Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-03-18
TIE DOMESTIC CIRCLE.


Rev. 7. De Witt Taimaes, d. D.,
preached In the Brooklyn tabenacls the
ninth Of his series Of sermons on "The
Marriage Ring the subject being -The
Domestic Circle" Before the sermon he
read the names Of seventy new members,
making the present number Of communi-
csnts about thirty-ihree hundred. Dr..
IaImage took for HIS text the following:
things the Lord hath don rthcs.-Mark ". 10
Following Is the sermon in full
There are great many people longing
for some grand sphers in which TO serve
God. They admire Luther at the diet Of
Worms, and only wish that they had some
such great opportunity in which to display
their Christian prowess. They admire
Paul mixing Felix tremble, and they only
wish that they had some such grand oc-
casion In which to preach righteousness,
temperance. and Judgment to come; all
they wanti an opportunity TO exhibit their
Christian heroism. Now the apostle comes
TO as and he practically says. Il will show
You place where you eau exhibit all that
is grand and beautiful and glorious in
Christian character, and that Is the domestic
circle.
II one Is not faithful in an insignificant
sphere he win not be faithful in resound-
ing sphere. If Peter will not help the
cripple at the gate Of the temple he will
never be able to preach three thousand
souls into the kingdom at the pentecost.
II Paul will not take pains to instruct in
the way Of salvation Tie taller of the
Philippian dungeon he will never make
R.als H., u a a. ~ IL
skirmish would not be faithful in an
Armageddon. The fact is we are all placed
IN just the position in which we can most
grandly serve God: and we ought not TO be
chiefly thoughtful about some sphere Of
usefulness which We may after while
gain, but the all absorbing question with
You and with me oughtto be-: Lord, what
wilt Thou have me now and here to DOR
There is one word in my text around
which the most OF our thoughts will this
morning revolve. That word is aHome. !"
Ask ten different men the meaning Of that
word, and they will give you ten different
definitions. To one it means love at tho
hearth, it means plenty at the table, industry
at the workstand, intelligence at the books,
devotion at the altar. To him II means q
greeting at the door and smile at The
chair: peace hQvering like wings; Joy clap
ping its hands with laugh er: life tranquil
lake. Pillowed on the ripples sleep the
shadows.
Ask another man what home is, and be
will tell You it is want, looking ont of o
cheerless lire CRATE. kneading hunger in an
empty bread tray. The damp air shivering
with curses. No Bible on the shelf. Chill
dren robbers and murderers in embryo.
Obscene songs their lullaby. Every face q
picture Of ruin. Want in the background
and sin staring from the front. No Sab
bath wave rolling over that doorsill. Ves-
tibule of the pit. Shallow Of Internal
walls. Furnace for forging everlasting
chains. Faggots for an unending funeral
pile. Awful word! It is spelled with
curses, it weeps with ruin, it chokes with
woe, II swsats with the death agony Of de-
spair.
The word 4homen in the one ease means
everything bright. The word ahomen in the
other case means everything terrific.
shall speak to you this morning OF home
% test Of character, home as refuge.
home as o political safeguard, hotle as q
school, and home as type Of heasen.
And in the first place remark that home
IL powerful test Of character. The dis
position IN public may be in gay costume.
while In private tits in dsshabille. An play
ACTORS may appear in one way os} the stage
and may appear In another way behind the
scenes, no private character may be very
different from public character. Private
character is often pnl,lic character turned
wrong side out. A man may receive
you INTO his parlor as though be were
distilIaiion OF smiles. and vet hia heart