battle by a few lectures on the art of war. He must be drilled,
practiced, in the very things which he must do upon the field of blood.
So the children of believers, who are to take the places of their
fathers and mothers in the grand warfare against Satan, the world, and
the flesh, must be practiced in these very truths, and graces, and
duties which they must labor and do, that they may be saved and be
instrumental in extending that kingdom which is righteousness and peace
and joy in the Holy Ghost, to the end of the earth and to the end of
time. Let Christian parents make full proof of the family promise, use
it in their prayers at the Throne of grace, cling to it as the anchor of
their hope for those who are as dear to them as their own lives, and
prove the sincerity of their prayers by unmeasured diligence in
instruction and parental authority and influence, and a holy example. It
was a high commendation of Abraham, in whose seed shall all the families
of the earth be blessed, that He who is the fountain of honor and
blessing should say, "I know Abraham, that he will command his children,
and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to
do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham the thing
that he hath spoken of him." If you would not that the blood of souls
should be found in your skirts at the last day, and that the souls of
your own children, plead incessantly the family promise, plead it in
faith, approved by diligence and a holy example, not only point the road
to heaven, but lead the way. So shall each Christian parent say to the
Redeemer, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints and admired
in all that believe, Here am I, Lord, and the children which thou hast
given me. Let children of Christian parents plead the promise made on
their behalf. It has kept the true religion from becoming extinct; it
will yet fill the earth with the glory of the Lord as the waters cover
the sea. Plead it for yourselves and show your faith in it by giving
yourselves up to Emanuel, the great high priest of our profession, as
free-will offerings in the day of his power, as his progeny, whom he
will adorn with the beauties of holiness, as the dew from the womb of
the morning, when reflecting the light of the sun refracts the prismatic
colors. Say with David, "I am thy servant, the son of thine handmaid,
and therefore belonging to His household, to serve Him, to glorify Him,
to enjoy Him forever." But beware, on the peril of your souls, how you
_abuse_ your relation to the family of God. Think not in your hearts we
have Abraham to our father; make not the holy promise, nor its holy
author, a minister of sin, an apology for unbelief and all ungodliness.
Wilt thou not at this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of
my youth? Hear, believe, plead and obey the gracious word. "I will pour
water upon him that is thirsty, and upon the dry ground. I will pour my
Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring, and they
shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses; one
shall say, I am the Lord's, and another shall call himself by the name
of Jacob, and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and
surname himself by the name of Israel."
* * * * *
Original.
THE PROMISE FULFILLED.
"Leave thy fatherless children with me, and I will preserve
them alive."
How often has this promise been offered in the prayer of faith at the
mercy-seat, and proved a spring of consolation to the heart of a pious
widowed mother! In the desolation caused by the death of the husband and
father, who was the helper, counselor, and guardian in reference to
spiritual as well as temporal interests, and in the deepened sense of
parental responsibility in the charge now singly resting upon her, how
often and readily does the widow cast herself upon the sure and precious
promise of the covenant, "I will be a God to thee and to thy seed after
thee." In the faith of this her heart imbibes comfort, her prayers
become enlarged and constant, and her efforts become wisely directed,
and steadily exerted, in behalf of the spiritual interests of her
children. When we carefully observe such cases, we shall find proof that
the blessing of the God of grace peculiarly rests upon the household of
the pious and faithful widow. God, in the truth and promises of his
Word, takes peculiar notice of the widow and the orphan, and his
providence works in harmony with his word. The importance and efficiency
of maternal influence in every sphere of its exercise cannot be too
highly estimated, but nowhere does it possess such touching interest, or
such high promise, as the scene of widowhood. How would faith, laying
hold upon the truth of the following promise, and securing its proper
influence in all appropriate labors, realize the fulfillment of the
blessing: "This is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; my Spirit that
is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not
depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of
the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and
forever." Isaiah 59:21.
