The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-06-27

CT uluSEtcf brought DCautl1u
wrcatp of flowers. The third daugl
ter came and ssid: "NIother.
brought neither flowers nor tablet
but here is my heart. have inscribc,
it all ovcr with your name, and where
ever you go it will go with you" Til
mother recognized it rs the best O
all mcmGntocs. Oh, that our soul
might go out toward our Father
that our hearts might be written nj
over with the evidences Of His lovin.
kindness, AMI that we might ncvc
forsake him.
In the first place, notice in this
text, the fathcs cyesight; in the sec
ond place L notice the fathers huste
end i'll the third place, notice tn,
fathers kiss.
rs begin; the fathers eycsight
When he was a great way off his
fat Isr..s ...sr;,r,S r;rfS'Y ~ You have noticed
ehss ,is,ffs IF fpast: mt :, a,b:I,f bs,t
Thee tu, 49, ,stanco u great
deal easier than they can close by.
l do not kfieW whether this father
could soc well that which was near
by, but do know he could sec q
great way off. His father SAW him. y
Perhaps he had been looking for tho
return OF that boy especially that
day. l do not know but that he had
been i'll prayer, and that God had
told him that that day tho rccrcat
boy would como home. The IA
thcr saw him great way Oft,
1 wonder if Gods cycsight can
ucscry us when VIC arc coming back
to Him! The text pictures our con-
d!tion-wc arc great way off. That
young man was not farther of from
his fathers house, sin is not farther
off from holiness, hell is not farther
oft from heaven, than we have been
by our sins away off from God; aye,
SO far off that VIC could not hear His
voice, though vchcmcntly Hc has
called lis year after year. l do not
know what habits You may have
formed, OF III what evil places you
have been, or what false notions YOU
may have entertained: but You arc
ready to acknowledge, if your heart
has not been changed by the grace of
God, that you arc n great way OF
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
cycsight ''Hc saw him grCat way
off" lie has seen all your fraltics,
all your strqsGlss. all your d;satvan
tagos. He ha4sbe. n longing for your
..o', With & He haspef been looking at It
eye, s But wi,Sfslat at.ane ssasif
ever T. child, God pitics
you. You say: ''SJh, 1 bad so many
evil surroundings when l started life. "
Your Father secs it, You say: 81
have SO many bad surroundings now,
md it is very difficult for nc to break
away from evil associations Your
Father secs it. and if you should
start hcavcnward-as Ipray you may
your Father would not sit idly
down and allow you to struggle Oh
up toward Him. Oh, no! Seeing
you n great way off, He would fly to
the rescue How long docs it take n
father to leap into tho middle OF II
highway if his child be there, and q
swift vehicle is coming, and may de-
stroy him! Five hundred times long
or than it takes our heavenly Father
to spring to tho dclivcrancc of lost
child. "Whcnhc was great way of
his Father saw him"
Aud this brings INC to notice tho
fathers haste. Tho Bible says he
ran. No wonder! He did not know
but that the youngmnn would change
his mind and go back. He did not
know but that he would drop from
He did not know but
that something fatal might ovcrtakc
him before he got to tho dool-sill;
and so the fathcrran. The Bible, for
the most part, speaks OF God rs walk
ing. ''In the fourth watch Of the
night it says, ''Jcsrs came unto
them watching o.i the sea. lie
walkcth upon the wings of the wind
Our first parents heard the voice OF
the Lord, walking III the garden III
the cool OF the day; but when sinner
starts for God, the Father runs to
meet him. Oh. if n man ever wants
help, it is when he tries to become Il
Christian. Tho world says to HIM:
Back with you. Have more spirit.
Don't bo hampcrcd with religion.
Time enough yet. Watt until you
get sick. WHIT until you get old.
Satan says: Back with you; you are
so bad that God will have nothing to
do with you;" or "You arc good
enough and ncod no Rcdccmcr. Take
thine. case, cat, drink and be merry.
Ten Thousand voices say: Back with
you. God is u hard master. The
church is n collection of hypocritos
Back into your sins; back to youl
evil indulgcnccs; back to yourpraycr-
less pillow s The sillicst thing that
II young man ever docs is to come
home after he has been wandering.
Oh, how much help a man docs want
when nc tries to become n Christian
Indeed, the prodignl cannot find his
way home to his fathcr's house alone
Unless some one comes to meet hin
he had better hay" stayed by thu
swine troughs.
remark upon the fathers kiss
"IIc fell OH his neck, my text says
and kissed him. 1t il not ever,
| f.il,o,, Il,,I ,,n,,l L how, ,l,nn I,of ,vo "