The New York herald., 1879-11-24
BROOKLYN TABERNACLE.

WE WILL SERVE THE LoRD-sERMoN BIZ Rev.
DR. TALMAGE.
DR.. Talmage preached In the Brooklyn Tabernacle
from the text-"As for and my house. will
the Lord" Absurd, Joshua. exclaimed the preacher.
you will have time for family worship. You
. military man. and will be taken up with the affairs
of the army; you the Washington or tho Mac
Mahon OF your race; you are q statesman. and the
cares of the nation will hang heavy your shout
ders. But Joshua, with the same devout energy
which animated him whcn in the rush OF battle. he
commanded the and moon to stand still until
the chosen Of the Lord had triumphed over their
enemies would exclaim amid the conflicting cares of
life, GAS for me and my house, we will serve the
Lord" The preacher warned his hearers not to ask
religion to to them unless they wanted it, for IL
would stay there forever The scene OF evening wor-
ship aud the reading Of the family Bible by the do
mestic hreside was patheticaily described. That
scene in your fathers house. is 1t not among your
most sacred remembrsnces? the preacher asked
For how much would you have it obliterated from
your hearts? Those prayers OF 1840 1850 1850
as fresh in your minds to-day as when they were
uttered. Brethren. the prayers Of fathers have
have read in Milton. Shakespeare. Tennyson or
Dante. A little child. once peering earnestly into
deadY' "No. my child" replied the father; why
do you ask?' Because" replied the child "since
thought .hs dod Sss dead In the White
House every day the Presidents family kneel and
say the Lords Prayer. Any other man. democrat or
been fussing about now placating the North and
again placating the South. instead Of serving the
House cool and sanctifed. while Congress has some
times been playing the fool.
Many families want to be religious. but arc ashamed
to own it; they don't care to have prayers when
there's company in the house; it's not fashionable
bold soldier who uttered the text-"As for me and
my house. We will serve the Lord Hero the speaker
family His grandfather and grandmother found
faith through a sermon preached at Summervile By
the Rev. DIR. Finlay. Before great while the whole
family saved. and David the speakers father.
told him with his own lips the story OF that con-
verted household. The summer following that con-
version more than two hundred souls followed into
the church fold at Summerville. All the mem-
bers of those families were saved. including Mr.
Tslmsge himself. whom he modestiy classed Ms the
youngest and the last. There were. he said. twelve
children or his fathers family, seven OF whom are
with the saints in heaven and the remaining nve on
earth. Nine Of that converted mothers descendants
became preachers OF the Gospel Did IL pay for her
TO pray ASK her in the presence OF her children IN
proceeded the reverned gentleman. in the
presence of the Christian church. This IL
ancient volume and hugging it, Long
can remember father preached out OF it and read
comforted the old people in their sorrow. Fifteen
years OF sickness followed to my father. and his
old book he read how Elisha was fed from heaven.
Then mother passed away into the shadow Of death.
her bier. 1t has been the silent witness Of many Of
our festivals. marriages, christenings and deaths.
Old. old book! the hands that once held thee
ashes; the eyes that conned thy sacred pages are
closed to this earth forever and thee
more! All! my. old friend OF light and
hope, what q pillow woudst thou mako for
q dying head Friends. have . family Bible
1t will 20 down from generation to generation
fraught with the memories of the years When we see
what religion did for fathers household do We
not wish IL to come to us? Aye, there hundreds
OF voices pent up in this house that ready
claim. "Ycs, yes we will the Lord!" feel
anxious for you as you do for yourselves. and ask
you to into the right path. The 90 200
nj hp pTq N In he m
be the mountain which you will climb into
heaven or the avalanche that is to crush your soul
into perdition Fathers and mothers In glory. bend
down to-day from your abode In the sky and tell
what you did on earh for to-day i'm the presence OF
heaven hell and the cross, will each say for him
self as Joshua said, "As for me aud my house, We
will serve the Lord"