The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1899-06-17

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pa ion 10 the church TO which he or she
muS I go or be miserable.
II mark the third II both the mar
rie% conpie are very strong in their see
tarmn!sm, let them attend the diferen:
churches preferred. 1t is not necessary
| that you attend the same church. Re
| lgion is between your conscience and
| your God. Like Abram and Lot, agree
| to suffer. When on Sabbath morning
you come out of your home together
and one goes one way and the other the
| other. heartily wish each other good
sermon and time of profitable devo-
| ton. and when you meet again at the
| MONDAY repast let it be evident, each to
| each and to your children and to the
| hired help. that you have both been on
| the Mount OF TRANSPORTATION. although
you went up by different paths. and
| that you have both been fed by the
bread Of life, though kneaded by diff
| ferent hands in different trays and
| baked in different ovens. "But how
| about the children?" | am often asked
| by scores of parents. Let them ais"
| make their own choice. They will
grow up with reverence for both the de-
nominations represented by father and
! mother IL you by holy lives commend
those denominations. II the father lives
the better life. they will have the more
| favorable opinion of his denomination
| And some day both the parents will
| for at least one service, go to the same
church. The neighbors will say: 81 won
| der what sgoing on to-day, for saw our
| neighbor and his wife, who always go
to different churches, going arm in arm
to the Same sanctuary" Well, will
| tell you what has brought them arm Id
arm to the same altar. Something very
important has happened. Their son is
| standing in the aisle, taking the vows OF
Christian. He has been somewhat
| hayward and gave father and mother
| good deal of anxiety but their prayers
| have been answered in his conversion,
| and us he stands in the aisle and the
| minister of religion says: do you
consecrate yourself TO the God who
made and redeemed you, and do you
promise to serve Him all your days."
| and with manly voice he answers: Il
| do" there is an April shower in the
pew where father and mother sit and a
rainbow of Joy which arches both teeir
souls that makes all the difference of
creed inlinitcsimal. And the daughter,
who has been very worldly and gay and
| thoughtless, puts her life on the altar
of conservation, and as the sunlight OF
that Sabbath streams through the
church window and falls upon her brow
| and cheek she looks like their other
| daughter, whose face was illuminated
| with the brightness of another world
on the day when the Lord took her into
His heavenly keeping years ago.
] should not wonder if. after all,
| these parents pass the evening of their
| life in the same church. all differences
| of church preference overcome by the
| JOY of being in the house of God where
their children were prepared for use
| fulness and Heaven. But | can give
YOU recipe for running your children.
| Angrily contend in the household that
| your church is right and the church OF
your companion is wrong. Bring sneer
and caricature to emphasize your opin-
/
| their minds that religion is a sham.
and they will have none of it. In the
northeast storm OF domestic contro-
versy the rose of Sharon and the lily
of the valley will not grow. Fight
| about apostolic succession, fight about
election and free agency. fight about
baptism, fight about the bishopric, fight
about gown and surplice. and the re-
| ligious prospect of your children will
be left dead on the field. You will be
as unfortunate as Charles, duke of Bur-
gundy, who in battle lost n diamond
the value of kingdom, for in your fight
] you will lose the jewel OF salvation for
YOUR entire household. This is moth
ing against the advocacy of your own
religious theories. Use all forcible ar.
guruent, bring all telling illustration,
array all demonstrative facts. but LEI
there be no acerbity, no singing retort.
no mean insinuation, no supercilious-
ness. us though all others were wrong
and you infallibly right.
But do not reject Christianity, as
many do. because there are so many
sects. Standing in Westminster hotel.
London, | looked out of the window
and saw three clocks, as near as can
remember one on the parliament
house. another on St. Margaret's chapel.
another on Westminster abbey = and
they were all different. One said II
o'clock AT noon. another said five min
utes before ~. another said five min
utes after IL. might as well have con-
cluded that there is no such thing as
time because the three timepieces were
different as for you to conclude that
there is no such thing as pure Christi
anity because the churches differ in
their statement Of it.
But let us all rejoice that. although
part of our family may worship on
earth in one church and part in an
other church or bowed at the same
altar in compromise of preferences,
we are. IL redeemed, on the way to
perfect church. where all our prefer
ences will be fully gratified. Great ca
thedral Of eternity. with arches Of anne
thysts and pillars OF sapphire. with
floors of emerald and windows aglow
with the sunrise of Heaven! What
stupendous towers. with chimes angel
boosted and angel rung! What mvr,ads