREN AND SERVANTS IN THE GROUNDS AND PRINCIPLES OF RELIGION, and if any be unable to do so much: that then AT THE LEAST THEY PROCURE SUCH CHILDREN OR APPRENTICES TO LEARN SOME SHORT ORTHODOX CATECHISM WITHOUT BOOK, THAT THEY MAY BE ABLE TO ANSWER UNTO THE QUESTIONS THAT SHALL BE PROPOUNDED TO THEM OUT OF SUCH CATECHISM BY THEIR PARENTS OR MASTERS OR ANY OF THE SELECT MEN WHEN THEY SHALL CALL THEM TO A TRIAL OF WHAT THEY HAVE LEARNED IN THIS KIND." It was not uncommon for the courts to fine a father who was negligent of teaching his children the Word of God.

The godly father might be illustrated by Theophilus Eaton who made a regular practice of calling together his family every Sunday evening "and in an obliging manner conferred with them about the things they had heard in the house of God, shutting up all with a prayer for the blessing of God upon them all."

Churches also took care to catechize their children. It was not uncommon for a church to have an assembly of children closely resembling present day Sunday Schools and for the purpose of catechizing.

Cotton Mather called upon schoolmasters to catechize their pupils, but today they can be amoral in their teaching and Immoral in their conduct.

In addition, the Selectmen of every town were expected to go occasionally from house to house and test the children’s knowledge of their catechisms.

Catechizing was once the strength of our nation and was considered the duty of the father, the church, The schoolteacher, and the local government. Now we adhere to a rigid separation of church and state, and the subject under consideration here is not to be confused

with it, but much can be said in favor of the blessings of children who have been early instructed in the doctrines of God’s Word.

"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.

And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house and on thy gates." -- Deuteronomy 6:6-9

"HOW HAVE THE MIGHTY FALLEN!"

The Story of Harvard University

A Conclusion:

How could the Puritans instill into the next generation the great truths of the Word of God? How could they protect them from error? How could they rear a group of learned ministers to take the places of the present "leading lights" when death had deprived the colony of their services? How could they prevent the misinterpretation of the Bible if many of the people were unable to read it?

So it was that Winthrop, Coddington, Dudley, Saltonstall and the others decided they must erect a system of schools which like the civil government would be the handmaid of the churches. So wrote Thomas Jefferson Wertenbaker.

At the time, few if any had dreamed of divorcing education and religion. A century and a half had to elapse before Thomas Jefferson could make his revolutionary proposal to the Virginia legislature that they found a system of public schools which would be under the control of no religious sect. "

William Hubbard wrote, "Julian the Apostate complains that the Christians beat the heathen philosophers with their own weapons, therefore did he subtly contrive to deprive the Christians of the benefit of schools and other means of humane learning, thinking that to be the likeliest means whereby to overthrow the Christian religion...."

Regarding Christian education Hubbard again wrote, "...While Israel was without a teaching priest and without a law, they were also without the true God. While the Scriptures are locked up in an unknown language, how can they be opened without the key of humane learning?" And again, "It is not meet that the Israelites should always go down to the Philistines to sharpen their weapons, which they are to use in fighting against the enemies of God’s church, or for whetting their tools they must use in tilling God’s field..."

"...Dreading to leave an illiterate ministry to the churches when our present ministers shall lie in the: dust" Harvard College was established. The colonists logically began with a college. "The fall of schools", wrote Urian Oakes, "and contempt of learning will make way for rudeness, ignorance, want of able instruments to manage church and state affairs, irreligion and ruin to this poor country.... Think not that the commonwealth of learning may languish and yet our civil and ecclesiastical state be maintained in good plight and condition."

Such is precisely what happened to Harvard University...she crumbled through neglect. The corporation filled its vacancies with men who had lost the vision of the importance of a Christian institution. The stones of neglect impeded the roots of Harvard University from contributing a lasting fruit to the churches of our land. "Harvard, how have the mighty fallen!" –II Samuel 1:19, 25,27.