The Washington weekly post., 1900-05-08

again, the senior brother OF my text
stands for all those who are faith!ess
about the reformation of the dissipated
and the dissolute. In the very tones OF
his voice you can hear the fact that ne
has no faith that the reformation Of the
younger son Is genuine. His entire man
ner seems TO say: That boy has come
back for more money. He got third OF
the property: now he has come back for
another third He will never be contented
10 stay on the farm. He will fall away.
l would go in too and rejoice with the
others if | thought this thing were genu-
inc; but il l. a sham That boy is a con-
firmed inebriate and debauchee.' Alas,
my friends. for the incredulity in the
Church of Christ in regard 70 the reclama-
tion Of the recreant. You say a man has
been a strong drinker. l say, Yes, but ne
has reformed Oh you say, with a
lugubrious face, 4 hope you are not mis-
taken, 1 hope you are not mistaken You
say, Don't rejoice too much over his con-
version, for soon he will be unconverted,
/ fear. Don't make too big a party for
that returned prodigal, or strike the tim
brel too loud; and if you kill a calf, kill
the one that is on the commons and not
the one that has been luXuriating IN the
paddock That is the reason why more
fathers house. Ii is the rank infidelity IN
the Church of Cod on this subject. There
Is not house on the streets of heaven
that has not in IL a prodigai that returned
and stayed home. There could be unrOli-
ed before YOU scroll of a hundred thou
sand names-the names of prodigals VINO
came back forever reformed. Who was
John Bunydn? A returned prodigal. VINO
was Richard Baxter returned prod
igal. Who was George Whitefield, the
thunderer? A returned pTodigal. And 1
could go out in all the aisles of this church
to-day and find on either side those who,
once far astray for many years. have been
faithful and their eternal salvation is as
sure as though they had been ten years in
heaven. And yet some OF you have not
enough faith in their return.
Cold Welcome for Sha bby Sinners.
''You 10 not know how TO shake hands
with nrodigal. You do not know how
TO pray for him You do not know how
TO greet him. He wants to sail into the
warm gdlf-stream Of Christian sympathy.
You are the iceberg against which he
strikes and shiveTs. You say he has been
d pTOdigal. | KNOW it. but you are the
sour. unrespOnsive, censorious, saturnine.
cranky elder brother and if you are 60
ing to heaven one would think some peo-
pie would be tempted to go to perdition
TO get away from you. The hunters say
that if deer be shot the other deer shove
him out of their company. and the gen
eral rule is, away with a man that has
been wounded with sin. Now | say. the
more bones a man has broken the more
need he has of hospital, and that the
more man has been bruised and cut
with sin the more need he has TO be car
ried into human and divine sympathy.
But for such men there is not much room
in this vOTld-the men who want to come
back after wandering. Plenty of room
for elegant sinners, for sinners in velvet
and satin and lace, for sinners high
salaried. for kid-glOved and patent-leath-
ered sinners, for sinners fixed up by hair
dresser, pomatumed and lavendered and
cologned and frizzled and crimped and
hanged sinners-plenty of rooml Such
we meet elegantly at the door of our
churches, and we invite them into the
best seats with Chesterfieldian gallant
ries; we usher them into the house Of
God, and put soft OttOmans under their
feet, and put a gilt-edged prayer-boOk in
their hands, and pass the contribution
box before them with an air of apology.
while they, the generous souls, take cut
the exquisite poTtmonnaie, and open it.
and with diamOnded finger push down be-
yond the ten-dOllar gold pieces and deli
cately pick out as an expression of graft
tUde their offerings to the Lord, of l
cent For such sinners plenty of room,
plenty of room. But for the man who has
been drinking until his coat is threadbare
and his face is erysipelased and his Wife's
wedding dress is in the paWnbroker's
shop, and his children, instead of being
in school, are out begging broken bread
at the basement doors of the city-the
man, body, mind and soul on fire with
the flames that have leaped from the
scathing, scorching, blasting, blistariug
consuming cup which the drunkard axes.
trembling and agoniZed, and affrighted,
and presses TO his paTched lip, and his
cracked tongue. and his shrieking yet i'm
mortal spirit-no room.
Only the Fallen Know Their Axopjes.
"Oh, if this younger son Of the parable
| had not gone 50 far of, if he had not
dropped SO low in wassail, the protest
| would not have been so severe: but. going
clear over the precipice as the younger
son did. the elder son is angry and will
not so in.
BE not so hard in your criticism Of
| TIE fallen, lest thou thyself also be
| tempted. Do you know who that man
was who. Sabbath before last, staggered
up and down the aisle in church dis
| turbing the service until the service had
| to stop, until he was taken from the
| room? He was a minister of the Gospel
| of Jesus Christ in a sister denomination
| That man had preached the Gospel. that
man had broken the bread of the hoiy
| communion for the people. From what a
| height to what a depth, oh, / was glad
| there was no smiling in the room when
| that man was taken out his poor wife
| following him with his hat in her hand
and his coat on her arm. II was as solemn
| TO me as two funeTals-the funeral of the
body and the funeral Of the soul. Beware,
| lest thou also be tempted!
An invalid went TO South America for
| his health, and one day sat sunEiIg him
| self on the beach when he saw something
| crawling Up the beach wriggling toward
| him. and he was affrighted. He thought
! il was a wild beast, or a reptile, and he
| took his pistol from his pocket. Then he
saw il was not a wild beast. II was a
man. an immortal man, a man made in
| Gods own image; and the poor wretch
| craWIed I'D 10 the feet Of the invalid and
asked for strong drink. and the invalid
| took his wine flask from MS pocket and
! gave the poor wretch something 10 drink,
| and tneu under the stimulus he rose up
! ana gave his history. He had been q
| merchant in Glasgow, Scotland He had
| zone down under the power OF strong
! drink until he was 30 reduced in poverty
| thai he vas living in a boat Just OF Fhe
! bach. Why said the invalid. i knew a
/ merchant in Glasgow once, merchant by
I such and such a name and the poor
| y-ratch straightentd himself and said. I
am that man" Let him that thinketh
he standeth take heed lest he fall
Aeeursed spirit Of Envy.
again. remark that the senior broth
er of nv text stands for the spirit OF
| envy and Jealousy. The senior brother
| thought that all the honor they did 70
the returned brother was a wrong TO him.
| He said. 4 have stayed at home. and ]
| ought 20 have had the ring and / ought
| 10 have had the banquet and / ought %
| have had the garlands.' Alas for this
| spirit Of envy and jealousy coming down
| through the ages! Cain and Abel EslU
and Jacob saul and David, Haman aai
/ Nordecai. Othell0 and Iago. Orlando oHG
! Angelica, Caligula and TOrquatus, Caesar
| and Pompey, Columbus and the Spanish
/ courtiers Cambyses and the brother he