Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-06-18

] 10 all Cllllufcn 10 Dp drought 10 HIS
hrms. Therefore | shall try, children,
in n few plain, simple words to tell
why it Is important-very important
for you to come TO Christ while you
arc young. And when l show you that
it is important for you to come to
Christ l would also try to show you
that Christ is the best friend a little
child. a young boy or girl. can ever
have. Yes, he is even better friend
than your father or mother, sister or
brother. He is a friend whose love is
beyond your mental grasp, whose love
'passeth all human undcrsta nding."
Two Kinds of Seed.
Let me tell you what Jesus Christ
can do for you. In every child's ma
ture there are two kinds of seed. One
of these is capable of growing into n
tree of righteousness. and the other is
capable of growing into tree of wick
edncss and sin. Now, when Jesus
takes charge of n child's nature it is
the good seed that grows and then the
Child's life starts we'll and when the
child becomes man or woman that
life is n happy one and n blessing to
the world. Children, these words may
be very hard for you to grasp, but l
think l can explain my meaning by
very simple illustration. l hold in my
hand an apple. Where did it come
from? ooh, | know says young
boy sitting in that class behind his
teacher. "My mother last summer
took me TO the country. While l was
there used to visit n farmer who had
farm just back OF our hotel. There
in his field he had a great big apple
orchard. The farmer used to let me
climb those trees and pick the apples
which grow upon the branches. They
were awfully big trees. Some of them
were so big that had to get ladder
to>cimb them. Some of them were so
big that after | had climbed them |
found four or five birds nests in the
same tree. Some of them were so big
that my mother used to come out on
hot days and hang her hammock under
the branches and there do her sewing
and knitting"
That answer is right, my boy. An
apple grows upon a branch in an
orchard. But where did those big
trees come from which produced the
apples? ooh. | do not know" answers
the boy. Il suppose they have always
been there. Why mother said that
some of those apple trees were forty
or fifty years old. Some of them were
as old as nay grandfather and grand
mother, and they are awfully Old"
Yes, my boy, you are right again.
Some apple trees live to be very, very
old. But those trees did not just grow.
Every tree had a beginning. If you
cut open the apple which hold in my
hand you will find in the center of it
an apple core. Right in the center Of
the apple core you will find a little
brown seed. Now, children, If you
will take this apple seed and plant it
in the ground in the springtime that
seed will burst open and begin to grow.
The little roots of that seed will begin
to grow down. A little green shoot
like grass will begin to grow up. Then
the green grass will change after
awhile into stem. The stem will
change after awhile into a tree trunk.
From that tree trunk will grow the
branches. From the branches will
grow the leaves and the blossoms
From the blossoms will aftorward
grow the apples. The apple tree does
not come forth from nothing. The ap-
pie tree first grows from the little seed
like that which l hold in my hand.
Christ the Guide.
Now, little child's life can he COM
pared to q seed. How? Because you
know a seed does not grow unless it is
rightly planted in the right kind of
ground. Weeds will grow anywhere
without any care. SO if the good seed
l spoke of Just now does not get cared
for and looked after it will not grow,
but the bad seed will, and your lives
will become like wceds-good for moth
ing. Now, If You ask Jesus to look aft
cr you and take charge of you, out of
your nature can grow the great trees
of righteousness which will bear forth
good fruit if you will only let the roots
of your heart grow about the rock Of
Calvary, upon which once stood the
Saviour's cross. Do you not see, chill
dren, how important it Is that you give
your life to Christ now if from your
little selves must come all that IS good
or all that is bad?
Little children should come to Christ
soon, very soon. Their Christian IA
Tiers and mothers will not be able
much longer TO shield them from the
evil temptations as they have been able
to do. When my little boys and girls
We're at home | could do what pleased
with them. l could say Susan" or
Gertrude" or "Thomas De Witt" or
"Frank"-for I have four childrcn-"I
wish youwould not associate with that
little boy you were with this morning.
And il one of my little girls should say,
"Why. papa would answer: Il do
not think he Is a nice little boy. | heard
his mother call to him today TO come
into the house, and he answered. 4
won't come And when his mother
went after him he lay right down in the
street and began to kick and scream
and bite. Now, no good little boy will
ever act like that, and l do not want
you to go with him"
But, children, though ] may have
been able to guard and shield and pro-
tect my little girl while she was Mt
home, there came a momcntous day
when she went beyond my direct care
and guiding influence. That day first
no, hnr tT Cchn :