Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-01-08
TALMAGE.
"Let Them Learn First to Show
Piety at Home"
Home as a Refuge, Test Of
Character, a School, a PoIiti-
cal Safeguard, and Type
of Heaven.
HOME, HOME. SWEET, SWEET HOME,

BROOKLYN, January This morning q
variety was introduced in the Tabernacle.
Singing which will hereafter be a permanent
institution in DIR. Talmage's Church. A
quartet of male voices will render especial
music and chants. The congregational
singing, as formerly, will be led by cornet
precentor. Mr.. Henry Eyre Browne, for,
merly of Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, will
be the organist from the first of May. The
subject of DR.. Talmage's sermon was
Home"
Text Tim. Va: LET them learn first 10
show piety at home"
Sermon-In the summery mopths the
tendency is to the fields, to visitation, u
foreign travel, and the watering places and
the ocean steamers are thronged. But at
this season of the year the tendency is to
gather in the domestic circles, and much Of
our life for months must be spent in doors.
My text enjoins upon us Christian be-.
haviOr amid such surroundings. How
many are longing for grand sphere in which
TO serve God. They admire Luther at the
Diet of Worms and wish they had some
such daring opportunity i'll which to eX-
hibit Christian character. They admire Paul
before Felix, and they would like to have
some grand occasion like that in which to
preach righteousness, temperance and
judgment to come. They admire the he.
rOiC i'll Christian character, and are only
waiting for an opportunity in which to
display their Christian powers. Now the
Apostle comes to such per. Dns in my text
and says: IL will show you q place where
you can exhibit all that is grand and beau
tiful in the Christian character, and that
place
The Domestic Circle"
Let them learn first TO show piety at
home. Indeed if man docs not serve God
on a small scale, he never will scrve him
on largc scale. If Peter is not willing to
help the cripple at the gate he viii not be
able TO preach three thousand souls into
the Kingdom on the d.y Of PentccOst. If
Paul will not stoOp to instruct the keeper
of the Philippian dungeon he will not be
able TO make Felix tremblc. FaithiulneSS
in small affairs is a prophecy Of faithful
ness in large affairs. There is one word in
my text around which all oar thoughts
this morning will revOlye. home Ask ten
different men for a definition of tina. word
and they will give you ten different deti-
nitiOnS. To one man the suggestion OF that
word means love at the hearth, plenty At
the table industry ut the work stand, ia
telligence at the books, devotion at the
altar. In that house diIcOrd never sounds
its wal who0p, nor does deception trick
with her false face. Home, IL is a greet
ing at the door. 1t is a smile at the chair.
Peace lowering like wings, JOY Clapping its
hands with laughter. Lie is Il tranquil
lake. Piilowed on the ripples sleep the
shadows. To another man the word
home" suggests want looking out OF the
cheerleSs stoyef:rdte, kneadIng hunger in
an empty flour tray, the damp air shiver-
ing with curses. No Bible on the shelf.
Children-robbers and mUrdcrcrS in pre-
paratiOn. Obscene songs their lullaby.
Each face picture Of him with
Want in the Background
and sin staring from the front. No Sab
bath wave rolls over the door sill. PhySi-
cal death gnawing the body. Spiritual
death gnawing the soul Awful lace,
NcstiUuIc oil the pit. shadow Ol Internal
walls. Furnace for forging everlasting
chains. FagyOtS for az uncndinG funeral
pie. Home Awful word II is spelled
with curses. Il weeps with rum. 1t chokes
with woe. It swcatS with the death agony
OF despair. In the one case the word
is SIGNIFICANT of all thai is bright. In the
other case il is significant of all that IS
dark. propose thiS morning to speak TO
YOU OF home rs test, OF home as refuge
of home as a political safeguard. of home
as a school OF home as Il type OF heaven.
The home in the first place is the most
powerful test oil ones character. A in 5
disposition in public may he gay, while in
private it is indcshabile The play actor
does differently on the platform frOm the
way he does behind the scenes; public life
is often very different thing iIOm nri-
valc life. man will receive you in his
parlor with so much gracefulness that he
seems To be the diStillation of smiles,
while in his heart there Is swamp Of nettlc.
Men will sometimes in business life all
dav long be courteous and COOL naturcd,
damming back their irritabilIty and their
petulsnCe and their discomfort, but at
nightiall the dam breaks and scuiing
pOurs forth in
Floods and Freshets.
The wind sometimes risS AT sunset and
after summrey days there may he temp
estuous nights Anger docs not like -
display itself among men who excite it,
but sometimes in a COwardly manner
comes home and drops itself in the domeS-
tic circle. Private life is often public
life turned wrong side out. The lips that
dropped with myrrh and ca sia-the dis.
position that seems to be warm and bright
as Il shcaf of Sunbcams, may only he q
magnificent show window to a wretched
stock Of Foods The harp tn t all day sang
like an angel may at night crate like saw.
Such persons d. not under't md the pre-
cept Of my text. They do not show picty
at home. In the home We reveal our re Il
character. Reputation is only the shadow
character, and you know Il small house
will sometimes cast a very long shadow.
Men do not lire To exhibit their badness in
publiC for the same reason tnat they do
not like their note to 20 to prOteSt-it does
not pay; or for the slime reason they DO
not want men in their stock company 10
sell at too low rate, for it will dcpreciate
the value. There are mon who do not eN-
hibit their bad temper IN public Tor the
simple reason that they ID not want to b."
Knocked down, There are thOTc who are
philanthropistS in public life who at home
are the hero with respect TO their slippers
and their gown. Audubon the great or.
nitholrgi>t, with gun and pencil, went all
through the forests Of this country for the
purpose of bringing down and sketChing
the birds of the land; then went home:
put the valuable document in a trunk, and
after an absence found that the rats had
completely
DryOureSl the Manuscripts
So that again he took gun and pencil and
again went through the forests Ot the lana,
reproducing that which WAS destroyed ;
while there are many in private LIE at the
loss of a pencil or any article OF clothing Will
net aS though they had met with serious
and irreparahlr loss, and viii blow SHARP
and loud. and long rs i northeast wind. IL
A man makes pretentiOns to kindness am
geutleness in public while there is none IN
him at heart he is making II fraudulent
over.iSsue of stock and is as unriGhteouS as
A bank with -. .0,D 09O or Si,DOOO OF oi!IS
in circulation but no specie in the safe.
Let US learn to show picty at home. II we
do not there exhibit Christian character II
is because there is no grace and genuine
ness of character in our soul and our ont
ward plausbility of behavior only springs
from fear OF the world and the shiny
putrid pool of our own SeltishnesS. Home
is the mightieSt Of all tests OF m'A
character.
Again | remark that home IS refuge
Life is the United States army on the Va
lional road to Mexico, with long march
and ever and anon a Skirmish and bat
tie. The home is the tent We pitch 10 rest
in. our bayonets stacked, our war csp'
hung up. our heads n sting on the Enap
sack until the morning buGle soundS,~arn
ing us to strike tent and prepare for narcA
ing and action Oh, what pleasant place
ID i to talk over the days victories an