The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1890-06-18
THE ENTERPRISE.gW WEDNESDAY JUNE 1S, 80.
loving kindness, and that wo might
never again forsake Him. N8

II
the fathers eyesight; in the second place
! notice tho fathers haste; and, in the
third place, 1notice the fathers kiss.
To begin: the fathers eyesight.
when he was great way of his father
saw him." You have noticed how old
people sometimes put q book of on tho
other side Of the light They can 500
at distance great deal easier than
they can close by. Idonot know whether
this father could see we'll that which
was near by, but do know he could see
great way of. ''His father saw him."
Perhaps he had been looking for the re-
turn of that boy especially that day. I
do not know but that he had been in
prayer, and that God had told him that
that day the recreant boy would come
home. "The father saw him great
way off,"
wonder II Gods eyesight can descry
US when we are coming back to Him?
The text pictures our condition-we are
great way of. That young man was
not farther of from his fathers house,
sin is not farther off than holiness, hell
is not farther off from Heaven, than we
have been by our sins away of from
God; aye, so far of that we could not
hear His voice, though vehemently He
has called us year after year. I do not
know what bad 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, II your heart has not
been changed by the grace Of God, that
you are great way ofr-aye, so far that
you can not get back of yourselves. You
would like to come back. Aye, this
moment you would start, II 1t were not
for this sin, and that habit, and this
disadvantage. But am to tell you Of
the Fathers eyesight. "He saw him a
great way off," He has seen all your
frailties, all your struggles, all your
disadvantages. He has been longing
for your coming. He has not been look
ing at you with critics eye or a bail
IFS eye, but with a fathers eye; and
II parent ever pitied child, God
pities you. You say: 80, l had. so
many evil surroundings when l started
life." Your Father sees it. You say:
81 have $50 many bad surroundings
now and 1t is very difficult for me to
break away from evil associations" F"
Your Father sees 1t, and II you should
start heavenward-as pray you may
your Father would not sit idly down and
allow you to struggle on up toward Him.
o, mol Seeing you great way of He
would fly to the rescue. How long does
1t take father to leap into the middle
Of the highway II his child be there and
q swift vehicle Is coming and may de-
stroy him? Five hundred times longer
than 1t takes our Heavenly Father To
spring 10 the deliverance OF lost child.
"When he was long way of his father
saw him."
And this brings me to notice the
fathers haste. The Bible says he ran.
No wonderl He did not know but the
young man would change his mind and
90 back. He did not know but that he
would drop down from exhaustion. He
did not know but that something fatal
might overtake him before he got up tc
the doorsill; and so the father ran. The
Bible, for the most part speaks Of
God as walking. "In the fourth nigh
OF the watch" 1t says, "Jesus came
unto them walking on the sea-" "HC
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 starts
TO meet him. Obi II a man ever wants
help, II is when he becomes Christian
The world says to him: "Bacl
with you. Have more spirit Don't bt
hampered with religion. Time enough
yet Wait until you get sick. Waitunti
you get old" Satan says: "Back with
you; you are so bad that God will have
nothing 10 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 a hard master. The Church
is collection OF hypocrites. Back intC
your sins; back TO your evil indulgences
back to your prayerless pillow. The
silliest thing that q young man eyel
does is TO come home after he has beer
wandering" o, how much help mar
does want whom he tries to become |
Christianl Indeed, the prodigal can no
find his way home TO his fathers houst
alone. Unless some one comes TO NEE
him he had better have stayed by thu
swine troughs.
When the tide comes in you nigh
more easily with your broom sweel
back the surges than you could driv'
back the ocean Of your unforgiven trans
gressions What are we 10 do? Are WI
TO fight the battle alone and trudge oil
with no one TO aid US, and no rock Il
shelter us, and no word Of encourage
mont TO cheer Us? Glory be to God, w
have In the text the announcement
"When he was yet great way of hi
father ran When the sinner start
fdf Goa, God starts for the sinner. Coz
dods not come on with slow and hesita
tinF pace. The infinite spaces slip be
meath His feet, and He takes worlds at
bound. "The father ram" o, wonder
full meeting, when God and the sou
come together. e''The father ran" Yol
start for God and God starts for you
and you meet; and, while the angel
rejoice over the meeting, your long in
iured Father falls upon your neck will