Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-06-07

| faith that the reformation OF the younger
son is genuine. His entire manner 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 to stay on the
farm. Ho will fall away. would go In,
| too, and rejoice with the others IL thought
this thing was genuine. but 1t is sham
That boy is a confirmed inehriato and de
bauchee." Alas, my friends, for the In
| credulity In the church OF Christ In REGARD
| to the reclamation OF the recreantl You
say man has been strong drinker.
| say, eyes, hut he has reformed" "Oh.'
| yol say with lugubrious face, 81
| hope you are not mistaken; hope yor
| are not Mistaken You say, "Don't re.
| joice too muci over his conversion. foi
soon he will be unconverted. fear
| Don't make too big n party for that re.
turned prodigal or strike the timbrel toe
| loud, and II you kill n 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 prodigals dc
| not come home to their 1nther's house. II
| Is the rank inhdelity in the church Of GoJ
| on this subject.
| There is not house on the streets OF
| heaven that has not in 1t u prodigal that
returned and staid home. There could be
unrolled before you q scroll OF 100, ,00(
names-the names OF prodicals who came
| back forever reformed. Who was JohI
Dunyan! "A retutneu pEOutRal. VINO WAS
Richard Baxter? A returned prodigal
| Who was George Whiteaeld, the thundereri
A returned prodignl.
| Aud could so out in all the alsles o.
this church to-day and find on either side
those who, once far astray for many years,
have been faithful. and their eternal saliva.
tion is as sure as though they had been ter
years In heaven. And yet some OF you
| have not enough faith in their return!
You do not know how to shake hands
| with prodigal; you do not know how to
pray for him: you do not know how tc
greet him. He wants to sail into the warm
| gulf stream OF Christian sympathy. You
| are the iceberg against which he strikes
| and shivers. You say he has been prod
| igal. l know it, but you are the sour, un.
responsive, censorious. saturnipe, cranky
elder brother. and II you are going tc
heaven one would think some people
would be tempted to 90 to perdition to get
away from you.
Plenty OF room for elegant sinners, for
| sinners In velvet or satin and lace, for sim
ners high salaried, for kid gioved and pat-
ent lenthered sinners, for sinners fixed ur
| by hatrdresser, pomntumed and lavendered
and cologned and frizzled and crimped and
| banged" sinners-plenty of room
| Such we meet elegantly at the door OF
! our churches, and we invite them into the
| best seats with Chesterfieldian gallantres,
weusher them into the house OF God anG
u gild edged prayer book in their hands
anj pass the contribution box before them
with an air OF apology, while they, the
| generous souls, take out the equisite porte.
monnaie and open 1t and with diamonded
| finger push down beyond the $40 gold.
pieces and delicately pick out as an eX-
preston OF gratitude their Offering TO the
Lord-of one cent! For such sinners plenty
OF room, plenty OF room!
Again remark that the senior brother of
my text stands for the spirit OF envy and
| jealousy. The senior brother thought that
all the honor they did to the returned
brother was wrong to him. He said, 81
| have staid mt home, and / ought to have
had the ring, and l ought to have had the
banquet, and ought to have had the gar
! lands
| Alas, for this spirit of envy ana Jealousy
coming down through the ages! Cain and
| Abel, Esau and Jacob. Saul and David,
| Haman and Mordecai, Orthello and Iago
Orlando and Angelica, Caligula and Tor
quatus, Cc7rr and Pompey, Columbus and
the Spanish courtiers, Cambyses and the
brother he slew because he was Il better
marksman, Dionysius and PhiloXenius,
| whom he slew because he was u better
singer. Jealousy among painters Clos
| rerman and Geofrrcy Kneller, Hudson and
Reynolds, Francia, anxious TO see picture
| OF Raphael, Raphael sends him picture.
Francia seeing it, falls in fit OF jealousy
from which he 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 jealousies. The Mohammedans
| praying 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 fol
| this, and they resolved that God was so
we'll pleased with their prayers he kept the
drought on so rs to keep them praying but
| tina. 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 supplcations
Oh. this accursed spirit of envy and jeal
ousy! Let us stamp 1t out from all oui
| hearts
| wrestler was so envious Of Theogenes,
| the prince OF wrestlers, that ne 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
| out every night and wrestled with the
statue until one night he threw it, and il
| fell on him and crushed him to death. Sc
| jealousy is not only absurd, but it Is
killing to the body, and it is killing to the
soul.
How seldom 1t is you find ono merchant
speaking we'll of a merchant iu the same
line Of business. How seldom 1t is you hear
physician speaking well OF a physician on
the same block.
Oh. my friends, the world is large enough
for all or us! Let us rejoice at the success
OF others. The next best thing to owning
a 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 nd.
mire the prancing span. The next best
thing to having II banquet given to our.
selves is having banquet given to oul
prodigai brother that has come home 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 sketching the field OF Waterloo
years after the battle put a dove in the
mouth OF the cannon. Raphael in one OF
his cartoons beside the face Of wretch
put the face OF happy and innocent child.
And SO the sour face OF this irascible
and disgusted elder brother Is brought
out In. order that In the contrast We
might better understand the forgiving
and radiant face OF God. That IL the
meaning OF it-that God is ready to take
back anybody that IL sorry, to take him
clear back to take him back forever and