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

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.
think she had died Of broken heart at
his wanderings, OF perhaps he bad 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. but he is homesick for his IA
theirs house. He thought he would just
like 10 20 and walk around the old place.
He thought be would just like to 20 and
see if things were as they used to be.
Many man after having been of a
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
ers and sisters are all gone Think this
young man Of the text said to himself,
perhaps father may be dead. - sui,
he starts ID find out He is homesick.
Are there any here today homesick for
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: Now,
YOU had better stay at home. Don't go
away. We don't want you to 60. You
will have it a great deal better here.
But it made him angry. The night be-
fore he went away again TO sea he heard
his mother praying in the next room,
and that made him more angry. DE
went far out on the sea, and storm
came up, and he was ordered 10 very
perilous duty, and he ran up the rat
lines, and amid the shrouds Of the ship
he heard the voice that he had heard in
the next room. BE tried TO whistle 1t
off, he tried to rally his courage, but ne
could not silence the voice he had heard
in the next room, and there in the storm
and darkness he said: 80 Lord, what a
wretch have been What wretch l
am Help me just now, Lord God.
And thought in this assemblage today
there may be some who may have the
memory Of a fathers petition or
mothers prayer pressing nightly upon
the soul, and that this hour they may
make the same resolution l find in my
text, saving, Il will arise and 60 to my
father.
a lad at Liverpool went out to bathe;
went out into the sea, went out too far
got beyond his depth, and he tioated far
away. A ship bound for Dublin came
along and took him on board. Sailors
are generally very generous fellows and
one gave him cap, and another gave
him a Jacket, and another gave him
shoes. A gentleman passing along on
the beach at Liverpool found the lads
clothes and took them home, and the IA
ther was heartbroken, the mother was
heartbroken, at the loss Of their child.
They had heard nothing from him day
after day, and they ordered the usual
mourning for the sad event. But the lad
took ship from Dublin and arrived IN
Liverpool the very day the mourning
arrived. He knocked at the door. The Ia
ther was overjoyed and the mother waa
overjoyed at the return Of their lost son.
Oh. nv friends, have you waded out too
deep: Have you waded down into SIM
Have YOU waded from the shore: VIII
you come back? When you come back
will YOU come in the rags Of your sin,
or will you come robed in the Saviour $
righteousness? | believe the latter. 60
home to your God today. he Is waiting
for you. Go hOmel
The Turning Point.
But Iremark the characteristic OF THIS
resolution was, it was Immediately put
into execution. The context says, de
arose and came to his father. " The
trouble in nine hundred and ninety mine
times out of thousand is that our reso-
lutions amount TO nothing because we
make them for some distant time. II L
resolve TO become Christian next year,
that amounts to nothing at all IL re-
solve to become a Christian tomorrow
that amounts to nothing at all II re-
solve at the service this day to become
Christian. that amounts to nothing at
all i'll resolve after | 60 home today
10 Weld my heart to God, that amounts
70 nothing at all The only kind Of reso-
lution that amounts TO anything Is the
resolution that is Immediately put into
execution.
There is a man who had the typhoid
fever. He said "Oh, if | could get over
this terrible distress, if this fever should
depart, if l could be restored to health
I would all the rest Of my life serve
God" The fever departed. he got Well
enough to walk around the block. lie
got we'll enough to go over to business
| He is we'll today-as we'll as he ever
} was. Where is the broken vow: There IS
{ a man who said long ago, "lf could
. live to the year 1896, by that time
, will have my business matters all ar
ranged. and will have time to attend
: 70 religion, and / will be a good thor
} ou.h, consecrated Christian. The year
. 1896 has come. January, February,
r March, April-a third Of the year gone.
? Where is your broken vow. ION, says
{ some man, "I'll attend to that when
D Get nv character fixed up, when can
r get over my evil habits. ] am now CIV
o en- to strong drink" Or, says the man.
al am given to uncleanness. Or says
A the man, II am given to dishonesty
4 When | get over my present habits, ther
III be a thorough Christian. My broth
= er. YOU will get worse and worse unit
= Christ takes you in hand. mot th'
Y righteous, sinners Jesus came to call.
9 oh. but You say, ~ agree with You II
g all that, but must put it of littl
0 longer" Do you know there were man.
Q who came just as near as you are TO tn
V kingdom Of God and never entered its
+ was at Easthampton, and l went int
: the cemetery to look around, and IN tina
v cemetery there are l2 graves side by SD
/, the graves of sailors. This crew, som
J. wears ago, in ship went into the break
IT ers at Amagansett, about three mile
% away. My brother, then preaching 2
!. Fasthampton. had been at the burial