The Brookhaven leader., 1889-02-14

10 rejoice when souls pant as the hart for
the water brooks? They came forth say
ing: "Al things are now readyi" ought
they not to rejoice when the prodigal sits
down at the banquet al,
Isifesinsurance men will all tell you that
ministers Of religion as class live
longer than any other. 1t Is confirmed by
the statistics of all those who calculats
upon human longevity. Why Is itp There
is more draft upon the nervous system
than in any other profession, and their
toll is most exhausting. have seen min
listers kept on miserable stipends by par.
simonious congregations who wondered
at the dullness OF the sermons, when the
men OF God were perplexed 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 nos.
pitality, because they can not afford
il, but 1 have seen them strug-
gle on with salaries Of five
or six hundred dollars a year-the
average less than that-their struggle
well depicted by the Western missionary,
who says In letter; THANK you for
your last remittance; until it came We
had not any meat in our house for one
year, and all last winter. although it was
a severe winter. our children wore their
summer Clothes" And these men of God
find in different parss of the land
struggling against annoyances and ex-
ASPIRATIONS iunumerable; some Of them
week after week entertaining agents who
have maps to sell, and submitting 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 that ministers,
as a class, live longer than any others'
1t is because of the JOY of their work, the
joy of the harvest field, the joy of greet
ing prodigals home to their Fathers
house.
4. fnotice, also. when the prodigal comes
back, all earnest Christians rejoice. II
you stood on Montauk Point, and there was
q hurricane at sea, and it was blowing to-
ward the shore, and a vessel crashed into
the rocks, and you saw people get ashore
in the lifeboats, and the very last man got
on the rocks in safety, you could not con-
troll your joy. Aud it is a glad time when
the Church of God sees men who are
tossed on the ocean Of their sins plant
their feet on the rock Christ Jesus.
Oh, when prodigals come home just hear
those Christians sing. Just hear those
Christians pray. 1t is not a stereotyped
supplication we have heard over and over
again for twenty years, but the putting of
the case in the hands of God with an i'm
Fortunate pleading. Men never pray Mt
great length unless they have nothing to
say and their hearts are hard and cold.
All the prayers in the Bible that were an
swered were short prayers: God be
merciful to me, sinner" "Lcrd, that l
may receive my sight" "Lord, save me
or perish" The longest prayer, Solo.
mons prayer at the dedication of the
Tempe, less than eight minutes in length,
according to the ordinary rate of enuncia-
ton.
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 hearty grasp, where the mus
cles of the heart seem to clench the fingers
of one hand around the other hand. And
then see those Christian faces, how il
lumined they are. And see that old man
get up, and, with the same voice that he
sang fifty years ago in the old country
meeting house, say: "Now, Lord, lettest
Thou Thy servant depart in peace, for
mine eyes have seen Thy salvation"
There was man of Keith who was
hurled into prison in time of persecution,
and one day he got off his shackles and
he came and stood by the prison door,
and when the jailer was opening the door,
with one stroke he struck down the man
~ Ia iyt1 tod hirn in y n
the streets of London he wondered where
his family was. He did not dare to- ask
lost ne excite suspicion, but, passing along
a little way from the prison, he saw a
Keith tankard, a cup that belonged to the
family from generation to generation-he
saw it in 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 takared in the window, hoping he
would see it; and he came along and saw
1t and knocked at the door and went in,
and the long-absent family were all to-
gether again. Oh, if you would start for
the Kingdom of God to-day think some
of you would find nearly all your friends
and nearly all your families around the
holy tankard of the holy communion
fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters
around that sacred tankard which COM
the love of Jesus Christ our
Lord. Oh, it will be great communion
day when your whole family sits around
the sacred tankard. One on earth, one in
Heaven.
3. Once more l remark, that wAen the
prodigal gets back the inhabitaats of
Heaven keep festival. | am very certain of
it. If you have never seen telegraphfe
chart, you have no idea how many cities
are connected toget 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 til
dings from earth to Heaven, and when a
prodigal returns it 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"
chats my mother" CHATS my son."
"that's my daughter" "that's my friend"
''that's the one 1 used to pray for"
"that's the one for whom wept so many
tears" and one soul would say 'Ho-
sannan and another soul would say
'Hallelujah"
Please with the news the saints below
In songs their tongues employ;
Beyond the skies the tidings go,
And Heaven is filled with Joy.
Nor angels can their joy contain,
But kindle with new fire.
The sinner lost is found, they sing,