Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1894-11-23
REV, DR.. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn DiVine's Sum-
day Sermon.
Subject: "HOme Again"

XIII II, LUXE XIV, 70.
In all ages OF the world It has been cis-
tomary to celebrate joyful events By festive
ity--the signing of treaties, the proclama-
ton 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 Gale
hrated JOYFUL events by banquet and fes-
tivity.
Something has happened in the old home
stead greater than anything that has ever
happened before. favorte SOD, whom the
world supposed would become vagabond
and outlaw forever, has got tired OF sight
seeing and has returned 10 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 10 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 tne
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 hoor:
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 a great ado about nothing. This bad boy
should have been chastened instead oil
greeted, Veal is too good for him !" But
the father says: "Nothing is too good.
Nothing is good enough" There sits the
Young man, glad at the hearty reception,
but 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 hold imagery does the Bible set forth
the merrymaking when a soul comes home
to Co..
First of all, there is the new converts Joy.
It is no tame thing to become a Christian.
The most tremendous moment in mans
life is when he surrenders himself TO God.
The crandest time on the fathers homestead
is when the boy comes back. Among the
great thrcng who, in the parors OF my
church, pro'essed Christ one night was
young man. who next morning rang my
doorbe,l and said "Sir, cannot contain
myself with the JOY feel. came here this
morning TO express It. I have found more
Joy in five minutes in serving God than in
all the years OF my prodigality, and came
to say So"
You have seen perhaps man running for
his physical liberty and the officers OF the
law after him, and you saw him escape, OF
aiterwarl you heard the Judge had pardone1
him and how great was the gles OF that reg
cued man But it ia very tame thing that
compared with the running for ones ever
lasting lfe--the terrors Of the law after him
and Christ coming in 10 pardon and blesi
and rescue and save. You remember John
Bunyan, in his great story, tells how the pill
grim put his fingers in his ears and ran, ely.
ing, "Lfe, life, eternal life" A poor car
driver, after having had to struggle to sup
port his family for years, suddenly was in.
formed that large inheritance was his, AMI
there was Joy amounting to bewilderment,
but that is a small thing compared with the
experience OF one when he has put in his
bands the title deed to the joys, the rapturesi
the SplPndors Of heaven, and he can truly
say, ats mansions are mine; its temples are
mine its songs are m ne; its God is mine "
Oh. it is no tame thing TO become Unris-
tian. 1t is a merrymaking. 1t is the killing
OF the faited calf. 1t is jubilee. You know
the Bible never compares 1t to funeral, but
always compares it tc something bright. 1t
is more apt to be compared to q banquet
than anything else. IF is compared in tha
Bible to the water bright flashing water
10 the morning, roseate, fire worked, noun.
tain TRANSPORTED morning. 1 wish could
to-day take all the Bible expressions about
pardon and peace and life and comfort and
nd yiof int
garland, and put it on the brow of the hum.
best child Of God in all this land, and cry,
''Wear it, wear it now. wear it forever, son
o. Col, daughter of the Lord God Almighty.
Oh, the Joy Of the new convert Oh, the
gladness of the Christian ssrvicer'
You have seen sometimes a man In re.
Iigious assembly get up and give his expe-
rience. WeIl Paul gave his experience.
He rose in the presence OF two churches
the church on earth and the church in
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 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 Sandman was dy.
ing OF cholera. his attendant said, "Have
you much pain?" "Oh," lie replied, "sinco
found the Lord have never had any pain
except SIN" Then they said to him.
Would you like to send message to your
friends?' eyes. would Tell them that
only last night the love Of Jesus came rush
ing into my soul like the surges OF the sea,
and l had to cry out: Stop, Lord it is
enough Stop, Lord-snough =" Oh,
the joys of this Christian religion
Just pass over from those tame joys in
~ ali IND irv:O Of ~
world-!nto the rap!ures 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
poor Thomas Beckett, all Illustrations OF
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
1pplauds, and the next moment the world
mathematics.
Oh, come over into this greater Joy, this
sublime solace, this magnificent beatitude.
The night after the battle of 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 10 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 sonC was caught up all over the field
among the wounded until it was said that
here were at least 10000 wounded men
verse:
There everli sting spring abides
And never whitening flowers.
Death, like narrow stream. divides