The Alaska citizen., 1915-11-29
THE OLD TESTAMENT TROPICAL

made haste. and delayed not to keep Thy commandments. Psalm l1s: 59. so.
 John McNeill calls this text The old Testament story of the Prodi- gal" The fifteenth chapter of St. Luke gives us twenty-two verses de scribing the story of the boy who went away rom home. and when he came to himself" came back again. But here we have the story ia two verse;. It does not make any difference who the wanderer is, If he will think on his way he will prepare to return, and he will not return until he does think on his ways. 1 thought on my ways, said David. and he certainly had considerable to think about. We have enough of his life in the Bible to assure Us that his ways were not always the best, and a little sincere thinking would lead him to change them The great trouble with the sinner is that he doesn [ think on his own ways He is ever ready to tel! you something about the ways of some other fellow, but his own he seldom thinks about
 This text is a sort of epitapn written on the tombstone of Dayia that all who read may think. |, is simple. plain and easy of com prehension, and many might have thought of the same thing them selves Like Columbus and the egg, is sort of a diary taken from the life of man who actually lived on the earth. Do you keep a diary :? God keeps one and He keeps onA of your life, He is writing it just now. A good many things have been written there that will make very embarrass reading for your ears when the books are opened and you are judged out of the things written in the books. It is about time that record was bal anced with little red ink. It IS about time you were thinking or these words of a man who thought before you but not for you, ''! thought on my ways"
 But how easy it is for someone to say, Well, let us see. Every man must be in one of these three places. He is going away, or he is coming back, or he is back home safely. All have wandered, and there is no question about it. All we like sheep have gone astray" Some are staggering through the mire of drunkenness. swearing, l- centiousnes, and other dreadful sins; that is the way to the far country. Some are laying along the road of seif-righteousness church. going, and sermon hearing; that is our way to the outer darkness Stop and think! On which path are you.
 T thought" And that means you. if you want eternal life. Thought is the seed of eternal life, just as much as the acorn is the seed of the mighty cak Things must have a beginning, and that beginning must be soul, and a thought of where it is going to spend eterni- ty. Then, too, this thinking is in, divldual. We are not swept through the streets ot glory in patches, ol crowds, or armies, but individually. As every man has individually gone astray so he must individually come back again, if he ever gets back. If you are astray and get back it will be because you have thought on your ways and come back to God
 Yes, we here have a man thinking for himself about himself. When a man can bring himself to think about himself, there is no more in teresting subject to me than me. For John Brown, Brown is very interesting fellow for John to think about And when John gets to thinking carefully about Brown. he will not overlook the ways in which Browns feet are treading. How easy it is to look at the other fel- low, and tell him how he needs the gospel. To the idle Christian that is the devils best assistance. If the devil can get you to believe there is no sin, or that the other fellow is committing all the wrong, he has you doomed sure. You will then stand for him without hitching You will need 10 other tie strap There is not man or woman among us whose ways do not need mcndine and ending, not one who could not be somewhat improved. There are a great many who are waiting to be set right in this world, but their examples are bad. People are apt to think they are back in the Fla ther's house when they are in the devils hogpen eating pods. That is the dry rot of practical religion If you are not getting better in your religious practises daily you L~l hot ty,1r