The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1892-06-01


blue edged dishes are on the table, and the
lid of the kettle on the hearth begins TO
rattle with the steam, and the shadow of
the industrious woman by the Pickering
flame on the hearth is moved up and down
the wall. The father is at the barn feed
ing the stock-the oats thrown into the
horses bin and the cattle craunching the
corn. The children, earlier than they
would like and after being called twice.
are gathered at the table.
The blessing of God is asked on the food,
and the meal over the family Bible is put
upon the white table cloth, and chapter
is read and prayer made. which includes
all the interests for this world and the
next The children pay not so much at
tention to the prayer, for il is about the
same thing day after day. but it puts upon
them an impression that ten Thousand
years will only make more vivid and ire
mendous. As long the old folks live
their prayer is for their children and their
children'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 it.
Two funerals after awhile-not more
than two years apart. for it is seldom that
there is more than that lapse of time be-
tween fathers going and mothers going
two funerals put out of sight the old folks.
But where are the children? The dauch-
ters are in homes where they are incarna-
tions OF good sense, industry and piety
The sons, perhaps one a farmer, another
merchant, another a mechanic. another a
physician. another minister of the Gospel
useful consistent, admired konored What
a power for good those seven sons and
daughters Where did they get the power?
From the schools, and the Summaries. and
the colleges' Oh, no, though these may
have helped. From their superior mental
endowment? No do not think they had
unusual mental caliber. From accidental
circumstances? No, they had nothing of
what is called astounding good luck.
INFLUENCE OF EARLY ASSOCIATIONS
think we will take a train and rice &c
the depot nearest to the homestead from
which those men and women started. The
train halts. Let us stop few minutes at
the village graveyard and see the tomb
stones of the parents. Yes, the one was
seventy-four years of age and the other
seventy-two, and the epitaph says that
after a useful life they died a Christian
death" How appropriately the Scripture
passage cut on the mothers tombstone,
''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 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 with
out breaking the shafts. But at last we
come to the lane in front of the farmhouse
LET mo GER Of ba vs-ac rOr,a md bs
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 before Easter. There is the door
sill upon which they used TO sit. There is
the room in which they had family prayers
and where Il ey all knelt-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 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 il seems that parents cannot
control their children There come times
in a boys life when he thinks be knows
more than his father does, and | remember
now that knew more at fifteen years of
age than 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,
nd = ha
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 remember for
themselves that they knew more at four
teen 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 a resource of prayer
that puts the sympathetic and omnipotent
God into your parental undertaking. Do
not waste your time in reading fimsy
books about the best ways to bring up
children. Go into the secret place of thun-
der.
The reason that we ministers 90 not &C
complish 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 o. sermons-ser-
mons hasty and impromptu, because of
funerals and sickbeds and annoyances in
the parish; yet those sermons harvesting
many souls for God. And then of sermons
prepared wi great care and research and
toll uninterrupted; yet those sermons fall
ing fat or powerless. Or of the same SER
mon nightly blessed on one occasion and
useless on another. How well remember
q sermon ! preached at great outdoor
meeting 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 bless
ing while / was preaching it. That after
noon took the train for a great outdoor
meeting in Ohio. | said to myself, This
sermon was blessed today and it is fresh in
my mind and will preach it tomorrow in
Ohio" And did preach it, but not in as
prayerful a spirit, and L think no one else
had been praying about it, and it turned
into the most inane and prohtless discourse
that / ever delivered. 1t was practically
the same sermon, bat on Wednesday it had
on it power that comes from the secret
place of thunder, and Thursday it had
on it no such power at all
PRAYER IN THE PULPIT
Oh, pray for usl Poor sermons in the
pulpit are the curse of God on a prayerless
parish. People say What is the matter
with the ministers in our time? So many
of III