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?
_Father._--Yes; besides sustaining this marked and honored relation to
God, the baptized sustain a different relation to his church from that
of others. They are members of the visible church. Their names are
enrolled among God's preferred people. They have a place in the
sanctuary of which David sung, "How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord
of hosts." Nor is _this relation_ without its benefits. They are brought
thereby within the supervision and nurture of the church.
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