The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-07-02
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "The Prodigal Son."

TEXT: "IVhcn he rds yet q great ,vay Of
his father sdW him, and had compassion
ON him, and ran, and fell on his neck, and
hissed hin,."-Luke XIV, 90.
One Of the deepest wells that inspiration
ever opened is this well Of parable which
we can never exhaust The parable, l sup
pose, was founded on facts. have de-
scribed to you the going away Of this prodt-
sal son from his fathers house, and havs
shown you what hard timehe had down in
tho wilderness, and what very great
mistake it was for him to leave so beauti-
full home for such miserable desert.
But he did not always stay in the wilder
ness; he came back after while. We do
not read that his mother came to greet him.
suppose she was dead. She would have
been the first to coma out. The father
would have given the second kiss to the re-
turning prodigal; the mother the first. 1t
may have been for the lack Of her example
and prayers that he becams prodtga!.
Sometimes the father does not know how
to manage the children of the household.
The chief work comes upon the mother.
Indeed, no ono ever gets over the calamity
of losing a mother in early life. Still this
young man was not ungreeted when he came
back.
However we'll appareled we may be in the
morning when we start out On journey, be-
fore night, what with the dust and the
jostling, we have lost all cleanliness Of ap.
pearance. But this prodigal, when hs started
from the swine trough, was ragged and
wretched, and his appearances, after he had
gone through days Of journeying and ex-
describe. As the people see this prodigal
coming on homeward, they wonder who ne
is. They say: II wonder what prison he
has broken out Of wonder what lazaretto
he has escaped from. I 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 "entotf
only little while ago with quick step, and
ruddy cheek, and beautiful apparel. The
| young man, think, walks very fast. He
| looks as though he were intent upon some.
thing very important. The people stop.
They look at him. They wonder where he
came from. They wonder where ha Is 60
ing 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 60 by the
hour and day and sit upon the beach, look
ing Off upon the water, expecting to see the
sail that would bring home the long absent
boy. And so I think this father Of my text
sat upon the vine looking out toward tho
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 cheeks are furrowed, his heart
is broken What is all his bountiful table
to him whom his son may be lacking bread?
What is all the splendor Of the wardrobe
Of that homestead when the sou may not
have q 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 be-
holds foot traveller. He sees him rise above
the hill; first the head and after awhile the
entire body; aud aS soon as he gets "a fair
glance Of hin, he knows it is his recreant soa.
BE forgets tho crutch, and the cane, and the
stiffness Of the joints, and bounds away.
think the people all around are amazed
They said: ut is only footpad 1t is only
some old tramp of the road. Don't 60 out to
meet him" The fathor knew better.
The change in the sons appearance could
not hide the marks by which tho father
knew the boy. You know that persons of
great deal of independence Of character are
apt to indicate it in their walk For that
reason the sailor always has peculiar step,
notonly because he stands much on shipboard
amid the rocking of the sea, and he has to
balance himself but he has for the most part
an independent character, which would show
in his gait, even il he never went on the sea;
and we know from what transpired after
ward, and from what transpred before, that
this prodigal son was of an independent and
frank nature; and suppose that the char
acteristics OF his mind and heart were the
characteristics Of his walk. And so the
father knew him. He puts out his withercd
arms toward him; he brings his withered
face against the pale cheek of his son; he
kisses the wan lips; he thanks God that the
long agony is over. "When he was yet
great way off, his father saw him, and had
compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck,
and kissed him."
Oh, do you not recognize that Father
Who was it? 1t is Godl I have no SYM
pathy with that castiron theology which
represents God as hard, severe and vindic-
tive God is a Father-kind loving, lenient,
gentle, long g-suffering, patient and He flies
to our immortal rescue. Oh, that we might
realize it. A wealthy lady in one of the
eastern countries was going of for some
time and she asked her daug gnters for some
memento to carry with her. One of the
daughters brought marble tablet, beauti-
fully inscribed, and another daughter
brought a beautiful wreath Of flowers.
The third daughter came and said: Mother,
brought neither flowers nor tablet but
here is my heart. have inscribed it all over
with your name, and wherever you go it will
60 with you" The mother recognized it as
the best of all the msmentces. Oh, that our
souls might 20 out toward our Father; that
our hearts might be written 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 tho second place, no.
tica the fathers haste; AMI, in the third
place, notice tho fathers kiss.
To begin: The fathers eyesight when
he was great way OFF his father saw him"
You have noticed how old people sometimes
put book off on the other side Of the light.
They can see at distance great deal easier
than they can closs by. l do not know
Whether this father could SEQ well that which
was near by, hut do know hs could sea
great way off. 'His father saw him" Pc"-
hans he had been looking for tho return OF
chat boy especially that day. do not know
but that he had been in prayer, and that Goi
had told him that that day the recreant boy
would come home. "The father saw him
great way off,"
I wonder if Gods eyesight can descry us
when we arc coming back to Him? The
tsIt pictures our condition-we are great
way off, That young man was not tarehef
off from his fathers house., sin is not farther
OF from holiness, hell is not farther OF from
heaven, than We have been by our sin; away
OF from our God aye, SO far or that We
could not hear His voice, though vehsn emily
He has called uH yoar after year. do not
know waat bad habits you may have
formed, or in want evil PLACES you haya besa,
or what falls, notions you may have enter
tain.d: but you ore ready to ackno nle1ge,
lf your heart has not been changed by tho
gracs Of God, that you ara great way of
AYE, 80 far that you cannot get PACK OF
yourselves. You would like to com, back.
Ave, this moment you would start, it it wsro
not for this sin, and that habit, and this dis
advantage.
But am to tell you Of the Fath,r's eye.