Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-05-16

money. He got third OF tue property.
Now he has come back for another third.
He Will never be contented to stav on the
arm. He will fall away. I would go In.
100, and rejoice with the otherstf thought
his thing was genuine. but 1t Is sham.
That boy is O confirmed inebrlate and de-
,auchee." Alas. my friends, for the In.
redulity In the church OF Christ In regard
o the reclamation OF the rscreanti You
ay a man has been strong drinker. |
ay, "Yes, but he has reformed" "Oh."
rou say, with a lugubrious face, 81
lope you are not mistaken; hope you
ire not mistaken" You say. "Don't re-
oice too much over his conversion. for
,oon he will be unconverted. fear.
Don't make too big party for that re-
:urned prodigal or strike the timbrel too
ioud, and II you kill a calf kill the one that
is on the commons aud not the one that
has been luxurlating In the paddock"
| That Is the reason why more prodigais do
not come home to their fathers house. II
Is the rank inildelity in the church OF God
on this subject.
There Is not a house on the streets of
heaven that has not in 1t prodiSll that
returned and staid home. There could be-
unrolled before you a scroll OF 10000
names-the names of prodigais who came
back forever reformed. Who was John
Bunyan? returned prodigal. Who was
Richard Baxter? returned prodigal.
Who was George Whtedeld, the thundererf
A returned prodigal.
| And could go out In all the aises OF
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 rs sure as though they had been ten
years in heaven. And yet some OF you
have not enough faith In their return!
You do not know how to shake hands
with a prodigal; you do not know how to
pray for him; you do not know how to
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 1t, but you are the sour, un-
responsive, censorious. saturnine, cranky
elder brother. and IL you are going to
heaven one would think some people
would be tempted to go to perdition to get
away from you.
Plenty of room for elegant sinners, for
sinners In velvet satin and lace, for sim
ners high salaried, for kid Rioved and pat
ent leathersd sinners, for sinners fixed up
by hairdresser, pomatumed and la wondered
and cologned and frizzlei and crimpsd and
"banged" sinners-plenty OF room!
Such we meet elegantly at the door OF
our churches aud we invite them into the
best seats with Chesteraeldian gaiiantrles;
we usher them into the house OF God and
put soft ottomans under their feet and put
n gild edged prayer book In their hands
AM pass the contribution box before them
with an air OF apology. while they. the
generous souls, take out the equisite porte
finger push down beyond the $40 gold
pieces and delicately pick out rs an ex-
preston of gratitude their Offering to the
Lord-of one cent? For such sinners plenty
of room, plenty OF roomi
Again remark that the senior brother OF
} my text stands for the spirit or envy and
jealousy. The senior brother thought that
nll the honor they did to the returned
brother was n wrong to him. He said, 81
have staid ut home and 1 ought to have
! had the ring, and 1 ought to have had the
banquet. and l ought to have had the gar
lands"
Alas, for this spirit of envy and jealousy
coming down through the ages! Oain and
Abel, Esau and Jacob, Saul and David,
Haman and Mordecai, Orthello and Iago,
Orlando and Angelica, Calgula aud Tor
quatus Caesar and Pompey, Columbus and
the Spanish courtiers, Cambyses and the
brother he slew because he was better
! marksman, Dionysius ald Philoxenius,
whom he slew because he was "A better
singer. Jealousy among painters Clos
: rerman and Geoffrey Kneller. Hudson and
Reynolds. Francia, anxious to see II picture
of Raphael, Raphael sends him picture.
, Francia, seeing 1t, falls In n ut OF jealousy
J from which he dies.
Jealousy among authors. How seldom
contemporaries speak OF each other. Keno
phon and Plato living Mt the same time,
but from their writings you never would
suppose they heard OF each other.
Religious jealousies. The Mohamm dams
I praying for rain during n drought; II 0 rain
coming. Then the Christians begin , pray
for rain, and the rain comes. Then the
Mohammedals met together to accocnt for
! this, and they resolved that God tas so
well pleased with their prayers he kept the
drought on so as to keep them prayiHg, but
tina. the Christians began to pray ard the
Lord was 50 disgusted with their Srayers
that He sent rain right away SO He would
not hear any more of their supplications.
Oh, this accursed spirit of envy and jeal-
ousyl Let us stamp 1t out from all our
hearts.
A 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 a statue was lifted to him in
public place his envious antagonist went
out every night and -restled with the
statue until one night he threw it, and ir
fell on him and crushed him to death. So
jealousy is not only absurd, but 1t is
killing to the body, and it is killing to the
soul.
How seldom 1t is you find one merchant
speaking well of merchant in the same
line of business. How seldom 1t Is you hear
a physician speaking well OF a ph ysician on
the same block.
Oh, my friends, the world Is large enough
for all of 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 fue
equipage is to stand on the streets aud ad-
mire the prancing span. The next best
thing to having a banquet given to our
selves is having a banquet given to our
prodigal brother that has come home to
his fathers house
All, the face Of this pouting elder son is
put before US In order tIat might
! better see the radiant and forgiving face
OF the Father. Contrasts are mighty. The
artist in sketching the Held of Waterloo
. years after the battle put dove in the
mouth of the cannon. Raphael in one OF
his cartoons beside the face of u wretch
put the face of II happy aud innocent child.
Aud 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 forRiving
and radiant face of God. That Il the
meaning of it-that God is ready to take
back anybody that T. sorry, to take him
, clear back, to take him back forever and
forever and forever to take him back with
q loving hug, to put kiss on his parched
,, lip, a ring on his bloated hand, an easy
shoe on his chaTei foot, II garland on his
bleeding temples and heaven In his soul.
, Oh, fall fiat on that mercyi Come, my
, brother, and let us get down into the dust,
! resolved never to rise until the Father'+
forgiving hand shall lift Us.
, On, what II God We haye Bring your
doxologies. Come, earth and heaven, aud
join in the worship. Cry aloud. Lift the
palm branches. Do you not feel the
! Fathers arm around your neck? Do you
not feel the warm breath of your Father
, against your cheek? Surrender. younger
sonI Surrender, elder son. Surrender,
, i all Go in to-day and sit down at the ban
Juet. Take slice OF the faited cal, and
afterward, when you are seated, with one
hand in the hand of the returne. brother
. and the other hand in the hand OF the re-
joicing father, let your heart beat time to
the clapping of the cymbal and the mellow
voice OF the flute. 1t is meet that we should
make merry and be glad, for this, thy
brother, was dead aud Is alive again. He
! vas lost and ia found.
Economy is nothing more than good
sense applied to everyday affairs.
Fame is the poorest wages aTy pan
ever worked for.