, 1886-05-16
HENRY WARD BEECHER.
THE CHlLDREN'S SUNDAY AT PLY
MOUTH CHURCH

Famous Preacher on n Favorite Sub
ject-Hls Estimate of Frcd Douglass
OratorIcaI Powers.
BROOKLYN, May o.--Mr. Beecher's sermon
this morning was a short AMI semi-idylic
tribute to the children. a favorite subject
with him, and one specially appropriate to
this particular Sabbath, when a score of lit
tie ones were baptized by the great preacher.
Before the sermon. in noticing a lecture
by Frederick Douglass, Mr.. Beecher re-
marked: Il have lived h great deal longer
than Methuselnh, for he never saw between
his cradle and his grave any such change
as | nave lived to see-3.0O 0 900 slaves not
only freed. but admitted to congress, to the
senate, to pulpits, and even to
ride in III, cars. The wheel has
been completely turned arornd" He went
on to tell how Fred. Douglass had refused
through modesty to sit in his tMr. Beecher's)
pew. until the hitter told him that if he didn't
he would take him up in tho pulpit with him.
The eloquence Of this man, born a slave,
added Mr.. Bcccher. In the stormy times that
a'e gone oftentimes amounted to oratory
that Cicero or Demosthenes might be proud
OF.
The text OF Mr.. Beecher's sermon was
Luke ii. 10: But Mary kept all these things,
and pondered Them in her heart He said:
There is great mystery, one way and
anoth r, at the beginning or the ending oil
everything. but of the things that are more
familiar to us there is great my,tery in child
lie. Why a child should be born of such
unfit instruments IA parents arc to bring
children up. Why. II they are as dear to
God as Jesus says they are. He should be sc
careless Of them, and why He should leave
them In hands so unfit to care for them;
why, under conditions so unfavorable, these
little soldiers, without defense or weapons
of warfare in this battling world. should
have been sent forth to such enterprise.
What becomes of them when they die
errlyi Do they remain children In the other
lifei And il n oh Ids life is that to which 1t
comes by unfolding. what becomes of chill
dren that never unfoldedi
Whence is the life that constitutes life
Was n child in existence in the heavenly life,
md plucked ns n flower from the heavenly
aids to 10 grated on TO an earthly stalk;
or does Ii o spring up from certain condi-
tions. even ms chemical results come from
certain comb 'ationsi
These qnestions do not trouble science.
which is avowelly cold and intellectual.
1bb ~ WI AitI Aht XIV II ~ u u
tude Of other questions, and especially to the
adapt ton of facts to the declarations OF
Christ in regard to the nature and place and
import nee Of children.
Look for a moment at the life OF Christ
with little chi dren upon earth Take for in.
stance ,hs history that is recorded in
NJ irk x:
And they brought young children to him
that he shou d touch them Ut was proba-
bly, asupcrstition of love-. "And his disci.
pies rehukcd those that brought them.
What are children compared to grown folk
And while Christ was pre- chi &, what are
crying children 10 do in church when 1t in
terrupts the sermon and stirs the vexatious
spirit of the adults that are come there to
hear the music and the eloquent preach.
ingi what business has a cryirg child
therei little nuisance anyhow, we say
in our vexation; and n reflection OF
that feeling Doubtless was in the
minds Of parents as the disciples rebuked
those that brought them. and said. take
them home, give them to the nurses, let
somebody Take care of those children
JESUS saw it, and was much displeasel, and
said unto them: Suffer the little children &c
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 heaven rs a little child, he shall
not enter therein. And He took them up In
His arms AMI put His hand upon them and
blessed them
suppose the blessing took the shape OF a
kiss. And what richer gift could thnre lie
than that the lips I'm 'Stis should seal the lit
tie child's lipSf And II 1t did not bless those
children, it has blessed us and all that have
children. from that day to this.
Then in the ninth chaper also OF Marks gos-
pei Mark, atoye all the %evangelists. mar
rnies as one that saw. and, therefore. his
statements are with circumstantiality and
particularly such as belongs not to Luke nor
even TO Matthew. In Mark tx, "a,
And He came to Capernaum, and being in
the house. He asked them, What was 1t
that ye disputed among yourselves
by the wayf' to His disciplesl. 'They held
their PEACE and looked at each other under
their e%yeliisl, for by the way they had dis
puted anon themselves who should be the
grca est" 1t was a kind of n pol ticll cleo,
ton qu irrcl. And He sat down and called
the twelve, and saith unto them.
IL any man desire to be first.
the samo shall DO last OF all,
and servant OF all And He took a child and
set him in the midst OF them h never
seemed to lose n chance to take up n chill I,
and He never hardly lost a chancs to lay His
hands on those that were TO receive His bene-
diction. He seemed to have that per
sonal sympathy with all objects that
were around and near Him, that He W II ell
to cares them. And He took a child an
set him in the midst of them, and when He
had taken him in HIS arms He said unto
them, whosoover shall rece We one of such
children IN my nama, receiveth me, and
who,oever shall receive me, r,ceiveth not me
l.t Ill.,. el.t ...t -. - III.
of Col, He says. as 1t was in Him, was also
at the root in the child, and the love and nc
ceptancs OF little children is put as the inte-
ror and peculiar action by which we receive
God Himself. a small door, the little babe
Is, bu. it lets one into great things. Well.
he goes further than that. in the eighteenth
capter Of Matthews gospel, beginning With
the first verse.
And Jesus called n | tile child INTO Him
and set him in the mi list OF them, and said:
Verify | say unto you. except yo lie con.
vcrtsd and become as little children We shall
not enter into the kingdom OF heaven.
WhoSoever, therefore, shall humble himself
rs this little child, the same is greatest in the
kingdom of heaven, and whose sha | receive
one such little child in My name receiveth
Me; hut whose shall offend Tor 'caus, to
stumble , one OF these little ones which be-
live in Me, 1t wcre better for him that a
milestone were hanged about his neck and
that hc were drowned in the depth OF the
sea-
And in the tenth chapter OF Matthews
gospel we shall find this; And whoever
shall give TO drink unto one Of these little
ones n cup OF cold water only in thu name OF
a disciple, re lily | say unto you he shall in
no wi Q los, hi, reward" Toe slightest ser
vice to an unrequiing babe shall not 90 un.
disccrnel ror uir. wardcd by the God of all
children.
Aud finally, in the eighteenth chap'er,
again Of Matthews ospel, we find n dec.arn
tion still morr remarkable: "Take heed tn