Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-23
THE PR0DIGAL SON
Mr.. Moody's Eloquent Talk on the
Well Known Parable.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OrqHE STORY
He Urges His Hearers That Now
Is the Time.
LARGE ATTENDANCE OF MEN

LARGE ATTENDANCE OF MEN
One thing which strikes the observer at
the Moody and Sankey services Is the large
proportion of men in the audience. The
proportion is much larger than is usually
found in church congregations. This was
notably the case at last nights Meeting.
The preliminary service of prayer and
song was varied by the appearance Of Mr.
John r. Sweeney, who has written many Of
the songs in the Moody and Sankey hymnal
He sang solo, Escape to the Mountains
the words Of which are now printed for the
first time:
Awake. o We careless. arise and away,
The voice OF the spirit is pleading today;
storm Is approaching. destruction Is Nigh
Escape to the mountain-for why will ye
die?
Chorus:
Escape to the mountain; escape to the
storm is approaching; destruction Is nigh;
Escape to the mountain; escape to the
mountain;
Be warned Of your danger. o haste, ere We
die.
The angel Of mercy is calling again,
Stay not in the valley or rest on the plain !:
Press onward. straight onward, and look
not behind
But speed to your refuge as feet as the
wind.
The trump of the Gospel is sounding
Your day of probation ere long may be DER;
Gods heralds entreat you with urgent COM
Then why undecided. oh. why will you
stand.
"A dear loving Savior stil, kro.L. o& ,,o,,-
heart,
Now open its portals. nor let Him depart:
Give heed to His message. repent and be-
The pardon He offers with gladness re-
ceivev'
At the commencement Of the service Mr..
Moody invoked the audience to silent
prayer and asked the prayers of the con-
gregation in behalf Of a bereaved family,
a member Of the choir having died sudden
ly and left a husband and two sons, who
had also been members of the choir Thank
God! she died with glorious hope" fer
vently said Mr.. Moody, in referring to the
deceased's Christian life. After a few mo-
ments of silent prayer. Mr.. Percy Foster,
leader OF the choir. pronounced touching
prayer for the bereaved family.
Mr.. Moody then read a few verses in the
fifteenth chapter Of Luke, the parable of
| the Prodigal Son. the old story of the young
man who wasted his substance In riotous
living until he came to that point where
he was fain to eat husks which the swine
ate; then he returned in penitence to his
fathers house and was received with open
arms by his forgiving father.
sine "A. tne conclusion OF the reading: Mr..
Is My Wandering Boy Tonight? Mr.
Sankey played the accompaniment and
joined in the chorus. Then the choir and
congregation sang the hymn Christ Re
ceiveth Sinful Men"
The PrOdiSal Son.
"We have for our subject tonight the
Prodiga Son." said Mr.. Moody, perhaps
the best known character in the Bible We
are probably better acquainted with him
than his brother. The trouble with this
young man is that he started out with a
false idea of life, and 1 am inclined TO
think that about ninety-nine in every one
hundred young men Of this day do the
same thing, and that is that they are not
willing to take the advice Of those who
have gone ahead. Plenty of money and
nothing to do ruins millions. 1t is a COM
mandment, / believe, that man must earn
his bread by the sweat of his brow.
would not give much for any one but q
self-made man. The rich mans son who
amounts to anything these days is a rarity
The rich mans son has not fair show IN
the world. One of the greatest mistakes
which parents make is that their children
should do nothing but spend the money
which they made.
The Modern Type.
II shall picture that prodigal as a modern
prodigal. shall bring him down to this CEN
tury. That young man was just as much Of
| a prodigal the day he left home, and more
So than he was when he returned without
money. I've no doubt that young man
moved with the bon ton society; he at
tended the theater. wore the best clothes.
drove four-in-hand team, smoked the best
cigars, and drank at only the best bars.
He probably went down to Memphis where
there was gay set, and went a fast pace.
1t probably took about five years to run
through his little fortune Now we find him
no longer at the best hotel he is down in a
back street, hanging around the pawn
broker shop. About that time there came a
mighty famine in that land 1 tell you
there will always be famine in the
DEVILS land, and it never failed. Now we
see him stumbling along in his rags,
avoided by his former companions. Stunned
and despised- No man gave to him. The
devil never gives. The world will help ruin
You, but 1t will never help you up.
Would Not Beg Nor Steal.
Blu. 1 want to say a word for the prodigal.
Thank God he would not beg and would not
steal. 1 tell you that a young man of
twenty-five who begs is almost beyond lift
ing up. He went out and was fain to eat
swine food. But nobody would even give
him swine food. Now, just stop and see
| what that young man lost. In the first
place he lost all of his money, all Of his So
called friends; he lost his reputation; he
lost his good name. 1 want to know If
prodigals are not doing that right along?
But there was one thing which he never
| lost. He never lost his fathers love- That
| fathers love was Interchangeable. 1t was
that which brought him. He knew that his
| father still loved him.
"One morning he got to thinking. Oh, II
could just get you people tonight TO think
| ing Where am l, where am l going? 1t
was thinking that brought that boy back.
He sat down and thought of his youth and
| bis father-how good his father was to
him. Then he took look out into the fu-
ture, and there was nothing but darkness
and gloom. Oh, sinner. take n look ahead
down the road to the grave. 1t isn't far OF.
Resolving to Go Home.
Then came the struggle with that young
man. 1t was with his pride that he strug-
gled. And when that prodigal said will
| arise and go to my father / believe the
| shout echoed around the throne Of God.
| Now, take look into the old home !
would like to have dropped into that home
| just week before. We will see that cid
man at family prayers, praying for his
I Il -