Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1868-01-11
How to Choose q Wife.
GY REV. HENRY WARD BEEcIIER.

When, according to the scripture word,
the time cane for Jacob 20 found f:lmi-
ly-and that may be considered oriinl-
riiy, as really TIE beginning Q of Il mau'S
Ii e-i!is old father called him to him,
AM said: 'EThou shalt n,t take wife
of the daughters Of Canaan" Why did
he forbid him to take wife from among
the inhabitants of Caraan? Because he
knew that with the wife he would take
the religion. Reared without deep re-
ligious feeling, misle,l and corrupted by
their very religion, had he brought into
his household the f;lirest and discrectest
wife from among the Canaanites the
probability is that he would have brought
Ill with her the cause Of i long traiu Of
miserable mischicis, and DEBATED the
very designs Of God. For it is 4 prov
erb that D,Q,, as trhat his rife tcW let
han be.
It is ture that now and then there arc
men so strong that they control; but,
after all there is no art, nor cunning, nor
devise, nor strength, Eor wit, nor wisdom
by which a man can keep the heat of
summer or the cold Of winter from sift-
ing into the cracas Of lis house; and
w0man's influence in the household, if
she be not too stormy and violent, If she
be artfGl, sifIs itself into a mans life as
summer all or winter frost into a house.
One cannot fight the circumambient at
moSphere; and vet man might as well
attempt to put it from him, as to attempt
to put from him that influence, which is
at bis bosom; which is at his board :;
which is in his bed; which is in his morn
ing; which is in his noon; which is in
his night which comes ut all unmatched
moments, and at all times of weakness :;
which has pressure that is almost at
mospheric.
Old Isaac was wise man, and he gave
sound advice to his son when he said to
him: DO not go among the Canaanitcs
to get a vie stand to the customs and
religion Of your fathers" And that
might not be bad advice yet. There are
great many men who marry fancy
wives, and get fancy religion with them.
1t is not a good thing for a person to a.
bandon the religion Of his fathers, to run
after some new religion, as if it were the
last fashion or the last dress pattrrn.-
And worse than all, it is bad thing for
man to marry wife that is goddess,
worldly, giddy, foolish, proftless, and
with her catch the itch Of an accurSed re-
ligion. SO Isaac said to Jacob Thou
shalt not take wife of the daughters Of
Canaan" And SO I say to you.
Canaan, nowadays, is everywhere.-
Canaan is every house where there has
been no family prayer; where there has
been no recognition of God during the
whole rearing of the household; where
Mammon is the god; where pleasure is
the highest idea OF religion and the end
of existence; where the conscience is
disrobed; where selishness is crowned
aud sceptered. Wherever there is Il god
less household, there is the land Of Ca
naan. And there if you will hear the
voice Of the Lord speaking to you young
man, he will say =: Thou shalt not take
unto You wife from the daughters OF
Canaan"
a man that marries a good wife has
very little more to ask of the Lord uutil
he dies, because when the Lord makes
up his mind to give man good wife,
he makes Bp his mind to do everything
else that he wants A good wife is a
blessing to the Eord, and there are few
blessings that he gives, now or hereafter,
that arc comparable with it
The divine thought aud ideal of mar.
riage is one Of the most transcendant, as