The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-02-05
THE PRODIGAL'S FATHER
Sunday Sermon By Rev. Dr.. J. Wilbur
Chapman.
An Uplifting Talk On This Famous BlbllcM
Story-now II Reveals One part
Of Gods Nature.

tinguished evangelist the Rev. DIR. j. vii.
bur Chapman. 1t was preached from the
text; G H., "But fS,hv when ne was yet great way
COMPASSION coz pas atl and d"M ran MN and AH Hissed Se
him and said to his servants,
Bring forth the best robe and put it on
him, and put ring on his hand and shoei
on his feet, and bring hther the fatted
calf and kill it," Luke XIV: 2O-23.
Of making many sermons on the prodigal
son there seems to have been no end,
Yet was in the ministry fifteen years be-
fore preached from any part of the para.
bic. There may be many reasons why, az
rule, we turn away from it. 1t may be
that the picture is too realistic.
i was standing in the prison chapel al
that should conduct service for the con.
vcts., just as / was leaving the building
the officer said to me, "By the way, il you
should come do not preach upon any part
Of the prodigal. We have had tvsenty.fouf
ministers here by actual count. and every
one of them gave us the prodigal son, and
these poor fellows have had about as much
prodigal as they can stand"
Il may also be that we have turned away
from it because it is such familiar ground
that it has lost its charm for Us. / was
sweeping through the magnificent Rocky
Mountain scenery some time ago, and wheh
we had plunged into the Royal Gorge, and
q
seemed TO me that scenery more sublime
could not be found in all the world, and il
l had never been impressed before with
the existence OF God / should have cried
out unto Him in the midst of those mount.
ain peaks. l noticed that every one in the
in rapt admiration. This one woman was
intently reading a book, and to my Ger.
tain knowledge she did not lift her 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 friend, This is the thir
teenth time 1 have crossed the mountains,
The first time could not keep the teari
FROM rolling down my cheeks. so impressed
was 1. but now" she said II know it 81
well that | frequently go through the whole
range with scarcely glance cast out o
the window" Il is thus. alas! that we
read Gods word. and that which fill.
heaven with wonder, and furnishes the an
gels theme for never-ending praise, we
read with Indifference or fail to read at all
And vet my own confession is that never
have had until recently the best of this
story of the prodigal.
thought it was to give us a vision OF tn.
younger son, and as such it would be
message to backsliders. and while this i,
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
fishness Of the elder brother, but / con.
that never cared to consider him even fol
q moment. But it has in these later days
become to me one of the sweetest portions
OF all the New Testament because believe
the parable was written that we might fas
ten our eyes upon the father of the parable
and IN that father get glimpse of God.
Did 1t ever occur to you that in the pic
lures Of the fathers of the Bible you were
always gwen i vision of one part of the
nature OF God? Jacob crying out, "Me Ys
have bereft of my children; Joseph is 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 thu
lost. David exclaiminq. "Oh, Absalom. nv
son, my son! would God I had died TO,
thee, is lust a hint as to the way God
feels over His lost ones for whom His Son
has really. died. And yet better than any
picture OF a father as the revelation oi
God Is the life of the Son Of God from
that hath seen Me hath seen the Father"
But putting all these things together and
IN the light of them reading the story oil
the prodigal, our hearts burn within us as
we see God.
'BUT WHEN HE WAS YET A GREAT
WAY OFF"
These words must have a wonderful
meaning, for the measurement is from
Gods standpoint. 1t would be an awful
thing to be great way off according to
mans conception, but when it is the COM
putation of One who is infinite we are
startled, and yet our amazement gives way
instantly to alteration, for we are told that
even even II We are so great distance from
Acts u: 80, we read that the promise is
unto all that are afar off," and in Ephe.
SLAMS II: l3, IL. we are told that aye who
sometimes were far off are made nigh by
the blood Of Christ" and that Jesus Christ
came and preached peace to you which
were afar of" as well as to them that
were nigh: 1t never is any question with
nod as to how deeply one has sinned. 1t il
remarkable thing that throughout the
wnole Bible He has ever chosen the most
conspicuous sins and the most fragrant sin.
5ners that He might present to us His viii.
hngness to forgive.
H9d requires but three things il we
would know Him in this way.
I.n;nsst: r;irst: there must be a willing mind. In
Isaiah i: l0.i.we read, "If We be willing and
fpDedient, We shall eat the good Of the
,ahd In another place we read, 'If there
wb,t vi nrst a willing mind, it is accepted for
i nath not" In still another place we are
itoid, II any man will do His win he shall
Know OF the doctrine" God Himself inf.
n,.e though He may be, will not save US
against our wills.
second, there must be desire to know
.le truth that we may do it, Mere knowl.
uge OF the truth may he our condemna.
.on; and 1t is the saddest thing in the
moriu tnat SO many people know and vet
M ars unwilling to do. 1t will be an awful
Judgment which must finally fall upon the
,hn.A INK anu hle OF men because all their lives
and aney h hveo under the shadow Of the church
ana heard the preaching of the word. ali
oil which condemns them
f.Ihne third requirement is an honest con.
lession OF ones intentions, God never
Ki.es 70 one more light, than he uses. hut
@ mere Is IN the heart single desire, how.
ser iaint, to know Him, and that desire i,
eShiessed before men aud unto God, He
charges our vision, sheds upon us more
ABUNDANT light. and it is always by the
Wmay OF confession that we enter into the
his FATHER SAW HIM"
Mr.. Moody says that that father was
looking through the telescope OF his love.
. navI always felt that he was looking
through his tears. 1t is said that when as
ttohomers want to increase the scope OF
i iineir vision they add to the number OF
iies, iiks ia ana sometimes our falling tears are
the the lenses in the telescope. They
or1ng objects far removed nigh unto US.
nut what comfort it is to know that
s.;s, .ne ereat Father of us all looks after US
WIN WIN pity that is infinite and with sym.
patny that is beyond conception. The
,ymion OF the father Of the prodigal was
limited, but Gods eye sweeps through all
IRace, and He sees us wherever we are
We We can even behold our thoughts. and