The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-05-02
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
J Subject: 'sHome Religion"

SuUJ6CCs 12OH6
|T TEXT: "Return to thine o,cn house and
she,o ho,o great things God hath done uatt
thee" Luke viii. SO.
y After fierce and shipwrecking night
Christ and His disciples are climbing up 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 concratuiatinS each other
on their marine escape out from a dark,
deep cavern on the Gaderene hills there Is
something swiftly and terribly advancing.
ills II an apparation? II Is maniac who has
broken away from his keepers, perhaps
few rags on his person and fragments OF
stout shaekles which he has wrenched off in
terrific paroxysm. With wild yell and
bleeding wounds OF his own laceration he
flies down hill.
!. Back to the boats, ye fishermen, and put
out 70 sea and escape assassination! But
Christ stands His ground 80 do the disciples,
and as this fying fury. with gnashing teeth
and uplifted fists. dashes at Christ, Christ
says: GLANDS of! Down at My feet, thou
poor sufferer" And the demouiac drops
harmless. exhausted, worshipful. ''Away.
We devils ~ commanded Christ, and the 1000
liends which had been tormenting the poor
man are transferred to the 1000 swine, which
20 to sea with their accursed cargo.
| The restored demoniac sits down at Christ's
feet and wants to stay there. Christ says to
mission to execute. Wash off the filth and
I the wounds in the sea. Smooth your d.
sheyeled locks. Put on decent apparel and
70 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 restored to reason, and that I,
| the omnipotent Son OF God, am entitled here
after to the worship of your entire house
hold. Return to thine own house and shew
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 outside world we may
seem to have religion when we have 1t 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 engravings OF game on the wall.
and sleeping apartments commodious end
adorned. No. In such place as that gi-
gantic wretchedness has sometimes dwelt,
while some of you look back to your fathers
house, where they read their Bible by the
| Light OF 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 wind them into ball, and then
sent to the weaver, who brought them to
shape under his slow shuttle. Not luxury
In all the house. But you cannot think Of II
this morning without fearful and grateful
3emotion. You and have found out that It
Is not rich tapestry or gorgeous architecture,
or rare art that makes happy home.
The six wise men of Greece gave prescrip-
tions for happy home. Solon says hap
py home Is place where mans estate was
gotten without injustice, kept without dis
. .quietude and spent without repentance.
Chilo says that happy home is the place
where man rules as a monarch kingdom.
/ Bias says that happy homeis place where
8 man does voluntary what bylaw he is COM
PEELED to do abroad. But you and under 3
grander light give better prescriptions
happy home is the place where the Kindness
of the gospel Of the Son of God has full
9swing.
While speak this morning there is knock
= ing at your front door, If 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 blessing that will make you rich
while you Hive 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. It 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 the 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. It Is
no 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
4 run up, store bills will come in twice as large
as you think they ought to be, furniture will
wear out, 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 these affairs with a composure,
an adroitness, an ingenuity and q faithful.
ness which they never could have reached
but for the grace of our practical Christian
fly. The exasperstions which wear out
Others have been to you spiritual develop
ment and sanctiacation. Employments
which seemed to relate only to an hour have
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 viii be the last. There will be no
hard epithets-'syou knave. you william, you
scoundrel, I'll thrash the life out of you |;
you are the worst child I ever knew" All
that kind Of chastisement makes thieves,
pickpockets, murderers and the outlaws Of
society. That parent who in anger strikes
his child across the head deserves the peni-
tentiary. And yet this work of discipline
must be attendedto. Gods grace can d.
rect US. Alas, for those who come to the
work with fierce passion and recklesness OF
consequences! Between severity and laxa
ttyeness there Is no choice. Both ruinous
and both destructive. But there Is q health
full medium which the grace of God will show
to us ~ .# s's.
Then We need the religion OF Christ to
help US in setting good example. Cowper
said Of the oak "Time 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-
BILE just now. They are alert; they are gath
ertng impressions you have no idea oil.
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 ques-
tton OF the child demonstrated the tact that
he knew all about 1t?
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 taketo be right. They reason this way
1sFather always does right. Father did this.
Therefore this Is right" That is good logic,
but bad premises. No one ever gets over
having had bad example set him. You,
conduct more than your teaching makes
impression Your laugh, your frown,