Semi-weekly independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-11
The CaDitaI Pulpit.


Il will arise and so to my father.
There is nothing like hunger 10 take the
energy out of man. \ hungry man can
toll neither with pen nor hand nor 1907.
There has been many an army defeated
not SO much for lack OF ammunition as
for lack of bread. Il was that fact that
took the fire out of this young man oil the
text. Storm and exposure VIII wear out
any mans life in time, but hunger makes
quick work The most awful cry ever
heard on earth is the cry Tor bread.
traveller tells us that in Asia Minor there
are trees which bear fruit looking very
much like the long bean OF our time. 1t
is called the carob. Once IN awhile the
people, reduced TO restitution, would eat
these carobs, but generally the carobs, the
beans spoken of here in the text. were
thrown only 10 the swine. and they
crunched them with great ayidiiy But
this young man of my text could not even
ger them without stealing them. SO one
day. amid the swine tr0ughs, he begins 10
soliloauize. He SAYS: These are no
clothes for 4 rich mans son to wear; this
is no kind Of business for Il Jew to be en-
gagged in. feeding swine. Ill 20 home; I'll
go home. L will arise and go TO my
father"
know there are great many people
who try To throw fascination. Il romance.
a halo, about sin, bat Notwithstanding al
that Lord Byron and George Sand have
said in regard to IT, it IS mean, low. con
temptible business. and putting food and
fodder into the troughs of Il herd of in
EQUITIES that root and wallow in the soul
Of hVs fnr mo
and women intended to be sons and
daughters Of the Lord Almighty. and
when this young man resolved to 20 home
it was very wise thing for him to do, and
the only question is whether we will fol
low him. Satan promises large wages if
we will serve him. but he clothes his vic
Tins with rags. and he pinches them with
hunger. and when they start out to do
better he sets after them all the blood
hounds of hell. Satan comes To us to-day,
and he promises all luXurics and cmolu
ments if we Will only serve him. Liar,
down with thee 10 the pit. The wages of
sin is death" Oh. the young man of the
text was wise when he uttered the resolu-
ton. Il will arise and 20 10 my father"
In the time of Mary. the prosecutor, Il
prosecutor came To Christian woman
who had hidden in her house for the
Lords sake one of Christ's servants, and
the prosecutor said. Where is that heret-
ic:' The Christian woman said. you
open that trunk and YOU will see the
hereto The prosecutor opened the
trunk. and on the top of the linen Of the
trunk he saw Il glass. He said. There
is no hereto here" All" she said. you
look in the glass and you will see the
hereto
Seeing Ourselves.
AS | take up the mirror of Gods word
to-day, | would that. instead of seeing the
| prodigal of the text. we might see our
| selves-our want. our wandering, our sin,
our lost cOndition-so that we might be as
wise as this young man was and say, Il
will arise and go TO my father" The reso-
luton of this text was formed in Il dis
gust at his present circumstances. If
this young man had been by his employer
set TO culturing flowers. or training vines
over an arbor. or keeping an account of
the pork market. or overseeing other la
borers, he would not have thought of GO
ing home-if he had had his pockets full
of money. if he had been able to say: Il
have $1,000 now of my own. What's the
|
house? Do you think I'm going back to
apologize to the old man! Why, he
would put me on the limits. He would
not have going on around the old place
such conduct as l have been engaged in.
/ won't go home. There is no reaso why
/ should go home. have plenty of money,
plenty OF pleasant surroundings. Why
should l go home:'' All. it was his pau
perism, it was his begsary. He had to go
home. Some man comes and says to me:
| why do you talk about the ruined state
of the human soul! Why don't you speak
| about the progress of the nineteenth cen
| fury and talk of something more exhilarat-
| ing: 1t is for this reason: A man never
wants the gospel until he realizes he is
| in a 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
physician and chat physician. After n
| while you would get tired, and you would
say: Il don't want to hear about mcdi-
cines. Why do you talk To me of physi-
clans? ! never have DOCTOR But sup
pose l come into your house and | find
you severely sick. and | know the medi-
! cine that will cure you. and / know the
physician who is skillfu enough to meet
your case. You say: Bring on all that
medicine, bring on that physician. l am
terribly sick, and | want help
Ruined by Sin.
If l come to 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 l have persuaded
you that the leprosy of sin is upon you
the worst of all sickness. Oh, then you
say, Bring me that balm of the gospel
bring me that divine medicament, bring
me Jesus Christ But" says some one
In the audience. show do you know tha
we are in ruined condition by sin z
Well, can prove it in two ways, and yot
may have your choice. L can prove i
either by the statements of men or by the
statement of God. Which shall it be
You say. LET us have the statement o.
God" Well, he says in one place, "Th'
heart is deceitful above all things ant