The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1888-03-22
Or. TALMAGEIN THE WEST
AN ELOQUENT SERMON ON "THG
DECORATION OF THE SOUL


DECORATION OF THE SOUL"
The Parable of the Prodiga1 Son-It
Matters Not How Poor We Are if We
but Wear on Our Hand the Ring of
Christ. Adoption.
FORT SCOTT, Kan, March 1S.-The
Rev. 7. De Witt Talnrage, D. D., of the
Brooklyn Tabernacle, preached here this
evening TO crowded congregation. He
took for his subject The Decoration of
the Soul. ana his text was Luke XIV, %:
s.PHt n ring on h.. hand" He said:
| will r.ot rch",tr.a. the familiar story
of the fast vouns man of the parable
You know what u splendid home he left.
You know what a hard time he had.
And you remember how, after that season
CT vasabondage and prodigality, he re-
solved 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 tie old farm house.
The servants come rushing up and say:
..What's the matter? What is the mat
teri But before they quite arrive the
old man cries out: 'sPut a ring on his
hand What seeming absurdityi
this fellow that is tramping on toward
the house wa with ring2 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 receive every one of us when
we come back. There are gold rings,
and pearl rings, and cornelian rings, and
diamond rings; but the richest ring that
ever flashed on the vision is that which
our Father puts upon forgiven soul.
know that the impression is abroad
among some people that religion bemeans
and belttles man; that it takes all the
sparkle out of his soul; that he has to ex-
change registering independence for an
ecclesiastical straight jacket. Not so.
When man becomes a Christian he
docs not GO down, he starts upward.
Religion multiplies one by 10000. Nay,
the multiplier is in infinity. It is not
blottirg QUIT is polishing, it is an
arborescence it is an effiorescence, it is
an irrudiation. When man comes into
the kingdom of God he is not sent into a
menial service, but the Lord God Al
mighty from the palaces of heaven calls
upon the messenger angels that wait upon
the throne to fly and put ring on his
hand In Christ are the largest lib
erty, and brightest joy, and highest
honor, and richest adornment. s'Put
ring on his hand
l remark, i'll the first place, that when
Christ receives soul into his love he
puts upon him the ring of adoption. In
my church in Philadelphia there came
the representative of benevolent society
in New York. He brought with him
eight OF ten children of the street that he
hal 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 great hearted, wealthy man
came up and said: I'm take this little
bright eyed girl and I'll adopt her as one
of my own children" 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; per-
haps some of the poor children would
Ike to have it, while she herself was
il bright and beautiful array, and those
who more Immediately examined her
said thIt she had q ring on her hand. 1t
was 8 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 q
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. ''Beholl
what manner of love the Father 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 assured of eternal defenses.
Adopt 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
arc crowns in our line. II we are his
| children, then princes and princesses. 1t
| Is only 4 question of time when we get
our coronet. Adopted! Then we have the
| family secrets. 1.-The secret of the Lord
| Is with them that fear him. Adopted
| Then we have the family Inheritance,
| 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 us boast no
| more of an earthly ancestry. The in
sigma of eternal glory is our coat of
| arms. This ring of adoption puts upon
Us all honor and all privilege Now we
| can take the words Of Charles Wesley,
I that prince of hymn makers, and sing:
| Come, let us join our friends above,
Who have obtained the prize,
And ON the eagle wings of love
To JOY celestial rise
Let all the saints terrestrial sing
| With those to glory gone;
For all the servants of our king,
In heaven and earth, are one.
/ have been told that when any of the
i members of any of the great secret so
/ cieties of this country are in a distant
/ city and are in any kind of trouble, and
/ are set upon by enemies, they have only
/ to give a certain signal and the members
of that organization will flock around for
| defense. And when any man belongs to
this great Christian brotherhood, if he
| gets in trouble, IN trial, in persecution, in
temptation, he has only to show this ring
of Christ adoption, and all the armed
cohorts of heaven will come to his rescue.
Still further, when Christ takes soul
into his love be puts upon it marriage
ring Now. that is not a whinl of mine:
ssAnd will bctroth thee unto me for
ever; yea, will betroth thee unto Lac in
Righteousness, and in Judgment and in
loving Kindness. and in mercies." Al
the wedding altar the bridegroom puts :
ring upon tho hand of the bride, signify