The national leader., 1889-01-26

touches that child, he says: 81 won.
der what viii be the destiny of this
little one?" And while this Christian
father is thinking and praying, thd
sweet promise flows through his soul:(
''Of such is the kingdom of heaven. "
And he feels joy. not like that which
sounds in the dance, or is waited from
the froth of the winecup, or that which
is like the cracking of thorns under
pot" but the JOY of domestic reunion
and conservation.
ELEVEN FAMILIES.
l have some statistics that I would
like to give you. A great many people,
you know, say there is nothing in the
Christian discipline of household. In
New Hampshire there were two neigh
borhoods-the one of SIX families, the
other of five families. The six families
disregarded the Sabbath. In time. five
of these families were broken up by the
separation of husbands and wives; the
other by the father becoming thief.
Eight or nine of the parents became
drunkards, one committed suicide, and
all came to penury. Of some forty or
fifty descendants, about twenty are
known to be drunkards and gamblers
and dissolute. Four or five have been
in State-prison. One fell in a duel.
Some are in the almshouse. Only one
became Christian, and he, after first
having been outrageously dissipated.
The other FIVE families that regarded
the Sabbath were all prospered. Eight
or ten of the children are consistent
members of the Church. Some of
them became officers in the Church;
one is a minister of the gospel; one IS a
missionary to China No poverty
among any of them. The homestead is
now in the hands of the third genera
ton. Those who have died haYe died
in the peace of the gospel. Oh, Is there
nothing in household that remembers
Gods holy dayr Can it be possible
that those who disregard this holy COM
mandment can be prospered for this lite,
or have any good hope OF the life that
is to conner
Again, we ought to have in the Sab
bath the
CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLAGE.
Where are all those people going ON the
Sabbath? You see them moving up and
down the street. Is it feStal day?
people might ask. Has there been
some public edict commanding the
people to come forth? No, they are
only worshippers of God, who are going
to their places of religious service. In
what delicate scale shall Iweigh the Joy OF
Christian convocation? 1t gives bright
ness to the eye, and a flush to the cheek,
and a pressure to the hand, and thrill
to the heart. You see the aged man
tottering along on his staff through the
aisle. You see the little child led by the
hand of its mother. You look around
and rejoice that this is Gods day, and
this the communion of saints.
I look upon the Church of God as
one vast hoSanna. Joy dripping from
the baptismal font, joy glowing in the
sacramental cup, joy warbling IN the
anthem, joy beating against the gate of
Heaven with a hallelujah like the voice
of mighty thunderings. Beautiful for
situation, the JOY of the whole earth is
| Mount Zion." 1t is the day and place
where Christ reviews His troops, bring
| ing them out in companies and regi-
| ments and battalions. riding along the
| line, examining the battle-torn flags of
| past combat, and cheering them on to
future victories. Oh, the joy of Chris
tan assemblage!
l remark also, we have IN this day
| the JOY of
| ETERNAL SABBATISM.
| I do not DeIleve it possible for any
| Christian to spend the Lords day here
without thinking of Heaven. There is
something in the gathering of people in
| church on earth to make one think of
the rapt assemblage of the skies. There
is something in the song Of the Chris
tian Church to make one think of the
song of the elders before the throne, the
| harpists and the trumpeters of God ac-
companying the harmony. The light
of better Sabbath gilds the top of this,
and earth and heaven come within
speaking-distance of each other, the
song of triumph waving backward and
| forward, now tossed up by the Church
! of earth, now sent back by the Church
of heaven.
| "Day of all the week the best,
| Emblem of eternal rest"
The Christian man stands radiant in
| it's light. His bereft heart rejoices at
the thought of country where there is
| neither a coffin nor grave; his weary
body glows at the idea Of a land where
there are no burdens to carry, and no
exhaustive journeys to take. He eats
the grapes of Eshcol. He stands upon
the mountain-top, and looks off upon
the promised land.
TWO TREASURES TO PROTECT.
! With what revulsion, and with what
pity we must look out on that large
class cf persons in our day who would
| throw discredIt upon the Lords day.
| There are two things which Christian
people ought never to give up; the one
| is the Bible, the other is the Sabbath.
Take away one, and you take both.
Take either, and farewell to Chris
tianity in this country, farewell to our
| civil and religious liberties. When they
90, all go. He who has ever spent Sun
| day in Paris, or Antwerp, or Rome. if
he be an intelligent Christian, will pray
| God that the day will never come when
the Sabbath of continental Europe shall
put it's foot upon our shores. 1 had a