upon, home-training and nurture. The author, in presenting it to the public, is fully conscious of its many palpable imperfections; yet, as it is his first effort, and as it was prepared amid the multiplied perplexities and interruptions of his pro fessional life, he confidently expects that it will be received with charitable consideration. It is now published as an introduction to a work on the historical development of home, to which his attention has for years been directed. If this unassuming volume should be instrumental in the saving of one family from ruin, we shall feel ourself fully compensated. THE AUTHOR.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa., 1859.

WHAT IS THE CHRISTIAN HOME.-Section I.: Home in the Sphere of

Nature. The Power of Home-Association. Inadequate Ideas of

Home. Home is a Divine Institute. Its Highest Conception. Def-

inition of Home. Its Two-fold Aspect. As simply Physical. As

purely Moral. Home in the Sphere of Natural Affection. Home-

Love. Home-Ties. The Angel-Spirit of Home. Our Nature De-

mands Home. Home-Sickness. Conclusion,

Section II.: Home in the Sphere of the Church.-The Heathen Home.

Constituent Elements of the Christian Home. Marriage. Husband

and Wife. Parents and Children. Union of the Members of a Fam-

ily. The Christian Home must be Churchly. How we Abuse it.

Examples of True Homes. Parental Neglect. Address to Parents

and Children. Home-Meetings and Greetings,

CHAPTER II.

THE MISSION OF THE CHRISTIAN HOME.-The Nature of this Mis-

sion. David. Joshua. It is Two-fold. The Temporal Well-Being

of the Members. How Parents Abuse this part of the Home-Mis-

sion. The Eternal Well-Being of the Members. Extent of the

Home-Mission. Its Importance and Responsibility. Seen in the

Vicarious Character of Home. The Principle of Moral Reproduc-

tion. The Visitation of Parental Iniquity upon the Children. The

Guilt of Unfaithfulness to this Mission. Qualifications for it. The

Law of Equality in Marriage. How Parents may Disqualify them-

selves for it. Incentives to Faithfulness. Address to Parents,

CHAPTER III.

13

20

27

FAMILY RELIGION.-The Christian Home Demands Family Religion.

What is it? Different from Personal Religion. Co-existent with

Home. Essential to its Constitution. Its Historical Development

from Eden to the Present Age. Its Present Neglect. What it In-

cludes. The Example of our Primitive Fathers. The Forms in

which it is Developed. The Home-Mission Demands it. Its Ne-

cessity seen in the Value of the Soul. Home without it. Home

with it. Relations of Home Demand it. Reply to Excuses from

it. Defect of it now. Reasons for this. It is Implied in the Mar-

riage Relation and Obligation. Motives to Establish it,
. 40

CHAPTER IV.

THE RELATION OF HOME TO THE CHURCH.-It must be Churchly.
This Relation is Vital and Necessary, involving Mutual Depend-
Relation of Preparation. Home Completes Itself in the

ence.

PAGE.

Church. It has Power only in the Sphere of the Church. This

Relation involves Duties and Responsibilities,

CHAPTER V.

HOME-INFLUENCE.-Home has Power. This is either a Curse or a

Blessing. What is Home-Influence? Its Character. Its Degree

Estimated from the Force of First Impressions. Scripture Testi-

mony to it. Its Legitimate Objects. How it Acts in the Form-

ation of Character. Augustine. Washington. John Q. Adams.

Bishop Hall. Dr. Doddridge. Dr. Cumming. A Mother Won to

Christ by a Daughter. Its Influence upon the State. Napoleon.

Homes of the Revolution. The Spartan Mother and Home. Its

Influence upon the Church. Its Responsibility Inferred,

CHAPTER VI.

HOME AS A STEWARDSHIP.-What is a Steward? Home is a Stew-
ardship. Parents. Home-Interests. Identity of Interest between
the Master and Steward. Mother of Moses. Character and Re-
sponsibilities of this Stewardship. The Social Prostitution of
Home. The Principle of Accountability this Stewardship In-
volves. The Final Settlement,

CHAPTER VII.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CHRISTIAN HOME.-These Inferred

from Home-Influence and Stewardship. Their Measure. By the

Magnitude of Home-Interest. By the Kind of Influence upon the

Members. By the Guilt and Punishment of Parental Unfaithful-

ness. They are Incentives to Parental Integrity. A Family Dra-

ma in Two Acts. Filial Responsibility. Address to Parents and

Children,

CHAPTER VIII.

THE FAMILY BIBLE.-The Memories which cluster around it. The
Household Interests it Contains. The Bible as a Family Record.
As a Home-Inheritance. As the Gift of a Mother's Love. An In-
dispensable Appendage to Home. Its Adaptation to Home. It
should be Used as the Text-Book of Home-Education. Its Abuse
and Neglect,

CHAPTER IX.

