The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1886-11-25
NO. A.

mother that it is what you do that is going
/ TO affect your children. and not what you
say. You tell your children to become Chris
/ tians while you are not, and they will not
Do you think Noah's family would have gone
into the ark if he had not gone inl They
would say: "No, there is something about
that boat that is not right; father has not
| gone in" You cannot push children into the
| kingdom of God; you have got to pull them
in. There has been many a general in a
tower or castle looking at his army fighting,
but that is not the kind of a man . arouse
enthusiasm among his troops. Il is a
Garibaldi or Napoleon 1 who leaps into the
stirrups, and dasiies into the conflict, and has
his troops following him with wild huzza.
So you cannot stand Off in your iinpenitent
state and tell your children TO go ahead into
the Christian life, and have them GO You
must yourself dash into the Christian conflict;
you must lead them and not tell them to 60
Do you know that all the instruction you
give to your children in n igious direction
goes for nothing unless you illustrate it in
your own lifei The teacher at the school
takes copybook, writes a specimen of good
writing across the top Of the page, but ho
makes a mistake in one letter OF the copy.
The boy comes along Oh the noxt line, copies
tho top line and makes tho mistake. and II
there be fifteen lines on that page they will
have the mistake there was in tho copy-on
the top. The father has an error i'm this life
"A very great error. The son comes
along and copies it now, 20 morrow. next
year, copies it to the day of his doath IL is
what you are, not 50 much what you teach.
Have a family altar Let 10 be a cheerful
place, the brightest room in your house. Do
not wear your children's knees out with long
prayers Have the whole exercise spirited.
If you have a melodeon, or an organ, or a
piano. in the house, have il opan. Then lead
in prayer. II you cannot make a prayer OF
your own, take Matthew Henyys prayers or
the Episcopal prayer book. None better
than that Kneel down with your little ones
morning and night; commend them to God.
Do you think they will get over iti Neverl
After You are under the sod a good many
years there will be some powerful tempta-
ton around that son, but the memory Of
father and mother at morning and evening
prayers will have its effect upon him; it will
bring him back from the path of sin and
death.
But want you TO make strict mark. n
sharp, plain line, between innocent hilarity
on the part Of your children and a vicious
proclivity. Do not think your boys will go
10 ruin because they make a racket. A glum,
unresponsive child makes the worst form Of a
~
always make racket want you at the
very first sign of depravity in the child to
correct it. Do not laugh because il is smart.
If you do you will live to cry because IL IA
malicious. Do not talk of your childrena
frailties lightly in their presence, thinking
they do not understand you; they do under
stand Do not talk disparagingly Of your
child, making him feel that he is a reprobate.
Do not say to your little one, You're the
worst child l ever knew" II you do he will
be the worst man You ever knew.
Are your children safe for heavenl You
can tell better than any one else. / put TO
you the question; "Are your children safe
for heavenP l heard of a mother who
when the house was afre, in the excitement
of the occasion got out a great many valu-
able things-many choice articles Of furni-
ture-but did not think to ask until too
late ais my child safer" It was too late
then. The flames had encircled all; the child
was goneI Oh, my dear friend, when sea and
land shall burn in the final conhagration
will your children be safer
wonder if what have said this morning
has not struck a chord in some one in thu
audience who had good father and mother
but who is not yet Christianl Is that your
historyf
Do you know why you came here this
morningi God sent you 30 have that mems
ory revived Your dear Christian mother
how she loved youl You remember when yo6
were sick how kindly she attended you; the
night was not too long, and you never asked
her to turn the pillow but she did itl You re-
member her prayers also; you remember how
some of you-I do not know where the man
Is in the audience-how some one bere broke
his mothers heart. You remember her sor-
row over your waywardness, you remember
the old place where she did you so many
the chairs, the table, the door
sill where you played; the tones Of her voice.
Why, you can think them back now. Though
they were borne long ago ON the air, they
come ringing through your soul to-day, call
ing you by the first name. You are
not @Mr" to her; II is just your
plain, first name. Is not this the
time when her prayers win DO answered.
Do you not think that God sent you in
today to have that memory OF her revivedl
If you should come TO Christ this morning,
amid all the throngs OF heaven, the gladdest
Of them would be your Christian parents who
are in glory waiting for your redemption.
Angels of God, shout the tidings, the lost has
come back again; the dead is alivol Ring
all the bells of heaven at tho jubileei Ringl
Ringl