The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-04-05
For the Central Presbyterian.
We are the Children of the
Lord your God"

for few hours of an infant not quite a
year old. 1t had lately learned to crawl
and being of an enterprising spirit, it was
so fond of practicing this new accomplish
ment that / found it impossible to keep
1t quiet upon my lap. The things that
attracted it, the amount of mischief it
contrived to get into, and the dangers it
incurred in its rash and aimless wander
ings, impressed me as curious and strik-
ing; and bordering thereon, L learned
lesson OF human nature and human life
In vain [ heaped around it the blocks,
picture books, and toys which parental
wisdom and love had provided for it's en-
tertainment These were too trite and
familiar to satisfy, while so many novel
aud curious objects tempted to explora-
ton and discovery and it continued to
get hold of all sorts of improper and
hurttul things and into all sorts of I'M
suitable and dangerous places. Its ex-
preston of surprise, disappointment, and
wounded sensibility, was quite touching
as the objects it had so striven to obtain
were taken from it, or as it was with
drawn from some longed for goal, reached
with great effort and difficulty. After
frequent disappointment it even began
to manifest slight spirit of indignant
rebellion, which had to be soothed with
loving words and tender caresses. 1t
was lovely, gentle, docile child. and
yet its actions, at the first glance, would
seerl to indicate the most obstinate per-
versity.
In explanation of its conduct, tried
to see things from its standpoint. en-
deavored to conceive the mental and
moral condition Of child year old.
Placed utterly helpless and ignorant in
world so vast, embracing such intricate
complexity, such amazing variety, with
only the experience of few months ex-
ercise OF the feeblest faculties, how dim,
confused, and perplexed must be its i'm
pressions and ideas What wonder that
its fancy should be captivated, and its
desires excited by the most hurtful OBJ
jectsl What wonder that it should so
often attempt what would be fatal to its
very existence Without the watchful
care of parents and guardians, how soon
must it perish AS these find it neces-
sary to deprive it of some hurtful object,
or to snatch it from some position of peril,
how perplexing, even cruel, must these
deprivations and denials appear to the
dim little soul Only the trustfulness,
docility, and veneration instructive to
| childhood, could render its necessary dis
cipline endurable.
There is striking analogy between
the child's position in this world and its
relation to its parents, and our position
In the universe and our relation to our
heavenly Father The discipline we are
called upon to endure, is much the same;
but we lack the childlike trust and ODE
dience necessary to reconcile us to it.
Impotent and ignorant as is the infant
compared to the most powerful and en-
llghtened man who ever swayed the des-
TIMES of the mightiest empire upon earth,
even more impotent and ignorant is the
latter in comparison with the graat Crea-
tor and ruler of the universe. And vast,
curious, varied, and complex as the world
appears to the dim apprehension of the
infant, ten thousand times more vast, in
tricate, and wonderful does the universe
appear to the most powerful and thor
oughly instructed adult mind. AS the
child is totally unconscious of the feeble
ness of its powers and its utter lack of
knowledge, so we are entirely ignorant of |
how narrow IS our capacity and how linn
tied our knowledge. Nor can we form
the slightest idea of the extent of our ig-
norance. One of the profoundest phil |
osophers has declared that the whole ten
dency of knowledge is to teach us how
little we know. In every field of inquiry,
we encounter mysteries which we cannot
possibly solve.
Very imperfect is our knowledge Of
material things; for our physical senses
are restricted in their powers, as is man
Tested by the revelations of the micro
scope and the telescope, the one showing
us objects too small to be distinguished
by the naked eye, the other, those so dis
tant as to be beyond our range Of vision.
And our mental vision is even more con-
tracted. OF the infnity which lies be-
yond it's range, we can form no concep-
ton. OF the terms infnity, eternity, ina
mortality, we can have bat the dimmest
comprehension. Yet, although we can
but vaguely comprehend and imperfectly
reason upon what lies Immediately before
US, and are totally ignorant Of all beyond
this, we feel perfectly competent to shape
our own destiny, and are continually
questioning and caviling at the DEGREES