The Young Christian, Or, A Familiar Illustration of the Principles of Christian Duty

Astronomical difficulties. Difficulties in religion to be expect-
ed. First difficulty. Attempt to avoid it. Conversation con-
tinued. Second difficulty. Extent of the creation. Difficul-
ty. The existence of suffering inexplicable. The pirate con-
demned to die. Accountability. Foreknowledge. Story of
father and son. Imaginary conversation with an infidel. An-
swering prayer. Case supposed. The sick son. Miraculous
interference in answering prayer. Sources of difficulty. Al-
gebra. The surd. Difficulty theoretical. None in practice.

Objects of this chapter. 1. Inquiries. Disobedient school-boy.

2. Perplexities of Christians. Way to avoid them. Plausible

reasoning sometimes unsafe. Scholars in geometry. Draw-

.ng inferences. Story of the knights and the statue. The

shield of brass and iron. One kind of controversy. 3. Diffi

culties of children. Children's questions. 4. Difficulties of

parents and teachers. The school-boy's question. A humble,

docile spirit.

103

CHAPTER VII.-EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

The doubting clerk. The unexpected letter. The sick child.

Possible mistakes. Men act from reasonable evidence. Evi-

dences of Christianity, Historical, Internal, and Experimental.

Illustration. The phosphorus.

1. Historical Evidence. Seal. Miracles. Examining witnesses.
The court. The court-room. The prisoner. His accusation
and trial. Testimony of the owner; of the watchman. The
lawyer's question. The watchman's story. The prisoner con-
victed. Points secured on trials. Three points to be attended
to. Irruption of the barbarians. Old manuscripts. Genuine-
ness of the Scriptures. Quotations. Illustration. Use made
of quotations. Paley's Evidences. Necessity for proving the
genuineness of the Scriptures. The original records not re-
Daining. The second point. Opportunities of knowing. The
housebreaker's trial. Sacred writers could not have been mis-
taken. They were eye-witnesses. Third point. Their style
of writing. Impartiality. Elevated views. They were disin-
terested. Our Savior's farewell address. Interested witnesses.
Battle of Lexington. Parliament and Congress. Points prov-
ed. Argument from prophecy. Prophecies. False prophe-
cies. Subject difficult. Were the Christian witnesses believ-
ed? Contest with Paganism. Power of truth.

2. Internal Evidence. Unity of the Scriptures. The Bible a

number of books. Its single object. The Bible a history of

Christ. Sacrifices. Meaning of sacrifices. Their moral influ-

ence. Conclusion of the book. Appropriate language. The

advent of the Savior. Its time and place. The Mediterranean

Sea. Interesting associations. Character of God. Language

of nature; of the Bible. The sufferer in the hospital. Jeho-

vah just as well as merciful. Butler's Analogy.

3. Experimental Evidence. Case of sickness supposed. Medi-
cine. Proof of it. The mother. The mother and her sick

son. The unbeliever. Power of Christianity. Particular

case. Prisons. Old and new system of discipline. Stories of

the convicts. The disobedient son. Conversation. Struggles

with sin. Second story. Nature of ardent spirit. W.'s crime.

Learning to read in prison. First lesson. Effect of the Bible

upon W. Sins against God. W.'s mental sufferings. His

prayer. His way of finding the 51st Psalm. His relief. Close

of the convicts' stories. Charlestown state prison. Old build-

ing. Crowded night rooms. Arms. Prison yard. Chapel.

Prisoners going to Sabbath school. Aspect of the school.

Prisoners' dress. Limited circulation of the Bible. Fear of

death. The sick young man. Sting of death. The dying

mother. Practical directions. Difficulties. Disputes. Do-

ing duty.

131

CHAPTER VIII. STUDY OF THE BIBLE.

Way to study the Bible. The young man's experiment. The

family circle. Distribution of books. Interest of the children.

Particular directions. Familiar sounds. The motto in the

school-room. Description from the Bible. Vivid concep-

tions. Picturing the scene to the mind. Clear conceptions.

West's picture of Christ rejected. Effect upon the assembly.

Writing questions. God's command to Abraham. Questions

upon the passage. Questions written by a boy. Many faulty.

Utility of writing questions. Many questions on one verse.

Experiment tried by a mother. A Sabbath school teacher.

Re-writing Scripture. The boy's evening work. Actual case.

