The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1900-05-12

mirable, and the other is most r
pulsive. The one kind of higher Ii
man is very lenient in his criticism
: others, does not bore prayer meeting
e TO death with long harangues. doc
~ not talk great deal about himsel
IL but much about Christ and Heavel
10 gets kindlier and more gentle an
i more useful until one day his sol
y spreads awning, and he flies away t
eternal rest, and everybody mourn
o his departure. The other higher lif
r man goes around with Bible conspic
a uously under his arm, goes fror
e church to church, a sort of genera
: evangelist, is sort of nuisance to hi
t own pastor when he is at home ant
S a nuisance to other pastors when h,
: is away from home, runs up to som,
man who is counting out a roll o.
bank bills or running up difficult line
: of figures and asks him how his sou
is, makes religion dose of ipec acu
| anna Standing in religious meet.
ing making an address, he has a pat
ronizing way, as though ordinary
Christians were clear away down be-
low him. so he had to talk at the top
of his voice in order to make them
hear, but at the same time encourage
ing them to hope on that by climbing
many years they may after awhile
come up within sight of the place
where he now stands. tell you plain
ly that roaring, FOSTERING, bouncing
sinner is not so repulsive to me as
that higher life malformation. The
former may repent; the latter never
| gets over his pharisaism. The young
err brother of the parable came back,
but the senior brother stands outside
entirely oblivious to his own delin-
| quencies and deficits, pronouncing his
own eulogium. Oh, how much easier
it is to blame others than to blame
ourselvesl Adam blamed Eve, Eve
blamed the serpent, the senior brother
blamed the younger brother, and none
of them blamed themselves.
Again, the senior brother of my text
stands for all those who are faithless
about the reformation of the dissipated
and the dissolute. In the very tones of
his voice you can hear the fact that he
has no faith that the reformation of the
younger son is genuine. His entire man
ner seems to say: THAT boy has come 1
back for more money. He got a third |
of the property; now he has come back |
for another third. He will never be |
contented to stay on the farm. He will
fall away. l would go in too and rejoice
with the others if thought this thing
were genuine; but it is sham. That
boy is a confirmed inebriate and debau-
chez" Alas, my friends, for the
in the church of Christ in
regard to the reclamation of the rec
reant! You say man has been a strong
drinker. | say, Eyes, but he has re-
formed" oh you say, with lugu-
brious face, Il hope you are not mis-
taken; hope you are not mistaken"
You say: Don't rejoice too much over
mis- conversion, for soon he will be I'M
| fear. Don't make too big
party for that returned prodigal or
trike the timbrel too loud; and, if
'ou kill calf, kill the one that is on the
and not the one that has been
uXuriating in the paddock" That is
he reason why more prodigals do not
ONE home to their fathers house. 1t .
S the rank infidelity in the church of !,
iod on this subject. There is not
Uuse on the streets of Heaven that
as not in it prodigal that returned ;,
nd staid home. There could be I'M
oiled before you scroll of hundred
thousand names-the names of prodi- =
ais who came back forever reformed,
Who was John Bunyan? A returned :
rodigal. Who was Richard Baxter? =
returned prodigal. Who was George :,
Ehitefield, the thunderer? A returned q
rodlgal. And | could go out in all the ~
sizes of this church to-day and find on :;
ther side those who, once far astray =,
II many years, have been faithful, "
Id their eternal salvation is as sure n
though they had been ten years
Heaven. And yet some of you have W
vt enough faith in their return. :,
Oh, IT this younger son of the parable .,
I'd not gone so far off, if he had not 60
opped so low in wassail, the protest IS
ould not have been so severe! But. 49,
'lng clear over the precipice, as the fo
'unger son did, the elder son is angry -
I'd will not go in. =
be not so hard in your criticism of 10
e fallen, lest thou myself also be fa
mPted. DO you know who that man ~.
IS who Sabbath before last staggered g.
and down the aisle in church, dis ~,
ha
d to stop until he was taken from ~,
room? He was a minister of the h.
spel of Jesus Christ in a sister de- 80,
mlnauon! That man had preached a1d
Gospel, that man had broken the ~,
FAD of the holy communion for the ~,
ople' From what a height to what far
pth! Oh, | was glad there was no
ling In the room when that man ~,
S taken out, his poor wife following bo,
n, with his hat in her hand and his ova
1t on her arm! 1t was as solemn to ~
as two funerals-the funeral of the liz
iy and the funeral of the soul. Be- shq
re, lest thou also be tempted! L.
IN Invalid went to South America con
his health and one day sat sun NV
g himself on the beach when he Az
something crawling up the beach, the
ggling toward him, and he was af- n
'hted. He thought it was a wild do,
st or reptile, and he took his pis- and
from his pocket. Then he saw it Tif,
not wild beast. Tt was a man, fao1
man, man made in Gods No.
image, and the poor wretch Of
wled up to the feet of the invalid Gu
asked for strong drink, and the in elds
took his wine flask from his A..
ket and gave the poor wretch some I'll