Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1896-08-05

sometimes too much blood in their eye wher
they chastised you. But, from what know
Of you, you got no more than you deserved
and perhaps a little more chastisemen
would have been salutary. But you ar
willing to acknowledge. think. that the.
wanted to do right. From what you over
heard in conversations and from what yot
saw at the family altar and at neighborhooC
obsequies you know that they had fnviiet
God into their heart and their life. Their
was something that sustained those ole
people supernaturally. You have no doub'
about their destiny. You expectifyou ever gei
to heaven TO meet them as you expect to NEE
the Lord Jesus Christ.
That early association has been charm
for you. There was a time when you gol
right up from u house OF iuiquity and watkec
out into the fresh air because you though
your mother was looking at YOU Yor have
never been very happy in sin because OF
sweet old face thar would present itself
Tremulous voices from the past accosted yor
until they were seemingly audible, and you
looked around to see who spoke. Theirs wa:
an estate nor mentioned in the last will and
testament, a vast estate OF prayer and holy
example and Christian eutreaty and gloriou:
memory. The survivors of the family gath
cred to near the will read, and this WIS to
''share and share alike" But there was al
unwritten will that read something like this
"In the name OF God. amen. being of SounG
mind, beQueath to my ,ildren all my pray
ers for their salvation; Dequeath to then
all the r suits OF lifctiine's toll; l beQueatt
to them the Christian religion, which has
been so much comfort to me, and hope may
be solace for them; bequeath to them t
hope of reunion when the partings of life ara
over. Share and share alike, may they i'll
merit eternal riches. bsqueath to them th'
wish that they may avoid my errors an
copy anything that may have been worthy
In the name of God who made me, and tn,
Christ who redeemed me, and the Hoy
Ghost who sacrifices me. make this my las
will and testament. Witness all you host,
of heaven. Witness time, witness eternity
Signed, sealed and delivered In this ou
dying hour, Father and Motner." You did
not get that will proved at the surrogate
office, but take 1t out to-day and read il
to you. l take it out of the atcoves OF youi
heart. 1 shake the dust off il. l ask if you
will accept that inheritance, or will yoI
break the will?
o We of Christian ancestry, You have I
responsibility vast beyond all measurement
God will not let you off with just being u
good as ordinary people when you had suct
extraordinary advantage. Ought not {
flower planted in hothouse be more thrift,
than flower planted outside IN storm
Ought not Il factory turned by the Housa
tonic do more work than Il factory tu ned b,
Y thin and shallow mountain stream? OuSh
not you of great early opportunity be bette
than those who had cradle unolessed? Z
father sets his son up in business. H.
keeps an account OF all the expenditures, sc
much for store fixture. so much for rent. st
much for this so much for that, and all tht
items aggregated, and the father expects th'
son to give an account. Your Heavenl,
Eathar. aharOaS n uuainSf nil the atyln
tages of Il pious anceStry-so many prayer
80 much Christian example, so many kint
entreaties-all these gracious influences. one
tremendous aggregate, and he asks You To-
an account Of it. Ought not you to be bette!
than those who had no such advantage? Bet
ter have been a founding picked up of thu
city commons than with such maSnificen
inheritance of cons Grafton to turn out in
differently. Ought not you, my brother. Il
be better having had Christian nuture. thai
the man who can truly say this morning
"The first word member my father speak
ing TO me was an oath; the first time re
member my father taking hold OF me was II
wrath; l never SAW a Bible till l was tel
years of age, aud then 1 was told it was
pack of lies. The first twenty years OF IN.
life was associated with the vicious. SCENE
to be walled in by sin and death.
Now. my brother, ought you not ieav'
It as a matter of fairness with you-ought yol
not to be better than those who had no-eari!
Christian influence? Standing as you do be
tween the generation that is past and TN
generation that is to come, are you going Il
pass the blessing on, or are you going tt
have your life the gulf in which that tide o
blessing shall drop out OF sight forever You
are the trustee Of piety in that ancestral lin,
aud are You going to augment or squandei
that solemn trust fund? Are you going tc
disinhsrit your sons and daughters OF the
heirloom which your parents left you! An
that cannot be posSible-it cannot be possible
that you are going to take such position as
that. You are very careful about life insur'
ances, and careful about the deeds. and
careful about the mortgage. and careful
about the title OF your property, beoauSe
when you step off the stage you want you;
children to get it all. Are you making nc
provision that they shall get grandfat ar s
or grandmother's religion? Oh, what last
will and testament you are making, my
brother! 'In the name of God. an.n. L
being of sound mind, make this my last will
and testament bequeath to my children
all the money ever made AMI all the house:
own, but distnherit them, rob them o'
the ancestral grace aud the Christian in
nuence that inherited. have sQuandered
! that on my own wor .dliness. Share anc
share alike must they in the misfortune and
the everlasting outrage. Signed, sealed anC
| delivered in the presence OF God and meI
and angels and devils and all the genera
| tions OF earth and heaven and hell, July
! 1896"
| Oye of highly favored ancestry, wake ~
this morning TO a sense OF your opportunity
and responsibility. think there must be al
| old cradle or a fragment of q cradle some
where that could tell story of midnigh
supplication in your behalf. Where is th
old rocking chair in which you were sung t;
| sleep with the holy nursery rhyme? Wher
is the old clock that licked away the mo
| Rek -, ,I-r thot ,pfI niph
when there were hut three of you awake
you and Goi and mother? Is there not al
| old stan in some closet2 We beg youto turl
over a new leaf this very day.
Oh. the power Of ancestral piety. well IL
iustrated by Il young man OF New York VIII
attended \ prayer meeting one night an
asked for prayers and then went home an
wrote down these words: twenty-five year
ago tonight my mother went to heaven, m
beautiful, blessed mother, and l have bee
al ,ne, tossed up and down upon the billow
of Iife's tempestuous ocean. Shall ever z
to heaven? She told me l must meet her Il
heaven. When she took my hand in hers an
turned her gentle. loving eyes on me- an
gazed earnestly and long into my face an
then lifted them to heaven in that las
prayer, she prayed that might meet her i
heaven. I wonder i'll ever shall2 Ny moth
er's prayers-ob. my sweet, blessed mother
prayers! Did ever a boy have such a mothe
- uout = VI sWOhsy "hsO ySoio A's'c -
heard her pray until tonight. have hear
her prayers all over again. They have hat
in fact, q terrible resurrection Oh, how sh
was wont to pray! She prayed as they praye
tonight, SO earnest, 80 lmportunate, SO 0'
lieving. Shall ever be a Christian? Sh
was a Christian. Oh, how bright and pul
and happy was her life! She was cheerfl
and happy Christian.
"There is my mothers Bible. l have nc
opened it for years. Did sne believe coul
ever neglect her precious Bibley She surel
thought I would read it much and oftel
How often has she read it to me! How di
she cause me to kneel by my little bed an
put my little hands up in the attitude
PRAYER, How has she knslt by me and ov'
me, and have felt her warm tears rainiI
! down upon my hands and face! Blesst
mother. did you pray in vain for your bo
Il shall not be in vain. All, no, no, It sht
not be in vain. will pray for myself WI
has sinned against so much instruction as
have? Against so many precious praye