Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1889-02-22

boats and the very last man got on the rocks
n safety, you could not control your JOY.
and u is gIad time when the church OF
God sees men who are tossed on the ocean OF
heir sins plant their feet ON the rock Cnrist
Jesus.
On, when prodgals come home Just hear
those Christians sing. Just hear those Chris
ians pray. 1t is not a stereotyped supplca-
tion we have heard over and over again for
twenty years, but putting oil the case in
the hands OF God with an importunate plead
ing. No long prayers. 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 short prayers: "God be merciful TO me
a 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 enumeration
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 a formal way, but
hearty grasp, where the muscles OF the heart
seem to clench the fingers OF one hand around
the other. 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 fifty years ago in the old country
Westinghouse, say: ''Nov, Lord, lettest Thou
Thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes
have seen Thy salvation There was a man
Of Keith who was hurled into prison in time
Of persecution, and one day he got off hi
shackles and he came and stood by the prison
door, and when the jaler was opening the
1oor, with one 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
to ask lest he excite suspicion, but,
passing along a little way from the
prison, he saw Keith tankard, cup that
belonged to the family from generation to
generation-he saw it in a 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 ne came along and saw it, and
knocked at the door, and went in,
together again. Oh, If you would start
for the kingdom of God to-day, l think some
of you would find nearly all your friends and
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 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.
V. Once more / remark, that when the
prodigal gets back the inhabitants of heaven
keep festival. l am very certain of it,
If you have never seen Geographic
chart, you have no idea how many cities are
connected 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 tidings from
earth to heaven, and when 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 my's
father" "that's my mother" "thats my
son." that's my daughter" "thats my
friend" that the one | used to pray for"
'thats the one for whom | wept so many
tears" and one soul would say, "Hosanna!"
and another soul would say, "Hallelujahp
"Pleased with the news the saints below
In songs their tongues employ;
Beyond the skies the tdings 20,
And heaven is filled with joy.
"Nor angels can their joy contain,
But kindle with new fire;
The sinner lost il found, they sing,
And strike the sounding Tyre"
At the tanquet CT Lucullus sat Cicero the
orator, at the Macedonian festal sat Philip
the conquerur, at the Grecian BANQUET sat
Socrates the philosopher; but at our Fathers
table sit all the returned prodigals, more
than conquerors The table is so wide its
leaves reach across seas and across lands.
Its guests are the redeemed of earth and
the glorifed of heaven. The ring of
Gods forgiveness on every hand, the robe of
a Saviours righteousness adroop from every
shoulder. The wine that gows in the cups
Is from the bowls of ten thousand sacraments.
Lot nH FhA Il. AlNa
gloritied of heaven rise, and with cleaning
chalice drink to the return of thousand
prodigals Singl singl sing "Worthy is
the Lamb that was slain to receive blessing
and riches end honor and glory and power,
world without end"