The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1896-08-29

are peace
I pass on to consider the suscepti-
biiitv OF childhood. Men pride them
selves on their uuchangeability- They
will make an elaborate argument to
prove tina they think now just as they
did 20 years ago. 1t is charged 10
fruilty or fraud hen n man changes
his sentiments in politics or relig on,
and it is this determination OF soul
that so often drives back the Gospel
from n mans heart 1t Is so hard TO
make avaiice charitable, and fraud
honest. and rridc humble, and skcpti-
c;sn Christian. The sword of Gods
truth seems to glance off from those
mailed warriors, and 'ha helmet seems
lat le-prOof against Gods battle AK.
But chi dhood; how susceptible
TO example and to instruction!
You are not surprised at the
record: Abraham legat 1ssac, and
Isaac begat jacob" for when re-
ligion starts in n family, 1T is apt
TO go all through. JeZebel n murder
ess, you are not surprised to find her
son Jehoram attempting assassination.
O., what n responsibility upon the pa
rent and the teacher! The musician
touches the keys, and the response of
those keys is away OFF amid the pipes
and the chords, and you wonder at the
distance between the key and the
chord. And so it is in life; if you touch
a child, the results will come back
from manhood or old age, telling just
the tune played, whether the dirge of
a great sorrow or the anthem of n
great joy. The word hat h sabbath
school teacher will this afternoon
.-l...o. =, III, ~ nf fhn clnCz will hR
echoed back from evcrla ting ages of
lighJ or darkness.
The home and the school decide the
republic or the despotism; the barbar-
ism or the civilization; the upbuildlng
oil an empire or the overthrowing of it
Higher than parliament or congress
are the school and the family, and the
sound of a child's foot may mean more
than the tramp of a host What, then,
are you doing for the purpose of bring
ing your children into the kingdom of
GodP If they are SO susceptible, and
If this is the very best time to act upon
their eternal interests, what are you
doing by way of right impulsion?
The brightest lights that can be
kindled, Christ has kindled. lie us,
old and young, rejoice that Heaven is
gathering up so much attractive. In
that far land we are not strangers.
There are those there who speak our
name day by day, and they wonder
why so long we tarry. If / could
count up the names of all those who
have zone out from these families into
the kingdom of Heaven, it would take
me all day to mention their names. A
great multitude before the throne.
You loved them once; you love them
now; and ever and anon you think you
hear their voices calling you upward.
All, yes, they have gone out from all
these families, and you want no book
to tell you of the dying experience of
Christian children. You have heard
it; it has been whispered in your ear,
o father, q mother, o brother, o sister.
Toward that good land all Christians
are bearing. This swapping of heart
strings, this flight of years, this tread
of the heart reminds us that we are
passing away. Under spring blossoms,
and through summer harvests, and
across autumnal leaves, and through
the wintry snowbanks, we are passing
on. o, rejoice at it, children of God,
rejoice at it'll How we shall gather
them up, the loved and the lostl
we drink of the fountain, before we
strike the harp of our eternal celebra-
ton, we will cry out: where are our
loved and lost?" And then, how we
shall gather them up!