The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-06-18
THE KISS OF WELCOME.
DIR. TALMAeE COMMENTS ON THE
PRoDlGAL SON PARABLE.

A Wonderful Sermon Drawn from the
Well Known Text-God Greets Sinners
as Joyously as Did tho Father His Err
ing Child.
BROOKLYN, June 15.-Dr. Talmage's
sermon for today is on the Prodigal
Son, and his text, Luke XIV, 20: when
he was yet 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-
lion ever opened is this we'll of a para
BILE which we can never exhaust. The
parable, I suppose, was founded on
facts l have described to you the
going away of this prodigal son from
his fathers house, and have showed
you what hard time he had down in
the wilderness, and what very great
mistake it was for him TO leave so
beautiful a home for such q miserable
desert But he did not always stay in
the wilderness; he came back after a
while. We do not read that his moth
er 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 re-
turning prodigal; the mother the first.
1t may have been for the lack of her
example and prayers that lie 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 n mother in early life. Still this
young man was not ungreeted when he
came back.
However well appareled 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
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: II wonder what
prison he has broken out of. l wonder
what lazaretto he has escaped from. l
wonder with what plague he will slnite
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 went
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 sail
that would bring home the long absent
boy. And SO l 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. 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 breadl What is
all the splendor of the wardrobe OF
that homestead when the son may not
have decent coat2 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 q foot traveller.
He sees him rise above the hill; first
the head and after awhile the entire
body; and as soon as he gets fair
glance of him he knows it is his recre-
ant 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:
1T is only q 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 great deal OF independence
of character are apt to indicate it in
their walk. For that reason the sailor
almost always has 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
acter, 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
that this prodigal son was of an indie
pendent and frank nature, and sup
pose that the characteristics of his mind
and heart were the characteristics OF
his walk. And 80 the father knew him
He puts out his withered arms toward
him; he brings his wrlnkled 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 MIN,
and had compassion, and ran, and fell
on his neck and kissed him"
Oh, do you not recognize that Fa-
there Who was it2 1t is God! 1 have
no sympathy with that cast iron theol-
ogy which represents God as hard,
severe and vindictive. God is Father
kind, loving, lenient, gentle, long
suffering, patient, and he flies to our
immortal rescue. Oh, that we might