The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1893-03-25

army, and l was resolved not TO 90
home until l could answer her first
question" Oh the almost omnipotent
power of the mother! But If both the
and the mother be right, then
the children are almost sure to be right.
o, young man with cheek flushed
dissipation! how long is it since
you have been out to your fathers
grave? Perhaps h storms of the last
few days may have bent the head
stone until it leans far over. You had
better GO out and see whether the let
tering has been defaced. You had bet
ter go out and see whether the gate of
the lot is closed. You had better go
out and see if you cannot find n SER
in the s%pringing grass. o, young
go out this week and see your
fathers grave. Religion did so much
for our Christian ancestry, are we not
ready this morning to be willing to re-
ceive it into our own households? II
we do receive it, let it come through
the front door, not through the back
door. In other words, do not let us
smuggle it in. There are a great
many families who want to be reli-
gious, but they do not want anybody
outside to know it. They would be
mortified to death if you caught them
at family prayers. They would not
sing in the worship for fear their
neighbors would hear them. They do
not nave prayers when they have com
pany.
They do not know much about the
nnht1ifr 90 tho ruactafn fronnar
traveller going along was vertaken by
night and a storm, and he entered a
cabin. There were firearms hung up
around the cabin. He was alarmed.
He had a large amount of money with
him, but he did not dare to venture out
into the night and storm. He did not
like the looks of the household. After
awhile the father, the western trapper,
came in, gun ON shoulder and when
the traveller looked at him he w still
more affrighted. After awhile the-am-
lily were whispering together in n
corner of the room, and the traveller
thought TO himself: sob! now my time
has come; l wish I was out in the storm
and in the night rather than here"
But the swarthy man came up to him
and said: 'tSir, we are a rough
people; we get our living by hunt
ing, and we are very tired when
the night comes; but before we go to
bed we always have a habit of reading
a little put of the Bible and having
prayers, and / think we will have our
usual custom tonight, and If you don't
belive in that kind of thing, if you will
Just step outside the door for q little
while 1 will be much obliged to you"
Oh! there are many Christian parents
who have not half the courage of that
western trapper. They do not want
their religion projecting too conspicu-
ously. They would like to have it near
by so as to call on it in case of q funeral;
but as to having it dominant in the
household from the 1st of January, Z
o'clock a. m, to the 31st, Of December,
10 o'clock p. M, they do not want it.
They would rather die and have their
families perish with them than to cry
put 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 line, an
incident S strangely impressive hat it
seems more like a than reality.
1t has sometimes been so inaccurately
put forth that l now give you. the true
incident My grandfather and grand
mother, living at Someryille, N. j.,
went to Baskingridge to witness a re-
vival under the ministry of Rev. DIR.
Finley. They came home SO impressed
with what they had seer that they re-
solved on the salvation of their child
rem.
The young people Of the he were
to go off for an evening pa. land my
grandmother said:
Now, when you are all ready for the
party, come to my room, for l have
something very important to tell you
All ready for departure, they came to
her room, and she said to them: 'Now,
1 want you to remember, while you are
away this evening, that l I'm all the
time in this room praying for your
salvation, and / shall not cease pray.
ing until you get back" The young
people went to the party, but, annie
the loudest hilarities of the night, they
could not forget that their mother wal
p laying for them. The evening passed
anu tne nlBnu passed..
The next day my grandparents heart
an cutlery in an adjoining room, an,
they went in and found their daughte
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 fount
my uncle Jehiah, who afterwards be
came a minister Of the gospel, crying t,
God for mercy. They went to tn
wagon house. They found their Sol
David, who afterwards became my
father, ~inploring Gods pardon and
mercy. Before a great while the whole
family were saved, and David went ant
told the story to a young woman t.
whom he was afiianced, who, as the re
suit of the story, became a Christian
and from her own lips-my mothers
/ have received the incident.
The story of hat converted house
hold ran through all the neighborhood
from family to family, until the Who'll
region was whelmed with religion
awakening, and at the next communion
in the village church at Somerville owe
200 souls stood up to profess the faitl
of the gospel. My mother, carrying
the memory of this scene from earl,
womanhood into farther life, in afte
years resolved upon the salvation o
her children, and for many years ever.
week she met three other Christian
mothers to pray for the salvation o
their families. / think that all tn,
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 t
that hour when my Chistian grand
mother sat in her room imploring tn
blessing of God upon her children
Nine of her descendants became preach
ers of the agospcl Maayss9a 4
sceudants are ii H<nxen. iaany 81 ta1er
still Chr Sst conflict Did /
\ pay for her 70 spend the whole evening
IN prayer for her household? Ask he
before the throne of God, surrounde
by her children. In the presence of tn
Christian church to-day 1 make thi
record of ancestral piety. Oh! there
q beauty and a tenderness and a sublin
ity in family religion.
There are but four or five pictures j
the old family Bible that l inherited
but Dore never illustrated a Bible a
that book is illustrated to my eyes
Through it l can see into marriages an
burials, joys and sorrows, meetings an
partings. Thanksgiving days an
Christmas festivals, cradles and deatf
hol, old old hoolrI small ont md 70