These remarks receive a new confirmation in the case of the recent
deaths of two young sons of MRS. JANE HUNT, widow of the late
Rev. Christopher Hunt, pastor of the Reformed Dutch church in Franklin
street, in this city. They died within eight days of each other, the
elder, _De Witt_, in his twentieth year, on the 19th of January, and the
younger, _Joseph Scudder_, in his sixteenth year, on the 11th January,
both of pulmonary disease. Their father, the Rev. Mr. Hunt, was a
faithful and successful minister of Christ, much beloved by the people
of his pastoral charge. The writer of this well remembers a sermon
preached by him at the close of a series of services in the visitation
of the Reformed Dutch churches of this city, which was solemn and
impressive, from the text, "There is but a step between me and death."
This was in January, 1839. At this time the seeds of disease (perhaps
unconsciously to himself) were springing up within him, and after a few
more services in his church, he was confined to his house, and lingered
until the following May. His soul was firm in faith and full of peace,
on his sick and dying bed. He committed them, again and again, to the
care and faithfulness of their covenant God, and felt that therein he
left them the best of legacies, whatever they might want of what the
world could give. At the time of his decease, they had four children,
the youngest of whom was three weeks old. The two oldest were the sons
to whose deaths we are now adverting. The two youngest (daughters) are
surviving. The elder son was seven years old at his father's death. The
responsible trust of rearing these children for Christ and heaven was
thus cast upon the widowed mother. Mrs. Hunt is the daughter of the late
Joseph Scudder, of Monmouth, N.J., and sister of the venerable,
long-tried, and devoted missionary, Rev. Dr. John Scudder, now in India.
Brought up under the influences and associations of piety, she was early
brought to a saving acquaintance with Christ, and a profession of faith
in Him within the church. The consistency and ripeness of her piety has
been evinced in the different spheres and relations of life where
Providence placed her. With the infant children cast upon her care, at
the death of her husband, she plied herself with toilful industry to
provide for them, while her soul was ever intent upon their early
conversion to Christ. She aimed to give these sons such a course of
education as would, under God's sanctifying blessing, prepare them to
engage in the work of the ministry, perhaps the missionary service. She
had the gratification of seeing them as they grew up evincing
thoughtfulness of mind, amiableness of spirit, and correctness of
conduct, and by an affectionate spirit, and ready obedience,
contributing to her comfort. At the time of his death, De Witt was in
the Junior class, and Joseph had just entered the Freshman class, and
there had gained a good distinction for study and scholarship, and drawn
forth the respect and affection of their instructors and
fellow-students. While pursuing his own studies, the elder brother led
on the younger brother at home, and it is believed that by his close
application he hastened the bringing on of his disease. In addition to
this, the mother's heart was yearning for the proofs of their having
given their hearts to God. Attentive as they were to divine truth in
the sanctuary and Sabbath-school, in the reading of it at home, and
careful in forming associations favorable to piety, she yet looked
beyond these to their full embrace of, and dedication to, the Savior.
How mysterious is that dispensation which, at this interesting period,
when these only two sons were moulding their characters for life opening
before them; and when they seemed to be preparing to realize a mother's
hope, and reward a mother's prayers, and toils, and anxieties, they
should, both together, within a few days of each other be removed from
time to eternity. But in the circumstances and issues of their sickness
and death we find an explanation of this apparent mystery by the
satisfactory evidence they afforded of their being prepared by an early
death to be translated to the blissful worship and service of heaven.
Previous to a brief sketch of the sick-bed and dying scene of these dear
youths, a circumstance may be adverted to, beautifully and strongly
illustrative of the value and efficacy of the prayer of faith. Rev. Dr.
Scudder, in his appeals, has frequently and ardently pressed upon
parents the importance of the duty of seeking the early conversion of
their children, and their consecration to the service of the Savior.
