Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-02-14
PRODIGAL'S RETURN.
Dr.. Talmage on the joys Of Con-
version.
JOY of the New ConNert-Blissful Expert
euce-The Lord a Loving Father Who
Rejoices at the Return of Way
ward Son.


In a recent jubilee sermon at Brooklyn
Rev. T. De Witt Talmage took his text
from Luke Nv. %: Bring hither the fatted
calf and kill it" He said:
JOY! JOY! joy! We banquet to-day over
this accession of multitude of souls. In
all ages of the world it has been customary
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 boun-
teous. And all the comfortable homes of
Christendom have at some time celebrated
joyful events by banquet and festivity.
Something has happened in the old
homestead greater than any thing that has
ever happened before. A favOrite son
whom the world supposed would become a
vagabond and outlaw forever has got tired
of sightseeing 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,
DDt tUCidiLl1S CClCDld
There is a calf in the paddock that has
been kept up and fed 10 utmost capacity
so as to be ready for some occasion of joy
that might come along. All! there never
will be a grander day on the old home
stead than this day. Let the butchers do
their work and the housekeepers bring
onto the table the smoking meat. The mu-
sicians will take their place, and the gay
will N and dntrn fha floor
All the friends and neighbors are gath
cred in, and extra supply is sent out to
the table of the servants. The father pre-
sides at the table, and says grace, and
thanks God that his long-absent boy is
home again. OF how they missed him;
how glad they are to have him back. One
brother indeed stands pouting at the back
door and saws: This is great ado about
nothing; this bad boy should have been
chastened instead of greeted; veal is too
good for him" 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
remembrance of the trouble he has seen.
All ready now. Let the covers lift.
Music. Hewas dead and he is alive again!
He was lost and he is found! By such
bold imagery does the Bible set forth the
merrymaking when a soul comes home to
God.
First-First of all there is the new con-
vert's joy 1t is no tame thing to become
a Christian. The most tremendous mo-
ment 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 a young man who next
morning rang my door bell and said:
''Sir, can not contain myself with the
Joy feel: l came here this morning to ex-
press it. l have found more Joy in five
minutes in serving God than in all the
years of my prodigality and L came to say
So"
You have seen, perhaps. a man running
tor his physical liberty and the officers of
the law after him and you saw him escape,
or afterward you heard the Governor
had pardoned him and how great was the
glee of that rescued man; but it is a very
tame thing that, compared with the run
ming for ones everlasting life-the terrors
of the law after him but Christ coming in
to pardon and bless and rescue and save.
You remember John Bunyan in his great
story tells now the Pilgrim put his fingers
in his ears, and ran, crying: Life, life
eternal lifew A poor car-driver in this
city some years ago. after having had a
struggle to support his family, suddenly
was informed that a large nheritance was
5is. and there was joy amounting to be-
wilderment; but that is a small thing
compared with the experience of one who
has put in his hands the title-deed to the
joys, the raptureS, the splendors of
Heaven, and he can truly say: Its man.
sions are mine, its temples are mine, its
songs are mine, its God is mne"
o, it is no tame thing to become a
Christian. 1t is a merry making. 1t is
the killing of the fatted calf. 1t is jubilee.
You know the Bible never compares it to a
funeral. but always compares it with
something bright. 1t is more apt to be
compared to banquet than any thing
else. 1t is compared in the Bible to the
water, bright flashing water; to the
morning rcseate, fire. worked, mountain
TRANSPORTED morning.
Iwish l 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 garland and put
it on the brow of the humblest child of
of God in this assemblage, and cry:
Swear it, wear it now, wear it forever, son
of God, daughter of the Lord God AL
mighty" o, the joy of the new convert!
o, the gladness of the Christian service.
You have seen sometimes man in a re-
ligious assembly get up and give his ex-
perience. Well, Paul gave his experience
He arose in the presence of two churches,
the church on earth and the church in
Heaven, and he said: "Now this Is my ex-
perience: 'Sorrowful, yet always rejoic-
ing; poor, yet making many rich; having
nothing, yet possessing all things" If
the people in this house this morning knew
the joys of the Christian religion, they
would all pass over into the kingdom of
God the next moment When Daniel
Sandman was dying of cholera his at
tendant said: Have you much pain"
90" he replied, "since l found the Lord
l have never had any pain except SIM"
Then they said TO him: "Would you like
to send mes sage to your friends?" yes,
l would; tell them that only last night the
love of Jesus came rushing into my soul
like the surges Of the sea, and l had to cry
out: Stop Lord, it is enough; stop,
Lord, enougnr" o, the joys of this
Christian religion!
just pass over from these tame joys in
which you are indulging-joys of this
world-into the raptures of the Gospel
The world can not satisfy you; you have
found that out Alexander longing for
other worlds TO conquer and vet drowned
in his own bottle, Byron whipped by dis
quietudes around the world, Voltaire ours
ing his own soul while all the streets of
Paris were applauding him. Henry Ii.
consuming with hatred against poor
Thomas Becket-all illustrations of the