 
Come Ye Children

Obtaining Our Lord's Heart for Loving and Teaching Children

Charles H. Spurgeon

Contents

Ch. 1: Feed My Lambs

Ch. 2: Let the Children Come

Ch. 3: Children Desperately Need the Lord

Ch. 4: The Children's Shepherd

Ch. 5: Of Such is the Kingdom of Heaven

Ch. 6: The Fertile Ground of a Child's Heart

Ch. 7: Teach the Children

Ch. 8: Timothy and His Teachers

Ch. 9: Look at Everything Through the Cross

Ch. 10: Samuel and His Teachers

Ch. 11: Instructions for Teachers and Parents

Ch. 12: Be an Upright Example for Children

Ch. 13: Always Remember These Three Things

Ch. 14: Children's Capacity to Believe

Ch. 15: Not Just a Sunday School Teacher

Ch. 16: Children Can Understand the Bible

Ch. 17: The Sooner the Better

Ch. 18: Obadiah's Early Faithfulness

Ch. 19: Obadiah and Elijah

Ch. 20: Some Good Thing – Part 1

Ch. 21: Some Good Thing – Part 2

Ch. 22: The Shunammite's Son – Part 1

Ch. 23: The Shunammite's Son – Part 2

About the Author
Chapter 1

Feed My Lambs

The most mature and educated in the church are not too good or unsuited for this work. We must not think that because we have other services to do or gifts to share that we should not take an interest in this holy work. But in all kindness and according to our opportunities, we must stand ready to help the little ones and to cheer those whose chief calling is to minister to them. This message comes to all of us: Feed my lambs (John 21:15). To the minister and to all who have any knowledge of the things of God, the commission is given. Be certain to look after the children who are in Christ Jesus, for even Peter, who was a leader among believers, was told to feed the lambs.

The lambs are the young of the flock. So, we ought to look especially and carefully after those who are young in grace. They may be old in years, but they may still be mere babes in grace with respect to their spiritual life; therefore, they need to be under a good shepherd. As soon as a person is converted and added to the church, he should become the object of the care and kindness of his fellow members. He is a newcomer among us and has no familiar friends among the saints; therefore, let us all be friendly to him. Even if we must leave our older comrades, we need to be doubly kind towards those who have recently escaped from the world and have come to find a refuge with the Almighty and His people.

Watch with continuous care over those newborn babes who are strong in desires but weak in everything else. They have just crept out of darkness, and their eyes can scarcely bear the light; let us shade them until they grow accustomed to the blaze of gospel daylight. We need to addict ourselves to the holy work of caring for the feeble and despondent. Peter himself must have felt like a newly enlisted soldier who had ended his public Christian life by denying his Lord, but he began it again when he went out and wept bitterly (Matthew 26:75). He made a new confession of his faith before his Lord and his brothers, and because he could sympathize with new believers, he was commissioned to act as a guardian to them.

Young converts are too timid to ask for our help, so our Lord introduces them to us, and with an emphatic command, He says, Feed my lambs. Jesus further explains what this means: Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brothers, ye have done it unto me (Matthew 25:40).

However young a believer may be, he should make an open confession of his faith and be embraced by the rest of the flock of Christ. We are not suspicious of youthful confessions of faith; we could never see more reason for suspicions of the young than of those who repent late in life. Of the two, we think the latter are to be questioned more than the former, for a selfish fear of punishment and dread of death are more likely to produce a counterfeit faith than mere childish innocence would. How much the child has missed which might have spoiled it! How much does the child not know, which we hope he may never know! Oh, how much there is of brightness and trustfulness in children when they are converted to God that we do not see in older converts!

Our Lord Jesus evidently felt deep sympathy for children, but the person who looks upon them as a trouble in the world and treats them as if they must be either little deceivers or foolish simpletons is not like Christ. To you who teach in our schools is given this joyous privilege of finding out where these young disciples are who are truly the lambs of Christ's flock, and to you He says, Feed my lambs; that is, instruct those who are truly gracious but young in years.

Remarkably, the word used here for Feed my lambs is different from the word employed in Feed my sheep. I will not trouble you with Greek words, but the second feed means to "exercise the office of a shepherd, rule, regulate, lead, manage, and do all that a shepherd does towards a flock." But the first feed does not include all of this; it only means "to feed," and it directs teachers to a duty which they may neglect – namely, that of instructing children in the faith.

The lambs do not need to be kept in order as much as we do, who know so much and yet know so little that we think we are so far advanced that we can judge one another and contend and imitate. Christian children mainly need to be taught the doctrines, precepts, and life of the gospel; they require divine truth to be put before them clearly and forcibly. Why should the higher doctrines, the doctrines of grace, be kept back from them? These doctrines are not merely structural bones; or if they are, they are full of marrow and covered with fatness. If there is any doctrine too difficult for a child, the fault is the teacher's conception of it rather than the child's ability to receive it, provided the child is really converted to God. Our responsibility is to make doctrine simple; this is a main part of our work. Teach the little ones the whole truth and nothing but the truth, for instruction is the great desire of the child's nature.

A child not only lives as you and I do but also needs to grow; hence, he has double need of food. When speaking of their boys, fathers say, "What appetites they have!" They should remember that we would also have great appetites if we not only had to keep the machinery going but also had to enlarge it at the same time. Children have to grow in grace – rising to greater capacity in knowing, being, doing, and feeling, and to greater power from God.

Therefore, above all things they must be fed. They must be fed well or instructed, because they are in danger of having their cravings perversely satisfied with error. Youth are susceptible to evil doctrine. Whether we teach young Christians truth or not, the devil will be sure to teach them error. They will hear it somehow, even if they are watched by the most careful guardians. The only way to keep chaff out of the child's little measure is to fill it to the brim with good wheat. Oh, may the spirit of God help us do this! The more the young are taught, the better; truth will keep them from being misled.

We are especially exhorted to feed them, because they are likely to be overlooked. I am afraid our sermons often go over the heads of the young – who may be as true Christians as the older ones. Blessed is he who can speak in a way that is understood by a child! Blessed is that godly woman who adapts herself in her class to the style of youthful thought so that the truth from her heart streams into the children's hearts without limitation or hindrance.

We are also exhorted to feed the young, because this work is so profitable. Try as we may with persons converted late in life, their years of service are limited. We rejoice for their own sakes, but at seventy, what remains even if they live another ten years? Train up a child, and he may have fifty years of holy service in the future. We are glad to welcome those who come into the vineyard at the eleventh hour, but they have hardly begun with their pruning hook and their spade before the sun goes down, and their short day's work is ended. The time spent in training the late convert is greater than the time reserved for his actual service.

But if you teach a child convert well, early devotion often becomes greater devotion, and that greater devotion may have many years in which God may be glorified and others may be blessed. Such work is profitable in a high degree. It is also most beneficial work for us, because it exercises our humility, keeps us lowly and meek, and trains our patience. Let those who doubt this try it, for even young Christians exercise the patience of those who believe in them and are therefore anxious to justify their confidence. If you want big-souled, large-hearted men or women, look for them among those who are engaged with the young, bearing with their foolishness and sympathizing with their weaknesses for Jesus's sake.
Chapter 2

Let the Children Come

Concerning the hindering of children, we see the results of this tendency in the fact that often the service offers nothing for the children. The sermon is over their heads, and the preacher does not think this is his fault. In fact, he often rejoices in this. Some time ago, a person who seemed to want to make me feel my own insignificance wrote to say that he had met with a number of "simple" people who had read my sermons with evident pleasure; he continued to say that he believed the sermons were very suitable for these simple people. Yes, my preaching was just the sort of stuff for the simple. The gentleman could not imagine what sincere pleasure he caused me, for if I am understood by poor people, by uneducated servants, and by children, I am sure I can be understood by others.

I am anxious to preach for simpletons, if by these, you mean the lowest and the ragtag. There is nothing greater than to win the hearts of the lowly and the children. People occasionally say of such a preacher, "He is only fit to teach children; he is no preacher." I tell you, in God's sight, he is no preacher who does not care for the children. At least part of every sermon and service should suit the little ones. Only error permits us to forget this.

Parents sin in the same way when they omit religion from the education of their children. Perhaps they think their children cannot be converted while they are children, so they don't think it matters where the children go to school in their tender years. But this is not so. Many parents even forget this when their girls and boys are finishing their early school days. They send them away to the universities, to places polluted with every moral and spiritual danger, with the idea that they can complete an elegant education there. In many cases, I have seen education produce young men who are degenerate prodigals and young women who are mere flirts. As we sow, we reap. We must expect our children to know the Lord and mingle the name of Jesus with their ABCs from the beginning. Let them read their first lessons from the Bible, for it is a remarkable thing that there is no book from which children learn to read so quickly as from the New Testament. It has a charm which stimulates the infant mind, so let us never be guilty as parents of forgetting the religious training of our children. If we do, we may be guilty of the blood of their souls.

Another reason for the tendency to neglect the children is that many of our churches and congregations do not expect their conversion. They do not expect the children to be converted as children. The theory is that if we can impress youthful minds with principles, which may prove useful to them later, we have done a great deal. But to convert children and regard them as believers as much as their seniors is considered absurd. To this supposed absurdity, I cling with all my heart. I believe that of such [children] is the kingdom of God, both on earth and in heaven (Luke 18:16).

Another ill result is that the conversion of children is not trusted. Certain suspicious people always grit their teeth a bit when they hear of a newly converted child; they will later rebuke him if they can. They rightly insist that these children should be carefully examined before they are baptized and admitted into the church, but they are wrong to insist that they are to be received only in exceptional instances. We quite agree that care ought to be exercised, but it should be the same in all cases, neither more nor less with children.

How often do people expect to see the same solemnity of behavior in boys and girls which is seen in older people! It would be a good thing for us all if we had never become adults but had added to all the qualities of a child the virtues of a man. Surely it is not necessary to kill the child to make the saint. Some of the strictest adults think that a converted child must become twenty years older in a minute.

When I was just a boy and had joined the church, a very solemn person called me from the playground and warned me of the impropriety (inappropriateness, improper behavior) of playing trap, bat, and ball with the boys. He said, "How can you play like others, if you are a child of God?" I answered that I was employed as an usher, and part of my duty was to join in the amusements of the boys. My esteemed critic thought that this altered the matter, but clearly, his view was that a converted boy should never play!

Don't others expect more perfect conduct from children than they themselves exhibit? If a gracious child loses his temper or acts incorrectly in some trifling thing through forgetfulness, he is immediately condemned as a little hypocrite by those who are far from being perfect themselves. Jesus says, Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones (Matthew 18:10). Take heed that you don't say an unkind word against your younger brothers and little sisters in the Lord. Jesus sets such great store by His dear lambs that He carries them in His bosom, and I charge you who follow your Lord in all things to show the same tenderness to the little ones in the divine family.

And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased (Mark 10:13-14 KJV). He was not often displeased, and certainly He was not often much displeased, but when He was much displeased, we may be sure that the case was serious. He was displeased that these children were being pushed away from Him, for it was contrary to His understanding about them. The disciples did wrong to the mothers; they rebuked the parents for doing a motherly act – for doing that which Jesus loved them to do. They brought their children to Jesus out of respect for Him; they valued a blessing from His hands more than gold; they expected that the benediction of God would go with the touch of the great Prophet. They may have hoped that a touch of the hand of Jesus would make their children's lives bright and happy. Though there may have been a measure of weakness in the parents' thought, the Savior could not judge harshly what arose out of reverence to Him. He was, therefore, much displeased to think that honor should be restrained from those good women who meant to honor Him.

There was also wrong done to the children. Sweet little ones! What had they done that they should be chided for coming to Jesus? Those dear ones had not meant to intrude. They would have fallen at His feet in reverent love for the sweet-voiced Teacher who charmed not only men, but also children, by His tender words. The little ones meant no ill, so why should they be blamed?

Besides, there was wrong done to Jesus Himself. It might have made men think that Jesus was stiff, reserved, and self-exalted like the rabbis. If they had thought that He could not humble Himself to children, they would have slandered His reputation of great love. His heart was a great harbor wherein many little ships might cast anchor. Jesus, the man, was never more at home than with children. The holy child Jesus had an affinity for children. Was He to be represented by His own disciples as shutting the door against them? Such an act would harm His character. Therefore, grieved at the triple evil which wounded the mothers, the children, and Himself, He was sorely displeased. Anything we do to hinder a dear child from coming to Jesus greatly displeases our dear Lord. He cries to us, "Stand off! Let them alone! Let them come to Me, and forbid them not!"

Next, restraining the children was contrary to His teaching, for He went on to say, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein (Mark 10:15). Christ's teaching was not that there is something in us to fit us for the kingdom or that a certain number of years may make us capable of receiving grace. His teaching went the other way – namely, that we are to be nothing and that the less we are and the weaker we are, the better; for the less we have of self, the more room there is for His divine grace. Do you think you can come to Jesus by climbing the ladder of knowledge? Come down; you will meet Him at the foot. Do you think you can reach Jesus by climbing the steep hill of experience? Come down, dear climber; He stands in the plain.

Some say, "Oh! But when I am old, I will be prepared for Christ." Stay where you are, young man; Jesus meets you at the door of life. You were never more fit to meet Him than just now. He asks nothing of you but that you will be nothing and that He may be all in all to you. That is His teaching; so, to send the child back because he doesn't have this or that is to go against the blessed doctrine of the grace of God.

Once more, it was quite contrary to Jesus's practice. He made them see this; for taking them up in his arms and putting his hands upon them, he blessed them (Mark 10:16). All His life there was nothing in Him like rejection and refusing. He said, he that comes to me I will in no wise cast cut (John 6:37). If He did cast any out because they were too young, the text would be falsified at once, but that can never be. He is the receiver of all who come to Him. It is written, This man receives sinners and eats with them (Luke 15:2). All His life He might be drawn as a shepherd with a lamb in His bosom, but never as a cruel shepherd setting his dogs upon the lambs and driving them and their mothers away.
Chapter 3

Children Desperately Need the Lord

The immediate disciples of our Lord were an honorable band of men. Despite their mistakes and shortcomings, they must have been greatly sweetened by living near One so perfect and so full of love. Therefore, if these men who were the cream of the crop rebuked the mothers who brought their young children to Jesus, it must have been a pretty common offense in the church of God. I fear that the chilling frost of this mistake is felt almost everywhere. I am not going to make any ungenerous statement, but I think if a little personal investigation were made, many of us might find ourselves guilty on this point. We might be led to cry with Pharaoh's butler, I remember my sins today (Genesis 41:9).

Have we made a special effort for the conversion of children as much as we have for the conversion of grown-ups? Do you think I am being sarcastic? Do you make a special effort for anybody's conversion? What must I say to you? It is dreadful that Cain's spirit should enter a believer's heart and make him say, Am I my brother's keeper? It is a shocking thing that we should eat the fat and drink the sweet but leave the famishing multitudes to perish. Tell me now; if you did care for the salvation of souls, wouldn't you think it was too ordinary and undistinguished to begin with boys and girls? Yes, and your feeling is shared by many. The fault is common.

I believe, however, that this feeling, in the case of the apostles, was caused by a zeal for Jesus. These good men thought that bringing the children to the Savior would cause an interruption; He was engaged in much better work; He had been confounding the Pharisees, instructing the masses, and healing the sick. Would it be right to pester Him with children? The little ones would not understand His teaching, and they did not need His miracles; why should they be brought in to disturb His great doings? Therefore, the disciples might as well have said, "Take your children back, good women. Teach them the law yourselves, instruct them in the Psalms and the Prophets, and pray with them. Not every child can have Christ's hands laid on him. If we suffer one group of children to come, we shall have all the neighborhood swarming about us, and the Savior's work will be grievously interrupted. Don't you see this? Why do you act so thoughtlessly?"

The disciples had such reverence for their Master that they would send the chatterboxes away, lest the great Rabbi should appear to be a mere teacher of babes. This may have been zeal for God, but it was not according to knowledge. Thus, in those days certain brethren did not want to receive many children into the church, for fear it would become a society of boys and girls. Surely, if these children come into the church in great numbers, the church would be criticized. The outside world would call it a mere Sunday school.

I remember when a fallen woman had been converted in one of our towns; there was an objection among certain professors to her being received into the church. Certain lewd fellows even publicized the fact that the Baptist minister had baptized a harlot. I told my friend to regard it as an honor. Even so, if any reproach us for receiving young children into the church, we will wear the criticism as a badge of honor. Holy children cannot possibly do us any harm. God will send us members of sufficient age and experience to steer the church wisely. We will receive none who fail to show evidence of the new birth, however old they may be; but we will shut out no believers, however young they may be. God forbid that we should condemn our cautious brothers, but at the same time, we wish their caution would show itself where it is more required. Jesus will not be dishonored by the children; we have far more cause to fear the adults.

The apostles' rebuke of the children arose somewhat from ignorance of the children's need. If any mother in that throng had said, "I must bring my child to the Master, for he is sorely afflicted with a devil," neither Peter, nor James, nor John would have hesitated for a moment, but would have assisted in bringing the possessed child to the Savior.

Or suppose another mother had said, "My child has a lingering sickness and has wasted away to skin and bone; permit me to bring my darling child that Jesus may lay His hands upon her."

The disciples would all have said, "Make way for this woman and her sorrowful burden."

But these little ones with bright eyes, chattering tongues, and leaping limbs, why should they come to Jesus? The disciples forgot that in those children, with all their joy, their health, and their apparent innocence, there was a great and grievous need for the blessing of a Savior's grace. If we indulge in the novel idea that our children do not need conversion, that children born of Christian parents are somewhat superior to others and have good within them which only needs development, one great motive for our devout earnestness in their growth will be gone.

Believe me, our children need the Spirit of God to give them new hearts and right spirits, or they will go astray as other children do. Remember that however young they are, there is a stone within the youngest breast, and that stone must be taken away or it will be the ruin of the child. A tendency to evil exists even before it is developed into action, and that tendency needs to be overcome by the divine power of the Holy Spirit, which causes the child to be born again. Oh, that the church of God would cast off the old Jewish idea, which still has such force around us – namely, that natural birth brings with it covenant privileges!

Now, even under the old dispensation were hints that the true seed was not born after the flesh but after the spirit, as in the case of Ishmael and Isaac, and Esau and Jacob. Won't the church of God realize that That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:6)? Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? (Job 14:4). The natural birth communicates nature's filthiness, but it cannot convey grace. Under the new covenant, we are expressly told that the sons of God are not born of blood, nor of the will of flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:13). Under the old covenant, which was typical, the birth according to the flesh yielded privilege; but to come under the covenant of grace we must be born again. The first birth brings nothing but an inheritance with the first Adam; we must be born again to come under the headship of the second Adam.

But it is written in Acts that Peter said, the promise is unto you and to your children (Acts 2:39). There never was a more unprincipled piece of deception committed under heaven than the quotation of that text as it is usually quoted. I have heard it quoted many times to prove a doctrine, which is far removed from what it clearly teaches. If we take one-half of any sentence that a man utters and leave out the rest, we can make him say the opposite of what he means.

What do you think that text really says? See the whole of Acts 2:39: For the promise is unto you and to your children and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. This wide statement is the argument on which is founded the exhortation, Repent and be baptized each one of you (Acts 2:38). It is not a declaration of special privilege to anyone, but rather a presentation of grace as much to all that are afar off as to them and to their children. There is not a word in the New Testament to show that the benefits of divine grace are in any degree transmitted by natural descent. These benefits come to as many as the Lord our God shall call, whether their parents are saints or sinners. How can people have the audacity to tear off half a text to make it teach what is not true?

