iîEnAtt»
4
have to sliàre accidents, and every
heart knows its own sorrow, but
blessed be God, he knows them all.
—Christian Commonwealth.
H e L oves Y ctt k^What intense
words these must be to the home­
less cast-off heart of the sinner.
“ Loves me,” in all my wrong-doing,
in my wasted talents, my broken
life, my hateful example, loves me ?
Yes, brother, loves you still, follows
lows you still, with noiseless feet
which leave a blood print, entreats
you still with hand nail pierced for
you, begs you to return and find in
his bosom forgiveness and rest.—
Ex. ■
■
Original Contributions.
BIBEETTj
BY M. B. LEMERT
NI MBER XIX.
All inspired Scripture is profita­
ble for teaching, for instruction in
righteousness, to completely fit the
man of God for all good works, not
the least of which is to educate or
“nurture their children in the ad­
monition of the Lord.”
The Bible enjoins the bringing
up children in the way they should
gives s°me instructions as to
how it should be done, and exam­
ples of parental failure, and paren­
tal success, with results; all of
which should be carefully studied
by those who take upon themselves
the responsibility of parents.
The man, together with the wife,
who is part of himself, is the di­
vinely constituted head of his
family, of household, invested with
supreme authority over his realm.
This gift from God, involves great
responsibilities on the part of those
who accept it—parents—who are
not only to feel and clothe their
offspring, but to educate and
govern. To impress this lesson
two cases will be adduced : first,
one of parental failure, exhibited in
Eli; the next of parental success,
exhibited in Abraham.
Eli judged Israel forty years, and
was also a priest. He also became
a father. From the few brief
biographical sketches we have of
him we conclude that he was a
very good man, as priest, and as
jttdge, a man of faith in God, pious
and faithful in his official duties—-
nothing being said to his charge.
But his weakness as a father can
hardly be too severely censured.
Being of the lineage of Aaron, Eli
a priest, and his sons would
become such at the prescribed age. Lord says, , "For. I have told Eli tianity, the most simple and child­
So he should have taken special that I will judge his house forever like of all, is. .the only one held in
pains in instructing, to teach them for the iniquity which he knoweth ; common by all Christians, ft may
the knowledge and fear of the because his sons made themselves be said to be the only creed that
Lord, and to keep his precepts, vile and he restrained them not. ever served the purpose of unity.
walk in his commandments, do Therefore—L-have sworn unto the All others have been divisive, and
justice, walk humbly, and. then house of Eli, that the iniquity of the reason is obvious. The Apos­
prepare them to fill with honor the Eli’s house shall iwt he.purged tles’ Creed is an avowal ofbelieTtn
high position they were destined to with sacrifice nor offering forever.” | simple facts,“ and Doakfis not the
fill. But he did nothing of the This sentence was terific ' the sin slightest effort to philosophize or
kind ; instead .thereof he permitted was unpardonable * could be purg­ refine. The Nicene Creed varied
them to grow up to manhood, ig­ ed with neither sacrifice nor offer­ slightly, but in the direction of
norant and vicious; so ignorant ings ! Eli knew of the iniquity of philosophizing. The creed of Chal-
that it is said of them that they his sons, and restrained them not. cedon, and in pre eminence the
“ knew not*the Lord,” and so full, .The Lord held him responsible for j Athanasian Creed undertook to
of vice, so full of wickedness, that the evil deeds of his sons, for he [ give a philosophy of facts, and from
evil reports of them filled the land. had ¿iven him authority over them, the date of that creed the creeds of
Eli was an affectionate father, but and Eli had failed to exercise this Chrisendom have been divisive,
very indulgent; he lacked moral authority. This crime was too warlike, and despotic—partly by
... — the genius and method of them, and
courage — lacked backbone. He great to be forgiven.
