The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-05-02

"Are YOUR father and mother willing you
shall Gomez" And they have said, "Oh, yes;
they are delighted to have US come. They
have not been in church for ten or fifteen
wears, but they will be here u - Sabbath to
see me baptized" have not.-e that pa
rents, however worldly, want their children
good.
So il was demonstrated In police court
In Canada, where mother, her little child
in her arms, sat by table on which her own
handouts lay, and the little babe took up
the handouts and played with them and had
great glee. She knew not the sorrow OF the
hour. And then when the mother was sent
to prison the mother cried out: 20 God,
let not this babe so into the jail! Is there
not some mother here who will take this
child? It Is good enough for heaven. It Is
pure. I am bad. I nm wicked. Is there
NOT some one who will take this child? I
cannot have it tainted with the prison.
Then brazen creature rushed up and said,
ssYes, ri take the child" 'No. no." said
the mother, "not you, not you. Is there not
some good mother here who Will take TINS
childr' And then when the officer of the
law in mercy and pity took the eaild TO carry
It away to find home for 1t the mother
kissed It lovingly goodby and said: "Good.
by, my darling. It is better you should
never see me again"
However worldly and sinful people are,
they want their children good. How are you
going to have them good? Buy them few
good books? Teach them few excellent
catechisms? Bring them to church? That Is
all very we'll, but of little final result unless
you do 1t with the grace OF God IN your
teart. Do you not realize that your children
are started for eternity? Are they on the
right road? Those little forms that are now
so bright and beautiful-when they have
scattered in the dust, there will be an i'm
mortal spirit living on In mighty theatre of
action, and your faithfulness or your neglect
now is deciding that destiny.
There is contention already among minis
tering spirits Of salvation and fallen angels
as to who shall have the mastery or that I'M
mortal spirit. Your children are soon go.
ins out In the world. The temptations OF
life will rush upon them. The most rigid
resolution will bend in the blast OF evil:
What will be the result? It will require all
the restraints of the gospel, all the strength
OF q fathers prayer, all the influence OF
Christian mothers example to keep them.
You say it Is too early to bring them. Too
early to bring them to God2 Do you know
how early children were taken to the
ancient passover? The rule was Just as soon
as they could take hold of the fathers hand
aud walk up Mount Morlah they should be
not too youngto come to God. While you
sit here and think of them perhaps their
forms now so bright and beautiful vanish
from YOU, and their disembodied spirit rises,
and YOU see it after the life OF virtue or
crime is past, andthe judgment is gone, and
eternity Is here.
A Christian minister said that in the first
year of his pastorate he tried to persuade
younS mechanic Of the importance OF family
noCCQ1
chanic came to the pastors study and said:
s.Do you remember that girl? That was my
own child. She died this morning very sud-
denly. She has gone to God, 1 have no
doubt, but II 80 she has told Him what tell
you now-that child never heard prayer In
her fathers house, never heard prayer
from her fathers lips. Oh, II I only had her
back again ons day to do my duty" 1t will
be tremendous thing at the last day II some
shall saw OF US: II never heard my father
pray, Inever heard my mother prayer.
! Again, remark, we want religion IN all
our home sorrows. There are 10000 ques-
tions that come up in the best regulated
household that must be settled. Perhaps the
father has one favorite In the family, the
mother another favorite In the family, and
there are many questions that need delicate
treatment.
TYRANNY and arbitrary decision have no
place in household. If the parents love
God, there will be spirit OF self sacrifice and
spirit OF forgiveness, and kindness which
will throw its charm over the entire house
hold. Christ will come into that household
and will say: Husbands. love your wives
and be NOT bitter against them. Wives, see
| that YOU reverence your husbands. Children,
obey your parents In the Lord. Servants,
be obedient to your masters" And the fam
| ily will be like garden on summer morn
ing-the grass plot, and the flowers, and the
vines, and the arch Of honeysuckle standing
| In the sunlight glittering with dew.
But then there will be sorrows that Will
come to the household. Thers are but few
families that escape the stroke OF financial
misfortune. Financial misfortune comes to
q house where the.e Is no religion. They
kick against divine allotments, they curse
| God for the incoming calamity, they Wlta-
| draw from the world because they cannot
| hold as high a position in society as they
| once did, and they freI, and they scowl. and
! they sorrow, and they die. During the past
| few years there have been tens OF thousands
| of men destroyed BY their financial dis
tresses. .. 's.
| But misfortune comes to the Christian
household. II religion has full sway in that
| home, they stoop gracefully Tney say.
"This is right" The father says: "Perhaps
money wss getting to be my idol. Perhaps
| Gods going to make me better Christian
| BY putting ne through the furnace OF trlbu-
lation. Beside that, why should fret any
how? He who owneth the cattle on a thou
sand hills and out Of whose hands all the
| fowls of heaven peck their food Is my
Father. He clotheth the lilies OF the field.
He will clothe me- IT he takes care OF the
raven, and the hawk. and the vulture, most
certainly He will take care OF me, His
child"
| Sorer troubles come-sickness and death.
Loved ones sleep the last sleep. child ts
buried out OF siSat You say: "Alas, fos
this bitter day! God has dealt very severely
with me. can never look up. o Goi, ]
cannot bear It." Christ comes In, and He
says "Hush, o troubled soul! It Is we'll
with the child. Twill strengthen thee In all
thy troubles. My grace is sufficient. When
thou passeth through the waters, will be
with thee"
| Whe through the deep waters call thee to so
The rivers Of sorrow sIal not overflow,
For viii b. with thee thy troubles t, bless,
Aud sanctfy to thee thy deepest distress.
But there are hundreds OF families repre-
sented here this morning where religion has
been great comfort. There are in your
homes the pictures Of your departed and
things that have no won ierful value otthsm.
selves, but you keep them preciously an
carefully because hands now still once
touched them. A father has gone out OF this
household, mother has gone out OF this, a
daughter Just after her graduation day, a
son just az he was entering on the duties O
life
And to other homes trouble will come.
sayit not that you may be foreboding. no,
that you may do the unwise thing OF taking
trouble by the forelock, but that you may be
ready. We must 80 one by one. There vii
be partings in all our households. We must