Milford chronicle., 1888-08-17

tion Of the younger son IS genuine. His en-
tire 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 so in, too, and rejoice with the others
if 1 thought this thing was genuine; but it is
a sham. That boy is a confirmed inebriate
and debauchee.n Alasl my friends, for
the incredulity in the church Of |
Christ in regard to the reclamation |
Of the recreantl You say man has |
been a strong drinker say; "Yos; but be |
has reformed "Ohln you say, with lugu- |
brious face, II hope You are not mistaken; |
hone you are not mistaken" 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 returned
prodiQal. or strike the timbrel too loud; and
ifyou kill a calf, kill the one that is on the
commons, and not the one that has been lux
uriating In the paddock That is the reason
why more prodigals do not come home to
their fathers house 1t is the rank infdelity IN
the church Of God on this subject There is
not a house on the streets Of heaven that
has not in it prodigal that has
returned and strayed home There could be
unroDed before you a scroll Of a hun
area luDusAAu haAlAea--bAAC AaeAAAAS9 Va iANN
gals who came back forever reformed
Who was John Bunyanl A returned
prodigal Who was Richard Baxterl A re-
turned prodigaL Who was George White
field, the thundererl A returned prodigal.
And could 60 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 ten yearB in
heaven. And yet some of you have not
enough faith 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 warm gulf stream Of
| Christian sympathy. You are the iceberg
against which he strikes and shivers. You
say he has been prodigal l know it. But
you are the sour, unresponslve, censoriousi
/ saturuine, cranky, elder brother, and if YOU
are going to heaven one would think some
people would be tempted to go to perditionto
! ret away from you. The hunters say that If
a deer be 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, l say, the more bones
I nan has broken the more need he has
OF a hospital, and that the more man has
been bruised and cut with sin the more need
ne 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 velvet,
md satia. and lace-for sinners high salaried,
for kid gloved and patent l'sther sinners;
for sinners fixed up by hair dresser, po-
matumed, and lavendered, and cologned,
and frizzled, and crimped, and "banged"
sinners-plenty Of room. Spch VIC meet
elegantly at the door of our churches,
md we invite them into our best seats
with Chesterfleldian gallantries; we usher
shem into the house Of God and put
soft ottomans under their feet and
put gilt edged prayer book in their
hand, and pass the contribution box before
5hem with an air of apology, while they, the
generous souls, take out the exquisite porte
monnaie, and open it, and with diamond
dnger push down beyond the ten dollar gold
pieces and delicately pick out as an expires
ion Of gratitude their Offering to the Lord,
If one cent. For such sinners, plenty ofroOm,
I llenty of room. But for the man who has
1een drinking until his coat is threadbare
md his face is erysipelased, and his wife's
Wedding dress is in the pawnbroker's shop
md his children, instead Of being In school,
/ are out begging broken bread at the.basement
loors of the city-the man, body, mind and
soul on fire with the flames that have leaped
rom the scathing, scorching, blasting, con
suming cup which the druIikard takes, trem
1ling, and agonized and aifrighted, anc
presses to his parched lip, and his cracket
ongue, and his shrieking yet immortal spiri
no room
Oh, If this younger son Of the parable haC
| not gone so far off, if he had not dropped SC
,ow in wassail, the protest would not hav,
cen so severe; but going clear over the preci
pioe as the younger son did, the elder son 1
lngry and viii not 60 in.
Oh, be NOT so hard in your criticism OF tn
; allen. lest thou thyself also be tempted. I
+ / .tranger one Sunday staggered up and dow
] ho aisles of my church, disturbing tn
r eTvice until the service had TO stop unit
| le was taken from the room He was
' minister Of the Gospel Of Jesus Christ OF
lister denomination Thatman had preache
e he Gospel, that man had broken the brea
9 # the holy communion for the people. FroI
Q What height to what a depthl Oh, l we
q Ind there was no smiling in the room whe
n hat man was taken out, his poor wife follow
q .ug him with his hat in her hand and his COS
?, IN her arm. 1t was as solemn to me as tw
/ funerals-the funeral of the body and II
d funeral of the soul Beware lesU thou also |
T tempted
IS An invalid went to South America for h
T health, and one day sat summing himself G
10 the beach, when he saw something crawlin
+ up the beach, wriggling toward him, and
v | was affrirhted He thought it was wi
!. beast or a reptile, and he took his pistol fro
IS his pocket Then he saw it was not Wi
4 beast. It was u man, an immortal man,
e man made in Gods own image; and the POI
l. wretch crawled up to the feet Of the inval
Jr and asked for strong drink. The invalid to-
Il his wine flask from his pocket and gave G
a I poor wretch something to drink, and under {
ID I stimulus he rose up and gave his history. I
as had been a merchant in Glasgow, Scotlan
as he had gone down under tho power Of stroi
in drink until be was so reduced in poverty III
IS he was living in n boat jus. off the beac
at 'Why," said bhe invalid, Il knew m'
in chant in Glasgow once" merchant by sn
ur and such a name, and the poor Wret
re straightened himself and said Il am u
re maa." "Let him that thinketh he stande
70 take heed lest he fan" .
nj Again, remark that tre senior brother
ne nv text stands for the spirit of envy a
lr- isaloasy. The senior brother Thought Il
m an the honor they did TO the returned bros-
ats was a wrong to him. He said: II have stay
ful at home, and ought 20 have had the Til
u and ought TO have had the Danquepi ahu
No ought to have had the garlands." Alas
ier this spirit of envy and Jealousy coming do'
)n- through the agesl Cain and Abel Esau a
'ch Iacoh s,ul AMI David Hannah and Nor,
cal. OtheIlo and Iago, Orlando and Angelic
at CaBgula and TorqSatus Caesar and Pomp'
ZEN Columbus and the Spanish courhe
an Cambyses and the brother he slew beca'
OF he was better marksman. Diosysius a
no Philoxenlus, whom he slew because he wa
better singer. Jealousy among painte
'us Clostarman and Godfrey Kneller, Huds
and Reynolds Francia, anxious to sex
RS picture Of Raphael, Raphael sends hin
M, picture Francia, seeing it, falls in fit
MS ~ Jealousy from which he dies. Jeaio'