Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-02-25


Shall our wives and mothers and sis
ters so to the grocer and the butcher
and the bnker and say, 1--WE do not
want any inore meat or vegetables or
bread for the next forty days" Does
II mean that all the members of u home
shall go without physical nutrition. ms
DIR. Tanner tasted for forty days and
Leonard Thress tasted for fifty days
and Rev. {. II. Dairympie tasted for
thirty-nine days and Milton Rathburn
tasted for thirty-sX days and Estella
+. Klnnzel tasted for forty one daysf
Oh no. The habit of fasting, inspired
by boastful folly and the desire Of see
ing how long we can live without tast.
Ing food, is just as sinful as the oppo-
site extreme Of gluttony, to see how
much one can eat without utterly de-
stroying the smooth workings Of the d.
Jestive organs.
Spiritual housekeeping does not
mean the complete abstinence from
physical focC.. ii docs mean emphatic
ally the rocopsccra,ion and the. redcdi-
cation of the domestic fireeide to Jesus
Christ through self abnegation. IT
means that we shall have prayers at
the cradle. II means that we shall
have prayers In the bedroom and pray
crs in the parlor and prayers in the sit
ting room and prayers in the Kitchen
and lave the dining room spread with
n gospel banquet of the bread Of life"
If next week you were to entertain the
king Of England or the emperor Of Ger
many, you would turn your home up
side down 20 make il attractive for the
advent Of his ma esty. Shall we not in
the same way 10y spiritual houseclean-
inG, prepare for the entertainment OF
orr Heavenly King by casting out of
doors all sinful thoughts aud desires
which find lolgmcnt in our hearts?
Preparation. For Christ.
The l.enton season In the home means
simply the spiritual prepa ration for
Christ to visit the home. When Mar
tin Farquhar upper, the famous Eng
fish poet. came to visit us in Brooklyn
We gave to him the very best room in
the house. We gathered together the
most famous literary men OF the city
to meet him. At that party Horace
Greeley came. and William Cullen
Bryant came and read his "rhanatop-
sis and George William curtis came.
ana I think John G.. Whittier came
we'll remember my mother giving to
me Tupper'S popular book. "Proverhial
Philosophy" and saying: Read that
book. You should know who Martin
/ Farquhar Tupprr is before he comes
and ihon you can honor him rs he
should he hOnorcd." In like manner
the lcnlen season in the home is an
appropriate time for the spiritual prep
aration for Chrst's coming to the
home. The children should be told all
about him and hc prepared to welcome
! the Saviour as Il friend. Tho cook and
the chsmhermaid should bc told all
about bin. So that they may know how
Christ loved Martha, the busy cook, as
well rs the gentle Mary who sat at bis
feet. Home friends should be told all
about him. so that they also may come
in and honor III" divine guest As We
in the brooklyn home read and rercad
the writings of The English poet in or
be- so To prepare for The advent of
Christ in the home we should read and
reread the words which he spoke unto
his disciples Of old. We should prepare
TO greet Christ not as stranger but
as Il long loved and anXiously awaited
friend.
For Better Church life.
The 1.entcn season is an annual plea
for the specialization Of the church.
Ministers of the different Protestant
churches ar" more and more getting
into the custom of going into re
treat" nj least once Il year. where 10y
fasting and prayer thcy may spiritual
ly prepare themselves for their &c.
clesa stical ministrations At lras,
once year rs church members we
should go into spiritual ''rctreat'
In that retreat" we should call upon
our Heavenly Father that the Holy
Spirit may bless us in our relation
ship with our midwcek prayer meet
inCs and Sunday schools and Christian
Endeavor societies and bless us in oul
relationship TO his great church al
large.
After Jesus Christ drove the money
changers out OF the temple. were The
attempts to socularize the house 81
God into place for mere educationa
and literary and musical apd socia
and financial enjoyment forever aba n
fonedi 10 not some Of us. conscious
lX and unconsCiously. fall into the er
ror of coming to church merely on &C
: count of tie oratorcal gifts Of thu
preacher: Did not thousands upol
thousands Of worshipers sit at the fee
Of Boochcr 4 Cumming. a RowlanC
iiill AMI 4 John Wesley, not because
they were worshninG God. hut athe
because they We're worHhiping Il bril-
liant man? Do NOT thousands upo
thousands 1t people go TO the grea
. cathedraiS Of Europe In order to hea
the music. INST "a those same niusica
lovers would SIT at the feet of a l.iS2i
II i'aderewski or q Danroschf
We know that the finest living mt
Steal composer Of LAZY leads the Vat
can choir and the finest orsaniSt Of a
London * master OF ST F&uls famou
ORGAN and that Plymouth church wa
not more nojcd for III. fact that II ha
t. one uf the greatest of preachers tina
= that ii had one Of the greatest of mi
= srians who was able to make Its o'
= gan pipes weep and sob as We'll 4
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