The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1892-06-03

Une IOInDSIOueS OF tne parents. I eS, Une
one was seventy-four years of age and
the other was seventy-two, and the cpl
taph says that "after useful life they
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 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 to thrash the trees for
apples, sometimes before they were
quite ripe. There is the NOV where
they hunted for eggs before 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-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
ly 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 boys life when he thinks he knows
more than his father does, and | remem-
Der now that | knew more at fifteen
years of age than l have ever known
since.
There come times in girls life when
she thinks her mother is notional and
does not understand what is proper and
best, and the sweet child says, ooh,
pshaw!' and she longs for the time wher.
she will not have to be dictated to, ana
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 a
resource of prayer that puts the sympa~
thetic 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 thunder.
PRAY 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
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. hasty and impromptu
because of funerals and sickbeds and
annoyances 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 of the same sermon nightly
blessed on one occasion and useless OF
another. How well | remember a ser.
mon preached at great outdoor meet
ing in the upper part of this state. Fol
several days in that place prayers had
been offered for the success of the serv.
ice, and | had myself been unusually
and we had Pentecostal
blessing while l was preaching it.
That afternoon took the train for
great outdoor meeting in Ohio. sale
to myself, "This sermon was blessed to.
day and it is fresh in my mind, and
will preach it tomorrow in Ohio" AND
did preach it, but not in as prayerful
spirit, and think no one else had beer
praying about it, and it turned into thu
most inane and profitless discourse tina
| ever delivered. 1t was practically the
same sermon, but on Wednesday it had
on it power that comes from the secret
place of thunder, and on Thursday il
had 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 witt
the Bible and they are trying to hell
Moses and Paul and Christ out of in
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
mp Raphael's TRANSPORTATION, or archi-
tects go to fixing up Christopher Wren'
St Paul's. But | will tell you what i
the matter. There are too many uncon-
verted ministers. Their hearts have
never been changed by the grace OF
God.
A mere intellectual ministry is the
leadest failure this side of perdition.
Alas for the Gospel of icicles! From
apologetics and hermeneutics and dog
mates, good Lord deliver US! They are
irving to get from transcendental the
Dlogy, or from profound exegesis, OF
from the art of splitting hairs between
north and northwest side instead Of get
III.