Text: "The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to SHAME."--Proverbs 29:15

The Hebrew words "ben"--meaning "a son" and "bath"--meaning "a daughter", and "beith"—meaning "a house" all come from the same root word "banah"--which means to build," for in a very real sense children must be "built" just as a housing structure. But what destruction it is when more attention is paid to the making of a house and our children are left to themselves! Such destruction may affect whole nations! Notice the verse.

"Nowhere is God’s retributive Justice more strongly marked. Is there any greater neglect of obligation than that of leaving a child to himself? Is there any greater affliction than the shame to which a negligent mother is brought by her child? Parental influence is lost. The reverence for authority is forgotten. The child rules! The parent fears instead of the child, and thus it is that the tenderest object of a mother, instead of being the staff and comfort of her age, brings her to shame!

"The shame is too public to be concealed. What cruel "fondness" lies in the bosom of such a parent! Little do they realize that Discipline is the order of God’s government and that parents are intended by God to be the dispensers of that discipline to their children. As many times as a parent withholds his rod from his well-deserving child, he merely saves them for himself to be meted out by his yet untamed rebel.

"At whatever cost, establish your authority. Let there be but one will in the house, and let it be Felt that this will is to be the law.

"Either the child’s will, or the parent’s heart must he broken. Without wise and firm control, the parent is miserable, and the child is ruined."

-Charles Bridges-

"Ill thrives the hapless family that shows,

A cock that’s silent, and a hen that crows!

-Frances Quarles-

January 1, 1484--Ulrich Zwingli, the great reformer of Switzerland, is born to a shepherd and his wife. Ulrich is the 3rd of 8 children and is named after his father.

January 6, 1521--A second Bull of Excommunication comes from the Pope denouncing Martin Luther and all his adherents.

January 6, 1850--On this snowy, Sunday evening a fifteen year old boy makes his way into the Primitive Methodist Church on Artillery Street. The snow has hindered the Pastor and nearly, every member from coming tonight and so a Deacon will assume the responsibility of preaching. His text will be Isaiah 45:22--"Look unto Me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth; for I am the Lord, and there is none else." It will be this very sermon which the Holy Spirit of God will use to convert Charles Haddon Spurgeon-- perhaps the best-known Baptist preacher of all time.

January 8, 1856--Charles Spurgeon and Miss Susannah Thompson are married in the new Park Street chapel. Nearly 2,000 people must be turned away!

January 9, 1700--Miss Sarah Pierrepoint, who is to become the distinguished wife of Jonathan Edwards, is born in New Haven, Connecticut. Her early piety will bring her wide acclaim.

January 14, 1739--the Church of England ordains George Whitefield to be a preacher.

Part IX

Text: "Seek ye out of the book of the Lord and read...."--Isaiah 34:16.

William Tyndale had been cast into prison. His notoriety lay in his having translated the Word of God into the English language that his countrymen could "Seek out the Book of the Lord and read." But though he had to flee his homeland, suffer imprisonment in a foreign dungeon, and live under a constant threat for his life, he did not desist from his labors.

In his prison cell, Tyndale asked for four things: "a coat, a candle, paper and a pen! When visitors would come to see him, he would send them out from his dungeon with more than that with which they had come! "Take this portion of the Word of God and see it is smuggled into England. If you are caught with it in your possession, it may well mean it will cost you your life!"

The English king at last came to realize that the only way to silence this preacher of righteousness was to deprive him of his God-given life!

William Tyndale was led from his prison cell to be burned at the stake. But what was said of John Bunyan during his confinement for the preaching of the Word of God over lO0 years yet in the future is very fitting of Tyndale: during his prison-term he was "Bound--yet making many

Free!" Bunyan once wrote,

"Ten thousand deaths in every nerve

I’d rather suffer than deserve!"

Before the oil-drenched kindling had been ignited, Tyndale was asked if he wanted a last prayer! What a mistake! Never give a man of God such an opportunity!

"Oh Lord," he prayed, "Open the eyes of the king of England that he may see every Englishman needs a copy of the Word of God."

The oily faggots were ignited, and William Tyndale slipped quite unnoticed into the presence of his King! Oh to be rich toward God as William Tyndale was rich toward Him! Oh to be a follower of the Lamb as he followed Him. We may well imitate Tyndale in his perseverance. He was a modern Jehu; for he might well remark, "The zeal of Thine house hath eaten me up!"

But the prayer...what about the prayer? Will God answer Tyndale’s simple prayer? Can God open the eyes of the king of England? Not if the king of England has anything to do with it. Read about it in the next edition of THE ANGELUS.