We must look upon our children as born in sin and shaped in iniquity – heirs of wrath even as others. Though we may belong to a line of saints and trace our pedigree from minister to minister, our children still occupy precisely the same position by their birth as other people's children do. They must be redeemed from under the curse of the law by the precious blood of Jesus, and they must receive a new nature by the work of the Holy Spirit. They are favored by being placed under godly training and the hearing of the gospel, but their need and their sinfulness are the same as the rest of the race. If we think about this, we will see the reason why they should be brought to Jesus Christ – and a reason they should be brought as soon as possible in the arms of our prayer and faith to Him who is able to renew them.

I have sometimes found a deeper spiritual experience in children of ten and twelve than I have in certain persons of fifty and sixty. It is an old proverb that some children are born with beards. Some boys are little men, and some girls are little women. We cannot measure the lives of any of us by our ages. I knew a fifteen-year-old boy who often heard old Christian people say, "The boy is sixty years old; he speaks with such insight into divine truth." I believe that this youth at fifteen did know far more of the things of God and suffering of soul than any around him, whatever their age might have been. I cannot say why it is, but I know that some are old when they are young, and some are very green when they are old; some are wise when we'd expect them to be otherwise, and others are very foolish when we might expect them to have ended their silliness. Don't talk of a child's inability to repent! I have known a child to weep herself to sleep by the month under a crushing sense of sin.

If you know a deep, bitter, and awful fear of the wrath of God, let me tell you what I felt as a boy. If you know joy in the Lord, many a child has been as full as his little heart could hold. If we want to know what faith in Jesus is, we must not look to those who have been befuddled by the heretical jargon of the times, but to the dear children who have taken Jesus at His word, believed in Him, and loved Him, and therefore know and are sure that they are saved. Capacity for believing lies more in the child than in the man. We grow less capable rather than more capable of faith; every year brings the unregenerate mind further from God and makes it less able to receive the things of God. No ground is more prepared for the good seed than that which has not been trodden down as the highway or overgrown with thorns. Not yet has the child learned the deceits of pride, the falsehood of ambition, the delusions of worldliness, the tricks of trade, or the fallacy of philosophy; so far, the child has an advantage over the adult. In any case, the new birth is the work of the Holy Spirit, and He can work upon youth as easily as upon the older person.

Some too have hindered the children because they have forgotten the child's value. The soul's price does not depend upon its years. "Oh, it is only a child!" "Children are a nuisance." "Children are always getting in the way." This talk is common. God forgive those who despise the little ones! Will you be very angry if I say that a boy is more worth saving than a man? It is infinite mercy on God's part to save those who are seventy, for what good can they now do with the latter end of their lives? When we get to be fifty or sixty, we are almost worn out; if we have spent all our early days with the devil, what remains for God? But with these dear boys and girls, there is something to be made of them. If they yield themselves to Christ now, they may have a long, happy, and holy day before them in which they may serve God with all their hearts. Who knows what glory God may have for them? Heathen hands may call them blessed. Whole nations may be enlightened by them. If a famous schoolmaster took his hat off to his boys because he did not know whether one of them might become prime minister, we may likewise look upon converted children, for we do not know how soon they may be among the angels or how greatly their light may shine among men. Let us recognize the true value of children, and then we won't keep them back, but we shall be eager to lead them to Jesus at once.

In proportion to our own spirituality of mind and in proportion to our own childlikeness of heart, we'll be at home with children, and we'll enter into their early fears and hopes, their budding faith and opening love. As we dwell among young converts, we'll enjoy a garden of flowers, a vineyard where the tender grapes give a good smell.
Chapter 4

The Children's Shepherd

Simon Peter was not a Welshman, but he had a great deal of what we know as Welsh fire in him. He was just the sort of man to interest the young. Children delight to gather around a fire, whether it is on the hearth or in the heart. Some people appear to be made of ice, and children quickly shrink away from them. Congregations or classes grow smaller every Sunday when cold-blooded creatures preside over them. But when a man or a woman has a kind heart, the children seem to gather like the flies on autumn days swarm on a warm, sunny wall. Therefore, Jesus said to warmhearted Simon, Feed my lambs. He was the man for the office.

Simon Peter was, moreover, an experienced man. He had known his own weakness; he had felt the pangs of conscience; he had sinned much and had been forgiven much, and now he was brought in tender humility to confess the love and loveliness of Jesus. We want experienced men and women to teach converted children and tell them what the Lord has done for them and what have been their dangers, their sins, their sorrows, and their comforts. The young are glad to hear the story of those who have persevered more than they have. I may say of experienced saints – their lips keep knowledge. Lovingly narrated experience is suitable food for young believers; instruction in the Lord is likely to bless and nourish them in grace.

Simon Peter was a greatly indebted man. He owed much to Jesus Christ according to the rule of the kingdom – he loves much to whom much has been forgiven. To you who have never entered upon this service for Christ and yet might do it well – come forward at once and say, "I have left this work to younger hands, but I will do so no longer. I have experience and retain a warm heart within me; I will go and join the workers who are feeding the lambs in the name of the Lord."

When the Lord calls a man to a work, He gives him the preparation necessary for it. How was Peter prepared for feeding Christ's lambs? First, by being fed himself. The Lord gave him a breakfast before giving him a commission. We cannot feed lambs, or sheep either, unless we are fed ourselves. It is right to teach a great part of the Lord's Day, but a teacher is not wise who fails to hear the gospel preached and get a meal for his own soul. First be fed, and then feed.

But Peter was prepared for feeding the lambs by being with his Master. He would never forget that morning and all its events. It was Christ's voice that he heard; it was Christ's look that pierced him to the heart. He breathed the air that surrounded the risen Lord, and this fellowship with Jesus perfumed Peter's heart and tuned Peter's speech so he could go out and feed the lambs. I commend you for your study of instructive books, but above all, I commend you for the study of Christ. Let Him be your library. Get near to Jesus. An hour's communion with Jesus is the best preparation for teaching either the young or the old.

Peter was also prepared in a more painful way – namely, by self-examination. The question came to him three times: Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? . . . lovest thou Me? . . . lovest thou Me? (John 21:15-17). Often the vessel needs scouring with self-examination before the Lord can use it to convey the living water to thirsting ones. It never hurts a truehearted man to search his own spirit and to be searched and tried by his Lord. Only the hypocrite dreads and is afraid of the truth, which tests his speeches and meditations; but the genuine man wants to know that he really does love Christ, and therefore he looks within and questions and cross-questions himself.

That examination should mostly concern our love, for the best preparation for teaching Christ's lambs is love – love for Jesus and for them. We cannot be priests on their behalf unless like Aaron we wear their names upon our breasts. We must love or we cannot bless. Teaching is poor work when love is gone; it is like a smith working without a tire hammer or a builder without mortar. A shepherd who does not love his sheep is a hireling and not a shepherd; he will flee in the time of danger and leave his flock to the wolf. Where there is no love, there will be no life; living lambs are not to be fed by dead men.

We preach and teach love; our subject is the love of God in Christ Jesus. How can we teach this if we have no love ourselves? Our objective is to create love in the hearts of those we teach and foster it where it already exists; but how can we communicate the fire, if it is not kindled in our own hearts? How can the one whose hands are damp and dripping with worldliness and indifference fan the flame of love, so that he arouses the child's heart as a flame of fire rather than as a bucket of water? These lambs of the flock live in the love of Christ; shouldn't they also live in our love? He calls them His lambs, and so they are. Shouldn't we love them for His sake? They were chosen in love; they were redeemed in love; they have been called in love; they have been washed in love; they have been fed by love, and they will be kept by love, till they come to the green pastures on the hilltops of heaven.

We will be ineffective in sharing divine love unless our souls are full of affectionate zeal for the good of the beloved ones. Love is the grandest qualification for the ministry, whether exercised in the congregation or in the class. Love, and then feed. If we love, then we can feed. If we don't love, then we need to wait till the Lord has quickened us and not lay our unhallowed hand to this sacred service.

With the weak of the flock, with the new converts in the flock, with the young children in the flock, our principal business is to feed them. Every sermon and every lesson should be a feeding sermon and a feeding lesson. It is of little use to stand and thump the Bible and call out, "Believe, believe, believe!" when nobody knows what they are to believe. I see no use in fiddles and tambourines; neither lambs nor sheep can be fed upon brass bands. There must be doctrine – solid, sound, gospel doctrine to constitute real feeding. When you have a roast on the table and ring the dinner bell, the bell feeds nobody if no portions are served up. Getting children to meet in the morning and the afternoon is a waste of their steps and ours if we do not set before them soul-saving, soul-sustaining truth. Feed the lambs; we need not make music for them or put garlands around their necks, but we need to feed them.

This feeding is humble, lowly, inconspicuous work. Do you know the name of a shepherd? I have known the names of one or two who follow that calling, but I never heard anybody speak of them as great men; their names are not in the papers, nor do we hear of them in business with a grievance, claiming to be noticed by the legislature. Shepherds are generally quiet, unobtrusive people. When we look at the shepherd, we would not see any difference between him and the ploughman or the cart-driver. He plods on without complaint through the winter, and in the early spring, he has no rest night or day, because the lambs need him. He does this year after year, and yet he will never be made a knight of high esteem or be exalted to the dignity of his peers, even though he may have done far more useful work than those who are floated to high rank upon their own beer barrels.

Such is the case of many a faithful teacher of young children; we hear little about him, yet he is doing grand work for which future ages will call him blessed. His Master knows all about him, and we will hear of him in that day, but perhaps not until then.

Feeding the lambs is careful work too, for lambs cannot be fed on just anything, especially Christ's lambs. We can quickly poison young believers with bad teaching. Christ's lambs are too apt to eat herbs, which are harmful; children need us to be cautious where we lead them. If men are supposed to take heed to what they hear, how much more should we take heed to what we teach? The feeding of each lamb separately is thoughtful work, and teaching truth to each child what he is best able to receive is specific work.

Moreover, this is continuous work. Feed my lambs is not for a season but for all time. Lambs could not live if the shepherd only fed them once a week. I reckon they would die between Sunday and Sunday; therefore, good teachers of the young look after them all the days of the week, as they have opportunity, and they are vigilant about their souls with prayer and holy example when they are not teaching them by word of mouth. Shepherding lambs is daily, hourly work. When is a shepherd's work over? How many hours a day does he labor? He will tell you that in lambing time, he is never done. He sleeps at short times when he can, taking much less than forty winks and then rousing himself for action. Such is the case with those who feed Christ's lambs; they don't rest until God saves and sanctifies these dear ones.

It is demanding work too; he who does not labor at it will have a terrible record to present to our Lord. Do you think a minister's life is an easy one? I tell you that he who makes little effort will find it hard enough when he comes to die. Nothing so exhausts a man as the care of souls, and that is how it is with all who teach – they cannot do a good job without spending themselves. Teachers must study the lesson; they must bring forth something fresh to your class and instruct and impress. I have no doubt teachers often search very hard for material and wonder how to get through the next Lord's Day. I know they are grieved at times, if they are competent. Teachers dare not rush to class unprepared and offer to the Lord that which costs them nothing. There must be labor if the food is to be wisely placed before the lambs so they can receive it.

And all this has to be done in a singularly choice spirit; the true shepherd spirit is a mixture of many precious graces. He is hot with zeal, but he is not fiery with passion; he is gentle, but he rules his class; he is loving, but he does not wink at sin; he has power over the lambs, but he is not domineering or sharp. He has cheerfulness but not irreverence, freedom but not license, seriousness but not gloom. He who cares for lambs should be a lamb himself; blessed be God, a Lamb sits before the throne and cares for us more effectively because He is made like unto us in all things (Hebrews 2:17).

The shepherd spirit is a rare and priceless gift. A successful pastor or a successful teacher in a school will have special characteristics which distinguish him from others. A bird, when sitting on its eggs or with newly hatched little ones, has a mother spirit; it devotes all its life to the feeding of its little ones. Other birds may find their pleasure by flying about, but this bird sits still all day and night, or its only flights are to provide for gaping mouths, which never seem to be filled. A passion has taken possession of the bird, and something like that comes over the true soul winner. He would gladly die to win souls; he pines, he pleads, he plods to bless those on whom his heart is set. If these could only be saved, he would pawn half his heaven for it; in moments of enthusiasm he is ready to barter heaven altogether to win souls, and like Paul, he might wish himself accursed, so they would be saved. Many cannot understand this blessed extravagance, because they never felt it. May the Holy Spirit work it in us, so we will act as true shepherds toward the lambs. This then is the work: Feed my lambs.
Chapter 5

Of Such is the Kingdom of Heaven

Our Lord told the disciples that the gospel sets up a kingdom. Was there ever a kingdom that had no children? How then could it grow? Jesus tells us that children are admitted into the kingdom, and not only a few are here and there admitted, but of such is the kingdom of God (Mark 10:14). I am not inclined to avoid the plain sense of that expression or suggest that He merely means that the kingdom consists of those who are like children. He clearly intended that children like those who were before Him, babes and young children, were the ones of [whom] such is the kingdom of God. There are children in all kingdoms, and there are children in Christ's kingdom. I suspect that John Newton was right when he said that the majority of persons who are in the kingdom of God are children. Multitudes of babies have died and now swarm the streets of heaven. Even though generation after generation of adults have passed away in unbelief and rebellion, multitudes of children have gone streaming up to heaven, saved by the grace of God through the death of Christ, to sing the high praises of the Lord forever before the eternal throne. Of such is the kingdom of God. They give tone and character to the kingdom; it is more a kingdom of children than of men.

Our Lord tells us that the way to enter the kingdom is by receiving. Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein (Luke 18:17). We do not enter into the kingdom of God by working out some deep problem and arriving at its solution or by fetching something out of ourselves. We come into the kingdom by the kingdom's coming into us; it receives us by our receiving it. If the entrance into the kingdom depended upon gaining something from the human mind through study and deep thought, very few children could ever enter, but it depends upon something being received, and therefore children may enter. Those children who are old enough to sin and be saved by faith must listen to the gospel and receive it by faith. They can do this with God the Holy Spirit helping them. There is no doubt about it, because many have done it.

I cannot say at what age children are first capable of receiving the knowledge of Christ, but it is much earlier than some realize. We have seen and known children who have given abundant evidence that they have received Christ and have believed in Him at a very early age. Some of them have died triumphantly, and others have lived graciously; some are here now, grown up to be men and women who are honorable members of the church.

We know that infants enter the kingdom, for we are convinced that all who die in infancy are included and partake in the redemption completed by our Lord Jesus. Whatever some may think, the whole spirit and tone of the Word of God, as well as the nature of God Himself, lead us to believe that all who leave this world as babies are saved. Now, how do they receive the kingdom? For we must receive it in the same way. Certainly, children do not receive it by birth or blood, for John's Gospel tells us that the children of God are not born of blood, nor of the will of flesh (John 1:13). All privilege of descent is abolished, and no baby enters into heaven because it was born of a devout father or mother. Neither shall any be shut out because his ancestors were atheists or idolaters. My solemn persuasion is that the child of a Muslim, or a Pharisee, or a Buddhist, or a cannibal, dying in infancy, is as surely saved as the child of the Christian. There can be no salvation by blood or birthright of infants, for the gospel dispensation does not allow it. If they are saved, as we assuredly believe they are, infants must be saved simply according to the will and good pleasure of God, because He has made them to be His own.

Children dying in infancy in China and Japan are as truly saved as those dying in England or Scotland are. Babies with dark skin, infants born in the African villages of the Khoikhoi or the wigwams of the American Indians, are all saved and, therefore, not by any outward ritual or by the mystic power of a priesthood. They are raised to the kingdom of heaven by the free and sovereign grace of God.

How are they saved then? By works? No, for they have never done any. By their natural innocence? No, for if that innocence could have admitted them to heaven, it must also have sufficed to save them from pain and death. If sin is not upon them in some form, how is it that they suffer? The imputed sin, which makes them die, prevents us from believing that they claim heaven by right of innocence. They die because of Adam's fall – sad consequences of being born of fallen parents.

Notice the sorrowful appeals of the dear little ones as they look up from their suffering, as if they would ask why they must endure so much pain. We look at them with deep grief, because we cannot help them; we reflect upon the mysterious union of the race in its fall and sorrow. The anguish of the dying little one is a proof of Adam's fall and of the child's participation in the result of that fall. The dear babies live again, however, because Jesus died and rose again; they are in Him. They perish, as far as this life is concerned, for a sin which they did not commit; but they also live eternally through a righteousness in which they had no hand, even the righteousness of Jesus Christ, who has redeemed them.

We know little of the matter, but we suppose they undergo regeneration before they enter heaven, for that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and to enter the spiritual world, they must be born of the Spirit. But whatever is completed in them, it is clear that they do not enter the kingdom by the force of intellect, or will, or merit, but as a matter of free grace, having no reference to anything that they have done or felt. In that same manner we must pass into the kingdom entirely through free grace, and not by any power or merit of our own. We will enter heaven as fully by grace as if we had never lived a godly life, nor had practiced a single virtue.

Now we have to think of another sort of children – those who outlive the time of infancy and become children capable of actual sin and of knowing Christ and being converted. Many of these enter the kingdom by faith. As these children receive the kingdom of heaven, so must we receive it. How do the children receive it? I answer: a child receives the gospel with humility, simple faith, and unworldliness. Children are not held up to us as an example in all things, for they have faults which we ought to avoid, but they are praised here in this point – the way in which they receive the kingdom. How does a child receive it? First, with humility. He is humble enough to be without prejudice. Take a little child and tell him about Jesus Christ the Savior, and if God blesses the telling of the story of the cross, and the child believes it, he receives it without having any wrong views and notions to battle with. If a man hears the gospel with the idea that Christ is merely human, he cannot get rid of that prejudice in his mind, and therefore he does not receive Jesus Christ the Lord. Another comes to hear the Word with the recollection of all that he has heard and read of infidelity, heresy, and profanity; how can he profit until this is removed? Another comes with his mind stuffed with proud self-righteousness, with a belief in priestcraft, or with a reliance on some form or ceremony. If we could get this lumber out of his soul, there would be some hope; but all this is a hindrance.

The dear child, however, as he listens to the story of the love of God in Jesus, has none of these prejudices to spoil his hearing. He very likely does not even know that such evils have been invented by man, and he is blessed in his ignorance. He will find the evil soon enough, but for the present, he humbly drinks in the Word, and prays:

"Gentle Jesus, meek and mild,

Look upon a little child;

Pity my simplicity,

Suffer me to come to Thee."

 Charles Wesley, "Gentle Jesus, Meek and Mild," hymnary.org/text/gentle_jesus_meek_and_mild_look_upon.

The deliverance from preconceived notions is what we greatly need. Just as a little boy or little girl must believe, so must we. There is only one way for the shepherd and the sage, the philosopher and the peasant. The little child receives Christ humbly, for he never dreams of merit or purchase. I've never met a child who had to battle with self-righteousness in coming to Christ.
Chapter 6

The Fertile Ground of a Child's Heart

When our Lord blessed the little children, He was making His last journey to Jerusalem. It was thus a farewell blessing which He gave to the little ones, and it reminds us of the fact that among His parting words to His disciples before He was taken up, we find the tender charge, Feed my lambs. The ruling passion was strong upon the great Shepherd of Israel, who shall gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom (Isaiah 40:11). It was fitting that while He was making His farewell journey, He should bestow His gracious benediction upon the children.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is not among us in person, but we know where He is. We know that He is clothed with all power in heaven and in earth, by which to bless His people. Let us then draw near to Him. Let us seek His touch in the form of fellowship and ask for the aid of His intercession. Let us include others in our prayers, and among these let us give our children, and all children, a prominent place. We know more of Jesus than the women of Palestine did; let us, therefore, be even more eager than they were to bring our children to Him that He may bless them, and they may be accepted in Him, even as we ourselves are. Jesus waits to bless us and our children. He is not changed in character or impoverished in grace, for He still receives sinners and continues to bless children. Let none of us be content, whether we are parents or teachers, until He has received our children and so blessed them that we are sure they have entered the kingdom of God.

