The New York herald., 1878-01-14
FIFTH AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH
ANNUAL SERMON TO CHILDREN ON SAMUEL $


LITTLE COAT BY REV. DE. ARMITAGE.
Rev. Dr. Armitage preached hts annual sermon to
cnlldren on samnes little coat tax ng his text from
l. Samuel, H., 10, which reads as iollows:-''His
mother made him little coat and brought II to him
year by year. when she came up with her husband 10
offer tho yearly sacrifice"
DO you think, SAID tho reverend Doctor his eyes
beaming with kindness and bene volence his Juve
nile hearers, both male and female, that boy lives
who does not like TO hear OF new coat or girl who
docs feel happy whom you tell her about new dress!
Surely never knew such u boy or girl. And they
like a nat shoes, which cover the head or icet,
quite much they do The coat and dress which
cover the rest OF the body. In word. they love
everything from top 70 Toe, and they seem
TO love any thing the more II mother makes IT, Now,
doubt Samuel, the handsome little Jewish boy IN
the tabernacle, was just lond of his little
any other child ever But who was samuel?
We must see Hc was the son OF .wo poor, plain
people, named Elkanah and Hannah. They lived at
place called Ramah, II the Holy Land moro than
three thousand years ago Their son Samuel when
very little child given to the Lord and taken to
place called Shiloh, where the tabernacle of the Lord
at that time, and El the priest, who was very
old man. made him sort OF servant, or errand boy,
TO help him in the worship Of the Lords house,
When the priests served III the house oi the Lord
they wore robe made OF fine linen, called an
ephod, and they made one OF linen, not
nne theirs, aud put l.: on samuel
But the ephod was sort Of underdress, and over It
the priest wore IL flowing blue mantle that reached
to the leet, ana was very rich. You might call IT
tunic, but sometimes II Is called u cloak aud some
times ''coat" Ius was the garment which Hannah
made Tor Samuel, her son; and DR.. Lesser, very
learned jew, calls little overcoat," because II
The rest OF the Dress yet bear in mind
tnat TINS d1 not make Samuel priest, Tor he never
filed that office helped Eli. Then again, this
have beeu the tabe rnace, but 1t Is more likely
that II was his everyday dress, as Dr. Lange cas H.
Nov, l want you 10 notice only one thing about
Samuels little coat-namely, that In THIS tiny
coat you can sec three warm, loving hearts
ana lives beat ut once. These are the hearts
oi Samuel and his mother and his ialher
Now thai Is more than you eau say about all coats.
Some coats do not cover one warm heart TO say
nothing two ,hroe. You find great many coats
made and sold in tn. shops, and II tue man WHO ses
Them only gets his money Tor them he does not care
any thing about those who wear them. Maybe ho
VINO buys the coat Is poor sailor boys or IA poor
turner boy, or poor school boy. He may 20 through
many Storm IN mat coat I'LL no Is wet to the
SKIN He may have to button II tight about the breast
To Keep out the cold when Is irozen aud hungry.
He may drop many tear on the sleeve when he secs
ms lat her or mother SICK anu gong 10 die because
he has " out and PICK up lew scks or Goals 10
keep them warm or TO beg u low crusts of bread 10
keep them alive as loDg as he eau. But the man
that sold the coat never knows that, and
perhaps would not care much about II II no did.
Wen, under that boys coat there Is only one warm
heart, and that Is MS own. Then, under some coats
very cold ana frosty hearts, which only care for
themselves lhey co not care even, whether or LOt
the that covers them ever PAID Tor. Now,
wnat very mean fellow tLa, is who Can strnt about
in ii nice coat ana never pay for III
There Is weed growing IN alt gardens which tue
country people call 'pusey." and they say ;iaL II ID
tue meanest weed tLat gro~a because there 10 30
much OF IT, and you cannot get rid OF H. do what YOU
will But should think that any one WHO Is toV
mean TO pay for the coat that wears would blush
look an honest spriS OF pusiey Iii the lace 1t IS a
bad heart that beats under such coat; IN iact, you
hardly call IL a heart al all IL must 20 Ike u
heart, but cold as beet and as haTd as u stone
Now, such heart iycd IN Samuei's little coat. No
Fnows What sort ol stun It was made OF whether
II was linen, or WOOL or silk, tell how
hs mother made II. She mignt have woven 1t On the
loom, tnat IL was Ike the coat of our Lord-wltL-
scainor she might cut II ol cloth ana wcd
IT, pecc ny piece Ill the coat done. But this is
no matter You may be sure. II she wovc IL, love
ew from her heart 10 the ends OF her hngcrs faster
Than the shuttle flew rvm side TO side the web,
that between each thread love throw pright mesh
liner than spticr's web. And II she sewed IL piece
by piece then love made her nand trcmbc every lime
ed the needle and drew through tho Goth,
u che was potting The seams togcthcr by lhose
slkcu cords Of love which she had spun In her own