Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1890-06-20
me. "The father saw him a great way

text pictures our Condltlou-we are greaG
way off. That young man was not farther
off from his fathers house sin is not farther
Off from holiness, hell is not farther of
from heaven than we have been by our sins
away off from our God; aye, so far off that
we could not hear his voice, though vche
mently he has called us year after yenr. |
do not know what bad habits you may
have Termed or in what evil places you
have been, or what false notions you may
have entertained; but you are ready to &C
knowledge. If your heart has not been
changed by the grace of God, that You are
great way off-aye, so far that you can
not get back OF yourselves, You would
like TO come back. Aye, this moment you
would start, if il wera not for this sin, and
that habit and this disadvantage.
But am to tell YOU Of the Fathers eye
sight "ITe saw him great way off" lie
has seen all your frailtes, all your strug-
giles, all your disadvantages. lie has been
longing for your coming. He has not been
looking at you with n critics eye or Il bail
ifs eye, but with fathers eye; and il n
parent ever pitied a child. God pities you.
You say: ooh, | had so many evil sur
| roundings when | started life" Your
Father sees it. You say; II have so many
bad surroundings now, and it is very diff
cult for me to break away from evil asso-
cations Your Father sees it, and if you
should start hcaVenward-as | pray you
may--your Father would not sit idly down
and allow You to struggle on up toward
him. Oh, no. Seeing yuu great way off
lie would ny to the rescue How long docs
it take a IA her TO leap into the middle of
the highway if his child be there and
swift vehicle is coming and may destroy
him Five hundred times longer than it
takes our heavenly Father to spring to the
delvcrancc Of a lost child "0'hcn he was
n great way oil his father saw him.
lie FASTENED TO GRELT HIM.
And this brings me TO notice the fathers
! haste The Bibl, says he ran. No wonder!
| lie did not know but that ihc young mun
would change his mind and go back. lie
dill not know but that he would drop down
from exhaustion. lie did not know but
that something fatal might ovcrtal>e him
before he got up to the door.ill; and so ne
father ran. The Bible, for the most part,
| speaks of God rs walking. In the fourth
| watch OF the night" it says, ",Eesrs came
/ unto them walking on the sea" He
walkc;h upon the wings of the wind
! Our first parents heard the voice of the
| Lord. walking in tie garden III the cool of
! the day; hut when n sinner starts out for
| God the father runs 80 meet him. Oh. if
| II man ever wants help it is when he tries
/ to become Christian. The world says to
| him: Back with ynij. lave more spirit
| Don't be hu1up'rcd with religion Time
| enough yet. Wait until you get sick. Wait
untiI Won set old satan saws. Pack
with you you are so bad that God will
have nothing to do with YOU or you
are good enough and need no Redcpmer.
Take thine east. eat drink and be merry
! c,od i. n b,,,d n,astor Tho churcb l. - coi
1scfion Of hrn1cri,es B,r,; info your sin.
lack to vo,tr evil indulr,nrcs. hack n vonr
r,,ayorIrss niIIow rio si,liest thinr th,t
! n vGuuu man ever docs i. 10 come home of
tor hn has Lnon ,vondorioo" oh how
,,,,oi' 1' ba t nG
| "a l,aco,nr , Chr;..iou, I,l,.l thn rro,i.
pal cannot find his way home ia lie IA
! thor. hons. oiona T-oiess some ono co,noe
Ia moot hin, hc ha,l bc-4rr have STAYED hv
tbo swine tro1,5.
When the tide comes i'm Won r,i1bt moro
easilv with vorr h-..o., t,vee,, Iorl tho
sure, than you could drive hack tl,e nce,n
Of Your nnf6r.,i,eu tronsf,ressions W-har
are we to do Are we to frht the hattie
olone and trude,. ~, with ma ono IA aid ~
and no rock ia shelter us and no word If
announcement to chee~ usy GLORY Inc tn
. Cod Vya hayr in bl tpyt / - oIlpcnInnut.
..Nhen he was vet y prent way off his fn.
tlor ran Whom fine sinner st6rts for God
cod starts fortbr sinner God docs moi
come ont ,virh -, slour and ba.ita,in,, noca
The in1nitc snaces slim beneath his fect and
he takes world, nj Il bounI .,Tbe father
ran . on wonderful meeting when cod
and the sonl come toqetber "Tbc father
ran." You start for Cad and God stnrts
for Won. and Won meet: ard while thc
angels rejoice over the meeting your long
Injured father falls unon vour neck with
ottestotions of concession and nnrdon
Your moor wanderino sinful noIlntnd
,oul and the loving. tha eternal Eath.r
have met
TIE FATHERS Kiss.
remark unon the fathers kiss ole
fell ON his neck " nv tevt saws "ond
kissed him " II < nor every father that
would have done that vnv some would
have scoIded him. and said "Ucrc Won
went off with beautiful cIofbes hut now
Won are nil in tattcrs Won went off
fealtbv and come hack sick and Yasted
viii vour dissiuations." lie did not saw