When our Savior saw that His disciples were not only reluctant to admit the children to Him but also even rebuked those who brought them, He was much displeased and called them to Him that He might teach them better. He then informed them that, instead of the children being regarded as intruders, they were most welcome to Himself. Instead of being a nuisance, they had full right of access, for His kingdom is composed of children and of childlike persons. Moreover, He declared that none could enter that kingdom except in the same manner as children enter. He spoke with divine certainty, using His own expressive verily, and He spoke with the weight of His own personal authority: I say unto you. These introductory expressions are intended to secure our reverent attention to the fact that although the admission of children into the kingdom seemed unusual or strange, none can enter except they receive the gospel as a little child receives it.

Clearly, the disciples thought the children were too insignificant for the Lord's time to be taken up by them. If a prince had wished to come to Jesus, no doubt Peter and the rest of them would have diligently secured him an introduction, but these were only poor women with babies and boys and girls. If an ordinary person like themselves had desired to speak with Jesus, they would not have driven him away with rebukes. But mere children! Nursing babies and toddlers! The disciples could not consider allowing these to intrude upon the great Teacher.

A word is used about the youthful applicants who may represent children of any age, from nursing babies to twelve-year-olds; surely, Jesus had enough worry without the intrusion of these juveniles. He had serious subjects for thought and graver objects of care. The children were so little that the disciples thought in their hearts that they were quite beneath His notice. But if it comes to a matter of insignificance, who can hope to win the divine attention? If we think that children must be little in His sight, what are we? He takes up the isles as a very little thing; the inhabitants of the earth are as grasshoppers; yes, we are all as things of nothingness. If we were humble, we should exclaim, Lord, what is man that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou dost visit him? (Psalm 8:4). If we dream that the Lord will not notice the little and insignificant, what do we think of this text: Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father (Matthew 10:29)? Does God care for sparrows but not care for little children?

The idea of insignificance must be set aside at once. For the Lord, who is high and lifted up, looks upon the humble, but the proud he does not know (Psalm 138:6). But are little children so insignificant? Don't they populate heaven? Isn't that your conviction? It is mine – the children make up a considerable part of the population of the skies. Multitudes of infant feet are treading the streets of the New Jerusalem. Snatched from the breast before they had committed actual sin, delivered from the burdensome pilgrimage of life, they always behold the face of our Father who is in heaven. Of such is the kingdom of God. Do you call these insignificant? Do you dare to despise these children, who are the most numerous company in the army of the elect?

I might turn the tables and call the adults insignificant, among whom no more than a small remnant can be found who serve the Lord. Besides, many children are spared growing to adulthood, and therefore we must not think a child is insignificant. He is the father of the man. In him are great possibilities and capabilities. His manhood is still undeveloped, but it is there, and he that trifles with it damages the man. He who tempts the mind of a boy may destroy the soul of a man. A little error injected into the ear of a youth may become deadly in the man, when the slow poison finally touches a vital part. Weeds sown in the furrows of childhood will grow with the young man's growth, ripen in his prime, and only decay into a sad corruption when he himself declines. On the other hand, a truth dropped into a child's heart will bear blossom, and his manhood shall see the fruit of it.

A child listening in the class to his teacher's gentle voice may develop into a Luther and shake the world with his impassioned proclamation of the truth. Who among us can tell? At any rate, with the truth in his heart, the boy will grow up to honor and fear the Lord, and he will help keep a godly seed alive in these evils days. Therefore, let no man despise the young or think them insignificant (1 Timothy 4:12). I claim a front place for them. I ask that if others are kept back, they may make room for the little ones. They are the world's future. The past has been, and we cannot alter it. Even the present is gone while we gaze on it, but our hope lies in the future. Therefore, by your leave, you allow room for the children, room for the boys and girls!

I suppose that these grown-up apostles thought that the children's minds were too trivial. They enjoy their play and their childish mirth and will regard being folded in Jesus's arms as only a pastime. It will be amusement to them, and they will have no idea of the solemnity of their position. Well, well! Trivial, is it? Children are said to be guilty of foolishness! Aren't we also triflers?

If it comes to an examination upon the matter of playing around, who are the greatest triflers – children or full-grown men and women? What is greater triviality than for a man to live for the enjoyment of sensual pleasures, or for a woman to live to dress herself and waste her time in company. Even more, what is the accumulation of wealth for the sake of it but miserable gluttony. It is child's play without the amusement! Most men are triflers on a larger scale than children are, and that is the main difference. When children trifle, they play with little things; their toys are breakable. Aren't they purposely made to be played with and broken? The child with his playthings is only doing as he should.

But I know men and women who play with their souls and with heaven and hell and eternity. They trifle with God's Word, with God's Son, and with God Himself! Charge not children with being frivolous, for their little games often have as much earnestness and usefulness about them as the pursuits of men. Half the councils of our senators and the debates of our representatives are worse than child's play. The game of war is a far greater folly than the most frolicsome of boyish tricks. Big children are the worst triflers, much more so than the little ones can ever be. Despise not children for their amusements when the whole world is given to folly.

But some might say, "If we should let the children come to Christ, and if He should bless them, they will soon forget it. No matter how loving His look and how spiritual His words, they will go back to their play, and their weak memories will preserve no trace of it at all." We meet this objection in the same manner as the others. Don't men forget? What a forgetful generation do most preachers address! Truly, this is a generation like the one of which Isaiah said, For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little (Isaiah 28:10). Alas! Many must have the gospel preached to them again, and again, and again, until the preacher is most weary with his hopeless task, for they are like men who see their natural faces in a glass and go their way to forget what manner of men they are. They still live in sin. The Word has no abiding place in their hearts. Forgetfulness! Don't charge children with forgetting unless you are free of the accusation.

But do the little ones forget? I suppose the events that we best remember in older age are the things that happened to us in our earliest days. At any rate, I have shaken hands with gray-haired men who have forgotten nearly all the events between their old age and the time of their childhood, but the little matters that transpired at home – hymns learned at their mother's knee and words spoken by their father or sister – have lingered with them. The voices of childhood echo throughout life. The first thing learned is generally the last thing forgotten. The young children who heard our Lord's blessing would not forget it. They would have His countenance photographed upon their hearts and never forget His kind and tender smile. Peter and James and John and the rest are all mistaken, and therefore you must suffer the children to come to Jesus.

Perhaps they thought that children did not have sufficient mental capacity to understand. Jesus Christ said such wonderful things that the children could not be expected to receive them. Yet, indeed, this is a great error, for children readily enter into our Lord's teaching. They never learn to read so quickly from any book as from the New Testament. The words of Jesus are so childlike and so fitted for children that they drink them in better than the words of any other man, no matter how simple he may try to speak. Children readily understand the child Jesus. What is this matter of mental capacity? What capacity is wanted? Capacity to believe? I tell you, children have more of that than grown-up persons. I am not speaking of the spiritual part of faith; but as far as the mental faculty is concerned, the capacity for faith in the heart of a child is great. His believing faculty has not yet been overloaded by superstition, or perverted by falsehood, or maimed by wicked unbelief. Just let the Holy Spirit consecrate the natural power of thought and reason, and there is enough of it for the production of abundant faith in God.

In what respect are children deficient of this mental capacity? Do they lack capacity for repentance? Assuredly, haven't I seen a girl weep herself ill because she has done wrong? A tender conscience in many a little boy has made him unutterably miserable when he has been conscious of a fault. Don't some of us remember the keen arrows of conviction which rankled in our hearts when we were yet children? I distinctly recall the time when I was still a child and could not rest because of sin; I sought the Lord with bitter anguish. Children are capable enough of repentance; God the Holy Spirit works it in them. This is no conjecture, for we ourselves are living witnesses.

What then do children lack in the matter of capacity? Someone says that they don't have sufficient understanding. Understanding of what? If the religion of Jesus were that of modern thought, if it were such sublime nonsense that none but the so-called cultured class could make head or tail of it, then children might be incapable of its comprehension. But if it is indeed the gospel of the poor man's Bible, then there are shallows in it where the tiniest lamb in Jesus's fold may wade without fear of being carried off its feet. For sure, in the Scriptures are great mysteries where leviathans may dive and find no bottom, but the knowledge of these deep things is not essential to salvation, or few of us would be saved. The things that are essential to salvation are so exceedingly simple that no child need sit down in despair of understanding what makes his peace. Christ crucified is not a riddle for sages but a plain truth for plain people; true, it is meat for men, but it is also milk for babes.

Have some said that children could not love? That is one of the grandest parts of the education of a Christian; did you dream that children could not attain it? No, we did not say that, nor did we dare think it, for the capacity for love is great in a child. If only it were always as great in ourselves!

To put the thoughts of the apostles into one or two words, they thought that the children must not come to Christ because they were not like themselves – they were not men and women. A child was not big enough, tall enough, grown enough, great enough to be blessed by Jesus! Or so they half-thought. The child must not come to the Master because he is not like the man. How the blessed Savior turns the tables and says, "Don't say the child may not come till he is like a man, but know that you cannot come till you are like him. Not being like you is no difficulty for the child; the difficulty is with you – that you are not like the child."

Instead of the child needing to wait until he grows up and becomes a man, the man must grow down and become like a child. Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein (Luke 18:17). Our Lord's words are a complete and all-sufficient answer to the thoughts of His disciples, and we may each, as we read them, learn wisdom.

Let's not say, "Would to God my child were grown up like myself that he might come to Christ," but rather may we almost wish that we were little children again, that we could forget much that now we know, that we could be washed clean from habit and prejudice, and that we could begin again with a child's freshness, simplicity, and eagerness. As we pray for spiritual childhood, Scripture sets its seal upon the prayer, for it is written, Except a person be born again from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God; and again, Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of the heavens (John 3:3; Matthew 18:3).

Now, I wonder whether any have a thought lingering like the disciples did. I wonder whether you ever think in this fashion. I would not be surprised if you do. I hope it is not quite as common as it used to be, but I used to see a deep suspicion of youthful devotion in certain quarters among older folks. The seniors shook their heads at the idea of receiving children into the church. Some even ventured to speak of converts as "only a lot of girls and boys," as if they were the worse for that. If they hear of a child convert, many are very doubtful unless he dies very soon. Then they believe the conversion reports about him. If the child lives, they sharpen their axes to have a cut at him by way of examination. He must know all the doctrines, and he must be supernaturally serious. Not even every grown-up person knows the higher doctrines of the Word, but if the young person should not know them, he is set aside.

Some people expect almost infinite wisdom in a child before they can believe him to be the subject of divine grace. This is monstrous. Then again, if a believing child should act like a child, some of the fathers of the last generation determined that he must not be converted, as if conversion to Christ added twenty years to our age. Of course, the young convert must not play anymore or talk in his own childish fashion, or the seniors would be shocked. It was sort of understood that as soon as a child was converted, he was to turn into an old man.

I never could see anything in Scripture to support this theory; but then Scripture was not regarded as much as the judgment of the deep-experienced people. The general opinion was that it was good to summer and winter (to scrutinize for a time) all converts before admitting them into the sacred enclosures of the church. Now, if anyone still has an idea that is hostile to the conversion of children, try to get rid of it, for it is as wrong as wrong can be. If there were two inquirers before me now, a child and a man, and I received from each the same testimony, I would have no more right to distrust the child than to suspect the man. In fact, if suspicion must come in anywhere, it ought to be directed towards the adult rather than in reference to the child, who is less likely to be guilty of hypocrisy than the man, and less likely to have borrowed his words and phrases. At any rate, we must learn from the Master's words that we are not to try to make the child like ourselves, but we are to be transformed until we are like the child.
Chapter 7

Teach the Children

The motive for feeding the lambs was to be his Master's and not his own. If Peter had been the first pope of Rome and if he had been like his successors, which he never was, surely it would have been fitting for the Lord to have said to him, "Feed your sheep. I commit them to you, O Peter, vicar of Christ on earth." No, no, no. Peter was to feed them, but they were not his; they were still Christ's.

The work that we have to do for Jesus is in no sense for ourselves. Our classes are not our children but Christ's. The exhortation that Paul gave was Feed the congregation [church] of God (Acts 20:28). Even Peter wrote in his epistle, Feed the flock of God which is among you, caring for her, not by force, but willingly; not for shameful lucre, but with willing desire (1 Peter 5:2). Let these lambs turn out what they may; the glory is to be to the Master and not to the servant. Every part of the whole time spent and labor given and energy put forth towards these lambs is to bring Him praise.

While this is a self-denying occupation, it is sweetly honorable too, and we may devote ourselves to it, feeling that it is one of the noblest forms of service. Jesus says, "My lambs; My sheep." Think of them and wonder that Jesus should commit them to us. Poor Peter! Surely, when that breakfast began, he felt awkward. I put myself in his place, and I know I would not have wanted to look across the table to Jesus and remember that I denied Him with oaths and curses. Our Lord desired to put Peter at ease by prompting him to speak of his love, which had been so seriously placed in question. Like a good doctor, Jesus inserts the scalpel where the anxiety was festering; He inquires, lovest thou me?

It was not because Jesus did not know Peter's love, but He wanted Peter to know for sure and make a new confession, saying, Yes, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. The Lord is about to hold a tender controversy with the erring one for a few minutes, that there might never be a controversy between Him and Peter anymore. When Peter said, Yes, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee, we might have thought that the Lord would answer, "Ah, Peter, and I love you." But He did not say that; and yet, He did say it.

Perhaps Peter did not see His meaning, but we can see it, for our minds are not confused as Peter's was on that memorable morning. Jesus did in effect say, "I love you so much that I trust you with that which I purchased with My heart's blood. The dearest thing I have in all the world is My flock. See, Simon, I have such confidence in you, I so rely on your integrity as a sincere lover of Me, that I make you a shepherd to My sheep. These are all I have on earth; I gave everything for them, even My life. Now, Simon, son of Jonas, take care of them for Me." Oh, it was spoken in kindness. It was the great heart of Christ saying, "Poor Peter, come right in and share My dearest cares." Jesus so believed Peter's declaration that He did not tell him in words, but in deeds. Three times He said it – Feed my lambs; Feed my sheep; Feed my sheep – to show how much He loved him. When the Lord Jesus loves a man very much, He gives him much to do or much to suffer.

Many of us have been plucked like branding irons from the burning, for we were enemies in your mind by wicked works (Colossians 1:21). But now we are in the church among His friends, and our Savior trusts us with His dearest ones. I wonder if, when the Prodigal Son came back and the father received him, on market day did he send his younger son to market to sell the wheat and bring home the money? Most of you would have said, "I am glad the boy is back, but I shall send his elder brother to do the business, for he has always stuck by me."

As for me, the Lord Jesus took me in as a poor prodigal son, and it was not many weeks before He put me in trust with the gospel – that greatest of all treasures. This was a grand love token. I know of none to exceed it. The commission given to Peter proved how thoroughly the breach was healed and how fully the sin was forgiven, for Jesus took the man who had cursed and sworn in denial of Him and asked him to feed His lambs and sheep. Oh, blessed work, not for ourselves, and yet for ourselves! He that serves himself shall lose himself, but he that loses himself actually serves himself in the best possible fashion.

The master motive of a good shepherd is love. We are to feed Christ's lambs out of love. First, we do it as a proof of love: If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). If you love Me, feed My lambs. If we love Christ, we need to show it and show it by doing good to others by sacrificing ourselves to help others, that Jesus may have joy in them.

Next, we do it as an inflowing of love: Feed my lambs, for if we love Christ a little when we begin to do good, we will soon love Him more. Love grows with active exercise. It is like the blacksmith's arm, which increases its strength by wielding the hammer. Love loves until it loves more, and it loves more until it loves more, and it still loves more until it loves most of all. Even then, it is not satisfied but strives for an enlargement of heart that it may imitate more fully the perfect model of love in Christ Jesus, the Savior.

Besides being an inflowing of love, the feeding of lambs is an outflow of love. How often have we told our Lord that we loved Him when we were preaching? I do not doubt teachers feel more of the pleasure of love for Jesus when they are busy with their classes than when they are by themselves at home. A person may go home, sit down, and groan, "Tis a point I long to know, Oft it causes anxious thought," and wipe his forehead, rub his eyes, and get into the dumps without end. But if he will rise up and work for Jesus, the point he longs to know will soon be settled, for love will come pouring out of his heart until he can no longer question whether it is there.

 John Newton, "Tis a Point I Long to Know," hymnary.org/text/tis_a_point_i_long_to_know.

So let us abide in this blessed service for Christ, that it may be the delight of love – the very ocean in which love will swim and the sunlight in which love will bask. The re-creation of a loving soul is work for Jesus Christ, and among the highest and most delicious forms of this heavenly re-creation is the feeding of young Christians – endeavoring to build them up in knowledge and understanding that they may become strong in the Lord.
Chapter 8

Timothy and His Teachers

Today, the world has few Christian mothers and grandmothers, so the church has chosen to supplement the home instruction by teaching held under her fostering wing. The church takes those children who have no Christian parents under her maternal care. I regard this as a very blessed institution. I am thankful for our brothers and sisters who give their Sundays, and many of them give a considerable part of their weekday evenings also, to teach other people's children who seem to be on their own. They endeavor to perform the duties of fathers and mothers, for God's sake, to those children who are neglected by their own parents; therein they do well.

Let no Christian parents fall into the delusion that the Sunday school is intended to ease them of their personal duties. The first and most natural responsibility is for Christian parents to train up their own children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Let holy grandmothers and gracious mothers, with their husbands, make sure that their own boys and girls are taught in the Book of the Lord. Where there are no such Christian parents, it is best for godly people to intervene. It is a Christlike work when others undertake the duty which the natural parents have left undone. The Lord Jesus looks with pleasure upon those who feed His lambs and nurse His babes, for it is not His will that any of these little ones should perish. Timothy had the great privilege of being taught by those whose natural duty it was, but when that great privilege cannot be enjoyed, let us all try to fill the terrible loss these children endure. Come forward, earnest men and women, and sanctify yourselves for this joyful service.

Note the subject of the instruction. From a child thou hast known the holy scriptures (2 Timothy 3:15). Timothy was led to treat the Book of God with great reverence. I lay stress upon those words holy scriptures. One of the first objectives of the Sunday school should be to teach the children great reverence for these holy writings, these inspired Scriptures. The Jews esteemed the Old Testament beyond all price, and though many of them fell into a superstitious reverence for the letter and lost the spirit of it, they were still to be commended for their profound regard for the holy oracles.

This feeling of reverence is needed today. I meet with men who hold strange views, but I do not care one-half as much about their views or their strangeness as I do about a certain something, which I recognize as the foundation of their thinking. When I find their views to be unscriptural, I can prove nothing to them, for they do not care about Scripture. Then I have found a principle more dangerous than mere doctrinal blundering.

This indifference to Scripture is the great curse of the church today. We can be tolerant of diverse opinions, as long as we perceive an honest intent to follow God's Book. But if it comes to the Book having little authority, then we have no need of further communication. We are in different camps, and the sooner we recognize this, the better for all parties concerned. If we are to have a church of God in the land, Scripture must be regarded as holy and held in reverence. The Scripture was given by holy inspiration and is not the result of dim myths and dubious traditions (2 Timothy 3:16). Neither has it drifted down to us by the survival of the fittest as one of the best of human books. It must be accepted by us and given to our children as the infallible revelation of the most Holy God. We must firmly stress this truth and tell our children that the Word of the Lord is a pure Word as silver that is refined in a furnace and purified seven times. Let their esteem for the Book of God be carried to the highest point.

