News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-08-23

| hand, and pass the contribution before then
with an air of apology, while they, the
| portemonnaie, and open it, and witt
diamonded-finger push down beyond
the ten-dollar gold pieces and deli
| cately pick out as an expression oil
gratitude their offering to the Lord, OF
| one cent. For such sinners, plenty of room,
| plenty of room. But for the man who has
been drinking until his coat is threadbare
| and his face is erysipelased, and his wife's
wedding dress is in the pawnbroker's shop,
| and his children, instead of being i'll school,
are out begging broken bread at the base
| ment doors of the city-the man, body, mind
| and soul on fire with the flames that have
| leaped from the scathing, scorching, blasting,
| consuming cup which the drunkard takes,
| tire nbling and agonized, and affrighted, and
| presses to his parched lip and his cracked
| tongue, and his shrieking yet immortal spirit
no room.
Oh, if this younger son of the parable had
not gone so far of, if he had not dropped so
low in wassail, the protest would not have
been so severe; but going clear over the
precipice as the 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 thyself also be tempted. A
stranger one Sunday staggered up ana
down the aisleS of my church, disturbing
the service until the service had to stop until
he was taken from the room. He
was minister of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ of a 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 depth! Oh, was glad there
was no smiling in the room when that man
was taken out, his Door wife following him
with his hat in her hand, and his coat on her
arm. 1t was as solemn to me as two funerals
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 himself on
the beach, when he saw something crawling
up the beach, 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 wild beast. 1t was a man, an immortal
man, a man made in Gods own image; and
the poor wretch crawled up to the feet of the
invalid and asked for strong drink, and the
invalid took his wine flask from his pocket
and gave the poor wretch something 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
he was so reduced in poverty that he was ly
ing in boat just off the beach. why" said
the invalid, 81 knew merchant in Glasgow
once" merchant by such and such a name,
and the poor wretch Strengthened himself
and said: 81 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: Il have
stayed at home, and 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,
and Mordecai, Othello and Iago, Orlando
and Angelica, Caligula and TorquatuS,
Caesar and Pompey, 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 better singer.
Jealousy among painters C;osterman and
Godfrey, kneller, Hudson and Reynolds.
Francis, anxious to see picture of Raphael,
Raphael sends him picture. Francis, see
ne IL, falls in a 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 writin IS you never would
suppose they heard of each other. Religious
jealousies The Mahommedans praying for
Then the Christians begin to pray
for rain, and the rain comes. Then
the Mahommedans met together to &C
count 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 disguised with
their prayers that He sent rain right away so
mst;ySopld not hear any more of their supple
jealousy! Let US stamp e out from ali onr
hearts.
A wrestler was so envious of Theogenes,
the prince of wrestlers, that he could not be
consoled in any way, and after TheogeneS
died, and a statue was lifted to him in pub
lie place, his envious antagonist went out
every night and wrestled with the statue
until one night he threw it, and it fell on him
and crushed him to death. So jealousy is n
only absurd, but it is killing to the body
and it is killing to the soul. How seldom it
is you find one merchant speaking well of a
merchant in tho Same line Of business. How
seldom it is you hear of a physician speaking
well of a physician on the same block. Oh
my fri ends, the world is large enough for all
of US. Let US rejoice at the success of
others. The next best thing to owning a
garden ourselves is to look over the fence
and admire the flowers The next best thing
to riding in fine ECU page is to stand on the
street and admire the prancing span. The
next best thing to having banquet given to
ourselves is having banquet given to our
prodigal brother that has come home to his
fathers house.
honor and as much attention as others, we |
ought to congratulate ourselves on what we |
escape IN the way of assault. The French |
General, riding on horseback at the head of |
his troops, heard a soldier complain and |
say: " 1t is very easy for the General |
to command us forward while he rides
and we walk" Then the General dismounted |
and compelled the complaining soldier to get /
on the horse. Coming through a ravine, a |
bullet from a sharpShooter struck the rider
and he fell dead. Then the General said:
"How much safer it is to walk than to rider
Once more have TO tell you that this
senior brother of my text stands for the
pouting Christian. While there is so much
within doors, the hero of my
text stands outside, the corners OF his mouth
drawn down, looking as he feit~
miserable. am glad his lugu-
brious physiognomy did not spoil the fes-
tivity within. How many pouting Christians
there are in our day-ChristIans who do not
ike the music of our churches, Christians
who do not like the hilarities of the young
pouting, pouting at society, pouting at the
fashions, pouting at the newspapers, pout-
ing at the church, pouting at the govern
ment, pouting at the high, heaven. Their
spleen is too large, their liver does not work,
two cruets in their castor always sure to be
well supplied-vinegar and red pepper! Oh,
come away from that mood Stir little
Saccharine into yonr disposition While YOU
avoid the disso uteness of the younger son,
AVOID also the Feasibility and the petulance
and the pouting spirit of the elder son. and
initiate the father, who had embraces for the
pro1igal and coaxing words for
Splenetic malcontent
All! the face of this pouting elder son is put
before us IN order that we might better sea
The radiant and forgiving face of the father
Contrasts are mighty. The artist in sketch
ng the field of Waterloo, years after tho
battle, pnt a dove in the mouth of the
cannon. Raphael, in one of his car.
oons, beside the face of the wretch
,ut the face of happy and innocent child.
And so the sour face of this irascible and
lisgusted elder brother is brought out in or.
Ter that in the contrast we may better under.
tand the forgiving and the radiant face OF
fod That is the meaning of it-that God is
eady to take back anybody that is sorry, to
axe him clear back, to take him back
brewer, and forever, and forever to taka
nm back with a loving hug, to put a kiss on
lis parched lip ring on his bloated hand.
an easy shoe on his chafed foot, a garland on
MS bleeding temples, and heaven in his soul
Oh, L fall fiat on that mercy! Come, nv
brother. and let us get down into the dust
resolved never to rise until the Fathers for !
giving hand shall lift u.s.
Oh, what God we have! Bring your dox-
)logies. Come, earth and heaven, and join
n the worship. Cry aloud. Lift the palm
branches! Do you not feel the Fathers arm
around your necks Do you not feel the warm
breath of your Father against your cheekf
surrender, younger son! Surrender,
elder son Surrender, ALI Oh, go in to
lay and sit down at the banquet.
Take slice of the fatted calf. and
lfterward when you are seated, with one
land in the hand of the returned brother.
md the other hand in the hand of the rejoic-