Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-06-26

father is gone aud mother Is gone, and
brothers and sisters all gone. ! think this
young man of the text said to himself, Per
hans father may be dead Still he starts to
find out. He Is homesick. Are there any
here to-day homesick for God, homesiclS for
heaven
A sailor, after having been long on the
sea. returned TO his fathers house, and his
mother tried TO persuade him not to 90 away
again. She said: Now you had better stay
at home. Don't go away; we don't want you
TO 20. You will have it great deal better
here" But it made him angry. The night
I before he went again TO sea he henrd his
| mother praying in the next room, and that
made him more angry. He went far out on
the sea, and a storm came up, and he was
ordered TO very perilous duty, and he ran up
the ratlines, and amid the sarouds OF the
ship he heard the voice that he had heard in
the next room. He tried to whistle 1t Off,
he tried to rally his courage but
he could not silence that voice re had
heard in the next room, AMI there in
the storm aud the darkness he said: 80 Lord
| what q wretch | have BEEN what wretch
lam Help me just now, Lord God" And
| I thought in this assemblage to-day there
NAV be some who may have the memory of
a fathers petition or a mothers prayer
pressing nightly upon the soul, and that
this hour they may make the same resolution
find In my text saying, 81 will arise and
90 to my father.
A lad at Liverpool went out to battle, went
out into the sea, went out too far, got beyond
his depth and he fioated far away. A ship
bound for Dublin came along and took him
on board. Sailors are generally very gener-
GUS 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 mourn
ing for the sad event. But tue lad took ship
from Dublin and arrived in Liverpool the
very day the garments arrived. lie Knocked
Mt the door. and the father was Overjoyed,
and the mother was overjoyed at the return
Of their lost SON. Oh, my friends have you
waded out too deep? Have you wa1ed dowh
into sin? Have you waded from the shorey
Will Won come back? When you come back
will YOU come in the rags of your sin, or will
Won come robed in the SaviOur's righteous
ness | believe the latter Go home to your
God to-day. He is waiting for you. TO
home.
/ But | remark concerning this resolution.
il was Immediately put into execution. The
context saws. HE arose and came to his
father" The trouble in nine hundred AMI
ninety nine times out Of a thousand Is that
our resolutions amount to nothing because
We make them for sOme distant time. IL
] resolve to become Christian next year, that
amounts TO nothing at all. If | resolve to
become a Christian tomorrow, that amounts
to nothing Mt all. If | resolve at the service
tonight to become Christian that amounts
TO nothing at all IL | resolve after / 90
home to-day 10 yield my heart to God, that
amounts TO nothing at ALL The only kind o.
resolution that amounts to anything IS ta'
resolution that is Immediately put into exc
cution.
There is a man VINO had the typhoi fever.
He said: "Ohl If could get over this ter
rible distreSsl 1f this fever should depart,
if could he restored to health, | woull al
the rest Of my life serve COL Tho fever
departed He got well enough To walk
around the block He got well enough 70 g
over to New York and attend to business
He is well tO-9ay-as well Is he ever was
Where Is the broken VOW There is man
who said long ago, IF | coull live TO the
year 1891, by that time | will have my 0usl-
ness matters arranged, and will have time
to attend TO religion, AMI viii be a 8poJ,
thorough consecrate1 Christian
! The wear 1891 has come. January, Zebra
ary. March, April, May, June-alnost hlli
of the year gone. Where is your broken
vows oh says some man, I'm atte:l
TO that when | can get my character llxel
I'D. When eau get over my evil habits. l
am now given to strong drink, or, says the
man, II am given to uncieannes', on, says 'he
man. III am given 10 dishonesty. Nh'n get
over my present habits, then III bs a tdor-
ough Christian My brother, you VIII &c;
worse and worse, until Christ takes you III
NJ ha rio al
came to CALI
OH but you say, ~ agree nth you on az
that. but | must put it of little longer.
Do YOU know there We're many who came q
near as You are TO the kingdom Of God AMI
never entered it, | was at East Hampton
and ] went into tie cemetery to LOOK arounl.
and in that cemetery there's are twelve graves
side by side-the graves Of sailors. Ms
crew. some years ago, in ship went ilto
the breakers at Amagsnsett, about three
miles away My brother then preaching at
East Hampton, had been at the burial
These men Of the crew anne very near beng
saved.
The people from Amasansett saw the YES
SCI and thew shot rockets, and they sent
ropes from the shore. and these poor fellows
cot into the boat. and they pulle nightly
B for the shore. but Just before t'ey got to the
shore the rope snapped and the boat capsizei
and thew were lost. then bodies atterYard
washed no on the beach Oh whata soeDal
/ day il was-I have been told it by my
brother-when these twelve men lay at the
foot of the pulpit and he read over them ire
/ funeral service, They came very near shore
! within shouting distance OF the shore-yet
! did not arrive on solid land. There are some
men who come almost 20 the shore OF Go1s
mercy. but not quite, not quite. 10 be only
/ almost saved is not to be saved at all
| will tell you of two prodigais, the one
that got back and the other that did not get
back. In Virginia there is very prosper
Gus and beautiful home in many respects.
young man wandered off from that nome
| He wandered very far into sin. They heard
Of him often, but he was always on tue
wrong tracS. He would not go home. At
the door Of that beautiful home one night
there was great cutlery. The young man
Of the house ran down and opened the door
! TO see what was tire matter 1t was MIC
night. The rest of the family were asleep.
! There were the wife and the children OF this
proIigal young man. The fact was he had
! come home and driven them out. lie SAD
"Out Of this house. Away VITA these colt
| dren: will dash their brains out Out into
/ the Storm
| The mother gathered them up aud hei.
/ The next morning the brother, the young
! man who had STAN az nOnei Went oul w iiH
this prodigal brother and SOP, and he came
where he was AMI saw the young man
wandering up and do--1 in front Of the
place where he had been staying, and the
Young man who had kept his integrity SAIL
| to the older brother: Here, what does all
/ this mean? What's the matter with YOU,
/ Why do you get in this wayY The
proiigal looked at him and sale: "Who
am |? Who do you take me to beF He said;
"You are my brother" mo, am not
am brute Haveyo seen anything OF my
wife and chil,renY Are they deadl drove
them out last night in the storm. ana
brute John, do you think there Is any help
for me? Do you think | win ever get over
this life Of dissipation He sail, brother,
there Is Just one thing that will stop this.
The prodigal ran his finger across his throat
and said: THAT will stop it, and I'll stop lt
before night. Oh! my brain; can stand It
no longer" That pro lgal never got home.
But win tell you Of prodgal that did get
home.
In England two young men. started IRON
their fathers house and went down to Ports
mouth. The father could not pursue his
children; for some reason he could not leave
home. aud 50 he wrote letter down to Mr..
Griffin, saying: "Mr. Griffin, | wish You