St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-02-28
THE DIVINE WOOING.
What God Has Done to Win Sinful
Man Back to Himself.

Alienated by Sin, Man Finds Recon-
cilfation Through Christ Jesus
Sermon by the "Highway
and Byway" Preacher.
Copyright, 1903, by A. N. Kellogg News
paper Coz
Chicago, Jan, Is, 1903.
Text:-"Now then we are ambassadors
for Christ, as though God did beseech you
by US; we pray you in Christ's stead, be
ye reconcile1 to GOD. For He hath made
Him to be sin for US, Who knew no sin;
that we might be made the Righteousness of
God in Him. I'll. Cor. 5:N-2.
A love story with the triune God
as the wooer, the world as the OBJ
iect of His affection, and those who
have accepted Christ as Saviour and
Lord as the ambassadors of God to
carry the love messages to the world,
which He seeks to win back to Him
self. A love story is always readable
and fascinating. A true love story
more than any other appeals to the
human heart. Fiction is all well
enough in it's place, but there is moth
ing that stirs as chapter from real
life. There is always added interest
and power in story which we know
to be based on facts. Our text is
suggestive of love and loves great
yearning. Separation has come. The
world has been lured and entlced
away from the True Lovers side.
Reconciliation is sought. The True
Lover is willing to sacrifice His great
est treasure to win back the wan
Gering one. Who is there who truly
loves who would not be willing to
give all in order that the heart hum
ger might be satisfied? Why, that is
the test of love.
Because the mother loves, the
hours and days and perhaps months
and years which mark the separation
of the son or daughter from the shell
ter of the home, wandering, she
knows not whittier, are periods of
unbroken heart-yearning and an
guish. All, if the boy would only re-
turn home and cease his wanderings!
There is nothing she would not give
if only she could win him back again.
Because Jacob loved he could serve
seven long years to win Rachel to
wife, and ''they seemed unto him but
a few days, for the love he had to
her" And when Laban, his father
in-law, dealt deceitfully with him and
gave him Leah to wife, instead, love
made him patient to serve seven
more years for Rachel.
Because the father of the prodiga]
son loved, not day went by after
the hayward boy left home but that
he watched eagerly the roadway for
the return of the prodigal from the
far country. Love kept him at his
post, and when at last one day the
straining eyes of the father caught
u glimpse of the ragged, wretched
boy in the distance, love gave his
feet wings as he rushed out to meet
him. Love shut his eyes to the rags
and disgrace of the young man, and
made him keen to see within the
penitent heart that beat prayer for
forgiveness. Because of love the ia
Their received him back into his old
place in the home, because of love he
brought out the best robe, and the
gold ring, and killed the choicest
calf in the herd and made feast OF
rejoicing, for the son who was dead
was alive again, the son who was lost
was found. The days of separation
had been days of sorrow and bitter
ness, but now that the boy was
home again, the fathers heart sang
for joy. There was nothing else on
that farm, there was nothing else in
all the world that could satisfy the
longing of that fathers heart. The
obedient, faithful son who remained
home and proved so dutiful could not
fill the place left vacant by. the de-
parture of the younger boy. Love
for the hayward boy could only he
satisfied by the return of the prod
igal.
.sGod is love-" The eternal Spirit
of Truth has recorded these words,
and Gods record of Himself and His
dealings with man, from Genesis to
Revelation, reveal Him as a God OF
love. God the worlds Lover, and as
such mourning the separation of the
world from Himself by reason of sin,
and planning in His eternal purposes
to win the world back to Himself.
The life experiences Of Hosea, the
prophet, give us wonderful illustra-
ton of Gods relation to the world
as lover. Hosea has fallen in love
and wooed and married a woman
who, after years of happy married
life and when children have come to
bless the union, proves untrue to him.
Despite his pleadings and his utmost
efforts to save her, she deserts her
home, her children and her husband
and runs after her false lovers. One
by one they desert her as she sinks
lower and lower in her life of in
iquitous pleasure, until at last she
reaches the very depths of iniquity
and is found slave offered for sale
upon the market. Then it is that
the constancy and true love of Hosea
is revealed, as with breaking and
warming heart he seeks her out and
buys her from her masters at the
price which they have set upon her.
When God created man in His own
image and placed him in the garden
spot prepared for him, all was joy
and peace as long as Adam and Eve
continued to dwell in the realm of
Gods will. God, as the True Lover.
delighted to come down in the cool
of the day and commune with this
sinless pair. But the day came wheE:
the sanctity of the garden home was
violated and the human heart ruth
lessly thrust aside the claims of the