,,the ,,christian ,,home ,,as ,,it ,,is ,,in ,,the ,sphere of ,nature and the ,church4 ,,showing ,the ,mission1 ,duties1 ,influences1 ,habits1 and ,responsibilities of ,home its ,education1 ,government1 and ,discipline2 with ,hints on ,match ,making1 and the ,relation of ,parents to the ,marriage ,choice of their ,children2 together with a consideration of the ,tests in the ,selection of a ,companion1 ,etc4 by ,,rev4 ,s4 ,,philips1 ,a4,m4 ,published ,by ,gurdon ,bill1 ,springfield1 ,mass4 ,h4 ,c4 ,johnson1 ,detroit1 ,mich4 #ahfe ,sweet is the smile of ,home6 the mutual look1 ,when hearts are of each other sure2 ,sweet all the joys that crowd the household nook1 ,the haunt of all affections pure4 ,,preface4 ,it is a fact conceded by all1 that the constitution of the ,christian family1 and its social and spiritual relations1 are not as fully developed as they should be4 ,in this age of extreme individualism1 we have almost left out of view the mission of home as the first form of society1 and the important bearing it has upon the formation of character4 ,its interests are not appreciated2 its duties and privileges are neglected2 husbands and wives do not fully realize their moral relation to each other2 parents are inclined to renounce their authority2 and children1 brought up in a state of domestic libertinism1 neither respect nor obey their parents as they should4 ,the idea of human character as a development from the nursery to the grave1 is not realized4 ,home as a preparation for both the state and the church1 and its bearing1 as such1 upon the prosperity of both1 are renounced as traditionary1 and too old and stale to suit this age of mechanical progression and young ,americanism4 ,as a consequence1 the influence of home is lost2 the lambs of the flock are neglected1 grow up in spiritual ignorance1 and become a curse both to themselves and to their parents4 ,the vice and infidelity which prevail to such an alarming extent in the present day1 may be ascribed to parental neglect of the young4 ,the desolating curse of heaven invariably accompanies neglect of domestic obligations and duties2 it was this that constituted that dreadful degeneracy which preceded the coming of the ,messiah4 ,the parents were alienated from the children1 and the children from their parents4 ,and the only way in which the ,jews could avert deserved and impending ruin1 was by turning the heart of the fathers to the children1 and the heart of the children to their fathers4 ,we must adopt the same method4 ,we need in the present day a deeper and more scriptural sense1 both in the state and church1 of the importance of the family1 and of its position in the sphere of natural and religious life4 ,the attention of the people should be directed to the nature1 the influences1 the responsibilities1 the prerogatives1 duties and blessings of the ,christian home4 ,any work which contributes to this end is worthy of our high regard and subserves a noble purpose2 for it is only when the details of home-life are given to the public1 that proper interest in them will be developed1 and we can hope for a better state of things in this first form of associated life4 ,the following work is an humble contribution to this important cause4 ,it is intended to excite interest in the religious elements of family life1 and to show that the development of individual character and happiness in the church and state1 in time and in eternity1 starts with1 and depends upon1 home-training and nurture4 ,the author1 in presenting it to the public1 is fully conscious of its many palpable imperfections2 yet1 as it is his first effort1 and as it was prepared amid the multiplied perplexities and interruptions of his professional life1 he confidently expects that it will be received with charitable consideration4 ,it is now published as an introduction to a work on the historical development of home1 to which his attention has for years been directed4 ,if this unassuming volume should be instrumental in the saving of one family from ruin1 we shall feel ourself fully compensated4 ,,the ,,author4 ,,chambersburg1 ,,pa41 #ahei4 ,,contents4 ,,preface ,,chapter ,i4 ,,what ,,is ,,the ,,christian ,,home4--,section ,i43 ,home in the ,sphere of ,nature4--,the ,power of ,home-,association4 ,inadequate ,ideas of ,home4 ,home is a ,divine ,institute4 ,its ,highest ,conception4 ,definition of ,home4 ,its ,two-fold ,aspect4 ,as simply ,physical4 ,as purely ,moral4 ,home in the ,sphere of ,natural ,affection4 ,home-,love4 ,home-,ties4 ,the ,angel-,spirit of ,home4 ,our ,nature ,demands ,home4 ,home-,sickness4 ,conclusion4 ,section ,,ii43 ,some in the ,sphere of the ,church4--,the ,heathen ,home4 ,constituent ,elements of the ,christian ,home4 ,marriage4 ,husband and ,wife4 ,parents and ,children4 ,union of the ,members of a ,family4 ,the ,christian ,home must be ,churchly4 ,how we ,abuse it4 ,examples of ,true ,homes4 ,parental ,neglect4 ,address to ,parents and ,children4 ,home-,meetings and ,greetings4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,mission ,,of ,,the ,,christian ,,home4--,the ,nature of this ,mission4 ,david4 ,joshua4 ,it is ,two-fold4 ,the ,temporal ,well-,being of the ,members4 ,how ,parents ,abuse this part of the ,home-,mission4 ,the ,eternal ,well-,being of the ,members4 ,extent of the ,home-,mission4 ,its ,importance and ,responsibility4 ,seen in the ,vicarious ,character of ,home4 ,the ,principle of ,moral ,reproduction4 ,the ,visitation of ,parental ,iniquity upon the ,children4 ,the ,guilt of ,unfaithfulness to this ,mission4 ,qualifications for it4 ,the ,law of ,equality in ,marriage4 ,how ,parents may ,disqualify themselves for it4 ,incentives to ,faithfulness4 ,address to ,parents4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,family ,,religion4--,the ,christian ,home ,demands ,family ,religion4 ,what is it8 ,different from ,personal ,religion4 ,co-existent with4 ,home4 ,essential to its ,constitution4 ,its ,historical ,development from ,eden to the ,present ,age4 ,its ,present ,neglect4 ,what it ,includes4 ,the ,example of our ,primitive ,fathers4 ,the ,forms in which it is ,developed4 ,the ,home-,mission ,demands it4 ,its ,necessity seen in the ,value of the ,soul4 ,home without it4 ,home with it4 ,relations of ,home ,demand it4 ,reply to ,excuses from it4 ,defect of it now4 ,reasons for this4 ,it is ,implied in the ,marriage ,relation and ,obligation4 ,motives to ,establish it4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,relation ,,of ,,home ,,to ,,the ,,church4--,it must be ,churchly4 ,this ,relation is ,vital and ,necessary1 involving ,mutual ,dependence4 ,relation of ,preparation4 ,home ,completes ,itself in the ,church4 ,it has ,power only in the ,sphere of the ,church4 ,this ,relation involves ,duties and ,responsibilities4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,home-,,influence4--,home has ,power4 ,this is either a ,curse or a ,blessing4 ,what is ,home-,influence8 ,its ,character4 ,its ,degree ,estimated from the ,force of ,first ,impressions4 ,scripture ,testimony to it4 ,its ,legitimate ,objects4 ,how it ,acts in the ,formation of ,character4 ,augustine4 ,washington4 ,john ,q4 ,adams4 ,bishop ,hall4 ,dr4 ,doddridge4 ,dr4 ,cumming4 ,a ,mother ,won to ,christ by a ,daughter4 ,its ,influence upon the ,state4 ,napoleon4 ,homes of the ,revolution4 ,the ,spartan ,mother and ,home4 ,its ,influence upon the ,church4 ,its ,responsibility ,inferred4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,home ,,as ,a ,,stewardship4--,what is a ,steward8 ,home is a ,stewardship4 ,parents4 ,home-,interests4 ,identity of ,interest between the ,master and ,steward4 ,mother of ,moses4 ,character and ,responsibilities of this ,stewardship4 ,the ,social ,prostitution of ,home4 ,the ,principle of ,accountability this ,stewardship ,involves4 ,the ,final ,settlement4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,responsibilities ,,of ,,the ,,christian ,,home4--,these ,inferred from ,home-,influence and ,stewardship4 ,their ,measure4 ,by the ,magnitude of ,home-,interest4 ,by the ,kind of ,influence upon the ,members4 ,by the ,guilt and ,punishment of ,parental ,unfaithfulness4 ,they are ,incentives to ,parental ,integrity4 ,a ,family ,drama in ,two ,acts4 ,filial ,responsibility4 ,address to ,parents and ,children4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,family ,,bible4--,the ,memories which cluster around it4 ,the ,household ,interests it ,contains4 ,the ,bible as a ,family ,record4 ,as a ,home-,inheritance4 ,as the ,gift of a ,mother's ,love4 ,an ,indispensable ,appendage to ,home4 ,its ,adaptation to ,home4 ,it should be ,used as the ,text-,book of ,home-,education4 ,its ,abuse and ,neglect4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,infancy4--,new ,eras in ,family ,history4 ,the ,first-,born4 ,charm and ,interest of ,infancy4 ,the ,infant as a ,member of ,home4 ,its ,emblematic ,character4 ,its ,helplessness4 ,its ,prophetical ,character4 ,the ,trust and ,responsibility ,involved4 ,the ,mother's ,relation to ,infancy4 ,address to ,parents4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,home-,,dedication4--,the ,hebrew ,mother and her ,child4 ,reasons for ,dedication4 ,dedication of ,children4 ,abraham4 ,offering of ,isaac4 ,little ,samuel4 ,david4 ,typical ,character of ,old ,testament ,family ,offerings4 ,benefits of ,home-,dedication4 ,duty of ,parents to ,devote their ,sons to the ,ministry4 ,the ,unfaithfulness of ,parents to this duty4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,christian ,,baptism4--,the ,baptismal ,altar4 ,it is the ,sacrament of ,home-,dedication4 ,infants are its ,true ,subjects4 ,home ,demands it4 ,infant ,baptism ,proven1 by the ,child's ,need of ,salvation1 by the ,idea and ,mission of ,christ1 by the ,idea of the ,church1 by the ,hereditary ,character of ,sin1 by the ,relation of ,christian ,parents to their ,children1 by the ,constitution of ,family ,life4 ,enemies of ,infant ,baptism4 ,why ,opposed to it4 ,their ,sophistry4 ,dr4 ,a4 ,carson4 ,appeal to ,parents4 ,duty and ,privilege of ,parents to have their ,children ,baptized4 ,its ,neglect and ,abuse4 ,how ,abused4 ,the ,old ,landmarks4 ,striking ,statistics4 ,abuse by ,parents and ,children4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,christian ,,names4--,proper ,kind of ,names4 ,law of ,correspondence and ,association4 ,christian ,names4 ,much in a ,name4 ,naming a ,child should not be ,arbitrary4 ,nebuchadnezzar4 ,adam4 ,the ,hebrews4 ,woman4 ,eve4 ,cain4 ,seth4 ,samuel4 ,dr4 ,krummacher4 ,names now ,given4 ,the ,folly and ,evil of it4 ,why we should give ,suitable ,names4 ,why ,scriptural ,names4 ,mary4 ,instances of ,proper ,christian ,names4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,home ,,as ,a ,,nursery4--,idea of ,nursing4 ,what a ,nursery ,is4 ,the sense in which ,home is a ,nursery4 ,character of the ,home-,nursery4 ,the ,mother's ,special ,sphere4 ,relation of the ,nursery to the ,formation of ,character4 ,the ,nursery is ,physical4 ,sickly and ,immoral ,nurses4 ,consequences4 ,it is ,intellectual4 ,its ,abuse4 ,it is ,moral and ,spiritual4 ,the ,ways in which the ,nursery is ,abused4 ,boarding ,schools4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,home-,,sympathy4--,an ,argument against the ,neglect and ,abuse of the ,nursery4 ,its ,natural ,elements4 ,its ,definition and ,nature4 ,the ,ancients4 ,baptista ,porta4 ,plato4 ,middle ,ages4 ,it is ,passive and ,active4 ,its ,disease4 ,good ,samaritan4 ,rousseau4 ,robespierre4 ,its ,relation to ,natural ,affection4 ,its ,relation to ,woman4 ,its ,religious ,elements4 ,christ4 ,ruth4 ,joseph4 ,mother of ,samuel4 ,peter4 ,esther4 ,paul4 ,family of ,lazarus4 ,its ,true ,pattern4 ,its ,attractive ,power4 ,unfaithfulness to its ,law4 ,its ,highest ,element4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,family ,,prayer4--,its ,relation to ,home-,sympathy4 ,its ,necessity4 ,its ,idea4 ,dr4 ,dwight's ,view4 ,the ,duty to establish it ,proven4 ,its ,neglect4 ,excuses from ,family ,prayer4 ,address to ,parents4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,home-,,education4--,section ,i43 ,the ,character of ,home-,education4 ,what is ,home-,education4 ,different ,kinds4 ,it must be ,physical4 ,intellectual4 ,moral4 ,the ,means4 ,circumstances4 ,temptation4 ,example4 ,training4 ,habit4 ,the ,feelings4 ,conscience4 ,motives4 ,cardinal ,virtues4 ,when it should ,begin4 ,it must be ,religious4 ,necessity of this4 ,st4 ,pierre4 ,the ,mother as ,teacher4 ,objections ,considered4 ,encouragement to ,home-,training4 ,dr4 ,doddridge4 ,a ,pious ,minister4 ,dr4 ,dwight4 ,young ,edwards4 ,polycarp4 ,timothy4 ,john ,randolph4 ,j4,q4 ,adams4 ,daniel4 ,the ,power of ,home-,training in ,religion4 ,section ,,ii43 ,the ,neglect and ,abuse of ,home-,education4--,popular ,prejudices ,exposed4 ,dr4 ,johnson4 ,edmund ,burke4 ,miss ,sedgwick4 ,everett4 ,robert ,hall4 ,fruits of a ,neglected ,education4 ,law of the ,icelanders4 ,parents are ,responsible4 ,crates4 ,pleasure of ,teaching the ,young4 ,thompson4 ,abuse of it4 ,fashionable ,boarding-,schools4 ,a ,hopeful ,young ,lady4 ,how to ,ruin a ,son4 ,duty of ,parents inferred4 ,books4 ,bartholin4 ,home-,training not isolated from ,church-,training4 ,must be ,churchly4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,family ,,habits4--,their ,importance4 ,their ,idea4 ,different ,kinds4 ,their ,formation4 ,tobacco and ,liquor4 ,evil and ,good ,habits4 ,family ,prayer4 ,omission of ,duty4 ,their ,influence4 ,rev4 ,c4,c4 ,colton4 ,a ,criminal in ,india4 ,habit as the ,interpreter of ,character4 ,its ,reproductive ,power4 ,we are ,responsible for our ,habits4 ,christian ,habits4 ,habit of ,industry4 ,rutherford4 ,habits of ,perseverance and ,contentment4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,,home-,,government4--,home is a ,little ,commonwealth4 ,includes the ,legal ,principle4 ,relation of ,parents to ,children4 ,principle of ,home-,government4 ,parental ,authority ,threefold4 ,schlegel4 ,old ,roman ,law4 ,a ,divine1 ,inalienable ,right4 ,extent of ,parental ,authority4 ,false ,view of it4 ,correlative ,relation between ,filial ,obedience and ,parental ,authority4 ,character and ,extent of ,filial ,obedience4 ,neglect and ,abuse of ,home-,government4 ,parental ,indulgence and ,despotism4 ,the ,true ,medium4 ,address to ,parents4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,,home-,,discipline4--,its ,idea4 ,its ,necessity4 ,false ,systems4 ,discipline from the standpoint of ,law without ,love4 ,its ,fruits4 ,a ,quaint ,anecdote4 ,the ,europeans4 ,the ,arabs4 ,discipline from the standpoint of ,love without ,law4 ,examples4 ,eli4 ,david4 ,its ,fruits4 ,true ,christian ,discipline4 ,chastisement4 ,a ,model ,system4 ,abraham4 ,his ,children4 ,when ,discipline should be ,introduced4 ,when it should be ,administered4 ,importance of ,parental ,co-operation4 ,favoritism4 ,relation of ,command to ,chastisement4 ,the ,kind of ,rein and ,whip4 ,when ,corporeal ,punishment should be ,used4 ,dr4 ,south4 ,dr4 ,bell4 ,its ,adaptation to the ,real ,wants of the ,child4 ,fidelity to ,threats and ,promises4 ,examination of ,offenses4 ,never ,chastise in ,anger4 ,let your ,child know the ,object of ,discipline4 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,,home-,,example4--,its ,idea and ,influence4 ,the ,child is the ,moral ,reproduction of the ,parent4 ,solomon4 ,paul4 ,shakspeare4 ,dr4 ,young4 ,its ,necessity proven from its ,relation to ,precept--,william ,jay2 from its ,adaptation to the ,capacity and ,imitative ,disposition of the ,child4 ,duty of ,parents to show a ,model ,example to the ,child4 ,archbishop ,tillotson4 ,motives to this ,duty4 ,obstacles to the ,efficacy of good ,home-,example4 ,unequal ,marriages4 ,jacob's ,marriage4 ,zacharias and ,elizabeth4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,,the ,,choice ,,of ,,pursuits4--,duty of ,preparation for some ,useful ,occupation4 ,this should be made in ,childhood4 ,the part ,parents should take in this4 ,duty of all ,persons to engage in some ,useful ,pursuit shown from the ,relation of the ,individual to the ,state1 from the ,possibility of ,future ,misfortune1 from the ,excessive ,prodigality of those who have been brought up in ,idleness4 ,law of the ,athenians4 ,what ,parents should consider in their selection of an ,occupation for their ,children4 ,injudicious ,course of some ,parents4 ,fruits of ,disobedience to the ,law of ,adaptation4 ,social ,position4 ,exigencies4 ,but one ,pursuit4 ,jack of ,all ,trades4 ,loaferism4 ,fruits of ,indolence4 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,,the ,,home-,,parlor4--,its ,idea and ,relations to ,society4 ,why we should hold it ,sacred4 ,the most ,dangerous ,departments of ,home4 ,duty of ,parents to instruct their ,children in reference to it4 ,how far the ,christian ,parlor may ,conform to the ,laws and ,customs of ,fashion4 ,adulteration of the ,christian ,home through ,indiscriminate ,association4 ,the ,sad and ,demoralizing ,effects4 ,address to ,parents4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,,match-,,making4--,section ,i43 ,the ,relation of ,parents to the ,marriage ,choice of their ,children4--,the ,bridal ,hour4 ,a ,home-,crisis4 ,the ,bride's ,farewell4 ,have ,parents a right to take any part in the ,marriage ,choice of their ,children8 ,this ,right ,proven from their ,relation to their ,children1 from the ,inexperience of ,children1 from ,sacred ,history4 ,the ,patriarchal ,age4 ,judaism4 ,the ,christian ,church4 ,the ,extent of this ,right4 ,the ,duties it ,involves4 ,moral ,control4 ,coercive ,measures4 ,improper ,parental ,interposition4 ,its ,sad ,effects4 ,persuasive ,measures4 ,should ,parents ,banish and ,disinherit ,children for their ,marrying against their will8 ,paley4 ,section ,,ii43 ,false ,tests in the ,selection of a ,companion4--,the ,mere ,outward4 ,how we determine ,unhappy ,matches4 ,the ,manner of ,paying ,addresses4 ,the ,habit of ,match-,making4 ,tricks of ,match-,makers4 ,the ,sad ,fruits4 ,book ,match-,makers4 ,their ,auxiliaries4 ,the ,evil4 ,how ,parents may ,preserve their ,children4 ,false ,influences4 ,smitten4 ,outward ,beauty4 ,impulsive ,passion4 ,falling in ,love at ,first ,sight4 ,wealth4 ,rank4 ,english ,aristocracy4 ,nepotism4 ,snobbishness4 ,section ,,iii43 ,true ,tests in the ,selection of a ,companion4--,judicious ,views of the ,nature and ,responsibilities of the ,marriage ,institution4 ,our ,forefathers4 ,reciprocal ,affection4 ,paley4 ,true ,love4 ,adaptation of ,character and ,position4 ,fitness of ,circumstances1 ,means1 and ,age4 ,religious ,equality and ,adaptation4 ,only in the ,lord4 ,the ,sad ,effect of ,inequality4 ,should ,persons ,marry ,outside of their ,own ,branch of the ,church8 ,sin and ,curse of ,disobedience to the ,law of ,religious ,equality4 ,duty of ,parents in reference to ,religious ,equality4 ,all ,matches not made in ,heaven4 ,law of ,moses4 ,abraham4 ,historical ,instances of the ,fruits of ,disobeying this ,law4 ,reasonableness of the ,law4 ,the ,primitive ,christians4 ,sense of the ,christian ,church4 ,address to ,christians4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,,the ,,children',s ,,patrimony4--,the ,question this ,involves4 ,not ,confined to ,wealth4 ,a ,good ,character and ,occupation4 ,true ,religion4 ,how ,parents should proceed in the ,distribution of their ,property4 ,why they should give only a ,competency4 ,the ,rules to ,determine a ,competence4 ,paley4 ,what the ,law of ,competence ,forbids4 ,penalties of its ,violation4 ,history4 ,impartiality4 ,paley4 ,the ,infatuation of many ,parents4 ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,,the ,,promises ,,of ,,the ,,christian ,,home4--,two ,kinds4 ,divine ,promises to ,parents and ,children4 ,those of ,punishment4 ,law of ,reproduction4 ,iniquity of the ,parents upon the ,children4 ,promises of ,reward4 ,in this ,life4 ,john ,q4 ,adams4 ,in the ,life to ,come4 ,god's ,fidelity to ,his ,promises4 ,they are ,conditional4 ,when they become ,absolute4 ,popular ,objections4 ,compatibility between ,promises and ,agencies4 ,paul4 ,moses4 ,promises made by ,parents4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,,the ,,bereavements ,,of ,,home4--,separation4 ,bereavements ,diversified4 ,reverses of ,fortune4 ,death4 ,first ,death4 ,of ,husband and ,father4 ,of a ,wife and ,mother4 ,of ,children4 ,of the ,infant4 ,of the ,first-,born4 ,wisdom and ,goodness of ,god in ,bereavements4 ,discipline4 ,moral ,instruction4 ,the ,dead and ,living still ,together4 ,benefit4 ,death of ,little ,children is a ,kindness to them4 ,why4 ,why ,christ became a ,little ,child4 ,we should not wish them ,back4 ,their ,death is a ,benefit to the ,living4 ,communion of ,saints4 ,ministering ,spirits4 ,the ,spirit-,world4 ,a ,ministering ,child4 ,a ,ministering ,mother4 ,infant ,salvation4 ,zuinlius4 ,calvin4 ,dr4 ,junkin4 ,newton4 ,the ,hope of ,re-union in ,heaven4 ,we should not murmur against ,god4 ,this does not forbid ,godly ,sorrow and ,tears4 ,meekly ,submit4 ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,,the ,,memories ,,of ,,home4--,chief ,justice ,gibson4 ,relation of ,memory to ,bereavement4 ,memories are ,pleasing and ,painful4 ,pleasing and ,pious ,memories4 ,a ,mother's ,recollection4 ,the ,pleasures of ,remembering the ,pious ,dead4 ,irving4 ,the ,saving ,influence of ,memory4 ,painful ,memories4 ,critical ,power of ,memory4 ,mementoes of ,home4 ,pictures4 ,memorials4 ,letters from ,home4 ,seek ,pleasing ,memories4 ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,,the ,,antitype ,,of ,,the ,,christian ,,home4--,typical ,relation between ,home and ,heaven4 ,the ,christian's ,tent-,home in its ,relation to ,heaven4 ,the ,antitypical ,character of ,heaven4 ,a ,comparative ,view of our ,earthly and our ,heavenly ,home4 ,christ the ,center of ,heaven's ,joy and ,attraction4 ,union between ,home and ,heaven4 ,a ,conscious ,union of the ,members in ,heaven4 ,family ,recognition and ,love in ,heaven4 ,family ,greeting and ,joy in ,heaven4 ,longings after ,heaven4 ,conclusion4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,what ,,is ,,the ,,christian ,,home8 ,,section ,i4 ,,home ,,in ,,the ,,sphere ,,of ,,nature4 ,my home6 the spirit of its love is breathing ,in every wind that plays across my track1 ,from its white walls the very tendrils wreathing ,seem with soft links to draw the wanderer back4 ,there am ,i loved--there prayed for6--there my mother ,sits by the hearth with meekly thoughtful eye1 ,there my young sisters watch to greet their brother2 ,soon their glad footsteps down the path will fly6 ,and what is home8 and where1 but with the loving8 ,home6 ,that name touches every fibre of the soul1 and strikes every chord of the human heart as with angelic fingers4 ,nothing but death can break its spell4 ,what tender associations are linked with home6 ,what pleasing images and deep emotions it awakens6 ,it calls up the fondest memories of life1 and opens in our nature the purest1 deepest1 richest gush of consecrated thought and feeling4 ,home6 'tis a blessed name6 ,and they who rove1 ,careless or scornful of its pleasant bonds1 ,nor gather round them those linked soul to soul ,by nature's fondest ties1444 ,but dream they're happy6 ,but what is home1--home in the sphere of nature8 ,it is not simply an ideal which feeds the fancy1 nor the flimsy emotion of a sentimental heart4 ,we should seek for its meaning1 not in the flowery vales of imagination1 but amid the sober realities of thought and of faith4 ,home is not the mere dwelling place of our parents1 and the theater upon which we played the part of merry childhood4 ,it is not simply a habitation4 ,this would identify it with the lion's lair and the eagle's nest4 ,it is not the mere mechanical juxtaposition of so many human beings1 herding together like animals in the den or stall4 ,it is not mere conventionalism1--a human association made up of the nursery1 the parlor1 the outward of domestic life1 resting upon some evanescent passion1 some sensual impression and policy4 ,these do not make up the idea of home4 ,home is a divine institution1 coeval and congenital with man4 ,the first home was in ,eden2 the last home will be in ,heaven4 ,it is the first form of society1 a little commonwealth in which we first lose our individualism and come to the consciousness of our relation to others4 ,thus it is the foundation of all our relationships in life1--the preparation-state for our position in the ,state and in the ,church4 ,it is the first form and development of the associating principle1 the normal relation in which human character first unfolds itself4 ,it is the first partnership of nature and of life2 and when it involves the communion of saints1 it reaches its highest form of development4 ,it is an organic unity of nature and of interest1--the moral center of all those educational influences which are exerted upon our inward being4 ,the idea of the home-institution rests upon the true love of our moral nature1 involving the marriage union of congenial souls1 binding up into itself the whole of life1 forming and moulding all its relations1 and causing body1 mind and spirit to partake of a common evolution4 ,the loving soul is the central fact of home4 ,in it the inner life of the members find their true complement1 and enjoy a kind of community of consciousness4 ,home's not merely four square walls1 ,though with pictures hung and gilded2 ,home is where affection calls-- ,filled with shrines the heart hath builded4 ,home may be viewed in a two-fold aspect1 as simply physical1 and as purely moral4 ,the former comes finally to its full meaning and force only in the latter4 ,they are interwoven2 we cannot understand the one without the other2 they are complements2 and the complete idea of home as we find it in the sphere of nature1 lies in the living union of both4 ,by the physical idea of home1 we mean1 not only its outward1 mechanical structure1 made up of different parts and members1 but that living whole or oneness into which these parts are bound up4 ,hence it is not merely adventitious1--a corporation of individual interests1 but that organic unity of natural life and interest in which the members are bound up4 ,by the moral idea of home1 we mean the union of the moral life and interests of its members4 ,this explodes the infidel systems of ,fourierism1 ,socialism1 ,mormonism1 and ,woman's ,rights4 ,these forms of ,agrarianism destroy the ethical idea and mission of home2 for they are not only opposed to revelation and history1 but violate the plainest maxims of natural affection4 ,love is an essential element of home4 ,without this we may have the form of a home1 but not its spirit1 its beating heart1 its true motive power1 and its sunshine4 ,the inward stream would he gone1 and home would not be the oneness of kindred souls4 ,home-love is instinctive1 and begets all those silken chords1 those sweet harmonies1 those tender sympathies and endearments which give to the family its magic power4 ,this home-love is the mother of all home delights1 yea1 of all the love of life4 ,we first draw love from our mother's breast1 and it is love which ministers to our first wants4 ,it flashes from parent to parent1 and from parent to child1 making-up the sunshine and the loveliness of domestic life4 ,without it home would have no meaning4 ,it engenders the home-feeling and the home-sickness1 and is the moral net-work of the home-existence and economy4 ,it is stronger than death2 it rises superior to adversity1 and towers in sublime beauty above the niggardly selfishness of the world4 ,misfortune cannot suppress it2 enmity cannot alienate it2 temptation cannot enslave it4 ,it is the guardian angel of the nursery and the sick-bed2 it gives an affectionate concord to the partnership of home-life and interest4 ,circumstances cannot modify it2 it ever remains the same1 to sweeten existence1 to purify the cup of life1 to smooth our rugged pathway to the grave1 and to melt into moral pliability the brittle nature of man4 ,it is the ministering spirit of home1 hovering in soothing caresses over the cradle and the death-beds of the household1 and filling up the urn of all its sacred memories4 ,but home demands not only such love1 but ties1 tender1 strong1 and sacred4 ,these bind up the many in the one4 ,they are the fibres of the home-life1 and cannot be wrenched without causing the heart to bleed at every pore4 ,death may dissect them and tear away the objects around which they entwine2 and they will still live in the imperishable love which survives4 ,from them proceed mutual devotions and confiding faith4 ,they bind together in one all-expanding unity1 the perogatives of the husband1 and the subordination of the wife1 the authority of the parent and the obedience of the child4 ,o1 not the smile of other lands1 ,though far and wide our feet may roam1 ,can e'er untie the genial bands ,that knit our hearts to home6 ,the mother is the angel-spirit of home4 ,her tender yearnings over the cradle of her infant babe1 her guardian care of the child and youth1 and her bosom companionship with the man of her love and choice1 make her the personal center of the interests1 the hopes and the happiness of the family4 ,her love glows in her sympathies and reigns in all her thoughts and deeds4 ,it never cools1 never tires1 never dreads1 never sleeps1 but ever glows and burns with increasing ardor1 and with sweet and holy incense upon the altar of home-devotion4 ,and even when she is gone to her last rest1 the sainted mother in heaven sways a mightier influence over her wayward husband or child1 than when she was present4 ,her departed spirit still hovers over his affections1 overshadows his path1 and draws him by unseen cords to herself in heaven4 ,our nature demands home4 ,it is the first essential element of our social being4 ,the whole social system rests upon it3 body1 mind and spirit are concerned in it4 ,these cannot be complete out of the home-relations2 there would be no proper equilibrium of life and character without the home feeling and influence4 ,the heart1 when bereaved and disappointed1 naturally turns for refuge to home-life and sympathy4 ,no spot is so attractive to the weary one2 it is the heart's moral oasis2 there is a mother's watchful love1 and a father's sustaining influence2 there is a husband's protection1 and a wife's tender sympathy2 there is the circle of loving brothers and sisters1--happy in each other's love4 ,oh1 what is life without these8 ,a desolation6--a painful1 glooming pilgrimage through desert heaths and barren sands4 ,but home gives to life its fertilizing dews1 its budding hopes1 and its blossoming joys4 ,when far away in distant lands or upon the ocean's heaving breast1 we pine away and become home-sick2 no voice there like a mother's2 no sympathy there like a wife's2 no loved one there like a child2 no resting place there like home2 and we cry out1 ,home6 sweet1 sweet home6 ,thus our nature instinctively longs for the deep love and the true hearts of home4 ,it has for our life more satisfaction than all the honors1 and the riches and the luxuries of the world4 ,we soon grow sick of these1 and become sick for home1 however humble it may be4 ,its endearments are ever fresh1 as if in the bursting joys of their first experience4 ,they remain unforgotten in our memories and imperishable in our hearts4 ,when friends become cold1 society heartless1 and adversity frowns darkly and heavily upon us1 oh1 it is then that we turn with fond assurance to home1 where loved ones will weep as well as rejoice with us4 ,oh1 the blessing of a home1 where old and young mix kindly1 ,the young unawed1 the old unchilled1 in unreserved communion6 ,oh that refuge from the world1 when a stricken son or daughter ,may seek with confidence of love1 a father's hearth and heart2 ,come unto me1 my son1 if men rebuke and mock thee1 ,there always shall be one to bless1--for ,i am on thy side6 ,,section ,,ii4 ,,home ,,in ,,the ,,sphere ,,of ,,the ,,church4 ,a holy home1 ,where those who sought the footprints of the ,lord1 ,along the paths of pain1 and care1 and gloom1 ,shall find the rest of heaven a rich reward4 ,what is the ,christian home8 ,only in the sphere of christianity does the true idea of home become fully developed4 ,home with the savage is but a herding1 a servitude4 ,even among many of the ,jews it was little better than a ,mahommedan seraglio4 ,the most eminent of the heathen world degrade the family by making it the scene of lust1 and introducing concubinage and polygamy4 ,plato1 one of the most enlightened of the heathen1 had base conceptions of home1 and abused its highest and holiest prerogatives by his ideas of polygamy4 ,we find too that in the ethics of ,aristotle1 the most lovely and sacred attributes of the family are totally discarded4 ,the home which he holds up to view is unadorned with chastity and virtue4 ,and ,sophocles follows in the same path1 stripping home of all that is sacred and essential to its true constitution4 ,and when we come down to the present age1 and view this divine institute in the light of ,mormonism and ,socialism1 who will say that here we have unfolded its true idea and sacred character8 ,how different is the true ,christian home6 ,here the marriage union is preserved honorable1 held sacred1 and woman is raised to her true position4 ,in the sphere of the ,christian church1 home is brought fairly and completely into view4 ,here it rises above the measure of natural affection1 and temporal interest4 ,it enters the sphere of supernatural faith1 and becomes the adumbration of our home in heaven4 ,the ,christian home is a true type of the church4 ,the husband is the head of the wife1 as ,christ is of the church4 ,the love of the family is self-denying and holy1 like that between ,christ and ,his church4 ,the children are the heritage of the ,lord2 the parents are ,his stewards4 ,like the church1 the ,christian home has its ministry4 ,yea1 the church is in the home1 as the mother is in her child4 ,we cannot separate them2 they are correlatives4 ,the one demands the other4 ,the ,christian home can have existence only in the sphere of the church4 ,it is the vestibule of the church1 bound to her by the bonds of ,christian marriage1 of holy baptism1 and of the communion of saints1 leading to her in the course of moral development1 and completing her life only in the church-consciousness4 ,home is1 therefore1 a partnership of spiritual as well as of natural life4 ,the members thereof dwell as being heirs together of the grace of life4 ,heavenly mindedness1 the hidden man of the heart1 and a hope full of immortality1 are the ornaments of the ,christian home4 ,hers is the incorruptibility of a meek and quiet spirit2 her members are joint heirs of salvation2 they are one1 not only in nature1 but in ,christ4 ,they enjoy a communion in spirit1 that their joy might be full4 ,what ,god1 therefore1 hath joined together1 let not man put asunder4 ,such a home1 being right with ,god1 must be full of good fruits1 without partiality and without hypocrisy4 ,here the ,christian shows his real character4 ,in the sphere of the church1 the family reaches its highest excellence and its purest enjoyment4 ,says the learned ,d',aubigne1 ,without the knowledge and the love of ,god1 a family is but a collection of individuals who may have more or less of natural affection for one another2 but the real bond1--the love of ,god our ,father1 in ,jesus ,christ1 our ,lord1--is wanting4 ,we1 therefore1 abuse the idea of home when we divest it of the religious element4 ,as the family is a divine institute and a type of the church and of heaven1 it cannot be understood in its isolation from christianity2 it must involve ,christian principles1 duties1 and interests2 and embrace in its educational functions1 a preparation1 not only for the ,state1 but also for the church4 ,the church gives to home a sacred religious ministry1 a spiritual calling1 a divine mission2 investing it with prophetic1 priestly and kingly prerogatives1 and laying it under religious responsibilities4 ,this gives to the ,christian home its true meaning1 and secures for its members-- ,a sacred and home-felt delight1 ,a sober certainty of waking bliss4 ,such was the home of ,abraham1 who commanded his children and his household to keep the way of the ,lord1 to do justice and judgment1--of ,joshua1 who with his house served the ,lord1--of ,david1 who returned to bless his household1--of ,job1 who offered burnt-offering according to the number of his sons1--of ,cornelius1 who feared ,god with all his house1--of ,lydia1 and ,crispus1 and the jailor of ,philippi1 who believed in the ,lord with all their house4 ,how many ,christian parents practically discard this attribute of home6 ,while all their temporal interests cluster around their home1 and their hearts are fondly wedded to it as their retreat from a cold and repulsive world1 they never think perhaps that ,god is in their family1 that ,he has instituted it1 and given those cherished ones who set like olive plants around their table4 ,they are faithful to all natural duties1 and make ample provision for the temporal wants of their offspring2 the mother bends with untiring assiduity over the cradle of her babe1 and ministers to all its wants1 watching with delight every opening beauty of that bud of promise1 and willingly sacrificing all for its good4 ,with what rapture she catches its first lispings of mother6 ,the father toils from year to year to secure it a fair patrimony1 a finished education1 and an honorable position in life4 ,how unremittingly these parents watch over the sick-bed of their children and of each other2 and oh1 what burning tears gush forth as the utterance of their agonizing hearts1 when death threatens to blight a single bud1 or lay his cold hand upon a single member6 ,this is all right1 noble1 and faithful to the natural elements of home4 ,natural affection prompts it1 and it is well4 ,but if this is all2 if ,christian parents and their children are governed only by the promptings of nature2 if they are bound together by no spiritual ties and interests and hopes2 if they are not prompted by faith to make provision for the soul1 and for eternity2 then we think they have not as yet realized the deepest and holiest significance of their home4 ,the ,christian home demands the ,christian consciousness1--the sense of a spirit-world with all its obligations and interests and responsibilities4 ,oh1 is it not too often the case that even the ,christian mother1 while she teaches her babe the accents of her own name1 never thinks of teaching it to lisp the name of ,jesus1--never seeks to unfold its infant spirit1--never supplies it with spiritual food1 nor directs its soul to the eternal world6 ,in the same way the pious wife neglects her impenitent husband2 and the pious husband1 his reckless wife4 ,there is too much such dereliction of duty in the homes of church members4 ,our homes give us an interest in1 and bind us by peculiar bonds to1 the eternal world2 those loved ones who have gone before us1 look down from heaven upon those they have left behind2 though absent from us in body1 their spirits are still with us2 and they come thronging upon glowing pinions1 as ministering spirits1 to our hearts4 ,mother6 that little babe that perished in your arms1 hovers over thee now1 and is the guardian angel of your heart and home4 ,it meets thee still6 ,and oh1 how joyful will your home-meeting be in heaven6 ,children6 the spirit of your sainted mother lingers around your home to minister in holy things to thee4 ,she has left you in body2 she lies mouldering now in the humid earth2 but she is with thee in spirit4 ,your home1 dwelling in the sphere of the church on earth1 has a spiritual communion with the sainted ones of the church in heaven4 ,thus1 as the home-feeling can never he eradicated1 so the home-meetings can never be broken up4 ,even the dead are with us there2 their seats may be empty1 and their forms may no longer move before us2 but their spirits meet with us1 and imprint their ministrations upon our hearts4 ,the dead and the living meet in home6 ,we are all here6 ,father1 mother1 ,sister1 brother1 ,all who hold each other dear1 ,each chair is filled1 we're all at home6 ,let gentle peace assert her power1 ,and kind affection rule the hour-- ,we're all--all here6 ,even they--the dead--though dead so dear1 ,fond memory to her duty true1 ,brings back their faded forms to view4 ,how life-like through the mist of years1 ,each well-remembered face appears2 ,we hear their words1 their smiles behold1 ,they're round us as they were of old-- ,we are all here6 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,mission ,,of ,,the ,,christian ,,home4 ,if in the family thou art the best1 ,pray oft1 and be mouth unto the rest2 ,whom ,god hath made the heads of families1 ,he hath made priests to offer sacrifice4 ,the home is a divine institution1 and includes the religious element1 moving in the sphere of nature and of the church1 then its calling must be of ,god2 its mission is divine2 it is designed to subserve a spiritual purpose2 it has a soul-mission4 ,this was the view of ,david when he returned to bless his household4 ,to him his family was a church in miniature1 and he its priest4 ,thus too ,joshua felt that his service of ,god must include family worship4 ,what then is the mission1 of the ,christian home8 ,it is two-fold1--the temporal and eternal well-being of its members4 ,it is the mission of home to provide for the temporal well-being of its members4 ,they are parts of one great whole4 ,each must seek the welfare of all the rest4 ,this involves obedience to the law of co-operation2 and has special reference to that provision which the heads of families should make for the wants of those who are placed under their protection4 ,as the parent sustains a physical1 intellectual and moral relation to the child1 it is his mission to provide for its physical1 mental and moral wants4 ,he that provideth not for his own house hath denied the faith1 and is worse than an infidel4 ,natural affection will prompt to this4 ,children are in a state of utter helplessness4 ,the infant is at the mercy of the parent4 ,instinct impels the parent to provide for its wants4 ,even the brute does this4 ,that it is a part1 therefore1 of the home mission to provide for the physical wants of the dependents there1 is very evident4 ,to refuse to fulfill it is a crime against nature4 ,this part of the home-mission includes the education of the body1 by properly unfolding and directing its powers1 and providing it with appropriate nutriment1 raiment and shelter4 ,in a word1 we should make proper provision for the development and maturity of the physical life of our children4 ,this is the mission of the parent until the child is able to provide for itself4 ,this1 says ,blackstone1 is a principle of natural law2 and1 in the language of ,puffendorf1 is an obligation laid on parents1 not only by nature herself1 but by their own proper act in bringing them into the world4 ,the laws of the land also command it4 ,the child has a legal claim upon the parent for physical sustenance and education4 ,it is another part of the home-mission to provide for the intellectual wants and welfare of the child4 ,children have mind as well as body4 ,the former needs nourishment and training as well as the latter4 ,hence it is as much the mission of the family to minister to the well-being of the mind of the child1 as to that of its body4 ,civil law enforces this4 ,children have a legal as well as a natural claim to mental culture4 ,in a word1 it is the home-mission to provide for the child all things necessary to prepare it for a citizenship in the state4 ,parents abuse this mission in two ways1 either when they by their own indolence and dissipation compel their children to support them2 or1 on the other hand1 when they become the willing slaves of their children1 labor to amass a fortune for them1 and1 in the anticipation of that1 permit them to grow up in ignorance1 idleness1 and prodigality1 fit only to abuse and spend the fruit of parental servitude4 ,in this way the misapplied provision made by parents often becomes a curse1 not only to the members of the family1 but to the state and church4 ,another part of the home-mission is1 the spiritual and eternal well-being of its members4 ,this is seen in the typical character of the ,christian family4 ,it is an emblem of the church and of heaven4 ,according to this1 parents are called to administer the means of grace to their household1 to provide for soul as well as for body1 to prepare the child for a true membership in the church1 as well as for a citizenship in the state1 to train for heaven as well as for earth4 ,parents are priests unto their families1 and have the commission to act for them as faithful stewards of ,god in all things pertaining to their everlasting welfare4 ,their souls1 as well as their bodies1 are committed to their trust1 and ,god says to them1-- ,go nurse them for the ,king of ,heaven1 ,and ,he will pay thee hire4 ,this is their great mission1 and corresponds with the conception of the ,christian home as a spiritual nursery4 ,the family is ,god's husbandry2 and this implies a spiritual culture4 ,as its members dwell as being heirs together of the grace of life1 it is the function of each to labor to make all the rest fellow-citizens with the saints1 and of the household of ,god4 ,parents should provide for the religious wants of their children4 ,mere physical maintenance and mental culture cannot supersede the necessity of spiritual training4 ,children have a right to such training4 ,this religious provision is twofold2 their moral and spiritual faculties should be developed2 and their moral nature supplied with appropriate nutriment4 ,all the wants of their moral nature are to be faithfully provided for4 ,the home-mission involves the business of education of body1 of mind1 and of spirit2--of preparation for the state1 for the church1 for eternity4 ,it is this which makes it so sacred and responsible4 ,strip the ,christian family of its mission as a nursery for the soul2 wrest from the parents their high prerogative as stewards of ,god2 and you heathenize home1 yea1 you brutalize it6 ,tell me1 what ,christian home can accomplish its holy mission1 when the soul is neglected1 when religion is left out of view1 when training up for ,god is abandoned1 when the church is repudiated1 and eternity cast off8 ,you may provide for the body and mind of your children2 you may amass for them a fortune2 you may give them an accomplished education2 you may introduce them into the best society2 you may establish them in the best business2 you may fit them for an honorable and responsible position in life2 you may be careful of their health and reputation2 and you may caress them with all the tender ardor of the parental heart and hand2 yet if you provide not for their souls2 if you seek not their salvation2 if you minister only to their temporal1 and not to their eternal welfare1 all will be vain1 yea1 a curse both to you and to them4 ,husband and wife may love each other1 and live together in all the peace and harmony of reciprocated affection2 yet if the religious part of their home-mission remain unfulfilled1 their family is divested of its noblest attraction2 its greatest interests will fall into ruin2 its highest destiny will not be attained2 and soon its fruits will be entombed in oblivion2 while their children1 neglected and perishing1 will look back upon that home with a bitterness of spirit which the world can neither soothe nor extract6 ,how many such homes there are6 ,even the homes of church members are too often reckless of their high vocation4 ,their moral stewardship is neglected2 their dedications1 formal and heartless4 ,no prayers are heard2 no bible read2 no instructions given2 no pious examples set2 no holy discipline exercised4 ,their interests1 their hopes and their enjoyments2 their education1 their labor and their rest1 are all of the world1--worldly4 ,the curse of ,god is upon such a home6 ,the importance and responsibility of the home-mission may be seen in its vicarious character1 and in its influence upon the members4 ,the principle of moral reproduction is manifest in all the home-relations4 ,what the parent does is reproduced1 as it were1 in the child1 and will tell upon the generations that follow them4 ,those close affinities by which all the members are allied1 give to each a moulding influence over all the rest4 ,the parents live1 not for themselves alone1 but for their children1 and the consequence of such a life is also entailed upon their offspring4 ,the iniquity of the fathers shall be visited upon the children unto the third and fourth generation4 ,if the parent sow to the flesh1 the child1 with him1 shall of the flesh reap corruption2 but if he sow to the spirit1 his offspring1 with him1 shall of the spirit reap life everlasting4 ,sacred and profane history proves and illustrates this great truth4 ,did not ,god punish the first born of ,israel1 because their fathers had sinned8 ,and is it not a matter of daily observation that the wickedness of the parent is entailed upon the child8 ,such is indeed the affinity between them that the child cannot1 unless by some special interposition of ,providence1 escape the curse of a parent's sin4 ,if one member suffer1 all the members suffer with it4 ,the guilt and condemnation of unfaithfulness to the home-mission may be inferred from its importance and responsibility4 ,those who are unfaithful are guilty of blood4 ,we see the curse of such neglect in that deterioration of character which so rapidly succeeds parental delinquency4 ,they must answer before ,god for the loss which the soul1 the state1 and the church sustain thereby4 ,it shall be more tolerable for ,sodom and ,gomorrah in the day of judgment than for them4 ,the ,christian home should be qualified for this mission4 ,there can be no such qualification1 however1 where the marriage alliance involves inequality--one of the parents a ,christian1 the other not2 for they cannot dwell together as heirs of the grace of life1 neither can they effectually dispense that grace to their offspring4 ,when thus the house is divided against itself1 it must fall4 ,be ye not1 therefore1 unequally yoked together4 ,if one draws heavenward and the other hellward1 there will be a halting between ,baal and ,god1 and the influence of the one will be counteracted by that of the other4 ,what communion hath light with darkness8 ,what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness8 ,what part hath he that believeth with an infidel8 ,thus divided1 their home will be unfit for its high vocation4 ,hence parents1 in their marriage alliance as well as in their individual character1 should qualify themselves for the responsible mission of home4 ,can the ungodly wife or husband fulfill this mission8 ,can the irreligious parent bring up his offspring in the nurture and admonition of the ,lord8 ,many parents disqualify themselves for their home-mission by devoting too much attention to society1--by spending more time abroad1 at parties1 theaters and masquerade balls1 in gossiping and recreation1 than at home with each other and with their children4 ,they commit their children1 with all the family interests1 to nurses and servants4 ,they regard their offspring as mere playthings to be dandled upon the knee1 brought up like calves in the stall1 and then turned out to shape their own destiny4 ,this is a sad mistake6 ,there is no substitute for home1--no transfer of a parent's commission1 no adequate compensation for a parent's loss4 ,none can effectually take the parent's place4 ,their influence is overwhelming and absolute4 ,with what a kingly power their love ,might rule the fountains of the new-born mind6 ,not even the dark villainies which have disgraced humanity can neutralize it4 ,gray-haired and demon guilt will weep in his dismal cell over the melting1 soothing memories of home4 ,their impressions are indelible1 like the deep borings into the flinty rock4 ,to erase them we must remove every strata of their being4 ,they give texture and coloring to the whole woof and web of the child's character4 ,the mother especially preoeccupies the unwritten page of its being1 and mingles with it in its cradle dreams1 making thus a deathless impress upon its soul4 ,the mother in her office1 holds the key ,of the soul2 and she it is who stamps the coin ,of character1 and makes the being who would be a savage ,but for her cares1 a ,christian man6 ,what a folly and a sin1 therefore1 for ,christian parents to give over their holy mission to another1 while they immerse themselves in the forbidden pleasures and recreations of the world6 ,oh1 if you are loving1 faithful parents1 you will love the society of your household more than the fashions and the fashionable resorts of the world2 you will not substitute the nurse and the boarding school for the more efficient ministrations of the ,christian home4 ,if ye count society for past time1--what happier recreation than a nursling1 ,its winning ways1 its prattling tongue1 its innocence and mirth8 ,if ye count society for good1--how fair a field is here1 ,to guide these souls to ,god1 and multiply thyself in heaven6 ,walk1 therefore1 worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called1 with all lowliness and meekness4 ,magnify your office4 ,be faithful to your home-mission4 ,draw your pleasure from it4 ,souls are committed to your trust and hang upon your hire4 ,your regard for the temporal and eternal welfare of your children should prompt you to faithfulness to the holy mission of your family4 ,you love your children1 and desire their welfare and happiness4 ,but do what you will for them1 if you are unfaithful to their souls1 you wrest from them the means of safety and of happiness2 you aid in their misery in this and in the world to come4 ,you are more cruel to them than was ,herod who slew the bodies of children4 ,you murder their souls4 ,he murdered the children of others2 you murder your own2 he employed others to do it for him2 you do the work of slaughter yourself6 ,if1 then1 you love your children2 if their souls are committed to you2 if your unfaithfulness to them may result in their ruin2 if ,god blesses the holy mission of your home to their temporal and eternal welfare2 if its fulfillment by you be like words spoken in a whispering-gallery1 which1 will be heard at the distance of years1 and echoed along the corridors of ages yet to come2 and if it will prove to them in life like the lone star to the mariner upon the dark and stormy sea1--should you not be faithful to your home-vocation6 ,not only so1 but your regard for your own comfort and happiness here and hereafter should impel you to this faithfulness4 ,do you love yourself8 ,do you regard your own comfort and welfare8 ,would you avoid painful solicitude1 bitter reflection1 heart-burning remorse1 dreadful foreboding8 ,then be faithful to the home-mission4 ,if you are1 ,god will bless you for it through your children4 ,what a comfort it will be to you to see them become ,christians1 enter the church1 and1 at their side around the ,lord's ,table1 hold communion with them in the joys of faith and in the anticipations of heaven6 ,and should ,god remove them from you by death1 you will be cheered amidst the agonies of separation by their dying consolation4 ,the hope of a speedy reunion with them in heaven would afford a sweet solace to your bereaved heart4 ,or should you be taken before them1 what a comfort would they afford you in your last moments6 ,with the glow of ,christian faith and hope1 they would whisper to you the consolations of the gospel1 and bless you for your faithfulness to them4 ,and when you and they shall meet at the bar of ,god1 they will rise up and call you blessed4 ,but1 on the other hand1 should you neglect them2 and1 as a consequence1 they grow up in wickedness and crime2 oh1 what a source of withering remorse they would cause you6 ,no sin more heavily punishes the guilty1 and mingles for him a more bitter cup1 than the sin of parental neglect4 ,what if after the lapse of a few years1 your neglected child be taken from you1 and consigned to the cold grave1 think you not that when you meet it before the bar of ,god1 it will rise up as a witness against you1 and pour down its curses upon your head6 ,but suppose that child grows up1 unprovided for by you in its early life2 and profligacy mark his pathway1 and demon guilt throw its chains around him in the prison cell2 and he trace back the beginning of his ruin to your unfaithfulness1 oh1 with what pungency would the reflection send the pang of remorse to your soul6 ,go ask that musing father1 why yon grave ,so narrow1 and so noteless1 might not close ,without a tear8 ,because of the bitter and heart-stricken memories of a neglected1 ruined child that slumbers there6 ,or suppose that you die before your neglected children1 think you not that the recollection of your past parental unfaithfulness will plant thorns in your pillow1 and invest with deeper shades of horror your descent to the dark valley of death8 ,and oh1 when you meet them before the bar of the avenging judge1 most fearful will be your interview with them4 ,tell me1 how will you dare to meet them there1 when the voice of their blood will cry out from the hallowed ground of home against you6 ,and then1 eternity1 oh1 eternity6 who shall bring out from the secrets of the eternal world1 those awful maledictions which ,god has attached to parental unfaithfulness8 ,provide1 therefore1 for your family as the ,lord commands4 ,remember that if you do not1 you deny the faith and are worse than an infidel2 and in the day of ,judgment it shall be more tolerable for ,sodom and ,gomorrah than for you4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,family ,,religion4 ,lo6 where yon cottage whitens through the green1 ,the loveliest feature of a matchless scene2 ,beneath its shading elm1 with pious fear1 ,an aged mother draws her children near1 ,while from the ,holy ,word1 with earnest air1 ,she teaches them the privilege of prayer4 ,look6 how their infant eyes with rapture speak2 ,mark the flushed lily on the dimpled cheek2 ,their hearts are filled with gratitude and love1 ,their hopes are centered in a world above6 ,the ,christian home demands a family religion4 ,this makes it a household of ,god4 ,without this it is but a den of thieves4 ,it is the one thing needful4 ,what is family religion8 ,it is not an exotic1 but is indigenous to the ,christian home4 ,it is not a new measure1 but an essential ingredient of the home-constitution1--coexistent with home itself4 ,the first family began to call upon the name of the ,lord2 the first parent acted as high-priest of ,god in his family4 ,it is not individual piety as such1 not simply closet devotion1 but family service of ,god1--religion taken up in the home-consciousness and life4 ,hence a family1 and not simply a personal religion4 ,such religion1 we say1 is as old as the church4 ,we find it in ,eden1 in the tents of the patriarchs and in the wilderness of the prophets4 ,we find it in the tent of ,abraham in the plains of ,mamre1 in the house of ,moses1 in the service of ,joshua1 in the offerings of ,job1 and in the palace of ,david and ,solomon4 ,it is also a prominent feature of the gospel economy4 ,the commendation bestowed by ,paul upon ,timothy1 was that from a child he enjoyed the unfeigned faith of his mother ,eunice and his grandmother ,lois4 ,paul exhorts ,christians thus3 ,rule well your own houses2 speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs4 ,the same family religion was a prominent feature of the homes of the primitive ,christians4 ,with them1 every house was a sanctuary1 and every parent a minister in holy things to its members4 ,the bible was not only a parlor ornament1 but a lamp to their feet and a guide to their path1 used1 meditated upon1 prayed over4 ,says ,turtullian of its members1 ,they are united in spirit and in flesh2 they kneel down together2 they pray and fast together2 they teach1 exhort and support each other with gentleness4 ,how1 alas6 have ,christian homes degenerated since then in family piety6 ,they received a reviving impulse in the ,reformation2 yet even this was meteor-like1 and seemed but the transient glow of some mere natural emotion4 ,the fire which then flashed so brilliantly upon the altar of home1 has now become taper-like and sepulchral2 and the altar of family religion1 like the altar of ,jehovah upon ,mt4 ,carmel1 has been demolished1 and forsaken4 ,only here and there do we find a ,christian home erect and surround a ,christian altar4 ,parents seem now ashamed to serve the ,lord at home4 ,they have neither time nor inclination4 ,upon the subject of religion they maintain a bashful1 sullen1 wonderful silence before their families4 ,they seem to be impressed with the strange idea that their wives and children put no confidence in their piety1 7and may they not have reason for it87 and that it would1 therefore1 be vain for them to pray1 or exhort their households4 ,many walk thus1 says ,paul1 of whom ,i have told you often1 and now tell you even weeping1 that they are the enemies of the cross of ,christ6 ,upon them shall be answered the prayer of ,jeremiah1 ,oh ,lord1 pour out thy fury upon the families that call not upon thy name6 ,thus1 therefore1 we see that the ,christian home demands a family religion4 ,the private devotion of the individual can be no effectual substitute for it4 ,the parents pair their secret homage1 ,and offer up to heaven the warm request1 ,that ,he who stills the raven's clamorous nest1 ,and decks the lily fair in flowery pride1 ,would1 in the way ,his wisdom sees the best1 ,for them and for their little ones provide4 ,family religion includes parental bible instruction1 family prayer1 and religious education1 government1 discipline and example4 ,these involve the parent's position in his household as a prophet1 priest1 and king4 ,thou shalt teach my words diligently unto thy children1 and talk of them when thou sittest in thy house4 ,daily let part of ,holy ,writ be read1 ,let as the body1 so the soul have bread4 ,for look6 how many souls in thy house be1 ,with just as many souls ,god trusteth thee6 ,thus felt and acted our primitive fathers4 ,by every winning art1 they sought to fill their children with the knowledge of ,god's ,word4 ,the entire range of nursery instruction and amusement was comprised in scripture pictures and hieroglyphics4 ,they intermingled religion with all their home pursuits1 and entwined it with their earliest and purest associations of childhood4 ,if ,christian parents would follow their example now1 in these days of parental delinquency1 we would not behold so many of their children grow up in religious ignorance and indifference4 ,the same may be said of the family altar and prayer4 ,a prayerless family is an irreligious1 godless family4 ,says ,henry1 ,they who daily pray in their houses do well2 they that not only pray1 but read the scriptures1 do better2 but they do best of all1 who not only pray and read the scriptures1 but sing the praises of ,god4 ,besides1 the religion of home implies that we command our children and household to keep the way of the ,lord1--that we bring them up in ,his nurture and admonition1 and train them up as ,he would have them go2 and that in things pertaining to their spiritual welfare we go in and out before them as their pattern and example1 bidding them to follow us even as we follow ,christ1 and living in their midst as the living epistles of ,christ1 known and read of them all4 ,family religion must show itself by its works of ,christian charity and benevolence to the poor1 the sick and the distressed4 ,we should lay by a certain amount each year of what ,god bestows1 for the support of the church and the propagation of the gospel4 ,oh1 how little do ,christians now give to these benevolent objects6 ,a penurious1 close-fisted1 selfish home cannot be a religious household4 ,family religion must be reproductive1 must return to ,god as well as receive from ,him4 ,but as these characteristic features of the ,christian home will be considered hereafter1 we shall not enlarge upon them here4 ,suffice it to say that the mission of home demands family religion4 ,its interests cannot be