News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-06-19
THE KISS OF WELCOME.
DR. TALMAGE COMMENTS ON THE
PRODIGAL SON PARABLE.

as JoyousIy as Did the Father His EFT
in., Child.
BROOKLYN, June 15.-Dr. Ta1mage's
sermon for today is on the Prodigal
Son. and his text, Luke XIV, 20: ''When
he was vet Il great way off, his father
saw him, and had compassion, and ran,
and fell on his neck, and kissed him. !"
Following is the sermon:
One of the deepest wells that inspira-
ton ever opened is this well of a para
BILE which we can never exhaust. The
parable. suppose, was founded on
facts | have described to you the
going away of this prodigal son from
his fathers house, and l have showed
YOU what hard time he had down in
the Wilderness and what a very great
mistake it was for him to leave so
beautiful home for such a miserable
desert. But he did not always stay in
the wilderness; he came back after a
while. We do not read that his moth
err came to greet him. I suppose she
was dead She would have been the
first to come out The father would
turning prodigal the mother the first.
| 1t NAV have been for the lack of her
example and prayers that he became a
prodigal Sometimes the father does
not know how to manage the children
! of the household The chief work
comes upon the mother. Indeed, no
| one ever gets over the calamity of los
ing mother in early life. Still this
| young man was not ungreeted when he
| came back.
However well aPpareled may be
| in the morning when we start out on
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
swine trough, was ragged and wretched,
and his appearance, after he had gone
through days of journeying and expos
ure, you can more easily imagine than
describe. As the people see this prodi
gal coming on hOmeward they wonder
who he is. They say: Il wonder what
prison he has broken out of. wonder
what lazaretto 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
off only a little while ago with quick
step, and rudy cheek, and beautiful
apparel. The young man, l 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 a son who weni
off to sea and never returned. All the
people in the neighborhood thought the
son would never return, but the par
ents came to no such conclusion.
They would go by the hour, and day,
and sit upon the beach, looking off up
on the water, expecting to see the sal
that would bring home the long absent
boy And so think this father of my
text sat under the vine looking out to
ward the road on which his son had de
parted; but the father has changed
very much since we saw him last. Hi,
hair has become white. his cheeks are
furrowed, his heart is broken. What il
all his bountiful table to him when hi.
son may be lacking bread2 What il
all the splendor of the wardrobe Of
that homestead when the son may moi
have 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 beholds fod7traveler-
He sees him rise above the hill; frs
the head and after awhile the entire
body; and as soon as he gets a faiI
glance of him he knows it is his recre
ant son. He forgets the crutch, anG
the cane, and the stiffness of the joints
and bounds away. | think the people |
all around were amazed. They said
1T is only footpad. 1t is only some
old tramp of the road Don't go oui
TO meet him." The father knew better
The change in the sons appearance
could not hide the marks by which tn,
father knew the boy You know tina
of character are apt to indicate it il
their walk. For that reason the sailO |
almost always has peculiar step, no
only because he stands much on ship |
board amid the rocking of the sea, anc
he has to balance himself, but he ha
for the most part an independent char
acter, which would show in his gal;
even if he never went on the sea; anG
we know from what transpired after
ward and from what transpired before
that this prodigal son was of an indie
pendent and frank nature, and | sup
pose that the characteristics of his mint
and heart were the characteristics O
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 SON. ht
kisses the wan lips; he thanks God tina
the long agony is over 'When he wa
yet great way off, his father saw him
and had compassion, and ran, and fel
on his neck and kissed him"
Oh, do you not recognize that Fa
ther2 Who was it2 1t is God, | have
no sympathy with that cast iron theol
ogy which represents God as hard
severe and vindictive God is Fathel
kind, loving lenient, gentle, Ions
suffering, patient, and he flies to ou
immortal rescue. Oh, that we might
realize it. a wealthy lady in one of the
eastern countries was going off for somt
lime, and she asked her daughters for
,Cme memento to carry with her. One
IF the daughters brought a marble tab
ct, beautifully inscribed; and another
laughter brought a beautiful wreath
IF flowers. The third daughter came
Ind said: Mother, | brought neither
lowers nor tablet, but here is my heart
have inscribed it all over with your
name, and wherever you go it will go
with you" The mother recognized it
Is the best of all the mementoas Oh,
hat our souls might go out toward our
our hearts might be writ
en- all over with the evidences of his
owing kindness, and that we might
never again forsake him
In the first place, | notice in this text
he fathers eyesight; in the second
place, | notice the fathers haste; and,
n the third place, | notice the fathers
Kiss.
To begin the fathers eyesight.