Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1902-06-13

1
In Heaven their angels do always behold
| the face of My Father Which is in Heaven.
Matt. 1910. Read Matt. 1S:1-14.
The Dispute Beside the Way.-Mark
| tells us that the disciples had been
engaged in such a spirited and lengthy
discussion among themselves while
| they were journeying with their Lord
| to Capernaum that it had attracted
His attention. With that marvellous,
Divine patience which Jesus always
displays towards His erring, self-seek-
| ing disciples, He wisely forbears br eak-
ing into the discussion, but waits I'M
| til Peter. and James and John, and
Andrew, and the rest have exhausted
l. their arguments, and when they are
come into the house, in His quiet.
| searching way, He asks them: what
| was it that We disputed among your
selves by the way?" A shamefaced
confession on their part follows. In
stead of talking with their Lord by
the way, they had talked "among
| themselves" and as a result became
| involved in useless and silly discus
sion. They realize now how the time
| had been worse than wasted. How
often is it among the disciples OF
Jesus Christ. Their way, their meth
| DDS, their ideas, their position in the
| work of the Lord, as they suppose,
so occupies their attention that they
| forget all about the Lord who is pa
tiently and silently walking beside
| them, and instead of turning to Him
for light and help they excitedly argue
with one another until the precious,
dying souls all about them are for
| gotten and all the light and joy of
| Christian services are driven. away.
Then it is that Jesus comes and gently
| seeks from us confession and longs
| to teach us the supreme lesson of
Christian service and true greatness.
A Little Child in Their Midst.-With
that impressive and solemn silence
which the soul feels when it has con-
| fessed its fault to the Lord and awaits
| the learning of the lesson which His
loving wisdom always drives home if
| the soul is submissive and teachable,
| Jesus turns from the group of now
silent disciples, and, calling a little
| child unto Him, sets him in the midst
of them. Here is his text. A little
one to illustrate Divine truth. A lit
| tie one in the Masters arms helping
Him speak some of the profoundest
principles upon which His Kingdom
was to be established. Here is pic
| ture for Gods ministers of to-day to
| cont template. A little one in the midst.
of the modern day congregation, with
| it's innocent prattle, is too often
frowned upon, and instead of furnish
ing a text for the preacher makes him
| forget both his text and his sermon.
and so disturbs his peace of mind s
| to unfit him for the delivering of Gods
message. A little child in the midst
of them is nearly always the setting
which Scripture gives to the audiences
to whom Christ preached. The artist
in painting the scenes of Jesus activ-
ity on the mountain side, or by the
ripping waters of the blue Galilee, or
in the villages where He healed and
! taught, has almost never failed to
! place the little ones there, and we find
them very near to the Masters side.
| It is the way the Lord would have it.
| More little ones in the midst of the
modern day congregations would bring
more of the presence of Jesus into the
assembly, and give greater hope for
the future of the rising generation.
The Masters Selection of a Little
Child.-If your child had been there
that day would it have been he whom
the Master would have called to His
side, and of VIII ON He could have said:
whatsoever therefore shall humble
himself as this little child. the same
| is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven"
| Or would He have seen so much of
| your own worldliness. and pride, and
selfishness, and impatience, and fault
| finding reflected in the child of your
daily care, or perhaps neglect, that
He must needs turn from him to say
to you: ''Whoso shall offend one of
these little ones, which. believei in Me,
it were better for him that milestone
were hanged about his neck, and tina t
he were drowned in the depth of the
sea?''
Oh, sad it is that so soon is reflect
ed in the innocent babe which God
has given as precious heritage the
sins and petty vices of the misguid-
ed parents. From the day that that
little bit of Heaven begins to draw
it's nourishment from the mothers
breast and feel the touch of the
fathers hand it begins to learn, and
is as sensitive to record the dis
cordant note and angry mood as is
the wax cylinder of the monograph
to catch the sound waves that set
the delicate needle to vibrating. Sad
it is that not every child of to-day
would draw the attention of the Mas
ter as did the little one of the Scrip
ture before us. Notice that Jesus Sc
lected him because of his quiet,
sweet modesty, and held him up as
an example of beautiful humility
You may polish your little one with
society politeness and ballroom
grace, you may tog him or her out
in the latest fnery, and help him to
find pleasure in the amusement hal!