The national leader., 1889-02-16

stereotyped supplication we have heard
over and oyer 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 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 sinner"
'Lord, that | may receive my sight"
"Lord, saye 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 enunciation. And
just hear them pray, now that the prodi-
gals are coming homel Just see them
shake handsl No putting forth of the
four tips of the fingers in formal way,
but 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 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 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 who had lncarcer-
ated him. Passing along the streets Of
London, he wondered where his family
was. He did not dare to ask lest he ex-
cite suspicion. but passing along little
way from the prison, he saw Keith
ta'lEdrd, cup that belonged to the
family from generation to generatI0n-
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 tankark 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-absent family
were all together again. Oh, if you
| would start for the kingdom of God to-
| day, l think some of you would find
nearly ,sll 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 of Jesus Christ our Lord. Oh,
| it VIII be great communion day when
your whole family sits around the sacred
tankard. One on earth, one in heaven.
Y. Once more l remark that, when
the prodigal gets back, the
INHABITANTS OF HEAVEN KEEP FES-
TIVAL.
am very certain of it. If you have
never seen telegraDhic 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 a prodlgal
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 heaven
ly kingdom to say, "That's my father"
'sTnat's my mother - THAT'S my son."
That's my daughter" ''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,
"Hosannal" and another soul would
say, ''Hallelujahl''
HPleased with the news, the saints below,
In songs their tongues employ;
Beyond the skyes the tidings go,
And heaven is nlled with joy.
'sNor angels can their joy contain,
But kindle with new fire.
The sinner lost is found, they sing,
And trikc the sounding Tyre"
At the banquet OF Lucullus, sat
Cicero the orator: at the Macedonian
festival sat Philip the conqueror; at the
Grecian banquet sat Socrates the phil
osopher; but at our Fathers table sit all
the returned prodigals, more than con-
querors. The table is so wide It's 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 Saviour's righteousness adroop
from every shoulder. The wine that
glows in the cups is from the bowls of
ten thousand sacraments. Let all the
redeemed of earth, and all the glorifed
Of heaven, rise, and, with cleaning
ehalice. drink to the return of thou
sand prodigals. Sing! singl sing!
''Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to
receive blessing and riches and honor
and glory and power, world without