secured without it4 ,let our homes be divorced from piety1 and they will become selfish1 sensual1 unsatisfactory1 and unhappy4 ,piety should always reign in our homes1--not only on the ,sabbath1 but during the week2 not only in sickness and adversity1 but in health and prosperity4 ,it must1 if genuine1 inspire and consecrate the minutest interests and employments of the household4 ,it must appear in every scene and feeling and look1 and in each heart1 as the life1 the light1 the hope1 and the joy of all the members4 ,the necessity of family religion is seen in the value of the soul4 ,the soul is the dearest treasure and the most responsible trust of home4 ,what shall it profit the family if its members gain the whole world and lose their own souls8 ,what would ,christian parents give in exchange for the souls of their little ones8 ,is it not more important that they teach them to pray than to dance1 to seek the kingdom of heaven than the enjoyment of the pleasures of sin for a season8 ,oh1 what is home without a title to1 and personal meetness for1 that kingdom8 ,it is a moral waste2 its members move in the putrid atmosphere of vitiated feeling and misdirected power4 ,brutal passions become dominant2 we hear the stern voice of parental despotism2 we behold a scene of filial strife and insubordination2 there is throughout a heart-blank4 ,domestic life becomes clouded by a thousand crosses and disappointments2 the solemn realities of the eternal world are cast into the shade2 the home-conscience and feeling become stultified2 the sense of moral duty distorted1 and all the true interests of home appear in a haze4 ,natural affection is debased1 and love is prostituted to the base designs of self1 and the entire family1 with all its tender cords1 ardent hopes1 and promised interests1 becomes engulfed in the vortex of criminal worldliness6 ,but reverse the picture6 ,see what home becomes with religion as its life and rule4 ,human nature is there checked and moulded by the amiable spirit and lovely character of ,jesus4 ,the mind is expanded1 the heart softened1 sentiments refined1 passions subdued1 hopes elevated1 pursuits ennobled1 the world cast into the shade1 and heaven realized as the first prize4 ,the great want of our intellectual and moral nature is here met1 and home education becomes impregnated with the spirit and elements of our preparation for eternity4 ,the relations of home demand family religion4 ,these are relations of mutual dependence1 involving such close affinity that the good or evil which befalls one member must in some degree extend to all the other members4 ,they involve helps4 ,each member becomes an instrument in the salvation or damnation of the others4 ,for what knowest1 ,o wife1 whether thou shalt save thy husband8 or how knowest thou1 ,o man1 whether thou shalt save thy wife8--#a ,cor4 vii41 #af4 ,if one member ,suffer1 all the members suffer with it4 ,they stimulate each other either to salvation or to ruin2 and hence those children that go to ruin in consequence of parental unfaithfulness1 will curse the father that begat them1 the womb that bare them1 and the day they entered their home4 ,many parents seek to excuse themselves from the practice of family religion1 upon the ground that they have not the capacity nor the time4 ,if so1 you should not have married4 ,but if you are ,christians1 you have the capacity1 and you will take the time4 ,but some are ashamed to begin family religion4 ,ashamed of what8 of your piety8 of your children8 of the true glory and greatness of your home8 ,then you are ashamed of ,jesus6 ,you should rather blush that you have not begun this good work4 ,the great defect of family religion in the present day is1 that it is not educational4 ,parents wait until their children have grown up1 and established habits of sin1 when they suppose that the efforts of some protracted meeting will compensate for their neglect in childhood4 ,they overlook the command of ,god to teach them ,his words4 ,the influence of this defect and delusion has been most destructive4 ,many ,christian homes are now altogether destitute of religious appliances4 ,if the angel that visited the homes of ,israel were to visit the ,christian homes of this age1 would he not be tempted to say1 as ,abraham said to ,abimelech1 ,surely the fear of ,god is not in this place6 ,one great reason1 perhaps1 why there are so many such homes is1 that there are now so many irreligious marriages1 where husband and wife are unequally yoked together1 one a believer and the other not4 ,how can two walk together except they be agreed8 ,can there be family religion when husband and wife are traveling to eternity in opposite roads8 ,no6 ,there will be hindrances instead of helps4 ,if they marry not in the ,lord1 religion will not be in their home4 ,says the pious ,jay1 ,i am persuaded that it is very much owing to the prevalence of these indiscriminate and unhallowed connections1 that we have fallen so far short of those men of ,god1 who are gone before us1 in the discharge of family worship1 and in the training up of our households in the nurture and admonition of the ,lord4 ,family religion is implied in the marriage relation and obligation4 ,it is included in the necessities of our children1 and in the covenant promises of ,god4 ,the penalties of its neglect1 and the rewards of our faithfulness to it1 should prompt us to its establishment in our homes4 ,its absence is a curse2 its presence a blessing4 ,it is a foretaste of heaven4 ,like manna1 it will feed our souls1 quench our thirst1 sweeten the cup of life1 and shed a halo of glory and of gladness around our firesides4 ,let yours1 therefore1 be the religious home2 and then be sure that ,god will delight to dwell therein1 and ,his blessing will descend1 like the dews of heaven1 upon it4 ,your children shall not be found begging bread1 but shall be like olive plants around your table1--the heritage of the ,lord4 ,yours will be the home of love and harmony2 it shall have the charter of family rights and privileges1 the ward of family interests1 the palladium of family hopes and happiness4 ,your household piety will be the crowning attribute of your peaceful home1--the crown of living stars that shall adorn the night of its tribulation1 and the pillar of cloud and of fire in its pilgrimage to a better country4 ,it shall strew the family threshold with the flowers of promise1 and enshrine the memory of loved ones gone before1 in all the fragrance of that blessed hope of reunion in heaven which looms up from a dying hour4 ,it shall give to the infant soul its perfect flowering1 and expand it in all the fullness of a generous love and conscious blessedness1 making it lustrous in the livery of divine knowledge4 ,and then in the dark hour of home separation and bereavement1 when the question is put to thee1 mourning parents1 ,is it well with the child8 is it well with thee8 you can answer with joy1 ,it is well6 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,relation ,,of ,,home ,,to ,,the ,,church4 ,the ,christian home sustains a direct relation to the church4 ,this relation is similar to that which it sustains to the state4 ,the nature and mission of home demand the church4 ,the former is the adumbration of the latter4 ,the one is in the other4 ,greet the church that is in thine house4 ,the church was in the house of ,aquila and ,priscilla1 in the tent of ,abraham1 and in the palace of ,david4 ,it must be in every ,christian home1 and every ,christian home must be in the church4 ,in a word1 our families must be churchly4 ,this relation is vital and necessary1--a relation of mutual dependence4 ,the family is a preparation for the church1 subordinate to it1 and must1 therefore1 throw its influence in its favor1 be moulded by it1 and labor ,with direct reference to the church in the way of training up for membership in it4 ,as the civil and political relations of home involve the duty of parents to train up their children for efficient citizenship in the state1 so its moral and religious relations involve the duty of education for the church4 ,hence the ,christian home is churchly in its spirit1 religion1 education1 influence1 and mission4 ,family religion is an element of home1 not only as a mere fact or principle in its subjective form1 but in the form and force of the church4 ,in its unchurchly form it is powerless4 ,it must be experienced and administered in a churchly spirit and way1 not as something detached from the organic embodiment of ,christianity4 ,the relation of the church to the family forbids this4 ,the church pervades all the forms of society4 ,it includes the home and the state4 ,it gives to each proper vitality1 legitimate principles1 proper direction1 and a true destiny4 ,but home is not only a preparation for the church1 but completes itself in the church1--never out of the church4 ,by the mystery of marriage and the sacrament of holy baptism1 home and the church are bound up into each other by indissoluble bonds4 ,the one receives the mark and superscription of the other2 the one is the type or emblem of the other4 ,the church1 through her ordinances1 ministry and means of grace1 is brought directly into the house1 and operates there constantly as a spiritual leaven4 ,it is the purpose of ,god that our homes be entrenched within the sacred enclosures of ,his church4 ,the former1 in its relation to the latter1 is like a wheel within a wheel1--one of the parts which make up the great machinery of the kingdom of grace1 operating harmoniously and in its place with all the rest1 and for the same end4 ,the former is built upon the latter1--receives her dedication and sanctity from it4 ,they are correlatives4 ,the one demands the other4 ,hence they cannot be divorced4 ,the individual passes over to the church through the ,christian home4 ,the one is the step to the other4 ,they have the same foundation4 ,home is not erected upon a quicksand1 but reared upon the same rock upon which the church is built4 ,like the church1 it rises superior to all the fluctuations of civil society1 and will live and flourish in all its tender charities1 in all its sweet enjoyments1 and in all its moral force1 in the humble cottage as well as in the costly palace1 under the shadow of liberty as well as under the frowns of despotism1 in every nation1 age1 and clime4 ,like the church of which it is the type1 it can never be made desolate2 break it up on earth1 and you find it in heaven4 ,its nuptial union with the church is like that between the latter and ,christ4 ,nothing can throw over our homes a higher sanctity1 or invest them with greater beauty1 or be to them a greater bulwark of strength1 than the church4 ,home is the nursery of the church4 ,those who are planted in the house of the ,lord shall flourish in the courts of our ,god1 and shall bring forth fruit in old age4 ,thus1 therefore1 we see that the relation between the ,christian home and the church is one of mutual dependence4 ,the latter1 as the highest form of religious association1 demands the former1 and the former looks to the latter as its completion4 ,where the religion of the family does not move in the element of the church1 it is at best but sentimentalism on the one hand1 and rationalism on the other4 ,it is a spurious pietism4 ,to be genuine it must be moulded by the church4 ,without this it is destitute of sterling principle1 of a living-faith1 of well-directed effort and lofty aims4 ,the family which does not move in the element of the church is a perversion of the true purpose of ,god in its institution4 ,it will afford no legitimate development of ,christian doctrine1 and the whole scheme of its religion will rest for its execution upon unreliable agencies extraneous to home itself4 ,hence we find that the piety of those families or individuals that isolate themselves from the church1 is at best but ephemeral in its existence1 contracted in spirit1 moving and operating by mere impulse and irregular starts1 and withal destitute of vitality and saving influence4 ,a death-bed scene may awaken a transient and visionary sense of duty2 adversity may startle the drowsy ear1 and cause the parents to turn for the time to the souls of their children2 but these continue only while the tear and the wound are fresh1 and the apprehensions of the eternal world are moving in their terrible visions before them6 ,the efficacy of the ,christian home1 therefore1 depends upon its true relation to the church4 ,the members should be conscious of this4 ,then both parents and children ,will appreciate the religious ministrations of home4 ,then the former will not grow weary in well doing1 but will have something to rest upon1 something to look to2 and the latter will love the church of their fathers1 and venerate the family as its nursery4 ,but the relation between the ,christian home and the church implies reciprocal obligations and duties4 ,the former should not only exist under the patronage of the latter1 but in the spirit of a true subordination4 ,parents should teach and rule and appropriate the means of grace under the supervision of the church4 ,they should take their household1 with them to her public service1 send their children to her schools1 and in all respects bring them up in her nurture and admonition4 ,thus the family should exist as the faithful daughter of the church2 and as the latter in the wilderness leaned upon her beloved1 so the former should repose itself upon her who is the mother of us all1 and in whom1 as the body of ,christ1 shall all the families of the earth be blessed4 ,as her loving and confiding daughter1 the family should live under her government and discipline1 listen to her maternal voice1 and be led by her maternal hand4 ,the minister in his pastoral functions1 is the representative of the church in each of the families of his flock2 and should1 therefore1 be received1 loved1 confided in and obeyed1 as such4 ,the home that repels his proffered ministrations in the name and according to the will of the church1 throws off its allegiance to the latter1 and through it1 to ,christ1--her glorious head1 and is hence unworthy of the name of ,christian home4 ,the true ,christian home yearns after the church1 loves to lean upon it1 to look up to it1 to consecrate all to it1 to move and develop its interests in the sphere of the church1 and to labor to complete itself in it4 ,for her my tears shall fall2 ,for her my prayers ascend2 ,to her my cares and toils be giv'n1 ,till toils and cares shall end4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,home ,,influence4 ,by the soft green light in the woody glade1 ,on the banks of moss1 where thy childhood play'd2 ,by the gathering round the winter hearth1 ,when the twilight call'd unto household mirth1 ,by the quiet hour when hearts unite ,in the parting prayer and the kind ',good night2' ,by the smiling eye and the loving tone1 ,over thy life has the spell been thrown1 ,and bless that gift1 it hath gentle might1 ,a guarding power and a guiding light6 ,the ,christian home has an influence which is stronger than death4 ,it is a law to our hearts1 and binds us with1 a spell which neither time nor change can break4 ,the darkest villainies which have disgraced humanity cannot neutralize it4 ,gray-haired and demon guilt will make his dismal cell the sacred urn of tears wept over the memories of home2 and these will soften and melt into penitence even the heart of adamant4 ,illustration3 ,maternal ,influence ,the home-influence is either a blessing or a curse1 either for good or for evil4 ,it cannot be neutral4 ,in either case it is mighty1 commencing with our birth1 going with us through life1 clinging to us in death1 and reaching into the eternal world4 ,it is that unitive power which arises out of the manifold relations and associations of domestic life4 ,the specific influences of husband and wife1 of parent and child1 of brother and sister1 of teacher and pupil1 united and harmoniously blended1 constitute the home-influence4 ,from this we may infer the character of home-influence4 ,it is great1 silent1 irresistible1 and permanent4 ,like the calm1 deep stream1 it moves on in silent1 but overwhelming power4 ,it strikes its roots deep into the human heart1 and spreads its branches wide over our whole being4 ,like the lily that braves the tempest1 and the ,alpine flower that leans its cheek on the bosom of eternal snows1 it is exerted amid the wildest storms of life1 and breathes a softening spell in our bosom even when a heartless world is freezing up the fountains of sympathy and love4 ,it is governing1 restraining1 attracting and traditional4 ,it holds the empire of the heart1 and rules the life4 ,it restrains the wayward passions of the child1 and checks him in his mad career of ruin4 ,hold the little hands in prayer1 teach the weak knees their kneeling1 ,let him see thee speaking to thy ,god2 he will not forget it afterward2 ,when old and gray1 will he feelingly remember a mother's tender piety1 ,and the touching recollection of her prayers shall arrest the strong man in his sin6 ,home-influence is traditional4 ,it passes down the current of life from one generation to another4 ,its continuity is preserved from first to last4 ,the homes of our forefathers rule us even now1 and will pass from us to our children's children4 ,hence it has been called the fixed capital of home4 ,it keeps up a continuous stream of home-life and feeling and interest4 ,hence the family likeness1 moral as well as physical1--the family virtues and vices1--coming from the family root and rising into all the branches1 and developing in all the elements of the family history4 ,home-influence is attractive4 ,it draws us to home1 and throws a spell around our existence1 which we have not the power to break4 ,the holy prayer from my thoughts hath pass'd1 ,the prayer at my mother's knee-- ,darken'd and troubled ,i come at last1 ,thou home of my boyish glee6 ,home-influence may he estimated from the immense force of first impressions4 ,it is the prerogative of home to make the first impression upon our nature1 and to give that nature its first direction onward and upward4 ,it uncovers the moral fountain1 chooses its channel1 and gives the stream its first impulse4 ,it makes the first stamp and sets the first seal upon the plastic nature of the child4 ,it gives the first tone to our desires1 and furnishes ingredients that will either sweeten or embitter the whole cup of life4 ,these impressions are indelible1 and durable as life4 ,compared with them1 other impressions are like those made upon sand or wax4 ,these are like the deep borings into the flinty rock4 ,to erase them we must remove every strata of our being4 ,even the infidel lives under the holy influence of a pious mother's impressions4 ,john ,randolph could never shake off the restraining influence of a little prayer his mother taught him when a child4 ,it preserved him from the clutches of avowed infidelity4 ,the promises of ,god bear testimony to the influence of the ,christian home4 ,when he grows old he will not depart from it6 ,history confirms and illustrates this4 ,look at those scenes of intemperance and riot1 of crime and of blood1 which throw the mantle of infamy over human life6 ,look at your prisons1 your hospitals1 and your gibbets2 go to the gaming-table and the rum-shop4 ,tell me1 who are those that are there8 ,what is their history8 ,where did they come from8 ,from the faithful ,christian home8 ,had they pious fathers and mothers8 ,did they go to these places under the holy influence of devout and faithful parents8 ,no6 ,and who are they that are dying without hope and without ,god8 ,who are they that now throng the regions of the damned8 ,those who were trained up in the way they should go8 ,no6 if they are1 then the promises of ,god must fail4 ,you may perhaps find a few such4 ,but these are exceptions to a general law4 ,the damning influence of their unfaithful home brought them there4 ,could they but speak to us from their chambers of wo1 we should hear them pouring out curses upon their parents1 and ascribing the cause of their ruin to their neglect4 ,on the other hand1 could we but listen to the anthems of the redeemed in heaven1 we should doubtless hear sentiments of gratitude for a mother's prayer and a father's counsel4 ,let us now briefly advert to the objects of home-influence4 ,it is exerted upon the members of home1 especially upon the formation of their character and destiny4 ,it moulds their character4 ,the parents assimilate their children to themselves to such an extent that we can judge the former by the latter4 ,lamartine says that1 when he wants to know a woman's character1 he ascertains it by an inspection of her home1--that he judges the daughter by the mother4 ,his judgment rests upon the known influence the latter has over the former4 ,it gives texture and coloring to the whole woof and web of character4 ,it forms the head and the heart1 moulds the affections1 the will and the conscience1 and throws around our entire nature the means and appliances of its development for good or for evil4 ,every word1 every incident1 every look1 every lesson of home1 has its bearing upon our life4 ,had one of these been omitted1 our lives would perhaps be different4 ,one prayer in our childhood1 was perhaps the lever that raised us from ruin4 ,one omission of parental duty may result in the destruction of the child4 ,what an influence home exerts upon our faith6 ,most of our convictions and opinions rest upon home-teaching and faith4 ,a minister was once asked1 ,do you not believe christianity upon its evidences8 ,he replied1 ,no2 ,i believe it because my mother taught me6 ,the same may be said of its influence upon our sympathies1 and in the formation of habits4 ,it draws us by magnetic power to home1 and develops in us all that which is included in home-feeling and home-sickness4 ,i need but pluck yon garden flower1 ,from where the wild weeds rise1 ,to wake with strange and sudden power1 ,a thousand sympathies6 ,in this respect how irresistible is the influence of a mother's love and kindness6 ,her very name awakens the torpid streams of life1 gives a fresh glow to the tablets of memory1 and fills our hearts with a deep gush of consecrated feeling4 ,our habits1 too1 are formed under the moulding power of home4 ,the tender twig is there bent1 the spirit shaped1 principles implanted1 and the whole character is formed until it becomes a habit4 ,goodness or evil are there resolved into necessity4 ,who does not feel this influence of home upon all his habits of life8 ,the gray-haired father who wails in his second infancy1 feels the traces of his childhood-home in his spirit1 desires and habits4 ,ask the strong man in the prime of life1 whether the most firm and reliable principles of his character were not the inheritance of the parental home4 ,what an influence the teaching's and prayers of his mother ,monica had upon the whole character of the pious ,augustine6 ,the sterling worth of ,washington is a testimony to the formative power of parental instruction4 ,john ,quincy ,adams1 even when his eloquence thundered through our legislative halls1 and caused a nation to startle from her slumber1 bent his aged form before ,god1 and repeated the prayer of his childhood4 ,how often in old age1 says ,bishop ,hall1 have ,i valued those divine passages of experimental divinity that ,i heard from the lips of a mother6 ,dr4 ,doddridge ever lived under the influence of those scripture instructions his mother gave him from the ,dutch tiles of her fireside4 ,he says1 these lessons were the instruments of my conversion4 ,generally1 says ,dr4 ,cumming1 when1 there is a ,sarah in the house1 there will be an ,isaac in the cradle2 wherever there is a ,eunice teaching a ,timothy the scriptures from a child1 there will be a ,timothy teaching the gospel to the rest of mankind4 ,by the force of this same influence1 the pious wife may win over to ,christ her ungodly husband1 and the godly child may save the unbelieving parent4 ,well1 said a mother one day weeping1 ,i will resist no longer6 ,how can ,i bear to see my dear child love and read the scriptures1 while ,i never look into the bible1--to see her retire and seek ,god1 while ,i never pray1--to see her going to the ,lord's table1 while ,his death is nothing to me6 ,i know she is right1 and ,i am wrong4 ,i ought to have taught her2 but ,i am sure she has taught me4 ,how can ,i bear to see her joining the church of ,god1 and leaving me behind--perhaps forever6 ,the ,christian home has its influence also upon the state4 ,it forms the citizen1 lays the foundation for civil and political character1 prepares the social element and taste1 and determines our national prosperity or adversity4 ,we owe to the family1 therefore1 what we are as a nation as well as individuals4 ,we trace this influence in the pulpit1 on the rostrum1 in the press1 in our civil and political institutions4 ,it is written upon the scroll of our national glory4 ,the most illustrious statesmen1 the most distinguished warriors1 the most eloquent ministers1 and the greatest benefactors of human kind1 owe their greatness to the fostering influence of home4 ,napoleon knew and felt this when he said1 ,what ,france wants is good mothers1 and you may be sure then that ,france will have good sons4 ,the homes of the ,american revolution made the men of the revolution4 ,their influence reaches yet far into the inmost frame and constitution of our glorious republic4 ,it controls the fountains of her power1 forms the character of her citizens and statesmen1 and shapes our destiny as a people4 ,did not the ,spartan mother and her home give character to the ,spartan nation8 ,her lessons to her child infused the iron nerve into the heart of that nation1 and caused her sons1 in the wild tumult of battle1 either to live behind their shields1 or to die upon them6 ,her influence fired them with a patriotism which was stronger than death4 ,had it been hallowed by the pure spirit and principles of ,christianity1 what a power for good it would have been6 ,but alas6 the home of an ,aspasia had not the heart and ornaments of the ,christian family4 ,though the monuments of ,cornelia's virtues were the character of her children1 yet these were not the ornaments of a quiet spirit4 ,had the central heart of the ,spartan home been that of the ,christian mother1 the ,spartan nation would now perhaps adorn the brightest page of history4 ,but the family1 whether ,christian or heathen1 exerts an overwhelming influence over the state4 ,it is on the family altar that the fire of patriotism is first kindled1 and often1 too1 by a mother's hand4 ,it hath led the freeman forth to stand ,in the mountain battles of his land2 ,it hath brought the wanderer o'er the seas1 ,to die on the hills of his own fresh breeze4 ,the same1 too1 may be said of the influence of home on the church4 ,it is the nursery of the church1 lays the foundation of her membership1 and conditions the character of her members4 ,the most faithful of her ministers and members are those generally who have been trained up in the most faithful families4 ,wherever there is the greatest number of such homes1 there the church enjoys the greatest prosperity4 ,what a fearful responsibility must rest1 therefore upon the ,christian home6 ,if its influence is for good or for evil1 for weal or for woe1 for heaven or for hell2 if it is either a powerful emissary of ,satan for the soul's destruction1 or an efficient agent of ,god for the soul's salvation1 then how responsible are those who wield this influence6 ,upon thy heart is laid a spell1 ,holy and precious--oh6 guard it well6 ,are you not1 ,christian parents1 responsible to ,god for the exercise of such sovereign power over the character and well-being of your dear children8 ,and will not the day soon come when you must give an account of your stewardship8 ,oh6 what if it be exerted for the ruin of your loved ones1 and they curse the day you begat them8 ,what if1 in the day of final reckoning1 you find your hands drenched in the blood of your offspring1 and hear the voice of that blood cry out from the hallowed ground of home against you1 saying1 ,how long1 oh ,lord1 holy and true1 dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on earth8 ,oh see1 then1 that your influence be wielded for good4 ,for round the heart thy power hast spun ,a thousand dear mysterious ties2 ,then take the heart thy charms have won1 ,and nurse it for the skies6 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,home ,,as ,a ,,stewardship4 ,take this child away1 and nurse it for me1 and ,i will give thee thy wages4--,,exodus ,,ii41 #i4 ,for look1 how many souls in thy house be1 ,with just as many souls ,god trusteth thee6 ,the ,christian home is a stewardship4 ,the parents are stewards of ,god4 ,a steward is a servant of a particular kind1 to whom the master commits a certain portion of his interest to be prosecuted in his name and by his authority1 and according to his laws and regulations4 ,the steward must act according to the will of his master1 in his dealing with what is committed to his care4 ,such was ,eliezer in the house of ,abraham2 and such was ,joseph in the house of ,potiphar4 ,one of the specific duties of a steward was to dispense portions of food to the different members of the household1 to give servants their portion in due season1 and to superintend the general interests of the master's household4 ,in a religious sense1 a steward is a minister of ,christ1 whose duty is to dispense the provisions of the gospel1 to preach its doctrines and to administer its ordinances4 ,it is required of such that they be found faithful4--#a ,cor41 chap4 iv4 ,in its application to the ,christian home1 it expresses its relation of subordination to ,god1 and the kind of services which the former must render to the latter4 ,the stewardship of home is that official character with which ,god has invested the family4 ,in this sense the proprietorship of parents is from ,god4 ,they are invested only with delegated authority4 ,their home is held by them only in trust4 ,it belongs to them in the same sense in which a household belongs to a steward4 ,it is not at their absolute disposal4 ,it is the household of the ,lord1 and they are to live and rule therein as the ,lord directs4 ,they are to appropriate it and dispose of its interests according to the known law and will of their divine ,master1 and in this sense1 yield1 with their whole household1 a voluntary subordination to ,his authority4 ,as a stewardship1 ,god has entrusted the ,christian home with important interests4 ,he has committed to her trust1 body and soul1 talents and means of grace4 ,he has entrusted to the parents the training of their children both for time and for eternity4 ,these children are the heritage of the ,lord2 they are not at the absolute disposal of their parents2 but merely entrusted to their care to be educated and dealt with according to the will of ,god4 ,there is one great peculiarity in this stewardship of the ,christian family1--the absolute identity of interest between the ,master and the steward4 ,the interest of the former is that also of the latter2 and the latter1 in promoting the interest of his ,lord1 is but advancing his own welfare4 ,such is the economy of the gospel1 and it is this which makes the servitude of the ,christian so delightful4 ,faithfulness to ,god is faithfulness to our own souls4 ,parents who are thus faithful to ,god must be faithful to themselves and to their children4 ,thus1 then1 the interest of ,god in our families is the welfare of all the members4 ,when we act towards our children as ,god directs1 we are but promoting their greatest welfare4 ,this is one prominent feature of ,god's mercy towards us in all ,his dealings with us4 ,he identifies ,his interest with the interest of ,his people4 ,this is a powerful incentive to parental integrity1 and is beautifully exemplified in the mother of ,moses4 ,when the daughter of ,pharaoh said to her1 ,take this child and nurse it for me1 and ,i will pay thee thy wages1 was not the interest of the queen and the nurse the same8 ,in nursing him for the queen1 that devoted mother nursed him also for herself2 and in doing this1 she was also promoting the welfare of her son1 and executing the will of ,god concerning him4 ,this illustrates the principle of stewardship in the ,christian home4 ,of every child1 ,god says to its parent1-- ,go nurse it for the ,king of heaven1 ,and ,he will pay thee hire4 ,here is the important trust2 here1 too1 is the duty of the steward4 ,it is a trust from ,god1 and the nursing is for ,god4 ,the child is a tender plant1 an invaluable treasure1 more priceless than gold1 or pearls1 or diamonds4 ,your duty as a steward1 is to nurse it1 to cultivate it1 to polish the lovely gem1 to take care of it4 ,and in doing this for ,god1 are you not also doing it for the child1--yea1 if you are ,christian parents1--for yourselves8 ,will not even natural affection1 as well as the discerning eye of faith1 like that of the mother of ,moses1 detect in this stewardship an identity between the interest of the ,master and that of the steward8 ,it was not the simple compensation which stimulated the mother of ,moses to accede to the proposition of ,pharaoh's daughter4 ,what cared she for the hire1 if she could but save her son6 ,this was her great reward4 ,thus the interest of the child should be the reward of the parent4 ,god will1 it is true1 reward the faithful steward of the family2 but ,he specially rewards and blesses parental faithfulness in making ,his purposes concerning home1 identical with the parent's and the children's welfare4 ,in this domestic stewardship1 ,like warp and woof1 all interests ,are woven fast2 ,locked in sympathy like the keys ,of an organ vast4 ,fear not1 little flock2 for it is your ,father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom4 ,who1 then1 is that faithful and wise steward whom his ,lord shall make ruler over his household1 to give them their portion of meat in due season8 ,blessed is that servant whom his ,lord1 when ,he cometh1 shall find so doing4 ,of a truth ,i say unto you1 that ,he will make him ruler over all he hath4 ,but and if that servant say in his heart1 my ,lord delayeth ,his coming1 and shall begin to beat the men-servants and maidens1 and to eat and drink1 and to be drunken2 the ,lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him1 and at an hour when he is not aware1 and will cut him in sunder1 and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers4 ,and that servant which knew his ,lord's will and prepared not himself1 neither did according to ,his will1 shall be beaten with many stripes4 ,here1 then1 we have the character and duties of the steward in the ,christian home1 the rewards of their faithfulness1 and the penalties of their unfaithfulness4 ,as the stewards of ,god1 we must be faithful1 giving the souls as well as the bodies of our children their meat in due season2 we must not waste the goods of our ,lord1 but be blameless1 not self-willed1 not soon angry1 not given to filthy lucre1 but a lover of hospitality1 sober1 just1 holy1 temperate1 holding fast the faithful word as we have been taught4 ,as the faithful stewards of ,god1 we should dedicate our household in all respects to ,him1 and make it tributary to ,his glory4 ,seek ye first the kingdom of heaven1 and all these things shall be added unto you4 ,the unjust steward will first seek the world and the things of the world1 its gold1 its pleasures and its honors2 and after that seek the kingdom of heaven4 ,but this is reversing the order of procedure as prescribed by the ,master2 it is running counter to ,his will1 and1 consequently1 wasting ,his goods4 ,but the greatest trust committed to parents is1 the souls of their children2 and hence their most responsible duty1 as the stewards of ,god1 is to attend to their salvation4 ,you should give them the bread of life in due season4 ,it will be of no avail for you to inquire1 ,what shall they eat1 and what shall they drink1 and wherewithal shall they be clothed2 if you neglect this their highest interest and your greatest trust8 ,what shall a man give in exchange for his soul8 ,it is not the wealth1 nor the magnificence of life which will make your home happy2 these are but the outward and fleeting ornaments of the world1 and are too often the gaudy drapery in which demon guilt and misery are clothed4 ,the cobwebbed cottage1 with its ragged wall ,of mouldering mud1 is royalty to me1 if souls are there fed upon the sincere milk of the word1 and trained up in the ways of the ,lord4 ,the training of the soul for heaven is both the duty and the glory of our homes4 ,what if parents lay up affluence here for their children1 and secure for them all that the world calls interest1 while they permit their souls to famish1 and do nothing for their redemption6 ,will not such parents be denounced in the day of judgment as unjust and unfaithful stewards8 ,and yet alas6 how many such ,christian parents there are who prostitute this highest interest of home either at the altar of mammon or of fashion6 ,the precious time and talents with which ,god has entrusted them1 they squander away in things of folly and of sin1 leaving their children to grow up in spiritual ignorance and wickedness1 while they resort to balls and theaters and masquerades1 in pursuit of unhallowed amusement and pleasure4 ,such are unnatural parents as well as unjust stewards1 and their homes will ere long be made desolate4 ,other parents prostitute the holy trust of home to money4 ,they are self-willed stewards1 given to filthy lucre1 who1 for the sake of a few dollars1 will waste the goods of their ,lord1 make their homes a drudgery1 and work their children like their horses1 bring them up in ignorance1 like calves in the stall1 and contract their whole existence1 and all their capacities1 desires and hopes1 in the narrow compass of work and money4 ,we would direct the attention of such parents to our last thought upon the stewardship of the ,christian home1 7the practical view of which we shall consider in the next chapter17 viz41 that it involves the principle of accountability4 ,it implies a settlement1 a time when the ,master and his steward shall meet together to close accounts4 ,give an account of thy stewardship2 for thou mayest be no longer steward4 ,that time will be when the dead1 both small and great1 shall stand before ,god4 ,then ,he will examine into your stewardship4 ,he will ask you how you employed your talents1 and to what purpose you appropriated those interests ,he committed to your trust2 and whether you were faithful to those souls which hung upon your hire2 whether you nursed them for him1 and whether you provided them with their meat in due season4 ,and if you can answer1 ,yea1 ,lord1 here are those talents which thou hast given me2 behold ,i have gained for thee five other talents4 ,here1 ,lord1 are those children whom thou hast given me2 ,i have brought them up in thy nurture1 and trained them in thy ways4 ,your ,lord will then answer1 ,well done1 thou good and faithful servant1 thou hast been faithful over a few things2 behold ,i will make thee ruler over many things2 enter thou into the joy of thy ,lord6 ,but if you have been unfaithful as stewards1 and have made your household unproductive for ,god1 then you shall hear from his lips the dreadful denunciation1 ,thou wicked and slothful servant6 ,take the talent from him1 and cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness2 there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth2 for unto every one that hath shall be given1 and he shall have abundance2 but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath6 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,responsibilities ,,of ,,the ,,christian ,,home4 ,what a holy charge ,is theirs6--with what a kingly power their love ,might rule the fountains of the new-born mind6 ,warn them to wake at early dawn1 and sow ,good seed before the world has sown its tares4 ,from the potent influence and moral stewardship of the ,christian home1 we may infer its responsibility4 ,the former is the argument for the latter4 ,the extent of the one is the measure of the other4 ,to whom much is given1 of them much will be required4 ,our responsibilities are thus commensurate with our abilities4 ,if the latter are properly devoted1 we have our reward2 if not1 our curse4 ,god will hold us accountable for the achievements we make by the abilities he has given us4 ,if he gives us a field to cultivate1 seed to sow1 plants to train up1 then we are responsible for the harvest1 just in proportion to our agency in its production4 ,if there is not a harvest of the right kind1 because we neglected to cultivate the soil1 to sow the proper seed1 and to train up the plants1 then ,he will hold1 us accountable1 and we shall not come out thence till we have paid the uttermost farthing4 ,this is an evident gospel principle4 ,who will doubt its application to the ,christian home8 ,the family is such a field2 the seed of good or evil the parents can sow therein2 their children are young and tender plants1 entrusted to their care2 their mission from ,god is to bring them up in his nurture and to train them in his ways4 ,and where ,god gives the command1 he also gives the power to obey4 ,if1 then1 by their neglect1 these tender plants are blighted1 grow up in the crooked ways of folly and iniquity1 and the leprosy of sin spread its dreadful infection over all the posterity of home2 if1 as a consequence of their unfaithfulness1 the family becomes a moral desolation1 and the anathemas of unnumbered souls in perdition1 rise up in the day of judgment against them2 or if1 on the other hand1 as the fruit of their faithful stewardship1 blessings and testimonials of gratitude are now pouring forth from the sainted loved ones in glory1 is it not plain that a responsibility rests upon the ,christian home1 commensurate with1 those abilities which ,god has given her1 and with those interests he has entrusted to her care8 ,let us look at the objective force of this4 ,the family is responsible for the kind of influence she exerts upon her members ,look at this in its practical light4 ,there is a family4 ,god has given children to the parents4 ,how fondly they cling to them1 and look up to them for support and direction4 ,they inherit from their parents a predisposition to evil or to good2 they imitate them as their example1 in all things1 take their word as the law of life1 and follow in their footsteps as the sure path to happiness4 ,these parents are members of the church1 and1 as such1 have dedicated their children to the ,lord at the altar of baptism1 and there in the presence of ,god and a witnessing assembly1 they vowed to bring them up in the nurture of their divine ,master1 and to minister in spiritual things to their souls4 ,yet in this home1 no prayer is offered up1 no bible instructions given1 no holy example set1 no ,christian government and discipline instituted1 no religious interests promoted4 ,but on the other hand1 sin is overlooked1 winked at1 and the world alone sought4 ,these children behold their parents toil day after day to provide for their natural life2 they notice the interest they take in their health and education1 and the self-denial with which they seek to secure for them a temporal competency4 ,and from all this they quickly and very justly infer that their parents love their bodies and value this world1 and by the force of filial imitation they soon learn to do the same1 and with their parents1 neglect their souls and kneel at the altars of ,mammon rather than bow in prayer before ,god4 ,and thus they go on from one step in departure from ,god to another1 until they die without hope and without salvation4 ,tell me now1 will not ,god hold these parents responsible for the ruin of their children8 ,will not the blood of their destruction rest upon them8 ,will not the voice of that blood cry out from their family against them8 ,if1 as a consequence of their negligence and of the unholy influence they exerted upon them1 they become desperadoes in crime and villainy1 and at last drench their hands in a brother's blood2 and expiate their guilt upon the gibbet1 and from there go down to the grave of infamy and to the hell of the murderer1 will not their blood1 cry unto them1 and will not the woes and anathemas of ,almighty ,god come in upon them like a flood8 ,home-responsibility may be inferred from the relation of the family to ,god as a stewardship4 ,we have seen that parents are stewards of ,god in their household1 and that as such they are placed over their children1 invested with delegated authority4 ,god entrusts them to the care of their parents4 ,their nature is pliable1 fit for any impression1 exposed to sin and ruin1 entering upon a course of life which must terminate in eternal happiness or misery1 with bodies to develop1 minds to educate1 hearts to mould1 volitions to direct1 habits to form1 energies to rule1 pursuits to follow1 interests to secure1 temptations to resist1 trials to endure1 souls to save6 ,oh1 how the parental heart must swell with emotions too big for utterance1 when they contemplate these features of their important trust4 ,what a mission this1 to superintend the character and shape the destiny of such a being6 ,such is the plastic power you exert upon it1 that upon your guidance will hinge its weal or its woe2 and yours1 therefore1 will be the lasting benefit or the lasting shame4 ,what you are now doing for your children is incorporated with their very being1 and will be as imperishable as their undying souls4 ,as the stewards of ,god1 your provision for them will be either a savor of life unto life or a savor of death unto death4 ,we have seen that ,god has given to you the ability and means of making them subservient to his glory2 and hence from you he will require them as entrusted talents4 ,if you have been unfaithful to them1 your punishment will be in proportion to the wretchedness entailed upon your children4 ,if1 instead of the bread from heaven1 you feed their souls with the husks of life1 and lead them on by the opiates of bastard joys2 if1 when they ask of you bread1 you give them a stone1 or for a fish1 you give them a serpent1 will it not be more tolerable for ,sodom and ,gomorrah in the day of judgment than for you8 ,thus1 therefore1 you see1 christian parents1 how your responsibility is measured1 by the magnitude of those interests committed to your care1 by the kind of influence you exert over them1 and by the enormity of that guilt and wo which are consequent upon your unfaithfulness4 ,let this be an incentive to parental integrity4 ,the day is rapidly approaching when you must give an account of your stewardship4 ,oh1 what1 if in that day you behold your children fit for the eternal burning1 and remember that that fitness is but the impress of a parent's hand6 ,though it is painful to lose a child here2 bitter tears are shed2 pungent agonies are felt2 there are heart-burnings kindled over the grave of buried love4 ,but oh1 how much more agonizing it is to bend over the dying bed of an impenitent1 ruined child6 ,and especially if1 in that terrible moment1 he turns his eyes1 wild with despair and ominous of curses1 upon the parents1 and ascribes his ruin to their neglect6 ,let me ask you1 would not this part of that sad drama add to your cup of bitterness1 give a fearful emphasis to all your sighs1 and burnings to your flooding tears8 ,god would also speak to you1 and say as he did to ,cain1 the voice of thy children's blood crieth unto me6 ,and now thou art cursed from the earth which hath opened her mouth to receive thy children's blood from thy hand4 ,but the scene would not close at the death-bed of your child2 the second act would open at the bar of ,god4 ,the maledictions of that ruined one would there be poured out with increased fury upon you4 ,parents of my home on earth6 ,i am lost--lost forever6 ,soon ,i shall go where the worm dieth not1 and the fire is not quenched4 ,had you1 in the home of my childhood1 but instructed me1 and been as faithful to my soul as you were to my body1 ,i might stand here with a palm of victory in my hand1 a crown of glory on my head1 the joy of the redeemed in my heart1 and with hosannas of praise upon my lips1 rise upward to the untold felicities of ,god's eternal throne6 ,but you did not6 ,you fed my body1 but you starved my soul1 and left it to perish forever6 ,cursed1 be the day in which you begat me1 and the paps that gave me suck6 ,cursed be the years that ,i lived under your roof1--cursed be you6 ,oh1 parents1 such rebuke would leave an undying worm in your souls2 and would cry unto you from the very depths of hell4 ,this is no over-wrought picture4 ,it is but the scripture prospectus of that terrible scene which shall be enacted in the terrible and notable day of the ,lord1 when every ,christian home shall be called to give an account of her stewardship1 and be dealt with according to the deeds done in the body4 ,and let me say too1 that a similar and corresponding responsibility rests upon those children who enjoy the benefits of a faithful ,christian home4 ,they must answer to ,god for every blessing there enjoyed4 ,if they turn a deaf ear and a cold heart to all the entreaties of their parents1 and resist those saving influences which are brought to bear upon them1 and as a consequence1 become outcasts from society and from heaven1 then let me warn them that1 every prayer they heard at the family altar1 every lesson given1 every admonition delivered1 and every holy example set them1 by their pious parents1 will be ingredients in that bitter cup which it will take eternity for them to exhaust6 ,oh1 children of the ,christian home6 think of this1 and remember the responsibility of enjoying the precious benefits of a pious1 faithful parent4 ,they will be your weal or your woe1--your lasting glory or your lasting shame6 ,and1 ye parents1 be faithful to those little ones that are growing up like olive plants around your table1 so that in the day of judgment1 you may say with joy1 in the full assurance of reward1 ,here are we1 ,lord1 and the children whom thou hast given us6 ,and your reward shall be1 ,well done1 thou good and faithful servant6 ,enter thou into the joy of thy ,lord6 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,family ,,bible4 ,what household thoughts around thee1 as their shrine1 ,cling reverently6--,of anxious looks beguiled1 ,my mother's eyes upon thy page divine1 ,each day were bent2 her accents1 gravely mild1 ,breathed out thy love2 whilst ,i1 a dreamy child1 ,wandered on breeze-like fancies oft away1 444 ,yet would the solemn ,word1 ,at times1 with kindlings of young wonder heard ,fall on my wakened spirit1 there to be ,a seed not lost2 for which in darker years1 ,o1 book of heaven6 ,i pour with grateful tears1 ,heart-blessings on the holy dead1 and thee6 ,the family bible6 ,what sweet and hallowed memories cling like tendrils around that book of books6 ,how familiar its sacred pages6 ,how often in the sunny days of childhood1 we were fed from its manna by the maternal hand6 ,it was our guide to the opening path of life1 and a lamp to the feeble1 faltering steps of youth4 ,who can forget the family bible8 ,it was the household oracle of our grandfathers and grandmothers1--of our dear parents4 ,it bears the record of their venerated names2 their birth1 their baptism1 their confirmation1 their marriage1 are here2 and ,though they are with the silent dead1 ,here are they living still6 ,how joyfully they gathered around the cheerful hearth to read this book divine4 ,how often their hearts drew consolation from its living springs6 ,what a balm it has poured into bleeding and disconsolate hearts4 ,it has irradiated with the glories of eternal day1 the darkest chamber of their home4 ,what brilliant hopes and promises it has hung around the parental heart6 ,and here too are the names of our parents1--long since gathered with their fathers4 ,here too are our names1 and birth1 and baptism1 written by that parental hand1 long since cold in death6 ,my father read this holy book ,to brothers1 sisters dear2 ,how calm was my poor mother's look1 ,who loved ,god's word to hear4 ,her angel-face--,i see it yet6 ,what thronging memories come8 ,again that little group is met ,within the halls of home6 ,that old family bible6 ,do we not love it8 ,our names and our children's names are drawn from it4 ,it is the message of our ,father in heaven4 ,it is the link which connects our earthly with our heavenly home2 and when we open its sacred page1 we gaze upon words which our loved ones in heaven have whispered1 and which dwell even now upon their sainted lips2 and which when we utter them1 there is joy in heaven6 ,we would1 therefore1 say to the infidel1 of this family tree1 as the returning child said to the woodsman1 of the old tree which sheltered the slumbers and frolics of his childhood1 ,i'll protect it now4 ,the old family bible6 ,what an inheritance from a ,christian home6 ,clasp it1 child1 to thy heart2 it was the gift of a mother's love6 ,it bears the impress of her hand2 it is the memento of her devotedness to thee2 and when just before her spirit took its flight to a better land1 she gave it as a guide for her child to the same happy home3 ,my mother's hand this bible clasped2 ,she1 dying1 gave it me6 ,and the spirit of that sainted mother shall still whisper to me through these sacred pages4 ,in the light of this lamp ,i follow her to a better home4 ,with this blessed chart ,i shall meet her in heaven4 ,with faltering lip and throbbing brow1 ,i press it to my heart4 ,every ,christian home has a family bible4 ,it is found in the hut as well as in the palace4 ,it is an indispensable appendage to home4 ,without it the ,christian home would be in darkness2 with it1 she is a light which shineth in darkness4 ,it is the chart and compass of the parent and the child in their pilgrimage to a better home4 ,therein thy dim eyes ,will meet a cheering light2 and silent words ,of mercy breathed from heaven1 will be exhaled ,from the blest page into thy withered heart4 ,like an ethereal principle of light and life1 its blessed truths extend with electric force through all the avenues and elements of the home-existence1 giving music to language1 elevation to thought1 vitality to feeling1 intensity to power1 beauty and happiness4 ,the bible is adapted to the ,christian home4 ,it is the book for the family4 ,it is the guardian of her interests1 the exposition of her duties1 her privileges1 her hopes and her enjoyments4 ,it exposes her errors1 reveals her authority and government1 sanctions her obedience1 proclaims her promises1 and points out her path to heaven4 ,it makes sacred her marriages1 furnishes names for her children1 gives the sacrament of her dedication to ,god1 and consecrates her bereavements4 ,it is the fountain of her richest blessings1 the source of her true consolation1 and the ground of her brightest hope4 ,it is1 therefore1 the book of home4 ,she may have large and splendid libraries2 history1 poetry1 philosophy1 fiction1 yea1 all the works of classic ,greece and ,rome1 may crowd upon her shelves2 but of these she will soon grow wearied1 and the dust of neglect will gather thick upon their gilded leaves2 but of the bible the ,christian home can never become weary4 ,its sufficiency for all her purposes will throw a garland of freshness around every page2 its variety and manifoldness2 its simplicity and beauty2 its depth of thought and intensity of feeling1 adapt it to every capacity and to every want1 to every emergency and to every member1 of the household4 ,the little child and the old man1 hoary with the frost of many winters1 find an equal interest there4 ,the rich and the poor1 the learned and the ignorant1 the high and the low1 are alike enriched from its inexhaustible treasury4 ,it is a book for the mind1 the heart1 the conscience1 the will and the life4 ,it suits the palace and the cottage1 the afflicted and the prosperous1 the living and the dying4 ,it is a comfort to the house of mourning1 and a check to the house of feasting4 ,it giveth seed to the sower1 and bread to the eater4 ,it is simple1 yet grand2 mysterious1 yet plain2 and though from ,god1 it is nevertheless1 within the comprehension of a little child4 ,you may send your children to school to study other books1 from which they may be educated for this world2 but in this divine book they study the science of the eternal world4 ,the family bible has given to the ,christian home that unmeasured superiority in all the dignities and decencies and enjoyments of life1 over the home of the heathen4 ,it has elevated woman1 revealed her true mission1 developed the true idea and sacredness of marriage and of the home-relationship2 it has unfolded the holy mission of the mother1 the responsibilities of the parent1 and the blessings of the child4 ,take this book from the family1 and she will degenerate into a mere conventionalism1 marriage into a social contract2 the spirit of mother will depart2 natural affection will sink to mere brute fondness1 and what we now call home would become a den of sullen selfishness and barbaric lust6 ,the bible should1 therefore1 be the text-book of home-education4 ,where it is not1 parents are recreant to their duty4 ,it is the basis of all teaching1 because it reveals the truth1 the way and the life1 because it is ,god's testimony and message1 and is profitable for doctrine1 for reproof1 for correction1 for instruction in righteousness1 and was written for our learning1 that we1 through patience and comfort of the scriptures1 might have hope1 and be made wise unto salvation4 ,while thou wert teaching my lips to move ,and my heart to rise in prayer1 ,i learned the way to a home above2 ,and thou shalt meet me there6 ,its invaluable treasures1 its manifoldness1 its beautiful simplicity1 its striking narrative1 its startling history1 its touches of home-life1 its expansive views of human nature1 of this life and of that which is to come1 its poetry1 eloquence1 and soul-stirring sympathies and aspirations1 make it the book for home-training4 ,these features of its character will develop in beautiful harmony the whole nature of your child4 ,do you wish to inspire them with song8 ,what songs are like those of ,zion8 ,do you wish them to come under the influence of eloquent oration8 ,what orations so eloquent as those of the prophets1 of ,christ1 and of his apostles8 ,do you desire to refine and elevate their souls with beauty and sublimity8 ,here in these sacred pages is a beauty ever fresh1 and a sublimity which towers in dazzling radiance far beyond the reach of human genius4 ,this is evident from the fact that tributes of admiration have been paid to the bible by the most eminent poets1 jurists1 statesmen1 and philosophers1 such as ,milton1 ,hale1 ,boyle1 ,newton and ,locke4 ,erasmus and ,john ,locke betook themselves solely to the bible1 after they had wandered through the gloomy maze of human erudition4 ,neither ,grecian song nor ,roman eloquence2 neither the waters of ,castalia1 nor the fine-spun theorisms of scholastic philosophy1 could satisfy their yearnings4 ,but when they wandered amid the consecrated bowers of ,zion1 and drank from ,siloah's brook1 the thirst of their genius was quenched1 and they took their seats with ,mary at the feet of ,jesus1 and like little children1 learned of him6 ,even deists and infidels have yielded their tribute of praise4 ,what says the infidel ,rosseau8 ,hear him3 ,the majesty of the scriptures strikes me with astonishment4 ,look at the volumes of the philosophers1 with all their pomp1 how contemptible do they appear in comparison with this6 ,is it possible that a book at once so simple and sublime1 can be the work1 of men8 ,thus ,learning and zeal1 from age to age1 ,have worshiped1 loved1 explored the page4 ,how often is this precious book abused6 ,in many would-be ,christian homes1 it is used more for an ornament of fashion than for a lamp to the ,christian's path4 ,we find the bible upon their parlor table1 but how seldom in the family room6 ,they make it a part of their fashionable furniture1 to be looked at as a pretty1 gilded thing4 ,its golden clasps and beautiful binding make it an attractive appendage to the parlor4 ,hence they buy the bible1 but not the truth it contains4 ,they place it upon the table as such2 and indeed many do not even give it that prominence1 but1 yielding to the taste of fashion1 place it under the parlor table1 and there it rests1 unmolested1 untouched and unread even for years4 ,in many professedly religious families this is their family bible6 ,ah6 it is not so heartsome as that well-marked and long-used old bible which lies upon the table of the nursery room1 speaking of many year's service in family devotion6 ,the other unused bible seems like a stranger to the home-heart1 and lies in the parlor just to show their visiting friends that they have a bible6 ,go into the nursery and other private apartments of that home1 and you see no bible1 while you behold piles of romance and filthy novels1--those exponents of a vitiated taste and a corrupt society1 suited to destroy the young forever2--whose outward appearance indicates a studied perusal by both parents and children1 and shows perhaps that they have been wept over2 and whose inward substance must ever nauseate healthy reason1 as well as poison the heart of youth1 leading them from the sober realities of life into a world of nonentities4 ,but upon the family bible you cannot trace the hand of diligent piety4 ,it is shoved back into some part of the room1 as a worthless thing1 obsolete and superfluous4 ,and see6 it is not even kept in decent order4 ,the dust of many day's neglect has gathered thick upon its lids4 ,oh1 ,christian parents1 when you thus close up the wells of salvation by the trash of degenerate taste and vitiated morals1 you are despising the testimonies of the ,lord1 and leading your children step by step to the verge of destruction4 ,you may buy them splendid1 bibles1 gilt and clasped with gold1 and have their names labeled in golden letters upon its lid2 but if the good old family bible is neglected1 and the yellow covered literature of the day substituted in its stead2 if you permit them to buy and read love-sick tales in preference to their bible1 and they see you do the same1 you are but making a mock of ,god's ,word1 and must answer before ,him for your children's neglect of its sacred pages4 ,let me1 therefore1 affectionately admonish you to be faithful to that precious book you call the family bible4 ,read it to your children every day4 ,from its sacred pages teach them the way to live and the way to die4 ,let it be an opened1 studied family chart to guide you and them in visions of untold glory to the many mansions of your ,father's offered home in heaven4 ,it will soothe your sorrows1 calm your fears1 strengthen your faith1 brighten your hopes1 and throw around the graves of the loved and the cherished dead1 the light and promise of reunion in heaven6 ,a drop of balm from this rich store1 ,hath healed the broken heart once more4 ,like angels round a dying bed1 ,its truths a heavenly radiance shed2 ,and hovering on celestial wings1 ,breathe music from unnumbered strings4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,infancy4 ,a babe in a house is a well-spring of pleasure1 a messenger of peace and love2 ,a resting place for innocence on earth2 a link between angels and men2 ,yet it is a talent of trust to be rendered back with interest2 ,a delight1 but redolent of care1 honey sweet1 but lacking not the bitter1 ,for character groweth day by day1 and all things aid it in unfolding1 ,and the bent unto good or evil may be given1 in the hours of infancy4 ,the birth of each child constitutes a new era in the ,christian home1 and multiplies its cares1 its pleasures and its responsibilities4 ,the first-born babe1 like ,the first gilt thing ,that wears the trembling pearls of spring1 throws the rainbow colors of hope and joy over the bowers of home1 and awakens in the bosom of parents1 emotions and sympathies1 new-born and never before experienced2 cords in the heart1 before untouched1 now begin to thrill with new joy2 sympathies1 before unfelt1 now swell the bosom4 ,sleep on1 thou little one1 in thy rosy mesh of infancy1 