Theology For Children

Christian people frequently ñnd difficuity in making such theological statements to children as shall satisfy them momentarily, even if they do not instruct Children ask so many questions. The beginnings of their educanon are achieved through interrogaUons. Such a new and wonderful world has opened upon them! And one piece of knowledge so leada to tnother that they are induced to proceed, and can ascend only on the steps of questions, W who aro older have not been yet able to learn the essence of things, and have become so aocustonied to postpone oursel ves that, when childreu ask us puzzling questioas, we flnd it quite easy to postpone them. That is a very stupid child whocannot ask more questions in a minute than all the phi'.oiophers have been able to anawer thiougti the ages. Then we have this difflouity ; we are ashamed to acknowledge our own ignorance. When a wise man is conversing with another wise man he may frequently say, "I dou't know," without losing the respect of the other; but when we are talking with children we are afraid to say that we "don't know" anything, lest they may suspect that we know nothing. Another diffieulty encounters an adult Christian in talkjng with a little child: it is bis sense of resno,nB,ibility. He knows that the sinallest feed of error, dropped into the ohild's mind now, may germinate and grow into a terrible tree of poison. lt is ander these inüuences, some of thein arising froui weakness and some from conscientiousnesa, that christian parents are sometimes misled in talking to their children about important things. For inatance: lieayertiqau important thought. f Vaere bè such a place, we ought to know it. The stimulus it gives to haman hopes, the brightness it sheds on human darkness, the Tigor it j parts to human courage and endurance are incalculable. Arriid tte gtruggles and sorro ws of fütrtl} we naturally turn our fitcf.3 towavd the better land, the Father's house where the many mansions are. Almost as soon as our childreu learn anything of earth, they begin to learn something of heaven. "Where is it?" "What sort of a place is it?" "How shall I reach it?" "What shall 1 do in it?" What christian ent has failed to nave these questions put to him by the little talker at his side af ter the childhas propounded the same questions to hia mother ia the nursery over aud over again? And what terrible ïnistakes have bpen made in talking to children on this subject! The other day we were told the following instance, and assured of its authenticity. A little girl waa talking to her mother about heaven. She said, "Ma, is there any nursery there ?" "No," replied the paren t."N o picture books?" "No." "NoNoah's Ark?" (That was the name of a toy of hers.a house with many animáis init.) "No," replied the mother. The little child dropped her eyes. She was evidently reflecting ; no doubt it occurred to her that, if everything which made earth agreeable waa absent heaven was no desirable place. She closed her meditation with a long drawn aigb, and said, "Well.then, I believe l'U take dolly and go to heil." It was astartling thing to come f rom the svveet Iip3 of sucfca litüe innocent. A rockot f rom a rosebud could scarcely have beeu more surprlsing. There is food for reflection in this little story. What right had the mother to say "no" to these several questions ? How does sbe k'no w that there is no nursery there ? How does she know that there are no toys, no hoops, no bats, no balls, ao doll babies there ? She can teil some things that are there. The Lord Jesus Christ, the loving Shepherd of all lambs, is there. The spirits of just men made perfect are there. Jesvis !8S 8a'd to each one of his f oilowers : "I go to prepare a place for you." Now, surely he knows what we want. He knows what kind of a place will exactly suit you. He is abln to prepare a place that will satisfy you. No one else is ab}e to do that. Therafore he said, "I go to prepare a plape.'' If he went to prepare a place for John, and for Peter, for Paul, and Kaint Augnstine, for Milton the poet, and Locke the philosopher, and Newton the maihemetician, and Agaasiz the scientist, he has also gone to prepare a place for the martyred virgins of the arena, for childless mothers, and for little children. Surely tiis place will üt each one. On earth a library and a laboratory suit you, and I the núrsery would be a doleíul place I for you, bat yonr little grandehiUren I flnd no f un in your literary and j tiflc workshops. Christ saya to them I "Little people, I go to prepare a place 1 for you." It would have been so easy íor the tnother, in the case we have narrated, co teil her child something like this : "My darling, I have not yet been in heaven, but Christ is there, and ho has said, 'In my Father's house are many I mansions : if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you,' and I feel quite sure, my darling, that if you need a dolly, and a Noah's Ark, and pretty pictures, or anything else, the Iord Jesus will provide them. He will make heaveD sweeter to you than earth can be. But he does not intend to teil you now what he has in store for you. He is going to give you sweet surprises, such as j you had when you took your stocklng down on Christmas morning. All you I need do now is just to think of the ] dear Jesus engaged in making for I you just such a house as you need ; and you must remember and believe that he will make no mistake. He knows what you want better than your er does, and he will proyide." Would there be anything wrong in teaching like that? Is there a learned theologian iu the land that would object to that? And would not the child receive all the satisf action which it is possible for the oldest person on earth to receive on such a subject? But alas! somehow the excellent, tmt mistaken, mother had got some stiff notion3 of heaven, and could not for a moment iancy that the Lord would accommodate himself to balies. It was a sorry alternative she íorced upon her child the choice of accepting a dreary, uninviting heaven, or going to the other place. The fact Í3 that some people's notions of heaven are such that grown and intelligent men may possibly ask whether, upon the whole, as the little girl was forced to make her choice, ber decisión was open to violent criticisic. A little common-sense in religious matters ia very helpful.