The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-12-15

CITY Of Corinth than the letter in which Paul
put these two startling questions: "How
knowest thou, oh, wife, but thou
shalt save thy husbands How know.
est thou, Oh. husband, but thou shalt
save thy w1teT' ANY sacrifice you make is
cheap for salvation. Better 60 to the small EST
church, the weakest church, the most insig.
niicant church on earth, and be co-partners
in eternal bliss than that you should attend
the most gorgeously attractive church and
one of You perish outside evangelical advan.
tages. Better that the drowning be saved
with scow or sloop, than that he or She
should 60 down VIII you sail past in the
gilded cabins OF Britannia or Great
Eastern.
Remark the second: If both of the mar
ried couple are Christians, but one is so nat
urally constructed as to be severely secta-
rian and could not be happy in another than
the one church or denomination preferred,
then it is your duty, YOU who are the less sec.
tartan and the more liberia, to 60 with the one
who is very particular. As for myself, feel
about as much at home in one denomination
as another. I have sometimes said
think must have been born near
the Episcopal liturgy, and like the
spontaneity of the Methodists, and like the
Importance given to baptism by the Baptists,
and like the freedom of the Congregation
alists and like the government and the sub
lime doctrines Of the TreSbyterians, and I
like score Of other denominations Just as
good as those have mentioned. and could
live happily in any one Of them, and preach
and dis happily, and from tho sacred doors
be carried out to my last resting place. But
some persons are born with stout and un.
bending preference for some church or some
denomination, and it would be torture to them
to be anywhere else. From the very starting
it was indicated what they were to be. and
what was to be the style of their ecclesiasti-
cism. 1t was written on the side of their
cradle, if father and mother bad eyesight
keen enough to see it. When they cried in
their infancy they could not be silenced until
they had for plaything Westminster Cate
chism or the Thirty-nine Articles. Now, it
would be torture and a misery for such
person to be in any denomination that was
outside of the one preferred. But you can
afford to surrender your Pref,
with the same spirit Of sectarianism. 1t
is the duty Of the grapevine to follow the
ory. If Abraham has larger flock Of
Christian graces than Lot, who is built on
smaller scale. then it is Abraham's duty to
say to Lot: "Let there he no strife between
us, or between my herdsmen and your herds.
men. Is not the whole land before theew II
you cen be happy anywhere, and your hus-
baud or your wife cannot be happy except in
one place, surrender your preferences, and
surrender than without discussion.
Another remark: If both Of the married
couple are equally strong in their sectarian-
ism and their preferences, then 60 to the
churches that please you best. You are not
bound to 90 to the same church. God does
not demand that you do so. Religion is some
thing between your conscience andyour God.
If, therefore, on Sunday morning you came
out from the front door of your house TO-
other goes the othor way, heartily wish
each other good sermon and an hour OF
profitable devotion, and when you meet at
the monday repaSt, let it be evident each to
each and to the children and to the hired
helD that you both have been on the Mount
of TRANSPORTATION, though you went up by
different paths, and that you have been both
fed with the bread Of life though it were
kneaded in different trays and baked in diff
ferent ovens.
But am often askei-for am not discus
sing this morning an abstraction-I AM
often asked by parents: "What about the
childen" My reply is: 'Let the children
make their choice" I have sometimes
thought that at ten years of age a child
knows more Of religion than those who have
come on to forty, fifty, sixty or seventy years
of age. We 60 out in the world and we get
befogged with scepticisms, and we hear 80
MANY Of the discussions Of unbelief, an our
life gets so full of imperfection and so full Of
sin that have thought littls children may
know more religion than some Of us VINO
have got older. At any rate, l give you the
advice, let children choose for themselves.
They will probably grow up with rever-
ence for both denominations represented by
you, the father and mother: And if you,
fot he ho1x fa Nyi hQ
more reverence for your denomination and
if you, the mother, live the holy lite, they
will have more reverence for your denomi.
nation; and some day you will both be found
going to the same church and the same ser
vice. and the neighbors will look out of the
windows and they will say: why, Won
der what's the matter with our neighbors,
the same church? / never thought they
would 20 to the same church. wonder
what's the matterp' I will tell you what
tant has happened That day, the
son Of that family is announcing himself
Christian. That day the son Of that house
hold is standing in the aisle to take the vows:
He had been somewhat wayward and had
given his father and mother a good deal Of
anxiety; but their prayers have been an
swered in hissalvation, and now, as he stands
in the church aisle, and the minister of relig:.
ion says to him: "Do you take the God
who made you and the God who re-
deemed you for your eternal portions
and do you promise to serve Him all the
days Of your life" and the young man, with
q manly voice, says: II do" There is an
April shower in the pew where father and
mother sit, and rainbow Of joy overarching
everything that makes the difference Of
cresLs in Initss, ,irna!. Aye, on that worry
day, the daughter Of the family may put
her life on the alter Of conservation, and
the sunlight coming through the church
window, falling on her brow and cheek
may make her look like the other daughter
whose face took on the brightn ess OF another
world when Gol took her into His Heavenly
keeping years ago. Aye, should not wol,
der il those parents spent the evening OF
their days in the same church, all their
church preferences overwhelmed in the JOY
OF worshipiug In tho place where their sons
and their da lighters were prepared for USE
fulne5s and for heaven.
But l will give YOU recipe for running
your children. Angrily discuss and contend
in your household about matters OF religion,
and contend that your church Is right ana
all other churches are wrong. especially the
chur b your companion atte ids, bring
sueer and caricature to emphasize your optn-
ions, and your children will grow up to be.
lieve religion is sham, and they will
want none of it. In tie northeast storm
of domestic controversy the Rose of Sharon
and the Lily of tn, Valley never grow. Fight
about apostolic succession; fight about elec-
tion and free agency; fight about baptism;
fight about the bishopric: fight about gown
and surplice, and the religious interests OF
your children will be left dead on the field.
You will be unfortunate as Charles, Duke
Of Burgundy, who in a battle lost
q dia nond worth a nation, for You
will in the battle about church differences In
your household lose tn, prize of salvation for
your own entire household. OF course, I say