The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1894-10-03

as the m0~tSSGe IL g'Veu CouueuCos
Eoreclcsure-the sheriff mounts the auc-
| ton block, and lhe property is struck
down at half pric9, and the mortgage
buvs 1t in. The MORTGAGE started to
get the property at half price and is
| thief and robber. Until he makes
restitution there is no mere; for him.
You say: II cannot make res:l'u'
| tlop. The parties whom I swim He'd are
gone" Then says, Take the money
up to the American Bible socisty and
consecrate it to God" Zsccheus was
wise when he dlsgorged his unrighteous
gains, and it was his first step n the
right direction.
The way beng clear, Christ walked
into the house OF 4 ,ccheus. He becomes
a different maj; his wife different wo'
mar: the children are different. On, it
makes great change IN any house when
Christ comes into il! How many bosut-
full homes are represented among you!
There are pictures on the wall, there Is
music in the drawing room and luxurles
in the wardrobe. and full supply IN the
pantry. Even if you were half asleep
there is one word with which could
wake you, and thrill you through aud
through, and that word is "home"
There are also houses Of suffering repre-
sented in which there are neither pictures
nor wardrobe nor adornment-only one
room, and plain cot, or bunkiu cor.
ner. Yet it is the place where your loved
ones dwell, and your whole nature tin
eIes with satisfaction when you think OF
| it and call it home. Though the world
may scof at US and pursue US and ell tie
dsY we bs tossed about at eVentlde, We
sail into the harbor Of home. Though
there bs no res! for US IN the busy world,
and we go trudging about, bearing bur.
dens that well nigh crush Us, there IS
refuge, and it hath an easy chair in which
we may sit, and a lounge were we may
lie, and a serenity of peace in which We
NAV repose, aud that refuge is home.
The English soldiers, sitting on the walls
around Sevastopol, one night beard a
company of musicians playing Home,
Sweet Home" and it is said that the
whole amy broke out IN sobs and wall.
inc greart was their homesickness. God
pity the poor, miserable wretch who has
no home!
Now, suppose Christ should come
INTO your house. First the wife and the
mother would feel his presence. Rsll-
gion almost Away beglns there. 1t Is
easier for woman to become Christians
than for us meps They do not fight so
against God. I; woman tempted man
originally away from holiness, now she
temp:s him back. She may not make
any fuss about it, but some how every
body in the house knows that there is a
change in the wife and mother. She
chides the children more gently. Her
face sometimes lights up with an un-
earthly glow. She goes into some uu-
occupied room for little while, and the
husband goes not after her nor asks her
Why she was there. He knows without
asking that she has been praVing. The
husband notices that her face is brighter
than on the cay when, years ago, they
stood at the marriage altar, and he
knows that Jesus has been putting upon
her brow a wreath sweeter than the
orange blossoms. She puts the children
to bed, not satisfied with the formal
prayer that they once offered, but she
fingers now and tells them Of Jesus
who blessed little children and Of the
good place where they all hope to be at
last, And then she kisses them good
night with something that the child feels
to be heavenly beuediction--a some.
thing that shall hold on to the boy after
he has become man 40 or so years
Of age, for there is something in good,
loving, Christian mothers kiss that so
years cannot wipe off the cheek.
Now The husband is distressed and
annoyed and almost vexed. If she
would only speak to him he would "bloW
her up" He does not like to say any
thing about it, but he knows that she
has hope that he has not aud peace
that he has not. He knows that, dying
as he now is, he canaot 60 to the same
place. He cannot stand it any longer.
Some Sunday night as..they sit in church
side by side the foods of his soul break
forth. He wants to pray, but does not
know how. He hides his face, lest some
of his worldly friends see him, but Gods
spirit arouses him, melts him, over
whelms him. And they 90 home-5us-
band aud Tife-in silence, until they
get to their room, when he cries out,
sob, pray for me!' And they kneel
down. They cannot speak. The words |
will not come. But God does moi want
any words. He looks down and answers
sob and groan aad outgushing tender
ness. That night they do not sleep any !
for talking Of all the years wasted and OF |
that Saviour who ceased not to call. Be-
fore morning they have laid their plans
for a neville. Morning comes. Father
and mother descend from the bedroom. |
The children do not know what is the |
matter. They never saw father with |
Bible in bis hand before. He says,
"Come, children, I want you al to sit |
down while we resd and pray" The
children lcok at each other and are al
most disposed to laugh, but they see
their parents are in desp earnest. It is
short chapter that the father rsads
He is a good reader ai other times, but
now he does not get on much. He sees
so much 10 linger. His voice trembles.
Everything is so strangely new to him.
They kneel-that is, the father and mo-
ther do, bat the children come down one
by one. They do not know that they
must. It Is sone time befOre they all
get down. The sentences, are broken.
The phrases are little ungrammatical.
The prayer begins abruptly and ends ab
ruptly; but, as far as can understand
what they mean, it is about this: 80
Saviour help US! We do not know how
to pray. Teach US. We cannot live
any longer in the way We have been liz
ing. We start today for heaven. Help
Us to take these children along with US.
Forgive Us for al the past. Strengthen
US for all the future. Aud when the Jour
ney is over take Us where Jesus IS and
where the little habe is that We lost.
Amenw It ended very abruptly, but
the angels came out and leaned SO far
over to listen they would have fallen off
the battIement but for stroke Of their
rry;,co ord o-ioS. LIIJorE bo~kf RabnlI