Democratic messenger., 1888-08-18
OueerChristianS

lOutCI CIllISlldll
(ContiaMai Fross Flint Rage)
In our day about the higher life. Now,
there are two kinds of higher.lifc men,
The one are admirable and the other are
most rcpulsive. The one kind of higher
life man is very lenient In his criticism
for others does not bore prayer.mects TO
death with :ong harangucs; does not talk
great deal about himself but much about
Christ and Heaven; gets kindlier and more
gentle and more useful, until one day his
soul spreads wing and he flies away to
eternal rest, and everybody mourns his de-
pariuic. The other higher.lifc man goes
around with Bible conspicuously under
his arm; goes from churcl, to church,
sort of general evangelist; IL n nuisance
TO his own pastor when he IN nj home, and
n nuisance 10 other pastors when he Is
away from home; runs up to man who
Is counting out roll of hank bills or run
ming up difficult line of figures and asks
him how his soul Is: makes religion q
dose Of ipccacuanha; standing In a rclig-
ious meeting making an address he has
pa,ronizing way, as though ordinary
Christians were clear down iclOw him. 80
he had 10 talk at the p of his voice in or
der to mf'-"' lem hear, hut at the same
time enc, ~ 10 hope on; that
by clint er,may after n
while c. the place
wlier, you plainly
,hy/ bouncing sim
n Hie as that high.
.he former may re-
l,..u rmc IarTcr never gets over his phari.
saism. The younger brother Of the para
bic came hack, hut the senior brother
stands outside entirely oblivious Of his
own delinqucn,ies and deficits, pronounc-
ing his own eulogium. Oh! how much
easier Il is to blame others than to blame
ourselves. Adam blamed Eve, Eve blam-
eel the serpent, the serpent blamed the
devil. the senior brother blamed the young
er brother, and none Of them blamed them
selves.
40 FAITH ~ REFORMATION.
Again the senior brother Of my text
stands for al those who are faithless about
the reformation Of the dissipatcd and the
dissolute. In the very tones of his voice
you can hear the fact that he has no faith
that the reformation Of the younger son
| Is genuine. His entire manner seems 10
say: "'rliat boy has come back for more
money lie got third of the property
now he has come back for another third.
lie will never le c0ntented to stay on the
farm. lie will fall away. ! would so in.
too. and rejoice with the Others II thought
this thing was genuine hut II Is sham.
The hoy is confirmed inebriatc and de-
bauehee" Alas my friends, for the incre
duliiy in the Church Of Christ: in regard
TO the reclamation of the rccrcani. You
say man has been strong drinkcr.
say: "Ycs. but he has reformed" "Oh =
you say, with lugubrious face. II hope
you are not mistaken" You say: "Don't
rejoice too much over his conversion. for
soon he will bc unconvc.ted. | fear Don't
make t"o big party for iha, returned
proiigal. or strike the iimbrcl too loud
and II you kill calf, kill the one that is
on the commons, and not the ore that has
lccn lnxuriating in the paddock. That IL
the reason whymore prm!igals do not come
home To their fathers house. II IL the
rank infidclity in the Church of God ON
this subject There is not house on the
streets Of Heaven that i,as not in II prod
igal that has returned and stayed home
There could he unrollcd before you scroll
Of 10000 namcs--ihc names Of prOdigals
who came back forever reformed. Who
was John l'unyany a returned prodigal.
Who was Richard Baxtcry A returnnl
prodigal. Who was George Whitcficld
the thun,lercrg A returned prodigal.-
And I could go out In all directions in
this audience and find on either side those
who. once FAR astray for many years, have
been faithful. and their eternal salvation
Is as sure as though they had been 10
years in Heaven. And yet some Of you
hayc not enough faith in their return.
ROOM FOR EL.GAST SINNERS.
You do no, know how To shake hands
with prodigal. You do not know how
TO pray for him. lie wants TO sail In the
warm gulfsircam Of Christian sympathy.
You are the iceberg against which he
strikes and shivcrs You say he has been
n prodigal know II. But YOU are the
sour, unresponsive, cens0rious, saturnine,
cranky elder brother. and II you are going
10 Heavier one would think some people
would he tempted to go to periiiion to
get away from you. The hunters say that
II deer he shot the other deer shove him
out of their company, and the general rule
is Away with the man who has been
wounded with sin. Now, say, the more
bones man has broken the more need he