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I. THE SON'S FORTUNE, AND HIS WAY OF SPENDING IT. What, then, was his fortune? Man is gifted with health, by which he is able to enjoy life — strength, to provide for its necessities — faculties (such as common sense, reason, the understanding), to guide him to God as his true happiness — affections, to endear him to others, and others to him. Appetites of various and valuable sorts. The appetite of eating and drinking, which affords legitimate pleasure and real advantage when moderately indulged; the appetite for seeing, which opens a door to much useful discovery and delight, which enables us to admire on every hand the infinite wisdom, power, and goodness of our Creator and our God; the appetite for hearing, by which Divine knowledge gets admittance into the soul, by which the agreeable converse of our friends, and the delightful strains of heavenly melody, may be enjoyed and indulged in. These, and many others. are precious items in the portion which God bountifully bestows upon His children. They should be enjoyed at His discretion, according to His command, and for His glory. Not so, however, the sinner. Like the prodigal, he gathers his riches, and takes his journey into a far country — that is to say, he wanders far from God and heaven. The prodigal becomes a worldling; he carries his portion into the unregenerate world, and there wastes his substance in riotous living. His gifts are debauched and misused; they are all made the servants of sin. Hunger eaters to gluttony; thirst to drunkenness; the eye administers to lust; it reads wicked looks, delights in wanton shows, in pomp, and vanity, and folly. The ear drinks in blasphemy, irreligion, and indecency. The heart is made the residence of evil affections; the head and understanding, of wicked, ungodly, infidel principles. The summer of life is spent in bringing to maturity the seeds of evil which were scattered in its spring — the autumn, in the neglect of what is good, and in the ingathering of what is bad, the poisoned fruits of a debauched manhood. The winter of life comes on, and in its train sharp disease, racking pains — a bloated, enfeebled, disordered carcase — a foolish head, an unregenerate heart, a guilty conscience. There is now no more capacity for enjoying pleasure; the sight is gone, the hearing lost, the appetite vanished, the strength decayed, the health squandered, the affections debased, the faculties degraded — the whole substance wasted in riotous living.

II. HIS DESTITUTION AND REPENTANCE. "And when he had spent all there began to be a mighty famine in that land." So it is with sinners. They derive their pleasure from sensual enjoyments — the indulgences of the flesh; but, when they spend their strength, there is an end of these indulgences. The eye refuses to see, the ear to hear, the members to stir, in obedience to the miserable slave of sin. "And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat." It is among the miseries of sinners that the appetite for wicked indulgence increases as the capacity for gratifying it decays. The longer the heart has been exercised in iniquity, the deeper will be the corruption with which it is tainted. "And no man gave unto him." Be assured, sinner, this is a true picture of the world. While you can treat them — while you have anything that they can devour, they will praise and flatter you; but, when your substance is gone, you will find it true that no man will give unto you — none of your sinful companions. They have their own devouring lusts, their filthy lusts, to gratify. Do you think that they will deny themselves for your necessities? "And when he came to himself" — mark the expression, as though he had been in a fit of madness. It is thus the sinner is here spoken of; yea, and elsewhere the Holy Ghost says, "Madness is in their hearts while they live." "I will arise," etc. Here, then, were no excuses, no palliations — no saying others were in fault, I was led astray, I have not been as bad as some — no promises of great things for the future — no saying, I will devote myself to thy service, I will fight thy battles, I will do wonders for thy cause; but a simple declaration of guilt and wretchedness: "I have sinned, I am unworthy; I do not deserve the character of thy son; make me as one of thy servants; regard me as one of them." He resolves to plead, not his merit, but his misery, and he puts his resolve into execution. For —

III. "HE AROSE AND CAME TO HIS FATHER." "He arose and came": it is important that you should mark this — he did not rest content with mere resolutions of repentance. He did not say, "I will arise and return," and all the while stay where he was, desiring still to feed on husks. This too many do. "And .while he was yet a great way off," etc. Oh, the melting tenderness of our God and Saviour! He watches the very first movements towards repentance.

(T. D. Gregg, M. A.)

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KJV: And he said, A certain man had two sons:

WEB: He said, "A certain man had two sons.