The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1896-08-08
..whos. son art thou. thou young

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Well, says some one, ''that theory
discharges me from all responsibility
Born of sanctified parents, we are
bound to be good and we can not hell
ourselves. Born of unrig hteous par
entage, we are bound to be evil, and
we can not help ourselves" Two In
accuracies. As much as II you should
say: 1.-THE centripetal force in nature
has a tendency to bring everything &c
the center. The centrifugal force in
nature has tendency to throw every
thing to the periphery, and therefore
everything will go out TO the deriph.
cry" You know as well as know
that you can make the centripetal
force overcome the centrifugal, and
you can make the centrifugal over
come the centripetal. As when there
is mighty tide of good In a
family that may be overcome by
/ determination to evil, as in the case OF
Aaron Burr, the libertine, who had for
father President Burr, the Ionsecrated,
as in the case of Pierrepont Edwards,
the scourge of New York society 20
years ago, who had a Christian ances-
try; while, on the other hand, some of
the best men and women of this day
are those who have come of an ances-
try which it would not be courteous to
speak In their presence. The practical
and useful object of this sermon
Is 10 show you that II you have come
of Christian ancestry, then you are
solemnly bound to preserve and
develop the glorious inheritance,
or, II you have come of depraved
ancestry, then 1t is your duty to brace
yourself against the evil tendency by
all prayer and Christian determination,
and you are to find out the family
frailties, and in arming The castle put
the strongest guard at the weakest
gate. With these smooth stones from
the brook, I hope to strike you, not
where David struck Goliath, In the
head, but where Nathan struck David,
In the heart. Whose son art thou,
thou young man?"
There Is something in all winter
holidays to bring up the old folks. /
think many of our thoughts ut such
times are set to the tune of ''Auld
Lang Syne." The old folks were so
busy at such times in making us happy,
and perhaps on less resource made
their sons and daughters happier than
you on larger resources are able to
make your sons and daughters. The
snow lay two feet above their graves,
but they shook off the white blankets
and mingled in the holiday festivities
the same wrinkles, the same
stoop of shoulder under the weight of
age, the same old style of dress or
coat, the same smile, the same tone of
voice. hope you remember them be-
fore they went away. If not, l hope
there are those :who have recited to
you what they were, and that there
may be in your house some article of
dress or furniture with which you as
sociate their memories. l want to
arouse the most sacred memories of
your heart while l make the impas-
stoned interrogatory in regard to
your pedigree: Whose son art thou
thou, thou young man?'
First, l accost all those who are
descended of Christian ancestry. l do
not ask II your parents were perfect.
There are no perfect people now, and
do not suppose there were any per-
feet people then. Perhaps there was
sometimes too much blood in their eye
when they chastised you. But from
what know of you, you got no more
than you deserved, and perhaps little
more rchastisement would have been
salutary. But you are willing to ac-
knowledge, l think, that they wanted
to do right. From what you over
heard In conversations, and from what
you saw ut the family altar and at
neighborhood obsequies, you know
that they had invited God into their
heart and their life There was some
thing that sustained those old people
supernaturally. You have no doubt
about their destiny. You expect II you
ever get to Heaven to meet them as
you expect to meet the Lord Jesus
Christ. That carly association has been
a charm for you. There was time
when you got right up from house of
iniquity and walked out into
the fresh air because you thought
your mother was looking at
you. You have never been very
happy in sin because Of sweet,
old face that would present itself
Tremulous voices from the past ac-
costed you until they were seemingly
audible, and you looked around to see
who spoke. There was an estate not
mentioned in the last will and testa-
ment, vast estate of prayer and holy
example and Christian entreaty and
glorious memory. The survivors of
the family gathered to hear the will
read, and this was TO be kept and that
was to be sold, and 1t was ''share and
share alike" But there wac an un-
written will that read something like
this: I'm the name of God, amen, I
being Of sound mind, bequeath to my
children all my prayers for their sal
vation; !. bequeath to them all
the results of lifetime's toll; I be-
queath to them the Christian religion,
which has been so much comfort to
me. and hope may be solace for them;
bequeath to them hope of reunion
when the partings Of life are over.
Share and share alike may they in
herit eternal riches. bequeath to
them the wish that they may avoid my