The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1894-11-22
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Home Again.

our table nav have stintei supply. on
THANKSGIVING there must be something
bounteous. And all the comfortable homes
OF Christenjom have at some time cele-
brated joyful events by banquet and fes-
tivity
Something has happened in the old home
stead greater than ANYTHING that has ever
happened before. A favorite son, whom the
world supposed would become vagahond
and outlaw forever. has got tired OF sight
seeing and has returned to his fathers
house. The world said he never would
rome 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
procla;ms celebration. There is calf in
the paddock that has been kept up and fed
TO utmost cHpacitv. so as to be ready FOR
some occasion OF JOY that might come along.
Al. there never will be a grander day on
The cid honest cad than this dav. 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.
ALI the friends and neighhors 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 bow is home again. Oh. how
they missed him How glad they are to
have him back One brother indeed stands
porting at the back door and says: "Tlis
is great ado about nothing. This bad boy
should have been chastened instead of
greeted. Veal is too good for him" But
the father saws: '.Nothing is too good.
Nothing is good enouyb." There sits the
Young man. glad at the hearty reception.
but n shadow OF sorrow fitting across his
brow ut the remembrance Of the trouble he
had gen. All ready now. Let tho 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 merrymakinS when Il soul comes home
to God.
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 surranders himself to God.
The grandest time on the fathers homestead
is when the boy comes back. Among the
great throng who. in tho parlors OF my
church, protested Christ one night was a
young man. who next morning rang my
doorbell and said: ''Sir I cannot contain
myself with the JOY feel. came here this
morning to express Il. have found more
Joy in five minutes in serving God than in
all the years OF my prodiSality, and l came
to say So"
You have seen perhaps man running for
his physical liberty and the officers OF tho
law AFTER Uln, ana you SlW HUI ESCAPE, VI
afterward you heard the judge had pardoned
him and how great was the glea Of that res
oued man But it is very tame thing that
compared 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 remember John
Bunyan. in his great story, tells how the pill
grim put his fingers in his ears and ran, ely
ing. "Life, life, eternal lifer' A poor car
driyar ftnr boy haI 70 utr1IODla n
port his family for years, suddenly was in
formed that large Inheritance was his, and
there was Joy amounting to bewilderment.
but that is a small thing compared with the
experience o. one when he has put in his
hands the title deed to Il; iov5. the raptures,
the splen9ors OF heaven. md he can truly
say, "Its mansions ar mine its temples are
mine its songs are NJ ne its God is mine"
Oh, it is no tame tong 10 become Chris
tian. 1t is q merrymak ne. II is the killing
of the fatted calf. IT is jubilee. You know
the Bible never compares il to a funeral, but
always compares il to something bright. 1t
is more apt to be compared to a banquet
than anything else. II is compared in the
Bible to the water bright. flashing water
to the morning roseate. fire worked. noun
tain transit cured morning. / wish I could
to-day take al the Bible expressions about
pardon and peace and life and comfort and
hope and heaven, and twist them into one
garland, and pnt it on the brow of the hum.
blest child of God in all this land, and cry
''Wear it, wear it now. wear it forever, son
OF God daughter Of the Lord God Almighty.
Oh, the JOY of the new convert Oh, the
g!adness of the Christian service ~
You have seen sometimes man in q re-
ligious assembly get up and give his expe-
Renee. Well. 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, sorrowlui, yet always rejoicing :,
poor, yet making many rich I; having moth
ing. yet poss assing all thiagS.' II all the
people who read this sermon knew the joys
OF the Christian religion. they would all
plss over int the kin sdom of God the next
moment. When Daniel Sandman was dy-
ing Of cholera. his attendant said. ''Have
you much PAIN" "Oh." he replied. 'since
l found the Lord have never had any pain
except SIM" Then they said to MIN
Would you like to send a message to your
triends?" 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 had to cry out stop. Lord it is
enough Stop LorG-rnough y" Oh.
the joys OF tins Christian religion
just pass over IRON those tame joys in
which YOU are induging-joys of this
world Into the rapiures of the gospel. The
world cannot satisfy you; you have found
ou,--,Alexandei longing for other worlds to
conquer and yet drowned in his own bottle,
Byron whipped by disquietudes around the
world Yotaire cursing his own soul while
all the streets OF Paris were applauding him.
Henry II. consuming with hatred against
poor Thomas a Beckett. all Illustrations OF
the fac. that this world cannot make Il man
happy The very man who poisoned the
pommel of the saddle on which Queen
Elizabeth rode shouted in the street, God
SAYe the Queen One moment the world
appiau Is, and the next moment the world
mathematics.
Or. come over into this greater JOY, this
sublime so!ace. this magnificent beatitude.
The night after the battle of Shiloh there
were thousands Of wounded on the field. and
tae anbuIances had not come. One Chris
tian soldier. lying there a-dying under the
starlight, began 10 sing
There is q land of pure delight.
And wAen 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 1t was said that
there were at least 10000 wounded men
uniting their voices as they came to the
verse
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