Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-02-06

out OF us and go forth on another
spree. Drive him out at once. Let
him go To the poorhouse. where he be
longs" When the young girl who has
led n disSolute life wants TO lead a
pure life. instead of finding the willing
arms of forgiveness held out TO her 10y
her elder sisters she finds only the shut
doors OF a contemptuous rebuke. Whyi
Because the cynical elder sisters do
not believe that a prodigal woman with
black past can ever. even by divine
power. be changed into n salnted wom-
an with a spotless future. The Grim
inal has served his penitentiary term
and Is liberated from the stone cell. IL
the great world ut large ready TO for.
give him and receive him back into
honorable employment IL he repents
Oh, no. The elder brothers and elder
sisters are SO bitter against the ex-con.
victs that many a rcpentant one has
deliberately returned to his crimes be
cause he could earn living in no 9th.
er way. When visiting minister,
some years ago. asked convict IL he
would not like to be free. this answer
was given: "Why should l want to be
free? Is the honest world ready to re
ceive me with an outstretched hand Of
love? No. In the worlds eyes the
striped suit of the convict always GOV.
ers heart OF total depravity. Because
1 have once done wrong the world Is
never willing TO believe that am Will.
ing TO do right. I must always live an
outcast. l must die criminal" My
oraA ter No, III,
that We do not believe that the love OF
God Is powerful enough 10 save men
Can Il be possible that you ana | do
not believe the omnipotent hand OF
Christ Is able to lift the vlest OF sin.
ners out OF their sins IL they will only
reach up for that saving hand? Can
we not have Mt heart as much faith In
Christ's power TO save repentani
white man as Robert Moifat had In
Christ's power TO save repentant
black man? Would that we might all
in our dealings with the prodigal son
be like that great African missionary
when he wrote upon the white leaf OF
a young girls album these suggestive
words:
Ny album Is In savage breasts,
Where passion reigns and darkness rests
Without one ray of Light
To write the rame 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 with
his respectable meanness than in well
coming back the repentent prodigal
boy. feel sorry for the wife who is
married to a drunkard or to n gambler
or to dissoiute clubman. That must
be crushing cross for a mother to car
ry for the sake of her children-to feel
that for the baby's welfare she must
associate with n man from whom tho
law courts Of the land would give her
a divorce IL she only presented her evil
dence. But, though this may be true,
feel almost as sorry for a 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 home-I mean wife
who has to live with one Of these heart
less, brutal men who go around with
soft voices and smiling faces and vet
are as merciless as n hornet thrusting
sting; l mean n wife who has to live
with man who considers every day
wasted unless he is able to overreach
somebody and yet will do the over
reaching In such n 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 n representation of
that class in the character of the elder
brother. He is to be seen everywhere.
lie Is TO be seen inside the church as
well 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 4 person asked me
what / considered the most beautiful
sentence in the parable. This was INV
answer: ut is not to be found In the
good fathers dealings with the youn.
ger, but with the elder, son. When the
servant came I'm and told the good In
Their that his elder boy was acting un.
hlially and upbrotherly, the father did
not lose his patience. He did not send
q peremptory command to his elder
son to come TO him at once, as he had
right to do, but. as n servant he left
the banquet hall. He went out into
the darkness OF the night and placed
Ills arm gently about his sinful elder
sons neck, as he answered In a plead
Ing, yearning voice, Son. thou art ever
with me, and all that have Is thine ;
That Is as much as to say: NV bow
my dear boy, am net trying to do YOU
any injustice. i shall not take away
any OF your inheritance. All that have
Is yours. What long for Is for the
love and the purity of my children. I
want my two boys to be always by nv
side. Come. my child; come back to
your fathers love. Come back into the
old homestead which l have prepared
Tor YOU" oh, that answer to me is
beautiful! That answer is the sweet.
est, gentlest, most loving and vet most
pleading rebuke ever spoken by the
lips or any OF the characters of the
biDie. That Is Christ love pleading
Tor you and for me to come into the
Fathers house and nestle as a lamb
In his bosom.
But, after all, the most impressive
part Of the elder brothers history ia
the abrupt way in which the parable
ends. There is no doubt the younger
son was forgiven. No doubt the repent
ant prodigal was able to enjoy the rest
and the home pleasures Of the fathers
house. But how about that cynical.
self satisfied and complaining elder
brother? Did he ask forgiveness of
his father Did he 20 into the BAN
quet where the feast was being cele-
brated? / do not know. cannot tell.
The parable ends with the earnest plea
or the father. We must take the rest
as we will. Personally have nv
doubts about the salvation of that eld-
er brother. 1t Is sometimes far easier
Tor the sinner down In the slums to
come to Christ than for the rich son
living In luxurious palace. A Lon
don missionary was one night called up
to so to dying girl. This maynard