The Newtown bee., 1895-11-22

the active, throbbing life OF to-day. I
should like to tell you what 1t means.
It means that God did not quit His
world when His Son ascended from Oh
ivet's brow. It means that
Warm, sweet, tender, even yet,
A present help is he;
And faith has yet its Olivet,
And love its Galilee."
All these homes Of rescue and help for
the children simply mean that Christ is
in society to-day, that the Christ Of the
first century is working out His great,
loving heart in humanity in the nine
teenth century, that the Christ, who is
| represented in my text as sweetly, ten
derby saying, "Suffer little children, and
forbid them not, to come unto Me-"
and as
PLACING HIS HANDS GENTLY
upon the brow of the little boy and little
girl, is doing just that same thing in the
world to-day.
"Suffer little children, and forbid
them not, to come unto Me- Why did
Jesus say that? Why does He want lit
tie children to come unto Him! Be-
cause He knows what is in man and
what is in little children. Jesus wants
the little children for the same reason
that the teacher of botany wants rose
or yellow dandelion in the school
room-for an object-lesson. Jesus wants
by means of children to teach you and
me what are the requirements OF His king
dom, what is the passport that leads
through the gate into the city where
are the many mansions" aVerily
say unto you" says Christ, "Who-
soever shall not receive the kingdom
of God as a little child, he Snail not enter
therein" You remember that the dis
ciples were disputing one day as to who
should have the chief place in the king
dom which they supposed their Master
was about to establish. Jesus entered
into no long argument to show them the
wrong of such disputing. He gave them
an object lesson. He gathered the twelve
about Him | can see that little group
now, and, setting child In the midst,
He said: whatsoever shall receive one
of such children in My name receiveth
Me; and whatsoever receiveth Me, re-
ceiveth not Me, but Him that sent Me-"
That is what Jesus wants the children
for, to teach humility. II you can under
stand the humility of the child, you can
understand the humility Of the Saviour.
1t is something worth striving for, to I'M
derstand the humility of Jesus Christ.
His was not a self-seeking mission. He
came to seek and to save that which was
lost, but not to seek any honor or prefer
ment of His own. He humbled Himself
to be born OF a virgin, to leave His glory
circled throne on high. He came for no
renown, for He had all the renown of
Heaven; cherubim and seraphim con-
tinually sounded His praise. In light un-
approachable He dwelt. The heather
were Hisinheritance, and all the isles OF
the sea. You cannot understand such
self-abnegation, such throwing off OF
splendor-no5 in this world of endless
STRIFE FOR PLACE AND pELF
and power-cannot understand it, saws
Christ, until you observe it in the little
child.
How many men have been kept out of
| the kingdom of Cod suppose that
most OF those who are kept out are kept
out for this Resemblance they will
not take the child's way to come in. II
men could only argue themselves into
the king dom, If candidates were only ad.
mitted as they are admitted to the prac-
tice of the legal profession, by giving
satisfactory proof Of their mental equip
ment, how many would come inl If
men were only admitted because of much
thinking, because able at every point to
give reason for the faith that is in them,
because they knew all about God and
about making their calling and election
sure, because they could explain Gods
sovereignty and mans free agency and
reconcile them to nicety-and do q
hundred other things that no one has
ever yet been able to do-how many
would come in! Oh, il it were only not
so much matter OF the heart and much
more matter of the head The child's
way is the only way, says Christ; il you
come at all, you come as one
Of these little children do.
Many father has found out that. Manv
father, who has been preached to by
the minister and argued with by the
pillars" Of the church until his heart
was as hard as stone, has suddenly soft
ened under the sermon preached to him
by his seven-year-old boy or girl. The
little girl has come home from the Sum
day-school, and climbed, as has been
her wont, upon her fathers knee, and
said; Papa, want to tell you about
Jesus; learned something so good
about Him in Sunday school to-day
and, as the child has told .sthe sweet
story Of old in her artless way, the
father has begun to think that, after all.
it might be true, and, in 40 thinking,
he has begun to pray, until the clouds
have all rolled away and the new light
has come. Oh, how very, very few
souls ministers win by their preaching /
In the course Of long passionate half
a-dozen perhaps. Ministers don't win
them, the fathers and the mothers, those
OF adult age, / mean.
THE LITTLE CHILDREN AT HOME
win them, what the little one saws In
those very serious moments that come
even to the smallest child, the sight Of
the baby IN its trundle-bed, the remem-
brance Of the little ones faith and pray
ers after the last turf has been placed
upon the tiny grave.
Jesus wants the children to come unto
Him. He wants them for an obiect-les-
son OF wha6 unquestioning faith may be.
read 90 many sermons on faith, hear
so MANY raffnitinuu - n that r .x>..r<..