The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-07-03
REV; DIR. TALMAGE.
The Brooklyn Divine breaches on the
"PrOdigal Son."
A Graphic Picture of the EIring Boys
Returr.-G Gods Grent Love.

TEXT: slVhen he ,vGs net n great ,Cay of,
his fother SdU him, and had compassion
on him, and ran, and fell on his neck, and
kissed him. Luke XIV, %.
One of the deepest wells that inspiration
ever opened is this we'll of q parable which
we can never exhaust. The parable, | sup
pose, was founded on facts. l have lie
scribed to YOU the going away of this proll-
cal son from his fathers house, aud l have
shown you what hard timehe had down i'll
the wilderness and what a very great
mistake it was for him to Leave so heautl-
full home for such miserable desert.
But he did not always stay in the wilder
ness; he came back after q while. we 10
not read that his mother came to greet him.
I suppose she was deal. She woutl hive
been the first to come out. The father
would have given the second kiss to the re
turning prodigal; the mother the first. it
may have been for the lack OF her example
and prayers that he became prodiga'.
Sometimes the father does not know hoy
TO manage the children Of the household.
The chief work comes upon the mother.
Indeed, no one ever gets over the calamity
of losing q mother in early life. Still this
young man was not uugreeted when he came
back.
However we'll appareled we may he in the
morning when we start out on journey, be-
fore night, what with the dust and the
jostlng, we have lost all cleanliness OF ap
pearance. But this prodigal, when he started
from the swine trough, was ragged and
wretcbed, and his appearance, after he had
gone through days of journeylng and OK
posure, you can more easily imagine than
describe. AS the people see this prodigal
coming on homcwarl, they wonler who he
is They say: 81 wonder what prison he
-. 81 ia. ,1.hn a
he has escaped FROM l wonder with what
plague he will smte 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 went OIL
only little while ago with quick step, aud
ruddy cheek, and beautiful apparel. The
young man, think, walks very fast he
looks rs though he were intent uron some
thing very important. The people stop.
They look at him. They wonder where he
came from. They wonder where he Is 60
ing to.
You have heard of son who went off to
sea and never returned. All the paople i'll
the neighborhood thought tho 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 of upon the water, expecting to see tho
sail that would bring home the long absent
". L
sat upon tho 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 hountiful table
to him when his son may be lacking bread?
What is all tie splendor OF the wardrobe
of that homestead when the son may not
have decent coat? What are all the sheep
on that hillside 10 that father when his pet
lamb is gone? Still he sits and watches,
looking out on the road, and ono day he be-
holds foot traveller lie sees him rise above
the hill; first the head and after awhile the
entire body; aud as soon as he gets fair
glance of him he knows il 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 are amazed.
They said: 'It is only footpad. 1t is only
some old tramp of the road. Don't go outto
meet him" The father knew better.
The change in the sons appearance coutl
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 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 OH the sea; ;
and we know from what transpired after
ward, and from what transpired 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 withered
arms toward him; he brings his withered
face against the pale cheek of his SON; he
kisses the wan lips; he thanks Gol that the
long agony is over. "When he was yet q
great way of, 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 God l have 10 SYM
pathy with that castiron theology which
represents God as hard. severe and vindic-
tive. God is Father-kind, loving, lenient,
gentle, ng-suffering, patient, AMI 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 marble tablet, beauti-
fully inscribed, and another daughter
brought a beautiful wreath of flowers.
The third daughter came and said: Mother,
l 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 mementoes. Oh, that our
souls might 60 out toward olr FlLn.:', Il4J
our hearts might be written all ovec witt
the evidences of His loving kin lneSs, AMI
that we might never again fors,kc Him.
In the first place, notice in this text tho
fathers eyesight; in the secon place, | no:
tice the fathers haste: au !. III the thr,l
place, notice the fathers kiss.
To begin: The fathers eyesight "Whsn
he was great way off his father saw him"
You have noticed how ol people sometimes
put book off on the OF ,er side Of the light.
They can see at distance great deal easier
than they can close by. | do not know
whether this father could see we'll that which
was near by, hut | do know he cout see
great way off. "His father saw him" Per-
laps he hal been looking for tbs return of
that boy especially that day. l donot know
but that he had been in prayer, ami that Go
had told him that that day the recreant boy
would come home. 1.-THE father saw him a
great way OFF"
l wonder if Gods eyesight can descry us
when we are coming back to Him? Tue
text pictures our condition-we are great
way off. That young man was not farther
OFF from his fathers house. sin is not farther
or from holiness, hell is not fartnc7 Of from
heaven, than we have been by our sins away
OF from our God, aye, 50 fur OF that we
could not hear His voic,, though vehsn,ntly
He has called US year after year. I 10 not
know whit bal habits you mly have
formal, or in what evil places you have bseL,
or what falss notions You may have en5er
tainel; but you are really to ac.ino "le ise,
it your heart has not bsen change by the
grace Of GO l. that you arc a gro,t WY oif
aye, SO far that You carrot get blci Of
yourselves. You would like to CO Il, plcX.
Aye, this ruomeat you would start, il it were
not for this sin, and that habit, and this dis
advantage.
But am to tell you of the Fathers eye.
sight. "He saw him graat WAY OF" lie