Democratic messenger., 1892-08-27

clean, ana he WhiCn Is born ~ woman,
that he should he righteous" He says
in another place. There is none that
doeth good: no. not one" He SAYS in
another place. AS by one man sin en-
tered into the world. and death by sin;
and So death passed upon all men. for
that all have sinned.
THE ALL POWERFUL. NAME.
well. Won say. II am willing 10 ac-
knowledge that. Int why should | take
the particular rescue that You propose
This is the reason. Except a man be
born again he cannot sec the kingdom
of God This is the reason. 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 ac-
cept this help of the Gospel; l would
like 10 have this divine cure: how shall
go 10 work" Let me say that Il mere
whim, an underlined longing amounts TO
nothing. You must have stout. tre-
mendous resolution like this young man
of the text. when he said, Il will arise
and 20 to my father
"Oh, says some man. "how do know
my father wants me: How do know, if
| 20 back. would bc received "Oh,"
says some man, ''you don't know where
have been: you don't know how far |
have wandered; you wouldn't talk that
way TO me if you knew all the iniquities
| have committed" What is that fiutter
among the angels of Gcd: 1t is news;
il is news. Christ has found the lost.
Nor angels can their joy contain.
Hut kindlcd with new fire:
The sinner lost is found. they sing.
And strike the sounding Tyre.
When Napoleon talked of going into
Italy they said. You can't get there: if
you knew what the Alps We're you
wouldn't talk about il or think of it; You
can't get yOu ammunition wagons over
the Alps" Then Napoleon rose in his
stirrnps, and waving his hand toward
the mountains he said, There shall be
no Alps" That wonderful pass was laid
ont which has been the wonderment of
all :he years since-the wonderment of
all engineers. And you tell me there
are such mountains of sin between your
soul and God there is no mercy. Then
SEE Christ waving his hand toward the
mountains, arl hear him say, Il will
come over the mountains of thy sin and
the mills of thine iniquity.' There shall
be no Pyrcnecs; there shall he no Alps.
4 gain. notice that this resolution of
the young man of the text was founded
in sorrow at his misbchavior. 1t was
not mere physical plight. II was grief
that he had 80 inalticated his father II
is sad thing after father has done
everything fer n chill. 10 have that child
be ungratcful.
How sharper than a serpcnt's tooth it is
To have "a thanklcss child.
Tia is Shakespeare "A foolish son
is the hcavineSS of his mother" That
is the Bible. Well. my friends, have
not some of us been cruel prodigals:
Have we not maltreated our Father:
And such Il Father. So loving. So kind.
Ii h had been stranger. if he had for
sakcn MS. if he had faselated MS. if he
had pounded Is and turned us ont of
doors on the commons, il would not
hav.. been So wonderful-our treatment
of him; but hc is Father SO loving, SO
kind. and vet how many of us for our
wanderings have never apologiZed. We
apologize for wrongs done TO cur fell
lows. but some Of us perhaps have COM
miiied ten thousand times ten thousand
wrongs against God and never apollo
gized.
THE DIsGUSTED PRODIGAI.
remark still further that this reso-
luton of the text was founded in a feel
ing of homcsickncsS do not know
how long TINS youug man. how many
months. how many years, he had been
away from his fathers house. but there
is something about the reading of my
text that makes me think he was home
sick. Some Of you know what that feel
ing is Far away from home sometimes.
surrounded by everything bright and
pleasant. plenty of friends. you have
said. Il would give the world TO be
home tonight" Well. this young man
was homesick for his fathers house. |
have no doubt when he thought of his
fathers house he said. Now perhaps
father may not be living"
We read nothing in this story-this
parable founded ON everyday life-we
read nothing about the mother. Ii SAYS
nothing about going home to her. l
think she was dead. | think she had
died of broken heart at his wander
ngs. or perhaps he had gone into dissi-
nation from the fact he could not re-
member loving and sympathetic moth
cr. \ man never gets over having lost
his mother. Nothing said about her
here. But he is homesick for his IA
thcr's house. He thought he would just
like to go and walk around the old place.
He thought he would just like to go and
Bee if things We're rs they used to be.
Many a man after having been off II
long while has gone home and knocked
1t the door. and a stranger has come. 1t
is the old homestead. but stranger
comes 10 the door He finds ont father
) gone. mother is gone and brothers
lnd sisters all gone. think this young
nan of the text said 10 himself. Per
laps father may be dead" Still he
,tarts 10 find ont He is homesick. Are
there any here today homesick for God,
homesick for heaven:
y 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 il great deal better here" :"
But il made him angry. The night be-
fore he went away again to sea he heard
his mother praying in the next room,
and that made him more angry. He
went far ont on the sea. and n storm
came up. and he was ordered To very
pcrilous duty, and he ran up the rat
lines. and amid the shrouds nf the ship
he heard the voice that he had heard
i'll the next room.
He tried to whistle il off; he tried to
rally his courage; but he could not 81
lence that voice he had heard in the nex xt
room. and There in the storm and the
darkness he said: 30 Lord. what a