The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-02-06
OUR HOMES.

wees atsS o CLOCK. "a cordial stWtiCott.e
given to all.
OUR HOMES.
On last Sunday morning Rev. w. B.
Beauchamp preached a most excellent
sermon on Loyalty to Christ in Our
Homes" and selected for his text Cor.
is chapter, and the latter part of ,!le 18th
verse. He said in part:
Il especially. desire to call your atten-
ton to those latter words, the church
that IS in thy house. You will find in
many of ST. Pauls letters such a refer
ence as this: The church that is in thy
house. This was doubtless due to 1.-The
fact that the Christians had no place OF
public meeting, and so met in the home
OF some one who was "a Christian. An
other idea, the one which I wish to dis
cuss is, that in large sense every home
became a church. In Old Testament
Scripture the father was recognized as
the father of the home, and in a certain
sense, a priest OF that home. So it seems
to me that every home that is Christian
and processes so to be. ought, in a very
significant sense, to he a church within
the home.
1.-The home is the most essential thing.
IN church or state In a land like this
the safeguard Of a nation, of any nation,
ls not first OF all in its educational insti-
tutions, however important they are-and
they are 1mportant-but the first element
of the State and the fundamental element
Of the State is the home, and the nome
is the unit of nations life and "a ma
tfon's province. Every man who is a
Christian, and every man should be a
Christian everywhere, whether it be at
te church on Sunday, or in the week
at the places of business, or in the home,
he should be first of all and pre-eminently
Christian loyal to Christ.
This day / know we are very busy,
and the men have to hurry away every
morning to their business, to their offices
and to their work of one sort or another;
but isn't there anything else in the world
for man but his business? Isn't theEe
anything else that demands your atten-
| ton and mind but the daily affairs OF
life? Isn't there something infinitely
| above these things that task our hands
| and brain day by day? Isn't there some
| thing that is above that, and infinitely
| of more Importance? I tell you, yea, and
that the matter under consideration is
| what you do at your home for the in
fuencing and the uplifting, and the guild
ing Of those who are committed to you
by your God
II know that ofttimes mans nights
are taken up with a lodge, or aiclub, or
society of some sort. One night after
| and from their children and from their
family, and right. there is where. the
degeneracy OF a nations life begins. In
that home, where the strong. guiding
hand of a father, and the spiritual. per-
sonal and pious influence of his wife is
taken away, right there begins the, de-
generacy of the children. If were a
| MOTHER and only had strength to do one
| thing, that one thing would be my
ic y. n,
may be noble in other respects, but in
J the creation Of God, by the instinct of
her nature. in the teachings of Christ,
there is nothing so great for woman as
the marvellous influence OF God as she
may have in that home and upon that
! throne, sending out men and women
| that will be blessing. The old Romans
thought that the highest honor for woman
was to be the mother of sons, and to
make them great men. I believe that to-
! day, under Gods teachings. the highest
| office of the mother is to train those chill
dren committed to herzcare, so that they
may be blessing to the world. The
Methodist parents of a generation ago
may not have been as learned as some
| in this day. they may none have had the
| wealth that some of us have to-day, but
| they Knew some things wisely and did
| them well. and one of these was that
universal practice in the morning of gath
| ering about them the loved ones in the
| home and kneeling at the sacred family
J altar with those whom they loved best
| in the world, committed to Gods keeo-
ing through the day those girls and Buys.
| and sending them from that home when
| they should go into the busy world, with
| a memory of that home, however poor and
| humble 1t was. of the sacred influence and
I of the Christl5' practice that they would
| not easily forget. I tell You it is difficult
| for boys and girls to get away from the
sacred inhences of home, if that home
| is what it ought to be as Christian
nome"