The Dickinson press., 1892-03-05
JOY IN HEAV EN-.
falmage Tells Of the Joy in the Eter.
nal Home When a Sinner
Repents.
Il Is Possible for Us to Augment
the Happiness Of
Heaven.

OsKALoosA, Iowa.-[Special.] DIR.
Talmage preached here to an enor-
nous audience. He expects to be alb
sent from home about ten days, dur
ing which period he speaks in as many
cities. The subject of his sermon was
Heavenly Congratulations" His
text was taken from Luke XIV, z:
Likewise Joy shall be in Heaven over
one sinner that repenteth, more than
over ninety and nine just persons who
need no repentance"
Alost sheep! Nothing can be more
thoroughly lost. I look through the
window OF a shepherds house at night.
The candles are lighted. The shep-
herd has just placed his staff against
the mantel. He has taken off his
coat, shaken out of it the dust and
hung it up. l see by the candle light
that there are neighbours who have
come in. The shepherd, tagged out
with the long tramp, sits down on a
bench, and the wife and children and
the neighbours say to him: "Come
now, tell us how you found the poor
thing" "Well," he says, "this morn
ing l went out to the yard to look at
the flock. No sooner had l looked
over the fence than I saw something
wrong. The fact was they did not
count right. Ninety-tive, ninety-six,
ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine
only ninety-nine. M'Donald, you
know we had 100. And l wondered
which one vas gone, and l began
again, and I counted 95, 90, 81, 90,
90. Well, 1 whistled up the dogs, and
l started on the fields and across the
bridges, and l tracked the moors, and
l leaped the gulleys, but no bleating OF
the poor thing did l hear. / said to
myself: THE lamb must have fallen
into a ditch, Or a pack OF wolves from
the mountains must have torn it to
pieces and
SUCKED IT'S LIFE OUT
But I could not give it up. You see it
was q pet lamb. 1t was that IL with
the 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 l went on
and on and on until after awhile l
heard the dogs bark, and l said,
What's that?' Then l hastenedto the
top of the hill, and l looked down,
and there l saw the poor lamb,
1t had fallen into the ditch,
and as l came where it was
and bent over the ditch, and stopped
down to lift the poor thingout, l wish
you could have seer the loving and
imploring and tender wayit looked at
me 1 lifted it out and it was all
covered with slush and the mud. 1t
was an awful thing to do, but lifted
it out and it was solame and so weak
it could not walk alone, so threw it
over my shoulders and l started
homeward and the condition OF that
lamb you may judge of from the coat
which | have just hung up. But
tramped on and on until it is safe in
the yard, poor 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 sat up very late that
night and they talked and they
laughed and they sang and they ate
and they drank and they danced and
told over and over again the story OF
the lost sheep that was found.
WITH SUCH TENDERNESS AND RUsTlcITY
of illustration does Christ represent
the souls goingoff andthe souls com.
ing back, when he says: "Likewise
there is Joy inheaven 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 feel sorry about it, and turn owe,
a new leaf, end to prayfor forgiveness
and help. As soon as q man does
that they hear it right away in heav.
en-. There L no gossips in glory GO
ing around to chatter and laugh wher
a nan falls; but there aremany souls
in glory who are glad to run about
and tell it when a man is saved. The
news goes very quickfromgate togate
andfromnorth wall osouth wall, anG
from east wall to west wall, and il
three minutes every citizen OF HEAVIER
has heard of it; for "there is Joy ii
heaven among the angels of God ovel
one sinner that repenteth." | cal
very easily understand how ther'
should be Joy in heaven over a Pente
cost with three thousand souls saved
in one day-no mystery about that
I can understand howthere should b,
joyinheaven over the Parish OF Schotti
when four hundred souls were savee
under one sermon of Mr.. Livingston
I can understand how there SHOULD
be Joy in heaven over the grea
awakening in the time OF Harlant
Page, when in one year four hundred
and seventy-three thousand soul
were brought to God in the United
States; l can understand very easil,
how there should be Joy in HEAVIER
over five hundred thousandsouls cor
verified in 1857, in this country; but
mark you, my text announces therei
Joy in heaven amongt the angels of Go
over one,
JUST ONE SINNER THAT REPENTETH.
Some cathedrals have one tower
some cathedrals have two. three, fou
towers. Did you ever hear them rim
at once? l am told that the bell il
thecathedral OF st. Paul rings only o.
rare occasions, for instance, at tn
death or the birth of a king. Hav
youseen q cathedral withfour towers
and have you heard them all strik
into one great chime of gladness? Her
is a man who is moral. He is an ez
ample to a great many professors {
religion in some things; he w did
mean thing in his life; pays all hi
debts, and is a good citizen and
good neighbor, but he says he is not
christian. Some day the Holy Scrip
ture comes into his heart and he seeI
that he cannot depend upon his MOI
rality for salvation. He says: "Ol
Lord God, Ihave been dependingupol
my good works, l find I am a sin
ner, and l want thy salvation. Lord
for Jesus sake, have mercy on me-
And God pardons him, and immedi
ately one of the towers OF heavel
strikes a silvery chime, for there ar
forr towore to fhe heaven1y tamn1e