Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-03-05

and important events OF human be-
ing's life. Every young girl spent her
time chiefly in preparing for her nup-
tial day. She was always spinning
linen aud making garments for the
wedding troisseau, Every young man
was taught that his duty to the world
and to God was to marry. He did not
enter into this marriage relationship
in haphnzard way. as do many Of the
young people OF the present time. He
did not marry upon a momentary I'm
pulse. But the young people were Of
ten aflianced for years before the we'd
ding day. Then, by the old Hebrew rs
we'll as by the Roman law. n bride
groom was absolutely Independent Of
all military and, to q great extent Of
civil obligations FOR whole year. Aft
or the wedding night for twelve long
months he was allowed to stay at home
under his own roof. So when the BRIDE
groom Of the east sent n refusal to
come to the banquet he practically said,
rs hundreds and thousands Of wives
and mothers are now saying: 81 can-
not afford to come to Christs banquet
at the present time. ! have my home
duties to attend to. I have domestic
obligations. pray thee have me ex-
cused"
But my dear friends, can the hus-
band and the wife truly attend to and
fulfill their domestic relations unless
they first have been to the marriage
banquet of the Lamb? No. no. You
know that no husband and father is
truly we'll equipped parent unless he
Is n Christian man; you know that no
wife is truly an independent woman
unless she Is Christian woman. Leigh
Richmond once developed this thought
in a pathetic incident which he told
about his mothers life. She had six
children, and one of them. her baby,
was killed by the carelessness of n
nurse allowing the child to fall out "
second story window. At that time
Leigh Richmond was walking in the
street below. He gathered up the poor
bleeding body Of his little brother and
carried him into the house and placed
him in his mothers lap. All that day
the mother kept praying and praying.
In the midst Of her prayers she turned
TO her son and said. leigh, If cease
. praying for five minutes l shall be
crushed under this sorrow. but when |
! pray to God he comforts and upholds
me-" SO no wife and mother is able to
bravely confront the SORROWS Of the
home unless she is Christian woman.
[ Sooner or later troubles and awful
troubles will knock at every bedroom
door. and man and woman, you cannot
afford to say, like the bridegroom Of
old. that you cannot come to Christ on
account of your domestic obligations
The simple fact is your home duties
and sorrows ought to be mighty inspi.
ratons TO send you to the feet of Christ
The Duty of Parents.
Besides parents. how can you have
the right influence over Your children
unless you are consecrated Christian
men and women? How can father
and mother tell their children how tc
love the Lord Jesus unless they them
selves have accepted the invitation tC
I, the gospel banquet? Can the blind
lead the blind? Can something come
, from nothing? lift clay vase in my
hand and smell the sweetest fragrance
> | say: 90 vase, whence came thy per
fume? Were thy substances Fragrant
before the hot fires of the potter's fur
: mace touched thee" Nay answers
the vase. "The reason | am perfume(
Is because hundreds of flowers have
> been pluckcd and have been allowed
> 70 kiss me with their red and white
lips" Upon the sand dunes of the sea
t shore | pick up "A curiously twisted
= shell. place it to my ear and hear {
low, moaning sound. | say to the shell
shell. why dost thou moan like a sicl
y ch1d!" because" answers the shell
Il have heen rolled over and over II
The bottom of the seas. | have been al
lowed TO place my ear against tn,
, great throbhing. aching heart of thu
= mighty deep. | am merely echoing tn,
sorrow of the sea waves that are nov
' tapping at thy feet Thus we fine
: that by the direct law of nature ther,
is no effect without a cause. If you, {
. parents desire your children's lives Il
be redolent with the perfume of right
= Pousness and their hearts and lips tt
t be musical with the songs of heaven
you must take care that they are sur
!, ROUNDED with heavenly influences Will
b, they are young. IL you want them t.
u be at the gospel banquet, you mus
head the way and not yourselves an
II swer the invitation with frvolou
excuse.
Let us try 20 gencralizc the excuse
= of the hundreds of other guests unde
two simple headings. First. believ
u that they all with one consent began
" to make excuse" because they wer
= unwilling at that time to give up thei
" sins. To hear some people talk, ON
. would suppose that the greatest enem.
. of the Christian church today Is infid'
- thought do not believe il. / believ
. that the reason you and | do not com
:. to Christ, If we are not already Chris
tans, is because we are not ready I
T.. give up our pet sins. We do not stan
f.. before God in an attitude of doubte
We stand in the attitude Of defiance
- We stand wrapped around by the pc
:, luted garment Of sin. And deliberal
~ sin, what is it," once cried out Josep
:, Parker. 1T is a shut hand a clinche
:. fist, an appraised arm, the muscles
:, the full tension, and the object &c
~ Almighty's face Sin is the cause {