The Globe-republican., 1892-06-13


world and the next The children paw
not so much attention to the prayer. for
it is about the same thing day after daY.
but it puts upon them an impression
that 10000 years will only make more
vivid and tremendous. As long as the
old folks live their prayer is for their
children and their chiIdren's children.
Day in and day out, month in and month
out year in and year out, decade in and
decade out the sons and daughters OF
that family are remembered in earnest
prayer. and they know it. and they feel
it, and they cannot get away from 1t.
Two funerals after awhile-nOt more
than two years apart, for it is seldom
that there is more than that lapse Of
time between fathers going and moth
er's going-two funerals put out Of sight
the old folks. But where are the chill
dren? rhe daughters are in homes
where they are lncarnations Of good
sense, industry and piety. The sons,
perhaps one a farmer. another q mer-
chant, another q mechanic, another .
physician, another minister of the Cos
pei. useful consistent, admired, honOred.
What power for good those seven sons
and daughters. Where did they get the
power? From the schools and the semi
naries. and the colleges? Oh. no, though
these may have helped. From their su-
periOr mental endowment? No, I do
not think they had unusual mental cali
Der? From accidental circumstances?
No. they had nothing OF what is called
astounding good luck.
think we will take train and ride
to the depot nearest to the old home
stead from which those men and women
started. The train halts. Let US stop
. few minutes at the village graveyard
and see the tOmbstones of the parents.
Yes, the one was "a years Of age and the
other -, and the epitaph says that 'tsf-
ter useful life they died Christian
death" How appropriately the Scrip
ture passage cut on the mothers tomb
stone. "She hath done what she could"
And how beautiful the passage on the
fathers tombstone, BLESSED are the
dead who die in the Lord. for they rest
from their laborS and their works do fol-
low them
On over tho country road we ride-the
road little rough, for the spring weather
is not quite settled, and once down in a
rut it is Lard 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
to thrash the trees for apples, sometimes
before they were quite ripe There Is
the now where they hunted for eggs be-
fore Easter. There is the doorsill upon
which they used to sit. There is the
room in which they had family prayers
and where they all knelt-thc 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 earthly
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 control their children.
There come times in boys lite when he
thinks he knows more than his father
does, and remember now that l knew
more at Is years of age than l have
ever known since.
There come time in girls life when
she thinks her mother is notiOnal and
does not understand what Is proper and
best, and the sweet child says. 'Oh,
pshaw" and she longs for the time when
she will not be dictated to, and she goes
out of the door or goes to bed with pout-
ing lips, and these mothers remember for
themselves that they knew more at Ii
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 sympathetic and
Omnipotent God into your parental un-
dertaking. Do not waste your time In
reading flimsy books about the best ways
to bring up children. Go into the secret
place Of thunder.
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 minister
could tell you thrilling story of SER
mons-sermons hasty and impromtu. be-
cause OF funerals and sickbeds and an
noyances in the parish; yet those ser
mons harvesting many souls for God.
And then Of sermons prepared with great
care and research and toll uninterrupted;
yet those sermons falling fat or power
less. Or the same sermon nightly
blessed on one occasion and useless on
another. How we'll remember SER
mon preached at 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
service, and had myself been unusually
prayerful, and we had Pentecostal
blessing while was preaching it. That
afternoon l took the train for q great
outdoor meeting in Ohio. said to my
self. This sermon was blessed to-day
and it is fresh In my mind. and I will
preach it tomorrow in Ohio" And I
did preach it. but not in as prsverfui .
spirit. and think no one else had been
praying about 1t, and 1t turned into the
most insne and profitless discourse that I
ever delivered. 1t was practically the
same sermon, but on Wednesday it had
on it a power that comes from the secret
place of thunder, and on Thursday 1t had
on 1t no such power at ALL
VoAnosdov vunenin~