in the first buddings of thy being6 ,these hours of thy innocence are the happiest of thy life4 ,thou art the parent's transport and the parent's care4 ,blessings are fondly poured upon thy head4 ,rest thee there in thy little bed1 thou happy emblem of the loved and pure in heaven6 ,visions sure of joy ,are gladdening his rest2 and ah1 who knows ,but waiting angels do converse in sleep ,with babes like this6 imparting to his infant soul unutterable things1 whispering soft of bliss immortal given1 and pouring into his new-born senses the dreams of opening heaven4 ,what charms and momentous interests surround the cradle of infancy6 ,when the first wailing of dependence reaches the listening ear1 what new-born sympathies spring up in the parent's bosom6 ,what a thrill of rapture the first soft smile of her babe sends to the mother's heart6 ,it is this1 the parents' likeness unsullied by their faults and cares2 it is this1 their living love in personal being1--their love breathing and smiling before them1 lisping their names2 it is this1--their new-born hope and care1--that gives to infancy such a charm1 such a never-dying interest1 and causes the parent to cling to it with such fond tenacity4 ,can a mother forget her sucking child8 ,never1 while she claims a mother's heart6 ,the couch of her babe is the depository of all those fond hopes and joys and cares and memories to which a mother's heart is sacred4 ,the infant is the most interesting member of the ,christian home4 ,it is the first budding of home-life1 disclosing every day some new beauty1 the father's lustre and the mother's bloom1 to gladden the hearts of the family4 ,as the dewy morning is more beautiful than the perfect day2 as the opening bud is more lovely than the full blown flower1 so is the joyous dawn of infant life more interesting than the calm monotony of riper years4 ,it is the most interesting1 because the purest1 member of the household4 ,it is the connecting link which binds home to its great antitype above4 ,ye stand nearest to ,god1 ye little ones1 nearer than those who have tasted the bitter cup of actual sin4 ,they are the budding promises1 the young loves1 the precious plants of home2 they are its sunshine1 its progressive interest1 its prophetic happiness1 the first link in the chain of its perpetuity4 ,like the purple hue of the wild heath1 throwing its gay color over the rugged hill-side1 they cast a magic polish over the spirit of the parent1 causing the home-fireside to glow with new life and cheerfulness4 ,infants are emblems of the loved and sainted ones in heaven4 ,of such is the kingdom of heaven4 ,except ye become as this little child1 ye cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven4 ,this is based upon proper principles4 ,the heart of the child is purely devotional and confidential4 ,it is a helpless dependent upon the parent4 ,it abdicates its self-will with joy2 silently do the laws of home control it2 its reverence and love are the melody of its being2 its life is an exchange of obedience for protection4 ,its path is chosen for it by the lamp of parental experience1 and the calm pure light of a mother's love4 ,how close it keeps to the heart that loves it1 and to the hand that leads it6 ,it looks without doubt or suspicion in the parent's eye1 and makes the parent's home and interest its own4 ,here is a picture of the true child of ,god in his tent-home on earth1 and in his eternal home in heaven4 ,for this they are given to us4 ,as they are to us1 their parents1 so should we be to our ,father in heaven1 and so are all those loved and sainted ones who have gone before us4 ,little children1 flowers from heaven1 ,strewn on earth by ,god's own hand1 ,earnest emblems to us given1 ,from1 the fields of angel-land6 ,hence it was that ,jesus loved little children1 took them in ,his arms1 blessed them1 and regarded them as the lambs of ,his flock4 ,he shall gather the lambs with ,his arm4 ,he gazed with pleasure into their sweet faces1 invited their parents to bring them unto ,him1 and held them up as the type of the spirit and character of the admitted1 into heaven4 ,and the aged ,john1 having in view this typical character of children1 addressed his followers as his little children6 ,infants are helpless dependents upon others for subsistence and protection4 ,if abandoned at their birth1 their first breath would soon be succeeded by their last4 ,hence they demand all the attention which maternal love and tenderness can bestow4 ,they live like the tender bud or the opening blossom1 exposed to the blight of a thousand fortuitous events4 ,hence their existence is very precarious2 in a moment they may sink like the frosted flower in its lovely blush4 ,this may be said of the soul as well as of the body and mind4 ,what an argument1 therefore1 we have here for parental diligence and promptness in duty to the eternal as well as to the temporal well-being of the child4 ,the infant is the first prophecy of the man4 ,it is the germ of manhood4 ,it is the man in a state of involution4 ,it is the undeveloped man4 ,infancy is the twilight of life1--the first morning of an endless being1 the age of germ and of mere sense4 ,as the first dawn of spring is the season of the undeveloped harvest1 so childhood is manhood in possibility4 ,the infant is the vernal bud of life2 it is a being of promise and of hope1--the prophecy of the future man4 ,hence the age of education4 ,the mother1 in the nursery1 is ever evolving into the strength of maturity those powers of her child which will be wielded for happiness or for misery4 ,her babe is an embryo angel1 or an infant fiend4 ,we behold in that fragile form1 the bud of the strong man1--the possibility of one who may in a few years arouse with his thrilling eloquence a slumbering nation1 or with the torch and sword of revolution1 overturn empires and dethrone kings1 or with his feet upon the walls of ,zion1 and the words of life upon his lips1 overthrow the strongholds of ,satan1 and bring the rebel sinner in penitence to the feet of ,jesus4 ,yea1 we see in that wailing infant of a week1 the outspringing of an immortal spirit which may soon hover on cherub-pinion around the throne of ,god1 or perhaps1 in a few years1 sink to the regions of untold anguish4 ,oh1 it is this which gives to the cradle of infancy such a thrilling interest4 ,the star of those new-born hopes1 which hangs over it1 will set in eternal night1 or rise with increasing splendor1 till it is lost in the full blaze of eternal day6 ,infants are a great1 a dangerous and responsible trust4 ,they are the property of ,god1--an heritage from the ,lord1 given to their parents as a loan1 a talent of trust to be rendered back with interest4 ,the infant is especially the mother's trust4 ,though first by thee it lived1 on thee it smiled1 ,yet not for thee existence must it hold1 ,for ,god's it is1 not thine6 ,given by its ,creator in trust to her1 it is her task to bring it up for ,god4 ,here especially do we see the holy mission of the mother4 ,none but the mother's heart and love can give security for this trust4 ,the father is unfit by nature for the delicate training of infancy4 ,the mother's hand alone can smooth the infant's couch1 and her voice alone can sing him to his rosy rest4 ,her never-wearied love alone can watch beside him till the last pale star had set1 ,while to the fullness of her heart's glad heavings ,his fair cheek rose and fell2 and his bright hair ,waved softly to her breast4 ,she is the ministering angel of infancy1 and the priestess of the nursery of home4 ,she sets the first seal1 makes the first stamp1 gives the first direction1 supplies the first want1 and soothes the first sorrow4 ,to her is committed human life in its most helpless and dangerous state4 ,touch it then with the rude hand of parental selfishness2 let it grow up in a barren soil1 amid noxious weeds1 under the influence of unholy example2 and the delicate tints of this blossom will soon fade2 the blush of loveliness will soon give way to the blight of moral deformity4 ,illustration3 ,,teaching ,,the ,,scriptures4 ,j4 ,porter ,hence every babe will be the parent's glory or the parent's shame1 their weal or their woe4 ,if entrusted to them1 ,god will hold them responsible for its moral training4 ,he will require it from them with interest4 ,their trust involves the eternal happiness or misery of their child4 ,the productions of art will perish2 the sun will be blotted out1 and all the glory and magnificence of the world will vanish away1 but your babe will live forever4 ,it will survive the wreck of nature1 and either shine as a diadem in the ,redeemer's crown of glory1 or dwell in the blackness and darkness of perdition forever4 ,to you1 ,christian parents1 as the stewards of ,god1 this precious being is entrusted4 ,the care of its body1 mind and spirit is committed to you2 and its character and destiny in after life will be the fruit of your dealings with it4 ,it looks to you for all things4 ,it confides in you1 draws its confidence from your protection1 relies on your known love1 takes you as the pattern of its life1 imitates you as its example1 learns from you as its teacher1 is ruled by you as its governor1 is measured by you as its model1 feels satisfied with you as its sufficiency1 and rests its all upon you as its all and in all4 ,thus you are the very life and soul of its being1 and hence in its maturity1 it will be a fair exponent of your character4 ,you are the center around which its life revolves1 the circumference beyond which it never seeks to go4 ,what1 therefore1 if you are unfit to move and act in its presence6 ,what1 if in its imitation of you1 its life be a progressive departure from ,god6 ,oh1 what1 if in the day of judgment1 it be an outcast from heaven1 and1 as such1 bear the impress of a parent's hand6 ,god will then hold you accountable for every injury you may have done your child4 ,begin1 therefore1 the work of training that infant1 now1 while its nature is pliable1 susceptible1 yet tenacious of first impressions4 ,with his mother's milk the young child drinketh education4 ,what you now do for your child will be seen in all future ages4 ,scratch the green rind of a sapling1 or wantonly twist it in the soil1 the scarred and crooked oak will tell of thee for centuries to come4 ,it will not depart from the ways in which you train it4 ,if1 therefore1 you would be a blessing to your child1 and avert those terrible judgments of ,god which rest upon parental delinquency1 begin now1 while your infant is in the cradle1 to sow the seeds of life4 ,prune well the tender olive plants1 and direct its evolving life in the way ,god would have it go4 ,soon as the playful innocent can prove ,a tear of pity or a smile of love1 teach it to lisp the name of ,jesus and to walk in ,his commandments4 ,but alas6 how many ,christian parents are recreant to this duty6 ,how many destroy their children by the over-indulgence of a misdirected love and sympathy1 and by procrastinating the period of home-education4 ,forgetful of the power of first impressions1 they wait until their children are established in sin1 and the seeds of evil are sown in their hearts4 ,this is the reason why so many reckless and wicked children come out of ,christian homes4 ,their parents permit their misdirected fondness to absorb all their thoughts and apprehensions of danger and responsibility4 ,their love for the body and mind of their children seems to repel all love for1 or interest in1 their soul4 ,the former they tenderly nurse1 fondly caress1 and zealously direct4 ,but the soul of the infant is unhonored1 unloved and uncared for4 ,it is blighted in its first bursting of beauty4 ,oh1 cruel and unthinking parents6 why will you thus abuse the loveliest and noblest part of your child8 ,why make that babe of yours a mere plaything8 ,if out of the mouths of babes and sucklings ,god has perfected praise1 then why not train them up to praise ,him8 ,take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones1 for ,i say unto you1 that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my ,father which is in heaven4 ,oh1 you who are the nurse of infant innocence1 have you ever thought of the deep curse that will attend your neglect of the babe which ,god has given you6 ,have you1 pious mother1 as you pressed your child to your bosom1 ever thought that it would one day be a witness for or against you8 ,far better for thee and it that it were not born and you never revered as mother1 than that you should nourish it for spiritual beggary here1 and for the eternal burnings hereafter6 ,oh1 look upon that babe6 ,it is the gift of ,god--given to thee1 mother1 to nurse for ,him4 ,look upon that cherished one6 ,see its smile of confidence turned to you6 ,it is a frail and helpless bark on the tumultuous sea of life2 it looks to you for direction1--for compass and for chart2 your prayers for it will be heard2 your hand can save it2 the touch of your impressions will be a savor of life unto life1 or of death unto death4 ,then take the heart thy charms have won1 ,and nurse it for the skies6 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,home ,,dedication4 ,the rose was rich in bloom on ,sharon's plain1 ,when a young mother with her first born thence ,went up to ,zion1 for the boy was vowed ,unto the ,temple-service2 by the hand ,she led him1 and her silent soul1 the while1 ,oft as the dewy laughter of his eye ,met her sweet serious glance1 rejoiced to think ,that aught so pure1 so beautiful1 was hers1 ,to bring before her ,god6 ,beautiful thought1 and thrice beautiful deed1--fresh from the pure fount of maternal piety6 ,the ,hebrew mother consecrating her first-born child to the ,temple-service1--dedicating him to the ,god who gave him6 ,what visions of unearthly glory must have been before her1 as she led her little boy before the altar of the ,king of kings6 ,happy mother6 thou hast long since gone to thy great reward4 ,and happy child6 to be led by such a mother4 ,ye are now together in that temple not made with hands1 eternal in the heavens1 and with united voice swelling those anthems of glory which are poured from angelic lips and harps to ,him who sitteth upon the throne4 ,what an example is this for the ,christian parent6 ,god is the ,father of every home4 ,from ,him cometh down every good and perfect gift2 and hence to ,him should all the interests and the loved ones of the household1 be dedicated4 ,this is essential to the very conception of a ,christian home4 ,but especially should the children be dedicated to the ,lord4 ,that infant over which the mother bends and watches with such passionate fondness1 is an heritage of the ,lord1 given to her only in trust1 and will again be required from her4 ,as soon as children are given they should be devoted to ,him2 for the flower1 when offered in the bud1 is no mean sacrifice4 ,then and then only will parents properly respect and value their offspring1 and deal with them as becometh the property of ,god4 ,by withholding them1 the parents become guilty of the deed of ,ananias and ,sapphira4 ,like the ,hebrew mother1 every ,christian parent will gratefully devote them to ,him1 and rejoice that they have such a pure oblation to bring before their ,god4 ,my child1 my treasure1 ,i have given thee up ,to ,him who gave thee me6 ,ere yet thine eye ,rested with conscious love upon thy mother1 ,long ere thy lips could gently sound her name1 ,she gave thee up to ,god2 she sought for thee ,one boon alone1 that thou mightest he ,his child2 ,his child sojourning on this distant land1 ,his child above the blue and radiant sky1 ',tis all ,i ask of thee1 beloved one1 still6 ,here is a dedication worthy of a ,christian mother4 ,natural affection and human pride might lead the fond mother to dedicate her child at the altar of ,mammon1 to gold1 to fame1 to magnificence1 to the world4 ,but no1 every wish of the pious mother's heart is merged in one great wish and prayer1 that thou may'st be ,his child4 ,the dedication of our children to the ,lord is one of the first acts of the religious ministry of home4 ,all the means of grace will be of no avail without it4 ,what will the acts of the gospel minister avail if they are not preceded by an offering of himself to the ,lord who has called him8 ,his holy vocation demands such an offering4 ,it is his voluntary response to and acceptance of his calling of ,god4 ,thus with ,christian parents4 ,what will baptism avail1 so far as the parents are concerned1 without this dedication of their children to ,him in whose name they are baptised8 ,no more than the form apart from the spirit4 ,it would be but a mockery of ,god4 ,we have a beautiful example and illustration of this dedication1 in the family of the faithful ,abraham4 ,by faith ,abraham1 when he was tried1 offered up ,isaac3 and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son4 ,we might at first view regard this act of his as an evidence of his want of parental sympathy and tenderness4 ,but not so2 it is rather an evidence of these4 ,what he did was the prompting of a true faith1 yielding implicit obedience to the ,lord1 and offering as an obligation to ,him1 what he loved most upon earth4 ,had he not loved him so dearly1 ,god would not have chosen him as a means of testing his father's religious fidelity4 ,hence this oblation of his son was the best evidence of his supreme love to ,god1 and that all he had was consecrated to his service4 ,this act called for the subordination of natural affection to ,christian faith and love4 ,take now thine only son ,isaac1 whom thou lovest1 and get thee into the land of ,moriah1 and offer him there for a burnt offering6 ,what a startling command was this6 ,how it must have stirred up the soul of that parent1 and for the time caused a bitter conflict between natural affection and ,christian faith6 ,take thy son1--had it been a slave1 the command would not have been so stirring2 but a son1 an only son1 the joy of his heart1 and the pride and hope of his age1--the son he so much loved1--oh it was this that harrowed up such a revulsion in his soul1 and1 for the moment doubtless1 caused him to shrink from the very thought of obedience4 ,but the command was imperious1--it was from ,god2 and though the parent shrunk from the deed1 yet the faith of the faithful servant gained a signal triumph over all the protestations of natural affection1 and silenced all its rising murmurs2 for ,abraham rose up early in the morning1 and saddled his ass1 and took two of his young men with1 him1 and ,isaac his son1 and clave the wood for the burnt offering1 and rose up1 and went unto the place of which ,god had told him4 ,there he built an altar1 laid the wood in order1 bound ,isaac1 and laid him upon the wood on the altar4 ,but when with uplifted sacrificial knife1 he was about to slay his son1 just at the point where ,god had the true test of his faith1 a ministering angel stayed his hand1 and prevented the bloody form in which he was about to offer his only son to ,god2 for now ,i know that thou fearest ,god1 seeing thou hast not withheld thy son1 thine only son1 from me6 ,he needed now but dedicate him in the moral sense to ,god4 ,the case of ,samuel is another instance of the offering of children unto the ,lord4 ,his mother had asked him of the ,lord1 and vowed1 as she prayed1 to give him unto the ,lord all the days of his life4--#a ,sam4 ,i41 #aa4 ,her prayer was answered1 and in obedience to her holy vow1 she took him1 when very young1 with her to the ,temple1 where she offered him up as an oblation to the ,lord4 ,for this child ,i prayed1 and the ,lord hath given me my petition which ,i asked of him2 therefore also have ,i lent him to the ,lord2 as long as he liveth shall he be lent unto the ,lord6 ,david also consecrated all that he had to the ,lord1--his possessions as well as his children4 ,when he built a house1 he dedicated it to the ,lord1 and prepared a psalm and song at the dedication of the house4 ,here in these examples of ,old ,testament family offerings to ,god1 we have a type and illustration of the oblations of the ,christian home4 ,the ,lord does not ask the ,christian parent1 as he did ,abraham1 to build an altar upon the summit of some lofty cliff1 and there to thrust a sacrificial knife to the heart of his child1 and offer his quivering flesh and bleeding body a burnt offering to him2 but he commands him to bring his child to the altar of baptism in his church1 and there dedicate his life1 his talents1 his all1 as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto ,god1 vowing before witnessing angels and men that1 as the steward of ,god and the representative of the child1 he will hold it sacred1 as the property of the ,lord1 given to him only in trust2 that he will consult and faithfully execute the will of the ,lord concerning the child1 and that in all his relations to it1 he will seek to make it subserve his purposes and reflect his glory4 ,this is the most precious and acceptable oblation of the parent's heart and home1--more precious than gold or pearls1 than rivers of blood1 or streams of oil2 and where there is a corresponding dedication of all that belongs to home1 it promotes and preserves the highest privileges and the greatest well-being of the child4 ,with the deep and sublime feelings of faith we should1 therefore1 take our little ones1 in infancy1 before the ,lord1 as the free-will offering of the ,christian home2 and in all subsequent periods of their life under the parental roof1 we should eagerly watch1 in each expanding faculty1 in each growing inclination1 in the bent of each tender thought1 in the warm glow of each feeling and desire1 for some indications of the will of ,god concerning their mission in this life4 ,this leads us to remark finally1 that1 in the dedication of our children to the ,lord1 we should have reference to the highest function within the calling of man1 viz3 the christian ministry2 or in other words1 we should offer our sons to ,god with the hope and prayer that ,he may call them to the work of the ministry1 and every indication of ,his answer to our prayer1 given in their mental and moral fitness1 should encourage the parent to train them up with special reference to that sacred office4 ,this1 the state of the church and the many destitute and waste places of the earth1 imperiously demand4 ,like the ,hebrew mother1 we should at least devote one of our sons to the ,temple-service1 direct his attention to it1 favor it by all our intercourse with him1 and use all proper means for his preparation for it4 ,and you may be assured that ,god will answer your prayer4 ,your offering1 if holy1 will be acceptable4 ,even thus1 of old1 a babe was offered up-- ,young ,samuel1 for the service of ,his ,temple2 ,nor ,he refused the boon1 but poured on him ,the anointing of all gifts and graces meet ,for his high office4 ,but alas6 how many parents refuse thus to yield their sons unto ,god6 ,they will formally and outwardly dedicate their children to ,him in holy baptism2 but afterwards obstruct their way to the ministry1 yea1 even discourage it for reasons the most worldly and infidel4 ,they will remind them of its arduous duties and self-denials2 they will remind them that it affords no money speculations1 that the salary of ministers is so small1 no wealth can be amassed by preaching1 and besides1 they will have to remove so far from home4 ,and thus by urging such frivolous objections1 they beget in their sons a prejudice against the ministry1--yea1 a contempt for it4 ,ah1 if preaching were a money-making business2 if it opened the door to luxury and affluence and worldly ease1 then ,i am sure every parent would show the outward piety of dedicating his sons 7and daughters too7 to the ministry4 ,here we see how natural affection1 misdirected by the love of worldly gain1 neutralizes the promptings of faith4 ,had ,abraham lived under the same influence1 he would not have obeyed the edict of ,god4 ,it is because of the dominant spirit of worldliness in the ,christian home1 that the laborers upon the walls of ,zion are inadequate to the great work to be done1 that they are insufficient for the great harvest of souls4 ,and this will ever continue so long as ,christian parents refuse to make an offering of their sons to ,god1 and turn their homes into a den of thieves4 ,such parental reservation of children for filthy lucre and the pleasures of sin for a season1 involves a guilt which no redeeming attribute can mitigate4 ,if ,god gave his only ,son to suffer and die upon the accursed tree1 shall we1 his professed followers1 not give in turn our sons to ,him1 to proclaim the glad news of a purchased and offered redemption8 ,think of this1 oh ye who profess to be the parents of a ,christian home1 and have with the lip had your children dedicated to ,god in baptism6 ,think that the gift of ,god has bought them with a price1 and that as they belong to ,him1 you rob ,god when you withhold them1 and deal with them as your own property1 leaving out of view the great law of stewardship4 ,mistaken parents6 methinks you would give your children to all save to ,god2 you would devote them to any thing but religion4 ,you fit them for this life1 choose their occupation1 labor to leave them a large inheritance1 and rejoice when they rise to eminence in the world4 ,but in all this1 ,god1 religion and eternity are cast into the shade2 you act towards them as if ,god had no claim upon them1 and you were under no obligations to meet that claim4 ,think of this1 ye who have been recreant to your duty1--ye who have not followed ,abraham to the mount of oblation1 nor brought up your sons as an offered ,samuel4 ,oh think1 that ,god will demand of you these children1 and that if they are not now devoted to the ,lord1 you will not have them to return to ,him in the great day of final reckoning4 ,may the momentous interests and responsibilities of that coming day bring you with your children around the altar of consecration1 and constrain you there to say-- ,i give thee to thy ,god--the ,god that gave thee1 ,a well-spring of deep gladness to my heart6 ,and precious as thou art1 ,and pure as dew of ,hermon1 ,he shall have thee1 ,my own1 my beautiful1 my undefiled6 ,and thou shalt be ,his child6 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,christian ,,baptism4 ,water--of blest purity ,emblem--do we pour on thee2 ,little one6 regenerate be-- ,only by the crimson flood ,of the ,spotless1 in the blood ,of the very ,son of ,god6 ,father1 ,son and ,holy ,ghost6 ,take the feeble1 take the lost1 ,purchased once at ,calvary's cost6 ,what delightful associations cluster around the baptismal altar6 ,how tenderly does the pious mother fold her babe to her yearning heart1 as she devoutly approaches that consecrated spot1 and there dedicates in and through this holy sacrament1 the child of her love and hope1 to ,him who gave it6 ,what a holy charge she there assumes2 what a sacred vow she there makes2 what a solemn promise she there gives2 what a momentous interest is entrusted to her there2 what a weight of responsibility is there laid upon her6 ,her charge is an infant soul2 her vow is to be faithful to it2 her promise is to train it up for ,god2 and her's will be the lasting glory or the lasting shame6 ,these very engagements and trusts elevate the pious parents2 diffuse a tenderness and sympathy over all the domestic relations1 and make better husbands1 better wives1 better parents1 and better children1 by the deep insight which is given to their faith in those mysterious relations and mutual obligations which bind them together4 ,as the consecrated water falls upon the face of the devoted child1 the parents feel the solemn vow sink deep into the soul1 and realize the weight of that responsibility which ,god lays upon them4 ,god commands us not only to dedicate our children to ,him1 but to do so in the way ,he has appointed1 viz41 in and through ,christian baptism4 ,in this way we bring our children into the church1 and train them up in a churchly way4 ,we bring them to ,god through the church4 ,in their baptism we have1 as it were1 a confirmation of their dedication by the mighty ,master's seal4 ,it is the link which binds our children to the church1 the rite of their initiation into the kingdom of ,christ1 the sign and seal of their saving relation to the covenant of grace4 ,by it they are solemnly set apart to the service of ,god1 enrolled among the members of ,his kingdom1 entitled to its privileges and guardian care1 and placed in the appointed way of salvation and eternal life1 receiving the seal and superscription of the ,son of ,god4 ,this is indispensable to the demands of the ,christian faith4 ,to deny that infants are thus included in the covenant of grace1 destroys the purity and spiritual unity of the ,christian compact1 and subverts the foundations and harmony of the ,christian home4 ,it is revolting to the parent's faith to forbid his little ones the privilege of the church1 and to treat them as aliens from the covenant of promise4 ,does the gospel place them under such a ban of proscription8 ,surely not6 ,he who instituted the family relation had special regard to the family in all the appointments of his grace4 ,his command is like that of ,noah1 ,come thou and all thy house into the ark4 ,the promise is unto you and your children4 ,this is the comfort of the parent1 that his children are planted by the ordinance of ,god into the soil of grace1 where they may grow up as a tender plant in the likeness of ,his death1 and be like a tree planted by the rivers of water1 that shall bring forth his fruit in his season2 his leaf shall not wither1 and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper4 ,baptism in the ,christian home is eminently infant baptism4 ,take this away1 and you sever the strongest cord that binds church and home4 ,as the ,jew was commanded to circumcise his child1 and thus bring it into proper relations to the theocratical covenant1 so the ,christian has a similar command from ,christ to bring his children1 through the holy sacrament of baptism1 to ,him4 ,it is not our purpose to discuss the baptistic question4 ,when we shall have thrown sufficient light upon it to convince the ,christian parent1 that it is a duty to have little children dedicated to ,god in baptism1 our plan shall be fully executed4 ,we must either admit infant baptism1 or deny that the ,christian covenant includes children1 and that the parent is bound to dedicate them to ,god4 ,hence the objection brought against infant baptism can1 with equal propriety1 be urged against circumcision2 for the latter is the type of the former4 ,in baptism ,christ places ,himself in true organic relations to the child1 and thus opens up to it the sources from which alone the ,christian life can proceed and develop itself4 ,the baptism of our children is grounded in their need of salvation at every age and stage of development4 ,it is also based upon the very idea of ,christ ,himself2 upon primitive christianity2 upon the extent and compass of the ,christian covenant2 and upon those vital relations which believing parents sustain to their offspring4 ,it might be proven from the commission given by ,christ to ,his disciples to preach the gospel to every creature2 from ,his language and conduct in reference to children2 from the usage of the ,apostles and of the apostolic church4 ,the idea and mission of ,christ ,himself1 we think1 would be a sufficient argument in favor of infant baptism4 ,he included in ,his life the stage of childhood1 and came to save the child as well as the man4 ,his own infancy and childhood are securities for this4 ,he entered into and passed through all the various states and stages of man's development on earth1 and thus became adapted to the wants of every period of our life1--man's infancy as well as man's maturity4 ,ireneus says1 ,christ ,jesus became a child to children1 a youth to youth1 and a man to man4 ,the fact1 too1 that the blessings of the covenant of grace are extended to the children of believing parents1 is sufficient to prove the validity of infant baptism4 ,peter said on the day of ,pentecost1 when he called upon his hearers to be baptized3 for the promise is to you1 and your children1 and all that are afar off1 even as many as the ,lord our ,god shall call4 ,thus ,his gospel excludes none1 neither is it restricted to a certain age or capacity4 ,as the child1 as well as the man1 fell and died in the first ,adam1 so the child1 as well as the man1 can be made alive in the second ,adam4 ,as infants1 therefore1 are subjects of grace1 why not subjects also of baptism8 ,as they are included in the covenant1 why not enter it by the divinely constituted sacrament of initiation8 ,as they are included in the plan of salvation1 why not receive it in a churchly way8 ,if ,christ is the ,saviour of infants1 why not bring them to ,him through baptism8 ,besides1 the idea of following ,christ reaches its full meaning only through infant baptism4 ,his own infancy1 as we have already seen1 is a warrant of this4 ,without it ,he cannot penetrate and rule in every natural stage of human life4 ,hence a denial of infant baptism is a subversion of the fundamentals of ,christian doctrine4 ,the very constitution of the ,christian family1 its unity and mission must be overthrown2 for infant baptism is incorporated with the nature of christianity itself1 with the conception and necessities of the individual ,christian life1 and of the ,christian family life4 ,and yet with the plainest teachings of the gospel before them1 is it not strange that there are so many virulent enemies to infant baptism8 ,their rejection of it seems to rest mainly upon the untenable position that baptism has meaning and force only when it is the fruit of an antecedent1 self-conscious faith on the part of the subject1 and that it is but the outward demonstration of a separate and prior participation of some inward grace4 ,as infants have not a self-conscious faith1 it is believed1 therefore1 that they are not1 of course1 fit subjects of baptism4 ,there is a cunning sophistry in all this4 ,it goes upon the supposition that faith necessarily demands the prior development of self-consciousness4 ,it assumes that faith is bound to a particular age1 and can be exercised only after the full and complete development of the logical consciousness1 and is dependent upon it2 it also assumes that this faith must necessarily be exercised by the subject of ,christian baptism4 ,now this is all mere assumption4 ,there is no scripture for it4 ,in all this1 the distinction is not made between faith in its first bud1 and faith in its ripe fruit4 ,the first may exist in the unconscious infant1 just as undeveloped reason exists there2 because natural powers do not generate supernatural faith4 ,faith is the gift of ,god2 and its existence does not depend upon any particular stage of mental development4 ,the enemies of infant baptism can see nothing in baptism4 ,they can see no objective force in that holy sacrament2 but regard it as something merely external1 extraneous1 unproductive1--a mere unmeaning form in which a prior faith is pleased to express itself1 as the conclusion of a work already accomplished4 ,the great error here lies just in this1 that they mistake it as an act of faith1 whereas it is an act of ,christ4 ,they think it is the formal rite through which they elect and receive ,christ2 whereas it is the sacrament in which ,christ elects and receives them4 ,if1 in church worship1 man placed himself in a relation to ,god1 without ,god placing ,himself in a relation to man1 then we might reject infant baptism4 ,but this is not so4 ,god1 in baptism1 places ,himself in a relation to the subject1 receives the subject until it become a part of the organism of grace in its subjective and objective force1 and is recognized as a member of the church of ,christ4 ,now the falsity of the position assumed by the enemies of infant baptism lies just here1 that only the subjective side of baptism is held up1 while its objective1 sacramental character is left altogether out of view4 ,it reverses the relative positions of faith and baptism1 making the former to take the place of the latter1 and holding that any one dissociated with the church1 can receive and exercise a true living faith1 which overthrows the very idea of the church itself4 ,it makes faith first1 baptism second1 entering the church third2 whereas baptism comes before the conscious faith of the subject4 ,if so1 then why object to infant baptism8 ,baptism is that sacrament by means of which the order of divine grace is continued4 ,it generates faith1 and its development is from authoritative1 to free1 personal faith4 ,what the personal election of ,christ was to the first circle of disciples1 that baptism is for the successive church1 the divine fact through which ,christ gives to ,his church its true and eternal beginning in the individual4 ,if so1 then is it not plain that baptism goes before the self-conscious faith of the subject8 ,and if this church-founding sacrament brings your child into a living and saving relation to the church1 then why deny it that baptism8 ,dare you reverse the divine procedure which ,god has ordained for the salvation of ,his people8 ,and if ,christ is related to the individual only through the general2 if ,he is related to the members only through the body1 and having fellowship with them only as the ,head of that body1 then is it not plain that your children1 in order to come to ,him as such1 to be incorporated with ,him and related to ,him in a saving way1 must come to ,him through the church1--must become a member of it1 and that too in the manner and through the medium ,he has prescribed1 viz41 baptism8 ,he who1 for the reason1 therefore1 that children can have no self-conscious faith1 refuses to have them baptized1 but exposes his ignorance of the divine procedure of grace as developed in the church1 of the true moral relation between parent and child1 and of the scripture idea of the ,christian home4 ,why not for the very same reason refuse to teach them1 to have them pray1 to bring them up to church service8 ,yea1 why not deny to them salvation itself8 ,for the very same reason for which you reject infant baptism1 you must also reject infant salvation2 for faith is held up in the ,word of ,god as a qualification for salvation with more emphasis than as a qualification for baptism4 ,hence if you say that infants cannot be baptized because incapable of faith1 you must also say1 by a parity of reasoning1 that infants cannot be saved1 because incapable of faith4 ,this is a dilemma1 and to avoid it1 some enemies to infant baptism have even confessed that they see no hope for the salvation of children4 ,thus ,dr4 ,alexander ,carson says1 ,the gospel has nothing to do with infants4 ,it is good news1 but to infants it is no news at all4 ,none can be saved by the gospel who do not believe it6 ,consequently by the gospel no infants can be saved6 ,but if out of ,christ there is no salvation1 then tell me1 how will infants be saved8 ,we have no answer from these enemies1 yea1 there is no answer6 ,christian parents6 what think you of this8 ,when bending over the grave of a beloved child1 with the cherished hope of meeting it in heaven1 how would such intelligence as this startle you from your dream of reunion there1 and cast a deep pall of desolation around your sorrowing hearts8 ,does not the parent's faith forbid the intrusion of a doctrine so revolting as this8 ,though you have been in your home1 the divinely appointed representative of your child1 and in its baptism exercised faith in its behalf1 on the ground of those natural and moral relations which the ,lord has constituted between you and your child1 yet in this startling dogma of the enemies of its baptism1 you find a virtual denial of the existence of such moral relations and parental vicarage2 yea1 a denial of parental stewardship and of the religious ministry of the ,christian home4 ,the revulsion with which the ,christian heart receives such a denial of infant baptism is at least a presumptive evidence against it4 ,but we think enough has been said to lay the foundation of some practical comments upon the subject of ,christian baptism4 ,if it is a fact that infants are proper subjects of baptism1 then it is the duty of ,christian parents to have them baptized4 ,it is not only a duty1 but a delightful privilege1 to consecrate them to ,god in a perpetual covenant never to be forgotten1 regarding them as the members of the kingdom of ,christ1 and so called to be ,god's children by adoption and grace4 ,their baptism involves many parental duties and responsibilities4 ,if it is both a sign and a seal of the covenant of grace1 and a means of grace1 so that the parent's faith1 in their baptism1 places the child in covenant relation to the ,incarnate ,word1 through the life-giving ,spirit1 then it is plain that the parent is bound to secure for the child those blessings which that baptism contemplates1 and which hang upon the exercise of a receiving faith4 ,this sacrament gives the child a churchly claim upon parental interposition in its behalf1 in all things pertaining to its spiritual culture1--in a true religious training1 in a proper direction in the use of the means of grace1 in a holy ,christian example4 ,here it is the parent's duty to represent the church1 to act for the church in religious ministrations to the child1 to be the steward of the church in the ,christian home1 to rear up the child for a responsible membership4 ,no parent1 therefore1 who neglects the baptism of the child1 can have the answer of a good conscience towards ,god4 ,if we are satisfied to have our homes separate from the church2 if we are satisfied with individualistic1 disembodied1 unassociated christianity1--a religion that owns no church1 but which has its origin1 root and maturity in the self-conscious activity of the individual1 we may then neglect this duty4 ,but in doing so1 to be consistent1 we must also discard the sister ordinance of the ,lord's supper1 yea1 all the churchly means of grace2 yea1 the church itself2 for why repudiate one ordinance1--one idea of associated ,christianity1 and not all the others8 ,that baptism is greatly abused and neglected1 none will deny4 ,it is often abused by neglect of the proper time of its administration4 ,the earliest period of infancy is the proper time2 for then there will be a proper correspondence in time between the dedication and the baptism4 ,in this we have an example from ,jewish circumcision4 ,the pious ,jew took the infant when it was but eight days old1 and had it circumcised4 ,but many ,christian parents defer the baptism of their children until late childhood1 while their vows of dedication are left in mere naked feeling and resolution1 having no sacramental force and expression2 and as a consequence will grow cold and indifferent4 ,when parents thus delay having their children brought within the fold of ,god and the bosom of the church1 they presume to be wiser than ,god1 and oppose their own weak reason to ,his word and promises4 ,baptism is often abused1 also1 by being used as a mere habit1 an unmeaning form1 without a proper sense of its significance1 importance1 duties and responsibilities4 ,it is administered because others do the same1--because customary among most church members1 and because perhaps it looks like an adherence to the outward of christianity and the church at least4 ,when they have thus obeyed the law of habit1 and girded themselves with the formula of parental duty1 they feel they have done enough2 and perhaps neither their children nor the vows they assumed at their baptism ever after recur to them as objects of specific duty4 ,but we would remind such parents1 that habit is not always duty1 and our adherence to habit does not prove our sincerity and the truthfulness of our purpose4 ,it does not always imply the answer of a good conscience towards ,god4 ,if having our children baptized is simple obedience to the law of habit1 it is not the performance of a parental duty1 but the abuse of a blessed privilege2 there is in it all no living churchly expression of willing vows4 ,in this way we only reach its outward form1 and we do that1 not because of its inherent worth1 not because of a duty and privilege2 but because we desire to cope with others1 and decorate our religion in the popular dress of other people's habits4 ,baptism is also abused by mistaking the object and design of its administration4 ,why do many parents have their children baptized8 ,because they wish to express their vows of dedication in that sacramental form and way which ,god has appointed8 ,because they desire to bring them into the fold and bosom of the church1 and place them in saving relations to the means of grace8 ,alas1 no6 but too often because they make their baptism the mere occasion of giving them1 in a formal1 public way1 their ,christian names4 ,they christen their children to give them a name2 and often with them this holy sacrament is as empty as the name4 ,their baptism1 in their view1 is but the sealing and confirming the name they had before chosen for the child2 and when this is done they have no more thought of the baptism4 ,with them the baptism of their children is the ordinance of name-giving4 ,before it takes place they are busied about getting a name from the most approved1 and fashionable novels of the day4 ,this takes the place of dedication4 ,their prior thoughts are all absorbed in getting a strange1 new-fangled name1--such an one as will carry you away by association to some love-sick tale1 or remind you of the burning of ,rome1 or some other deed which has disgraced humanity4 ,and then as soon as this is done1 they fix upon some auspicious occasion when either in the church or in the presence of a select company at home1 7for children cry now-a-days too much to bring them to church7 they have their pastor to baptize them4 ,perhaps a great feast is prepared2 godfathers and godmothers 7if they have the warrant of some valuable presents7 are chosen2 and then in all the glare and parade of fashion1 they have the ordinance administered4 ,and what then is the first joyful cry of the fond parents1 after the solemn ceremony is ended8 ,why now1 dear1 you have your name6 ,and this is the end1--yes1 the finale of the vows there made before ,god1--the end of all until ,god shall call them to account6 ,it requires but very little discrimination to see that in all this the nature1 design1 and obligations of ,christian baptism are left totally out of view4 ,they do not here appreciate this ordinance as a channel for the communication of ,god's grace to their children4 ,when baptized they do not regard them as having been received into gracious relation to ,god1 as plants in the ,lord's vineyard1 as having put on ,christ1 and as having their ingrafting into ,him not only signified but sealed4 ,thus being undervalued1 it is1 as a consequence1 abused and neglected4 ,the great neglect of ,christian baptism is doubtless owing to the low1 unscriptural views of its nature and practical importance2 for if they realized its relations to the plan of salvation1 and its office in the appropriation of that salvation to their children1 they would not permit them to grow up unbaptized1 neither would they be recreant to the solemn duties which are binding upon the parent after its administration4 ,but upon the subject of baptism itself1 we have seen that there is great laxity of feeling and opinion4 ,the spirit of our fathers upon this point is becoming so diluted that we can scarcely discern any longer a vestige of the good old landmarks of their sacramental character4 ,instead of walking in them1 ,christians are now falling a prey to a latitudinarian spirit of the most destructive kind4 ,they are1 in leaving these old landmarks1 falling into the clutches of rationalism and radicalism1 which will ere long leave their homes and their church ,a wreck at random driven1 ,without one glimpse of reason or of heaven6 ,even ministers themselves seem to grow indifferent to this wide-spread and growing evil4 ,they hardly ever utter a word of warning from the pulpit against it4 ,their members may be known by them to neglect the baptism of their children2 and yet by their silence they wink at this dereliction2 and when they have occasion to speak of this ordinance1 many advert to it as a mere sign1 as something only outward1 not communicating an invisible grace1 not as a seal of the new covenant1 ingrafting into ,christ4 ,no wonder when this holy sacrament is thus disparagingly spoken of1 that ,christian parents will neglect it practically1 as a redundancy in the church1--as a tradition coming in its last wailing cry from ages and forms departed1--as a church rite marked obsolete1 as an old ceremonial savoring of old ,jewish shackles1 embodying no substantial grace1 and unfit for this age of railroad progression and gospel libertinism4 ,will any one deny the extent of such a spirit in the church and homes of the present day8 ,let him refer to church statistics1 where he may receive some idea of the magnitude of this evil4 ,in them we can see the extent to which parents have neglected the baptism of their children4 ,we take from a note in the ,mercersburg ,review the following statistical items3 ,the presbytery of ,londonderry reports but one baptism to sixty-four communicants2 the presbytery of ,buffalo city1 the same2 the presbytery of ,rochester city1 one to forty-six2 the presbytery of ,michigan1 one to seventy-seven2 the presbytery of ,columbus1 one to thirty4 ,in the presbytery of ,new ,brunswick1 there are three churches which report thus3 one reports three hundred and forty-three communicants1 and three baptisms2 another reports three hundred and forty communicants1 and two baptisms4 ,in ,philadelphia1 one church reports three hundred and three communicants1 and seven baptisms2 another1 two hundred and eighty-seven communicants1 and one baptism4 ,these statistics speak volumes4 ,they tell us how ,christian parents neglect the baptism of their children1 and also how the church winks at it4 ,and from this neglect we can easily infer their indifference to it4 ,if we refer to the statistics of all other churches1 we shall witness a similar neglect4 ,no branch of the church now is free from the imputation of such neglect4 ,it is now difficult indeed1 to induce parents to have their children baptized1 because they think it is no use6 ,let them wait1 say they1 till they grow up1 and then they will know more about it6 ,this shows us where the parent stands1 viz41 in an unchurchly state1 and radical to the very core4 ,it shows us what that influence is1 which is at work upon his mind4 ,he will know more about it6--just as if that in religion is worthless until we know all about it4 ,baptism then is not worth anything until the child understands all about it6 ,in that parental utterance we hear the wildest shout of triumphant rationalism6 ,but again1 baptism is often abused by parental unfaithfulness to its obligations4 ,in the baptism of their children1 parents solemnly vow to bring them up in the nurture of the ,lord1 to train them up in ,his holy ways1 to teach them by precept and example1 to pray for them and teach them the privilege of prayer4 ,and yet how grossly are these solemn vows left unperformed1 and even never thought of in all after life6 ,perhaps the very opposite course is taken even on the day of baptism4 ,parents6 by this you endanger your own souls as well as the souls of your children4 ,how will the memory of such neglected duty and privilege sink with deepening anguish in your souls1 when you shall be called hence to answer to ,god for your parental stewardship6 ,be not deceived2 ,god is not mocked2 neither will he hold you guiltless when you thus outrage ,his holy sacrament4 ,baptism is often abused by the unfaithfulness of children to its privileges1 influences and blessings4 ,many children fight against these1 prevent parents from performing their duties1 and repel all the overtures of the ,christian home1 all the offers of the ,spirit's baptism1 abandoning the means of grace1 refusing to assume the baptismal engagement taken for them by their parents2 and thus1 so far as they are concerned1 undo and neutralize what their parents did for them4 ,oh1 ye baptized children1--ye to whom the holy ministry of home has been faithfully applied1--know ye not that the frowns of abused heaven are upon you1 and that the memory of your rebellion against the prerogatives of the family1 will constitute an ingredient in your cup of woe8 ,the privilege of baptism lays you under solemn requisition4 ,if unfaithful to it1 it will be your condemnation1 and add new fuel to the flame of a burning conscience4 ,parents and children6 be faithful to this holy ordinance of ,god4 ,it is a solemn service4 ,you should approach the baptismal font with a trembling step and a consecrated heart4 ,and what a solemn moment it is1 when you take your child away from that altar6 ,there you gave it up to ,god1--dedicated it to ,his service2 and there in turn ,he commits it to you in trust1 saying to you as ,pharaoh's daughter said to the mother of ,moses1 ,take this child and nurse it for me1 and ,i will pay thee thy wages1 and you bore it away1 as did that faithful mother1 to bring it up for ,god4 ,there you solemnly promised that in training that child1 the will of ,god should be your will1 and the law of all your conduct towards it4 ,you can never forget that solemn transaction1 and how you there vowed before witnessing men and angels that you would be faithful to the little one ,god has given you4 ,what now has been the result8 ,eternity will answer4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,christian ,,names4 ,she named the child ,ichabod4--#a ,,samuel4 ,thus was the building left ,ridiculous1 and the work confusion named4 ,christian baptism suggests ,christian names4 ,this introduces us to an important topic1 viz41 the kind of names ,christian parents should give to their children at their baptism4 ,baptismal names are indeed an important item of the ,christian home4 ,much more depends upon them than we are at first sight of the subject1 disposed to grant4 ,christianity eminently includes the great law of correspondence between its inward spirit and its outward form4 ,its form and contents cannot be separated4 ,the principle of fitness1 it everywhere exhibits2 and hence its nomenclature is the herald of its spirit and truth4 ,the names that religion has given to her followers signify some principle of association between them4 ,they were adopted to designate some fact in the history of the individual1 or in his relation to the church4 ,hence the names adopted for the children of the ,christian home should be the utterance of some fact or calling which belongs to that home4 ,their name is one of the first things which children know1 and hence it makes a deep impression upon them4 ,and as our ,christian names are given to us at the time of our baptism1 one would think that there is always a correspondence between the name and some fact or interest connected with the occasion4 ,we should then receive a ,christian name1 a name which does not bind us by the laws of association to what is evil either in the past or the present1 but which indicates a relation to some precious boon involved in the dedication of the child to ,god4 ,is this always so8 ,by no means4 ,it once was4 ,it was so in the ,hebrew home and in the families of the apostolic age4 ,but in this day of parental rage after new-fangled things and names1 taken from works of fiction and novels of doubtful character1 we find that parents care but very little about the baptismal name being the herald of a religious fact4 ,what is in a name8 was a question propounded by a poet4 ,his answer was nothing6 ,that which we call a rose ,by any other name would smell as sweet4 ,the principle here evolved is false4 ,there is much in a name2 and at the creation names were not mechanically given to things2 but there was a vital correspondence between the name and the thing named4 ,much depends upon the name4 ,it exerts a potent influence for good1 or for evil upon the bearer and upon all around him4 ,primarily1 a name supposed some correspondence between its meaning and the person who bore it4 ,hence the name should not be arbitrary in its application1 but should link its fitness to idea1 and with the person1 run in parallel courses4 ,for mind is apt and quick to wed ideas and names together1 ,nor stoppeth its perceptions to be curious of priorities4 ,nebuchadnezzar1 king of ,babylon1 felt that practically there was much in a name1 when he heathenized the names of the young ,hebrew captives4 ,by this he thought to detach them from their ,hebrew associations4 ,god was in each of their original names1 and in this way they were reminded of their religion4 ,but the names this ,chaldee king gave them were either social or alluded to the idolatry of ,babylon4 ,their ,hebrew names were to them witnesses for ,god1 mementoes of the faith of their fathers2 hence the king1 to destroy their influence1 called ,daniel1 ,belteshazzar1 i4e4 the treasurer of the god ,bel2 ,hannaniah he called ,shadrach1 i4e4 the messenger of the king2 ,mishael he called ,meshach1 i4e4 the devotee of the goddess ,shesach4 ,he showed his cunning in this1 and a historical testimony to the potent influence of a name4 ,by this same rule of correspondence1 ,adam doubtless named1 by order of his ,creator1 the things of nature as they struck his senses4 ,he specified the partridge by her cry1 and the forest prowler by his roving1 ,the tree by its use1 and the flower by its beauty1 and everything according to its truth4 ,the ,hebrews obeyed the same law in naming their children4 ,with them there was a sacred importance attached to the giving of a name4 ,for every chosen name they had a reason which involved the person's life1 character or destiny4 ,adam named the companion of his bosom1 woman because she was taken out of man4 ,he called his wife's name ,eve1 because she was the mother of all living4 ,eve called her first-born ,cain 7possession7 because ,i have gotten a man from the ,lord4 ,she called another son ,seth 7appointed17 for ,god hath appointed me another seed instead of ,abel1 whom ,cain slew4 ,samuel was so named because he was asked of and sent to ,god4 ,god ,himself often gave names to ,his people2 and each name thus given1 conveyed a promise1 or taught some rule of life1 or bore some divine memorial1 or indicated some calling of the person named4 ,says ,dr4 ,krummacher on this point3 ,names were to the people like memoranda1 and like the bells on the garments of the priests1 reminding them of the ,lord and ,his government1 and furnishing matter for a variety of salutary reflections4 ,to the receivers of them they ministered consolation and strength1 warning and encouragement2 and to others they served to attract the attention and heart of ,god4 ,this was right1 and fully accorded with the economy of the ,hebrew home1 and with the conception of language itself4 ,would that the ,christian home followed her pious example6 ,but ,christians now are too much under the influence of irreligious fashion4 ,instead of giving their children those good old religious names which their fathers bore1 and which are endeared to us by many hallowed associations1 they now repudiate them with a sneer as too vulgar and tasteless4 ,they are out of fashion1 too common1 don't lead us into a labyrinth of love-scrapes and scenes of refined iniquity1 and are now only fit for a servant4 ,hence instead of resorting to the bible for a name1 these sentimental parents will pore over filthy novels1 or catch at some foreign accent1 to get a name which may have a fashionable sound1 and a claim upon the prevailing taste of the times1 and which may remind one of the battles of some ambitious general1 or of the adventures of some love-sick swain1 or of the tragic deeds of some fashionable libertine6 ,and when such a name is found to suit the ear of fashion and of folly1 it is applied to the child1 and reiterated by the minister before the baptismal font2 and as often as it is afterwards repeated it reminds one perhaps of deeds which put modesty to blush1 and startle the ear of justice and humanity4 ,what a burning shame is this to the ,christian home6 ,the child who is cursed with such a name has ever before him the memorandum of his parent's folly1 and as a recognized example1 the character of him after whom he has been named4 ,as often as he is hailed by it1 he blushes to think that he has been called by pious parents after one who1 perhaps1 has turned many a home into desolation1 and disgraced and blighted forever the fond hopes and joys of the young and old4 ,have thoughts and associations like these no demoralizing influence8 ,how can parents admonish their children against novel reading after they have taken their names from novels8 ,the giving of ,christian names at the present time is indeed a ridiculous farce1 an insult to christianity1 and a representation of stoical infidelity before the baptismal altar4 ,it is there an act of the ,babylonish king to heathenize the child4 ,we might almost say that the folly has become a rage4 ,the rage for new names especially1--names which do not adorn the sacred page1 nor carry us back to the times and faith of our fathers1 but which have gained notoriety in the world of fiction1 and associate us with the lover's affrays and with the desperado's feats1--these are the names which ,christian parents too often seek with avidity for their children4 ,if you were to judge their homes by these names1 you would think yourself in a ,turkish seraglio1 or amid the voluptuous scenes of a ,parisian court1 or in the bosom of a heathen family4 ,what1 for instance1 is there about such names as ,nero1 ,caesar1 ,pompey1 ,punch1 that would remind you that you were in a ,christian home8 ,it is often disgusting1 too1 to see how some ,christian parents1 who live in humble life1 seek to ape1 in their children1 the empty sounding titles of the world4 ,they only show their vanity and weakness1 and often bring ridicule upon their children2 for-- ,to lend the low-born noble names1 is to shed upon them ridicule and evil2 ,yea1 many weeds run rank in pride1 if men have dubbed them cedars1 ,and to herald common mediocrity with the noisy notes of fame1 ,tendeth to its deeper scorn1 as if it were to call the mole a mammoth4 ,when we thus give our children names associated with battle-fields1 empty titles1 brilliant honors1 and lucrative offices1--positions in life which they can never expect to reach1 and which1 if they did1 would not do honor to the child of a ,christian family1 we do them great injury2 we fasten in them feelings the most disastrous1 and draw out propensities unbecoming the child devoted to the ,lord1 breeding in his soul a peevish repining at his station4 ,alas6 that ,christian homes should ever become so servile in their devotions to the rotten sentiments and flimsy interests of misguided and perverted fashion6 ,her smile in your home is that of a harlot2 her touch is the withering blight of corruption2 her dominion is the desolation of family hopes and the extermination of those sacred prerogatives with which the ,lord has invested the ,christian fireside4 ,the ball will take the place of prayer2 novels will take the place of the bible2 favorites will take the place of husbands and wives2 and the children will regard their parents only as their masters4 ,christian parents should1 therefore1 give suitable names to their children1 that is1 such names as will correspond with their state1 character and relations to ,god1--names which do not suggest the idea of war1 rapine1 humbug1 romance1 and sensuality1 but which are associated with the ,christian life and calling1 and which serve as a true index to the spirit and character of the parental fireside4 ,reason1 as well as faith1 will dictate such a choice2 for ,there is wisdom in calling a thing fitly2 names should note particulars ,through a character obvious to all men1 and worthy of their instant acceptation4 ,our name is the first and the last possession at our disposal4 ,it determines from the days of childhood our inclinations4 ,it employs our attention through life1 and even transports us beyond the grave4 ,hence we should give appropriate names to