National Republican., 1886-08-23

bend TO II; aud II in company there be
those who tell unclean stories, they will 90
so far as TO tell something on the margin
between the pure and the impure; and "
there be those who swear In the room, sud
use the rough word damn" they will go so
far as the word "darn,' aud look over the
fence wishing they could go further; but as
to any determination like Ruth's TO 20 tho
whole road OF all that is right, they
have not the grace to do u. Trey
have not In all their body as
much courage as Ruth had in her little
finger. oh, my friends, let us start for
heaven and 60 clear through In the river
that runs by the gate OF the city we shall
wash of ali our. bruises When DR.. Chal-
mers printed his astronomical discourses |
they were read In the haylofts, in the fields,
In the garrets, and In the palaces, because |
they advocated the idea that the stars were |
Inhabited. Oh, hearer, does not your soul |
thrill with the thought that there is another |
world beautifully inhabitedf nay, more, |
that you, Ivy the grace of God, may become |
one Of its glorious citizensp
III. Again 1 remark; II we want to be-
come Christians, like Ruth in the text, we
must choose the Christians habitation.
"Whera thou lodgest, will LODGE cried
Ruth to Naomi. She knew that wherever
Naomi stopped, whether II were hovel or
mansion, there would be a Christian home,
and she wanted TO be In IL. What do |
mean by Christian honey mean ahome
in which the Bible is the chief book home
In which the family kneel in prayers; home
| In which father and mother are practical
| Christians; home In which on Sabbath,
| from sunrise TO sunset, there is profitable
converse, and cheerful song, aud sugges-
tlons OF a better world. Whether the wall
| be frescoed or not, or only ceiling Of
uDplaned rafters; whether marble lious
| are couchant at the front entrance
or plain latch is lifted by tow
string, that homo is the antechamber
OF heaven. A man never gets over having
lived in such an early home. II holds you
in an eternal grip Though your parents
may have been gone forty years. the tears
| OF penitence and gladness that were wept
| at the family altar still glitter In your mem
| ory. Nay, do you not now feel warm and
hot on your hands the tears which that
| mother shed thirty years ago, when, one
cold winter night, she came and wrapped
| you up in the bed and prayed for your well
fare here and for your everlasting welfare
before the throne?
| Oh, ye who are to set up your own home,
see that 1t be Christian bomei Let Jesus
make the wine at that wedding. A home
without God is an awful place; there are so
many perils TO threaten 1t, and God him
self is so bitterly against It; but ''the Lord
| encampeth around about the habitati0n OF
the just.n What grand thing It is to have
God stand guard at that door, and the Lord
Jesus the family physician; and the wings
OF angels the canopy over the pillow; and
the Lord OF Glory perpetual guest. You
say It is important that the wife and the
mother be Christian. say to you ills just
as important that the husband and father
be Christian. Yet how many clever men
there are who say "My wife does all the
religion Of my house. am worldly man,
but have confidence In her, and think
she win bring the whole family up all
right.n 1t Will not do, my brother. The
fact that you are not Christian has
more influence on your family than
the fact that your wife is a Christian.
Your children will say: "Father's a
very good man; he is not Christian,
and II he can risk the future l
can risk the future" o father and hus-
band join your wife on the road to
heaven, and at night gather your family at
the altar. Do you say: ~ can'tpray, am
man of few words, and l don't think
! could put half dozen sentences sent. ices
pray; you can. II your child were
down with scarlet fever, and the next hour
were to decide its recovery or Its death,
you would pray in sobs, and groans, and
paroxysms OF earnestness. Yes, you can
pray. When the eternal life Of your house
hold may depend upon your supplcation,
let your knees timber, and go down; but II
you still insist that you cannot compose q
prayer, then buy or borrow IA prayer book
Of the Episcopal Church, and gather your
family, and put your prayer book on a
chair, and kneel down before 1t, and, 10
the solemn and hushed presence OF God,
gather up all your. sorrows, and tempta
tions, and sins, and cry out: "Good Lord
deliver u.s."
". Again, remark. II we want to be
come Christians, like Ruth in the text, W,
must choose Christian associations, "Thy
, people shall be my people," cried out Ruth
TO Naomi. "The folks you associate with,
want TO associate with. They will come
and sec me, and will go and see them. !
want TO move 10 the highest Of all circles,
the circle Of Gods elect; and therefore,
land OF judah. /" Do you who are seeking
after God-and suppose there are maj ny
such in this presence-do you who are
seeking after God prefer Christian society
to worldly society? "No," you say: "I pre-
| fer the worlds mirth, and the worlds
laughter, and the worlds innuendo, and
,, the worlds paraphernalia.n Well, this IL
a free country, and you shall have the right
Of choice, but let me tell you that the pures
mirth, and the most untrammeled glee
and the greatest residence OF soul are In
side Christian companlonship, and not out
q side OF It. have tried both styles OF com
= panion ship--the companionship Of tn
. world and the companionship OF Christ
/ and know by experience. have beer
! society Of Christian people that when
= = am compelled to go for a little while amt
: intense worldly society feel depressed. l
a is like going ont Of June garden into al
- laugh until they become Christians. Tn
4 worlds laughter has Jerk Of dissatisfac
q ton at the end; but when man is conse
: Grated TO God, and he is all right for tn
: world to come, then when he laughs, body
mind, and soul crackle. Leta group Q
A ministers of the Gospel, gathered from Al
a denominations OF Christians, be together 1
a dining hall or In social circle, .and 20
a know they are proverbally jocund. oy
unconyerted peoplel know not how yo
il can stand 1t down In that moping, bilious
q saturnine, worldly association. Come u
|. into the sunlight of. Christian SC
t'1Gso tSiSgs a2s working right M now, 1G and wi
!. work right forever. Itell you that th
h sweetest japonicas grow In the Lords ga
n den; that the largest grapes are from th
"a vineyards Of Canaan; that the most spark
% ling floods break forth from the Rock c
4 Ages. Do not too much pity this Ruth {
90 my text; for she is going to become joir
y owner OF the great harvest fields Of BoaE.
10 V. Once more: II we want 10 becom
q Christians, we must, like Ruth In the tex
"a choose the Christians death and buria
"A She exclaimed: "Where thou diest will
a. die, and there will be buried" thin
a. to be surrounded by Christian influence
r. You would not like TO have your dyin
ar pillow surrounded by caricatures, an
N punsters, and wine bibbers. How woul
I you like to have John Leec
n come with his London pictorial
IN and Christopher North with b
;" loose fun, and Tom Hood with his rhyn
ing Jokes, when you are dyingY MOI NJ
MOI Let me have Christian nurse In u
last sickness. Let me have a Chrlstla