The boy broke his arm, and when the doctor was setting it, he cursed and swore the whole time. The father was quite grieved and shocked.
"Ah," said the doctor, "you were afraid to prejudice the boy in the right way, but the devil had no such prejudice. He has led your son the other way."
The idea that a father is to let his children run wild! Nature alone never brings forth anything but weeds.
A Rum-Seller"s Son Blows His Brains Out
Look at that rum-seller. When we talk to him he laughs at us. He tells you there is no h.e.l.l, no future--there is no retribution. I"ve got one man in my mind now who ruined nearly all the sons in his neighborhood.
Mothers and fathers went to him and begged him not to sell their children liquor. He told them it was his business to sell liquor, and he was going to sell liquor to every one who came. The saloon was a blot upon the place as dark as h.e.l.l.
But the man had a father"s heart. He had a son. He didn"t worship G.o.d, but he worshiped that boy. He didn"t remember that whatsoever a man soweth so shall he reap. My friends, they generally reap what they sow. It may not come immediately, but the retribution will surely come. If you ruin other men"s sons, some other man will ruin yours.
Bear in mind G.o.d is a G.o.d of equity; G.o.d is a G.o.d of justice. He is not going to allow you to ruin others and escape yourself. If we go against His laws, we suffer.
Time rolled on, and that young man became a slave to drink, and his life became such a burden to him that he put a revolver to his head and blew his brains out. The father lived a few years, but his life was as bitter as gall, and then went down to his grave in sorrow. Ah, my friends, it is hard to kick against the p.r.i.c.ks.
Mrs. Moody Teaching Her Child
There was a time when our little boy did not like to go to church, and would get up in the morning and say to his mother:
"What day is to-morrow?"
"Tuesday."
"Next day?"
"Wednesday."
"Next day?"
"Thursday"; and so on, till he came to the answer, "Sunday."
"Dear me," he said.
I said to the mother, "We cannot have our boy grow up to hate Sunday in this way; that will never do. That is the way I used to feel when I was a boy. I used to look upon Sunday with a certain amount of dread.
Very few kind words were a.s.sociated with the day. I don"t know that the minister even noticed me, unless it was when I was asleep in the gallery, and he had some one wake me up. This kind of thing won"t do.
We must make the Sunday the most attractive day of the week; not a day to be dreaded, but a day of pleasure."
Well, the mother took the work up with this boy. Bless those mothers in their work with the children! Sometimes I feel as if I would rather be the mother of John Wesley or Martin Luther or John Knox than have all the glories in the world. Those mothers who are faithful with the children G.o.d has given them will not go unrewarded.
My wife went to work, and took Bible stories and put those blessed truths in a light that the boy could comprehend, and soon his feeling for the Sabbath was the other way.
"What day"s to-morrow?" he would ask.
"Sunday."
"I am glad."
If we make Bible truths interesting, and break them up in some shape so that these children can get at them, then they will begin to enjoy them.
Missed At Last!
In one of the tenement houses in New York City a doctor was sent for.
He came, and found a young man very sick. When he got to the bedside the young man said:
"Doctor, I don"t want you to deceive me; I want to know the worst. Is this illness to prove serious?"
After the doctor had made an examination, he said, "I am sorry to tell you you cannot live out the night."
The young man looked up and said, "Well, then, I have missed it at last!"
"Missed what?"
"I have missed eternal life. I always intended to become a Christian some day, but I thought I had plenty of time, and put it off."
The doctor, who was himself a Christian man, said: "It is not too late. Call on G.o.d for mercy."
"No; I have always had a great contempt for a man who repents when he is dying; he is a miserable coward. If I were not sick, I would not have a thought about my soul, and I am not going to insult G.o.d now."
The doctor spent the day with him, read to him out of the Bible, and tried to get him to lay hold of the promises. The young man said he would not call on G.o.d, and in that state of mind he pa.s.sed away. Just as he was dying the doctor saw his lips moving. He reached down, and all he could hear was the faint whisper:
"_I have missed it at last!_"
Dear friend, make sure that you do not miss eternal life at last.
Choose Now
A teacher had been relating to his cla.s.s the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, and he asked:
"Now, which would you rather be, boys, the rich man or Lazarus?"
One boy answered, "I would rather be the rich man while I live, and Lazarus when I die."
That cannot be.
The Mansion Made Ready
Once when I was traveling to a city there was a lady in the car with me. After I had reached the hotel where I was to stay, and had got comfortable quarters, she came, and said:
"Oh, sir, I cannot get a room in this hotel; they are quite full! How ever did you manage to get a room?"
"Easily enough," I replied; "I just telegraphed on before that I was coming, to have a room ready for me."
And it is somewhat similar in regard to gaining admission to heaven.
Your names must be sent on beforehand, and entered in its book, else you won"t get in; but get your names inscribed on its pages, and then you won"t be disappointed. G.o.d will have a mansion ready for you when you ascend to your heavenly home. When you come to its gates, the guardian angels will refer to the book of life to see if your name is there. If so, pa.s.s in; but if not, admittance will be inexorably refused.