our children1--such as will interest them1 and neither be a reproach1 on the one hand1 nor reach to unattainable and unworthy heights1 on the other2 for the mind of your child will take a bias1 from its name1 to good or to evil4 ,why not adopt scriptural names for them8 ,are they not as beautiful as other names8 ,they are4 ,and is not their influence as salutary8 ,it is4 ,and are they not more suitable for the ,christian home than any other8 ,they are4 ,where is there a more lovely name than ,mary1--lovely in its utterance1 and thrice lovely in the glowing memories which cluster around it1 and in the hallowed home-associations it awakens in the ,christian heart1 drawing us at once to the feet of ,jesus1 where a ,mary sat in confiding pupilage1 and sealed her instructions and gratitude with the tear-drop that glowed like early dew upon her dimpled cheek8 ,would ,christian parents desire to give their children more beautiful names1--beautiful in the light of history and of heaven1--than that of ,benjamin1 son of the right hand2 of ,david1 dear1 beloved2 of ,dionysius1 divinely touched2 of ,eleazar1 help of ,god2 of ,eli1 my offering2 of ,enoch1 dedicated2 of ,jacob1 my present2 of ,lemuel1 ,god is with them2 of ,nathan1 given1 gift2 of ,nathaniel1 gift of ,god2 of ,samuel1 asked of ,god and sent of ,god1 c48 ,besides1 there are names of distinguished ,christians1 such as ,wilberforce1 ,howard1 ,page1 ,martyn1 ,paul1 ,peter1 ,john1 ,fenelon1 ,clement1 ,baxter1 c41--bright as dew-drops on the page of history1 and as beautiful in their enunciation as any chosen from the world of heartless fashion1--as beautiful in sound1 and infinitely more so in associations which bind them to deeds of humanity and ,christian love4 ,the utterance of such names would be more becoming the ,christian home2 because they aid in developing the purest1 holiest and loftiest idea of its nature and calling4 ,such names will bind your little ones to pure and holy persons and deeds1 and will suit the book of life in which you hope to have them enrolled4 ,then1 safe within a better home1 where time and its titles are not found1 ,god will give thee ,his new name1 and write it on thy heart2 ,a name1 better than of sons1 a name dearer than of daughters1 ,a name of union1 peace and praise1 as numbered in thy ,god4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,home ,,as ,a ,,nursery4 ,the ,ostrich1 silliest of the feathered kind1 ,and formed of ,god without a parent's mind1 ,commits her eggs1 incautious1 to the dust1 ,forgetful that the foot may crush the trust2 ,and1 while on public nurseries they rely1 ,not knowing1 and too oft not caring why1 ,irrational in what they thus prefer ,no few1 that would seem wise1 resemble her4 ,to nurse means to educate or draw out and direct what exists in a state of mere involution4 ,it means to protect1 to foster1 to supply with appropriate food1 to cause to grow or promote growth1 to manage with a view to increase4 ,thus ,greece was the nurse of the liberal arts2 ,rome was the nurse of law4 ,in horticulture1 a shrub or tree is the nurse or protector of a young and tender plant4 ,we are said to nurse our national resources4 ,isaiah1 in speaking of the coming ,messiah and the glory of his church1 says1 ,thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side4 ,kings shall be thy nursing fathers1 and their queens thy nursing mothers4 ,the place or apartment appropriated to such nursing is called a nursery4 ,thus a plantation of young trees is called a nursery4 ,shakspeare calls ,padua the nursery of arts4 ,we call a very bad place the nursery of thieves and rogues4 ,dram-shops are the nurseries of intemperance4 ,commerce is called the nursery of seamen4 ,universities are the nurseries of the arts and sciences4 ,the church on earth is called the nursery of the church in heaven4 ,christian families are called the nurseries of the church on earth1 because in the former its members are nursed and propagated for the purpose of being transplanted into the latter4 ,in the same sense and for the same reason1 the ,christian home is the nursery of the young1--of human nature in its normal state4 ,and as home is the nursery of the state as well as of the church on earth and in heaven1 we must see that it is a physical1 intellectual and religious nursery4 ,we shall briefly consider it in these aspects4 ,indeed the ,christian home cannot be considered in a more interesting and responsible light4 ,the little child1 dedicated to ,god in holy baptism1 is entirely helpless and dependent upon the ministrations of the nursery4 ,there is the department of its first impressions1 of its first directions1 of its first intellectual and moral formation1 of the first evolution of physical and moral life4 ,there the child exists as but the germ of what is to be4 ,it grows up under the fostering care and plastic power of the parents4 ,god's commission to them in the nursery is1 to bring up these germs of life1 in ,his nurture admonition4 ,take the germ1 and make it ,a bud of moral beauty4 ,let the dews ,of knowledge1 and the light of virtue1 wake it ,in richest fragrance and in purest hues4 ,the nursery is the department of home in which the mother fulfils her peculiar mission4 ,this is her special sphere4 ,none can effectually take her place there4 ,she is the center of attraction1 the guardian of the infant's destiny2 and none like she1 can overrule the unfolding life and character of the child4 ,god has fitted her for the work of the nursery4 ,here she reigns supreme1 the arbitress of the everlasting weal or woe of untutored infancy4 ,on her the fairest hopes of educated man depend1 and in the exercise of her power there1 she sways a nation's destiny1 gives to the infant body and soul their beauty1 their bias and their direction4 ,she there possesses the immense force of first impressions4 ,the soul of her child lies unveiled before her1 and she makes the stamp of her own spirit and personality upon its pliable nature4 ,she there engrafts it1 as it were1 into her own being1 and from the combined elements of her own character1 builds up and establishes the character of her offspring4 ,hers will1 therefore1 be the glory or the shame4 ,then take the heart thy charms have won1 ,and nurse it for the skies4 ,the nursery is that department of home in which the formation of our character is begun4 ,infancy demands the nursery4 ,it is not full-formed and equipped for the battle of life4 ,it lies in the cradle in a state of mere involution1 and in the hands of its parents is altogether passive1 and susceptible of impressions as wax before the sun4 ,the germ of the man is there2 but it has yet to be developed4 ,its indwelling life must be nurtured with tender and assiduous care4 ,it demands an influence suited to the expansion of its nature into bloom and maturity4 ,it demands physical development1 mental evolution1 moral training1 and spiritual elevation4 ,in order to these it must live amidst the sweet and plastic socialities of maternal relationship4 ,it must come under the fostering influence of a mother's heart1 and be reared up by the tender touches of a mother's hand4 ,this idea is embodied in home as a nursery4 ,this is fourfold in its conception and relation to the child4 ,the nursery is physical4 ,this involves the means of keeping the child in health1 and the appliances of a vigorous physical development4 ,the ,christian mother1 to this end1 should make herself acquainted with the physiology of the infant body4 ,many well-meaning mothers1 from sheer ignorance1 destroy the health of their children2 and it is on this account perhaps that four-tenths of them die under five years of age4 ,they should also consider the bearing of the body upon the mind and morals of their children4 ,how often do ignorant and indolent parents1 by giving their children over to the care of sickly and immoral nurses1 ruin forever the health and souls of their offspring4 ,much1 then1 depends upon the physical nurture of your child4 ,if you would not injure its mind and soul1 you must nurse its body with tender care and wisdom4 ,a vital bond unites them2 they reciprocally influence each other1 and hence what affects the one must have a corresponding influence upon the other4 ,neglect the body of your child2 destroy its health either by extreme and fastidious care1 or by a brutal neglect1 and you at the same time do lasting injury to its mind and morals2 for the body as the vehicle of mind and spirit1 is used for spiritual ends1 and should1 therefore1 be nurtured with direct reference to these4 ,your child1 in the nursery1 is like the tender plant4 ,the storm of passion and the chill of indifference and the oppression of parental tyranny should not be heard and felt there2 for where the storm rages and coldness freezes and the hand of cruelty oppresses1 we can have no beautiful and vigorous development of physical or moral powers4 ,there will be a stinted and one-sided growth4 ,at best it will be dwarfish1 and tend to counteract the spontaneous outflow of mental and moral life4 ,the tender plant1 when1 cramped and clogged by existing impediments1 cannot spring up into beauteous maturity4 ,neither can your child1 when crammed with sweetmeats1 and oppressed and screwed into monstrous contortions by the cruel inquisition of fashion and fashionable garments4 ,in this way the misdirected love and cruel pride of mothers often destroy the health and beauty of their children4 ,they cause a sickly and dwarfish growth by too much confinement and mental taxation1 by a too rigid choice of diet1 by daily1 uncalled for decoctions of medicine1 and by fitting the body in a dress as the ,chinese do their children's feet in shoes2 in a word1 by making the entire nursery life too artificial1 and substituting the laws of art for those of nature4 ,the result must be a delicate1 artificial constitution1 too fragile for the trials and duties of life4 ,the body of your child has not the blooming1 blushing form of nature1 but the cold marble cast of a statue2 and it imprints itself upon the disposition1 the spirit1 the mental faculties4 ,it shows itself in peevishness1 in imbecility1 in such a passive1 slavish subjection to the rules and interests of mere artificial life1 as to admit no hope almost of spiritual progression4 ,the nursery is also intellectual4 ,the mind of your child is unfolding as well as its body2 and hence the former1 as well as the latter1 demands the nursery4 ,how much of the mental vigor and attainments of children depend upon the prudent management of the nursery4 ,hence parents should ,exert a prudent care ,to feed our infant minds with proper fare2 ,and wisely store the nursery by degrees ,with wholesome learning1 yet acquired with ease4 ,and thus well-tutored only while we share ,a mother's lectures and a nurse's care4 ,parents may abuse the minds of their children in the nursery1 either by total neglect1 or by immature education1 by too early training and too close confinement to books at a very early age1 thus taxing the mind beyond its capacities4 ,this is often the case when children betray great precocity of intellect2 and the pride of the parent seeks to gratify itself through the supposed gift of the child4 ,in this way parents often reduce their children to hopeless mental imbecility4 ,again1 parents often injure the minds of their children by their misguided efforts to train the mind4 ,even in training them to speak1 how imprudent they are in calling words and giving ideas in mutilated language4 ,it is just as easy to teach children to speak correctly1 and to call all things by their proper names1 as to abuse their vernacular tongue4 ,such mutilations are impediments to the growth of the intellect4 ,the child must afterwards be taught to undo what it was taught to do and say in the nursery4 ,but as this subject will be fully considered in the chapter on ,home ,education1 we shall refrain from further comment here4 ,the nursery is moral and spiritual4 ,the first moral and religious training of the child belongs to the nursery1 and is the work of the mother4 ,upon her personal exhibition of truth1 justice1 virtue1 c41 depends the same moral elements in the character of her child4 ,in the nursery we receive our first lessons in virtue or in vice1 in honesty or dishonesty1 in truth or in falsehood1 in purity or in corruption4 ,the full-grown man is the matured child morally as well as physically and intellectually4 ,the same may be said of the spiritual formation and growth of the child4 ,spiritual culture belongs eminently to the nursery4 ,there the pious parent should begin the work of her child's salvation4 ,from what we have now seen of the nursery1 we may infer its very common abuse by ,christian parents in various ways4 ,they abuse it either by forsaking its duties1 or giving it over to nurses4 ,the whole subject warns parents against giving over their children to dissolute nurses4 ,what a blushing shame and disgrace to the very name of ,christian mother1 it is for her to throw the whole care and responsibility of the nursery upon hired and irreligious servants4 ,and why is this so often done8 ,to relieve the mother from the trouble of her children1 and afford her time and opportunity to mingle unfettered in the giddy whirl of fashionable dissipation4 ,in circles of opulent society it would now be considered a drudgery and a disgrace for mothers to attend upon the duties of this responsible department of home4 ,but the nurse cannot be a substitute for the mother4 ,then why resign into a stranger's hand ,a task so much within your own command1 ,that ,god and ,nature1 and your interest too ,seem with one voice to delegate to you8 ,the same may be said of boarding schools1 to which many parents send their children to rid themselves of the trouble of training them up4 ,they are sent there at the very age in which they mostly need the fostering care of a parent4 ,there they soon become alienated from home1 and lose the benefit of its influence2 and there too they often contract habits and are filled with sentiments the most degenerating and corrupt4 ,they grow up and enter society without any conscious relation to home1 and as a consequence1 regard society as a mere heartless conventionalism4 ,to this part of the subject we shall1 in another chapter1 devote special attention4 ,it demands the prayerful consideration of ,christian parents4 ,why hire a lodging in a house unknown1 ,for one whose tenderest thoughts all hover round your own8 ,this second weaning1 needless as it is1 ,how does it lacerate both your heart and his6 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,home-,,sympathy4 ,sweet sensibility6 thou keen delight6 ,unprompted moral6 sudden sense of right6 ,perception exquisite6 fair virtue's seed6 ,thou quick precursor of the liberal deed6 ,thou hasty conscience6 reason's blushing morn6 ,instinctive kindness1 ere reflection's born6 ,prompt sense of equity6 to thee belongs ,the swift redress of unexamined wrongs6 ,eager to serve1 the cause perhaps untried1 ,but always apt to choose the suffering side6 ,where shall we find a more exquisite picture of home-sympathy than this1 from the pen of that truly pious woman1 ,hannah ,more6 ,we consider the home-sympathy as an argument against the neglect and abuse of the nursery4 ,it is the instinctive impulse of the parent's heart to be faithful to the trust of home4 ,what mother1 prompted by such sympathy1 can be recreant to the duties of her household8 ,can she1 keenly sensible to the danger of her children1 anxious for their welfare1 prompt to do them justice1 eager to procure them interests and joys1 yearning to alleviate their misfortunes1 push them from her arms1 and give them over to the care of unfeeling and immoral nurses8 ,if among all the members of the ,christian home ,there is a holy tenderness1 ,a nameless sympathy1 a fountain love1-- ,branched infinite from parents to children1 ,from husband to wife1 from child to child1 ,that binds1 supports1 and sweetens human life1 then the law of sympathy is the standard of faithfulness to the loved ones of home1 and its violation is an abuse of the affections and faith of the heart4 ,we shall now consider the natural and spiritual sympathy of home4 ,what are the natural elements of home-sympathy8 ,the original meaning of sympathy is harmony of the affections4 ,as such it is an instinctive element of human nature4 ,sympathy1 says ,adams in his ,elements of ,christian ,science1 is a natural harmony by which1 upon matters especially that concern the affections1 one human being shall1 under certain conditions1 feel1 feel in despite of all concealment of language1 the real state of the other4 ,it is1 in a word1 that law of our nature which makes the feeling of one become affected in the same way as are the feelings of another1 so that1 in obedience to this law1 we rejoice with them that rejoice1 and weep with them that weep4 ,in order to this the motive need not be the same in those in whom the feeling is the same2 for that feeling engenders a feeling of its own kind in the other1 independent of similar motive4 ,home-sympathy is that primary power of the heart by which all the affections of one member are extended to all the other members4 ,it awakens in each for all the others1 those delicate sensibilities which impel to the most self-denying and benevolent acts4 ,the parent who sympathizes with the child1 will extend to it all the aids within a parent's ability4 ,its nature is to yield more of itself to weeping than to rejoicing1 to misery than to joy4 ,the parent will exert more power and do more for the wretched child than for those of his children who are not in the same condition4 ,he will leave the latter in their security1 and seek the one lost sheep of his little flock4 ,thus it exerts a sheltering influence against the dangers and miseries of human life4 ,it is the law of home-preservation1 written upon the heart1 obeyed by the affections1 and impelling each member to yield a voluntary devotion to the welfare of all the others4 ,it is this which makes it one of the most lovely attributes of home4 ,it is one of the golden chains that link its members together in close unity1 making one heart of the many that are thus fused together1 and blending into beautiful unison their specific feelings1 and hopes and interests4 ,it is1 therefore1 the law of oneness in the family1 weaving together1 like warp and woof1 the existence of the members1 and locking each heart into one great home-heart1 like the keys of an organ vast1 so that if one heart be out of tune1 the home-heart feels the painful jar1 and gives forth discordant sounds4 ,by it we are not only bound to our kindred1 but to our friends1 our nation1 our race4 ,it impels us to all our acts of benevolence even to an enemy4 ,earth would be a dreary scene1 and society would be a curse1 if it did not reign in human nature4 ,sympathy was a rich and interesting theme with the ancients4 ,it entered into all their philosophy and religion1 and gave rise to numerous fables4 ,they believed that sympathy was a miraculous principle1 and that it reigned in irrational and inanimate things4 ,thus they thought that two harps being tuned alike1 and one being played1 the chords of the other would follow the tune with a faint1 sympathetic music4 ,it was also believed that precious stones sympathized with certain persons1 that the stars sympathized with men1 that the efficacy of ointment depended upon sympathy1 that wounds could be healed at a distance by an ointment whose force depended upon sympathy1 the ointment being smeared upon the weapon1 not upon the wound4 ,upon this belief many erroneous1 superstitious and dangerous systems of philosophy and religion were established4 ,the natural philosophy of ,baptista ,porta1 or ,albertus ,magnus1 was founded upon the principle of sympathy4 ,plato applied this principle to marriage1 and maintained that marriage was the union of two souls that once1 in their preexistent state1 were one1 and that sympathy urges them to union again1 and sends them unconsciously seeking it over the world4 ,in the middle ages it was maintained that two friends could be so moved with mutual sympathy as to have1 under certain conditions1 a true and perfect knowledge of one another's state1 even when at a great distance apart4 ,to the revival of this erroneous view of the law of sympathy may be ascribed the theories of ,mesmerism and spiritual rappings at the present day4 ,home-sympathy1 viewed as a feeling and a faculty1 is twofold in its nature1 viz41 passive and active4 ,as passive1 it is the mere sense of harmony of feeling among all the members1 producing the idea and feeling of the oneness of home4 ,it makes a unity of affection1 so that the temper1 hopes and interests of each member have a living echo and response in all the others4 ,it gives to home its unitive heart1 preserves its vital coherence1 fuses all the hearts together1 makes each a thread in the web of home-being1 where each finds its true measure1 is inspired with the home-feeling when all is right1 and oppressed with home-sickness when separated from it4 ,but home-sympathy is also active4 ,as such it is the active power that one person has naturally of entering into the feelings of another1 and being himself affected as that other is4 ,each member of home has the power in his feelings of making the feelings of all the other members his own1 though he may not have the causes of the feelings of the one with whom he sympathizes4 ,thus one friend may feel the grief of another1 actually and really1 though he may not suffer the loss of that friend4 ,he can make the emotion which that loss caused1 his own4 ,we may weep with the mother who pours her floods of anguish upon the grave of her child1 though we may not have sustained the same loss4 ,the husband weeps with his wife1 though he may not be able to feel the pangs which penetrate her heart4 ,the child can enter into the feelings of the parent1 and be affected to tears or to joy by them4 ,and thus the home-sympathy demands that all the emotions of home1 whether joyful or painful1 must affect all1--must vibrate from heart to heart4 ,it involves the power of home-transference1 by which1 each member conveys to his own affections1 all within home4 ,it is thus the law of adaptation and assimilation1 for the home-affections4 ,in obedience to this law the hearts and interests of the members are bound up in beautiful harmony4 ,the necessities of one are supplied by all4 ,it is this which makes the members faithful to each other1 and prompts them to deeds of disinterested love4 ,it is1 therefore1 only when the home-sympathy1 as a feeling and a faculty1 is carried out and acted upon according to its instinctive impulses1 that it becomes an effective agent of good4 ,this1 however1 is not always done4 ,often it is neutralized by not being permitted to express itself according to the laws of its own operation4 ,many members have acute feelings and great powers of sympathy1 but it exists in them only as feeling1 only as a stimulus1 a sentiment1 and is1 therefore1 nothing but home-sentimentalism1--a disease of home-sympathy4 ,thus1 for instance1 parents may weep over the wickedness of their children1 and the pious wife may lament the impenitence of her husband2 but if they go no further1 their sympathy is really false1 because it does not share in and feel the state of others1 nor seek to alleviate their impending miseries4 ,the home-sympathy is not simply the look of the priest and ,levite upon the half-dead traveler1 but also the help of the good ,samaritan4 ,its language is not only1 ,be ye clothed and fed1 but also1 ,i will clothe and feed thee4 ,the mere indulgence in the feeling of sympathy is but to harden the heart in the end4 ,such were the sympathies of ,rosseau1--mere heart-stimuli1 without legitimate deeds and objective force1 existing only as a love-sick sentiment4 ,and this was both the theme of his eloquence and the cause of his misery4 ,such1 too1 were the sympathies of ,robespierre1--a mere ebullition of disembodied sentiment1 borne up like a floating bubble upon muddy waters1 and exploding upon the slightest depression4 ,but1 on the other hand1 when home-sympathy is issued in faithful action as its emotions prompt1 it becomes an efficient agent in the happiness and peace of the family4 ,it not only gives eloquence to the tongue1 tears to the eye1 but faithfulness to the life4 ,it serves as a key-note to the mind and heart1 framing the home-energy1 revealing to us our real state1 and prompting1 by the instinct of love1 the means for our highest welfare4 ,how glows the joyous parent to descry1 ,a guileless bosom true to sympathy6 ,a long lost friend1 or hapless child restored1 ,smiles at his blazing hearth and social board2 ,warm from his heart the tears of rapture flow1 ,and virtue triumphs o'er remembered woe6 ,sympathy is excited and measured by the power of natural affection4 ,in proportion to the strength of the latter will be the attractive power of the former4 ,that soothing voice which calms the wailing-infant2 that fond bosom from which the child draws its subsistence1 and on which it pillows its weary head2 that smile which throws a sunshine around its existence1 and all those acts of kindness administered by the hand of love1 draw the child instinctively to the parent's heart1 and blend in sweetest union its very being with theirs4 ,the principle of home-sympathy reigns in some degree in every household whose members have not sunk below the level of the brute4 ,its nature demands that it be mutual4 ,it should glow with peculiar warmth in the wife1 the mother1 and the sister2 because it is a more prominent instinct of woman4 ,it is an intuition of the mother's heart4 ,when pain and anguish wring the brow1 ,a ministering angel thou6 ,who but she can smooth the pillow and soothe the anguish of the child of affliction8 ,there is a tenderness in her nature1 a softness in her touch1 a lightness in her step1 a soothing expression in her face1 a tender beam in her eye1 which man can never have1 and which eminently fits her for the lead in home-sympathy4 ,the want of it is a libel upon her sex4 ,it is her prerogative1--the magic power she wields in the formation and reformation of character4 ,but her sympathy should find response in the bosom of her husband1 the father1 the brother2 for1 if true1 it must he mutual4 ,their joys and their sorrows must be common4 ,thus heart must answer to heart1 and face4 ,the cruelty of that man1 says ,j4,a4 ,james1 wants a name1 and ,i know of none sufficiently emphatic1 who denies his sympathy to a suffering woman1 whose only sin is a broken constitution1 and whose calamity is the result of her marriage4 ,without such mutual sympathy1 the members of the family would be cold and repulsive1 and society would be deprived of its most lovely attributes2 its members would lose the connecting link which brings them together1 and its entire fabric would fall to pieces and degenerate into barbaric individualism4 ,had earth no sympathy1 no tears would flow1 ,in heart-felt sorrow1 for another's woe2 ,the joyous spirit then would weary roam1 ,a stranger to the dear delights of home4 ,we shall now consider briefly the religious elements of home-sympathy4 ,these involve harmony of the spiritual affections1 and a transfer to all the members1 of the religious experience and enjoyment of each4 ,as natural sympathy arises out of and is measured by natural affection1 so spiritual sympathy is the product of faith and love4 ,hence the latter is purer1 more refined and efficient than the former4 ,if the members of the family are the children of ,god1 they will live together in the unity of the ,spirit as well as of natural affection4 ,the sympathy of the pious portion will be interposed in behalf of the salvation of the impenitent members4 ,there will be an identity of soul-interest4 ,the pious mother will make the everlasting interests of her husband and child1 her own2 and will labor with the same assiduity to promote them as she does to promote her own salvation4 ,she will thus enter into the spiritual emotions of her kindred1 and bear them vicariously1 making thus her religious sympathies the law of preservation to all the members of her household4 ,the living stream of this sympathy is given by ,christ in ,his address to the weeping daughters of ,jerusalem3 ,daughters of ,jerusalem1 weep not for me1 but weep for yourselves and for your children6 ,the following is also its living utterance3 ,my son1 if thy heart be wise1 my heart shall rejoice1 even mine4 ,we have also a beautiful exhibition of it in the touching history of ,ruth1 in the life of ,joseph1 and in the mother of ,samuel4 ,peter describes it when he says1 ,be all of one mind1 having compassion one of another2 love as brethren1 be pitiful1 be courteous4 ,esther expresses it in the exclamation1 ,how can ,i endure to see the destruction of my kindred6 ,paul gives utterance to it when he says1 ,i would be accursed for my brethren and kindred's sake4 ,jesus exemplifies it in ,his intercourse with the family of ,lazarus2 ,he shows its emotion and its active charities when ,he stands on the grave of that friend1 and weeps1 and calls him from the dead4 ,his sympathy for a lost world is the true pattern of home-sympathy4 ,it was disinterested1 superior to all selfishness1 self-denying1 active1 and prompting ,him to do and suffer all that ,he did4 ,it was not measured by the merits of the object after which it yearned4 ,he sympathized with all1 ,for each ,he had a brother's interest in ,his heart4 ,and its softening influence fell1 like morning dew1 upon the heart of adamant1 melting it into contrition and love4 ,in every pang that rends the heart1 ,the ,man of sorrows had a part2 ,he sympathizes in our grief1 ,and to the sufferer sends relief4 ,see ,him bend over the bed of ,jairus's daughter2 see ,him opening the eyes of the blind1 healing the paralytic1 comforting and feeding the poor widow1 and cheering the bereaved and troubled heart4 ,wherever ,he went ,he was a brother born for them in adversity4 ,see ,him on the cross1 when weltering in blood and struggling with the pangs of a cruel death1 ,he casts ,his languid eye upon ,his aged mother who is there weeping her pungent woes1 and makes provision for her comfort4 ,his sympathy now for all is the same4 ,none ever came unblest away2 ,then1 though all earthly ties be riven1 ,smile1 for thou hast a ,friend in heaven6 ,it is this sympathy which makes ,him a member of every ,christian home4 ,and when the sympathy of its members is the reproduction of ,his1 they will1 like ,mary1 sit in loving pupilage at ,his feet1 each becoming the agent of blessings for all the rest4 ,the wife will seek the salvation of her husband2 the mother will labor with unwearied diligence for the redemption of her child4 ,thus when home-sympathy is purified and developed by ,christian faith and love1 it opens up the most elevated of all home-feeling and solicitude1 and becomes the most effectual safeguard against impending ruin4 ,no family can be true to its privileges and mission without it4 ,it allures to the cross1 leads all the members in the path of the sympathizing one1 and prompts them to say1 ,entreat me not to leave thee1 or to return from following after thee2 for whither thou goest ,i will go1 and where thou lodgest1 ,i will lodge2 thy people shall be my people1 and thy ,god my ,god2 where thou diest ,i will die1 and there will ,i be buried2 the ,lord do so to me1 and more also1 if aught but death part thee and me4 ,what would the ,christian home be1 therefore1 without such sympathy8 ,powerless1 amoral desolation6 ,we read in ,god's ,word1 of men losing natural affection1 and of mothers forgetting their sucking children4 ,but these were worse than brutes4 ,what shall we then say of ,christian parents being devoid of spiritual sympathy1--shedding no tear of anguish over their moral ruin1 nor showing the least concern about their salvation8 ,such parents do not rejoice even over the return of their children to ,god4 ,they are a disgrace to the ,christian name1 and bring infamy upon the ,christian home4 ,some parents do not proceed quite so far4 ,they indulge in the feeling of sympathy for their children2 but alas6 that feeling is never expressed in efforts to save them4 ,it is all expended in vain and fruitless lamentations1 and is1 therefore1 at best but a morbid sentimentalism1--but a cloak behind which are lurking parental hard-heartedness and religious apathy2 proving plainly the great truth advanced by ,adams1 in his ,elements of ,christian ,science1 that an indulgence in the feelings of sympathy without carrying them out to the relief of actual distress1 produces hardness of heart to such a degree that the most pitiless and cruel1 the most licentious and unnatural1 and ungrateful conduct shall be joined with the most overflowing and deeply thrilling sentiment4 ,let those parents who are ever lamenting the wickedness of their children1 but do nothing to make them better1 ponder well this sentiment1 and see it in the grin1 of their own hypocrisy1 and the desolation of their injured home and children4 ,let the other members1 as well as the parents1 take the timely warning4 ,let the pious wife here see the character of her sympathy for her impenitent husband4 ,and let each see that their pious sympathy always issue forth in actions4 ,let that sympathy give not only eloquence to the tongue1 tears to your eye1 and sighs to your heart1 but also faithfulness to your life and holy calling4 ,as the cry of hunger from your children1 and their shivering cold in winter1 prompt you to provide for their natural wants1 so let their moral wants impel you to fidelity to their souls4 ,all will be vain without this4 ,the stern demands of a father's authority1 and the formal teachings of a mother's lip1 will fall like the frost of a winter's morning1 upon their tender hearts1--only to sear and to harden and to freeze up the heart against ,god4 ,for ,he will not let love's work impart ,full solace1 lest it steal the heart4 ,but when pure and holy sympathy goes out1 in its softening influence after the young2-- ,then1 feeling is diffused in every part1 ,thrills in each nerve1 and lives in all the heart4 ,such sympathy has a saving influence upon both the parent and the child4 ,it softens and refines the former1 while it forms and allures the latter4 ,the child fondly leans upon the parents1 looks up to them for support and enjoyment1 and is led by them in whatever path they choose4 ,by its influence the feeling of natural and spiritual helplessness becomes developed in the child2 the sense of dependence on a superior is awakened2 and with these1 all those feelings of confidence and veneration1 which lay the foundation of religious affections1 are unfolded4 ,the parent's influence1 both as to kind and degree1 depends1 therefore1 upon the character of home-sympathy4 ,if it is but natural1 the parental influence will not extend beyond the worldly gain and temporal welfare of the child4 ,the parent will exert no power over the soul4 ,but if it be spiritual1 and extend beyond the mere instincts of natural affection1 it will expand the mind1 and develop all the melting charities of our nature4 ,it will pass with a new transferring and transforming power1 from husband to wife1 from parent to child1 from kindred to kindred4 ,wherever it finds its way2 whatever fiber of the heart it may touch1 it begets a new and holy affection1 unites the energies1 lightens the toils1 soothes the sorrows1 and exalts the hopes1 of all the members4 ,it reflects a softening luster from eye to eye1 goes with electric flash from heart to heart1 glows in its warmth throughout all its moral courses1 accumulates the home-endearments1 stimulates each member to religious exertions for all the rest1 and lays the foundation in each heart for an unbroken home-communion of their sainted spirits in heaven6 ,it cements them together in their tent-home1 creating a sweet concord of hearts and hopes and joys2 and then elevates them unitedly in fond anticipation of reunion in their eternal home4 ,they blend their tears together over the grave of buried love1 and enjoy the saintly sympathy of loved ones gone before them4 ,this is its most lovely feature4 ,tell me1 is there not a bond of sympathy between ,jesus and ,his people here1--between loved ones in heaven and their pious kindred on earth8 ,do not the tears of the ,christian home reflect the tears of ,jesus8 ,these are to the heart like the dews of ,hermon1--like the dews that descended upon the mountains of ,zion4 ,no radiant pearl which crested fortune wears1 ,no gem that1 sparkling1 hangs from beauty's ears1 ,not the bright stars which night's blue arch adorn1 ,nor rising sun that gilds the vernal morn1 ,shine with such luster as the tear that breaks ,for others' woe1 down virtue's lovely cheeks4 ,is such1 ,christian brother1 the sympathy of your home8 ,it will be a safeguard against the follies and the false interests of life4 ,it will restrict the fashionable taste and sentiments of the age4 ,it will teach wisdom to the pious mother1 and be a sure defense against the dangers and indiscretions of the nursery and fashionable boarding school4 ,under its influence1 mothers will not trust the souls of their children to the guardianship of irreligious nurses1 nor expose them to the perils of a corrupted and heartless fashion4 ,they will deny themselves the ruinous pleasures of a gay and reckless association with the world2 and with maternal solicitude1 attend upon the opening of those buds of life which ,god has committed to them4 ,the pious mother will wield her power over her children1 by the force of this sympathy2 for her's is the deepest1 purest1 and most saving of all home-sympathy3 ,earth may chill ,and sever other sympathies1 and prove ,how weak all human bonds are--it may kill ,friendship1 and crush hearts with them--but the thrill ,of the maternal breast must ever move ,in blest communion with her child1 and fill ,even heaven itself with prayers and hymns of love6 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,family ,,prayer4 ,hush6 'tis a holy hour1--the quiet room ,seems like a temple1 while yon soft lamp sheds ,a faint and starry radiance through the room ,and the sweet stillness1 down on yon bright heads ,with all their clustering locks1 untouched by care1 ,and bowed1 as flowers are bowed with night1--in prayer4 ,gaze on1 'tis lovely--childhood's lip and cheek ,mantling beneath its earnest brow of thought6 ,home-sympathy will prompt to family devotion4 ,the latter is the fruit of the former4 ,a prayerless home is destitute of religious sympathy4 ,the family demands prayer4 ,its relation to ,god1 its dependence and specific duties1 involve devotion4 ,communion with ,god constitutes a part of the intercourse and society of home4 ,the necessity of family prayer arises out of the home-constitution and mission4 ,family mercies and blessings2 family dangers and weaknesses2 family hopes and temptations1--all bespeak the importance of family worship4 ,if you occupy the responsible station of a parent2 if ,god has made you the head of a religious household1 and you profess to stand and live on the ,lord's side1 then1 tell me1 have you not by implication vowed to maintain regular family worship8 ,besides1 the benefits and privilege of prayer develop the obligation of the family to engage in it4 ,is not every privilege a duty8 ,and if it is a duty for individuals and congregations to pray1 is it not1 for a similar reason1 the duty of the family to establish her altar of devotion8 ,as a family we daily need and receive mercies1 daily sin1 are tempted and in danger every day2 why not then as a family daily pray8 ,but what is family prayer8 ,it is not simply individual prayer1 not the altar of the closet2 but the home-altar1 around which all the members gather morning and evening1 as a family-unit1 with one heart1 one faith and one hope1 to commune with ,god and supplicate his mercy4 ,in the devotion of this little assembly1 says ,dr4 ,dwight1 parents pray for their children1 and children for their parents2 the husband for the wife1 and the wife for the husband2 while brothers and sisters send up their requests to the throne of ,infinite ,mercy1 to call down blessings on each other4 ,who that wears the name of a man can be indifferent here8 ,must not the venerable character of the parent1 the peculiar tenderness of the conjugal union1 the affectionate intimacy of the filial and fraternal relations2 must not the nearest of relations long existing1 the interchange of kindness long continued1 and the oneness of interests long cemented1--all warm the heart1 heighten the importance of every petition1 and increase the fervor of every devotional effort8 ,what scene can be more lovely on earth1 more like the heavenly home1 and more pleasing to ,god1 than that of a pious family kneeling with one accord around the home-altar1 and uniting their supplications to their ,father in heaven6 ,how sublime the act of those parents who thus pray for the blessing of ,god upon their household6 ,how lovely the scene of a pious mother gathering her little ones around her at the bedside1 and teaching them the privilege of prayer6 ,and what a safeguard is this home-devotion1 against all the machinations of ,satan6 ,our hearths are altars all2 ,the prayers of hungry souls and poor1 ,like armed angels at the door1 ,our unseen foes appal6 ,it is this which makes home a type of heaven1 the dwelling place of ,god4 ,the family altar is heaven's threshold4 ,and happy are those children who at that altar1 have been consecrated by a father's blessing1 baptized by a mother's tears1 and borne up to heaven upon their joint petitions1 as a voluntary thank-offering to ,god4 ,the home that has honored ,god with an altar of devotion may well be called blessed4 ,child1 amidst the flowers at play1 ,while the red light fades away2 ,mother1 with thine earnest eye ,ever following silently2 ,father1 by the breeze of eve ,called thy warmest work to leave2 ,pray6--ere yet the dark hours be1 ,lift the heart and bend the knee4 ,the duty thus to establish family prayer is imperative4 ,it is a duty because ,god commands it1 and the mission of home cannot be fulfilled without it4 ,it is a duty because a privilege and a blessing1 and the condition of parental efficiency in all other duties2--because the moral and spiritual growth of the child depends upon it4 ,it is one of the most effectual means of grace4 ,all the instructions1 all the discipline and example1 of the parent will be in vain without it4 ,hence both natural affection and ,christian faith should suggest its establishment4 ,parents are bound to do so by their covenant vows1 by the obligations of baptism1 by all the interests and hopes of their household4 ,they have dedicated their children to ,god1 and pledged themselves to educate them for ,him1 and to train them up in ,his ways4 ,tell me then1 can you be faithful to these vows and obligations without family prayer8 ,can you fulfil your covenant engagements1 hope to receive your reward1 and see your children grow up in the nurture of the ,lord's vineyard1 without rearing up a family altar8 ,the promised blessings of family prayer show that every faithful ,christian home must have its family altar4 ,these are unspeakable4 ,it is a sure defence against sin2 it sanctifies the members1 and throws a hallowed atmosphere around our household4 ,the child will come under its restraining and saving influence4 ,a mother's prayer will haunt the child1 and draw it as if by magic power towards herself in heaven3 ,he might forget her melting prayer1 ,while pleasure's pulses madly fly1 ,but in the still1 unbroken air1 ,her gentle tones come stealing by1-- ,and years of sin and manhood flee1 ,and leave him at his mother's knee6 ,it affords home security and happiness1 removes family friction1 and causes all the complicated wheels of the home-machinery to move on noiselessly and smoothly4 ,it promotes union and harmony1 expunges all selfishness1 allays petulant feelings and turbulent passions1 destroys peevishness of temper1 and makes home-intercourse holy and delightful4 ,it causes the members to reciprocate each other's affections1 hushes the voice of recrimination1 and exerts a softening and harmonizing influence over each heart4 ,the dew of ,hermon falls upon the home where prayer is wont to be made4 ,its members enjoy the good and the pleasantness of dwelling together in unity4 ,it gives tone and intensity to their affections and sympathies3 it throws a sunshine around their hopes and interests3 it increases their happiness1 and takes away the poignancy of their grief and sorrow4 ,it availeth much1 therefore1 both for time and eternity4 ,its voice has sent many a poor prodigal home to his father's house4 ,its answer has often been1 ,this man was born there6 ,the child1 kneeling beside the pious mother1 and pouring forth its infant prayer to ,god1 must attract the notice of the heavenly host1 and receive into its soul the power of a new life4 ,who would not be an infant now1 ,to breathe an infant's prayer8 ,o manhood6 could thy spirit kneel ,beside that sunny child1 ,as fondly pray1 and purely feel1 ,with soul as undefiled4 ,that moment would encircle thee1 ,with light and love divine2 ,thy gaze might dwell on ,deity1 ,and heaven itself be thine4 ,and yet the neglect of family prayer is a very general defect of the ,christian home4 ,no home-duty has indeed been more grossly neglected and abused4 ,some attend to it only occasionally2 some only in times of affliction and distress1 as if then only they needed to pray to ,god2 some only on the ,sabbath1 as if that were the only day to commune with ,him4 ,some perform it only in a formal way1 having the form without the spirit of prayer1 as if ,god did not require the fervent1 in order to the effectual1 prayer that availeth much4 ,as a general thing1 at the present day1 not more than three or four families out of a whole congregation1 have established the family altar4 ,the parents may engage in closet prayer1 but their children are strangers to the fact4 ,their devotions they seem zealous to conceal1 as if they were ashamed of their piety4 ,can this be right8 ,is this the will of ,god8 ,no6 methinks if the parent is faithful to the duty of private prayer1 he cannot omit the duty and privilege of family devotion4 ,but why neglect family prayer8 ,are you ashamed of your children8 ,have you no time8 ,then you are unworthy of a family1 and should not profess to act towards them as the steward of ,god4 ,think you that ,god will not answer and bless your prayers8 ,what more could you do and hope for your children than to offer up supplications for them to ,god8 ,what could a mother's prayer1 ,in all the wildest ecstacy of hope1 ,ask for her darling like the bliss of heaven8 ,many seek by the most frivolous excuses1 to justify their neglect of family prayer4 ,some will urge the press of other duties1 alleging that other engagements prevent it4 ,this is false4 ,god lays upon you no engagement that is designed to supersede the necessity of prayer4 ,besides1 you will find that you really waste more time than it would require for family devotion4 ,and further1 can you spend your time to better purpose than in family prayer8 ,i think not4 ,it is the best husbandry of time4 ,says ,philip ,henry to his children1 ,prayer and provender hinder no man's journey4 ,but another pleads incapacity4 ,he has not the gift of speech1 and cannot make an eloquent prayer4 ,this is no excuse4 ,prayer is the gift of the ,holy ,spirit2 and if you have the spirit of prayer1 you will find words for its utterance4 ,besides1 eloquence does not condition the efficacy of prayer4 ,where there is a willing mind1 it is accepted according to that a man hath1 and not according to that he hath not4 ,when we of helps or hopes are quite bereaven1 ,our humble prayers have entrance into heaven4 ,we have the capacity to ask for what we earnestly desire and feel the need of4 ,the anger of ,god will kindle against you for this excuse1 as it kindled against ,moses for a similar one4 ,when ,he called him to be his messenger to ,israel1 ,moses said1 as you do1 ,o my ,lord1 ,i am not eloquent1--,i am slow of speech1 and of a slow tongue4 ,and the ,lord said unto him1 who hath made man's mouth8 or1 who maketh the dumb1 or deaf1 or the seeing1 or the blind8 ,have not ,i the ,lord8 ,the anger of the ,lord was kindled against him4 ,let me1 therefore1 urge upon you1 ,christian parents1 to make prayer a prominent element of your home4 ,you should be a priest unto your family1--a leader in home-communion with ,god4 ,your children have a right to expect this from you4 ,if you are a church member1 how strange and startling must be the enunciation in heaven1 that you are a prayerless ,christian1 and your home destitute of the altar6 ,and do you think that1 continuing thus1 you will be admitted into that heavenly home where there is one unbroken voice of prayer and praise to ,god8 ,do you not tremble at the prospect of those tremendous denunciations which the ,lord has uttered against those who neglect and abuse the privilege of prayer8 ,pour out thy fury upon the families that have not called upon thy name4 ,oh then1 make your home a house of prayer2 lead your little flock in sweet communion with ,god4 ,establish in them the habit of devotion3 ,shape their consciences by prayer4 ,in this way you shall secure for yourself and them the blessing of ,god3 ,his smile shall ever rest upon your household3 ,salvation shall be the heritage of your children2 they will grow up in the divine life2 and will live amid the blessing's of prayer1 and be faithful to its requisitions3 ,hold the little hands in prayer1 teach the weak knees their kneeling2 ,let him see thee speaking to thy ,god2 he will not forget it afterwards2 ,when old and gray will he feelingly remember a mother's tender piety1 ,and the touching recollection of her prayers shall arrest the strong man in his sin6 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,home-,,education4 ,,section ,i4 ,,the ,,character ,,of ,,home ,,education4 ,scratch the green rind of a sapling1 or wantonly twist it in the soil1 ,the scarred and crooked oak will tell of thee for centuries to come2 ,wherefore1 though the voice of instruction waiteth for the ear of reason1 ,yet with his mother's milk the young child drinketh education4 ,we come now to consider one of the most important features of the ,christian home1 viz41 as a school for the education of character4 ,this is important because of its vital bearing upon the interests of home4 ,the parent is not only king and priest1 but prophet in the family4 ,it is the first school4 ,we there receive a training for good or for evil4 ,there is not a word1 nor an emotion1 nor an act1 nor even a look there1 which does not teach the child something4 ,character is ever being framed and moulded there4 ,every habit there formed1 and every action there performed1 imply a principle which shall enter as an element into the future character of the child4 ,what is home-education8 ,it is the physical1 mental1 moral1 and religious development of the child4 ,to educate means to draw out as well as to instil in4 ,it means the evolution of our nature as well as the communication of facts and principles to us4 ,the home training does not1 therefore1 consist of simple information1 but is a nurture of body1 mind and spirit4 ,from this we may infer the frequent mistakes of parents1 in substituting mere book-learning for a training up and nurture1 dealing with their children as if they had no faculties1 and making the entire education of their children mechanical and empirical4 ,home training involves the development of all their faculties as a unit and in their living relation1 causing the body to move right1 the mind to think right1 the heart to feel right1 and the soul to love right2 changing your children from creatures of mere impulse1 prejudice and passion1 to thinking1 loving and reasoning beings4 ,to educate them is to bring out their hidden powers1 to form their character1 and prepare them for their station in life4 ,thus home-education means a drawing out and also a bringing up1--a training for man1 and a bringing up for ,god2 a training and nurture for the family1 the state1 and the church1--for time and for eternity4 ,these must be done together2 they involve but one process1 and are conditioned by each other4 ,we cannot separate a secular from a religious education1 neither can we separate a training from a bringing up4 ,while those faculties of the child which exist in a state of mere involution1 are being developed1 its nature must be supplied with appropriate food2 and every element of its education must possess the plastic power of evolving and giving specific form to its future character and destiny4 ,thus the parent1 in teaching1 must have a forming influence over the child2 and his instructions must correspond in character1 kind and extent1 with the nature1 wants1 and destiny of the child4 ,what are now the different kinds or parts of home-education8 ,it must be physical4 ,the child has a physical nature1 physical wants1 and is related to the material world2 and should1 therefore1 receive a physical education4 ,the object of this is to ensure that sound1 vigorous frame of body which is not only a great blessing in itself1 but an essential concomitant of a sound state and vigorous development of mind4 ,it refers to the proper management of the health of the child1 its diet1 habits of exercise and recreation4 ,parents should teach their children the nature of the body1 its dangers1 and bearing upon their future happiness4 ,they should teach them to govern their appetite1 and train them up to habits of exercise and early rising4 ,this part of home-education begins in the nursery1--in the cradle1 and is not complete till the body is brought to maturity in all its functions4 ,neglect of it will result in physical imbecility1 and often in mental derangement4 ,the object secured by it is1 the preservation of the health and constitution of the child4 ,in this we see its importance4 ,what is your wealth1 your station1 your influence1 if through your neglect of your children1 they are deprived of health1 and grow up with the seeds of immature death springing up in their system8 ,in the physical training of children due regard should be had to cleanliness1 exercise1 diet and dress4 ,without this all will be vain4 ,many parents keep them within doors1 never let them enjoy the pure air1 nor exercise the muscular system1 keep their bodies cooped in clothing too small1 and feasted upon a diet unwholesome2 and as a consequence1 they show a sickly growth1 and become unfit either for the burdens or for the enjoyments of life4 ,the importance of exercise in the open air1 and abstemiousness in diet1 is proven from the health of those nations that train their children in all the exercise of riding1 leaping1 running and fencing1 and subject them from infancy to the most frugal diet4 ,thus the perfect forms and vigorous health of the ,greeks1 the ,romans and ,persians were the fruit of national attention paid to physical education4 ,every home should have its suitable gymnasium4 ,how many parents1 by their violation of the laws of health1 prostitute the strength of their children to profligacy and indolence4 ,home-education must be intellectual4 ,much of human character and happiness depends upon the education of the mind1 both as respects the development of its faculties and the application of legitimate truth4 ,the mind is the man4 ,it is not1 as ,locke declares1 like a blank sheet of paper or a chest of drawers2 but has an intuitional as well as a logical consciousness1 innate ideas as well as capacities of receiving truth2 while all its faculties involve a unity1 and exist in the child in a state of involution2 the abuse and neglect of one of which will have their bearing upon all the rest2 and the mind without proper culture in its undeveloped state in the child1 will show the symptoms of its abuse in the man4 ,the character of the mind in the man will indicate the character of its education in the child4 ,this education should begin properly with the first symptoms of consciousness4 ,all the powers of the intellect should be unfolded4 ,parents should be the ,principals in the mental training of their children4 ,the manner and means of such training will be considered in another place4 ,our purpose here is simply to state this as a part of home-training4 ,from the important part which the mind acts in the great drama of human life and destiny1 we think that no intelligent parent would presume to repudiate its education4 ,home-education must be moral4 ,the family should develop the moral nature of the child4 ,the will should be educated2 the sense of right and wrong trained2 the emotions cultivated2 the passions and desires ruled2 the conscience and faith developed4 ,the necessity of this is seen in the fact that our nature is fallen and perverted4 ,the means of educating the moral nature of the child1 are natural and revealed4 ,both are of divine appointment4 ,the former are those which lie within the circumference of our abilities1 and will be of no avail without the latter1 which are found in the scriptures and church4 ,what are some of these means8 #a4 ,parents should place their children in circumstances calculated to form a good moral character4 ,they should surround them with a moral atmosphere1 that they may1 with their first breath1 inhale a pure moral being1 and escape the contamination of evil4 ,this has been called the education of circumstances4 ,much of character depends upon position and the circumstances in which we are placed4 ,this is seen in the difference between those children who have enjoyed the true christian home1 and those who have not4 ,hence the first thing parents should consider in the moral training of their children is1 the home in which they are to be trained4 ,this home should afford them circumstances the most favorable to their moral culture4 #b4 ,they should remove all temptation4 ,evil propensities are called forth by temptation2 and a child loses the power to resist in proportion to the frequency of the temptation4 ,hence the exposure of our children to temptation but educates and strengthens their propensities to evil4 ,on the other hand1 if we remove temptation1 these propensities will not be called into activity1 and will lose their tenacity4 ,never allow your children to tamper with sin in any form2 teach them how to resist temptation2 inspire them with an abhorrence and a dread of all evil4 ,in this way you prepare them for the reception and reproduction of moral truth4 #c4 ,another means of moral education is example4 ,this has been styled the education of example4 ,this has more power than precept4 ,the efficiency of this means is based upon the natural disposition of the child to imitate4 ,children take their parents as the standard of all that is good1 and will1 therefore1 follow them in evil as well as in good4 ,hence the parent's example should be a correct model of sound morality4 ,the child will be the moral counterpart of the parent4 ,you can see the parent's home in the child4 ,he is the moral daguerreotype of his parent4 ,this but shows the importance of good example in his moral training4 #d4 ,but one of the most effectual means is1 by moral training1 by which we mean1 to draw out and properly direct the moral faculties1 and to habituate them to the exercise of moral principle4 ,without this1 all mechanical education will be fruitless4 ,to call forth muscular power you must exercise the muscles4 ,so you give the child moral stamina by developing its moral faculties1 and establishing in them the habit of moral action4 ,this training has its foundation in the law of habit4 ,it is given1 with its results1 in the ,word of ,god4 ,train up a child1 c4 ,also in the old maxim1 ,just as the twig is bent1 the tree is inclined4 ,scratch the green rind of a sapling1 or wantonly twist it in the soil1 ,the scarred and crooked oak will tell of thee for centuries to come6 ,the power and pleasure of doing a thing depends much upon habit4 ,our nature may become habituated to good or evil2 we become passive in proportion to the habit4 ,how important1 then1 that the moral powers of our children be trained up to principles and action until habits of good thought1 feeling1 and conduct1 are established4 ,then they will not depart from them2 and their moral life will be spontaneous and a source of enjoyment4 ,the feelings1 appetites and instincts of children should be thus specially trained4 ,according to ,dr4 ,gall1 there are two classes of feelings1--the selfish1 yet necessary for the preservation of the individual2 and the unselfish1 or those which are directed to objects apart from self1 yet liable to abuse and misdirection4 ,both of these demand a home-training4 ,the parent should give to each its true direction1 restrain and harmonize them in their relations and respective spheres of activity1 and bring them under law1 and place before each its legitimate object and end4 ,then1 and then only1 do they become laws of self-preservation4 ,the natural appetites are subject to abuse1 and when unrestrained1 defeat the very ends of their existence4 ,thus the appetite for food may be over-indulged through mistaken parental kindness1 until habits of sensualism are established1 and the child becomes a glutton1 and finds the grave of infamy4 ,how many children have been thus destroyed in soul and body by parental indulgence and neglect of their natural feelings and appetites4 ,the feeling of cruelty1 revenge1 malice1 falsehood1 tale-bearing1 dishonesty1 vanity1 c41 have1 in the same way and by the same indulgence1 been engendered in the children of ,christian parents4 ,the same1 too1 may be said of the unselfish feelings4 ,these have been called the moral sentiments2 and upon their proper training depends the formation of a positive moral character4 ,the conscience comes under this head4 ,the parent should train that important faculty of the child4 ,it should be taught to act from the standpoint of conscience1 and to form the habit of conscientiousness in word and deed4 ,this includes the training of the motives also1 and of all the cardinal moral virtues1 such as justice1 honor1 chastity1 veneration1 kindness1 c4 ,teach your children1 says ,goodrich in his ,fireside ,education1 never to wound a person's feelings because he is poor1 because he is deformed1 because he is unfortunate1 because he holds an humble station in life1 because he is poorly clad1 because he is weak in body and mind1 because he is awkward1 or because the ,god of nature has bestowed upon him a darker skin than theirs4 ,this early education should commence as soon as the necessities of the child demand it4 ,a child should be taught what is necessary for it to know and practice as soon as that necessity exists and the child is capable of learning4 ,scripture sanctions this4 ,our fathers did so4 ,it was the injunction of ,moses to the children of ,israel3 ,deut4 vi41 #f-i4 ,god commands you to break up the fallow ground and sow the good seed at the first dawn of the spring-life of your children1 and then to pray for the early and the latter rain1 ,teaching1 with pious care1 the dawning light ,of infant intellect to know the ,lord4 ,home-education should be religious4 ,as the child has a religious nature1 religious wants1 and a religious end to accomplish1 it should receive from its parents a religious training4 ,religion is educational4 ,we are commanded to teach religion to our children4 ,the admonition to train up a child in the way he should go1 and to bring him up in the nurture and admonition of the ,lord1 is a scripture sanction of religious education4 ,nature and the bible are the text-books for such a training4 ,the child should be taught natural and revealed religion4 ,such education involves the development of the child's religious nature1 and the diligent use of those means by which it may become an adopted child of ,god4 ,education should be suited to the wants and the destination of the child4 ,religion is its first want1--the one thing needful1 the chief concern2 and should1 therefore1 be the first object of attention in home-training4 ,the fear and love of ,god should be the first lesson taught4 ,this