The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-11-28
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Homc Again"

Text: "Bring hither the fatted calf and
kill Luke xv., %.
In all ages of the world It has been cus-
toraary to celebrate joyful events by fest1v-
ity-the signing of treaties, the proclama-
tion of peace, the Christmas, the marriage.
However much on other days OF the year
our table may have stinted supply. on
THANKSGIVING there must be something
bounteous. And all the comfortable homes
of Christendom have at some time cele.
hrated joyful events by banquet and fes.
tivity.
Something has happened IA the old home
stead greater than anything that has ever
happened before. A favorite son, whom the
world supposed would become vagabond
and outlaw forever, has got tired of sight
seeing and has returned to his fathers
house. The world said he never would
come back. The old man always said his
son would come. He had been looking for
him day after day and year after year. He
knew he would come back. Now, having
returned to his fathers house, the father
proclaims celebration. There IS a calf In
the paddock that has been kept up and fed
to utmost capacity, so as to be ready for
some occasion of Joy that might come along.
Alb, there never will be grander day on
the old homestead than this day. Let the
butchers do their work and the housekeepers
bring into the table the smoking meat. The
musicians will take their places, and the gay
groups will move up and down the floor.
All the friends and neighbors are gathered
In, and extra supply Is sent out to the table
of the servants. The father presides at the
table, and says grace, and thanks God that
his long absent boy Is home again. Oh. how
they missed him How glad they are tc
havo him back! One brother indeed stands
pouting at the back door and says: "This
Is a great ado about nothing. This bad boy
should have been chastened instead ol
greeted. Veal is too good for him" But
the father says: "Nothing Is too good
Nothing is good enough" There sits tht
young man, glad at the hearty reception
but shadow of sorrow fitting across MI
brow at the remembrance Of the trouble NJ
had seen. All ready now. Let the covers
lift. Music. He was dead, and he is ALIVE
again! He was lost, and he is found! b.
such bold imagery does the Bible set fortf
the merrymaking when a soul comes hom
to God.
First of all, there is the new converts Joy.
It is no tame thing to become q Christian
The most tremendous moment in man.
life Is when he surrenders himself to God
The grandest time on the fathers homestead
Is when the boy comes back. Among tn,
great throng who, In the parlors OF m!
church, professed Christ one night was
young man, who next morning rang m!
'doorbell and said: "Sir, I cannot contaii
myself with the Joy feel. came here thiI
morning to express II. have found NOR,
Joy in five minutes in serving God than II
all the years Of my prodigality, and cam
to say so."
You have seen perhaps man running fol
his physical liberty and the officers Of the
law after him, and you saw him escape. o.
him and how great was the glee OF that res
cued man! But II Is very tame thing tbs
compared with the running for ones ever
lasting life-the terrors Of the law after hin
and Christ coming In to pardon and bles
and rescue and save. You remember Johl
Bunyan, in his great story, tells how the pill
grim put his fingers in his ears and ran, ely
Ing, ''Life, life, eternal lifeT' A poor ca
driver, after having had to struggle to sup
port his family for years, suddenly was In
formed that large inheritance was his, and
there was Joy amounting to bewilderment
but that Is small thing compared with tht
experience Of one when he has put in bit
hands the title deed to the joys, the raptures
the splendors Of heaven, and he can trul!
say, "Its mansions are mine its temples are
mine its songs are mine its God Is mtnep
Oh, It Is no tame thing to become Chris
tian. 1t is merrymaking. It is the killing
of the fatted calf. It Is jubilee. You know
the Bible never compares It to funeral, bu
always compares It to something bright. 7
Is more apt to be compared to banque
than anything else. IF Is compared in tn
Bible to rhs water-bright, flashing water
to the morning, roseate, fire worked, noun
tain transhgured morning. I wish coult
to-day take all the Bible expressions abou
pardon and peace and life and comfort ant
hope and heaven, and twist them into on
garland, and put It on the brow Of the hum
blest child of God In all this land, and cry
"Wear IT, wear 1t now, wear It forever, Sol
OF God, daughter Of the Lord God Almighty
Oh, the Joy of the new convert Oh. tn,
gladness Of the Christian ssrviceT
You have seen sometimes man In re-
ligious assembly get up and give his expe-
rience. Well, Paul gave his experience
He rose In the presence Of two churches
the church on earth and the church IL
heaven-and he said, ''Now, this is my ex
perience, sorrowful, yet always rejoicing
poor, yet making many rich having moth
Ing, yet possessing all things" II all the
people who read this sermon knew the joy
OF the Christian religion, they would al
pass over into the kingdom Of God the mex
moment. When Daniel Sandeman was dy
lux VI CuOl6ld, LIS dtt6uuduC S6lU, d6V
you mu:h pain?" "Oh." he replied, 'tsinc,
I found the Lord have never had any pal,
except sin." Then they said to him
.'would you like to send message to you
friends?" "Yes, would. Tell them that
ing into my soul like the surges OF the sea,
and I had to cry out: Stop. Lord; it IS
enoughl Stop, Lord-enough =" Oh,
the joys of this Christian religion
Just pass over from those tame joys In
which you are indulging-joys Of this
world-into the raptures Of the gospel. The
world cannot satisfy you you have found
out-Alexander longing for other worlds to
conquer and yet drowned In his own bottle,
Byron whipped by disquietudes around the
world, Voltaire cursing his own soul while
all the streets OF Paris were applauding him.
Henry II. consuming with hatred against
the fact that this world cannot make man
happy. The very man who poisoned the
pommel Of the saddle on which Queen
Elizabeth rode shouted In the street, "God
Save the Queen" One moment the world
applauds, and the next moment the world
mathematics.
Oh, come over into this greater Joy, this
sublime solace, this magnificent beatitude.
The night after the battleof Shiloh there
were thousands Of wounded on the field, and
the ambulances had not come. One Chris
tian soldier. lying there a-dying under the
starlight. began to sing:
There is a land Of pure delight.
And when we came to the next line there
were scores Of voices united:
Where saints immortal reign.
The song was caught up all over the field
among the wounded until It was said that
there were at leass 10 010 vounded man