The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1886-03-30

tdue WuO Sal siuty COY tuto LuOtu-
ing: "rhe first word remember nv ia.
ther speaking to me was an oath; the
first time remember my father taking
hold of me was in wrath never saw
Bible till was ten years Of age, and
then was told it was a pack Of lies.
Tue first twenty years of my life | was
associated with the vicious. seemed
to be walled In by sin and DEATH" Now,
nv brother, ought you not-I leave it
as matter OF fairness with you--ought
you not be far better than those who had
no early Christian in6uence2 Standing
as you do between the generation that
is past and the generation that Is to come.
aSk You GOING TO PASS THE BLESSING ON.
or are you going to have your life the
gulf in which that tide of messing shall
drop out Of sight forever? You are the
trustee OF piety in that ance stral line,
and are you going to augment or squan.
der that solemn trust fund ? are you GO
ing 10 disnherit your sons and daugh-
ters OF the heirloom which your parents
left you? Alb that cannot be possible.
that cannot be possible that you are GO
ing to take snch position as thai. You
are very careful about the life insursnces.
and careful about the deeds, and careful
about the mortgages, and careful about
the title Of your property, because when
you step of the stage you want your
children to get 1t all. Are you making
no provision that they shall get grand
father and grandmother's religionp Oh.
Whist d last will and testament you are
making, my brother! "In the name of
God, Amen, I, being of sound mind.
make this my last will and testament.
beaueath to nv children al the money
ever made and all the houses own; but
| disinherit them, rob them of the es-
sential grace and the Christian influence
that I inherited. have sqnafdered
that on nv own worldliness Share aud
share alike must they in the misfortune
and the everlasting outrage. Signed
sealed and delivered in the presence OF
God and men aud angels aud devils and
all the generations of earth and heaven
and bell. March, 1895.
O We highly favored ancestry, wake
up this morning to sense Of your op-
portunity and your responsibility. l
think there must be an old cradle, or
fragment Of cradle somewhere that
could tell q story of midnight suppl
cation In your behalf. Where is the old
rocking chair in which you we're sung
to sleep with the holy nursery rhvme ?
Where is the old clock that ticked away
the moments Of that sickness on tba,
awful night when there we're but three
of YOU awake-you and God aud moth
er? Is there not an old s'aff in some
closetp Is there not an old family BIZ
BILE on come shelf that seems to address
YOU, saying: "My son, my dsughter,
huw can you reject that God who. /. so
kindly dealt with US all our lives and to
whom we commended you in our pray.
ers living and dying! By the memory
of the old homestead. by the family al
tar, bv our dying pillow, by the graves
in which our bodies sleep while ou,
spirits hover, we beg you to turn over Q
new leaf aud tha. uow." Oh, the power
of ancestral pietv. we'll illustrated by 9
Young man of New York who attended
a prayer meeting one night and asked
for prayer, and went home and wrote
these words:
ssMY MOTHERS PRAYERS
twenty-five years ago tonight my
mother went to heaven, nv beautiful
blessed mother, and l nave been alone
tossed up and down on the pillows o.
life's temptuous ocean. Shall ever &C
to heaven ? She told me l must NEE
her in heaven. When she took her boys
hand in hers and turned her gentle, low
ing eyes on me and gazed earnestly snG
long into my face. and then lifted then
to heaven in that last prayer, she prayed
that might meet her in heaven. won
der il ever shall2
"My mothers prayer! Oh, nv sweet
blessed mothers prayers! Did ever boy
have such a mother as had 2 For TWEEN
ty-live years have not heard her pray
until tonight. l have heard all hel
prayers over again. They have had. in
fact, resurrection. Oh, how she wa.
wont to pray! She prayed as they pray
ed tonight, so earnest, so importunate
40 believing. Shall ever he Christ
ian She was christian Oh, how brigh
and pure and happy was her lfe! Sh,
was a cheerful and happy Christian
There is nv mothers Bible. Ihave no
opened it for years. Did she believe
could ever neglect her precious Bible
She surely thought I would read it muct
and often How often has she read
to me2
"Blessed mother, did you pray in vail
for your boyP
1T SHALL NOT BE IN VAIN
All no, no, it shall not be in vain.
will pray for myself. Who has sinnet
against so much instructions a. have
Against so many precious PRAYERS pu
up to heaven for me by one of the mos
lovely, tender, pious, coufiding, trustin!
of mothers in her Heavenly Father
care and grace. She never doubted
! She believed. She always praved as
she did. MY Bible. my mothers Bibl
and nv conscience teach what l am an
what l have made myself. Oh, the hit
ter pangs OF an accusing conscience!
need Saviour mighty TO save / mus
seek Him. | will am on the sea Q
existence. and can never 6gh. of fror
it. am afoat. No anchor. no ruddel
no compass. no book Of instructions, 70
have put them all away from me. Sa
viour Of the peliahing, save or Iperish.
Do you wonder that the next dav h
arose in PRAYER meeting and said an
brethren, stand before you monu
ment of Gods amazing mercv and good
ness, forever blessed be His holy name
: ell | have and all am I consecrste t
Jesus, my Saviour and my God Z" OF
the power of ancestral prayer. Hear it
Hear il!
| ii. But I turn for moment to
THOSE WHO HAD EVIL PARENrAGE,
and want to tell you that the highe'
: thrones in heaven and the mightiest tr
, nmphs and the brightest crowns will t
} for those who had evil parentage, bl
. | who nv the grace of Cod cOnouere