The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1920-07-15
PROMISES AND THEIR FULFILL
ME\T.

Jehovah by building an alJar, winch
was expressive of personal devotion
He invoked Gods name-a public re-
cital of Gods goodness. So should
we remember divine mercies and speak
of them to others. He also pitched a
tent and dug a well, which was indie
alive of his confidence in God. In his
action we have grateful acknowledge
ment of past mercies, public celebra
tion of present mercies and hopeful
expectations of future mercies. Here
too. we have an intimation of three
of the fundamental principles of gov
eminent.
At this season, which commence
rates the birth of our National indie
pendence, it may be well to refresh
our minds in regard to these essen
tials of good government and empha
size our duty to our country. May
mention as the first pillar of any last
ing and successful republic, the Home
The home is a divine institution
There is no place like a good home to
develop worthy lives. The family is
the unit of social life. A pure home
life is the best means of regenerating
society. There is a benevolent organ
ization in operation known as The
Church Army Home" which is in
charge of a man and his wife, who are
known as the father and mother of
the home. Their love for the fallen;
their tact, experience and knowledge
of human nature, enable them to in
fiuence the boys for good-the boys
who come from jails, slums and the
streets, dirty and ragged and caring
for no one-they are received into
a homelike place and welcomed as
one of the members.
The home idea has been adopted
and successfully used in dealing with
waits of the street, for their redemp-
ton. The family is the first and
chief fundamental agency by which
Divine wisdom seeks to reform and
save the world. Without it the church
and state could not survive The de-
cay Of family religion; the corruption
of its life; the neglect of its duties
and the Generalization of its power
is fatal to church and state. Religion
suffers: so does morality and the in
terests of society in proportion as
home religion diminishes.
The religion of the world has come
through the home. The covenant with
Abraham rested upon it. Piety and
tars. Home piety is one of the chief
factors in revivals and reformations
and conversion and sanctification go
forward mainly on the lines of godly
seed and family purity. The decay of
family religion is one of the most
alarming evile that can come upon
society. Destroy both church and
state, and you can reconstruct them
by means of the family, as God or
dained it. But destroy the family and
you have nothing upon which to build
and depravity will do its fearful work
unchecked.
When the foundation is corrupted
the source of moral being contami-
mated, there is nothing left to con-
serve or purify society. The decay of
public morals, the prevalence of ire
ligion, the increasing immoralit, the
rising tide of crime, the low state of
goodness in the church, with increas-
ing practical infdelity and iniquity
are largely traceable to the family
When government is relaxed the home
altar is cast down or neglected and the
marriage tie woefully dishonored, what
can you expect but the curse of Nal
ichi: Il will turn the hearts of the
fathers with the children and the
hearts of children with the fathers
lest | come and smite the earth with
a curse" The prophet seems to be
emphasizing the gospel mission by
the power of family religion. If it
fails to purify family religion or to
draw close the bonds of domestic
affection or to sanctify the present
life, the nit fails in its end and the
curse of God will smite the earth as a
punishment for this neglect.
To turn the hearts of the fathers
with the children, describes the effect
of the gospel on the family. The duty
of the hour is plain-it is solemn
and imperative. 1t is to look well to
the family, to rise up and rebuild and
perpetuate the altar, to purify the
home life and pray God to spare this
most essential and effective institu.
tion and agency for preserving and
propagating the religion of Jesus in
the world. What the country needs
is more, yes, all of our homes to be
like the one described by Burns in
his "The Cotter's Saturday Night,
one stanza of which is as follows:
"The cheerful supper done, wi serious
face,
The round the ingle form circle
wide;
The sire turns DER, with patriarchal
grace,
The big ha' Bible, ance his fathers
pride,
His bonnet reverently laid aside,
His lyart haffets 'wearin' thin and
bare;
Those strains that once did sweet in
Zion glide,
Hes wales a portion with judicious
care;
And Let US worship God" he says
with solemn air."
John Howard Payne has immortal
lied his name by his "Home, Sweet
Home:"
"Mid pleasures and palaces though we
may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there's no place
like home!
A charm from the skies seems to hal
low US here,
Which, seek through the world, is
ne'er met with elsewhere;
Home! home! sweet. sweet home!
An exile from home, splendor dazzles
in vaini
o, give me my lowly matched cottage