The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-07-08
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINES sun
DAY SERMON.
Subject: The Homesick Soul"

Luke Xv., lo.
There is nothing like hunger to take the
energy out Of man. A hungry man can
toll neither with pen, nor hand, nor foot.
There has been many an army defeated, NOT
90 much for lack of ammunition as for lack
of bread. 1t was that fact that took the tre
out of this young man OF the text. SIorm
and exposure will wear out any mans me IN
time, but hunger makes quick WORK. Inc
most awful cry ever heard on ear1n Is See
CIV fo.. bread, A traveller tells US thaS 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 a while the people reduced 10 oeS-
titution would eat these carabS ouG gener-
ally the carabs, the beans spoken Oh here IN
the text, were thrown only to the swine ana
they crunched them with great aVldlty;;
But this Young man Of my text couid
not even get them without stealing tnem.
So one day amid the swine trouShs ne begins
to soliloauize. He says: These are no
clothes for q rich mans son to wear; this Is
no kind OF business for a Jew to be engaged
in-feeding swine; Pll go home, Ill go nome;
will arise and 60 to my father"
know there are a great many people
who try to throw fascination, romance,
A halo about sin; but Notwithstanding all
that Lord Byron and George Sand have said
in regard to it, it is q mean, low, contempti-
BILE business, and putting food and fodder
into the trougbs Of herd OF anequlties
that root and wallow in the soul OF man Is
very poor business for men and women IN,
tended to be sons and daughters OF the Lord
ALMIGHTY. And when this young man re-
solved to 90 home it was very wise thing
for him to do. and the only question Is
whether we will follow him. go,
Satan promises large wages II we WIN
serve him, but he clothes bis victims with
rags, and be pinches them with hunger, ana
when they start out to do better he sets AFTER
them ali the bloodhounds OF perditlon1
Satan comes to lis to-day and be promises al
luxuries, all emoluments ii we VIII only
serve him. Liar, down with thee to the PIT!
WThe wages of sin is death" Oh, the young
man of The text was wise when he uttered
the resolution, II will arise and so to my
father"
In the time of Mary the Prosecutor. per-
secutor came to Christian woman who had
hidden in her house for the Lords sake one
of Christ's servants and the prosecutor said.
t.Where is that haretic" The Christian
woman said. You open that trunk and you
will see the hereto" The prosecutor opened
the trunk, and on the to3 of the linen OF the
trunk he saw glass: DE SAD mere Is no
hereto here" "Ah," she said, You look IN
take ND the mirror OF Gods word to-day
would that instead Of seeing the prodlSal
son of the text we might see ourselves-our
want, our wandering, our sin, our lost con-
dition-so that we might be as wise as tals
Young man was and say, ~ Will arise anu
20 to my father"
The resolution Of this text was formed IN
disgust at his present circumstances. II tnis
young man had been by his employer set TO
.culturing flowers or training vines over an
arbor or keeping account OF the pork Market
or overseeing other laborers be would not
have thought of going home. If he had had
his pockets full of money, if he had been able
to saw Il have q thousand dollars now of my
own: what's the use of my going back to my
fathers house? do you think aul going back
to apologize to the old man? why he would
put me on the limits; he would not have go
ing on around the old place such conduct as
I have engaged in, won't go home; tnere
is no reason why should so home; have
plenty of money. plenty OF pleasant sur.
roundings, why should go homer An IL
was his pauperism, it was his beggary. he
had to go bone.
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 something more exhiisratlns? 1t Is
for this reason: A man never wants the
GOSPEL until he realizes he is in a famine.
struck state. Suppose should come to you
in your home and you are il good. sound,
robust health, and 1 should begin to talk
about medicines. and about how much better
this medicine is than that and some other
medicine, and talk about this physician and
that physician. After a while you get tired,
and YOU would say. II don't want to hear
about medicines. Why do you talk to me
of physicians? never have Doctor"
But suppose come into your house and
find you severely SICK. and know the medi-
-cines that will cure, and know the physi-
clan who is skillful enough to meet your
case You say: Bring on that medicine;
bring on that physician. lam terribly sick,
and want help" If came to you and you
feel you are al! right in body, and all right in
minH, and all right in SOIL you have need of
that the leprosy Of sin is upon you, the worst
Of all sickness; oh, then you say: Bring ME
that balm of the Gospel; bring me that di-
vine medicament, bring me Jesus Christ"
But says some one in the audience, How
do you prove tnat we are in ruined condi-
tion by sin?' Well, can prove it in two
ways, and you may have your choice.
can prove it by the statements Of men Or
by the statement Of God. Which shall it
bes You all say, Let US have the statS-
ment of God" Well, He says in one place,
''The heart is deceitful above all things and
desperately wicked" He says in another
clean? and he which is born of woman,
that he should be righteous% He says in
another place, There is none that doeth
good, no, not one" He says in another
place, LAS by one man sin entereth into the
world, and death by sin, and so death passed
upon all men, for that all have sinned."
swell" you say, II am willing to &C inowl-
edge that, but why should I take the partic-
ular rescue that you propose" This is tho
reason, Except a man be born again he
cannot see the kingdom of God" This is the
reason, There is one name given under
heaven among men whereby they may bs
here ready to say, "Well, am ready to ac-
cept this help of the Gospel; would like to
have this divine cure; how shall 1 go to
work. Let me say that 4 mere whinl an
underlined longing amounts to nothing.
You must have stout, trem sndous resolu-
lon like this young man OF the text when
he said. II will arise and 60 to my father"
"Ohr says some man, "how do know my
father wants me? How do know, if go
back, would be received" "Ohm says
some man, "you don't know where have
been; you don't know how far l have wan.
dered; you wouldn't talk that way to me if
you knew ali the iniquities l have commit
ted" What is that hutter among the angels
of God? 1t is news il is news! Christ has
found the lost.
Nor angels can their joy contsin.
But klndle with new fire;
The sinner lost. Is found. they sing,
And strike the sounding Tyre.
When Napoleon talked Of going into Italy.
they said: "Ycu can't get there. II you
knew what the Alps were you wouldn't talk
about it or think Of it. You can't get your
ammunition wagons over the Alps" Then
Napoleon rose in his stirrups and waving his