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


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
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 20 years,
but 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 are hard and cold. All
the prayers in the Bible that were an
swered were short prayers God be
merciful to lac a sinner" Lord, that
I may receive my sight" Lord, save
me, or perish. "
The longest prayer, Solomon's prayer
at the dedication Of tie 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 i'll 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 80 years ago i'll the old country
meeting house, say, CHOW, Lord, lettest
thou thy servant depart in peace, for
mine eyes have seen thy salvation. y
There was man Of Keith who was
hurled into prison in time of persecu-
ton, and ore 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 a little way from the
prison, he saw Keith slukard, cup
that belonged to the family from gener-
alton to generatiOn-he saw it i'll a 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, 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 commence
rates the love of Jesus Christ our Lord /
1t will be a great communion day when
your whole family sits around the sacred
tanllard. One on earth. One in heaven. I
Once more l remark that when the
prodigal gets back the inhabitants of
heaven keep festal. | am very certain of
it. If 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 in the
heavenly kingdom 20 say: ""That's my
father - THAT S my mother" "That's
my son, " "That's the one l used to pray
for, ;" "That's the one for whom l wept
so many tears, and one soul would
say, "Hosanna!" and another soul would
say, HalIeluiahp'
Pleased with the news, the saints below
In SONGS their tongues employ.
Beyond the skies the tidings 20,
And heaven is filled with joy.
Nor angels can their Joy contain,
But kindlo 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 conquoror, at the Gre
clan banquet sat Socrates the philoso.
pher, but at our Fathers table sit all
the returned prodigals, more than con-
luerors The table is so wide its leaves
reach across seas and lands. Its guests
ire the redeemed of earth and the glori-
led of heaven. The ring of God S for
yiveness On every hand. The robe of
Saviour's righteousness adrOOp from ev-
Try shoulder The wine that CLOVIS in
he cups is from the bowls of 10, 900
Let all the redeemed Of
,arth and all the glorified Of heaven rise
md with cleaning chalices drink to the
eturn of a thousand prodigals. Sing,
ing, singl Worthy is the Lamb that
vas slain to receive blessing and riches 4
md honor and glory and power, world :
Without end. - That scene of jubilenCe 4
omes out before me this moment as il '
sort of picture gallery. All heaven in
pictures.
Heroes and Heroines.
Look | Look! There is Christ. Cuyp
,ainted him for earthly galleries, and
Jorreggio and Tintoretto and Benjamin
Vest and Dore painted him for earthly
but all those pictures are
clipsed by this masterpiece of heaven. 7
]hristl Christ! There is Paul, the hero
f the Sanhedrim, and of Agrippas =,
ourtroom, and of Mars hill, and of "
Jero's infamy, shaking his chained fist