The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1913-06-06

'T think when I read that sweet story
OF old.
When Jesus was here among men.
How he called little children as lambs TO
His fold.
then"
In this chapter OF Matthew he takes
little child and sets HMM the
midst of his disciples. not merely TO
teach those disciples a lesson In
humility, but for the child's sake AS
well as their sake. He has something
to teach them concerning the child
which they never knew, and could not
have known except for him. He tells
them such little ones are not TO be
despised or set at naught. for the
most transcendent OF reasons, name
ly, that the Son OF Man came into
the world to save them, and that IL
is not the will Of his Father that one
OF them should be lost
Christianity and the Child.
The world cared nothing for little
children before Jesus came and was
Graded I'm a manger. In splendid
Rome. childhood had no rights other
than those which the sentiment OF
the father might fltfully cose+de to
It. rIe might abandon his child or
murder IL as he chose. Greece set
the example TO Rome in this respect.
since Spartan children were some
times beaten at the altar Of Diana
until their life-blood ran out upon lis
steps. II was not until Christianity
had begun to affect the Roman empire
that love for little children found ex-
preston in literature, or that care for
them became the custom of the great.
There is great encouragement to Is
Christian parents In the fact that the
soul of n little child is as precious
I'm the sight OF God as that of its par
ent. 1t was Jesus who taught us this
and TO his holy name should be the
praise. Let us act on this encourage
ment and bring our children TO the
Lord that they may be saved.
Let us remember that our children
need salvation, for they were shapen
| I'm iniquity and conceived in sin. The
Fifty-hrst Psalm teaches us this. II
! was not personal disobedience on
| their part that thus exposed them to
! divine judgment, but that which pre-
| ceded It, that which was hereditary
and common to all the race. That
such sin is In their being from their
very birth is proven by the lives they
live when they come TO moral con-
sciousness. Are they not selfish from
very early age, and Is not selfish
ness sin? Are they not disobedient.
and is not disobedience sin? Do they
not take things which belong TO 9TH
ers? And is not this theft? DO they
not covet and falsify? DO they not
show wrath and hatred? And Is not
this the spirit of murder? There is
need OF the regeneration of the Holy
Spirit In the child as truly as In the
parent OF the child
The Responsibility Of Parents.
We parents have very much to do
with the salvation OF our children.
First of all we can set guard about
them. on the principle that IAN ounce
Of prevention is better than a pound
OF cure" We can keep our children
innocent OF many things by warding
of the approach OF evil. IL should
! not be necessary for the state 20
make such encrOachments upon the
! functions OF the home as 1t is now
doing
In the second place. we can set an
example TO our children, an example
OF self-denial and piety and obedience
10 divine law VIII child reverence
: God who is never worshiped In its
: own homer CGN God be exalted in the
b. esteem OF little children when his
!. name is profanely used by their par
!. ents. VIII children be likely 10 Sc
. 10 church or Sunday school whose
r elders seldom do so9 viii they love
p purity where the opposite is before
? them I'm the amusements and read
. ing matter Of the household WI
/, they be honest. who hear money anc
= gain continually exalted around tn,
, family table and at the fireside9 vii
. they speak the truth who witness ex
. aggeration and falsehood In thos,
they are supposed TO honor9 In IN,
gospels we read that parents brough
their children 10 Christ. they did no
). send them. and we. by example. mus
= DO the same
In the third place we can preacl
n the gospel to our children and Low
) Ingly and faithfully talk with theu
!, about their sin and about the Saviou
!, who died 20 take away their sin. W
= can urge them TO confess Christ an
= pray for them. and better yet. pra
|. With them that they may be saveC