Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1907-09-21

come a child of the covenant? In the
old dlspensation the rite Of circumci-
sion made a child partaker In the
covenant. Abraham was child OF
God. He was to inherit Palestine, and,
besides this, he was TO have the divine
protection. His descendants were to
enjoy the same privilege so long as
they obeyed Gods law. The promises
of God were to be continued from one
generation to another to all Of Abra-
hams descendants who fulfilled the OBJ
legations of the covenant. 1t was a
bargain, and the seal Of It was the out
ward rite which marked the child as
an heir OF the covenant. In other
words, circumcision In the old dispen-
sation was the sealing Of a parental
compact with God Let me illustrate.
You come to me and want to buy a
tract Of land for $4,000. I say, "Mr.
Jones, why are you buying this landY'
"Oh," you answer, II am buying this
land for a homestead where can live
and my children can live after me,
generation after generation" "All
right" l say, II can sell you the land,
but you will have to pay the taxes and
fulfill your obligations to the county,
and your children will have to do the
same when they inherit" You under
stand that, and | say: "Then in con-
sideration of $4,000 l will give you a
deed Of that land for yourself and your
heirs forever. That deed will seal the
bargain" Just so the descendants or
Abraham entered into covenant with
God. They were under obligations OF
which the rite was the visible sign.
But the rite counted for nothing If the
obligations were not fulfilled. The
later history Of Abraham's descendants
proved that the real condition was obe-
dience and that when this was NOS
rendered the outward sign was not ac-
cepted. 1t became mockery when 1t
no longer represented change or
heart
My brother, do you wonder that Da-
vid said. "Thy statutes have been my
songs when | was a baby In the era
dleY Was not David consecrated to
God when he was q child by a godly
father and mother? VIII you not al
low Christ to take you and hold you
close to his loving heart because your
Christian mother gave you to him by
prayer and pledge when you were a
little innocent child? Thou divine Fa-
ther, by the sacred mounds of my IA
theirs and mothers graves, thank
thee that thou art and always wilt be
covenant making Christ and VIII
save me In answer to the prayers OF
my loving parents for Christ's sake.
Tho Songs Of Childhood.
But the statutes were more than the
guardian angels which sang the songs
Of the Nativity over the manger OF
Bethlehem Of Judaea. They sang for
David the happy songs Of childhood.
The statutes became songs Of rejoic-
ing They were the conditions of SON
ship and inheritance which 1t was a
Joy to fulfill. They were the sweetest
recollections Of the old homestead
when he was a growing boy. They
were the songs which made his father
and mother and brothers one at the
family altar. They were the songs
which taught him how to say his
evening prayers at his mothers knee.
They we're the songs which made him
as n child study the old Mosaic laws.
They were the songs by which he was
corrected when he did wrong And
they were the songs which taught him
faith In God as we'll as faith In his
fellow men. In other words, they were
the same laws by which you and as
boys and girls were developed IN a
Christian home for our llfe's struggle.
If you did not learn these statutes OF
God when you were young, then you
are poor indeed. If you did learn the
laws Of God when you were young.
then the memory Of them makes you
rich indeed.
The happiness of our childhood days
was not dependent upon the size OF our
fathers pocketbook. But to a great
extent it was dependent upon whether
our parents obeyed and made us obey
the statutes Of our Lord In the house
Of our pilgrimage Some time ago a
sorrowing son was on the way back
to the village Of his boyhood to bury
an aged parent. How much was your
father worth when he died?" asked one
of his friends. Nothing; 1 think he
was worth less than nothing. sup
pose 1 shall have to bury him." But
the day after the funeral the young
man was going down the village street.
AS he walked along he met an old man,
who held out his hand and said: God
bless you, my boy. Jim, you had a
good father. 1 knew him for over
forty years and I never knew him to
do one act which did not stamp him as
noble, brave Christian hero" And
little farther on a young girl stopped
him and said: Jim, your father was
the best friend my mother ever had.
When papa died he gathered in all our
harvests and has made 1t possible for
us to live" A little farther on he
met another man, who said, Jim,
there Is not a man, woman or child In
this whole region who has not been
brought nearer to God on account OF
the noble life of your father" When
the young man turned his steps toward
the old home he said to himself:
"Well, my father did not have much
money, but he was rich. He lived rich
In Gods grace, and he died triumphant
In Gods love, and l guess l have In
herited as much good as any boy
could receive from any parent"
Sweet Memories OF Home.
Tell me, friend, was not the religious
training Of your boyhood the sweet
est memory you have Of the old home
etoodo IVbo, ro,Ir porantc xyQrQ hiring