M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1855-02-23
LAY SERMON--NO. 3.
~ sOtosOs EnfLn.

| he was angry, and would net % IN" bbit.
He was gTie sed about u. he thought
that the good old gentleman. bis falhsr.
had done him great injustice, That
youag brother ofhis. had been away, I
| know not exactly how long, and had as
socisted with very disrepu,sbls peoples;
had spent the last dollar he had Ia ths
world, and had won out all the good
clio lhes be took with him., had become
debAuched, ald enervated, and emscitat-
ed by dissipation, and coveted rthe
husks which the swine did eat'--and
now the poor sictiln Of ignofance, in-
discretion, aud pyssumntiou. had come
back to the Old homestsad, The very RET
soni 6eation Of "hard timesg eDd poor
kesping!- The young scspe grace shonld
have been ashamed Of himself; aud 1
taiher think he was, for he studied out
very respectable speech. before he
started on his journey back q 4 actual.
iy delivered II to his father. while yet a
great way OF, where the kind hearted old
msn ffst met him. Is tHof
And the father was so glad to see his
prodigal son, that the fst,ed calf was
Killed. and great feast was rGsde on :hs
occasion. And all the peopie in the
neighboraood, for aught we know to the
contrary, were invited 10 partaks Of il.
But the elder brother was "angry, and
wOuld not 90 iu." H9 was dissatisfied,
not only with what the dissolute bro ther
had done, but with what his father was
about to do! ! think see him now, az
he goes pouting and grumbling about
Now said he to himself, ~ am very
respectable. du,iful, we'll dressed. good.
looking, aad we'll behaved sort Of a fel.
low. have hardly ever gone beyond
hailing distance from home. aud have
worked like dog, to add to the wealth
Of the establishment; and yet, faith.
er never gave me kid. to make msrfJ
with my frieads! But no sooner does
this young sinner come back, all rags,
filth, and destitution. than the old Har-
ny is to pay! No sir--I shall not 60 in;
| don: keep that kind Of company;
shall not countenance that kind oflibet-
ality, I'll be hanged ii dol And be
would not 60 inp is -t@
And you. my beloved christian hear.
ers, are just like him. You are the last
people in the world. 10 throw open the
doors of the kingdom OF God, and vel.
come toa share of all its joys, your poor
unfortunate, sinful. degraded. miserable
brothers and sisters, who have been of.
on a wild goose chase after pleasure, In
the way OF the iransgressch II you had
the power to do it. you would lock the
doors agains. them, and throw away the
key. You are for putting them on thsir
lgood behavior. You mean TO make them
merit salvation before they can have iS
whereas, il they did merit il, they
would not wadl it; because they would
have it already. Grace, let me tell you,
does not travel at sua;l's pace bsiind
merit, but goes bsEsre, to ''lead sinners
10 repentance" The least should be
spread out, inyitiugly, .bcfote lheststy-@
lug, perishing, Iagamufiins of God s csea.
tion. to satisfy their numerous wants.
and cause them to behave them selves.--
You sleek-faced, we'll fed, sa abbath kssp-
ling, churh-going, praying and believing
christians, no more need the Grace Of
God, than the world needs moon In
the day time.
But, to be serious with you, mr. dear
fellow christiansi you commit a great
mistake. BY over rating your owa vir-
tues, aud the ciaims you predicate on
them. by the undertaking. the natural
Tights, and eternal interests, and the
pressing necessities Of those who are less
holy than you pretend to be. Instead
Of extending the sphere Of your benevo.
lence, enlarging the bounds Of your chers
ity, aud taking BY the hand sinners Of
all sorts end sizes, you make virtue Of
your ilIiberality, and become az repul.
siye TO Others, as you are troublesome 10
yourselves. You are at loggerheaas
with the world, because there is no room
for it in your kingdom, and because you
think II is hardly worth saving. And
you quarrel with one another, till the
world has become ashamed Of you. Just
now, you are at war with the Catholics,
ana are better united than you have been
for thousand years--not because you
love each other, but because you hate
that class Of your brethren. And 10 .
when we, sinful Democrats as we are.
extend TO them the same protsetion tina,
has hitherto prevented you from biting
and deyouring one anoiher.a .and welcome
them to the freq enjoyment Of squal
rights and hsivileses, you ere angry.
and will not come in.s lsl
You can do just as you please sbont
it. The manifest destiny Of de m mocsacv.
is. to break down all the inisidls walls
of partition. which an inventive and
contracted sectafianism has built IN.
and 10 give TO you all a. fair, ,chsncs 10
out.run each other in the chrissis a race
Of usefuNlness. II you choose 20 ,.nu rse
your wrath 70 keep Il warm, = ana rsfuss
To sit down at q comfortable table. 10
eat Of the fatted calf--preferring 10 wor-
ship the golden calf which bisotsy hss
fashioned with gazing. tool, ana be-
fore which pride delights 70 come dowa
on its marrow.bones you will have the
worst Of it. For we shall have watch.
fal eye upon your affairs, anil shall 1ts.
vent your hanging witches. whipping
Baptists, or tyiag Qushers 20 tba tsit.'
end Of your carts. Your sectafisn IA
hide bound Know Nothingism viii ro, !,
he aIlouedt "a nrasrr; y. iI...zt .,,,5 q |.