Observe that Timothy was taught not only to reverence holy things in general but also especially to know the Scriptures. The teaching of his mother and his grandmother was the teaching of Holy Scripture. Suppose we get the children together on Sundays but then amuse them to make the hours pass pleasantly or instruct them as we do on weekdays in the basics of a moral education. What have we accomplished? We have done nothing worthy of the day or of the church of God. Suppose we are particularly careful to teach the children the rules and regulations of our own church but do not take them to the Scriptures; suppose we bring a book to them that is set up as the standard of our church but do not focus on the Bible – what have we done?

The church standard may or may not be correct, and therefore we may have taught our children truth, or we may have taught them error. But if we keep to Holy Scripture, we cannot go wrong. With such a standard, we know that we are right. This Book is the Word of God, and if we teach it, we teach that which the Lord will accept and bless. O dear teachers – and I speak here to myself also – let our teaching be more and more Scripture!

Don't fret if our classes forget what we say, but pray for them to remember what the Lord says. May divine truths about sin, righteousness, and judgment be written on their hearts. May revealed truths concerning the love of God, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the work of the Holy Spirit never be forgotten by them. May they know the virtue and necessity of the atoning blood of our Lord, the power of His resurrection, and the glory of His second coming. May the doctrines of grace be engraved upon their minds as with a pen of iron and written upon their hearts as with the point of a diamond, never to be erased. If we can achieve this, we have not lived in vain. The generation now ruling seems bent on departing from the eternal truth of God, but we will not despair if the gospel is impressed upon the memory of our descendants.

It also appears that young Timothy was taught in a way that was effectual. Thou hast known the holy scriptures, says Paul (2 Timothy 3:15). It is a great compliment to say of a child that he has known the holy scriptures. You may say, "I have taught the children the Scriptures," but that they have known them is quite another thing. Do all of you who are grown up know the Scriptures? I fear that although knowledge in general increases, knowledge of the Scriptures is too rare. If we were to hold an examination, I am afraid that some of you would not shine at the end.

But here was a young man who knew the Holy Scriptures; that is to say, he had a remarkable familiarity with them. Children can understand that knowing the Scriptures is by no means an impossible achievement. With God blessing our efforts, our children are able to know all Scripture that is necessary to their salvation. They may know the truth of sin as well as their mother; they may comprehend the atonement as well as their grandmother; they may possess a faith in Jesus as authentic as any of us. The things that give us peace require no lengthy experience to receive them; they are among the simplicities of thought.

The opinion that children cannot receive the whole truth of the gospel is a great mistake, for their childlikeness is a help rather than a hindrance; older people must become as little children before they can enter the kingdom. Lay a good foundation for the children, and don't let Sunday school work be dishonored or done in a careless manner. Let the children know the Holy Scriptures and let the Scriptures be consulted rather than any human book.

This work was advanced by a saving faith. The Scriptures do not save, but they are able to make one wise unto salvation. Children may know the Scriptures but not be children of God. Faith in Jesus Christ is the grace that brings immediate salvation. Many children are called by God so early that they cannot precisely tell when they were converted, but they were converted. At some time or other, they passed from death to life. This morning we could not have told by observation the moment that the sun rose, but it did rise. There was a time when it was below the horizon and another time when it had risen above it. The moment, whether we see it or not, in which a child is really saved, is when he believes in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Perhaps for years Lois and Eunice had been teaching the Old Testament to Timothy, while they themselves did not know the Lord Jesus. If so, they were teaching him the type without the antitype, the riddles without the answers, but it was good teaching because it was all the truth that they knew. How much happier, however, is our task; having the New Testament to explain the Old, we are able to plainly teach about the Lord Jesus. May we not hope that our children might see that Christ Jesus is the sum and substance of Holy Scripture and by faith in Him receive power to become the sons of God at an earlier age than Timothy?

I mention this because I want all teachers to realize that if their children do not yet know all the doctrines of the Bible or certain higher or deeper truths which their minds have not yet grasped, their children are still saved as soon as they are wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Faith in the Lord Jesus, as He is set forth in Scripture, will surely save. If thou dost believe with all thine heart, thou may, said Philip to the eunuch, and we say the same to every child (Acts 8:37). We can confess our faith if we have true faith in Jesus to confess. If we believe that Jesus is the Christ and put our trust in Him, we are truly saved.

By this faith in Christ Jesus, we continue and advance in salvation. The moment we believe in Christ, we are saved, but we are not at once as wise as we may be and hope to be. We may be saved unintelligently – I mean, of course, comparatively so, but it is desirable that we should be able to give a reason for the hope that is in us and so be wise unto salvation. By faith children become little disciples, and by faith they go on to become more masterful disciples. How are we to go on to wisdom? Not by quitting the way of faith but by keeping that same faith in Christ Jesus which we learned in the school of grace. Faith is the means by which we make advances in wisdom.

If by faith we have been able to say A and B and C, it must be by faith that we will go on to say D and E and F, until we come to the end of the alphabet and are an expert in the Book of wisdom. If by faith we can read the spelling book of simple faith, then by the same faith in Christ Jesus we can go on to read the classics of full assurance and become a scribe who is instructed in the things of the kingdom. Therefore, keep close to the practice of faith from which so many are turning aside. In these times, men look to make progress by what they call "thought," by which they mean vain imagination and speculation. We cannot advance a step by doubt; our only progress is by faith. There are no such things as "stepping-stones of our dead selves," unless, indeed, they are stepping-stones down to death and destruction. The only stepping-stones to life and heaven are found in the truth of God revealed to our faith. If we believe God, we will make progress. So let us pray for our children that they may know and believe more and more, for the Scripture is able to make them wise unto salvation, but only through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. Faith is the goal to aim at – faith in the appointed, anointed, and exalted Savior. He is the anchor to which we would bring these little ships, for here they will abide in perfect safety.

When kindled by a living faith, sound instruction in Holy Scripture creates a solid character. When the man, who from a child has known the Holy Scriptures, obtains faith in Christ, he will be grounded and settled upon the abiding principles of the unchanging Word of God.

Oh teachers, see what we may do! Future evangelists sit in our schools. In that infant class sits an apostle to some distant land. My sister or a future father in Israel may come under our training hand. My brother or those who are to bear the banners of the Lord in the thick of the battle will come under our teaching. The ages look to us each time our class assembles. Oh, that God may help us do our part well! We pray with one heart and one soul that the Lord Jesus Christ may be with our Sunday schools from this day and until He comes.
Chapter 9

Look at Everything Through the Cross

We should view everything in this world by the light of redemption, and then we will view it correctly. It makes a wonderful difference whether we view Providence from the standpoint of human merit or from the foot of the cross. We see nothing truthfully until Jesus is our light. Everything is seen in its reality when we look through the glass – the ruby glass of the atoning sacrifice. If we use this telescope of the cross, we shall see far and clear. Look at sinners through the cross; look at saints through the cross; look at sin through the cross; look at the world's joys and sorrows through the cross; look at heaven and hell through the cross. See how conspicuous the blood of the Passover was meant to be, and then learn from this to make much of the sacrifice of Jesus – yes, to make everything of it, for Christ is all.

We read in Deuteronomy 6:8-9 about the commandments of the Lord: and thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes; and thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house and on thy gates. Take note that the law is to be written solidly by the memorials of the blood. In Switzerland and in the Protestant villages, we see texts of Scripture upon the doorposts. I wish we had that custom in our country. How much gospel might be preached to strangers if texts of Scripture were over Christian people's doors! It might be ridiculed as pharisaical, but we could get over that. Few would be guilty of being overly religious today.

I like to see texts of Scripture in our houses, in all the rooms, on the molding, and on the walls; but outside on the door – what an outstanding advertisement the gospel would get at a cheap rate! But note that when the Jew wrote a promise, precept, or doctrine upon his doorposts, he had to write upon a surface stained with blood. When the next year's Passover came, he had to sprinkle the blood with the hyssop right over the writing. It seems delightful to me to think of the law of God in connection with that atoning sacrifice, which has magnified it and made it honorable. God's commands come to me as a redeemed man; His promises are to me as a blood-bought man; His teaching instructs me as one for whom atonement has been made. The law in the hand of Christ is not a sword to slay us but a jewel to enrich us. All truth taken in connection with the cross is greatly enhanced in value. Holy Scripture itself becomes dear to a sevenfold degree when we see that it comes to us as the redeemed of the Lord and bears upon its every page the marks of those dear hands that were nailed to the tree for us.

We see how everything was done that could be thought of to bring the blood of the Paschal Lamb into the highest esteem of the people whom the Lord brought out of Egypt. You and I must do everything we can think of to declare the precious doctrine of the atoning sacrifice of Christ and keep it before men forever. For he [God] has made him [Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

And now we must recall the institution that was connected to the remembrance of the Passover. And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What do you mean by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover (Exodus 12:26-27).

Curiosity should be aroused in the minds of our children. Oh, that we could get them to ask questions about the things of God! Some of them inquire at an early age; others seem diseased with the same indifference as older people. We have to deal with both states of mind. It is important to explain to children the ordinance of the Lord's Supper, for it depicts the death of Christ in symbols. I regret that children do not see this ordinance more often. Baptism and the Lord's Supper should both be practiced in view of the younger generation, so they may then ask us, "What do you mean by this?"

Today the Lord's Supper is a perpetual gospel sermon, and it focuses mainly upon the sacrifice for sin. You may banish the doctrine of the atonement from the pulpit, but it will always live in the church through the Lord's Supper. You cannot explain that broken bread and that cup filled with the fruit of the vine without reference to our Lord's atoning death. You cannot explain the fellowship [communion] of the body of the Christ without bringing in the death of Jesus in our place as a substitute. Let the little ones see the Lord's Supper, and tell them clearly what it represents. And if not the Lord's Supper – for that is not the thing itself but only the shadow of the glorious fact – then dwell on the sufferings and death of our Redeemer in their presence. Let them think of Gethsemane, and Gabbatha, and Golgotha, and let them learn to sing in sorrowful tones of Him who laid His life down for us. Tell them who it was that suffered, and why. Yes, though the hymn is not to my taste in some of its expressions, I would have the children sing:

"There is a green hill far away,

without a city wall."

 Cecil Frances Alexander, "There is a Green Hill Far Away," hymnary.org/text/there_is_a_green_hill_far_away.

And I would have them learn such lines as these:

"He knew how wicked man had been,

And knew that God must punish sin;

So, out of pity, Jesus said,

He'd bear the punishment instead."

 Jane Taylor, "Hymns for Infant Minds."

And when attention is fixated on the best themes, let's be ready to explain the great transaction by which God is just, and sinners are justified. Children can understand the doctrine of the atoning sacrifice; it was meant to be a gospel for the youngest. The gospel of substitution is simple, though it is a mystery. We shouldn't be content until our little ones know and trust in their finished Sacrifice. This is essential knowledge and the key to all other spiritual teaching. If our dear children know the cross, they will have begun well. May they obtain an understanding of this sacrifice, so they will have the strong foundation they need.

In order to accomplish this, we will need to teach the child his need of a Savior. We must not hold back from this necessary task. Don't flatter the child with misleading rubbish about his nature being good and needing to be developed. Tell him he must be born again. Don't bolster him up with the fancy of his own innocence, but show him his sin. Mention the childish sins to which he is prone, and pray the Holy Spirit to work conviction in his heart and conscience. We must deal with the young in much the same way as we would with the old. Be thorough and honest with them. Flimsy religion is good for neither young nor old.

These boys and girls need pardon through the precious blood as much as any of us do. Don't hesitate to inform the child of his fate; otherwise, he will not desire the remedy. Tell him of the punishment of sin and warn him of its terror. Be tender, but be true. Do not hide the truth from the young sinner, however terrible it may be. Once he comes to an age of responsibility, if he doesn't believe in Christ, he will suffer at the great last day. Describe the judgment seat to him and remind him that he will give an account of things done in the body. We need to labor to arouse the conscience and pray for the Holy Spirit to work through us until the heart becomes tender and the mind perceives the need of the great salvation.

Children need to learn the doctrine of the cross, so they may find immediate salvation. I thank God that in our Sunday school, we believe in the salvation of children. It has been my joy to see many boys and girls come forward to confess their faith in Christ! And I maintain that the best converts, the clearest converts, the most intelligent converts we have ever had have been the young ones. Instead of there being any deficiency in their knowledge of the Word of God and the doctrines of grace, we usually found them to have a delightful familiarity with the great truths of Christ. Many of these dear children have been able to speak of the things of God with great pleasure of heart and force of understanding.

Continue, dear teachers, and believe that God will save our children. Don't be content to sow principles in their minds which may develop in later years, but work for immediate conversion. Expect fruit in our children while they are children. Pray for them that they may not run into the world and fall into the evils of outward sin and then return with broken bones to the Good Shepherd. But pray that they may be kept by God's rich grace from the paths of the destroyer and grow up in the fold of Christ, first as lambs of His flock and then as sheep of His hand.

One thing I am sure of: if we teach the children the doctrine of the atonement in unmistakable terms, we will be doing ourselves a favor. I sometimes hope that God will revive His church and restore her to her ancient faith by a gracious work among children. If He would bring a large influx of young people into our churches, it would revive the sluggish blood of the indifferent and sleepy! Young Christians tend to keep the house alive. Oh, for more of them! If the Lord will help us teach the children, we will be teaching ourselves. The best way to learn is to teach; we don't know something until we can teach it to another. We don't thoroughly know any truth until we can explain it to a child so that he can see it. In trying to help a little child understand the doctrine of the atonement, we will gain a clearer view of it ourselves. Therefore, I recommend the holy exercise of teaching to all.

What a blessing it will be if our children are thoroughly grounded in the doctrine of redemption by Christ! If they are warned against the false gospels of this evil age, and if they are taught to rest on the eternal rock of Christ's finished work, then we might have a generation following us that will maintain the faith and be better than their fathers. Our Sunday schools are admirable, but what is their purpose if we don't teach the gospel in them? We get children together and keep them quiet for an hour and a half, and then send them home; but what is the good of it? It may bring some quiet for their fathers and mothers, and that is perhaps why they send them to the school, but the good lies in what is taught the children.

The most fundamental truth should be the most prominent, and this is the cross. Some talk to children about being good boys and girls, and so on. In this way, they preach the law to the children, though they would preach the gospel to grown-up people. Is this honest? Is this wise? Children need the gospel, the whole gospel, the unadulterated gospel; they ought to have it, and if they are taught about the Spirit of God, they are as capable of receiving it in the same way that older people receive the Spirit. Teach the little ones that Jesus died, the just for the unjust to bring us to God. I confidently leave this work in the hands of teachers. I never knew a more noble body of Christian men and women, for they are as fervent in their commitment to the old gospel as they are eager for the winning of souls. Be encouraged; the God who has saved so many of our children is going to save many more of them, and we shall have great joy as we see hundreds brought to Christ.
Chapter 10

Samuel and His Teachers

In the days of Eli, the word of the Lord was precious, and there was no open vision. It was a blessing when the word came that a chosen individual had the hearing ear to receive it and the obedient heart to perform it. Eli failed to tutor his sons to be the willing servants and the attentive hearers of the Lord's word. He was without the excuse of inability in this, since he successfully trained the child Samuel in reverent attention to the divine will. Oh, if only those who are conscientious about the souls of others would care for their own households.

Alas, poor Eli, like many in our day, they made me the keeper of the vineyards, but I have not kept my own vineyard (Solomon 1:6). As he looked upon the gracious child Samuel, he must have felt the heartache. He remembered his own neglected and undisciplined sons and how they had made themselves vile before all Israel. Samuel was the living witness of how grace can work when children are trained up in God's fear, and Hophni and Phinehas were sad specimens of what parental indulgence will produce in the children of the best men. Ah, Eli, if you had been as careful with your own sons as with the son of Hannah, they would not have become sons of Belial, nor would Israel have abhorred the offering of the Lord because of the fornication which those priestly reprobates committed at the very door of the tabernacle. Oh, for grace to nurse our little ones for the Lord that they may hear the Lord when He speaks to them.

Samuel was blessed with a gracious father, and even more important, he was the child of an eminently holy mother. Hannah was a woman of great poetic talent, which is apparent from her memorable song: My heart rejoices in the Lord, my horn is exalted in the Lord; my mouth is enlarged over my enemies because I have rejoiced in thy saving health [salvation] (1 Samuel 2:1). The soul of poetry lives in every line; a brave but chastened spirit breathes in every sentence; even the Virgin Mary, the most blessed among women, used literal and thematic expressions from Hannah's song.

Better still, Hannah was a woman of great prayer. Though she had been a woman of sorrowful spirit, her prayers at last returned to her in blessing, and she had this son given to her from the Lord. He was very dear to his mother's heart, and in fulfillment of the vow she had made to the Lord, she showed her gratitude by consecrating the best thing she had and presenting her son before the Lord in Shiloh.

This is a lesson to all godly parents – be sure to dedicate your children to God. We will be privileged if our children are all like Isaac – children of the promise! What a blessing to see our children all rise up to call the Redeemer blessed! Some of us have seen all our children numbered with the people of God. In their early childhood, we gave them up to God and dedicated them to Him in earnest prayer; now the Lord has given us our request. I encourage our friends to hold little services in their own houses after the birth of a baby; it seems good and profitable for friends to assemble and pray for the child to inherit the promises, so he might be called by mighty grace and received into the divine family.

As Samuel was placed under Eli's care and direction, Eli had instructed him in the spirit of religion, but he did not appear to have explained to him the special form and nature of those manifestations of God which were given to His prophets. I doubt he ever dreamed that Samuel would be the subject of such events. On that memorable night, when the lamp of God was about to go out, the Lord called Samuel, but the young child was not able to discern that it was the voice of God and not the voice of man, for he had not been taught. He had learned the spirit of true religion as seen by his instantaneous obedience, and the habit of obedience became a valuable guide to him in the confusion of that eventful hour.

He ran to Eli and said, Here am I, for thou didst call me; and though this is repeated three times, he did not seem to hesitate to leave his warm bed and run to his foster father (1 Samuel 3:5-8). Samuel may have wanted to get comfort from Eli during the night or maybe do his bidding – a sure sign that the child had acquired the healthy principle of obedience, though he did not understand the mystery of the prophetic call. Training the young heart to bear the yoke is far better than filling the childish head with knowledge, however valuable. An ounce of obedience is better than a ton of learning.

When Eli perceived that God had called the child, he taught him his first little prayer. It is a very short one, but it is a very full one: Speak, Lord, for thy slave [servant] hears (1 Samuel 3:9). Let the Christian parent explain to the child what prayer is; tell him that God answers prayer; direct him to the Savior and then urge him to express his desires in his own words, both when he rises and when he goes to rest. We should gather the little ones around our knee and listen to their words, suggesting to them their needs and reminding them of God's gracious promise. We will be amazed and sometimes amused too, but we will frequently be surprised at the expressions they will use, the confessions they will make, and the desires they will utter. Any Christian person standing within earshot and listening to the simple prayer of a little child, earnestly asking God for what he thinks he wants, would never wish to teach a child a prayer from a book. Such a Christian would say that, as a matter of education to the heart, the extemporaneous utterance was infinitely superior to the best form and that the form should he given up forever.

