The Bossier banner., 1893-05-04

o'-~S '~'NNIh bi"plCIs bCy uO uOb
want their religion projecting too con.
spicuously. They would like to have
1t near by SO as to call on it in case of
a funeral; but as to having it domi-
nant in the household from the 1st of
January, seven o'clock a. M, to the
3lst of December, ten o'clock D. m i,
they do not want it. They would
rather die and have their families per-
ish with them than to cry out in the
bod 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 SO strangely impressive that it
seems more like romance than reality
1t has sometimes been 80 inaccurately
put forth that l now give you the true
incident My grandfather and grand
mother, living at Somerville, n. j.,
went to Baskingridge to witness n 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 chill
dren.
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,
l want you to remember, while you are
n hic Al
time in this room praying for your sal
vation, and | shall not cease praying
until you get back. The young people
went to the party, but, amid the loud
est hilarities of the night, they could
not forget that their mother was pray
ing 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 daugh-
ter implOring the salvation of the Cos
pei. The daughter told them that her
brothers were at the barn and at the
wagon house under powerful convic-
ton of sin. They went to the barn.
They found my uncle Jehiah, who aft
VI " HIu oCCtiIlC Ol GDe UOS-
pei, crying to God for mercy. They
went to the wagon house. They found
their son David, who afterwards be.
came my father, deploring Gods par
don and mercy. Before great while
the whole family were saved, and Da-
vid went and told the story TO a young
woman to whom he was affianced, who,
nc thn roC,,1t oe
Christian, and from her own lips-my
mother's-1 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 profess
the faith of the Gospel. Ny mother
carrying the memory of this scene from
early womanhood into farther life, in
after years resolved upon the salvation
of her children, and for many years
every week she met three other Chris
tian mothers to pray for the salvation
OF their families. | think that all the
members of those families were saved
myself, the Youngest anl the last.
There are but four or five pictures in
the old family Bible that | inherited,
but Dore never illustrated Bible as
that book is illustrated to my eyes.
Through it l can see into marriages
and burials, joys and sorrows, meet
ings and partings. Thanksgiving days
and Christmas festivals, cradles and
death-beds. Old, old book. speak out
and tell Of the sorrows comforted and
of the dying hours irradiated Old, old
book! the hands that held thee are
ashes, the eyes that perused thee are
closed. What pillow thou wouldst
make for 4 dying head! l salute all
the memories of the past when l press
it to my heart, and when press it to
my lips.
There are two arms to this subject
The one arm puts it's hand on all
parents 1t says to them: Don't in
terfere with your children's welfare.
Don't interfere with their eternal han.
piness. Don't you by anything you do
put out your foot and trip them into
ruin. Start them under the shelter,
the insurance, the everlasting help of
Christian parentage. Catechisms will
not save them, though catechisms are
good. The rod will not save them.
though the rod may be necessary. Les
sons of virtue will. not save them.
though they are very important. Be-
coming through and through, up and
down, out and ont Christian yourself
will make them Christians"
The other arm of this subject put its
hand upon those who had a pious
up, bat who as yet have dis
appointed the expecta tions excited in
regard to tFem. said t.at children
brought mp in Christian households,
though they might make wide curve
were very apt TO come back to the
straight path. liave you not been
out long enough? and is it not
most time for You to begin to curve in?
"Oh," You say, they were too
'igid." Well, now, my brother, think |
you have pretty good character con-
'idcring what You say your parents |
we're. Do not boast too much about |
The style in which your parents
OrOnpht Won nm Miobt - bo ,.x,.:l1. |