e religious element,
moving in the sphere of nature and of the church, then its calling must be
of God; its mission is divine; it is designed to subserve a spiritual
purpose; it has a soul-mission. This was the view of David when he
"returned to _bless_ his household." To him his family was a church in
miniature, and he its priest. Thus too Joshua felt that his service of God
must include family worship.

What then is the mission, of the Christian home? It is two-fold,--the
temporal and eternal well-being of its members. It is the mission of home
to provide for the temporal well-being of its members. They are parts of
one great whole. Each must seek the welfare of all the rest. This involves
obedience to the law of co-operation; and has special reference to that
provision which the heads of families should make for the wants of those
who are placed under their protection. As the parent sustains a physical,
intellectual and moral relation to the child, it is his mission to provide
for its physical, mental and moral wants. "He that provideth not for his
own house hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." Natural
affection will prompt to this. Children are in a state of utter
helplessness. The infant is at the mercy of the parent. Instinct impels the
parent to provide for its wants. Even the brute does this.

That it is a part, therefore, of the home mission to provide for the
physical wants of the dependents there, is very evident. To refuse to
fulfill it is a crime against nature. This part of the home-mission
includes the education of the body, by properly unfolding and directing its
powers, and providing it with appropriate nutriment, raiment and shelter.
In a word, we should make proper provision for the development and maturity
of the physical life of our children. This is the mission of the parent
until the child is able to provide for itself. This, says Blackstone, "is a
principle of natural law;" and, in the language of Puffendorf, is "an
obligation laid on parents, not only by nature herself, but by their own
proper act in bringing them into the world." The laws of the land also
command it. The child has a legal claim upon the parent for physical
sustenance and education.

It is another part of the home-mission to provide for the intellectual
wants and welfare of the child. Children have mind as well as body. The
former needs nourishment and training as well as the latter. Hence it is as
much the mi