The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-07-02

fathers petition or 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 go to my father"
ILLUSTRATION OF THE RESCUED BOY.
A lad at Liverpool went out to battle.
went out into the sea, went out too far.
got beyond his depth and he floated 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
nm jacket, and another gave him
shoes. a gentleman passing along on
the beach at Liverpool found the lad's
clothes and took them home, and the
tather was heartbroken, the mother was
hcart-broken at the loss of their child.
They had heard nothing fl cm him day
after day, and they ordered the usual
mourning for the sad event. But the
lad took ship from Dublin and arrived in
Liverpool the very day the garments
arrived. He knocked at the door and
the farther was overjoyed, and the moth
er was overioyed at the return of their
lost son. Oh, my friends, have you
waded out too deep? Have you waded
down into sin? Have you wadcd from
the shore? Will you come back? When
you come back; will you come in the
rags of your sin, or will you come rob ed
in the Saviour's righteousness? l be-
lleve the latter. Go home to your God
today. He is waiting for you. Go
home!
But L remark concerning this resou-
ton, it was immedasely put into excu-
ton. The context says, "He arose and
came to his father" The trouble in nine
hundred and nnety-nine times out OF a
thousand is that our resolutions amount
to nothing because we make them for
some distant time. fl resolve to be-
come q Christian next year. that
amounts to nothing at all. If I resolve
TO become Christian tomorrow. that
amounts TO nothing at all. If res olive
at the service tonight to become a Chris
tan, that amounts to nothing at all. If
l resolve after 1 60 home today to yield
my heart to God, that amovnts TO moth
ing at all. The only kind Of resolution
that amounts to anything is resolution
that Is Immediately put into exebution.
There is a man who had the typhoid
fever. He said: "Oh! if ! could get
over this terrible distress! If this fever
should depart, If could be restored to
health, l would all the rest of my life
serve God" The fever departed. Ue
got well enough to walk around the
block. He got we'll enough to 90 over
o New York and attend to business.
lie is we'll to-day-as we'll as he ever
was. Where is the broken VOW? There
Is man who said long ago, "If could
live to the year 1891, by that time
will have my business matters arranged,
and will have time to attend to re.
ligion, and l will be a good, thorough,
consecrated Christian"
The year 1891 has come. January
February. March, April, May, June-al-
most half of the year gone. Where is
your broken vow? "Oh," says some
man: "Ill attend to that when l can
get my character fixed up. When l
can get over my evil habits. am now
given to strong drink" or, says the
man, II am given to uncleanness," or,
says the man, II am given to dishones-
ty. When get over my present habits,
then I'll be thorough Christian" My
brother, you will get worse and worse,
until Christ takes you in hand. "Not
the righteous; sinners, Jesus came to
call"
DANGER OF FPRoCRASTINATION.
Oh! but you say, II agree with you on
all that, but l must put 1t off a little
longer" Do you know there were
many who came just as near as you are
to the kingdom of God and never en-
tered it? | 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 ship went into the breakers at
Amagansett, about three miles away
| hrnfhnr than Oh, Of
Hampton, had been at tho 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 to the shore the rope
snapped and the boat capsZed and they
were lost, their bodies afterward washed
up on The b3ach. On. what a solemn
day it was-I have been told Of it 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 shout
ing distance 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
no be only almost saved is not to 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
a very prosperous and beautiful home
IN many respects. a young man wan
dered off from that home. He wan
dered very far into sin. They heard of
him often, but he was always on the
wrong track. lie would not 90 home.
At the door of that beautiful home one
night there was a great outcry. The
young man of the house ran down and
opened the door to see what was the
matter. 1t was midnight. The rest of
the family were asleep. There were
the wife and the children of this prodi-
gal young man. The tact was he had
come home and driven them out. lie
said: "Out of this house. Away with
these children; | will dash their brains
out. Out into the storm"
The mother gathered them up and
fled. The next morning the brother,
| fhn unnptv man whn had oto nt h.,