Milford chronicle., 1889-02-08

toluty ana Looked Upon AskanceS hu
with Open Arms and Cheering AIIen
Some New Conclusions About Time.
BROOKLYN. Feb, IA jubilee sermon wa
preached this morning by the Rev. T. d
Witt Talmage, D. D., at an especial commun
ion for the reception of 24O persons, making
the present communicant membership Of tn
Brooklyn Tabernacle 4, ,42s This is also NOV
ing day in this church. The annual rental o
pews has just occurred and today many o
the congregation occupy new places Thl
pews brought higher premiums this year thar
ever before and the income Of the churcl
this year win be ss3, ,sO4 But both plans ar,
observed in this church A vast space is KEEP
free from all expense and only part Of thu
building is mapped of for rent. DR.. Tai
mage took his text from the fifteenth chapter
bf Luke, twenty-third verse: Bring hither the
fatted calf and kill it." DR.. Talmage said;
JOY! JoyI Joyf We banquet today oyel
this accession Of 24O persons to whom have
| given the right hand of fellowship, making
our present communicant membership four
thousand FIVE hundred and eight Is it not
appropriate that we spread the banquet
In all ages of the world it has been custom
ary to celebrate joyful events by festivity-
the signing Of treaties, the proclamation Of
peace, the Christmas, the marriage How
ever much on other days of the year our
table may have stinted supply, on Thanks
giving day there must be something bounte-
Gus. And all the comfortable homes Of Chris
tendon have at some time celebrated joyful
events by banquet and festiyity.
Something has happened in the old home
stead greater than anything that has ever
happened before. A favorite son whom the
world supposed would become a vagabond
and outlaw forever has got tired Of sight
seeing and has returned to his fathers
house The world said he never would come
back. The old man always said his son
would come. He had been looking for him
day after day and year after year He knew
he would come back. Now, having returned
to his fathers house, the father proclaims
celebration.
WHEN A LOST SOUL CONES HOME TO GOD.
There is a calf in the paddock that h~s been
kept up and fed to utmost capacity so as
to be ready for some occasion of joy that
might come along. Ahl there never will be
a grander day on the old homestead than this
day. Let the butchers do their work. and
the housekeepers bring into the table the
smoking meat. The musicians will take their
places, and the gay groups will move up and
down tho floor All the friends and neigh
bors are gathered in, and extra supply is sent
out to the table of the servants. The father
presides at the table, and says grace, aud
thanks God that his long absent boy is homo
again. Obi how they missed him.
how glad they are to have him
back One brother indeed stands pout-
ing at the back door and says
''This is great ado about nothing; this bad
boy should have been chastened instead Of
greeted; veal is too good for himl" But the
father says; Nothing is too good, nothing is
good enough" There sits the young man,
glad at the hearty reception, but shadow Of
sorrow fitting across his brow at the re-
membrance Of the trouble he had seen. All
ready now. Let the covers lift. Music. He
was dead and he is alive againl He was lost
and he is foundl By such bold imagery does
the Bible set forth the merry making when a
soul comes home to God.
l. First Of all there is the new converts
Joy. It Is no tame thing to become Chris
tian. The most tremendous moment In a
mans life is when he surrenders himself to
God. The grandest time on the fathers
homestead is when the boy comes back.
Among the great throng who in the parlors
Of this church professed Christ one night was
o young man who next morning rang my
door bell and said: "Sir, 1 cannot contain
myself with the joy feel; came here this |
morning to express it. I have found more |
Joy in five minutes in serving God than In all |
the years of my prodigality, and came to
say So"
You have seen, perhaps, man running for |
his physical liberty and the officers Of the
law after him, and you saw him escape, or
you heard the judge had pardoned |
him, and how great was the glee of that res
cued man; but it is a very tame thing that,
with the running for ones ever
lasting life-the terrors of the law after him,
but Christ coming in to pardon and bless and
rescue and save. You remember John Bun
yam in his great story tells how the Pilgrim
put his fingers in his ears, and ran, crying:
Life, life, eternal lifein A poor car driver
In this city some years ago, after having had
q struggle to support his family, suddenly
was informed that large inheritance was
his, and there was JOY amounting to bewil-
ierment; but that is small thing compared
with the experience Of one when he has
put in his hands the title deed to the joys, the
raptures, the splendors Of Heaven, and he
IAN truly say; "Its mansions are mine, its
temples are mine, its songs are mine, its God
IS minel"
Oh, it is no tame thing to become q Chris
ian. It is a merry making. 1t is the killing
IF the fatted calf It is jubilee. You know
The Bible never compares it to a funeral, but
always compares it to something bright It
s more apt to be compared to a banquet than
lnything else It is compared in the Bible to
he water, bright, flashing water; to the
morning, roseate, fire worked, mountain
ranshgured morning. wish could today
AXE all the Bible expressions about pardon,
md peace, and life, and comfort, and hope,
md Heaven, and twist them into one gar
and, and put it on the brow Of the humblest
;hild of God in this assemblage and cry:
Wear it, wear it now, wear it forever, son
Il God, daughter Of the Lord God Al {
mighty Oh, the joy of the new cOnverti
)h, the gladness Of the Christian servicel
THE JOYS OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION
You have seen sometimes a man in a re-
igious assembly get up and give his expert
nce. Well, Paul gave his experience. He
rose in the presence Of two churches, the ,
hurch on earth and the church in heaven,
md be said; snow this is my experience: {
Borrowful, yet always rejoicing yet {
making many rich-having nothing, yet pos
essing all things'" II tho people in this l
ouse this morning knew the joys Of the
'hristian religion, they would all pass over {
lto the kingdom of God the next moment I
When Daniel Sandman was dying Of cholera
is attendant said: ''Have you much painl' l
Oh, he replied, Since found the Lord &
ave never had any pain except SIM Then j
hey said to him: isWould you like to send :