St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-11-30
And Ye Fathers.
BY THE REV. J. R. MILLER.

BY THE REV. ]. r. MILLER.
About two thirds of all church mem
beers are women, and yet there are
many reasons why men should be Chris
tians. They owe the best of their life
to God. Their own self-interest, if
rightly understood, would lead them
into his service. But there is another
reason which ought to appeal with ire
sistible force to all true-hearted men.
1t is their relation to their families.
They rest under solemn responsibility
for other souls as we'll as their own.
Other lives look up to them for example,
for sympathy, for communion, for help.
Other hands are put into theirs,-feeble
hands, children's hands, to be led in
the right way. Other hearts repOse on
theirs. If we are our brothers. keeper,
and if that charge takes in all the hu-
man race, how much more are we men
the keepers of those who Chamber on to
our knees, when we come home at
nightfall, and who cling to us with such
perfect trust and such unwavering con-
fidencel Who shall care for these if
we will not ? Who will bring them to
heaven, if we fail in our part 2
A man may resist God through his
youth, and steel his heart against all
the appeals of conscience, and all the
striving of the Holy Ghost. But when
he bends over the cradle of his first
born, when he hears its first cry, when
he listens to its first appeals for help,
when he begins to realize that here is a
soul which he must teach, and which
he must lead through this world to
Gods bar, and whose eternal destiny is
in his keeping, how can his heart steel
itself any longer?
When a sweet child-face looks up
into his with mute appeal, by its very
helplessness claiming protection and
shelter, how can he stay away from
Gods feet an instant longer? When a
little soft hand is reached up for him to
clasp in his and lead forth, where is the
heart that does not grow tender, and
the conscience that does not awake 7
If ever a man feels his need of God, it
is when other lives are thus put into
his hands, to be moulded, and trained,
and formed for eternity.
And we men cannot push the respon-
sibility aside by saying that all that is
the mothers work. Where can you find
a passage in Gods word that says so
The father is the divinely established
and divinely recognized head of the
house, and on him rests, first and fore
most, the responsibility. 1t will not do
to leave the religious training and cul-
ture of the family to the mothers. They
have their place, and their blessed
work, but so have the fathers.
Then think what wrong it is to a
woman, tender, frail, and cOnfiding in
her nature, to leave her to walk along
through this world, amid such moment
Gus responsibilities, receiving no help,
no sympathy, no communion in care
and burden bearing, from her husband.
She must meet her religious duties I'M
sustained by him. She must leave him
outside of the most sacred and holy
part of her life, where she needs him
most. She must bear alone the respon-
sibility of her children's Christian Gull
ture and education. Alone she must
bow in prayer for them. Alone she
must stand in her efforts to mould them
for heaven. In her sorrows she gets nc
help from the mutual faith and prayer
of him whom she loves better than any
other but her God. Besides, she has to
contend against all the neutralizing and
antagonizing influences of his example
and possibly his teachings, in building
up her home, and training her children
and living her own Christian life. Toe
often, before such discOuragements, the
truest piety breaks down, and the wo-
man and wife, once lovely Christian,
left alone, and growing aweary, loses
by degrees the fervor and earnestness
of her first love, quits the house of God
ceases trying to maintain her religious
life, and the home is given over to in
difference, to godlessness, and the chill
dren are left to wander or drift whittier
they will, until they are lost to Christ
to virtue, and to hope.
Ought not men to serve God for the
sake of the families? | need not stop
to paint the results of goddess home
life No family altar. No open Bible
No secret prayer. No holy teachings
No Christ-like example. No power Of
grace. Can it be hoped that children
so reared can be beautiful in character
or can at last reach heavenf And
where is the man, Indifferent as he may
be to his own souls interests, who
wants to see his beautiful and precious
children LOST
Let the men serve the Lord for the
sake of those who cling to them. How
can they guide them to God unless they
have found the way for themselves
Let man ask himself, when he comes
home at night, and his little child with
sweet face and sunny hair creeps into
his bosom, Gam true to my child
while 1 shut God out of my own life
Do not need heavenly wisdom to help
me to train this immortal soul for q
glorious and happy Immortality? Am
fit and able to meet all the solemn
responsibility of fatherhood above, in
my human weakness, without the help
of Godq Should / not seek God, thai
by my example / may show my chile
the true way of life, and that by his
help l may be truly its teacher, it's
guide, its protector ~
know not how any man can honest
ly meet these questions, in the presence
of his own heart, as he bends over the
nesting, confiding, innocent child, ly-
ing dependent in his arms, and not ther
and there fall upon his knees and give
himself to God. Two beautiful little
children run to meet when they heal
my latch-key in the door, and clingina
to me, and climbing into my arms, cal
me father. Much as love them, ten