The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-08-27

in this assem- bIage to-day Jhere may De
some who may have the memory OF a
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:
will arise and go to my father"
A lad at Liverpool went out to battle,
went out into the sea, went out too tar,
got beyond his depth, and he hoated 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 sin, or will you come robed
in the Saviour's righteousness? believe
the latter. Go home to your God,
to-day. He is waiting for you. Go
home! :.
But remark the characteristic of
this resolution was, it was immediately
put into execution.
The context says, che arose and came
to his father" The trouble in nine:
hundred and ninety-nine times out Of
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 resolve
to become Christian tomorrow
that amounts to nothing at all If I
resolve at the service to-day to become
a Christian, that amounts to nothing at
ALL If I 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: 30, il could
get over this terrible distress; if this
fever should depart, if l could be re-
stored 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
ito business. He is well to-day-as well
as he ever was. Where is the broken
vow? There is man who said long
ago: eff I could live to the year 1892,
by that time I will have nv business
matters all arranged, and I will have
time to attend to religion, and will be-
good, thorough consecrated Christian.
The year 1892 has come. January, Febru-
airy, March. April, May, June, July
fully half of the year gone. Where is
your broken vow?" 'SOhr' says some
man, 'sTll attend to that when I can
get my character fixed up, when | can
get over my evil habits; am now given
to strong drink" or says the man, ''Tm
given to uncleanness, or says the man,
81 am given to dishonesty. When get
over my present habits, then I'll be a
thorough Christian My brother, you
will get worse and worse until Christ
takes you in hand {ssNot the righteous,
sinners, Jesus came to CALI
Oh! but you say: II agree with you
on all that, but must put it 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
entered it? I was at East Hampton,
Long Island, 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 wentinto
the breakers at Amagansett, about
three miles away My brother, then.
preaching at East Hampton, had been
came very near being saved The peo-
pie 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. Just before they got to the
shore the rope snapped and the boat.
eapsized and they were lost, their bodies;
nfterward washed upon the beach. OH!
what 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 shouting distance of the shore,
vet did not arrive on solid land. There
are some men who come almost to thei
shore Of Gods merry, but not quite, not
quite. To be only almost saved is to be,
lost.
will tell you Of two prodigals, the;
one who got back and the other that
did not get back. In Richmond, Va.,;
there is very prosperous and beauti-'
full home in many respects. A young
man wandered off from that home. He
wandered very far into sin. They heard
of him often, but he was always on the.
wrong track. He would not go home.