The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1894-11-22

| OF them week after week entertaining agents
! who have maps to sell and submitting them
selves to all styles OF annoyances, and yer
without complaint and cheerful OF SOU.
| How do you account for the fact that these
| life insurance men tell us that ministers as a
, class live longer than any others? 1t IS be-
cause Of the JOY OF their work. the JOY o! the
| harvest field, the Joy OF greeting prod1gals
| home 10 their Fathers house.
| We are in sympathy with all innocent
| hilarities. We can en- Joy hearty song. ana
| we can be merry with the merriest but those
| of US who have toiled in the service ara
ready to testify all these joys are tame COM
| pared with the satisfaction OF seeing men
enter the kingdom OF God. The great eras
of every minister are the outrourings OF the
Holy Ghost and thank God nave seen
! twenty OF them, Thank God thank GoH
notice also when the pro1igal comes
back all earnest Christians rejoice. Ii you
stood on promontory. and there was hur-
ricane at sea. and it was blowing toward the
shore. and n vessel crashed into the rocks.
ana you saw people get ashore in the He
boats, and the very last man got on the rocks
in safety, you could not control your Joy.
And it is glad time when the church of God
sees men who are tossed on the ocean oftheir
sins plant their feet on the rock Christ Jesus.
When prodigals come home. Just near
those Christians sing 1t is not dull tune
you hear at such times. Just hear those
Christians pray! It is not astereotyped sup
plication we have heard over and over for
twenty years, but putting OF the case lnthe
hands Of God with an importunate pleading.
Men never pray at great length unless they
have nothing to say, and their hearts nre
hard and cold. All the prayers in the Bible
that were answered were short prayers.
God be merciful TO me. sinner" Lord,
that | may receive nv sight.
"Lord, save me or perish" The LONGEST
PRAYER. Solomon's prayer at the dedication
- ~ 40 1a-c hon m
length, according to the ordinary rate OF
enunciation. And just hear them pray now
that the prodigas are coming home. Just
see them shake hands. No putting forth OF
the four tips Of the fingers in n normal way,
but hearty grasp. where the muscles ofths
heart seem to clinch the fingers of ono hand
around the other hand. And then see those
Christian faces how illumined they are. And
see that old man get up and with the same
voice that he Sang fifty years ago in the old
country meeting house say, "Now, Lord.
lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace. for
mine eyes have seen Thy salvation" There
was man OF Keith who was hurled into
prison in time OF persecution and one day
he got off his shackles, and he came and
stood by the prison door, and when the
taller was opening the door with one stroke
he struck down the man who had lncarcera-
ted him.
Passing along the streets of London, he
wondered where his family was. He did
not dare to ask lest he excite suspicion. but
passing along little way from the prison he
saw o Keith tankard q cup that belonged 10
the family from generation to generation.
He saw it in a window. His family, hoping
that some day he would get clear, camo and
! lived as near as they could to the PRISON
| house. and they set that Keith tankard III
| the window. hoping he would see it, and he
| came along and saw it, and knocked at tha
| door, and went in, and the long absent ia;r-
all fhAr n
would start for the kingdom of Goa today,
| think some of you would Ani nearly all
| YOUR friends and nearly all your families
| around the holy tankard OF the holy com.
| munion-fathers, mothers. brothers. sisters,
| around that sacred tankard which com.
memorates the love OF Jesus Christ our Lord
| oh, it will be a great communion day wnen
| your whole family sits around tho sacred
tankard One on earth. one in heaven.
| Once more | remark that when the prod
! igal gets back the inhabitants OF heaven
| keep festival am very certain OF it. Ii
| you have never seen q telesraphic chart,you
| have no idea how many cities are connected
| together and how many lands, Nearly all
| the neighborhoods of the earth seem reticu
| lated, and news flies from city to city and
| from continent to continent. But more rap
idly so the tidings from earth to heaven.
! and when prodigal returns it is announced
| before the throne of God.
And il these souls to-day should enter the
| kingdom there would be some ono in the
| heavenly kingdom TO say, "Fhats my
father" 'That's my mother" 'fhat's my
| son." 'That's my daughter" "rhat's my
| friend "That's tho one used to pray for
"Ihat's tho one for whom | 'pt SO MANY
tears" and one soul would SAY. "Hosanna"
and another soul would say, "Haleuiah !"
Pleased with thu news, the saints below
| In songs their tongues employ.
| Beyond the skies the tidlugs go,
And heaven is filed with Joy.
Nor angels can their Joy contain,
But kindle with new fire
The sinner lost is found they sing,
And strike the sounding Tyre.
At the banquet OF LuculIus sat Cicero, the
orator Al the Macedonian festival sat
Philip, the conqueror. AT the Greciau ban.
quet sat Socrates, the philosopher, but at
our Fathers table sit ali the returned prodi-
gals, more than conquerors. The table is so
wide its leaves reach across seas and across
lands. Its guests are the redeemed of the
earth and the glorihei OF heaven. Tae ring
OF GODS forgiveness on every hand, the
robe OF Saviour's righteousness adroop
from every shoulder. The wine that glows
in the cups is from the bowls OF &c. 900 sacra-
ments. Let all the redeemed OF earth and
| all the gloriled of heaven arise, and with a
| cleaning chalice drink to the return of a
| thousand prodigals. Sing, sing. sing
| "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to re-
| ceive blessing and riches and honor and
| glory and power, world without end !"
I
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