The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1898-02-17

IN D, U8S,
Hermes, Philologus and Julia"
Matthew Henry. Albert Barnes,
Adam Clark. Thomas Scott and all the
commentators pass By these verses
without any especial remark. The
other 20 people msntionsd In the chap
ter were distinguished for something,
and were therefore discussed by the
iilustrious expositors, but nothing 10
said about Asyncritus. Phlegon. Her.
mas, PatrObas, Hermes, Phil0logua
and Julia. Where were they born? No
one knows. When did they die? There
is no record Of their deceass. For
what were they distinguished? Abso
lutely nothing, or the trait Of charac-
ter would have been brought out by
the apostle. II they had been very
intrepid or opulent or hirsute or musi-
cal Of cadence or Grass Of style or In
any wise anomalous that feature
would have been caught by the apos-
tolic camera. But they were good
people, because Paul sends to them
his high Christian regards. They were
ordinary people moving In ordinary
sphere, attending to ordinary duty
and meeting ordinary responsibilities.
What the world wants Is q religion
for ordinary people. II there be in
the United States 7o.0O0,000 people,
there are certainly not more than
loco, 900 extraordinary. and then there
are 69.000.OO0 ordinary. and we do
well to turn our backs for little
while from the distinguished and con-
spicuous people Of the Bible and con-
slider in our text the seven ordinary.
We spend too much Of our time in
twisting garlands for remarkable and
building thrones for magnates, and
sculpturing warriors, and apotheosiz-
ing philanthropists. The rank and
file of the Lords soldiery need espec-
ial help.
The vast majority Of people will
never lead an army, will never write
state constitution, will never electri-
fy a senate, will never make an i'm
portant invention, will never intro
duce new philosophy, will never de-
eide the fate Of nation. You do not
expect to; you do not want to. You
will not be Moses to lead a nation
out of bondage. You will not be a
Joshua to prolong the daylight until
you can shut five kings in a cavern.
You will not be q st. John to unrOll
an Apocalypse. You win not be a
Paul to preside ever an apostolic col.
lege. You will not be Mary to
mother Christ. You will more prob
ably be Asyncritus or Phlegon or Her.
mas or Patrobas or Hermes or Philo-
LOCUS or Julia.
Many Of you are women at the
head Of households. Every morning
you plan for the day. The culinary
department of the household is in
your dominion. You decide oil Ques-
tions of diet. All the sanitary regula-
tons Of your house are under your
supervision. To regulate the food,
and the apparel and the habits, and
decide the thousand questions of home
life is n tax upon brain and nerve and
general health absolutely appalling, IL
there he no divine alienation.
1t does not help you much to be told
that Elizabeth Fry did wonderful
things amid the criminals at New
gate. 1t does not help you much to be
told that Mrs. Judson was very brave
among the Borneslan cannibals. 1t
does not help you very much to be
told that Florence Nightingale was
very kind to the wounded in the Cri-
mea. Ii would be better for me to
tell you that the divine friend Of Mary
and Martha 10 your friend, and that
He sees all the annoyances and disap-
pointments and abrasions and exas-
perations Of an ordinary housekeeper
from morn till night, and from the
sarst day Of the year until the last day
or the year. and At your call He 10
ready with help AID reinforcement.
They who provide the food Of the
world decide the health Of the world.
You have only to 20 on some errand
amid the tayerns and the hotels Of
the United States and Great Britain
to appreciate the fact that vast mul.
dtude Of the human race are slaught.
cred by incompetent cookery. Though
a young woman may have taken les.
'sons In music and may have taken les.
1sBe In painting and lessons In astron-
ony. she Is not we'll educated unless
he hss taken lessons In dough! They
who decide the apparel OF the world
and the food Of the world decide the
endurance 0f the world.
An uDthiDking man may consider II
= matter Of little importance-the
cares Of the household and the econ.
-omIes Of domestic iife-but I tell you
the earth 10 strewn with the martyrs
OF kisc>rn and nussssy. The health
-sssff.SSl womanhood OF America
~, ont for q GeAy who can help or
dinary women In the ordinary duties
OF housekeeping. Ths wearing. grind.
ing, unapprsciatsd wssk goes on. but
the same Christ who stood on the
bank Of Galilee In the early morning
and kindlsd the Hfe and had the nsh
already cleaned and besilins when the