The Bossier banner., 1894-05-31
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Home the First Place Wherein Re-
ligion Should be Practiced.
The Parents Should be Shining Example
to the Children--How to Rear
FamiIY-Do as You Would
Have Them Do.


Religion" as the subject for a recent
sermon in the Brooklyn tabernacle,
| basing it on the text:
| Return to thine own house, and show how
great things God hath done unto thee.-Luke
| viii, &c.
After a fierce and shipwrecking
night, Christ and His disciples are
climbing up the slaty shelving of the
slaty shelving of the beach. How
| pleasant it is to stand on solid ground
after having been tossed so long on the
billows! While the disciples are con-
| graduating each other on their marine
escape, out from dark, deep cavern
on the Gadarene hills there is some
thing swiftly and terribly advancing.
Is it an apparition2 Is it man. Is it
| a wild beast? Is it maniac who has
broken away from his keepers, perhaps
n few rags on HIS person, and frag-
rents of stout shackles which he has
wrenched off in terrific paroxysm
With wild yell, and bleeding wounds
of his own laceration, he flies down
| the hill.
| Back to the boats, we fishermen, and
| put out to sea, and escape assassina-
tion. But Christ stands His ground: so
do the disciples; and as this flying
fury, with gnashing teeth and uplift-
| ed fists, dashes at Christ, Christ says:
Hands off! Down at my feet, thou
| poor sufferer" and the demoniac drops
harmless, exhausted, worshipful.
Away, We, devils!'' commanded Christ,
and the two thousand fiends which had
been tormenting the poor man are
transferred to the two thousand swine
which go to sea with their accursed
cargo.
The restored demoniac sits down at
Christ's feet and wants to stay there.
Christ says to him practically: do
not stop; you have q mission to exc
cute; wash off the filth and the wounds
in the sea; smooth your disheveled
locks; put on decent apparel and go
straight to your desolated home, and
tell your wife and children that you
will no more alright them, and no
more do them harm; that you are re-
stored to reason. and that /, the Om-
nipotent Son of God. am entitled here
after to the worship of you entire
household. Return to thine own house.
and show how great things God hath
done unto thee"
Yes, the house, the home is the first
place where our religious gratitude
ought to be demonstrated. In the out
side world we may seem to have relig-
ion when we have it not; but the home
tests whether our religion is genuine
or sham. What makes happy
home?
Well, one would say a house with
great wide halls, and antlered deer
heads, and parlors with sculpture and
bric-a-brac, and dining hall with easy
chair and plenty of light, and engrav-
ings of game on the wall, and sleeping
apartments eommodious and adorned.
No. In such a place as that, gigantic
wretchedness has sometimes dwelt,
while some of you look back to your
fathers house, where they read their
Bible by the light of a tallow candle.
There were no carpets on the floor save
those made from the rags which your
mother cut night by night, you helping
wind them into ball, and then sent to
the weaver who brought them to shape
under his slow shuttle. Not a, luxury
in all the house. But you gan not
think of it this morning without fear
full and grateful emotion. You and
have found out that it is not rich tap
estry, or gorgeous architecture, or rare
art that makes happy home.
The six wise men of Greece gave
prescriptions for happy home. So
Ion says happy home is place where
mans estate was gotten without in
justice, kept without disquietude and
spent without repentance. Chilo says
that happy home is place where a
man rules as a monarch kingdom.
Bias says that a happy home is place
where man does voluntarily what by
law he is compelled to do abroad. But
you and /, under grander light, give
a better prescription; happy homie is
place where the kindness of the Cos
pei of the Son of God has full swing.
While / speak this m orning there is
knocking at your front door, if He be
not already admitted, One whose locks
are wet with the dews of the night,
who would take you children into His,
| dFkIlS anu WOulQ LuTOW upon your
sleeping apartments and your drawing
room and your entire house a blessing
that viii make you rich while you live
and be an inheritance to your children
after you have done the last days work
for their support and made for them
the last prayer. 1t is the illustrious
One who said to the man of my text
Return to thine own house and show
how great things God hath done unto
thee" Now in the first place, we
want religion in our domestic duties.
Every housekeeper nEs9s great
grace. If Martha had mad more re
ligion she would not have rushed with
such bad temper to scold Mary il
the presence of Christ 1t is no small
thing to keep order, and secure cleanli
ness, and mend breakages, and achiev'
economy, and control all the affairs o
the household advantageously. e..
penses will run up, store bills wi;
come in twice as large as you thinl
they ought to be, furniture will