Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-03-20

thew resolved on the salvation OF their
children.
The young people Of the house were
to go off for an evening party, ana my
grandmother said:
'sNow, when you are all ready for the
Marty. come to my room, for | have
somethinR very important to tell you"
all ready for departure, they came 10
her room, and she said to them: NOW,
I want you to remember, while You are
away this evening, that l am all the
time in this room praying for your sal
walton and I 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 cutlery In an adjoining room, ana
they went in and found their daughter
imploring the salvation Of the Gospel.
The daughter told them that her
brothers were at the barn and at the
wagon house under powerful conviction
of sin.
THEY WENT TO tbs BARN
They found my uncle Jehiah, who after
wards became minister OF the Gospel,
crying TO God for mercy. They went
to the wagon-bouse. They found their
son David, who afterwards became my
father. implorng Gods pardon and
mercy. Before great while the whole
family were saved, and David went and
told the story to a young woman to
whom be was aifianced, who, as a re-
suit of the story, became a Christian,
aud from her own lips-my mothers
l have received the incident.
The story Of the converted house
hold ran through all the neighborhood,
from family to family. until the whole
region was whelmed with religious
awakening, and at tbs next communion
in the village church at Somervilie,
over two hundred souls stood up TO pro-
fess the faith of the Gospel, Ny
mother, carrying the memory of this
scene from early womanhOod into
farther life, in after years was resolved
upon the salvation Of her children, and
for many years every week she met
three other Christian mothers TO pray
for the salvation OF their families. l
think that all the members OF those
families were saved-mySelf, the young
est and the last.
There were twelve OF US children. l
trace the whole line of mercy TO that
hour when my Christian grandmother
sat in her room impl0riug the blessing
OF God upon her children. Nine OF her
descendants became preachers o. the
Gospel. Many OF her descendants are
in heaven, many OF them still in the
Christian conflict. Did ii pay for her
20 spend the whole evening in prayer
for her household? Ask her before the
throne O.: God, surrounded by her chill
dren. In the presence of the Christian
Church to-day, | make this record or
ancestral pietY. Oh! there is beauty,
ana q tenderness, and a sublImity in
family religion.
THERE ARE BUT FouR OR FIVE
pictures in the old family Bible that I
Inherited. but Dore never illustrated a
Bible as that book is Illustrated to my
eyes. Through it can see into mar
riaRes and Gurials, joys and sorrows,
meetings 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 irradated. Old,
old book the hands that held thee are
ashes, the eyes that perused thee are
closed. What pillow thou wouldst
make for d dying head. l salute all
the memories of the past when press
il to my heart, and when press IL TO
my lips.
On, that family Bible! The new
Testament 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 are? You are younger now
than you will ever be again. The
curious will find out from those with
whom you have played in your child
hood how Old you are. Have a family
Bible. II will 60 down from generation
to generation, full of holy memories.
A hundred years after you are dead
il will be benediction to those who
come after you. Other hooks, worn out
or fallen apart, will be flung to the gar
ret or the cellar, but this will be invio
liable, and it will be your protest for
centuries against iniQuity, and in behalf
OF righteousness:
''Ohl when we see what family relig-
ion did for our fathers household, do
we not want il to come into the dining
room TO break the bread, into the
nursery to bless the young, into the
parlor TO purify the sOcialities, into the
library to control the reading, into the
bed room to halow 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, YVES. YESi
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 pa
rents. 1t says to them: Don't inter
fere with your children's welfare. Don't
interfere with their eternal happiness;
don't you, by anything you do, put out
your foot and trip them into ruin.
start them under the shelter, the in
surance, the everlasting help Of Chris
tian parentage. Catechisms will not
save them, though catechisms are good
The rod will not save them, though the
rod may be necessary. Lessons Of vir-
tue will not save them, though they are
very important. Becoming through
and through, up and down, out and out
Christian yourself will make them
Christians.
The other arm Of this subject puts its
hand upon those who had pious bring
ing up, out who as yet have disappoint-
ed the expectations excited in regard to
them. l said that children brought up
in Christian households, though they