The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-05-31

taDn says CnaC hICeT Il USEFUL Lie IASy
died a Christian death" How appro-
priately the Scripture passage cut on the
mothers tombstone, ''She hath done
what she could" And how beautiful
the passage cut on the fathers tomb
stone. Blessed are the dead who die in
the Lord, for they rest from their labors
and their works do follow them"
On over the country road we ride
the road little rough, for the spring
weather Is not quite settled, and once
down in a rut it is hard to get the wheels
out again without breaking the shafts.
But at last We come to the lane in
front of the farmhouse. Let me get out
Of the wagon and open the gate while
you drive through. Here is the arbor
under which those boys and girls many
years ago used to play. But it is quite
out of order now. for the property Is in
other hands. Yonder is the orchard
where they used 10 thrash the trees for
apples, sometimes bsfore they were
quite ripe There is tie NOV where
they hunted for eggs before Easter.
There is the doorsil upon which they
used to sit. There is the room in which
they had family prayers and where they
all kne1t-the father there, the mother
there and the boys and girls there.
We have got to the fountain of pious
and gracious influences at last. That is
the place that decided those seven earth
" and immortal destinies. Behold!
Behold! That is the secret place of
thunder. Boys are seldom more than
their fathers will let them be. Girls
are seldom more than their mothers will
let them be. But there come times
when it seems that parents cannot con-
troll their children. There come times
in a boys life when he thinks he knows
more than his father does, and remem-
Der now that 1 knew more at fifteen
wears of age than 1 have ever known
since.
There come times in a girls life when
she thinks her mother is nOtiOnal and
does not understand what is proper and
best, and the sweet child says, ooh,
Dshawv' and she longs for the time when
she will not have to be dictated to, and
she goes out of the door or goes to bed
with pouting lips, and these mothers re
member for themselves that they knew
more at fourteen years of age than they
have ever known since. But, father and
mother, do not think you have lost your
| influence over your child. You have
resource of prayer that puts the sympa-
thetic and omnipotent God into your
parental undertaking. Do not waste
your time in reading fiimsy books about
the best ways to bring up children. Go
| into the secret place of thunder.
PRAV FOR THE PREACHERS.
The reason that we ministers do not
| accomplish more is because others do
not pray enough for US and we do not
pray enough for ourselves. Every min
/ lister could tell you thrilling story of
/ sermons-sernOns hasty and impromptu
/ because Of funerals and sickbeds and
! annoyances III the parish, yet those ser
mons harvesting many souls for God.
/ And then of sermons prepared with great
/ care and research and toll uninterrupted,
vet those sermons falling flat or power
. less, or Of the same sermon nightly
blessed on ono occasion and useless on
another. How we'll 1 remember a ser
mon [ preached at Il great outdoor meet
ing in the upper part of this state. For
several days in that place prayers had
been offered for the success Of the serv-
ice, and l had myself been unusually
prayerful, and We had Pentecostal
blessing while I was preaching it.
That afternoon 1 took the train for a
| great outdoor meeting ii Ohio. I said
to myself. This sermon was blessed to-
dav and it Is fresh III my mind, and |
. will preach it tomorrow il Ohio And
| did preach it, but not IL IS pTayerful a
spirit. and think no one else had been
praving about 1t, and It turned into the
most inane and proftlcss discourse that
/ ever delivered. 1t was practically the
same sermon, but on Wednesday it had
on it q power that comes from the secret
place OF thunder, and on Thursday it
mad on it no such power at all.
Oh. pray for US! Poor sermons in the
pulpit are the curse OF God on a prayer
| less parish People say: What is the
matter with the ministers in our time:
So many of them seem dissatisfied with
the Bible and they are trying to helT
Moses and Paul and Christ out of in,
consistencies and contradictions by fix
ing up the Bible As well let the mu
sicians go to work to fix up Hadyn's
Creation" or Handels Israel IL
Egypt" or let the painters go TO fixing
up Raphaers TRANSPORTATION, or archi
tects go to fixing up Christopher Wren:
81 Paul's. But will tell you what /:
the matter. There are, too many uncon
verified ministers. Their hearts have
never been changed by the grace o.
God.
A mere intellectual ministry is the
deadest failure this side of perdition
| Alas for the Gospel of icicles! From
Z apologetics and hermeneutics and dog
/ matics. good Lord deliver US! They ar
irving to get from transcendental the
ology, or from profound exegesis, O
: from the art of splitting hairs betweei
| north and northwest side instead of get
f ting their power from the secret plac
of thunder. We want the power mai
t gets when he is alone, the door locked
= on his knees; at midnight; with such
5 burden of souls upon him that make
l him cry out, first in lamentation an
then in raptures. ... ...-. ..-
: Let all the Sabbath school teacher
, oy,gs irat,-11 anH all II