Milford chronicle., 1893-03-24

there Is q beauty and tenderness ana q
sublimity in family religionl
There are but 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 1t can
see into marriages and burials, joys and
sorrows, meetings and partings, Thanks
giving days and Christmas festivals, cra-
dies and doathbeds Old, old book speak
out and tell Of the sorrows comforted and
of the dying hours irradiated Old, old
bookl the hands that held thee ere ashes,
the eyes that perused thee are closed.
What pillow thou wouldst make Tor a
dying head salute all the memories Of
the past when press it to my heart and
when press it to my lips.
THE OLD FAMILY BIBLE
Oh, that family Biblel The New Testa-
ment in small type is not worthy Of being
called by that name. Have whole Bible
in large type, with the family record Of
marriages and births and deaths. What if
the curious should turn over the leaves to
see how old you arel 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 go down
from generation to generation full Of holy
memories. a hundred years after you are
dead it will be benedictiOn to those who
come after you. Other books worn ont or
fallen apart will be flung to the garnet or
the cellar, but this will be inviolate, and it
will be your protest for centuries against in
iquity and in behalf Of righteousness.
oh, when we see what family religion
did for our fathers household, do we not
want it to come into the dining room TO
break the bread, into the nursery to bless
the young, into the parlOr to purify the
sOoialities, into the library to control the
reading, into the bedroom to hallow the
slumber, into the hall to watch our going
out and our coming in? Aye, there are
hundreds of voices in this house ready to
cry out: "Yesl Yesl As for me and my
house, we will serve the Lord.
There are two arms to this subject. The
one arm puts its hand on all parents. It
says to them: Don't interfere with your
children welfare. Don't interfere with
their eternal happiness. Don't You by any
thing you do put out your foot and trip
them into ruin. Start them under the shell
ter, the insurance, the everlasting help Of
Christian parentage. Catechisms will not
save them, though eatechisms are good.
The rod will not save them, though the rod
may be necessary. Lessons Of virtue will
not save them, though they are very inn
portant. Becoming through ndthrough,
up and down, ont and out Christian your
self will make them Christians"
The other arm OF this subject puts its
hand upon those who had pious bringing
up, but who as yet have disappointed the
expectations excited IN regard to them, !
said that children brought up in Christian
households, though they might make a
wide curve, were very apt to come back to
the straight path. Have you not been
curving out long enough, and is it not
most time for you to begin to curve in?
"Oh" you say, they were too rigid"
Well now, my brother, | think you have
pretty good character considering what you
say your parents were. Do net boast too
much about the style in which Jour parents
brought you up Might it not be possible
that you would be an exception to the gen
eral rule laid down, and that you might
spend your eternity in different world
from that in which your parents are spend
ing theirs'
! feel anxious about you; you feel anx-
ious about yourself. Oh, cross over into
the right pathl If your parents prayed fer
you twice day-each of them twice day
for 20 years--that would make $1,000 pray
e1s fer you Think Of them!
By the memory of the cradle in which
your childhood was rocked with the foot
that long ago ceased to move; by the crib in
which your own children slumber night by
night under Gods protecting care; by 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 aad mother, will
find your last reposc, urge you to the dis
charge Of your duty.
Though parents may in covenant be
And have their heaven in view,
They are not happy till they see
Their children happy too,
Oh, You departed Christian ancestry |
fathers and mothers in glory, bend from the
skies today and give new emphasis to what |
you told US on earth with many tears and /
anxietiesl Keep place for us by your
blissful side, for today, in the presence Of
earth and heaven and hell and by the help |
Of the cross, and amid overwhelming and |
gracious memories, we resolve, each one for |
himself, AS for me and my house, we will |
serve the Lord"