The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1894-04-27
HOME RELIGION.
Rev. DR.. Talnage Talks on the First
Duty Of the Parent.
Home the First Place In Which Children
should be Brought In Contact with
tho Practice OF Religious
ObservanceBs

tho Practice of Religious
ObservRnces.
The following sermon on the sub
ject of Home Religion" was delivered
by Rev. I. Dewitt Talmage in the
Brooklyn tabernacle, taking for his
text:
Return to thine own house. and shcw hos
great things God hath done unto thee.-Luke
viii. %.
After a fierce and shipwreclSing
night, Christ and His disciples are
climbing mp the slaty shelving of 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 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 apparition? Is it man. Is it
wild beast? Is it maniac who has
broken away from his keepers, perhaps
a few rags on his person, and frag-
ments of stout shackles which he has
wrenched off in terrific paroxysm.
With wild yell,sand bleeding wounds
OF his own -laceration, he flies down
the hill.
Back to- the boats, ye 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:
''IIauds off. Down at my feet, thou
4
harmless, exhausted, worshipful.
Away. ye devils"' commanded Christ,
and the two thousand fiends which had
been tormenting the poor man are
transferred to the two thousand swine
which 60 to sea with their accursed
cargo.
The restored demoniac sits down at
Christs feet and wants to stay there.
Christ says to him practically: DO
not stop; you have a 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 I, 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-
l -, l., q ho
tests whether our religion is genuine
or a sham. What makes a happy
home?
Well, one would say n 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 commOdious and adorned
No In such a place as that, gigantic
wretchedness has sometimes dwelt
while some of you look back to you
fathers house, where they read theil
Bible by the light of n tallow candle
There were no carpets on the floor save
those made from the rags which youl
mother cut night by night, you helping
wind them into ball, and then sent t,
the weaver who brought them to shap'
under his slow shuttle. Not luxurl
in all the house. But you can no
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 rar
art that makes a happy home.
The six wise men of Greece CAV
prescriptions for happy home. So
lon SAYS a happy home is place wher
, a mans estate was gotten without in
Justice, kept without disquietude ant
| spent without repentance. Chilo say
that a happy home is place where
man rules as a monarch a kingdom
Bias says that happy home is plac
| | where a man does voluntarily what b.
law he is compelled 70 do abroad. Blu
: you and I, under a grander light, Civ
. a better prescription; a happy home
, a place where the Kindness of the Cos
! pei of the Son of God has full swing.
While / speak this m orning there
knocking at your front door, if He b
not already admitted, One whose lock
= are wet with the dews of the nigh
who would take you children into Hi
arms and would throw upon you
sleeping apartments and your drawin
room and your entire house Il blessin
. that will make you rich while You liy
and be an inheritance to your childre
after YOU have done the last days wor
for their support and made for thel
:; the last prayer. 1t is the illustrioU
One who said 10 the man of my tex
Return to thine own house and sho-
/ l,o,-- r-,-oof 4hinors tyo1 hath doua nm
thee" Now in the first place, W
want religion in our domestic duties.
Every housekeeper needs gre;
grace. If Martha had had more r
6 lirion she would not have rushed wit
such bad temper to scold Mary
the presence of Christ. 1t is no sma
- thing to keep order, and secure cleanl
ness, and mend breazages, and aehie'
: economy, and control all the affairs
the household advantageously- E
penses will run up, store bills w
come in twice as large as you thin
they ought to be, furniture W
wear out, carpets will unravel al
the martyrs of the FIRE are We
to few in comparison with the ma
tyrs of housekeeping. Yet there a
hundreds Of people in this church til
morning who in their homes are ma
y aging all these affairs with comp
- sure, an adroitness, an ingenuity and
faithfulness which they never cOu
have reache ed but for the grace of o
!, practical Christianity. The exaspeI
tions which wear out others have be
TO You spiritual development and saT
tidcation. Employments which seem