The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1896-04-11

Sakcn us IL Nc hdp hiSSAtSSSN 49,
He had pounded us and turned us out
of doors on the commons, it would not
have been SO wonderful-our treat
of Him; but He is a Father, so
loving, so kind, and yet how many of
us for our wandering have never apollo
Cized! If we say anything that hurts
our friends feelings, if we do any
thing that hurts tie feelings of
those in whom we are interested how
quickly we apologizeI We can scarce
ly wait until we get pen and paper to
write a letter of apology. How easy
it is for anyone who is intelligent,
~right-hearted, to write an apology, or
make an Apology We apologize for
wrongs done to our fellows, but some
of us perhaps ave committed ten
thousand times ten thousand wrongs
against God and eve apologized.
l remark still further, that this reso-
luton of the text was founded in a
feeling 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 something 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, surrounded by everything
bright and pleasant-plenty of friends
who have said: II would give the
world to be home tonight" Well,
this u man was homesick for his
fathers house. I have no doubt whe
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 moth
ing about going home to her. l
think she was dead. l think she had
died of broken heart at his
ings, or, perhaps he had gone into dis
sipation from the fact that he could
not remember a loving and sympathet-
ic mother. A man never gets over hav-
ing lost his mother. Nothing said
about her, but he is homesick for his
fathers house. He thought he would
Just like to go and walk around the
old place. He thought he would just
like to go and see if things were as
they used &c be. Many a man after
having been off a long while has gone
home and knocked at the door, and a
has come. 1t is the old home
stead, but a stranger comes to the door.
He finds out father is gone, and mother
is gone, and brothers and sisters all
gone. | think this young man of the
text said to himself: Perhaps father
may be dead" Still, he starts to find
out. He is homesick. Are there any
here to-day homesick for God, home
sick for Heaven?
But / remark the characteristic of
this resolution wasn't was Immediately
put into execution. The context says
''he arose and came to his father" The
trouble in 900 times out of 1000 is that
our resolutions amount to nothing, be-
cause we make them for some distant
time. If / resolve to become a Chris
tian next year., that amounts to moth
ing at all. If l resolve to become a
Christian tomorrow, that amounts to
nothing at all If 1 resolve at the
service this day to become a Christian,
that amounts t nothing at all. If 1
resolve after l go home to-day to yield
nv heart to God, hat amounts to
nothing at all. The only kind of reso-
luton hat amounts to anything is the
resolution that is Immediately put into
into execution. There is a'man who
had the typhoid fever. He said: "Oi il
1 could get over this terrible distress;
If this fever should depart; if l could
be restored to health, ] would all the
rest of my life serve God" The fever
departed. He got we'll enough to walk
around the block. He got well enough
to go over to business. He is we'll to-
day-as we'll as he eve was. Where is
the broken Vows? There is a man who
Wf ---1 H. - Al
year 1896, by that time 1 will have my
business matters all arranged, and l
will have time to attend to religion,
and I will be a good, thorough, conse-
Grated Christian"
The year 1896 has come. January,
February, March, April-a fourth of
the year gone. Where is your broken
vowP oh" says some man. 'Ill at
tend to that when 1 get my character
hxed mp. when 1 get over my evil
habits; 1 am now given to strong
drink" or, says the man. 81 am given
to uncleanness;" or, says the man, ~
am given to dishonesty" When 1 get
over my present habits, then I'll be 8
thorough Christian" My brother, you
will get worse and worse, until Christ
takes you in hand. "Notthe righteous.
sinners Jesus came to call" Oh, u
you say. 81 agree with you in all that,
but / must put it off a 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
Lid 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 sin. 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 a great
cutlery. The young man of the
house ran down to open the door
to sec what was the matter. 1t
was midnight. The rest of the fam
lily 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; I will dash their brains
out Out into the stormI' The mother
gathered them up and fed. The next
AASAh Ah hhc SSAS bhS yOhhS hnA
who had staid at home, went out to
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 way?' The prodi-
gal looked at him and said: who am
/? Who do you take me to be?" He
said: You are my brother" mo, L am
not. 1 am a brute. Have you seen
anything of my wife and children?
Are they dead? drove them out last
night in the storm. 1 am a brute.
John, do You think there is any help
for me? Do you think 1 will get over
this life of dissipation" 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 it, and l will stop it before
Oh, my brain; l can stand it
no longer" That prodigal never got
home But 1 will tell you of a prod
igal that did get home. In England
young men started from their
house and went down to Ports