Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-05-14
IN MEMORIAM.

Farrar, and of the late Benz. F. Farrar, OF
st. Adams, VT, died in this place on the
18th ult., at the age of Is years and IL mos.
We publish the following from a sermon, OF
which this event was the OCCASION by Rev. S.
| w. Eaton, Pastor of the Congregational
Church, OF which the deceased was the young
estmember:
MARX, 10: ID, Il. And they brought young child.
| rem unto him, that he should touch them; and his
disciples rebuked those that brought them. But
| when Jesus saw IL, he was much oispleassd, and
said unto them, Suffer the little children to come
unto me, and forbid them not; fer of such is the
| kingdom Of God.
/ desire on this occasion to present some
thoughts on child piety, a subject suggested
by the death Of the dear boy whom Jesus has
Just taken from the mothers arms and folded
to his own breast
Christ knew, better than his favored dici
pies, better even than the yearning mo Their
heart, the true and full significance of child
hood. In the scene pictured in the text, he
has indicated his estimate of its exceeding
preciousness by words and acts which may be
| regarded as embodying special and beautiful
| Gospel for children. 1t cannot mean less than
this, that children are nearer the kingdom of
heaven, and may be more readily introduced
| INTO 1t, than those who have remained outside
| OF that kingdom until adult age has been
| reached. "His diciples rebuked those that
brought them," thinking that they were not
| old ough, and must wait. "But when Je~
sus saw it, he was much displeased, and said
unto them, Suffer the little children to come
unto me and forbid them not; for of such is
| the kingdom of God. Verify | say unto you,
Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of
| God as a little child he shall not enter there's
| IN And he took them up in his arms, put his
hands upon them, and blessed them" Long
| before this the Lord had oallad Samual uban
but Child" And David had said, cold men
and children, let them praise the Lord" 1t is
the sentiment of an uninspired writer, 1.-THE
Older the child grows he is stair lower from
Cod" And of another, "He who can change
the course of the river when it has rolled on
ward and become mighty food, can control
the newborn rivulet escaping from its cradle
fountain, and make it run in the channel he
desireth.' And of still another, Children have
eminently simplicity of faith, which is akin
to the highest knowledge"
If you ask the learned theoiogan ':What is
God?" this is the result of his profoundest
thought "God is spirit, infinite eternal, I'M
changeable i'll his being, wisdom, power hol-
ness, justice, goodness and truth" The little
child will reply, "He is my Heavenly Father"
and the latter answer is, in many respects, bet
ter and nearer the absolute truth than the for
mer. While not capable of comprehending
logical propositions, the child posse sses re-
markable insight Put a case, supposed or &C
tual and you viii be surprised at his quick
and clear sense of right.
The example Of an engineer on whose loco
motive ADDIE once rode, and whose invariable
practice was to kneel and pray before the
starting of the train, brought the dear boy,
who had had many serious impressions before,
to the great crisis Of conversion, and a little
than Sinaa no y0,,blioIu od
his love for the Savior in company with large
number of young dcipes. During the dis
tressing illness which preceded his death, when
the mind was clear, and even in delirium, he
showed wonderful spiritual apprehension by
his alteration of Gods power and glory and
mercy; also by singing, as he did, psalm of
praise and love which he seemed to have CONS
posed out of his own heart. ''The magnificent
God who forgives sin !" he was heard to ex,
claim These things are "hidden from the wise
and prudent, who have chosen not to see but
are revealed unto babes" 1t is difficult to
make those who have grown up in sin feel that
they are sinners at all; but this child, with
sense of great unworthiness, must make con-
fession of sin again and again to God, and
must ask forgiveness both of God and man. -
''The wise and prudent" will hear the sweet
"old, old story" of Christ's love, and not be
moved and melted by it; but this child, when
the careful watcher asks tenderly, 'What do
you want, dear?" replies, 81 want nothing but
Jesus" Those who from poverty, or age, or
infrmity, seem to have nothing to live for, often
cling to life as if they had no faith in glori-
Gus hereafter but this child, with life all be-
fore him, and having had no experience of Sc
we're toll or bitter disappointment, feels that he
has more to die for than to live for he desires
"a better country even heavenly" "What
n haaptif,1 Mo bow banp oban y l.
says to his little sister He asks not impa-
tiently, "Why do you keep me longer?" and
adds, do let me 60" Seeming to look right
up into heaven, he exclams, "Oh, there are so
many of them! Oh, there's Jesus, darling Je-
sus" When at length the last hour has nearly
come, he prays, 80, dear Jesus, take me now,
have waited so long" The dear Jesus did
grant his desire that night, and the father who,
dying, had said, Good by, my darling boy"
clasped with ecstasy the son who had come to
him in that new home, which is even brighter
than that which they had left.
We might say that the young spirit few to
heaven on the wings of sweet song He came
to Christ, lived with Christ, died in Christ
singing:
II love Jesus, Halelujah;
love Jesus, yes do, do love Jesus;
Hes my Savior;
Jesus smiles, and loves me too"
The son was sustained and upb0rne, as the
father had been a few years before, in ''the f.
nal strife" by those words Of trusting love,
"Jesus lover Of my soul,
Let me to thy bosom fly"
have referred to some of the incidents of
the closing of that young life, notwithstanding
many of you are acquainted with them, for the
purpose of illustrating and impressing the les
son of the text, that children Christ's little
ones, and that he wants US to nurse and nur4
ture them for him-"0f such is the kingdom
of God" We do not regret having encouraged
ADDIE to unite with the church, and we would
wish that to-day the number Of the children in
communion were equal to that of the adult
members.
Ia the beautiful language of another, Gull
is the blooming earth Of the graves of chld~
reu, and as it rolls through the blue ether,
with the din of its passions, and the hum of its
business, and the song Of its joy, there rises to
the ear of heaven the plaintiye cry of bereaved
parents more constant than the drum beat of
martial empire. Let that cry lose its anguish
and not lose its depth by the comfort of
heavenly faith, and let US write on the sod
where you plant the yiolets Of remembrance,
words like these
Here rests one of few yrars and few sorrows,
Living he did Gods work, and dying does Ii still
Living he opened Lew springs OF love earth,
Dying he wins new hearts to Christ and heaven"