Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-06-26
THE PRODIGAL son.
DR.. Talmage on the Lessons
Taught By the Parable.
Power OF the Parental Feeling-The
Heavenly Father Ever Ready to Receive
the Repentant Sinner-The Lords
Love Beyond All Measure.


the Repentant SInner-The Lords
Love Beyond All Measure.
In recent sermon at Brooklyn Rev
7. Dewitt Talmage discoursed on the
Prodigal Son. His text was from Luke
XIV, 20: when he was yet great way
of 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 parable
which we can never exhaust The par
able suppose was founded on facts.
have described to you the going away
of this Prodigal Son from his fathers
house and have showed you what a
hard time he had down in the wilder
ness and what very great mistake il
was for him to leave so beautiful a
home for such miserable desert. But
he did not always stay in the wilder
ness. He came back after awhile.
We do not read that his mother came
to greet him. l suppose she was dead.
She would have been the first to come
out The father would have given the
second kiss to the returning prodigal;
the mother the first. 1t may have been
for the lack of her example and prayers
that he became prodigal. Sometimes
the father does not know how to man
age the children of the household. The
chief work comes upon the mother.
Indeed, no one ever gets over the calam-
ity of losing mother in early life.
Still this young man was not ungreeted
when he came back.
However well apparelled we may be
in the morning when we start out on a
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 ::ourneying and ex-
posture, you can more easily imagine
than describe. As the people see this
prOdigal coming on homeward they
wonder who he is. They say: 81 won
der what prison he has broken out of.
l wonder what lazerette he has escaped
from. l 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 off only little while ago with
quick step and ruddy check and beauti
full apparel The young man / think
walks very fast. He looks as though
he were 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 son who went off
to sea and never returned. All the peo-
pie in the neighborhood thought the
son would never return, but the parents
came to no such conclusion. They
would go by the hour, and day, and sit
upon the beach, looking off 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. His hair has be-
come 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 of that home
stead when his son may not have 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 foot traveller. He sees him
rise above the hill; first the head and
after while the entire body; and as
soon as he gets fair glance he knows
it is his recreant son. He forgets the
crutch, and the cane, and the stiffness of
the joints and bounds away. l think
the people all around were amazed.
They said: at is only footpad. 1t is
only some old tramp of the road. Don't
go 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 a great deal of independence |
of character are apt to indicate it 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
lcter, which would show in his gait,
even if he never went on the sea, and
we know from what transpired after
ward, and from what transpired before,
hat this prodigal son was of an indie
pendent and frank nature; and 1 sup
pose that the characteristics of his
mind and heart were the characteristics
If his walk. And so the father knew
lin. He put out his withered arms to-
ward him; he brings his wrinkled face
gainst the pale cheek of his son; he
Kisses the wan lips; he thanks God that
he long agony is over. "When he was
ret great way off his father saw him,
md had compassion. and ran, and fell
m his neck and kissed him."
o, do you not recognize that father?
Who was it? 1t is God! have no SYM
'athy with that cast iron theology
which represents God as hard, severe
nd vindictive. God is Father-kind,
owing, lenient, gentle, long suffering,
'atient, and He flies to our immortal res
ne. o, that we might realize it. A
Wealthy lady in one of the Eastern
ountries was going off for some time
nd she asked her daughters for some
to carry with her. One of the
aughters brought a marble tablet
eautifully inscribed. and another