Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1894-11-17

accompanied By the great organ, came
in, but the sound Of that one flute az
compared with all the orchestra was
greater than all the combined joy of the
universe when compared with the re.
sounding heart of Almighty God.
For ten years father went three
times day to the depot. His son went
off in aggravating circumstances, but
the father said, "He will come back. )"
The strain was too much, and his mind
parted, and three times day the father
went In the early morning he watch
ed the train-its arrival, the stepping
out of the passengers, and then the de-
parture of train. At noon he was there
again, watching the advance Of the
train, watching the departure.
At night there again, watching the
coming, watching the going. for ten
years. He was sure his son would come
back. God has been watching and wait.
ing for some Of you, my brothers, 10
years, 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, per-
haps 90 years, waiting, waiting, watch
ing, watching, and if this morning the
prodigal should come home, what a
scene of gladness and festiyity and how
the great Fathers heart would rejoice
at your coming home You will come,
some of you, will you not? You will,
You will!
JOY Over the Repcntant.
l notice also that when prodigal
comes home there is the joy Of the min
listers of religion. Oh, it is grand thing
to preach this gospel know there has
been great deal said about the trials
and the hardships of the Christian min
istry. l wish somebody would write
good, rousing hook about the joys of the
Christian ministry. Since l entered the
profession l have seen more Of the good
ness of God than will be able to cele-
brate in all eternity. know some boast
about their equilibrium, and they do not
rise into enthusiasm, and they do not
break down with emotion, but l confess
to you plainly that when l see man
coming to God and giving up his sin l
feel in body, mind and soul transport.
When / see man who is bound hand
and foot In evil habit emancipated, re-
joice over it as though it were my own
emancipation. When, in our commun-
ion service, such throngs of young and
old stood up at the affairs and in the
presence of heaven and earth and hell
attested their allegiance to Jesus Christ,
1 felt a joy something akin to that which
the apostle describes when he says:
"Whether in the body cannot tell, or
out of the body cannot tell. God know
eth. "
Have not ministers right to rejoice
when a prodigal comes homer They
blew the trumpet, and ought they not
to be glad Of the gathering of the hosti
They pointed to the full supply. and
ought they not to rejoice when souls
pant as the hart for the water brooksi
They came forth saying, "All things
are now ready" Ought they not re-
joice when the prodigal sits down at
the banquet?
How Ministers Arc Sustained.
Life insurance men will all tell you
that ministers of religion as class live
longer than any other. It is confirmed
by the statistics-of all those who calcu-
late upon human longevity. Why is It'll
There is more draft upon the nervous
system than in any other profession, and
their toll Is most exhausting. have
seen ministers kept on miserable sti-
ponds by parsimonious congregations
who wondered at the dizziness Of the
sermon, when the men Of God were
perplexed almost to death by questions
of livelihood and had not enough nu.
tritious food to keep any fire in their
temperament. No fuel, no fire. l have
sometimes seen the inside Of the life of
many Of the American clergymen-
never accepting their hospitality be-
cause they cannot afford it-but I have
seen them struggle on with salaries Of
$500 and 5000 year, the average less
than that, their struggle well depict
ed by the western missionary who says
in letter: "Thank you for your last
remittance. Until it came we had not
any meat in our house Tor one year,
and all last winter, although it was a
severe winter, our children wore their
summer clothes. p"
And these men of God find in differ
ent parts of the land, struggling against
annoyances and exasperations innumer-
able, some Of them week after week ell
tertaining agents who have maps to sell
and submitting themselves to all styles
of annoyances, and yet without COM
plant and cheerful Of soul. How do
you account for the fact that these life
insurance men tell US that ministers as
class live longer than any others? 1t
is because Of the joy of their work, the
JOY Of the harvest field. the JOY Of greet
ing prodigals home to their Fathers
house
Our Innocent joys.
We are in sympathy with all innocent
hilarities We can enjoy hearty song,
and we can be merry with the merriest,
but those Of us who have toiled in the
service are ready to testify all these joys
are tame compared With the satls1ac-
ton OF seeing men enter the kingdom OF
God. The great eras Of every minister
are the outpourings Of the Holy Ghost,
and thank God 1 have seen 20 of them.
Thank God, thank God
notice also when the prodigal comes
back all earnest Christians rejoice. II
Won stood on O promontory, and there
was hurricane at sec, and 1t was blow
ing toward the shore, and vessel crash
ed into the rocks, and you saw people
get ashore in the lifeboats. and the very
last man got on the rocks in safety, you
could not control your joy. And it is a
glad time when the church Of God sees
men who are tossed on the ocean Of their
sins plant their feet on the rock Christ
Jesus.
The Effectuel Prayer.
When prodigals como home, just hear
III