The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-06-24
THE HoMEsICK SOUL.
"A Lesson Drawn from the Parable
OF the Prodigal Son.


y
his sermon 'sThe Homesick Soul, " and
his text was from the Parable Of
the Prodigal Son, Luke XIV, is, II will
arise and 90 to my father" The
preacher said:
There is nothing like hunger to take
the energy out of man. A hungry man
can toll neither with pen NJ hand nor
foot There has been many an army
defeated not SO much for lack of ammu-
milton as for lack Of bread. II was that
fact that took the fire ont of this young
man OF the text. Storm and exposure
will wear out any mans life In time,
hut hunger makes quick work. The
most awful cry ever heard on earth is
the cry for bread. A traveller tells us
that In Asia Minor there are trees which
bear fruit looking very much like the
long bean Of our time. IL is called the
carab. Once in while the people re-
dueed to destitution would eat these
carabs, but generally the carabs, the
beans spoken of here In the text were
thrown only TO the swine, and they
crunchcd them with great avidity. But
this young man of my text could not
even get them without stealing them.
So one day amid the swine troughs he
begins TO soliloquize. He says: "These
are no clothes for rich mans son to
wear; this is no kind Of business for a
jew TO be engaged in-feeding swine;
Ill 60 home; I'll go home; will arise
and 60 TO my father"
/ know there are great many peo-
pie who try to throw fascination, a
romance, halo about sin; but, not
withstanding all that Lord Byron and
George Sand have said in regard to It,
II Is q mean, low, contemplate busi-
ness, and putting food and fodder into
the troughs of herd Of iniguities that
root and wallow In the soul OF man Is a
very poor business for men and women
intended TO be sons and daughters OF
the Lord Almighty And when this
young man resolved TO go home, IL was
very wise thing for him TO do, and the
only question is, whether we will fol-
low him. Satan promises large wages
II we win serve him; but he clothes his
victims with rags, and he pinches them
with hunger, and when they start out
TO do better he sets after them all the
bloodhounds OF perdition. Satan comes
to us to-day and he promises all luxur-
les, all emoluments II we will only
serve him. Liar, down with thee TO the
pitt The wages OF sin Is death" o,
the young man of the text was wise
when he uttered the resolution: II win
arise and go to my father"
In the time Of Mary, the prosecutor,
prosecutor came 10 Christian woman
who had hidden in her house for the
Lords sake one OF Christ's servants,
and the persecntor said:
"Where Is that heretlc?" The Chris
tian woman said; ''You open that trunk
and you win see the heretic.v The per.
secutor opened the trunk and on top OF
the linen of the trunk he saw q glass.
BE said: 'There Is no hereto here"
"Ah," she said, 'you look in the glass
and you will see the heretici' As take
up the mirror of Gods word to-day,
would that instead Of seeing the prodi-
gal SON Of the text we might see our
selves-our want, our wandering, our
sin, our lost condition, so that we might
be as wise as this yonng man was and
say; II will arise and go to my father" "
The resolution Of this text was formed
In disgust at his present circumstances.
II this young man had been by his en-
ployer set TO culturing flowers, or train
ing vines over an arbor. or keeping ac-
count Of the pork market, or overseeing
other laborers, he would not have
thought Of going home. Ifhe had had
his pockets full Of money, II he had
been able TO say, II have a thousand
dollars now of my own; what's the use
Of my going back 10 my fathers house9
do you think / am going back TO apollo
gize 10 the old man? why, he would put
me on the limits; he would not have go.
ing on aroupi the old place such con.
duct as ] have been engaged in; won't
60 home; there is no reason why ]
shouldgo home; have plenty of money,
plenty Of pleasant surroundings, why
should l go homer" Ali Il was his
pauperism; II was his beggary. He had
TO 20 home.
Some man comes and says to me:
"Why do you talk about the ruined
state Of the human soul? Why don't
you speak about the progress OF the
nineteenth century, and talk Of some
thing more exhilarating?" II is for this
reason: q man never wants the gospel
until he realizes he Is In famine-strucl,
state. Suppose ] should come TO you
in your home and you are in good,
sound, robust health, and should begin
TO talk about medicines and about how
much better this medicine Is than that,
and some other medicine than some
other medicine, and talk about this
physician and that physician After a
while you would get tired, and you
would say: Il don't want TO hear about
medicines. Why do you talk TO me
OF physicians? never have doctor. y
But suppose come into your house and
! find you severely sick, and know the
medicines that viii cure You, and l
know the physician who Is skillful
enough 10 meet your case. You say:
"Bring ON that medicine, bring ON that
physician. am terribly sick and !
want help II came TO you and you
feel you are all right in body and all
rightin mind, and all right in soul, you
have need of nothing; but suppose !
have persuaded you that the leprosy Of
sin IA upon you, the worst Of all sick
ness 0,'then you say; bring me that
balm Of the gospel bring me that divine
medlcament. bring me Jesus Christ