Year: 1874

gone from martyrdom below. to mansion:


above.


As another apt illustration of what
charity is, the parable of the prodigal sor


is often cited, and the inference drawn


that this scapegrace was very properly
rewarded for his misdeeds, and the father


entitled to great credit for his conduct


on that occasion. It seems to me thai


this fellow in order to shrik the labor


and responsibility of comforting and


taking care of his father in his old age,


got all that he could, and then went of


into far country, perhaps what was then
| called "out west and spent all that he


had in riotous living, and knowing his
| former meanness, even though he had


repented, he had MT the face to ask for


the residue of the old mans property


he knew very well that he did n deserve


it, and said so. but judging from the way


of the world, he might very reasonably


have supposed that he would get it, be-
cause he had been a bad boy, was poor,


and therefore a proper object of aims
| giving. Let US suppose that he was really
penitent, (and believe that he was,)


think it was for this very reason that his
father forgave him, and did what he did
gave him robe, and ring, and good
dinner; and there is no evidence that he
did anything more, because if he had it
would have been stated, for one point in


the parable is to show how exceedingly
charitable he was, and | think he was
charitable, and that he went to the very


verge of proper charity.


Meanwhile the father did not forget
that he had another son, who in flial


obedience to parental authority, had
wrought and toiled, to cherish and com


fort the parent whom he loved. l do
hot ,haY7 ha


the gushings, and rejoicings, and prepar-
ations that were being made over the
prodigars return, he should have expert
enced a momentary impatience, as he
remembered that he had not received SO
much as even a kid for all his tolls. Even
then, believe that his anxiety was more
for his father than for himself. The
father seems to have understood it, and
never father acted more wisely, more
nobly, and more charitably than this
one, when he said to this obedient boy,
''Son thou art ever with me, and all that
L have is thine" He paid this son a
compliment for doing his duty, and then
rewarded him because he deserved it.
Now l think this was right We are so
apt to forget that there was an elder son,
that this part of the parable of the elder
son, as of the prodigal son. To my mind,
this parable is not meant to encourage
boys to become prodigal sons, but rather
to show that it is not impossible for even
them to be forgiven and accepted, when
they repent, forsake their sins and lead
better lives. If they do these things,
they shall be forgiven, and shall have
the robe, and the ring, and the fatted calf,
but the great gifts-all the rest Of the
fathers property, shall be given to the
elder sons who have deserved them.


Our charity then should not be re-
stricted to paupers, beggars, criminals,
and prodigal sons, nor limited to aims
giving indulgence toward vice or toady-
ing to the rich. 1t should be given also
to the deserving and not limited to the
undeserving. We want more of that
charity that "thinketh no evil" We
want more tender regard for the rights
of others, greater respect for their
opinions, more care for their reputation
and better appreciation OF their self
sacrificing devotion in behalf of the right.
There are many unappreciated, deserving,
heroic men, (and women too who richly
deserve our charity, but rarely obtain it.
For their sake God bears with the race.
For the sake of even five such, He was
willing to spare even Sodom and Gomor-
rah. There afe many uncrowned kings
and queens, that are silently and heroic
ally bearing the burdens of life, but who
never obtain any recognition OF their
labors, save perhaps to be pursued by
gossiping, slanderous tongues, ever ready
to start lie and then stick to it, or to be
accused by hints, and innuendoes, accom-
panied with wise looks, and a shake of
the head, and sigh, and a groan-all ex-
pressive of something too terrible to be
put into words, or if so conhded (as a
secret of course,) to some other equally
gossiping talebearer, eager to extend the
conquest.


We are too careless of the rights of
others. We have been hunting our own
rights so long, that we do MT seem to
consider that others have any or deserve
any. We have too little respect for the
opinions of others. God has not clothed
US with infallibility, and authorized US to
sit in judgment on such as honestly differ
from US in opinion. We mark out path
suited to our own feet-a sort of narrow
gauge-and then use the tomahawk and
scalping' knife on every one that gets
over the dead line, or outside of the
track-the rut that we run in. We often
read the Bible, not SO much to ascertain
the truth, as to prop up some of our pre-
conceived notions. We mount an ideal
hobby, and ride it to death, and have no
sympathy for anybody that do mt agree
with US. We forgive men for anything
and everything else, sooner than for what
we are pleased to call their absurd notions
that clash with ours. I'm patient of re-
straint, we have too little respect for
magistrates and ministers. We have by
far too many pastoral gimlets lying on
the shelf, ready to be used on every occa-
sion, and the way in which ministers are
too often treated is only too forcibly il
lustrated in the case of Henry Ward
Beecher. Here is a distinguished and
almost peerless clergyman, who to my
mind, has for many years deservedly had
and enjoyed the public confidence in the
highest degree, and to whom, not only
the church, but the country and the
world are under great obligations and
how is he treated2 Because two or three
black mailing conspirators have most
unwarrantably raised a hue and cry
against his good name, the press and the
pubic to very great extent, are pursu-
ing him with venom rarely equaled in
history. and that too without any proof
except the unsupported cont" "adictory
tales of his accusers, who, according to
their own showing, ought to be placed
beyond the pale of decent society. In
this crusade, the wish is father to the
thought, and his enemies want to find
him guilty at all hazards, in order to tri-
umph over fallen minister of the Cos
pei. Now this man is not of my church,
or my creed, but I believe in his inno-
cence, and shall not think otherwise,
until compelled to from the force of good
and sufficient evidence, and even then, l
shall be sorry, and wish that it had been
otherwise. We hate men not so much
because they are bad, but because they
are better than we are.


Lastly, we sadly fail in our charity to-
ward women. Good men deserve much