Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-04-10


son: A man never wants the gospel un-
I'll he realizes be is in q famine struck
state. Suppose ! should come TO you in
your home, and you are in good, sound,
robust health, and | should begin to
talk about medicines, and about how
much better this medicine is than that,
and some other medicine than some
other medicine, and talk about this ply
sician and that physician. After awhile
You would get tired, and you would say:
Il don't want to hear about medicines.
Why do You talk to me Of physiciansI l
never have doctor" But suppose |
come into your house, and l find You Sc
varely sex. and l know the medicines
that will cule yOu. and know the ply
sician who is skllfG, enough to meet
your case Nou say: BrDg on all that
medicine; bring ou that physician. |
am terribly sick, and | want help. " If
come 20 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 / have persuaded
you that tie leprosy Of sin is upon you,
the worst Of all sickness. Oh, then you
say, Bring me that balm Of the gos-
pei; bring me that divine medicament;
bring me Jesus Christ.
But, says some one in the audience,
chow do you know that we are in
ruined condition by sin?" Well, [ can
prove it 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 bef You say,
"Let us have the statement Of God.
Well. he says in one place, 1.-The heart
is deceitful above all things and desper-
atelv wicked. " He says in another place,
"What is man that he should be clean,
and he which is born Of woman that he
should berishteous:" He says in anoth
or place. "Thero is none that doeth good
no. not one. " he says in another
Mace. AS bv one man sln entered INTO
the world, and death by sin, and so
death passed upon all men, for that all
had sinned. "Well," =" you say, Il am
willing to acknowledge that, but why
should l take the particular rescue that
Won propose:" This is the reason: "Ex-
cent man be born again he cannot see
lie 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
I would like to have this divine cure.
How shall l go to work." Let me say
that q mere whim, an underlined longing,
amounts to nothing. You must have a
stour. "A tremendous resolution like this
vouug man of the text when lie said, Il
will arise and 60 TO my father. y oh, "
saws some man, chow do | know my
father wants me: How do l know II 90
hack Iwould be receiyed:' ooh, " says
some man. "you don't know where l
have been. You don't know how far
.bave wandered. You wouldn't talk that
way % me if you knew all the iniquitles
I have committed. " What is that tutter
among The angels Of God: What is that
bor.omau running with quick dispatch
Ii is news! 1t is news Christ has found
the lost
Nor angels con their Joy contain,
B-- Eiud.e with new frs.
Til. sinner lost is found, they sing
And strike the sounding Tyre.
When Napoleon talked Of going into
italy. they said: "You can't get there
If Won knew what the Alps were. yor
wouldn't talkabout it or think about it
You can't get your ammunition wagons
over the Alps" Then Napoleon rose II
his stirrups, and, waving his hand to
ward the mountains, he said, "Iher'
shall be no Alps I" That wonderful pas
was laid cut which has been the won
derment Of all the years since-the won
derment Of all engineers. And you TEL
me there are such mountains OF SIN be
tween your soul and God there Is n
mercy. Then | see Christ waving hl
hand toward the mountains. l hear Mn
sav. Il will come over the mountains o
thy sin and the hills Of thine iniqulty.
There shall be no Pyrenees; there shal
be no Alps.
Repentant.
Acaiu. notice that this resolution @
the voung man Of my text was tounde'
in sorrow at his misbehavior. 1t was nc
mere phvsical plight. 1t was grief tina
he had so malueated his father. 1t Is
sad thing after father has done every
thing for a child to have that child un
grateful.
How sharper than a serpent's tooth 1t is
To have a thankless child.
That is Shakespeare. "a foolish SO
is the heaviness Of his mother. That
the Bible. Well, my friends, have nc
some of us been cruel prodigals! HaV
we not maltreated our Father? And sue
a Father Three times day has he fe
( thee. He has poured sunlight into th
dov. and at night kindled mp all III
street lamps Of heaven. With what var
eties of apparel he hath clothed thee fC
tbe seasons. Whose eye watches thee
Whose hand defends theei Whose heal
svmpathizes with thee? Who gave yc
vour children? Who is guarding yor
loved ones departed? Such Father :
loving. so kind. If be had been strai
GER. if he had forsaken us, If he ha
aapellated rs, if be had pounded rs an
tnrued rs out of doors on the commons
: it would not have been so wonderful
onr treatment Of him-but he Is II
ther. so loving, so kind, and yet no
many of us for our wanderings ha'
never apologizedl If we say anythiL
that hurts our friends feelings, II We
ANYTHING that hurts the feelings OF tho
in whom we are interested, how quick
we apologizel We can scarcely wait u
iii we get pen and paper to write a ie
tor Of apology. How easy It Is Tor al
one who Is intelligent, right hearte
TO write an apology or make an apoi
| pvl We apologize for wrongs done to o
fellows. but some of us perhaps ma
, oo,smitted ten thousand times ten tho
sand wrongs against God and new
r apologized.
remarllsill further that this resol
/ tion of the text was founded IN ie'
4 L.