The weekly sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1886-11-25

motheri that it is what yon 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 il he had not gone ina They
would say: mo, 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 general in
tower or castle looking at his army fighting,
but that is not the kind of man to arouse
enthusiasm among his troops. It is
Garibaldi or Napoleon who leaps into the
stirups, and dashes into the conflict, and has
his troops following him with wild huzza,
So you cannot stand of in your impenitent
state and tell your children to go ahead into
the Christian life, and have them CO. You
must yourself dash into the Christian conflict:
you must lead them and not tell them to go.
Do you know that all the instruction you
give to your children in religious direction
goes for nothing unless you illustrate It in
your own hfef The teacher at the school
takes q copybook, writes a specimen of good
writing across the top Of the page, but he
makes q mistake in one letter Of the copy.
The boy comes along on the next line, copies
the top line and makes the mistake, and If
there be fifteen lines on that page they will
have the mistake there was in the CODY or
the top The father has error in this life
"a very great error. The son Gomez
along and copies it now, tomorrow. mex.
year, copies it to the day of his death. 1t i,
what you are, not so much what you teach.
Have a family altar. Let it 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
Ii you have melodeon, OF an organ, a
piano. in the house, have it open Then lead
in prayer. If you cannot make prayer of
your own, take Matthew Henry 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 it! Neveri
After you 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,
sharp, plain line, between innocent hilarity
on the part OF your children and a vicious
procivity. Do not think your boys will go
to ruin because they make racket. A glum,
unreSponslve child makes the worst form of q
villain. Children, when they healthy,
always make a racket. I want YOU at the
very first sign Of depravity in the child to
correct it. Do not laugh because it is smart
If you do you will live to cry because it is
malicious. Do not talk Of your chiIdren's
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 ever knew" If 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. l put to
you the question: "Are your children safe
for heavenp heard of a mother, who
when the house afro, 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: "Is my child safe2" 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 confagration
viii your children be safes
wonder if what have said this morning
has not struck a chord in some one in the
audience who had good father and mother,
but who is not yet Christians Is that your
historyF
Do you know why you came here this
morning2 God sent you to have that mem
DRY revived. Your dear Christian mother,
how she loved you! You remember when you
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 It! You re-
member her prayers also; you remember how
some of you'll do not know where the man
is in the audience-how some one here broke
his mothers heart. You remember her sor-
row over your waywardness, you remember
the old place where she did you so many
kndnesses; the chairs, the table, the door
sill whore 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; it is just your
| plain, first name Is not this the
| time when her prayers win be answered.
| Do you not think that God sent you in
| to-day to have that memory Of her revfvedi
| II you should come to Christ this morning,
amid all the throngs Of heaven, the gladdest
Of them would be four 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 alivei Ring
all the bells Of heaven at the jubilee. Ring
Rin01
I