Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1888-03-28

Fort SCOTT, KAN, March 18.-The Rev.
T. Dewitt Talmage, DID,, of the Brooklyn,
N. Y, Tabernacle, preached here this
evening to crowded congregation. He
took for bis subject "The Decoration of the
Soul" and his text was Luke xv., %: "Put
a ring on his hand" He said:
will not rebearse the familiar story of
the fast young man of the parable. You
know what a splendid home he left. You
know what a hard time he had. And you
remember how after that season of vaga-
bondage and prodigality he resolved to go
and weep out his sorrOws on the bosom of
parental forgiveness. Well, there is great
excitement one day in front of the door of
the old farmhouse. The servants come
rushing up and say: "What's the matter
What is the matter? ?" But before they
quite arrive the old man cries out: "Put q
ring on his hand" What a seeming alb
surdity What can such wretched men,
dicant as this fellow that is tramping on to-
ward the house want with a ring? Oh, he
is the prodigal son. No more tending of
the swine-trough. No more longing for the
pods of the carob tree. No more blistered
feet. Off with the rags On with the robe
Out with the ring Even so does God re-
ceive every one of US when we come back.
There are gold rings, and pearl rings, an6
caruelian rings, and diamond rings; but the
richest ring that ever flashed on the vision
is that which our Father puts upon for.
given soul.
l know that the impression is abroad
among some people that religion bemeans
and belittles 3 man; that it takes all the
sparkle out of his soul; that he has to ex-
change registering independence for an &C.
clesiastical strait jacket. Not so. When a
man becomes Christian he does not &c
down; he starts upward. Religion multi
plies one by ten thousand. Nay, the multi
plier is in infuity. 1t is not blotting out
it is polishing, it is an arborescence, it is
an eff1orescence, it is an irradiatiop. When
a man comes into the kingdom of God he is
not sent into menial service, but the Lord
God Almighty from the palaces of heaven
calls upon the messenger angels that wait
upon the throne to fly and "put a ring on
his hand In Christ are the largest lib
erty, and brightest joy, and highest honor,
and richest adornment. "Put ring on his
hand.
1 remark, in the first place, that when
Christ receives a soul into His love He puts
upon him the ring of adoption. In my
church in Philadelphia there came the re-
preventative of benevolent society in New
York. He brought with him eight or ten
children of the street that he had picked up,
and he was trying to find for them Christian
homes; and as the little ones stood on the
pulpit and sung, our hearts melted within
US. At the close of the services a great
hearted, wealthy man came up and said,
s'I'll take this little bright-eyed girl, and
I'll adopt her as cne of my own chlldren';
and he took her by the hand, lifted her into
his carriage, and went away. The next
day, while we were in the church gathering
up garments for the poor of New York, this
little child came back with bundle under
her arm, and she said, "There's my old dress;
perhaps some of the poor children would
like to have it," while she herself was in
bright and beautiful array, and those who
more Immediately examined her said that
she had ring on her hand. 1t was ring
of adoption.
There are great many persons who pride
themselves on their ancestry, and they glory
over the royal blood that pours through
their arteries. In their line there was a
lord, or duke, or prime minister, or a
king. But when the Lord, our Father, puts
upon us the ring of His adoption we become
the children of the Ruler of all nations
'B6nOlQ Wnab manner Oh lOVo Uno aIlor
hath bestowed upon us, that we should be
called the sons of God" 1t matters not
how poor our garments may be in this
world, or how scant our bread, or how mean
the hut we live in, if we have that ring of
Christ's adoption upon our hand we are as
sured of eternal defences.
Adopted! Why, then, we are brothers and
sisters to all the good of earth and heaven.
We have the family name, the family dress,
the family keys, the family wardrobe. The
Father looks after us, robes US, defends US,
blesses us. We have royal blood in our
veins, and there are crowns in our line, If
we are His children, then princes and
princesses. 1t is only question of time
when we get our coronet. Adopted Then
we have the family secrets. ''The secret OF
the Lord is with them that fear Him.
Adopted! Then we have the family inherit
apce, and in the day when our Father shall
divide the riches of heaven we shall take
our share of the mansions and palaces and
temples. Henceforth let as boast no more
of an earthly ancestry. The insignia Of