The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1893-03-24
Obi there are many Christian parents

| WOoOCih uioPDCls Lucy w llOb Woh
their religion projecting too conspicuous
ly. They would like to have it near by
so as to call ON it in case of funeral
but as to having it dominant in the
household from the 1st of January,
o'clock a. M, to the 31st of December, II
o'clock p. m, they do not want it. They
would rather die and have their families
perish with them than to cry out in the
bold words of the soldier in my text
GAS for me and my house, we will serve
the Lord"
There was, in my ancestral line, an
incident SO strangely impressive that il
seems more like romance 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 Somerville, N. j., went
to Baskingridge to witness revival I'M
der the ministry of the Rev. DIR. Finley,
They came home so impressed with what
they had seen that they resolved on the
| salvation of their children.
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 some
thing 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
away this evening, that am all the time
in this room praying for your salvation,
and shall not cease praying until you
get back" The young people went to
the party, but amid the loudest hilarities
of the night they could not forget that
their mother was praying for them. The
evening passed. and the night passed.
The next day my grandparents heard
an cutlery in an adjoining room, and they
went in and found their daughter i'm
ploring 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 the barn. They found my Uncle
Jehiah, who afterward became minis
ter of the gospel, crying to God for
mercy. They went to the wagon house.
They found their son David, who after
ward became my father, imploring Gods
pardon and mercy. Before great while
the whole family were saved, and David
went and told the story to young wom-
an to whom he was affianced, who as
result of the story became a Christian,
and from her own lips-my mothers
have received the incident.
CONVERSION OF THE TALMAGE FAMILY.
The story of that converted household
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 200 souls stood
up to profess the faith of the gospel
My mother, carrying the memory of this
scene from early womanhood into fur
ther life, in after years was resolved up
on 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. / think that
all the members of those families were
saved-myself, the youngest and last.
There were 10 Of us children. l trace
the whole line of mercy back to that
hour when my Christian grandmoth-
er sat in her room imploring the bless
ing of God upon her children. Nine
of her descendants became preachers of
the gospel. Many of her descendants
are in heaven, many of them still in the
Christian conflict. Did it pay for her to
spend the whole evening in prayer for
her household? Ask her before the throne
of God, surrounded by her children. In
the presence of the Christian church to-
day | make this record of ancestral |
piety. Oh, there is beauty, and ten
derness, and a sublimity in family re-
ligionl
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. Thought can
see into marriages and burials, joys and |
sorrows, meetings and partings, Thanks
giving days and Christian festivals, era
lies and deathbeds. Old, old book, speak
1ut and tell of the sorrows comforted
md of the dying hours irTadiated. Old,
I'D book, the hands that held thee are
lshes, the eyes that perused thee are
;losed What pillow thou wouldst make
or dying head. salute all the mem
,ries of the past when l press it to my
leart and when press it to my lips.
BIBLE ASSOCIATIONS.
Oh, that family Bible! The New Tes.
ament in small type is not worthy of
icing called by that name. Have a
whole Bible in large type, with the fam
ly record of marriages and births and
Ieaths. What if the curious should turn
yer the leaves to see how old you are?
You are younger now than you will ever
10 again. The curious will find out
rom those with whom you have played
n your childhood how old you are
lave family Bible. 1t will go down
rom generation to generation, full of
oily memories. A hundred years after
GU are dead it will be benediction to
hose who come after you. Other books,
worm out or fallen apart, will be flung
D the garnet or the cellar, but this will
e inviolate, and it will be your protest
Or centuries against iniquity and in be-
alf of righteousness.
Oh, when we see what family religion
id for our fathers household, do we not
yant it to come into the dining room to