The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-06-24

NIGHTLY upon the soul, and thAt+ss,s
hour they may make the same resoin'
tion ! End In tlhe text saying. II viii
arise and go to my father"
Alad at Liverpool went out to bathe,
went out into the sea, went ont too far,
got beyond his depth, and he ioated far
away. A ship bound for Dublin came
along and took him on board Sailors
are generally very generous fellows,
and one gave him cap, and another
gave him jacket, and another gave
him shoes. A gentleman passing along
on the beach at Liverpool found the
lads clothes and took them home, and
the father was heartbroken, the mother
was heartbroken at the loss OF their
child They had heard nothing from
him day after day, and they ordered the
usual mourning for the sad event. But
the lad took ship from Dublin and ar
rived in Liverpool the very day the gar
ments arrived. He knocked at the
door, and the father was overjoyed, and
the mother was overjoyed at the return
Of their lost son. Obi my friends, have
you waded out too deepP Have you
waded down into sin? Have you waded
from the shore? VIII you come back2
When you come back will you come in
the rags OF your sin, or will you come
robed in the Saviour's righteousness? ]
believe the latter. Go home to your
God to-day. He is waiting for you Go
home! sl
But remark concerning this resolu-
tion, 1t was Immediately put into execu-
tion. The context says ''he arose and
came 10 his father" The trouble In
nine hundred and ninety-nine times out
Of a thousand is that our resolutions
amount to nothing because we make
them for some distant time. II /
resolve TO become Christian next year,
that amounts to nothing at all. II !
resolve to become Christian to-mor-
row, that amounts to nothing at all II
resolve at the service tonight TO be-
come a Christian, that amounts to
nothing at all. II I resolve after go
home to-day to yield my heart to God,
that amounts TO nothing at all. The
only kind of resolution that amounts to
anything is the resolution that is Inn
mediately put into execution.
There is a man who had the typhoid
fever. "He said: "Ohl.h | could get
over this terrible distressl II this fever
should depart. II could be restored TO
health, would all the rest of my life
serve God" The fever departed. He
got well enough TO walk around the
block. He got well enough to go over
TO New York and attend to business.
He is well to-day--as well as he ever
was. Where Is the broken vow? There
Is q man who said long ago: "If / could
live to the year 1891 by that time / win
have my business matters arranged, and
will have time to attend to religion,
and will be a good, thorough, ccnse-
Grated Christian" The year 1891 has
come. January, February, March,
April, May, June--almost half the year
gone. Where Is your broken vowp
"0hl" says some man, 'I'll attend TO
that when 1 can get my character fixed
up; when can get over my evil habits;
7 am now given 10 strong drink or.
says the man, II am given TO uncleanli-
ness" or says the man, II am given to
dishonesty. When get over my present
habits, then I'll be thorough Chris
tian." MY brother, you will get worse
and worse, until Christ takes you in
hand. mot the righteous, sinners,
Jesus came TO call"
OH but you say: ~ agree With you
in all that, but | must put il off little
longer" Do you know there were
many who came just as near rs you are
TO the kingdom Of God and never en-
tered Il? ] was at East Hampton, and
went into the cemetery TO look around.
and In that cemetery there are twelve
graves side by side-the graves Of
sailors. This crew, some years ago, in
n ship went into the breakers at ANA
gansett, about three miles away. My
brother, then preaching at East Hamp-
ton, had been at the burial. These men
Of the crew came very near being saved.
The people from Amagansett saw the
vessel, and they shot rockets, and they
sent ropes from the shore, and these
poor fellows got into the boat, and they
pulled nightly for the shore, but Just
before they got 10 the shore the rope
snapped and the boat capsized and they
were lost, their bodies afterward washed
up on the beach. OH what solemn
day II was-I have been told OF II by my
brother-when these twelve men lay at
the foot Of the pulpit, and he read over
them the funeral service. They came
very near shore---within shouting dis
tance of the shore, yet did not arrive on
solid land There are some men who
come almost TO the shore Of God's
mercy, but not quite, not quite. To be
only almost saved Is not 10 be saved at
all
will tell you Of two prodigals, the
one that got back and the other that
did not get back. In Virginia there Is
very prosperous and beautiful homo
In many respects. A young man wan
dered off from thathome He wandered
far into sin. They heard OF him often
but he was always on the wrong track.
He would not go home. At the door OF
that beautiful home one night there was
great outcry. The young man Of the
house ran down and opened the door TO
see what was the matter. II was mid.
night The rest Of the family were
asleep. There were the wife and the
children Of this prodigal young man. The
fact was he had come home and driven
thar, n,,h LIZ nnid. llO..A 81 ll.is l.o.,no