However, don't let me speak too sweepingly. If we must teach a child to say a form of prayer, at least take care not to teach him to say anything that is not true. If we teach our children a catechism, make sure it is completely scriptural, or we may train them up to tell falsehoods. Teach him nothing but the truth as it is in Jesus, as much as the child can learn, and pray the Holy Spirit will write that truth upon his heart. Better to supply no signposts to the young traveler than to mislead him with false ones. The light of a wrecker's beacon is worse than darkness. If we teach our youth to make untruthful statements in religious matters, atheism can scarcely do more to corrupt their minds. Formal religion is a deadly foe to vital godliness. If we teach a catechism, or if we teach a form of prayer to our little ones, let it all be true, and, as far as possible, never put into a child's mouth a word which the child cannot truly say from his heart.

We must be more careful about truthfulness and correctness in our speech. If a child looked out of a window at something going on in the street and then told us that he saw it from the door, we ought to make him repeat the story again to impress upon him the necessity of being exact in every respect. Especially in things connected with religion, keep the child from partaking in any formality until he has a right to it. We must never encourage him to come to the Lord's Table unless we really believe there is a work of grace in his heart; why should we lead him to eat and drink his own damnation (1 Corinthians 11:29)? Insist that spirituality is a solemn reality not to be mimicked or pretended, and seek to bring the child to understand that there is no vice more abhorrent before God than hypocrisy. We shouldn't make our young Samuel a young hypocrite, but we need to train him up to speak before the Lord with a great seriousness and a conscientious truthfulness. Let him never dare to say, either in answer to a catechism question or as a form of prayer, anything that is not positively true. If we must have a form of prayer, don't let it express desires that the child never had, but let it be adapted to his young capacity.

It is said of Reverend John Angell James, "Like most men who have been eminent and honored in the Church of Christ, he had a godly mother, who was wont to take her children to her chamber, and with each separately to pray for the salvation of their souls. This exercise, which fulfilled her own responsibility, was molding the character of her children, and most, if not all of them, rose up to call her blessed. When did such means ever fail?" I beseech teachers of the Sunday school – though I scarcely need to do so, for I know how zealous they are in this matter – as soon as they see the first sign of understanding in the children, encourage their young desires. Believe in the conversion of children, as children; believe that the Lord can call them by His grace, can renew their hearts, and can give them an inheritance with His people long before they reach the prime of life.
Chapter 11

Instructions for Teachers and Parents

First, get the children to come to Sunday school. The great complaint with some teachers is that they cannot bring students in. In this city, we have a crusade for the children; that is a good idea, and there ought to be a crusade in every village and in every town to get every child into the Sunday school. Get the children to come by all fair and ethical means. Don't bribe them; we strongly object to that plan, for it is only adopted by schools of the lowest level and even the fathers and mothers of the children have too much sense to send them there. Use of threats is frowned upon also: "But then Farmer Brown won't employ them, or the landlord will turn them out; or, if the children don't go to the school on Sundays, they shall not go on weekdays." Oh, that beggarly trick of bribing! I wish we could end it; it only shows the weakness, degradation, and abomination of a religious group that cannot succeed without using so mean a system.

With the exception of that method, don't worry about how you get the children to Sunday school. Why, if I could not get people to come to my chapel by preaching in a black coat, I would wear robes tomorrow; I would obtain a congregation somehow. Better to do strange things than have an empty chapel or an empty schoolroom. When I was in Scotland, we sent a bellman around the village to secure an audience, and the plan was successful. Spare no ethical means, but gather the children in. I have known ministers who have gone out into the streets on the afternoon of the Lord's Day and talked to the children who were playing to entice them to come to Sunday school. This is what an earnest teacher will do; he will say, "John, come to our school; you can't imagine what a nice place it is." Then he gets the children to come in, and in his kind, winning manner, he tells them stories and anecdotes about girls and boys who loved the Savior. In this way the school is filled. Go out to reach the children; all is fair in war against the devil. So my first instruction is to get the children to come in – in whatever way necessary, provided that it is ethical.

Next, we must cause the children to love us, if we can. Come, ye children, hearken unto me (Psalm 34:11). Remember how we used to be taught – how we stood up to repeat our lessons. That was not David's plan: "Come, ye children, come here and sit on my knee."

"Oh!" thinks the child, "how nice to have such a teacher, a teacher who will let me come near him, a teacher who does not say, 'Go,' but 'Come!'" The fault of many teachers is that they do not embrace their children near them, but endeavor to foster in their students a kind of fearful respect.

Before we can teach children, we must get the silver key of kindness to unlock their hearts and secure their attention. Say, "Come, ye children." We have known some good men who were repulsive to children. Remember the story of two little boys who were asked if they would like to go to heaven, and much to their teacher's astonishment, they said that they really would not. When they were asked, "Why not?" one of them said, "I would not like to go to heaven because Grandpa would be there, and he would be sure to say, 'Get along, boys; be off with you!' I would not like to be in heaven with Grandpa." So, if a boy has a teacher who talks to him about Jesus but who always wears a sour look, what does the boy think? "I wonder whether Jesus is like you; if so, I wouldn't like Him."

There is another teacher who boxes the child's ears if he is the least bit provoked; at the same time he teaches the child that he should forgive others and be kind to them. "Well," thinks the lad, "that is very nice, no doubt, but my teacher doesn't show me how to do it." If we drive a boy from us, our power over him is gone, for we will not be able to teach him anything. It is not effective to try to teach those who do not love us; so, we should help them love us, and then they will learn anything from us.

Next, get the children's attention. Come, ye children, hearken unto me. If they do not hearken, we may talk, but we will speak with no success whatsoever. If they do not listen, we go through our teaching as a meaningless drudgery to ourselves and our students. We can do nothing without securing their attention. "That is just what I cannot do," someone says. Well, that depends upon you; if you give them something worth listening to, they will be sure to be attentive. Give them something worth hearing, and they will certainly hearken. This rule may not be universal, but it is very nearly so. Don't forget to give them a few anecdotes. Anecdotes are objected to by critics of sermons who say they shouldn't be used in the pulpit, but some of us know better. We know what will wake up a congregation; we can testify from experience that a few anecdotes here and there are first-rate things to get the attention of people who will not listen to dry doctrine.

Try to gather as many good illustrations in the week as possible; wherever we go, if we are wise teachers, we can always find something to turn into a tale to tell the children. Then, when the students get bored and we are losing their attention, we can say to them, "Do you know about the Five Bells?" If there is such a place in the town, they all open their eyes wide and listen. Or we ask, "Do you know about the turning against the Red Lion?" Then tell them something you've read or heard which will grab their attention to the lesson. A dear child once said, "Father, I like to hear Mr. So-and-so preach, because he puts so many 'likes' into his sermon – 'like this, and like that.'" Yes, children always love those likes. Making parables, pictures, or figures will always connect well with them. I am sure that if I were a boy listening to some teaching, unless I heard an occasional story, I'd struggle to pay attention. If I sat in a hot schoolroom, my head might nod, and I'd go to sleep or play with Tom on my left, and do as many disruptive things as the rest of the children, if my teacher did not strive to interest me. Remember, then, to help the students hearken.
Chapter 12

Be an Upright Example for Children

Teach them morality: Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it (Psalm 34:13-14). Now, we never teach morality as the way of salvation. God forbid that we should ever mix up man's works in any way with the redemption which is in Christ Jesus! For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). However, we can teach morality while we teach spirituality, and I have always found that the gospel produces the best morality in all the world. I prefer to have a Sunday school teacher watching over the morals of the boys and girls under his care and speaking to them of those sins which are most common to youth. He may honestly and conveniently talk to his children about many things that no one else can mention, especially when reminding them of the common sin of lying, or the sin of stealing, or disobedience to parents. The teacher must be very specific in mentioning these evils one by one, for there is little benefit in talking to them about sins in general. We must take them one by one, just as David did.

First look at the tongue: Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Secondly, look at the whole conduct: Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. If the child's soul is not saved by other parts of the teaching, this part may have a beneficial effect upon his life. Morality by itself, however, is comparatively a small thing. The best part of what you teach is godliness. I did not say religion, but godliness. Many people are religious after a fashion, without being godly. Many have all the externals of godliness, all the outside of reverence; we call such men religious, but they don't have a correct understanding about God. They think about their place of worship, their Sunday, their books, but nothing about God.

He who does not respect God, pray to God, or love God is an ungodly man, whatever his external religion may be. Endeavor to teach the child to always have an eye for God; write on his memory these words: Thou God seest me (Genesis 16:13 KJV). Help him to remember that all his actions and thoughts are under the eye of God. No Sunday school teacher completes his service unless he constantly stresses the fact that God sees everything. Oh, if only we were more godly ourselves, talked more of godliness, and loved godliness to a greater degree!

The third lesson is recognizing the evil of sin. If the child does not learn that, he will never learn the way to heaven. None of us ever knew what a Savior Christ was until we knew what an evil thing sin was. If the Holy Spirit does not teach us the exceeding sinfulness of sin, we will never know the blessedness of salvation. Let us seek His grace when we teach, so we will always be able to stress the abominable nature of sin. The anger of the Lord is against those that do evil to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth (Psalm 34:16). Do not spare the child; let him know what sin leads to. Do not be like some people who are afraid of speaking plainly and broadly concerning the consequences of sin.

I have heard of a father whose son was an ungodly young man; the son died in a very sudden manner. The father did not say to his family, "We hope your brother has gone to heaven." No, he overcame his natural feelings and was enabled by divine grace to assemble his children together and say to them, "My sons and daughters, your brother is dead; I fear he is in hell. You knew his life and conduct; you saw how he behaved; now God has snatched him away in his sins." Then he solemnly told them of the place of woe, where he believed the son had gone. He begged them to be cautious and flee from the wrath to come. Thus, the wayward son was the means of bringing the other children to serious thought.

If he had acted, as some would have, with tenderness of heart but not with honesty of purpose, and said he hoped his son had gone to heaven, what would the other children have thought? "If he is gone to heaven, there is no need for us to fear; we may live as we like."

No, I hold that it is not unchristian to say some men have gone to hell, when we have seen that their lives have been hellish lives. But we are asked, "Can you judge your fellow men?" No, but I can know them by their fruits. I do not judge them or condemn them; they judge themselves. I have seen their sins go beforehand to judgment, and I do not doubt that they will follow. "But couldn't they be saved at the eleventh hour?" I have heard of one who was, but I do not know that there ever was another, and I cannot tell that there ever will be. Be honest, then, with children and teach them with God's help – that evil shall slay the wicked (Psalm 34:21).

But we will not have done half enough unless we teach carefully the fourth lesson – the absolute necessity of a change of heart. The Lord is near unto those that are of a broken heart and saves such as are of a contrite spirit (Psalm 34:18). Oh, may God enable us to keep this constantly before the minds of the students: there must be a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and good works will be of no use unless there is a new nature. The most tedious duties and the most earnest prayers will all be for nothing unless there is a true and thorough repentance for sin and a forsaking of sin through the grace and mercy of God. Be sure to teach the children the three Rs – Ruin, Redemption, and Regeneration. Tell the children they are ruined by the fall, and there is salvation for them only by being redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ and regenerated by the Holy Spirit. If we continue to tell them these vital truths, we will have the pleasing opportunity of telling them the sweet subject of the closing lesson.

In the fifth place, tell the children about the joy and blessedness of being Christians. The Lord ransoms [redeems] the soul of his slaves [servants], and none of those that trust in him shall be declared guilty (Psalm 34:22). We know how to talk about that theme, for if we know what it is to be a Christian, we will never be short of material. Truly was it said, Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered (Psalm 32:1). Blessed is that man that makes the Lord his trust (Psalm 40:4). Yes, blessed is the man, the woman, and the child who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and whose hope is in Him. Always stress this point: the righteous are a blessed people, the chosen family of God, redeemed by blood, and saved by power. They are a blessed people here on earth, and they will be a blessed people forever in heaven above.

Let the children see that we belong to that blessed company. If they know we are in trouble, if that is possible, go to class with a smiling face, so the students will be able to say, "Teacher is a blessed man, although he is loaded with troubles." If we always seek to keep a joyous face, the boys and girls will know that our spirituality is a blessed reality. Let this be one main point of our teaching, that though many are the afflictions of the righteous, [yet] the Lord shall deliver him out of them all, keeping all his bones; not one of them shall be broken. The Lord ransoms [redeems] the soul of his slaves [servants], and none of those that trust in him shall be declared guilty (Psalm 34:19-20, 22).

Thus, with all the instruction we may give to our children, we must be conscious that we are not able to do anything to secure their salvation; it is God Himself who, from the first to the last, must effect it all. We are simply a pen; God can write with us, but we cannot write anything by ourselves. We are a sword; God can slay the child's sin with us, but we cannot slay it by ourselves. Therefore, always be mindful of this – that we must first be taught of God ourselves, and then we must ask God to use us to teach, for unless a teacher higher than us works with us and instructs the child, the child will perish. Our instruction cannot save the souls of our children; the blessing of God the Holy Spirit accompanying our service can accomplish that. May God bless and crown our efforts with abundant success! He will surely do so if we are instant in prayer, constant in supplication. Never yet did the earnest teacher or preacher labor in vain in the Lord, and often it has been seen that bread cast upon the waters has been found after many days (Ecclesiastes 11:1).
Chapter 13

Always Remember These Three Things

First, we must remember whom we are teaching: Come, ye children. We need to have respect for our audience. I don't mean that we need to care whether we are preaching to Mr. So-and-so, Sir William this, or My Lord that, because in God's sight such titles are meaningless trifles. But we should remember that we are preaching to men and women who have souls, so we shouldn't occupy their time with things that are not worth their hearing. But when we teach in Sunday schools, we are in a more responsible situation than even a minister is, if that is possible. He preaches to grown-up people, to men of judgment, who can go somewhere else if they do not like what he preaches; but we teach children who have no option of going elsewhere. If we teach the child something wrong, he will believe us; if we teach him heresies, he will receive them; what we teach him now, he will never forget. We are not sowing, as some say, on virgin soil, for it has been occupied by the devil. We are sowing on a soil more fertile now than it ever will be again, soil that will produce fruit now – much better than it will in later days. We are sowing on a young heart, and what we sow will be sure to abide there, especially if we teach evil, for that will never be forgotten. We are beginning with the child and must take care what we do with him. Do not spoil him. Many children have been treated like the Indian children who have copper plates put on their foreheads so that they might never grow. Many are simpletons now, because those who cared for them when they were young gave them no opportunities to receive knowledge. When they became old, they cared nothing about it. Care about our goals: we are teaching children and need to pay attention to what we teach them. Put poison in the spring, and it will pollute the whole stream. We must take care what we strive for. We are twisting the sapling, and the old oak will be bent in time. Take care: it is a child's soul we are tampering with, if we are tampering at all; it is a child's soul we are preparing for eternity, if God is with us. This is a solemn admonition on every child's behalf. Surely, if it is murder to administer poison to the dying, it must be far more criminal to give poison to the young life. If it is evil to mislead gray-haired elderly people, it must be far more so to turn aside the feet of the young into the road of error, in which they may walk forever.

Second, remember that we are teaching for God: Come, ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. If we as teachers only taught geography, it might not injure our students eternally if we were to tell them that the North Pole was close to the equator, or if we claimed that the tip of South America was close to the coast of Europe, or if we assured them that England was in the middle of Africa. But we are not teaching geography or astronomy, nor are we training the children for a business life in this world; but we are, to the best of our ability, teaching them for God.

We say to them, "Children, you come here to be taught the Word of God; you come here, if it is possible, so we may share the good news for the salvation of your souls." We ought to care about our purpose when we teach them for God. Wound the child's hand if you must, but for God's sake, do not wound his heart. We can say what we like about temporal things, but we must take care how we lead them in spiritual matters. Be careful to always impart the truth and only the truth. With such a responsibility, how serious our work becomes. He who does a work for himself may do it as he pleases; but he who is laboring for another must take care to please his master. He who is employed by a king must beware of how he performs his duty; but he who labors for God must tremble for fear if he does his work poorly. Remember that we are laboring for God if we are what we profess to be. I fear that many are far from having this serious view of the work of a Sunday school teacher.

Third, remember that our children need teaching. Come, ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. That makes our work all the more solemn. If children did not need teaching, I would not be so extremely anxious that we should teach them correctly. Excessive works, works that are not necessary, men may do as they please; but this work is absolutely necessary. A child needs teaching. He was born in iniquity; in sin did his mother conceive him. He has an evil heart; he doesn't know God, and he never will know the Lord unless he is taught. He is not like some soil that has good seed lying hidden within; instead, he has evil seed within his heart. God can place good seed there. We profess to be His instruments to scatter seed upon that child's heart. Remember, if that seed is not sown, he will be lost forever; his life will be a life of separation from God. At his death, everlasting punishment will be his portion. Be careful to teach the truth, remembering the urgent necessity of the case. This is not a house on fire, needing our assistance at the engine; nor is it a wreck at sea, demanding our oar in the lifeboat; but it is a deathless spirit calling aloud to us, "Come and help me." Therefore, I beg all teachers to teach the fear of the Lord and that only; be anxious to truly say, "I will teach you the fear of the Lord."
Chapter 14

Children's Capacity to Believe

It is a remarkable thing that good men frequently discover their duty when they are placed in humiliating positions. Never in King David's life was he in a worse situation than the one suggested in Psalm 34. Its heading says, "A Psalm of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed." This poem commemorated that event. David had come before King Achish, the Abimelech of the Philistines, and in order to make his escape, he pretended to be mad by scraping the doors of the gate with his hands and letting his spit drip into his beard. King Achish did not want him in his house, so David departed from the palace and escaped to a cave. You have probably read the sad story in 1 Samuel 21:10-15. In later days, when David sang songs of praise to Jehovah, he seemed to say, "By my folly before the children in the streets, I have lowered myself in the estimation of generations that shall live after me; now I will endeavor to undo the mischief – Come, ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord."

Very possibly, if David had never been in such a position, he would never have thought of this responsibility. I do not see in any other psalm that he said, Come, ye children, hearken unto me. He had the cares of his cities, his provinces, and his nation pressing upon him, so he might not have paid attention to the education of youth. But here, being brought into the most depraved position a man could occupy, having become as one bereft of reason, he remembers his responsibility. The exalted or prosperous Christian is not always mindful of the "lambs." That responsibility is generally delegated to the "Peters," whose pride and confidence have been crushed, and who rejoice to answer their Lord's question as the apostle did when Jesus said to him, Lovest thou me?

They say, Come, ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. The doctrine learned from this is that children are capable of being taught the fear of the Lord.

Men are generally wisest after they have been most foolish. David had been extremely foolish, and now he became truly wise. It was not likely he would utter foolish sentiments or give directions that would be dictated by a weak mind. We have heard it said by some that children cannot understand the great mysteries of religion. We even know some Sunday school teachers cautiously avoid mentioning the great doctrines of the gospel, because they think the children are not prepared to receive them.

The same mistake has crept into the pulpit, for it is currently believed among a certain class of preachers that many of the doctrines of the Word of God, although true, are not fit to be taught to the people, since they would pervert them to their own destruction. Away with such priestcraft! Whatever God has revealed ought to be preached. Whatever He has revealed, even if I am not capable of understanding it, I will still believe and preach it.

I believe there is no doctrine of the Word of God that a child, if he is capable of salvation, is not able to receive. I would have children taught all the great doctrines of truth without a solitary exception, so they may hold fast to them in their later days.

I know that children can understand the Scriptures, for when I was a child, I could have discussed many difficult points of controversial theology, having heard both sides of the questions freely stated among my father's circle of friends. In fact, children are capable of understanding some things early in life which we hardly understand later. Children have a simple faith, and simple faith is akin to the highest knowledge. Indeed, we don't know that there is much difference between the simplicity of a child and the genius of the profoundest mind. He who receives things simply, as a child, will often understand ideas that the man who is prone to discern everything logically will never acquire.