is the beginning of wisdom4 ,teach your children to love ,him above father and mother1 sister and brother4 ,the child is capable of such ideas of ,god4 ,children can possess the sentiment of ,god2 and when this is instilled and developed as a rudiment of their character1 they have a preparation for the grace of ,god4 ,what is the mere secular1 without such a religious education8 ,it is education without its essence2 for piety is the essence of all education4 ,irreligious training is destructive1--a curse rather than a blessing1--only a training up to crime and to ruin4 ,the mildew of a cultivated1 but depraved mind1 blights whatever it falls upon4 ,religion1 says ,dr4 ,barrow1 is the only science1 which is equally and indispensably necessary to men of every rank1 every age1 and every profession4 ,the end of learning1 says ,milton1 is to repair the ruins of our first parents1 by requiring to know ,god aright1 and out of that knowledge1 to love ,him1 and to imitate ,him4 ,we see1 therefore1 that religious training is the only true palladium of your children's happiness and destiny2 and should be the great end of all home-teaching4 ,tinge all their thoughts and feelings with a sense of eternity4 ,train them up to build for another world4 ,stamp the impress of a future life upon their tender hearts4 ,beget in them longings after immortality4 ,see that their designs extend beyond this world4 ,as the ,spartan mother gave character to her nation by the instructions she gave her child1 so you give character to your religion1 your church1 your home1 by the spiritual culture of your offspring4 ,let the jewels you give them be the virtues and the gifts of the ,holy ,ghost1--the ornaments of a meek and quiet spirit4 ,take the germ1 and make it ,a bud of moral beauty4 ,let the dews ,of knowledge and the light of virtue1 wake it ,in richest fragrance and in purest hues4 ,childhood is the period in which the principles of ,christianity can be the most effectually engrafted in our nature4 ,its pliability at that period insures its free assimilation to the spirit and truth of religion4 ,would to ,god1 says ,st4 ,pierre1 ,i had preserved the sentiment of the existence of the ,supreme ,being1 and of ,his principal attributes1 as pure as ,i had it in my earliest years6 ,it is the heart more than the head that religion demands2 and you can fill the young heart with sentiments of ,god better than if you wait till it grows hard as adamant in sin4 ,you can elevate the soul of your child to ,god1 and teach it to raise its little hands and voice in prayer to the ,most ,high4 ,you can teach it this from the book of nature and of revelation1--from the daisies that spring up among the grass upon which it frolics1 by the mellow fruits after which it longs1 by the stars that shine in unclouded luster above it1 and by the breezes which ruffle its silken curls1 and bring perfume to its smiling face4 ,to the mother especially1 is committed the religious education of the child at home4 ,she is eminently adapted1 if herself a ,christian1 for such a work4 ,her love1 her piety1 which breathes in every word1 in every look1 makes her instructions effectual and pleasing4 ',tis pleasing to be schooled by female lips and eyes1 ,they smile so when one's right1 and when one's wrong1 ,they smile still more2 and then there ,comes encouragement in the soft hand ,over the brow1 perhaps even a chaste kiss-- ,i learned the little that ,i know by this4 ,they can better reach and train the heart4 ,religion is heart-wisdom4 ,my son1 give me thy heart6 ,we may use the head as an avenue to the heart1 yet nothing is done in the religion of our children until the heart be carried4 ,it is only in that inner shrine that there can be deposited the wisdom that is from above1 and only then will they be made wise unto salvation4 ,and who is better able to storm and carry that inner citadel1 and lead its subdued inmates to the ,cross1 than the pious1 tender-hearted1 soliciting mother6 ,some parents object to the religious training of their children1 because1 say they1 there is danger of having their minds biased by some particular creed2 they should be left1 therefore1 to themselves till they are capable of making a choice1 and then let them choose their creed4 ,this is all a miserable subterfuge1 and in direct opposition to the explicit command of ,god and the whole tenor of the gospel plan of salvation4 ,it goes upon the assumption that religion is but an opinion--a subscription to a certain creed1 learning certain doctrines--a mere thing for the head4 ,tell me1 is it worse to bias their minds to a particular creed1 than to let them grow up biased to the world1 to the ,devil and all his works8 ,is it all of home1 religious culture to bias them to a particular creed8 ,besides1 is it not the right1 yea1 the duty of parents to bias their children in favor of the religious creed of the parental home8 ,it shows1 therefore1 that those parents who1 for this reason1 object to religious training1 have but little love for1 and confidence in1 their own creed1 or they would not shrink from biasing their children to it4 ,to encourage ,christian parents to give their children a good religious education1 ,god has given them numerous examples1 from both sacred and profane history1 of conversion and eminent piety in the age of childhood1 as the direct fruit of early parental instruction4 ,look1 for instance1 at the child ,samuel worshiping the ,lord4 ,look1 too1 at the case of ,moses and of ,david1 of ,joseph and of ,john the ,baptist4 ,dr4 ,doddridge1 we are told1 was brought up in the early knowledge of religion by his pious parents4 ,his mother taught him the history of the ,old and ,new ,testaments before he could read1 by the assistance of some ,dutch tiles in the chimney of the room where they commonly sat2 and her wise and pious reflections on the stories there represented were the means of making some good impressions on his heart1 which never wore out4 ,an eminently pious minister thus writes to his parents1 confirming by his own blessed experience the early fruits of religious training3 ,i verily believe that had my religious training been confined to the gleanings of the ,sabbath school1 instead of the steady enforcement of the ,mosaic arrangement at home by my parents1 ,i might now be pursuing a far different course1 and living for a far different end4 ,many1 very many times1 as early in childhood as ,i can recollect1 has the ,spirit of ,god convicted me of sin1 as my father at home has taught me out of the scriptures1 and ,i cannot easily forget that the same high-priest of the home-church once tore from me the hypocrite's hope4 ,and that dear place had another to carry on the work2 gentler but not weaker2 and memory recalls a mother pressing her face close to mine as she often knelt with me before the mercy-seat4 ,i will not cast reproach on any institution which has been productive of good to myself and to others1 but with profound gratitude will say1 home was the place of my spiritual nativity1 and my parents were ,god's instruments in leading me to ,christ6 ,the eminent piety of ,dr4 ,dwight stands on record as the fruit of a mother's faithful religious training2 for she taught him from the very dawn of reason to fear ,god and keep ,his commandments1 and the impressions then made upon his mind in infancy1 were never effaced4 ,the mother of young ,edwards is another example of early piety as the fruit of religious home-culture4 ,the aged ,polycarp1 when under arrest during the persecution under ,marcus ,aurelius1 in reply to the injunction of the pro-consul1 ,swear1 curse ,christ1 and ,i release thee6 exclaimed1 ,six and eighty years have ,i served ,him1 and ,he has done me nothing but good2 and how could ,i curse ,him1 my ,lord and ,saviour8 ,thus showing himself to have been a ,christian at the early age of four years6 ,it was through the instructions of his grandmother ,lois1 and his mother ,eunice1 that young ,timothy knew from a child the holy scriptures1 which made him wise unto salvation4 ,and what an effectual antidote are such instructions against vice and temptation6 ,how many have by them been arrested from the devouring jaws of infidelity and ruin6 ,thus it was with ,john ,randolph1 who said that in the days of the ,french revolution1 when infidel reason took the place of ,god and the bible1 and infidelity prowled unmolested throughout ,france1 he would have become an infidel himself1 had it not been for the remembrance of his childhood days1 when his pious mother taught him to kneel by her side1 and to say1 ,our ,father1 who art in heaven6 ,thus1 too1 with the pious and learned ,j4,q4 ,adams1 who daily repeated the little prayers his mother taught him when a child4 ,thus1 then1 we see that parents are encouraged by the most brilliant examples of history1 to teach their children religion at the home-fireside1 when thou liest down and risest up4 ,oh1 let the gentle courtesies and sweet endearments of home engrave the ,word and ,spirit of ,god upon their tender hearts4 ,wait not until they are matured in rebellion1 and sin lay beds of flinty rock over their hearts2 but let them breathe from infancy the atmosphere of holiness1 and drink from the living fountains of divine truth4 ,see that your homes become their birth-place in the spiritual kingdom of ,christ4 ,such religious training will be the guardian of their future life1 and will fortify them against impending evil4 ,what made ,daniel steadfast amidst all the efforts to heathenize him during his captivity in ,babylon8 ,his early religious culture4 ,it was the means of his preservation4 ,the truth had been deeply engraven upon his heart when young1 and nothing could ever efface it4 ,his early home-impressions glowed there with pristine freshness and power amid all the terrors which surrounded him in the den and before the throne of his implacable foe4 ,these home instructions may be silenced for a time1 but never destroyed4 ,they may be overshadowed1 but not annihilated4 ,says ,dr4 ,cumming1 ,the words spoken by parents to their children in the privacy of home are like words spoken in a whispering-gallery1 and will be clearly heard at the distance of years1 and along the corridors of ages that are yet to come4 ,they will prove like the lone star to the mariner upon a dark and stormy sea1 associated with a mother's love1 with a father's example1 with the roof-tree beneath which they lived and loved1 and will prove in after life to mould the man and enable him to adorn and improve the age in which he is placed4 ,be faithful1 therefore1 in the spiritual culture of your children4 ,give them line upon line and precept upon precept1 here a little and there a little4 ,lead them on by degrees to ,christ until each indelible impression becomes an established habit4 ,in the morning of their life sow the seed2 and ,god will give the increase2 and then in the day of judgment your children will rise up and call you blessed6 ,,section ,,ii4 ,,neglect ,,and ,,abuse ,,of ,,home-,,education4 ,accomplishments have taken virtue's place1 ,and wisdom falls before exterior grace2 ,we slight the precious kernel of the stone1 ,and toil to polish its rough coat alone4 ,a just deportment1 manners graced with ease1 ,elegant phases1 and figure formed to please1 ,are qualities that seem to comprehend ,whatever parents1 guardians1 schools intend2 ,hence all that interferes1 and dares to clash ,with indolence and luxury1 is trash6 ,home-education in all its parts is most sadly neglected and abused at the present day4 ,many parents think that the office of teacher is not included in the parental character and mission4 ,the neglect of home-training seems to arise out of an existing-prejudice against it4 ,some think that education will unfit their children for industry1--will make them indolent and proud4 ,they regard mental culture as an enemy to both industry and virtue4 ,strange delusion6 ,the mind is given to use1 not to abuse2 and its abuse is no argument against its proper use4 ,god has given the mind1 and intends it to be developed and cultivated4 ,if1 therefore1 its training has made it indolent and dissipated1 it only proves its education to be spurious4 ,you might1 by a parity of reasoning1 blindfold the eye that it might not he covetous1 or tie up the hand lest it pick a man's pocket1 or hobble the feet lest they run into evil ways1 as to keep the mind in ignorance lest it become wicked4 ,besides1 we find more real indolence and wickedness among the ignorant than among the educated2 for man will be educated in something4 ,if you do not educate your child in the truths of nature and religion1 be assured he will become trained in falsehood and in the ways of ,satan4 ,uneducated mind is uneducated vice4 ,a proper education is a divine alchemy which turns all the baser parts of man's nature into gold4 ,without it all is discord and darkness within and without4 ,besides1 ignorance leads to misery because it leads to wickedness4 ,dr4 ,johnson was once asked1 ,who is the most miserable man8 ,he replied1 ,that man who cannot read on a rainy day6 ,it has well been said by ,edmund ,burke that ,education is the cheap defense of nations4 ,why8 ,because it prevents vice1 poverty1 misery1 and relieves the state of the support of paupers and criminals4 ,a good education1 says ,miss ,sedgwick1 is a young man's best capital4 ,says ,governor ,everett to parents1 ,sow the seed of instruction in your son's and daughter's minds4 ,it will flourish when that over-arching heaven shall pass away like a scroll1 and the eternal sun which lightens it1 shall set in blood4 ,says the ,rev4 ,robert ,hall1 ,i am persuaded that the extreme profligacy1 improvidence1 and misery1 which are so prevalent among the laboring classes in many countries1 are chiefly to be ascribed to the want of education4 ,what indeed can we look for but wretchedness and guilt from that child that has been left by its cruel parents to grow up darkening in the deeper ignorance of mankind1 with all its jealousies1 and its narrow-mindedness1 and its superstitions1 and its penury of enjoyments1 poor amid the intellectual and moral riches of the universe2 blind in this splendid temple which ,god has lighted up1 and famishing amid the profusions of ,omnipotence8 ,and1 parents1 let me ask you1 if you thus neglect the proper education of your children1 and as a consequence1 such pauperism of estate1 of mind1 and of morals1 come upon them1 will you not have to answer for all this to ,god8 ,oh1 woe for those who trample on the mind1 ,that fearful thing6 ,they know not what they do1 ,nor what they deal with6 ,your children1 thus neglected1 will become victims to inordinate passion1 without power to discern between reality and illusion1 ignorant of what is true happiness1 living for mere sense1 with their moral nature enclosed in the iron mail of superstition1 while the good seeds of truth sown upon their hearts wither away1 because they have no depth of earth4 ,parents cannot1 therefore1 neglect the education of their children without incurring disgrace and guilt before ,god and man4 ,they will meet a merited retribution both here and hereafter4 ,the justice of this is forcibly illustrated in a law of the ,icelanders1 which makes the court inquire1 when a child is accursed1 whether the parents have given the offender a good education8 ,and if not1 the court inflicts the punishment on the parents4 ,this but expresses the higher law of ,god which holds parents responsible for the training of their children4 ,listen to the threatening voice of ,god in history4 ,crates1 an ancient philosopher1 used to say that if he could reach the highest eminence in the city1 he would make this proclamation3 ,what mean ye1 fellow-citizens1 to be so anxious after wealth1 but so indifferent to your children's education8 ,it is like being solicitous about the shoe1 but neglecting entirely the foot that is to wear it6 ,we would reiterate that proclamation in this age of superior intelligence4 ,to the pious parent there is a pleasure in training the young and tender heart for ,god4 ,what a beautiful tribute did ,thompson yield to this pleasure in the following lines3 ,delightful task6 to rear the tender thought1 ,to teach the young idea how to shoot1 ,to pour the fresh instruction o'er the mind1 ,to breathe enlivening spirit1 and to fix ,the generous purpose in the glowing breast6 ,but home-education1 at the present day1 is as much abused as it is neglected4 ,the criminality of the former is perhaps greater than that of the latter4 ,this may have more reference to the female than to the male portion of the family4 ,the abuse here consists of the want of a training up to wisdom4 ,we see this in what is called the fashionable1 instead of the ,christian1 education1 received at some of our fashionable boarding schools4 ,here the child is sent with no home-training whatever1 to be trained up a fashionable doll1 fit to be played with and dandled upon the arms of a whining and heartless society1 with no preparation for companionship in life1 destitute of substantial character1 with undoctrinated feelings of aversion to religion1 fit only for a puppet show in some gay and thoughtless circle2 kneeling before fashion as her ,god1 and giving her hand in marriage only to a golden and a gilded calf4 ,according to this abuse of home-education1 a young maiden is kept in the nursery and the school room1 like a ship on the stocks1 while she is furbished with abundance of showy accomplishments1 and is launched like the ship1 looking taut and trim1 but empty of everything that can make her useful4 ,thus one great abuse of home-education is to substitute the boarding school for home-culture1--to send our children to such school at an age when they should he trained by and live under the direct influence of the parent4 ,this generally ends in initiated profligacy1 and alienation from home1 while at best but a dunce after his course of training is ended4 ,would you your son should be a sot and a dunce1 ,lascivious1 headstrong1 or all these at once8 ,train him in public with a mob of boys1 ,childish in mischief only and in noise4 ,too often is it the case that the artifices and refinements of our fashionable boarding-schools1 have a most withering influence upon body1 mind and soul1 enfeebling and distorting the body1 producing depraved stomachs1 whimsical nerves1 peevish tempers1 indolent minds1 and depraved morals4 ,they become but wrecks of what they were when they first entered the school4 ,this has been called the stiff and starched system of muslin education1 and is the nursery of pale1 sickly1 listless1 peevish children4 ,but this is not the only abuse of home-education4 ,even when the training is begun at home1 the very idea of education is often abused1 because inefficient1 destitute of true moral elements1 and partial both as to the mode and as to the substance of it4 ,the true resources of life are not developed2 there is no instruction given in the principles and conditions of temporal and eternal well-being2 there is no discipline of the mind1 or body or morals4 ,but the great idea and aim of education with many parents now1 is to teach the child to read and write and cipher as a means of making money and getting along in this world1--not1 of course1 to prevent them from cheating others1 but others from cheating them4 ,all is prostituted to money and business4 ,character and happiness are left out of view4 ,what have our schools now to do with the propensities1 appetites1 temperaments1 habits and character of the pupils8 ,and how are the parents who send their children to school to have them trained up with reference to these6 ,all that is now looked at1 is that learning which will fit the child for business4 ,as a consequence most of our schools are a disgrace to the very name of education4 ,more evil actually results from them than good4 ,the mind and heart are injured1--the one but half trained2 the other corrupted4 ,mental and moral training are divorced2 hence one-sided1 and the very end of education defeated4 ,the child has no incentive to a virtuous and a noble life1 and sinks down to the groveling drudgery of money-making4 ,it is educated for nature1 but not for ,god1--for this1 but not for the next life4 ,if we would not abuse home-education we must not separate the moral from the mental1--the secular from the religious2 for in doing so1 we expose the child to rationalism and infidelity on the one hand1 and to superstition and spiritualism on the other4 ,this course is generally taken by parents when they educate their children for mere worldly utility and fashion1 when they have not the welfare of the soul in view1 and look only to the advantage of the body4 ,the duty then of ,christian parents to give their children a true home-education may be seen from the consequences of its neglect and abuse on the one hand1 and from its value and importance on the other4 ,they should furnish them with all the necessary means1 opportunities1 and directions1 of a ,christian education4 ,give them proper books4 ,without books1 says the quaint ,bartholin1 ,god is silent1 justice dormant1 science at a stand1 philosophy lame1 letters dumb1 and all things involved in ,cimmerian darkness4 ,bring them up to the habit of properly reading and studying these books4 ,a reading people will soon become a thinking people1 and a thinking people must soon become a great people4 ,every book you furnish your child1 and which it reads with reflection is like a cast of the weaver's shuttle1 adding another thread to the indestructible web of existence4 ,it will be worth more to him than all your hoarded gold and silver4 ,make diligent use of those great auxiliaries to home-education1 which the church has instituted1 such as ,sabbath schools1 bible classes and catechisation4 ,home-education does not imply a system of parental training isolated from the educational ministrations of the church2 but is churchly in its spirit and in all its parts1 and should in all respects be connected with the church4 ,home training is a duty you owe to the church4 ,by virtue of your relation to her1 she has the authority to demand of you such a training of your child2 and by virtue of your relation to the child1 he has a right to such an education1 and can demand it from you4 ,it stands on the basis of parental duty imposed on you by ,god ,himself4 ,it is a prime necessity4 ,it is your children's birthright1 which they themselves cannot sell with impunity1 for the pottage of gold or silver or pleasure3 neither can you neglect or abuse it without guilt before ,god4 ,it is1 therefore1 a duty which you cannot shake off1 and which involves both for you and for your child1 the most momentous consequences4 ,christian parents6 be faithful to this duty4 ,magnify your office as a teacher2 be faithful to your household as a school4 ,diligently serve your children as the pupils that ,god has put under your care4 ,educate them for ,him4 ,teach them to walk by faith1 not by sight4 ,cultivate in them a sense of the unseen world1--the feeling of the actual influence of the ,spirit of ,god1 the guardianship of his holy angels1 and of the communion of saints4 ,teach them how to live and how to die2 and by the force of your own holy example allure them to the cross1 and lead them onward and upward in the living way of eternal life4 ,you are encouraged to do so by the assurance of ,god that when they grow old they will not depart from it4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,family ,,habits4 ,dost thou live1 man1 dost thou live1 or only breathe and labor8 ,art thou free1 or enslaved to a routine1 the daily machinery of habit8 ,for one man is quickened into life1 where thousands exist as in a torpor1 ,feeding1 toiling1 sleeping1 an insensate weary round2 ,the plough1 or the ledger1 or the trade1 with animal cares and indolence1 ,make the mass of vital years a heavy lump unleavened4 ,much of the character1 usefulness and happiness of home depend upon home habits4 ,no one is without habits1 good or bad4 ,they have much to do with our welfare here and hereafter4 ,hence the importance of establishing proper habits4 ,habit is a state of any thing1 implying some continuance or permanence4 ,it may be formed by nature or induced by extraneous circumstances4 ,it is a settled disposition of the mind or body1 involving an aptitude for the performance of certain actions1 acquired by custom or frequent repetition4 ,there are habits of the body1 of the mind1 of action2 physical1 mental1 moral and religious habits4 ,all these are included in the term home-habits4 ,habit has been considered an ultimate fact1 that is1 one of those qualities of life which are found to exist1 and beyond which no investigation can be made4 ,habit may be referred to the law of action which pervades all vital being4 ,nature demands the repetition of vital action1 and habit arises from this demand and from the manner in which it is supplied4 ,it is the fruit of the operation of the law of repetition of action in all life4 ,hence it is1 that habit becomes a part of our very existence1 and that the well-being and happiness of our existence depend so much upon it4 ,the facility of action depends upon habit4 ,in proportion as the actions of life become a habit1 they will be easily performed1 and performed with pleasure4 ,the capacity to establish habits is the consequence of the power given us to promote our own welfare4 ,this capacity is designed to bind us to that course of action which will accomplish the purposes of our existence4 ,if rightly used1 it is the guardian of our happiness2 but if misused it will be our certain ruin4 ,it will delight and fascinate until it subjugate our will1 and lead us on1 as in the case of the drunkard and the gambler1 to infamy and to hell4 ,home-habits are easily formed and established4 ,some kind1 either good or bad1 are being established every day4 ,they are often secretly and unconsciously formed4 ,all the principles and rules of conduct there introduced become at once the nuclei of future habits4 ,those increase in power and supremacy as they are formed4 ,we see this in the use of tobacco and intoxicating drink4 ,these are1 at first1 disagreeable1 and the victim has the power of repelling and overcoming them2 but soon the habit is formed1 when their use becomes pleasant1 and he is made a willing slave to them4 ,the same may he said of the habits of industry1 of study1 of frugality1 yea1 of all the moral and religious acts of the ,christian4 ,it is easy to form such habits in children4 ,evil habits are more easily established1 because we are naturally inclined to all evil2 and when once formed1 no parental interposition can break them up4 ,hence the importance of an early training up to good4 ,if parents but leave their children to their own ways1 they will run into evil habits2 for sin is an epidemic4 ,profanity and falsehood and all other outrages against ,god will soon become the controlling habits of their lives4 ,but when taken early1 parents have complete power over their offspring4 ,it is1 therefore1 a gross abuse of the ,christian home when parents become indifferent to the formation of habits4 ,it is their duty to crush every evil habit in its incipient state4 ,the forming of a good habit may not at first be congenial with our feelings4 ,it may be irksome4 ,but if we persevere in it1 that which at first was painful and difficult will soon be a source of enjoyment4 ,thus the habit of family prayer may at first be repulsive even to the ,christian parent2 a feeling of delicacy and the sense of unworthiness may1 at the family altar1 repress the feelings of enjoyment experienced in the closet2 but soon the habit of this devotion will be formed1 when it will be enjoyed as an essential part of home4 ,to abandon it would be like breaking up the tenderest ties which bind the members together4 ,the same may be said of the omission of a duty4 ,how easily can the ,christian form the habit of omitting family prayer or any other duty6 ,every such omission but forms and increases the habit1 until it gains an ascendancy over our sense of duty1 and at last exhibits its sovereign power in our total abandonment of the duty4 ,each omission has the power of reproducing itself in other and more frequent omissions4 ,in this way ,christian homes insensibly become unfaithful to their high vocation1 and degenerate finally into complete apathy and estrangement from ,god4 ,that indulgence which the misguided sympathy of too many parents prompts to1 and which does away with all parental restraint1 is the cause of children coming under the curse of evil habits4 ,in this way parents often contribute to the temporal and eternal ruin of their offspring4 ,this indulgence is no evidence of tender love1 but of parental infatuation4 ,it shows a blind and unholy love1--a love which owns no law1 which is governed by no sense of duty1 and which excludes all discipline2 and hence unlike the love of ,god1 who chastiseth every one whom ,he loveth and receiveth4 ,the force and influence of home-habits will teach us the importance of establishing such only as receive the sanction of ,god4 ,habits1 as we have seen1 are much more easily formed than broken4 ,when once established they enslave us to them1 and subject our character to their iron despotism4 ,they become the channel through which our life flows4 ,the stream of our existence first forms the channel1 and then the channel rules1 guides and controls the current of the stream4 ,the deeper the channel is wrought1 the greater is its moulding and controlling influence over the stream4 ,thus our habits become our masters1 and are the irrevocable rulers of our life4 ,this is true of good1 as well as of bad habits4 ,we come into voluntary subjection to them1 until we shrink from the first proposal to depart from them4 ,habit1 says the ,rev4 ,c4,c4 ,colton1 will reconcile us to everything but change1 and even to change1 if it recur not too quickly4 ,milton1 therefore1 makes his hell an ice-house1 as well as an oven1 and freezes his devils at one period1 but bakes them at another4 ,the late ,sir ,george ,staunton informed1 me1 that he had visited a man in ,india1 who had committed a murder1 and in order not only to save his life1 but what was of much more consequence1 his caste1 he submitted to the penalty imposed2 this was1 that he should sleep for seven years on a bedstead1 without any mattress1 the whole surface of which was studded with points of iron resembling nails1 but not so sharp as to penetrate the flesh4 ,sir ,george saw him in the fifth year of his probation1 and his skin then was like the hide of a rhinoceros1 but more callous4 ,at that time1 however1 he could sleep comfortably on his bed of thorns1 and remarked that at the expiration of the term of his sentence1 he should most probably continue that system from choice1 which he had been obliged to adopt from necessity4 ,this illustrates the force of established habit1 and the pliability of our nature in yielding a voluntary subjection to it4 ,what is at first involuntary1 painful1 and a self-denial to us1 wall when it passes into a habit1 become agreeable1 because the habit bends our nature to it1 chains us down to it1 infatuates the will1 and thus becomes1 as it were1 a second nature4 ,if so1 it is very plain that our habits are either a blessing or a curse4 ,when good they are a safeguard against evil1 give stability to our character1 and are the law of perseverance in well-doing4 ,such habits in the ,christian home form1 an irresistible bulwark against the intrusions of temptation and iniquity4 ,but when they are bad1 they chain us to evil1 and impel us onward and downward to ruin4 ,hence from his habits we can easily estimate the merit or demerit of a person1 know all his weak points and idiosyncrasies1 and what will be the probable termination of his existence4 ,the same may be said of the habits of a family4 ,they enter into its very constitution1 rule and direct all its activities and interests4 ,they cling to each member with more than magic power1 and become interwoven with his very being2 and by them we may easily ascertain the moral and spiritual strength of that family2 we can tell whether the parents are faithful to their mission1 and whether its members will be likely to pass over from the home of their childhood to the church of ,christ4 ,who has not felt this power of habit8 ,who has not wept over some habits which haunt him like an evil spirit2 and rejoiced over others as a safeguard from sin and a propellor to good8 ,is it not1 therefore1 a matter of momentous interest to the ,christian home1 that it establish habits of the right kind and quality8 ,it should never be forgotten by ,christian parents1 and they cannot be too careful to impress it upon their children1 that habit engenders habit1--has the power of reproducing itself1 and begetting habits of its own kind1 increasing according to the laws of growth1 as it is thus reproduced4 ,a habit in one member of a family may produce a like habit in all the other members4 ,the habits of the husband may be engendered in the wife1 and those of the parents1 in their children4 ,if so1 then are we not responsible for our habits8 ,and shall any other kind save ,christian habits1 be found in the ,christian home8 ,these we cannot give in detail4 ,it is plain that those habits only are ,christian1 which receive the sanction of ,god's ,word and ,spirit1 and find a response in the ,christian faith and conscience4 ,here1 for instance1 is a habit being formed1--habit of thought3 is it pure8 ,here is a habit of conversation3 is it holy8 ,here is a habit of action3 is it godly8 ,and if not1 it does not belong to the ,christian home4 ,see1 then1 ye members of the ,christian home1 to the habits you are forming4 ,form the habit of doing all thing's decently and in order4 ,let the work and duties of each day be done according to method4 ,this is essential to success in your pursuits and aims4 ,without this1 your ,christian life may be blustering and stormy1 but you will accomplish little1 and will be as unstable as water4 ,one duty will interfere with another4 ,you may have family prayer and instruction to-day1 but something will prevent it to-morrow4 ,establish the habit of ,christian industry4 ,be diligent2 not slothful in business4 ,industry must be the price of all you obtain4 ,you must be instant in season4 ,the ,christian home cannot be an indolent1 idle home4 ,whatsoever thy hand findeth to do1 do it with all thy might4 ,press forward4 ,it is said of ,rutherford that such was his unwearied assiduity and diligence1 that he seemed to pray constantly1 to preach constantly1 to catechise constantly1 and to visit the sick1 exhorting from house to house1 to teach as much in the schools1 and spend as much time with the students in fitting them for the ministry1 as if he had been sequestered from all the world1 and yet withal1 to write as much as if he had been constantly shut up in his study4 ,such should be the industry of each ,christian home4 ,without it1 temptation will beset the members4 ,a busy man is troubled with but one devil1 but the idle man with a thousand4 ,establish the habit also of perseverance in well-doing4 ,be steadfast1 immovable1 always abounding in the work of the ,lord4 ,be not weary in well-doing4 ,let the strata of your home be made up of the immovable ,rock4 ,he only that continueth unto the end shall be saved4 ,having done all1 stand6 ,let your motto be1 ,perseverando vinces4 ,form the habit of contentment with your home and condition in life4 ,godliness with contentment is great gain4 ,if your home is humble1 and not adorned with the embellishments and luxuries of life1 yet it may be holy1 and hence1 happy4 ,avoid all castle-building4 ,do not fancy a better home1 and fall out with the one you enjoy4 ,never permit the flimsy creations of a distorted imagination to gain an ascendancy over your reason and faith4 ,live above all sentimentalism and day-dreaming2 and in all the feelings and conduct of your household1 submit to the guidance of a superintending ,providence1 walking by faith and not by sight1 assured that your present home is but probationary and preparatory to a better home in heaven4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,,home-,,government4 ,alas6 for a thousand fathers1 whose indulgent sloth ,hath emptied the vial of confusion over a thousand homes4 ,alas6 for the palaces and hovels1 that might have been nurseries for heaven1 ,by hot intestine broils blighted into schools for hell2 ,none knoweth his place1 yet all refuse to serve1 ,none weareth the crown1 yet all usurp the scepter2 ,the mother1 heart-stricken years agone1 hath dropped into an early grave2 ,the silent sisters long to leave a home they cannot love2 ,the brothers1 casting off restraint1 follow their wayward wills4 ,home is a little commonwealth jointly governed by the parents4 ,it involves law4 ,the mutual relation of parent and child implies authority on the one hand1 and obedience on the other4 ,this is the principle of all government4 ,home is the first form of society4 ,as such it must have a government4 ,its institution implies the prerogatives of the parent and the subordination of the child4 ,without this there would be no order1 no harmony1 no training for the state or the church2 for-- ,society is a chain of obligations1 and its links support each other2 ,the branch cannot but wither that is cut from the parent vine4 ,the relation of the parent to the child is that of a superior to an inferior4 ,the right of the parent is to command2 the duty of the child is to obey4 ,hence it is the relation of authority to subordination4 ,this relation includes the principles of home-government4 ,the parent is not the author of his authority4 ,it is delegated to him4 ,neither can he make arbitrary laws for home2 these must be the laws of ,god4 ,it is as much the duty of the parent to rule as it is for the child to be ruled4 ,the principle of home-government is love1--love ruling and obeying according to law4 ,these are exercised1 as it were1 by the instinct of natural affection as taken up and refined by the ,christian life and faith4 ,this government implies reciprocity of right1--the right of the parent to govern and the right of the child to be governed4 ,it is similar in its fundamentals to the government of the state and church4 ,it involves the legislative1 judicial and executive functions2 its elements are law1 authority1 obedience1 and penalties4 ,the basis of its laws is the ,word of ,god4 ,we may consider the whole subject under two general heads1 viz41 parental authority1 and filial obedience4 #a4 ,parental authority is threefold1 legislative1 judicial and executive4 ,the two latter we shall more fully consider under the head of home-discipline4 ,the legislative authority of the parent is confined to the development of ,god's laws for the ,christian home4 ,he cannot enact arbitrary laws4 ,his authority is founded on his relation to his children as the author of their being2 yet it does not admit1 says ,schlegel1 of being set forth and comprised in any exact and positive formularies4 ,it does not1 as in the old ,roman law1 concede to the parent the power over the life of the child4 ,this would not only violate the law of natural affection1 but would be an amalgamation of the family and state4 ,neither is the parental authority merely conventional1 given to the parent by the state as a policy4 ,it is no civil or political investiture1 making the parent a delegated civil ruler2 but comes from ,god as an in alienable right1 and independent1 as such1 of the state4 ,it does not1 therefore1 rest upon civil legislation1 but has its foundation in human nature and the revealed law of ,god2 neither can the state legislate upon it1 except in cases where its exercise becomes an infringement upon the prerogatives of the state itself4 ,parents are magistrates under ,god1 and1 as ,his stewards1 cannot abdicate their authority1 nor delegate it to another4 ,neither can they be tyrants in the exercise of it4 ,god has given to them the principles of home-legislation1 the standard of judicial authority1 and the rules of their executive power4 ,god gives the law4 ,the parent is only deputy governor1--steward1 bound to be faithful4 ,hence the obligation of the child to obey the steward is as great as that to obey the ,master4 ,where the principal is silent1 take heed that thou despise not the deputy4 ,here1 then1 we have the extent of the parent's authority1 and the spirit and manner in which it should be exercised4 ,his power is grafted on the strength of another1 and should not extend beyond it4 ,its exercise should not run into despotism on the one hand1 nor into indifferentism on the other4 ,according to the vagaries of some religious sentimentalists and fanatics1 it is supposed that religion supersedes the necessity of parental government4 ,they think that such authority runs counter to the spirit and requisitions of the gospel4 ,but this is asserted in the broad face of ,god's ,word4 ,the promptings of such sentimentalism are to permit children to do as they please1 and to bring them up under the influence of domestic libertinism4 ,honor thy father and thy mother1 is a command which explodes such a gaudy theory2 and he who does not obey it1 brutalizes human nature1 dishonors ,god1 subverts the principles of constitutional society1 throws off allegiance to the prerogatives of a divinely constituted superior1 and overthrows both church and state4 ,hence the severe penalties attached1 in the ,mosaic law1 to disobedience of parental authority4 ,he that curseth his father or mother1 shall surely be put to death4 ,the eye that mocketh at his father1 and despiseth to obey his mother1 the ravens of the valley shall pick it out1 and the young eagles shall eat it4 ,and hence also that affectionate obedience which ,joseph yielded to his aged father1 and that profound veneration with which he kneeled before him to receive his dying blessing4 #b4 ,filial obedience is the correlative of parental authority4 ,if parents have authority1 children must yield obedience to it4 ,this is not only necessary to home-government1 but also to the proper formation of the character of the child4 ,it must be trained up under law and authority to prepare it for citizenship in the state4 ,this must be the obedience of confidence and love4 ,it does not imply the subordination of the slave4 ,as the father's authority is not that of the despot1 so the obedience of the child is not that of the servile1 trembling subject4 ,it is not unnatural1--no infringement upon the rights and liberties of the child4 ,his subordination to the parent is the law of his liberty4 ,he is not free without it4 ,the home in which filial obedience is not yielded to parental authority is a marvel of permitted chaos1 and will soon become desolate1 a scene of anarchy and strife4 ,the members live in a state of lawlessness1 destitute of reciprocated affection1--the parent unhonored1 the father and mother despised and cursed1 and the child untrained1 uncared for1 lawless1 and unfit for the state or the church4 ,if1 therefore1 ,god has constituted governmental relations in the ,christian home1 and invested the parent with authority over his children1 who will deny the coordinate obligations of the child to yield reverence1 submission and gratitude to the parent8 ,children1 obey your parents in all thing's2 for this is well pleasing unto the ,lord4 ,this is called the first commandment with promise4 ,it is one of promise both to the parent and the child4 ,children are bound to obey their parents in all things1 that is1 in all things lawful and in accordance with the revealed will of ,god4 ,the child is not bound to obey the parent's command to sin1--to lie1 steal1 or neglect the means of grace2 because these are express violations of ,god's law2 and in such instances the authority of ,god supersedes that of the parent4 ,obey ,god rather than man4 ,but1 on the other hand1 the obligation of the child is1 to obey the parent in all things lawful and ,christian4 ,where this is not done the ,christian home becomes a curse4 ,what an evil is a refractory child6 ,how often does the parental eye weep in bitterness over such a child6 ,how often have such children brought their parents down in sorrow to the grave6 ,let them think of this4 ,let parents think of this before it is too late4 ,let them think of the fearful criminality which is attached to parental indulgence and filial disobedience4 ,we may neglect and abuse the home-government in two ways1 either by over-indulgence1 or by the iron rod of tyranny4 ,when we make it lax in its restraints and requisitions1 it becomes merely nominal1 and its laws are never enforced and obeyed4 ,often parents voluntarily relinquish their right and duty to rule their household2 and as a consequence1 their children abandon the duty of obedience1 and grow up in a lawless state2 or if they do command1 they never execute their commands1 but leave all to the discretion of their children4 ,they violate their laws with impunity1 until all influence over them is lost1 and the child becomes master of the parent4 ,the self-will of the former takes the place of the authority of the latter1 until at last the home-government becomes a complete farce and mockery4 ,such parents are always making laws and giving commands2 but never enforce them2 they complain that they cannot get their children to obey them2 and this cannot is but the utterance and exponent of their unfaithfulness and disgrace4 ,the opposite abuse of home-government is parental despotism1--ruling with a rod of iron1 making slaves of children1 acting the unfeeling and heartless tyrant over them1 assuming towards them attitudes of hard task-masters1 and making them obey from motives of trembling1 fear and dread4 ,there is no christianity in all this4 ,it engenders in them the spirit of a slave2 it roots out all confidence and love2 their obedience becomes involuntary and mechanical4 ,they shrink in silent dread from the presence of their parents1 and long for the time when they can escape their galling yoke4 ,the parental rod destroys the filial love and confidence4 ,hence the obedience of the latter is servile2 and home loses its tender affections and sympathies1 and becomes to them a workhouse1 a confinement2 its restrictions are a yoke2 its interests are repulsive1 and all its natural affinities give way to complete alienation4 ,the children of such homes1 when grown up1 are the most lawless and reckless1 ready at once to pass over from extreme servitude to libertinism4 ,the government of the ,christian home lies in a medium between these two extremes4 ,it is mild1 yet decisive1 firm2 not lawless1 yet not despotic2 but combines in proper order and harmony1 the true elements of parental authority and filial subordination4 ,love and fear harmonize2 the child fears because he loves2 and is prompted to obedience by both4 ,but give thy son his way1 he will hate thee and scorn thee together4 ,christian parents6 be faithful to the government of your household4 ,like ,abraham1 command your household4 ,without this1 your children will be your curse and the curse of the state4 ,wherever they go they will become the standard-bearer of the turbulent1 and brandish the torch of discord1 until at last1 perhaps1 they will die in a dungeon or upon the gibbet4 ,and then the curse will recoil upon you4 ,it will strike deep into your hearts4 ,it will come to you in the darkness of unfulfilled promises and blighted hopes and injured affections and desolated homes and wounded spirits and disgraced names and infamous memories6 ,and you1 in the face of these1 will go down with bleeding sorrow to the grave1 and up to the bar of ,god with the blood of your children's destruction upon your skirts1 its voice crying unto you from the grave of infamy and from the world of eternal retribution4 ,you will then see the folly and the fruits of your diseased affection and misguided indulgence1-- ,a kindness1--most unkind1 that hath always spared the rod2 ,a weak and numbing indecision in the mind that should be master2 ,a foolish love1 pregnant of hate1 that never frowned on sin2 ,a moral cowardice1 that never dared command6 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,,home-,,discipline4 ,in ancient days1 ,there dwelt a sage called ,discipline1 ,his eye was meek1 and a smile ,played on his lips1 and in his speech was heard ,paternal sweetness1 dignity1 and love4 ,the occupation dearest to his heart ,was to encourage goodness4 ,if e'er it chanced1 as sometimes chance it must1 ,that one1 among so many1 overleaped ,the limits of control1 his gentle eye ,grew stern1 and darted a severe rebuke1 ,his frown was full of terror1 and his voice ,shook the delinquent with such fits of awe ,as left him not1 till penitence had won ,lost favor back again1 and closed the breach4 ,discipline involves the judicial and executive functions of the home-government4 ,it is the method of regulating and executing the principles and practice of government4 ,it includes the rein and the rod1 the treatment of offences against the laws of home1 the execution of the parental authority by the imposition of proper restraints upon the child4 ,it involves a reciprocity of duty1--the duty of the parent to correct1 and the duty of the child to submit4 ,god has given this discipline2 ,he has invested the parent with power to execute it1 and imposed upon the child the obligation to live submissively under it4 ,all must admit the necessity of home-discipline4 ,it must needs be that offense come4 ,there is a corresponding needs be in the proper treatment of these offenses when they do come4 ,law implies penalties2 and the proper character and execution of these are as essential to the true object and end of government as is the law itself4 ,the former would he powerless without the latter4 ,through the agency of home-discipline the proper fear and love of the child are developed in due proportion and brought into proper relations to each other1 making the fear filial and the love reverential4 ,there is1 therefore1 the same call for discipline in the family as there is in the state and the church4 ,it is the condition of true harmony between1 the parent and child4 ,the child that is used to constraint1 feareth not more than he loveth2 but give thy son his way1 he will hate thee and scorn thee together4 ,it is necessary because ,god commands it2 and ,he commands it because it is indispensable to the security and well-being of the child1 and1 we might add1 of the state and the church4 ,withhold not correction from the child2 for if thou beatest him with the rod1 he shall not die4 ,thou shalt beat him with the rod1 and shalt deliver his soul from hell4 ,he that spareth his rod hateth his son2 but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes4 ,children are by nature depraved1 and if left to themselves1 will choose evil rather than good2 hence1 as foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child1 the rod of correction must be used to drive them from it4 ,he must be restrained1 corrected1 educated under law4 ,in the language of ,cowper-- ,plants raised with tenderness are seldom strong2 ,man's coltish disposition asks the thong2 ,and without discipline1 the favorite child1 ,like a neglected forester1 runs wild4 ,there are two false systems of home-discipline1 viz41 the despotism of discipline1 or discipline from the standpoint of law without love2 and the libertinism of discipline1 or discipline from the standpoint of love without law4 ,home-discipline from the standpoint of law without love1 involves the principle of parental despotism4 ,it is extreme legal severity1 and consists in the treatment of children as if they were brutes1 using no other mode of correction than that of direct corporeal punishment4 ,this but hardens them1 and begets a roughness of nature and spirit like the discipline under which they are brought up4 ,many parents seek to justify such mechanical severity by the saying of ,solomon1 he that spareth the rod spoileth the child4 ,but their interpretation of this does not show the wisdom of the wise man4 ,they suppose the term rod1 must mean the iron rod of the unfeeling and unloving despot4 ,not so2 ,god has a rod for all ,his children2 but it is the rod of a compassionate ,father1 and does not always inflict corporeal punishment4 ,it is exercised because ,he loves them1 not because ,he delights in revenge and in their misery4 ,he uses it1 not to have them obey ,him from fear of punishment1 not to force them into a slavish service1 and to cause them to shrink with trembling awe from ,his presence2 but to correct their faults by drawing them to ,him in fond embrace1 in grateful penitence and hopeful reformation1 under the deep conviction that every stroke of ,his rod was the work of love1 forcing from them a kiss for ,his rod1 and a blessing for ,his hand1 the utterance of a sanction for ,his deed1 ,it was good for me that ,i was afflicted6 ,this rod is very different1 however1 from that of the despot beneath whom the child crouches with trembling dread1 and under the influence of whom he becomes1 like the down-trodden subject1 servile1 brutish and rebellious4 ,you will reap bitter fruits from such a discipline1 which is but the exponent of the letter of the law without its spirit1 and which has nothing for the child but the scowl and the frown and the cruel lash4 ,you might as well seek to gather grapes from thorns1 or figs from thistles1 as to reap from it a true reformation and religious training4 ,your child will be trained to hate the law1 to despise authority1 and to regard his obedience as a compromise of true liberty4 ,he will1 therefore1 seek liberty only in the usurpation of law and government4 ,he will contemn love1 because where it should have been disinterested1 and shown in its greatest tenderness and purity1--in the parent's heart1 it was abused and silenced4 ,that discipline1 therefore1 which is ever magnifying trifles1 finding fault1 scolding and storming1 and threatening and whipping1 and falling upon the child1 like the continual dropping of rain in a winter day1 casts a withering gloom over home1 makes it repulsive to the child1 gives to the parent a forbidding aspect1 until the children become provoked to wrath1 and regard their home as a prison1 their life as a slavery1 and long for the time when they may leave home and parents forever4 ,such discipline makes the reign of the parent a reign of terror4 ,it reminds one of the laws of ,draco1 written in blood4 ,it produces in the child a broken spirit1 a reckless desperation1 a hardened contumacy1 a deep and sullen melancholy1 a mental and moral hardihood which prepares him for deeds of outrage upon law and humanity4 ,it is unnatural1 revolting to human nature1 to beat and crush1 as if with an iron rod1 the tender child of our hearts and hopes4 ,it extinguishes natural affection2 and no subsequent kindness can rekindle the flame4 ,the child becomes forever alienated1 and bears the curse of its maltreatment upon its character and destiny4 ,ye parents1 provoke not your children to anger1 lest they should be discouraged4 ,the following quaint anecdote is a good commentary upon such discipline3 ,a blacksmith brought up his son1 to whom he was very severe1 to his own trade4 ,the urchin was1 nevertheless1 an audacious dog4 ,one day the old vulcan was attempting to harden a cold chisel which he had made of foreign steel1 but could not succeed2 horsewhip it1 father1 exclaimed the youth1 if that will not harden it1 nothing will6 ,nothing justifies such cruel discipline4 ,it results in depravity of life4 ,the most notorious criminals began their career under the lash of parental cruelty4 ,if rods and stripes and cries and tears and cruel beating are the first lessons of life we are to learn1 then we shall be educated in as well as by these4 ,the ,europeans surpass all other nations in cruelty to their offspring4 ,the ,arab is tender to his children1 and rules them by kindness and caresses4 ,he restrains them by the corrections of wisely exerted love4 ,cruelty does not become the ,christian home4 ,it is revolting to see a parent stand with a rod over his child1 to make him read the bible or say his prayers4 ,you cannot whip religion into a child4 ,this is opposite to humanity and religion4 ,home-discipline from the standpoint of love without law1 is the second false system which we have mentioned1 and involves the principle of parental libertinism4 ,it does not consist so much in the want as in the neglect and abuse of discipline4 ,the restraints may be sufficient1 and the threats abundant1 but they are never executed4 ,when the children disobey1 the parents may flounder and storm1 loud and long1 but all ends in words1 in a storm of passion or whining complaint1 and the child is thus encouraged to repeat the misconduct1 feeling that his parents have no respect for their word4 ,such a home becomes scolding1 but not an orderly home4 ,discipline at length1 ,o'erlooked and unemployed1 grow sick and died1 ,then study languished1 emulation slept1 ,and virtue fled4 ,what was learned1 ,if aught was learned in childhood1 is forgot2 ,and such expense as pinches parents blue1 ,and mortifies the liberal hand of love1 ,is squandered in pursuit of idle sports ,and vicious pleasures4 ,parents1 through their misguided sympathy1 often connive at filial disobedience4 ,their kindness is most unkind4 ,their parental love issues forth as a mere burst of feeling1 unguided by either reason or law4 ,hence1 their sentimental hearts become an asylum for filial delinquency and criminality4 ,this is no proof of love1 but the opposite2 for he that spareth the rod hateth his son2 but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes4 ,love will thus prompt the parent to chasten his son while there is hope4 ,eli was an example of extreme parental indulgence4 ,his sons made themselves vile1 and he restrained them not4 ,it was the defect also of ,david's discipline1 and the fruit of this defect caused him to cry out in bitter anguish1 ,oh ,absalom1 my son1 my son1 would to ,god ,i had died for thee6 ,that parent who cannot restrain his children1 does not bear rule in his house1 and as a consequence1 cannot bless his household4 ,that parental tenderness which withholds the proper restraints of discipline from an erring child1 is most cruel and ruinous4 ,it is winking at his wayward temper1 his licentious passions and growing habits of vice4 ,and these1 in their terrible maturity1 will recoil upon the deluded parent1 biting like a serpent and stinging like an adder4 ,nothing is more ruinous to a child and disastrous to the hopes and happiness of home1 than such relaxation of discipline4 ,a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame4 ,how many mothers have bitterly experienced this1 and wept bitter tears over the memory of their degraded and wretched offspring6 ,it is ruinous to the parent4 ,he will both curse and despise thee4 ,your unlawful indulgence1 therefore1 is infanticide4 ,your cruel embraces are hugging your child to death4 ,the sentiment of love should never crush the reason and violate the laws of love4 ,do you permit your sick to die rather than to inflict the pain of giving them the medicine to cure8 ,this would be madness4 ,and yet you do a similar deed when you indulge your child in wickedness4 ,he will grow up lawless1 headstrong1 rebellious2 and these may lead him on to poverty1 infamy1 crime and perdition1 ending thus in total shipwreck of character and soul4 ,you thus make for society bad members1 drunkards1 blackguards1 paupers1 criminals2 and furnish fuel for the eternal burnings4 ,and will not the curse rest upon you8 ,it is wonderful to what an extent this extreme indulgence prevails at the present day4 ,many parents seem insensible even to the necessity of any discipline1 and think it is an infringement upon the liberties of the child4 ,mistaken parents6 ,such views are opposed to the laws of ,god and man4 ,by them you sow for yourselves and children the seeds of a future retribution4 ,thus we see that there are two dangerous extremes or false systems of home-discipline1 viz41 the exercise of parental fondness and sympathy without parental authority1 on the one hand1 and the exercise of parental authority without proper sympathy1 on the other4 ,misguided sympathy and fondness will produce filial libertinism2 and despotic authority will beget filial servility4 ,true ,christian home-discipline lies in a medium between these4 ,it involves the union of true parental sympathy and authority1 of proper love and proper law2 for affection1 when not united to authority and law1 degenerates into sentimental fondness2 and authority and law1 when1 not tempered with love1 degenerate into brutal tyranny1 and produce inward servility and outward bondage4 ,the parents who are1 in discipline1 prompted by the first1 may be loved1 but will not be respected4 ,those who are ruled by the second1 may be dreaded1 but will not be loved4 ,the first does violence to law1 and ends in the insubordination of the child and the imbecility of the parent4 ,the second does violence to love1 makes duty a task1 correction a corporeal punishment1 the child a slave1 the parent a despot1 and ends consequently in the destruction of natural affection4 ,hence1 in home-discipline1 true severity and true sympathy should unite and temper each other4 ,without this the very ends proposed will be frustrated4 ,true home-discipline repudiates the legal idea of punishment as much as of impunity4 ,it lies in a medium between these1 and involves the idea of ,christian correction or chastisement4 ,we should correct1 but not punish our children4 ,correction is not the mere execution of legal penalties as such1 but the fruit of ,christian love and concern for the child4 ,it does not mean simple corporeal chastisement1 but moral restraints4 ,the impunity is the fruit of love without law2 the corporeal punishment is the execution of law without love2 ,christian correction is the interposition of love acting according to law in restraining the child4 ,hence1 true discipline is the correction of the child by the love of the parent1 according to the laws of home-government4 ,abraham instituted in his household a model system of home-discipline4 ,i know him1 says ,god1 that he will command his children and his household after him1 and they shall keep the ways of the ,lord to do justice and judgment4 ,he was not a tyrant2 his comrades did not bear the rough sternness of a despot1 neither did his power wear the scowl of vengeance4 ,but these bore the firmness and decision of love tempered and directed by the law of ,christian duty and responsibility4 ,they showed his station as a father2 they wore the exponent of his authority as a parent1 whose love was a safeguard against tyranny on the one hand1 and whose accountability to ,god was a security against anarchy1 on the other4 ,hence1 his children respected his station1 venerated his name1 appreciated his love1 confided in his sympathy1 and yielded a voluntary obedience to his commands2 for they discerned in them the blessing2 and when offenses came1 they bent in the spirit of loving submission and pupilage1 under his rod of correction1 and kissed it as the means of their reformation and culture4 ,thus does home-discipline involve the firmness of parental authority united with the mildness of parental love4 ,love should hold the reins and use the rod4 ,then it will purify and elevate natural affection1 and develop in the child a sense of proper fear1 without either disrespectful familiarity or mechanical servitude4 ,the efficiency of home-discipline depends upon its early introduction1 upon the decision with which it is administered1 upon its adaptation to the real wants of the child1 and upon the manner in which it is applied4 ,it should be commenced in due season1 as soon as the child can understand its meaning and object4 ,the child should be made to understand that he lives under authority and restraint4 ,this will prepare him for a profitable correction when necessary4 ,the great fault of many parents is that they begin too late to correct their children1 and leave them until then in ignorance of its nature and intent4 ,hence1 the child will not appreciate the parent's motive1 and will lack that pliability of spirit which is essential to reformation4 ,the sceptre1 says ,james1 in his ,family ,monitor1 should be seen by him before the rod2 and an early1 judicious and steady exhibition of the former1 would render the latter almost unnecessary4 ,he must be made to submit1 and that while young1 and then submission will become a habit2 the reins must be felt by him early1 and he will thus learn to obey them4 ,home-discipline should be steady1 uniform1 consistent and reasonable4 ,both parents and children should be guided by the dictates of reason and religion4 ,it should not be administered by the caprice of passion1 nor received in the spirit of insubordination4 ,it should be prompted by a parent's heart1 and inflicted by a parent's hand4 ,convince the recreant child that you correct him from motives of love1 and for his own good4 ,let reason and love be at the bottom of every chastisement2 let them hold the reins and guide the rod2 and when the latter is used1 let it be from necessity4 ,lay no injunction upon your child without the ensurance of a compliance4 ,your discipline should never involve impossibilities or uncertainties2 neither should you permit your child to sport with your injunctions4 ,every command should produce either obedience or correction4 ,you should be firm in the infliction of a threatened chastisement1 and faithful in the fulfilment of a promise to reward4 ,many parents are always scolding1 threatening and promising1 but never execute and fulfil4 ,as a consequence they run from one extreme of discipline to another4 ,in home-discipline1 parents should act harmoniously and cooperate with each other4 ,they should be of one mind and of one heart1 and equally bear the burden4 ,the one should not oppose the discipline which the other is administering4 ,this destroys its effect1 and leaves the child in a state of indecision1 leading to prejudice against one or the other of the parents4 ,it too often happens that parents thus take opposite sides1--the father too severe perhaps1 and the mother too indulgent4 ,thus divided1 their house must fall4 ,nothing is more ruinous to the child than for the mother to counteract by soothing opiates1 the admonitions of the father4 ,children soon see this1 and will as soon hate their father4 ,when one parent thus holds the reins without the rod1 and the other uses the rod without the reins1 the very ends of discipline are frustrated4 ,sometimes the child is given over to the mother exclusively till a certain age1 when the father begins to act without the mother4 ,this is wrong4 ,a child is never too young to be ruled by the father1 and never too old to come under the softening influence of the mother4 ,discipline should be administered with impartiality4 ,never make one child a favorite4 ,favoritism and consequent indulgence1 will produce prejudice against the other children4 ,it will introduce dissension among them4 ,this is unworthy the ,christian parent and his home4 ,the history of ,jacob and ,joseph1 as regards both the subject and the victim of parental favoritism1 is a warning against such partiality4 ,it produces1 pride1 envy1 jealousy1 family broils and strife1 in which even the parents take a part1 and by which the husband is often set against his wife1 parents against children1 and children against each other4 ,correction is an essential element of true discipline4 ,the rod and the reproof give wisdom4 ,there are two things in correction1--the reins and the whip1 or the command and the chastisement4 ,the one should not take the place of the other4 ,the scepter must not be converted into a whip4 ,if the reins are properly held and used1 the whip need scarcely ever be required4 ,if the child is timely and properly trained1 commanded and chided1 he will not require much chastisement1--perhaps no corporeal punishment4 ,it is better to prevent crimes than to punish them2 for prevention is more than cure4 ,hence the first thing in discipline is timely and wholesome command4 ,guide and train your child properly1 and you need seldom resort to coercion4 ,training and leading are better than forcing4 ,by the former you establish a habit of systematic obedience which will soon become a pleasure to the child4 ,by the latter you jade and vex and burden him4 ,but when the reins will not do alone1 then the whip must be resorted to4 ,and the question at once arises1 what kind of a whip8 ,we answer1 not such as you use to your horses and oxen in the team1--not the horse-whip4 ,corporeal punishment should be used only as a last resort1 when all other corrections have failed1 when the child becomes an outlaw1 and his reprobate heart can be reached only through the infliction of bodily pain4 ,as a general thing it is even then unavailing1 because too mechanical to produce permanent good1 and not adapted to mental and moral reformation4 ,sometimes1 however1 there is necessity in the use of this rod4 ,every child1 says ,dr4 ,south1 has some brute in it1 and some man in it1 and just in proportion to the brute we must whip it4 ,when thus necessary we should not shrink from this kind of correction4 ,it is pusillanimity1 as well as folly1 to shrink from the crushing of the egg1 but to wait composedly for the hatching of the viper4 ,yet1 on the other hand1 in the language of ,dr4 ,bell1 a maximum of attainment can be made only by a minimum of punishment4 ,in the discipline of home1 whether by guidance or by forcing1 whether by the rein or the rod1 much depends upon the manner in which it is administered4 ,it should always be adapted to the peculiar character and offense of the child4 ,you can restrain some children better by kind words and promises than by rough admonitions and threats4 ,study1 therefore1 the peculiarities of your child1 and prudently apportion the correction to the offense4 ,if there are sincere penitence and confession1 the correction should be purely moral4 ,let the object of every correction be to produce penitence and reformation of heart as well as of conduct1 and a hatred of the offense4 ,always execute your threats and fulfill your promises at the time and on the occasion designated4 ,threaten as little as possible1 and be not hasty in your threats4 ,treat your children as rational and moral beings3 ,be obeyed when thou commandest1 but command not often2 ,spare not1 if thy word hath passed for punishment2 ,let not thy child see thee humbled1 nor learn to think thee false4 ,always examine the offense before you punish4 ,see whether it is of ignorance or not1--whether of the head or the heart1--whether intentional or accidental4 ,examine his motives in committing the offense4 ,if you find he merits correction1 before you inflict it1 lay before him the nature and enormity of the offense1 wherein he disobeyed1 the guilt of that disobedience1 its consequences1 and your duty to correct him for it4 ,never correct in a state of anger4 ,some correct only when they are in a violent passion4 ,this is ruling from passion1 not from principle4 ,it is like administering medicine scalding hot1 which rather burns than cures4 ,be judicious and kind in all your discipline2 otherwise you may engender in your child the very propensities and improprieties of action you desire to eradicate4 ,a mild rebuke in the season of calmness1 is better than a rod in the heat of passion4 ,let your children know and see that all your discipline is for their own good1--to arrest them from danger and ruin1 and to train them up in the way ,god would have them go4 ,let your words and deeds show this in the form of parental kindness and sympathy and solicitude4 ,this will do more than the angry look1 the stormy threat1 and the cruel lash4 ,by kindness the wolf and the zebra become docile as the spaniel and the horse2 ,the kite feedeth with the starling under the law of kindness2 ,that law shall tame the fiercest1 bring down the battlements of pride1 ,cherish the weak1 control the strong1 and win the fearful spirit4 ,let thy carriage be the gentleness of love1 not the stern front of tyranny4 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,,home-,,example4 ,example strikes ,all human hearts6 ,a bad example more2 ,more still a father's6 ,example has much to do with the interests of home4 ,it plays an important part in the formation of character2 and its influence is felt more than that of precept4 ,our object in this chapter is to show the bearing of example upon the well-being of the ,christian home4 ,example may be good or bad4 ,its power arises out of the home-confidence and authority4 ,children possess an imitative disposition4 ,they look up to their parents as the pattern or model of their character1 and conclude what they do is right and worthy of their imitation4 ,hence the parental example may lead the child to happiness or to ruin4 ,lo6 thou art a landmark on a hill2 thy little ones copy thee in all things4 ,show me a child undutiful1 ,i shall know where to look for a foolish father2 ,but how can that son reverence an example he dare not follow8 ,should he imitate thee in thine evil8 his scorn is thy rebuke4 ,the power and influence of the home-example are incalculable4 ,example is teaching by action4 ,by it the child inherits the spirit and character of the parent4 ,such is its influence that you can estimate the parent by the child4 ,show me a child1 polite1 courteous1 refined1 moral and honorable in all his sentiments and conduct2 and ,i will point you to a well-conducted nursery1 to noble and high-minded parents1 faithful to their offspring4 ,theirs is a holy and a happy home2 and the blessing of ,god rests upon it4 ,but on the other hand1 in the wayward1 dissolute child ,i discern unfaithful parents who have no respect for religion1 and who take no interest in the spiritual welfare of their children4 ,thus the child is a living commentary upon its home and its parents4 ,the fruits of the latter will be seen in the character of the former4 ,the child is the moral reproduction of the parent4 ,hence the pious parent is rewarded in his child1 and the immoral parent is cursed in his child4 ,whatsoever thou sowest in thy child1 that shalt thou also reap4 ,illustration3 ,sunshine of ,youth4 ,the precepts of home are unavailing unless enforced by a corresponding example4 ,nothing is so forcible and encouraging as the ,follow me4 ,it proves sincerity and earnestness2 and is adapted to the imitative capacity and disposition of the child4 ,it is all-commanding and resistless4 ,says ,solomon1 ,iron sharpeneth iron2 so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend4 ,says ,paul ,it is good neither to eat flesh1 nor to drink wine1 nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth1 or is offended1 or is made weak4 ,says ,shakspeare1 ,one drunkard loves another of the name4 ,says ,dr4 ,young-- ,ambition fires ambition2 love of gain ,strikes like a pestilence from breast to breast2 ,riot1 pride1 perfidy1 blue vapor's breath2 ,and inhumanity is caught from man1 ,from smiling man4 ,if such is the influence of example1 we must admit the necessity of a true ,christian example in the family4 ,it is necessary because it is the condition of the efficacy of home-precepts4 ,during the minority of reason1 imitation is the regent of the soul1 and they who are least swayed by argument are most governed by example4 ,we learn from example before we can speak4 ,hence if we would have our children walk in the way of ,god's commandments1 we must go before them2 we must take the lead2 we must exemplify in our action what we incorporate in our oral instructions2 our light must shine not only upon1 but before them2 they must see our good works as well as hear our good precepts4 ,said a man once to ,j4,a4 ,james1 ,i owe everything under ,god1 to the eminent and consistent piety of my father4 ,so thoroughly consistent was he1 that ,i could find nothing in the smallest degree at variance with his character as a professor of religion4 ,this kept its hold upon me4 ,it was the means of his conversion to ,god4 ,thus children readily discern any discrepancy between a parent's teaching and example4 ,if we are professors of religion1 and they see us worldly-minded1 grasping after riches1 pleasures and honors2 the dupes of ungodly fashion1 manifesting a malicious spirit1 indolent1 prayerless1 and indifferent to their spiritual welfare1 what do they infer but that we are hypocrites1 and will our precepts then do them any good8 ,no4 ,line upon line and precept upon precept will be given to no purpose4 ,hence the necessity of enforcing our precepts by ,christian deportment4 ,speak in an angry tone before your child2 and what will it avail for you to admonish him against anger8 ,many parents express surprise that all they can say to their children does no good2 they remain stubborn1 self-willed and recreant4 ,but if these parents will look at what they have done as well as said1 they will perhaps be less surprised4 ,they may find a solution of the problem in their own capricious disposition1 turbulent passions and ungodly walk4 ,the child will soon discard a parent's precepts when they are not enforced by a parent's example4 ,hence that parent who ruins his own soul can do but little for the soul of his child4 ,the blasphemer and sabbath-breaker is unfit to correct his child1 for swearing and sabbath-breaking4 ,he alone who doeth the truth can teach his children truth4 ,he only who has good habits can teach his children good habits4 ,who loves1 says ,william ,jay1 to take his meat from a leprous hand8 ,a drunkard will make a poor preacher of sobriety4 ,a proud1 passionate father is a wretched recommender of humility and meekness to his children4 ,what those who are under his care1 see1 will more than counteract what they hear2 and all his efforts will be rejected with the question1 ,thou that teachest another1 teachest thou not thyself8 ,hence parents should say to their children1 ,be ye followers of me1 even as ,i also am of ,christ4 ,their example should include all their precepts4 ,in this way they both hear and see religion in its living1 moving and breathing form before them4 ,they should thus go in and out before them1 leading them step by step to heaven4 ,as a bird each fond endearment tries ,to tempt her new-fledged offspring to the skies1 ,they tried each art1 reproved each dull delay1 ,allured to brighter worlds1 and led the way6 ,it is also necessary because of its adaptation to the capacities and imitative disposition of children4 ,they judge by the organs of sense1 and by their perceptions of truth through externals4 ,naked abstract truth does not sufficiently interest them4 ,they are pleased with history1 narrative1 illustration1 more than with philosophy4 ,they are awake to the first and receive from them a lasting impression2 while the impression made by the second is dreamy and ephemeral4 ,they will never forget your example because it is adapted to their taste and capacity4 ,long after they have forgotten your precepts upon the duty and privilege of prayer1 will they remember your prayers2 and long after the influence of the former has faded1 will that of the latter rule and allure them to ,god4 ,hence the necessity of a ,christian home-example4 ,if any have children or nephews1 let them learn first to show piety at home4 ,if such1 then1 are its influence and necessity1 we can easily infer the duty of parents to show their children a ,christian example4 ,if they form their character upon the approved model of their parents1 then the duty to give them a ,christian model is very obvious4 ,they will rather follow your ungodly example than obey your godly precepts4 ,to give children1 says ,archbishop ,tillotson1 good instruction and a bad example1 is but beckoning to them with the head to show them the way to heaven--while you take them by the hand to lead them in the way to hell4 ,this duty is1 therefore1 enforced by the most powerful motives4 ,the influence and benefit of a pious example2 the promised rewards attending it2 the deep curse that attends its absence2 the misery which a bad example entails upon all the members of the ,christian household2 and especially the fruits of both a good and bad example1 in eternity1--all these considerations should prompt you to the faithful performance of this duty4 ,if the members of your household may he ruined here by a bad example1 what will be its consequences in the eternal world8 ,if men of good lives1 ,who1 by their virtuous actions1 stir up others ,to noble and religious imitation1 ,receive the greater glory after death ,as sin must needs confess2 what may they feel ,in height of torment1 and in weight of vengeance1 ,not only they themselves not doing well1 ,but set a light up to show men to hell8 ,we see a similar inducement to this duty in the blessings and rewards of a pious example4 ,its blessings are unspeakable both here and hereafter4 ,the temporal and eternal welfare of your home1 the hope of meeting your children in heaven1 and receiving there the promised reward of your stewardship1 depend upon this duty4 ,that family is happy as wall as holy1 where the parents rear up their children under the fostering influence of a ,christian example4 ,behold his little ones around him6 they bask in the sunshine of smile2 ,and infant innocence and joy lighten these happy faces2 ,he is holy1 and they honor him2 he is loving2 and they love him2 ,he is consistent1 and they esteem him2 he is firm1 and they fear him4 ,his house is the palace of peace2 for the ,prince of peace is there4 ,even so1 from the bustle of life1 he goeth to his well-ordered home4 ,a serious obstacle to the efficacy of a good example is1 the too frequent want of agreement in the example of the parents4 ,that of the father often conflicts with and neutralizes that of the mother4 ,they are not one in their example4 ,this the children soon see1 and disregard the good rather than the bad example4 ,how can two walk together except they he agreed8 ,the child cannot follow the pious father in the way of life1 when the ungodly mother secretly and openly draws him back4 ,operated upon by two opposite influences1 he will move between them4 ,we are here taught the imprudence1 and we might add1 sin1 of pious persons forming a matrimonial alliance with wicked and ungodly persons4 ,in the choice of a companion for life1 we should consider an agreement in religious as well as in social character4 ,how many unhappy matches and homes and children and parents have been made by disobedience to the divine precept1 ,be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers8 ,isaac and ,rebecca showed their appreciation of this precept in the care they took to procure a pious wife for ,jacob4 ,i am weary of my life1 says ,rebecca1 because of the daughters of ,heth2 if ,jacob take a wife of the daughters of ,heth1 such as these1 what good shall my life do me8 ,this should be the solicitude of every ,christian parent4 ,parents should possess unanimity of spirit and practice in making up and giving the home-example4 ,they should walk unitedly1 like ,zacharias and ,elizabeth1 in all the ordinances and statutes of the ,lord blameless4 ,,chapter ,,xxi ,,the ,,choice ,,of ,,pursuits4 ,for what then was ,i born8 to fill the circling year ,with daily toil for daily bread1 with sordid pains and pleasures8 ,to walk this chequered world1 alternate light and darkness1 ,the day-dreams of deep thought followed by the night-dreams of fancy8 ,to be one in a full procession8--to dig my kindred clay8 ,to decorate the gallery of art8 to clear a few acres of forest8 ,for more than these1 my soul1 thy ,god hath lent thee life6 ,the choice of positions and pursuits in life is one important and responsible mission of home4 ,children look up to their parents to aid them in this4 ,they are to have them prepared for a useful citizenship in the state4 ,life demands that each of us1 in obedience to the law of self-preservation and of our relations to human society1 prepare for some useful occupation1 not only for a livelihood1 but also for the benefit of the state4 ,the duty and the interest of the parent are to bring up the child to such a pursuit as is best adapted to his circumstances and abilities4 ,our character1 success and happiness in life1 depend upon our obedience to this law of adaptation4 ,as such pursuits are chosen and prepared for1 while under the guardian care of our parents1 it is evident they should take an active part both in the choice and the preparation4 ,they are responsible for these as far as their influence extends4 ,it is their duty to afford their children aid in choosing and preparing for a useful and appropriate occupation1 to fit them for the circumstances in which the ,providence of ,god may place them1 and to educate them for an efficient citizenship in the state4 ,this is but developing the principle of self-preservation in the child1 and fitting him for a proper adherence to it in after life4 ,the home prepares the individual for his legitimate position in the state as well as in the church2 and this implies not only his education in the principles and practice of virtue and religion1 but also in some useful and appropriate pursuit1 by which he may meet the wants and prepare for the exigencies of life4 ,to rear up your children therefore1 in idleness and ignorance of any useful occupation1 is not only doing great injustice to the child1 but also to human society1 subjecting her to expenditure and corruption in the support and influence of paupers and criminals4 ,every child should learn some trade or profession in order to self-subsistence and to the prosperity and well-being of the state4 ,hence it is a breach of moral obligation for parents1 whether rich or poor1 to permit their children to grow up in idleness and vagrancy4 ,if they do so1 and as a consequence1 drag out an impoverished and miserable existence1 struggling between the importunities of want and those precarious contingencies upon which its satisfaction is suspended2 and in the hour of despair and urgent necessity1 they resort to crime in order to meet their wants1 or to dissipation in order to avert their wretchedness for a time1 is it not plain that their parents are responsible to ,god for all their crime and misery8 ,nothing will1 therefore1 justify them in their omission of this duty4 ,no amount of inherited wealth2 no dependence upon wealthy relatives2 no honorable station in society1 will excuse them from training up their children to some useful employment by which1 if circumstances demand1 they may secure a subsistence4 ,and even if their legacy render it unnecessary to be followed in order to subsistence1 it is a duty which is due to the state4 ,no man can with impunity live in the state without some employment4 ,this would be an infringement upon her rights and an abuse of her privileges4 ,the individual1 with all his wealth and talents1 belongs to the state1 and should1 therefore1 make such an appropriation of these as will be most conducive to its welfare4 ,and besides1 we know not what disastrous changes may take place in life4 ,the parental legacy may soon be squandered by the child1 and he be left without funds or friends2 the emergencies of the future may increase beyond all anticipation2 sickness and manifold adversities may soon sweep away all his inheritance4 ,and then what will become of your child if he is ignorant of any pursuit in which to engage for a subsistence8 ,besides1 it is a matter of very common observation1 that those who receive a large legacy and have been brought up in idleness1 become prodigal in their expenditure1 and squander their fortune by dissipation more rapidly than their parents amassed it by industry and frugality2 and then1 ignorant and helpless and profligate1 they eke out a wretched existence in abject poverty1 resorting to illegitimate means for a living1 until the last fruits of their improper training may be seen in the state's prison or upon the gibbet4 ,history will afford ample illustration of this4 ,from it we may easily infer the duty of parental interposition4 ,the ,athenians expressed their sense of this duty in the enactment of a law that1 if parents did not qualify their children for securing a livelihood by having them learn some occupation1 the child was not bound to make provision for the parent when old and necessitous4 ,in the selection of an occupation for his children1 the parent should consult their taste and talents and circumstances1 and choose for them a pursuit adapted to these4 ,if his child is better suited for a mechanical pursuit1 he should direct his attention to it1 and educate him for it4 ,and thus in all respects he should obey the great law of correspondence between the taste and capacity of the child1 and the occupation to be chosen for him4 ,the violation of this law does great injury to the child and to society1 inasmuch as it prevents his success and contentment1 and floods the state with quacks and humbuggery4 ,the parent should never compel the child to learn a trade or profession which he dislikes1 and for which he shows no talents4 ,many parents1 through a false pride1 force their children into a profession for which they have neither inclination nor capacity4 ,while the parent has a right to interfere in the choice of a pursuit1 his interference should not be arbitrary1 neither should it run counter to the will of the child unless for special moral and religious reasons1 or on account of inability to gratify him4 ,however1 this is often done4 ,even though they acknowledge their unfitness for a profession1 yet their misguided pride prompts them to drag their children into a calling which in after life they disgrace4 ,some parents1 on the other hand1 through a penurious spirit1 refuse to aid their sons in their preparation for a profession for which their talents eminently qualify them4 ,they refuse to educate their sons for the ministry because it is not a lucrative calling1 though they give evidence of both mental and moral adaptation for that holy office4 ,others1 through a blind zeal and a false pride1 force their sons into this sacred calling4 ,mistaken parents6 rather let your children break stone upon the road1 or dig in the earth1 yea1 rather let them beg their bread1 than thrust them into an occupation to which ,god has not called them1 and for which they have neither inclination nor talents1 and in which they would1 perhaps1 not only ruin their own souls1 but contribute to the damnation of others4 ,there are diversities of gifts and of operations4 ,all are not called nor fitted for the ministry4 ,children soon give indications of specific talents and suitableness for a calling in life4 ,we should critically observe their early propensities4 ,these will indicate their peculiar talents4 ,unfit for and disliking an occupation1 they will become unsettled1 and dissatisfied1 and at best will be but mimics and quacks4 ,their business will make them sullen slaves4 ,it is because of parental disobedience to this law of adaptation that we have so much humbuggery in the world at the present day4 ,study1 therefore1 the infantile predilections of your children to particular employments4 ,these will be an index to their providential calling1 and should govern your choice for them4 ,the social position of the child should also be considered4 ,if possible1 the character of his pursuits should not conflict with those social elements in which he has been reared up4 ,it should not detract from his standing in society1 nor disrupt his associations in life4 ,many parents1 for the sake of money1 will refuse to educate and fit their children for sustaining the position they hold in society4 ,they bring them up in ignorance1 and devote them exclusively to ,mammon2 and then when thrown upon their own resources they are qualified neither in manners nor in pursuit for a continuance in those peculiar relations to society which they at first sustained4 ,the exigencies of the child should also be considered4 ,if his home can afford him no patrimony1 it is then more important to consider the lucrative character of the pursuit chosen1 and also the demands of that social position he is to maintain in life4 ,its profits should then be fully adequate to these demands1 and suited to the emergencies which are peculiar to his circumstances4 ,the capital required to engage in it1 and its bearing upon the health of body and mind1 should also be regarded4 ,this is an important consideration1 and not sufficiently attended to by parents4 ,how many children are forced into employments which they have not the means of carrying on1 and for which their state of health altogether unfits them6 ,a pursuit involving sedentary habits does not suit a child whose state of health demands exercise4 ,you should make choice of but one pursuit for your child1 and discourage in him the ,american tendency to be jack of all trades4 ,one occupation1 whatever it may be1 whether trade or profession1 if properly pursued1 will demand all his energies1 and give him no time to follow another2 and besides1 it will afford him an ample subsistence4 ,there is much truth in the two old and quaint adages1 jack of all trades1 and master of none2 he has too many irons in the fire1--some of them must burn6 ,show your children the truth and application of these4 ,but while this is one extreme1 and detrimental to the interests of the child1 its opposite extreme1 viz41 that of bringing up the child to no pursuit whatever1 is still more injurious4 ,we had better have too many irons in the fire than none at all4 ,it is a base and cowardly desertion of duty to shrink from the task of human occupation4 ,constituted as human society is1 the members of it being mutually dependent upon each other for support1 it is evident that our happiness materially depends upon the active concurrence of each individual in the general system of social well-being4 ,he who withholds1 therefore1 his cooperation and stands aloof from all employment1 destroys a link in that chain of things by which the fabric of society is kept together and preserved4 ,he is unfaithful to those sacred obligations which arise out of our relations to the state and the church1 and he abuses those inalienable rights with which ,god has invested the social compact4 ,besides1 he fails to meet those conditions upon which the vigorous development of individual life and character depends4 ,indolence is no friend either to physical1 mental or moral development4 ,the body becomes imbecile1 the spirit supine and sentimental1 the morals vitiated1 and the mind sinks into complete puerility4 ,activity is a law of all life1 and the condition of its healthy development and maturity4 ,without it we resort to jejune amusement1 and from amusement we are hurried on to dissipation1 to the card table and dram shop2 and from dissipation we sink to degradation1 infamy and wretchedness4 ,idleness is thus the fruitful mother of vice and misery4 ,our lives cannot exist in a state of neutrality between active good and active evil4 ,it is1 therefore1 the duty of the ,christian home to prepare her young members for some useful calling in life1 not only as a means of subsistence1 but also as a safeguard against the evils of idleness4 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,,the ,,home-,,parlor4 ,the foolish floatiness of vanity1 and solemn trumperies of pride1-- ,harmful copings with the better1 and empty-headed apings of the worse2 ,vapid pleasures1 the weariness of gaiety1 the strife and bustle of the world2 ,the hollowness of courtesies1 and substance of deceits1 idleness and pastime-- ,all these and many more alike1 thick conveying fancies1 ,flit in throngs about my theme1 as honey-bees at even to their hives6 ,the ,christian home includes the parlor4 ,this department we must give but a brief and passing notice4 ,yet it is as important and responsible as the nursery4 ,in it we have a view of the relations of home to society beyond it4 ,the parlor is set apart for social communion with the world4 ,much of momentous interest is involved in this relation4 ,the choice of companions1 the forming of attachments and matrimonial alliances1 the establishment of social position and influence in life beyond the family1--these are all involved in the home-parlor4 ,if we would1 therefore1 escape the shackles and contamination of corrupt society1 we must hold the parlor sacred and give to it the air and bearing of at least a moral aristocracy4 ,home is the first form of society4 ,the law of love rules and reigns there4 ,it is enthroned in the heart1 and casts light around our existence4 ,in that society we live above the trammels of artificial life4 ,in its parlor the members merge with society beyond its sacred precincts4 ,hence it is the most beautiful room2 the best furniture is there2 smiles adorn it2 friends meet there2 fashion meets there in her silks and jewels1 with her circumstance and custom1 her sympathies1 antipathies and divers kinds of conversation2 form and profession reign there2 flatteries and hypocrisies intrude themselves there2 pledges are given there2 attachments and vows are made there2 the mind and heart are impressed and moulded there2 the cobweb lines of etiquette are drawn there2 a panorama of social fascinations pass before the youthful eye there1--these make the parlor the most dangerous department of home4 ,there the young receive their first introduction to society2 there they see the world in all the brilliancy of outward life1 in the pomp and pageantry of a vanity fair4 ,all seems to them as a fairy dream1 as a brilliant romance2 their hearts are allured by these outward attractions2 their imaginations are fed upon the unreal1 and they learn to judge character by the external habiliments in which its reality is concealed4 ,they estimate worth by the beauty of the face and form1 by the cost of dress and the genuflections of the body4 ,they form their notions of happiness from fashion1 fortune and position4 ,they become enslaved to love-sick novels and fashionable amusements4 ,there1 too1 they make choice of companions2 there they form matrimonial alliances2 there their hearts are developed1 their minds trained for social life1 their affections directed1 and influence brought to bear upon them1 which will determine their weal or their woe4 ,if such be the influence of the home-parlor1 should it not be held sacred1 and made to correspond1 in all the uses for which it is set apart1 with the spirit and character of a ,christian family2 and should not its doors be effectually guarded against the intrusion of spurious and demoralizing elements of society8 ,parents should teach their children all about the character1 interests and deceptions of parlor-life4 ,they should undeceive them in their natural proneness to judge people from the standpoint of character assumed in the parlor4 ,they see the lamb there1 but not the lion2 the smile but not the frown2 the affability of manner1 but not the tyranny of spirit4 ,they hear the language of flattery1 but not the tongue of slander4 ,they see no weak points1 detect no evil temper and bad habits4 ,there is an artificial screen behind which all that is revolting and dangerous is concealed4 ,who would venture to judge a person by his mechanical movements in the parlor8 ,many are there the very opposite to what they are elsewhere3-- ,abroad too kind1 at home 'tis steadfast hate1 ,and one eternal tempest of debate4 ,what foul eruptions from a look most meek6 ,what thunders bursting from a dimpled cheek6 ,such dead devotion1 such zeal for crimes1 ,such licensed ill1 such masquerading times1 ,such venal faiths1 such misapplied applause1 ,such flattered guilt1 and such inverted laws6 ,one of the most dangerous periods of life is1 when we leave the nursery and school1 and enter the parlor4 ,with what solicitude1 therefore1 should ,christian parents guard their parlors from social corruption4 ,they should prepare their children for society1 not only by teaching them its manners and customs1 how to act in company1 how to grace a party1 and move with refined ease among companions there1 but also by teaching them the dangers and corruptions which lurk in their midst and follow in the train of rustling silks and fashionable denouement4 ,they should never permit their parlor to become the scene of fashionable tyranny4 ,the ,christian parlor can be no depot for fashion4 ,it should be sacred to ,god and to the church4 ,it should be a true exponent of the social elements of ,christianity4 ,it should not be a hermitage1 a state of seclusion from the world2 but should conform to fashion1 yet so far only as the laws of a sanctified taste and refinement will admit4 ,these laws exclude all compromise and amalgamation with the ungodly spirit and customs of the world4 ,allegiance to the higher and better law of ,god will keep us from submission to the laws of a depraved taste and carnal desire4 ,we must keep ourselves unspotted from the world4 ,whenever we submit with scrupulous exactness to the laws of fashion2 whenever we yield a servile complaisance to its forms and ceremonies1 wink at its extremes and immoralities and absurd expenditures1 seek its flatteries and indulge in its whims and caprices1 by throwing open our parlors as the theatre of their denouement1 and introducing our children to their actors and master-spirits1 we prostitute our homes1 our religion and those whom ,god has given us to train up for ,himself1 to interests and pleasures the most unworthy the ,christian name and character4 ,there is much danger now of the ,christian home becoming in this way slavishly bound to the influence and attractions of society beyond the pale of the church1 until all relish for home-enjoyment is lost1 and its members no longer seek and enjoy each other's association4 ,they drain the cup of voluptuous pleasure to its dregs1 and flee from home as jejune and supine4 ,the husband leaves his wife1 and seeks his company in fashionable saloons1 at the card table or in halls of revelry4 ,the wife leaves the society of her children1 and in company with a bosom companion1 seeks to throw off the tedium of home1 at masquerade meetings1 at the theater or in the ball-room1 where ,vice1 once by modest ,nature chained1 ,and legal ties1 expatiates unrestrained2 ,without thin decency held up to view1 ,naked she stalks o'er law and gospel too6 ,the children follow their example2 become disgusted with each other's company1 and sacrifice their time and talents to a thousand little trifles and absurdities4 ,taste becomes depraved1 and loses all relish for rational enjoyment4 ,the heart teems with idle fancies and vain imaginations4 ,sentimentalism takes the place of religion2 filthy literature and fashionable cards shove the ,family ,bible in some obscure nook of their parlor and their hearts4 ,the hours devoted to family prayer are now spent in a giddy whirl of amusement and intoxicating pleasure1 in the study of the latest fashions and of the newly-published love adventures of some nabob in the world of refined scoundrelism4 ,the parental solicitude1 once directed to the eternal welfare of the child1 is now expended in match-making and setting out in the world4 ,thus does the ,christian home often become adulterated with the world by its indiscriminate association with unfit social elements4 ,that portion of society whose master-spirits are love-stricken poets1 languishing girls1 amorous grandmothers1 and sap-headed fiction writers1 is certainly unfit for a place in the parlor of the ,christian family4 ,we should not permit the principles of common-sense decorum to give place to the lawless vagaries of fancy and the hollow-hearted forms of artificial life4 ,under the gaudy drapery of smiles and flounces1 of rustling silks and blandishments1 there are hearts as brutish and stultified1 and heads as brainless and incapable of gentle and moral emotion1 and characters as selfish and ungenerous1 as were ever concealed beneath the rags of poverty1 or the uncouth manners and rough garb of the incarcerated villain6 ,it is1 therefore1 beneath the dignity of the ,christian to permit his home to become in any way a prey to immoral and irreligious associations and influences4 ,like the personal character of the ,christian1 it should be kept unspotted from the world2 and no spirit1 no customs1 no companions1 opposed to religion1 should be permitted to enter its sacred limits4 ,heedless of this important requisition1 parents may soon see their children depart from the ways in which they were trained in the nursery1 and at last become a curse to them1 and bring down their gray hairs with sorrow to the grave4 ,here is indeed the great fault of many ,christian parents in the present day4 ,they do not exert that guardian care they should over the social relations and interests of their children4 ,they are too unscrupulous in their introduction to the world1 and leave them in ignorance of its snares and deceptions4 ,what results can they look for if they permit their parlor tables to become burdened with ,french novels1 and their children to mingle in company whose influence is the most detrimental to the interests of pure and undefiled religion8 ,can they reflect upon their daughters for forming improper attachments and alliances8 ,can they wonder if their sons become desperadoes1 and ridicule the religion of their parents8 ,no6 ,they permitted them to dally with the fangs of a viper which found a ready admittance into their parlor2 and upon them1 therefore1 will rest the responsibility1--yea1 the deep and eternal curse6 ,woe unto thee1 thou unfaithful parent2 the voice of thy children's blood shall send up from the hallowed ground of home1 one loud and penetrating cry to ,god for vengeance2 and thou shalt be beaten with many stripes4 ,it will not only cry out against you1 but cling to you6 ,guard your parlor1 therefore1 from the corrupting influence of all immoral associations4 ,be not carried away by the pomp and glare of refined and decorated wickedness4 ,let not the ornaments and magnificence of mere outward life divert your attention from those hidden principles which prompt to action4 ,in the choice of companions for your children in the parlor1 look to the ornaments of the heart rather than to those of the body4 ,be not allured by the parade of circumstance and position in life3 ,be not carried away by that which may intoxicate for a moment1 and then leave the heart in more wretchedness than before4 ,ever remember that the future condition of your children1 their domestic character and happiness1 will depend upon the kind of company you admit in your parlor4 ,this leads us to the consideration of the part ,christian parents should take in the marriage of their children4 ,this we shall investigate in our next chapter under the head of ,match-making4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,,match-,,making4 ,,section ,i4 ,,the ,,relation ,,of ,,parents ,,to ,,the ,,marriage ,,choice ,,of ,,their ,,children4 ,youth longeth for a kindred spirit1 and yet yearneth for a heart that can commune with his own2 ,take heed that what charmeth thee is real1 nor springeth of thine own imagination2 ,and suffer not trifles to win thy love2 for a wife is thine unto death6 ,one of the most affecting scenes of home-life is that of the bridal hour6 ,though in one sense it is a scene of joy and festivity2 yet in another1 it is one of deep sadness4 ,when all is adorned with flowers and smiles1 and the parlor becomes the theater of conviviality and parade1 even then hearts are oppressed with sorrow at the thought of that separation which is soon to take place4 ,the bridal is a home-crisis4 ,it is the breaking up of home-ties and communion1 a separation from home scenes1 a lopping off from the parent vine1 an engrafting into a strange vine1 and alas6 too often1 into a degenerate vine4 ,as the youthful bride stands beside her affianced husband1 to be wedded to him for life1 and reflects that the short ceremonial of that occasion will tear her forever from the loved1 objects and scenes of her childhood-home1 what tears of bitter sorrow adorn the bridal cheek1 and what pungent feelings are awakened by her last farewell6 ',i leave thee1 sister6 we have played ,through many a joyous hour1 ,where the silvery gleam of the olive shade ,hung dim o'er fount and bower4' ,yes6 ,i leave thee1 sister1 with all that we have enjoyed together2 ,i leave thee in the memory of our childhood-haunts and song and prayer4 ,we cannot be as we have been4 ,i leave thee now1 and all that has bound us together as one2 and hereafter memory alone can hail thee1 and will do so with her burning tear2 therefore1 kind sister1 let me weep6 ,i leave thee1 father6 ,eve's bright moon1 ,must now light other feet1 ,with the gathered grapes1 and the lyre in tune1 ,thy homeward steps to greet4 ,yes1 ,i leave thee1 father6 ,i receive thy last blessing2 no longer shall thy protecting hand guide me2 no longer shall thy smile be music to my ear4 ,i leave thee1 oh1 therefore1 let me weep6 ',mother6 ,i leave thee6 on thy breast1 ,pouring out joy and woe2 ,i have found that holy place of rest ,still changeless--yet ,i go6 ,yes1 ,i go from thee1 mother6 ,though you have watched over me in helpless infancy with all a mother's love and care1 and 'lulled me with your strain2' and though earth may not afford me a love like yours2 yet ,i go6 ,oh1 therefore1 sweet mother1 let me weep6 ',oh1 friends regretted1 scenes forever dear ,remembrance hails you with her burning tear2 ,drooping she bends o'er pensive fancy's urn1 ,to trace the hours which ne'er can return4' ,if momentous interests' are involved in marriage1 then1 we think that parents should take an important part in the matrimonial alliances of their children4 ,when they grow up1 they naturally seek a companion for life4 ,the making choice of that companion is a crisis in their history1 and will determine their future interest and happiness4 ,if separation from home is a great sacrifice1 then we should look well to the grounds of our justification in making that sacrifice4 ,we propose1 under the head of match-making1 to consider the part which parents should take in the marriage of their children2 and also the false and true standards of judgment both for parents and their children1 in making the marriage choice and alliance4 ,have parents a right to take any part in the marriage choice and alliance of their children8 ,have they a right to interfere in any respect with the marriage of their children8 ,that they do possess such a right1 and are justified in the exercise of it within just and reasonable limits1 is1 we think1 undisputed by any one acquainted with the ,word of ,god4 ,it is one of the cardinal prerogatives and duties of the ,christian parent4 ,his relation to his children invests him with it4 ,the age and inexperience of the child1 on the one hand2 and the seductions of the world1 on the other2 imply it4 ,children need counsel and admonition2 and this is a needs be for the interposition of the parent's superior wisdom and greater experience4 ,this right is plainly exemplified in sacred history4 ,abraham interfered in ,isaac's selection of a companion4 ,isaac and ,rebecca aided in the choice of a wife for ,jacob4 ,and indeed throughout the patriarchal age1 you find this right recognized and practiced4 ,it was also acknowledged and exercised in all the subsequent ages of ,judaism1 in the age of primitive ,christianity1 and even down to the present time1 in every true ,christian household4 ,the right still exists1 and receives the sanction of the church4 ,the great dereliction of parents now is1 that they do not exercise it2 and of children1 that they do not recognize it4 ,a wise son heareth his father's instructions4 ,the eye that mocketh at his father1 and despiseth to obey his mother1 the ravens of the valley shall pluck it out1 and the young eagles shall eat it4 ,what now is the extent1 and what are the duties of that right to interfere8 ,this is a difficult question1 and can receive but an imperfect answer4 ,in infancy the authority of the parent is exercised without any reference to the will of the child1 because reason is not yet developed4 ,but when he reaches the age of personal accountability1 the control of the parent is exercised on more liberal principles2 and when1 by age1 he becomes a responsible citizen1 the legal authority of the parent ceases4 ,still he possesses moral authority1 and has a right to exert a restraining influence over the child4 ,this does not1 of course1 involve a right to compel him to yield to the parent's arbitrary will4 ,he can exert but a moral control over him2 and it is the child's duty to yield to this1 so long as it is consistent with scripture and the maxims of sound reason and conscience4 ,he should consult his parents1 receive them into his confidence1 and give priority to their judgment and counsels4 ,parents have the right to use coercive measures to prevent an imprudent marriage by their children before they have arrived at age2 for until they are of age they are both legally and morally under the authority and government of their parents1 who are responsible for them4 ,hence the child should recognize and submit to their authority4 ,but this right to the use of coercive measures extends only to the prevention of unhappy marriages1--not to the forming of what the parents may regard happy alliances1 against the will of the child4 ,no parent has the right to compel a child under age to marry1 because the marriage alliance implies the age and free choice of the child4 ,but when the child reaches legal maturity1 the coercive authority of the parent ceases4 ,his interposition then should not involve coercive1 but persuasive measures4 ,then a mere mechanical prevention of an unhappy marriage would have no good moral effect1 but would be productive of great evil1 inasmuch as it not only involves parental despotism1 but the restriction of a manifest and conceded right of the child4 ,it would destroy the sense of personal dignity and responsibility4 ,persuasive measures will then accomplish more than all the efforts of the parent to prevent an unhappy union1 by threats of disinheritance and expulsion from home4 ,in this way parents often extend their interference to most unreasonable extremes1 and to the great detriment of the interests and happiness of their children2 while at the same time they often bring disgrace and misery upon their own heads and home4 ,they set themselves up as the choosers of companions for their children1 presuming that they should passively submit to their selection whatever it may be4 ,this is taking away the free moral agency of the child1 making no account of his taste1 judgment1 or affections2 and forming between him and the object thus chosen a mere outward union1 with no inward affinity4 ,in such cases it most generally happens that parents are prompted by sinister motives and a false pride1 as that of wealth1 honor1 and social position4 ,they do not consult the law of suitability1 but that of availability4 ,they think that wealth and family distinction will compensate for the absence of all moral and amiable qualities1 that if outward circumstances are favorable1 there need not be inward adaptation of character4 ,hence they will dictate to their children1 make their marriage alliance a mere business matter1 and demand implicit obedience on the penalty of expulsion from the parental home1 and disinheritance forever4 ,they are thus willing to prostitute the domestic peace and happiness of their offspring to the gratification of their own sordid and inordinate lust for gain and empty distinction4 ,who does not perceive and acknowledge the evil of such a course8 ,it involves unfeeling despotism on the one hand1 and a servile obedience on the other4 ,the affections are abused2 the idea and sacredness of marriage are left out of view2 the conditions of domestic felicity are not met4 ,all is supremely selfish2 the power exercised is arbitrary2 the submission is slavish and demoralizing2 the obedience involuntary and degrading2 and the result of it all is1 an outrage against nature1 against marriage1 and against ,god4 ,on the other hand1 the interference of the parent should be persuasive1 and the obedience of the child1 voluntary4 ,the parent should reason with and counsel the child2 and seek by mild and affectionate means to secure obedience to his advice4 ,and if the child then persist in his own course1 the parent1 we think1 has discharged his duty1 and the responsibility will rest upon the child4 ,he should not expel and disinherit him1 and thus add the hard-heartedness of the parent to the folly and perversity of the child4 ,he should love him still1 and seek by parental tenderness to alleviate the sad fruits of filial recklessness4 ,parents should so train their children in the nursery and parlor1 by instilling in them correct principles of judgment in the choice of a companion1 as to secure them ever after from an imprudent choice4 ,here is the place to begin4 ,parents too often omit this duty1 until alas1 it is too late4 ,we have now seen that the parent has no right to destroy the domestic happiness of a child by uniting him forcibly in wedlock to one for whom he has no true affection4 ,on the other hand1 the child should pay due deference to the parent's moral suasion1 and seek1 if possible1 to follow his counsels4 ,a child1 says ,paley1 who respects his parent's judgment1 and is1 as he ought to be1 tender of their happiness1 owes1 at least1 so much deference to their will1 as to try fairly and faithfully1 in one case1 whether time and absence will not cool an affection which they disapprove4 ,after a sincere but ineffectual endeavor by the child1 to accommodate his inclination to his parent's pleasure1 he ought not to suffer in his parent's affections1 or in his fortunes4 ,the parent1 when he has reasonable proof of this1 should acquiesce2 at all events1 the child is then at liberty to provide1 for his own happiness4 ,,section ,,ii4 ,,false ,,tests ,,in ,,the ,,selection ,,of ,a ,,companion ,,for ,,life4 ,before we advert to some of those biblical principles upon which parents and children should proceed in the marriage choice1 we shall take a negative view of the subject1 and mention some of those false principles and considerations which have in the present day gained a fearful ascendancy over the better judgment of many professed ,christians4 ,in the matter of marriage1 too many are influenced by the pomp and parade of the mere outward4 ,the glitter of gold1 the smile of beauty1 and the array of titled distinction and circumstance1 act like a charm upon the feelings and sentiments of many well-meaning parents and children4 ,but it is not all gold that glitters4 ,we must not think that those are happy in their marriage union1 because they are obsequious in their attentions to each other1 and live together in splendor1 overloaded with fashionable congratulations4 ,we cannot determine the character of a marriage from its pomp and pageantry4 ,we rather determine the many unhappy matches from the false principles upon which the parties acted in making choice of each other4 ,what are some of these8 ,we answer-- #a4 ,the manner of paying addresses involves a false principle of procedure4 ,these are either too long or too short1 and paid in an improper spirit and manner4 ,there are too much flirtation and romance connected with them4 ,the religious element is not taken up and considered4 ,they do not involve the true idea of preparation1 but have an air of mere sentimentalism about them4 ,the object in view is not fully seen4 ,the most reprehensible motives and the most shocking thoughtlessness pervade them throughout4 ,these addresses carry with them an air of trifling1 a want of seriousness and frankness1 which betrays the absence of all sense of responsibility1 and of all proper views of the sacredness of marriage and of its momentous consequences both for time and for eternity4 #b4 ,the habit of match-making involves a false principle4 ,this we see more fully among the higher classes of society4 ,it is the work of designing and interested persons1 who1 for self-interest1 intrude their unwelcome interposition4 ,its whole procedure implies that marriage is simply a legal matter1 a piece of business policy1 a domestic speculation4 ,it strikes out the great law of mutual1 moral love1 and personal adaptation4 ,it makes marriage artificial1 and apprehends it as only a mechanical copartnership of interest and life4 ,it is sinister in spirit1 and selfish in the end4 ,many are prompted from motives of novelty to make matches among their friends4 ,all their schemes tend to wrest from the parties interested all true judgment and dispassionate consideration4 ,they are deceived by base misrepresentation1 allured by over-wrought pictures of conjugal felicity1 so that when the marriage is consummated1 they soon find their golden dreams vanish away1 and with them1 their hopes and their happiness forever4 ,but there are not only personal match-makers1 in the form of tyrannical fathers1 sentimental mothers1 amorous grandmothers1 and obsequious friends2 but also book match-makers1 in the form of love-sick tales and poetry1 containing ,eugene-,aram adventures1 and scrapes of languishing girls with titled swains running off1 calculated to heat the youthful imagination1 distort the pictures of fancy1 giving to marriage the air of a romantic adventure1 and throwing over it a gaudy drapery1 leading the young into a world of dreams and nonentities1 where all is but a bubble of variegated colors and fantastic forms1 which explodes before them as soon as it is touched by the finger of reality and experience4 ,these are the most dangerous match-makers4 ,their sister companions in this evil are1 the ball-room1 the giddy dance and masquerade1 the fashionable wine-cup and the costly apparel4 ,let me affectionately exhort the members of the ,christian home to keep all these at a distance4 ,touch not1 taste not1 handle not6 ,they will poison the spirit and the affections1 and encircle you with a viper's coil from which there is no hope of escape4 ,here parents have a right1 and it is their duty1 to interfere4 ,they can do so effectually by not allowing such filthy match-making intruders to pass the threshold of their homes4 ,what can you expect out an unhappy marriage1 if you permit your sons and daughters to spend their time in converse with love-sick tales and languishing swains8 ,they will become love-sick1 too1 and long for marriage with one who is like the hero of their last-read romance4 ,perhaps they will not think their matrimonial debut sufficiently flavored with romantic essence1 unless they run off with some self-constituted count1 or at least with their papa's ,irish groom6 #c4 ,we might advert1 finally1 to some of those false influences which are frequently brought to bear upon the children's choice of a companion for life4 ,the term smitten is here significant and deserves our serious consideration4 ,it carries in its pregnant meaning the evidence of a spurious feeling1 and a false foundation of love and union4 ,be it remembered that there must always be something to smite one4 ,we may be smitten by a scoundrel1 or by something unworthy our affections4 ,empty titles and mustaches often smite the susceptible young4 ,sometimes the heart is smitten by a pretty face and form2 and sometimes by a rod of gold4 ,the simple fact that we are smitten is not enough2 we should know who or what it is that smites us4 ,when we are drawn to each other1 it should be by a true cord1 and by an influence which binds and cements for life4 ,the influence of mere outward beauty is a false one4 ,those who are smitten by it1 and drawn thus into a matrimonial union by an interest which is but skin-deep1 and which may fade like the morning flower1 are allured by a dazzling meteor1 by a mere bubble1 beautifully formed and colored1 but empty within4 ,it may dazzle the eye1 but it blinds us to all its blemishes and inward infirmities4 ,it is deceptive4 ,often beneath its gaudy veil there lies the viper1 ready to poison all the sweets of home-life1 and cause its victim to lament over his folly with bitter tears and heart-burning remorse4 ,how soon may beauty fade2 and what then1 if it was the only basis of your marriage choice8 ,the union which rested upon it must then be at least morally dissolved2 and that which once flitted like an impersonated charm before your admiring eye1 now becomes an object of disgust and a source of misery4 ,to fall in love1 therefore1 with mere outward beauty is1 to dandle with a doll1 to fawn upon a picture1 to rest your hopes upon a plaything1 to pursue a phantom which1 as soon as you embrace it1 may vanish into nothing4 ,look not to external beauty alone2 but also to the ornaments of an inward spirit1 of a noble mind1 and an amiable and pious heart4 ,if1 says the ,rev4 ,h4 ,harbaugh1 you will be foolish1 follow the gilded butterfly of beauty1 drive it a long chase2 it will land you at last at some stagnant mud-pond of the highway4 ,neither is impulsive passion a true basis of marriage4 ,this is falling in love at first sight1 which often proves to be a very dangerous and degrading fall1--a fall from the clouds to the clods1 producing both humiliation and misery4 ,it is indeed a fearful leap1--a leap without judgment or forethought2 and1 therefore1 a leap in the dark4 ,it is too precipitate1 and shows the infatuation of the victim4 ,falling in love is not always falling in the embraces of domestic felicity4 ,such leaping is an act of intoxication4 ,the drunkard1 falling in the mire1 often thinks that he is embracing his best friend1 whereas it is but descending to fellowship with the swine4 ,it is blind love1 which is no love1 but passion without reason4 ,it is crazy1 fitful1 stormy1 raising the feelings up to boiling point1 and bringing the affections under the influence of the high-pressure system4 ,consequently it is raving1 frothy1 of a mushroom growth1 making mere bubbles1 and completing its work in an evaporation of all that it operated upon1 passing away like the morning cloud and the early dew4 ,true love is very different4 ,it is substantial1 reasonable1 moral1 acting according to law1 temperate in all things1 keeping the heart from extremes1 permanent1 and based upon principle4 ,passion1 without love1 may keep you in a state of pleasurable intoxication until the knot is tied1 when you will soon get sober again1 only to see1 however1 your folly and to contemplate the height from which you have fallen1 and then1 with the recklessness of sullen despair1 to pass over into the opposite extreme of stoical indifference and misery4 ,all emotions are transient1 and hence no proper standard of judgment in the serious matter of a marriage choice4 ,the heart1 unguided by the head1 is1 in its emotions1 like the flaming meteor that passes in its rapid1 fiery train across the heavens4 ,it flames only for a time1 and soon passes away1 leaving the heavens in greater darkness than before4 ,neither is wealth a true basis for the marriage choice4 ,the love of money is the root of all evil2 and when it is the primary desideratum in marriage1 it acts like a canker-worm upon domestic peace and happiness4 ,with too many in this day of money-making1 marriage is but a pecuniary speculation1 a mere gold and silver affair2 and their match-making is but a money-making1 that is1 money makes the match4 ,many parents 7but we don't call such ,christians17 sacrifice their children upon the altar of mammon1 and prostitute their earthly and eternal happiness to their love of filthy lucre4 ,fatal mistake6 ,will money make your children happy8 ,is it for money you have them led to the bridal altar8 ,ah6 that sordid dust may cover the grave of their fondest hopes and connubial felicity4 ,wed not your children to mere dollars and cents4 ,the hand that holds a purse and shakes it before you for your child1 may hold also a dagger for both the child and the parent4 ,look not only for riches1 lest thou be mated with misery4 ,wealth is good in its place1 and we should not object to it1 other things being equal4 ,but it never was nor can be good as an inducement to marry4 ,what a miserable policy it is1 to make it the test of a proper match6 ,do not make the metals of earth the cord of the marriage tie4 ,they are too brittle in their nature to do so4 ,they take to themselves wings and fly away4 ,the fine gold becomes dim2 their cords are like ropes of glass-sand1-- ,like the spider's most attenuated thread1 ,they break at