With his heart intent upon this duty in the spirit of continued
believing intercession, God has signally blessed him in his own large
family of children in their early conversion to Christ, and in the
training of his sons for the foreign missionary service in which he is
himself engaged. Two of his sons are now engaged in that service; one
training for it some time since entered into the heavenly rest, and
others are now in preparation for it. On the 12th of November last,
1851, Dr. S. addressed a letter from Madura, in India, to his nephew, De
Witt Hunt. So remarkable is this letter, not only in the matter it
contains, and spirit it breathes, but also in the fulfillment of the
prayers it refers to, as the end of the two months stipulated found De
Witt brought into the hope and liberty of the Gospel, on the very verge
of his removal to heaven, that we make the following copious extracts
from it:
"My dear Nephew,--My daughter Harriet received your letter by the last
steamer. I have not the least evidence from the letter that you love the
Savior, for you do not even refer to him. On this account I may perhaps
be warranted in coming to the conclusion that he is not much in your
thoughts. Be this, however, as it may, I have become so much alarmed
about your spiritual condition as to make it a special subject of
prayer, or to set you apart for this purpose; and I design, God willing,
to pray for you in a special manner until about the time when this shall
reach you, that is, about two months. After that I can make no promise
that I shall pray for you any further than I may pray for my friends in
general. I have now set apart a little season to pray for you and to
write to you. Do you wonder at this? Has it never occurred to you as _a
very strange thing_ that others should be so much concerned in you,
while you are unconcerned for yourself? I can explain the mystery. Your
friends have seen you, and your uncle, among the rest, has seen you
walking on the pit of destruction, on a rotten covering, as it were,
liable at every moment to fall through it, and drop into everlasting
burnings. _This_ you have not seen, and therefore you have remained
careless and indifferent. Whether this carelessness and indifference
will continue I know not. All that I can say is, that I am greatly
alarmed for you. It is no small thing for you to trample under foot the
blood of Christ for eighteen years. Justly might the Savior say of you,
as he said of his people of old, 'Ephraim is joined to idols, let him
alone.' Your treatment of the blessed Savior is what grieves me to the
heart. What has He not done to serve you? Were you to fall into a well,
and a stranger should run to your help and take you out, that stranger
should forever afterwards be esteemed as your chief friend. Nothing
could be too much for you to do for him. Of nothing would you be more
cautious than of grieving him. And has Christ come down from heaven to
save you? Has He died for you? Has He shed his very blood for you that
you might be delivered from the worm that dieth not, and the fire which
is never quenched? And can you be so wicked as not to love Him? My dear
nephew, this will not do; it _must_ not do. You must alter your course.
But I will stop writing for a moment and kneel down and entreat God's
mercy for _you_. I will endeavor to present the sacrifice of the
Redeemer at the Throne of grace, and see if I cannot, for this
sacrifice' sake, call down the blessing of the Holy Spirit upon you."
As a remarkable coincidence evidencing an answer to earnest believing
prayer, this letter found both the nephews drawing near to their eternal
state. Under the discipline of the Holy Spirit, the end of the two
stipulated months for special daily prayer in his behalf, found De Witt
brought into the light and liberty of the Gospel, rejoicing in his
Savior.
A few incidents occurring in the progress of the sickness, and during
the death-bed scene, will now be adverted to; and as the death of
JOSEPH took place first, I shall first allude to his case. He
was in his fifteenth year, and last fall, in September, entered the
Freshman class in the New York University. He had been characterized
from childhood for an amiable and docile spirit, filial kindness and
obedience, and correctness of deportment. His mind opened to religious
instruction in the family and Sabbath-school. He loved the Bible, and it
is believed was observant of the habit of prayer. It was the anxious
prayer, and assiduous labor of his pious mother that all this might be
crowned with the saving knowledge of Christ as his Redeemer. He took a
cold soon after entering the University which at first excited no alarm,
but it was soon accompanied with hectic fever, which made rapid
progress, and gave indications that his death was not remote. In the
early part of November, their mother, realizing these indications, and
also the precarious state of De Witt's health, who had been afflicted
with a cough during the whole of the preceding year, which had been
slowly taking root, and now furnished sad forebodings of the issue,
plied her labors with greater earnestness for their spiritual welfare.
