Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1899-07-21
NUMBER 20.

panion TO the church 10 which he or shs
must go or be miserable.
Remark the third; If both the mar
ricd couple are very strong in their see
tari0nism, let them attend the different
churches preferred. 1t is not necessary
that you attend the same chuIl., lIe'
lgion is between your conscience an
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 II be evident, each 10
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 alsu
make their own choice. They will
grow up with reverence for both the de.
nominations represented by father and
mother If you by holy lives commend
! those denominations. If 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. Theneighbors lsay: "lwon'
der what tisgoing 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 ih
arm to the same altar. Something very
important has happened. Their son is
rtanding in the aisle, taking the vows OF
Christian. He has been somewhat
wayward 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: 81
do" there is an April shower in the
pew where father and mother sit and a
rainbow of JOY which arches both their
souls that makes all the difference OF
creed infinitcsimal. 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 aud 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 II, 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 a 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-
ions, and your children will make up
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 VIII
be left dead on the field. You will be
as unfortunate as Charles, duke OF Bur-
gundy. who in battle lost a 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
} gument, bring all telling illustration,
array all demonstrative facts, but let
, there be no acerbity, no stinging retort,
no mean insinuation, no supercilious-
ness, as 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 IL
/ o'clock at noon, another said five min
utes before 12, another said five MN
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 1t.
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 a compromise Of preferences,
, we are, if redeemed, on the way to a
( 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
stupcndous towers, with chimes angel
hoisted and angel rung! What Il %riads
( of wolshipers, white robed and coronet'
ed! What an ofiiciator at the altar
even "the great High Priest of our pro
fession!" What walls hung with tic
captured shields and flags, by The
, church militant passed up to the church
triumphant! What doxologes Of all