St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-07-19
GODS LITTLE ONES.
Tesus Takes One of Them as the
Text of a Wonderful Sermon.

Discourse by the 'H1&hWay 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
Chicago.
Text: ''Take heed that We despise not one
of these little ones; for say unto you Ihat
in Heaven their angels do always peholo
the face of My Father Which is in Heaven.
Matt 1910. Read Matt. lS:1-l4
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 shametaced
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 a 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
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 TOR
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 it's fault to the Lord and awaits
the learning of the lesson which His
loving wisdom always drives home II
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. 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
| 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 as
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 thu
ripping waters of the blue Galilee, OF
in the villages where He healed ane
taught, has almost never failed tt
place the little ones there, and we fine
| them very near to the Masters side
| It is the way the Lord would have it
More little ones in the midst of thu
modern day congregations would bring
more of the presence of Jesus into thu
assembly, and give greater hope fo1
the future of the rising generation.
The Masters Selection of Littl'
Child.-If your child had been Their
that day would it have been he whom
the Master would have called to Hi
side. and of whom He could have said
"Whosoever therefore shall humble
himself as this little child. the sam
is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Or would He have seen so much o
your own worldliness. and pride, an
selfishness. and Impotence. and fault
finding reflected in the child of you
daily care, or perhaps neglect, tina
He must needs turn from him to sa,
to YOU: "Whoso shall offend one o
these little ones. which: believed in: NJ
it were better for him that millston
were hanged about his neck, and tina
he were drowned in the depth of tn
sea?"
Oh, sad it is that so soon is reflect
ed in the innocent babe which CO.
has given as precious heritage tn
sins and petty vices of the misguid
ed parents. From the day that tina
little bit of Heaven begins to drav
its nourishment from the mother
breast and feel the touch of tn
fathers hand it begins to learn, an
is as sensitive to record the dis
cordant note and angry mood as
the wax cylinder of the phonograp
to catch the sound waves that Sc
the delicate needle to vibrating. Sa
it is that not every child of to-da
would draw the attention of the Mas
ter as did the little one of the SCRIP
!, ture before us. Notice that Jesus 81
lected him because of his quie
!, sweet modesty, and held him up a
an example of beautiful humilit,
You may polish your little one wit
society politeness and ballrool
grace, you may tog him or her o,
.. in the latest finery, and help him t
find pleasure in the amusement ha
and theater, and educate him to rea
the Sunday newspaper by giving hi
the funny inside, behind whose mas
{ of alleged humor lies hidden til