Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1897-03-17

vance OF the train. watching the de-
parture. At night he was there again,
watching the coming. watching the
going, for 10 years He was sure his
son would come back. God has been
watching and waiting for some OF you,
my brothers, 10 years. 90 years. 80
years, 40 years, perhaps 80 years, wait
ing. waiting, watching watching, and
il now the prodigal should come home,
what scene of gladnesS aud festivity,
and how the great Fathers heart
would rejoice at your coming home.
You will come, some of you, will you
not? You will, you will.
notice also that when a prodigal
comes home there is the Joy of minis
tiers of religion. Oh. it is a grand
thing TO preach this Gospel know
there has been a great deal said about
the trials and the hardships of the
Christian ministry. / wish some BODY
would write a good, rousing book
about the joys of the Christian minis
try Since | entered the profession I
have seen more Of the goodness of God
than i will be able TO celebrate in all
eternity l know some boast about
their equilibrium, and they do not
break down with emotion. but con.
fess TO you plainly that when see
man coming to God and giving up his
sin | feel in body, mind and soul
transport. When l see n man bound
hand and foot in evil habits emanci.
pated, | rejoice over it as though il
were my own emancipation.
When in one communion service
such throngs of young and old stood
up and in the presence of Heaven and
earth and hell attested their allegiance
to Jesus Christ, l felt joy something
akin to that which the Apostle de-
scribes when he says: whether in
the body l can not tell. or out of the
body | can not tell: God knoweth."
Oh, have not ministers a right TO re.
joice when n prodigal comes homef
They blew the trumpet. and ought
they not to be glad of the gathering
of the host? They pointed
to the full supply and ought
they not TO rejoice when thirsty
souls plunge as the hart for the water
brooks? They came forth saying: "AH
things are now ready"-ought they not
TO rejoice when the prodigal sits down
at the banquet? Life insurance men
will tell you that ministers of religion,
as class, live longer than any other
1t is the statistics OF all those who cal.
culate upon human longevity that
ministers of religion, as a class, live
longer than any other. Why is it?
There is more draft upon the nervous
system than in any other profes.
sion, and their toll is most exhaust
ing. | have seen ministers kept on
miserable stipends by parsimonious
congregations who wondered at the
dulluess of the sermon when the men
OF God were perpleXed almost to death
by questions of livelihood and had not
enough nutritious food TO keep any fire
IN their temperament. No fuel, nc
fire. l have sometimes seen the inside
OF the life of many of the American
clergymcn, never accepting their hos
pitality because they can not afford it,
but ! have seen them struggle on with
salaries OF five or six hundred doI-
lars year-thc average less than
that-their struggle well depicted by
the western missionary. who says in
letter: "Thank you for the last re-
mittance; until it came we had not
any meat in our house for one year,
and all last winter, although it was a
severe winter, our children wore their
summer clothes Ana these men OF
God / find in different parts of the
land struggling against annoyance and
eNasp erations inuumerablc: some of
them week after week entertaining
agents who have maps or lightning
rods 10 sell, and submitting tncmsel YES
to all styles of annoyance, and vet
without complaint and cheerful OF
soul How do you account for tho
fact that these life insurance men
tell us that ministers, as class. live
longer than any other? II is because
of the JOY OF their work; the JOY
of the harvest field, the Joy OF greet
| ing prodigals home to their Fathers
| house. On, we are in sympathy with
all innocent hilarities. We can enjoy
| a hearty song and we can be merry
with the mcrriest; but those Of us who
have toilcd in the service are ready to
| testify that all these JOYS are tame
compared with the satisfaction OF see
ing men enter the Kingdom Of God.
The great cras of every ministry are
the outpourings of the Holy Ghost,
and thank God have seen 1G of
them, Thank God, thank God.
| notice also when the prodigal
comes back all earnest Christians re-
joice. II you stood on Montauk Point,
and there was hurricane at sea and
it was blowing toward the shore. and
a vessel crashed into the rocks, and
you saw people get ashore in the life
boats, and the very last man got on the
rocks in safety, you could not control
your JOY. And it is glad time when
the Church of God sees men who are
tossed on the ocean OF their SINS plant
their feet on the rock Jesus
Christ oh. when prodigals come
home, just hear the Christians
sing. just hear the Christians pray.
II is not a stcreotypcd specification we
have heard over and over again for 20
years, but putting of the case in the
hands OF God with AN importupate
pleading No long prayers Men new
CT pray at great length unless they
have nothing 90 say and their hearts
are hard and cold. All the prayers in
the Bible that were answered were
short prayers. "C,od bc mcrciful tome.
| q sinner" Lord. that ] nay receive
my sight" Lord save uc, or per-
ish."
The pope is allowed for his personal
wants about slOl. 600 annually. a
regular allowance is also made for
] I.f har IrfrnHfrr... az fI.. ... tr.... FT..