The Iola register., 1896-04-10

drink or, says the man. II am given
to uncleanness;" or. says the man, II
am given to dishonesty" When / get
over my present habits. then I'll be
thorough Christian" Ny brother, you
will get worse and worse, until Christ
takes you in hand Not the righteous,
sinners 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 to the
kingdom of God and never entered 1t?
will tell you of two prodigals-the
one that got back and the other that
did not get back. In Richmond, Va.
there is a very prosperous and beauti-
full home in many respects A young
man wandered off from that home.
He wandered very far into sim They
heard of him after. but he was always
on the wrong track. He would not go
home. At the door of that beautiful
home one night there was q great
outcry. The young man OF the
house ran down to open the door
to see what was the matter. 1t
was midnight The rest of the fam
ily were asleep. There were the
wife and children of this prOdigal
young man. The fact was he had
come home and driven them out He
said: "Out of this house. Away with
these children; l will dash their brains
out Out into the stormr' The mother
gathered them up and fed. The next
morning the brother, the young man
I.l eNas ~ nj
find this prodigal brother and son, and
he came where he was, and saw the
young man wandering up and down in
front of the place where he had been
staying, and the young man who had
kept his integrity said to the older
brother: Here, what does all this
mean? What is the matter with you?
Why do you act in this wayY The prodi-
gal looked at him and said: who am
/? Who do you take me to be?' He
said: You are my brother" mo, 1 am
not. l am a brute. Have you seen
anything of nv wife and children?
Are they dead? drove them out last
night in the storm. | am a brute.
John, do you think there is any help
for me? Do you think l will get over
this life of dissipatiou?' He said:
John, there is one thing that will
stop this" The prodigal ran his fin
gers across his throat and said: THAT
will stop il, and l will stop it before
night Oh, my brain; l can stand it
no longer" That prodigal never got
home But will tell you of prod
| igal that did get home. In England
two young men started from their
fathers house and went down to Ports
mouth have been there-a beautiful
seaport Some of you have been there.
The father could not pursue his chill
dren-for some reason he could not
leave home-and so he wrote letter
down to Mr.. Griffin, saying:
''Mr Griffin, wish you would go
and see my two sons They have ar
rived in Portsmouth, and they are go
ing to take ship, and going away from
home. l wish you would persuade
them back"
Mr.. Griffin went and tried to per-
to go. He went with very easy per-
suasion, because he was very home
sick already. The other young man
said: Il will not go. l have had
enough of home. I'll never go home"
We'll" said Mr.. Griffin, then If you
won't go home, I'll get you a respect
able position on a respectable ship"
/ mo you wont" said the prodigal; no
you won't. l am going as a private
/ sailor; as a common sailor; that viii
plague nv father most, and what
will do most to tantalize and worry
/ him will please me best" Years passed
on, and Mr.. Griffin was seated in his
study one day when a messenger came
to him. saying there was young man
/ in irons on a ship at the dock-a young
man condemned TO death-who wished
to see this clergyman. Mr.. Griffin
went down to the dock and went on
shipboard. The young man said to
him: You don't know me, do your
No" he said, II don't know you"
"Why, don't you remember that young
man you tried to persuade to go home
and he wouldn't go?' ''Oh. yes" said
Mr. Griffin, ''are you that man? Yes.
/ am that man." said the other. Il
would like to have you pray for me- 1
have committed murder, and / must
die; but l don't want to go out of this
world until some one prays for me-
You are my fathers friend. and I
would like to have you pray for me-"
Mr.. Griffin went from judicial au-
| thority to judicial authority to get that
young mans pardon He slept not
night nor day. He went from inhuen-
/ tial person to influential person, until
| in some way he got that young mans
pardon. He came down on the dock,
and as he arrived on the dock with the
pardon the father came. He had
| heard that his son, under a dis
guised name, had been committing
crime and was going to be put
to death. So Mr. Griffin and the father
went on the ships deck, and at the
very moment Mr.. Griffin offered the
pardon to the young man, the old
father threw his arms around the sons
neck, and the son said: Father, l
( have done very wrong and l am very
sorry / wish l had never broken your
heart / am very sorry!'' "Oh" said