Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-02-05

ness, he would have rejoiced for his
fathers sake II he had not been selfish
and would not have tried to stab the
old man to the heart. Did he not say
in effect: Eyes, we shall drive that dis
solute dcbauchee back to his swine
trough. Then we can have the pleas
ure Of seeing father again restlessly
pacing the floor through the long,
weary hours Of the night Did he not
want to hear that dear, old, gentle, for
giving father again moan over his way
ward boy as David mourncd over his
dend son Absalom?
If that elder brother had been the
right Kind OF n son, he would have seen
what JOY came into the fathers heart
at the return of his repcntant son. lie
would have Immediately said: what
difference does money make if I can
only make father happy? Away with
the question of dollars and cents il my
brothers return is only n true return"
So every Christian today, if he is the
right kind of n Christian. does not
think about h social condition of his
%rcpentant fellow man. lie Immediately
says, when the publican bows at the
mercy seat: ooh, the joy and the rap
turc Of heaven. Oh, the look of tri-
umphant love which is upon my Divine
Fathers face. Oh, the celestial music
which in great tidal waves Of sound is
rolling through the golden boulevards
of the New Jerusalem. Oh, the an
gellc voices in heaven which are every
were shouting the glad tidings: The
prodigal has returned! The prodigal
has returned to his Fathers house,"
The LnclS OF Faith.
The elder brothers conduct also
shows a lack of faith in his father. He
refuses to believe that his Divine Fa-
Tiers love is powerful enough to
change a sinner into n saint. ~Infidelity
often %intrenches itself in the pew and
behind the church pulpit. Some church
members, and some ministers of the
gospel, are only theorizing when they
profess to believe that Jesus Christ can
pardon sin. They profess TO believe
that Christ can transform the seven
dcviled Marys into the Marys who are
willing to sit at his feet and worship,
but these skeptical elder brothers 20
forth into the great. wide. sinful world
and by their practical behavior scatter
their ideal spiritual theories to the four
winds.
When the reformed drunkard comes
home, they cry out: What is the good
of letting that unprinciplcd loafer into
the house: He Is just like other drunk
ards. lie IS only repenting for a little
while so thai be may get some money
u of us and 80 forth on another
spree. Drive him out at nee. Let
him 20 TO the p%oorhouse. where he be-
longs" When the young girl who has
led n dissolute life wants to lead IL
pure life, instead of finding the willing
arms of forgiveness held out to her by
her elder sisters she finds only the shut
doors of Il contemptuOus rebuke. Why
Because the cynical elder sisters do
not believe that a prodigal wolnan with
a black past can ever, even by divine
power. be changed into Il sainted WON
an with q spotless future. The Grim
inal has served lis pcnitentiary term
and is liberated from the stone cell. Is
the great world at large ready to for
give him and receive him back into
honorable employment if he repcnts?
oh, no. The elder brothers and elder
sisters are so bitter against the cX-cOn-
victs that many a repentant one has
deliberately returned to his crimes be
cause he could earn n living in no 9th
or way. When a visiting minister,
some years ago, asked Il convict if he
would not like to be free, this answer
was given: "Why should ! want to be
Free Is he honest world ready to re-
Ccive me with an outstretchcd hand OF
love? No. In the worlds eyes the
striped suit Of the convict always COW
ers a heart of total d|epravity. Because
l have once done wrong the world is
never willing to believe that | am will
Ing to do right. | must always live an
outcast. ! must die a criminal" My
brothers and sisters, can It be possible
that we do not believe that the love of
God is powerful enough TO save men:
Can it be possible that you and | do
not believe the O%mnipotcnt hand OF
Christ is able to lift the vilest of sin
ners out of their sins if they will only
Teacu up LOT LuUt SaNlHS MANI: IAN
we not have at heart as much faith in
Christ's power TO save n repentant
white man as Robert Moffat had in
Christ's power to save a |rcpentant
black man? Would that we might al
in II dealings with the prodigal son
be like that great African missionary
when he wrote upon the white leaf OF
n young girls album these suggestive
words:
My album is in savage breasts,
Where passion reigns and darkness rests
Without one ray OF light.
To write the name of Jesus there.
TO point to worlds, both bright and fair,
And see the pagans bow in prayer
Is all my souls delight.
The elder brother does not realize
fully that his Divine Father is show
ing more magnanimity in bearing Will
his respectable meanncss han in vel
coming back the repentcnt prodigal
boy. | feel sorry for the wife who is
married TO a drunkard or TO a gambler
or to a dissolute clubman. That must
be a crushing cross for a mother to car
ry for the sake of her children-to fee
that for the baby's welfare she mus
associate with II man from whom the
law courts Of the land would give heI
a divorce if she only presented her evi
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