Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-08-13
THE PRODIGAL SON.
Theme Of Sermon by Rev. Benjamin
Young Yesterday.

Rev. Benjamin Young preached on
the Prodigal Son yesterday morning,
In the First Methodist church, and
said in part
This far country spoken Of IN the
text, and 10 which the prodigal had
gone; Is place where law does not
operate much on human life and where
an effort has been made 10 abolish
Cod. think you can read this be.
TWEEN the lines OF this parable. The
young man did not seem TO give much
thought to the teachings OF his father
He had severed connections with the
old home. lie had cut himself of en-
tiIcly lFom It's restraints. lie had
said, II any one asks me where / am
from IN evade the question. II any
one asks me about the old man, IN
just say ! do not know. ! viii just
count him dead. I'll forget an about
him and about the old home He was
In the far country. II did not take him
long TO get there. Many a man Is IN
much the same position. lie says.
THE restraints which other men feel
! will abolish. / will not be obligated
TO be true. / VIII not consider that IL
is absolutely necessary TO be honest /
am looking after myself now ana | viii
do about AZ ! please. These men who
talk about the laws which hedge US
about and who pirate about the claims
| OF the fathers house and home upon
us are rhapsodists; just idle dreamers.
4 This word OF God, III Just cut out Of
my vocabulary. ] think | viii Just
say there is no cd. As ! look about
me | notice that others have assumed
| these things and viii do as they have
done"
so these restraints which are part OF
/ the heritage Of our civilization are Just
set aside. Men say they are mere
customs built UP out OF human neces-
sity. and such necessity has been the
imposition Of desp0tlsm. We will be
free from law This word God We
will rub out We VIII not argue about
the matter. We could not do that IL
may De hard for us 90 be consistent.
/ We shall have 90 make some pretty
strange dcuiale And We shall get into
/ "A tight corner occasionally. We shall
I have 20 DO some searching through
the pages ~ barren philosophy We
shall have 90 deNe into The ingenious
speculations of vain men. guess
We shall have to turn from
the study 90 anatomy for
! me veins and tho arteries gul the
| bones and muscles and the nerves and
the lunumerabc parts that make w
the physical system seem 20 articulate
the praises of God And ] guess that
we would better deny the existence of
the moral nature az man. Better say
0 49,. "A d.
affirm that man is au orphan I'M al
orphaned universe. VI, must give an
emphatic denial % the notion that h.
Is made In the image of God. We VIII
start his history without God. We VIII
lust say that natural causes operated
! 10 produce him Well how dii natural
causes do that? What caused natural
! causes To thus operator We viii Just
| saw ourselves on at that point DO
not know how he came possessed OF
reason. DO not know just how De- came
| 20 b. endowed with VII. DO not Know
how h. came 10 be "a palace 10 sight
aud sound. carrying IN has sens y me
morning and the night and ODE un-
fathomahle galaxy DO nos uoN how
be came 20 carry IN his brain The
geometry OF the city OF God aud on bis
heart the power OF love and The realms
Of right and wrong
Astronomy. Nou mentioned about
that. II would be difficult % explain
the swinging planets Without law. II
would be- hard 10 show how this centri.
fugal and centripetal force keeps such
4 marvellous balance IN the sky 10 We
count the divine out. Abolish God and
the harmony and Law and rythm here
arc inexplicable Yes ] suppose We
should have 20 change the story Of
geology / suppose too. that We should
he baffled % explain these substle at
fractions and repulslons IN the field Of
chemistry But can we live here IN
this far country? Arc we happy In 81
Rave We not cut by our EFFORTS The
very foundations Of law aud orderg
Have ws anything upon which We can
build our courts and our temples Is
II not rcpugnaut TO u.s. Il II not chilly
10 the soul, The far country OF science
and atheism II the country Of despair.