Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1892-03-10
Sermon on the Death of a Child.

Mrs. ID. w. Fullerton, feDruary iotl, 1897
GEN 33rd, 9Th. And he said The children
which God hath graciously given thy servant.
The words are Jacobs answer to the question
OF Esau at their meeting after separation oil
years; and they contain the doctrine OF state
ment of fact that children are gift OF God.
They are the children which God hath gracious
Nv given thy servant. Children are divine gift,
a Gift of grace and of love. 1t is true that the
coming of Il child into home brings care, ana
often anxiety. Dr. Payson once said: MAR
riage and every birth made broader mark 10
the arrows of disease and DEATH The advent
of child into the home often means many day
of weary watching and night of sleeplcss vigil
lance. But parental.love makes self denial u
willing sacrafce. No burden of care is too
great, no self denial too great to secure the safe
ty and to promote the welfare of these dear OBJ
iccts of affection. And there Is voice OF God
in tendery earnest tones, speaking to parental
hearts in the gift Of children.
II they but have ears to hear, that voice pro
claims to them the vast value of the gift. 1t is
not alone that the child Is such an object Ofloyc
not alone that 1t causes to well up such fount
ain of affection; not alone that 1t is so dear TO
them that they fondle and carcss 1t and yigilent
" shield it from danger and sickness and watch
with Jealous anxiety lest some cnviOus evil shall
rob them of their treasure. It's value isn't
measured by the estimate of parental love. God
speaks to those who can hear his voice, of the
Spiritual character of his gift, of the immortal
nature of the child he has placed in their arms
That voice speaking in their hearts and from his
word, tells them with impressive emphasis, that
a deathless spirit with the stamp of the divine
i,,,n bnC n rms cd a hpi NDtpbful
They look into those eyes of infant innocence
and upon those sweet features rs yet unmarked
and unmarried by the worlds sin or the worlds
evil, and the voice of God tells them that that
life, launched upon the shOreless sea OF an I'M
mortal existence, is thing Of Infinite value.
And he speaks cmphatically of parental respon-
siDility, responsibility for Il christian life, a
christian example and christian instruction and
christian influence.
How can any father and especially any moth
CT allow children to grow up around them to
have their tender aud impressible natures feel
ing continually the influence of parental irrelig
ion and neglect of God. And it is the parents
privilege and a most precious one to give the
child back to him. Gods covenant includes the
little ones. 1.-The promise is unto us and to our
children" And it is the privilege as well as the
duty of the parents, rs these parents have done,
to dedicate the dear gift Of God to Him; not
alone in secret as private transaction with
God, but publicly, sacredly, solemnly in the use
of Gods covenant seal; the child to be baptized
Oh the faith of the parents, one or both. The
baptism of the child has no saving efficacy.
There is no such thing as baptismal regenera-
ton. The baptism Of the child is not to bring il
into an estate Of salvation, bat ii is an ac-
acknowledgement that by nature they belong TO an
apOState race. 1t is significant of their interest
in the atOnement of Christ and his saving grace.
That they are born not outside hut within the
pale of the christian church.. And it is a tcSti,
momy TO the truth that dying in their irrGspOn,
siblc years they are saved not by virtue of their
personal faith in Christ but by his grace without
faith rcgenerated by the Holy Spirit who work
eth when and where and rs he pleaSeth." And
| it is on the part of parents Il solemn covenant OF
| conservation by which they publicly take the
pledge of parental fidelity, by Ihar holy life, by
their christian example anf by faithful instruc
ton as God gives them grace to bring up the
child in the nurture and admonitiOn of the
| Of the Lord
And God who bestows the gift of children re
serves tn right to resume his gift in his OWL
time and way. There is nothing which God
gives us absolutely except cur own personality
There is nothing of all which we fondly call Oul
own and to which we lay claim of possession
which we have and hold with any definite tenure
Our property, our position among our fellow
men, our dear children may be ours now, but
there is no certainty OF the continuance of the
possession for single hour Job said in hi,
great affection that left hing penniless and child
less: "The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken
| away; blessed be the name of the Lord" God
gives. he takes again; not arbitrarily, not with
out reason, not in willingness to intict pain, but
he acts In this as In all things in divine wisdom
and goodness. And though to our Ignorance
and fnitenesS his reasons do not appear, yet his
| pledge is given. All things (even the sad and
the SOrrOwful things work together for good tC
| them rhat hive God, 70 them who are the called
! according to his purpose. We may therefore
| be certain OF his love for us. And so in submis
| sion like that stricken Borrowing saint so long
ago, we may bow before his painful and bereav
| ing prDl !dcDce and say; "The Lord gave and
the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the mans
| of the Lord"
| 1t is remarkable fact in the providence OF
God that so large a portion of the human race
| uIt i4iIlllS W
| is glad thought that they are all saved through
one Lord Jesus Christ. Sinners by nature they
are but sinners in fact and in actual transgres
| sion they are not: the conscience has nevel
! awakened to action under moral law. The vii
I has neyGr get itself in antagOnsm to the will o
God. These redeemed Oneg have peculiar ant
unique experience. They have never known al
accusing conscience or had anything Of cOnhic
or trial Bonar has written. "a babe in glor!
is a babe forever" But surely that can hardl!
be trne, Growth and development is a law o
our being. fh6 baUs IKE rose bud broker
from the parent stem docs not remain like tina
bud with calyX and corOlla close folded forever
| Heaven is not place of arrested development
but of endless unfolding OF all our powers, In
tellectual, aesthetical and moral under holy ant
happy conditions, "a growth Godward, endlessy
| Not only thu adult saved but the babe shares Il
the glory of this heritage which God has give
us when lie stamped upon us his image.
1t is glad, u blessed ASSURANCE that the littl
ones who leave us, leave our homes desOlate an
our hearts sad and our arms empty, are safe fol
everIntle heavenly home. They have not died
only the mortal form of beauty is faded, The
have been transferred to the immediate pre7enO
Of the Good Shepherd and are the lambs of tn
upper fold. These are not fances but facts an
they are full Of comfort and sOlace.