The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-02-20
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINES SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: Joy! JOY! JOY" "a Jubilee
SermonL)


becial communion for the reception OF 24(
persons, making the present communican
membership of the Brooklyn Tabernacl
44OS This was also moving day in tina
church. The annual rental Of pews had jus
occurred and many of the congregation occrl
pied new places. The pews brought higher
premiums this year than ever before, and tn
income of the church this year will be sSS,
SO4 But both plans are observed in tn
church. A vast space is kept free from al
expense and only part Of the building L
mapped off for rent. DR.. Talmage took HI
text from Luke 1v., g.: Bring hither tn
Satted calf and kill it'll
Joy! JOY. Joy! We banquet day ove'
this accession of a multitude of souls.
In all ages Of the world it has been Gus
tomary to celebrate joyful events by festivitJ
the signing of treaties, the proclamation
of peace, the Christmas. the marriage. How
ever much on other days of the year our ia
Bile may have stinted supply, on ihanksglV
ing Day there must be something bounteous
And all the comfortable homes Of Christen
dom have Mt some time celebrated Joytu
events by banquet and festivity.
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 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 prociaims cele
bration.
There is a calf in the paddock that has
been kept up and fed to utmost capacity so
as to be ready for some ocraslon OF Joy that
might come along. All there never will be
q 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 the floor. All
the friends and neighbors are gathered in
and extra supply is sent out to the
table, and says grace, and thanks God that
his long. g.absent boy is home again. Oh
how they missed him; how glad they are to
have him back. One brother indeed stands
pouting at the back door and says: This is
8 great ado about nothing; this bad boy
should have been chastened instead
Of greeted nnt veal n. fstbee seo ssTs sSDo
"Nothing is too good, nothing is good
enough" There sits the young man, glad at
the hearty reception, but shadow of sor'
row fitting across his brow at the remem'
brauce of the trouble he has seen. All ready
now Let the covers lift. Music: He He was was
he is found! BY such bold imagery does the
Bible set forth the merry-nlaking when q
soul comes home to God.
/. First Of all there is the new converts
joy. 1t 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
q young man who next morning rang my
door bell and said: ''Sir, I cannot contain
myself with the JOY feel: came here this
morning to express it. / 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. a man running
for his physical liberty and the officers OF the
law after him, and you saw him escape. or
afterward you heard the judge had pardoned
him, and how great was the glee of that res
cued man. but it is very tame thing that,
compared 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
life!7 A poor car.dr.ver in this ciEy some
years ago. after having had a struggle to
support his family, suddenly was Informed
that large inheritance was his, and there
was 10y amounting to bewildsrment; but
that is small thing compared with the e1-
L. l. - h.,,l lr
the title deed to the joys, the raptures, the
splendors of heaven, and he can truy say;
sits mansions are mine, its temples are
mine, its songs are mine. its God is lnine!'
Oh, it is no tame thing to become Chris
tian. 1t is a merry-making. 1t is the kill
ing Of the fatted calf. 1t is jubilee. You
know the Bible never compares it to fu-
bright 1t is more apt to be compared to 8
banquet than anything else. 1t is compared
in the Bible to the water-bright, flashing
water; to the morning-roseate, fire.
worked. mountain-transfigured morn
Ing. wish could to-day take
all the Bible expressions about pardon
and peace and life and comfort and hope
and Heaven and twist them into one gar
land. and put it on the brow of the humblest
child Of God in this assemblage, and cry
Wear it, wear it now, wear it forever, sor
mighty" Oh, the joy of the new convert
Oh, the gladness Of the Christian service!
You have seen sometimes man in re-
ligious assembly get up and give his expert
ence. Well. Paul gave his experience. Ht
arose in the presence of two churches tht
church on earth and the church in heaven
and he said: Now this is my experience
Sorrowful, yet always reioicing-poor, ye
making many rich-having nothing. yet pos
posing all things" If the people in thi
house this morning knew the joys Of th'
Christian religion, they would all pas
over into the kingdom Of God tht
next moment. When Daniel Sandeman wa
dying of cholera his attendant said "Hav'
you mu>h pain" "Oh," he replied, "sinc'
found the Lord I have never had any pair
except sin" Then they said to him: Would
you like to send a message to your friends 2
>"Yes, would /; tell them that only las
night the love of Jesus came rushing into my
soul like the surges OF the sea, and had Il
cry out Stop, Lord, it is enough {; stop
Lord, enough p" Oh, the joys Of this Chris
tian religion
just pass over from those tame joys II
r which you are indulging-loys OF this worlc
into the reptures OF the Gospel The worlc
cannot satisfy you: you have found that out
quer. and yet drowned in his own bottle
the world Voltaire cursing his OWL
soul while all the streets of Paris wer
applauding him; Henry IL consuming
with hatred against poor Thomas
Beckett-all illustrations Of the fact thi
world cannot make man happy. The ver'
man who poisoned the pommel Of the saddl
on which Queen Elizabeth rode. shouted Il
the street: God Save the Queenm On
moment the world applauds and the mex
moment the world mathematics Oh, com
over into this greater joy, this sublim
solace, this magnificent beatitude, The nigh
after the battle of Shiloh, and there wer
thousands of wounded on the field and tn