Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-07-31


Of me was in wrath; never saw Bible
till l was 10 years Of age, and then |
was told it was a pack of lies. The first
20 years Of my life | was associated
with the vicious. seemed to be walled
in by sin and death. l."
A Question Of Responsibility.
Now, my brother, ought you not-I
leave it as 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
tion 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 in which that tide OF
blessing shall drop out Of sight forever?
You are the trustee Of picty in that an
cestral line, and arc you going to aug
ment m squander 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
position as that. You are very careful
about the life insurances, and carC.Il
about the deeds, and careful about t..e
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 S religion? Oh, whats last
will and testament you are making, my
brother! "In the name Of God, amen.
I, being Of sound mind, make this my
last will and testament bequeath 10
my children all the money | ever MADE
and all the houses / own, but | disin-
herit them, rob them Of the ancestral
grace and the Christian influence that l
inherited. have squandered that on
my own worldliness Share and shaie
alike must they in the misfortune and
the everlasting outrage. Signed, sealed
and delivered in the presence Of God
and men and angels and devils and
all the generations Of earth and heaven
and hell July, 1895"
o ye of highly favored ancestry,
wake up this morning to a sense OF your
opportunity and responsibility. l think
there must be an old cradle or frag-
ment Of a cradle somewhere that could
tell story of midnight supplicatlon III
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 on 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 a new leaf this
very day.
A Question of Power.
Oh, the power of ancestral piety, well
illustrated by 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 years ago tonight
nv mother went 10 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 90 TO heaven? She told me must
meet her in heaven. When she took my
hand in hers and turned her gentle,
loving ewes ON me and gazed earnestly
and long into my face and then hIted
them to heaven in that last prayer, she
prayed that l might meet her in heaven.
| wonder if l ever shall: My mothers
prayers-Oh, my sweet. blessed mother s
PRAYERS! Did ever boy have such
mother as had? For 20 years | have
not heard her pray until tonight. have
heard all her prayers over again. Ihey
have had, in fact, a terrible resurrection.
Oh. how she was wont to pray! She
prayed as they prayed tonight, so ear
nest. so importunate, so believing. Shall
l ever be a Christian! She was Chris
tian. Oh, how bright and pure and hap
py was her life! She was cheerful ana
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 | would read IL
much and often. How often has she
read il 10 me! How did she cause me 10
kneel by my little bed and put my little
hands up in the attitude Of prayerl How
has she knelt by me and over me. ana
have felt her warm tears raining down
upon my hands and face! Blessed
mother, did you pray in vain for your
boy? It shall not be III vain. All, no.
no. il shall not be in vain. will pr.S
for myself. Who has sinned against 50
much instruction as have! Against 50
many precious prayers put up to heaven
for me by one of the most lovely, tender
pious. confiding, trusting of mothers Ill
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 an ac-
ousinQ consciencel need Saviour
mighty TO save. l must seek him. l
will am on the sea Of existence, and L
can never get off from it. l am ailoat
No anchor, no rudder, no compass no
hook Of instructions, for | have put
them all away from me. Saviour OF the
perishing. save, or perish. " Do you
wonder that the next day he arose III
nraver meeting and said; MY brethren
/ stand before you a monument OF God s
amazing mercy and goodness, forever
blessed be his holy name. All | have ana
all l am consecrate TO Jesus my
Saviour and my God!" Oh the power
Of ancestral prayerl Hear it'll Hear III
An Inheritance.
But I turn for a momt Mt TO those
who had evil parentage, and want &c
tell you that the highest thrones IL,
heaven and the mightiest triumphs and
the brightest crowns will be for tnos'
who had evil parentage, but who oy 'n'
7 grace of God conquered - conquered
} As good. as useful, as splendid a gentle
5 man as l ever knew had for a father !
: man who died disappearing God unit
} the neighbors had to put their hngers II
0 their ears 10 shut ont the horror. On'
~ the most consecrated and usefu
r Christian ministers of today was th'
. son Of drunken horse jockey. Tide o