West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-03-29
ADOPTION.
TALMAGE's SUNDAY SERMON
A Discourse Delivered at Fort Scott
Kansas

will not rehearse the familiar story OF
the fast young man OF tho parable. You
know what a splendid home no left. You
know what n hard time he had. And you
remember how after that season OF vRga-
bondage and prodigality lie resolved 20 20
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 farm house. The servants come rush.
ing up and say: whats the matterl What
is the matterH But before they quito arrive
the old man cries out: Put a ring on his
hand" What "A seeming absurdityi What
can such a wretched mcn1icant as this fellow
that is tramping on toward the house want
with ringi Oh, he is the prodgal 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 ragsl On
with the robel Out with the ringl 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 n forgiven soul.
i know the impression is abroad among
some people that religion bemeans and belit-
ties man; that IL takes all the sparkle out
OF his soul that he has TO exchange n roy
stering independence for an ecclesiastical
strait jacket Not so. When man becomes
Christian. he does not 90 down, he starts
upward. Religion multiplies one by ten
thousanl. Nay, the multiplier Is inflnity.
IL is not a blotting QUIT is polishing, it Is
an arborescence, it is an efilorescence, it is an
irradiation. When a man comes into the
kingdom OF God he Is not sent into a mental
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.n In Christ are the
largest liberty, the brightest joy, aud highest
honor, andrichest adornment PUT ring
on his hand
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 repre-
sentative of a benevolent society i'm New
York. He brought with him eight or ttS
children of the street. that he had picked up
and he " IS trying TO find for them Christian
homes and as the little ones stood on the pull
pit and sung, our hearts melted within us.
AT the close of the services n great hearted,
wealthy man came up and said: "lll take
this little bright eyed girl, and III adopt her
as one II 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 bun
die under her arm, ANA she said: "There's
my old dress: perhaps some of the Door chill.
dren would like 20 have it, while she herself
was in bright and beautiful array. and those
who more Immediately e-amined her said
she had ring on her hand. 1t was a ring Of
adoption.
themselves on their ancestry, and they glory
over the royal blood that pours through their
arteries. In their line there was n lord or a
duke, or prime minister, or n king. But
when the Lord our Father, puts upon ms the
ring of adoption, we become the children Of
the ruler of all nations. behold what man
ner Of love the Father hath bestowed upon
US, that we should be called the sons of GJd. >
1t matters not how poor our garmenS, may
ne in this world, or how scant our bread or
how mean the hut we live in, if we have the
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 u.s. defends us
blesSes us. We have royal blood in our veins,
and there are crowns in our line. liz we are
his children, then princes and Processes. ii
Is only question OF time when we get our
coronet. Adopted! Then we have the fam
lily secrets. 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 man
sions and palaces and temples. Henceforth
let US boast no more Of an earthly ancestry.
The insignia of eternal glory is our coat OF
arms. This ring OF adoption puts upon us
all honor aud all privilege. Now we can
take the words Of Charles Wesley, that prince
OF hymn makers, and sing:'
Come, let rs join orr 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 10 glory gone;
Far al the servants OF our King,
In Heaven and earth, are one
/ have been told that when any Of tn,
members OF any of the great secret societies
Of this country are in distant city ond ar,
IN any kind Of trouble, and are set upon 10y
enemies, they have only 70 give certain sig
nal and the members of that organization
viii flock around for defense. And wheI
any man belongs 10 this great Christian
brotherhood, IL lie gets in trouble, in trial, il
persecution, in temptation, he has only t
show the rinC OF ChTsts adoption, and al
the armed cohorts Of heaven win come to hi
rescue.
Still further, when Christ takes a soul int,
HIS love He puts upon 10 a marriage ring
Now that Is not a wbim Of mine: "And
will betro.h the3 unto Me forever; yea,
will bctrOth thee unto Ne in Righteousness
and in augment, and in loving kin1nsss
aud in mercies" At the wedding altar tn,
bridegroom putsa ring upon the hand OF tia
bride, signifYing love and faithfulness
Trouble may come upon the household an,
the carpets may go, the pictures may go, tn
piano may go, everything else may goth
last thing that goes Is the marriage ring, 10
II Is considered sacred. In the burial hour /
Is withdrawn from the hand and kept i'm
NtlNhTtf AhiA rnlil.Nllllea lIH DON IS opened Ol
an anniversary day, and as you look at tina
rlng yOu sec under its arch long procession
OF precious memories Within the colder
circle Of that ring there is room for a thou
sand sweet recoilections % reyOlve aud Vol
think u the great contrast between the hou
whcn, ~ the close Of the "Weddinl
Marc unu-i She flashing light
and amid the aroma Of ORANGE hloe
nwns, you 81 that ring on the roun
niger 81 tho plump hand, and that othe
b Jur when, az the Close % tho exhaustive
Watching when you knew that the soul ha
led, yuu took from the hand. which CAV
lack no responsive clasp. from that ems
cisted finger. the ring that she had worn 3
long and worn 50 we'll
On some auniversarv day you take MP tha
ring. and YOU rep0lish 30 until all the old lu.
Ter comes back. and YOU can see in Do th
flush Of eyes that long ago ceased - weer
On- 20 is not ara uumaaning thing when I Il
yOu that whom Christ receives soul into hi
Keeping b. puts ON 10 a marriage ring IA
endows you from that moment with al hi
wealth You are Onc-Christ md the s0u'-
one in sympathy, one iu affection, one /
hope.
There is no power in earth OF he'll to etc,
divorcement after Christ and the soul af
united. Other kings have turned ont the
companions when they got weary of then
and sent them adrift from the palace cat
Ahasu9rus bauished Vashu: Napoleon 10
cook JO8ephIus: but Christ s the hutb1n
that is true forever. Having loved you one
He loves you 20 the end Did they not t-y
divorce Margaret. the Scotch girl fro-
JesIsf They sad. "Y0u must give uD Won
religion She said on can't give un m
religion And so they took her down H. tf
beach N the sea, md They drove boa p stall
H. u