The Indiana State sentinel., 1894-11-14


world tour. has selected as the subject for
today's discourse through the press.
Home Again. the text chosen being
Luke XIV. %, Bring hither the fatted calf
and kill it"
In al ages Of the world it has been GUS
tomary to celebrate joyful events by
festfvity-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 al the COM
Portable homes Of Chr-stendom have at
some tina celebrated joyful events by
banquet and fesuvity.
The Joyful Feast.
Something has happened in the old
homestead greater than anything that has
ever happened before. A favorite son,
whom the word supposed would become a
vagabond and ouLaw forever, has got
tired Of sightseeing and has returned 70
his fathers house. The word said he
never would come back. The OLD man al
ways said MS son would come. He had
been looking fer him day after day and
year after year He knew he would come
back. Now. having returned to his IA
Tiers house. the father proclaims cele-
bration. There is a calf in the paddock
that has kept up and fed to utmost capaci-
ty, so as to be ready for soma occasion Of
joy that might come along.
All, there never VIII be a gTander day
on the old homestead than this day. Let
the butchers do their work and the house
keepers bring in 70 the table the smoking
meat. The musicians will take their
places. and the gay groups viii move up
and down the floor. Al the friends and
neighbOrs are gathered in, and extra sup
ply is sent out 20 the table Of the serv-
ants. The father presides at the table
and says grace and thanks God that his
long absent boy is home again. On. how
they missed himi How CAD they are 10
have him back one brother indeed
stands poudng q the back door and says:
This is a great ado about nothing. This
bad boy should have been chastened in
stead Of 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
fit ling across his brow at the remem-
brance of the trouble he had seen. All
ready now. Let the covers lift. Music.
He was dead. and he is alive againi He
was lost. and ne Is foundl BY such bod
imagery does the bible set forth the
merry making wlen soul comes home
TO God.
The Redeemed Soul.
First of al. there is the new converts
Soy. It is no tame thing to become a
Christian. The most tremendous moment
in a mans life IS when he surrenders
himself to Cod The grandest time on
the fathers homestead is wflen the boy
comes back. Among the great throng
who In the pario-s Of my church pro-
fessed Christ one night was a young
man. who next morning rang my door
bel and said: sir cannot contain my
self with the joy / fee. came here this
morning To express il. have found
more joy in five minutes in serving God
than in all the years of my pr0digaMty,
and 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-
cape, or atterward you heard the judge
had pardOned him. and how great was the
glee Of that rescued mani 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 pardon and bless and rescue
and save. You remember John Bunyan,
in his great story, tells how the pilgrim
put his fingers in his ears and ran, cry
y
driver, after having had 70 struggle u
support his family for years. suddenly
was Informed that a large inheritance was
his, and there was joy amounting TO be-
wilderment, but that Is a 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 splend0Ts of
heaven, and he can truly say, Its man
sions are mine; its God is miner
Oh, it is no tame thing TO become a
Christian. 1t is a merrymaking. 1t Is
the killing of the fatted calf It is Jubilee
You know the bible never compares it to
a funeral, but always compares it TO
something bright. Tt is more apt to be
compared in the bible 70 the water-brig-ht
flashing water-t0 the morning. roseate.
fre-WOrked, mountain transfigured morn
ing / wish i could today take all the
bible expressions about pardon and peace
and life and comfort and hope and heaven
and twist them into one garland. and put
II on the brow of the humblest child OF
God in al this land. and cry: Wear IT.
wear II now, wear il forever. son OF God,
daughter of the Lord God Almighty Oh,
the JOY Of the new convert Oh, the glad
ness OF the Christian serVicer'
st. PauI's Testimony.
You have seen sometimes a man in a
religious assembly get up and give mis-
experience. We'll. Paul gave his expert
ence. He rose in the presence of two
churches-the church on earth and the
church in heayen-and he said: Now.
this is my experience: SorrowfuI. vet al
ways rejoicing; poor, yet making man
ricn; having nothing. yet possessing all
things. II al the people who read this
sermon knew the joy Of the Christian re-
IgiOn, they would all pass over into the
Kingdom or God Inc next moment. When
Daniel Slndeman was dying of cholera.
his attendant said. Have you much
the Lord have never had any p7fn
except sin" Then they said TO him.
Would you like to send a message to
your frieuds?' Yes, / would. Tell them
that only ias- night the love of Jesus
came rushing into my soul ike the surges
or the sea and l had 10 cry out: Stop
Lord. Tt Is enOugh Stop, Lord
enough Oh, the joys Of this Christian
religiOni
Just pass over from those tame lows
In which you are indulging-ioys Of this
WOrld-intO the rap-ur6s of the gOspel
The world cannot satisfy you, you have
found Out-AleXander longing for al her
worlds to conquer. and yet drowned i'm
his own bottle, Byron whipped by dis
quietudes around the world, Volsaire
cursing his own soul white all the streets
OF Paris Were appiauding him. Henry III
consuming with h1tred against poor
Thomas a Becket-aI Illustrations Of the
fac that this world cannot make a man
happy The very man who poisoned the
pommel OF the saddle on which Queen
Elizabeth rode shouted in the street
God save the queenr" One moment the
world applauds. and the next moment
rha rvorrH arfaf qarla -f1os M, .e-vn. ~.-.,.