Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1892-03-10
JOY IN HEAVEN.
falmage Tells Of the Joy in the Eter-
nal Home When a Sinner
Repents.
It Is Possible for Us to Augment
the Happiness Of
Heaven.

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 Nv, Z:
Likewise Joy shall be in Heaven over
one sinner that repenteth, more than
over ninety and nine just persons who
need no repentance"
A lost 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. I see by the candle light
that there are neighbors 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 I 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 not
count right. Ninety-fve, ninety-six,
ninety-seven, ninety. eight, ninety nine
only ninety-nine. M'Donald, you
know we had 100. And wondered
which one was gone, and | began
again, and I counted IS, SO, 81, SO,
SO. Well, whistled up the dogs, and
I started on the fields and across the
bridges, and tracked the moors, and
leaped the gulleys, but no bleating of
the poor thing did hear. | said to
myself: The lamb must have fallen
into ditch, or 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 one with
the black spot on the right shoulder,
that used to come and lick my hand
as I crossed the field, and somehow 1
could not give it up. So I went on
and on and on until after awhile I
heard the dogs bark, and I said,
Whats that?' Then I FASTENED to the
top OF the hill, and looked down,
and there I saw the poor lamb,
1t had fallen into the ditch,
and as I came where it was
and bent over the ditch, and stopped
down to lift the poor thingout, wish
you could have seen the loving and
imploring and tender way it 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 I lifted
it out and it was sol lame and SO weak
it could not walk alone, so threw it
over my shoulders and I started
homeward and the condition of that
lamb you may judge of from the coat
which I have just hung up. But 1
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 RUsTlClTY
of illustration does Christ represent
the souls going off and the souls COM
ing back, when he says: likewise
there is Joy inheaven ngthe 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, anI turn over
a new leaf, and to pray for forgiveness
and help. AS soon as man does
that they hear it right away in heav-
en-. There are no gossips IN glory 60
ing around to chatter and laugh when
a man falls; 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 "there is joy in
heaven among the angels OF God over
one sinner that repenteth." can
very easily understand how there
should be Joy in heaven over a Pente,,
cost with three thousand souls saved
in one day-no mystery about that;
I can understand how there should be
iovin heaven over the Parish OF Schotts
when four hundred souls were saved
nnder one sermon of Mr.. Livingston;
Lean understand how there should
be 10y 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: l can understand very easily
how there should be Joy in heaven
over five hundred thousand souls CON
verified in 1857, in this country; but
mark you, my text announces there Il
iov in heaven among the angels OF God
over one, ,,r
INST ONE SINNER THAT REPENTErH.
Some cathedrals have one tower
some cathedrals have two, three, 1oul
towers. Did you ever hear them rims
at once? I am told that the beil II
thecathedral OF st. Paul rings only OF
rare occasions, for instance, at thu
.sa4L IN tho birth OF g. king. Have