Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-06-19
OF THE PRODIGAL SON.
DR.. TALMAGE breaches A GREAT
SERMON FROM LUKE XIV, 20.

to the Love of God for Sinners Who
Repent.
BRooKLYN, June i5-Dr. Talmase's ser
mon for today is on the Prodigal Son, and
his text. Luke Ky, 20: when he was yet
great way of, his father saw him, and had
compassion, and ran, and fell on lis neck,
and kissed him" Following is the ser
n.oa:
One Of the deepest wells that inspiration
ever opened is this wen of a parable which
we can never exhaust The parable, / sup
pose, was founded on facts. | have de
scribed to you the going away of this prod
igal son from his fathers house. and have
shown you what hard time he had down
in the wilderness, and what "A very great
mistake it was for him to leave so beauti-
full a home for such a 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.
| suppose she was dead. She would have
been the first TO come 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 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 losing mother in early life. Still this
young man was not ungreeted when he
came back.
HE WAS RAGGED AND wRETcHED.
However well appareled we may be in
the morning when we start out on jour
ney, 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
exposure, you can more easily imagine
than describe. As the people see this prod
igal coming on homeward, they wonder
who he is. They say: II wonder what
prison he hes 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 little while
ago with quick step, and ruddy cheek. and
beautiful apparel. The young man,
think, walks very fast. He looks as though
re were intent upon something very inn
portant. 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 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 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 become
white. his cheeks are furrowed, his heart
is broken. What is all his bountiful table
to him when his son may be lacking breads
What is all the splendor of the wardrobe
Of that homestead when the son may not
have decent coat? What are all the sheep
on that hillside to that father when his pet
lamb is gomez Still he sits and watches,
looking out on the road and one day he
| beholds a foot traveller He sees 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
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; ut is
only footpad 1t is only some old tramp
| of the road. Don't go out to meet him.
The father knew better
HIS FATHER KNEW HIM.
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 shipboard amid I he rocking of the
sea. and he has 20 balance himself, bat he
| has for the most part an independent char
acter. which would show in his gait even
| If he never went on the sea; and we know
from what transpired afterward, and from
what transpired before, that this prodigal
son was of an independent and frank ma
ture: and / suppose that the characteristics
of his mind aud 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 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, ana 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 Father
Who was ity 1t is God have no sympa-
thy with that cast iron theology which rep
resents God as hard, severe and vindictiye.
God is a Father-kind, loving, lenient, gen
tie. long 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 off for some
time. and she asked her daughters for some
memento to carry with her. One of the
daughters brought maI0le tablet, beauti-
fully inscribed; and another daughter
/ brought a beautiful wreath of flowers.
i The third daughter came and said; Moth
er. | brought neither flowers nor tablet,
but here is my heart. have Inscribed it
all over with your name. and wherever you
90 it will 20 with you" The mother rec
opnized it as the best of all the mementoes.
Oh. that our souls might go out toward
our Father: that our hearts might be writ
! AZ. ,iafacae of his loving