DISCOURSE XVI.

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE, A GLORIFIED CHILDHOOD.

BRETHREN in Christ, what a beautiful characteristic is it of our faith, that it is so simple in itself, and begets in us a like simplicity. Where, outside the sphere of the Gospel, do we hear singleness of heart praised as a high virtue. To us, nevertheless, who are in Christ, this divine simplicity shines with the brilliancy of a jewel, as the crown of all virtues, without which the rest appear dull and dim.

The Gospel makes us single-minded, when it proclaims to us that "one thing is needful," and, together with this, imparts an inclination towards the one eternal magnet and centre, to which all our endeavors should be directed. It carries on the work also, when, after that God in Christ has become the centre of our efforts, it again simplifies all our virtues and duties, by summing them up in this one injunction: "Become as little children." Where, in all antiquity, have you heard a precept like this? And does it not sound to your hearts as a greeting from home? Does it not move upon your souls, awakening there holiest longings and sweetest anticipations?

This happy destiny of Christians to become as children, let us this day once more bring before our contemplation; and consider anew the so-often heard, but, alas! so often forgotten precept of our Lord in Matt. xviii. 3 :

"Verily, I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, yo shall in nowise enter the kingdom of heaven."

The Christian life is a glorified childhood: such is the truth which these words teach us.

That in childhood certain attributes are manifested which exhibit to us the fundamental tendencies of a Christian spirit, is inferrible from the fact that our Lord at several times, and in various though kindred aspects, set before His disciples little children as their example. And does it not readily occur to you that what the Apostle Paul affirms of love, viz.: "It believeth all things, it enduretk, all things, it hopeth all things," involves just the conception wit form of a truly good and pious child ? Indeed, may we not say, that so far as it regards the three ground-tones of the Christian life, good children might be taken as our instructors, viz.: as teachers in Faith, teachers in Love, teachers in Hope? For a general apprehension of the meaning of our Lord's precepts, I certainly know of no statement more expressive than this, that good children are to be our examples in faith, love, and hope.

It will be understood, meanwhile, that the comparison here does not hold good in all respects. That in the child, as well as in the adult, the old Adam, the poison of selfishness, exists from its earliest unfolding, is a truth well known; and we may not suffer ourselves to be deceived in regard to it, by the evil appearing in forms which belong to that sphere in which childhood lives and moves. Whether it be the mighty conqueror, who, from envy ravages whole territories with violent hand, or the child, who, from envy, spoils its playmate's toys, the old Adam is the same, even though it is clad in a child's garb. Accordingly, the language of our Saviour cannot be taken as exhorting us to become children in all points; and at the very outset, we are to bear in mind, that in the stage of childhood there also exists something which we are not permitted to transfer into our Christian life. This fact has also been set forth with sufficient definiteness by the Apostle where he says; "Brethren, be not children in understanding; howbeit, in malice be ye children, but in understanding be ye men." From this you perceive why

we are not at liberty to say absolutely-the Christian life is a childhood, but are obliged to add the qualification, a glorified childhood. With the assistance of our Saviour, let us now proceed to consider more closely the nature of this glorified childhood, as it manifests itself in the faith, in the love, and in the hope of the Christian.

The

The Christian life is a glorified childhood in Faith. child confides in his superiors unhesitatingly; he trusts, nothing doubting, his parents and teachers. Is there, I ask, a more touching sight than to see a group of children, who, with thirsty, inquiring eyes, are hanging to their mother, or to their father, and imbibing every word from those hallowed lips as a gospel. Nothing, I am sure, would prompt me to strive, whatever my creed might be, with more earnestness and greater conscientiousness after religious truth, than to be planted in the midst of a company of child-like hearts. In conversation with adults, I think to myself, "They need not take all I say on trust; they can see for themselves, whether I am giving them bread, or a stone." But the little darlings, they cannot be so discerning; they are entirely confident that they are receiving from me nothing but bread. Oh, thrice cursed be that man, who gives children a stone instead of bread! Well has the old German proverb said: "He who deceives a child, is as if he had ravished a virgin." For are not children's souls virgin-souls?

