The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-03-12


girds it outweighs all the united splen
dor and joy of the universe and who can
tell what Gods joy is? You remembe
reading the story of king who Oh
some great day of festivity scattered sill
yer and gold among the people, WHIT
sent valuable presents to his courtleTs
but methinks, when soul comes back
God is so glad that to express his JOY
he filings out new worlds into space ant
kindles up new suns and rolls among
the white robed anthems of the redeem
ed greater halleluiah, while with &
voice that reverberates among the noun
talns of frankincense and is echoed bach
from the everlasting gates he cries
This, my son, was dead, and he il
alive againv
He Will Come Back.
AT the opening of ths exposition in
New Orleans | saw SIesican futist,
and he played the solo, and then after.
ward the eight or ten bands of music,
accompanied by the great organ, came
in, but the sound of that one flute as
compared with all the Orchestras was
greater than all the combined joy of the
universe when compared with the re.
sounding heart of Almighty God. For
ten years father went three times a
day to the depot His son went off in
aggravating circumstances, but the ia.
ther said, "He will come back " The
strain was too much and his mind part.
ed, and three times day the father
went. In the early morning he watched
the train, its arrival, the stepping out
- the passengers and then the depar
turo of the train. At noon he was there
again watching the advance of the train
watching the departure. At night he
was there again, watching the coming,
watching the going, for ten years lie
was sure his son would come back. God
has been watching and waiting for some
of you, my brothers, 10 years, 20 years,
30 years, 40 years, perhaps 80 years,
waiting, waiting, watching, watching,
and II now the prodigal should come
home, what a scene of gladness and fes.
tivity, 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 the min.
listers of religion. Oh, it is a grand
thing to preach this gospel! l know
there has been great deal said about
the trials ana the hardships Of the Chris
tian ministry. | wish somebody would
write good rousing book about the
joys of the Christian ministry Since
entered the profession | have seen more
OF the goodness Of God than [ will be
able to celebrate i'll all eternity. know
some boast about their equilibrium, and
they do not rise into enthusiasm, and
they do not break down with emotion,
but confess to you plainly that when
| see man coming to God and giving
up his sin l feel i'll body, mind and soul
a transport. When l see a man bound |
hand and foot in evil habit emanicipat.
ed, L rejoice over it as though it werd
my own emancipation.
why C1ergyrnen Are Long Lived. [
When i'll 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, | felt joy something akin tC
that which the apostle describes when
he says, Whether i'll the body | cannot
tell, or out of the body ',annot tell;
God knoweth. " Oh, have got ministers
a right to rejoice when a prodigal comes
home? They blew the trumpet, ana
ought they not be glad of the gathering
Of the host? They pointed to the fun
supply, and ought they not to rejoic
when thirsty souls plunge as the hat
5or the water brooks? They came forth,
saying, ."All things are now ready
ought they not to rejoice when the prod
gal sits down at the banquet? Life in
'urance men will all tell you that min
listers of religion, as a class, live longer
han any other. 1t is the statistics Of
LII those who calculate upon human
that ministers of religion, as
lass, live longer than any other. Why
IS it? There is more draft upon the
nervous system than i'll any other pro
'ession, and their toll is most exhaust
ng. have seen ministers kept on mis-
'rable stipends by parsimonious congre-
cations who wondered at the dizziness OF
he sermon when the men of God were
IerpleXed almost to death by questions
If livelihood and had not enough nutri-
ious food to keep any fire in their TEN.
)erament No fuel, no fire. | have some.
lines seen the inside of the life of many
II the American clergymen, never ac-
epting their hospitality because they
annOt afford it, but have seen them
truggIe on with salaries of $500 or 5000
! year-the average less than that
heir struggle well depicted by the west
IN missionary who says in a letter;
Thank you Tor the last remittance. I'm
il it came we had not any meat in our ;
Iouse for one year, and all last winter, '
lthough it was a severe winter, our {
hlldren wore their summer clothes. 8
And these men Of God find in differ 7
mt parts OF the lanu -raggllng against
ana CXdsperatioHs innumer-
bile, some of them week after week en- ,
agents who have maps Or
lghtning rOus to sell and submitting Y
themselves to ali styles Of annoyance, E
nd vet without cOmnlaint and cheerful :