The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1902-06-13
GODS LITTLE ONES.
Jesus Takes One of Them as the
Text Of a Wonderful Sermon.
Discourse by the ''Highvay and BY
way" Preacher on the Divine
Thought for Children and the
Responsibility of Adults
Towards Them.
Copyright, 1902, by A. N. Kellogg News
paper Coz

| in Heaven their angels do always DehoI0
| the face of My Father Which is in Heaven.
Matt. 1910. Read Matt. 1S:1H.
The Dispute Beside the Way.-Mark
! tells us that the disciples had been
engaged in such 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 break
| ing into the discussion, but waits I'M
til Peter. and James and John, and
Andrew, and the rest have exhausted
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 so among the disciples of
l.
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 little
child unto Him, sets him in the midst
of them. Here is his text. y little
one to illustrate Divine truth. A lit
tie one in the Masters arms helping
principles upon which His Kingdom
was to be established. Here is a pic
ture for Gods ministers of to-day to
contemplate. A little one in the midst
of the modern day congregation, with
its 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. \ 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 mopntain 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.
1t 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 whom 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 Impotence, 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 that |
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
S as sensitive to record the dis
,ordant note and angry mood as is
he wax cylinder of the monograph
% catch the sound waves that set
he delicate needle to vibrating. Sad
t is that not every child of to-day
would draw the attention of the Mas
er as did the little one of the Scrip
ure before us. Notice that Jesus Sc
ected him because of his quiet,
sweet modesty, and held him up as
IN example of beautiful humility
You may polish your little one with
society politeness and ballroom
grace, you may tog him or her out
n the latest finery, and help him to
ind pleasure in the amusement hal!
md theater, and educate him to read
he Sunday newspaper by giving him
he funny inside, behind whose mask
If alleged humor lies hidden the
poison darts from the pit of hell
,ut be sure that your child will not
,e the one the Lord will select as a
ext from which to preach a wonder.
ul sermon on humility the type of
rue greatness.
The Little One Knew Jesus.-Per-
laps Jesus had visited often in the
ZONE where lived the little one of
'ur text. His little feet had been di-
ected by the devout parents to the
Iaster's side, and in his childish in
ocency he had drunk in the Saviour's
words and felt the Divine impress on
lis tender, sensitive little heart. He
vas not too young to love mamma
nd papa. He was not too young to