Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-11-12

] ward the eight or ten bands OF music,
accom- panied by the great organ, came
/ in; but the sound of that one flute. as
| com pared with all the orchestra, was
greater than all the combined JOY OF the
universe, when compared with the
resounding heart Of Almighty God.
For ten years, father went three
| times day 10 the depot. His son went
/ off ia aggravatlng circumstances; but
the father said. He will come back"
The strain was too much, and his mind
! parted; aud three times a day the father
/ went. Ia the early morning, he watched
/ the train-its arrival, the stepping out
| Of the passengers, and then the depar-
/ ture Of the train. At noon be was tnere
/ again, watching the advance OF the
train, watching the departure. AT
night, there again, watching the com
/ ing, watching the going. for ten years.
| He was sure mis- son would come back.
| God has been watching and waiting for
some OF you, my brothers, ten years,
/ twenty years, thirty years, forty years,
perhaps fifty years-waiting, waiting
watching, watching; and II this morn
| log the prodigsl should come home,
/ what scene OF gladness and festivlty,
and how the Fathers heart would re-
! joice at your coming home You Will
come, some of you, will you not? You
will you will!
Notice also that when prodigal
comes home there is the JOY OF the min.
listers of religion. Oh, 1t Is q grand
| thing 20 preach this Gospel! know
there has been a great deal said about
the trials aud the hardships OF the
Christian ministry. I wish somebody
would write a good, rousing book about
the joys Of
THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY.
Since entered the profession, have
seen more Of the goodness of God than
1 will be able TO celebrate in all eternity.
l know some boast about their equillo-
rum, and they do not rise into en-
thusiasm, and they do not break down
with emotion; but l confess to you
plainly that when / see man coming
I TO God aud giving up his sin, feel In
/ body, mind and soul a transport When
/ I see a man, who is bound hand and
| foot in evil habit, emancipated, re-
/ iolce over it as though it were my own
! enamel patton. When, in our COM
munion service, such throngs Of young
| and old stood up at the affairs, and, In
/ the presence of heaven aud 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 eau
not tell, or out OF the body cannot
| tell; God KnOweth. "
/ Have not ministers right TO rejoice
/ when prodigal comes home? They
/ blew the trumpet, AMI ought they not
( TO be glad of the gathering Of the host!
/ They pointed 10 q full supply, and
ought they not TO rejoice when souls
pant as the hart for water-brooks?
I They came forth saying, "All things
are now ready" ought they not rejoice
I when the prodigal sits down at the ban
| quet?
I Life insurance men all tell you that
ministers Of religion as class live lon
ger than aoy other. It is confirmed oy
! the statistics of all those who calculate
upon human longevity. Why IL?
There is moro draft upon the ,,-- Gus
/ system than i'm aOy other profession,
and their toll is most eXhauSting. l
( have seen ministers kept on miserable
stiDends by paAimOnIouS congrega-
tious who wondered at the dullneSS of
the sermons, when the men OF God were
perpexed almost to death by
QUESTIONS OF LIVELIHOOD,
and had not enough nutritious food 10
/ keep any fire in their tempe rament. 10
/ fuel, no fire. l have sometimes seen
the inside Of the life of ma ny of the
/ American clergymen-never acce ping
/ their hospitality, because they cannot
/ afford IT,: but have seen them struggle
| on with salaries OF FIVE aud six hundred
/ dollars a year-the average less than
| that-their struggle well depicted by
/ the Western missionary, who says IN a
/ letter: Thank you for your last remit
I lance; until ii came Wa had not any
| meat in our house for one year, and all
/ last winter, although il was severe
/ winter, our children wore their summer
| clothes" And these men Of God l lind
/ 10 different parts Of the land, strugg
] against annoyances and exaS SEPARATIONS
/ innumerabie; some OF them week after
/ week entertaining agents who have
| maps to sell, and submitting themselves
/ TO all styles of annoyance, and yet with
| out complaint, aud 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 Joy OF the harvest field, the
| Joy of greeting prodigals home to their
/ Fathers house.
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 that all
| these Joys are tame compared with the
/ satisfaction OF seeing men enter the
| kingdom OF God. The great eras of
every minister are the outpourings OF
/ the HOLY Ghost, aud l thank God haI Q
seen twenty of them. Thank God,
! thank God!
l notice also wden the prodigal comes
| back, all earnest christians rejoice. II
/ you stood on prOmOntory aud there
was hurricane at sea, and il was blow
ing toward the shore, and a vessel
| or ashed into the rocks ana you saw peo-
/ ple get ashore In the life boats and the
/ very last man got on the rocks in safe
", you could not control your JOY. And
/ IL is glad time when the church OF
/ God sees men who are tossed on the
ocean of their sins plant their feet
on THE ROCK JESUS CHRIST.
When prodiga,s come home, just hear
| those Christians sing. IL is not dull
tune you hear at such times. Just hear
those Christians pray. 1t is DOT Ste
reotyped supplication we have heard
over aud over again for twenty years,
but putting Of the case in the hands
/ II ID ...iAh O m i'm nnrtnnatn nLaahlrr