Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-01-18
GOD IN The HOME
Subject Of Rev. J. F. RibbIe's
Morning Discourse.
PRACTICAL AND PlTHY
sermons hy Other Ministers, Rev. NJ. i
Colonn',. Jr., breaches on .'s!,risti.n
Liberty" and Rev. Z. q. Cox ON
"Cirist la the Church.

tHeV. j. Tl.anclS RIDDLE, rector OF st.
Paal's Episcopal chucrh. preached to a
large congregation .Sunuhy morning on
eh-t subject God in the Home" His
text was Psalms 121:1-.. Except the
Lord build the house, they labor IN vain
that bulk, it''--about which MIR. Ribble
said in part:
The Psalm from which the words Of
my text are taken are supposed to have
been written by solomon. Ii refers not
TO pvr.od Of warfare. but peIce. /, is
q scene of home anil home comforts
rather than, war ard' b:uodshei. Ii
vas the reign of David that was char
acterizaA by war, but the reign Of SOLO
mon was one, of peace. 1t was Il reign
OF building on the lands. before devas-
tated by wer; building OF houses and
Cities ana last IF aM. TIE temple to the
living God, which Davhi was rot per-
United to ibutld, because his hands were
stained With blood,
1t was only natural, my brethren,
for him whW built the temple for tie
service of the living God to utt.r the
words of the text. But when h, utters
these wo.d DIS they have a l..evper mean
ing than reference merely to a rnater;a,
building. 15y reading the Psalm we find
the rsGsrence is ntu sol mu Il to the
h>slse, but to the household. 1t Was
common expression in the 3 Bile to
speak of a MAS family as his house
1t Is in this sensa we desire to treat the
tea This morning.
In CIV of Soomon's building he start
ed right. He askei not for Wealth and
tf,onor, but 'wisdonl'-not his own wis
dam, but Gods. 1t was for this reason
he prospered. and as long as he built
with the Lold his building was not in
vain. Ami now we turn TO the house
or the household We an.= to consider
Is the Lord the builder?
Every household starts with the
head. Too often men. in sreaking of
Their families or households. separate
themselves from the family, or think
they do. But there never was q greater
mistake. What Il mans family is de
pzHds upon his heart and LIE. II is
is3 OF nature that like begets like. II
Bow grain we may expect t. harvest
yStA. If We plant the Vine we May ex
m the fruit Of the Vine. Let every
LEN take heed how he soweth.
an ahere are Two sentences in Gods
..S.Jrd to which I f!es.re to ca.zsSsyour at
teution- The first IS 'Nisjs<%4ssassSaass MS of
the fathers upon their 5sSaad the
sSsonil is q proverh-'JS have
eaten sour graz pes and the chtldrsn's
5a.a;h are set IN edge, The fn stsen-
stelee s.a5ws ttttrt m:.stt this father has
tine child i,n.leIlaSs. Would 10 dssJd 1t was
only the fathers temporal wealth, butit
is not. IL is his disposition ard char
acter. It is his physical. strength or
weakness. as the case may be. Notice,
the pi.yverb-'The fathers havs eaten
sour grapes and the children sleet'h are
sts:i one edge. Tie ats5t of the ia iGler was
the past, the effect un the child IS in the
present. Young men seldom think for
their pras>.nt sins. In the future they
Will be brought into jWSEment. We see
a Maynard child that has iJroaght lis
grace ara grief upon is Parents, as the
sons of the old prophet I1ii. who walk
ed not in the ways of tbs Lord, and al
last bought their fathers gray hairs n
sorrow TO the grave; the heart hleeds fer
the old prophet. but It WAS ELLIS faurt.
And just so today We Sc rroksn
hearted parents en- account Of the sins
.rf the child; but Low often does the
father see in mis- son rs own early life
or dissipation. II is the sin of the
faJleI, inherited by the chi.lll
Or again, in all delicacy. let us be-
hold another pictul's. The little child,
so innocent is tIelicate or defo:med.
Ask tbs physician the cause, and how
often. If he spoke tnIly. would he say,
1t Is the s:n ~ ths father visited upon
the child II is tire fathers inheritance.
There is future more terrible than
this. The parents stand at the grave.
The darling of their life has just been
laid at rest. and broken hearts ask the
question, Whe.@ is the justice of CODE
wllen-God had nothing to do with 1t.
But when and where does the build
in tbs head of the house. it commences
in early life. Therefore the eXhortation
of the wise man: Remembers now thy
Creator in the days of thy youth. While
the evil days come not. nor tn years
draw nigh when, thou shalt saYl l have
no pleasure in them
My hearers, if the LORD build these
temples of ours, II he EVER dWels there
then the Temps Will be holy and unde-
fi!ei 1t will be in ths' image of tie per-
feet man Their viii be health Uf mind
body apa soul, and as We would expect
AN inh.:ritanct, incorudible and unle-
fled, and that fadeth not away SO We
could hand down just such an inneri-
tance to our posterity.
SHUT let us turn 10 the household.
Their. are so many little lives that are
still as the tender Plant. untouched by
the frosts OF sin. AS we look into the
Eases dfslittls children We, think of the
Masters words, OF such is the kingdom
#5Of heaven. And in what parents heart
is there not a longing that tn<y should
ever continue th.e children of God? 1t is
to TIE parents the wise man spa axis, and
q his words are words of wisdom. Now
remember the building BSgins with the
head of the house; remember what q
mans family is dpend:s too often upon
! his own heart and life. When / look at
the spiritual lie OF many parents in cur
midst and then look into the faces of
th%f.r little ones I tremhle when I ask
myself tf1e->.tIue9tien: What shah the
harvest be? In, each case you VIII find
thew would have their Children do, not
as they do. but as they say. The bar
room keeper With his ill-gotten gains.
! Will clothe his children in this best OF
apparel place them dns!er religious in
fluences, REQUIRE ihsm to atttnd TIE
Sabbath school the services of the
church. but he himself 1ivss in tt:s tl'ens
of he'll and satan and makes others
Threshold more the child: en- OF fa=li than
: hin1s:f. The incorporate man will be
free with his iglass,bu viii toll his SONS
to look MOT upon the wine wh!ch is red
The profane inan viii be free in the use
OF words, but ne would punish the child
for sising the same. The active BUSH
ness man that Is so oyerworled in the
week that he must sleep or read away
the Sabbath and thinks not of entering
the Fathers house of worship, will! sse
that hrs children att@rtd
And what is the result:
at is not long before the little life
Z is tarnished. History repeats ITSELF and
we see a harvest of drunkards. of pro-
fame men. of i1nmoralfty men and women