The Penn's Grove record., 1894-04-20
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
TIE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S sun
DAY SERMON.
Subject: ''Home Rsiigion.'

me- Luke viii, 80.
Alter n fierce and shipwreckinc night
Christ and His disciples are climbing up the
slaty shelving OF the beach. How pleasant
il is to stand on solid ground after having
been tossed so long on the pillows! While
the disciples are concentrating each other
on their marine escape out from Il dark.
deep cavern on the Gadarcne hills there Is
something swiftly and terribly Advancing.
Is it an app9ration? 1t is Il maniac who has
broken awiy from his keepers. perhaps a
few rags on his person and fragments of
stout shHesles watch he has wrenchcd of in
terrific paroNysT. With wild yell and
bleeding woundS of mis- " laceration he
flies down hill.
Back 10 the coats, ye fshernrr. and put
out 10 sea and escape assassination But
Christ Stands His ground 80 do the disciples,
and as this flying fury. with crashing tech
and uplifted fists. dasIeE ut Christ, Christ
says "Hands off! Down nj My feet, thou
poor sufferer" And the demoniac drops
harmless. exhausted, worshipful. away.
We devils T. commanded Christ. and the 203O
liends which had been tormenting tho poor
| man are transferred to the 1000 swine, which
go to sea with their accused cargo.
The restored demoniac sits down at Christs
| feet and wants TO stay there. Christ says to
| him practically ''Do not stop. You have
n mission to execute. Wash of the filth and
the Wounds in the sea, Smooth your de
| sheveied locks. Put on decent apparel and
| 90 straight to your desolated home and tell
| your wife and children that you will no moro
| nTiight them and no more do them harm
| that you are restored TO reason. and that ],
the omnipotrnt Son Of God, am entitled here
after TO the worship of your entire house
hold. Return 10 thine own house and shew
bow great things God hath done INTO thee. ="
Yes, the house. the home is the first place
where our religious gratitude ought to ba
. loo. . - liz .14aaH1Ia r-zrtI vra ,nnr
| seem to have religion when we have it not,
but the home tests whether our religion Is
| genuine or a sham. What makes n 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 engravings OF game on the wall,
| and sleeping apartments ~commodious and
adorned. No. In such a place as that 81
| gantic wretchedness has sometimes dwelt.
while some of You look back to your Iather's
house. where they read their Bible by the
| light Of a tallow candle. There were no car
pets on the floor save those made from the
rags which your mother cut night by night.
you helping wine them into a ball, and then
sent TO the weaver, VINO brought them to
shape under his slow shuttle. Not n luxury
in all the house, But you canno think Of il
this morning without fearful and grateful
| tluOtIOil. LOU ul L uhNb lOuHl Out mat II
is not rich tapestry, or gorgeous architecture,
or rare art that makes a happy home.
The six wise men of Greece gave prescrip-
ions for a happy home. Scion says n hap
py home is a place where n mans estate was
gotten without injustice. kept without dis
quietuie n spent without repentance.
Chic says that IA happy home is the pla &c
where Il man rules as a monarch a kingdom.
Bias says that a happy homeis n place where
a man does voluntary whHt by law he is COM
! PEELED TO do abroad. But you and l under a
grander light give n better prescription
happy home is the place where the ndnes
of the gospel OF the son OF Go l has full
swing.
While I speak this m orninS there is knock
ing at your front doc. il He be not already
admitted, one whose locks are wet with the
dews OF the night, who would take your
children into His arms and would throw Upon
your nursery, and Your sleeping apartments,
and your drawing room. and your entire
house a blessing that will 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 shew how great things God
hath done unto thee" Now, in tho first
place, We want religion in our domestic
duties.
Every housekeeper needs great grace. II
Martha had had more religion. she would
not have rushed with such bad temper to
scold Mary in the presence OF Christ. 1t is
ne small thing TO keep order and secure
cleanliness and mend breakages and achieve
economy and control all the affairs of the
household advantageously. Expenses will
run up, store bills will come in twice as large
as you think they ought to be, furniture will
wear ont, carpets will %unravel. and the mar
tyrs OF the fire are very few in comparison
with the martyrs of housekeeping.
Yet there are hundreds of people in this
church this morning who in their homes are
managing all affairs with n composure,
an adroitness, an ingenuity and u faithful
ness which they never could have reached
but for the grace of our practical Christian
ity. The corporations which wear out
others nave been to you spiritual develop
ment and specification. Em~ployments
which seemed TO relate only to an hour nave
on them all 1.-THE Grandeurs OF eternal history.
You need the religion of Christ in the dis
cipline of your children. The rod which in
other homes may be the first means used in
yours will be the last. There will be no
hard epithets-"you knave. you william, you
~scoundrel, I'll thrash the life out Of YOU {:
you are the worst child l ever knew" Ali
that Kind OF chastisement makes thieves,
plckpockets, murderers and the outlaws of
society. That parent who in anger strikes
his child across the head deserves the peni-
Tertiary. And yet this work of discipline
must be attended to. Gods grace can di-
rect us. Alas. for those who come TO the
work with fierce passion and recklesness of
consequences Between severity and laxa-
tlyeness there is no choice. Both ruinous
and both destructive. But there is q health
full medium which the grace of Goodwill show
to us.
Then we need the religion Of Christ TO
help us in setting a good example. Cowpe1
said of the oak thine was when settled on
thy leaf q fly could shake thee TO the root,
Time has been when tempest could not" In
other words your children are very impressi-
bic just now. They are alert they are gath
ering Impressions you have no idea of.
Have you not been surprised sometimes.
months or years after some conversation
which you supposed was too profound or in
tricate for them TO understand-some aues-
ton of the child demonstrated the fact that
he knew all about it2
Your children are apt to think that what
| you do Is right. They have no idea of truth
or Righteousness but yourself. Things which
you do knowing at the time to be wrong
they take to be right. They reason this way
FEATHER always does right. Father did this.
Therefore this is right" That is good logic,
but bad premises. No one ever gets over
having had a bad example set him. Your
| conduct more than your teaching makes
impression. Your laugh, your frown.
your dress, your walk, your greet
ings, your goodbys, your comings,
your goings, your habits at the table,
the tones of YOU voice, are making an i'm
preston which will last a million years after
you aie dead, and the sun will be extin-
guished, and tho mountains will crumble,
and the world will die, and eternity will roll
on in perpetual cycles, but there will be no
diminutlon of the force Of your conduct
upon the young eyes that saw it or the young
ears that heard it.
Now would not have by this tho idea
given to you that you must be in cold reserve
in the presence of your children. You are
not emperor. You are companion with them.
As far as you can, you must walk with them.
ssate with them, ny kite with them, play ball
with them. show them you are interested in
all that interests them. Spensippus. the
| nephew and successor of Plato in the
academy, had pictures Of Joy and Gladness
hung all around the schoolroouI. You must
not give y,Ir children the impression that
when they come to you they are playful rip
| pies striking against a rock. You must have
Them understand that you were a boy once
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