The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-03-22

lney would ike 10 nave IL near Dy, 30 10
to call on 1t in case of a funeral; but as to
having 1t dominant in the household
from the 1st Of January, o'clock a M,
to the S1st Of December. 10 o'clock p. m,
they do not wantit They would rath-
er die and have their families perish
with them than to cry out in the bold
words Of the soldier in my text: "As
for me and my house, we will serve the
Lord"
There was, in my ancestral hne an
incident SO strangely impressive that 1t
seems more like romance than reality.
1t has sometimes been so inaccurateiy
put forth that now give you the true
incident My grandfather and grand
mother, living at Somerville, N D.,
went to Baskingridge to witness re-
vival under the ministry OF Rev. Dr.
Finley. They came home SO impressed
with what they had seen that they re-
solved on the salvation OF their children
The young people Of the house were
to go off for an evening party, and my
grandmother said:
''Now, when you are all ready for the
party, come to my room, for ] have
something very important to tell you.
All ready for departure they came to
her room, and she said to them'
''Now, want you to remember while
you are away this evening that am
all the time in this room praying for
your salvation, and 1 shall not cease
praying until you get back" The
young people went to the party. but
amid the loudest hilarities Of the night
they could not forget that their mother
was praying for them. The evening
passed and the night passed.
The next day my grandparents heard
an outcry in an adjoining room, and
they went in and found their daughter
imploring the salvation of the gospel
The daughter told them that her broth
ers were at the barn and at the wagon
house under powerful conviction Of sin.
They went to the barn. They found
my Uncle Jehiah, who afterwards be-
came minister of the gospel, crying to
God for mercy. They went to the
wagon-house. They found their SON
David, who afterwards became my
father, imploring Gods pardon and
mercy. Before great while the whole
family were saved, and David went and
told the story to q young woman to
whom he was affianced, who, as q re-
suit Of the story, became Christian,
and from her own lips-my mother's-I
have received the incident.
The story Of that converted house
hold ran through all the neighborhood,
from family to family, until the whole
region was whelmed with religious
awakening, and at the next communion
in the village church at Somerville,
over two hundred souls stood up to pro
fess the faith of the gospel. My mother,
carrying the memory Of this scene from
early womanhoOd into farther life, in
after years was resolved upon the sal
walton OF her children, and for many
years every week she met three other
Christian mothers to pray for the saliva
ton Of their families think that all
the members Of those families were
saved--myself, the youngest and the
last
There were twelve OF us children.
trace the whole line OF mercy back tc
that hour when my Christian grand.
mother sat in her room imploring the
blessing OF God upon her children.
Nine of her descendants became preach.
ers Of the gospel. Many Of her de-
scendants are in Heaven, many Of them
still in the Christian conflict Did II
pay for her to spend the whole evening
in prayer for her householdp Ask hei
before the throne Of God, surrounded
by her children. In the presence OF the
Christian church to-day, make this
record OF ancestral piety. Oh! there IL
beauty, and tenderness, and sub
Unity in family religion.
There are four or five pictures in the
old family Bible that | inherited, but
Dore never illustrated a Bible as that
book is illustrated to my eyes Through
Il | can see into marriages and burials,
Joys and sorrows, meetings and part
ings, Thanksgiving days and Christ.
mas festivals, cradles and death beds.
Old, old bookl Speak out and tell oi
the sorrows comforted, and OF the
dying hours irradiated. Old, old book
the hands that held thee are ashes, the
eyes that pursued thee are closed What
pillow thou wouldst make for q
dying headl / salute all the memories
OF the past when press II TO my heart,
and when press it to my lips
o, that family Bible! The New Testa-
ment In small type is not worthy Of be.
ing called by that name. Have whole
Bible In large type, with the family
record Of marriages and births and
deaths. What II the curious should
turn over the leaves TO see how old you
arep You are younger now than you
will ever be again. The curious will
find out from those with whom you
have played in your childhood how old
you are Have family Bible. IL will
20 down from generation 10 generation,
full Of holy memories A hundred year,
after you are dead IL will be benedic
ton TO those who come after you.
Other books, worn out, or falien apart
will be flung to the garret or the cellar
but this will be inviolate, and It will b,
your protest for centuries against in
iquity, and In behalf OF righteousness
Oil when we see what family religion
did for our household, do we not wan
II TO come into the dining-room to breal
the bread, into the nursery 70 bless th,
4 young, into the parlor to purify th,
socialities, into the library to contro
tho raadino into the bcdroom IN hallo,,