The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1897-03-12

Oh. have not ministers right to re,
joice when prodigal cones nome?
They blew the trumpet, and ought
they not 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, sayingi "All things are now
ready"-ought they not to rejoice when
the prodigal sits down at the banquet?
Life insurance men will all tell you
that ministers of religion, as a class,
live longer than any other. 1t is the
statistics of all those who calculate
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 profession, and their
toll is more exhausting. l have seen
ministers kept ON miserable stipends
by parsimOnious congregations who
wondered at the dullness of the SER
mon when the men of God were per-
picked almost to death by questions of
livelihood and had not enough nutri
tious food to keep any fire in their
temperament. No fuel, no fire. have
sometimes seen the inside of the life
of many of the American clergymen,
never accepting their hospitality be-
cause they cannot afford it; but have
seen them struggle on with salaries of
$500 or 5000 a year-the average less
than that-their struggle well depict
ed by the western missionary, who
says in letter: Thank you for the
last remittance; until it came we had
not had any meat in the house for one
year, and all last winter, although it
was a severe winter, our children wore
their summer clothes"
notice also when the prodigal comes
back all earnest Christians rejoice If
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
the people get ashore in the lifeboats,
and the very last man got ashore 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 of Christ Jesus. Oh, when
prodigals come home, just hear the
Christians sing. Just hear the Chris
tians pray. 1t is not a sterotyped
supplication we have heard over
and over again for 20 years,
but a putting of the case in the
hands of God with an importunate
pleading. No long prayers. Men
never pray at great length unless they
have nothing to say and their hearts
in the Bible that were answered were
short prayers. God be merciful to me
sinner" Lord, that | may receive my
sight" Lord. save me, or l perish"
The longest prayer, Solomon's prayer
at the dedication of the temple, less
than eight minutes in length, accord
ing to the ordinary rate of enuncia-
ton. And just hear them pray now
that the prodigals are coming home.
Just see them shake hands. No put
ting forth of the four tips of the fin
gers in formal way, but a hearty
grasp where the muscles of the heart
seem to clench the fingers of one hand
around the other hand. And see those
Christian faces, how illuminated they
are! And see that old man get up
and with the same voice that
he sang so years ago in the
old country meeting house, say, Now,
Lord, lettest thou Thy servant depart
in peace, for mine eyes have seen Thy
salvation" There was man of Keith
who was hurled into prison in time of
persecution, and one day he got off his
shackles, and he came and stood by the
prison door, and when the jailer was
opening the door, and with one stroke
he struck down the man who had in
carcerated him. Passing along the
streets of London, he wondered where
his family was. He did not dare to
ask, lest he excite suspicion, but pass
ing along little way from the prison
he saw Keith tankard, a cup that
belonged to the family from generation
to generation-he saw it in window.
His family, hoping that some day he
would get clear, cameand lived as near
as they could to the prison house,
anu bllSN oCO SAoS hCAOh NoAn
ard in the window, hoping he
would see it, and he came along
and saw it, and knocked at the door,
and went in, and the long separated
family were all together again. Oh, if
you would start for the kingdom of
God this hour, 1 think some of you
would find nearly all your friends and
nearly all your families around the
holy tankard of the holy communion
fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters
around that sacred tankard which COM
memorates the love of Jesus Christ our
Lord. 1t will be a great communion
day when your whole family sits
around the sacred tankard. One on
earth. One in Heaven.
Once more l remark that when the
prodigal gets back the inhabitants of
Heaven keep festal. l am very certain
of it. If you have never seen tele-
graph chart you have no idea how
many cities are connected together,
and how many lands. Nearly all
neighborhoods of the earth seem reti-
culated, and news flies from city to
city, and from continent to continent.
But more rapidly go the tiding from
4