III. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILDHOOD. 1, Infant salvation. When it is said that “of such [that is, een is the kingdom of God,” it may mean children literally ; and so many understand it, and refer kingdom to the state of future blessed- ness, maintaining that, as the majority of mankind die in infancy, and as they are redeemed, children will constitute the majority of the saved. But there is another interpretation, which understands children spiritually, that is, those who resemble children in character; thus St. Paul says, “ Brethren, be not children in understanding : howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.” While we are fully persuaded that all children dying in infancy are saved because of the superabundant grace of God in Christ Jesus, we are far from supposing that regeneration is not necessary in case of children as well as of others. Indeed, the Word of God proves it indispensable; for thus says the psalmist, “I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my_ mother conceive me;” and again, “ We go astray as soon as we be born, speaking lies; and further, the Prophet Isaiah says, “ All we like sheep have gone astray.” It thus becomes our duty to seek, by all available means, to bring children to Christ the Good Shepherd, who carries the lambs in his bosom, that he may bless them and make them members of his flock. ‘There are, however, several characteristics of children which serve well to illustrate the character and conduct of God’s spiritual children. 2. The first characteristic is humility. When converted to God, we become like little children in humility. Pride is the ruin of our race; we trace it back to Paradise. Satan introduced it there. It was the great inducement with our first parents that they shvuld be “ as gods, knowing good and evil.” We mark its dark waters along the stream of time from then till now. It was a fruitful source of disaster to King David. In the pride of his heart he numbered the people, and the dreadfully calamitous choice was allowed him to elect between seven years’ famine, three months’ war, or three days’ pestilence Another instance occurs in the case of Naaman, commander-in-chief of the host of Syria. Leprous as he was, and consequently miserable as he must have been, he felt his pride wounded when the prophet directed him to wash seven times in Jordan; he turned away in a rage, saying, ““Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivera of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?” Come we to New Testament times, we have another still more awful instance of pride and its punishment. Herod sat upon his kingly throne; he made an oration—a king’s speech, and more eloquent, no doubt, than royal speeches generally are; at all events, the people were in raptures with him and it, go that they shouted, “It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.” He was arrayed in royal robes; he was proud of his pomp, of his power, and of his popularity. But the angel of the Lord smote him; “he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.” The game evil propensity of fallen humanity finds thousands and tens of thousands of living exemplifications in those whom the Scripture calls “ proud boasters,” “ heady, high- minded,” and classes with the vilest and the worst. On the contrary, the first evidence of conversion to God is humility. The child of a prince will, if permitted, amuse itself with the child of a peasant. As they sport together there is no distinction of riches or of rank; they meet together on the same common level; they stand on the same footing of equality. We are not universal levellers; we would not do away with the distinctions of rank that exist, and perhaps must exist. We find in the members ship of the human body some members discharging honourable functions, others functions less so. We find in the heavenly hierarchy various grades—thrones, and dominions, and principalities, ana powers. But we would willingly do away with, and
100 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK. [on x. 1—52.