INFANCY.-New Eras in Family History. The First-Born. Charm
and Interest of Infancy. The Infant as a Member of Home. Its
Emblematic Character. Its Helplessness. Its Prophetical Char-
acter. The Trust and Responsibility Involved. The Mother's Re-
lation to Infancy. Address to Parents,

CHAPTER X.

HOME-DEDICATION.-The Hebrew Mother and her Child. Reasons

for Dedication. Dedication of Children. Abraham. Offering of

Isaac. Little Samuel. David. Typical Character of Old Testa-

ment Family Offerings. Benefits of Home-Dedication. Duty of

Parents to Devote their Sons to the Ministry. The Unfaithfulness

of Parents to this duty,

'CHAPTER XI.

CHRISTIAN BAPTISM.-The Baptismal Altar. It is the Sacrament
of Home-Dedication. Infants are its True Subjects. Home De-
mands it. Infant Baptism Proven, by the Child's Need of Salva-
tion, by the Idea and Mission of Christ, by the Idea of the Church,

50

56

66

74

82

92

103

PAGE

by the Hereditary Character of Sin, by the Relation of Christian

Parents to their Children, by the Constitution of Family Life. En-

emies of Infant Baptism. Why Opposed to it. Their Sophistry.

Dr. A. Carson. Appeal to Parents. Duty and Privilege of Parents

to have their Children Baptized. Its Neglect and Abuse. How

Abused. The Old Landmarks. Striking Statistics. Abuse by

Parents and Children,

CHAPTER XII.

PTER

113

CHRISTIAN NAMES.-Proper Kind of Names. Law of Correspond-
ence and Association. Christian Names. Much in a Name. Nam-
ing a Child should not be Arbitrary. Nebuchadnezzar. Adam.
The Hebrews. Woman. Eve. Cain. Seth. Samuel. Dr. Krum-
macher. Names now Given. The Folly and Evil of it. Why we
should give Suitable Names. Why Scriptural Names. Mary. In-
stances of Proper Christian Names,
132

CHAPTER XIII.

HOME AS A NURSERY.-Idea of Nursing. What a Nursery Is. The

sense in which Home is a Nursery. Character of the Home-Nurs-

ery. The Mother's Special Sphere. Relation of the Nursery to

the Formation of Character. The Nursery is Physical. Sickly and

Immoral Nurses. Consequences. It is Intellectual. Its Abuse. It

is Moral and Spiritcal. The Ways in which the Nursery is Abused.

Boarding Schools,

CHAPTER XIV.

HOME-SYMPATHY.-An Argument against the Neglect and Abuse of

the Nursery. Its Natural Elements. Its Definition and Nature.

The Ancients. Baptista Porta. Plato. Middle Ages. It is Passive

and Active. Its Disease. Good Samaritan. Rousseau. Robes-

pierre. Its Relation to Natural Affection. Its Relation to Woman.

Its Religious Elements. Christ. Ruth. Joseph. Mother of Sam-

uel. Peter. Esther. Paul. Family of Lazarus. Its True Pat-

tern. Its Attractive Power. Unfaithfulness to its Law. Its High-

est Element,

CHAPTER XV.

142

151

FAMILY PRAYER.-Its Relation to Home-Sympathy. Its Necessity.

Its Idea. Dr. Dwight's View. The Duty to establish it Proven.

Its Neglect. Excuses from Family Prayer. Address to Parents, 162

CHAPTER XVI.

HOME-EDUCATION.-Section 1.: The Character of Home-Education.
What is Home-Education. Different Kinds. It must be Physical.
Intellectual. Moral. The Means. Circumstances. Temptation.
Example. Training. Habit. The Feelings. Conscience. Mo-
tives. Cardinal Virtues. When it should Begin. It must be Re-
ligious. Necessity of this. St. Pierre. The Mother as Teacher.
Objections Considered. Encouragement to Home-Training. Dr.
Doddridge. A Pious Minister. Dr. Dwight. Young Edwards.
Polycarp. Timothy. John Randolph. J. Q. Adams. Daniel. The
Power of Home-Training in Religion,
Section II.: The Neglect and Abuse of Ilome-Education. Popular
Prejudices Exposed. Dr. Johnson. Edmund Burke. Miss Sedg-
wick. Everett. Robert Hall. Fruits of a Neglected Education.
Law of the Icelanders. Parents are Responsible. Crates. Pleas-
ure of Teaching the Young. Thompson. Abuse of it. Fashion-

177