Milford chronicle., 1902-05-16


nee. What happens? Why, the story
# the prOdigal son then tells US that
here was a famine in that land. As
loon as u sinners money Is gone his
infuI friends Immediately leave him.
The bright winged humming birds have
little use for the rOsebush when the
lowers are gone. This younger son be
md friendless. To earn food enough &c
sustain life he tended a herd Of swine.
This social condition was the worst to
which a Jew could ever sink. He was
lat upon his back in the lowest pit of
despair.
An aristocratic lady living in LONDON
had a very dissipated son. A friend
said: "Why not take your son to hear
Rowland Hill preach? Perhaps he
can save him." The mother answered,
Il Will" Next Sunday night she sat
in Mr.. Hills audience to listen to the
greatest preacher Of his day. Row
land Hill arose. gave out text and be-
gan a sermon upon the prodigal son
in this way: The other day l saw !
farmer cOaxing some swine to a |
slaughter house. The farmer had a |
bag of corn In his hand. Every few |
steps the man would drop a few !
grains. The swine would run after |
him and greedily devOur them. Poor |
fools. said /. those swine do not know
the farmer is leading them into |
slaughter house. where they are to be |
killed" After the benediction this |
lady turned to her son and
said: WAS not that illustration about
the swine awful? Think of minis
ter's using such figure in the Chris |
tian pulpit" Mother" answered the
young man. u do not know whether
Mr.. Hill had a right to use that illus
tPatiOn or MT in a church. / do know
what MP. Hill meant He meant that
was the pPodigal son being led by
Satan into the far country Of sin.
where | would be destroyed as swine
nre killed by the butchers knife in 3
slaughter house"
Under the shadow Of the Cross.
The far country Is never so far away
but that the penitent pFodigaI can find
his way back from 1t to the heavenly
homestead When the younger son be.
came so poor that he had no decent
clothes for his back. so friendless that
not one Of his old companions would
speak to him. when he would feign
have filled his belly with the husks
TINT the swine did eat. then he thought
of his fathers past love. Surely" said
he, father will give me enough to eat.
He will care for me as much as h0
would for one Of his hired servants,
even though / have done wrong" But
the good father was ready to do more
than that. No sooner did the younger
son come within sight of the old home.
stead than the father ran to meet him
lie fell on his sons neck and kissed
hsm. He kissed him in the same man
ner the Divine Father is ready to greet
every one Of Ills Maynard children. He
gave a loving kiss of eternal pardon
He kissed him. rs God will kiss us II
we will only come back to Jesus side
and stand under the shadow of the
RtOning cross.
One moonlight night at Asbury Park
a party Of young people were gathered
on the beach, As the waves came roll.
ing up the sands the conversation drag
ged. Then young girl with a voice as
sweet as birds began to sing. Her
many friends joined in and made a
large chorus. After awhile this young
girl started the tender home melody of
RObeP. Laurie:
Oh. could see you now, my boy.
As fair as IN Olden time,
When prattle and smile made home q
joy
And life was a merry chimel
When the last notes of this song died
away, an old man came toward the
group and said to the young peoples
''Will you please sing that song again.
My wife and / have hayward boy
| We do not know where he Is tonight
He ran away from home. We dc
want him to come back before we die. p
God, the Divine Father, is waiting
He is waiting for some OF his way
ward children to come tonight to the
gospel fireside.
A Message For Boys.
Boy, sitting before me tonight,
I have a message for you. l see thu
marks of dissipation upon your brow
] see that you have been crying dur
ing this sermon. fear you are TIL
younger son of my text. AS l catcl
one of your falling tears I would lik
to describe vision which came to M
last winter about you, Where was tn
scene? No. it was not in Chicago; no
in that low saloon or cheap theater o
in that hall where you spent las
night playing billiards and gamblin
away your soul. The scene was wa
back in the country. You Pemembe
the old farm, the white house, the pi
Jared porch. the big barn in the real
the woodpile to the left of the kitche
door. The hens were running arOun
clamoring for food because the cart
was a frozen tomb. The worms ha
gone to sleep for their winter maj
1t was about evening. An old gra
haired woman was cooking over I'll
kitchen stove. She looked thinner tina
when you saw her last. The neighbol
say she is aging very rapidly and wi
q not live long.
Just then an old man came in. T
stamped the snow off his great boot
This gray haired woman looked up al
! said: "Pa. have you brought a lettel
/ Have you been to the postofIice? Is
: not strange he has not written. He hi
!, been gone now five long years. Do "
. think God will let me live long enous
!, to see him just once before ! goY' II
= old man said nothing He went to Il
= door and looked down the road. T
q shaded his eyes as though he cou
''see great way off" Then he sal
Il Mother. that is a fine calf we la
f there in the barnyard. She is getti
t, fatter each day. We must kill her soc
> Perhaps we can have big feast VIII
n our boy comes home" They sat by t
n fire Il little while after the dishes we
If wiped. The old folks were too tired
q stay up late. They were too tired
sleep.
They took down the old Bible. 7
mother said: PA. won't you read IL
&c story of the prodigal son? Somehow
u never can hear it enough. You read
~ last night. 1t is in the fifteenth chap
u Of Luke. Read about the younger {
~ that went away and starved and v
7u too proud to come home" Then the
~ folks knelt. AS they prayed the lii
II candlelight began to flash in sym
lis thy. The tears trickled through
re four withered hands. There the t
,e' tired heartsick parents stayed VI
ne their knees, pleading with God for
wv return of their hayward boy. until
eu angel in heaven could bear their q