Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1896-08-01

.'The first word [ remember my father
spcaking TO me was an cath; the flrst
time remember my father taking hold
of me was III wrath l never SAW Bible
till I was 10 years of age, and then
was told it was pack of lies. The first
20 years of my life 1 was associated
with the vicious. seemed to be walled
in by sin and death. "
A Question of Responsibility.
Now, my brother, ought you mott
leave it us a matter of fairness with you
ought you not to be better than those
who had no early Christian influence?
Standing as you do between the genera
ton that is past and the generation that
is to come, are you going to pass the
blessing on. or are you going to have
your life the gulf i'll which that tide OF
blessing shall drop out Of sight forever:
You are the trustee of piety in that an
cestral linc, and arc you going to aug
ment or squnnder that solemn trust
fund? Are you going to disinherit your
SONS and daughters Of the heirloom
which your parents left you? All, that
cannot be possible-it cannot be pos
sible that you are going to take such a
position as that. You are very careful
about the life assurances, and careful
about the deeds, and careful about the
mortgage, and careful about the title Of
your property, because when you step
off the stage you want your children to
get it all. Are you making no provision
that they shall get grandfather's or
grandmother IS religion? Oh, what a last
will and testament you are making, my
brother ''In the name OF God, amen.
l, being of sound mind. make this my
last will and testament. l bequcath TO
my children all the money | ever made
and all the houses own, but l dlsln-
herit them, rob them OF the ancestral
grace and the Christian influence that
inherited. I have squandered that on
my own worldliness. Share and share
alike must they in the misfortune and
the everlasting outrage. Signed, sealed
aud delivered in the presence OF God
and men and angels and devils and
all the generations Of earth and heaven
and hell, July, 1896. "
o we of highly favored ancestry,
wake up this morning to sense OF your
opportunity and responsibility. l think
there must be an old cradle OF frag-
ment of cradle somewhere that could
tell a story of midnight supplicat1on in
your behalf. Where is the old rocking
chair in which you were sung to sleep
with the holy nursery rhyme? Where
is the old clock that licked away the
moments of that sickness OH that awful
night when there were but three of you
awake-you and God and mother? Is
there not an old staff in some closet!
We beg you to turn over q new leaf this
very day.
4 Question of Power.
Oh, the power OF ancestral piety, well
illustrated by a young man of New
York who attended prayer meeting
one night and asked for prayer and then
went home and wrote down these
words twenty-five years ago tonight
nv mother went to heaven, my beautl-
full; blessed mother, and l have been
alone, tossed up and down upon the bill
lows of life's tempestuous ocean. Shall
I ever 20 to heaven? She told me l must
meet her in heaven When she took my
hand in hers and turned her gentle,
loving eyes OH me and gazed earnestly
and long into my face and then lifted
them to heaven III that last prayer, she
prayed that might meet her III heaven.
I wonder if ever shall? My mothers
prayers-oh, my sweet. blessed mothers
prayers Did ever boy have such a
mother as | had: For 25 years have
not heard her pray until tonight. have
heard all her prayers over again. They
have had, in fact, terrible resurrection.
Oh, how she was wont to pray She
prayed as they prayed tonight, so ear
nest, so importunare, so believing. Shall
ever be Christian: She was Chris
tan. Oh, how bright and pure and hap
DIV was her life! She was cheerful and
happy Christian.
"There is my mothers Bible. have
not opened it for years Did she believe
could ever neglect her precious Bible?
She surely thought I would read it
much and often. How often hos she
read it to me! How did she cause me to
kneel by my little bed and put my little
hands up in the attitude of prayer! How
has she knelt by me and over me, and L
have felt her warm tears raining down
upon my hands and facel Blessed
mother, did you pray i'll vain for your
boy? 1t shall not be i'll vain. An, no,
no, it shall not be in vain. will pray
for myself. Who has sinned against 50
much instruction rs ! have? Against so
many precious prayers put up to heaven
for Inc by che OF the most lovely, tender,
pious, contiding, trusting OF mothers in
her Heavenly Fathers care and grace?
She never doubted; she believed. She
always prayed as if she did My Bible,
nv mothers Bible and my conscience
teach what am and what have made
myself. Oh, the bitter pangs OF all ao-
cuSing conscience! need saviour
mighty to save I must seek him. l
will. am on the sea of existence. and I
can never get off from it. J. am afoat.
No anchor, no ludder, no compass, no
book of instructions, for 1 have put
them all away from me. Saviour OF the
perishing, save, or I perish. " Do you
wonder that the next day he arose i'll
prayer meeting and said; my brethren,
Istand before you monument Of God S
amazing mercy and goodness, forever
blessed be his holy name. All Ihave and
all I am consecrate to Jesus. my
Saviour and my God?" Oh, the power
of ancestral prayer! Hear It'll Hear i'll
An Inheritance.
But 1 turn for moment to those
who had evil parcptage, and l want to