The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1892-08-26
there any here today homesick for God.

hOmeSlck 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 go away again. She said: "Now
you had better stay at home; don't go
away; we don't want you to go. You
will have it a great deal better here.
But it made him angry. The night be-
fore he went away again to sea he heard
his mother praying in phe 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 rat
lines, and amid the shrouds Of the ship
he heard the voice that he had heard
in the next room.
He tried to whistle it off; he tried to
rally his courage; but he could not 81
lence that voice he had heard in the next
room, and there in the storm and the
darkness he said: 80 Lord, what a
wretch l have been, what wretch
| ami Help me just now, Lord God"
And l thought in this assemblage
today there may be some who may
have the memory of fathers petition
or a mothers prayer pressing nightly
upon the soul, and that this hour they
may make the same resolution l find in
my text, saying, II will arise and go 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 generous fellows, and
one gave him cap and another gave
him a 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
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 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 waded down into sin? Have you
waded from the shore? Will you come
back? When you come back will you
come in the rags of your sin or will you
come robed in the Saviour's righteous
ness? 1 believe the latter. Go home to
your God today. He is waiting for you
Go home!
But | remark the characteristic of
this resolution was, it was Immediately
put into execution.
DO NOT DELAY.
The context says che arose and came
to his father" The trouble in nine hun
bred and ninety-nine times out of a
thousand is that our resolutions amount
to nothing because we make them for
some distant time. If | resolve to be-
come Christian next year, that amounts
to nothing at all. If l resolve to be-
come a Christian tomorrow. that
amounts to nothing at all. 1t l resolve
at the service today to become Chris
tian, that amounts to nothing az all.
If resolve after l go home today to
yield my heart to God, that amounts to
nothing at all The only kind of reso-
luton that amounts to anything is the
resolution that is Immediately put into
execution.
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,
[ would all the rest of my life serve
God" The fever departed. He got
we'll enough to walk around the block
He got well enough to attend to bust
ness. He is well today-as well as he
aver was. Where is the broken vow?
There is a man who said long ago, eff i
could live to the year 1892, by that time
will have my business matters all ar
ranged, and l will have time to attend
10 religion, and l will be good,
thorough, consecrated Christian" The
year 1892 has come. January, Febru-
ary, March, April, May, June, July
FULLY half of the year gone. Where is
your broken vow?
"Oh," says some man, iii attend to
hat when can get my character fixed |
Up; when can get over my evil habits;
am now given to strong drink" or,
says the man, II am given to unclean-
less," or, says the man, Il am given to
When | get over my pres
mt habits, then I'll be thorough Chris
IAN" My brother, you will get worse
md worse until Christ takes you in
land. mot the righteous, sinners
Jesus came to call"
Oh, but you say, II agree with you on
I'll that, but | must put it off little
onger." Do you know there were many
Who came just as near as you are to the
of God and never entered it? |
vas at East Hampton, Long Island, and
went into the cemetery tolock around,
md in that cemetery there are twelve
graves side by side-the graves of sail
,rs. This crew, some years ago, in
hip went into the breakers at Amagan-
ett, about three miles away. Ny broth
It, then preaching at East Hampton,
lad been at the burial. These men of
he crew came very near being saved.
The people from Amagansett saw the
1essel, and they shot rockets, and they