Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1891-06-27
TALNAGE'S SERMON.
THE REV. DIR. TALMAGE MAKES AN
EARNEST APPEAL TO YOUNG MEN
THE CAREER OF THE PRODIGAL
SON THE ILLUSTRATION OF THE
LESSON.
One Remedy Only for Sin.

terday, ''Thc Homesick Soul" and hi:
text was from the Parable of the
Prodigal Son." Luke XIV, 10: II viii
rise and go to my father"
There is nothing like hunger to take
the energy out OF u man. A hungry
man can toll neither with pen nor hand
nor foot. There has been many an
army defeated not so much for lack oil
ammunition as for lack of bread. II
was that fact that took the fire out OF
this young man of the text. Storm and
exposure will wear out any mans life in
time, but hunger makes quick work.
The most awful cry ever heard ON earth
is the cry for bread. A traveller tells
us that in Asia Minor there are trees
which bear fruit looking very much
like the long bean OF our time. 1t is
called the carab, once in awhile the
people reduced to restitution would eat
these carabs, but generally the carabs,
the beans spoken of here in the text,
were thrown only to the swine and
they crunched them with great avidity
But this young man OF my text could
not even get them without stealing
them. So one day amid the swine
troughs he began to soliloQuize. He
says: "These are no clothes for rich
mans son to wear; this is no kind Of
business for a Jew to be engaged in
feeding swine; I'll go home, I'll go
home; will arise and go to my father
Satan promises large wages II we will
serve him: but he clothes his victims
with rags. and he pinches them with
hunger, and when they start out to do
better he sets after them all the blood
hounds OF perdition. Satan comes to us
to-day, and he promises ali Injuries. all
emoluments II we will only serve him.
Liar, down with thee to the pit. THE
wages of sin is death" o! the young
man of the text was wise when he 1T
tered the resolution: II will arise and
60 to my father"
In the time of Mary. the prosecutor, a
prosecutor came to Christian woman
who had hidden in her house for the
Lords sake one OF Christ's servants, and
the prosecutor said: Where is that
heretic?" The Christian woman said:
"You open that trunk and you will see
the hereto" The prosecutor opened
the trunk, and on the top OF the linen OF
the trunk he saw glass. He said:
There is no hereto here" Ah," she
said, ''you look in the glass and you will
see the heretic!m AS take up the mir
ror OF Gods work to-day, would that in
stead OF seeing the prodigal son OF the
text, we might see ourselves-our want,
our wandering, our sin. our lost condi-
tion, so that we might be as wise as this
young man was and say: u will arise
and go to my father"
The resolution OF this text was formed
in disgust at his present circumstances. |
II this young man had been set by his |
employer to culturing flowers, or train |
ing vines over an arbor, or keeping ac-
count of the pork market or overseeing |
other laborers, he would not have
thought of going home. II he had had |
his pockets full Of money, il he had been
able to say. Il have thousand dollars |
now OF my own; what's the use of going |
hack to my fathers house? Do you |
think am going back to apologize to
the old man? Why, he would put me
on the limits: he would not have going |
on around the old place such conduct as
/ have been engaged in: l won't 60 |
home: there is no reason why | should |
60 home: have plenty OF money. plen-
'ty of pleasant surroundings, why should
go home?" All it was his pauperism,
it was his beggary. He had to go
home.
Some man comes and says to me:
''Why do you talk about the ruined
state OF the human soul? Why don't
you speak about the progress OF the
nineteenth century, and talk of some
thing more exhilarating?" II is for this
reason; a man never wants the gospel
until he realizes that he is in famine
struck state. Suppose | should come TO
you in your home and you are in good,
sound. robust health. and | should be-
gin TO talk about medicines, and about
how much better this medicine is than
that, and some other medicine than
some other medicine and talk aboat
this physician and that physician. Aft
er a while you would get tired, and you
would say: II don't want to hear about
medicines. Why do you talk to me OF
! never have doctor.
But suppose l come into your house and
find you severely sick and know the
medicines that will cure you and |
know the physician who is slSillful !
enough TO meet your case. You say: !
Bring on that medicine, bring on that
physician. am terribly sick and
want help" If came to you and you /;
feel that you are all right in body and
all right In mind. and all light in soul.
you have need OF nothing: but suppose I
have persuaded YOU that the leprosy .
Of sin is upon you, the worst OF all sick {
nacc ~ then v0il cav. s'RFinp mo that
balm of the gospel, bring me that divine .
bring me Jesus Christ" !
Then there are q thousand voices l
here ready to say: swell, am ready I
10 accept this help Of the gospel: l !
would like TO have this divine cure:hOv :
shall 90 to work?s Let me say that a 9
mere within. an underlined longing I
amounts TO nothing. You must have a
stout tremendous resolution like this '
young man OF the text when be said: I
u