Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-12-08

ed companion is willing to go, if he or sh
will go to no other. You, of the connubia
partnership, are Christian. You are SAT
FOR the skies. Then it is your first duty t.
secure the eternal safety of your lifetim
associate, Is not the everlasting welfar
your wife impenitent, or your husband
impenitent, of more Importance than you
church relationship? Is not the residenc
Of your companion for the next quadrilliol
of years mightier consideration to yoi
than the qualification of your ecclesastic
Il taste for forty or fifty years? A man o
I woman that would stop half a minute t.
weigh preferences as to whether he OF sb'
aaG better go with the unconverted com
panion to this or that church or denomina
tiop, has no religion at all, and never ha
had. and, fear, never will have. You ar.
loaded up with what you suppose to be re
igioD, bat you are like Captain Frobisher
who brought back from his voyage of d s
cOvery shipload of what he supposed val
liable minerals, yet, instead of being silve
and gold, were nothing but common stones
of the field, to be hurled out finally as use
less. Mighty Godl In all Thy realm il
there one man or woman protesting reli
gion yet so stolid, SO untitled, SO far gene
unto death that there would be any hesi
fancy in surrendering all preferences before
such aD opportunity of salvation and heav
emily reunion? If you, Christian wife
are an attendant upon this Brooklyn Taber
mace, and your uuconverted husband doe
not come here, because he does not like it.
preacher, or its music, or it's architecture
or its uncomfortable crowding, aud goe.
not to any house of worship, but would &C
if you would accompany him somewhere
else, change your church relations. Take
your hymn book home with you to- day
Say goodbye to your friends in the neigh
boring pews, and 90 with him to ary ont
Of hundred churches till his soul is saved
and he joins y0u ia the march to heaven
More important than that ring on the thirG
finger Of your left band, it is, that your
Heavenly father command the angel oi
mercy corning your husband at his con
version, as in the parable Of old: "Put 9
ring on his hand"
No letter of more importance ever came
to the great city of COrinth, situated or
what was called the "Bridge of the Sea- u
and glistening with sculpture, and gated
with style of brass the maguificence oil
which the following ages have not been able
successfully to initiate, aud overshadowed
oy shO O lOI biuoo VI IOCh
two thousand feet high-I say no letter
ever came to that great city of more
Importance than that letter in which
Paul puts the two startling questions
"What knowest thou, o wife, whether thou
shalt save thy husbando Or how knowest
thou, 0 man, whether thou shalt save thy
wife?" The dearest sacrifice on the part
of the one is cheap if it rescues the other.
81
Insignificant church on earth, and be CO.
partners in eternal bliss, than pass over
earthly membership in most gorgeously at
traciive church while your companion stays
outside of evangelical privilege. Better
have the drowning saved by scow or
sloop than let him or her go down while
you sail by in the gilded cabins of Britain
mic or Great Eastern.
Second remark; II both of the married
couple be Christians, but one is so naturally
constructed that it is impossible to enjoy the
services of a particular denominations, and
the other is not so sectarian or punctili0us,
let the one less particular go with the other
who is very particular As for myself feel
as much at home in one denomination of
Christians as another. and
think | must have been born very near the
line. l like the solemn roll of the Episcopal
liturgy, and like the spontauiety of the
Methodists, aud like the importance gwen
to the ordinance of baptism by the Baptsts,
and l like the freedom of the Congregation
alists, and like the government and sub
lime doctrine of the Presbyterians, and
like mauy of the Others Just as good as any
4 have mentioned, and could happily live,
and preach. and die, aud be buried from any
of hem. But others are born with so stout
and unbending, and lnexorable liking for
some denomination that it is positive ne
cessity they have the ad vantage of that one
What they we're intended to be in eccesias-
tieism was written in the sides of their
cradle, if the father and mother had eyes
keen enough to see it. They would not
stop crying until they had put in their hands
as plaything Westminster Catechism OF
the Thirty nine Articles. The whole cur
rent of their temperament, and thonght,
and character runs into one sect of religion
lists as naturally as the James river into the
Chesapeake. 1t would be torture to such
persons to be anything outside of that one
ChuI ch. Now, let the wife or husband
who is not so constructed sacrifice the mild
er preference for the one more infexible
aud rigorous. Let the grapevine follow
the rugosities and sinuosities of the oak or
hickory. Abram, the richer in hocks of
Christian grace, should say to Lot, who is
built on smaller scale: "Let there be no
strife, pray thee, between me and thee,
and between my herdman and thy herdmen
Is not the whole land before thee2" Asyou
,an be happy and edited anywhere, GO with
your com pauion to the church to which he
Dr. abe must go or be miserable.
Remark the third: If both tho married
couple are very s rong in their sectarianisms
et them atteud the different churches pre-
ferred. 1t is not necessary that y.u attend
.he same church. Religion is between your
conscience and your God. Like A BRAN and
Lot, agree to differ. When on Sabbath
you cems out of the door of your
home together, and one goes one way and
The other, heartily wish each othera good
sermon and time Of profitable devotion,
and when you meet again at the MONDAY
repast let it be evident; each to each aud to
your children, and to the hired help, that
you have both been on the Mount of Trans
liguration, although you went up by differ
ent paths, and that you have both been fed
by the bread Of life, though kneaded by diff
ferent bands in different trays, and baked in
different ovens.
'.But how about the children?" am often
asked by hundreds of parents. Let them
also make their choice. They will grow up
with reverence for both the denominations
By father and mother, if you,
by holy lives, commend those denomina-
tions. II the father lives the better life, they
will have the more favorable opinion of his
denomination. If the mother lives the bet
ter life, they will have the more favorable
opinion of her denomination. Aud some
day both the parents will. for at least one
service, go to the same church. The neigh
bors will say: 81 wonder what is going on
to-day, for l saw our neighbor aud his wife,
who always go to different churches, goiug
arm in ann to the same sanctuary" Well,
will tell you what has br ,ught them to-
gether, arm in arm, to the same altar. Some
thing very impoi tant has happened. Their
son is to-day uniting with the church. He
is standing in the aisle taking the VOWS OF
a Christian. He had been some W hat way
ward, and gave father and mother good
deal of anxiety, but their prayers have been
answered III his con version, and as he stands
i'll the aisle and the minister of religion
says. ''Do you consecrate yourself to the
God who made aud redeemed you. and dc
ynu promise to serve him all your days?'
aud with manly voice he answers Il do,'
there is an April shower in tue pew where