The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1886-11-03
Earnest Words to a Wife.

Earnest Words to a Wife.
How knowest thou, o wife, whether thou
shalt save thy husband 2'-l Cor. viz Is.
| charge you, my sister, that you take
your husband along with you to heaven
OF course this implies that you yourself
are Christian. | must take that for
granted. 1t can not be possible that
after what Christianity has done for wo.
man and you have assumed the head
OF the household, that you should be in
a position antagonistic to Christ. 1t was
not the slip of the tongue when l spoke
OF you as being at the head of the house
hold. We men rather pride ourselves as
being at the head of the household, but
it is only pleasant delusion. To whom
do the children go when they have
trouble? Aye, to whom does the hus-
band go when he has business trouble
great or too delicate for outside ears !
We, the men, are heads of the household
in name, but you, o wives, are the heads
of the household in fact, and it is your
business to take your husbands with you
into the kingdom of God and see that
house prepared for heaven.
You can do it! OF course Gods al.
mighty grace alone can convert him, but
you are to be the instrument Some
wives keep their husbands out OF heaven,
and others garner them for it. If your
religion, 0 wife, Is simply the joke OF the
household, if you would rather go to the
theater than the prayer meeting, if you
can beat all the nelghborhood in progress.
sive euchre, it your husband never sees
you kneel at the bedside in prayer before
retiring, If the only thing that reminds
the family OF your church relations Is
that on communion day you get home
late to dinner, you will not be able to
take your husband to heaven, for the
simple reason that you will not get there
yourself. But | suppose that your re-
ligion is genuine, and that the husband
realizes there ls In your soul divine
principle, and that, though you may be
naturally quicker tempered than he is,
and have many imperiections that dis
tress you more than they can any one
else, still you are destined for the.skles
when the brief scenes OF this life are over.
How will you take him with you2 There
are two oars to that boat-prayer and
holy example.
But you say he belongs to worldly
club. or he does not believe a word Of
the Bible, or be is an inebriate and very
loose In his habits ?? What you tell me
shows that you don understand that
while you are at the one end of prayer,
the omnipotent God is at the other end
and it is simply question whether
Almightiness IS strong enough and keeps
his word = 1Lsfr
put beside each other two testimo-
mails OF men concerning their wives, and
let you see the contrast. An aged man
was asked the reason of his salvation.
With fearful emotion he said NY
wife was brought'to God some years be.
fore myself. i prosecuted and abused
her because of her religion. She, how
ever, returned nothing but kindness con.
stantly, maintaining an anxiety to pro-
mote my comfort and happiness and it
was her amiable conduct when suffering
ill.treatment from noe, that first sent the
arrows of conviction to my soul.
The other testimony was from a dying
man Harriet, am lost man. You
opposed our family worship and my
secret prayer. You drew me away into
temptation and to neglect every religious
duty. l believe my fate is sealed. Har.
riet, you are the cause Of my everlasting
ruin"
As once you stood in the village or
city church OF in your fathers house,
perhaps, under wedding bell OF flowers,
to-day stand up, husband and wife,
beneath the cross Of pardoning Re.
deemer, while / proclaim the bands of an
eternal marriage Join your right hands.
l pronounce you one forever. What God
hath Joined together let neither life nor
death, nor time nor eternity, put asun.
der. Witness, men and angels, all worlds,
all ages The circle IS an emblem Of
eternity, and that is the shape Of the
marriage ring.-Selected.