Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1903-04-08
4 POPULAR
Rf@ 81 PULPIT |


place of the labor of the individual
soul in going forth to seek It's breth-
rem. They are helps TO, not substi-
tutes for. personal work
Another marked change of emphasis
in Christian work these days is in the
class of people to be reached To-day
the child-the boy. the girls more
sought than in former years. Not
that the conversion of matured people
Is TO be overlooked; but the planting
and growing of a religious life and
character in the man is like the devel-
optng of any other life in him. early is
life Is the time. Business men, when
| ii y seek efficient helpers, go not 10
the old and inexperienced and break
them In" they seek men who from
their young life have been trained in
business experience.
Railroad companies in some centers
will accept no man into their service
after he is 81 years old. Their presi-
dents, superintendent and other lead
ers they bring up from office boys, en-
CINE wipers and window cleaners TO be
managing officers.
So also in the professions-the teach
er the musician. the preacher, law
yer. physician. are prepared from
their youth for their several callings.
We account for some failures because
the men were too old when they
started
This wisdom and prudence of bust
nesSand education is entering the meth
DDS Of religious work, 1t has been in
he past that conversion of children
was slightly considered. Even relig-
ious parents permitted their sons and
| daughters to grow up until they had
! the bitter taste of sin. their good name
smirched, their self-respect SCARED,
| their influence FOR good MANNED. and
then prayers were asked for them.
| the evangelist was sought to stir them.
and if reached at all the event was
hailed as the triumph of the grace of
God, and all rejoiced.
To-day the plan is: Give the child
| to God before he is tainted and MAIN
ed by sin. No need of his becoming
the child of the devil before he is the
child of God Give God his own at the
beginning of life. This also was the
method of our Savior There is no
record that he ever called as a convert
an aged person-doubtless many peo-
pie did find him as Lord and Deliverer;
hut tIo n,sfJe Of
and young men: some of them even de-
PRAYED, and yet he called, converted,
forgave and made him disciples.
Little children also were objects of
his special attention. He gathered
them into his arms and blessed them;
he rebuked those disciples n5ho slight
ed them he threatened a terrible doom
on those who offended them. and de-
clared that his Father had special
oversight over them. We follow the
example of our Lord when we care for
| the children and lead them to Jesus.
| The error in this work is the presump-
ton that because children can be cas-
lily Influenced therefore the task is
cheap. That is not the way to treat
children. They are not only to be
brought to Christ. but brought up in
the nurture and admonition of the
Lord" trained in the way they
should 60" taught in the love of re-
ligion as boys and girls are trained III
the daily school The child is looming
up as the first, the most hopeful, most
| promising care and charge of religious
workers, and of the church Train
a child in the way he should GO" 1t
is discovered that threefourths of our
church members, and the most intel
ligent and efficient of them. were CON
verted before they were Is years old!
and that very few are brought to Jesus
after they are 80. and then they are
too far gone in years to become eff
cient and effective workers for God.
People who undervalue the conversion
of children are those while they NAV
be earnest CHRISTIANS, are least in
structed in the laws of the kingdom
of heaven. They are ignorant of the
methods of Jesus Christ
The cry of the age to-day is: Back
to the Christi" Be filed with his spir-
it; go forth on his errand to seek and
to save the lost; adopt his methods
and we shall share in his victories.
This is the evangelism of the age.