SERMON IL CHILDREN URGED TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. MATTHEW xix. 14. But Jesus said, suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me; for of such is the kingdom of heaven. THE blessed Jesus did not say, that all children were members of the kingdom of heaven. Though some children are members while weak and ignorant, childish weakness and ignorance do not make them members. No children are members of the kingdom, but those who love, serve and enjoy Christ its King. Think you, then, that all the children you know are members of the kingdom of heaven? that they all love the meek, holy, harmless The Jesus? that they obey his words—that they find their greatest comfort in thinking of his grace and goodness-in praying to him, and in hoping to see him in the glory of heaven? Do you not, every where, see children who care nothing at all about Christ, and take no pains to please him? Do you not see very many children, who are vain and proud, and ill-tempered and disobedient, and even liars, swearers, sabbathbreakers, and lovers of evil company? Christ does not say, "of such children is the kingdom of heaven." meek, holy, harmless, undefiled Saviour, can never say of careless, thoughtless, wicked children, "Of such is the kingdom of heaven." Ah, what then will become of these-of these who keep far away from this holy, happy kingdom? There remains yet another view of the grace and glory of the text; in admitting those who came, we consider the Lord Jesus as inviting all children to come to him, and enter the kingdom of heaven. When he says, "Of such is the kingdom of heaven," he gives a kind invitation to you, dear children, who are now far away from it. If pious children are already members, then surely you need not wait to be older before you enter the kingdom of heaven. For, in your very childhood, I. You are old enough to enter it. III. You ought to enter it? and IV. If you desire to enter it, you will be kindly received. I. You are old enough to enter the kingdom of heaven. I know it does not seem so. Look upon a careless, thoughtless child, who has no desire to please God and Christ? whose whole pleasure it is to eat and drink and play-does it seem that such an one is old enough to enter the kingdom of heaven? Or look again upon a disobedient, mischievous, troublesome, swearing, lying, sabbathbreaking child; is it possible that he is old enough to see and enjoy the glories of the kingdom of heaven? Ah, he can hear heavenly things described, without caring for them, and is even so blind as to see no form nor comeliness in the blessed Jesus himself? A heaven of play might suit these? or of idleness, and eating and drinking? or a truant frolicking, swearing sabbathbreaking heaven; or even a lying, filthy heaven might befit them; but is it possible that they are old enough to choose a praying, praising, holy, harmless, pious heaven? This, alas, would be the poorest heaven of all, and still more dreadful if it should be "heaven begun below." But they are old enough. The old must approach in the simplicity of children, and even as if ignorant as they. They must come yielding that simple love and hearty service which a child can render, or they do not come aright. Those children who are not members of the kingdom of heaven, are excluded, not because they are children, but because they are sinful, not because it is too high for their capacity, but they too sinful for its excellence. Yes, dear children, you are old enough to love and serve Christ. And if you will love and serve him, you may enter the kingdom of heaven in all the weakness and ignorance of childhood; if you will not love and serve him, you would be far away, though you had as much knowledge as Solomon, and were as old as Methusaleh. If you will love and serve him, one moment is long enough to give you a place in the kingdom of heaven; if you will not love and serve him, you might live and labour ten thousand years, and then be an outcast from the kingdom of heaven. Those children whom Christ received to his arms, and blessed as members of the kingdom of heaven, were just like other children, excepting only their love and obedience to Christ. Moses, Samuel, David, Josiah, and Timothy, who were pious in their childhood, differed from other children only in their piety. And when the Lord Jesus shall reign over the whole earth, children and their parents; the weakest and the strongest; the oldest and the youngest, shall all be drawn and fastened by the cords of love. II. You need to enter the kingdom of heaven. If you did not, Christ would not have opened it before you. Had he looked upon the children who were brought to him as not needing the blessings of the kingdom, he would |