The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1904-05-12
The ProdigaI Son

was one of three spoken in answer TO
the Pharisaical murmuring against
Jesus familiarity with publicans and
sinners. With cumulative power they
set forth the Savior's acknowledged
mission in which he and all heaven
delighted; namely, the recovery of
the lost
If woman loses coin, part of her
dowry, does she despise it because it
is lost, because mayhap it is trampled
in the mire somewhere, or is corroded
by exposure? Not bit of it, On the
contrary, her heart lie set upon recov-
cry. She lights her hand-lamD and
thrusts it into every recess. and, as a
last resort, she sweeps the floor, and
passes the litter through her hands.
When the coin is found her delight
bears some proportion to the intrinsic
value Of the coin and to the length
and righteousness of the search. So
the apostate sons of Abraham are
still dear to God; the publicans, too,
who unpatriotically make merchan-
disc out of Israel's servitude and fall
en- state.
It's the sorry plight, the dangerous
predicament Of the lost sheep, which
touches the faithful shepherds heart
to pity. 1t is difficult for usto appre-
ciate the strong bond which main
tains between the keeper and his
flock. In this instance the true shep-
herd, who is no mere hireling, sees in
imagination his dear lost sheep on
the mountain, cut bv stones, lacera-
ted by thorns, until it's snowy fleece
is dyed in its own blood. Its piteous
bleating haunts his very dreams. He
knows that most timid and defense
less of domestic animals will be the
easy prey of some ravening beast.
The shepherd heart asserts itself.
Out into night and danger he goes.
The sheep is found, and the Joy is
proportionate to the strength of the
shepherds attachment, the perils of
the search, and the value of the sheep.
So each sinner and publican is still
one of the favored flock, only astrav,
imperiled. To search, find, and re-
store such one is divine work, in
which angels would tain engage-in
the contamination of which they are
at least permitted to rejoice.
See the progression. 1t is from the
inanimate to the animate-from the
animate to the human. o A son in a
noble and wealthy family, chatting
under parental restraint, or having
exhausted local means of dissipation,
and signing for fresh fields of volup-
tuous conquest, inconsiderately re-
quests an ante-mortem division of the
estate. The indulgent father makes
it. Perhaps he has no recourse; par
entail authority is at an end. The
sons heart is callous to the appeal of
love; sin has indurated him. The
guileless youth, the fathers pride and
joy, has grown the gruff, defiant reb
ell. The amenities of home are insult
cradle.
In the shortest time possible the in
fatuated youth tucked the sparkling
gems and golden bars, his patrimony
in portable form, easily convertible
into coin of any country. in the peck
cts of money-belt, and, strapping it
about his person, he went abroad
perhaps without even a ceremonious
farewell.
He wasted his substance. He toss
ed it in the air literally as the farmer
does his wheat when he will separate
it from the chaff. He lived dissolute
ly. He was insalvable literally while
his infatuation lasted The coinci-
rimony and the universal and extreme
famine puts pathetic touch to the
sorry plight of the dissolute spend
thrift He was left behind literally
in the race. He never, in spite OF his
infatuated effort and extravaganza. so
much as reached the glittering goal
of his wanton ambition. The gay
reveling party that kept him com
pany while his means held out swept
past him thanklessly and disdainfully
when his once plethoric purse was at
list empty. He awoke as from a
dream-alone! penniless.
With the pertinacity of despair he
glued literally himself to a foreign
land owner, whome in his prosperity
he would have dubbed a GENTLE
dog''-with whome he would have
had no intercourse, much less receive
a favor from him. In his dispair he
cleaves to the foreigner to tenaciously
that he can not be shaken off. A
: superlatively disgusting and degrad-
ing task is given him-offensive to all
the senses, repugnant to all the ideas
! of ceremonial cleanliness instilled in
mind from boyhood. So sharp were
the pangs of hunger that he kept
| no thair fan1-thp