A SANCTIFIED HOUSEHOLD.
By A. Thayer
THE communication from sister Whitney in No. 13 of the Review is very much in harmony with my views and desires; entertaining as I do, and have for some time a desire paramount to all others, that the Lord would get glory to himself in the salvation of my entire household. That “holiness to the Lord” may be written upon every member of my family, and that meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price, possess every heart is my earnest prayer. “The Lord has done great things for us whereof we are glad;” and almost daily does the tear of gratitude flow down in view of the rich dispensations of his grace to us-ward, while at the same time we fully believe from the light of his word, and confidently expect that he has great blessings still in reserve, to be poured upon us so soon as we are prepared to receive so much. Blessed be his holy name. Noah, “being seized with fear” (Mr. Knight's trans.), by his faith in the word of God, “prepared an ark for the salvation of his family.” So now it is “as it was in the days of Noah” with those who have faith in the word of God. The Christian parent, the kind husband, the affectionate wife, the pious brother or sister, having heard that the Lord is about to “consume all things from off the land,” to burn up “the proud and all that do wickedly,” is “seized with the same religious fear” for his unconverted friends, and makes a last desperate effort with his heavenly Father and his friends to effect a reconciliation while there is hope. His confidence of success is strengthened by the assurance that the long suffering of our God is (for) salvation. He “is not slack concerning his promise, but is long suffering, not willing that any should perish.” Hence the apparent delay of the vision, that through the faithfulness of his children some may be persuaded to turn to the Lord and be saved. Christian brother or sister, are you seized with that same religious fear? If you are not preparing an ark for the salvation of your family, I very much fear you will not be saved yourself. But on the contrary as the body without the spirit is dead, so your “faith if it have not works, is dead also;” and can a dead faith save you? Seest thou how Noah's faith wrought? And being in the same circumstances, does yours work? and in the same direction? If so I can see no insuperable obstacle to the salvation of your dear friends. Do not say I cannot save them. If Noah had stood thus, his family would have found a watery grave. Of yourself you can do nothing, but in Christ you can do all things. Look off from earth to the retribution. Think that one more step brings you, and the friends you love, before the Judge to receive the final sentence which must separate you forever. Think that if you had lived, had prayed, had labored in that living faith which Noah had, those children would have been given you to dwell with you eternally in the glorious kingdom; that unbelieving partner of yours might have been your company among the redeemed. O think till you are seized with religious fear; then with ardent love and streaming eyes, lay hold of that friend and pull him out of the fire, that he may rejoice with you forever in the kingdom of God, and your heavenly father be glorified. Dear brother what would you not give if money could redeem that wife of your bosom, and you possessed a sufficient amount? And who wants her to be lost? As the Lord lives he has no delight in the death of the wicked, but that they turn and live. Jesus has died to redeem them, and what knowest thou O husband, whether thou shalt save thy wife? What knowest thou O wife whether thou shalt save thy husband? And what parent knows whether he can save his dear child? The redemption of his soul is precious. It will quickly cease forever. You cannot give to God a ransom for him. O let me entreat you to use these golden moments to effect his deliverance. Our heavenly Father is good. He will bless your efforts. He will put all your tears into his bottle. While you wrestle the Holy Ghost will do his work. You will soon see that dear friend “clothed, sitting, and in his right mind.” Only believe. “All things are possible to him that believeth.” The reply of the minister to the mother of Augustine (see Review No. 8) that “the son of those tears cannot perish,” is full of meaning. David's tears mingled with his drink. Ye daughters of Jerusalem weep for your children, for the days are very near when they shall call to the mountains to fall on them, and to the hills to cover them. The children of God are a weeping people, but “Blessed are ye that weep now, for ye shall laugh.” Luke vi. 21. Faith in the present truth or the third angel's message stirs the depths of the soul. It calls on every nerve within us to work for God, for the day is at hand, the night is almost spent. For the encouragement of others who have families of children to be saved or lost I will relate a little of my kind Father's dispensations toward me. I commenced keeping his Sabbath in 1845, had embraced what was then called “the shut door view,” and supposed that there was no more salvation for sinners. I had a companion and eight children, none of whom I thought pious. In 1852 several preachers came along, and informed me that they had seen genuine conversions among the children of the remnant under their labors, and thus opened a door of hope for the salvation of mine. And ever blessed be the name of the Lord, who soon began to convince them of sin, of righteousness and of a coming judgment, and brought six of them to hope in his mercy, and to wait for his Son from heaven. He has quite recently led my companion and two more children to look up and rejoice in hope of redemption. Thus out of thirteen surviving children, the eight oldest rejoice in the Lord, the youngest of whom is a son of 11 years. The five remaining are from two to nine years of age, which we are endeavoring to consecrate to God, hoping that he will accept the offering. I look at Cornelius, at the jailor, at Lydia, and believe that it is the will of God that they should all have an “abundant entrance ministered unto them into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,” if our faith fail not. Let us hold on upon the Lord, dear brethren and sisters. He will “abide with us” if we constrain him. We must not let him go except he bless us. Sister Whitney's question, “Is there not an awful, a fearful responsibility resting upon the husband and father?” demands our prayerful consideration. These wives and children the Lord has lent us, dear brethren to prepare for his glorious and everlasting kingdom. They are not ours. He has made them and they are his. He demands that we like Noah shall believe the solemn denunciations of his word, and being “seized with religious fear,” shall prepare an ark for their salvation, saying, “Behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea and all that do wickedly shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them up.” The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runneth into it and is safe.” “Come thou and all thy house into the ark,”138“before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you.” Who of us would dare to resist this solemn injunction and leave one of our household behind? I solemnly believe we do it at our own peril. God has laid upon the parent the solemn responsibility of bringing every child lent him, into his name; and 'think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house,' for if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, thou shalt be destroyed and that without remedy. 'These words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart, and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down and when thou risest up.' He has spoken unto us words whereby we and all our house shall be saved if we do not prove recreant to the trust that he has reposed in us. If we do who is that god that shall deliver us out of his hand? The Lord demands that every godly father shall come and bring all his house into the ark; and 'whatsoever he asks he receives of God because he keeps his commandments and does those things which are pleasing in his sight.' But let him ask in faith nothing wavering, for the man of two minds is unstable in all his ways and should not expect to receive anything of the Lord. 'Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name he will give it you.' What precious promises! Who that has the word mixed with faith can see his friends go down to death with such promises in his hands? 'O spare thy people Lord, and bring them full salvation.'
A. THAYER.