The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-11-12
RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL.
TalmaSe DiSCOuTSeS on the killing Of
the Fatted Calf.


a Soul Comes Rome to Cod-First of
All There Is the New Converts JOY.
No Tame Thing to Become a Christian.
The Joy of the Father-Joy of the Min
listers of ReligioD-God's Long Watch
for the Return of His ProdiRal Chill
dren.
Brooklyn. Nov. u.-Rev. DR.. Talmage,
having concIsded his round-the-world
tour, has selected as the subject for to-
days discourse through the press: Home
Again" the text chosen being: Bring
hither the fatted calf and killed it," Luke
Is, O.
In all ages of the world it has been Gus
tomary to celebrate joyful events by fes-
tivity-the signing of treaties, the procla-
nation of peace, the Christmas, the mar
riage. However much on other days OF
the year our table may have stinted sup
ply, on Thanksgiving day there must be
something bounteous. And all the com
Portable homes of Christendom have at
some time celebrated joyful events by
banquet and festlvity.
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
l. l.
after year He knew he would come back.
Now, having returned to his fathers house
the father proclaims celebration. There
is 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. All! 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 viii
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 a 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 good 4:
nothing 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 COW
ers lift. Music He was dead and he is
alive again! He was lost and he is found I.
BY such bold imagery does the Bible set
forth the merry-making when a soul comes
home to God
First Of all, there is the new convert
joy. 1t is no tame thing to become a
Christian. The most tremendous moment
in mans life is when he surrenders him
self 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 young man, who next morning
rang my door-bell and said: Sir, | can
not contain myself with the joy | feel; 7
came here this morning to express it, I
have found more JOY in five minutes in
serving Cod than in all the years of my
prodigality, and l came to say So"
You have seen, perhaps, a man running
for his physical liberty, and the officers of
the law after him; and you saw him es-
" y
pardoned him. and how great was the glee
of that rescued man; but il is a very tame
thing that, compared with the running for
ones everlasting life-the terrors of the
law after him, and Christ coming in to par
don and bless and rescue and save. You
remember John Bunyan, in his great sto-
~, tells how the Pilgrim put his fingers
in his ears and ran, crying, Life, life
eternal hfeW y poor car-driver after
having had to struggle to support his
family for years suddenly was Informed
that a 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 ran
lures, the splendors of heaven, and he car
truly say, Its mansions are mine, its tenn
pies are mine, its songs are mine, its Coo
is mine2'
Oh, it is no tame thing to become z
Christian. tits a merry-making 1t is tn,
killing of the fatted calf. 1t Is jubilee
You know the Bible never compares il to ;
funeral, but always compares it to some
thing bright. 1t is more apt TO be compar
ed to a banuqet than anything else. Ii Il
compared in the Bible to the water-brieb
nashlng water; to the morning-roseate
nreWorked, mountain-transfigured morn
ing. / wish ] could to-day take all tn,
Bible expressions about pardon and peace
ana lie and comfort and hope and heaven
and twist them into one garland. and put /
on the brow Of the humblest child of Go,
IN all this land, and cry: Wear it, wear
now. wear it forever. son of God, daupbte
of the Lord God Almighty Oh. the TO-
Of the new convert! Oh, the gladness o
the Christian serVicei
You have seen sometimes a man II
religious assembly get up and give hi
experience. Well, Paul gave his expo
rience. He rose in the presence of tw,
churches-the church on earth and tn
church in heavcn-and he said: Now thi
is my experience: 'sorrowful yet alwav
rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich
having nothing, yet possessing al
things ~ If all the people who read thi
sermon knew the joys Of the Christian re
hgion, they would all pass over into tn
kingdom Of God the next moment. Whc
Daniel Sandman was dying Of cholera
his attendant said: Have you niue
pain?' oh" he replied, since I hav
found the Lord I have never had an
pain except sin" Then they said TO him
Would you like to send a message {
your friends?' Yes, ] would: tell ther
tnat only last night the love of Jesus cam
rushing into my soul like the surgos q
The sea, and I had TO cry out. Stop, Lore
b. is enough STOP Lord-enoughr p" or