The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-06
PENITENcE OF THE PRoDIGAL.
GLORIOUS INVITATION or THE COS
PEI As SEEN N THE STORY.

as the ProdigaI of the Bible-A
SimpIOn Pass From the Depths OF
Sin to the Mercy of God.
Washington. D. C.. April 5.-A most rad
zeal gospel sermon is the, one Of to-day by
DR.. TaImage 1t runs up and down tho
whole Eamut of glorious invitation His
text was Luke 10. Is. Il viii arise and SO
10 my father"
There IS nothing like hunger to take the
energy out Of a man. A hungry man can
toll neither with pen nor hand nor foot
There has been many an army defeated
not so much for lack of ammunition as for
lack OF bread. II was that fact that took
the fire out Of this young man OF the text
Storm and exposure will wear out any
mans life in time but hunger makes quick
work. The most awful cry ever heard on
earth is the cry for bread. \ traveller tells
US that in Asia Minor there are trees
which bear fruit looking very much like
the long bean Of our time. IL is called the
carob. Once in while the people, re-
duced TO restitution, would eat these ca
robs but generally the carObs, the beans
spoken of here in the text, We're thrown
only TO the swine, and they crunched theH
with great avidity. But this young man
of my text could not even get them WIFI
out stealing them. So one day, amid the
N ~
He says: These are no clothes Tor a rlch
mans son to wear; this is no kind OF BUS
mess for a Jew to be engaged IN, Ieeulns
swine; I'll go home; Ill 90 nome l. VIII
arise and 20 to my father" j know there
are great many people who try 10 throw
a fascination. "A romance, q halo abolt SIN,
but Notwithstanding an thai LORD Byron
and George Sand have said in regard 10 ~
il IS a mean, low, cOntemntlhle Duslucss
and putting food and fodder INTO the
trOughs of a herd of iniquites mat root
aud alInW in the soul OF man Us a very
poor business for men and women intend
ed to be sons and daughters OF the Lord
Almighty, and when this young man re-
solved to go home II was very wise tnlng
for him TO do and the only question 49,
whether we will follow him. satan prom
Uses large wages if We will serve MIN; but
he clothes his victims with rags, and he
pinches them with hunger, ana Wnen tuey
start out to do better he sets after them all
the bloodhounds of hell Satan comes 10
US to-day and he promises all luXuries and
emOluments III we will only serve him.
Liar. down with thee 10 the PIT! Inc
wages Of sin is death" on! the young
man of the text was wise when ne ut
tered the resolution, Il Will arise ana so 10
may father" In the time of Mary. the per-
secutor, a prosecutor came 10 Christian
woman who had hidden in her house for
the Lords sake one OF Christs servants,
and the prosecutor said: where Is that
heretic?" The Christian woman said:
you open that trunk and you will see the
hereto" The prosecutor opened the trunk,
and on the top Of the linen OF the trunk
he saw "A glass lie Sdlus mere - llU Al'A g
tic here "Ahr' she said. you look in
the glass and you will see the hereto
As take up the mirror of Gods word
TODAY 1 would that. instead Of seeing
ourselves-our want, our wandering. our
sin our lost condition, so that we might
be as wise as this young man was ana
say, II will arise and go TO my iather.
The resolution of this text was formed
in disgust a his present circumstances.
If this young man had been by MS en-
ployer set to culturing flowers, or tram
Ing vines over an arbor. or keeping an ac-
count of the pork market, or overseeing
other lalborers, he would not nave thought
of going home. II he had had MS Pock-
cts fun of money, If he had been able to
say. II have a thousand dollars now or
my own what's the use of my going
I'm going back to apologize to the old
man? Why, he would put me on the nm
its; he would not have going on around tho
old place such conduct as l nave Deen
engaged in: / won't go home; there is no
reason why 1 should go home' L nave
plenty of money, plenty OF pleasant sur,
roundings; why should go nome! An!
At was his pauperism, II was his beggary.
He had to go home. Some man comes
and says to me: why do you tax ABOUT
the ruined state of the human soulE why
don't you speak about the progress OF the
nineteenth century, and talk OF some
thing more eXhilaratingY 1t IS Tor inns
reason: A man never wants the gospel
until he realizes he is in famlne-Struck
arate Suppose | should come 10 you in
sour home and you are in good, sound
robust health, and l should begin to
talk about medicines and about now
much better this medicine is than that
and some other medicine than some otner
medicine, and talk about this physician
aud that physician; After awhlle you
would get tired, and you would say:
don't want to hear about medicines. why
do you talk to me of physiciansF never
have a doctor" But suppose 1 come INTO
YOUR house and / ind you severely SICK,
and l know the medicines that VIII cure
YOU and / know the physician VINO Is
skillful enough to meet your case You
say: Bring on all that medicine, bring
on that physician. am terribly sick, and
i want help" If ] come to you and you
feel YOU are all right in body, and all
right in mind. and all right in soul, you
have need of nothing, but suppose l have
persuaded you that the leprosy of sin is
upon you, the worst of all sickness. On!
gospel, bring me that divine medicament,
bring me Jesus Christ" But, says
some one in the audience, now 90 you
know that we are in a ruined condltoh
by sin?" Well. ! can prove II in two
WAYS and YOU may have your choice.
/ can prove it either by the statements
of men or by the statement of God. Which
shall it be? You say, Let us nave the
statement of God" Well, he says in one
place, 1.-THE heart is deceiuul above all
things and desperately wicked. lie says
On another place, What is man that ne
should be clean? And he which is born
of woman, that he should be righteous
He says in another place, "There is none
that doeth good-no. not one" He says
in another place, LAS by one man sin en-
tered into the world, and death by sin,
and so death passed upon all men, for
that all had sinned." We'll" you say.
81 am willing to acknowledge that, but
why should 1 take the particular rescue
that you propose?" This is the reason:
Except a man be born again he cannot
see the kingdom or God
This is the reason: There is
one name given under heaven among
men whereby they may be saved Then
there are thousand voices here ready to
saw: well. / am ready to accept this help
of the gospel; I would like to have this
divine cure; how shall ] go to work."
Let me say that a mere whim, an unde-
fined longing amounts to nothing You
must have a stout, tremendous reSolu-
ton like this young man of the text when
he said, Il will arise and go TO my father.
sOh" says some man, "how do l know
nv father wants me? How do l know, If
90 back, I would be received?' "Oh, -
says some man, you don't know where 1
have been; you don't know how far
have wandered; you wouldn't talk THAI
way to me if you knew all the iniquities
I have committed" What is that flutter
among the angels Of God? What is that
horseman running with quick dispatch 1t
IS news, it is newsi Christ has found
the lost.
Nor angels can their JOY contain,
But kindle with new fire.