The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-09-07


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 ne foated far
away. A ship bound for Dublin came
along and took him on board. Sailors
are generally very generous fellows,
and one gave him a 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 mourning for the sad event; but
the lad took ship from Dublin and ar
rived in Liverpool the very day the gar
ments 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? Fave you waded
from the shore? Will you come back?
But / remark the characteristic of this
resolution was, it was Immediately put
into execution.
The context says 'he arose and came
to his father" The trouble in 500 times
out of thousand is that our resolu-
tons amount to nothing, because we
make them for some distant time. If
| resolve to become a Christian next
year, that amounts to nothing at all.
If I resolve to become Christian to-
morrow, that amounts to nothing at
all If resolve after go home to-day
to yield my heart to God, that amounts
to nothing at all The only kind of
resolution that amounts to anything is
the resolution that is Immediately put
into execution. There is man who
had the typhoid fever. He said: ''Ohl
if / could get over this terrible distress;
if this fever would depart, if could be
restored to health, would all the rest
of my life serve God"
The fever departed. He got well
enough to walk around the block. He
got well enough to attend to business
He is well to-day-as well as he ever
was. Where is the broken vow? There
is man who said long ago: "If could
live to the year 1899, by that time will
have my business matters all arranged,
and will have time to attend to reli-
gion, and | will be good, thorough,
consecrated Christian. The year 1892
has come. January, February, March,
April, May, June and July-fully half
the year gone. Where is your broken
vow? "Oh!" says some one, "Tll attend
to that when can get my character
fixed up, when can get over my evil
habits; l am now given to strong drink, u
or, says the man: II am given to un-
cleanliness" or, says the man: II am
given to dishonesty. When / get over
my present habits, then rll be thor
ough Christian" My brother, you will
get worse and worse until Christ takes
you in hand. Not the righteous, sin
ners Jesus came to call"
Oh! but you say: 81 agree with you
on all that, but l must put it off little
longer" Do you know there were many
who came just as near as you are to the
kingdom of God and never entered iii
was at East Hampton, Long Island
and / went into the cemetery to look
around, and in that cemetery there are
twelve graves, side by sidc-the graves
of sailors. This crew, some years ago
in ship went into the breakers al
Amagansett, about three miles away
My brother, then preaching at East
Hampton, had been at the burial
These men of the crew came very
near being saved. The people from
Amagansett saw the vessel ant
they shot rockets, and they sent rope:
from the shore, and these poor fellow:
got into the boat and they pulled
nightly for the shore, but just before
they got to the shore the ropes snapped
and the boat capsized and they were
lost, their bodies afterward washed
upon the beach. Oh! what solemn
day it was-I have been told of it by
my brother-when these twelve mer
lay at the foot of the pulpit and he reat
over them the funeral service They
came very near shore-witbin shouting
distance of the shore, yet did not arrive
on solid land. There are some mer
who come almost to the shore of God.
mercy, but not quite, not quite. TO bt
only almost saved is to be lost.
will tell you of two prodigals: the
one that got back and the other tina
did not get back. In Richmond, Va
there is very prosperous and beautiful
home in many respects A young mar
wandered off from that home. He wan
dered very far into sin. They heard o
him often, but he was always on tn,
wrong track. He would not go home
At the door of that beautiful home on,
night there was great cutlery.
The young man of the house raj
down and opened the door to see wha
was the matter. 1t was midnight
The rest of the family were asleep
There were the wife and children of tn,
prodigal young man. The fact was h,
had come home and driven them out
He said: ''Out of this house AWAY
with these children, l will dash thei
brains out Out into the storm" TIL,
mother gathered them up and fled. TIL
next morning the brother, young ma
who stayed at home, went out to lint
this prodigal brother and son, and h
came where he was and saw tn
young man wandering up and dow
in front OF the place where he ha,
been staying, and the young mai
who had kept his integrity said t
the older brother: Here, what doe