Milford chronicle., 1903-06-05


veloper of every community in which it
exists. 1t is the thrashing floor where
the grain which has been raised in the
| nurseries of Christian homes is sepa-
| rated from the chalf. 1t IS the holy of
| holies at whose sacred affairs multi
/ tudes are convicted of sin and led to
humbly 5neel and publicly confess
/ their faith in God Many have been
brought up in Christian homes who
would never have given their hearts to
Jesus Christ except through the
/ church's influence Where did / sur
render my heart to Jesus? During
time Of a revival in the Brooklyn Tab
ernaclc. in the church. Where did you,
0 hcarer, surrender your heart to
Jesusg In the church. In nearly every
case your decision was made within
the four walls of church.
If the church of Jesus Christ had
such an infinite influence upon the
lives of your children ought you not,
Q wives and mothers, to cast your in
auence there? Ought you not Sunday
after Sunday to be seen within the four
walls Of the sacred sanctuary? 1t is
useless for you to say that you have
nc time to 30 to church \ mother can
always arrange her time to admit any
duty that she knows to he essential 10
her childrens welfare. Who can tell
whether the destiny of your children
may not be affected for all eternity by
your bringing them to church? Some
mothers find time every week to take
their children to dancing schools. Is
not the temple where the people learn
about Jesus Christ more important
than the floor where the heels are edu-
Gated instead of the heart?
DO not make the plea have so often
heard-that You have little children too
young to go to church and therefore
you must stay with them at home.
Take your babies along. The minister
Of the Lord Jesus Christ who would be-
come irritGted because young mother
brings her baby to church is not spir-
itually fitted TO stand in any pulpit
or to preach from any sacred desk.
The greatest honor today which a con-
Crcgation can have is TO see the pews
filed up with the young mothers who
are lanked by little children on both
sides. l once heard of variety show
giving Il performance in a mining
camp in the days of the California gold
excitement The rude theater for the
most part was filled with rough men.
While the show was going on a little
baby began to cry. That child's cry
nightly affected the miners. They
made the players stop so that they
could hear the voice which recalled the
holy memories of their eastern homes.
II a child's cry can soften the heart
in a theater it can teach Il gospel les
son in a church service. Oh, mothers
with little children. when you come to
the church bring your babies. When
/ used to be taken to church as a little
child the sweet influence Of the gospel
penetrated my being. though often be-
fore the service closed. in childhood's
wearincss, I went to sleep with my
head pillowed on my mothers lap. .
No mother can be true example to /
her children unless at the same time
5ae is true church member.
The Greatest OF All Examples.
But" some one may say. you have /
not spoken vet of the greatest Of all .
examples which n true mother ought .
to set before her children. She should .
and must be a Christian woman. She .
cannot be Il true wife, daughter, nom .
Der Of society and of the church un-
less in the first place she fully realizes .
her responsibility to her Maker and .
Rcdeemer and Saviour" Well. my
friend, perhaps | have done wrong in
not making this thought the first and
chief heading of my sermon. But, to tell .
the truth. l have gone upon the sup
position that all the wives and moth
ers assembled in this congregation are
Christian women. | believe that deep
down in your hearts you feel your re-
sponsibility to Christ l preach with
another purpose than to bring you as
new converts to Christ have tried
to show the different directions in
which the river of your spiritual love
should flow. | have tried to show you
this because l want to prove that
your daughters spiritual love will flow
in the same direction as yours finds an
outlet.
DO You know what impresses me
most about a little boy? The fact that
he wants 10 be like lis father. The
little fellow wants to wear the same
kind Of suspenders, and the same kind
Of a vcst, and white shirt and collar,
the same kind Of laced shoes. He
wants to initiate his fathers good
habits as well as his bad Do you
know what impresses me most about
little girl? She wants to be like her
mother. "As is the mother so is her
When my sisters were
Young. the 6rst act remember about
them was this: They used to rum
mage in mothers closets and get out
ler long dresses and pin them around
heir waists and play they were grown
women going calling. When little girls
were born in my own home found
hey did with my wifcs things just
what my sisters used to do with my