If we want to know whether children can be taught, we can look at many in our churches and in devoted families, not the prodigies, but the ones we frequently see – Timothys and Samuels and little girls too, who have come to know a Savior's love early in life. As soon as a child is capable of being lost, he is capable of being saved. As soon as a child can sin, that child can believe and receive the Word of God with the assistance of His grace. As soon as children can learn evil, they are also competent, under the teaching of the Holy Spirit, to learn good. We should never go to class with the thought that the children cannot comprehend us, for if we do not make them understand, it is possibly because we do not understand. If we do not teach children what we want them to learn, it may be because we are not prepared for the task; we should use simpler words, more at their level. Then we will discover that it was not the fault of the child but the fault of the teacher that he did not learn. I maintain that children are capable of salvation. He, who in divine sovereignty turned the gray-haired sinner from the error of his ways, can turn a little child from his youthful foolishness. He, who in the eleventh hour finds some people standing idle in the marketplace and sends them into the vineyard, can and does call men at the dawning of the day to work for Him. He, who can change the course of a river when it has flowed forward and become a mighty flood, can control a newborn rivulet leaping from its cradle fountain and make it run into the channel He desires. He can do all things; He can work upon children's hearts as He pleases, for all are under His control.

I don't think any teachers are so foolish as to doubt the potential in children, but although we believe it, many do not expect to hear of children being saved. Throughout the churches, I have noticed a kind of aversion to a child's devotion. We are frightened at the idea of a little boy loving Christ, and if we hear of a little girl following the Savior, we say it is a youthful fancy – an impression that will die away. I beg teachers not to treat a child's devotion with suspicion. That child is a tender plant; don't brush it too hard.

I heard a story some time ago about a dear little five- or six-year-old girl. She was a true lover of Jesus who requested of her mother that she might join the church. The mother told her she was too young, and the poor little thing was exceedingly grieved. After a while, the mother saw the faithfulness in her child's heart and spoke to the minister about it. The minister talked to the child and then said to the mother, "I am thoroughly convinced of her faith, but I cannot take her into the church; she is too young." When the child heard that, a strange gloom passed over her face, and the next morning when the mother went to her little bed, she lay with a pearly tear on each eye, dead from the grief and broken heart, because she could not follow her Savior and do as He had asked her. I would not have murdered that child for the world!

We should take care how we treat youthful faith. Be very tender in dealing with it. Believe that children can be saved just as much as we can. I most firmly believe in the salvation of children. When we see the young heart brought to the Savior, we cannot stand by and speak harshly, mistrusting everything. It is better sometimes to be deceived than to be the means of offending one of these little ones who believe in Jesus. God sends to His people a firm belief that little buds of grace are worthy of all tender care!
Chapter 15

Not Just a Sunday School Teacher

The first word of encouragement that King David had was that of a faithful example. David said, Come, ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. We are not ashamed to tread in the footsteps of David, are we? Who would object to following the example of one who was first exceptionally holy and then exceptionally great? Does the shepherd boy, the giant-slayer, the sweet psalmist of Israel, and the mighty monarch leave footprints in which we are too proud to tread? I am sure we would be happy to be as David was. If we want, however, a higher example even than that of David, hear the Son of David. From His lips flow the sweet words, Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of the heavens (Matthew 19:14).

We can be encouraged by these examples. Teachers of children are not dishonored by their occupation. Some may say, "You are only a Sunday school teacher," but a teacher is a noble person, holding an honorable office and having distinguished predecessors. We love to see prominent people in society take an interest in Sunday schools. One great fault in many churches is that the children are left for the young people to care for; the older members, who have more wisdom, take little notice of them.

The wealthier members of the church often stand aside, as if the teaching of the poor were not the special business of the rich. In the United States, presidents, judges, members of Congress, and other individuals in high positions have honored themselves by teaching little children in Sunday schools without being condescending. He who teaches a class in a Sunday school has earned a good degree. I'd rather receive the title of SST than MA, BA, or any other honor that was awarded by men. Let me beg teachers to take heart because the responsibilities are so honorable. Let the royal example of David and the godlike example of Jesus Christ inspire us with fresh diligence and increasing passion, with confident and enduring perseverance, to continue in our blessed work, saying as David did, Come, ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

The second word from David is the encouragement of great success. He said, Come, ye children, hearken. unto me. He did not add, "Perhaps I will teach you the fear of the Lord," but, I will teach you. He had success, or if he didn't have it, others did. If I begin to talk about the success of the Sunday schools, I would have an endless theme; therefore, I will not commence. Many volumes might be written on it, and when all were written, we might say, "I suppose that even the world itself could not contain all that might be written." In heaven, where the starry hosts sing God's high praises and the white-robed throng cast their crowns before His feet, we will see the success of Sunday schools. There, where millions of infants assemble day after day to sing, "Gentle Jesus, meek and mild," we rejoice to see the success of Sunday schools.

And in most pulpits of our land and in the pews where the deacons and godly members sit and join in worship, we see the success of Sunday schools. And across the ocean, on the islands to the south, and in lands where worshippers bowed before blocks of wood and stone, the missionaries who were saved in Sunday schools with the thousands who are blessed by their labors contribute to the mighty stream of immeasurable success of Sunday school instruction. Continue with this holy service; much has been done, but more will yet be done. Let all our past victories energize us with fresh passion; let the remembrance of our triumphs in previous campaigns and all the trophies won for our Savior on the battlefield of the past be our encouragement to press on with the responsibility of the present and the future.
Chapter 16

Children Can Understand the Bible

Paul taught young Timothy the gospel: not only did he share his doctrine, but he also let Timothy see his practice. We cannot force truth upon men, but we can make our own teaching clear and live our lives consistent with it. Truth and holiness are the surest antidotes to error and unrighteousness. The apostle said to Timothy, Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and in that which has been entrusted unto thee, knowing of whom thou hast learned them (2 Timothy 3:14).

He then focused on another protection, which had been of great service to the young preacher – namely, the knowing of the Holy Scriptures from his earliest childhood. This was one of Timothy's best safeguards. His early training held him like an anchor and saved him from the dreadful drift in later years. He was a happy young man of whom the apostle could say, from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto saving health [salvation] by the faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15).

To be prepared for the coming conflict, we only have to preach the gospel, live the gospel, and take care that we teach the children the Word of the Lord. This last point should have particular attention paid to it, for it is by the mouth of babes that God will still the Enemy. We are foolish to dream that human learning will be met by human learning or that Satan will cast out Satan. No, lift up the brazen serpent wherever the fiery serpents are biting the people, and men will look to it and live (Numbers 21:9). Bring the children out, hold them up, and turn their little eyes towards the divinely ordained protection – the Lord Jesus Christ. The only cure for midnight is the rising sun; the only hope for a dark world is the light that lightens every man. Shine forth, O Sun of righteousness, and mist, and cloud, and darkness will disappear (Malachi 4:2). Keep to the apostolic plans and rest assured of apostolic success. Preach Christ; preach the Word in season and out of season and teach the children (2 Timothy 4:2). One of God's chief methods for preserving His fields from tares is to sow the fields early with wheat.

The work of God's grace in Timothy started with early instructions: from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures. Note the time for instruction. The expression from a child might be better understood if we read it from a very child or as the Revised Version has it, from a babe. It does not mean an older child or youth but a toddler. From a very child Timothy had known the sacred writings. No doubt this expression is used to show that we cannot begin too early to saturate the minds of our children with scriptural knowledge. Babies receive impressions long before we are aware of the fact. During the first months of a child's life, he learns more than we imagine. He soon learns the love of his mother and his own dependence; if the mother is wise, the child learns the meaning of obedience and the necessity of yielding his will to a higher will. This may be the foundation of his whole future life. Learning obedience and submission early may save a thousand tears from the child's eyes and as many from the mother's heart. A special advantage is lost when babyhood is left untrained.

Children can learn the Holy Scriptures as soon as they are capable of understanding anything. It is a remarkable fact, which I have heard asserted by many teachers – children will learn to read out of the Bible easier than from any other book. I don't know why this is; perhaps it is due to the simplicity of the language. A biblical fact will often be understood and remembered, when an incident of common history is forgotten. There is an adaptation of the Bible for all ages, and therefore it has a relevance for children.

We make a mistake when we think that we must begin with something else and lead up to the Scriptures. The Bible is the book for the beginning reader. Parts of it are above a child's mind, for they are above the comprehension of the most advanced among us. There are depths in it where leviathan may swim, but there are also brooks in which a lamb may wade. Wise teachers know how to lead their little ones into the green pastures beside the still waters.

The first religious impressions of the Earl of Shaftesbury were produced by a humble woman. These impressions, which made him the man of God and the friend of man, were received in the nursery. Little Lord Ashley had a godly nurse who spoke to him about the things of God. He tells us that she died before he was seven years old, clear proof that his heart had been able to receive the seal of the Spirit of God by humble assistance early in life. Blessed among women was she whose name we don't know, but who worked an immeasurable service for God and man by her holy teaching of that child.

Give us the first seven years of a child, with God's grace, and we may defy the world, the flesh, and the devil to ruin that immortal soul. Those first years, while the clay is soft and pliable, go far to determine the form of the vessel. A teacher's work is not in the least degree inferior to the preacher's, whose main business is with older folks. No, teachers have the children first, and their impressions will endure longer. Oh, that those impressions may be good and only good! Among the thoughts that come to an old man before he enters heaven, the most plentiful are those from when he sat on his mother's knee.

The memory that made Dr. Guthrie ask for a "Bairn's Hymn" when he was dying was but an instinct of nature, which leads us to complete the circle of life by folding together the ends. Childlike things are dearest in old age. The old songs are on our lips, and the old thoughts are in our minds. The teachings of our childhood leave clean-cut and sharp impressions upon the mind, which remain after seventy years have passed. Let's see that such impressions are made for the highest purposes.

It is well to note the admirable instructors. We are not at a loss to tell who instructed young Timothy. In the first chapter of this epistle, Paul says, when I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois and thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that in thee also (2 Timothy 1:5). No doubt grandmother Lois and mother Eunice united in teaching the little one. Who should teach the children but the parents? Timothy's father was a Greek and probably a heathen, but his child was happy in having an admirable grandmother, often the dearest of all relatives to a little child. He also had a gracious mother who was once a devout Jewess but later a believing Christian, who made it her daily pleasure to teach her own dear child the Word of the Lord.

Oh, dear mothers, you have a sacred trust committed to you by God. He has in effect said to you, "Take this child and nurse it for Me, and I will give thee thy wages." You are called to equip the future man of God [that he] may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:17). If God allows, you may live to hear that pretty boy speak to thousands, and you will have the sweet reflection in your heart that the quiet teachings of the nursery led the man to love his God and serve Him. Those who think that a woman detained at home by her little family is doing nothing are believing the reverse of what is true. Seldom can the godly mother leave her home for a place of worship without thinking that she is useless to the work of the church. Far from it; she is doing the best possible service for her Lord. Mothers, the godly training of your children is your first and most pressing responsibility. By teaching children the Holy Scriptures, Christian women are fulfilling their part for the Lord as much as Moses did in judging Israel or Solomon did in building the temple.
Chapter 17

The Sooner the Better

I suspect that Elijah did not think very much of Obadiah. He does not treat him with any great consideration but addresses him more sharply than one would expect from a fellow believer. Elijah was the man of action – bold, always to the front with nothing to conceal. Obadiah was a quiet believer, true and steadfast but in a difficult position and therefore driven to perform his duty in a less-open manner. His faith in the Lord swayed his life but did not drive him out of the court. I notice that even after Elijah had learned more about him, he speaks concerning God's people as if he did not think much of Obadiah and others like him. He says, They have thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left, and they seek me to take my life (1 Kings 19:10). He knew that Obadiah was left, and though he was not exactly a prophet, he was a man of mark; but Elijah seems to ignore him as if he were of little value in the great struggle. I suppose it was because this man of iron, this prophet of fire and thunder, this mighty servant of the Most High, set little confidence in anybody who did not come to the front and fight like himself.

I know it is the tendency of brave and zealous minds to undervalue quiet, retired reverence. True and accepted servants of God may be doing their best under great disadvantages, against fierce opposition, but they may scarcely be known and may even shun the least recognition. Therefore, men who live in the fierce light of public life are apt to underestimate them. These minor stars are lost in the brilliance of the man whom God lights up like a new sun to flame through the darkness. Elijah flashed over the sky of Israel like a thunderbolt from the hand of the Eternal, so naturally he would be somewhat impatient with those whose movements were slower and less conspicuous. It is Martha and Mary all over again in some respects.

The Lord does not love that His servants, however great they are, should think lightly of their lesser comrades, and it occurs to me that He arranged matters so Obadiah became important to Elijah when he had to face the wrathful king of Israel. The prophet is told to go and show himself to Ahab, and he does so; but he decides to show himself to the governor of his palace first. Elijah wanted Obadiah to break the news to his master and prepare him for the meeting with Elijah. Ahab was exasperated by the terrible results of the long drought and in his sudden fury might attempt to kill the prophet, so Elijah wanted him to have time to cool down a little.

Elijah had the meeting with Obadiah and bid him go and say to Ahab, Behold Elijah. Sometimes the best way to our objective is to go in a roundabout way. But it is remarkable that Obadiah should be used by a man so much his superior. He who never feared in the face of kings nevertheless found himself using a more timid individual as his helper.

We learn later that God will never leave Himself without witnesses in this world (Acts 14:17). Yes, and He will not leave Himself without witnesses in the worst places of the world. What a horrible abode Ahab's court must have been for a true believer! If there had been no sinner but that woman Jezebel, she was enough to make the place a sinkhole of iniquity. That strong-minded, proud Sidonian queen twisted poor Ahab around her fingers just as she pleased. He might never have been the persecutor he was if his wife had not stirred him up, but she hated the worship of Jehovah intensely and despised the commonness of Israel in comparison with the more pompous style of Sidon. Ahab had to yield to her tyrannical demands, for she would allow no contradiction, and when her proud spirit was roused, she defied all opposition. Yet in that very court where Jezebel was mistress, the chamberlain was a man who feared God greatly – Obadiah. Never be surprised to meet with a believer anywhere. Grace can live where we would never expect to see it survive for an hour.

Joseph feared God in the court of Pharaoh; Daniel was a trusted counselor of Nebuchadnezzar; Mordecai waited at the gate of Ahasuerus; Pilate's wife pleaded for the life of Jesus; and there were saints in Caesar's household. Think about finding diamonds on such a dunghill as Nero's palace. Those who feared God in Rome were not only Christians, but they were also examples to all other Christians for their brotherly love and generosity. Surely, there is no place in this land without some light; the darkest cavern of iniquity has its torch. Don't be afraid; we may find followers of Jesus in the precincts of Pandemonium. In the palace of Ahab, we may meet an Obadiah who rejoices to hold fellowship with despised saints and hides the persecuted ministers.

I notice that these witnesses for God are often persons converted in their youth. He seems to delight in making these His special standard-bearers in the day of battle. Look at Samuel! When all Israel became disgusted with the wickedness of Eli's sons, the child Samuel ministered before the Lord. Look at David! When he was but a shepherd boy, he woke the echoes of the lone hills with his psalms and the accompanying music of his harp. See Josiah! When Israel had revolted, the child Josiah broke down the altars of Baal and burned the bones of his priests. Daniel was only a youth when he took his stand for purity and for God.

Even today, the Lord has some little Luther on his mother's knee, some young Calvin learning in our Sunday school, some youthful Zwingli singing a hymn to Jesus. This generation and world may grow worse and worse; I sometimes think it will, for many signs look that way, but the Lord is preparing for it. The days are dark and ominous, and evenings may darken into blacker nights than have been known before, but God's purpose is safe in God's hands. His work will not wait for lack of men. Don't extend the hand of Uzzah to steady the ark of the Lord; it will go safely on in God's predestined way. Christ will not fail nor be discouraged. God buries His workmen, but His work lives on. If there is no king in the palace who honors God, there will be a governor who fears the Lord from his youth, who will take care of the Lord's prophets and hide them away until better days come.

Therefore, be of good courage and look for happier hours. Nothing of real value is in jeopardy while Jehovah is on the throne. The Lord's reserves are coming, and their drums beat victory.
Chapter 18

Obadiah's Early Faithfulness

Obadiah possessed early devotion: I, thy slave [servant], fear the LORD from my youth (1 Kings 18:12). Oh, that all our young people who grow up to manhood and womanhood would be able to say the same thing! Happy are the people who are in such a position!

How Obadiah came to fear the Lord in youth we cannot tell. The instructor by whom he was led to faith in Jehovah is not mentioned. Yet we may reasonably conclude that he had believing parents. As slim as the evidence may be, I think it is quite certain, when I am reminded of his name, which would be given to him by his father or his mother; his name means "The servant of Jehovah." I should think this indicated his parents' faithfulness. In those days there was persecution everywhere against the faithful, and the name of Jehovah was in contempt. The calves of Bethel and the images of Baal were set up everywhere, so I don't think unbelieving parents would have given their child the name "The servant of Jehovah" if they themselves had not felt a reverence for the Lord. They would not have carelessly invited the remarks of their idolatrous neighbors and the enmity of the great. In a time when names meant something, they would have called him "The child of Baal," or "The servant of Chemosh," or some other name expressive of reverence to the popular gods, if they had not feared God themselves. The selection of such a name tells me their earnest desire was for their boy to grow up to serve Jehovah and never bow his knee before the abhorred idols of the Sidonian queen.

Whether this is so or not, it is quite certain that thousands of the most intelligent believers owe their first inclination towards godliness to the sweet relationships in the home. How many of us might have borne such a name as Obadiah, for as soon as we were born, our parents tried to enlighten us with the truth. We were consecrated to the service of God before we knew that there was a God. Many tears of earnest prayer fell on our infant brows and sealed us for heaven; we were nursed in the atmosphere of devotion. There were few days when we were not urged to be faithful servants of God and entreated to seek Jesus and give our hearts to Him while we were still young.

If he had no gracious parents, I don't know how Obadiah came to be a believer in the Lord in those sad days, unless he met a kind teacher, a tender nurse, a good servant in his father's house, or a pious neighbor who dared to gather little children around and tell them of the Lord God of Israel. Some holy woman may have instilled the Law of the Lord into his young mind before the priests of Baal could poison him with their falsehoods. No mention is made of anybody in connection with this man's conversion in his youth, but it does not matter. You and I do not want to be mentioned either, if we are right-hearted servants of God.

Obadiah's early devotion had special marks of genuineness about it. The way in which he described it is very instructive: I, thy slave, fear the LORD from my youth. I can seldom remember in all my life having heard the faith of children described in this way, as though it is the common word of the Scriptures. We say, "The dear child loved God." We talk of their "being made so happy," and so forth, and I do not question the correctness of the language, but the Holy Spirit speaks of the fear of the Lord [as] the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10). David says, Come, ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Children will get great joy through faith in the Lord Jesus, but that joy is full of humble reverence and awe of the Lord.

We understand the advantages of early faithfulness. Therefore, I will summarize them in a few sentences. To be born again early in life is to be saved from a thousand regrets. Such a man will never have to say that he carries the sins of his youth. Early devotion to God helps us form associations for the rest of life, which will prove helpful; it saves us from those who are harmful. The Christian young man will not fall into the common sins of other young men and injure his body by excesses. He will likely marry a Christian woman and have a holy companion in his journey through life towards heaven. He will select his associates from those who are his friends in the church and not from the tavern; they will be his helpers in virtue and not his tempters to vice. A great deal depends upon whom we choose for our companions when we begin life. If we start in bad company, it is very hard to break away from it.

