The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-02-18
SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
TINE PRopIcAu'S FATHER"

An Uplifting Talk on This Famous Dibii-
cal Story by the Bev. DR.. J. Wilbur
Chapman-How 1t Reveals cne Fart
OF Gods Nature.
NEW York CITY.-The following sermon
entitled THE Prodigals Father" Is one OF
O series prepared for the press by the dlS-
tinguisied evangelist, the Rev. Or: j. w
text: "But when he was yet q great way
cam nss issne and Saw ran MN and kissed
him and said to his servants,
Bring forth the best robe and put it on
him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes
on his feet. and bring hither the lated
calf and kill it." Luke ": 20-23.
Of making many sermons on the pr0digal
son there seems to have been no END.
Yet I was in the ministry fifteen years be-
bic. There may be many reasons why, as
q rule, we turn away from it. It may be
that the picture is o realistic.
! wal standing in the prison chapel at
Joliet, Illinois. when . request was made
that I should conduct . service for the con.
victs. just as I was leaving the building
the officer said to me, by the way, If you
should come do not preach upon any part
of the prodigal. We have had twenty.four
ministers here by actual count, and every
one of them gave Us the prrodigal son, and
these poor fellows have had o "a much
prodigal a they can stand"
Il may also be that we have turned away
from it because it 10 such familiar ground
that it has lost it's charm for Us. wal
sweeping through the magnificent Rocky
Mountain scenery some time ago, and when
we had plunged into the Royal Gorge, and
later swung into the Grand Canon it
seemed to me that scenery more sublime
could not be found in all the world, and il
] had never been impressed before with
the existence Of God ] should have cried
out unto Him in the midst Of those mount.
ain peaks. I noticed that every one in the
in rant admiration. This one woman was
intently reading q book, and to my Ger.
tain knowledge she did not lift hcr eyes
once from the printed page while we were
in that wonderful scenery. When we had
swung out into the great table land l over
heard her say to q friend, This Is the thir.
teenth time I have crossed the mountains.
The first time I could not keep the tears
from rolling down my cheeks, 90 impressed
was 4. but now" she said, q" know it 90
well that ! frequently 90 through the whole
range with scarcely q glance, cast out OF
the window" It is thus, alas! that we
read Gods word. and that which fills
heaven with wonder, and furnishes the an
gels q theme for neverending praise. we
read with indifference or fail to read at all.
And vet my own confession 10 that ! never
have had until recently the best Of this
story of the prodigal.
I thought it was to give rs Q vision Of the
younger son, and as such it would be q
message to backsliders. and while this is
one part of the Interpretation it Is not by
any means the best part. Then it occurred
to me the story might have been given us
that we should take warning from the sci.
fshness Of the elder brother, but I con-
ceived such q dislike for chs character
that ! never cared to consider him even for
become to me one OF the sweetest portions
Of all the New Testament because I believe
the parable was written that We might fas-
ten our eyes upon the father of the parable
and in that father get o glimpse Of God.
Did it ever occur to 0 that in the pic
lures Of the fathers of the Bible you were
always given ! vision of one part of the
nature Of God? Jacob crying cut, Me Yc
have bereft of my children; Joseph 10 not,
Simeon is not, and now You will take Ben.
jamin from me-" is an illustration Of God
crying out in His great tenderness over the
lost. David exclaiming. "Oh, Absalom, my
son, my SON! would God / had died for
thee" is Just q hint az to the way God
feels over His lost ones for whom His Son
has really died. And yet better than any
God is the life Of the Son of God from
whose lips we have heard these words. HE
that hath seen Ne hath seen the Father"
But putting all these things together, and
in the light of them reading the story Of
the prodigal, our hearts burn within ~ as