Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-11-16
DR.TALMAGEATHOME
THE FACT SUGGESTS A SERMON ON
HOME COMlNoS AND PRODIGALS.

/ Repentlng Sinner Than over Any other
Event on Earth-Telegraphy of the Skies.
| Home, Sweet Home.
BROOKLYN, Nov. 11.-Rev. DR.. Tai
mage, having concluded his round the
world tour, has selected as the subject
for today's discourse through the press
fHome Again, the text chosen being
Luke xv, 29, "Bring hither the fatted
calf and kill il.
In all ages Of the world it has been
customary to celebrate joyful events by
festivity-the signing Of treaties, the
proclamation Of 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 something bounteous
And all the comfortable homes Of Chris
tendon have at some time celebrated
Joyful events by banquet and festivity.
l The ProdigaPs Return.
! Something has happened in tho old
homestead greater than anything that
has ever happened before. A favorite
son, whom the world supposed would
become a vagabond and outlaw forever,
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 day and year after year. He knew
he would come back. Now, having re-
turned 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, 50 as to be
ready for some occasion Of JOY that
might come along.
All, there never will be a 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 to have him back! One
brother indeed stands 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 himl" But the IA
ther says: Nothing is too good. Moth
ing is good enough" There sits the
young man, glad at the hearty reception,
but a shadow Of sorrow fitting across
his brow at the remembrance Of the
trouble he 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 By such bold imagery does
the Bible set forth the merrymaking
when soul comes home to God.
The Young Convert.
First Of all, there is the new converts
Joy. 1t is no tame thing to become a
Christian. Tho most tremendous mo-
ment in a 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 a young
man, who next morning rang my door
bell and said: "Sir, l cannot contain
myself with the Joy I feel. 1 came here
this morning to express it. have found
moro Joy in five minutes in serving God
than in all the years Of my prodigality,
and came to say So"
You have seen perhaps q 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 had pardoned him and how
great was the glee Of that rescued man
But it is a very tame thing that COM
pared with the running for ones ever
lasting life-the terrors Of the law after
him and Christ coming in to pardon
and bless and rescue and save. You re-
member John Bunyan, in his great sto-
~, tells how the pilgrim put his fin
gers in his ears and ran, crying, Life,
life, eternal lifep' A poor car driver,
after having had to struggle to support
his family for years, suddenly was In
formed that large inheritance was his,
and there was Joy amounting to bewil-
derment, but that is small thing COM
pared 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 man
sions are mine; its temples are mine;
its songs are mine; its God is mineP
Joy Of the Christian.
! Oh, it Is no tame thing to become
Christian. 1t is a merrymaking. 1t is
the killing Of the fatted calf. 1t is ju-
bilee. You know the Bible never COM
pares it to a funeral, but always COM
pares 1t to something bright tbs more
apt to be compared to banquet than
anything else. 1t is compared in the BIZ
BILE to the water-bright, flashing wa
ter-to the morning, roseate, fire work
cd, mountain transfgured morning. l
wish l could today take all the Bible
expressions about pardon and peace
and life and comfort and hope and
heaven, and twist them into one gar
land, and put It on the brow OF the
humblest child Of God in all this land,
and cry: Wear it, wear it now, wear
Il forever, son Of God, daughter OF the
Lord God Almighty. Oh, the JOY OF the
new convert Oh, the gladness Of the
Christian serviceH
You have seen sometimes man IN q
religious assembly get up and give his
experience. Well, Paul gave his expert
enoa He rose In the presence OF two
churohes-the church on earth and the
church in heaven-and he said, Now,
this Is my experience, sorrowful, yet
always rejoicing; poor yet making
many rich; having nothing, yet pos
sessinR all things" If all the people
who read this sermon knew the joys Of
the Christian religion, they would all
pass over into the kingdom Of God the
next moment. When Daniel Sandeman
was dying of cholera, his attendant
said, Have you much pain" "Oh. ="
he replied, "since / found the Lord /
have never had any pain except sin. :"