The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-09-26
ChrIst in the Homo.

a dlnerent man; his VIE Inherent
woman; the children are different. Oh.
ii makes a great change IN any house
when Christ comes into it, How many
beautiful homes, are represented among
you! There are pictures on the wall,
there is music i'm the drawing room, and
luXurles I'm the wardrobe, and a full sup
ply in the pantry. Even If you were half
asleep there is one word with which l
could wake you, and thrill you through
and through, and that word is "home"
There are also houses of suffering rep
resented in which there are neither pict-
ures nor Wordrobe nor adornment-only
one room, and a plain cot. or bunk i'm
a corner. Yet il is the place where your
loved ones dwell, and your whole nature
tingles with satisfaction when you think
of ii and call il home Though the world
may scott at us and pursue us and all
the day we be tossed about al eventide,
we san into the harbor of home. Though
there be no rest for us in the busy world
and we go trudging about, bearing bur-
dens that well nigh crush us, there is
refuge, and IL hath an easy chair in
which we may sit, and a lounge where
we may lie, and a serenity Of peace in
which we may repose, and that refuge is
home The English soldiers, sitting on
the walls around SevastopOl, one night
heard a company Of musicians playing
Home, Sweet Home" and it is said
and wailing, so great was their home
sickness. God pity the poor. miserable
wretch who has no hOmei
The Christian Mother.
Now, suppose Christ should come into
your house First the wife and the
mother would feel His presence. Rel
gion almost always begins there. 1t is
easier for women to become Christians
III,
against God. If woman 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
change in the wife and mother. She
chides the children more gently. Her
face sometimes lights up with an unearthly
glow. She goes into some unOccupied
room for a little while. and the husband
goes not after her nor asks her 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
the marriage altar, and he knows that
Jesus has been putting upon her brow a
wreath sWeeter than the orange BIOS
SONS. 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
they al hope 10 DC at last. And then
she kisses them goodnight with some
thing that the child fees TO be heaven
ly benedictiOn-a something that shall
hold on to the boy after he has become
a man forty or fifty years Of age, for
there is something in a good, loving,
Christian mothers kiss that fifty years
cannot wipe off the cheek.
The Father Overcome.
-
noyed and almost vexcd. If she would
only speak to him. he would chow her
up" He does not like TO say anything
about it. but he knows that she has a
hope that he has Lot and a peace that he
has not. He knows that. dying as he
now is. he cannot go to the same place.
He cannot stand it any longer.
Some Sunday night as they sit IN
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, over
whelms him. And they 60 home-hus-
band and wife-in silence, until they get
to their room, when he cries out, "Oh.
pray for mer' And they kneel down.
They cannot speak. The words viii not
come. But God does not want any
words. He looks down and answers sob
and groan and outgushlng tenderness.
That night they do not sleep any for
talking of all the years wasted and of
that Savior who ceased not to call. Be
fore morning they have laid their plans
for new life. Morning 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, l want you all to sit down while
we read and pray" The children look at
el,n,. or,1 oil, -,
laugh, but they see their parents are in
dead earnest 1t is a short chapter that
the father reads. He is a good reader al
other times, but now he does not get on
much. He sees SO much 10 linger on.
His voice trembles. 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 down. The SEN
fences are broken. The phrases are a
little ungrammatical. The prayer begins
abruptly and ends abruptly; but, as far
as l can understand what they mean, il
is about this: "Ch, Savior, help US! We
do not know how to pray. Teach US. We
can not live any longer in the way we
have been living. We start today for
heaven. Help US to take these children
along with US. Forgive us for the past.
Strengthen us for all the future. And
when the journey is over take Us where
d
we lost. Amen!' 1t ended very abrupt
w. but the angels came out and leaned
so far over to listen they would have
fallen off the battlement but for stroke
of their wings, and cried: "Hark, bark!
Behold, he praysp
That night there is a rap at the bed
room door. who is Thereof cries the
father 1t is the oldest child. What is
the matter? Are you sick?" NO;
want to be saved" Only little while,
and all three children are brought into
the kingdom of God. And there is great
joy in the house. Years pass on. The
telegraph goes click, clicki What is the
news flying over the country? Come
home Father is dyingr' The children
all gather. Some come in the last train.
Some, too late for the train, take a car
riage across the country. They stand
around the dying bed of the father. The
Oldest son upholds the mother, and says:
Don't cry, mother. [ will take care of
YOU" The parting blessing is given. No
long admonition. for he has, through
years, been saying to his children all he
had 10 say to them. 1t is a plain good
bye" and the remark, Il know you will
all be kind to your mother" and all IS
over.
Life's duty done, as sinks the cay.
Light from its load the spirit flies,
While heaven and earth combine to say,
How bless'd the righteous when he dies.
A whole family saved forever! If the
deluge come, they are all in the ark
father, mother, sons. daughter. Together
on earth, together in heaven. What
makes it so? Explain it, Zaccheus one