THE SON CAME TO SEEK THE LOST

Rev. Harvey Wood reports this incident, which is very touching: He was standing in the open air in High Barnet, one of the suburbs of London, on the evening of 13 July 1902, listening to an earnest appeal that was being made by the Canon of the Anglican Church, when the latter related the following incident that occurred eight days before. King Edward VII of England gave a dinner to tens of thousands of poor in commemoration of his coronation. All London and the country for miles around had been scoured to find the guests for the king's dinner. Royal princesses, princes, dukes, lords and ladies, and officers of the army which had just returned from South Africa, waited upon the king's poor guests. It was a sight never to be forgotten! Among the guests were an old man and his wife who had come from one of the rural districts to partake of the king's hospitality. It was learned that the aged couple had just managed to keep body and soul together long enough to partake of the king's dinner. After that they intended to enter the poorhouse. They had sold their household possessions in order to keep from starving. Among the waiters upon the table at which the old couple sat, was a fine-looking young officer from Australia. As he helped them to food the old man whispered to his wife, "My, ain't he like our Ned?" The officer overheard them. Presently he came again to help them to some more food, when the old man spoke aloud to him: "My, but you are like our Ned!" "Indeed, am I?" "Yes, you are." "Well, what is your name and where is your Ned?" "Oh, he went to Australia over thirty years ago, and we have not heard from him in over twenty-one years." It was now the young officer's turn to talk, and the tears were running down his manly face as he said: "Well, my name is Ned, and if you are Eward B..., I am your Ned's son. My father died twenty-one years ago, but I came to England to find you, and had given up in despair. Where are you going when dinner is over?" "To the poorhouse," said the old man. "Oh, no, you are not," said the young officer. "You are going with me to my hotel, and you sail with me next Saturday for my home in Australia. Come, grandmother, give me your arm," and he took them to his hotel. There was not a dry eye in all the vast audience as the Reverend Canon told of another father, our heavenly Father, who sent His Son "to seek and to save the lost"; to tell them of a home in His Father's house "where they hunger no more, neither thirst anymore, nor the sun lights upon them, or any heat." Of the King of kings Who has prepared a great feast, and has bidden all mankind, and His Son bids everyone come - for a heavenly feast has been prepared! [52 Soul-stirring Illustrations, Billy Apostolon, Baker Book House, 1974].