The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-19
PUT A RING ON HIS HAND.
TALMAGE TURNS TO THE PRODI-
GAL SON FOR A SERMON.

FORT SCoTT, KAN, March 1s.--The Rev
7. Dewitt Talmage. D. D., of the Brooklyn
On W Tabernacle, preached here this
evening to a crowded congregation. He
took for his subject: "The Decoration OF
the Soul" and his text was Luke xv., %
Put ring on his hand" He said:
will not rehearse the familiar story of
the fast young man of the parable. You
know what a splendid home be left. You
know what hard time he had. And you
remember how after that season of vaga-
bondage and prodigality he resolved to 60
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
rnshing up and say: whats the
matters What is the matters" But before
they quite arrive the old man cries out:
Put ring on his hand" What a seeming
absurdltyl What can such a wretched
mendlcant as this fellow that is tramping
on toward the house want with ring9 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 blstered
feet. Off with the ragsl On with the
robel Out with the ringt Even SO does
God receive every one of us when we come
back. There are gold rings, aud 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 tnat the impression is abroad
among some people that religion bemeans
and behttles a 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 Christian, he does not 20
down. he starts upward. Religion multi
plies one by ten Thousand. Nay, the multi
pller is in intinity. 1t is not a blotting
Quit is polishing, it is an arborescene,
IT is an eff1orescene, it is an irradiation.
When 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
handn
l remark, in the first place, that when
Chrlst receives soul into his love he puts
upon him the ring of adoption. In nv
church In Phllade phia there came the rep
reSentatlve 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; and as the little ones stood on the
pulpit and sung our hearts melted within
us. At the closeApf the services a great
hearted, wealthy man came up and said
l'll take this little bright-eyed girl and I'll
adopt her as one of my own children:n and
he took her by the hand, lifted her into his
carriage and went away.
Tho Hav ruhtla
church gathering up garments for
the poor of New York, this little child
came back with a bundle under her
arm, and she said: There's nv old
dress; perhaps some of the Door
children would like to have it," while She
hersel was in bright and beautiful array.
and those who more Immediately examined
her said that she had a ring OH her hand.
1t was ring Of adoption
There are a great many persons who
pride themselves on cir ancestry and
they glory over the royal blood that pours
through their arteries. In their line there
was lord, or duke, or prime minister
or king. But when the Lord, our Father,
puts upon us the ring of his adoption. we
become the children of the Ruler of all ma
tions Behold what IN nner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of Godn 1t mat
ters 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 Christs adoption upon our hand we
are assured of etc nal defen es.
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. TIE
Father looks after us, robes us, defends ms.
blesses US. We have royal blood in our
veins, and there are crowns in our lines. If
we are his children, then princes and
prlncesses 1t is only question of time
when we get our coronet Adoptedl Then
we have the family secrets. "T'he secret of
the Lord is with them that fear him. -
Adopted! Then we have the family in
heritance, 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 lis 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 and
all privilege. Now we can AXE tie words
of Charles Wesley, 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.
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
members Of any of the great secret societies
OF this country are in distant city and are
IN any kind Of trouble, and are set upon bv
enemies, they have only 10 give certaiI
signal and the members Of that organization
will flock around for defense. And when
any man belo lgs to this great Christian
Brotherhood if be gets in trouble in trial,
in persecution, in temptation. he has only
t. show this ring Of Christ's adoption, and
all the armed cohorts of heaven will come
to his rescue
Still further, when Christ takes a soul
into his love he puts upon it u marriage
And will betroth thee unto me forever
yea, ! will betroth thee unto me in right
eousness, and in judgment, and in loving
kindness. and in nercies." At the wedding
altar the bridegroom puts ring upon the
hand of the bride, signifying love and faith
fulness. Trouble may come upon the house
bold, and the carpets may go, the pictures
may go, the piano may go, everything else
may go-the last thing that goes is that
marriage ring. for il is considered
sacred In the burial hour it is with
drawn from the hand and kept in casket,
and sometimes the box Is opened on an an
niversary day aud as you look at that ring
you see under is arch a long procession OF
precious memories. Within the golden cir
Gle Of that ring there is room for thousand
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