Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-08-22

starts 81 tina aar de Is ha-nesicK. Are
saeTe any hsse today homesick for God.
Aomeslek for heaven
A sailor, after having been long on
the sea, returned % his fathers house
and his mother tried 10 persuade him
not ~ 90 away AGAIN she said: Now
you had better stay az home; don't so
away; we don't want You % 90. You
VIII have II a great deal better here"
But it made MIN angry. The night be-
fore he went away again - sea he heard
his mother praying II the next room,
and that made him more angry. He
went far out on the sea, ana a storm
came up, and he was ordered 10 very
perllous duty, and ne ran up the rat
lines. ana amid the shrouds OF the ship
he heard the voice that 10 had heard
Ia the next room.
He tined u whistle il off: he tried 10
rally his courage; bat he could not 81
lence that voice he had heard in the next
room. and there in the storm and the
darkness he said: 20 Lord, what a
wretch ! have been, what a wretch
/ am! Help me just now, Lord God.
And l thought IN this sassemblage
today there may be SOM" who may
have the memory Of 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, II viii arise and go 10
my father"
A lad at Liverpool went out TO battle,
got beyond his depth and he 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 fer 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? believe the latter. Go home to
your God today. He is waiting for you.
Go home!
But l remark the characteristic Of
this resolution was, it was Immediately
put into execution.
DO NOT DELAY.
The context says "he arose and came
to his father" The trouble in nine hun
dred and ninety mine times out of
thousand is that our resolutions amount
to nothing because we make them for
some distant tine. IF / resolve to be-
come Christian next year, that amounts
TO nothing at all. If resolve to be-
come Christian tomorrow. that
amounts to nothing at all. If resolve
at the service today to become Chris
tan, that amounts to nothing at all
If resolve after / 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 De restored to health,
l would all the reot of my life serve
God" The fever departed. He got
well enough to walk around the block.
He got well enough to attend to busi-
ness. He is we'll today-as well as hs
ever was. Where is the broken VOW?
There is man who said long ago, "If
could live to the year 1892, by that time
l will have my business matters all ar
ranged, aid l Will nave time to attend
to religion, and | will be a 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?
"Oh," says some man, ''Ill attend to
that when | can get my character fixed
mp; when | can get over my evil habits;
l am now given to strong drink" or,
says the man, Il am given to unclean-
ness" or, says the man, Il am given to
dishonesty. When get over my pres
ent habits. then I'll be thorough Chris
tan" My brother. you will get worse
and worse until Christ takes you in
hand. Not the righteous, sinners
Jesus came TO call"
Oh, but you say, II agree with you on
all that, but / must put it OFF little
longer" Do you know there were many
who came just as near as you are 10 the
kingdom OF God and never entered it? |
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 sail
ors. This crew, some years ago. in
ship went into the breakers at Amagan-
sett, about tarse miles away. My broth
er. 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, 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. but just
before they got to the shore the rope
snapped and the boat capsized and they