Genesis 21:16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow shot: for she said… I. WHAT ARE THE PROPER OBJECTS OF PARENTAL SOLICITUDE? 1. Salvation is supreme. It is not the only object of a parent's anxiety, but the chief. The favour of God is above all favour. A holy heart is the greatest wealth your child can ever possess. 2. Many other objects harmonize by being made subordinate to that. Hagar wanted water for her child; an object, the value of which in this cooler climate we may seldom have had occasion rightly to prize. It was entirely proper for this mother, at that time, earnestly to long for a spring of water. So there are a thousand wants pertaining to man's complex being which it is legitimate to indulge. Concerning them all, it is only important now to notice that two rules pertain to them. (1) The first is, that what is legitimate, proper, useful, and healthful, should be distinguished from all that is the opposite. Neither fashion, vanity, pride, nor any evil inclination in the parent should be allowed to select the objects which are to be sought for the child. (2) The other rule I alluded to is, make all other legitimate objects subordinate to salvation. II. GOD HAS MANIFESTED A SUPREME REGARD FOR THAT FORM OF PARENTAL SOLICITUDE. 1. The history of children as presented by the Scriptures. 2. God has arranged His covenant of grace with reference to the salvation of children. It appears under the Old Testament in two distinct forms. The one was the application of the seal of the covenant to children. The other was a specific requirement that they should be thoroughly brought under the influence of God's law and government. Then, in the New Testament, it is to us perfectly clear that the same great principle is continued, because our Lord treated children as if they had the same relation to His kingdom under the New Testament as under the Old.Conclusion: 1. This subject possesses a great and manifold interest for the Church of God. 2. Parents, this subject is emphatically yours. 3. And what an interest have the young in this subject. (E. N. Rich, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. |
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