Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1903-03-07

swering as he did. The Hebrews con-
videred marriage one of the most sacred |
and important events of human De-
ing's life. Every young girl spent her
time chiefly in preparing for her nup-
tlal day. She was always spinning
linen and making garments Tor the
wedding trousseau. Every young man
was taught that his duty to the worid
and TO God was to marry. lie dld not
enter into this marriage relationship
in haphazard way, as do many Oh tne
Young people of the present time. lie
did not marry upon momentary I'LL
pulse But the young people were Oh
fen affianced for years before the Weu-
ding day. Then, by the old Hebrew as
well as by the Roman law. priue-
groom was absolutely independent OF
all military and. to great extent, Vi
civil obligations for whole year. Ait-
or the wedding night for twelve lolis
months he was allowed to stay at nome
under his own roof. SO when the BRIDE
Groom of the east sent refusal TO
come to the banquet he practically salu'
as hundreds and thousands or wives
and mothers are now saying: i can
/ rot afford to come to Christs banquet
ut the present time. | have my nome
duties TO attend to. | have domestic
ohlipotions. | pray thee have me ex-
cused."
Rut nv dear friends, can the nus
hand and the wife truly attend to ana
fulfll their domestic relations unless
they first have been to the marriage
bonouet Of the Lamb? No. no. You
know that no husband and father Is
firmly n we'll equipped parent unless lie
is n Christian man; you know that no
wife is truly an independent woman
unless she is Christian woman. Lesh
Richmond once developed this thought
I'm q nathetic incident which he told
about his mothers life. She had SIX
children. and one of them. her baby,
was killed by the carelessness OF a
nurse allowing the child to fall out or
second story window. At that time
Legh 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
+o her son and said. Leigh, If cease
praving for five minutes | snail DE
. crushed under this sorrow, but when
nrov TO God he comforts and upholds
mo" So no wife and mother IS able to
hrayelv confront the sorrows or the
home unless she is a Christian woman
. Sooner or later troubles and awtu
troubles will knock at every bedroom
door. and, man and woman, you cannon
afford to say, like the bridegroom ol
: old, that you cannot come to CHRIST Oh
T account of your domestic obligations
3 The simple fact is your home duties
: and sorrows ought to be mighty lnspl
rations to send you to the feet of Christ
< The Duty of Parents.
G Besides, parents, how can you nav
i the right influence over your children
+ unless you are consecrated Christlal
n men and women? How can fathe
g and mother tell their children how t
Il love the Lord Jesus unless they then
e selves have accepted the invitation t
Il the gospel banquet? Can the Dim
IS lead the blind! Can something com
d from nothing? | lift clay vase in IN
;: hand and smell the sweetest fragrance
e say: so vase, whence came thy pei
h fume? Were thy substances fragral
IS before the hot fires of the potters tul
4, mace touched theeY NAY" answer
IS the vase. "The reason l am perfume
j. is because hundreds of flowers hav
Ie been plucked and have been above
- to kiss me with their red and whl'
10 lips." Upon the sand dunes of the SCI
g shore | pick up a curiously tWlste
to shell. | place it to my ear and near
t. low. moaning sound. say to the she
is "Shell. why dost thou moan like SIC
is child?' Because" answers the she
le Il have been rolled over and over
ID the bottom Of the seas. have been
lowed to place my ear against u
5. great throbbing, aching heart OF Il
lg mighty deep. am merely echoing Il
~ sorrow of the sea waves that are no
rs lapping at thy feet Thus we III
n that by the direct law of nature the
a Is no effect without cause. IL you'
he parents, desire your childrens llVes
u he redolent with the perfume of rigl
IL 1 4Io; honptc 0n6 Inns
at he musical with the songs of heaye
nd Won must take care that they are 81
m rounded with heavenly influences wh
in they are young. If you want them
to be at the gospel banquet, you mt
he lead the way and not yourselves
es- swer the invitation with a friyolo
er- excuse.
nd Let us try to generalize the excus
4 of the hundreds of other guests uno
ng two simple headings. First, Delle
: that they all with one consent beg
as to make excuse" because they we
lk- unwilling at that time to give up IN
Ter sins. To hear some people talk, Q
ere would suppose that the greatest enei
of the Christian church today IS lnn'
y" thought. | do not believe 1t. belle
~, - that the reason you and l do not col
",9 70 to Christ if we are not already Chr
tians. is because we are not ready
80 oro give up our pet sins. We DO not sta
az before God in an attitude Of doubt
.,' We stand in the attitude OF dehan
,n m We stand wrapped around by the :
80 luted garment Of sin. And deliber'
W ,s' sin what is it" once cried out Jose
'n' Parker. ut is a shut hand, elmer
~ fist, an upraised arm, the muscles
"'' the full tension, and the object I
to Almighty's face" Sin is the cause
| if ninety-nine in every hundred refus
Ju- TO come to Christ; not skepticism,
o fnfidelity, not agnosticism, not dou
you If l as a messenger of God come
r a you with the gospel invitation and
IDS refuse to come, 1 know that In
probability, deep down in your he'
you are concealing some secret