The morning news., 1892-02-22
TALMAGE IN THE WEST.
HEAVENLY CONGRATULATIONS
HIS SUBJECT.


the Repentance of Sinner.
OsKALoosA, a.. Feb. 21.-Dr. Talmags
preached here to-day to an enormous audi
ence. He expects to be absent from home
about ten days, during which period he
speaks In as many cities. The subject OF
his sermon was Heavenly Congratula-
tions." His evident attention was to make
worlds that seem great way off from each
other appear very near. His text was
taken from Luke xv., 7: "Likswise Joy
shall he in heaven over one sinner that
repenteth. more than over ninety and nins
just persons who need no repentance
A lost sheepl Nothing can be more
thoroughly lost. / look through the VIM
dow of q shepherds house at night The
candles are lighted. The shepherd has just
placed his staff against the m antel. He has
taken Off his coat, shaken out Of IL the dust
and hung it up. see by the candle lights
that there are neighbors who have come in.J
The shepherd, tagged out with the long
tramp, sits own on q bench. and the wife
and children and the neighbors say to him !
'Ceme now, tell us how you found the poor
thing" "Wel, he says, this morning X
went out to the yard TO look et the flock.
No sooner had looked over the
fence than / saw something wrong.
The fact was they did not count
right. Ntnety-fve. uinety-six, ninety
seven. ninoty>eight, ninety-nine only
ninety-nine. M'Donald, you know we had
hundred. And wondered which one was
gone, and l began again, and counted
ninety-five, ninety-six, ninety-seven.
ninety eight, ninety-nine. Well, Vhistledl
up the dogs, and Started on the fields and
a.. k-tN
and leaped the gullies. but no bleating OK
the poor thing did hear. / said to mYseIf:l
The lamb must have fallen into ditch, or
pack of wolves from the mountains mustl
have torn II to pieces and sucked its life
OUT But l could not give it up.
You see II was pet lamb. IL was
that one with the black spot on
the right shoulder, that used to
come and HEX nay hand as crossed the
field, and somehow could not give it up.
So went on aud on and on until after
awhile heard the dogs bark, and said /:
What's thatp Then hasteued to the top
Of the hill, and looked down, and there II
saw the poor lamb. 1t had fallen, into
the ditch, and as l came where it was
and bent over the ditch, and STOPPING
down to lift tho poor thing out. l wish you
could have seen the loving, and imploring,
and tender way it looked at me. lifted 10
out, and it was all covered with slush and
l lifted 10 out, and 1t was 30 lame and SO
weak It could not walk alone so
threw it over my shoulders, and
| I started homeward; aud 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 I'M
the yard. poor thingl Thank God. thank
Godp Then the shepherds wife spread tho
table and brought out the best fare the
cabin could afford, and they sat up very
late that night, and they talked, ald they
laughed, and they sang, and they ate and
they drank. aud they danced. and they 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
OF God over one sinner that repent.
eth more than over ninety and nine just
persons that need no repentance" To re-
pent IL to feel that you are bad, and to be
sorry about IL, and to turn over a new leaf,
| and to pray for forgiveness and help. just
as soon as man does chat, they hear right
away Of 1t in heaven. There are no gossips
In glory going around to chatter and laugh
when a man falls; but there are many souls
Ia glory who are glad to run about and teIE
1t when a man is saved. The news goes very
quick from gate to cato and from north wall
to south wall aud from east wall to west
wall, and in three minutes every citizen Of
heaven hos heard of it; for ''there is Joy i'm
heaven among the angels of God over ona
sinner that repepteth.n / can very easily
understand how there should be JOY I'M
heaven over Pentecost With three thousand
souls saved in one day-no mystery abous
that; can understand how there should bsa
Joy in heaven over the parish of Schotts,
when four hundred souls were saved under
one sermon of Mr.. Livingston; can under-i
stand how there should be JOY in heaven
over the great awakening in the time OF
Harland Page, when in one year four hum
dred and seventy-tbree thousand souls wera
brought TO God in the United States; cam
understand very easily how there should be
joy IN heaven over five hundred thousand
souls converted In 1857, in this country; buU
mark you. my text announces there is joy
In heaven among the angels of God over
one, just one sinner shat repenteth.
Some oathedrals have one tower: some
cathedrals have two, three, four t0wers.
Did you ever hear them all ring at oncel {
,am told that the bell in tie cathedral of st.
Paul rings only on rare occasions, for in
stance, at the death or the birth of a kiug.
Have you seen a cathedral with four
towersl and have you heard them all strike
into one great chime OF gladnessa Here is
a man who IL moral. He is an example to
great many professors Of religion in some
things; he never did mean thing in his
life; ne pays all his debts and is good cit.
izen and a good neighbor. but be says he 10
not a Christian. Some day the holy spirit
comes into his heart and he sees that he
cannot depend upon his morality for saliva
ton. He says; 20 Lord God, have been
depending upon my good works, 1 find lam
sinner and l want thy salvation. Lord.
for Jesus's sake, have mercy on me-"
And God pordons him, and immedi-
ately one OF the towers of heaven
strikes a silvery chime. for there are four
towers to the heavenly temple Here is
a man who is bad; he knows he is bad,
and everybody else knows he is bad, but he
is not an outcast, far from being an outcast.
He moves in respectable circles But one
day, by the power Of the Holy Ghost. he
rouses up 60 see his sinfulness and he says:
20 Lord, have mercy, am wauderer, and
without thee perish. Have mercy" God
hears him, and Immediately two of ths
| towers of 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-
| tentiary three times. He is covered aud
soaked with loathesomeness and abomina-
tion. ArousiDg from his debauch, he cries
out: 80 God. have mercy On me. Thou
who didst pardon the Deuitent thief. hear me
cry for mercy And the Lord listens and
pardons, and no sooner is the poor wretch
M ~ arad than thraA of tha grand k0txara 0f