Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-03-31
o,,,,,r,r ,rcurnsrs. IT was rne ratner asleep

| The Inns closed after so many years Of good
advice There are more tears falling in
mothers grave than in fathers grave, but
over the fathers tomb think there Is a kind
or awe. It is at that marble pillar many
young man has been revolutionized:
Oh Young man with cheek flushed with
dissipation how long is 1t since you have
been out to your fathers gravel Will you
not 20 this week. Perhaps the storms OF the
last few days may have bent the headstone
until it leans far over. You had better go
out AMI see whether the lettering has been
defacsd. You had bstter 60 out and see
whether the gate Of the lot is closed. You
lad better 20 and see if you cannot find a
sermon in the springng grass. %, young
man. 90 out this week and see your fathers
gravel
Religion did so much for our Christian an
cactrv' ara we not ready this morning to De
yilirnr to receive it into our own nousenolus!
IF wa DO reosiys it. let it come through the
front door. not through the back door. In
other words do not let us smuggle IL ~:
There are great many famllles VINO WAN
to be religious, but they do not wan1 any
poly outside to know 1t. Iney "oulu 20
mortified to death If you caugns Unem az
their family prayers. They would not sing
in the worship for fear the neighbors woul1
hear them. They do not have prayers Wnen
they have company.
I'hey do not know much about the nobility
of the western trapper. traveller gong
along was overtaken by night and storm,
and he entered cabin. There were firearms
hung 10 around the cabin. He was alarmed.
He had large amount OF moneJ' with hun.
bnt he did net dare " venture on into the
night in the storm. He did not like the looks
OF tile household. After awhile the father,
/ hHA ofof,
SHOULDER and wnen tae traveller loozet at
him be was still more affri .hted.
! After awhile the family were whispering
! together in one corner Of the room, AMI thu
| traveller thought to himself: ooh! now my
! time mas cone: 1 wish was out in
the storm anil in the night rather
than hereh But the s~arthy man came ~
to him and said: Sir, we are rough peo-
J p.e.we get our living by hunting, ami we are
very tired when the night comes: out before
going to bed We always have habit of read
ing little out of thu Bible and having
PRAYERS, aud think we will have our usual
custom tonight, and If you don't believe Id
that kind of thing if you will Just step OUT
side the door for a little while will be much
obliged to youin
OIL there are many Christian parents
VINO have not half the courage OF that
religion projecting too conspicuously. They
would like 70 nave it near by SO as to call on
it In case OF a funeral, but as to having 1t
dominant in tho household from the 1st OF
January, o'cloez a. M, to the 3lst OF De-
lem ger, 10 O'clock p. m, they DO not want
It. They would rather die an have tdeir
Families perish with them tlan to cry outln
the bold words Of the soldier in my text
"As for me ard my house, we will serve
the Lori"
There was, in my ncsstral line. an Incl.
dent so strangely Impressive that it seems
moro like romance than reality. 1t has
sometimes been so inaccurately put forth that
now give you the true inoldent. My grand.
father and grandmother, living at Soner-
Vile, n. j., went to Basxinridge to witness
IA revival under the ministry of tho Rev. DR..
finley. They came nome 50 impressed with
,wnat they hal seen that they resolved on
the salvation Of their children.
The young people OF the house were to go
of for an evening party, and my grand
mother salt
"Now, when you ara al really f5r tbs
,parLy, come to my room, for have some.
thing very important to tell you" Ali
ready for departure, they came to her room,
and she said to them, Nov, I want you to
remember while you ara away tnis even
ingg, that am all the time in this room
praying tor your salvation, and snail not
cease praying until you get back" The
young peopie went to the party, but amid
the lou1es5 hilarities Of toe night they could
not forget that their mother was praying
Tor them. the evening passed, and the nigh5
passed.
The next day my grandparents heard an
outcry in an adjoining roo n, and they went
in and foun their daughter imploring the
salvation of the gospel. Tho daughter told
them that her brothers vera ar the barn
land at the wagon house under powerful con-
vIction of sin. They went to the barn.
They found my Uncle Jeniah, VINO after
ward became minister OF the gospel, cry
ing to God for mercy. They went to tie
wagon house. They lound their son David,
who afterw ,rd became my father, implor-
ing Gods pardon and mercy. Before great
while the whole family were saved, and
David went and told the story to young
woman TO whom he was afiance1, who as a
result Of the story became Christian, and
from her own liDs--my mother's-I hayere-
eeived the incident,
The story or that converted household
ran through all the neighborhood from
family to family until the wnoie region was
wnelmed with religious awakening, an 4 at
the next communion IN the village cnurcn
at Somerviile over 30 souls stood up to pro-
less CuS IalU1 OL tHo SOSPoA 40J ihOVASit
carving the memory OF this scene from
early wOmanhoo1 into further life, in after
wears was resoivedu )on cue salvation OF her
children, and for many years every week
she met three other Cnristlan mothers TO
pray for tue salvation OF their families. L
think that all the me nbers Of those families
were saved -.r'vs-ns he vouny- st and last.
There were II of us chill iren. I trace the
whole line Of mercy oacx to that hour when
my Christian grandmother sat In ner room
imploring the blessing OF God upon her
children. Nine of her descendants became
preachers of the gospel. Macy Of her de-
soendants are in heaven. many OF them still
in the CnrisTian conflict. DID it pay for her
to spend the whole evening in prayer for
her household Ask her before the throne
of God, surrounded by her children. In the
presence OF the Christian CHURCH to. day
make this record OF ancestral piety. Oa,
there Is beauty, AMI tenderness, and
suulimIty in family religion!
There are but four or five pictures in the
old family Bible that inherited, but Dore
never illustrated a Bible as that BOOK is il
lustrated to my eyes. Through it | can see
into marriages and burials, joys and sor-
rows, meetings and partings Thanksgiving
days and Christian festivals, cradles nnt
deathoeds Old old book, speak out and cell
OF the sorrows comforted aud OF the dying
hours irradiated, Old, old book, the hands
that held thee are ashes, the eyes that per-
sued thee are closed. WHAT a pillar thou
woul1st make for a dying head. salute
all the memories of the past when l press it
to my hearJ and when press it to my lips.
On, that family Bible! The New resta-
ment in small type is not worthy OF being
called by that ma ne. Have wnole Bible In
large type, vita the family record OF mar
riages and births and deaths What II the