Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-03-19
SOUL DECORATIONS.
DR.. TALNAGRS ELOQUENT SBRAON
PREACHED YESTERDAY.
His Last Sunday Evening Discourse in the Wss
The PrOdigal SOn-Ths Influence Of
Religion Upon the SOul-Bsaa-
ifss and Ennoblss Il
Special TsleOrom TO The Register.


Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage, DID,, Of the
Brooklyn IN. " Tabernacle, preached
to-day to a crowded congregation.
He took for his subject "The Decor
alton of the Soul, :" and his text was Luke
xv., %: "Put ring on his hand" He
said;
I will not rehearse the familiar story Of
the fast young man of the parable. You
know what a splendid home he left. You
know what 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 natter" But before they
quite arrive the old man cries out:
"Put a ring on his hand" What q
seeming absurdity! What can such
a wretched mendicant as this fellow that
is tramping on toward the house of want
with 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. OF with
the rags. On with the robe! 0ut with
the ring! Even so does God receive every
one of us when we come back. There are
gold rings, and pearl rings, and carnelian
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 belittles a man; that it takes all the
SPARKLE OUT OF HIS SOUL;
that he has to exchange a registering indie
pendence for an ecclesiastical straight
Jacket. Not 30. When man becomes a
Christian, he does not 90 down, he starts
upward. Religion multiplies one by ten
thousand. Nay, the multiplier is in in
fnity. 1t is not blotting Quit is a
polishing, it is an arborescence, it is an ef-
forescence, it is an irradiation. 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 ring on
his hand" In Christ are the largest liberty,
and brightest joy, and highest honor, and
richest adorment. "Put ring on his
hand"
remark, in 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 a 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; aud 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: "I'l take this little
bright-eyed girl, and I'll adopt her as one
of my own children;" and he took bel
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
Door of New York, his 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 like
to have it." while she herself was in
BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL ARRAY,
and those who more Immediately exam
ined her said that she had a ring on hel
hand. 1t was a ring Of adoption.
There are a great many persons who
pride themselves on their ancestry, and
they glory over the royal blood that pourt
through their arteries. In their line there
was lord, or duke, or prime minister,
or a king. But when the Lord, our Fa
ther, puts upon US the ring Of His adop
ttion, we become the children of the Ruler
of all nations. "Behold what manner o.
love the Father hath bestowed upon us
that we should be called the sons of God. y
It 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 VI
have that ring of Christ's adoption upor
our hand we are assured Of eternal de
fenses.
Adopt! Why, then, we are brothers ant
sisters TO all the good of earth and heaven
We have the family name, the family dress
the family keys, the family wardrobe. Th
Father looks after us, robes us, defends us
blesses us. We have royal blood In GU
veins and there are crowns in our line. |
we are His children, then princes ant
princesses. 1t is only question Of TIM
when we get our corOnet. Adopted! Thel
we have the family secrets. The seCre
Of the Lord is with them that fear Him.
Adopted! Then We have the family in
heritance, and in the day when our Fathe
shall divide the riches of heaven we shsl
take our share Of the mansions and pal
, aces and temples. Henceforth let u
boast ro more Of an earthly ancestry. Th
! INSIGNIA OF ETERNAL GLORY
. is our coat of arms. This ringof adoptio
nuts upon us all honor and all privilege
Now we can take the words of Charlie
, Wesley, that prince of bymn'makers, an
sing:
, Come, let MS join our friends above,
Who have obtained the prize,
Aud on the eagle wings Of love
= To JOY celestial rise.
LET all the saints terrestrial sing
I With those 70 glory gone;
For all the servants OF our King,
In heaven and earth, are one
Q Still further, when Christ takes sou
q into His love he puts upon it q maTisg
ring. Now, that is'not q whim Of mine
{ "And will betroth thee unto Me forever
e yea, will betroth thee unto me in right
eousness, and in judgment, and in loyin
O kindness, and in mercies."
There is no power in earth or he'll to q
feet q enforcement after Christ and th
soul are united. Other kings have turne
ont their companions when they got wear
: of them, and rent them adrift from tn
) palace gate. Ahssuerus banished Vasht
Napoleon forsooksJosephinei but Christ
, the husband that is true forever. Havin
loved you once, he loves you to the end
Did they not try to diyorcs Margaret, th
1 Scotch girl, from Jesus? They said: "Yo
9 must give up your religion" She saic
Q 81 cannot give up my religion" And
they took her down to the beach Of th
3 sea, and they drove in stake at low watt
Q mark, and they fastened her to it, expec
0 ing that, as the tide came up, her fait
1rould fail The tida haOar IN rise m