The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-07-08

before thee? AS you can be edited
and happy anywhere, go with your com
panion to the church to which he or she
must go or be miserable.
Remark ,he third: IL both the mar
ried couple are very strong in their Sec
tarianism, let them attend the different
churches preferred. 1t is not necessary
that you attend the same church. Re-
ligion is between your conscience and
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 othera good
sermon and time of profitable devo-
ton, and when you meet again at the
MONDAY repast let it be evident, each to
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?" l am often asked
by scores of parents. Let them also
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 denominations
And some day both the parents Will
| for at least one service, go to the same
church. Theneighbors willsay "lwon-
der what's going on to-day, for l 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 in
arm to the same altar. Something very
important has happened. Their son is
standing in the aisle, taking the vows OF
Christian. He has been somewhat
hayward and gave father and mother
good deal of anxiety, but their prayers
have been answered in his conversion,
and as 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: Il
do" there is an April shower in the
pew where father and mother sit and
rainbow of JOY which arches both their
souls that makes all the difference OF
creed infinitesimal. 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 and 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 If, 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
fitness and Heaven. But l 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 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 blshopric, fight
about gown and surplice. and the re-
lgious prospect of your children VIII
2 be left dead on the field. You will be
as unfortunate as Charles, duke OF Bur-
! gundy, who in battle lost diamond
the value of kingdom, for in your fight
you will lose the jewel OF salvation fol
e YOUR entire household. This is moth
ing against the advocacy OF your own
| TeURlOuS tHcOIiCS. OSC "iA Aoi $500 -
, gument, bring all telling illustration
] array all demonstrative facts, but lei
c there be no acerbity, no singing retort
no mean insinuation, no supercilious'
: ness, as though all others were wrong
0 and you infallibly right.
: But do not reject Christianity, Of
: many do, because there are so many
t sects. Standing in Westminster hotel
e London, looked out of the window
0 and saw three clocks, as near as car
j remember one on the parliament
q house, another on St. Margaret's chapel
:, another on Westminster abbey - ane
Y they were all different. One said Il
+ o'clock at noon. another said five min
e utes before IL, another said five min
| utes after IL. might as well have con
i cluded that there is no such thing al
time because the three timepieces wer'
i different as for you to conclude tina
t there is no such thing as pure Christi
= anity because the churches differ II
s their statement oft.
|, But let us all rejoice that, although
part of our family may worship OF
/. earth in one church and part in an
O other church or bowed at the SAM
r altar in compromise of preferences
q we are, if redeemed, on the way to ;