The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1882-08-01 00:00:00

ANNIVERSARY SERVICE.

That wee an Immense congregation, for Weymouth,
which crowded into the Wesleyan Chapel on Sunday
evening, for the anniversary service. In the morning. the
chapel 1141 been well Clad, and the Hu. G. Bubee had
preached • stirring discourse ; but at night, they passed all
bounds. In the gallery the girls were arranged on the
north, and the boys on the south, and every svatlst4e seat
woe filled, so that chairs were placed in the passage.
Below it was even denser, forms were ranged in the aisles,
and placed on the platform which bears the communion
space, while outside the people sat in the lobbies. A well-
known Weymouth navigator towed us throuch the
schoolroom and upset airs until we faced the great
coragresston. It was a fine sight, and the servics an
earnest ono. The feature at these anniversary services Is
generally the singing of the children, and it was one VAG
evening, among tuts. we heard being "Are you coming
Home to-nigi3 f" rendered with Impressive oarnestnus,
sod Oh, what are you going to do, brother I" sung with
brightusa.
Several friends from Portland were present.
The favourite recitalist, Rev. G. Babe., chose his t.xt
from the solemn words of Our Lord—" Take heed tut ye
despise not ocas of these itile ones; for I tall you that
their angels do always behold the face of my Father. The
sermon occupied over three quarters of an hour and in the
course of it, the preacher said The Muter was never st sins.
for a pulpit or a text. On this occasion he chose one of the
sweetest, and most eloquent t tits that man seer chose.
Ths disciples, knowing that He we, abort to leave them,
caked—" Who should be the head and chief, who should
be the greatest in the kingdom of burnt, who will be tho
greatest when you are gone I" And Jesus celled • little
child and set him among them, and there was the t
lilt were your child I Odra I us your eyes glow wits
admiration. What • sight, and what • unnoe. In the
vary look of • little child there is • 687111011; in its very
bands as it clings with nervous clutch to tilt fingers of the
Lord. There is such power in ths little child that it can
always preach to us, and the moat eloquent sermons are
preached by the child. May the child Drench to neon this
anniversary ocuaion. Get your own child in front of you,
look into your child's eye., listen to its voice, and then
when the sight of the child has preached its sermon, let
us hear what the Lord has to say. First, we notice the
little 001111 and the sermons they preach to us. How they
awaken echoes of the past ! What man or woman can
look upon the child without losing reminded of the days of
the put, when our souls were unsullied by conscious
transgre.eions, in which we nestled at mother's breast, or
bowed at mother's knee, and lisped our childish prowl.
Look at the child and be will make a child of you. There
are 11111030tiel which would have been forgott DO long age
by the aged, If it were not for the presence of children;
but by them we are kept its.., and take part in • life we
shall laver live again. Life is too real for us men and
women, and it would be still more so if it were not for the
children. Then, how they gladden the present I I would
counsel those who have not any, to adopt some, so that
you may have some for your own to smooth away the
care-marks in your furrowed brow, and some little
face lifted up to yours when yci emr borne worn
with the hardness of life. W. would almost say—
" Save as from heaven if there be no childr n there."
A father comes home from business, his heart
wounded by Its c 44 cruelty ; the brain and the temple
throb; bow he is tick of everything; but be comes to the
door at home, and the little one rune to meet him I How the
prattle soothes the man whole wearied of the world I We
00 not know what we owe to the children; but SAM/ of
100 may know it by their ammo& You may have had
them carried out of the door to (ha grave, and when you
turned back, did not you say—" How empty Is the koala I
I have burled every ray of sunlight." The Lord pity you.
The mother borne down by the cares of the day, or stung
by the closing words of her perkier, sill dry heir tears in
the face of her child.
Then how they Us& us lesions I You can single out
your own, and let them teach you. What 1~01 of
docility, of confidence ! They believe every word that
father or mother says; each confidence may we have is
God; bow they run for c sunset to those who are Wm:tier
than themselves. Blussi are three children who are
grown to manhood, and who hay. hoary-heeded parents
to counsel them. 'What an enigma the child Is? Who
can tell its future I You may sit down and paint • (stare
for it. but yoa casinot make it reaL It is too real that you
cannot tell the future of the child; shall it rise very high
In the world or the church? or shall it sink very low, and
go r.ut in eternal darkness? 80s11 the nuns of your child
bring • blush of honest pride upon your cheek, or cause
your head to be bowed in shame I Your child Imy child!
what will our children be I We do not know, and yet it
is all wrapped spin that little breast. The hidden life.
it is all there, the bud of the future flower is there, but
etu ho., the sum, (chidden ; you cannot see the Infiuences
at work; but they are at week, and the man is bidden in
that child. It is like • rosebud wrapped up, and the
colour tits begun to be 'minted by the grin. There are
terrible possibilities fu the child, possibilities of life or
. .

What will be our relation to our children I How shall
we train that young soul, so that it shall reign for ever end
ever, instead of weeping for ever. It loot vet importance
to know how we shall mould the child early by the good
lotkances ; bow shall we prevent it from beiug spoiled 1
How save it from the lows the eternally damned? Look
In your child's face, say—" How can I train my chill so
that when I spree before my Saviour I shall say— My
bends are clean r Have you looked at your children?
Have they preached to you? Do you tremble to think of
your responsibility, thinking that the greatest indoence
brought to bear upon your chill will he your own I Then
listen to *hat God tells us—namely, that the children
are eared for by Jeans, and by the angels; therefore. t .ey
oneht to be cered for by us. Our chief study shod I be
that we do not injure them. They are raced for by
h —" Take heed that ye despise not one of these
little ones, for their angels do always behold the face of
my Fattier. which is in heaves." About the brightest
sight in connection with our Saviour's life was his dealing
with children. Hen of dark secrets have an aversion to
children, but here te Jesus, the Men of Sorrows, with
his face scarred with many • furrow of care; Jesus Is the
centre of attraction to the little owe How often ham He
the children around Him I How sweetly does He draw
them to Him. and ISI Soler the little children to come
111t0 N..- He has loved them ; nay. mare. He bee
relearned them, for when Be died for the world, He
died for the children. Ad here He gives us a
eliciting truth, for He Washes us that the children
have gairdisa angels. Some people bars interpreted thie
t memo that Use spirit, of these children when they in to
heaven, behold the face of the Tether. But the Greek
word need for 'anger here has neither in the hew Testa.
meet, nor Its like in the Old, anywhere the ilterZete•
Mon of spirit. of men. One of the angels treated len
by God guards the little ease, and it was quite • new
truth, for Our Saviour sa”—" I say nab you." lest as
If WSe going t isay—'l Woe away and reveal this:
Mere I. wwneekins myetirloue about the ministry of
angels, until we ezasaise, bet we find is ministry of
angels is for redemption. They drat appear as guardians
of the tree of life, they kept Adam and Hoe on of the
garden; but they spew for redemption; In greet
number* to the prophet., become they were the typ
and tore-runners of the ; then when Christ wrn
horn they circled in countlese thousands or mod the
cradle, and snug his praise. And from that time they
have been our minister' ; they minister to us and our
children, they are compii.,4 ht the scheme of redemp-
tion, and angels therefore are helping them. The
'ancient church used to fancy that leech. child bad its
separate mural ; but we know Gut mimeses leftist*
aplrita are belying to trait, our children, y who
dwell In the ggelienos of God unfold their Mao sad