Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1890-06-20
OF THE PR0DIGAL SON.
DR.. TALMAGE BREACHES A GREAT
SERMON FROM LUKE XIV, 20.
He Comparas the Love of the Father in
the Parable for His Returning Child
to the Love of God for Sinners
Who Reppnt.

mon for today is ON the Prodigal Son. and
his text, Luke XIV, 90: "When he was yet
great way of his father saw him, and had
compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck,
and kissed him." Following is tho ser
mon.
One of the deepest wells that inspiration
ever opened is this well of parable which
we can never exhaust Thcparable, | sup
pose, was founded on facts. have de
scribed to you the going away of this prod
igal son from bis Gather house. and have
shown you what a hard time he had down
in the wilderness, and what a very great
mistake 1t was for him to leave SO beauti-
Jul a home for such n miserable desert.
But he did not always stay in the wilder
ness: he came back after a while, We do
not read that his mother came to greet him.
J suppose she was dead She would have
been the first to como out. The father
would have given the second kiss to the re
furnnc prodigal; the mother the first. 1t
may have been for the lack of her example
and prayers that he became a prodigal
Sometimes the father does not know how
tomauage the children of the household.
The chief work comes upon the mother.
Indeed no one ever gets over the calamity
ot losing mother in early life. Still this
young man was not ungreeted when he
came back
He WAS RAGGED AND vRETCHED.
I However well apparced we may be in
the morning when we start out on a Jour
ney, before night, what with the dust and
the jostling, we have lost all cleanliness of
appearance. But this prodieal, when he
started from the swine trough. was ragged
and wretched, and his appearance, after he
had gone through days of journeyug and
than describe. As the people see this prod
iral coming on homeward, they wonder
who he is They say; II wonder what
prison he has broken out Of ! wonder
what ldzaretto he has escaped from. |
wonder with what plague he will smite the
air. Although these people may have
been well acquainted with the family, yet
they do not imagine that this is the very
young man who went of only a little while
ago with quick STEP and ruddy check, and
beautiful apparel. The young man, |
tn.ul,, walks very fast. lie looks as though
he IRE intent upon something very i'm
portant. The people stop They look at
him. They wonder where he came from
They wonder " here he is going to.
Nou have heard of "A son who went off to
sea and never returned. All the people 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, look
ing off upon the water, expecting to sec the
sail that would bring home the long absent
boy And so ] think this fother 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 become
white, his checks are furlUWcd, his heart
is broken What is all his bountiful table
to him when his son may be lacking bread.
What is all the splcndor of the wardrobe
OF that homestead when the son may not
have a decent 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
bchOlds Il foot traveller. To secs him rise
above the hill; first the head and after
awhile the entire body; and as soon as he
gets a fair glance of him he knows it is his
rccreant SON lie iorgets the crutch, and
the cane, and the stiffness OF the Joints
and bounds away. think The people all
around were amazed. They said: 1T is
only = footpad II is only some old tramp
Of tae road Don't 60 out to meet him.. -"
Ih9 father knew better
HIS FATHER KNEW HIM.
The change in the sons appearance could
knew the boy. You know that persons of
a great deal Of independence of character
are apt 10 indicate it in their walk. For
that reason the sailor almost always has a
peculiar step, not only because he stands
much on shipboard amid the rocking of the
sea, and be has to balance himself, but he
has for the most part an independent char
actor, which would show in his gait even
il he never went on the sea; and we know
from what TRANSFERRED aftcrward, and from
what transpired before, that this prodical
Son was Of an independent and frank ma
ture; and | suppose that the characteristics
Of his mind and heart were the character
istics Of his walk. And so the father knew
him. He puts out his withered arms
toward him; he brings his wrinkled face
against the pale cheek of his SOM he kisses
the wan lips he thanks God that the long
agony is over. "When he was yet q great
way Off, his father SAW him, and had com
passion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and
kissed him"
DO YOU NOT RECOGNIZE THE FATHER?
Oh do you not recognize that Fatherf
Who was it, 1t is God have no sympa-
thy with that cast iron theology which rep
rcsents God as hard severe and vindictive
God is a Father-kind, loving, lenient, gem
tie, long suffering, patient, and he flies TO
our immortal rescue. On, tuat VIC might
realize it. A wealthy lady in one of the
eastern countries was going of for some
time, and she asked her daughters for some
1nemento TO carry with her. One OF the
daughters brought marble tablet, beauti-
fully inscribed; and another daughter
brought n beautiful wreath of howera
The third daughter came and saidr "Moth-
er, l brought neither flowers nor tablet,
but here is my heart l have inscribed il
all over with your name, and wherever you
go it will so with you" Tho mother rec
ognized it as the best Of all the mementoes.
Oh, that our souls might go out toward
oun Father, that our hearts might bewrit-
ten all over with the evidences Of his loving
kindness, and that We might never again
forsake him.
In the first place, I notice IN this text
the fathers eyesight; IN the second place
l notice the fathers haste, and, In the
third place, ! notice the fathers kiss.
HE SAW HIM "a GREAT WAX oFF,~
To begin, The fatherta eyesigfrt ~When
ha a .rvaty Of T. IN t,S,,a