The Progress., 1897-03-13


~, hc rocks in safety, you could not con-
trol your Joy. And it is glad time when
.hc churc, If God sees men who are tossed
w ~ The ocean of their sins plant their fest |
~, the rock Christ Jesus Oh, when prodt-
,,als come home, ji;st Es;c tho Christians !
sSfng, Just lear the Christians pray! 1t Is !
not stercotypcl suppl1catlon VIC have |
NV over and over again for 20 years,
mt a putting of the case in the hands of |
Col with an importunate pleading. No
long nrnyers Men never pray at great |
length unless they have nothing to say
ard their hearts are hard and cold. All
.ho nravers in the Bible that were answer |
ID were short prayers. "God be merciful !
N me- n sinner Lord, that may re- !
oeiyc my sight. =" Lord, save me, or per- |
ish !" The longest prayer, Solomon's pray
o. Mt the dedication of the temple, less
than eight minutes In length, according TO
the ordinary rate of enunciation. And
inst hear them pray now that the prodt-
rails arc coming home. Just see them
shake hand. No putting forth of the four
TIPS Of the ngers in n formal way, but
hearty gras where the muscles of the
heart seem 20 clinch the fingers of one
hand aroun. the other hand. And then 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, 1ettest thou thy
servant dep,rt in peace, for mine eyes
have seen thy salvation"
There was n 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, 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
little way from the prison, he saw q Keith
tankard, d cup that belonged to the fam
lily from generation to generation-he saw
It In window. His family, hoping that
some day he would get clear, came and
lived as near MS they could to the prison
house, and they set that Keith tankard in
Z the window, hoping he would see it, and
he came along and wv it and knocked at
I the door and went in, and the long sepa-
rated family were all together again. Oh,
II yon would start for the kingdom of God
this hour, 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, broth
ers, sisters-around that sacred tankard
which commentaries the love Of Jesus
Christ, our Lord. 1t will be a great cOrl-
munion da when your whole family sits
around the sacred tankaril. One on earth.
Ono In heaven.
Once more remark that when the prod
igal gets back the Inhabitants Of heaven
keep festal. I am very certain of it. If you
have never seen n telegraph chart, you
> have no idea how many cities are connect
Cd together and how many lands. Nearly
oil the neighborhoods of the earth seem
reticulated, and news flies from city to
city and from continent to continent. But
more rapidly go the tidings from earth J
heaven, and when a prodigal returns 1t Is
announced before the throne of God. And
these souls now present should enter the
Kingdom there would DO some one in the
heavenly kingdom to say, "That's my To-
ther, That's my mother, +" "That's my
son, That's the one used to pray for, "
That's the one for whom wept SO many
tears, and one soul would say, "Hosan
nap' and another would say, "Ha1lelu
iahi''
Pleased with the news, the saints below
In songs their tongues employ.
Beyond the skies the tidings 60,