Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1875-08-05
@eading tur the $abbath.
CONDUCTED :sY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
HOME RELIGION.

affair. we live IN time OF conventions, as
sociations, mission.schools, camp-meetlngs, lay
preaching, and other forms of Christian effort.
Our Sabbaths are packed full Of outside re.
ligious work and church services, leaving lit
tie chance for holy rest and retirement and
the promotion of home piety.
While none too much work is done for
Christ, there is danger that with these multi
piled forms of Christian activity home religion
may be neglected.
There are, it is to be feared, too many like
"Mr. Talkative," of Bunyar's "Pilgrims Pro-
gress," "a saint abroad, but devil at home"
or like an old painting, which at little dis
tance seemed to represent holy triar at
prayer with clasped hands and an open book
before him, but, ON closer inspection revealed
lemon in his hands and punch-bowl in
place of that which seemed book.
We plead, then, for "home religion" for
piety, not like militia-man's uniform, to be
worn only on parade, but as working dress,
to be worn at home.
Home is the place where an inconsistent or
wicked life has wrought the greatest harm.
Men are there best known, and their exam
pie, if evil, most destructive.
A child can read parents character be-
fore it knows the al phabet.
To great extent it is in the power Of the
parent to decide what the future character Of
his child shall be. -.
The child is the canvas upon which the
father and mother paint their own portraits.
"I'll take what father takes" was boys
unconscious testimony to the truth Of this
principle.
Parental and family ties form one of the
most potent means God uses in converting souls.
Home is also the nearest and most proms-
ing field of labor. Nowhere will consistent
Christian living and godly example go so far
as there
Many one can trace his religious life to
mothers piety and earnest prayers.
One need not 60 abroad for fields Of fheroism
and fidelity. There are heroines of the home,
the kitchen, and the wash-tub, as well as
heroes of. battle-6elds. Many a Christian
wife and mother has, in the face of opposition,
with no sympathy or help from Christless,
and, perhaps, Incorporate husband, struggled
on, year after year, and won her children for
Christ.
And then we must bear in mind that home.
life is the best test of Christian character
Home is the hardest place to play the hypocrite.
"Ask my wife if don't live like Christian"
was the well.put challenge of candidate for
church-membership as he saw the brethren
were hardly satisfied with his personal expe-
rience
A godly home.life is one of the best proofs
of true hope in Christ.
Let US, then, foster "home religion" Let
the family altar be built and the fire of the
daily offering be kindled upon it.
Let our homes be like the home in Bethany,
where Jesus loved to be guest still better,
like the home above
Let kindness, gentleness, and forbearing
love make home more dear and precious.
Make the atmosphere one of prayer and love.
Do not reserve your best looks and kindest
words for strangers, but make home brighter
by them.
SUMNER RELIGION.
Warm weather piety is regulated by the
thermometer. The standard it goes by is not
the warmth of inward love for Christ, but the
warmth of the atmosphere. It's zeal cools in
proportion as the weather grows hot. When
the glass gets above ninety, the inward emo
tions are CONCEALED, and piety is "past feeling"
This leads Christian professors to spend the
Sabbath-hours tanning themselves on their
piazzas when their pastor goes by OIL his way
to his and their sanctuary. It is not too warm
to preach, but it is too warm for them to
listen. He has toiled through one or two Sc
we're summer days to, prepare discourse for
their souls; they are unwilling to 60 ard sit
for half an hour as the reci cipients Of "the
truth as it is in Jesusw What must the world
think of such religion? For on the very
next day these selfcoddling Christians are off
to their stores and shops through the broiling
sunshine, or else are hard at work in their
own dwellings. 1t is "too hot" to worship
God for two hours on the Sabbath, but it is
never too hot to toll for Mammon six days
during the week. If the world wonders at
such "form of godliness," what must the
Master think of it? The ingenious argu-
ments of the Humes or the Huxleys, do not
do one tithe of the mischief in shaking our
faith in Christianity that professed Christians
do when they make paltry physical gratii-
cation of more account than their eternal vel.
fare. We are not so often tempted to scepti-
cism by the depth of n6del arguments as we
are by the shallowness of the Christianity ex-
|
want of its hold on Christians, that gives the
Gospel so little hold on society.
We must not count this matter of shirking
the claims of God to crafty bodily comfort, a
small thing. 1t is far otherwise. Christ held
it substantial evidence Of the genuiness of
their faith that many of his early followers
cheerfully endured physical privations and
even tortures But just imagine Aqula or
Priscilla renouncing their religion because
the weather was hot
1t is said that lay Christians are excused
from church and prayer-meetings because
some hard-worked pastors take six weeks
necessary vacation in the midsummer. But
these pastors get no Sunday rest during the
remainder of the year and it is established
that even the Spurgeons and Newman Halls
must have a let up during the year, Or they
would soon break in physical and mental force.
There is no parallel between the cases.
One of the lamentable effects of warm
weather" religion is detected in the loose NOR
ais of many professors during their summer
absences from home. They have evidently
left their consciences behind them. For they
are oftener seen in the dance, or the games of
pleasure than they are in any Christian SER
vice in the neighborhood "Nobody knows US
here" is not an excuse that passes muster
with God.-EvGngelist
CRIsEs-God apparently delights in crises
he permits human affairs to proceed to Civ
en- point; and at the vital moment outstretch-
es his arm. A remarkable word is that word
just it marks crisis, it determines desti-
ny. Who can write the history of that preg-