Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1910-11-04
WANDERERS RETURN
A Great Sermon on a Great Theme.
Male Quartette Sing-RevivaI
Closes Tonight.


proaches the close with undated in
terest. A splendid congregation gath
cred last night. A special musica
number was rendered by the Male
Quartette, Messrs. Smith, Shelton
Cooking and Cooke. Miss Copeland
sang as a solo The Prodigal"
The speaker of the evening was
DR.. Oehler of the Presbyterian
church. His theme was THE Wan
derer's Welcome Home" The ser
mon was based on the parable of the
Prodigal Son.
He said, in part:
The invariable tendency of fallen
man is away from God. This truth is
impressively illustrated in that Pearl
of Parable" the Parable of the Prodi
gal Son.
Consider first. The stages of the
downward course of the younger son
of the parable.
| ISI. HClC was a pCliou vi VIZ
content He was not satisfied with
his fathers house. He chafed at the
wholesome restraints and restrictions
and was impatient with the wise in,
structions of the home.
| Second. The next natural step was
his departure from the parental roof
He wished to be entirely pepde9t.
| He longed to be his own master, aid
| this desire could be realized only by
his severing the ties that bound him
to the old homestead.
| Third. From this time we note his
rapid degeneration. The story of his
decline is tersely told by the words,
And there waster his substance with
riotous living" His progress was so
swift that he soon reached the limit
of his patrimony when he had
spent all, there arose nightly fam
inc in that land, and he began to be
in want; and he went and joined him
self to citizen of that country, and
he sent him into his fields to feed
swine
Fourth. Here the last stage is
reached in his prodigal career. And
| And there wasted his substance with
carob leaves which the swine did eat,
| and no man gave unto him" He had
come to the place where he must find
relief or starve to death.
( So, we consider in the second place
the steps in his return homeward:
First. He began to reflect upon his
condition, and for the first time lets
| reason come into play And when
he had come to himself, he said, How
many hired servants of my father
have bread enough and to spare, and
l perish with hunger?" He could not
be arrested in his degenerate course
till he reached the utmost extremity.
In his restitution, in the depth of his
degeneration and want, he is brought
to consider.
| Second He wastes no further time
he cannot afford to linger, so he
promptly frames a resolution: Il will
arise and go to my father" 1t was
the only thing he could do.
Third. Then he as unhesitatingly
puts into practice his sensible re-
solve He arose and came to his
father" That took degree of cour-
age. He framed his confession, and
turns his begrimed face toward his
| fathers house. He could not help
wondering what his fathers attitude
toward him would be. But his
purpose was definite and positive, his
mind was resolute. His condition
could not be made worse, il his father
should spurn him, and drive him from
his door as he deserved. AS he APP
preached the old home the scenes
were familiar, but how changed was
he In the rags and filth of swine
herd, hungry and emaciated, he slow
ly proceeds. But something was about
to take place in the old homestead, for
Fourth. while he was yet a great
way off his father saw him, and had
compassion, and ran and fell on his
neck and kissed him" And when the
returned prodigal was in the midst of
his confession, his father interrupted
him and called to his servants, Bring