Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1892-09-02
REV. DR.. TAlMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S sun
DAY SERMON.
SURJECT. THE PRoDTGAL Son.

There is nothing like hunger to take the
energy ont OF man. \ hungry man can
toll neither with pen nor hand no foot.
There has been many an army defeated not
50 much for lack Of ammunition as for lack
Of bread. IL was that tact that took the ir,
out OF this Young mAn Of the text. Storm
and exposure will wear out auy mans life in
time, but hunger makes quick work. he
most awful cry ever heard on earth is the
cry for bread.
4 traveller tells us that in Asia Minor there
are trees which bear fruit looking very much
like the long bean OF our time IL is called
the carab. Once in while the people re-
duced tu destitution would eat these carabs,
but generally the carabs. the beans spoken OF
here in the text were thrown only 10 tho
swine and they crunched them with great
Avidity. But this Young man Of my text
could not get even them without stealing
them. So one day amid the swine trougLs
he begins to soliloduize. lie SAYS These
are no clothes for rich mans son 10 wear I;
thi, i no Kind OF bus mess for jew 10 h.
engaged iu-fceding swine, I'll 20 home: / II
20 home; ] will arise aud 70 TO my father"
know there are great MANY people
who try To throw Il fascination, 4 romance
a halo about sin, but Notwithstanding all
that Lord byron and George Sand have said
in regard to 1t, it is n mean, low, contempt
hle business, and putting food and fodder
into the trouShs Of herd of iniquities that
root and walOw In the soul Of man is yerY
poor business for men aud women intended
to be sons and daughters Of the Lord A.
mighty. Aud when this young man resolved
to 20 home il was very wise thing for him
TO do. and the only question is whether We
will follow him.
Satan promises large wages II he will
serve him but he clothes his victims with
rags, and he pinches them with hunger, and
when they start ont TO do better he sets
after them all the bloodhounds of he'll.
Satan comes TO us today and he promises all
luXuries, all emoluments, il We will only
serve him. Liar, down with thee 10 the pit
The wages Of sin Is death" oh, the young
man Of the text was wise when he uttered
the resolution, Il will arise and 20 10 my
father"
In the time OF Queen Mary OF England =
prosecutor came to a Christian woman who
bad hidden In her house for the Lords sake
one of Chrsts servants, and the persecuto-
said, Where Is that hereticF' The Christian
woman said, You open that trunk and
you will see the herctic." The prosecutor
opened the trunk and on top of the linen ~
the trunk he saw glass. He said, "Thtr2
is no hereto here" "Ah." she said. look
in the glass and you will zee the herttic. "
As ! take up the mirror OF Gods World to-
day would that instead OF seeing the prodi-
gal of the text We might ste ourselves our
want, our wandering, our rim, our lost con
dition-s so that We might be as wise as this
young man was and say, II will rise and ~
10 my father
The resolution Of this text was formed in
disgust at his present circumstances. lflhi-
young man had been by his employer set 10
cuturing flowers, or training vines over au
arbor, or keeping Occount OF the pork mar
ket, or overseeing other laborers he would
not have thought Of going home II he had
had his pockets fun OF money, II he had been
able TO say: II have = thousand dollars now
Of NV own. Whats the use OF my guiug
back TO my fathers house DO you think
AIN going back to apologize TO the old m-u.
Why. he would put me on the limits. lie
would not have gong on around the old
place such conduct as | have been engaged
In. | won't 20 home; there IL no reason
why ! should GO home. | have plenty OF
money, plenty OF pleasant surroundings
why should 70 home" All! II WAS hi,
pauperism it was his beGgary. He had tc
go home.
Some man comes and saws to me; "Why
do YOU talk about the ruined state of the
human sot1: Why don't You speak about
the progress Of the Nineteenth century and
talk of something more exhilarating." II i,
for this reas IN. 4 man never wants th,
Gospel until he realizes he is In famine
struck state. suppose | should come TO you
in your home, and you are in good, robust
health, and | should begin to talk sbou
medicines, aud about how much better thl:
medicine is than that, and some other medi.
cine than some other medicine, and tall
about this physician and that physician. Al
ter awhile you would get tired, and yol
would say: II don't want TO hear abou
medicines. Who do you talk to me o.
physicians? never have a doctor.
Suppose come into your house and fine
! you severely sick. and know the medicines
that will cure you, and | know the pbysi
clan who is skiltul enough to meet you
ease. You say: Bring on all that medi
cine, bring on that physician. am terribly
sick and | want help If | came to you
J and YOU feel you are all right in body. aud
/ all right in mind, and all right in soul, yol
have need OF nothing; but suppose | hay,
persuaded you that the Ieprosy of sin is upor
! you, the worst of all sickness. Oh, then lol
say, Bring me that balm Of the Cos pei
! bring me that divine medIcamcnt, bring m,
| Jesus Christ"
But says some one in the audience. "HoV
do you prove that we are in a ruined coudi
ton by sim" Well, can prove II In tw,
ways, and you may have your choice. cal
| prove 1t either by the statements Of men o.
by the statement of God. Which shall
be! You all say, LET us have the statemcn
of God" Well, he says In one place, "Th
heart is deceitful ak2ve all things an des
perstely wicked" lie says In another place
"What Is man that he should be clean. an,
he which Is born OF a woman, that he shoul,
be righteousr' lie says In another place
There Is none that doeth good; no, no
one" He says In another place, AS by
one man sin entered into the world, anC
death by sin; and so death passed upon al
men. for that all have sinned."
"Wel," you say, II am willing to &C
knowledge that, but why should take th
! particular rescue that YOU proposeg Thi
Is the reason. Except man be born agair
he cannot see the Kingdom OF Cod Thi
Is the reason, There is one name given unde
heaven among men whereby they may b
saved" Then there are n thousand voice
here ready to say, "Wel, / am ready to &C
cept this hep of the gospel; would like t
have this divine cure; how shall | go L
work. Let me say that mere whm, n
underlined longing amounts TO nothing. TO
must have stout, tremendous resolution
like this Young man Of the text, when
said, 81 will arise AMI go to my father,
"Oh.' says some man, chow do ! know
my father wants me2 How do | know, II
go back, would he receiyedT' "Oh." say
some man, "you don't know where hav
zen; you don't know how far hav
wandered; you wouldn't talk that to me
you knew all the iniquities | have con
mitted' What is that hutter among ia
angels of God2 1t is news; ii Is news
Christ has found the lost.
Nor angels can their JOY contain,
But kindled with new fire:
The sinner lost Is found, they sing.
| otrtln thu inu lxyra
When Napoleon talked of going int
Italy, they said, "You can't get there; II yo
knew what the Alps were you wouldn
talk about II or think OF it; you cant g
your ammunition wagons over the Alps.
Then Napoleon rose in his stirrups, m
waving his hand toward the mountains
said, "Thore shall be no AIpsn That wol