Milford chronicle., 1903-08-07

have been men who never saw a
battle field, who never raised hand to
strike another man. l appeal to you.
Are you ready 10 be a nanly Christian
appealing in Christ's name to menE
Are YOU ready to tell them that the
bravest heroes Of life are not always
those who don the soldiers uniform
and, with unblanched cheek, walk up
to the cannon's mouth? Are you ready.
by the example Of your own life, to
teach a sinful world that the noblest
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 yokefellows to be bold ties
filters and workers for the cross?
a5S4.s- i'zasassss. ~
The Duty of Man.
Every true man knows that his wife
is not as useful and active a member
Of the Christian church when she goes
TO church alone as size. would be If her
husband were ready = go by her side
and help her IN her Christian endeavor
TO spread the gospel. The marital tie
are very sacred. They unity in more
ways than one the twain who once
stood at the nupial altar. After
husband and Il wife have been living
together for many, many years they
not only begin to think alike, but also
to grow to lOolO alike. / have again
and again 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 IN
consciously absorbed parts of each 9th
ers physical as well as mental person.
alities. So when a husband is an II
religious man. nonchurchgoer,
scoffer. a ridiculer, 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 I'm spite Of herself she cannot be
as good u woman as If she had married
a good Christian mar, who has been
consecrated TO the service Of the Lord
Jesus Christ from the dag that he lef;
his mothers home.
Husbands, in view Of this tremendous
fact, are you ready today to curtnl
to a greater or hess 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 cuTtail
her influence In the church ard in the
neighborhood? Because YOU wish her
to be Il 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 l 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 a husband has done this be
fore. and perhaps you may be doing
this now. If you, o man. are fndiffer-
ent to the gospel message, and shall be
eternally 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 rs Ruth Of old said to Naomi:
"Entreat me not to leave thee, or to
return from following after thee; for
whittier thou goest l viii so, and where
thou lodgest l Will lodge; thy people
shall be my people and thy God my
God" once heard Of an African
chief who came one day to a mission
ary and said, Missionary. if l accept
Jesus Christ will l be savedF' Yes.
answered the missionary. well, mis-
sionary, as my father did not accept
Jesus Christ, viii he be eternal!y de
stroyed?" YES" answered the mis-
sionary, not seeing whittier the ques-
ton led. tAnd my grandfather and
great-grandfathers. are they al de-
stroyed because they did not accept
Jesus Christi" YES" answered the
missionary, without thought of the Of
feet of his answer. Then the african
chief lifted high his head as he an
swered: missionary, l reject your
Christ l do not wish to be separated
even in death from my father. 1 pre-
fer to be eternally destroyed as he is
eternally destroyed"
Oh. sinful husband, glorying in the
intensity Of your wife's affection for
you, have you ever thought of the ex-
tremity 10 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
viii be your remorse If you have to la
ment 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