Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1888-08-18
REV. DR.. TALMAGB.
THE BRooKLYN DIvINE's sun
DAN SERMON.
Subject: Queer Christians -Dciiv
cred at the Piedmont GA.
ChautauQua.

Is the elder son of the parable so mn
sympathetic AMI so cold that he Is not
s worthy of recognition' The facts that we
ministers pursue the younger son. You eau
hear the tapping of his rags IN many
sermonic breeze, and the branching OF the
pods for which no was an unsuccessful con-
testant confess that for a long time was
unable to train the camera ubscura upon the
elder son of the parable. never could get
negative for Il photograph There
was not enough light i'll the gallery
or the chemicals were poor, or inc
think have him. Not q side-iace, or q
three-quarters, VI the mere bust, but full
length portrait as lie appears to me. Ill9
father in the parable of the prodigal had
nothing to brag Of i'll his two sons The one
vas rake and the other churl ind
nothing admirable in the disSo.utencSS OF tho
one, and find nothing attractive III tile
acrid sobriety of tue other. The one goes
down over the larboard side, and the other
goes down over the Starboard side; but they
both go down.
From the window of the old homestead
bursts the minstrelsy The l!oorQ uakes with
the feet of the rustics, whose dance Is always
vigorous and resoundlng. The neiEhoors
have heard of the return of the younger son
from his wanderings. and they have gath
cred together. The house is full OF conSrat-
uatorS. suppose the tables are loaded
with luxuries. Not only he one kind OF
meat mentioned, but its conconutantS.
MClap!n 80 the cymbals. "thrumm SO tho
harpS, "click!" 20 the chalices, up ami down
go the feet inside, while outside is most
sorry spectacle.
house. n frigd phleSmatic. He hnS just
come in from the fields in very substantial
apparel. Seeing some wild exhi!arations
around the old mansion, he asks OF Il servant
passing BY with SoatsSin OF WINE Oh ms
shoulder, what all the fuss Is about One
would have thought that on hearing that hls
Younger brother had got back he would have
gone into the house and rcioiced, and
if he were not conScientiouSly OPP
posed to dancing, that he would
have Joined in the ORIENTAL schottische.
No. There lie stands. His brow lowers.
His lips curl with contempt. He stamps
the ground with Indignation. He sees
nothing ut all to attract. The odors of the
feast coming ont OIL the air do not sharpen
any spring into his step. lie is in terrible
Lo, t. lie crit ICES the expense, the ill.,
Justice, and the moral of the entertainment:
The fcthe- rusheS ont hareh, AIDED, and
coaXes HIM to come in. He will not so in.
He scolds tie father. lie goes into
naS1uinade against the younger
brother, and lie makes the most I'M
PIT a prer iv'n on vaga bondiSn. stayed
at home ana wo' ed on the fnrm. Aou never
made party for me: YOU didn't so much as
kill kid, that VIC lldnU have cost halt so
Iruch as a calf; but the scapegrace went oil
in fine clotl Is, and he comes back not fit to
be seen. and what time you make over
him, He freaks ynur heart, and you pay
LIN for;t Thai calf to which we have been
giving extra feed during all these weeks
49, fntc .lcln | "a
20 what use you were going to put 1t. That
vasabond deserves TO Ue cowh.ded instead OF
4. INC ucted. Veal is too good for him.
That evening, while the younger son sat tell
IN his father alb, t his adventures. and ask
ing aboIt -rb It Ind occurred on the place
since his departure, the Senior brother goes
to bee hsuSted and slams the door after him.
That senior bro her still lives. You can see
him ali Sunday, am Ia, * the week. at
a M citing of m nisters III Germany some one
asked tfo Il: zion: ''Who is that elder
SOM, and Nrummao her answered, Il know
him: saw him yesterday And when they
INSISTED upon knowing whom he meant, he
SAID - Jself: when | saw the account Of
IT,? conversion of q most abroXious man, l
was irrItated."
First, this senior brother of the text stands
for the seif-congratu,atory. self satisfied,
-worshipful man. With the same breath
in which lie vitupe"ates against his younger
brother he utters pancgyric for himself
The sef-righteous man OF my text, like every
other self-riGhteou. man, was full OF faults
He was an Migrate. for he did not appreciate
the home blessings which he had all those
yea S. He was dsobedient for when
The father told him to come in, ne
stlyed out. He was liar, for
he said that the recrcant son had devoured
his fathers living. when the father so far
from being reduced to perjury, had home,
stead left, had instruments of music. had
q mansion, and instead Of being n Pauper,
was q prince. This senior brother. with so
many faults of his own, was merciless i'll his
criticism of the younger brother. The only
perfect people that have ever known were
utterly obnoxious l was never so badly
cheated in all my life as by
perfect man. He got SO far
up in his devotions that lie was clear up
above all the rules of common honesty.
These men that go about proving among
prayer meetings, and III places of business,
telling how good they are. look out for them
keep your hand on your potketbook! l have
noticed that inst in proportion as man gets
good he cts humble. The deep Mississippi
does not make as much noise as tine Drawing
wountain livulet. There has Teen many q
store that had more goods IN the show win.
dow than inside oil the shelves.
This self-righteous man OF the text stood at
80
admiration. We hear a great deal i'll our
day about the higher life Now, there are
two kinds of higher-lfe men. The one are
admirable. and the other are most repulsive.
The one kind OF higher-life man is Very
lenient in his criticism of others. does not
bore prayer-meetnSs to death with long har-
ranrues, does not ia k Il great deal about him.
sc hut much about Christ and heaven, get;
kindlier, and more gentle and more useful
until one day his soul spreads wing anu DC
flies away to eternal rest and everybody
morrns his departure. The other higher HE
man goes around with Bible conSpicuousIy
En,ler his arm. goes from church to churcn,a
sort of general evangelist; is Il nuisance 10 his
own pastor when he is at home and nuisance
10 other pastors when he is away from home
runs I'D to some man who is scouting out a
roll of bank bills, or running mp dllllcuit
line of figures. and asks him how his soul
is: makes religion dose of ipecacuanii;l
standing in religious meeting making an
address. he ha' Il patronizing way, as though
.r.l nary Christians were clear away down
below him. so he had to talk at the top OF his
voice in order to make them hear, hut 1t the
same time encouraging them to hope on th;lt
hv climbing many years they may alter
awhile come up within sight OF the place
where he now stands, tell you plainly that
IA roaring registering. bouncing SINNER IS not
so repulsive to me as that higher.life maltor-
nation. Tie former may repent;
The latter never gets over his
oharisais.n. The younger brother OF
tbs parable came back. but the senior
trother stands outside entirely ob!iviou5 OF
his own delin1uences and deficits. pronounc-
ing his own eulosium. Oh, how much easier
it is 10 blame others than TO blame ourselves!
Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent.
the serpent bam,d the devil. the senior broth
er blamed the younger brother and none OF
then rlame themselves.
Again. The senior brother of my text stands
for those who are faithles' about the re-
formation of the ds>.pat.d AMI tine disSolute.
In the very tones Of his voce you can hear
The fact tn IT. In Il Is no faith that the refornl-
alton of TIL. youiy-r son is g nune. His
cntiro manner seems to say: That
hoy has come back for mere money.
He rot third of the property; how
]le has come lack for another third. he
VIII never be contsnted to stay on the farm
He will fall away woull go in too and re-
'oice with the others if Thought this thing