Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1899-03-04
TALMAGE ON HOME.
THE PLACE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT
OF CHRISTIAN CHARACTER.

Tender UecoIlectiOns Stirred by tho
Recall of Scenes of BOyhOod and
Girlhood-Show Piety First Mt the
FireHidc.
copyright 1899. by American Press Asso-
ciatlonl
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26.-Many tender
recollections are stirred by DR.. Tai
mage'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
foreign 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
MS and says that we ought to exercise
Christian behavior amid all such cir
cumstances. "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 that
they had some such great opportunity
in which to display their Christian
proves They admire Paul making
Felix tremble. and they only wish that
they had some such grand occasion in
which to preach righteousness, temper
ance 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 do
nestle 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 Grip
pie at the gate of the temple. he will
never be able to preach 5000 into the
kingdom at the Peutecost. If Paul Will
not take pains to instruct in the way OF
salvation the jailer of the Phiippian
dungeon. he will never make Felix
tremble. He who is not faithful in a
slrirmish would not be faithful in an
Armageddon The fact is. we are all
placed in Just the position III 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 abb
sorbing question with you and with me
ought to be. Lord. what wilt thou
have me now and here to dor
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, plenty
at the table. industry at the work stand,
intelligence at the books. devotion at
the altar. In that household discord
never sounds its warwhoop. and de-
ception never tricks with its false face.
To him it means greeting at the door
and a smile at the chair, peace hover
ing like wings, joy clanping its hands
with laughter Life is tranquil lake.
PiIlowed Oh the ripples sleep the shad-
ows Ask another man what home is
and he will tell you it is want looking
out of a cherries fire CRATE. kneading
hunger in an empty bread tray. The
damp air shivering with curses. No
Bible on the shelf. Children 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 Vesti-
bule of the pit Shadow of internal
walls Furnace for forging everlasting
chains. Fagots for an unending funeral
pile. Awful word. 1t is spelled with
curses. it weeps with ruin. it chokes
with woe, it sweats with the death
agony of despair The word "home'
in the one case means everything bright.
The word "home in the other case
means every thing terrific.
AS n Test of Character.
/ shall speak now Of home a. test
of character, home az refuge. home
as a political safeguard, home az a
school, and home as type Of heaven.
And in the first place. home is a power
full test of character. The disposition
in public may be in gay costume, while
in private it is dishabille. AS play ac-
tors may appear in one way on the stage
and may appear in another way behind
the scenes, go private character may be
very different from public character
Private character is often public char
acter turned wrong side out. a man
may receive you into his parlor as
though he was Z .Sillation of smiles,
and yet his hea- may be swamp OF
nettles There are business men who
all day long are mild and courteous
and genial and good natured in COM
mercial life, damming back their irrita-
bility and their petulance and their
discomfort. 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 long shadow. The
lips may seem to drop with myrrh and
cassia and the disposition to be as
bright and warm as sheath of SUM-
beams, and yet they may only be a
magnificent show window for wretch
ed stock of gods. There is many a
man who is affable in public life and
amid commercial spheres who in cow
ardly way takes his anger and his petu-
lance home and drops them in the do
nestle circle The reason men dc, 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 irritability just for
the same reason that they do not let
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