Passage. Difficulty arising. Explanation of it. Story of Mi-

cah, a specimen. Two specimens on the same subject. Ques-

tions. Collating the Scriptures. Plan tried by James and

John. Effect of this method. Three accounts of Paul's con-

version. Advantages of the plan. List of lessons. Difficulties

to be anticipated. Studying by subjects. The Sabbath. Je-

rusalem. List of topics. Too little intellectual study of the

Bible. Object of the historic form. Reading practically. Dai-

ly reading of the Bible. Useless reading. The apprentice.

Reading two verses aright.

221

CHAPTER IX.-THE SABBATH.

History of the Sabbath. Change from Saturday to Sunday. Be-
ginning of the Sabbath. Idle controversies. A father's com-
mand to his boys. The question about the clock and the dial.
Universal principle. Two doves. A day of twenty-three and
a half hours. A day at the pole. A day lost. No sunset for
months. Sabbath in Greenland. Change to first day. No
change in the command. The creation. Principle important.
Non-essentials. Liability to evasion. Human and divine laws.

Spirit of the law. James' way of reading the Bible. A boy
studying his lesson. The boat. The careful mother. Way to
interest children. Conversation with the children. Ingenuity
and effort necessary. The heart to be reached. Variety.
Remarks of a clergyman. Necessity of variety. Religious
books. Way of spending the Sabbath.
Various duties. Sys-
tem in religious exercises. Waste of time prevented. Rest
on the Sabbath. Distinct duties to be performed. Way to
make self-examination interesting and useful. Minuteness of
self-examination. Prayer. Studying the Bible, and conversa-
tion on the Sabbath. Frivolous conversation. Public worship.
Responsibility of the hearers. The farmer and his boys. Duty
of the hearers to be interested. Sinister motives at church.
Way to detect them. Heartless worship. Way in which it is
indicated. Appearance of evil. The summer evening. A
Walk. Walking, riding, sailing on the Sabbath.

257

CHAPTER X.-TRIAL AND DISCIPLINE.

Efforts of the en-

Her power. Safe

Trials of child-

1. Nature of Trial. The steam-boat on trial.

gineer. Improvements. Final results.

and successful action. Life a time of trial.

hood. The child and the forbidden book. Commands. Pain.

Advantage of trial in childhood. Putting playthings out of

reach. Conversation with a mother. Trials not to be shunned.

Instruction and practice. The merchants' plan for his son.

voyage of difficulty. Its effects.

2. The uses of Trial. Self-knowledge. The deceived mother.

True submission distinguished from false. The engineer was

watchful. Trial a means of improvement. The boy studying

division. The moral and arithmetical question. Practical di

rectes. God's providence universal. Losses of every kind

from God. The careless engineer. Neglect of duty. Con-

cluding remarks.

295

CHAPTER XI. PERSONAL IMPROVEMENT.

1. Moral Improvement. General improvement a Christian duty.
Moral improvement. Faults. The vain boy. Way to reform
him. Conversation with his father. Instances of vanity. The
boy's list. Effect of this confession. Secret confession to be
minute. Secret prayer often too general. Way to make
prayer interesting. Formal confession. Excuses. Way to
make secret prayer interesting. Private prayer. Examples of
minute confession. The father's letter. Object of this illustra-
tion. Faults to be corrected. Young and old persons. Other
means of correcting faults. Exposure to temptation. Conver-
sation between the boy and his friend. Great and small temp-
tations.

Growing in grace. Unavailing efforts. The mother. The man
of business. The dejected Christian. Direct efforts, Free-
dom of feeling and freedom of action. Way to mold the
heart. Metaphysical controversy. Story of the Duke of
Gloucester. Richard's artful plan. The council. Violent
measures. Murder of the boys. Analysis of the story. Rich-
ard's wicked character. Sense in which character is volunta-
ry. Distinction between character and conduct. Importance
of it. Moral obligation. Ways of influencing the character.
Effect of Christian knowledge. The mother. The child. Gra-
titude. Christian action. Why Howard became interested
for prisoners. Paul. Dependence upon the Holy Spirit. An
evil heart. Divine influence necessary.

2. Intellectual Improvement. A finished education. Object of

education. 1. To strengthen the powers. Robinson Crusoe's

supposed experiment with Friday. Conic Sections. Difficult

studies. 2. Acquisition of knowledge. 3. Skill. Three expe-

riments with Friday. Teaching him to count. Study of Ma-

thematics. Imperfect education. Neglect of important duties.

Intellectual progress of a young mother. 1. Reading. Sys-

tem. Variety. Thorough reading. Short works. 2. Con-

versation. Difficulty of cultivating it. Means of cultivating it.

Experiments proposed. Plans and experiments. Digesting

knowledge. 3. Writing. Private Journals. Form and man-

ner. Running titles. Family Journal. By brothers and sis-