The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1892-02-24
JOY In HEAVEN.
Rev. DR.. Talmage breaches Ser
mon at Oskalco cosa, Ia.
The Finding OF the Lost sheep and It'
Application to the Saving Of Man
kind-The Salvation of tho Soul
OF Vast Importance.

AZ ObkhiOOSd, Ia 10 an enOrmOuS duui-
ence. The subject Of his sermon was
Heavenly Congratulations" and his
text was taken from Luke XIV, Z: Like |
wise joy shall be in Heaven over one
sinner that repenteth, more than over
ninety and nine just persons who need
no repentance" The eloquent preached
spoke as follows:
A lost sheep! Nothing can be more
thoroughly lost look through win
dow of a shepherds house at night.
The candles are lighted The shepherd
had inst placed his staff against the
mantel He has taken off his coat,
shaken out of it the dust and hung 1t UP.
l see by the candlelight that there are
neighbors who have come in. The shep-
herd, tagged out with the long tramp,
sits down on bench and the wife and
children and the neighbors say to him:
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 looked
over the fence than | saw something
was wrong The fact was they did not
count right. Ninety-five, ninety-six,
ninety seven, ninety-eight ninety mine
only ninety-nine. Mcdonald, you
know we had a hundred. And won
dered which one was gone, and began
again, and counted ninety-five, ninety
six, ninety-seven ninety eight, ninety
nine. Well, whistled up the dogs, and
1 started on the fields and across the
bridges, and tracked the moors, and
leaped the gullies but no bleating Of
the poor thing did hear. l said to my
self: The lamb must have fallen into
ditch, or pack of wolves from the
mountains must have torn it to pieces
and sucked its life out But
could not give it up You see it was a
pet lamb. 1t was that one with black
spot on the right shoulder that used to
come and lick my hand as crossed the
field, and somehow could not give it
up. So went on and on and on until
after awhile heard the dogs bark, and
said: What's that?' Then hastened
to the top of the hill, and looked down,
and there / saw the poor lamb. 1t had
fallen into the ditch, and as l came
where 1t was and bent over the ditch,
and stopped down to lift the poor thing
out, wish you could have seen the
loving, and imploring, and tender way
IL looked at me. lifted it opt, and II
was all covered with the slush and the
mud. 1t was an awful thing to do, but
lifted it out and it was so lame and
so weak it could not walk alone, so
threw it over my shoulder and started
homeward, and the condition of that
lamb you may Judge Of from the coat
which i have Just hung up. But
tramped on and on until It is safe in the
yard, poor thingl Thank God, thank
Godl' Then the shepherds wife spread
the table and brought out the best fare
that the cabin could afford, and they
sat up very late that night, and t'ley
talked, and they laughed, and t-ey
sang, and they ate, and they drank and
they danced, and told over and over
and over again the story Of the lost
sheep that was found.
With such tenderness and rusticity OF
illustration does Christ represent the
souls going off and the souls coming
back, when He says; Likewise there
is Joy in Heaven among the angels o.
God over one sinner that repentetl
more than over ninety and nine JUS
persons that need no repentance" Tt
repent is to feel that you are bad, anC
to be sorry about it, and TO turn over {
new leaf, and to pray for forgiveness
and help. Just as soon as man doei
that they hear right away Of it IL
Heaven. There are no gossips in glor,
going round TO chatter and laugh wheI
man falls; but there are many soul
in glory who are glad TO run about ant
tell 1t whens man is saved. The new
goes very quick from gate to gate, ant
from north wall 10 south wall, and from
east wall TO west wall, and in thre,
minutes every citizen of Heaven ha
heard of II, for there is Joy in Heavei
among the angels of God over one sin
ner that repenteth." / can very easil.
understand how there should be Joy II
Heaven over Pentecost with thre
thousand souls saved in one day-n
mystery about that; / can understan,
how there SHOULD be Joy in Heaven owe
the parish OF Schotts, when four. hun
dred souls were saved under one ser
mon OF Mr. Livingston; can understan,
how there should by joy in Heaven owe
the great awakening in the time o
Harland Page, when in one year fou
hundred and seventy-three thousan
souls were brought 10 God in the Unite
States; / can understand very easil
how there should be Joy in Heaven owe
FIVE hundred thousand souls converter
in 1857, in this country but mark you
my text announces there is Joy Il
Heaven among the angels Of God owe
one, just one sinner that repenteth.
Some cathedrals have one tower
some cathedrals have two, three, fou
towers Did you ever hear them al
ring at once? ] am told that the bell Il
the cathedral OF st. Paul rings only o.
rare occasions; for instance, at the deaf
or the birth Of king. Have yoN seel
a cathedral with four towers? and hav
you heard them all strike into one grea
chime of Rladness? Here is a man who
moral BE is an example to a grea
many professors Of religion in som
things; he never did mean thing i
his life; he pays all his debts and is
good citizen and good neighbor, bu
he says he is not Christian. Some da
the Holy Spirit comes into his heart an
he sees that he can not depend upon hi
morality for salvation He says: -
I.ord Gnd have heen denendino nno