Connecticut western news., 1891-06-24
that divine medicament, bring me Jesus

Christ"
 MANS LOST AND UNDoNE CONDITION.
 But says some one in the audience, How do you prove that we are in a ruined condition by sin9" Well, can prove it in two ways. and you may have your choice can prove it either by the statements of men, or by the statement of God. Which shall it be9 You all say, "Let us have the statement of God" Well, he says in one place, "oThe heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked" He says in another place, What is man that he should be clean2 and he which is born of woman, that he should be right eous3" He says in another place, "There is none that doeth good; no, not one." He says in another place, "As by one man sin entered into the world. and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." We'll" you say. '1 am willing to acknowledge that, but why should take the particular res cue that you propose2" This is the reason, Except man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" This is the reason, ''There is one name given under heaven among men where by they may be saved" Then there are a thousand voices here ready to say: Well, am ready to accept this help of the Gospel; would like to have this divine cure; how shall go to work2" Let me say that a mere whi1n, an undefined longing amounts to noth ing. You must have a stout, tremen dous resolution like this young man of the text when he said. ''I will arise and go to my father" ....
 "Ohl" says some man, ''how do l know my father wants mel How do l know, if I go back, would be re ceived7' "Ohl" says some man, ''you don't know where have been; you don't know how far l have wandered; you wouldn't talk that way to me if you knew all the iniquities have com mitted" What is that futter among the angels of God2 It is news, it is newsl Christ has found the lost.
 Nor angels can their joy contain,
 But kindle with new fire;
 The sinner lost, is found, they sing.
 And strike the sounding Tyre.
 When Napoleon talked of going into Italy, they said: You can't get there; if you knew what the Alps were you wouldn't talk about it or think of it. You can't get your ammunition wagons over the Alps" Then Napoleon rose in his stirrups and waving his hand to- ward the mountains, he said, '"There shall be no Alps" That wonderful pass was laid out which has been the won derment of all the years since-the wonderlnent of all engineers. And you tell me there are such mountains of sin between your soul and God, there is no mercy Then see Christ waving his hand toward the mountains; hear him say, II will come over the noun tains of thy sin and the hills of thy in iQuity." There shall be no Pyrenees; there shall be no Alps.
 GODLY SORROW FOR SIN.
 Again, notice that this resolution of the young man of the text was found ed in sorrow at his misbehavior It was not mere physical plight. It was grief that he had so maltreated his father It is sad thing after father had done everything for a child, to have that child be ungrateful
 How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is,
 To have thankless child.
 That is Shakespeare. "A foolish son is the heaviness of his mother" That is the Bible. Well, my friends, have not some of us been cruel prodigals? Have we not lnaltreated our father2 And such fatherl So loving, so kind. If he had been stranger, if he had for saken us, if he had hagellated us, if he had pounded us and turned us out of have been so wonderful-our treatment, of him, but he is father so loving, so kind, and yet how many of us for our wanderings have never apologized. We apologize for wrongs done to our fel lows, but some of us perhaps have com: mitted ten thousand times ten thou. sand wrongs against God and never apologized.
 I remark still further that this reso- lution of the text was founded in feel ing of homesickness. don't know how long this young man, how many months, how many years, he had been away from his fathers house, but there is something in the reading of my text that makes lne think he was homesick. Some of you know what that feeling is. Far away from home sometimes sur rounded by everything bright and pleasant-plenty of friends you have said. II would give the world to be home tonight" Well, this young man was homesick for his fathers house. have no doubt when he thought of his fathers house he said, "Now, per haps. father may not be living" We read nothing in this story-this parable founded on everyday life we read nothing about the mother. It says nothing about going home to her. I think she was dead. think she had died of broken heart at his wander 1 ings man never gets over having lost his mother Nothing said about 1 her l-re But he is honesick for his l fathers house He thought he would l just like to go and walk around the old place H~ thought he would just like to go and zee if things were as they used to be. Many man, after having been off long while, has gone home 1 and knocked at the door, and stran- ger has come It is the old homestead, but a stranger comes to the door. He finds out father is gone and mother is gone and brothers and sisters all gone think this young man of the text said