WEDNESDAY
The Prodigal Son.— I.
I. " A certain man had two sons, and the younger of them said to his father, give me the portion of substance that falleth to me." (Luke xv. 11.) God has two sons, the just and the wicked; the just are the elder, for "God made man right" (Eccles. vii. 30) in the beginning. The just always remain in God's house, and never wish to leave it, but the wicked estrange themselves from God, abuse the gifts both of nature and grace, and live riotously and perversely. Whoever leaves God, travels into a foreign land; he leaves "the way, the truth, and the life," and becomes a sinner. Of these David says, "Salvation is far from sinners." (Ps. cxviii. 155.)
II. As soon as this young prodigal had left his father's house he fell into misfortunes. " He began to be in want." Thus sinners who estrange themselves from the sacraments, from exhortation, and the company of the virtuous, soon begin to be in want of spiritual subsistence. " He joined himself to one of the citizens of that country," as a servant. Every sinner is a slave to the Devil; and as the citizen employed the prodigal youth in feeding swine, so the Devil employs his followers in gratifying their own sensual appetites, which brutalize human nature. The prodigal attempted to satisfy his hunger, by feeding on the husks of swine, but he did not succeed: neither can the sinner succeed in filling the capacity of his immortal soul by earthly gratifications.
III. " And returning to himself." When pressed by famine, he begins to recollect himself. "Vexation alone," says the Prophet to sinners, " shall make you un-
