Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1888-08-18

tell you plainly that rearing, royster-
ing. bouncing sinner is nnt so repulsive
10 me as that higher lie nalloriuatiOn.
The former HAY repInt; the latter never
gets over his pharisaism. The younger
brother Of the parable came back, but
the senior brother stands outside entirely
oblivious Of his own delinquencies and
deficits, pIonouncing his own eulogium.
Oh, how much easier it is to blame
others than 10 blame ourselves. Adam
blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent,
the serpent blamed the devil, the senior
brothersI'lalned the younger brother, and
none Of them blamed themselves.
Again, the senior brother of my text
stands for all those who are faithless
about the reformation of the dissipated
and the dissolute In the very tones of
his voice you can hear the fact that lie
has no faith that the reformation Of the
younger son is genuine. His entire
manner seems to say: That boy has
come back for more money. He got
third Of the property; now he has come
back for another third He will never
be- contented to stay on the farm. He
will fall away. would go in, too, and re-
| joice with the others if | thought this
| thing was genuine; but it is sham. That
| boy is confirmed inebriate and de-
| bauchee." Alasi my friends for the in
| crcdulity in the church of Christ in re-
| gard TO the reclamation of the re-
| cre;nt. You say man has been
| strong drinker. l say: Yes, but he has
| reformed. y ''Oh, you say, with lu-
| gubrious face, Il hope you are not mis-
taken; | hope you are not mis-
taken" You say: Don't rejoice too
much over his conversion, for soon
he will be unconverted, | fear.
Don't make too big party for that re-
turned prodigal, or strike the timbrel too
loud; and if you kill Il calf, kill the one
that is ON the commons, and not the one
that has been luxuriating in the paddock"
That is the reason why more prodigals
do not come home to their fathers house.
1t is the rank infidelity in the church of
God on this subject. There is not
house ON the streets of heaven that
has not in it Il prodigal that has
returned and strayed home. There
could be unrolled before you scroll Of
"A hundred thousand names-the names
Of prodigals who came back forever
reformed. Who was John Bunyana A
returned prodigal. Who was Richard
Baxter? A returned prodigal. Who
was George Whitefield. the thundererf
A returned prodigal And l could go
out i'll all directions in this audience and
find on either side those who, once far
astray for many years, have been faith
full, and their eternal salvation is ;ls sure
as though they had been ten years in
heaven. And yet some of you have not
enough faith in their return.
You do not know how to shake hands
with prodisal. You do not know ho4v
to pray for him. You do not know how
to greet him He wants to sail in the
warm gulf stream Of Christian synsIa-
thy You are the iceberg against which
he strikes and shivers. You say he has
been prodigal. l know it, But YOU
are the sour, unresponsivc, ccnsorious,
saturnine, cranky elder brother, and if
you are going to heaven one would think
some people would nc tempted to go to
pcrdition to get away from you. The
hunters say that if deer be shot the
other deer shove him out Of their conn
pany, and the general rule is, away
with the man who has been wounded
with sin. Now, l say the more bones
man has broken the more need he has
of Il hospital, and that the more a man
has been bruised and cut with sin the
more need he has TO be carried into human
and divinG SYM But for f6Fs,lch men
there IL not much room i'll this world
the men who want to come back after
wandering Plenty of room for elegant
sinners, sinners III velvet and satin and
lace, for sinners high salaried.-fo kid
Glovel and patent leather sinners, for sim
ner8 fixed up by hair dresser, Ilninatumed-
and lavendered and colognedeand frizzled
and crimped and changed" sinners
plenty Of room! Such we meet elegantly
ut the door of our churches, and We in
vite them into the best seats with Ches-
teriiellian gallantries; we usher them
into the house of God. and put soft otto
mans under their feet, and put a gilt
edged prayer book i'll their hand, and pass
the contribution box before them with an
air of apology, while they, the generous
souls! take out the exquisite portemon-
naie. and open it, and with diamond
finger push down beyond the ten dollar
gold pieces and delicately pick out as an
expression of 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
erysipclased. and his wife's wedding
dress is in the pawnbroker's 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,
m.,d and soul on fire with the flames
that have leaped from the scathing,
xorching, blasting, consuming cup
which the drunkard takes. trembling
and agonized and affrighted, and presses
to his rlrched lip and his cracke;. tongue
and his shricking yet immortal spirit
10 room.
Oh, if this younger son of the parable
had not gone SO far OFT. if he had not
dropped SO low In wassail, the protest
would not have been so severe; but go
ing clear over the preeipice as the
younger son did, the elder son is angry
and will not go in.
Oh. he not so hard in your criticism of
the f;sllen. lest thou thyself also be
tempted. A stranger one Sunday stag
gered up and down the aisles Of my
church, disturbing the service until the
service hal to stop until he was taken
from the room. lie was a 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 Il height to what a
depthl 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. 1t was as solemn TO me as two
frnerals-thc funeral of the body and
the funeral of the soul. Beware lest
thou also be tempted.