The man brought to Christ early in life has this further advantage – he is helped to form holy habits, and he is saved from being the slave of their opposites. Habits soon become second nature; to form new ones is hard work, but those formed in youth remain in old age. There is something in that verse:

"'Tis easier work if we begin

To serve the Lord betimes;

While sinners that grow old in sin,

Are hardened in their crimes."

I am sure it is so. Moreover, I notice that frequently those who are brought to Christ while young grow in grace more rapidly and readily than others do. They don't have much to unlearn, and they don't have such a heavy weight of old memories to carry. The scars and bleeding sores, which come from having spent years in the service of the devil, are avoided by those brought into the church before they have wandered far into the world.

Considering early devotion to God – how attractive it is! Grace looks loveliest in youth. That which would not be noticed in the grown man strikes the most careless observer when he sees it in a child. Grace in a child has a convincing force – the unbeliever drops his weapon and admires. A word spoken by a child stays in the memory, and his babyish pronunciation touches the heart. Where the minister's sermon fails, the child's prayer may gain the victory. Moreover, religion in children brings encouragement to those of older years; for others, seeing a little one saved, say to themselves, "Why shouldn't we also find the Lord?" By a certain secret power it opens closed doors and turns the key in the lock of unbelief. Where nothing else could win a way for truth, a child's love has done it. It is still true: Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou might still the enemy and the avenger (Psalm 8:2).
Chapter 19

Obadiah and Elijah

Youthful devotion to God leads to persevering faithfulness. Obadiah could say, I, thy slave, fear the LORD from my youth. Time had not changed him; whatever his age may have been, his religion had not decayed. We are all fond of diversion, but I have known some men go wrong just for a change. A quick death in martyrdom is not the hard work; roasting before a slow fire is a far more terrible test of faithfulness. To continue being gracious during a long life of temptation is to be gracious indeed. For the grace of God to convert a man like Paul, who was full of threats against the saints, is a great marvel; but for the grace of God to preserve a believer for ten, twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty years is quite as great a miracle and deserves more praise than it usually commands. Obadiah was not affected by the lapse of time; he was found to be old when he was young.

Nor was Obadiah carried away by the custom of those evil times. To be a servant of Jehovah was considered a terrible thing, old-fashioned, ignorant, and outdated; the worship of Baal was the "modern thought" of the hour. All the court walked after the god of Sidon, and all the attendants went in the same way. "My lord" worshipped Baal, and "my lady" worshipped Baal, for the queen worshipped Baal; but Obadiah said, I, thy slave, fear the LORD from my youth. Blessed is the man who cares nothing for the customs, for they pass away. If for a while the trends rage towards evil, what does the believing man have to do but live steadfastly by the right? Obadiah was not even affected by the absence of the means of grace. The priests and Levites had fled into Judah, and the prophets had been killed or hidden away; there was no public worship of Jehovah in Israel. The temple was far away at Jerusalem; therefore, he had no opportunity of hearing anything that could strengthen him or encourage him; yet he stood firm.

In addition to this lack of pastoral guidance, there were the difficulties of his position. He was chamberlain of the palace. If he had pleased Jezebel and worshipped Baal, his situation might have been much easier, for he would have enjoyed her royal patronage. But there he was, governor in Ahab's house, while fearing Jehovah. He must have had to walk very delicately and watch his words most carefully. It is no wonder that he became a very cautious person and was even afraid of Elijah, for he was concerned that Elijah was giving him a commission that would lead to his destruction. He came to be wary and looked things over so as neither to compromise his conscience nor jeopardize his position. It takes an uncommonly wise man to do that, but he who can accomplish it is to be commended. He did not run away from his position nor retreat from his religion.

If he had been forced to do wrong, I am sure he would have imitated the priests and Levites and bound himself to Judah, where the worship of Jehovah continued. But he felt that he could do something for God in his advantageous position without yielding to idolatry, and therefore he determined to stay and fight it out.

When there is no hope of victory, we may as well retire; but when the bugle sounds retreat, the brave man does not hear it. He puts his blind eye to the telescope and doesn't see the signal to cease firing but holds his position against all odds and does all the damage he can to the enemy. Obadiah was a man who truthfully "held the fort," for he felt that when all the prophets were doomed by Jezebel, his part was to stay near the tigress and save the lives of at least a hundred servants of God from her cruel power. If he never did more, he would not have lived in vain, for he accomplished so much.

I admire the man whose decision was equal to his diligence, though I would fear to reside in so perilous a place. His direction was something like walking on the tightrope with the famous Charles Blondin. I would not like to try it myself, nor would I recommend anyone attempt a feat so difficult.

The part of Elijah is much safer and grander. The prophet's purpose was plain enough; he didn't have to please Ahab, but to reprove him; he didn't have to be wary, but to act in a bold, outspoken manner for the God of Israel. How much greater the man seems to be when the two stand together in the scene before us. Obadiah falls on his face and calls him my lord Elijah, for he was far his inferior. Yet I must not fall into Elijah's demeanor, or I'll have to pull myself up with a sharp check. It was a great thing for Obadiah that he could manage Ahab's household with Jezebel in it and still win this commendation from the Spirit of God, that he feared the Lord greatly.

He persevered too, despite his success in life, and that is much to his credit. There is nothing more perilous to a man than to prosper in this world and become rich and respectable. Of course, we desire it, wish for it, and strive for it, but how many in winning it have lost all in regard to spiritual wealth! Such a man may have loved the people of God in the past, but now he says, "They are a vulgar class of persons." As long as he could hear the gospel, he did not mind the architecture of the house; but now he's grown aesthetic and must have a spire, Gothic architecture, a marble pulpit, priestly robes, a conservatory in the church, and all sorts of pretty things. As he has filled his pocket, he has emptied his brains and especially emptied his heart. He has strayed from truth and principle in proportion to his advance in his estate. This is a corrupt business, which at one time he would have been the first to condemn. There is no courtesy in such conduct; it is despicable to the last degree. God save us from this greed.

A great many people are not saved from such selfishness. Their religion is not a matter of principle but a matter of interest; it is not the pursuit of truth but a hankering after society, whatever that may mean. Their object is not to glorify God but to get rich husbands for their girls. Their conscience does not guide them, but the hope of being able to invite Sir John to dinner and dining at the hall in return drives them. Don't think I am sarcastic; I speak in sober sadness of things that make me feel ashamed. I hear of them daily, though they do not personally affect me. This is an age of corruption disguised under the notion of respectability. May God send us men like the theologian John Knox, or men of the unyielding firmness of Elijah. If these should prove too stiff and stern, we could even be content with such men as Obadiah. Possibly these last ones might be harder to produce than more Elijahs, but with God all things are possible.

Obadiah, with his early grace and persevering decision, became a man of exceptional faithfulness, which is more remarkable considering what he was and where he was – exceptional faithfulness in a Lord High Chamberlain of Ahab's court. This is a wonder of grace indeed. This man's belief was intense within him. If he did not make the same open use of that faith that Elijah did, it was because he was not called to the same career as Elijah, but it dwelt deep within his soul, and others knew it. Jezebel knew it; I have no doubt about that. She did not like him, but she had to endure him; she did not trust him, but she could not dislodge him. Ahab had learned to trust him and could not do without him, for he probably furnished him with a little mental strength. Possibly Ahab retained him just to show Jezebel that he could be obstinate if he liked and was still a man.

However one may account for it, in the center of rebellion against God there was one whose devotion to God was intense. As horrible as it is to find a Judas among the apostles, so it is grand to discover an Obadiah among Ahab's courtiers. What grace must have been at work to maintain such a fire in the midst of the sea, such godliness in the midst of the vilest iniquity!

Obadiah's early belief became comfortable faithfulness to him afterwards. When he thought Elijah was about to expose him to great danger, he pleaded his long service of God, saying I, thy slave, fear the Lord from my youth. This was similar to David when he said, O God, thou hast taught me from my youth and until now; I shall manifest thy wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not (Psalm 71:17-18).

Older people find a great comfort when they can look back upon a life spent in the service of God. We may not trust in it or think that there is any merit in it, but we will bless God for it. A servant who has been with his master from his youth shouldn't be turned away when he grows old. A right-minded master respects the person who has served him long and well. Suppose a nurse had lived with your family, had nursed you when you were a child, and had lived to bring up your children. Would you turn her into the street when she was past her working years? No, you would do your best for her; if it were in your power, you would keep her out of the poorhouse. Now, the Lord is much more kind and gracious than we are, and He will never turn His old servants out.
Chapter 20

Some Good Thing – Part 1

Jeroboam had disparaged the Lord who had placed him upon the throne of Israel, and the time had come for his overthrow. The Lord, who usually brings forth the rod before He lifts the ax, sent sickness into his house; Jeroboam's son Abijah became severely sick. Then Jeroboam remembered an old prophet of God and wanted to know through him what would happen to the child. Fearful that the prophet would bring plagues upon himself and his child if he knew that the inquirer was the wife of Jeroboam, the king begged his wife to disguise herself and seek from the man of God a favorable prediction. Poor foolish king, to imagine that a prophet who could see the future could not also see through any disguise with which his queen might surround herself! So anxious was the mother to know the fate of her son that she left his sick room to go to Shiloh to hear from the prophet. Her clever disguise was useless. The blind prophet was still a seer and not only recognized her before she entered the house but also saw the future of her family. She came full of superstition to be told her fortune, but she went away heavyhearted, having been told her faults and her doom.

In the terrible message that the prophet Ahijah delivered to this wife of Jeroboam, there was only one bright spot, only one word of solace, but it gave no kind of comfort to the mother of Abijah. The child was mercifully appointed to die, for in him there was found some good thing of the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam (1 Kings 14:13).

We know little of the young prince Abijah. His name was a suitable one. A good name may belong to a very bad man; but in this case, a gracious name was worn in a worthy manner. He called God his Father, and his name signifies that fact. Abba (Ab) is the word for Father, and Jah is Jehovah – Jehovah was his Father. I mention the name only because his life made it true. If you bear a good Bible name, see that you do not dishonor it.

In this child was some good thing of the LORD God of Israel, but what was it? Who will define it? A boundless field for conjecture opens before us. We know some good thing was in him, but what form that good thing took we do not know. Tradition has made assertions, but as these are mere inventions, they are not worth mentioning. Our own reflections will probably be as near the mark as any other probable traditions. We may learn much from the silence of Scripture; we are not told precisely what the good thing was, because any good thing towards the Lord is a sufficient sign of grace. Though the child's faith is not mentioned, we are sure that he had faith in the living God, since without it nothing in him would have been good towards God, for without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). He was a child believer in Jehovah, the God of Israel; perhaps his mother left him at his own request to go to the Lord's prophet about him. Many false prophets were around the palace; his father might not have sent to Shiloh if the boy hadn't pleaded for it. The child believed in the great, invisible God who made the heavens and the earth, and he worshipped Him in faith. The child's love may have been more apparent than his faith, for converted children talk of loving Christ more than they do of trusting in Him, not because faith is not in them, but because the emotion of love is more suited to the child's nature than the more intellectual act of faith.

A child's heart is large, and therefore love becomes his most conspicuous fruit. I have no doubt this child showed an early affection towards the unseen Jehovah and a distaste for the idols of his father's court. He might have displayed a holy horror of the worship of God under the figure of a calf. Even a child would have intelligence enough to perceive that it was wrong to liken the great and glorious God to a bullock, which has horns and hooves. Perhaps the child's refined nature also started back from those corrupt priests of the land whom his father had brought together. We do not know exactly the form it took, but some good thing was in the child's heart towards Jehovah, God of Israel.

Moreover, it was not merely a good inclination that was in him or a good desire, but a really good, substantial virtue. A true and substantial existence of grace was in him, and this is far more than a transient desire. What child is there that has not at some time or other, if he has been trained in the fear of God, felt tremblings of heart and desires towards God? Such goodness is as common as the early dew, but alas, it passes away quite quickly. The young Abijah possessed something within him sufficiently real and substantial to be called a good thing. The Spirit of God had wrought a sure work upon him and left within him a priceless jewel of grace. Let us admire this good thing, though we cannot precisely describe it.

Let us also realize that this some good thing would have been in the child's heart, for its entrance is unknown. We cannot tell how grace entered the palace of Tirzah and gained this youthful heart. God saw the good thing, for He sees the least good thing in any of us, since He can perceive anything that looks toward Himself. But how did this gracious work come to the child? We are not told, and this silence is a lesson to us. It is not essential for us to know how a child receives grace. We don't need to be anxious to know when, where, or how a child is converted; it may even be impossible to tell, for the work may have been so gradual that day and hour cannot be known. Even those who are converted in later years cannot always describe their conversion in detail. Even less can we expect to map out the experience of children who have never fallen into outward sin, but under the guidance of godly education have kept the commandments from their youth like the young man in the gospel.

How did this child acquire this good thing in his heart? God may have placed it there, but by what means? The child, in all probability, did not hear the teaching of the prophets of God; he was never like young Samuel who was taken to the house of the Lord. His father was among the most wicked of men, and yet the grace of God reached his child. Did the Spirit of the Lord operate upon his heart through his own thoughts? Did he think the matter over and conclude that God was God and that He must not be worshipped as his father worshipped Him – under the image of a calf? Even a child might see this.

Had some hymn to Jehovah been sung under the palace wall by some lone worshipper? Had the child seen his father on that day when he lifted up his hand against the prophet of Jehovah at the altar of Bethel and suddenly his right hand withered at his side? Did the tears start from the boy's eyes when he saw his father thus paralyzed in his strong arm? And did he laugh and rejoice when by the prophet's prayer his father was restored again? Did that great miracle of mercy cause him to love the God of Israel? Is it a guess that this may have been so? A withered right hand in a father, and that father a king, is a thing a child is pretty sure to be told about; and if it was restored by prayer, the wonder would naturally fill the palace and be spoken of by everybody. The prince would hear of it.

Or what if this little child had a godly nurse? What if some girl, like the one who waited on Naaman's wife, was the messenger of love to him? As she carried him, did his nurse sing one of the songs of Zion and tell him of Joseph and Samuel? Israel had not forsaken her God so long ago as to be without many faithful followers of the God of Abraham. Perhaps by one of these, sufficient knowledge was passed to the child to become the means of receiving the love of God into his soul. We may conjecture, but we may not pretend to be sure that it was so, nor is there any need that we should be. If the sun has risen, it doesn't matter when the day first dawned.

Likewise, when we see in children some good thing, may we be content with that truth, even if we cannot tell how it came there. God's electing love is never short of means to carry out its purpose. He can send His effectual grace into the heart of Jeroboam's family, and while the father lies prostrate before his idols, the Lord can find a true worshipper for Himself in the king's own child. Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies (Psalm 8:2). Your footsteps are not always seen, O God of grace, but we have learned to adore You in Your work, even when we cannot discern Your way.

This good thing is described with a restriction. It was a good thing of the LORD God of Israel. The good thing looked towards the living God. In children there will often be found good things towards their parents; let these be cultivated, but these are not sufficient evidences of grace. Sometimes the good things of sweetness and moral excellence will be found; let all good things be commended and fostered, but they are not sure fruits of grace. The good thing that saves the soul must be towards God.

Remember how we read in the New Testament of repentance towards God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The way the face of the good thing looks is a primary characteristic; there is life in a look. If a man is straying away from God, every step he takes increases his distance from Him. But if his face is toward the Lord, he might only be capable of a child's tottering step, but he is still moving nearer and nearer every moment.

There was some good thing in this child towards God, and that is the most distinguishing mark of a truly good thing. The child had love, and it included love for Jehovah. He had faith, but it was faith in Jehovah. His religious fear was the fear of the living God; his childlike thoughts, and desires, and prayers, and hymns went towards the true God. This is what we desire to see not only in children but also in adults; we wish to see their hearts turned to the Lord and their minds and wills moving towards the Most High.

In this dear child, that good thing produced such an outward character that he became exceedingly beloved. We are sure of that, because the prophet said, all Israel shall mourn for him (1 Kings 14:13). He was probably the heir to his father's crown, and there were godly but grieved hearts in Israel who hoped to see times of reform when that young child would come to the throne. Perhaps even those who did not care about religion but had noticed the youth and observed his actions had said, "He is Israel's hope. There will be better days when that boy becomes a man." Therefore, when Abijah died, he alone of all his generation received both tears and a tomb; he was lamented when he died and was buried with respect, whereas all the rest of Jeroboam's house were devoured by dogs and vultures.

How blessed we are when there is such a good thing in our children that they are beloved in their little spheres. They don't have the range of contacts which this young prince enjoyed to receive universal admiration, but the grace of God in a child is still a very lovely thing and draws general commendation. Youthful devotion is a touching thing to me; I see the grace of God in men and women with much thankfulness, but I cannot perceive it in children without shedding tears of delight. An exceeding beauty surrounds these rosebuds of the Lord's garden; they have a fragrance which we don't find in the fairest of earth's lilies. Love is won for the Lord Jesus in many hearts by these tiny arrows of the Lord, whose very smallness is a part of their power to penetrate the heart. The ungodly may not love the grace that is in the children, but since they love the children in whom that grace is found, they are no longer able to speak against belief in God as they otherwise would have done. Yes, the Holy Spirit uses these children for higher ends, and those who see them are often impressed with desires for better things.
Chapter 21

Some Good Thing – Part 2

He did not wear the broad phylactery, but he had a meek and quiet spirit. He may not have been much of a speaker, or it might have been said, "He has spoken good things concerning the God of Israel." He may have been a timid, retiring, almost silent boy, but the good thing was in him. And this is the kind of thing which we desire for every one of our friends, a work of grace within them. The grand point is not to wear the robes nor use the dialect of religion, but to possess the life of God within and feel and think as Jesus would have done because of that inner life. The value of external religion is negligible, unless it is the outcome of a life within. True grace is not like a garment to be put on and taken off; it is an integral part of the person who possesses it. This child's devotion was of the true, personal, inward kind; may all our children have some good thing in them!

We are told that this good thing was found in him; this means that it was discernible in him without much difficulty, for the word found is used even when it does not imply any great search. Doesn't the Lord say, I was found of those that did not seek me (Isaiah 65:1)? Zealous, childlike faithfulness soon shows itself; a child is usually far less reluctant than a man is; the small mouth is not frozen by cold discretion but reveals the heart. Godliness in a child appears even upon the surface, so that people who come into the house as visitors are surprised by the direct statements which betray the young Christian. There were many in Tirzah who could not help knowing that this child had some good thing in him towards Jehovah. They may not have cared to see it; they may have hoped that it would be crushed out of him by the example of the court around him, but they knew that it was there. They had found it without difficulty.

Still, the expression does hold another meaning; it implies that God, the strict heart-searcher, who tries the reins of the children of men, visited this child. He found something unto praise and glory in him; some good thing was discovered in him by those eyes which cannot be deceived. It is not all gold that glitters, but that which was in this child was genuine metal. Oh, that the same may be true of each of us when we are tried as by fire! It may be that his father was angry with him for serving Jehovah; but whatever his trial may have been, he came out of it unharmed.

The expression suggests to me somewhat the idea of surprise. How did this good thing get into the child? In him there is found some good thing, as when a man finds a treasure in a field. The farmer was thinking of nothing but his oxen, and his acres, and his harvest, when all of a sudden, his plow laid bare a hidden treasure; he found it where it was, but how it came to be there, he could not tell. So in this disadvantageously placed child, to the surprise of everybody, there was found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel. His conversion is veiled in mystery. We are not told of the grace in his heart – what it was, whence it came, or what special actions it produced; but there it was – found where none expected it.

