The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-08-16

would not have been SO severe; but go.
ing clear over the precipdce as tha
younger son did, the elder son is angry
and will not go In.
Oh, be not so hard in your criticism OF
the fallen, Lest thou thysef also be
tempted A stranger one Sunday stag
gered up and down the aisles of my
church, disturbing the service until the
service had to stop until he was taken
from the room. He was a minister of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ of sister
denomination That man had preached
the Gospel, that man had broken the
bread of the Holy Communion for the
people. From what a height to what a
depthl Oh, I was glad there was no
smiling in the room when that man was
taken out, his poor wife following him
with his hat in her hand, and his coat on
her arm. 1t was as solemn to me as two
funerais-the funeral of the body and
the funeral of the soul. Beware lest
thou also be tempted.
An invalid went to South America for
his health, and one day sat summing him.
self on the beach, when he saw some
thing crawling up the heath, wriggling
toward him, and he was affrighted. He
| thought it was a wild beast, or a reptile,
and he took his pistol from his pocket.
| Then he saw it was not a wild beast. 1t
was man, an immortal man, man
made in Gods own image; and the poor
wretch crawled UP to the feet of the in
valid and asked for strong drink, and the
invalid took his wine flask from his
pocket, and gave the poor wretch some
thing to drink, and then under the
stimulus he rose up and gave his history.
He had been a merchant in Glasgow,
| Scotland. He had gone down under the
power of strong drink until lie was SO
reduced in poverty that he was lying in
a boat just off the beach. ''Why,' said
the invalid, 81 knew merchant in Glas-
gov once" a merchant by such and such
aname, and the poor wretch Strengthened
himself and said, Il am that man."
''Let him that thinketh he standeth take
heed lest he fall.''
Again, l remark that the senior brother
of my text stands for the spirit of envy
and jealousy. The senior brother thought
that all the honor they did to the returned
brother was a wrong to him. He said,
81 have stayed at home, and 1 ought to
have had the ring, and ought to have
had the banquet, and / ought to have had
the garlands." Alas for this spirit of
envy and jealousy coming down through
the ages! Cain and Abel, Esau and Jacob,
Saul and David, Hannah and Mordecai,
Othello and Iago, Orlando and Angelica,
Caligula and Torquatus Caesar and Pom
pey, Columbus and the Spanish courtiers,
Cambyses and the brother he slew because
he was a better marksman. Dionysius
and Philoxenius, whom he slew because
he was a better singer. Jealousy among
painters. Closterman and Godfrey
Kneller, Hudson and Reynolds. F'rancia,
anxious to see a picture of Raphael.
Raphael sends him a picture. F'rancia,
seeing it, falls in fit of jealousy from
which he dies. Jealousy among authors.
How seldom contemporaries speak of
each other. Xenophon and Plato living
at the same time, but from their writings
you never would suppose they heard of
each other. Religious jealiousies. The
Mahommedans praying for rain during
a drought, no rain coming. Then
the Christians began to pray for
rain, and the rain comes. Then the
Mahommedans met together to account
for this, and they resolved that God was
SO well pleased with their prayers he
kept the drought on SO as to keep them
praying; but that the Christians began
to pray, and the Lord was so disgusted
with their prayers that he sent rain right
away so he would not hear any more of
their supplications Oh, this accursed
spirit of envy and jealousy! Let us
stamp it out from all our hearts.
A wrestler was so envious of Theoge-
nes, the prince of wrestlers, that he
could not be consoled in any way; and
after Theogenes died and statue was
lifted to him in public place, his envi-
GUS antagonist went out every night and
wreSled with the statue until one night
he threw it, and it fell on him and
/, crushed him to death. So jealousy is
not only absurd, but it is killing to the
body and it is killing to the soul. How
, seldom it is you find one mer-
| chant speaking well of merchant
in the same line of business. How
: seldom it is you hear of a physician
speaking well of physician on the
, same block. Oh, my friends, the world is
} large enough for all of us. Let us re.
, joice at the success of others. The next
best thing to owning q garden ourselves
: is to look over the fence and admire the
| | flowers. The next best thing to riding
. in fine equipage is to stand on the street
, and admire the prancing span. The next
| best thing to having banquet given tx
3 ourselves is having a banquet given tt
/ our prodigal brother that has come home
/ to his fathers house.
= Besides that, if we do not get as mucl
: honor and as much attention as others
we ought to congratulate ourselves OF
what we escape in the way of assault
| The French general, riding on horseback
= at the head of his troops, heard soldier
l complain and say, sit is very easy fol
l the general to command us forward
= while he rides and we walk Then tn,
7 general dismounted and compelled tht
: complaining soldier to get on the horse
: Coming through ravine bullet from
1 sharpshooter struck the rider and he fel
: dead. Then the general said, 'Hov
t much safer it is to walk than to ride"
S Once more I have to tell you that thi
4 senior brother of my text stands for th
s pouting Christian. While there is 81
: much congratulation within doors, tn
4 hero of my text stands outside, tn
r corners of his mouth drawn down, look
n ing as he felt-miserable. I am glad hi
o lugubrious physiognomy did not spoil tn
J, festivity within. How many poutinl
t Christians there are in our day-Chris
il tians who do not like the music of ou
S churches, Christians who do not like tn
g hilarities of the young-pouting, pout
d ing, pouting at society, pouting at tn
|, fashions, pouting at the newspapers
y pouting at the church, pouting at tn
r, government, pouting at the high heaven
IS Their spleen is too large, their liver doe
:, not work, their digestion is broken down
p There are two cr,Iets in their caster a
s ways sure to be well suppled-vinega
IS and red pepper! Oh, come away fror
10 that mood. Stir little saccharine int
- your disposition. While you avoid til
dissoluteness of the younger son, avoi
le also the irascibility and the petulance an
ot the pouting spirit of the elder son, an
st initiate the father, who had embraces fc