Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-03-25

After awhile the family were whispering
together in one corner of the room. AMI tbs
traveller thought to himself: s'Oh! now my
time has come; 1 wish | was out in
the storm AMI in the night rather
than here" But the swarthy man came W
to him and said: 'Sir, we are a rough peo-
PIE; we get our living by hunting, an we ara
very tired when the night conss; put before
going to bed vs. always have habit OF read
Ing little out of thu Bible and having
prayers, aud | think We Will have our usual
custo n tonight, and if you don't belleys In
that kind of raiug if you viii just step aat-
side the door for littls waile 1 will bs mu-s
obliged to you.n
Oil there are many Christian parents
who have not half the cJurags OF that
western trappar. They do not want their
religion projecting too conspicuousiy. They
would like To have it near by SO as to call on
it IN case of a funeral, out as to having l5
dominant in the household from this 1st of
January, O'CLOCK a. M, to the 3lst OF De-
cemoer, 10 O'Clock p. m, they do not want
it. They would rather die an havs taeir
families PERISH with them tlan to cry out in
the bold words of tbs soldier in my text,
"As for me and my house, We will serve
the Lord"
There was, in my anc sstral line. an incl
dent SO strangely impressive that 1t sssms
more like romance than reality. 1t has
l now give you the true incident. My grand.
father and grandmother, living at Soner-
vile. N. j., went to Baskinridge to witness
a revival under the ministry of the Rev. DR..
Finley. They came nome SO impressed With
what they had seen that they resolved on
the salvation of their children.
The young people OF the house were to go
of for an evening party, ami my grant,
mother said:
Dh all fv t,a
party, come to my room, for have some.
thing very important to tell you" All
ready for departure, they came to her room,
and she said to them, "Noy, | want you to
remember, while you are away this even!
ingg, that am all the time in this room
praying for your salvation. and snail not
cease praying until you get back" Tn,
young people went to the party, but ami;
the loudesu hilarities OF tins night they coull
not forget that their motaer was prayin1
Tor them. The evening passed, and the might
passed.
The next day my grandparents heard an
cutlery in an adjoining room, and they went
in and foun their daughter implo ring TIL
salvation Of the gospel. The daughter tolc
them that her brothers vera at the bard
and at the wagon house under powerful con-
v.ction of sin. They went to the barn.
They found my Uncle Jeniah, vino after.
q
ing to God for mercy They went to tle
wagon house. They found their son David,
who afterwArd became my father, implor:
ing Cots 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 atiancef, who as
result of the story became Christian, ami
from her own lips-my mother's-l have re-
ceived the incident.
Of hat
ran throu III all the neighborhoo1 from
family to family until the whole region was
whelmed with religious awakening, AMI at
the next communion in The village church
at Someryilie over go souls stood up to pro-
less the faith of the gospel. My mother,
carrying the memory OF this scene from
early womauhooi into further life, IN after
years was resoivedu BON the salvation OF her
children, and for many years every TeeS
.he met three other Christian mothers to
pray for the salvation OF their families. L
think that all the me n bers of tfose families
were aye! --pyse-@. thu gogn.T 1t and last.
~S,-- -. a.. ~ - e.ao
wnoie line Of mercy oac& to That hour wnsR
my Christian grandmother sat IN ner room
i nploring the blessing Of Col upon her
children. Nine of her descendants oecans
preachers of the gospel. Many OF her de-
scendaDts are in heaven. many OF them still
N toe Carisulan conflict. DID it pay for he-
to spend the whole evening in prayer for
her household Ask her befors the tarone
of Col, surrounded by her children. In the
presence or the Christian church to- day L
make this record of ancestral plety. Oa,
there Is beauty, AMI ten terness, anu
su 1limlty in family religionl
There are but four or i've pictures in the
old family Bioie that | inherited, but Dore
never Illustrated Bible as taat DOCK is il
lusuated TO my eyes. Through it cln see
into marriages ami burials, Joys and sor-
rows, meetings and partings Thanksgiving
days ami Christian festivals, era lies an
death oeds. Ola Old BOOK, speak out and tell
OF the sorrows comtortei and of tae dying
hours lrra1iated. Oh, OLD book, the hands
that held thee are ashes the eyes tnat per
sued thee are ciosed. Waat q pillar thou
woul ist make for dying heal. L saluta
all the memories of the past wnen l press II
to my heart and when press It TO my npS
On, that Iamiiy B.o,ei Inc New Iesta
ment In sinai type is not worthy OF bein:
called DIV that ma me- dave a waole Biole IL
large type, wltl the family recori OF mar
riages and births AMI deaths What il tat
curious snoul1 turn over t1s leaves to Sc;
how old you are? You are younger no5
than you will ever be again. Vne curiou
will lind out iron thoss with wdon Yo
have Naval in your child aanI my nIt AFd
are, Have FANNY Binls. II W u 60 down
memories. A hundred years after you ara
ceai it vi be a heneiicUion to those who
come after you. Other books, worn out or
fallen apart. W II be flung TO the garnet or
the cellar but this will ts invoate, AMI il
will be your protest for centuries against
iniquitv and in behalf OF rightcc::;:1s--'=ss.
Or, when we see what family religion die
for cur fathers household. do we not want
it to come into the dining-room tn break the
int %ha tn
into the par,or to purify the sociaities, into
the library to control the reaiing, into the
bedroom to hallow the siumbsr, into the hall
to watch our going ont AMI our coming m
Ave there are hundreds of voices IN this
Acuse ready to cry ont; "Yesl Yes! A;
for me and my house.. we will serve the
T.ordn
There are two arms to this subject. the
one arm puts its hani on all parents. Ii
says TO tnemi Don't interfere with your
chill lren's welfare, don't interfere with theig
eternal happiness, don't you by anytbiny
You do nut out your foot "A / tip them into
ruin. Start them under the shelter. the in.
surance, the everlasting help of Christian
parentage. Cateohisms will not have them,
though catechisms are good. The rod will
not save them, trough the roll may be necas.
sary. Lessons of virtue will rot save them.
though they are very important. Becoming
through AMI through, up and down, out
and out Christian yourself will make them
Christians"
The other arm OF this subject puts it,
hand upon those who had pious bringing
up but who as yet hava disaooointsd the
EXPECTATIONS excite in reyar q tn4 ii.
said that children brought ~ in Christian
households, though they might ma e a
wide curve, were very apt to come back to
the straight path. Have YOU not been
curving out long enough, ami is it not most
time Tor you to begin to curve in2
'Oh," you say, ''shey vera too rigid"
Well now, my brother, think you have a
pretty gooi character considering wat you
say your plren,s were. D. not boast tho
much a out the style il VII CT your parents
brought you up. Might it not be possible
that you would be All exception to the gen
eral rule laid down, aul that YOU might
spend your eternity in a different W nd
from that in which your parents are spend
ing therss
feel anxious about you; you feel anx ous
about yourself. o., cross over INTO tas right
path. II your parents praye for voa NV CO
r day, each OF them twics GaY for 90 years
that would make 80 900 prayers for You.
Think of them
By the memory of the cradle in which
your chiidhoot was rocked with the fooe
that long ago ceased to move, by the crib in
which your own children umber night by
night under Cots protecting cara, 10y the
two graves in which sleep those two Old
hearts that beat with love so long for your
welfare, and by the two graves in which
you, now the living father AMI mother, viii
lind your last repose, | urge you 10 the dis
charge of your duty.
Though parents may IN covenant bs
And have ther heaven in view,
They ass not atp5y TIL they sss
Tneir cliiiren happy TOO.
o., you departed Christian arc estry.