The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1899-03-04
SPRINGTlME OF LIFE.
A Sermon oil the Scenes of Youth
by DR.. ,Talmage.
n Mans True Character VIII Come
Out Dc>ide the Fireside-IIome
should lie the brightest
Place ON Earth.

home
During the summer months the tend
ency il 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 10 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
css. They admire Paul making Felix
trcmble, and they only wish that they
had some such grand occasion in which
to preach righteousness, temperance
ana Judgment to come. All they want
is an opportunity to exhibit their
Christian hcroism; Now, the apostle
practically says: Il Will show you
place where YOU can exhibit all that
is grand ard beautiful and glorious
in Christian character, and that is the
domestic circle. Let them learn first
to show p.cty at home" If one is not
faithful in an insignificant sphere, he
will not be faithful IN "A resembling
sphere. If Peter will not help the
cripple nj the gate of the temple. he
viii never bc able TO preach 5000 into
the kingdom at fhe pcutecost. If Paul
will not take pains TO instruct in the
way Of salvation the jailer of the Phil
ippinn dungeon, he will never make
Felix trcmbIe. lie who is not faithful
in a skirmish would not be faithful in
an ArmngcGdon. The fact is, we are
all placed IN just the positions 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 mn now and here to do?"
There is one word in ST. Paul's adj
Iuration 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, pen-
" at the table, industry at the work
stand, Intelligence al the books. devo-
zion al the altar. III that household
tliscOrd never sounds its warwhoop and
deception never tricks with its false
face. To him il means u greeting at
The door and Il smile al the chair, peace
towering like wings, JOY clapping its
hands with laughter. Life is a tran
.u;i lake. Piilowed on the ripplcs sleep
The shadows. ASK another man what
home is, ard he will tell you il is want
looking ont of cherries fire CRATE,
kEeadimg hunger in an empty bread
tray. The damp air shivcring with
cDrscs. No Bible on the shelf. Gill
,lrrn robbers and murdcrcrs in embryo
Obscene songs their Lullaby. Every
face picture of ruin. Want in the
background and sin ste ring from the
front. No Sabbath wave rolling over
that doorsill. NcStibIle of the pit
Shadow of Internal walls. Furnace Tor
forging everlasting chains. Fagots for
an uncnding funeral pile. Awful word
II is spelled with curses, ii wccps with
ruin. IL chokcs with woe, il swears with
the death agony of despair. The word
home" in the one case means every
thing bright. The word "homc" in the
other case means everything terrific.
! shall speak now of home rs a test
OF character. home as n refuge, home
as a political safeguard, home as
school and home as type of Heaven.
And in the first place home is pow
crful test Of character. The DISPOSE
ton in public may be in gay costume,
while in private it is dishablle. AS play
motors may appear in one way on the
stage and may appear in another way
behind the scenes, so private charac-
fer may be different from public char
actcr. Private character is often pub
lie character turned wrong side out. n
man may receive you into his parlor as
though he were a dstillation Of smiles,
and yet his heart may be swamp of
ncttlcs. There are business men who
all day long are mild and courteous and
genial and good naturcd in CONNER
cinl life, damming back their irritabli-
~ and their petulance and their dis
breaks and scolding pours forth in
floods and freshets.
Reputation is only the shadow of
character, and n very small house some
times will cast very large shadow.
The lips may seem to drop with myrrh
and cassia and the disposition to be MS
bright and warm as n sheath Of sun
beams, and yet they may only be a
magnificent show window for a wretch
cd stock of goods. There is many Il
man who is affable in public life and
amid commercial spheres who in n
cowardly way takes his anger and his
petulancc home and drops them in the
domestic circle. The reason men do
not display their bad temper in public
is because they do not want to be
knocked down. There are men who
hide their petulance and their irrita-
bility just for the same reason that
they do not let their notes go TO pro-
1est-it does not pay--or for the same
reason that they do not want n man in