Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-10-05
sickness. God pity the poor, miserable


. tempted man originally away from holiness,
/ now she tempts him back. She may not
make any fuss about it, but somehow every
| body In the house knows that there is a
| change In the wife and mother. She chldes
/ the children more gently. Her face some
! times lights up with an unearth!y glow
! She goes into some unoccupied room for
little while, and tie husband goes not after
! her, nor asks why she was there. He knows
| without asking that she has been praying.
! The husband notices that her face is brighter
than on the day when, years ago, they stood
at tho marriage altar and he knows that
Jesus has been putting upon her brow
! wreath sweeter than the orange blossoms.
She puts the children to bed, not satisfied
| with the formal prayer thatthey once offered &,
| but she fingers now and tells them OF Jesus
! who blessed little children and o. the good
! place where they all hope to be at last. And
! then she kisses them good night with some
thing that the child feels to be a heavenly
/ Notwithstanding that shall hold onto
the boy after he has recome a man forty or
fifty years of age, for there is something in
| good, loving, Christian mothers kiss that
! fifty years cannot wipe off the cheek.
/ Now the husband is distressed and an
/ noyed and almost vexed. If she would only
speak to him he would elbow her up" He
, does not like to say ANYTHING about it, but
he knows that she has hope that he has
not and peace that he has not. He knows
! that, dying as he now is, he cannot Oto the
same place. He cannot stand it any longer.
! Some Sunday night, as they sit III the church
/ side by side, the floods 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, OverWhelms him.
| And they 90 home, husband and wife, in
| silence, until they get to their room, when
he cries out, "Oh, pray for mer' And they
! kneei down They cannot speak. The
! will God does w
any words. He looks down and answers sob
and groan and Outgushtng tenderness. That
night they do not sleep any for talking of all
| the years wasted and OF that Saviour who
ceased not to call. Before morning they
| have laid their plans for a new life. Morn
! ing comes. Father and mother descend
| from the bedroom. the children do not
! know what is the matter. They never saw
father with a Bible in his hand before. He
says, "Come children Il want you all to sit
down while we read and pray" The chill
dren look at each other and are almost dis
| posed to laugh, but they see their parents
are in deep earnest 1t is a short chapter
that the father reads. He is good reader
at other times, but now he does not get on
much. He sees so much to linger on. His
voice trembIes. Everything is so strangely
new to him. They kneel-that is, the father
| and mother do, but the children come down
one by one. They do not know that they
must. 1t is some time before they all get
/ uOWI. L ne sentences are DEOKeD. Inc
! phrases are little ungrammatical.
The prayer begins abruptly and ends alb
| ruptly but as far as I 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 living. We start to-day
/ for heaven. Help US to take these children
| along with US. Forgive US for all the past.
Strengthen US for all the future, and when
the journey IS over take US where Jesus is
and where the little babe is that we lost
Amen! !! 1t ended very abruptly, but the
angels came out and leaned so far over to
listen they would have fallen off the battle
ment but for a stroke of their wings and
cried "Hark, hark Behold he praYsn'
That night there is a rap at the bedroom
door. ''Who is thereY' cries the father 1t
is the Oldest child. "What is the matter?
Are you sick?' ''No; 1 want to be saved"
Only little while, and all the children are
brought into the kingdom of God. And
there is great joy in the house. Years pass
on. The telegraph goes click click What
is the news flying over the country? Come
home. Father is dyingP' The children all
gather. Some come in the last train Some
too late for the train, take Il carriage across
! the country. They stand around the dying
bed of the father. The oldest son uphOIds
the mother and says Don't cry, mother l
will take care of you" The parting bless
ing is given. No long admOniton, for he
has, through years, been saying to his chill
| dren all he had to say to them. 1t is plain
"goOd-by!' and the remark, Il know ou
Will all be kind to your mother" and all is
/ over.
Lies duty done, as sinks the clay,
Light from its load, the spirit flies,
While heaven and earth combine say
How hles sd the righteous when he dies.
Awhole family saved forever! II tho de-
luge come, they are all in the ark-father,
mother, sons, daughters. Together on earth
! together in heaven. What makes it so? Ex-
plain it. Zaccheus one day took Jesus home
with him. That is all. Salvation came to
that house.
What sound ts it 1 hear tonight? 1t is
Jesus knocking at the door of your house.
Behold stranger at the door!
He gently knOcks-has knO Orke b fore.
If you gazed out of your window and saw
me going up your front steps, you would not
wait, but go yourself to open the door. VIII
you keep Jesus standing on the outside His
locks wet with the dews Of the night? This
day Is salvation come to thy house The
great want of your house is not anew carpet
or costlter pictures or richer furniture. 1t is
Jesus!
Up to forty years men work for them
selves, after that for their children. Now,
what do you propose to leave them. Nothing
but dollars? Alas, what an Inheritance! 1t
is more likely to be a curse than q blessing
Your own common sense and observation
tell you that money, without the divine
! blessing, is curse. You must soon leave
your children. Your shoulders are not so
strong as they were. and you know that they
will soon have to carry their own burdens.
Your eyesignt is not SO clear as once. They
will soon have 10 pick out their own way
Your arm is not so mighty as once They
will soon have to fight their own battles.
Oh, let it not be told on judgment daythat
You let your family start without the only
safeguard-the religion OF Christ Give
yourself no rest until your children are the
sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty.
Your son does just as you 90. He tries to
walk like you and to talk like you. The
daughter initiates the mother. Alas, if
father and mother miss heaven, the children
will Oh, let Jesus come into your house
Do not bolt the hall door, or the parIor
door, or the kitchen door, or the bedroom
door against Him. Above ALL do not bolt
your heart.
Build your altar tonight. Take the family
Bible lying on the parlor table. Calltogether
as many of your family as may be awake.
Read a chapter, and then. if YOU can think
OF nothing else besides the Lords Prayer,
say that. That Will do. Heaven will have
begun in your house. You can put your head
on your pillow, feeling that, whether YOU
wake up in this world or the next, all g
well. In that great, ponderous book OF the
judgment, where are recorded ali the i'm
portant events of the earth, you will read at
last the statement that this was the day
Zlccheus, come down, come down! Jesus
is passing by
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