South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-05-02
THE PRODIGAL son.

I. Turning Away From God in
Youth Leads TO Gross Sin. The young
man in our lesson story demanded
from his father what was coming TO
him, that he might spend it without
restraint and have what similar
young men today call a good time.
The father in this parable is God. and
the young man is any doubtful sinner
who wants to use all the powers of
his body and mind in any way he
may choose. The experience of the
young prodigal who wasted his sub
stance in riotous living, and was re-
duced to a pitiable state of degrade
ton, is the experience of every youth
who breaks away from the restraints
of Gods love and laws and becomes
a law unto himself. When a young
man attempts TO live without God,
when he uses the sublime passions of
his body and powers of his. mind, ac-
cOrding to the dictates he generally
goes into the grOssest forms of sin,
and instead of finding happiness as
he expected, brings himself to misery.
He never fails to experience the proof
of the Scripture, There is no peace
saith my God to the wicked" The
world is full of just such young prodi-
gals They have ruined their health,
blasted their regulations and debauch-
ed their entire natures, so that they
are neither fit TO live nor prepared
to die.
.. Sin Leads to Misery and Want.
One would think that with the eX-
perience of the centuries behind us,
with the evidences all around us of
the effects of folly and sin generally,
that all intelligent young men would
have learned the lesson that The who
goes a SHINING goes a sorrowing." 1t
seems, however, that experience of
others has no influence whatever upon
this class of young men and they
go on i'm the downward road TO ruin
and sing as they go. like insane men
who rush to their destruction. The
cigaret, the liquor habit. the lewd wo-
man. gambling, excess of pleasure and
gluttony. seem to have as many vic
Tins today as they ever had. The
manufacture and sale of cigaretS, and
/ of other brands of tobacco. is increas-
ing at a tremendous rate, and not
/ withstanding all the advance in tenn
perance sentiment and legislation,
I there seems TO be no decrease in the
\ amount of the vile liquor which is
\ consumed. Mothers still have broken
\ hearts. and homes are yet wretched
/ through the never-failing supply OF
prodigal sons.
3. Misery and Want Awaken Men,
/ DRY. The young prodigal in the text
after he had spent all his money, and
and beggary. and all his summer
| friends had left him ard found him
/ self feeding swine for : living, came
I to himself. and said, How many hired
servants OF my fathers have bread
/ enough and TO spare and I perish with
/ hunger" Yes, this is always the
case, sin never fails TO lead to want
and misery and prodigality TO degra-
dation. The wretched young man re-
membered the plenty in his fathers
/ house and realized that the common
servants in the old home were much
| better off than he Many a young
/ prodigal today sees the boy who used
/ TO run errands in his fathers place
I OF business occupying an important
position. while he is down and out or
I next thing TO il: he sees the sons OF
poor people now far above him.
know one young prodigal so reduced
in circumstances through his sins that
he borrows money from the servants
in his fathers employ TO keep himself
from want. He is the victim of drink
drugs and even OF viler habits, and
though his memory haunts him with
the good times he had when he was
a virtuous young fellow. in his father
house. he persists in his sins.
4. An Aroused Memory Should
Lead TO Repentance. In the case OF
the young prodigal. memory did Lead
10 penitence. but alas, in many in
stances, memory is but a continuou:
torment TO young men. for they per
sist in living in their sins and nurse
their misery. When memory is al
lowed 10 have its natural tendency &C
cause a return 20 virtue. il is indeed
a blessing. for a bitter memory IL
such a case is a joyful hurt Youns
man. living in sin. you had better imi-
tate the prodigal and say. Il Will aris'
and go 20 my father, and will say unto