The visits and conversations of Rev. Mr. Carpenter were most acceptable
and blessed after this period. I shall here make extracts from some
notes and reminiscences furnished me by the mother: "The evening of
Sabbath, November 16, was a solemn one to myself and sons. We spent the
time alone; I entreating them to yield their hearts unto God, _they_ in
listening to the words of their mother as though they felt and
understood their import. I begged them not to be wearied with my
importunity, and wearied they had been had they not cared for the things
belonging to their everlasting peace. I knew not how to part with them
that night until they should yield themselves, body, soul and spirit, to
Whom they had been invited often to go." After this, Joseph's disease
rapidly advanced, and the physicians pronounced his case hopeless. He
was throughout meek, quiet, patient. Mrs. Hunt again writes: "Sabbath
morning, November 30, I endeavored to entreat God to make this the
spiritual birthday of my children. I was with Joseph in the morning,
reading and conversing with him. In the afternoon I urged him to go to
Christ just as he was, feeling his own nothingness, and casting himself
upon His mercy. He replied, in a low, solemn voice, 'I have tried to go
many times, but I want faith to believe I shall be accepted.' After a
few minutes he said, 'Sometimes I think I shall be, and sometimes that I
shall not be.' Again, there was a pause and waiting, and then his gentle
voice was heard saying, 'I can give my heart to the Savior.' Truly did I
bless God for his loving kindness and tender mercy." It is worthy of
observation, that the evening before, Saturday, a small number of pious
young men of their acquaintance met for special prayer on behalf of
Joseph, De Witt, and another young man very ill. I continue to quote
Mrs. H.: "On Friday night, the 2d of January, I asked him in regard to
his feelings. He replied, 'I pray that I may give myself away to Christ,
and He may be with me when I pass through the valley of the shadow of
death.' I remarked, then, Joseph, you want to enter the heavenly Canaan,
to praise Him, and cast your crown at his feet. He said, 'Yes, to put on
the robe of righteousness.' On Wednesday night, January 7, he was
restless. After he awoke on Thursday morning, I said to him, Joseph,
try now to compose yourself to prayer; to which he assented and closed
his eyes. During the day he remarked to me, 'I prayed for the teachings
of God's Holy Spirit that I might be made wise unto salvation; that he
would lift upon me the light of his countenance, and uphold me with his
free Spirit; give me more light that I may tell around what a precious
Savior I have found. I say, Precious Savior, wash me in thine own blood,
and make me one of thine own children. I come to thee just as I am, a
poor sinner.'" On Wednesday, the day before De Witt received the letter
from his uncle, Dr. Scudder, before referred to and quoted. "Joseph
wished me to read it to him, which I did. After I had finished, he
remarked, 'Before Uncle Scudder prays for me all his prayers will be
fulfilled,' but afterwards added, 'he thought his uncle would now be
praying for him, and sending a letter to him.'" After this he grew
weaker and weaker, and continued peacefully and patiently to wait his
coming death, giving expressions of fond attachment to his mother, in
acknowledgment of her pious care. On Saturday he was visited, as he lay
very low, by Rev. Mr. C., who held a plain and satisfactory conversation
with him. Passages of Scripture and hymns were read to him, which gave
him pleasure, and to the import of which he responded. He expressed to
him the blessed hope of soon reaching heaven. He sank during the night,
and died at half-past one o'clock, of the morning of the blessed day of
the Lord, January 11, 1852, surrounded by weeping but comforted
Christian friends. T.D.W.
TO BE CONTINUED.
* * * * *
John Newton one day called upon a family whose house and goods had been
destroyed by fire. He found its pious mistress in tears. Said he,
"Madam, I give you joy." Surprised and almost offended, she exclaimed,
"What! joy that all my property is consumed?" "I give you joy," he
replied, "that you have so much property that no fire can touch."
* * * * *
Original.
THE BENEFITS OF BAPTISM.
BY REV. WM. BANNARD.
_Son._--Father, how do you reconcile the distinction which the apostle
Paul makes in 1 Cor. 7:14, between children as "holy" and "unclean,"
with the fact that all the descendants of Adam inherit a corrupt nature?
_Father._--The distinction is not moral, but federal or ecclesiastical.
The apostle is speaking, you perceive, of the children of believers and
unbelievers. The one, he says, are "holy," the other "unclean." But he
does not mean by this that the children of pious parents are by nature
different from others, or that, unlike them, they are not tainted with
evil. He means that they stand in a different relation to God and his
church. "_Holy_," in Scripture, means primarily "set apart or
consecrated to a sacred use." Thus, the temple at Jerusalem, its altar,
vessels and priests, were holy. The Jews themselves, as a people, were
in covenant with God. They belonged to him, were set apart to his
service, and in this sense "_holy_." Now, the apostle is to be
understood as teaching that children of believing parents, under the
Gospel, are allowed to participate in this heritage of God's ancient
people, and hence are holy.
_Son._--But how can this be?
_Father._--I will tell you, briefly, though I cannot now go into detail.