every breeze4 ,rank also is a false standard of judgment in the forming of a marriage alliance4 ,many look only to position in society1 make it everything1 and think that acknowledged social distinction will compensate for the want of all other interests4 ,while there should be a social adaptation of character1 and while you should-- ,be joined to thy equal in rank1 or the foot of pride will kick at thee1 yet there is nothing to justify marrying a person because of his or her social position4 ,the evils of this may be seen in the first classes of ,english society1 where rank is mechanical1 and where law forbids a trespass upon its bastard prerogatives2 and as a consequence1 relatives intermarry1 until their descendants have degenerated into complete physical and mental imbecility4 ,such nepotism as this is replete with untold disaster both in the family and in the state4 ,too many in our democratic country ape this1 look to rank1 and are blind to all things else4 ,the fruits of this are seen in that codfish aristocracy which floats with self-inflated importance upon the troubled waters of society1 causing too many of the little fish to float after them1 until they land themselves in the deep and muddy waters of domestic ruin4 ,,section ,,iii4 ,,true ,,tests ,,in ,,the ,,selection ,,of ,a ,,companion ,,for ,,life4 ,having considered some of the false standards of judgment in the choice of a companion for life1 we now revert to those true tests which are given us in the ,word of ,god4 ,there we have the institution and true idea of marriage1 and the principles upon which we should proceed in making the marriage choice4 ,we are taught in the holy scriptures1 the primary importance of judicious views of the nature and responsibilities of the marriage institution itself4 ,we should apprehend it1 not from its mere worldly standpoint1 not as a simple legal alliance1 not only as a scheme for temporal welfare and happiness1 but as a divine institute1 a religious alliance1 involving moral responsibilities1 and momentous consequences for eternity as well as for time1 for soul as well as for body4 ,we are commanded to look to its religious elements and duties2 and to regard it with that solemnity of feeling which it truly demands4 ,when the light of the bridal day throws upon the cheek its brightest colors1 even then we should rejoice with trembling1 and our joy and festivity should be only in the ,lord4 ,joy1 serious and sublime1 ,such as doth nerve the energies of prayer1 ,should swell the bosom1 when a maiden's hand1 ,filled with life's dewy flowerets1 girdeth on ,that harness which the ministry of death ,alone unlooseth1 but whose fearful power ,may stamp the sentence of eternity4 ,in the days of our forefathers1 marriage was thus held sacred1 as a divine institution1 involving moral and religious duties and responsibilities2 and their celebration of it was1 therefore1 a religious one4 ,they realized its momentous import1 and its bearing upon their future welfare4 ,it was not1 therefore1 without heavings of deep moral emotion and the flow of tears as well as of joyful spirits1 that they put the wedding garment on4 ,there are smiles and tears in that gathering band1 ,where the heart is pledged with the trembling hand ,what trying thoughts in the bosom swell1 ,as the bride bids parents and home farewell6 ,kneel down by the side of the tearful fair1 ,and strengthen the perilous hour with prayer6 ,true love in each1 and reciprocated by each1 must determine the marriage choice4 ,the marriage of children should not be forced4 ,mutual love is the basis of a proper union1 because marriage is a voluntary compact4 ,when parents1 therefore1 force their children into an alliance1 they usurp their undoubted natural and religious rights4 ,hence there should be no must1 where there is no will1 on the part of the child4 ,that choice which is made upon any other than reciprocated affection1 is an unreasonable and irreligious one4 ,parents have no right1 says ,paley1 to urge their children upon marriage to which they are averse2 add to this1 says he1 that compulsion in marriage necessarily leads to prevarication2 as the reluctant party promises an affection1 which neither exists1 nor is expected to take place4 ,to proceed to marriage1 therefore in the face of absolute dislike and revulsion1 is irrational and sinful4 ,as true1 mutual love is the basis of marriage1 so also should it be a standard of our judgment in the marriage choice4 ,without it1 neither beauty1 wealth1 nor rank will make home happy4 ,true love should be such as is upheld in scripture4 ,it is above mere passion4 ,it never faileth4 ,it is life-like and never dies out4 ,it is an evergreen in the bosom of home4 ,it has moral stamina1 is regulated by moral law1 has a moral end1 contains moral principle1 and rises superior to mere prudential considerations4 ,it is more than mere feeling or emotion2 it is not blind1 but rational1 and above deception1 having its ground in our moral and religious nature4 ,it extends to the whole person1 to body1 mind1 and spirit1 to the character as well as to the face and form4 ,it is tempered with respect1 yea1 vitalized1 purified1 directed and elevated by true piety4 ,such love alone will survive the charms and allurements of novelty1 the fascinations of sense1 the ravages of disease and time1 and will receive the sanction of heaven4 ,mutual adaption of character and position is another scripture standard of judgment4 ,is that person suited for me8 ,will that character make my home happy8 ,could ,i be happy with such an one8 ,are we congenial in spirit1 sentiment1 principle1 cultivation1 education1 morals and religion8 ,can we sympathize and work harmoniously together in mind and heart and will and taste8 ,are we complemental to each other8 ,these are questions of far greater importance than the question of wealth1 of beauty1 or of rank4 ,fitness of circumstances1 means1 and age should be also considered4 ,am ,i able to support a family8 ,can ,i discharge the duties of a household8 ,where there is ignorance of household duties1 indolence1 the want of any visible means of supporting a family1 no trade1 no education1 no energy1 and no prospects1 there is no reason to think there can be a proper marriage4 ,thus1 then1 mutual love1 adaptation of character1 of means1 of circumstances1 of position1 and of age1 should be considered1 in the formation of a marriage alliance4 ,but the standard of judgment to which the scriptures especially direct our attention is1 that of religions equality1 or spiritual adaptation4 ,be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers4 ,the positive command here is1 that ,christians should marry only in the ,lord4 ,here is a test in the selection of a companion for life1 from which neither parents nor children should ever depart4 ,it evidently forbids a matrimonial union with those who have no sympathy with religion4 ,we should make more account of religious equality than of equality of rank and wealth4 ,is not true piety of more importance than education1 affluence or social distinction8 ,when husband and wife are unequally yoked together in soul and grace1 their home must suffer spiritually as well as temporally4 ,the performance of religious duties and the enjoyment of religious privileges1 will be impossible4 ,the unbeliever will discourage1 oppose1 and often ridicule1 the pious efforts of the believer4 ,partiality will be produced1 and godliness will decline2 for1 says ,peter1 unless we dwell as heirs together of the grace of life1 our prayers will be hindered4 ,the pious one cannot rule in such a home4 ,thus divided and striving with each other1 their house must fall4 ,where one draws heavenward and the other hellward1 opposite attractions will be presented1 and the believer will find constant obstructions to growth in grace1 to the discharge of parental duty1 and to the cultivation of ,christian graces in the heart4 ,how can the unbeliever return1 like ,david1 to bless his household8 ,how can he bring up his children in the nurture and admonition of the ,lord8 ,can he be the head of a ,christian home8 ,and1 tell me1 does the true ,christian desire any other than a ,christian home8 ,how can two walk together1 except they be agreed8 ,and are you1 then1 in your marriage1 agreed to walk with the unbeliever in the broad road of sin and death8 ,you are not1 if you are a true ,christian6 ,we see1 therefore1 the importance of a rigid adherence to the scripture standard1 ,be not unequally yoked1 together with unbelievers4 ,it is even desirable that husband and wife belong to the same branch of the church1 that they may walk together on the sabbath to the house of ,god4 ,there is indeed something repugnant to the feelings of a ,christian to see the husband go in one direction to worship1 and the wife in another4 ,they cannot be thus divided1 without serious injury to the religious interests of their family1 as well as of their own souls4 ,it is impossible for them to train up their children successfully when they are separated by denominational differences4 ,it is a matter of very common observation that when persons thus divided1 marry1 the one or the other suffers in religious interest4 ,from these and other considerations1 we think it ,is expedient to marry1 if possible1 within the pales of our own branch of the church4 ,then1 being agreed1 they can walk together with one mind and one purpose4 ,but how much more important that they be united in their pilgrim walk to eternity1--united ,in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 by a common life and faith and hope6 ,we believe that ,christians commit a sin when they violate this law of religious equality1 and unite themselves in matrimony with those who pay no regard to religion4 ,who can estimate the peril of that home in which one of its members is walking in the narrow way to heaven1 while the other one is traveling in the broad road to perdition6 ,whom1 think you1 will the children follow8 ,let the sad experience of a thousand homes respond4 ,let the blighted hopes and the unrequited affections of the pious wife1 reply4 ,let those children whose infamy and wretchedness have broken the devout mother's heart1 or brought the gray hairs of the pious father down with sorrow to the grave1 speak forth the answer4 ,it will show the importance of the scripture rule before us1 and will declare the sin of violating that rule4 ,and does not1 therefore1 a terrible judgment accompany that indiscriminate matrimonial union with the unbelieving world1 of which so many ,christians1 in the present day1 are guilty8 ,parents encourage their pious children to marry unbelievers1 though they are well aware that such unholy mixtures are expressly forbidden1 and that spiritual harmony is essential to their happiness4 ,she is at liberty to be married to whom she will1 only in the ,lord6 ,those who violate this cardinal law of marriage1 must expect to suffer the penalties attached to it4 ,history is the record of these4 ,the disappointed hopes1 and the miseries of unnumbered homes speak forth their execution4 ,this great scripture law has its foundation in the very nature of marriage itself4 ,if marriage involves the law of spiritual harmony2 if1 in the language of the ,roman law1 it is the union of a man and woman1 constituting an united habitual course of life1 never to be separated2 if it is a partnership of the whole life1--a mutual sharing in all rights1 human and divine2 if they are one flesh1--one in all the elements of their moral being1 as ,christ and ,his church are one2 if it is a mystery of man's being1 antecedent to all human law2 if1 in a word1 man and woman in marriage1 are no more twain1 but one flesh2 and if the oneness of our nature is framed of the body1 the soul1 and the spirit1 then is it not plain that when two persons marry1 who possess no spiritual fitness for1 or harmony with1 each other1 they violate the fundamental law of wedlock2 and their marriage cannot meet the scripture conception of matrimonial union or oneness4 ,there will be no adaptation of the whole nature for each other2 they will not appreciate the sacred mysteriousness of marriage2 instead of the moral and religious development of the spiritual nature1 there will be the evolution of selfishness and sensuality as the leading motives of domestic life4 ,we see1 then1 that the ,christian cannot with impunity1 violate the scripture law1 ,be not unequally yoked with unbelievers4 ,shall the ,christian parent and child disregard this prohibition of ,god8 ,will you ridicule this fundamental principle of ,christian marriage8 ,will the children of ,god not hesitate to marry the children of the devil8 ,can these walk together1 in domestic union and harmony8 ,can saint and sinner be of one mind1 one spirit1 one life1 one hope1 one interest8 ,can the children of the light and the children of darkness1 opposite in character and in their apprehension of things1 become flesh of each other's flesh1 and by the force of their blended light and darkness shed1 around their home-fireside the cheerfulness of a mutual love1 of a common life and hope1 and of a progressive spiritual work8 ,parents6 it is your right and duty to interfere when your children violate this law4 ,bring them up from infancy to respect it4 ,in the parlor1 train them to appreciate its religious importance4 ,show them that ,god will visit the iniquity of their departure from it1 unto the third and fourth generation4 ,you are stimulated to do so by the divine promise that when they grow old1 they will not depart from it4 ,such unequal matches are not made in heaven4 ,god's hand is over such matches1 not in them4 ,what fellowship hath light with darkness8 ,if love1 in ,christian marriages1 is holy and includes the religious element1 then it is evident that the ,christian alliance with1 one between whom and himself there is no religious affinity whatever1 is not only an outrage against the marriage institution1 but also exposes his home to the curse of ,god1 making it a ,babel of confusion and of moral antipathies4 ,both the old and the new testaments give explicit testimony to the law of spiritual harmony in marriage4 ,thus the law of ,moses forbid the children of ,israel to intermarry among heathen nations4 ,neither shalt thou make marriages with them2 thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son1 nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son4--,deut4 vii41 #c4 ,abraham obeyed this law in the part he took in the marriage of his son ,isaac1 as recorded in the twenty-fourth1 chapter of ,genesis4 ,his obedience was reproduced in ,isaac and ,rebecca1 who manifested the same desire1 and took the same care that ,jacob should take a wife from among the covenant people of ,god4 ,see twenty-eighth chapter of ,genesis4 ,the evil consequences of the violation of this law may be seen in the history of ,solomon1--i4 ,kings1 chap4 #aa2 also in the case mentioned in the #ajth chap42 and in ,nehemiah1 chap4 #ac4 ,paul upholds this law when he exhorts the ,corinthians to marry only in the ,lord4 ,reason itself advocates this law4 ,the true ,christian labors for heaven and walks in the path of the just2 the unbelieving labor for earth1 mind only the things of this world1 and walk in the broad road to ruin4 ,can these now walk together1 live in harmony1 when so widely different in spirit1 in their aims and pursuits8 ,what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness8 ,what part hath he that believeth with an infidel8 ,and what agreement hath the temple of ,god with idols8 for ye are the temple of the living ,god2 as ,god hath said1 ,i will dwell in them2 and ,i will be their ,god1 and they shall be my people4 ,wherefore come out from among them1 and be ye separate1 saith the ,lord1 and touch not the unclean thing2 and ,i will receive you1 and will be a father unto you1 and ye shall be my sons and daughters4 ,the primitive ,christians developed this law in their families4 ,they forbade marriage with ,jews1 ,pagans1 ,mohammedans1 and ungodly persons4 ,with them1 piety was the first desideratum in marriage4 ,the sense of the ,christian church has ever been against religious inequality in marriage4 ,it has always been felt to be detrimental to personal piety and to the general interests of ,christianity4 ,it limits and neutralizes the influence of the church1 brings overwhelming temptations to lukewarmness in family religion1 and is1 in a word1 in almost every instance1 the fruitful cause of spiritual declension wherever it is practiced4 ,let me1 then1 exhort you to marry only in the ,lord4 ,such an union will be blessed4 ,daughter of ,zion6 marry such a man as will1 like ,david1 return to bless his household4 ,son of the ,christian home6 marry no woman who has not in her heart the casket of piety4 ,make this your standard2 and your home shall be a happy1 as well as a holy home1 and ,in the blissful vision1 each shall share ,as much of glory as his soul can bear6 ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,,the ,,children',s ,,patrimony4 ,give me enough1 saith wisdom2 for he feareth to ask for more2 ,and that by the sweat of my brow1 addeth stout-hearted independence2 ,give me enough1 and not less2 for want is leagued with the tempter2 ,poverty shall make a man desperate1 and hurry him ruthless into crime2 ,give me enough1 and not more1 saving for the children of distress2 ,wealth oftentimes killeth1 where want but hindereth the budding4 ,the children's patrimony is a vital subject4 ,it involves the great question1 what should ,christian parents leave to their children as a true inheritance from the ,christian home8 ,we shall return but a very brief and general answer4 ,the idea of the home-inheritance is generally confined to the amount of wealth which descends from the parent to the child4 ,and this is indeed too often the only inheritance of which children can boast4 ,many parents1 who even claim to be ,christians1 enslave both themselves and their families1 to secure for their offspring a large pecuniary patrimony4 ,they prostitute every thing else to this4 ,and hence it often happens that the greatest money-inheritance becomes the children's greatest curse1 running them into all the wild and immoral excesses of prodigality2 and ending in abject poverty1 licentiousness1 and disgrace2 or perhaps making them like their deluded parents1 penurious1 covetous1 and contracted in all their views and sentiments4 ,we think1 therefore1 that the children's patrimony should be more than gold and silver4 ,this may pamper the body1 but will afford no food for the mind and spirit4 ,we do not mean by these remarks1 that their patrimony should not include wealth4 ,on the other hand1 we believe that parents should make pecuniary provision for them1 that they may not begin life totally destitute4 ,but we mean1 that when this is the only patrimony they receive1 it often proves a curse1 because it tends to destroy their sympathy with higher interests1 exposes them to the uncertainties of wealth1 and makes them dependent upon that alone4 ,if it should elude their grasp1 all is gone1 and they become poor and helpless indeed4 ,what1 therefore1 besides wealth1 should be the children's patrimony from the ,christian home8 ,we briefly answer4 #a4 ,a good character4 ,this is more valuable than wealth2 for a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches4 ,this character should be physical1 intellectual1 and moral4 ,give your children the boon of good health by a proper training to exercise and industry4 ,transmit to them the patrimony of good physical habits by educating their bodies1 and developing their material existence according to the principles of natural law4 ,develop their intellectual faculties1 and enrich them with1 the treasures of knowledge4 ,give character to their minds as well as to their bodies2 and they will be blessed with an intellectual dowry which cannot be taken from them1 and which will bring them an adequate recompense4 ,give to your children the patrimony of good and just principles4 ,train the heart to good morals2 fill it with the treasures of virtue1 of truth1 of justice and of honor4 ,give it moral stamina4 ,educate the moral sense of your children4 ,direct the unfolding powers of their conscience2 in a word1 develop their moral faculties1 and supply them with appropriate nutriment2 mould their will2 cultivate their emotions2 rule their desires and passions2 and thus unfold their moral nature according to the rules of ,god's revealed law4 ,such a character1 involving a true and vigorous evolution of body1 mind and spirit1 is an effectual safeguard against the evils of prodigality1 the disgrace of penuriousness1 and the woes of vice and crime4 ,their property may burn down1 and they may he robbed of their gold2 but neither the flame nor the robber can deprive them of their character2 their intellectual and moral worth1 is beyond the power of man to destroy2 no enemy can rob them of those virtues which a well-developed mind and heart afford2 they will be to them a standing capital to enrich them in all that is essential to human happiness4 #b4 ,a good occupation is another patrimony which should descend to the children of a ,christian home4 ,bring up your children to some useful employment by which they may be able to make a comfortable living2 and you thereby give them hundreds1 and1 perhaps1 thousands of dollars per year2 you give them a boon which cannot he taken from them4 ,many parents1 hoping to secure for their children a large pecuniary patrimony1 will not permit them to learn either a trade or a profession2 but let them grow up in indolence and ignorance1 unable as well as unwilling1 to be useful either to themselves or to others1 living for no purpose1 and unfit even to take care of what they leave4 ,and when their wealth descends to them1 they soon spend it all in a life of dissipation2 so that in a few years they find themselves poor1 and friendless1 and ignorant of all means of a livelihood1 without character1 without home1 without hope1 a nuisance to society1 a disgrace to their parents1 a curse to themselves6 ,but as we have already dwelt upon this subject in the chapter on the choice of pursuits1 we shall not enlarge upon it here4 #c4 ,true religion is another inheritance which should descend to the children of the ,christian home4 ,this is an undefiled and imperishable treasure1 which does not become worthless at the grave1 but which will continue to increase in preciousness as long as the ages of eternity shall roll on4 ,if through the parent's pious agency1 the child comes into possession of this invaluable blessing1 there is given to him more than earthly treasure1 more than pecuniary competency1 more than a good name1 or a fair reputation1 or a high social position in this life2 he receives a title to and personal meetness for1 the undefiled and imperishable inheritance of heaven1 composed of glittering crowns of glory1 of unspeakable joys1 and sweet communion with all the loved and cherished there4 ,thus the fruits of a parent's labor for the salvation of his children constitute an infinitely more valuable patrimony than all the accumulated fruits of his industry in behalf of wealth4 ,all the wealth1 and rank1 and reputation which may descend from parent to child1 can not supersede the necessity of a spiritual patrimony4 ,it is only1 as we have seen in a former chapter1 when you minister to the spiritual wants of your children and tinge all their thoughts and feelings with a sense of eternity2 when your home is made a spiritual nursery2 and you work for their eternal benefit1 and thereby secure for them the fulfillment of those blessed promises which ,god has given concerning the children of believing parents1 that you leave them a patrimony worthy the ,christian home4 ,such a spiritual patrimony it is within the power of all ,christian parents to bestow4 ,and without its enjoyment by your children1 you fail to minister unto them as a faithful steward of ,god4 ,you may minister to their bodies and minds2 you may amass for them a fortune2 you may give them an education2 you may establish them in the most lucrative business2 you may fit them for an honorable and responsible position2 you may leave them the heritage of social and political influence2 and you may caress them with all the passionate fondness of the parental heart and hand2 yet1 without the heritage of true piety1--of the true piety of the parent reproduced1 in the heart and character of the child1 all will be worse than vain1 yea1 a curse to both the parent and the children4 ,having thus briefly pointed out some of the essential features of the children's patrimony1 as physical1 intellectual1 moral1 and spiritual1 we shall now advert to the principles upon which parents should proceed in the distribution of their property to their children4 ,they should not give them more than a competency4 ,that they should lay by something for them is conceded by all4 ,this is both a right and a duty4 ,it is included in the obligation to provide for them2 and he who does it not hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel4 ,natural affection1 as well as supernatural faith1 stimulates the parent to provide thus for his offspring4 ,but this does not demand a great fortune2 but a simple competency1 that is1 just enough to meet their immediate wants and emergencies when they enter the world and begin business-life4 ,this competence should correspond with the social position they occupied under the parental roof4 ,it should not go beyond this2 it should be just enough to meet the social and financial exigencies of the child4 ,it should be measured also by the peculiar necessities of the child1 by his health1 abilities and circumstances4 ,a parent is justified1 says ,paley in his ,moral and ,political ,philosophy1 in making a difference between his children according as they stand in greater or less need of the assistance of his fortune1 in consequence of the difference of their age or sex1 or of the situations in which they are placed1 or the various success which they have met with4 ,now the law of competence does not demand1 yea1 it forbids1 more than a sufficiency to meet these peculiar exigencies of the child4 ,those parents who seek for more1 become parsimonious1 unfaithful to the moral interests of their household1 and indifferent to all legitimate objects of charity and benevolence4 ,these are indeed but the necessary fruits of unfaithfulness to this law2 for the course of ,god's providence indicates the impossibility of our faithfulness to the duty of ,christian beneficence1 and at the same time lay up for our children more than a sufficiency4 ,we find indeed1 that in almost every instance in which parents have transcended the limits of competence1 and thus raised their children above the necessity of doing anything themselves for a subsistence1 ,god has cursed the act1 and the canker of ,his displeasure has consumed this ill-saved property4 ,that curse we see often in the prodigality and dissipation of the children4 ,they walk in the slippery paths of sin1 kneel at the altar of ,mammon1 fare sumptuously every day1 as prodigal in spending their fortune as their parents were penurious in amassing it1 until at last they come to want1 rush into crime1 and end their unhappy life in the state's prison1 or upon the gibbet4 ,we see1 therefore1 that when parents give their children more than what they actually need1 they place in their possession the instruments with which1 they ruin themselves4 ,history shows that the most wealthy men started out in the world with barely enough1 and some1 with1 nothing2 and that generally those who started with an independent fortune ended with less than they started1 and many closed their earthly career in abject poverty and misery4 ,besides1 the man who made his fortune knows how to keep and expend it2 and in point of happiness derived from property1 there is no comparison between a fortune which1 a man acquires by well applied industry1 or by a series of success in his business1 and one found in his possession or received from another4 ,let1 therefore1 the property you leave your children be just enough to meet the exigencies of their situations1 and no more2 for ,wealth hath never given happiness1 but often hastened misery2 ,enough hath never caused misery1 but often quickened happiness2 ,enough is less than thy thought1 ,o pampered creature of society1 ,and he that hath more than enough1 is a thief of the rights of his brother6 ,parents should be impartial in the distribution of their patrimony among their children4 ,they should never give one more than another unless for very plausible and ,christian reasons1 such as bad health1 peculiar circumstances1 of want1 c4 ,they should have no pets1 no favorites among them2 and care more for one than for another1 or indulge one more than another4 ,neither should they withhold a dowry1 from a child as a punishment1 unless his crime and character are of such an execrable nature as to warrant the assurance that its bestowment would but enhance his misery4 ,then indeed1 it would be a blessing to withhold it4 ,a child's vices may be of that sort1 says ,paley in his ,philosophy1 and his vicious habits so incorrigible1 as to afford much the same reason for believing that he will waste or misemploy the fortune put into his power1 as if he were mad or idiotish1 in which1 case a parent may treat him as a madman1 or an idiot2 that is1 may deem it sufficient to provide for his support by an annuity equal to his wants and innocent enjoyments1 and which he may be restrained from alienating4 ,this seems to be the only case in which a disinherison1 nearly absolute1 is justifiable4 ,neither should parents be capricious in the distribution of their property among their children4 ,they have no right to withhold a dowry from children because they have married against their will1 no more than they have a right1 for this reason1 to disown1 them4 ,this would be distributing their property upon the principle of revenge or reward4 ,no parent has a right to indulge a preference founded on such an unreasonable and criminal feeling as revenge4 ,neither has he a right to distribute his property from considerations of age1 sex1 merit1 or situation4 ,the idea of giving all to the eldest son to perpetuate family wealth1 and distinction2 or of giving2 all to the sons1 and withholding from the daughters2 or of giving to those children only who were more obsequious in their adherence to their parent's tyrannical requisitions1--is unreasonable1 unchristian1 and against the generous dictates of natural affection4 ,from this whole subject we may infer the infatuation of those parents who toil as the slave in the galley1 to amass a large fortune for their children4 ,to accomplish this object they become drudges all their life4 ,they rise early and retire late1 deny themselves even the ordinary comforts of life1 expend all the time and strength of their manhood1 make slaves of their wives and children1 and live retired from all society1 in order to lay up a fortune for their offspring4 ,to this end they make all things subordinate and subservient2 and1 indeed1 they so greatly neglect their children as to deprive them of even the capacity of enjoying intellectually or morally the patrimony they thus secure for them4 ,they bring them up in gross ignorance of every thing save work3 and money4 ,they teach them close-fisted parsimony1 and prepare them to lead a life as servile and infatuated as their own4 ,miserable delusion6 ,what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world1 and lose his own soul8 ,o cursed lust of gold6 when for thy sake ,the fool throws up his interest in both worlds2 ,first starved in this1 then damned in that to come6 ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,,the ,,promises ,,of ,,the ,,christian ,,home4 ,the promise is unto you1 and to your children4 ,,acts ,,ii41 #ci4 ,parent who plantedst in the joy of love1 ,yet hast not gather'd fruit1--save rankling thorns1 ,or ,sodom's bitter apples1--hast thou read ,heaven's promise to the seeker8 ,thou may'st bring ,those o'er whose cradle thou didst watch with pride1 ,and lay them at thy ,savior's feet1 for lo6 ,his shadow falling on the wayward soul1 ,may give it holy health4 ,and when thou kneel'st ,low at the pavement of sweet ,mercy's gate1 ,beseeching for thine erring ones1 unfold ,the passport of the ,king1--',ask1 and receive6 ,knock1--and it shall be opened6' ,the promises of the ,christian home may be divided into two kinds1 viz43 ,those which ,god has given to the family2 and those which ,christian parents have made to ,god4 ,god has not only laid ,his requisitions upon the ,christian home1 but given his promises4 ,every command is accompanied with a promise4 ,these promises give color to all the hopes of home4 ,when the dark cloud of tribulation overhangs the parent's heart2 when the overwhelming storm of misfortune rages around his habitation1 uprooting his hopes and demolishing his interests2 when the ruthless hand of death tears from his embrace the wife of his bosom and the children of his love2--even in hours of bereavement like these1 the promises of ,god dispel the gloom1 and surround his home and his heart with the sunshine of peace and joy4 ,his promises extend to both the parents and their offspring4 ,unto you1 and unto your children1 ,i will pour my spirit on thy seed1 and my blessing on thine offspring2 and they shall spring up as among the grass1 as willows by the watercourses4 ,one shall say1 ,i am the ,lord's2 and another shall call himself by the name of ,jacob2 and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the ,lord1 and surname himself by the name of ,israel4 ,his promises extend to children's children2 and whatever they may be for the parent1 they are visited upon the children unto the third and fourth generation4 ,now these divine promises are of two kinds1--the promise of punishment1 and the promise of reward4 ,he promises to punish the unfaithful parent1 and to reward the faithful parent4 ,he also promises to visit both the evil and the good of the parents upon their children4 ,such is the constitution of the family1 and such are the vital relations which the members sustain to each other1 that by the law of natural and moral reproduction1 the child is either blessed or cursed in the parent4 ,what the parent does will run out in its legitimate consequences to the child1 either as a malediction or as a benediction4 ,we have divine promises to punish the unfaithful members of the ,christian home4 ,if the parent becomes guilty of iniquity1 it will be visited upon the children from generation to generation4 ,there is no consideration which should more effectually restrain parents from unfaithfulness than this4 ,let them become selfish1 sensual1 indolent1 and dissipated1 and soon these elements of iniquity will be transmitted to their offspring4 ,what the parent sows1 the child will reap4 ,if the former sow to the flesh1 the latter shall of the flesh reap corruption4 ,thus1 whatsoever the parent sows in the child he shall reap from the child4 ,the promised curse of the parent's wickedness is deposited in the child so far as that wickedness affected the child's character4 ,this is all based upon the great principle that the promises are unto you1 and to your children4 ,but while this great principle is ominous of terror to the ungodly1 it is a pleasing theme to the pious and faithful4 ,home is a stewardship2 and if faithful to its high and holy vocation1 it has a good reward for its labor of love4 ,if ye sow to the spirit ye shall of the spirit reap life everlasting4 ,this promise of reward is to you and to your children4 ,many souls shall be given for its hire4 ,their children shall reap the reward of the faithfulness of the parents4 ,of them it shall be said1 this is the seed which the ,lord hath blessed4 ,faithful parents have thus a glorious recompense of reward4 ,god shall reward thee openly4 ,make your household a true nursery for the soul2 and ,he will give thee thy wages4 ,the blessing of the ,most ,high will descend like dew upon you and your children4 ,and when they grow up to manhood1 ,he will make them ,his agents in rewarding you4 ,they will honor and comfort you in your declining years4 ,they will not depart from the ways of the ,lord in which you trained them4 ,though they may be in a distant land1--far from you and the cherished home of their childhood1 yet they will obey your admonitions1 gratefully remember your kindness2 and their grateful obedience and remembrance will be your great reward from them4 ,they will rise up and call you blessed4 ,though we dwell apart1 ,thy loving words are with me evermore1-- ,thy precious loving words4 ,thy hand1 and heart4 ,and earnest soul of love1 are here impressed1 ,for me1 a dear memorial through all time4 ,mother6 ,i cannot recompense thy love1 ,but thy reward is sure1 for thou hast done ,thy duty perfectly1 and we rise up ,and call thee blessed2 and the ,lord shall give ,thy pious cares and labors rich reward4 ,and when you descend to the grave and are gathered to your fathers1 the assurance of fidelity to your home-trust1 the prospect of meeting your children in heaven1 and all the brilliant hopes that loom up before you1 full of the light and glory of the eternal world1 will furnish you a great recompense of reward4 ,parents can rely upon these promises of ,god with the full assurance of faith2 for ,his promises are yea and amen4 ,let them but lay hold upon the promises1 and act upon the conditions of their fulfillment1 and then leave the rest to ,god4 ,abraham and ,joshua1 and ,david1 acted upon this principle in their families4 ,let the members of the ,christian home do the same1 and the blessing of ,god will rest upon them4 ,god promises to reward parents in this life4 ,we find their fulfillment in the peace1 the hopes1 the interests1 and the pleasures of the faithful household4 ,the members are happy in each other's love1 in each other's virtue1 in each other's worth1 in each other's hopes1 in each other's interests1 in each other's confidence1 in each other's piety1 in each other's fidelity1 in each other's happiness4 ,thus ,god shall reward thee openly4 ,he has never said to the seed of ,jacob seek ye me in vain4 ,verily there is a reward for the righteous4 ,this is the seed which the ,lord hath blessed4 ,the promised reward of faithful parents may be seen in their children4 ,they are in the true ,christian home a precious heritage from the ,lord4 ,thus a parent's faithfulness was rewarded in the piety of ,baxter1 and ,doddridge1 and ,watts4 ,what a rich reward did ,elkanah and ,hannah receive by their training up ,samuel6 ,and were not ,lois and ,eunice rewarded for their faithfulness to young ,timothy8 ,what a glorious reward the mother of ,john ,q4 ,adams received from ,god1 in that great and good man6 ,god blessed her fidelity1 by making him worthy of such a mother4 ,he himself was conscious that he was his mother's reward1 as may be seen from the following anecdote of him4 ,governor ,briggs of ,massachusetts1 after reading with great interest the letters of ,john ,q4 ,adam's mother1 one day went over to his seat in ,congress1 and said to him3 ,mr4 ,adams1 ,i have found out who made you6 ,what do you mean8 said he4 ,i have been reading the letters of your mother1 was the reply4 ,with a flashing eye and glowing face1 he started1 and in his peculiar manner1 said3 ,yes1 ,briggs1 all that is good in me1 ,i owe to my mother6 ,but ,god promises to reward faithful parents in the life to come4 ,their great reward is in heaven4 ,the departure of every pious member of their home but increases the heavenly reward4 ,the little child that dies in its mother's arms1 and is borne up to the ,god who gave it1 but increases by its sainted presence there1 her joyful anticipations of the eternal reward4 ,and when1 by father's lonely bed1 ,you place me in the ground1 ,and his green turf1 with daisies spread1 ,has also wrapt me round2 ,rejoice to think1 to you 'tis given1 ,to have a ransomed child in heaven6 ,and oh1 how glorious will be this reward when all the members shall meet again in heaven1 recognize each other there1 and unite their harps and voices in ascriptions of praise to ,god4 ,there in that better home1 where no separations take place1 no trials are endured1 no sorrows felt1 no tears shed1 they shall enjoy the complete fulfillment of divine promises4 ,heaven1 with its unfading treasures1 with its golden streets1 with its crowns of glory1 with its unspeakable joys1 with its river of life1 and with its anthems of praise1 will be their great recompense of the reward4 ,how the anticipation of this should stimulate ,christian parents to increased fidelity2 oh1 what a happy meeting will that be1 when husband and wife1 parent and child1 brother and sister1 after many long years of separation1 shall great each other in that glorious world1 and feel that parting grief shall weep no more6 ,oh6 when a mother meets on high1 ,the child she lost in infancy2 ,hath she not then for pains and fears1 ,the day of woe1 the watchful night1 ,for all her sorrows1 all her tears1 ,an over-payment of delight8 ,with these gracious promises of reward sounding in their ears1 ,christian parents should never despair2 neither should they doubt for a moment the fidelity of ,god to all his promises4 ,it is true that ,his promises are conditional1 and their fulfillment depends upon the parent's performance of his part as the condition1 yet to every duty he has attached a promise2 and wherever ,he has made a promise for us1 he has given us the ability to use the means of securing its fulfillment2 and as soon as their conditions are thus met1 they become absolute4 ,train up a child in the way he should go4 ,here is the duty4 ,and when he grows old he will not depart from it4 ,here is the promise4 ,the condition is1 that you discharge the duty4 ,if you do so1 the promise becomes absolute1 and shall with certainty be divinely fulfilled in your child1 though the time and manner of this fulfillment may not meet your expectations4 ,but some may object to this position1 and remind us that pious parents are known to have ungodly children who died in their sins4 ,they may refer us to the case of ,absalom1 and to the sons of ,eli4 ,in reply we would state that this is begging the question4 ,it is here taken for granted that these pious parents did fulfill the conditions attached to the above promises4 ,this is a mere assumption2 for ,absalom was not properly trained2 and both he and the sons of ,levi1 were ruined by the misguided fondness and extreme indulgence of their parents4 ,and thus also does the foolish partiality of many pious parents prevent their fidelity to their children4 ,we must not think that all pious parents are faithful to their duty to their children4 ,the above objection1 however1 assumes this ground2 and1 therefore1 it is not valid4 ,it is often said that the children of ministers and pious parents are usually more wicked than other children4 ,this is false4 ,the opposite is true4 ,we admit1 some have bad children2 but it is the fault of the parents2 not because ,god does not fulfill ,his covenant promises to ,his people4 ,his people1 in these instances1 do not meet the conditions upon which ,his promises are made absolute4 ,we must not suppose that because a divine promise exists detached from expressed conditions1 it will be fulfilled without the use of means4 ,there is a manifest compatibility between the absolute promises of ,god and the use of the means in our power for their fulfillment4 ,the promise to ,paul in the ship in which he was conveyed to ,rome1 that none of the passengers should perish1 was not incompatible with ,paul's declaration1 except these persons abide in the ship1 ye cannot be saved4 ,neither were the efforts of the mother of ,moses to save him1 incompatible with the absolute promise of ,god that this babe shall be saved1 and be the deliverer of ,israel4 ,what she did to preserve his life was accompanied with an active1 confiding faith in the divine promise concerning him4 ,and thus should faith in ,god's promises stimulate ,christian parents to zealous activity in the use of all those means which secure their fulfillment4 ,the ,christian home should ever keep in lively remembrance the solemn promises made by her to ,god4 ,in marriage1 in holy baptism1 she has made vows unto ,god1 and he says to her1 pay thy vows4 ,when thou shalt vow a vow unto the ,lord thy ,god1 thou shalt not slack to pay it2 for the ,lord thy ,god will surely require it of thee4 ,these parental promises made to ,god regard themselves and their children2 and their faithful fulfillment brings them within the glorious promise which ,god gave to ,abraham2 for1 says ,paul1 ,if ye be ,christ's1 then are ye ,abraham's seed1 and heirs according to the promise3 ,gal4 iii41 #bi4 ,christian parents3 the promises of ,god shine forth as brilliantly now as over they did upon the pages of sacred history4 ,they are as bright for you as they were for ,abraham and ,joshua1 when they trembled in sublime eloquence upon the lips of ,god4 ,let them1 therefore1 be not in vain4 ,the promises are unto you1 and to your children4 ,and you in turn have promised ,god that you would bless your household1 and be faithful to your children4 ,hold1 fast to these promises without wavering4 ,hang all your hopes upon them4 ,cling to them with the wrestling spirit of ,jacob4 ,and remember that you cannot shake off your vows and promises made to ,god4 ,he will sorely require it of thee4 ,therefore pay thy vows unto the ,lord4 ,god will reward you for so doing4 ,the mountains shall depart1 and the hills be removed2 but my kindness shall not depart from thee1 neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed1 saith the ,lord that hath mercy on thee3 ,isaiah liv41 #aj4 ,illustration3 ,rural ,landscape4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,,the ,,bereavements ,,of ,,the ,,christian ,,home4,a ,footnote ,a3 ,in this chapter we have made free use of poetical quotations for the benefit of the afflicted4 ,on1 long ago ,those blessed days departed1 we are reft1 ,and scattered like the leaves of some fair rose1 ,that fall off one by one upon the breeze1 ,which bears them where it listeth4 ,never more ,can they be gathered and become a rose4 ,and we can be united never more ,a family on earth6 ,bereavement involves the providential discipline of home4 ,in almost every household there have been sorrows and tears as well as joys and hopes4 ,as the ,christian home is the depository of the highest interests and the purest pleasures1 so it is the scene of sad bereavements and of the darkest trials4 ,it may become as desolate as the home of ,job4 ,the ,christian may1 like the aged tree1 be stripped of his clusters1 his branches1 all his summer glory1 and sink down into a lonely and dreary existence4 ,his home1 which once rang with glad voices1 may become silent and sad and hopeless4 ,those hearts which once beat with life and love1 may become still and cold2 and all the earthly interests which clustered around his fireside may pass away like the dream of an hour6 ,the members of home must separate4 ,theirs is but a probationary state4 ,their household is but a tent1--a tabernacle in the flesh1 and all that it contains will pass away4 ,the fondest ties will be broken2 the brightest hopes will fade2 all its joys are transient2 its interests meteoric1 and the fireside of cheerfulness will ere long become the scene of despondency4 ,every swing of the pendulum of the clock tells that the time of its probation is becoming shorter and shorter1 and that its members are approaching nearer and nearer the period of their separation4 ,there is no union here of hearts1 ,that finds not here an end4 ,alas6 how soon this takes place6 ,the joy of home would be perfect did not the thought of a speedy separation intrude4 ,no sooner than the voice of childhood is changed1 than separation begins to take place4 ,some separate for another world2 some are borne by the winds and waves to distant lands2 others enter the deep forests of the ,west1 and are heard of no more2-- ,alas6 the brother knows not now where fall the sister's tears6 ,one haply revels at the feast1 while one may droop alone2 ,for broken is the household chain1--the bright fire quenched and gone6 ,what melancholy feelings are awakened within at the sight of a deserted home1 in which loved ones once met and lived and loved2 but from which they have now wandered1 each in the path pointed out by the guiding hand of ,providence4 ,how beautifully does ,mrs4 ,hemans portray this separation in the following admirable lines6-- ,they grew in beauty side by side1 ,they filled one home with glee2 ,their graves are severed1 far and wide1 ,by mount1 and stream1 and sea4 ,the same fond mother bent at night ,o'er each fair sleeping brow2 ,she had each folded flower in sight-- ,where are those dreamers now8 ,one midst the forests of the ,west ,by a dark stream is laid2 ,the ,indian knows his place of rest ,far in the cedar shade4 ,the sea1 the blue lone sea1 hath one1 ,he lies where pearls lie deep2 ,he was the loved of all1 yet none ,o'er his low bed may weep4 ,one sleeps where southern vines are dress'd1 ,above the noble slain2 ,he wrapped his colors round his breast1 ,on a blood-red field of ,spain4 ,and one--o'er her the myrtle showers1 ,its leaves by soft winds fanned2 ,she faded midst ,italian flowers-- ,the last of that fair band4 ,and parted thus1 they rest1 who played ,beneath the same green tree2 ,whose voices mingled as they prayed ,around one parent knee6 ,it is thus in almost every household4 ,the members may be divided into two classes1--the present and the absent ones4 ,who may not say of his family-- ,we are not all here6 ,some are away--the dead ones dear1 ,who thronged with us this ancient hearth1 ,and gave the hour of guiltless mirth4 ,fate1 with a stern1 relentless hand1 ,looked in and thinned our little band4 ,some like a night-flash passed away1 ,and some sank lingering day by day1 ,the quiet graveyard--some lie there1-- ,we're not all here6 ,the bereavements of home are diversified4 ,the reverses of fortune constitute an important class of family afflictions1 causing the habits1 customs1 social privileges and advantages of home to be broken up and changed4 ,many a family1 which1 in former days1 enjoyed all the pleasures and privileges of wealth and social distinction1 have now to struggle with cruel poverty1 and receive from the world1 scorn and ridicule and dishonor4 ,but the greatest bereavement of home is1 generally1 death4 ,they only1 who have lived in the house of mourning1 know what the sad bereavements are which death produces1 and what deep and dark vacancies this last enemy leaves in the stricken heart of home4 ,the lips that used to bless you there1 ,are silent with the dead4 ,to-day we may visit the family4 ,what a lovely scene it presents6 ,the members are happy in each other's love1 and each one resting his hopes upon all the rest4 ,no cares perplex them2 no sorrows corrode them2 no trials distress them2 no darkness overshadows them6 ,what tender bonds unite them2 what hopes cluster around each heart2 what a depth of reciprocated affection we find in each bosom2 and by what tender sympathy they are drawn to each other6 ,but alas6 in an hour of supposed security1 that loving group is broken up by the intrusion of death1 and some one or more carried from the bosom of love to the cold and cheerless grave4 ,the curfew-bell speaks the solemn truth1 and warns the members that in the midst of life they are in death4 ,where is the home that has not some memorial of departed ones1--a chair empty1 a vacant seat at the table1--garments laid by1--ashes of the dead treasured up in the urn of memory6 ,what sudden ravages does this ruthless foe of life1 often make in the family6 ,the members are often taken away1 one by one in quick succession1 until all of them are laid1 side by side beneath the green sod4 ,what a memorable epoch in the history of home is that1 in which death finds his first entrance within its sacred enclosures1 and with ruthless hand breaks the first link of a golden chain that creates its identity6 ,we can never forget that event4 ,it may he the first-born in the radiant beauty of youth1 or the babe in the first bursting of life's budding loveliness1 or a father in the midst of his anxious cares1 or the mother who gave light and happiness to all around her4 ,whoever it is1 the first death makes a breach there which no subsequent bereavement can equal2 new feelings are then awakened2 a new order of associations is then commenced2 hopes and fears are then aroused that never subside2 and the mysterious web of family life receives the hue of a new and darker thread4 ,what a sad bereavement is the death of the husband and father6 ,children6 there is the grave of your father6 ,you have recently heard the clods of the valley groan upon his coffin4 ,the parent stem from which1 you grew and to which1 you fondly clung1 has been shattered by the lightning-stroke of death1 and its terrible shock is now felt in every fiber of the wrenched and torn branches4 ,yours is now a widowed and an orphaned home4 ,the disconsolate members are left helpless and hopeless in the world2 the widowed mother sits by the dying embers of her lonely cottage1 overwhelmed with grief1 and poor in everything but her children and her ,god4 ,these orphans are turned out upon the cold charities of an unfriendly world1 neglected and forlorn1 having no one to care for them but a poor1 broken-hearted mother1 whose deathless faith points them to the bright spirit-world to which their sainted father has gone1 where parting grief shall weep no more4 ,but a greater bereavement even than this1 is1 the death of a wife and mother4 ,ah6 here is a bereavement which the child alone can fully feel4 ,when the mother is laid upon the cold bier1 and sleeps among the dead1 the center of home-love and attraction is gone4 ,what children are more desolate and more to be pitied than the motherless ones8 ,she1 who fed them from her gentle breast and sung sweet lullaby to soothe them into sleep1--she1 who taught them to kneel in prayer at her side1 and ministered to all their little wants1 and sympathized with them in all their little troubles1--she has now been torn from them1 leaving them a smitten flock indeed1 and the light of her smile will never again be round their beds and paths4 ,as the shades of night close in upon that smitten home1 and the chime of the bell tells the hour in which the mother used to gather them around her for prayer1 and sing them to their rosy rest1 with what a stricken heart does the bereaved husband seek to perform this office of love in her stead2 and as he gathers them for the first time around him1 how fully does he feel that none can take a mother's place6 ,my sheltering arms can clasp you all1 ,my poor deserted throng2 ,cling as you used to cling to her ,who sings the angel's song4 ,begin1 sweet ones1 the accustomed strain1 ,come1 warble loud and clear2 ,alas1 alas6 you're weeping all1 ,you're sobbing in my ear2 ,good night2 go1 say the prayer she taught1 ,beside your little bed4 ,the lips that used to bless you there1 ,are silent with the dead4 ,a father's hand your course may guide ,amid the storms of life1 ,his care protect those shrinking plants ,that dread the storm of strife2 ,but who1 upon your infant hearts1 ,shall like that mother write8 ,who touch the strings that rule the soul8 ,dear smitten flock1 good night6 ,who can forget a mother1 or lose those impressions which her death made upon our deeply stricken hearts8 ,none1--not even the wretch who has brutalized all the feelings of natural affection4 ,the memory of a mother's death is as fadeless as the deep impress of a mother's love upon our hearts4 ,as often as we resort to her grave we must leave behind the tribute of our tears4 ,who can read the following beautiful lines of ,cowper1 and--if the memory of a sainted mother is awakened by them1--not weep8 ,my mother6 ,when ,i learned that thou wast dead1 ,say1 wast thou conscious of the tears ,i shed8 ,hovered thy spirit o'er thy sorrowing son1 ,wretch even then1 life's journey just begun6 ,perhaps thou gay'st me1 though unfelt1 a kiss2 ,perhaps a tear1 if souls can weep in bliss-- ,ah1 that maternal smile6 it answers--yes6 ,i heard the bell toll on the burial day1 ,i saw the hearse that bore thee slow away1 ,and1 turning from my nurs'ry window1 drew ,a long1 long sigh1 and wept a last adieu6 ,but was it such8 ,it was4 ,where thou art gone4 ,adieus and farewells are a sound unknown4 ,may ,i but meet thee on that peaceful shore1 ,the parting word shall pass my lips no more6 ,the death of children is a great bereavement of home4 ,behold that little blossom withered in its mother's arms6 ,see those tears which flood her eyes as she bends in her deep grief over the grave of her cherished babe6 ,go1 fond parents1 to that little mound1 and weep6 ,it is well to do so2 it is well for thee in the twilight hour to steal around that hallowed spot1 and pay the tribute of memory to your little one1 in flooding tears4 ,there beneath those blooming flowers which the hand of affection planted1 it sweetly sleeps4 ,it bids adieu to all the scenes and cares of life4 ,it just began to taste the cup of life1 and turned from its ingredients of commingled joy and sorrow1 to a more peaceful clime4 ,cold now is that little heart which once beat its warm pulses so near to thine2 hushed is now that sweet voice that once breathed music to your soul4 ,like the folding up of the rose1 it passed away2 that beautiful bud which bloomed and cheered your heart1 was transplanted ere the storm beat upon it3-- ,death found strange beauty on that polished brow1 ,and dashed it out-- ,there was a tint of rose ,on cheek and lip4 ,he touched the veins with ice1 ,and the rose faded4 ,forth from those blue eyes ,there spake a wishful tenderness1 a doubt ,whether to grieve or sleep1 which innocence ,alone may wear4 ,with ruthless haste he bound ,the silken fringes of those curtained lids ,forever4 ,there had been a murmuring sound1 ,with which the babe would claim its mother's ear1 ,charming her even to tears4 ,the spoiler set ,his seal of silence4 ,but there beamed a smile ,so fixed1 so holy1 from that cherub brow1 ,death gazed--and left it there4 ,he dared not steal ,the signet-ring of heaven6 ,the death of such an infant is indeed a sore affliction1 and causes the bleeding heart of the parent to cry out1 ,whose sorrow is like unto my sorrow6 ,unfeeling ,death6 that thou shouldst thus blight the fair flowers and nip the unfolding buds of promise in the ,christian home6 ,death6 thou dread looser of the dearest tie1 ,was there no aged and no sick one nigh8 ,no languid wretch who long'd1 but long'd in vain1 ,for thy cold hand to cool his fiery pain8 ,and was the only victim thou couldst find1 ,an infant in its mother's arms reclined8 ,thus it is that death often turns from the sickly to the healthy1 from the decrepitude of age to the strong man in his prime1 from the miserable wretch who longs for the grave to the smiling babe upon its mother's breast1 and there in those azure veins which steal like streams along a field of snow1 he pours his putrefying breath1 and leaves within that mother's arms nothing but loathsomeness and ruin6 ,it was thus1 bereaved parents1 that he came within your peaceful home1 and threw a cruel mockery over all your visions of delight1 over all the joys and hopes and interests of your fireside1 personifying their wreck in the cold and ghastly corpse of your child4 ,all that is now left to you is1 the memorials around you that once the pride of your heart was there2-- ,the nursery shows thy pictured wall1 ,thy bat1 thy bow1 ,thy cloak and bonnet1 club and ball1 ,but where art thou8 ,a corner holds thine empty chair1 ,thy playthings idly scattered there1 ,but speak to us of our despair6 ,how sad and lonely especially is the mother who is called thus to weep the loss of her departed infant4 ,oh1 it is hard for her to give up that loved one whose smile and childish glee were the light and the hope of her heart4 ,as she lays it in the cold1 damp earth1 and returns to her house of mourning1 and there contemplates its empty cradle1 and that silent nursery1 once gladsome with its mirth1 she feels the sinking weight of her desolation4 ,no light1 no luxury1 no friend1 can fill the place of her lost one4 ,and especially if this lost one be the first-born1--the first bud of promise and of hope1 how doubly painful is the bereavement4 ,it makes our home as dark and desolate as was the hour when ,abraham with uplifted knife1 was about to send death to the throbbing heart of his beloved ,isaac4 ,nothing can supply the place of a first-born child2 and home can never be what it was when the sweet voice of that first-born child was heard4 ,the first green leaf of that household has faded2 and though leaves may put forth1 and other buds of promise may unfold1 and bright faces may light up the home-hearth1 and the sunshine of hope may play around the heart2 but-- ,they never can replace the bud our early fondness nurst1 ,they may be lovely and beloved1 but not like thee--the first6 ,your heart continues lonely and desolate2 its strings are broken2 its tenderest fibers wrenched2 you continue to steal beneath1 the church-yard tree1 where the grass grows green and wild1 and there weep over the grave of your first maternal love2 and like ,rachael1 refuse to be comforted because he is not4 ,your grief is natural1 and only those who have lost their first-born can fully realize it3-- ,young mother6 what can feeble friendship say1 ,to soothe the anguish of this mournful day8 ,they1 they alone1 whose hearts like thine have bled1 ,know how the living sorrow for the dead2 ,i've felt it all1--alas6 too well ,i know ,how vain all earthly power to hush thy woe6 ,god cheer thee1 childless mother6 'tis not given ,for man to ward the blow that falls from heaven4 ,i've felt it all--as thou art feeling now2 ,like thee1 with stricken heart and aching brow1 ,i've sat and watched by dying beauty's bed1 ,and burning tears of hopeless anguish shed2 ,i've gazed upon the sweet1 but pallid face1 ,and vainly tried some comfort there to trace2 ,i've listened to the short and struggling breath2 ,i've seen the cherub eye grow dim in death2 ,like thee1 ,i've veiled my head in speechless gloom1 ,and laid my first-born in the silent tomb6 ,now in all these bereavements of the ,christian home we have developed the wisdom and goodness of ,god2 and the consideration of this we commend to the bereaved as a great comfort4 ,they are but the execution of ,god's merciful design concerning the family4 ,pious parents can1 therefore1 bless the ,lord for these afflictions4 ,it is often well for both you and your children that bereavements come4 ,they come often as the ministers of grace4 ,the tendency of home is to confine its supreme affections within itself1 and not yield them unto ,god4 ,parents often bestow upon their children all their love1 and live for them alone4 ,then ,god lays his rod upon them1 takes their loved ones to his own arms1 to show them the folly of using them as abusing them4 ,if home had no such bereavements1 eternity would be lost sight of2 ,god would not be obeyed2 souls would be neglected2 natural affection would crush the higher incentives and restraints of faith2 earthly interests would push from our hearts all spiritual concerns2 and our tent-home in this vale of tears would be substituted for our heavenly home4 ,we see1 therefore1 the benevolent wisdom of ,god in ordaining bereavements to arrest us from the control of unsanctified natural affection4 ,when we see the flowers of our household withered and strewn around us2 when that which we most tenderly loved and clung to1 is taken from us in an unexpected hour1 we begin to see the futility of living for earthly interests alone2 and we turn from the lamented dead to be more faithful to the cherished and dependent living4 ,let us1 therefore1 remember that in all our afflictions ,god has some merciful design1 the execution of which will contribute to the temporal and eternal welfare of our home4 ,he designs either to correct us if we do wrong1 or to prevent us from doing wrong1 or to test our ,christian fidelity1 or to instruct us in the deep