The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-06-25

end il the third place. I notice Tx
fathe-'s kiss.
Is begin: the fathers cycsight
when he was a great way OF tl:
father saw him. You have noticed
how old people sometimes puta 5oo}
Of, Oh 5he other side OF the light
Thcy- can See it ;.tt !. distance q gre;s'
deal easier than they can close by
I do not know whether this father
could see well that which was ne;.,
by, but I do know ne could sec s
great way of, His fathcr saw him.
! Perhaps he had been looking for thc
return Of that boy especially tha!
day. 90 not know bl,t that he had
been IN prayer. and that God had
told him that that day the recreat
boy would come home. The II
ther saw him 8 great way OF.
l wonder il Gods oyesight car
J 3cscry as wien We arc coming 1ach
10 Him? The text pictures our con,
j 6ition-we are a great way off. That
young man was not farther Of from
! his fathers house, sin IS not farther
/ off from holiness, hel! Is rot farther
off from heaven, than we have been
by our sins away Of from God: aye,
50 far Of that We could not hear His
voice, though vehemcntly He has
called US year after year. I do not
know what habits you may have
formed, or in what evil places you
| have been, or what false notions you
may have entertained; but you are
| ready to acknowledge, if your heart
has not been changed by the grace OF
! God, that you are great way oil
aye. so far that you cannot get back
Of yourselves. You would like to
come back. Aye, this moment you
woald start if it were not for this sin,
and that habit, and this disadvantage.
But am to tell you OF the Fathers
eyesight. HE saw him q great way
of. He has seen al your fralties,
all your struggles, al your d!sadvan-
tagcs. He has been longing for your
coming. He has not been looking at
you with critics eye CT balliffs S
eye, but with o Fathers eye; and if a
parent ever pitied a child, God pities
you. You say: ''Oh, T had so many
evil surroundings whenJ started life.
Your Father sees it. You say: Il
have so many bad surroundings now,
and it is very difficult for me to break
away from evil associations. 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 of, He would fly to
the rescue. How long does it take q
father to leap into the middle Of a
highway if his child be there, and q
swift vehicle is coming, and may de-
stroy him. Five hundred times long
er than it takes our heavenly Father
to spring to the deGverance OF q lost
child. "Whenhe Was great way Oft
his Father saw him.
And this brings me to notice the
fatbers haste. The Bible says he
ran. No wonder, He did not know
but that the youngman would change
his mind and so back. He did not
know but that he would drop sfron
exhaustion. He did not know but
that something fatal might overtahe
him before he got to the door-si1;
and SO the fatherra ran. The Bible, for
fhe most mart. speaks of God as walk
Ing. In the fourth watch Of the
night" it says, Jesus came unto
them watching 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. Tho world says to him:
Back with you. Have moro spirit.
Don't be hampered with religion.
Time enough yet. Waitssunt1 you
get sick. Wait until you get old.
Satan says: Back with you; you are
so bad that God Will have nothing to
do 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 hard master. Tie
church is a collection of hypocrites.
Back into your sins; back to your
evil indulgences; back to your prayer
less pillow The siliest thing that
a young man ever does is to come
home after he has been wandering.
Or, how much help q man does want
when he tries to become Christian!
Indeed, the prodigal cannot find his
way home to his fathers house alone.
Unless some one comes to meet hlm
ne had better have stayed by the
swine troughs.
I remark upon the fathers kiss.
He fell on his neck. my text says,
and kissed him" It is not every
father that would have done that way.
Some would have scolded him, and
said: Here, you went off with beau
tiful clothes, bat now you are all IN
tatters. You went of healthy, and
come back sick and 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
none OF his wanderings. He just re-
ce;ved him. He Just kissed him. His
wretchedness was Recommendations to
that fathers love. Oh, that fathers
kiss! How shall I describe the love
| of God?-the ardor with which he re-
ceives a sinner back again? Give me
a plummet with which I may fathom
this sea. Give me ladder with
which I can scale this height. Give
me words with which ! can describe
this love. The apostle says in one
place, ''unsearchable:' IN another,
| g. Il g. l,.,r. o,,t v Ilafrht oynrt ON