In my time I have heard many able men - laymen and minsters - pray and ofttimes it has seemed to me these men have been praying more for their hearers than to their God, I do not want to sound critical but I have this feeling and I do not believe it just comes from my admiration of my Grandfather. Now the modern psychiatrist would be sure that, having been surrounded by so much religion as a youngster, I would have rebelled and turned away from the Bible and the Church. I am truly thankful that It did not work that way In my case. I am eternally thankful for my Godly heritage. It comes as Grandpa used the phrase - It is "line upon line* precept upon precept, here a little and there a little". I am sure that no one could have told what kind of a fellow I might have been had I been raised up in some other home. I am also sure that I have received countless blessings in my life that are due to God's mercy and to His covenant promises to bless one's "children's children" of those who obey his commands. I am not sure I have done for our children all that Papa and Grandpa did for me. Again I say I am thankful beyond measure or words for God's providence in placing me where He did and in and under this form of Christian nurture. I know full well that I have not measured up to the "upbringing" I had; I am sure that what ever bit of sense I may have rendered to my fellow man I heard it from these two humble Christian gentlemen, Grandpa and Papa,
In Taylorsville, we had, of course, the Presbyterian Church the A, R P. (The Associated Reformed Presbyterian), (this is the denomination to which my mother belonged) the Methodist, the Baptist, and a Lutheran. The A. R. P. and the Lutheran churches were small, possibly not over 20 or 25 in membership, We went of course to the Presbyterian Church whenever Its doors opened. This meant Sunday School and two preaching services, one following the Sunday School, and then a second service after supper. The preacher had to, of course, prepare two sermons for each Sunday. Most of the ministers did not preach but every other Sunday at Taylorsville, having or supplying another church in a town nearby on the Sundays he was not at Taylorsville. The A. R. P, and Lutherans had Sunday School each Sunday but did not have preaching services but about once a month. We went to the A. R. P, when we did not have services, but if neither of those had services then we to the Methodist., and if for some reason they did not have a service then we went to the Baptist.
Quite often at night I would get sleepy and lean over on Grandma's shoulder and go to sleep before the sermon was over. Grandpa was on the Session of the Church there, and while I do not remember his teaching Sunday School, he always sat up on the front row near the choir and helped in the singing. I