The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-11-21
"HOME AGAIN" !"
Rev. DR.. Talmage Returns From
His Tour Around the World.
The Parable of tho Prodigars Return
Chosen as Fitting Subject to Pre-
sent to Ellis Great Reading
Congregation. 81

Consregasion' s.. rs
The following sermon was selected
by Rev. T.. Dewitt Talmage, who has
returned from his "trip around the
world, for publication this week. It's
subject, EaHome Again" Is based upon %
the text: s Ese
Bring hither the efatted calf and kil it.TLuke
In all;ages sof The world il has been
custonaarY3 toscele ebratA joyful events
by festisityAtzhe signing sof treaties
the sbroclamation SofA peace, the
Christmas, the marriage: However
much on other days of the year our
table may have stinted supply, on
Thanksgiving day there must be some
thing bounteous. And all the com-
Portable homes of Christendom have at
some time celebrated joyful events by
banquet and festivity.
Something has happened In the old
homestead greater than anything that
has ever happened before. A favorite
son, whom the world supposed ,wonld
become vagabondo and outlaw for
ever, has got tired of sightseeing 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 daySapd year after
wear. He knew heswould come back
Now, having returned to his'father's
house, the father proclaims celebra-
ton, There is a calf in the pad
dock that has been kept up
and fed to utmost capacity, so
as to be ready for some occa-
sion Of joy that might come along. Ah!
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 pre-,
sides 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 to have him
back. One brother indeed stancs
pouting at the back door, and says:
"This is great ado about nothing;
this bad boy should have been
chastened instead of greeted: veal is
too good for him!" But the father says,
.'Nothing is too coed; nothing is good
enough" There sits the young man,
s;lad at the hearty reception, but
shadow o. sorrow fitting across his
brow at the remembrance ofthe trouble
he had seen. All ready now. Let the
cover lift. Music. HE was sdeadzand
he is alive again! He was lost and
he Is found! By such bold imagery
does the Bible set. forth the merry.
making when soul comes home to
God. .ateg ~, q f,';01ti,t' r:sani- :
First Of ALL, there is the new con-
vert's joy. It is.no tame thing to be-
come Christian. The most tremulous
moment in q mans life is when he sur
renders himself to God. The grandest
time on the, fathers homestead is when
the boy comes back. Among the great
throng who, in the parlors of my
church, professed Christ one night was
70 young man, who next mogfing rang,
nv door bell and said: ssSir, I can not.
contain myself with the joy 1'feel; r.
came here this morning to express it.
have found more joy in Eve minutes
in serving God than in ali the years Of
my prodigality, and I came to say so.",
You have seen, perhaps, man run
ming for his physical liberty, and the
officers of the law after him; and. you
saw, him escape, or afterward you
heard the Judge he'd pardoned him,
and how great was the glee of that
rescued man; but it is very tame
thing that, compared with the rum
ming, for ones everlasting life-the ter
rors of the law after him, and Christ
coming in to pardon and bless and res.
cue and save. You remember John
Bupyan, in his great story, tell how
the pilgrim put his fingers in his ears
and ran, crying: q ''Life, life, eternal
life!" A poor car driver, after having
had to struggle to support his family
for years, suddenly was informed that
large inheritance was his, and there
was joy amounting to bewilderment;
but that is a, small thing compared,
with the experience of one when he
has put in his hands the title deed to-
the joys, the raptures,, the splendors
of Heaven, and he can truly say: "Its
mansions are mine, its temples, are
mine, its songs are mine, it's God is
mine!' 5as .'ia sl- 7fee t
Oh, It is no tame thing to become
Christian. It is merry-making. It
is the killing Of the fatted calf. II. is
jubilee. You know, the. Bible; never
compares it. to a funeral, but always
compares it to something bright. It
is more apt to be compared toa banquet
than anything else. It is compared in
the Bible to, ;, the water--bright,
flashing water; to the morning,
roseate,r freworked, mountain-trans-
f;o,,rad -. r,nrninp III wish = /