Milford chronicle., 1893-08-25
RELIGIOUs TRAMPs-


to give any idea that I approve of that
vagrant class who go around from place to
place, ranging their whole life time perhaps
under the auspices OF some benevolent or
philanthropio society, quartering them
selves on Christian families, with great
pile of trunks in the hall and carpet bag
portentous of tarrying. There is many
country parsonage that looks out week bv
week upon the ominOus arrival of wagon
with creaking wheel and Iank horse and
dilapidated driver, come under the auspices
Of some charitable institution to spend a
few weeks and canvass the neighborhood.
Let no such religious tramps take advan-
tage Of this beautiful virtue of Christian
hospitality.
Not so much the sumptuousness of your
diet and the regality of your abode will i'm
press the friend or the stranger that steps
across your threshold as the warmth of your
greeting, the informality Of your reception.
the reiteration by grasp and by look and
| by thousand attentions, insignificant at
tentions, of your earnestness of welcome,
There will be high appreciation of your
welcome, although you have nothing but
the brazen eandlestick and the plain chair
to offer Elisha when he comes to Shunem.
Most beautiful is this grace of hospitality
when shown in the house of God. l am
thankful that am pastor of a church where
strangers are always welcome, and there is
not a state of the Union in which l have
not heard the affability of the ushers of our
church complimented But have entered
churches where there was no hospitality.
A stranger would stand In the vestibule for
awhile and then make pilgrimage up the /
long aisle. No door opened to him until,
flushed and excited and embarrassed, he /
started back again and coming to some
half filed pew with apologize air entered |
it, while the occupants glared on him with
a look which seemed to say, "WeI, if / |
must, must" Away with such accursed (
indecency from the house of Godl Let ev- /
cry church that would maintain large |
Christian influence in community culture
Sabbath by Sabbath this beautiful grace Of
Christian hospitality.
CHRISTIAN HOSPITALITY.
A good man travelling in the far west in
the wilderness was overtaken by night and
storm, and he put in at a cabin He saw
firearms along the beams Of the cabin, and
he felt alarmed. He did not know but that
he had fallen into a den of thieves. He sat
there greatly perturbed. After awhile the
man of the house came home with a gun on
his shoulder and set it down in a corner
The stranger was still more alarmed. Ait
er awhile the man of the house whispered
with his wife, and the stranger thought
his destruction was being planned
Then the man Of the house came forward
and said to the stranger: Stranger, we are
3 rough and rude people out here, and we
work hard for living. We make our liy-
ing by hunting, and when we come to the
lightiall we are tired, and weare apt to go
TO bed early, and before retiring we are al
ways in the habit Of reading chapter from :
The word Of God and making prayer. II
you don't like such things, If you will just !
itep outside the door until we get through c
sll be greatly obliged to you.n OF course {
he stranger tarried in the room, and the 3
Sd hunter took hold of the horns Of the ;
lltar and brought down the blessing Of {
iod upon his household and upon the 7
stranger within their gates. Rude but glo- O
ious Christian hospitality
Again, this woman in my text was great I
n her kindness toward Gods messenger. =
elisha may have been a stranger in that @
but as she found out he had O
ome on a divine mission be was cordially Q
welcomed. We have a great many books {
a our day about the hardships Of ministers +
md the trials Of Christian ministers,
gish aomehndV would write a book about