Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1897-03-08


very last man got on the rocks in safety,
you could not control your joy. And it
is a glad time when the church of God
sees men who are tossed on the ocean of
their sins plant their feet on the rock
Christ Jesus. Oh, when prodigals come
home, just hear the Christians sing.
Just hear the Christians pray. 1t is not
stereotyped supplication we have
heard over and over again for 90 years,
but putting of the case in the hands of
God with an lmpOrtunate pleading. No
long prayers. Men never pray at great
length unless they have nothing to say
and their hearts are hard and cold All
the prayers in the Bible that were an
swered were short prayers. ''God be
merciful to me sinner. - "Lord, that
I may receive my sight. Lord, save
me, or perish.
The longest prayer, Solomon's prayer
at the dedication of the temple, less than
eight minutes in length according to the
ordinary rate of enunciation And just
hear them pray now that the prodigals
are coming home. Just see them shake
hands. No putting forth of the four tips
of the fingers in a formal way, but a
hearty grasp Where the muscles of the
heart seem to clinch the fingers of one
hand around the other hand. And then
see those Christian faces. How illumi-
mated 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, Nov, Lord, lettest
thou thy servant depart in peace, for
NV Two
There was a man of Keith who was
hurled into prison in time of persecu-
ton, and one Gay he got off his shackles,
and he came and stood by the prison
door, and when the jailer was opening
the door with one stroke he struck down
the man who had incarcerated him.
Passing along the streets of London, he
wondered where his family was. He did
not dare to ask, lest he excite suspicion,
but, passing along a little way from the
prison, he saw Keith tankard, a cup
that belonged to the family from gener-
alton TO generation-he saw it in win
dow. His family, hoping that some day
he would get clear, came and lived as
near as they could to the prison house,
and they set that Keith tankard 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 sep
arated family were all together again.
Oh, if you would start for the kingdom
of God this hour, I think some of you
would find nearly all your friends and
nearly all your families around the holy
tankard of the holy communicable
theirs, mothers, brothers, sisters-around
that sacred tankard which commemo-
rates 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 I remark that when the
prodigal gets back the inhabitants of
heaven keep festal. I am very certain of
1t. Ii you have never seen a telegraph
chart, you have no idea how many cities
are connected together, and how many
lands. Nearly all the neighborhoods of
the earth seem reticulated, and news
flies from city TO city and from CONT
nent to continent. But more rapidly go
the tidings from earth to heaven, and
when prodigal returns it is announced
before the throne of God. And if these
souls now present should enter the king
dom there would be some one III the
heavenly kingdom to say: ''That's my
father, That's my mother, 4" "That's
my son, " 'That's the one used to pray
for, "That's the one for whom I wept
SO many tears and one soul would
say, " Hosanna'' and another soul would
say. "Halleluiahr'
Pleased with the news, the saints below
In songs their ton cues emplOy.
Beyond the skies the tidings go,
And heaven is filled with Joy.
Nor angels can their Joy contain,
But kindle with new fire.
The sinner lost is found. they sing,
And strike the sounding Tyre.
At the banquet of Lucullus sat Cicero
the orator, at the Macedonian festival
sat Philip the conqueror, at the Gre
clan banquet sat Socrates the philoso.
pher, but at our Fathers table sit all
the returned proeigals, more than con-
querors. The table is SO wide it's leaves
reach across seas and lands It's guests
are the redeemed of earth and the glori-
fed of heaven. The ring of Gods for
giveness on every hand. The robe of a
Saviour's righteousness adroop from ev-
cry shoulder. The wine that CLOVIS in
the cups is from the bowls of 10, 900
sacraments. Let all the redeemed of
earth and all the glorifed of heaven rise
and with cleaning chalices drink to the
return of thousand prodigals. Sing,
sing, singh Worthy is the Lamb that
was slain to receive blessing and riches
and honor and glory and power, world
without end" That scene of jubi1ence
comes out before me this moment as in
a sort Of picture gallery. All heaven in