The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-06-21
THE PRODIGAL son.
DR.. Talmage on the Lessons
Taught By the Parable.
Power OF he Parental F~eeling-The
Heavenly Father Ever Ready to Receive
h Repentant, sInner-The Lords
Love beyond All Measure.

Prodtgal Son. His text was fromLuke,
Nv, 90: when he was yet a great way
on his father saw him and had COM
passion and ran and fell on his neck
and kissed him" Following is the SER
mon:
One Of the deepest wells that inspira-
ton ever opened is the we'll of aparable
which we a never exhaust The par
able ] suppose was I; founded on facts.
1 have described to you the going away
OF this Prodigal Son from his fathers
house and l have showed you what q
hard time he had down in the wilder
ness and what a very great mistake it
was for him to leave so beautiful q
home for such a miserable desert But
he did not always stay in the wilder
ness. He came back after awhile.
We do not read hat his mother came
to greet him. suppose she was dead.
She would have been the first to come
out. The father would have given the
Q kiss to the returning prodigal;
h mother the first. 1t may have been
for the lack OF her example and prayers
that he became a prodigal. Sometimes
b father does not know how to man
age the children of the household. The
chief work comes upon the mother.
Indeed, no n ever gets over the calam-
ity OF losing q mother in early life.
Still this young man was % ungreeted
when he came lack.
However we'll apparelled we may be
In the morning when we start out on n
journey, before night, what with the
dust and the jostling, we have lost all
cleanliness OF appearance. But this
prodigal, when he started from the wine
trough, was ragged and wretched and
his appearance, after he had gone
through days OF journeying and ex-
posure, you can more easily imagine
than describe. As the people see this
prodigal coming on homeward they
wonder who he Is They say: II won
der what prison he has broken out of.
! wonder what lazerette he has escaped.
from. ! wonder with what plague he
will smite the air." Although these
people may have been we'll acquainted
with the family yet they do not imagine
that this Is the very young man who
went of only q little while age with
quick step and ruddy cheek and beauti-
full apparel. The young man I think
walks very fast. He looks as though
he wore intent upon something very
important. The people stop. They
look at him. They wonder where he
came from. They wonder where he is
going to.
You have heard of a son who went of
TO sea and never returned. All the peo-
pie In the neighborhood thought the
o would lever return, but the parents
came to no such conclusion. They
would go by the hour. and day, and sit
upon the beach, looking of upon the
water, expecting to see the sail that
would bring home the long absent boy.
And SO / think this father of my text
sat under the vine looking out toward
the road on which his son had departed;
but the father has changed very much
since we saw him last. Hishair has be-
como white, his cheeks are furrowed,
his heart Is broken. What is all his
bountiful table to him when his son
may be lacking bread? What is all the
splendor Of the wardrobe ofSthat home
stead when his son may not have q de-
cent coat? What are all the sheep on
that hillside to that father when his pet
lamb is gone? Still he sits and watches,
looking out on the road, and one day he
beholds Q foot traveller. He sees him
rise above the hill; first the head and
after a while the entire body; and as
oon as he gets q fair glance he knows
IL is his recreant son.. He forgets the
crutch, and the cane, and the stiffness of
the joints and bounds away. / think
the people all around were amazed.
They said: at is only a footpad. 1t is
only some old tramp OF the road. Don't
70 out TO meet him." The father knew
better.
The change In the sons appearance
could not hide the marks by which the
father knew the boy. You know that
persons OF q great deal of independence
Of character are apt to indicate 1t in
their walk. For that reason the sailor
almost always has a peculiar step, not
only because he stands much on ship
board amid the rocking OF the sea, and
he has to balance himself, but he has
for the most part an independent char
scter, which would show in his gait,
oven II he never went on the sea, and
we know from what t%ranspired after
ward, and from what transpired before,
that this prodigal son was of an indie
pendent and frank nature; and I sup
pose that the characteristics of his
mind and heart were the characteristics
OF his walk. And 30 the father knew
him. He put out his withered arms to-
ward him; he brings his wrinkled face
against the pale cheek OF his aon; he
;kis7aRthe wan Lips .he k1a11 t4s<
Vi his neck and Kissed him
0. do you not recognize that father?
Who was ttq II Is Godl Ihave no SYM
patty with that cast iron theology
which representa- God as hard, severe
and vindictive. God Is q Father-kind,
loving, lenient, gentle, long suffering,
patient and He flies to our immortal res
cue, o, that we might realize 1t. A
wealthy lady in n Of the Eastern
countries was going of for some time
and she asked her daughters for some
memento TO carry with her. One Of the
brought a marble tablet,
beastifully inscribed, and another
daughter brought a beautiful wreath Of
flowers. The third daughter came and
said: Mother, I brought neither flow
ers nor tablets, but here is my heart. I
have inscribed It all over with your
name, and wherever you go II will go
with you" The mother recognized II
the best OF all the mementoes. o.
that our souls might go out toward our
our hearts might be writ
ten all over with the evidence OF hislov-
Ing kindness and that we might never
again forsake Him.
In the first place. ] notice in this text,
the fathers eyesight; in the second
place, / notice the fathers haste; and,
In the third place, notice the fathers
kiss.
To begin: The fathers eyesight.
when he was q great way off his
saw him." You have noticed
how old people sometimes put a book
OF on the other side Of the light They
see at q distance a great deal easier
than they can close by. do not know
whether this father could see we'll that
which was near by, but / do know he
could see q great way of. "His father
saw him." Perhaps he had been look
Ing for the return of that boy especially
that day. ! do not know but that he
had been in prayer. and hat God had
told him that that day the r%ecreant boy
would come home. 1.-THE father saw
him o great way of"
1 wonder II Gods eyesight can descry
when we are coming back to Him?
The text pictures our condition-we are
q great way off. The young man was
not farther off from his fathers house,