Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-03-23
Children's Service at Bethany Church.

The services at Bethany church, In this village, i
Sabbath morning last, were arranged with refer
ence to the children Of the congregation. The |
children and youth OF the Sabbathschool, with |
their teachers, sat together in front, and the
Scriptures read and the hymns sung were such rs
to lead them to unite in them. After the singing |
and reading, four little children, among which |
was the pastors infant son, were presented and |
received the seal Of their parents faith in the
sacrament OF baptism. This sacrament, when |
fttingly administered, is both instructive and i'm
pressive. 1t was especially so In the presence OF
the children OF the Sabbath-schoo and congrega-
ton The pastors text was Mark TX 80, And |
he took child and set him in the midst of them"
The pastor introduced bis subject by calling at
tention to fact in our Lords teaching-his habit
OF taking familiar things OF the earth and sky, |
the field, and the family animal and human life
in all OF which he is, 80 that there is continu-
ally before us some apt symbol Of his presence
and power, something familiar, instructive and
winning through which he is speaking and pro-
posed for consideration the Mission Of the Child's
Life. Referring to the death, lately, of four chill
dren of the congregation-two of whom were
members of the sabbath-school, he took them,
with their varied, brief, but bright lfe illusra
Though brief 1t was complete The first thing he
would consider in the mission Of the childs life
was, It strengthened our belief in the immortal
ity of the soul Our belief in immortality is not such
that any new and fresh evidence upon it is use
less and lost upon us, Each evidence, new and
repeated, has practical value, particularly the
completed life Of a child. We could not believe
that the child ceased to be. 1t lived on and made
the future more real and attractive. II men died
only at threescore years and ten, when their sight
was becoming more and more dim and their fac
ulties dulled, we could easily infer that this
process OF decay continued and that life ceased
altogether at no very distant time. Not 80 in the
case OF the child. Death comes to IL while Its
powers are opening and active. We have no rea-
to think this process is arrested and the child
ceases TO be. Mr. Ilncks related an incident told
him by physician Of Montpelier. 1t was that Of
a little boy dangerously sick, who entreated his
father not to stay away from his supper to care
for him. 81 shall be all right, father" he cheer
fully said. His father turned to go out, and as
he turned death came and took the child away.
We cannot think that such life ceases. These
young lives whte-wiDged messengers from
heaven to direct our gaze and fix our eye the
things that are real though not seen. (2) The
mission of the chlds life teaches impressively the
frailty and uncertainty of human life. When we
see this life cut off at the beginning and the bud
plucked at its opening, we learn, as we can in no
other way how the spiders most attenuated
thread is cord, is cable, to mans slender tie on
earthly bliss it breaks at every breeze" (3) The
chds mission teaches us of Gods supreme claim
upon our life. What is there that we can claim II
not our children They are ours II anything u.s. But
in taking them away God teachei us that they
are his more than ours. The Heavenly Father
takes them away from time to time, and when he
will he folds them in his bosom. (l) The child's
life lends new attractions to heaven. Pure and
satisfying are its lows because our children in all
their spscen,ib,litv and iovorsness are tharo and
arc sa,;ssed Tbev draw No after them 10 tbo
nlace ,,horo tho,, arc ,ore roro tho nos,or ,old
of Tho fa,ber and son IN ,be coast ~ Maine I'll n
ta,hor ro,,od or, ON Tho oooon ,oorirn nj. ,;,tio