The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1894-11-16
n ylsaSuss. and all the thioresof pomR
ana All tho a0os NJ aternifv In is n iOy

deeper thar all depth, and higher than
all height, afid wider than alLwidth, and
vaster than all immensely. II bvertops,
II undergirds, it outweighs all the unit
cd splendor and joy of the universe
Who can tell what Gods joy ISL
The Rejoicing Father.
You Remember reading the story OF q
king who on some great day Of festiv1-
ty scattered silver anG gold among tho
people, who sent valuable presents to
his eouftiers, hut methinks when soul
comes back tied is 30 glad that to ex-
press his Joy he filings out new worlds
into Space, kindles up new suns and
rolls among the white robed anthems of
the redeemed greater hallelaiah, while
with voice that reverberates among
the mountains Of frankinccnse and Is
echoed back frae she eyerlastil gates
he cries, "This, MY som was dead and
Is alive againr
At the opening Of the exposition IN
New Orleans saw Mexican flutist.
and he played he sole, and then after,
ward the eight % tel, Nanaa Of music,
accompanied By the great drEsR, cane
in, but the soun0 Of that one flute as
compared with al IT,, orchestra YVES
Agroatet than all ,hocoMbined JOY OF tic
Universe Wheli gt,iur red with the TO
Rounding heart OF Air ightP cd.
For ten years father Went three
times dry to the depot. His son went
off in aPgravatirg rcumstances, hut
the father said, lie 9ill come back. J"
The strain was too much, and his mind
parted. and three time a day the father
went. In the early ms rning 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 thee 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 80 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 Repentant.
l notice also that when a prodigal
comes home there is the joy of the min
listers of religion. Oh, it is a grand thing
| to preach this gospel! know there has
been a great deal said about the trials
and the hardships of the Christian min
istry. l wish somebody would write a
| good, rousing book about the joys of tie
| Christian ministry. Since I entered the
profession 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 dol not
rise into enthusiasm, and they do not
| break down with emotion, but confess
to you plainly that when l see man
coming to God and giving up his sin
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 OWL
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 bel.
attested their allegiance to Jesus Chr,
| felt a joy something skin to that which
| the apostle describes. when he SaQs
whether iu thep cannot teIi' D
out of the body cannot tell. God know
eth
Have not ministers right to rejoic,
when prodigal comes home? They
blew the trumpet, and ought they no
to be glad of the gathering of the host
They pointed to the full supply, ant
ought they not to rejoice when SOUL
pant as the hart for the water brooks
They came forth saying, "All thing
are now ready" Ought they not re
joice when the prodigal sits down a
the banquet?
How Ministers Are Sustained.
Life insurance men will all tell 20,
that ministers Of religion as class liv'
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 nervou
system than in any other profession, ant
their toll is most exhausting. l hav
seen ministers kept On miserable sti
ponds by parsimonious congregation
| L. Mt hn Iy11ln nj
sermon, when the men of God wer
perplexed almost to death by question
of livelihood and had not enough nu
tritious food to keep any fire in thei
temperament No fuel, no fire hav
sometimes seen the inside Of the life 0
many of the American clergymen-
never accepting their hospitality be
cause they cannot afford it-but hav
seen them struggle on with salaries 0
$500 and $500 year, the average les
than that, their struggle well depict
ed by the western missionary who say
in letter: "Thank you for your las
remittance. Until it came we had no
any meat in our house for one ye;
and all last winter, although it was
severe winter, our children wore thei
summer clothes.
And these men of God l find i'll differ
ent parts of the land, struggling again
annoyances and exasperations immune
able some of them week after week
tertaining agents who have maps to 81
and submitting themselves to all style
of annoyances, and yet without con
plant and cheerful of soul How !
you account for the fact that these lit
insurance men tell us that ministers a
a class live longer than any others?
is because of the joy Of their work,
Joy of the harvest field, the joy Of greet
ing prodigals home to their Father
house.
Our Innocent joys.
We are in sympathy with all innocel
hilarities. We can enjoy a hearty SONG
and we can be merry with the merries'
but those of us who have toiled in til
service are ready to testify all these JOY
are tame compared with the satisfat
ton of seeing men enter the kingdom {
God. The great eras of every miniSte