Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-19
nis,ourse of Rev. DR.. Talmage in
the City Of Brooklyn.
II. Takes for HIS Text the PrOdigal Son
~ a Subject Upon Which He Has
Won Great RenOwn.
.,,,.D Ne Was Yet a Great Way OF His Father
w." saw Him, and Had compassion Ran,
Fell on His Neck and
Kissed Him"


T-o6,gaI son, and his text Luke XIV, 20:
wien he was yet q great way off his
,ssw him and had com passion and
.a fell on his neck and kissed
-, - Following is the sermon:
one Of the deepest wells that inspira-
~ aver opened Is this well of a para
Wv which we can never exhaust. The
arabic, suppose. was founded on
t.. have described to you the going
az Of this prodigal son from his
~.,nor,s house, and have showed you
10 hard time he had down in the
WEAKNESS. and what very great mis-
,., a vas for him to leave so beautiful
for such q miserable desert.
o.. ba did not always stay in the will
pu o.o. he came back after while.
80 mot read that his mother came
r,eet him. | suppose she was
"a She would have been the first to
ueuI mt The father would have given
~ socond kiss to the returning prodigal,
r,otber the FIRST. 1t may have been
~ tbe lack of her example and prayers
,Sat he became q prodigal. Sometimes
.ro tather does not know how to manage
10 children of the household. The
'bIsf work comes upon the mother. In
"a no one gets over the calamity of
,o,ipg a mother in early life. Still, this
roune man was not ungreeted when he
came back.
However well appareied we may be in
,bo morning when we start out on
iournev. before night, what with the
Gn.t and the jostling, we have lost all
cleanliness of appearance. But this
,rodigaJ. when he started from the swine
trough, -
WAS RAGGED AND wRETCHED
and b,s aDpearance, after he had gone
through DAYS OF journeYing and expos
rra you can more easily imagine than
describe, As the people see this prodigal
coming on homeward, they wonder who
be il They say: al wonder what prison
he has broken out OF. wonder what
lazaretto he has escaped from. / Won
jder with what plague he will smite the
air " Although these people may have
been well acquainted with the family,
vet thew do not imagine that this is the
very Young man who went off only lit
tle while ago with quick step, and rudy
cheek, aud beautiful apparel. The
Young man, think, walks very st.
lie 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 son who went of
to sea and never returned. All the peo-
ple 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, looking Off upon the water,
expecting TO see the sail that would bring
home the long-absent hoy. 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 bounti-
full table to him when his son may be
lacking bread? What is all the splendor
Of the wardrobe of that homestead when
the son may not have q decent co8tG
What are all the sheep on that hillside
10 that father when his pet lamb is
Goneg Still be sits and watches, look
Ing out on the road, and one day he be-
holds a foot traveller. He sees him rise
above the hill; first the head and after
awhile the entire body, and as soon as
lie gets a far glance OF him he knows 1t
Is his recreant son. He forgets the
Crutch, and the cane, and the stiffness
Of the joints, and bounds away. l
think the people all around we're amazed.
They said: at is only footpad. 1t is
oaly some old tramp of the road. Don &
70 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
Away has peculiar step, not only be-
cause be stands much on shipboard amid
The rocking Of the sea, aud he has to
balance himself, but be has for the most
part an independent character which
would show in his gait, even IL he never
went on the sea; aud we know from what
tFanspired afterwsrd, and from what
tauspired before, that this prOdigal son
was Of Gu independent and frank nature
aud suppose that the characteristics of
his mind aud heart were the character;
sIios Of his walk. Aud so the father
knew him. He puts ont his withered
arms toward him; he brings his wrinkled
lace against the pale cheek of his son;
ne kisses the wan lips; be thanks God
mat the long agony is over. "When he
vas yet great way of, his father saw
MN, and had compassion, and ran
anu fell on his neck and kissed HIM.
On, do you not recognize that Father?
who was it? 1t is God! have no SYM
Ia'hy with that cast-iron theology which
lspreseuis God as hard, severe and VIM
SNuve. God is Father-kind, loving,
eulent, gentle, loug-sufering, patient,
auu de flies 10 our immortal rescue. Oh,
mat we might realize 1t. A wealthy
ialy IN one Of the Eastern countries was
gong of tor some time, and she asked
neI daughters for some memento to carry
WIN her. One OF the daughters brought
marble tablet, beautifully inscribed !
auu another daughter brought besutl-
!ul wreath of flowers. The third daugh-
.er came and said: "Mother, brought
Ietner flowers nor table
But HERE IS Ny HEART.
nave inscribed il all over with your
lane, and wherever you go, it VIII 90
s"n you. The mother recognized il as
.ue eestof all the mementoes. Oh that our
sSulS might go out toward our Father
NAT our hearts might be written all over
VIA The evidences OF His loving kind
hns -s-.t,s Fs.r