I believe that this case is typical of many of the elect children whom God calls by His grace in the courts and alleys of our city. You must not expect that you will jot down their experience, and their feelings, and their lives, and total them all up; you must not expect to know dates and means specifically, but you must take the child as we take Abijah, rejoicing to find in him a little wonder of grace with God's own seal upon him. The old prophet, in the name of the Lord, declared that the young prince was a truehearted follower of the Most High; in like manner, the Lord sets His mark of grace on regenerated children, and we must be content to see it, even if some other things are still lacking. Let us welcome with delight those works of the Holy Spirit which we cannot precisely describe.

All that is said of this case was that there was in him some good thing; this indicates that the divine work was still only a spark of grace, the beginning of spiritual life. There was nothing very striking in him, or it would have been more definitely mentioned. He was not a heroic follower of Jehovah, and his deeds of loyalty to God are not written, because by reason of his age he had neither power nor opportunity to do much which could be written. Some good thing implies that it was not a perfect thing and not combined with all the good things one might wish for. Many good things were missing, but some good thing was manifest, and therefore the child was accepted and by divine love rescued from an ignoble death.

We are apt to overlook some good thing in a bad house. This was the most wonderful thing of all – that there should be a gracious child in Jeroboam's palace. A father has great influence, but in this case Jeroboam sinned and made Israel sin. It seems peculiar that he should make Israel sin but could not make his child sin. All the land feels the pestilent influence of Jeroboam, but close at his feet is a bright spot that sovereign grace has kept from the plague. His firstborn child, who naturally would imitate his father, is the very opposite of him. Found in Jeroboam's heir is some good thing of the LORD God of Israel. In such a place we do not look for grace and are apt to pass it by. If you go to the courts of our great cities, which are anything but palatial, you will see that they swarm with the children of the poor, and you seldom expect to see grace where sin evidently abounds. In the pestilent alleys of the great city, you hear blasphemy and see drunkenness on all sides, but do not consider that a child of God is there. Don't say to yourself, "The electing love of God has never pitched upon any of these." How do you know? One of those poor little ragged children playing on a dust heap may have found Christ in the slum's school; he may be destined to a place at Christ's right hand. Precious is that gem, though cast among the pebbles. Bright is that diamond, though it lie upon a dunghill. If there is some good thing of the Lord God of Israel in the child, he is not to be valued less because his father is a thief and his mother is a gin-drinker. Never despise the most ragged child.

A clergyman in Ireland, ministering to a little Protestant congregation, noticed a ragged boy standing in the aisle near the door and listening to the sermon most eagerly for several Sundays. He wished to know who the boy was, but the young lad always vanished as soon as the sermon was over. He asked a friend or two to watch, but the boy always escaped, and they could not find him. One Sunday the minister preached a sermon from this text, His right hand has gotten him the victory, even the arm of his holiness, and after that time he missed the boy altogether (Psalm 98:1). Six weeks elapsed, and the child did not come back, but a man appeared from the hills and begged the minister to come and see his boy who was dying.

He lived in a miserable shack up in the mountains. A six-mile walk in the rain through bogs and over hills, and the minister came to the door of the hut. As he entered, the poor lad was sitting up in bed, and as soon as he caught sight of the preacher, he waved his arm and cried out, "His right hand has gotten him the victory, even the arm of his holiness." That was his closing speech on earth, his dying shout of triumph. Who knows that in many cases the Lord's right hand and holy arm may have gotten them the victory, despite the poverty and the sin and the ignorance that may have surrounded the young converts. Let's not therefore despise grace, wherever it is, but heartily prize what we are apt to overlook.

We cannot understand that God's dear little children who love Him should often be called to suffer. We say, "Well, if he was my child, I would heal him and ease his sufferings at once." Yet the almighty Father allows His dear ones to be afflicted. The godly child of Jeroboam lies sick, but his wicked father is not sick, and his mother is not sick; we could almost wish they were, so they might do the less evil. Only one godly one is in the family, and he lies sick! Why was it so? Why is it so in other cases? You will see a gracious child handicapped; you will see a heavenly minded girl wasting away; you will often see the heavy hand of God resting where His eternal love has fixed its choice.

There is a meaning in all this, and we know some of it; if we knew nothing, we would still believe in the goodness of the Lord. Jeroboam's son was like the fig of the sycamore tree, which does not ripen until it is bruised. By his sickness Abijah was ripened for glory. Besides, it was for his father's good and his mother's good that he was sick; if they had been willing to learn from the sorrow, it might have greatly blessed them. It did drive them to the prophet of God. Oh, that it had driven them to God Himself! A sick child has led many blind parents to the Savior, and eyes have thereby been opened.

There is still something more remarkable, and that is that some of God's dearest children will die while they are yet young. I might have said let Jeroboam die and his wife too, but spare the child. But the child must go, for he is the fittest. His departure was intended to give glory to God's grace in saving such a child and making him perfect so soon. It was to be the reward of grace, for the child was taken from the evil to come; he was to die in peace and be buried, whereas the rest of the family would be slain with the sword and given to the jackals and the vultures to tear into pieces. In this child's case his early death was a proof of grace. If any say that converted children shouldn't be taken into the church, I answer, "How is it that the Lord takes so many of them into heaven? If they are fit for the one, they surely are fit for the other." The Lord, in infinite mercy, often takes children home to Himself and saves them from the trials of long life and temptation, because not only is there grace in them, but there is so much more grace than usual. There is no need for delay, for they are ripe already for the harvest. It is wonderful what great grace may dwell in a boy's heart; a child's faith is by no means of an inferior kind; it is sometimes ripe for heaven.
Chapter 22

The Shunammite's Son – Part 1

Let me call your attention to a most instructive miracle carried out by the prophet Elisha, as recorded in the book of 2 Kings. The hospitality of the Shunammite woman had been rewarded by the gift of a son; but all earthly mercies are of uncertain tenure, and after a time the child fell sick and died.

The distressed but believing mother hurried at once to the man of God; through him God had spoken the promise, which fulfilled her heart's desire, and she resolved to plead her case with him that he might lay it before his divine Master and obtain an answer of peace for her. Elisha's action is recorded in the following verses:

Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins and take my staff in thy hand and go; if thou meet anyone, salute him not; and if anyone salutes thee, answer him not again, and lay my staff upon the face of the child. Then the mother of the child said, As the LORD lives and as thy soul lives, I will not leave thee. And he arose and followed her. And Gehazi had gone on before them and had laid the staff upon the face of the child, but there was neither voice, nor attention. Therefore he went again to meet him and told him, saying, The child is not awaked. And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was laid dead upon his bed. He went in therefore and shut the door upon both of them and prayed unto the Lord. Then he went up and lay upon the child and put his mouth upon his mouth and his eyes upon his eyes and his hands upon his hands; thus he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. Then he returned and walked through the house to and fro and went up and stretched himself upon him again; and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. And he called Gehazi and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And as she was coming in unto him, he said, Take up thy son. Then she entered in and fell at his feet and bowed herself to the ground and took up her son and went out. (2 Kings 4:29-37)

Elisha had to deal with a dead child. True, in this instance, it was a natural death, but the death with which we have to come in contact is not a less-real death because it is spiritual. Boys and girls are as surely as grown-up people dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). May none of us fail to realize the state in which all human beings are naturally found. Unless we have a very clear sense of the utter ruin and spiritual death of children, we will be incapable of being a blessing to them. We must go to them, not as to sleepers we can awaken by our power but as to spiritual corpses who can only be quickened by a power divine. Elisha aimed at nothing less than the restoration of the child to life. May we never be content with aiming at secondary benefits or even with realizing them; may we strive for the grandest of all ends, the salvation of immortal souls. Our business is not merely to teach children to read the Bible, not just to impart the responsibilities of morality, nor even to instruct them in the letter of the gospel; but our high calling is to be the means in the hands of God of bringing life from heaven to dead souls.

Resurrection, then, is our aim! To raise the dead is our mission! How is so strange a work to be achieved? If we yield to unbelief, we will be staggered by the fact that the work to which the Lord has called us is quite beyond our own personal power. We cannot raise the dead. We are, however, no more powerless than Elisha, for of himself, he could not restore the Shunammite's son. Should this fact discourage us? Doesn't it rather direct us to our true power by shutting us out from our own imagined might? I trust all of us are already aware that the man who lives in the region of faith dwells in the realm of miracles.

Elisha was no common man now that God's Spirit was upon him, calling him to God's work and aiding him in it. And devoted, anxious, and prayerful teachers remain no longer common beings; you have become, in a special manner, the temple of the Holy Spirit; God dwells in us, and we have entered upon the career of a wonder-worker by faith. We are sent into the world not to do the things which are possible to man but to do those impossibilities that God works by His Spirit by the means of His believing people. We are to work miracles and do marvels. We are not to look upon the restoration of these dead children – which in God's name we are called to bring about – as being a thing unlikely or difficult, when we remember who it is that works by our feeble instrumentality.

It would have been well if Elisha had remembered that he was once the servant of Elijah and had studied his master's example, so he could imitate it. If he had, he would not have sent Gehazi with a staff; he would have done at once what he was compelled to do. In 1 Kings 17 is the story of Elijah, the master, raising a dead child and leaving a complete example to his servant. It was not until Elisha followed that example in all respects that the miraculous power was manifested. It would have been wise if Elisha had imitated the example of the master whose mantle he wore at the beginning.

With far more emphasis may I say that it will be well if, as teachers, we imitate the modes and methods of our glorified Master and learn the art of winning souls at His feet. Just as Jesus came in deepest sympathy into the nearest contact with our wretched humanity and condescended to stoop to our sorrowful condition, so must we come near to the souls on whom we have an influence. We must yearn over them with His yearning and weep over them with His tears, if we want to see them raised from the state of sin. Only by imitating the spirit and manner of the Lord Jesus will we become wise to win souls.

Very often the truth which we deliver is a thing which is superficial and not personal, like a staff that we hold in our hand but is not a part of ourselves. We take doctrinal or practical truth, as Gehazi did the staff, and we lay it upon the face of the child, but we do not agonize for his soul. We try this doctrine and that truth, this anecdote and the other illustration, this way of teaching a lesson and that manner of delivering an address, but as long as the truth is apart from ourselves and unconnected with our innermost being, it will have no more effect upon a dead soul than Elisha's staff had upon the dead child. We are not sure that Gehazi was convinced that the child was dead; he spoke as if he were only asleep and needed waking. God will not bless those teachers who do not grasp in their hearts the fallen state of their children. If we think children are not depraved or we indulge foolish notions about the innocence of childhood and the dignity of human nature, it should not surprise us if we remain barren and unfruitful.

Observe carefully what Elisha did when he failed in his first effort. When we fail in one attempt, we must not give up our work. If we have been unsuccessful until now, we must not assume that we are not called to the work any more than Elisha might have concluded that the child could not be restored. The lesson of our lack of success is not to cease the work but to change the method. The person is not out of place; the plan is unwise. If our first method has been unsuccessful, we must improve upon it. Let us examine where we have failed, and by changing our mode, or spirit, the Lord may prepare us for a degree of usefulness far beyond our expectation. Elisha, instead of being dispirited when he found that the child was not awake, girded up his loins and hurried with greater vigor to the work before him.
Chapter 23

The Shunammite's Son – Part 2

Notice where the dead child was placed: And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was laid dead upon his bed (2 Kings 4:32). This was the bed that the Shunammite had prepared for Elisha out of hospitality, the famous bed with the table, the stool, and the candlestick, which will never be forgotten in the church of God.

In reading on, we find He went in therefore and shut the door upon both of them and prayed unto the Lord (2 Kings 4:33). Now the prophet is at his work with intensity, and we have a noble opportunity of learning the secret of raising children from the dead.

If we turn to the narrative of Elijah, we find that Elisha had adopted the orthodox method of proceeding, the method of his master Elijah. We read there, And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom and carried him up into the chamber where he abode and laid him upon his own bed. And he cried unto the LORD and said, O LORD my God, hast thou even brought evil upon the widow, with whom I sojourn, by killing her son? And he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried unto the LORD and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah, and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived (1 Kings 17:19-22). The great secret lies in a large measure in powerful supplication. He shut the door upon both of them and prayed unto the Lord.

The old proverb says, "Every true pulpit is set up in heaven," which means that the true preacher is with God much of the time. If we do not pray to God for a blessing, if the foundation of the pulpit is not laid in private prayer, our open ministry will not be a success. So it is with you; every real teacher's power must come from on high. If we never enter our closet and shut the door, if we never plead at the mercy seat for our child, how can we expect that God will honor us in his conversion? An excellent practice is to actually take the children one by one into our room alone and pray with them. We will see our children converted when God leads us to individualize their needs, to agonize for them, and to take them one by one with the door closed to pray with them and for them. There is much more influence with prayer that is privately offered with one than in prayer publicly uttered in the class – not more influence with God, but more influence with the child. Such prayer will often present its own answer, for while we are pouring out our soul, God may make our prayer to be a hammer to break the heart, which mere lectures had never touched.

After praying, Elisha adopted the means. Prayer and means must go together. Means without prayer is presumption! Prayer without means is hypocrisy! There lay the child, and there stood the esteemed man of God! Watch his peculiar proceeding: he stoops over the corpse and puts his mouth upon the child's mouth. The cold, dead mouth of the child was touched by the warm, living lips of the prophet, and a vital stream of fresh, hot breath was sent down into the chilled, stone-like passages of the dead mouth and throat and lungs. Next, the holy man, with loving warmth of hopefulness, placed his eyes upon the child's eyes and his hands upon the child's hands; the warm hands of the old man covered the cold palms of the departed child. Then he stretched himself upon the child and covered him with his whole body, as though he would transfer his own life into the lifeless frame and would either die with him or bring him to life.

We have heard of the hunter acting as guide to a fearful traveler; when they came to a very dangerous part of the road, the guide strapped the traveler firmly to himself and said, "Both of us or neither." That is to say, "Both of us shall live, or neither of us; we are one."

Likewise, the prophet effected a mysterious union between himself and the lad, and in his own mind, it was resolved that he would either be chilled with the child's death, or the child would be warmed with his life. What does this teach us? The lessons are many and obvious. We see here that if we want to bring spiritual life to a child, we must realize that the child's state is dead. God would have us feel that the child is as dead in trespasses and sins as we once were. God would have us come into contact with that death by painful, crushing, humbling sympathy. In soul winning, we should observe how our Master worked.

Now, how did He work? When He raised us from death, what did it compel Him to do? He had to die Himself; there was no other way. So it is with us. If we would raise that dead child, we must feel the chill and horror of that child's death. A dying man is needed to raise dying men. We will never pluck a branding iron from the fire without putting our hand near enough to feel the heat of the fire. We must have a distinct sense of the dreadful wrath of God and of the terrors of the judgment to come, or we will lack energy in our work and thereby lack one of the essentials of success.

I do not think the preacher ever speaks fittingly on topics until he feels them pressing upon him as a personal burden from the Lord. "I did preach in chains," said John Bunyan, "to men in chains." Depend upon it; when the death that is in our children alarms, depresses, and overwhelms us, God is about to bless us. Thus realizing the child's state, we must next strive to adapt ourselves as far as possible to the nature, habits, and temperament of the child. Our mouth must discover the child's words, so that the child can understand what we mean; we must see things with a child's eyes; our hearts must feel a child's feelings to be his companion and friend. We must be students of juvenile sin and sympathizers in juvenile trials; we must enter into childhood's joys and griefs as much as possible. We must not fret at the difficulty of this matter or feel it to be humiliating. If anything difficult is required, we must do it and not think it difficult. God will not raise a dead child by us if we are not willing to become all things to that child that we may win his soul.

The prophet stretched himself upon the child. One would have thought it should be written, "he contracted himself." He was a full-grown man and the other a mere lad. Should it not be "he contracted himself"? No, he stretched himself. Take note: no stretching is harder than for a man to stretch himself to a child. He is no fool who can talk to children; a simpleton is mistaken if he thinks that his foolishness can interest boys and girls. It needs our best wits, our most industrious studies, our most earnest thoughts, our ripest powers, to teach our little ones. We will not bring life to the child until we have stretched ourselves, and though it seems a strange thing, it is so. The wisest man will need to exercise all his abilities if he is to become a successful teacher of the young.

We see then, in Elisha, a sense of the child's death and an adaptation of himself to his work, but above all, we see sympathy. While Elisha himself felt the chill of the corpse, his personal warmth was entering into the dead body. This by itself did not raise the child, but God worked through it; the old man's heat of body passed into the child and became the medium of bringing life. Let every teacher weigh these words of Paul: But we were gentle among you, as a mother feeding and caring for her children, loving you so much, that we were willing to give unto you, not only the gospel of God, but even our own souls, because ye are dear unto us (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8). God will bless our hearty sympathy with His own truth by His Spirit and make it do that which the truth alone coldly spoken would not accomplish. Here, then, is the secret. We must impart our own soul to the young; we must feel as if the ruin of that child would be our own ruin.

The result of the prophet's work soon appeared: the flesh of the child waxed warm. How pleased Elisha must have been, but his pleasure and satisfaction did not seem to cause him to relax his exertions. We must never be satisfied with finding our children in a hopeful state. What we want is not mere conviction but conversion; we desire not only impression, but also regeneration: life – life from God, the life of Jesus. This is what our students need, and nothing less must satisfy us.

Then he returned and walked through the house to and fro. Notice the restlessness of the man of God; he cannot be easy. The child waxes warm (blessed be God for that), but he does not live yet. So, instead of sitting down by the table, the prophet walks to and fro with restless feet, disquieted, groaning, panting, longing, and ill at ease. He could not bear to look upon the distressed mother or to hear her ask, "Is the child restored?" He continued pacing the house as if his body could not rest, because his soul was not satisfied. Imitate this consecrated restlessness. When we see a boy getting interested, we cannot sit down and say, "The child is very hopeful, thank God; I am perfectly satisfied." We will never win the priceless gem of a saved soul in that way; we must feel sad, restless, and troubled, if we ever become a parent in the church.

After a short period of walking to and fro, the prophet went up and stretched himself upon him again. What is well to do once is proper to do a second time. What is good twice is good seven times. There must be perseverance and patience. As surely as warmth went from Elisha to the child, so cold can go from us to our classes unless we are in an earnest state of mind.

Elisha stretched himself on the bed again with many prayers, and many sighs, and much believing, and at last, his desire was granted him. The child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. Any form of action would indicate life and satisfy the prophet. The child sneezed, some say because he died with a disease of the head, for he had said to his father, My head, my head, and the sneeze cleared the passages of life which had been blocked up. We do not know this. The fresh air entering into the lungs might have compelled a sneeze. The sound was nothing very articulate or musical, but it spoke of life. This is all we should expect from young children when God gives them spiritual life. Some church members expect a great deal more, but for my part, I am satisfied if the children sneeze, if they give any true sign of grace, however feeble or indistinct.

Perhaps if Gehazi had been there, he would not have thought much of this sneezing, because he had never stretched himself upon the child; but Elisha was content with it. Even so, if you and I have really agonized in prayer for souls, we will be very quick to catch sight of the first sign of grace, and we will be thankful to God if the token is but a sneeze.

Then the child opened his eyes, and we will venture to say Elisha thought he had never seen such lovely eyes before. I know not what kind of eyes they were, the hazel or the blue, but this I know – any eye that God helps us to open will be a beautiful eye to us.
About the Author

Charles Haddon (C. H.) Spurgeon (1834-1892) was a British Baptist preacher. He started preaching at age 17 and quickly became famous. He is still known as the "Prince of Preachers," and frequently had more than 10,000 people present to hear him preach at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London. His sermons were printed in newspapers, translated into many languages, and published in many books.
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Come Ye Children – Charles H. Spurgeon

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RELIGION / Christian Ministry / Children

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