Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1896-04-11
AWyOMAC G. H. VA. SATURDAY, APRIL IL 1896

you propose?h This is the reason: "EX-
cept man be born again he cannot see
the kingdom of God This is the rea-
son: "There is one name given under
heaven among men whereby they may
be saved. " Then there are thousand
voices here ready to say: "Well, am
ready to accept this help of the gospel.
/ would like to have this divine cure.
How shall 1 60 to worl?" Let me say
that mere whim, an underlined longing,
amounts to nothing You must have a
stout a tremendous resolution like this
young man of the text when he said, 81
will arise and go to my father. - oh, J"
says some man, chow do l know my
father wants me? How do know if l so
back Iwould be received?' "Oh, " says
some man, "you don't know where l
have been. You don't know how far /
have wandered. You wouldn't talk that
way to meif you knew all the iniquities
1 Lave committed What is that flutter
among the angels Of God? What is that
horseman running with quick dispatch
1t is news 1t is news Christ has found
the lost.
Nor angels can their JOY contain,
But kndle with new fire.
The sinner lost is found, they sing,
And strike tho sounding Tyre.
When Napoleon talked of going into
Italy, they said "You can't get there.
If you knew what the Alps were. you
wouldn't talk about it or think about it.
You can't get your ammunition wagons
over the Alps {" Then Napoleon rose in
his stirrups, and, waving his hand to-
ward the mountains, he said, There
shall be no Alps!" That wonderful pass
was laid cut which has been the Won
derment of all the years since-the Won
derment of all engineers. And you tell
me there are such mountains of sin be-
tween your soul and God there is no
mercy. Then J see Christ waving his
hand toward the mountains [ hear him
say, II will come over the mountains of
thy sin and the hills of thine iniquity. ]"
There shall be 10 Pyrenees; there shall
be no Alps.
Repentant.
Again, notice that this resolution of
the young man of my text was founded
in sorrow at his misbehavior. 1t was not
mere physical plight 1t was grief that
he had so maltroated his father 1t is a
sad thing after father has done every
thing for child to have that child un-
grateful.
How sharper than serpent's tooth it is
To have a thanlless child.
That is Shakespeare. "a foolish son
is the heaviness of his mother. " That is
the Bible. Well, my friends, have not
some of US been cruel prodigals? Have
we not maltrcated our Father? And such
Father Three times day has he fed
thee He has poured sunlight into thy
day, and at night kindled up all the
street lamps of heaven. With what vari-
cites of apparel he hath clothed thee for
the seasons. Whose eye watches thee?
Whose hand defends thee: Whose heart
sympathizes with thee? Who gave you
your children? Who is guarding your
loved ones departed? Such Father So
loving, SO kind If he had been stran-
ger, if he had forsaken US, if he had
flagellated us, if he had pounded us and
ed us out of doors on the commons,
it would not have been so wonderful
our treatment of him-but he is Fa-
Their, so loving, SO kind, and yet how
many of Us for our wanderings have
never apologizedl If we say anything
that hurts our frienl's feelings, if we do
anything that hurts the feelings of those
in whom we are interested. how quickly
we apologize! We can scarcely wait un-
til we get pen and paper to write a let
ter of apology. low easy it is for any
one who is intelligent, right hearted,
to write an apology or make an apollo
Cyl We apologize for wrongs done to our
fellows, but some of US perhaps have
committed ten thousand times ten thou
sand wrongs against God and never
apologized.
remark still further that this resolu-
ton of the text was founded in feel
ing of inconsistencies. do not know how
long this young man, how many months,
how many years, he had been away from
his fathers house, but there is some
thing about the reading of my text that
makes me think he was homesick. Some
of you know what that feeling is. Far
away from home sometimes, surround
ed by everything bright and pleasant
plenty of friends-you have said, Il
would give the world to be home to-
night :" Well, this young man was
homesick for his fathers house. have
no doubt when he thought of his fathers
house he said, "Now perhaps father
may not be living" We read nothing
in this story-this parable-founded on
everyday life; we read nothing about
the mother. 1t says nothing about going
home to her. l think she was dead. L
think she had died of broken heart at
his wanderings, or perhaps he had gone
into dissipation from the fact that he
could not remember a loving and SYM
pathetic mother A man never gets over
having lost his mother. Nothing said
about her, hut he is homesick for his IA
theirs house. He thought he would just
like to 90 and walk around the old place.
He thought he would just like to go and
see if things were as they used to be.
Many man after having been off
long while has gone home and knocked
at the door, and a stranger has come. 1t
is the old homestead, but stranger
comes to the door. He finds out father
is gone, and mother is gone, and broth
crs and sisters are all gone. l think this
young man of the text said TO himself
''Perhaps father may be dead. " Still,
ne starts to find out. He is homesick.
Are there any here today homesick Tor
God, homesick for heaven?
A sailor, after having been long on
the sea. returned to his fathers house,
and his mother tried to persuade him
not to 90 away again. She said: CHOW,
you had better stay at home. Don't go
o,rov Wa don't want Won TO CO. You