New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-24
SERMONS WORTH READING.
THE MISSION OF THE CHILD LEADER.
A CHRISTMAS SERMON BY THE REV. ABRAM W.
HALsEY, THE PASTOR OF THE SPRING

HAIsEY, THE PASTOR OF THE SPRING
STREET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
The old Spring Street Church building. plain.
substantial but churchly edifce on springst. near
varick Is one OF tho landmarks OF the Eighth Ward
The Spring Street Church IL The Downtown Pres
byterian Church, and maintains Its vigor and IN
dependence spite Of the encroachmcnts OF business
and the constant removal OF its members and friends
When the Rev. DR.. Alfred H. Moment now OF the west
minister Church. Brooklyn came to the Spring Street
Church. in 1876, It in precarious condition; by
his efficient and aggressive work tho church reganed
its prestige and has continued to flourish under his
successor, the present pastor the Rev. A. ". liasey
The new Church Manual. which will be sent to every
member on the day Of January. shows full set OF
church officers, goodly number OF societies ana Or
CARNATIONS for aggressive Christian work, congrega-
ton without cent Of debt, and membership, bona
Hde, of AS 335 of whom united with the church in
the last six years The Sunday school Of the church
Is in healthy state and al their Christmas celebration,
TO held on Thursday evening, the children Will give
a cantata. written by the pastor Mr.. Halscy was
born IN Elizabeth, N j.. in 1853. and graduated
from Princeton College and Princeton Seminary. He
is the moderator OF the PIesbytery of NewYork.
Mr.. Hasey preached last evening from the text.
And a little child shall lead them"-Isaiah xi, g.
saying In substance:
We have picture, not photograph It states
truth a doctrine, not fact it is bold and sug-
sesye forecast Of the reign Of the one who unto ss
be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty Goa, INC
hb d ra9e the P T of the
the strength Of the religion born In The mangor cradle
lies in the exercise OF the C On s d words ord Of
Christ, The meek shall inherit the the earth and
except ye be converted and become as tte GnldrGn
The child spirit IS the spirit of the Christ Child, and
by this sign The Church rules leads, conquers; and
The prophet did not see a little boy leading lion
by the manc, or leading COW and bear out Of me
with the wolf little Red Rdnghood, with the teeth
eft out, only Learned commentstors IN these later
days have seen this the prophet did not see stephen
OF Cloyes, Nicholas Of Cologne, or Peter OF Bur
gundy, boy crusaders leading thousands OF children
can this the prophet did not see boys giving
instruction 10 their parents on the way to rear
Children only the intense individuality OF the nine
tenth century sees this but he did sec, with vision
clarified by the Spirit Of God, that the Child OF Behc
hem TO change the wOlfsh, lionish natures Of
men; was 70 change tho heshly habits
and selfish, ambitious desires of the children Of
Adam. aud TO implan the child spirit meek, lowly,
pure and Innocent. This prophetic artist who with
such mastery hand drew for lis the picture Of the
animals. wolf lamb lion and calf. was but antlc
pating the great Inner who placed little child in the
cynical scribe, and said whosocver shall tumble
himself this little cLild The sane Is Grsate Str in
DOM the leader. little child shall lead them"
CHILDLIKE is NOT TO BE CHILDISH.
To be chld-llke IS not TO be childish. The Gospel
aims to make child-llke. 10 turn them from the
hard, censorious, animal nature. which says. Will
eat you unless you eat mo, and to impart the child
spirit, which IS kind, gentle and true. Many good
men mistake the meaning Of the prophet, and sup
pose that to be child lhe Is 10 be childish. The
Church has often made this mis- axe, and has lost
her power her dominion, her prestige thereby. Tbs
child spirit The iinerant Sunday talkcr who
addresses q The dear children and talks baby AK
the enthusiastic young convert VINO gives az OF hls
money TO the first tramp who asks for a little aid
for worthy cause the unsophis icaled preacher WHO
allows the Willy photographer to have his picture Tor
great ministerial album the partisan minister VINO
as to allow the politician TO use him IN The heat oil
exciting campaign; the Christian man who uses
and allows he business Of the Lord TO be managed
by the devil or his aes-theso are not childlke but
Neither Isaiah nor Christ ever taught that
Christian should be childish. To be childish IS tho
ac oi be iS ye cG DR. but H be
stephen was a full Of faith, % genteness, as 1t
his blood, and the beauty of his character shone
usrous in HIS face amid the jccrs Of the Wild rabbe
Paul was as gentle with Onesimus, the runaway slave.
as a mother with sick child but no was savage
honeyed words TO the worldy-mnded Demas.
The Church has never gone wrong under the child
mission in the world forgotten that her King
enid in a manger, forgotten that her weapons were
cepion Of the ambitious Constantine was grand, the
system evolved b. the great IIidebIand IS the most
Il is far removed from tho spirit of The Gospel
modern cathedral IS from the stone cradle Of the
the sword; they that use the axe and the knife, the
cannon and the rife must expect to arouse In their
bear. Men have been led away from their old
natures by the child spirit not by war or conquest or
Saint Patrick removed the serpcnrs from HIS native
Sc ana he dd but they were the noXious influences
eIadicated by ne use Of the spirit OF the Gospel
ernp Of ar rti6e DpDu1 and mot he
Roman or the Byzantine. Tho Venerable Bcdc tanned
the saxons end he led them from odin to Christ, lei
Them a. child-leadcr. II IS so to-day. Schwartz.
Carey, Duff have done more for India shan acts Of
Burmese where British cannon could not have driven
and Mohat and Livingstone opened Afica without
pound of powder or an ounce of lead.
CHRISTIANITY AND CHILDHOOD
"A little child shall lead thcm.r These words
were prophecy to Isaiah to they history
The child has led, is leading. The royal child, In
the Inn Of Chimham, taught the world the royalty
OF childhood. II Christmas Day did more than
remind of the innocence and beauty OF the child
lfe, it were worth the keeping. Christianity and
these words, a little child shah lead them,7 the
wolnsh nature Of man recognized no rights In the
enid mat lie was bound To respect, or beauty that
he must admire. Nowhere, save IN the Hebrew home
was the child awarded its place. IT'S dignity, is
divine mission. Mothers always loved their children
10 laws no customs, no state OF society could crush
out this divlncy implanted love; the child whom
Homer saw running WIN uptufned- race beside the
hoarse sounding sea IS the same that ran 10 greet
you last night when you entered your home, the
mother whom Eunpldcs heard longing with desire
sore smittcn, to see the light OF babes about thu
house, IS the same mother who yesterday laid away
her little In the dark tomb the cultured Pliny
mourning the loss OF glrlish face from his family
group, differs not from the father the way.
whose little daughter lies dead but It a country.
Of Pliny who wrote in OF mother weep
ing over child who died IN the cradle it was M
profound Aristotle who declared that imperfect
manned children should be destroy d. and tho
les purcsCuled Plato that robust and strong
children to be spared, but the weak and sckly
are l be Destroyed
The laws of the Twelve Tables gave the father
authority to XIII child II he preferred not to
him in Greece and Rome children the absolute
property of the father; "a newborn child lai
AZ The feet OF the father, If he took II in his
the child reared II not, destroyed Seneca
declares, We drown children II they born dis
abled and monstrous," and Sparta had a judge who
decided whether children should be reared slain
Men who profess religion the leadership
OF the child; men who would not give dollar 10
the support of the gospel would fbuto willingly
10 The Tribune Frcsh-Ar Fund-the child leads them
L-LD Illll ~ lnl fnn.lA In