The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-02-05

"For my sake" said he, twill you ask
Him now!" and they fell upon their knee.
in the study, and the old minister said,
"Lord God, reveal Thyself unto my deaf
friend" When his prayer was ended he
said, Nov, Professor, you pray" and the
Cod and then as il he felt he had gone
too far, he changed. his petition, and said,
"Oh, God. If there be a God show me thu
light and will" and he was just going
on to say, II will walk in it," when sud
denly he sprang to- his feet with his face
radiant and shouted, why; l see it, see
took wings and departed from him. Faith
filed his heart and Joy thrilled in his SOU.
He has from that time to this been good
disciple of Jesus Christ. In the light ol
all this l make the plea, only encourage
your least desire, and you shall come to
know Him whom to know is life eternal.
III.
CHE HAD COMPASSION AND RAM
1 never knew until recently what tina,
word Compassion" meant. know nov
that it indicates ones suffering with an
other. II is this that makes the story OF
mans transgression so pathetic. Other
hearts are made to ache and almost break,
Other eyes are filled with tears and other
lives made desolate. L can see this old
father going up to the outlook from hi:
home, gazing off in the direction which hi.
boy had taken, coming down the steps
my son, my son, would God had died fof
you!" He had compassion.
We had in our city young man who
was more than ordinarily prosperous ,n
his business, and his prosperity seemed to
be the cause of his downfall. 1t became
SO marked that his partners called him
into their office to say that he must either
mend his ways or dispose of his interests
in the concern. His promises were good,
and all went well for little season, and
then when the failure was worse than ever
they insisted that he should dispose of his
interests to them, and with great sum
of money he began to sink rapidly. He
had gone from bad to worse until not long
ago they found him floating in the river,
for he had taken his own life. The story
is sad in the extreme, but the saddest por.
tion of it is found in the fact that there is
an old man to-day going about the streets
of the city mourning. for his son. He
scarcely lifts his eyes from the ground as
he walks. Sometimes you behold him
with the tears rolling down his cheeks. He
has compassion And it is fact that one
never sins, breaking even the least ol
Gods commandments, that the heart OF
the great and loving Father does not yearn
over him and long for his return.
".
WHAT DID HE DO?
We all know this story so thoroughly
well that it -'ould seem almost unneces.
sary to emp asize things the father did
son occurred, but for the sake of the story
let me say:
First, The kissed him." You will notice
that he did not wait until the boys gar.
ments had been changed, or the signs OF
his wanderings removed. There would
have been no grace in this. But clad in all
his rags he threw his arms about him and
drew him close against his heart, and gave
him the kiss which was the sign of com.
plete reconciliation. This is what Jesus
Christ waits to give to every. wandering
soul. The old hymn says, My God il
reconciled," and this is the teaching Of thJ
Scriptures, 1t is not necessary that !
should work myself up into fever of ex.
element, nor weep and wall in the depthd
Of my despair, bat it is necessary only that
/ should receive what God offers me in
Jesus Chi.st. The first step in the Chris
tian life is an acceptance OF that which
comes from above.
longing to one of the better families, So
called, who by his wayward actions dis.
graced his father and finally broke his
heart. After little he left his home,
went to Baltimore, from there to Wash.
ington, and after months of wandering de-
teTIuiueu 10 TeCuTu. lie was dSndIneu To
meet the members of his family, but he
knew that if he made a peculiar sound at
the door at the midnight hour there was
one who would hear and understand, and
when he stood before that door it was
swung open and without word OF re-
proach his mother bade him welcome. The
next morning he did not come down from
his room, the second morning he was
ashamed to come, but the third morning
as he descended the stairway his brother,
a physician, met him and said, Edward,
mother is dying" She had been suddenly
stricken down and was anxious to see him.
He made his way into her room. knelt be.
side her bed and sobbed out, "Oh, mother,
/ beseech you, forgive mel and with her
last departing strength she drew close to
him, placed her lips close to his ear and
said. my dear boy, l would have forgiven
you long ago if you had only accepted it."
This is picture of God With love that
is infinite, and pity beyond description,
He waits to save every one who will but
simply receive His gift of life.
Second, l have always imagined that
when the father started out from the house
running to meet his boy, that the servants
must have, noticed him, and possibly they
condition Of the son can hear him as he
turned to the approaching servants to say,
Run. bring the best robe'and put it on
him." and it is beautiful thing to me to
know that when they brought the robe the
father wrapped it round about him, thus
covering over all the signs of his wander
ing This is what God does for me and
for you. The moment we believe the
robe OF Chrlst's righteousness is placed
about us. and God looks upon us as with.
out spot OF blemish, for we are at once ac-
cepted in the beloved.
l remember that when Jonathan was
dead and David wanted to do something
for some one that belonged to him, the
only one he could find upon whom he
might lavish his affection was poor, little,
lame Mephibosheth. He was lame on both
his feet, you will remember This nurse had
dropped him as she was fleeing away from
the enemy, but when David found him he
placed him at the kings table and in such
a position that his lameness was hidden,
and il you had been on the opposite side
from him yoa never would have known
that he had mark of deformity about
him. This is what God does for every
poor, wandering, lost one that comes to
Him. II, even j, am He that blotteth out
all thy tianspeesions, and | will remem.
ber them against you no more forever"
Third, he put the ring on his hand. The
ring is always the emblem for complete.
ness. And this was a beautiful illustration
of the fact that the fathers love was per
lfect. and that his love lad not been af.
fecteo by the wanderlngs oil the boy. This
is certainly true OF God. and l know no
better figure to give thought of His love
than that nft he rinu