The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1897-03-27
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Dlyine's Sermon. De-
liv.red in Washington.
Subject. "Harbor of Home."


There are great many people longing for
some grand sphere in which to serve God.
They imire Luther at the diet of Worms,
and only wish that they had some such great
opportunity in which to display their Chris
tian proves. They imire Paul making
Felix trembie, aud they only wish that they
had some such grand occasion in which to
preach righteousness. temperance and ludg-
ment to come. All they. want is an oppor-
tunity to exhibit their Christian heroism.
Now the apostle comes TO Us, and he prdc-
tically says.|I will show you place whero
YOU can exhibit ali that is grand aud beauti-
full and glorious in Christian character and
that L. the domestic circle"
II one Is not faithful in IN Insignificant
sphere. he will not be faithful IN resound-
| ing sphere. II Peter will not help the Grip
| pie at the gate of the tempe, he will never
| be able TO preach 5000 souls into the king
| dom Mt the Pentecost. II Paul did not take
| pains to iostruct in the way OF salvation the
Sheriff of the Philippian dungeon, he will
! never make Felix trembie. He who is not
fui,hfu in n skirmsh would not be faithful
in an Arnageddon. Tia fact is, We are all
| placed in just tina position in which we can
| most graudly serve God, and we ought not
to be chiefly thou yhtful about some sphere
| OF usefulness which Wa may after awhile
| gain, but the all o3sorbing question with You
ani with nue. ought TO De. "Lord, Wnat WIZ
There Is ono word In my texS arouni
which the most OF our thoughts will to-day
j ravolve That word Is home. Asx ten diff
ferent men the meaning OF that word and
they wilt give You ten different defnitions.
| To one it means love at the hearth, it means
plenty at the table, industry at the work
| stand, intelligence at the books, devotion at
the altar. To him it means a greeting at the
doorand a smile at the chair. Peace no YER
ing like wings. Joy clapping irs hands with
! Laughter. Life tranquil lake. Pillowei
on the ripples slesp the shadows.
Ask another man what home Is AMI he will
tell you it is want looking out OF n cherries
fire CRATE and kneading hunger in an empty
bread tray. Tne damp air shivering with
curses. No Bible on the Shelf Children,
robbers aud murierers in embryo. Vile songs
their lullaby. Every face picture OF ruin.
Want in the background and sin staring
from the front. No Sabbath wave rolling
over that doorsill. Vestibu.e OF the pit.
Shadow of internal walls. Furnace for forg-
| ing everlasting chains. Faygots for an un-
ending funeral pile. Awful word! 1t is
spelled with curses, it weeps with ruin, it
chokes with woe, 1t sweats with the death
agony Of despair.
The word home in the ono case means
| everything bright. The word home in the
other case means everything terrific.
Ishall speak TO You OF home as a test OF
character, home as refuge, home as poli-
teal safeguard, home as school and homo
as type OF heaven.
And in the first place I remark that home
is powerful test OF character. The disposi-
ton in public may be in gay costume, while
In private Ii Is N dishabiie. As pay actors
may appear in one way onthe stage and may
appear in another way behind the scenes, so
private character may be very different from
public character. Private character Is often
public character turned wrong side out A
man may receive You into his rar,or rs
though he were distillatfon of smiles. and
yet his heart may be u swamp OF nettles.
There are business men who all day long are
mild and courteous and genial and good
natured in commercial life, keeping back
their irritability, and their petulanee, and
their discomfort, but at nightfali the dam
breaks and ssolding pours forth in floods
and freshets.
Reputation is only the shadow Of charac-
ter, and a very small house sometimes will
cast very long shadow. The lips may seem
to drop myrrh and cassia, and the disposi-
ton to be as bright and warm as a sheaf oil
sunbeams, and yet they may only be mag
niflcent show window to wretchel stock
of goods. There is many man who !:
affable in public life and amid commercial
spheres who, in cowardly way, takes hi:
anger and his patulance home and drops
them in the domestic circle.
The reason men do not display their bad
temper in public is because they do not want
10 be knocked down. There are men who
hide Their petulance and their irritsbiliiy
just for the same reason that they do not 10
their notes go to protest-it does not pay
Or for the same reason that they do not wan
a man in their stock company to sell hi.
stock at less than the right price. lest it de
preciate the value AS at sunset the wine
rises, go after sunShiny day there may bi
n tempastuous night. There are people who
In public act the phianthropist who athom,
act the Nero with respect to their slipper
and their gowns.
Audubon, the great orntthologist, with
gun and pencil went through the forests o
America to bring down and to sketch thu
beautiful birds. and after years OF toll ant
exposure CON pletei his manuscript and pu
ii in trunk In Philade phia for few days o
{ recreation and rest and came back an.
found that the rats had utterly destroyed
the manuscript. but without any disoom
posure and without any fret or bad temper
: he again picket up his gun and pencil an
visited again all the great forests OF Americ'
: ana reproduced his immortal work. Au
YET there ara people with the ten .thousan It'll
part OF lib It loss who are utterly irrecon
= cilable, who, at the loss OF a pencil or al
I article OF raiment, will blow rs long an,
! sharp as northeast storm.
Now, that man who is affable in publ,
fraudulent overissue of stock. and he Is a:
bad as a bank that might havs s400, 900 o
$500, 0C0 OF bills in circulation withno speci
in the vault Let us learn "to show piety a
, home" II we have it not there we have j
not anywhere. IL We have not genuln
= grace in the family CIRCLE all our outwar'
= and public plausibillty merely springs fron
a fear OF the world or from the Shiny, putrit
pool of our own selflshness. I tell you thu
!. home is mighty test OF character. VIVA
. you are at home you are everywhere, wheih
er you demonstrate it or NOT.
Again. remark that home Is refuge
Life Is the United States army on the M
: tional road to Mexico, a long march, wit
, ever and anon n sklrmish and battle. A
eyen.ide we pitch our tent AMI stack GU
r arms. We hang up the war cap and lay GU
10 head on the knapsack. We sleep until th
Y morning bugle calls US to marching and &C
ii ton. How pleasant is 1t to rehearse the vic
b I.tories aud the surprises and the attacks {
i, the day, seated by the still campfire OF th
d home circlel
a Yea, life Is a stormy sea. With shivere
= masts and torn sails and hulk aleak, we p,
!, into the harbor OF home. Blessed harbo
= There we 60 for repairs In the drydock {
: quiet life. The can lie in the window Is
Il the toiing man the lighthouse guiding hi
70 into port. Children go forth to meet the
a fathers as pilots at the Narrows take the han
N of ships. The doorsill OF the home is Il
Il wharf where heavy life is unladen.
I There is the place where we may talk
what we have done without being charge
with self adulaiion There is the place whe
We may lounge without being thought u
graceful. There is the place where we may e
j | rrass affeation vifkout heinc non chit sill