Is there not a lesson taught in partly by the arrogSYTt'rondnct of j
believed in moral suasion, not in
compulsion^-,He=cquld not .chastise this that Christian parents should ecclesiastical organizations. Every '
his boys; could not be contending -bTwM—r U El,i committed an un­ step of departure from the Apostles’ i
with them. He would expostulate ; pardonable sin by failing £o~^Wir1 -44r^l hfl.s lx>en made in unconscious |
afterward they might do as they his boys, and wras made an example I ignorance of ce rtmngreaFTnTth?rtf
pleased. So they grew to manhood, of for our sake and then a record I human nature.
ignorant of parental or selfrestraint. was made of it for our instruction I 1. A book like the Bible, which |
The law, of which Eli was teacher, and ad monition, can we do the I is a record not only of outward I
required parents to govern their same and hope to escape the. ven-1 facts but especially of mental states, I
children—to chastise them when geance' poured out upn him ? 11 of the operation of the reason, of I
they were rebellious ; then if chas­ speak as to wise men, judge ye I moral sense, of the emotions—love I
tisement did not subdue them I what I say. The Savior teaches the grief, hope, joy and imagination— I
they were to take the incorrigible j principle, that where much is given and expressed by narrative, byB
to the elders of their city, and have much is required, or that the recip­ poetry, by dramatic representation, I
them stoned to death—made an ex ient of anything entrusted is re­ can never be reduced to the lan- .
ample of, and thus put away the sponsible for the proper use of it. I guage of pure ideas. Even if it ■
evil of disobedience and crime. Parents are entrusted with author­ I were possible to convert emotions H
But Eli was too timid—too coward­ ity to govern their children, subdue into intellectual states, the men of 3
ly—to take any effective measures their evil propensities, mould and the ages who produced creeds were«
to control his boys. . Two of them, train them to walk in virtue’s not the men to do it. The contents®
Phinehas and Hophni, entered the paths, teach them the knowledge of Sacred Scripture, in its vitalfl
priesthood, but never having been and fear of the Lonl; cultivate and essential parts, turned into®
law-abiding, never having regarded their minds and hearts so as to scholastic forms, resemble the Bible B
the rights of others, practiced jus­ qualify them for honor and useful­ as the anatomy of a man in the«
tice, nor self-restraint, gave them­ ness—for two worlds, earth and medical museum resembles th«B
selves over to self-gratification— heaven—for two lives, temporal living man of the household or o®J
r
sensualities the most debasing, and and eternal. Will you, dear par­ the street.
2.
Even
more
fatal is the attempt« I
not content with their wages for ents, be faithful in this 7 If so,
official labors, their extortions be­ you will hear it said, well done to lead all men to see and feel alike«
came unliearable, the people cried good and faithful servant, enter in the presenoe of facts, and dB
out, religion was brought into dis­ thou into the joy of thy Lord. truths of emotion, and of truths
repute, and men abhorred the offer­ My next shall be a brighter picture, intellect. The constitution of th«'/
human mind is such that men ar®-
ings of the Lord. Reports of their one of success.
united in generics but divided
evil doings reached the ears of their Hebron, O., Aug. 10, 1883.
specifics. The strength of intel^®
father from every direction ; many
A Bond of Union.
lect; the atmosphero of irnagina^B
complained to him. But Eli only
tion in which thp intellect
expostulated, saying, “ Nay, my
If the Church of Christ is ever to the srfope, depth, and force of em^^B
sons, for it is no good report that I
regain that visible unity for which
tion ; the conseqeent knowledge
hear.” But they hearkened not to
• hrist in the closing hburs of his ignorance—makes it impossible thi^B
the voice of their father. Then
life prayed as a sign and witness of
there came a man of God to Eli,
men should see truths or
Christianity to mankind, it must
alike;
though the variations m<^B
and rebuked him sharply—told
go back from its later creeds to its
him that the Lonl hail decided on
not be so wide as to prevent a $®
earliest creed, which bears the name
vengeance - that both his sons,
oral concurrence. In pro,
»
because it possesses the spirit of
then,
as
creeds
have
been
exact
3
Phinehas and Hophni should die in
the Apostles whose simple faith
minutely specific they have r®
one day—that there should never
it emliodies, though it was not the
simply found but have created |I®
be an obi man in his house—that
product of their hands. For it is
all his posterity should die in the
ferences in belief in the pre.*r®
remarkable that this earliest creed, id’ the same reasonings or dog^*®
flower of their age—adding, the
formed in the infancy of Chris­
3. The creeds of the church ha«
4