Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1892-09-02

LUXE XIV, j..
There is nothing like hunger to take the
energy out OF man. A hungry man can
toll neither with pen nor hand nor foot
There has been an army defeated not so
much for lack of ammunition as for lack of
bread. 1t was that fact that took the fire
out Of this young man of the text. Storm
and exposure will wear out any m ans life
in time, but hunger makes quick work. The
most awful cry ever heard on earth is the
CRY Tor bread.
A traveller tells US that in Asia Minor
there are trees which bear fruit looking very
much like the long bean of our time It is
called the carab Once in awhile the people
reduced to restitution would eat these ca
rabs, but generally the carabs the beans
spoken of here in the text were thrown only
to the swine and they crunched them with
great avldlty. But this young man of my
text could not get even them without steal
ing them. So one day amid the swine
tToughs he begins to soliloquize. He says,
These are no clothes for q rich mans son to
wear; this is no kind of business for Jew
to be engaged in-feeding swine; I'll 90
home; I'll go home; will arise and go to my
father
l know there are great many people who
try TO throw fascination, a romance, a
halo about sin; but Notwithstanding all that
Lord Byron and George Sand have said in
regard to 1t, it is a mean, low, contemplate
business. and putting food and fodder into
the troughs Of herd Of 1niquities that root
and wallow in the soul Of man is very poor
business tor men and women intended to be
sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty.
AND When this young man resolved to go
home 1t was very wise thing for him to do,
and the only question is whether we will fol~
low him.
Satan promises large wages if we will
serve him, but he clothes his victims with
rags and he pinches them with hunger and
when they start out to DO better he sets
after them all the bloodhounds of hell.
Satan comes to us to-day, and he promises
all Iuxuries, all emoluments il we will only
serve him. Liar, down with thee to the
pit! The wages of sin is DEATH" Oh, the
young man of the text was wise when he
uttered the resolution, II will arise and go
to my father"
In the time of Queen Mary of England a
prosecutor came to Christian woman who
bad hidden in her house. for the Lords sake,
one of Christ's servants, and the prosecutor
said, "Where is that heretic?' The Chris
tian woman said, 'Y on open that trunk and
you will see the hereto" The prosecutor
opened the trunk, and on the top of the
linen Of the trunk he saw glass. He said,
"'There IS no hereto here" 'Ahr she said,
''you look in the glass and you will see the
heretic!' AS I take up the mirror of Gods
word to-day, | would that instead of seeing
the prodigal of the text we might see our
selves-our want, our wandering, our sin,
our lost condition-so that we might be as
wise as this young man was and say, 81 will
arise and go to my father"
The resolution of this text was formed in
disgust at his present circumstances. If this
young man had been by his employer set to
culturing flowers, or training vines over an
arbor, OF keeping account Of the pork mar
ket or overseeing other labOrerS he would
not have thought of going home. 1t he had
had his pockets full OF money, if he had been
able 10 say: II have thousand dollars now
OF my own, what's the use of my going back
to my fathers house? Do you think | am
going back to apologize to the old man?
Why, he would put me on the limits; he
would nothave going on around the old place
such conduct as [ have been engaged in. I
won't go home. There is no reason why
should 90 home. [ have plenty of money:
plenty of pleasant surroundings Why should
60 home" All! it was his pauperism; it
was his beggary. He had to go home
Some man comes and says to me: 'Why
do you talk about the ruined state Of the hu
man soul? Why don't you speak about the
progress of the Nineteenth century, and talk
OF something more exhilarating ?" It is for
this reason "a man never wants the Gospel
until he realizes he is in a famine struck
state. Suppose l should come to you in
your home and you are in good robust health,
and l should begin to talk about medicines,
and bout how much better this medicine is
than that, and some other medicine than
some other medicine, and talk about this
physician and that physician. After awhile
you would get tired, and you would says, 81
don't want to hear about medicines. Why
do you talk to me of physicians? l never
have doctor"
you severely sick, and know the medicines
that will cure you, and kno " the physician
who is skilful enough to meet your case.
You say: Bring on all that medicine; bring
on that physician. | am terribly sick and
I want help" If came to you and you feel
all ricybf a OH n
mind and all right in soul you have need of
nothing, but supposing l have persuaded
you that the leprosy of sin is upon you, the
worst of all sickness, oh. then you say,
"'Bring me that balm of the Gospel; bring
me that divine medicament; bring me Jesus
Christ"
But says some one in the audience, Glow
do you prove that we are in a ruined con-
dition by sin?' Well, I can prove it in two
ways, and you may have your choice.
can prove it either by the statements
OF men or by the statement Of
God. Which shall it be? You all say, LET
us have the statement of God" Well, He
says in one place, "The heart is deceitful
above ell things and desperately wicked. :"
He says in another place, "What is man
that he should be clean? and he which is
born of a woman, that he should be righte
Gus" He says in another place, There is
none. that doeth good; no, not one" He
says in another place, LAS by one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin;
and so death passed upon all men, for that
all have sinned"
"Wen," you say, al am willing to
acknowledge that, but why should I take
the particular rescue that you propose?'
This is the reason, Except a man be born
again he cannot see 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, "Well, am ready
to accept this help of the Gospel; would
like to have this divine cure; how shall 90
to work.? Let ME say that mere whim,