Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-02-02

Ii all my souls delight.
The elder brother does not realize
fully that his Divine Father is show
ing more magnanimity in bearing with
his respectable meanness than in vel
coming back the repentent prodigal
boy. feel sorry for the wife who is
married TO a drunkard or TO a gambler
or to dissolute clubman. That must
be a crushing cross for mother to car
nv for the sake of her children-to feel
that for the baby's welfare she must |
associate with a man from whom the |
law courts of the land would give her |
a divorce il she only presented her evil |
dence. But, though this may be true,
I feel almost as sorry for wife who |
has to live with one of those cross
grained, sneering, irritating, fault find
ing, jealous husbands who are wearing
out and sapping away the life and hap
piness of many a home-I mean a wife
who has to live with one of these heart
less, brutal men who go around with
soft voices and smiling faces and yet
are as mercileSS as a hornet thruS1ng
a sting; mean a wife who has to live
with O. man who considers every day
wasted unless he is able to overreach
somebody and yet will do the over
reaching in such polite and deferen-
tial way that his victim can say moth
ing and have no recourse to justice.
But there is no need of my going on
and further describing this hypocritical
class. You have a representation of
| that class in the character Of the elder
| brother. He is to be seen everywhere.
| He is to be seen inside the church as
we'll as outside. And yet the good ia
Their in the parable of the prodigal son
was ready to speak just as forgivingly
to his elder son as to the younger.
The Fathers Forgiveness.
The other day person asked me
what | considered the most beautiful
sentence in the parable. This was my
answer: at is not to be found in the
good fathers dealings with the youn-
ger, but with the elder, son. When the
servant came in and told the good IA
Their that his elder boy was acting I'M
flially and unbrotherly, the father did
not lose his patience. He did not send
peremptory command to his elder
son to come to him at once, as he had
a right to do, but, as a servant, he left
the banquet hall. He went out into
the darkness Of the night and placed
his arm gently about his sinful elder
sons neck, as he answered in a plead
ing, yearning voice, Son, thou art evel
with me, and all that have is thine.
That is as much as to say: My boy
my dear boy, am not trying to do vol
any injustice. l shall not take ava.
any of your inheritance. All that hav
: is yours. What I long for is for tn
love and the purity of my children.
,, want my two boys to be always by m
side. Come, my child; come back t
your fathers love. Come back into th
old homestead which l have prepare
o for YOU" Oh, that answer to me
e beautiful! That answer is the sweet
: esq, gentlest, most loving and yet mos
o pleading rebuke ever spoken by th
Y lips of any of the characters of tn
d Bible That is a Christ love pleadin
b for you and for me to come into th
e Fathers house and nestle as lam
y in his bosom.
IL but, HlleE dll, Tue LuOSl IIlpl CoSl '
e part of the elder brothers history
n the abrupt way in which the parab
e ends. There is no doubt the yOungt
p, son was forgiven. No doubt the repen
20 ant prodigal was able to enjoy the re
Id and the home pleasures of the father
er house. But how about that cynica
lr self satisfied and complaining eld
hn fnrUiUQnpSS
es his father? Did he go into the ba
ID uuet where the feast was being Gel
to brated? | do not know. | cannot tie
k The parable ends with the earnest pl
lie of the father. We must take the re
ey as we will. Personally l have q
er doubts about the salvation of that el
ct er brother. It is sometimes far east
De- for the sinner down in the slums
as come to Christ than for the rich
a living in luxurious palace. A Lie
ng don missionary was one night called
by to 20 to a dying girl. This waywa
tut child at the time was living in dis:
y! lutte house. When the missionary {
DO tered the room, he found sinful
lth ter holding in her arms the head
me the dying girl, and she was sayiI
m Jennie, it is all right. Put your lo
M and trust In Jesus. He died for j.
rm such sinful girls as we are. Jennie,
Is your faith in Jesus Christ" Yes,
or can all feel that Christ died for
ato prodigal son, but it is awfully M
ts' for some of the sinful elder broth
uer and sisters to feel that 1t was nee
on sary for Jesus Christ to die for tn
aaS and their sins. My elder brother
pe sin, are you going to stay out OF y
''n- Fathers house? Are you going to
'er' fuse to put your faith in Christ
he come into the marriage banquet OF
Lamb?
NC Mr.. Moody tells the story OF a
der dying in one Of the field hospl'
Va of the civil war. The soldier sent
~. his chaplain to come to help him IN
Wv bour of death Mr. Moody said,