Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-03-16
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE Blythe NOTED
DIVINE.

Subject: "The Christian Home"-A Place
For the Genesis and Rounding Out OF
Character-The Family Circle a Have,
of Refuge From the Worlds Storms.
TEXT: "Lst them learn first to show
piety at home."-I Timothy w.
During the summer months the tendency
Is to the fields, to visitation, to foreign
travel and the watering places, and the
ocean steamers are thronged, but in the
winter it is rather to gather in domestic
circles, and during these months we spend
many OF the hours within doors, and the
apostle comes to US and says that we ought
to exercise Christian behavior amid all
such circumstances. "Let them learn first
to show piety at home"
There are great many people longing
for some grand sphers in which to serve
God. They admire Luther at the diet of
Worms, and only wish that they had some
such great opportunity in which to display
their Christian prowess. They admire
Paul making Felix tremble, and they only
wish that they had some such grand occa-
sion In which to preach righteousness.
temperance and judgment to come. All
they want is an opportunity to exhibit
their Christian heroism. Now, the apostle
practically says: Il will show you place
where you can exhibit all that is grand and
beautiful and glorious in Christian charac-
ter and that is the domestic circle. Let
them learn first to show piety at home"
If one is not faithful In an insignificant
sphere, he will not be faithful in a resound-
ing sphere. IfPeter will not help the Grip
pie at the gate Of the temple, he will
never be able to preach 5000 into the king
dom at the Pentecost. If Paul will not
take pains to instruct in the way of saliva
tion the jailor of the Philippian dungeon,
he will neverI make Felix tremble He
who is not faithful in a skirmish would not
be faithful in On Armageddon. The fact
is, we are all placed in just the position in
which we can most grandly serve God and
we ought not to be chiefly thoughtful
about some sphere OF usefulness which we
may after a while gain, but the all absorb
ing question with ou and with me ought
to be, Lord, what wilt Thou have me now
and here to do?"
There is one word in st. Paul's adjura-
tion around which the most of our
thoughts will revolve. That word is
ing of that word and they will give you
ten different definitions. To one it means
love at the hearth, plenty at the table, in
dustry at the work stand, intelligence at
the books, devotion at the alter. In that
household discord never sounds its war;
whoop, and deception never tricks with its
false face. To him it means greeting at
the door and smile at the chair, peace
lowering like wings, joy clapping its hands
with laughter. Life is TRANQUIL lake.
Pillowed on the ripples sleep the shadows.
Ask another man what home Is and he will
tell 1t Is want looking out of a cherries
1re-grate. kneading hunger in an empty
bread tray. The damp air shivering with
curses. No Bible on the shelf. Children
robbers and murderers in embryo. OBJ
scene songs their lullaby. Every face
picture of ruin. Want in the background
and sin staring from the front. No Sab
bath wave rolling over that doorsill. Yes
walls. Furnace for forging everlasting
chains Fagots for an unending funeral
pile. Awful word. 1t is spelled with
curses, it weeps with ruin, 1t chokes with
woe, 1t sweats with the death agony of de-
spair. The word "home" in the one case
means everything bright. The word
"home'' in the other case means every
thing terrific.
shall speak now Of home as test of
character, home as a refuge, home as po-
litical safeguard, home as school, and
home as type OF heaven. And in the
first place, home is powerful test of char
acter. The disposition In public may be in
gay costume, while in private it is disha-
billie. AS play actors may appear in one
way on the stage and may appear in an
other way behind the scenes, so private
character may be very different from pub
lie character. Private character is often
public character turned wrong side out
man may receive you into his parlor as
though he was distillation Of smiles, and
yet his heart may be swamp of nettles.
There are business men who all day long
are mild and courteous, and genial and
good natured in commercial life, damming
back their irritability and their petulance
and their discomfort, but at nightfall the
dam breaks. and scolding pours forth in
floods and freshets.
As at sunset sometimes the wind rises, so
after sunshiny day there may be tenn
pestuous night. There are people who in
public act the philanthropist who at home
act the Nero with respect to their slippers
and their gown. Audubon, the great orni-
thologist,. with gun .and :pencil went
through the forests of fAmerica to bring
down and to sketch the beautiful birds, and
after years Of toll and exposure completed
MS manuscript. and put 1t in trunk In
Philadelphia and went off for few days OF
recreation and rest and came back and
found that the rats had utterly DESTROYED
the manuscript, but without any discom-
posure and without any fret or bad temper
he again picked up his gun and his pencil
and visited again all the great forests of
America and reproduced his immortal
work. And yet there are people with the |
part Of that loss who .are
utterly irreconcilable. who at the loss Of a
penclt or an article OF ra1ment Will blow as |
long and loud and sharp as a northeast
storm. Now, that man who is affable In
public and who is irritable in private Is
making fraudulent and overissue of stock, |
and he is as bad as q bank that might have
$400 900 or S50O,0O0 Of bills in circulation
with no specie in the vault. Let US .learn
to show piety at home. II we have it not
there, we have it not anywhere. II we have |
not genuine grace in the family circle, all
our outward and public plausibility merely
springs from the fear OF the world or from
the Shiny, putrid pool of our own selfish
ness. tell you the home is a mighty test |
of character. What you are at home you
are everywhere, whether you demonstrate |
1t or not.
Again, home is refuge. Life is the |
United States army on the national road |
to Mexico-a long march, with ever and |
anon skirmish and battle. At eventide |
We pitch our tent and stack the arms, we |
hang up the war cap, and our head on the |
knapsack we sleep until the morning bugle |
calls us to march to the action. How |
pleasant 1t is to rehearse the victories and |
The surprises and the attacks OF the day |
seated by the still campfire of the home |
circle Yea, life is stormy sea. with |
shivered masts and torn sails and hulk |
aleak we put in at the harbor of home. |