The morning news., 1889-02-04

water brooks9 They came forth saying
'All things arc now ready ought tney
not 10 rejoice when the prodigal sits down
at the banquet
Life insurance men will all tell you that
ministers of religion as a class live longer
than any other. 1t is confirmed by the
statistics of ali those who calculate upon
human longevity. Why is it! There is
more draft upon tho nervous system than
in any other profession. aud their toll is
most exhausting. ! have seen ministers
kept on miserable stipeuds by parsimonious
cong eCations ho wondered at the dull
ness of the sermons, when the men or
God were perpleKed almost TO death by
questions of livelihood, and had not enough
nutritious food to keep any fire in their
temperament. No fuel, no fire. have
sometimes seen the inside of the life Of
many OF the American clergymen-never
accepting their hospitality, because they
cannot afford it, but I have seen them
struggle on with salaries of Ave and SIX
hundred dollars a year-the average less
than that-their struggle we'll depicted by
the western missionary, who saws In The
letter: Thank you for your last remit
tance; until it came we had not any meat
in our house for one year, aud all last
winter, although it was a severe winter, our
children wore their summer clothes" And
these men of God ind in different parts OF
the land, struggling against annoyances and
exasperations innumerabe; some OF them
week after week entertaining agents who
have maps to sell, and submittn them
selves to all styles of annoyance, and yet
without complaint, and cheerful Of soul
How do you account for the fact that these
life insurance men tell us ahat ministers as
a class live longer than any others IL is
because of the JOY o. their work, he joy Of
the harvest field, the joy Of greeting proli-
gals home to their fathers honse.
Oh, we are in sympathy with all iuno-
cent hilariries We can enjoy a hearty
song, and we can be merry with the merri-
est but those of us who have toiled in tho
service are ready to testify that all these
jJys are tame compared with the sltisfac-
tion of seeing men enter the kingdom Of
Col. The great eras Of every minister are
the outpourings of the Holy Ghost, and |
thank God | have seen eighteen Of them.
Thank God, thank God!
A. | notice also when the prodigal comes
back, all earnest christians rejoice. II you
stood on Montauk Point and there was a
hurricane at sea, and it was blowing toward
the shore, and a vessel crashed into the
rocks and YOU saw people get ashore IN tie
life boats and the very last man got on the
rocks in safety, you could not control your
Joy. And it Is glad time when the church
of God sees men who are tossed on the
rock Christ Jesus.
Oh, when prodigals come home Just hear
| those christians sing. just ear those rhrls-
tians pray. 1t is not stereotyped suppl
cation we have heard over aud over again
for twenty years, but a putting Of the case
in the hands of God with an importunate
pleading. No long prayers Men never
pray at great length unless they have moth
ing to say and their hearts are hard and
cold. All the prayers in the Bible that
were answered were short prayers: God tie
merciful to me sinner" Lord, that
may receive my sight, Lord save me
or perish The longest prayer, Solomon S
prayer at the dedication of the temple, less
than eight minutes in length, according to
the ordinary rate of euunciation.
And just hear them pray now that the
prodigals are coming home. just see them
shake hands. No putting forth of the four
| tips of the fingers in formal way, but a
hearty grasp, where the muscles of the
| heart seem to clench the fingers of one hand
around the other hand Aud then see tao g
| christian faces, how illuminei thev are.
| And see that old man gel up, and with the
same voice that he sang fifty years ago in
the old country Westinghouse, say: "Now,
| Lord, lettest thou thy servant depart in
peace, for mine eyes have seen thy saliva
| ton" There was man Of h ith V no WAS
| hurled into prison III time Of pei secItiOn,
and one day he got OF his shackles aud
! he came and stood by the priso IN door. and
when the iail9r WAS opening the door, With
| one stroke he struck down the man who ha /
| incarcerated MIN. Passing along the streets
OF London, he wondered where his family
was He did not dare to ask lest he excite
| suspicion, but, passing aloug q little way
| from the prison, he saw a Keith tankard, a
| cup that belonged to the family from gen
! GRAFTON 10 generati0n-he saw it in win
| dow. His family, hoping tdat somo day he
would get clear. cane and lived as near as
they could to the prison house. and tn sol
| 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 ,
aud the long absent family were al to-
| gether again. Oh, if yol would start for
| the Kingdom of God to-day, think some
of you would find nearly oil your friends
and nearly all your families around the holy
| tankard Of the holy communion-fathers
| mothers, brothers, sisters around that sacred
| tankard which commentaries the love If
| 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
| prodigal gets back the Inhabitants OF hea-
| ven keep festival. | am very certain Of it,
| II you have never seen teegraphic chart,
| YOU have no idea how many cities are co =
nected together and how many lands
Nearly all the neighborhoods of the earth
| seem articulated, and news flies from city
to city, and from continent to continent.
But more rapidly go the tidiHgs from earth
TO heaven, and when prodigal returns It is
announced before the throne OF God. And
il these souls this morning should enter the
kingdom there would be some oae in the
heavenly kicgdom to say; That's .Ay
father, That's my mother" That's my
son, That's my daughter That's my
friend" /" That's the one used 10 pray for, -
That's the one for whom | wept so fnanv
tears" and one soul would say, "Hosanna /"
and another soul would say, "Halle!ujah l''
Pleased with the news the saints below
In songs their tongues employ;
Beyond he skies the tIdi Jugs 60,
And heavens is filed with Joy
Nor angels can their 10y contain,
But kindle with new fire.
The sinner lost Is found they sing,
And strike the eoun ding Tyre"
At the banquet Of LIcuius sat Cicero
the orator, at the Macedonian fe tai sat
Philip the c1nqueror, at the Grecian ban
quet sat Socrates the philosopher; but a.
our Father table sit ali cha returned pro Ii
gals. more than conquerors. The table is
81 wide its leaves reach across seas aad
across lands. It's guests are the redeemed
of earth aud the glorlded Of heaven. The
ring " Gods forgiveness on every hand
the robe OF a Saviour's rlghteousne sadroop
from every shoulder. The wine that glows
in the cups Is from the bowls Of ten thou