The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-03-09
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
MHE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Heavenly Congratulations.

iopeT one sinner that repenteth, more thdn
ouer ninety and nine just persons ,oho need
no repentance. Luke xv, 2.
A lost sheepi Nothing can be more thor.
,ouzhly lost. 1 look through the window OF
shepherds house at night. The candles ore
lighted. The shepherd has just placed his
staff against the mantle. He has taken of
bis coat shaken out of it the dust and hung
it up. I see by the candle light that there
are peighbors who have come in. The
she pherd. tagged out with the long tramp,
sits down on bench, and the wife and the
children and the neighbors say to him,
i''Come, now, tell US how you found the poor
thing" "Well" he says, this morning
went out to the yard to look at the flock.
No sooner had I looked over the
fence than I saw something wrong.
The fact was they did lot count right
Ninety-five, ninety-six, ninety-seven,
ninety eight ninety-nine-only ninety-nine.
Mcdonald, you know we had a hundred.
And lEwonder which one was gone and I
began again, and I counted ninety five,
ninety six, ninety-seven, ninety-eight nine
ty-nine. Well. whistlcd up the dogs, aud
started on the fields and across the
bridges, and I tracked the moors, and I
leaped the gullies, but no bleating of the
poor thing did heat, said to myself,
The lamb must ha4, fallen into q ditch,
or pack OF WolVej IRON Ine mountain
must have torn it i pieces and sucked
it's life out But could not give it
up. You see it waa pet lamb. 1t
YVES that one with the black spot
ON the right shoulder that used to
come and lick my handhs crossed the field,
and somehow could ND give it up. 50 I
went on and on and on 4ntil after awhile
heard the dogs bark, aad I said, Whats
that? Then I fastened to the top of the
hill, and looked down aid there I saw the
poor lamb. It had falen into the ditch
and as came where it Vhs and bent over
the ditch and stopped dotn to lift the poor
thing out, wish you coy have seen the
loving aud imploring a1 tender way it
covered with the slush AMI The mud. Itwas
an awful thing to do but I, fitted it out and
it was so lame and so weak u could not walk
alone, so I threw it ovs, my shoulder
and I started homeward, and the con-
dition of that lamb you may judge Of from
the coat which l have just hung up. But
tramped on and on until il is safe in
the yard, roor thing! Thank God, thank
God?' Then the shepherds wife spread
the table and brought out the best
fare that the cabin could afford,
and they talked, and they laughed, and they
danced, and told over and over again the
story Of the lost sheep that was found.
With such tenderness and rIsticitJ of
illustration does Christ represent the souls
going of and the souls coming back. when
He says, Likewise there is joy in heaven
among the angels Of God over one sinner
that repenteth, more than over ninety and
nine just persons that need no repentance"
To repent is to'feel that you are bad, and to
be sorry about it, and to turn over new
leaf, and to pray for forgiveness and help.
Just as soon as a man does that, they hear
right away Of it in heaven.
There are no gossips in glory going
around to chatter and laugh when man
fails, but there are many souls in glory who
are glad to run about and tell it when man
Is saved. The news goes very quick from
gate to gate, and from north wall to south
wall, and from east wall to west wall, and in
three minutes every citizen Of heaven has
heard of it, for "thers is joy in heaven
among the angels OF God over one sinner
that repentetn."
{ can very easily understand how there
should be JOY in heaven over a Pentecost
with three thousand souls saved In c2e day
mo mystery about THAR I can understand
how there should be joy in heaven over the
Parish OF Schotts, when four hundred souls
were saved under one sermon Of Mr. Living
ston, can understand how there should be
Joy in heaven over the great awakening in
the time Of Harland Page. when in one year
four hundred and seventy-three thousand
souls were brought to God in the United
States; can understand very easily how
there should be joy in heaven over five hum
dred thousand souls converted in 1857, in
this country; but mark ycu, my text an
nounces there is joy in heaven among the
angels Of God over one, just one, sinner that
repenteth.
Some cathedrais have one tower; some
cathearals have two. three, four towers,
Did you ever hear them all ring at once? l
am told that the bell in the cathedral OF St.
Paul rings only on rare occasions, for in
stance at the death or the birth of a king.
Have you seen cathedral with four towers,
and have you heard them all strike into one
great chime Of gladness? Here is q man who
IS moral. He Is an example to great many
professors OF religion in some things; he
never did mean thing in his life; hs pays
all his debts, and is good citizen and good
nsighbor, but he says he is not Christian.
Some day the Holy Spirit comes into his
heart and ne sees tnat he cannot depend
upon his morality for salvation. He says:
10 Lord God have been depending upon
my good works; flndI am sinner, and l
want Thy salvation. Lord, for Jesus's sake,
i have mercy on me!' And God pardons
him, and immediately one Of the towers OF
heaven strikes a silvery chime, for ther,
: are four towers to the heavenly temple
Here is q man who Is bad; he knows be i
: bad, and everybody else knows he is bad, bu
he Is not an outcast-far from being an out
cast. He moves in respectable circles. But
one day. by the power Of the Holy Ghost.
he rouses up to see his sinfulusss and he says:
20 Lord, have mercyi I am a wanderer.
and without Thee I perish. Have 'mercyr
God hears him, and ndimmediately two Of the
towers o. heaven strike q silverY chime.
But here is an outcast. He was picked up
last night out Of the gutter and carried to
the police station. he has been in the peni-
teptiary three times. He is covered and
soaked with loathsomeness and abomination.
4rousing from his deoauch, he cries out:
30 God, have mercy on me. Thou who
didstpardou the psnitent thief, hear me cry
for mercy" And the Lord listens and par
doned than three Of the great towers OF
heaven strike up silvery chime. But here
is a waif of the street. She passes under the
gaslight, and your soul shudders with a
great horror. No pity for her. No COM
miseration for her.
As she passes down the street she hears a
song in a midnight mission, and she listens
to that song she hears:
All may come, whoever will,
This Man receives poor sinners still
She puts into that harbor. she kneels by the
rough bench near ths door; she says: 20
Lordi Thou who didst have mercy on Mary
Magdalen, take my blistered feet of the red
hot pavement of hell" God says, my
daughter. thy sins are forgiven thee; 60 in
peace" Now, all the four towers Of heaven
srrlke q siivery chime. and they who pass
through the celestial streets say "What's
that. Why, the worst sinner must have
been saved. Hear all the four towers ring
and ring and ringp "And there is joy in
heaven among the angels of God over one