Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-01-10

y
true man to your work. Tell me
honestly, would you be the Christian
man you are today IL your wlfe's faith
had not been rs Il sheet anchor holding
you to the cross? Am wrong when |
say that God giveth the word, but the
Christian wives who surround us and
publish the tidings are great host?
But the second proper name of this
old New England epitaph is even more
suggestive than the first: "A Sarah TO
her husband, Eunice to her chill
dren." Who Was Eunice? She was
the mother of young Timothy, the ia
vorite co-worker and protege of the
Apostle Paul. The greatest of all the
apostles loved him not only for his
own sake, but for the sake OF his
mother and his grandmother. He be.
gins his second epistle to Timothy
with this salutation: when | call to
remembrance The unfeigned faith that
Is in thee, which first dwelt in thy
grandmother Lois and thy mother
Eunice." All, yes. 1t was not difficult
for Paul to trust and to love Timothy
when he knew in what kind of n
Christian cradle Timothy had been
rocked. Neither is ii very difficult
matter for some Of us to be good when
we lcCk back upon the influence which
cur Christian mothers had over us dur
ing our Infancy and childhood.
a Eunce to Her Children.
Would you like to picture this wom-
an, who was n Sarah to her husband
and Eunice to her children? Why,
she was just the same kind of a
Eunice rs your mother was to you.
Once, like Sarah Of old, your mother
was fair to look upon. After your ia
Their died you found among his treas
ures an old daguerrcotype which.
though faded, still showed what n
pretty and fun loving girl your mother
must have been. But one day the an
gel OF the Nativity whispered In her
ear solemn secret. Then q serious
look came to her eye. Then, when she
was tempted to any Inconsistency, the
first question that always spranC TO
her lips was: should do that? What
VIII be the example for my children?'
All, yes, 1 can understand why In the
last chapter OF Proverbs Iemuers
mother describes the good wife in the
words, Many daughters have done
virtuously, but thou exceilest them
all" The purity and nobility of q
WomanS life are never so gloriously
developed as when she, mother.
walks daily as n spiritual example
before her children. God bless the
Eunices! God bless them for the
prayers they are lifting for their chill.
dren and for the constant sacrifices
they are making for their honest
but child cannot always remain q
child. Neither can young mother al
ways remain young. Time is no re-
specter of persons. First comes the
blossom, then the fruit. Then the
green leaves of the trees take upon
themselves the variegated hues OF mn
tumn. Then comes the Indian summer
OF life. The smooth cheeks of young
womanhood change into the wrinLled
skin of old aSe. The black hair of
Eunice changes into the whitened
locks OF Lois, the children grow nm
and the grandchildren come. Tho
mother, who once sat at the head of
the table, now sits at the side. The
easiest chair In the sitting room is
grandmothcr's. And yet Lois exer-
cises her influence upon young limo
thy, and it is very good. Paul even
mentions the grandmother's influence
before he mentions the influence of
Eunicc. Why is thatg | think can
tell YOU why. 1t IS on account OF the
meilowinS influence OF our grandmoth-
ers.
The dother's Busy Life.
When young mother has n large
brood OF little ones growing up In the
home, her life is one OF ceaseless actIy-
ity. She works from morning until far
Into the night How tired her fingers
get with the needlei How tired her
headl There are endless duties all
calling at the same time: "Come and
look after me-. Come and look after
me-" Mother does not rock the Young
er babies In her lap as much as she
did her first born; she has not the
time. She does not take the little Jour
neys To the Seashore, as some mothers
do, because she has so many duties Mt
home. Sometimes her nerves get askew.
and she becomes irritable. 1t is differ.
ent with Grandmother Lois. How gen
tie she is She never seems TO be so
happy as when one OF the babies Is
about TO climb into her lap. When her
daughter is about 10 punish one of the
children, grandma's eyes always fill IN
with tears. and SHE saws: Don't
daughter! DON'T Let the baby off this
Time. She did not mean To do it,"
But, though Grandmother Lois grows
sentler ali the time, yet Ter influence
over her grandchildren increases ev-
cry year. for while she sits In her big
armchair she is praying for the well
Iare OF The children. Have you not
had such a praying grandmother? Can
you not see her sweet face now and
her moving lips? Can you not feel her
'piritual influence about you, even
though she has been dead for many
Tearsfa Can You not cry out, as did
he psalmist of old. 1.-THE Lord giyeth
he word, but the Christian grand
mothers that publish the tidings are a
sreat hostT"
Friends of the Pastor.
But there is another proper name IN
he epitaph upon the old New England
ombstone you must not pass over.
mis- Christian wife and mother was
lot only Sarah to her husband. q
lunice 10 ner children, Lois to her |
grandchildren, but she was a Lydia to
'od's Minister'S Who was Lydia? |
.ou may find all about her In the SIX
zenith chapter of Acts When Paul
nd Silas went to PhiIippi this woman,
no was disciple of Jesus Christ, met
aem. Lydia took them to her home.