Connecticut western news., 1896-04-09
THE TURNING POINT.
"I WILL ARISE AND GO TO NY FA-
 THEIR"

tSev. Dr. TalmAEe freaches the Old Fash
 toned Gospel In His New Fashioned Way.
 The Prodigars Return and Forgiveness
 by tho Father.
 WASHINGTON, April 5.-A most rad ical gospel sermon Is the one of today by Dr. Talmage. It runs up and down the whole gamut of glorious invitation. His text was Luke xv, IS, ''I will arise and go to my father.
 There is nothing like hunger to take the energy out of a man. A hungry man can toll neither with pen nor hand nor foot There has been many an army de- feated not SO much for lack of ammuni- tion as for lack of bread It was that fact that took the fire out of this young man of the text. Storm and exposure will wear out any mans life in time, but hunger makes quick work. The most awful cry ever heard on earth is the cry for bread. A traveller tells us that in Asia Minor there are trees which bear fruit looking very much like the long bean of our time. It is called the carob. Once in awhile the people. reduced to destitution, would eat these carobs, but
 
 of here in the text-were thrown only to the swine. and they crunched them with great avidity. But this young man of my text could not even get them with out stealing them. So one day, amid the swine troughs, he begins to soliloquize. He says: "These are no clothes for rich mans son to wear. This is no kind of business for Jew to be engaged in, feeding swine. I'll go home. I'll go home will arise and go to my father. !"
 know there are great many people who try to throw fascination, a TO- nance, a halo, about sin; but, notwith- standing all that Lord Byron and George Sand have said in regard to it, it is mean, low, contemptible business, and putting food and fodder into the troughs of a herd of iniquities that root and wallow in the soul of man is very poor business for men and women in- tended to be sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty, and when this young man resolved to go home it was very wise thing for him to do. and the only question is whether we will follow him. Satan promises large wages if we will serve him, but he clothes his victims with rags, and he pinches them with hunger, and when they start out to do better he sets after them all the blood hounds of hell. Satan comes to us today, and he promises all luxuries and emolu- ments if we will only serve him. Liar, down with thee to the pit "The wages of sin is death" !" Oh, the young man of the text was wise when he uttered the resolution, "I will arise and go to my fatheri" In the time of Mary, the perse- cutor, a prosecutor came to Christian woman who had hidden in her house for the Lord s sake one of Christ servants, and the persecutor said, Where is that hereticp" The Christian woman said, ''You open that trunk, and you will see the heretio" The prosecutor opened the trunk, and on the top of the linen of the trunk he saw glass. He said, "There is no heretic here" "Ahl'' she said. "You look in the glass, and you will see the heretic.
 Our Lost Condition.
 AS I take up the mirror of Gods word today I would that instead of sec ing the prodigal of the text we might see ourselves-our want, our wander ing, our sin, our lost condition, so that we might be as wise as this young man was and say, "I will arise and go to my father.' The resolution of this text was formed in disgust at his present cir by his employer set to culturing flow. CTS, or training vines over an arbor, or keeping an account of the pork market, or overseeing other laborers, be would not have thought of going home--if he had had his pockets full of money; if he had been able to say: 1T have $i,000 now of my own. Whats the use of my going back to my fathers house? Do you think I'm going back to apologize 10 the old man? Why, be would put me on the limits He would not have going on around the old place such conduct as have been engaged in. I won't go home. There is no reason why should go home. I have plenty of money, plenty of pleasant surroundings. Why should l go home?" An. it was his pau perism, it was his beggaryi He had to go home. Some man comes and says to me: Why do you talk about the ruined state of the human soul? Why don't you speak about the progress of the nine teenth century and talk of something more exhilarating?" It is for this req son: A man never wants the gospel un- til he realizes he is in famine struck state. Suppose should come to you in your home, and you are in good, sound, robust health, and 1 should begin to talk about medicines, and about how loAA IL ~so ,cs, ..s Al1.A and some other medicine than some other medicine, and talk about this phy sioian and that physician. After awhile you would get tired, and you would say :: ''I don't want to hear about medicines. Why do you talk to me of physicians? never have doctor" But suppose como into your house, and find you se- verely sick, and I know the medicines that will cure you, and I know the phy- sician who Is skillful enough to meet your case. You say: "Bring on all that medicine; bring on that physician. am terribly sick. and I want help" If I come to you, and you feel you are all right in body, and all right in mind. and all right in soul. you have need of nothing, but suppose I have persuaded you that the Ieprosy or sln Is upon you, the worst of all sickness. Oh, then you say. Bring me that balm of the gos- pei; bring me that divine medicament bring me Jesus Christ. 7"
 But, says some one in the audience, "how do you know that we are in a ruined condition by sin?" We'll, can prove it in two ways, and you may have your choice. I can prove it either by the statements of men or by the statement of God. Which shall it Def You say ''Let ns have the statement of God. ' Well, he says in one place, "The bear' is deceitful above all things and desper ately wicked. He says in another place. w hGt is man that he should be clean and hs which is born of woman that h, should be ri2hteous!' He says in anoth CT place, "There is none that doeth gooo mo, not one. e." He says in anothe,
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