Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-02-16

Men never pray at great length unless
they have nothing TO say and their hearts
are hard and cold. All the prayers in
the Bible that were answered were shori
prayers. God be mercifui 10 me a sin
ner." Lord, that | may receive my
sight" Lord, save me, or / perish.
The longest prayer, Solomon's prayer al
the dedication of the Temple, less than
eight minutes in length, according to the
ordinary rate of enunciation.
And just hear them pray 10Y that the
prodigals are coming home. just see
them shake hands. No putting forth Of
the four tips Of the fingers in q formal
way, bu a hearty grasp, where the
muscles OF the heart seem to clench the
fingers of one hand around the other
hand. And then see those Christian faces,
how illumined they are. And see that
old man get up and with the same voice
that he sang nifty years ago in the old
country meeting house, say: Now, Lord,
iettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace,
Tor mine eyes have seen Thy salvation. "
There was q man of Keith who was
hurled into prison in time of persecution,
and one day he got of his shackles and
he came and stood by the prison door,
and when the jailer was opening the
door, with n stroke he struck down the
man who had incarcerated him. Passing
along the streets Of London, he wondered
where his family WAS. he did
not dare 10 ask lest he excite
suspicion, but. passing along a lttle way
from the prison he saw a Keith tankard,
a cup that belonged TO the family from
generation to gen%eration-he saw il in u
window. His family, hoping that some
day he would get clear, came and lived
as near as they could to the prison house,
and they set that Keith tankard in the
window, hoping he would see it; and he
came along and saw it, and knocked at
the door, and went in, and the long alb
sent family were all together again. Oh,
if you would start for the kingdom Of
God today | think some Of you would
find nearly all your friends and nearly
all your families around the holy tankard
Of the holy communion-fathers, moth
ers, brothers. sisters around that sacred
tsnkard, which commentaries the love
Of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Oh, it will be
a great communion day when your whole
family sits around the sacred tankard.
One on earth, one in heaven.
5. Once more ! remark, that when the
prodig9l gets back the inhabitants of
heaven keep festival. am very certain
of il. If you have never seen a telegraph
chart, you have no idea how many cities
are connected together and how many
lands. Nearly ali the neighborhoods Of
the earth seem articulated, and news flies
from city TO city, and from continent TO
continent. But more rapidly 60 the It'd
ings from earth TO heaven, and when q
prodigal returns il is announced before
the throne of God. And if these souls
this morning should enter the kingdom
there would be some one in the heavenly
kingdom TO say: That's my father"
That's my mother" That's my son."
That's my friend,'' That's the one |
used to pray for" That's the one for
whom | wept SO many tears" and one
soul would say, "Hesannat' and another
soul would say, "Hallelujahl'
"Pleased with the news the saints below
In song their tongues employ;
BeyoLd the skies the tidings 60,
And heaven Is filed with Joy.
Nor angels can their Joy contain,
But kindle with new fire;
The sinner lost Is found, they sing,
And strike the sounding lyre.''
At the banquet of Lucullus sat Cicero
the orator, al the Macedonian festal sat
Phillip the conqueror, at the Grecian
banquet sat Socrates the philosopher; but
ut our Fathers table sit all the returned
~prodigals, more than conquerors. The
table is 90 wide its leaves reach across
feas and across lands. Its guests Grc the
redeemed of earth and the glorihed Of
heaven. The ring OF Gods forgiveness
On pVFrV hand TIE rDba of n Savior
righteousness ad:oop from every
shoulder. The wine That g.sws in the
cups ia from the bowls Of ten thousand
sac-aments. Let all the redeemed OF
earth an3 all the glorided Of heaven rise
and with cleaning chalice dtink to the
return Of a thousand ~prodigals. SING
sing, sing! Worthy is the lamb that
was slain to receive blessing and riches
and honor and glory and power, world
without endf'