The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1890-06-26

way hVtiiu W Hi3 npuno uipus. VII
less some ono comes 30 meet him he had bot
ter have stayed by tho swine troughs,
| When The lido comes in you might more
easily with your broom sweep back til,
surges than you could drive back the ocean
OF your untorgyen transgres5ions What
ara we to dos Arc we to ilsht the battle
alone, and trulge on with no on, to aid us
and no rock TO shelter US and no word OF
encouragement To cheer us? Glory be 10
God, we have In the toxt the announcement;
when he was yet great way Off his father
ran." When the sinner stars for God, God
starts for tho sinner. Col docs not como
out with slow aud hasitating pace. The
infinite spaces slip beneath HIS feet and He
takes worlds at bound. "rhe father rau."
Oh. wonderful meeting, when God and the
soul como together. "rhe father ran"
You start for Col AMI God starts for you,
and you meet; and while the angels rejoice
over tho nesting your long injured Father
falls upon your neck with attestations OF COM
passion and pardon Your poor, wandering,
sinful, polluted soul aud the loving, eternal
Father have mst.
Iremark upon the fathers kiss "Hs fell
on his necl,n my text says, "and kissed
him. 1t is not every father that would
have done that way. Some would nave
scolded him, aud said: "Here, you went OIL
with beautiful clothes, but now you arc all
back sick aud wasted with your dissipations".
He did not say that. The SON, all haggard and
ragged and filthy and wretched, stood before
his father. The father charged him with
nons of his wanlerinys, He just received
him. Hc just kissed him. His wretched-
ness was q recommen lation to that fathers
love. Oi that fathers kiss! How shall
describe the Iowa of Goi?-the ardor with
which uo recsives sinner back again!
Give me- plum not, vita which l may
.athom this sei. Givs NJ, ladder with
watch l eau scale this height. Give mo
words with which caa describe this lovo.
The apostles say in ono place, "unsearca-
,ble;" In another. ''past fludng out"
a,isht overlapping all height; depth pluns-
ns bsnsath all depth; breadth composing
| Ill imnsusity.
Oh this love! God so loved the world, Hs
owes you. Don't you believe its Has He
not done everything to mako yo1 think so?
! II, has given you life, hsath, frlenis,
aoma.--tho W, OF your hanl, the sight OF
| your eye, thu haaring Of your ear. Hs has
| strewn your path with msrcies. II, has fei
| you, clothed you, sheltered You, defended
| you, loved you, importunsd you all your
Why, Il now you sholld start up from thu
| wilderness OF your sin Hs would throw both
arms arounl you. 10 make you believe that
| II, loves you He stoop,i to mau sar and cross
AMI sepulchro. With all ths passions of His
holy nature rousei He stands before You to.
day, aui would coax you to happiness AMI
heaven. Ga. this Fathers kiss There Is 80
much meaning and lovean1 compassoni in II;
| So much pardon in it; 50 much heaven III IL.
! proclaim Him tn, lord Col, marcitul,
gracious AMI lon, suffering, abundant il
| goodness aud truth. Lost you would not BE-
| lievs Him He goes up Golgotha, and while tile
rocks are renling, and the graves are OPEN
ing. and the MODS ara bowling, and the sun
is hiding, He dies for you. Seq Himl SEE
! Him on the Mount Of Cruci6xion, the sweat
OH His brow tinged with the blood exudlng
from His lacerated temples! SEQ lis eyes
swimming in death! Hear the loud breatr-
ing of the sufferer as He pants with a world
on His heart! IIark to the fall of the blood
from brow anil hand and foot on the rocks
beneath drop! drop! drop! Look az tho
nais How wide the wounds are! Wider dc
they cape as His body comes down upon
them. OH this cruciiixion agony! Tears
melting into tears. Blood flowing into blood;
| Darkness dropping on darkness. Hands OIL
men Joined with hands of devils to tear apart
the auivering heart of the Son of Goil
| Oh will He never speak again, Will that
crimson face never light up again? He will
speak again; while the blood is suffusing His
brow, and reideniug His cheek, aud gather
in on nostril and lip, and you think He Is
exhausted aud cannot speak, He cries out I'M
til all tho ages hear Him: Father, forgive
thon, they know not what they doF' i:
there no emphasis in such a scene as that to
make your dry eyes weep aud your hard
heart break? Will you turn your back upon
it, and say by your actions what the Jews
sail by their words: Ellis blood be on us,
and on our chi!drenf What does it all
mean. my brother, my sister? Why, itmean!
that for our lost race there was Fathers
kiss. Love brought Him down. Love opened
the gate. Love led to the sacrifice Love
shattered the grave. Love lftel Him up il
| resurrection Sovereign love? Omnipoten'
love. Infinite love! Bleeding love! Ever
lasting love!
Oh. for this love let rock. and hll'
n 1heic lasting silence break;
10 And all harm tnlous human tongues
The Savours praises speak
Now, will you accept that Fathers KISS!
The Holy Spirit comes to you with His arous
ing, melting, alarming, inviting, vivifyine
influence. Hearer, what creates iu thee thai
unrest? 1t is the Holy Ghost. What inHu-
ence now tells thee that it is time to fly, thai
tomorrow may be too late; that there is one
door, oue road, one cross, one sacrifice, one
Jesus? 1t is the Holy Ghost.
My most urgent word is to those who, like
the young man Of my text, are great way
off, and they will start for home, and they
will get home. They will yet preach the Cos
pei, and on communion days carry around
the consecrated bread, acceptable to every.
body, because Of their holy life and their
consecrated behavior. The Lord is going to
save YOU. Your home has got to be rebuilt.
Your physical health has got to be restored.
Your worldly business has got to be recon
structed. The Church of God is going to re
joice over your discipleship. You are moi
GOSPEL hardened. You have not heard
or real many sermons during the last few
wears. You do not weep but the shower is
, not far off. You sigh, and you have noticed
that there is always Sigh in the wind before
the rain falls.
There are those who would give anything
il they could find relief in tears They say
} "Oh, my wasted life! Oh, the bitter past
On. the graves over which have stumbled
i Whittier shall l fly? Alas for the future
Everything is dark-so dark, so dark. Goo
help me! God pity mep Thank the LORI
for that last utterance You have begun II
, pray, and when man begins to petition, thai
sets al neavei ilying this way, and God step
in AMI beats back the hounds Of temptation
to their kcnnol, AMI around about the poo
wouais soal puts the cover of His pardon
ing mercy. Harll! | hear something fall
What was that? 1t is the bars Of the fenc
aroual tho shaepfold. Tho shepherd let
them dow,,, AMI the hunted sheep OF tn
mountain bound in; some of them their fleec
torn with the brambles some OF them thei
feet lame with the dogs; but bounding in
Thank Col! Saved for time, and saved TO
eternity.