Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-11-16

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 a father went three
times a day to the depot. His son went
of 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 como
back. God has been watching and wait
ing for some Of you, my brothers, 10
years, 20 years, 80 years, 40 years, per-
haps 80 years, waiting, waiting, watch
ing, watching. and If this morning the
prodigal should come home, what a
scene of gladness and festivity and how
the great Fathers heart would rejoice
at your coming homel You will come,
some Of you, will you not? You will,
you will i
Joy over the Repentant.
notice also that when a prodigal
comes home there is the Joy Of the min
listers Of religion. Oh, it is grand thing
to preach this gospell know there has
been O great dea; said about the trials
and the hardships of the Christian min
istry. I wish somebody would write a
good, rousing hook about the joys Of the
Christian ministry. Since / entered the
profession have seen more Of the good
ness Of God than l will be able to cele-
brate in all eternity. l know some boast
about their equilibrium, and they do not
rise into enthusiasm, and they do not
break down with emotion, but confess
to you plainly that when 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 altars and in the
presence Of heaven and earth and hell
attested their allegiance to Jesus Christ,
l felt 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 host2
They pointed to the full supply, and
ought they not to rejoice when souls
pant as the hart for the water brooksl
They came forth saying, "All things
are now ready" Ought they not re-
joice when the prodigal sits down at
the banquet?
How Ministers Are Sustained
Life insurance men will all tell you
that ministers Of religion as class live
longer than any other. 1t is confirmed
by the statistics Of all those who calcu-
late upon human longevity. Why is it?
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-
pends by parsimonious congregations
who wondered at the dullness Of tho
sermon. when the men Of God were
perplexed almost 10 death by questions
Of livelihood and had not enough nu-
tTitious food to keep any fire in their
temperament No fuel. no fire. have
sometimes seen the inside Of tho life OF
many Of the American clergymen-
never accepting their hospitality be-
cause they cannot afford it-but 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 for one year,
and all last winter. although it was a
severe winter, our children wore their
summer clothes.
And these men Of God I find in differ
ent parts Of the land, struggling against
annoyances and exasperations innumer-
able, some Of them week after week en-
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
a class live longer than any others? IL
is because of the Joy Of their work, the
| 10y 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 tho
service are ready to testify all these joys
are tame compared with the satisfac-
ton Of seeing men enter the kingdom OF
God The great eras Of every minister
are the outpourings of the Holy Ghost,
and I thank God / have seen 20 Of them.
Thank God, thank Godl
notice also when the prodigal comes
back all earnest Christians rejoice. x
YOU stood on q promontory, and ttsre
was a hurricane at sea, and itwes BIZ
| ing toward the shore, and vesse. Z c-.,'
cd into the rocks, and you s'N GO.
get ashore In the lifeboats, en- - "a
last man got on the rocks IN Sc. -
could not control your joy. LA - 3 .
glad time when the church o. Coo s33s
men who are tossed on the ocean Of thelr
sins plant their feet on the rock Chriss
Jesus
The Enectual Prayer.
When prodigals come home, 1uss he--
those Christians singi IL is not c f5'il
tune you hear at such times Just herr
those Christians prayl It is not stereo-
typed supplication we have heard over
and sSer for 20 years, but putting Oh
the case In the hands Of God with an I'm.
Fortunate pleading. Men never pray at
great length unless they have nothing
70 say. and their hearts are hard ana
| an Al x,~ovaxo a., tho Riblo that