The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-08-30

bhat has been luxuriating in the
paddock" That il the reason why more
prodigals do not como homo to theft fathers
house. 1t is the rank infldelity in the Church
Of God on this subject There is not house
on the streets of heaven that has not in it q
prodigal that has returned and strayed
home. There could be unroled before you
b scroll of hundred thousand names-the
names of prodigals who came back forever
reformed Who was John Bunyan' A re-
turned prodigal. Who was Richard Baxter!
A returned prodigal. Who was George
Whitefeld, the thunderers A returned
prodigal. And could go out in all direc-
tions in this audience and find on either side
those who, once far astray for many years,
have been faithful, and their eternal saliva
tion is as sure as though they had been ten
years in heaven And yet some of you have
net snoueh fnith in their return.
YOU do not know how to shake hands with
a prodigal. You do not know how to pray
for him. You do not know how to greet
him. He wants to sail in the gulf stream OF
Christian SYMPATHY. You are the Iceberg
against which he strikes and shivers You
say he has been Lrodigal. know it. But
you are the sour. unresponsive, censorlous,
saturnine, cranky, elder brother, and II
you are going to heaven one would think
some people would be tempted to go to per-
dition To get away from you The hunters
u
shove him out OF their company, and the
general rule is, away with the man tlat has
been wounded with sin. Now, say,
the more bones man has broken,
the moro need he has OF hos
pital, and that the more man has been
bruised and cut with sin the more need he
has to be carried into human and divine
sympathy. But for such men there is not
much room in this world-the men who want
to come back after wandering Plenty OF
room for elegant sinners, sinners in velves
and satin and lace, for sinners high-salaried,
for kid-gloved and patent leather sinners,
for sinners fixed up by a hair-dresser, poma-
turned and lavendered and cologned and
frizzled and crimped and changed" sinners.
plenty of room! Such We meet elegantly at
the door OF our churches, and We invite them
into the best seats with Chesterfeldan gal
1antriss; we usher them into the house of God,
and put soft ottomaiis Under their feet,
and put gilt-edged prayer-book in their
hand, and pass the contribution before them
with an air of apology, while they, the
generous souls take out the exquisite
portemonnaie, and open it, and with
diamonded-fnger push down beyond
the ten.dolar gold pieces and deli
cately pick out as an expression Of
gratitude their offering to the Lord, of
one cent. For stich 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 pawnbrokers shop,
and his children, instead Of being in 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.
trembling and agonized, and atfrighted, and
presses to his parched lip and his cracked
tongue. and his shrieking yet immortal spirit
mo 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.
stranger one Sunday staggered up and
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 sister denomination! !!
That man had preached tho Gospel,
that man had broken the bread of the Holy
Communion for the people. From what
height to what depth! Oh, 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. Itwas 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 affrghted. He thought it was wild
from his pocket Then he saw it wa:
not wild beast. 1t was a man, an inllnorta
| man, man made in Gods own image; anC
| the poor wretch crawled up to the feet of tn,
! invalid and asked for strong drink, and ths
| invalid took his wine flask from his pocke
| and gave the poor wretch something Il
drink, and then under the stimulus he roS'
up and gave his history. He had been ;
merchant in Glasgow Scotland He had gon
| down under the power OF strong drink unit
| he was 80 reduced in poverty that he was ly
| ing in a boat Just off the beach. why" sale
tha invalid, 81 knew merchant in Glasgow
| once,n merchant by such and such name
and the poor wretch Strengthened himsel
and said: ~ am that man." "Let him tina
| thinketh he st standeth take heed lest he fall. y"
Again | remark that the senior brother o
my text stands for the spirit of envy an
jealousy. The senior brother thought tina
all the honor they did to the returned brothe
was wrong to him. He said: Il hav
stayed at home, and ought to have had tn
ring, and ought to have had the banquet, an
l ought to have had the garlands." Alas TO
this spirit of envy and jealousy comin
down through the ages! Cain and Abe
Esau and JACOB, Saul and David, Hama
| ard Mordecai Othello and Iago Orland
and Angelica, Calgula and Torquatus
Caesar and Pompey, Columbus and tn
Spanish courtiers Cambyses and tn
brother he slew because ne was bette
| marksman. Dionysius and Philoxenius
whom he slew because he was better singer
Jealousy among painters. Closterman an
Godfrey, Kneller, Hudson and Reynolds
Francis, anxious to see picture OF Raphae
Raphael sends him picture. Francis, SEE
NJ it, falls in fit of jealousy from whic
he dies. Jealousy among authors. How
seldom contemporaries speak OF each other
| Xenophou and Plato living at the same time
but from their writings you never wouli
suppose they heard of each other. Religion
jeaiousies. The Mahommedans praying fo
rain during a drought, no rain coming
Then the Christians begin to pra
for rain, and the rain comes. The
the MahommedanS met together to az
count for this, and they resolved that Go
was so well pleased with their prayer
He kept the drought on SO as to keep ther
praying; but that the Christ ans began c
pray, and the Lord was SO disguised wit
their prayers that He sent rain right away S
He would not hear any more OF their suppl
cations. Oh, this accurSed spirit or envy an
jealousy Let us stamp it out from all ou
hearts
: A wrestler was so envious OF Theogene
the prince of wrestlers, that he could not
consoled in any way, and after Theogen
died, and statue was lifted to him in pu
lie place, his envious antagonist went o.
every night and wrested with the statl
until one night he threw it, and it fell on hi
and crushed him to death. So jealousy is n
only absurd, but it is killing to the Doc
and it is killing to the soul How sci lom
is You find one merchant speaking well OF
merchant in the same line of business. Ho
seldom it is you hear of a physician speakir
well of physician on the same block. q
my fri ends, the world is large enough for ,
of us. Let us rejoice at the success
Others. The next best thing to owning
garden ourselves is to look over the fen
and admire the flowers. The next best THU
toriding in fine equipage is to stani on Il
street and admire the prancing span. II
next best thing to having a banquet given
ourselves is having banquet given t. cl
prodigal brother that has come home to b
fathers house.
Besides that if we do not get as mu