The Yale expositor., 1896-04-10

at the door, and stranger has come.
1t is the old homestead. but a stranger
comes to the door. He finds out that
father is gone, and mother is gone, and
brothers and sisters all gone. | think
this young man of the text said to him.
self, Perhaps father may be dead"
Still, he starts to find out. He Is
homesick. Are there any here to-day
homesick for God, homesick for heav-
en-? A sailor, after having been long
on the sea. returned 10 his fathers
house, and his mother tried to persuade
him not to so away again. She said.
Now. you had better stay at home.
Don't go away. We don't want you to
go You will have it great deal bet
ter here" But 1t made him angry. The
night before he went away again to sea,
he heard his mother praying in the
next room, and that made him more
angry. He went far out on the sea, and
a storm came up and he was ordered to
very perilous duty, and he ran up the
ratlines, and amid the shrouds Of the
ship he heard the voice that he had
whistle it off, he tried to rally his cour-
age; but he could not silence the voice
he had heard in the next room, and
there in the storml and darkness he
said, 80 Lord! what a wretch ! have
been? What a wretch am! Help mo
just now, Lord God" And / thought
in this assemblage to-day there may be
some who may have the memory of Il
fathers petition. or a mothers prayer
pressing nightly upon the soul, and
that this hour they may make the
same resolution find In my text, say
ing: 81 will arise and go to my father"
A lad at Liverpool went out to battle;
went out into the sea, went out too far,
got beyond his depth and he fioated far
away. A ship bound for Dublin came
along and took him on board. Sailors
are generally very generous fellows,
and one gave him cap, and another
gave him a jacket. and another gave
him shoes. A gentleman passing along
on the beach at Liverpool found the
lads clothes and took them home, and
the father was heartbroken, the mother
was heartbroken, at the loss of their
child. They had heard nothing from
him day after day, and they ordered
the usual mourning for the sad event.
But the lad took ship from Dublin and
arrived in Liverpool the very day the
mourning arrived. He knocked at the
door, the father was overjoyed and the
mother was overjoyed at the return Of
their lost son. Oh, my friends, have
you waded out too deep? Have you
waded down into sin? Have you waded
from the shore? VIII you come back?
When you come back will you come in
the rags Of your SIM or will you come
robed in the Savior's righteousness?
believe the latter. Go home to your God
to. day. He is waiting for you. Go
home!
But l remark the characteristic OF
this resolution was, it was Immediately
put into execution. The context says
'hc arose and came to his father" The
trouble in nine hundred and ninety
nine times out of thousand is that our
resolutions amount to nothing, because
we make them for some distant time.
If | resolve to become Il Christian next
year, that amounts to nothing at all.
II | resolve to become n Christian to-
morrow, that amounts 10 nothing at
all. II / resolve at the service this day
to become a Christian, that amounts to
nothing at all. If l resolve after l go
10 NV IN GaI
that amounts to nothing at all. The
only kind Of resolution that amounts
to anything is the resolution that is
Immediately put into execution. There
is a man who had the typhoid fever, he
said: "Oh! if / could get over this ter
part; IL / could be restored to health,
/ would all the rest of my life serve
God" The fever departed. He got well
enough to walk around the block. He
got we'll enough to go over to business.
He is well to-day-as we'll as he ever
was. Where is the broken vow? There
is a man who said. long ago: IF
could live to the year 1896, by that
time / will have my business matters
all arranged, and l will have time to
attend to religion, and / will be good,
thorough, consecrated Christian" The
year 1896 has come. January, Feb
ruary, March, April-a fourth Of the
year gone. Where is your broken VOW?
Oh" says some man, "Ill attend to
that when / get my character fixed up,
when l can get over my evil habits;
am now given to strong drink" or,
says the man, II am given to unclean-
noss;" or. says the man, II am given to
dishonesty. When get over my pres
ent habits, then I'll be thorough
Christian" My brother, you will get
worse and worse, until Christ takes
you in hand. Not the righteous, sim
ners Jesus came to call" Oh, but you
say, II agree with you in all that, but
/ must put it off little longer" Do
you know there were many who came
just as near as you are 10 the kingdom
of God and never entered it? | was at
Easthampton, and l went into the GEM
etery to look around, and in that Come