In virtue, then, of their parents' faith in God's covenant, into which
he entered with Abraham, and through him with all believing parents,
their children, also, are brought into covenant with him and entitled to
its privileges and blessings. They are set apart and given to him by
their parents when they are sealed with the seal of his covenant in
baptism. In this manner, and in this sense, they become "_holy_."
_Son._--In what sense are all others "_unclean_?"
_Father_.--The children of unbelievers are "unclean" because they
sustain no such relation to God. They have not been consecrated to him
by their parents' faith in offering them to him in the ordinance of
baptism, and are not interested, therefore, in the provisions or
benefits of the Abrahamic covenant. They have, moreover, no special
relation to the church; no more title to its immunities, deeper interest
in its regards, than the children of the heathen. They may, indeed, when
they reach a suitable age, hear the Gospel, and upon repentance and
faith, be admitted to its ordinances, but they have no _special_ claim
upon its care, or right to its prayers and nurture.
_Son._--But, after all, is not this relation one of mere name or form?
Has it any positive or practical benefits?
_Father._--It is, indeed, too often disregarded, yet it is positive in
its character and fraught with striking benefits. If you will give me
your attention I will state a few of the benefits which accrue to
children from this relation. You, then, my son, and all children of
believing parents who have been consecrated to God in baptism, are
considered as thereby belonging to Him. You are set apart to his
service, in a sense that others are not, and consequently are "_holy_."
In this solemn dedication, your parents professed their faith in the
triune God, and their desire that you should be his servants. They took
him to be your God according to the terms of his covenant; they desired
that you might be engrafted into Christ, and claimed for you the promise
of the Holy Spirit to regenerate and sanctify you. Now this, in itself,
is an unspeakable blessing. On their part it was an act of faith and
obedience. In compliance with the divine direction, they claimed for
themselves and for you a privilege which has been the birthright of the
church in all ages. They commended you in the most solemn manner to
God--the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, a covenant-keeping God,
who is rich in mercy, infinite in resources, and who has promised "to be
a God _to thee and to thy seed after thee_." It _is_ an unspeakable
blessing to be thus placed under his protection, to be brought within
the bonds of his covenant, and to be entitled to that pledge of mercy
which he has made "unto thousands of them that love him and keep his
commandments." If it were a privilege for children to be brought to
Christ to receive his blessing while he was on earth, equally is it a
privilege to be brought to him now that he is exalted to the majesty on
high, and "able," as then, "to save unto the uttermost." Though God has
a regard for all his creatures, both his word and providence assure us
he has a special interest in his people. His language is, "Jacob have I
loved, and Israel have I chosen." His elect are those in whom he
delights. Their names are in his book of life. "All things" are
overruled for their good. They are regarded with more than maternal
tenderness, for though a mother forget her infant child, God will not
forget his people. _And in this affection their children share._
Repeated instances are given in which the offspring of believers, though
wicked, were spared for the _sake of their parents_. The descendants of
David were not utterly banished from the throne for generations, _for
their father's sake_. Of Israel it was said, when oppressed for their
sins by Hazael, King of Syria, "the Lord had compassion and respect unto
them, because of _his covenant_ with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and
would not destroy them, neither cast he them from his presence as yet."
Even since they have rejected and crucified their Messiah, there is a
remnant of them left, according to the election of grace, who are
"_beloved for their father's sake_." The children of the covenant do
unquestionably receive manifold temporal and spiritual mercies, and to
this more than anything else on earth, it may be, they are indebted for
their present and eternal well-being. They are not forgotten when those
who bore them to God's altar, and dedicated them to him in faith, have
passed away. When father or mother forsake, or are called from them, the
Lord shall take them up. Though they stray from the fold of the good
Shepherd, and seem to wander beyond the reach of mercy, often, very
often, does His grace reclaim and make them the monuments of his
forgiving love. This covenant-relation is indeed one whose benefits we
cannot here fully estimate, for they can be known only when the secret
dealings of God are revealed, and we are permitted to trace their
bearing upon an eternal destiny. They do not secure salvation in every
instance, but who shall say they would not obtain even that blessing
were they never perverted, and were parent and children alike faithful
to the responsibilities they involve?
_Son._--These are, indeed, great benefits, but are there any other?