The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1893-05-13
RELIGION AT HOME.
Discourse by Rev. T. Dewitt Tall
mage in Chicago.
The Importance and Value OF Religion In
the Home Circle = Effect Of
Family Prayer on tho
Daily Life.

L
The following discourse on the sub
ject Of Religion at Home" was deliv-
cred by Rev. t. Dewitt Talmage dur
ing recent visit to Chicago. 1t was
based on the text:
AS for me and my house, We viii serve the |
Lord.
In enlarging on this theme the preach
Absuard, Joshua! You will have no
time for family religion; you are mill
itary character spd your. time will be
taken up with affairs connected with
the army; you are statesman, and
your time will be taken up with public
affairs; you are the Washington. the
Wellington, the Mcmahon of the Israel
itish host; you will have great many
questions to settle; you will have no
time for religion. But Joshua, with the
same voice with which he commanded
the sun and moon to halt and stack
arms of light on the parade-ground OF
the heavens, says: 'As for me and my
house, we will serve the Lord"
Before we adopt the resolution OF
this old soldier we want to be certain
IL is wise resolution. If religion is
going to put my piano out of tune, and
clog the feet of children racing through
the hall, and sour the. bread, and put
Grape on the door bell, do not want it
in the house. / once gave six dollars to
hear Jenny Lind MARBLE. have never
given cent to hear any one groan.
Will this religion spoken of in my text
90 anything for the dining hall, for the
nursery, for the parlor, for the sleep
ing apartment?
1t is great deal easier to invite
disagrceable guest than to get rid OF
him. If you do not want religion you
had better not ask it tc come, for after
coming it may stay great while.
Isaac Watts went TO visit Sir Thomas
and Lady Abney at their place in The.
obold, and was to stay a week. and
stayed thirty-fve years; and If religion
once gets into your household the prob
ability is that it will stay there for
ever.
Now the question want to discuss
is: What will religion do for the house
hold? Question the first. What did II
do for your fathers house, If you were
brought up in Christian homer
That whole scene has vanished, bu
It comes back to-day. The hour TO
morning prayers came. You were in
vited in. Somewhat fdgety, you sa
and listened. Your father made NJ
pretension to rhetorical reading, and h
lust went through the chapter in
plain, straightforward way. Then yo'
ali knelt 1t was about the sam
PRAYER morning by morning and nigh
after night, for he had the same sins 7
ask pardon for, and he had the sam
blessings for which to be grateful da
after day and year after year. Tn
prayer was longer than you would lik
70 have had it, for the game at ba
was waiting, or the skates were lyin
under the shed, or the school book
needed one or twomore looking at tn
lessons. Your parents, somewhs
rheumatic and stiffened with ag
found it difficult to rise from the
kneeling. The chair at which the
lnelt is gone, the Bible out OF whic
they read has perhaps fallen to piece
the parents are gone, the children sea
tered north, east, south ana west' u
that whole scene flashes upon yo'
memory to-day.
Was that morning and evening exc
else in your fathers house debasing
eleyating? Is it not among the mo
.acred "reminiscences? You were n
MS devotional as some of the older mel
hers of your fathers house who we
lxneeling with you at the time, and y
did not bow your head as closely
thew did. and you looked around al
Won saw just the posture your faith
and mother assumed while they we
l.neeliur on the floor. The whole see
is so photographed on your memo
that If you were an artist you cou
draw it now just as they kneit
how much would you have that see
obliterated from your memory? 1t
comes back to-day, and you are in
homestead again. Father is the
mother is there, all of you childr
pre there. 1t is the sa me old pray
the same thanksgiving. The fam
nravers of 1910, 1850 as fresh in ye
memory as though they were utter
yesterday. The tear that starts fr
your eve meitS all e'"e
Is II? why, many time 1t has n
vuu steady in the struggles OF life. J
once started for place, and u
memory jerlxed you back, ana
could not enter.
The broken PRAYER of your father
had more effect upon you than all
ever read in Shakespeare and NIL
and Tennyson and Dante You n
cone over mountains and across s.
you never for a. moment got ou'
.;rbt Of that domestic altar. Oh,
f,;endsl is it your opinion this morn
chat the ten or fifteen minutes
tracted from each day for family q
.;on was an economy or waste OF
- your fathers household? | tn
some Of us are coming to the conclu
that the religion which was IN
ssth.r,s house would be very ap
nr;ate religion for our homes. II
~ nrayers did not damage that no
hold there is no probability that
will damage our household.
as God dead?" said ch'ld TO
father. ).
.WelL she said. when mother
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