As now children trust, without suspicion, their superiors who speak to them, so do we, whom the Son of God has purchased with his precious, noble blood, have like faith in our Lord. Woe to him who sows distrust in the soul of the child towards the word of its mother. Cursed also be he who plants a doubt of our Lord in our souls. We hang on him with a true, thirsting eye; let other masters, if they choose, give their disciples stones for bread-a serpent for fish-a scorpion for an egg; the word of our Lord is always the bread of life-whether I understand it or not. If I understand it, then it nourishes me. If I understand it not, then is there something stored up for me in the future. At

any rate, this I am certain of, from the mouth of my Lord no other word has ever flowed but a word of life. He who has attained to this child-like faith in his Lord, is like one who has run in from a wide sea into a safe haven.

This faith of the child we are speaking of, is a precious stone -a diamond-but it is not yet polished; therefore, it does not glisten. The child does not know why it believes, and therefore it becomes the prey of error; the natural child-faith is a faith without light. Hence, again, the exhortation of the Apostle : "Be no more children tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine." The blind child-faith is that which believes, because others have believed and testified. The glorified child-faith is that which believes because it has known. The blind child-faith is that of the Samaritans, when they believed in the word of the woman who said to them, “Come, see a man who told me all things that ever I did is not this the Christ ?" The glorified child-faith is that which these same expressed afterwards, when they said, "Now we believe, not because of thy saying, for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed Christ, the Saviour of the world." The blind child-faith was that of Peter, when he believed his brother Andrew, as he told him, "We have found the Messias." The glorified child-faith is that with which Peter afterwards spoke, "We have believed and have known, that thou art Christ, the Son of the living God."

Listen, ye youth; here you have a knowledge of the great object of faith, which is not learned from parchment, nor acquired in the lecture-rooms and in the schools; for it existed long be fore your lecture rooms were built, and your schools were founded; yea, ere yet books were written in vindication of the faith, did glorified child-like souls exclaim, "We have believed and known, and have sealed this witness with our blood." I am here speaking of that knowledge which comes from the light obtained in that school, where we all have been trained—both learned and unlearned-even the school of experience. All of us alike once believed the great history of our Redemption, as it was

pressed on our ear from the lips of trusted fathers and mothers. Now have we come to know it, because it has stood the test of experience. That is to say, we have found therein the key to the great problem of the human heart; for it has conferred the light of truth on our intelligence, and a new power of sanctification has it imparted to our wills, inasmuch as grace has effected what no law of the world could accomplish; it has made it sweet for us to hate ourselves, and to give ourselves daily unto death, and it has caused us to taste in our own consciousness something of the powers of the future unseen world. So we still hang on his lips with good confidence like little children; and as often as he speaks, each blessed word he utters calls forth in our hearts the responsive Amen. And since we have come to be trained in the school of experience, we can also say, that we know what has been delivered to us through Him.

The Christian life is a glorified childhood in Love. The child loves with an affection that is without distinction. Does not the child approach every man with confidence? and is not confidence, in all cases, a bond of attraction and of love? Let there be but a human eye—a human face-and the child smiles on it; it loves without distinction. The child of the prince reaches out after the hand of the beggar; the wise child will permit itself to be led by the hand of a simpleton; the pious child will cling to the breast of a villain :-although in this case, indeed, it sometimes happens very wonderfully that a direct inner voice awakens in the child's heart most of all an anxious suspicion and fearful dread; the proximity of a dark spirit is not merely known, it is at times also felt by it.

And now may not we also say, that we Christians love, as children, without distinction? Truly to us likewise is every human face a holy thing; only in this respect we have an advantage over the child; for as the child believes without light, so also does it love without wisdom. It understands not why it so loves mankind, and is therefore as blind in its love as in its faith. But we in whom the love of humanity has been ennobled by the