St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1876-03-17

SN'N'"
lem.
Washed in the blood of the Lamb"
Many incidents recorded in Scripture,
and turns of thought expressed there,
throw much side light pom this doc
trine When David's child died, Da-
vid said He shall not return to me,
but | shall 90 to him." Where was
the child that the father might go to
him The Inference is, with its Heav
emily Fathel-saved, and in heaven.
There is no other consistent interpreta-
ton.
The ruler sent for Jesus when his lit
tie daughter died. Jesus came and
said. 1.-The maid is not dead but sleep
eth Her redeemed spirit had passed
into rest. and Christ taught the world
through her resurrection that death to
him was only sleep.
Again. Take heed that We dcspise
not one of these little ones, for | say
unto you that in heaven their angels do
always behold the face of my Father
which is in heaven The precionsness
of children in the eye of God Is here
taught. An angel of light always waits
before the Fathers face, quick to catch
His desire and thought concerning the
little one and when the soul is breathed
forth in sickness. to bear it home ON
swift wing, with JOY and song, to the
Fathers house.
This has been the steadfast hope of
the church III all ages. Isolated indi
viduals have, here and there, held CON
trary opinions, and these opinions have
been attributed to the whole church of
God, and religion has thus been brought
Il L., Il, l,,-
uairiendly to the truth But the great
body of believers, constituting the diff
ferent families of the Church of Cod
have always drawn from the Bible the
sweet doctrine of infant salvation. 1t
is the comfort of uncounted homes and
hearts this hour.
Everywhere and always, when IL soul
is saved, it is the holy spirit applying
the completed work of Christ for our
salvation, renewing the sinful nature of
which all are partakerS, and cleansing
away theevil, ctual orpotential, always.
1t is this which saves the soul, bat the
time and method are known only to
God. The Holy Spirit may come, ;,s
in many cases in the Bible before birth :;
So the second birth shall be the natural
birth. and the first birth the spiritual
one.
He may come the hour after the child
Is given To the mother may come i'll
answer to PRAYER, come i'll sickness,
come any time. Who shall limit the
operations of Divine grace?
The fOreshadowing of the better life
is often seen and marked in the chill
dren that are taken away. Such 4
child, it l. said, is too good for earth.
The good die early. This little one
Is ripening for the spirit land. The
mark of Gods finger appears i'll premo-
nitlonS. Even the ancients had II max
in Nv hom the gods love die Young"
If God could say, concerning jeremiah
Before | formed thee | knew thee
and before thou vert born / sanctiied
thee and ordained hrc Il prophet unto
the nations, may not God also set the
germ at the divine life IN an infant of Il
day. and he peopling heaven all these
ages with shining ones appointed to a
glorious spiritual life aud service
Parents then must remember that
they do not raise children for the grave
Ii is only the portal through which
they pass To light immortal. The little
lie is not incomplete. however short
IL branch broken of prematurely, ii bud
thrown down to Wither. Nothing is
premature here. Disappearing from
these earthly scenes the little ones live
in tadeless bloom. They are the heart
of the Kingdom of Heaven. holding
mNriads of households to IL better life |
hope 10y the golden cords of ii treasured
love.
| 20 to Bellefontaine. said IL wealthy
father. and weep at little Eddie's grave,
and come back Il truer and better man.
less earthly and selfish and grasping.
| know that grave in my heart is turn
ing me 10 Il Christian life. So our theme
utters itself in counsel and comfort.
Children pass away, our choicest bless
lng> occasion our seVtrest trials. But
our severest trials, i'll turn, by Gods
goodness. open the way to our most
blessed consultations and hopes. The
gates are left aIar, and great spiritual
good flows out where our feet may cnteI
III. Much is taken from your homes, . :,
how much in these deaths but God
brings back, If you permit him, InoIe
than he takes, and will not leave You
romfortlcSS. l. it well with the child
1t Is well. Then let it Le we'll with you.
Turn your thoug hts above the per
iShing things that are seen 10 the bright
immortal home, and think of the beau
tltnl years of Gods love. Paint the to-
morrow of death, and see Your little
one tranStigured there. Draw bright
ness OF color from the future to relieve
the gloom of the present. and let liv-
ing Savior be your hope and comfort.
Does Il small white grave lie far back
tIlnnpb thu. ,.l,....Iy IA
falIcr. then. may Ice the vision of the
angel spirit The meeting may he soon,
ityon rae il faithful child efGod. You will
not clasp III your arms the same little
one you lost. with no development of
stature and intelligence and love-
What mlni>tering spirit now is the
child Non laid, with sighs and tears,
under the daisies.
Not "A child shall W. behold her
For when with rapture wild
In our embraces VIZ again enfuld her
She Will not be a child
But tair maiden in her Fathers mansion
Clothed with celestial grace
And beautiful with the souls pa nsion
Shall We behold her face.
Day after day we think what she il doing
In those bright realms of air;
Y ear after year her tender steps pursuing
Behold her grown more fair
Here is one of the best of the recent
sayings of DIR. Talmage, which he fires
on III his editorial capacity: "When we
hnd Il man contemptuouS of labor. and
aching as though he never worked ut
all, and aS though his ancestors had
never worked, we make up our mind
that If you go il little further back in
that man : ancestral line y,u will RIM,
against ii scavcngers cart or upset Il
soap boilers kettle"