The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1900-05-17


son ia genuine His entire manner seems
10 saw: "That boy has come back for more
money. He got third OF the properly.
Now lie has come back for another thlro.
He will never be contented TO stay on the
farm. He will fall away. l would 80 IN,
700. and rejoice with the others II thought
this thing was genuine but it is sham.
That boy is Il confirmed ineoriate ana de-
bauchee." Alas, my friends, Tor the IN.
credulity in the church OF CHRIST IN fegsru
to the reclamation OF the recreaDt! lou
say man has been strong hrinker.
say. eyes, bat he has reformed" On,
Won saw with luSubrous face, Il
hope Won are not mistaken; | hope you
are not mistaken" You say, DON'T re-
ioIce too much over his conversion, Tor
soon he will be unconverteu' +h,r i'a a.
DON'T make too big party tor that re-
turned proigal or strike the timorei too
loud. and IL you kill a calf kill the one that
is on the commons and not the ono tlaI
has been Illustrating in the p3duock;
That is the reason why more prooiSais 40
not come home to their fathers house. IL
Is the rank iuGdelity in the church OF Uod
on this subject.
There is not a house on the streets OF
heaven that has not in it prodigni that
returned and stald home. There conld pc
unrOlled before you scroll OF loO,UJo
names-the names OF prodigals who came
bacl forever reformed. Who was John
Richard Baxter? A returned prodlgai.
Who was George Whitefeld, the thunderer?
returned prodiSal.
Aud 1 could go out in all the aisles OF
this church o-day and find on either sue
those who once far astray for many years,
have been faithful. aud their eternal saliva
ton is as sure as though they had been ten
wears in heaven. And yet some o. you
have not enough faith in their return!
You do not know bow to shake hands
with prodigal you do not know now TO
pray for him: you do not know how to
greet him. He wants to sail into the warm
gulf stream OF Caristian sympathy You
are the iceberg against which he strikes
and shivers. You say he has been prod
igal / know it, but you are the sour, I'M
responsive, censorious saturnine, cranky
elder brother and if you are going to
heaven one would think some people
would be tempted to go to perditioa to get
away from you.
Plenty of room fo- elegant sinners, for
sinners in velvet or satin and lace, for SIN
ners high sa!aried, for kid cloyed and pat
ent leathered sinners, for sinners liked up
by hRirdresser, pOmatumed and lavendered
and cologned and fritz ed and crimped anu
Changed" sinners-plenty of room!
Such we meet elegantly at the door OF
our churches, and we invite them into the
best seats with Chesteraeldian gailantries;
weushor them into the house of God and
put SOIt OttOsnaDS under Their lccL duu pub
gild edged prayer book in their hands
ami pass the contribution box before them
with an air Of apology, while they, tue
generous souls take out the equislte porte
monnaio and open it and with diamonded
finger push down beyond the $40 gold
pieces and delicately pick out as an ex-
preston of gratitude their cfering to the
Lord-ot one cent! For such sinners plenty
OF room, plenty OF roomI
Again remark that the senior brother OF
my text stands for the spirit OF envy AID
jealousy The senior brother thought that
all the honor they dad to the returned
brother was n wrong to him. He said, u
| have staid ut home, and | ought to have
had the ring, and / ought to have had the
banquet, and ought to have had the gar
| lands"
Alas. for this spirit of envy and jealousy
coming down through the agesl Cain and
| Abel Esau and Jacob, Saul and David,
Haman aud Mordecai, Orthe!lo and Iago,
| Orlando and Angelica, Caligula and Tor
quatus, Caesar and Pompey, Columbus and
the Spanish courtiers, Cambyses and the
brother he slew because he was better
marksman, Donysius and Philoxenius.
| whom he slew because he was betteI
| singer. Jealousy among painters-Clos.H
terman and Godfrey Knelier, Hudson and
| Reynolds, Franca, anxious to see picture
of Raphael Raphael sends him picture.
! Francia, seeing it, falls in Il lit o. jealousy
| from which be dies.
Jealousy among authors. How seldom
| contemporaries speak of each other. Keno
phon and Plato living at the same time,
| but from their writings you never would
suppose they heard of each other.
! Religious jealousie5 The Mohammedans
| Drawing for rain during drought; no rain
! coming. Then the Christians begin to pray
! for rain, and the rain comes. Then the
| Mohammedans met together to account for
| this, and they resolved that God was so
| we'll pleased with their prayers he kept the
| drought on so as to keep them praying, but
thai the Christians began to pray and the
! Lord was so disgusted with their prayers
| that He sent rain right away so He would
| not hear any more OF their supplieations.
| Oh, this accursed spirit of envy and jeal'
ousy! Let US stamp 1t out from all our
| hearts.
A wrestler was so envlous OF TheogeHes.
the prince of wrestlers, that he could not
| be consoled in any way, and after Theog-
enes died and statue was lifted to him In
public place his envious antagonist went
, 9gt 9y2.y night and Tfestied WITH the
| statue until one night he threw 1t, aud IT
| fell on him and crushed him to death. So
| jealousy is not only absurd, but it is
killing to the body, and it Is killing to TIE
| soul. ....2SSs.Ss
HOY seldom it is you find one merchant
! speaking we'll OF a merchant in the same
| line OF business. How seldom 1t is you hear
a physician speaking we'll or physician on
the same block.
Oh, my friends, the world is largo enough
for all OF US! Let us rejoice at th} success,
OF others. The next best thing terowning
garden ourselves is to look over the fence
and admire the flowers.
The next best thing to riding in fine
equipage is to stand on the streets and adj
mire the prancing span. The neyt best
thing to having a banquet given ttA our
selves is having Il banquet given to'sour
prodigal brother that has come homo to
his fathers house.
All, the face of this pouting elder son is
put before US in order that we might
better see the radiant and forGiving face
OF the Father. Contrasts are mighty. The
artist in sketchinS the field OF Waterloo
years after the battle put dove in the
mouth of the cannon. Raphael in Que of
his cartoons beside the face OF Il wretch
put the face of a happy aud innocent child.
And 50 the sour face OF this irascible
and disguised elder brother is brought
out in order that in the contrast we
might better understand the forgiying
and radiant face of God. That is the
meaning of it-tlat God is ready TO takD