Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-08-06

strike another man. I appeal to you.
Are you ready to be manly Christian
| appealing In Christ's name to men?
| Are you ready to tell them That the
| brnvest heroes of life are not always
| those who don the soldiers uniform
and with unbinnched cheek, walk up
10 the cannon's MOUTH Are you ready,
| by the example of your own life. to
teach a sinful world that the noblcst
heroes Of every generation are the
moral heroes - those heroes who, II
necessary. are ready to die for Christ,
die for the right. die as Paul died, who
urged his yokefeliuws to he bold tes-
tificrs and workers for the CROSSE
The Duty of Man.
Every true man knows that his wife
is not az useful and active a member
| Of the Christian church when she goes
to church alone as she would be II her
husband were ready to 20 by her side
and help her in her Christian endeavor
to spread the gospel. The marital ties
are very sacred. They unity in more
ways than one the twain who once
stood at the nuptlal altar. After
husband and a wife have been living
together for many, many years they
not only begin to think alike, but also
| to grow to look alike. | have again
and agnin noticed the similarity Of
looks which are seen upon the faces
Of aged husbands and wives who have
long lived side by side. They have I'M
consciously absorbed parts of each 9th
cr's physical as well as mental person
| alities So when husband is an ir-
religious man, nonchurchgoer, a
scoffer. ridfculer, his sneers and
shortcomings have a marked evil effect
upon the life Of the Christian woman
who at the marriage altar has pledged
to him her love and her life. She may
fight against deterioration as she will,
but in spite of herself she cannot be
as good n woman as II she had married
n good Christian man, who has been
consecrated to the service Of the Lord
Jesus Christ from the day that he left
his mothers home.
Husbands in view of this tremendous
fact, are you ready today to curtail
to n greater or less extent the spiritual
usefulness of your wife? Are you
ready to curtail her spiritual influence
over the life of her children because
her own spiritual life, on account Of
your personal indifference and sins, has
been depleted? Are you ready for the
same sinful marital cause to curtall
her influence in the church and in the
neighborhood? Because you wish her
To be social queen are you more de-
sirous of seeing her surrender the bet
ter part Of herself to the service of the
world rather than TO the service of her
Divine Master?
The Husbands Responsibility.
But | take a step further in this
thought. Have you thought that you
may. perhaps, totally destroy your
wife's faith in Jesus Christ? Many
and many husband has done this be-
fore. and perhaps you may be doing
this now. If you. O man, are indiffer-
ent to the gospel message, and shall be
cternally destroyed, perhaps your wife
may become Indifferent about her own
salvation. Perhaps she may be willing
to be destroyed so that she can say TO
you as Ruth OF old said to Naomi;
"Entrcat me not to leave thee, or to
return from following after thee; for
whittier thou goest | will go, and where
thou lodgest | will lodge thy people
shall be my people and thy God my
Cod" | once heard of an African
chief who came one day to a mission
airy and said, missionary, if I accept
Jesus Christ will be Saved?' Yes"
answered the missionary. well, mis-
sionary, as my father did not accept
Jesus Christ. will he be eternally de
stroycd" Yes" answered the mis-
sionary, not seeing whittier the ques
ton led. And my grandfather and
great grandfathers, are they all de-
stroyod because they did not accept
Jesus Christi" Yes" answered the
missionary. without thought of the eff
feet of his answer Then the African
chief lifted high his head as he an
swercd: missionary, | reject your
Christ. | do not wish to be separated
even in death from my father, | pre-
fer to he eternally destroyed as he Is
ctcrnally destroyed"
Oh, sinful husband. glorying in the
intensity OF your wife's affection for
you, have you ever thought of the ex-
trcmity TO which that love may carry
her? What if she should so desire to
be with you that, rather than be sep
arated from you after death, she
should give up Christian usefulness
give up her God and heaven? What
will be your rcmorse if you have to la
mcnt not only the loss of your own
soul, but the eternal woe which love
Of you has brought upon her? Today
you may be deciding not only your
own eternal destiny but you may be
destroying your Christian wife's spir
ltual welfare Side by side you were
Mt the altar. Side by side you will be
in the grave. Side by side you may be
in e,ernal despair.
Church Membcrship.
But | would like TO speak a word
before.I close to the good, moral, Chris.
tan man who believes in God and yet
is not church member You are
. ready TO confess him in private con
versation and yet rot willing to public
-, ly confess him as a church member
. though In that way yon might helI
the women who are laboring in the
gospel. In spite of orthodox doctrine
!, | shrink from the thought that yor
will ever be ultimately destroyed. But