The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-03-25
SPRINGTIME OF LIFE.
A Sermon on the Scenes of Youth
by DR.. Talmage.
Mans True Character VIII Come
Ont Beside the Fireside-Home
Should Be the Brightest
Place ON Earth.

washington, Copyright, 1897
Many tender recollections are stirred
by DR.. Talmage's discourse, and scenes
of boyhood and girlhood days will be
lived over again; text, Timothy, v. 4:
LET them learn first to show piety at
| home"
During the summer months the tend
| ency is to the fields, to visitation, to for
| eign 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 exer-
| else Christian behavior amid alb such
circumstances. Let them learn first
to show piety at home"
There are great many people long
ing for some grand sphere in which
to serve God. They admire Luther at
the diet of Worms and only wish they
had some such great opportunity in
which to display their Christian prov
ess. They admire Paul making Felix
tremble, and they only wish that they
had some such grand occasion 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: II will show you a
place where you can exhibit all that
is grand and beautiful and glorious
in Christian character, 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 resounding
sphere. If Peter will not help the
cripple at the gate of the temple, he
will never be able to preach 5000 into
the kingdom at the Pentecost. If Paul
will not take pains to instruct in the
way of salvation the jailer of the Phil
ippian dungeon, he will never make
Felix tremble. He who is not faithful
in a skirmish would not be faithful in
an 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 awhile gain, but the all
absorbing question with you 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 adj
juration around which the most of our
thoughts will revolve. That word is
"home." Ask ten different men the
meaning of that word, and they will
give you ten different definitions. To
one it means love at the hearth, plen-
stand, Intelligence at the books. devo-
ton at the altar. In that household
discord never sounds its warwhoop 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 tran
quill lake. Pillowed on the ripples sleep
the shadows. Ask another man what
home is, and he will tell you it is want
looking out of cherries fire CRATE,
kneading hunger in an empty bread
tray. The damp air shivering with
curses. No Bible on the shelf. Chill
dren robbers and murderers in embryo.
Obscene songs their lullaby. Every
face a picture of ruin. Want in the
background and sin staring from the
front. No Sabbath wave rolling over
that doorsill. Vestibule of the pit.
Shadow of internal walls. Furnace for
forging everlasting chains. Fagots for
an amending funeral pile. Awful word.
1t is spelled with curses, it weeps with
ruin, it chokes with woe, it swears with
the death agony of despair. The word
"home" in the one case means every
thing bright. The word "home" in the
other case means everything terrific.
I shall speak now of home as test
Of character, home as refuge, home
as q political safeguard, home as a
school and home as type of Heaven.
And in the first place home is pow
, erful test of character. The DISPOSE
ton in public may be in gay costume,
while in private it is dishabille. Asplay
actors may appear in one way on the
stage and may appear in another way
behind the scenes, so private charac-
ter may be different from public char
acter. Private character is often pub
lie character turned wrong side out. A
man may receive you into his parlor as
though he were distillation of smiles,
and yet his heart may be swamp OF
nettles. There are business men who
all day long are mild and courteousa and
genial and good natured in CONNER
cial life, damming back their Irritable
ty and their petulance and their dis
!, content, but at nightfall the dam
, breaks and scolding pours forth in
floods and freshets.
Reputation is only the shadow OF
: character, and very small house some
times will cast very large shadow
The lips may seem to drop with myrrf
and cassia and the disposition to be a!
bright and warm as sheath of sun
beams, and yet they may only be
magnificent show window for wretch
ed stock of goods. There is many
man who is affable in public life ana
: amid commercial spheres who in 6
: cowardly way takes his anger and his