The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1900-06-14

himself. The self-righteous man Of
my text, like every other self-righteous
man, was full of faults. He was an
migrate, for he did not appreciate the
home blessings which he had all those
years. He was disobedient, for when
the father told him to come in he
staid out. He was a liar, for he said
that the recreant son had devoured
his fathers living. when the father, so
far from being reduced to penury,
had q homestead left, had instruments
of music. had jewels, had mansion,
and instead of being pauper, was
prince. This senior brother, with so
many faults of his own, was merciless
in his criticism of the younger broth
er. The only perfect people that !
have ever known were utterly obnox-
ious. l was never so badly cheated in
my life as by a perfect man. He got
so far up in his devotions that he was
clear up above all the rules of COM
mon honesty. These men that go
about prowling among prayer meet
ings and in places of business, telling
how good they are-look out for
them; keep your hand on your pock-
etboOk! I have noticed that just in
proportion as man gets good he gets
humble.
This self-righteous man of the text
stood at the corner of the house hug
ging himself in admiration. We hear
a great deal in our day about the
higher life. Now, there are two kinds
of higher life men. The one is ad-
mirable, and the other is most re-
pulsive. The one kind of higher life
man is very lenient in his criticism Of
others, does not bore prayer meetings
to death with long harangues, does
not talk a great deal about himself,
but much about Christ and Heaven,
gets kindlier and more gentle and
more useful until one day his soul
spreads a-wing, and he flies away to
eternal rest, and everybody mourns
his departure. The other higher life
man goes around with a Bible conspic-
uously under his arm, goes from
church to church, a sort of general
evangelist, is sort of nuisance to his
own pastor when he is at home and
nuisance to other pastors when he
is away from home, runs up to some
man who is counting out a roll OF
bank bills or running up difficult line
of figures and asks him how his soul
is, makes religion dose of ipec acu-
anha. Standing in a religious meet
ing making an address, he has 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 encourag.
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. 1 tell you plain
Iy that a roaring. roistering, bouncing
sinner is not SO repulsive to me al
that higher life malformation. Tht
former may repent; the latter never
gets over his pharisaism. The young
er brother of the parable came back
but the senior brother stands outside
entirely oblivious to his own delin
auencies and deficits, pronouncing hi
own eulogium. Oh, how much easie1
| it is to blame others than to blam'
ourselves! Adam blamed Eve, Ev
blamed the serpent, the senior brothe
blamed the younger brother, and non
of them blamed themselves.
Again, the senior brother of my tex
stands for all those who. are faithles
about the reformation of the dissipate
and the dissolute. In the very tones o
his voice YOU can hear the fact that h
has no faith that the reformation of tn
Younger son is genuine. His entire mar
/ ner seems to say: ''That boy has com
back for more money. He got thir
of the property; now he has come bac
for another third. He will never b
coptented to stay on the farm. He wi
fall away. would go in too and rejoic
with the others if thought this thin
were genuine; but it is sham. Ths
bow is confirmed inebriate and deba,
Chez" Alas, my friends. for til
incredulity in the church of Christ
. regard to the reclamation of the re
reant! You say man has been stron
!, drinker. I say, "Yes, but he has r
formed" "Oh," you say, with lug
brious face, II hope you are not mi
taken; hope you are not mistaken
. You say: Don't rejoice too much ov'
, his conversion, for soon he will be u
: converted, fear. Don't make too b
! a party for that returned prodigal
l strike the timbrel too loud; and,
j YOU kill calf, kill the one that is on Il
] commons and not the oLe that has be-
f luxuriating in the paddock" That
r the reason why more pEodigals do n
J. come home to their fathers house.
! is the rank infidelity in the church
+ God on this subject. There is not
: house on the streets of Heaven tn
has not in it prodigal that return
r and staid home. There could be
il rolled before you scroll of hundr
thousand names-the names OF pro-
= gals who came back forever reform'
. Who was John Bunyan? A return
! prodigal. Who was Richard Baxte
ro+urued nrodiUaI Who was (SeOT