mysteries and meandering ways of human life1 and keep before us the true idea of our homes and lives as a pilgrimage4 ,nothing1 save supernatural agencies1 so effectually removes the moral film from our intellectual eye as the hand of bereavement4 ,death is a great teacher4 ,sources of pensive reflection and spiritual communion are opened1 which none but death could unseal4 ,a proper sense of the spirit-world is developed2 life appears in its naked reality2 heaven gains new attractions2 eternity becomes a holier theme1--a more cheerful object of thought2 the true relation of this to the life to come1 is realized2 and the presence of the world of the unseen enters more deeply into our moral consciousness4 ,though our loved ones are gone1 they are still with us in spirit2 yea1 they are ours still1 in the best sense of possession2 our relationship with them is not destroyed1 but hallowed4 ,though absent1 they still live and love2 and they come thronging as ministering spirits to our hearts2 they hover near us1 and commune with us4 ,though death may separate us from them1 it does not disunite us4 ,your departed children1 though separated from you in body1 are still yours1 are with you in spirit1 and are members of your family4 ,they represent your household in heaven1 and are a promise that you will be there also4 ,you are still their parents2 you are still one family1--one in spirit1 in faith1 in hope1 in promise1 in ,christ4 ,you still dwell together in the fond memories of home1 and in the bright anticipation of a coming reunion in heaven4 ,oh1 with this view of death and with this hope of joining love's buried ones again1 you can gather those that yet remain1 and talk to them of those you put1 cold and speechless1 in their bed of clay2 and while their bodies lie exposed to the winter's storm or to the summer's heat1 you can point the living to that cheering promise which spans1 as with an areole of glory1 the graves of buried love2 you can tell them they shall meet their departed kindred in a better home4 ,oh1 clasp this promise to your aching heart2 treasure it up as a pearl of great price4 ,your departed children are not lost to you2 and their death to them is great gain4 ,they are not lost1 but only sent before4 ,the ,lord1 has taken them away4 ,with these views of death before you1 and with the moral instructions they afford1 you cannot but feel that your children1 though absent from you in body1 are with you in spirit1--are still living with you in your household1 and are among that spirit-throng which ever press around you1 to bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone4 ,such were the feelings of the ,christian father1 as expressed in the following touching lines3-- ,i cannot make him dead6 ,when passing by his bed1 ,so long watched over with parental care1 ,my spirit and my eye ,seek it inquiringly1 ,before the thought comes that--he is not there6 ,when at the day's calm close ,before we seek repose1 ,i'm with his mother1 offering up our prayer1 ,whate'er ,i may be saying1 ,i am1 in spirit1 praying ,for our boy's spirit1 though--he is not there6 ,not there8 ,where1 then1 is he8 ,the form ,i used to see ,was but the raiment that he used to wear4 ,the grave1 that now doth press ,upon that cast-off dress1 ,is but his wardrobe locked2--he is not there6 ,he lives6 ,in all the past ,he lives2 nor1 to the last1 ,of seeing him again will ,i despair2 ,in dreams ,i see him now1 ,and on his angel brow1 ,i see it written1 ',thou shalt see me there6' ,yes1 we all live to ,god6 ,father1 thy chastening rod ,so help us1 thine afflicted ones1 to bear1 ,that in the spirit-land1 ,meeting at thy right hand1 ',twill he our heaven to find that--he is there6 ,from this view of the educational principle involved in all our bereavements1 we may easily infer that ,god designs to benefit us by them4 ,there is an actual usefulness in all the bereavements of the ,christian home4 ,they are but the discipline of a ,father's hand and the ministration of a ,father's love4 ,though ,his face may wear a dark frown1 or be hid behind the tempest-cloud1 and ,his rod may be laid heavily upon you1 yet you are not warranted to believe that no sweet is in the bitter cup you drink1 that no light shines behind the cloud1 or that no good dwells in the bursting storm around you4 ,the present may indeed he dark2 but the future will be bright and laden with a ,father's blessing4 ,the smile will succeed the frown2 the balm will follow the rod4 ,the good seed will be sown after the deep furrows are made4 ,no chastening for the present seemeth joyous1 but grievous1 yet it worketh out a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory to them that are exercised thereby4 ,the memory that lingers around the grave of our loved ones1 is sad and tearful4 ,the stricken heart heaves with emotions too big for utterance1 when we hear no more the sound of their accustomed footsteps upon the threshold of our door4 ,oh1 the cup of bereavement is then bitter1 its hour dark1 and the pall of desolation hangs heavily around our hearts and homes4 ,but this is only the dark side of bereavement4 ,the eye which then weeps may fail at the time to behold through its tears1 the quickening1 softening1 subduing and resuscitating power which dwells in the clouds of darkness and of storm2 and the heart1 wounded and bleeding1 too often fails to realize the light and glory which loom up from the grave4 ,but when we look upon the cold1 pale face of the dead1 in the light of a hopeful resurrection2 when their silent forms move in the light of those saving influences which have been exerted upon us1 we learn the necessity of bereavement2 the mournful cypress will become more beautiful than the palm tree1 and in view of its saving power over us1 we can say1 it is good for us that we have been afflicted6 ,the path of sorrow1 and that path alone1 ,leads to the land where sorrow is unknown4 ,no traveler e'er reached that blest abode1 ,who found not thorns and briers in his road4 ,for ,he who knew what human hearts would prove1 ,how slow to learn the dictates of ,his love2 ,that1 hard by nature and of stubborn will1 ,a life of ease would make them1 harder still2 ,called for a cloud to darken all their years1 ,and said1 ',go1 spend them in the vale of tears6' ,who will not admit that it is an act of real kindness for ,god to remove little children from this world1 and at once take them as ,his own in heaven8 ,this is surely an act of ,his mercy1 and for their benefit4 ,it arrests them from the perils and tribulations of mature life2 it makes their pilgrimage through this vale of tears1 of short duration2 they escape thereby the bitter cup of actual sin1 and the mental and moral agonies of death4 ,it is well with them4 ,how true are the following beautiful verses on the death of children1 from the pen of ,john4 ,q4 ,adams3-- ,sure1 to the mansions of the blest ,when infant innocence ascends1 ,some angel brighter than the rest ,the spotless spirit's flight attends4 ,on wings of ecstasy they rise1 ,beyond where worlds material roll1 ,till some fair sister of the skies1 ,receives the unpolluted soul4 ,there at the ,almighty ,father's hand1 ,nearest the throne of living light1 ,the choirs of infant seraphs stand1 ,and dazzling shine1 where all are bright6 ,christ became a little child1 that little children might receive the crown of their age and be eternally saved4 ,he took them in ,his arms1 blessed them1 and said1 of such is the kingdom of heaven4 ,and we are told that out of the mouths of babes and sucklings ,he has ordained strength4 ,the sweetest hosannas before ,his throne1 doubtless proceed from cherub-lips1 and they glow nearest to the bright vision of the face of unveiled glory4 ,calm on the bosom of thy ,god1 ,young spirits6 rest thee now6 ,even while with us thy footsteps trod1 ,his seal was on thy brow4 ,they stand before the throne in white robes1 with palms in their hands1 and crowns of glory on their heads1 crying-out1 ,salvation to our ,god1 which sitteth upon the throne1 and unto the ,lamb6 ,tell me1 does not this view dilate the parent's heart1 and make him thankful that he has a sainted child in heaven8 ,weep for those you have with you1 who live under the shades of a moral death1 who have entered upon a thorny pilgrimage1 and are exposed to the ravages of sin2 oh1 weep for them6-- ,but never be a tear-drop given ,to those that rest in yon blue heaven4 ,the sainted dead of your home are more blessed than the pilgrim living4 ,weep not1 then1 that they are gone4 ,their early departure was to them great gain4 ,had they been spared to grow up to manhood1 you then might have to take up the lamentation of ,david1 ,would to ,god ,i had died for thee6 ,while they1 in the culprit's cell1 or on the dying couch of the hopeless impenitent1 would respond to you in tones of deepening woe1-- ,would ,i had died when young6 ,how many burning tears1 ,and wasted hopes and severed ties1 ,had spared my after years6 ,would you1 then1 to gratify a parent's heart1 awake that little slumberer from its peaceful repose1 and recall its happy spirit from its realms of glory8 ,there the light of heaven irradiates it2 its visions are unclouded there2 and from those battlements of uncreated glory it comes to thee on errands of love and mercy4 ,would you1 now1 that this inhabitant of heaven should be degraded to earth again8 ,would you remove him from those rivers of delight to this dry and thirsty land8 ,would not this be cruel8 ,when1 therefore1 your babe is taken from you1 regard it as a kind deed of your heavenly ,father1 and say1 even so it seemeth good in thy sight3 ,pour not the voice of woe6 ,shed not a burning tear ,when spirits from the cold earth go1 ,too bright to linger here6 ,unsullied let them pass ,into oblivion's tomb-- ,like snow-flakes melting in the sea ,when ripe with vestal bloom4 ,then strew fresh flowers above the grave1 ,and let the tall grass o'er it wave4 ,but the death of little children is a great mercy1 not only to themselves1 but also to the living4 ,those that remain behind are greatly benefited thereby4 ,it exerts a sanctifying1 elevating and alluring influence over them4 ,as they pass in their bright pathway to heaven1 they leave a blessing behind4 ,god takes them in goodness to us4 ,the interests of the parents are not different from1 or opposed to1 those of their offspring4 ,the happiness of the latter is that of the former4 ,if1 therefore1 their death is their blessing1 it must be the parent's blessing also4 ,if love1 says ,baxter1 teaches us to mourn with them that mourn1 and rejoice with them that rejoice1 then can we mourn for those of our children that are possessed of the highest everlasting happiness8 ,it is true1 their sweet faces1 unfurrowed by guilt or shame1 we shall never more gaze upon2 the sound of their happy lullaby we shall never again hear4 ,they are gone now to the spirit-land4 ,but a parent's care and solicitude are also gone4 ,all alarm for their safety is gone2 and you now rejoice in the assurance that they have gone to a higher and happier home2 and can joyfully exclaim now with ,leigh ,richmond1 ,my child is a saint in glory6 ,his infant powers1 so speedily paralyzed by the ruthless hand of death1 are now expanding themselves amidst the untold glories of the heavenly world1 and are enlisted now in ministering to his pilgrim kindred on earth4 ,it is true1 your children were a source of great joy to you here4 ,insensibly did they entwine themselves around your heart1 and with all the wild ecstasy of maternal love1 you embraced them1 as they attached themselves1 like the slender vine1 to you4 ,they were indeed1 the life and light of your home1 and the deepest joy of your heart4 ,but if they had lived1 might they not also have been a source of the deepest sorrow and misery8 ,might they not have drawn your souls from ,god and heaven1 causing you to live alone for them1 and bringing eventually your gray hairs down with sorrow to the grave8 ,but you have watched at their dying couch1 and seen them die2 and in that death you have also seen the departure of all such fears and dangers4 ,they are now transplanted to a more congenial clime1 where they will bloom forever in unfading loveliness1 and from which they will come on errands of ministering love to your household3-- ,they come1 on the wings of the morning they come1 ,impatient to lead some poor wanderer home2 ,some pilgrim to snatch from his stormy abode1 ,and lay him to rest in the arms of his ,god6 ,one of the greatest blessings which the death of our pious kindred confers upon their bereaved friends is1 that they hold a saving communion with them1 and are ministering spirits sent to minister salvation and consolation unto them4 ,the saints on earth1 and all the dead1 ,but one communion make4 ,they constitute our guardian angels2 they witness our ,christian race2 they commune with our spirits2 they link us to the spirit-world2 they impress us with its deep mysteries2 they stimulate our religious life1 and bear us up lest we dash our feet against the pebble which lies in our pathway to the mansions of the blest4 ,the mother who bends in the deep anguish of her soul1 over the little grave in which her infant slumbers1 has in heaven a cherub spirit to minister to her4 ,and oh1 could the veil which wraps the spirit-world from our view1 be now removed1 and we permitted to catch a glimpse of the heavenly scene there displayed1 we should doubtless behold on the threshold of that better home1 an innumerable host witnessing with1 intensity of interest1 the scenes of human life2 and no doubt to you1 bereaved friend1 the most conspicuous among that celestial throng1 would be the sainted form of that dear one whose grave you often adorn with the warm tribute of memory's gushing tears4 ,and oh1 could you understand the relation in which that sainted one stands to you1 you would doubtless be conscious that over and about you it hovers from day to day as your guardian spirit1 watching all the details of your life1 soothing the anguish of your troubled heart1 and ministering unto you in holy things6 ,the spirits of the loved and departed ,are with us2 and they tell us of the sky1 ,a rest for the bereaved and broken-hearted1 ,a house not made with hands1 a home on high6 ,they have gone from us1 and the grave is strong6 ,yet in night's silent watches they are near2 ,their voices linger round us1 as the song ,of the sweet skylark lingers on the ear4 ,the whole dispensation of grace is like the ladder set up on earth1 whose top reached heaven1 and upon which ,jacob saw the angels ascending2 and descending4 ,as the ,christian pilgrim in his spiritual progression mounts each round of this ladder1 he finds himself in the midst of a spirit-throng ascending and descending on errands of love and mercy to him2 yea1 the canopy of the sky seems lined with so great a cloud1 of witnesses and ministering spirits2 and among them we behold our sainted friends bidding us climb on to their lofty abodes2 they beckon us to themselves2 their voices animate us1 as they steal down upon our spirits in solemn and beautiful cadence4 ,hark6 heard ye not a sound ,sweeter than wild-bird's note1 or minstrel's lay6 ,i know that music well1 for night and day ,i hear it echoing round4 ,it is the tuneful chime ,of spirit-voices6--'tis my infant band ,calling the mourner from this darkened land ,to joy's unclouded clime4 ,my beautiful1 my blest6 ,i see them there1 by the great ,spirit's throne2 ,with winning words1 and fond beseeching tone1 ,they woo me to my rest6 ,weeping mother6 that little babe1 whose spirit has been borne by angels to heaven1 where it now glows in visions of loveliness around ,god's throne1 comes often as a ministering spirit to thee1 whispers peace and hope to thy disconsolate heart1 and with its tiny hands bears thee up in thy dark and troubled path6 ,and my dear bereaved young friend6 that mother1 who nursed you on her knee1 who taught your infant lips to lisp the name of ,jesus1 and amid whose prayers you have grown up to maturity1--that sainted mother over whose grave you have often wept in bitter anguish1 hovers over you now with all the passionate fondness of a mother's love1 guides and impresses you1 attends you in all your walks1 takes charge of you in all your steps2 soothes you in your sorrows2 and when burning with fever on the sick bed1 fans you with angel wing and breath1 and warms your chilled nerves with an angel's heart6 ,now when we regard the departed of our homes in this light1 shall we not admit that the death of those who go to heaven is a blessing1 not only to them1 but to those they leave behind6 ,and especially when we remember that they return to us in spirit to minister to our wants even unto the smallest details of life1 that they are our guardian angels1 are with1 us wherever we go1 to warn and deliver us from temptation and clanger1 to urge us in the path of duty1 to smooth our pillow when thrown upon beds of languishing1 and then1 when the vital spark has fled1 to convey us to the paradise of ,god1--oh1 when we remember this1 we say1 shall we not rather bless ,god that ,he has afflicted us8 ,though our hearts may be lonely1 yet with this view of the departed ones of our home1 we can feel that we are1 nevertheless1 not alone4 ,i am not quite alone4 ,around me glide ,unnumbered beings of the unseen world2-- ,and one dear spirit hovering by my side1 ,hath o'er my form its snow-white wings unfurled1 ,it is a token that when death is nigh1 ,it then will wait to hear my soul on high6 ,what afflicted heart will not respond with deep and grateful emotion1 to the following beautiful address of a bereaved pilgrim to his sainted loved ones in heaven3-- ,gone6--have ye all then gone1-- ,the good1 the beautiful1 the kind1 the dear8 ,passed to your glorious rest so swiftly on1 ,and left me weeping here8 ,i gaze on your bright track2 ,i hear your lessening voices as they go2 ,have ye no sign1 no solace to fling back ,to those who toil below8 ,oh6 from that land of love1 ,look ye not sometimes on this world of wo8 ,think ye not1 dear ones1 in brighter bowers above1 ,of those you left below8 ,surely ye note us here1 ,though not as we appear to mortal view1 ,and can we still1 with all our stains1 be dear ,to spirits pure as you8 ,is it a fair1 fond thought1 ,that you may still our friends and guardians be2 ,and heaven's high ministry by you be wrought ,with objects low as we8 ,may we not secretly hope1 ,that you around our path and bed may dwell8 ,and shall not all1 our blessings brighter drop ,from hands we loved so well8 ,shall we not feel you near ,in hours of danger1 solitude1 and pain1 ,cheering the darkness1 drying off the tear ,and turning loss to gain8 ,shall not your gentle voice ,break on temptation's dark and sullen mood1 ,subdue our erring will1 o'errule our choice1 ,and win from ill to good8 ,oh1 yes6 to us1 to us1 ,a portion of your converse still be given6 ,struggling affection still would hold us thus1 ,nor yield you all to heaven6 ,lead our faint steps to ,god2 ,be with us while the desert here we roam2 ,teach us to tread the path which you have trod1 ,to find with you our home6 ,what a comfort does this view of the pious dead afford the pious living4 ,we commend it now to you4 ,what consolation to the bereaved parents is the assurance that all infants are saved6 ,this gives them beauty for ashes1 the oil of joy for mourning1 and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness4 ,your infant has gone to heaven2 for of such is the kingdom of heaven4 ,zuinlius was perhaps the first who proclaimed salvation for all who died in infancy4 ,he based this doctrine1 so comforting to the afflicted parent1 upon the atonement of ,christ for all2 and he believed that ,christ made provision for infants in this general atonement or redemption of human nature4 ,this is the general belief now4 ,calvin declared that ,god adopts infants and washes them in the blood of his son1 and that they are regarded by ,christ as among ,his flock4 ,dr4 ,junkin says1 ,it is not inconsistent with any doctrine of the bible1 that the souls of deceased infants go to heaven4 ,newton says1 ,i hope you are both well reconciled to the death of your child4 ,indeed1 ,i cannot be sorry for the death of infants4 ,how many storms do they escape6 ,nor can ,i doubt1 in my private judgment1 that they are included in the election of grace4 ,this is the opinion1 too1 of all evangelical branches of the ,christian church4 ,if so1 you have here a source of great consolation4 ,though it he hard to bid thy heart divide1 ,and lay the gem of all thy love aside-- ,faith tells thee1 and it tells thee not in vain1 ,that thou shalt meet thy infant yet again4 ,what1 oh1 what1 if you had not the assurance of the salvation of all infants8 ,what if your faith would tell you that all children who die before they can exercise faith would he lost or annihilated6 ,then indeed you might well refuse to be comforted because they are not4 ,but your child is not lost1--but only removed to a better home3-- ,a treasure but removed1 ,a bright bird parted for a clearer day-- ,yours still in heaven6 ,and yours to meet there6 ,the hope of a glorious reunion with1 departed friends in heaven1 lifts the afflicted ,christian into regions of happiness never before enjoyed4 ,and as he contemplates their better state1 and1 muses over the trials and sorrows of his pilgrim land1 he longs to pass over the stream which divides that happy home from this4 ,he is grateful to ,god that heaven has thus become doubly attractive by his bereavement1 and that he can look forward with fond anticipation1 to the time when he shall there become reunited with those who have gone before4 ,oh6 ,i could weep ,with very gratitude that thou art saved-- ,thy soul forever saved4 ,what though my heart ,should bleed at every pore--still thou art blessed4 ,there is an hour1 my precious innocent1 ,when we shall meet again6 ,oh6 may we meet ,to separate no more4 ,yes6 ,i can smile1 ,and sing with gratitude1 and weep with joy1 ,even while my heart is breaking6 ,we infer from the whole subject1 that we should not murmur against ,god when afflicted1 however great our bereavements may he4 ,this does not1 of course1 forbid godly sorrow and tears4 ,it is not inconsistent to weep2 neither does sorrow for the dead1 as such1 imply a murmuring spirit4 ,christ himself invited to tears when he wept over the grave of his friend ,lazarus4 ,it is meet that we pay our tribute to departed kindred1 in falling tears4 ,these are not selfish2 neither is the sorrow they express1 a sin1 nor an evidence of filial distrust1 or of reluctant submission to the will of ,god4 ,the unfeeling stoic may regard it such2 but he outrages the generous impulses of humanity4 ,undefiled religion does not aim to cancel natural affection4 ,our piety1 if genuine1 will not make us guilty of crimes against nature1 and prompt us to bend with apathy over the grave of buried1 love4 ,the mother of ,jesus wept her pungent woes beneath the ,cross2 and the ,marys dropt the tear of sorrowing love and memory at the mouth of his sepulchre4 ,and shall we refuse the tribute of sorrow to the memory of those dear ones who sleep beneath the sod8 ,to do so would1 but unchristianize the deep grief which bereavement awakens1 and which true piety sanctifies2 it would unhumanize the very constitution of home itself4 ,to be ,christians1 must the unnumbered memories of life be all without a tear8 ,when we walk in the family grave-yard1 and think of the loved who slumber there2 when we open the family bible1 and read1 there the names of those who have gone before us1 say1 shall this awaken no slumbering grief1 invite no warm1 gushing tears1 and not bear us back to scenes of tenderness and love8 ,ah1 no6 ,the gospel encourages godly sorrow over the dead4 ,we are permitted to sorrow1 only not as those who have no hope1 as not being cast down1 and as not being disquieted within us4 ,such godly sorrow is refreshing1 and the tears it sheds are a balm to the wounded spirit4 ,they refine our sentiments1 and beget longings after a better country4 ,the memory of bereaved affection is grief4 ,in traversing the past1 our thoughts glide along a procession of dear events arrested by the tomb2 and we become sad and weep4 ,but this is not inconsistent with a confiding faith in ,god1 nor with a meek3 resignation to ,his afflicting providence4 ,faith was not designed to overpower a visible privation4 ,when death enters our home we should feel pungently1 though we have the faith of an angel1 and weep before the smile of ,god4 ,the evidences of faith1 and the brilliant idealities of hope will hush the voice of murmur1 and incite us to kiss the rod that is laid upon us4 ,it is1 therefore1 a ,christian privilege to weep over the death of our departed kindred1 yea1 who can stifle the anguish of the heart when the tender flowers of home sink into the waxen form of death8 when the flickering flame of infant life burns lower and weaker2 when the death-glazed eye is closed1 and the little bosom heaves no more1 and that lovely form becomes cold as the grave1 what parental heart can then remain unmoved1 and what eye can then forbid a tear8 ,not even the assurance of infant salvation and the hope of reunion in heaven1 can prevent sorrow for the dead4 ,to think his child is blest above1 ,to pray their parting grief1 ,these1 these may soothe1 but death alone1 ,can heal a father's grief4 ,but this grief should never amount to dissatisfaction with ,god4 ,though it is right to weep1 it is wrong to murmur4 ,many parents murmuringly mourn the loss of their children1 and in wrestling with ,god to spare them1 betray the want of a true submission to ,his will4 ,it is sinful to murmur at the decrees of ,god4 ,we have seen that they are wise1 and all designed for our good4 ,methinks if your dying babe could respond to your murmuring sighs and tears around its crib1 it would thus reprove you3-- ,nay1 mother1 fix not thus on me ,that streaming eye1 ,and clasp not thus my freezing hand2 ,for ,i must die4 ,to ,him ye gave the opening bud1 ,the early bloom2 ,then grieve not that the ripened fruit ,he gathers home4 ,but we should not only refrain from murmuring1 but meekly submit to the providential afflictions of our home4 ,we should remember that all the adversities of life are from the ,lord1 and that when death invades our household1 and crushes the fond hopes of our hearts1 it is for some wise and good purpose4 ,though we may not understand it here1 where we look through a glass darkly2 but eternity will reveal it4 ,though the dying of a child is like tearing a limb from us2 but remember ,god demands it4 ,surrender it to ,him1 therefore1 with ,christian resignation4 ,he does not demand it without a cause4 ,it may offend thee1 though it be a right hand or a right eye4 ,let the branch be cut off4 ,at the resurrection you shall see it again4 ,give it up willingly2 for it is the ,lord's will that you should4 ,have the meek submission1 to exclaim1 ,not my will1 but ,thine be done6 ,whatever may be your pleas to the contrary1 they are all selfish2 when1 you come to look at your bereavement1 with the candid1 discerning eye of faith1 you cannot murmur2 but will bend under the stroke with silent tears and with grateful submission4 ,faith in ,god1 the hope of reunion in heaven1 and true ,christian love for the object taken from us1 will effectually quell every uprising of complaint in our hearts3-- ,my stricken heart to ,jesus yields ,love's deep devotion now1 ,adores and blesses--while it bleeds-- ,his hand that strikes the blow4 ,then fare thee well--a little while ,life's troubled dream is past2 ,and ,i shall meet with thee1 my child1 ,in life--in bliss1 at last6 ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,,the ,,memories ,,of ,,home4,a ,footnote ,a3 ,in this1 as in the preceding chapter1 we have introduced poetry1 for the same reason4 ,the home of my youth stands in silence and sadness3 ,none that tasted its simple enjoyments are there1 ,no longer its walls ring with glee and with gladness ,no strain of blithe melody breaks on the ear4 99 99 99 99 99 ,why1 memory1 cling thus to life's jocund morning8 ,why point to its treasures exhausted too soon8 ,or tell that the buds of the heart at the dawning1 ,were destined to wither and perish at noon8 ,on the past sadly musing1 oh pause not a moment2 ,could we live o'er again but one bright sunny day2 ',twere better than ages of present enjoyment1 ,in the memory of scenes that have long passed away4 ,but time ne'er retraces the footsteps he measures2 ,in fancy alone with the past we can dwell2 ,then take my last blessing1 loved scene of young pleasures2 ,dear home of my childhood--forever farewell6 ,,chief ,,justice ,,gibson4 ,the bereavements of home fill up the urn of memory with its most hallowed treasures4 ,though these memories of the household have an alloy of sorrow and are the product of its adversities1 yet there is no pleasure so delicate1 so pure1 so painful1 so much longed after1 as that which they afford4 ,they bring to our hearts the purest essence of the past1 and cause us to live it over again4 ,they come over us like the breath of the sweet south breathing over a bed of violets4 ,when we revert to the happy scenes of our childhood1 we live amid them in spirit again1 and remembrance swells with many a proof of recollected love2 sweet ideals of all that lived under the parental roof spring up within us1 and pass before us in visions of delight2 the home of the past becomes the home of the present4 ,the things of that home are spiritualized and changed into the thoughts of home2 we enjoy them again2 and we live our life over again with those we loved the most4 ,why in age ,do we revert so fondly to the walks ,of childhood1 but that there the soul discerns ,the dear memorial footsteps1 unimpaired1 ,of her own native vigor2 thence can hear ,reverberations1 and a choral song ,commingling with the incense that ascends1 ,undaunted1 towards the imperishable heavens1 ,from her own lonely altar8 ,the memories of home are both pleasing and painful4 ,when we leave the parental home for some distant land1 how many pleasing recollections sweep over our spirits then4 ,even when tossed to and fro upon the angry wave1 far from our native land4 ,there comes a fond memory ,of home o'er the deep4 ,the memory of departed worth is a kind of compensation for the loss we sustain4 ,the pious mother's recollection of her sainted husband or child becomes the soother of her grief1 and casts a pleasing light along her pathway1 and awakens a new joy in her widowed heart4 ,pious memories1 when they reflect the hope of reunion in heaven1 are like the radiant sky studded with brilliant stars1 each shining through the clouds which move along the verge of the horizon4 ,they sweep as gently over the troubled heart as the summer zephyr over the blushing rose1 touching all the chords of holy feeling1 making them vibrate sadly sweet1 in blended tones1 too sweet to last4 ,here a deeper and serener charm ,to all is given1 ,and blessed memories of the faithful dead ,o'er wood and vale1 and meadow-stream have shed ,the holy hues of heaven4 ,how indelibly does memory paint the image of a departed child upon the mother's heart6 ,no flight of years2 no distance from the grave in which he slumbers1 can erase the image4 ,it will be ever fresh1 and1 with awakening power1 mingle with her tears and glow in her fondest hopes4 ,though time and distance and vicissitudes may calm her troubled heart1 and cause her to settle down into tranquility of feeling2 but these can never destroy the tenacity and vividness of her memory4 ,even then those objects to which it fondly clings1 become the theme of her holiest and her happiest thoughts2 and she retains them with a passionate ardor1 exceeded only by that with which she clung to the living child4 ,her greatest pleasure is1 to retire from the busy cares of the world1 to some solitude where she may sit among flowers that remind her of the one that withered in her arms1 and meditate upon him who slumbers beneath the clods of the valley4 ,oh1 these are sweet and precious moments to her2 and the tears which are then drawn from the deep well-springs of reminiscence1 are sacred to him with whom she in spirit there communes4 ,there with1 rapture she remembers ,all his winning ways1 ,his pretty1 playful smiles1 ,his joy1 his ecstasy1 ,his tricks1 his mimicry1 ,and all his little wiles2 ,oh6 these are recollections ,round mothers' hearts that cling-- ,that mingle with the tears ,and smiles of after years1 ,with oft awakening6 ,memory links together the loved1 ones of home though they be widely separated from each other1 some on earth1 and some in eternity4 ,there is a mystic chain which binds them together1 and brings them in spirit near to each other and infuses1 as it were1 with electric power1 a realizing sense of each other1 while their past life under the same roof1 like shadows o'er them sweep4 ,in the light of memory their faded forms are vividly brought back to view2 they see each other as when they rambled over their childhood haunts2 and the echo of their playful mirth comes booming back in deep reverberations through their souls4 ,in this respect the memory of the dead is a pleasure so deep and delicate1 and withal so melancholy1 yea1 so painful1 that the heart shrinks from its intensity4 ,this we experience when we ramble through the family graveyard1 and bring within the sweep of recollection our past communion with the loved who slumber there4 ,there is a mysterious feeling awakened in our hearts1--a feeling of peculiar melancholy1 which1 combines two opposite emotions1--that of pleasure and that of pain4 ,these seem to embrace each other1 and their union in our hearts affords us a strange enjoyment4 ,we enjoy the pain2 the agony awakened by the remembrance of those who lie beneath the sod is pleasing to us4 ,it is a bitter cup we love to drink2 we love to keep open the wounds there inflicted4 ,the sadness we then feel we dearly cherish2 and we linger around these tombs as if bound to them by some mystic chord we could not break2 we are loth to leave a spot in which are accumulated the fondest associations of early life4 ,would the mother1 if she could1 forget the child that slumbers beneath the flower-crowned sod of the family cemetery8 ,where1 in the beautiful language of ,irving1 is the child1 that would willingly forget the most tender of parents1 though to remember be but to lament8 ,who1 even in the hour of agony1 would forget the friend over whom he mourns8 ,who1 even when the tomb is closing upon the remains of her he most loved and he feels his heart1 as it were1 crushed in the closing of its portals1 would accept consolation that was to be bought by forgetfulness8 ,and when the overwhelming burst of grief is calmed into the gentle tear of recollection1 when the sudden anguish and the convulsive agony over the present ruins of all that we most loved1 is softened away into pensive meditation on all that it was in the days of its loveliness1 who would root out such a sorrow from the heart8 ,though it may sometimes throw a passing cloud even over the bright hour of gayety1 yet who would exchange it even for the song of pleasure or the burst of revelry8 ,no2 there is a voice from the tomb sweeter than song2 there is a recollection of the dead to which we turn even from the charms of the living6 ,how passionately we cling to those memories of a sainted mother1 which crowd in rapid succession upon our minds6 ,weep not for her6 ,her memory is the shrine ,of pleasing thoughts1 soft as the scent of flowers1 ,calm as on windless eve the sun's decline1 ,sweet as the song of birds among the bowers4 ,what a purifying and restraining influence does the memory of a pious parent's love1 exert upon the wayward child6 ,when he bends in mournful recollection over the grave of a sainted mother1 how must every heart-string break1 and with what remorse he reviews his past life of wickedness and filial disobedience4 ,the memory of that mother's love and kindness to him1 haunts him in all his revels1 and draws him back1 as if by magnetic force1 from scenes of riot and of ruin4 ,can he think of that mother's prayers and teachings and tears of solicitude1 and not feel deeply1 and often savingly1 his own guilt and ingratitude8 ,if there is a memory of home-life which allures him to heaven1 it is the recollection of her love and pious efforts to save him4 ,the child who lives in exile from his country and his home1 is soothed in the midst of his cares and disappointments1 by the stirring imagery of his far-distant friends and home4 ,and oh1 if he has been unfaithful to the ministrations of that home2 if he has trodden under foot the proffered love of his parents1 and repulsed all the overtures of their pious solicitude1 will not the memory of their anguish haunt his soul1 and plough deep furrows of remorse in his conscience8 ,the sense of past filial ingratitude1 and the recollection of a parent's injured love and disappointed hope1 constitute one of the most powerful incentives to repentance and reformation4 ,it was thus with the prodigal son4 ,as soon as he came to himself1 he remembered the dear home of his youth1 the kind love of his father1 and his own unworthiness and ingratitude2 and this brought him to repentance and to the resolution to return to his father1 confess his sin1 and seek pardon4 ,how many now1 in thus looking back upon the home of their childhood1 do not remember their abuse of parental love and kindness6 ,oh6 in our stern manhood1 when no ray ,of earlier sunshine glimmers on our way2 ,when girt with sin and sorrow1 and the toil ,of cares1 which tear the bosom that they soil2 ,oh6 if there be in retrospection's chain ,one link that knits us with young dreams again-- ,one thought so sweet we scarcely dare to muse ,on all the hoarded raptures it reviews2 ,which seems each instant1 in its backward range1 ,the heart to soften1 and its ties to change1 ,and every spring untouched for years to move1 ,it is--the memory of a mother's love6 ,we see1 therefore1 that there are painful1 as well as pleasant1 memories of home4 ,when the absent disobedient child remembers how he abused the privileges of the parental home1 and brought the gray hairs of his parents down with sorrow to the grave1 and turned that household into a desolation2 when ,pensive memory lingers o'er ,those scenes to be enjoyed no more1 ,those scenes regretted ever1 how dark and painful must be the shadows which then sweep over his penitent spirit6 ,if thou art a child1 and hast ever added a sorrow to the soul or a furrow to the silvered brow of an affectionate parent2 if thou art a husband1 and hast ever caused the fond bosom that ventured its whole happiness in thy arms1 to doubt one moment of thy kindness or thy truth2 if thou art a friend1 and hast ever wronged the spirit that generously confided in thee2 if thou art a lover1 and hast ever given one unmerited pang to that true heart that now lies cold and still beneath thy feet2 then be sure that every unkind look1 every ungracious word1 every ungentle action1 will come thronging back upon thy memory2 then be sure that thou wilt lie down sorrowing and penitent on the grave6 ,if we would avoid the agony of declining age1 let us be faithful to our childhood-home4 ,what must be the anguish of that wretch who has brought infamy upon it2 how painful must be every recollection of it1 when in the distance of years and of space1 from its scenes and its loved ones1 his remembrance hails them with its burning tear4 ,i am far from the home that gave me birth1 ,a blight is on my name2 ,it only brings to my father's hearth ,the memory of shame2 ,yet1 oh6 do they think of me to-day1 ,the loved ones lingering there2 ,do they think of the outcast far away1 ,and breathe for me a prayer8 ,that early home ,i shall see no more1 ,and ,i wish not there to go1 ,for the happy past may nought restore-- ,the future is but woe4 ,but 'twould be a balm to my heavy heart ,upon its dreary way1 ,if ,i could think ,i have a part ,in the prayers of home to-day6 ,every thing within the memory of home will question our hearts whether we have been faithful to her parental ministry4 ,every cherished association2 every remembered object1 and even the old scenes and objects around the homestead1 will challenge our faithfulness4 ,the trees under whose shade we frolicked and of whose fruit we ate2 the streams that meandered through the meadow2 the hills and groves over which we gamboled in the sunny days of childhood2 the old oaken bucket and the old ancestral walls that yet stand as monuments of the past1--these will all question your fidelity to the training you received in their midst2 and oh1 if they assume1 in the courts of memory1 the attitude of witnesses against you2 if nursery recollections speak of forgotten prayers and abandoned habits1 what a deep and painful sense of guilt and ingratitude will this testimony develop in your bosom1 and ,darken'd and troubled you'll come at last1 ,to the home of your boyish glee4 ,how precious are the mementoes of home6 ,memory needs such auxiliaries4 ,that lock of silken hair which the mother holds with tearful contemplation1 and wears as a precious relic1 near her heart1 what recollections of the buried one it awakens within her6 ,thou bringest fond memories of a gentle girl1 ,like passing spirits in a summer night6 ,oh1 precious curl6 ,and that picture of a departed mother which the orphan child presses with holy reverence to her bosom6 ,as she gazes upon those familiar features1 and reads in them a mother's love and kindness1 what scenes of home-life rise upon the troubled thought1 and what echoes of love come through the lapse of years from the old homestead1 touching all the fires of her soul1 and causing them to thrill with plaintive sadness and with painful joy4 ,what mementoes of a sad1 yet pleasing memory are found in the chamber of bereavement1 where death has done his work2 the empty chair2 the garments laid by2 playthings idly scattered there2--these are pictures upon which the eye of memory rests with pensive meditation4 ,and our letters from home6 ,what sweet recollections they awaken as we read line after line2 and what volumes of love they contain from those dear ones who now moulder in the narrow vaults of death6 ,oh1 how miserable must he be who has no recollections of home1 who is not able to revert to the scenes of childhood1 and amid whose cherished memories of life1 the image of a mother does not glow6 ,let us lay the foundation of a joyful1 grateful memory4 ,let us be faithful to home1 that when we leave it1 and when the members of it leave us1 we may delight in all the memories which loom up from the scenes of home-life3 ,oh1 friends regretted1 scenes forever dear1 ,remembrance hails you with her burning tear6 ,drooping she bends o'er pensive fancy's urn1 ,to trace the hours which never can return2 ,yet with retrospection loves to dwell1 ,and soothe the sorrows of her last farewell6 ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,,the ,,antitype ,,of ,,the ,,christian ,,home4 ,oh1 talk to me of heaven6 ,i love ,to hear about my home above2 ,for there doth many a loved one dwell ,in light and joy ineffable4 ,o6 tell me how they shine and sing1 ,while every harp rings echoing1 ,and every glad and tearless eye ,beams like the bright sun gloriously4 ,tell me of that victorious palm1 ,each hand in glory beareth2 ,tell me of that celestial calm1 ,each face in glory weareth6 ,the ,christian home on earth is but a type of his better home in heaven4 ,the pious members feel the force of this4 ,every thing within their earthly homes reminds them of that happy country which lies beyond the ,jordan4 ,besides1 they behold the impress of change upon every aspect of their home4 ,all that is near and dear to them there is passing away4 ,it is but the shadow of better things to come4 ,and as the type bears some resemblance to that which it typifies1 we may understand both by considering the relation they sustain to each other4 ,we may gain a new view of the ,christian home by looking at it in the light of its typical relation to heaven2 and we have a transporting view of our heavenly home when we contemplate it as the antitype of our home on earth4 ,the ,christian home on earth is a tent-home1 a tabernacle adapted to the pilgrim-life of ,god's people1 set up in a dreary wilderness1 designed to subserve the purposes of a few years1 as a preparation for a better home4 ,the ,christian1 amid all his domestic enjoyments1 does not realize that his home is his rest1 but that it is only a probationary state1 the foretaste and anticipation of the rest that remaineth for the people of ,god4 ,it is but the emblem1--the shadow of his eternal home2 and it is1 therefore1 unsatisfying2 it does not meet all the wants of our nature2 there is a yearning after a better state2 the purest happiness it affords proceeds from the hopes and longings it begets1 and the interests it is transferring to eternity1 laying up1 as it were1 treasures in a better home4 ,our home here1 develops our wants1 inflames our desires1 excites our expectations1 educates1 and points us to the realities of which it is an emblem2 but it does not fully satisfy our desires1 it only increases their intensity4 ,the pilgrim soul of the child of ,god pines and frets amid all ,her sylvan scenes1 and hill and dale ,and liquid lapse of murmuring streams4 ,these afford him no satisfaction2 they only develop in him the saving sense of earth's insufficiency2 all the scenes of this wilderness state are but those of thorns1 and desert heath1 and barren sands2 and he cries out in the midst of his happy home1--,this is not your rest6 ,our tent-home may include every earthly cup1 and all the riches and honors of the world1 yet it satisfies not1 and the ,christian turns from it all to rest and expatiate in a life to come4 ,every home here is baptized with tears and scarred with graves4 ,its poverty is a burden1 its riches are snares1 its friends are taken from us2 broken hearts agonized there2 restlessness is tossed to and fro there2 and disappointment reigns in every member there4 ,hence in our wilderness-home we hunger and thirst1 and pine for something more satisfying4 ,we turn from the shadow to the reality2 and realizing the insufficiency of home as a mere type1 we turn with anxious hope to that which it typifies--our heavenly home4 ,heaven is the antitype of the ,christian home4 ,there the latter reaches its consummation1 and reaps the rich harvest of its great reward4 ,the ,father2 the ,mother of us all2 our ,brethren2 our inheritance2 our all sufficiency are there4 ,yea1 all that is included in the dear name of home1 is treasured up there1 for the child of ,god4 ,in that better land he finds the reality of his home on earth2 the latter is but the prophecy of the former3-- ,there is my house and portion fair1 ,my treasure and my heart are there1 ,and my abiding home4 ,that better home is radiant with light and love4 ,there you shall not see through a glass darkly1 but shall behold all things face to face4 ,you shall not merely know in part1 but even as you are known4 ,there you shall realize in all its fulness what you dimly taste here4 ,we have a hunger here which is not fully satisfied till in heaven we pluck the fruits of the tree of life4 ,we have a thirst here which is not fully quenched till in heaven we drink of the waters of the river of life which flows fast by the throne of ,god4 ,in our tent-home here1 we eat and drink1 but hunger and thirst again2 we are healed1 but we sicken again2 we live in the light of truth1 but darkness and clouds intervene2 we are comforted by the spirit and by friends2 but we sorrow and weep again4 ,but in heaven sighing grief shall weep no more2 and we shall hunger no more1 neither shall we thirst any more2 and we shall not say ,i am sick2 and there shall be no night1 nor sorrow1 nor tears1 nor sighing1 nor death2 for the former things are passed away4 ,love will then be perfect2 there will be no heart-burnings and disappointments there4 ,there you shall enjoy the honey without the sting1 and the rose without the thorn4 ,earth hath no sorrows that heaven cannot heal4 ,all care and toil1 and tears1 and orphanage1 and widowhood1 shall drop and disappear at the threshold of heaven4 ,if our tent-home stirs up within us imperishable joys1 by the power of anticipation and foretaste1 what joy will not that better land afford8 ,if the promise is so cheering1 what must the fulfillment be6 ,if the pursuit is so inspiring1 what must the possession be6 ,if our home on ,tabor1 where we have but a distant view of home-life1 affords us so much happiness1 what must our home on the eternal throne of ,god be8 ,there your intercourse with the loved ones of earth will not be clogged by pain and infirmities4 ,your society there will be the most endearing1 and with a great multitude which no man could number1 of all nations1 and kindred1 and people1 and tongues1 standing before the throne1 clothed with white robes1 and palms in their hands4 ,you shall there hold fellowship with the fathers of a thousand generations1 with the patriarchs1 and prophets1 and apostles1 and martyrs1 and reformers1 and the innumerable company of angels4 ,with these you shall engage in the most delightful avocation4 ,there will be no indolence there1 as we often find in earthly homes2 but all will be continually engaged4 ,they serve ,him day and night in ,his temple4 ,there will be one unbroken worship1 which will afford you rapturous delight4 ,you shall be presented1 before ,god's glory1 with exceeding joy2 for in ,his presence is fullness of joy1 and at ,his right hand are pleasures for evermore4 ,these joys will be eternal1--forever and ever4 ,that better home will never be dissolved1 cannot be shaken1 and your crown of glory there is a crown which fadeth not away4 ,but this happiness and glory of heaven are not only eternal but progressive1--ever increasing4 ,there is nothing stationary there with the saints2 but their powers will ever expand and their glory increase4 ,new songs will be ever bursting in new strains from the celestial choir2 new discoveries and fresh exclamations of praise and gratitude will he continually made4 ,here on earth they were by nature the children of wrath1 even as others2 they had their tribulations and often murmured at ,god's dealings with them4 ,but there in that heavenly home they will understand the reason for all this4 ,the deep mysteries of the ,christian life are now revealed1 and they see that a father's chastisements are the work of a father's love1 and worketh out for them that are exercised thereby1 an exceeding and eternal weight of glory4 ,they now see that while in their tent-home they lived in the center of a grand system of natural1 providential and spiritual things1 all of which were working in beautiful harmony together for the good of them that loved ,god and were the called according to ,his purpose2 and with rapturous gratitude they cry out1 ,marvelous are thy works1 ,lord ,god ,almighty2 just and true are all thy ways1 ,o thou ,king of ,saints6 ,here1 too1 they will fully realize the wisdom of the ,christian home and life2 they will now see how wise it was for them as a family1 to serve the ,lord4 ,in their earthly home1 they knew whom they believed1 and were persuaded that he was able to keep that which they committed unto ,him against that day4 ,they did this in the midst of fiery trials4 ,they were unknown4 ,the world1 hated and despised them as she did their divine ,master4 ,but they persevered unto the end2 and now they shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their ,father4 ,we shall not there1 as we do here1 eat the bread of care and drink the waters of bitterness4 ,here thunders spend their echoes and lightnings gleam in fierce wrath around our homes4 ,there such sounds and storms never come4 ,no sickness there1 ,no weary wasting of the frame away2 ,no fearful shrinking from the midnight air2 ,no dread of summer's bright and fervid ray4 ,no hidden grief1 ,no wild and cheerless vision of despair2 ,no vain petition for a swift relief1 ,no tearful eye1 no broken hearts are there ,care has no home ,within that realm of ceaseless praise and song2 ,its tossing billows break and melt in foam1 ,far from the mansions of the spirit-throng4 ,the storm's black wing ,is never spread athwart celestial skies2 ,its wailings blend not with the voice of spring1 ,as some too tender floweret fades and dies4 ,christ is the great center of heaven's glory and attraction4 ,whom have ,i in heaven but thee8 ,it would not be heaven if ,he were absent4 ,its harps would become unstrung1 and its voices would lose their tune4 ,when eternity dawns upon our disembodied spirits1 and the heavenly home appears in view1 with its golden streets1 and living temples1 and crowns1 and thrones1 and joys1 bursting on our sight2 while seraphim and cherubim1 and angels1 and the sainted spirits of departed friends--our parents and children1 and kindred1 bend over its threshold to hail our entrance with songs and shouts of everlasting joy1--oh1 what a glorious heritage will this be6 ,but all this will fade into insignificance before the ,lamb on the throne4 ,he will absorb all interest2 and will be all and in all to its unfading treasures4 ,oh1 there is much in that celestial home to allure us there4 ,its fields arrayed in living green1 and rivers of delight4 ,its blood-washed throng1 its crowns and peace1 the angelic choir1 our friends and relations1--perhaps a father and a mother1 perhaps a husband or wife1 perhaps a brother or a sister1 or a child1--a lovely babe2--all these make heaven dear1 and draw us there4 ,they beckon us to themselves2 they are waiting for us now1 and on the glowing pinions of love they come thronging as ministering spirits1 to our hearts4 ,but what are all these attractions of that spirit-home1 compared with ,jesus there as the crowning glory of them all6 other things are stars and streamlets4 ,he is the central sun1--the source of all4 ,take ,him away1 and all the brightness and the glory of that heavenly world would become shrouded in darkness and desolation4 ,there is a living union between the ,christian's home on earth1 and his home in heaven4 ,christ represents our nature and advocates our cause there4 ,the saints on earth and the inhabitants of heaven but one communion make4 ,the latter minister to the former4 ,are they not all ministering spirits1 sent to minister unto them who shall be the heirs of salvation8 ,oh6 a mother's spirit hung ,o'er her last pledge of earthly love1 ,and1 while attending angel's sung1 ,welcom'd her dear one home above4 ,gentle babe1 ,i come for thee3 ,i did come to bear thee home1 ,far from mortal agony2 ,come1 then1 gentle infant1 come4 ,yes2 while o'er thy mouldering dust ,falls the tear of earthly love1 ,thou shalt live amidst the just1 ,brighter life in heaven above4 ,every thing good in our earthly home has its echo in heaven1 and sweeps like the breath of ,god over the harps of the blessed4 ,when the pious mother kneels with her child in prayer to ,god1 it sends a thrill of new ecstasy into the bosom of the redeemed around ,his throne4 ,when the child gives its heart to ,christ1 each harp bursts forth with a new anthem of joy at the prospect of that accession to their happy band4 ,and oh1 what unspeakable joy must thrill the bosom of a sainted mother when the news of her child's conversion reaches her there6-- 444 ,a new harp is strung1 and a new song is given ,to the breezes that float o'er the gardens of heaven4 ,and there1 too1 sainted relations continually warn the impenitent members of the tent-home4 ,though dead they yet speak4 ,turn ye1 turn ye2 for why will ye die8 ,the spirit and the bride say1 come6 ,oh1 regard those solemn admonitions which come to you from the spirit-world6 ,with unearthly eloquence they urge you to lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily beset you1 and run the race set before you1 looking unto ,jesus1 the author and finisher of your faith4 ,and oh1 if you1 in obedience to these angelic persuasives to piety1 yield yourself unto the ,lord1 all the arches of that eternal home will reverberate with the sound of jubilee over your salvation1 until its echo from harp to harp shall be borne up to the throne of ,god4 ,and as there is a living union of the ,christian's home on earth and in heaven1 so also will there be a conscious union and recognition of the members of the ,christian home1 when they enter that better land4 ,when the tent-home is broken up1 and its members take their place and enter upon their joys in the heavenly home1 they will recognize each other1 and exchange congratulations4 ,the bonds of natural affection which bound them together here will bind them also there4 ,they will possess the same home-feeling and sympathy2 they will love each other as members of the same household2 the parents will know and love their children as parents2 and the children will feel towards their parents as children4 ,thus in the clear light of that blessed land we shall see and know our kindred1 and shall be recognized1 and known by them4 ,all family ties will be re-knit2 all home-relationships will be restored2 all the links of affection will be renewed4 ,the babe that withered in your arms like a frost-stricken flower in winter1 will come forth clad in redemption robes1 to embrace you there2 and one of your joys will be a conscious reunion with him3-- ,we shall go home to our ,father's house3 ,to our ,father's house in the skies1 ,where the hope of our souls shall have no blight1 ,our love no broken ties2 ,we shall roam on the banks of the river of peace1 ,and bathe in its blissful tide2 ,and one of the joys of our heaven shall be1 ,the little boy that died6 ,and that sainted mother of yours shall greet you there4 ,in your earth-home1 you and she were united in faith and love and hope2 and in the morning of the resurrection you shall ascend together from the family grave-yard2 and together bow in grateful adoration before the throne of ,god4 ,and oh1 what a glorious meeting in heaven that will be1 when all the members of the ,christian household shall unitedly surround the marriage supper of the ,lamb6 ,it will be joyful beyond conception4 ,there they shall meet at ,jesus' feet1--shall meet to part no more6 ,no one is absent4 ,bright faces will meet there2 bounding hearts will meet there2 and on the banks of the river of life they will walk hand in hand1 as they did unitedly in this vale of tears4 ,there is hereafter to be no separation in that family4 ,no one is to lie down on a bed of pain4 ,no one to wander away into temptation4 ,no one to sink into the arms of death4 ,never in heaven is that family to move along the slow procession1 clad in the habiliments of woe1 to consign one of its members to the tomb6--,,rev4 ,a4 ,,barnes4 ,if heaven is our better home1 where the members of ,christian families meet to part no more2 if dreams cannot picture a world so fair2 and if eye has not seen1 nor ear heard1 nor human heart conceived1 the felicity of its peaceful inhabitants1 then we should greatly rejoice that our pious kindred have been taken there1 and that we are blessed with the hope of reunion with them in that heavenly home3-- 444 ,if to ,christ1 with faith sincere1 ,your babe at death was given1 ,the kindred tie that bound you here1 ,though rent apart with many a tear1 ,shall be renewed in heaven6 ,in our tent-home1 we should cultivate spiritual longings after heaven1 and live in the true hope and assurance of entering there4 ,the soul of the ,christian1 conscious of the emptiness of all things here1 rests and expatiates in a life to come4 ,in proportion to his preparation for it1 and his nearness to it1 will be the depth of his aspirations and the assurance of his hope4 ,the widowed mother1 who feels that part of her household is in heaven and that soon she will join them there1 yearns with all the pining of home-sickness1 for departure to the promised land1 which is far better4 ,when shall my labors have an end1 ,in joy and peace and thee6 ,even these hopes and longings after reunion with the departed in heaven1 afford her joy1 and open in her panting spirit a foretaste of unearthly bliss4 ,to her aspiring faith all things look heavenward4 ,the stars of the sky1 and the flowers of the field smile their blessings upon her2 and she welcomes death to break off her chains1 to draw the bolts and bars1 and open the prison doors of her house of clay1 that her home-sick spirit may go up to that happier land where her possessions lie3-- ,let me go6 my heart is fainting ',neath its weight of sin and fears1 ,and my wakeful eyes are failing ,with these ever-falling tears6 ,for the morning ,i am sighing1 ,while ,i earth's long vigils keep2 ,here the loved are ever dying1 ,and the loving live to weep6 ,let me go6 ,i fain would follow1 ,where ,i know their steps have passed-- ,far beyond life's heaving billows1 ,finding home and heaven at last6 ,while my exiled heart is pining ,to behold my ,father's face1 ,they1 in ,his own brightness shining1 ,beckon me to that blest place6 ,let me go6 ,i hear them calling1 ',ho6 thou weary one1--come home6' ,words which on mine ears are falling1 ,wheresoever my footsteps roam1 ,i can catch the far-off murmurs ,of life's river1 sweet and low1 ,calling1 from earth's bitter waters1 ,unto me--,o let me go6 ,gentle reader6 seek that better land4 ,let your home be a preparation for1 and a pilgrimage to1 a home in heaven4 ,you are now in the wilderness beset on every side by enemies4 ,go forward6 ,you are now in the deep vale1--in the low retreats of pilgrim life4 ,friend1 go up higher6 ,be thou faithful unto death1 and you shall receive a crown of life4 ,be patient in tribulation4 ,the storms that swell around your pilgrim home will soon subside1 and a cloudless sky will burst upon you2 the winter gloom and desolation will soon pass away2 and sweet fields arrayed in living green and rivers of delight1 will spread out themselves before your enraptured vision4 ,remember that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us4 ,in a few years at most the conflict shall end1 and sighing grief shall weep no more2 the wormwood and the gall will be exchanged for the cup of salvation2 the armor and the battle-field will be exchanged for the white garment1 the crown and the throne4 ,soon your typical homestead shall be exchanged for your antitypical home2 and we shall unite in the home-song of everlasting joy1--the song of1 unto ,him that loved us and washed us in ,his own blood1 to ,him be praise and glory and dominion forever6 ,let the hope of soon entering that happy home1 stimulate you to increased ardor in the cause of your ,master4 ,methinks1 some who will read these pages1 have snow-white locks and wrinkled brows and faded cheeks2 and these tell you that soon your pilgrim journey will be ended1 your tent-home dissolved1 and your staff laid aside2 and oh1 if you have made ,god the strength of your heart and your portion forever1 you shall welcome death with joy2 yea1 you will now be anxious to lay aside these garments of toil and conflict1 and soar away to that better country1 where the wicked cease from troubling1 and the weary are at rest4 ,with holy pantings after ,god you will say1 ,come1 ,lord ,jesus1 come quickly6 ,let me go6 my feet are weary1 ,in the desert where ,i roam4 ,let me go6 the way is dreary-- ,let the wanderer go home6 ,i am weary of the darkness ,of these lonely1 failing streams-- ,let me go where founts are flashing ,in the light of heaven's beams6 ,let me go6 my soul is thirsting ,for those waters1 bright1 and clear1 ,from the fount of glory bursting-- ,ah6 why keep the pilgrim here8 ,let me go6 ,o1 who would linger1 ,fainting1 fearing1 and athirst1 ,when before us lies a region ,where undying pleasures burst8 ,we have now enumerated some of the elements of the ,christian home--its constitution1 its ministry1 its trials1 its joys1 and its relation to a better home in heaven4 ,but we have not exhausted this interesting subject2 we have given but a very general and imperfect sketch4 ,if this our first effort will contribute to the salvation of one soul1 we shall be compensated2 and should our encouragement justify it1 we may continue the effort1 in the preparation of a work on the historical development of the ,christian home4