Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-06-25

here "Ah," she said, 'syou look in the
| glass and you will see the heretic!" As l
take up the mirror of Gods word to-day,
would that instead of seeing the prodigal
son of the text, we might see ourselves
| our want, our wandering, our sin, our lost
condition, so that we might be as wise as
| this young man was and say: 81 will arise
| and 60 to my father
| VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCES.
| The resolution of this text was formed in
| disgust at his present circumstances. If
| this young man had been by his employer
| set TO culturing flowers, or training vines
| over an arbor, or keeping account of the pork
| market. or overseeing other laborers, he
| would not have thought of going home. If
! he had had his pockets full of money, if he
| had been able to say: 81 have a thousand
| dollars now of my own; what's the use of
| my going back to my fathers house2 Do
| YOU think l am going back to apologize to
| the old man? Why, he would put me on the
| limits he would not have going on around
| the old place such conduct as / have been
engaged in: won't go home; there is no
reason why should go home; 1 have plenty
of money, plenty of pleasant surroundings,
why should go home!" All! is was his
pauperlSm, II was his Deggary. he mad TO
go home.
Some man comes and says to me: ''Why
do you talk about the ruined state of the
human souls Why don't you speak about
the progress of the nineteenth century, and
talk of something more eXhilaratinga' 1t
is for this reason, man never wants the
Gospel until he realizes he is in famine
struck state Suppose should come to you
in your home and you are in good, sound,
robust health. cand | should begin TO
TALK ABOUT MEDICINES,
and about how much better this medicine
is than that, and some other medicine than
soma other medicine, and talk about this
-,.,fp tan-v 1, IL
you would get tired, and you would say: Il
don't want to hear about medicines. Why
do you talk to me of physiciansl never
have 4 DOCTOR" But suppose ] come into
your house and l find you severely sick,
and know the medicines that will cure
you and L know the physician who is skill
full enough to meet your case. You say:
''bring on that medicine, bring on that
physician. l am terribly sick and
l want help" If l came to you
and you feel you are all right in
body and all right in mind. and all
right in soul you have need of nothing; but
suppose / have persuaded you that the lep-
rosy of sin is upon you, the worst OF all
sickness, o! then you say: "bring me that
balm of the gospel, bring me that divine
mendicament bring me Jesus Christ
But" says some one in the audience,
show do you prove that we are in a ruined
condition by SIM" Well, I can prove it in
TWO ways anu you Ulsy nave your CHOICE
/ can prove it either by the statements of
men, or by the statement of God. Which
shall it be! You all say, ''let US have the
statement of God" Well, he says in one
place, 1.-The heart is deceitful above all
things and desperately wicked" He says
III another place, ''what is man that he
should be clean and he which is born of
woman that he should be righteousl" He
says in another place, ''there is none that
uoeth good, no, not one" He says in an
other place, las by one man sin entered
into the world. and death by sin; and so
death passed upon all men, for that all have
sipned.'' ''Wen,', you say, 81 am willing
10 acknowledge that, but why should take
the particular rescue that you proposel''
THIS IS TIE REASON:
Except man be born again he cannot
see the kingdom of God" This is the rea-
son. There is one name given under
heaven among men whereby they may be
saved" Then there are thousand voices
here ready to say: We'll / am ready to
accept this help of the Gospel: would like
to have this divine cure; how shall l go to
worki" Let me say that mere within, an
underlined longing amounts to nothing. You
must have a stout, tremendous resolution
like this young man of tho text when he
said: Il will arise and go to my father"
90" says soTe man, '.how dol know my
father wants met how do 1 know. if 1 90
back, would be received!'' .'O:' says
some man, lyon don't know where 1 have
been; you'don't know how far have wan.
dered; you wouldn't talk that way to me II
oou knew all the iniouitios h1yp e6m.