Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-06-10

- eVui ttirt NhAs ~ TIT tAtAsthA
safety Of your lifetime associate. Is not
the everlasting welfare of Your wife inn
pcnitent or Your husband impcnitcnt of
more Importance than your church rcla-
tionship! Is NOT the condition Of your
companion for the next quadrillion Of
wears mightier consideration 10 you
than the qualification 81 your ecclesiasti
cal taste FOR 10 or ~ years \ man or a
woman who would stop half n minute
To- weigh preferences n t. whether he
or she had better 90 with the nnconvert
al companion to this or that church or
denomination has no religion at all and
never has had. aud | fear never will
have. You are loaded M with what You
suppose to bc religion hut you are like
Captain F'robshcr. who brought back
from his voyage Of discovery "A shipload
Of what he supposed valuable minerals.
yet. instead Of being silver and gold.
were nothing hut common stones of the
field. to bc hurled out finally useless.
The Christians Duty.
Mighty Tod. in all thy realm is there
one man or woman PROGRESSING religion.
vet So .Stulid, untitled. - far gone
unto death that there would he any hest
fancy in stn'rendcring all preferences he
fore such an opportunity IL salvation
and heavenly reunion: II you. a Chris
tian wife. are an attendant upon any
church and your unconverted husband
does not 80 there because he does not
like its preacher. or its music. or its ar
chitecturc, or its uncomfortable crowd
ing. and goes not Ia any house Of wor-
ship. hut would 20 il You would accom-
pany him somewhere else change your
church relations. Take your hymnbook
home with you today. Say goodby 10
your friends in the neighhoring pews and
go with him To- any one of hundred
churches till his soul is saved and he
joins you in the march 10 heaven. More
important than that ring on the third
finger Of your left hand il is that your
Heavenly Father command the angel Of
mercy concerning your husband mt his
conversion. rs in the parable Of old. Put
Il ring on his hand"
M letter ~ more importance ever
came to the great city If Corinth. situ-
atcd on what was called the Bridge of
the Sea. aud rlstening with sculpture.
aud gated with Il style Of brass the mag
nifcencr ~ which the following ages
have Not been able To- successfully imi.
tate. aud overshadowed by the Acro-Cor-
inthus. fortress of rock 1000 feet high
say no letter ever came 10 that great
city Of more importance than that letter
in which Paul puts the two startling
questions: What knowesi thou. q wife.
whether thou shalt save thy husband?
Or how knowcSt thou. q man. whether
thou shalt save thy wife, The dearest
sacrifice on the part of the one Is cheap
IL IL rescue the other. Better 20 to the
smallest. weakest. most insignificant
church on earth and be copartners in
eternal bliss than pass Your earthly mem
bcrsip in most eorgcously attractive
church while Your companion stays out
side Of evangelical privilege. Better have
the drowning saved 10y a scow ar a sloap
than let him or her "a down while you
sail 10y in the gilded cabins of n Majestic
or Campania.
Sacrifice Preferences.
Second remark: II both Of the married
couples hc Christians. but one is So nat
urally constructed that il is impossible
L. enjoy the services of Il particular de
nomination and the other is not 81 secta-
rian or punciiious. let the one less par
ticular 80 with the other who is very
particular. A. for myself. ! feel Is much
at home in one denomination Of evan
gelica Christians a. another. and think
! must have been horn very near the
line. like the Solemn roll Of the Epis-
copal liturgy. and like the. spontaneity
of the Meihodists. and like the impor-
lance given tu the ordinance of baptism
by the Bapiists. aud like the freedom
of the Cnngrcgationalists aud like the
government and the sublime doctrine of
the preShytcrians and like many Of the
others just as much ~ any ! have men
toned. and could happily live aud
preach AMI die and lee buried from any
of them. But others are born with II lik
ing So stout. unhending. So memorable
for some denomination that il is posi-
tive necessity they have the advantage Of
that one. What they were intended to he
in cccrsiaSticism was written in the
sides Of their cradle II the father and
mother had eyes keen enough To see II.
They would not stop crying until they
had put in their hands NJ a plaything
Westminster cafechism Of the Thirty
nine Articles The whole current of their
temperament aud thought and character
runs into one sect of religionists as nat
uraly as the James river into the Ches-
apcakc. Ii would be torture To such
persons to be anywhere outside of that
one church.
Now. lct the wife or husband who is
not 80 constructed sacrifice the mildcr
preference for the one more infexible
and rigorous. Let the grapevine follow
the rugosities aud sinuosities Of the oak
or hickory. Abram. the richer in ilocks
Of Christian grace. sh' uld say To- Lot.
who is built on a smaller scale: Let
there he no strife. | pray thee. between
me- and thee. aud between my her,lsm.n
and thy hcrdsmcn. Is not the whole
land before thee rs you can bc edited
aud happy anywhere. "a with your com
panion 10 the church To- which he or she
must go or he miserable.
Advice 90 Parents.
Remark the third II both the married
couple are very strong IN their sectarian-
ism. let them attend the different church
- preferred. II is not necessary that
you attend the same church. Religion
is between your conscience aud your
God. Like Ahram and Lot. agree To suf-
fer. When on Sabbath morning you
come out OF Your home together and one
goes one way aud the other the other.
heartily wish each other a good sermon
and "A time Of profitable devotion. and
when You meet again al the MONDAY re
past let il hc evident. each Ia each and
to your children aud to the hired help.
that you have both been on the Mount of
by different paths. aud that you have
both been fed by the bread Of life
though kncadcd by different hands in diff
fcrcni trays and baked IN different ovens
But how about the children" am Of
ten asked 10y scores Of parents. Let
them also max" their own choice. They
will grow up with reverence for both
the denominations represented 10y father
and mother ii yuu bY holy lives commend
those denominations. IL the father lives
the better life. they will have the more
favorable opinion of his denomination
II the mother lives the better life they
will have the more favorable opinion Of
her denomination. Aud SOME day both
the parents will. for NJ least one service
80 Ia the same church The neiehbors
will say. II wonder what Is going On 20
day. Tor ! saw our ncighbnr aud his wife.
who always 60 to different churches. go.
ing arm In arm to the same sanctuary"
Well. I will tell Won what hns brought