The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-04-04
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN,
DAY SERMON.
Subject: THE Decoration of the
Soul" Preached ut Fort
Scott, Kansas
TEXT: "Put ring on his hand."-Luke

OCOLI, IAdhSaSJ
TEXT: "Put a ring on his hand."-Luk'
xv., p:
/ 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 &c
and weep out Lis sorrows on the bosom OF
parental forgiveness. Well, there is great
excitement one day in front OF the door o Of
the old farm house. The servants come rush
ing up and say: whats the matter! What
is The matterf' But before they quite arrive
the old man cries out: Put ring on his
hand" What seemiag absurditY! What
can such a wretched mendicant as this fellow
that is tramping on toward the house want
with a ring! Oh, he is the prodigal SON No
more tending of the swine trough. No mes
longing for the pods Of the carob tree No
more blistered feet. OFF with the rags! Cn
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 pear!
rings, and cornelian rings, and diamond
rings; but the richest ring that ever flashed
OF the vision is that which our father puts
upon forgiven soul
know the impression is abroad among
some people that religion bemeans and bellt-
tiles man: that it takes all the sparkle out
of his soul; that he has to exchange roy
stering independence for an ecclesiastical
strait Jacket Not So When man becomes
q Christian. he does not go down, he starts
upward. Religion muitiplies one by ten
thousani. Nay, the multiplier is inhnlty.
It is not a blotting QUIT is polishing, it Is
an arborescence it is an eft'orescence, 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
s'put ring on his hand" In Christ are the
largest liberty, the brightest joy, and highest
honor, and richest adornment. 'Put a ring
on his hand"
I remark, in the first place, that when
Christ receives soul into His love He puts
upon him the ring Of adoption. In my
sentative 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 pull
pit and sung, our hearts melted within US.
At the close Of the services great hearted,
wealthy man came up and said: 'I'u take
this little bright eyed girl, and Ill 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 bum
die under her arm, ana she said: "Theres
my old dress; perhaps some of the poor chill.
dren would like to have it" while she herself
was in bright and beautiful array, and those
who more Immediately e.amined her said
she had q ring on her hand. 1t was 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 lord, or
duke, or a prime minister, or king. But
when the Lord, our Father, puts upon us the
ring of adoption, we become the children OF
the ruler of all nations. Behold what man.
US that we should be called the sons Of God"
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 we have the
ring of Christ's loption 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 are crowns in our line. If we are
his children, then princes and pr.ncesses. 1t
Is onlv q 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 and all privilege Now we can
take the words Of Charles Wesley, that prince
of hymn-makers, and sing:
Come, let us join our friends above,
Who have Obtained the prize,
And n The eagle wings Of love
To Joy celestial rise.
Let all the saints terrestrial sing
With those to glory gone;
Far III the servants OF our King,
In Heaven and esrth, are one.
I have been tod 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 by
enemies, they have only to give q certain sig
nal and the members Of that organization
will flock around for defense. And when
brotherhood, if Ee gets in trouble, in trial, IN
persecution, in temptation, he has only to
show the ring of Christ's adoption, and all
the armed cohorts Of heaven will come to his
rescue.
Still further, when Christ takes soul into
His love He puts upon it marriage ring
Now that is not q whim OF mine: "And
will betroth thee unto Me forever; yea,
will bstroth thee unto Me in Righteousness,
and in jugment, and in loving kindness,
kho altar fha
bridegroom puts ring upon the hand OF the
bride, signifying love and faithfulness,
Trouble may come upon the household, and
the carpets may 60, the pictures may go, the
piano may 60, everything else may go-the
last thing that goes is the marriage ring, for
it is considered sacred. In the burial hour it
is withdrawn from the hand and kept in a
casket, and sometimes the box is opened on
an anniversary day, and as you look at that
ring you see under its arch long procession
of precious memories. Within the golden
circle Of that ring there is room for thcu-
sand sweet recollections to revolve, and you
think Of the great contrast between the hour
when, at the close of the, wedding
March," under the flashing lights
and amid the aroma OF orange olos,
SONS, you set that ring on the round
finger Of the plump hand, and that other
hour when, at the close Of the exhaustive,
watching, when you knew that the soul had
fed, YOU took from the hand, which gave
back no responsive clasp, from that ema-
ciated finger, the ring that she had worn so
long and worn so well
On some anniversary day you take up that
ring, and you repolish it until all the old lus-
ter comes back, and you can sac in it the
flush of eyes that long ago ceased to weep;
Oh, it is not an unmsaning thing when tell
YOU that when Christ receives soul into his
ieeping he puts on it marriage ring. he
sndows you from that moment with all his
wealth. You are one-Christ and the SOUL
ons in sympathy, one in affection, one III
There Is no power in earth or hell to effect