The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-06-18

| told hun that that day the recreant boy
would como home. "The father saw
him great way off.
l wonderif Gods eyesight can de-
scry us when we are coming back to
him2 The te xt pictures our condition
we are great way off. That young
man was not farther off from his ia
TIERS house, sin is not farther off from
holiness, hell is not farther off from
heaven, than we have been by our
sins away of from our God; aye, so far
Off that we could not hear his voice,
though vehemently he has called us
I year after yehr. l do not know what
bad habits you may have formed, or
in what evil places you have been, OF
what false notions you may have en-
tertaincd; but you are ready to ac-
knowledge, if your heart has not
changed by the grace of God, that you
are great way otf-aye, so far that
YOU cannot get back of yourselves.
You would like to come back. Aye,
this moment you would start if it were
not for this sin, and that habit, and
this disadvantage.
But am to tell you of the fathers
eyesight lie saw him n great way
Off )" He has seen oil your frailties, all
your struggles, all your disadvantages.
He has beet longing for your coming.
He has not been looking Mt you with
critics eye or bailiif's eye, but with n
fathers eye; and if parent ever pitied
u child God pities you. You say: ooh,
had so many evil surroundings when
| started life" Your father sees it.
Yon say: II have so many bad sur
roundings now, and it is very difficult
for me to break away from evil associa-
ationS" Your father sees it, and if you
should start heavenward-as / pray
You may-your father would not sit idly
down and allow you to struggle on up
toward him. Oh, no! Seeing you great
way off he would fly to the rescue. How
long does it take a father to leap into the
middle of the highway If his child be
there and swift vehicle is coming and
may destroy himl Five hundred times
longer than it takes our heavenly IA
Their TO spring to the deliverance of q
lost child when he was great way
off his father saw him !"
And this brings me to notice the
fathers haste. The Bible says he ran.
No wonder He did not know but that
the young man would change his mind
and go back. He did not know but
that he would drop down from ex
haustion. He did not know but that
something fatal might overtake him be-
fore he got up to the doorsill and so
the father ran. The Bible for the
most part speaks Of God as walking.
''In the fourth watch of the night" it
says, Jesus came unto them walking
on the sea-" He walketh upon the
wings of the wind Our first parents
heard the voice of the Lord, walking in
the garden in the cool of the day. but
when sinner starts for God the Father
runs to meet him.
Oh! if man ever wants help it is
when he tries to become a Christian.
The world says to him. Back with
you. Have more spirit Don't be
hampered With religion Time enough
yet. Wait until you get sick. Wait
until you get old Satan says: Back
with you; you are so bad that God
will have nothing 10 Go with YOU" or,
you are good enough, and need no
Redeemer Take thine ease, eat,
drink and be merry" Ten thousand
voices say: Back with you. God is q
hard master The church is collec
tio' of hypocrites. Back into your
SINS back to your evil indulgcnces;
back to your prayerless pillow. The
silliest thing that a young man ever
does is to come home after he has been
wandering Oh, how much help q
man does want when he tries to be-
come Christian indeed, the prodi
gal cannot find his way home to his
fathers house alone Unless some one
comes to meet him he had better have
stayed by the swine t1oughs.
When the tide comes in you might
more easily with your broom sweep
back the surges than you could drive
back the ocean of your unforgiven
transgressions. What are we to do?
Are we to fight the battle alone, and
trudge on with no one to aid us, and
no rock to shelter us, and no word of
encouragement TO cheer us3 Glory be
to God, we have in the text the an
nouncement: when he was yet a
great way off his father ran" When
the sinner starts for God God starts
for the sinner. God does not come out
with slow and hesitating pace. The
infinite spaces slip beneath his feet, and
he takes worlds at bound. The
father ran" Oh, wonderful meeting,
when God and the soul come together
"The father ran" You start for God and
God starts for you, and you meet; and,
while the angels rejoice over the meet
ing, your long injured father falls upon
your neck with attestations of COM
passion and pardon Your poor, wan
dering, sinful, polluted soul and the
loving, the eternal father have met.
remark upon the fathers kiss. HE
fell on his neck" my text says, land
kissed him" 1T is not every father that
would have done that way. Some
would have scolded him, and said:
''Here, you went off with beautiful
clothes, but now you are all In tat
tiers. You went off healthy, and come
back sick and wasted with your dissi-
pations" He did not say that. The
son, all haggard and ragged and
filthy and wretched, stood before his
father. The father charged him with
none of his wanderings. He just re-
ceived him. He just kissed him. His
wretchedness was o recommendation to
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