Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-01-10
THE BEAUTIFULRING
THAT WHICH THE FATHER eeSTOWs
UPON A FORGIVEN SOUL.

UPON A FORGIVEN SOUL.
Rev. Dr. Talmagc Sees New Beauties In
the Familiar Story of the Prodigal-The
Ring of Adoption, of Marriage and of
Festivity.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 5.-In his sermon
today Rev. DR.. Talmago took for his
subject tho return Of the prodigal son.
The text chosen was Luke XIV, %, "Put
q ring on his hand. "
I will not rehearse the familiar story
Of the fast young man Of the parable.
You know what a splendid home he
left. You know what q hard time he
had. And you remember how after that
season Of vagabondage and prodigality
he resolved to 60 aud weep out his sor-
rows on the bosom of parental forgive
ness. Well, there is great excitement
one day in front Of the door Of the old
farmhouse. The servants come rushing
up and say: whats the matter? What
is the matter?" But before they quite
arrive the old man cries out, Put a
ring on his hand. What a seeming abb
surdityl What can such a wretched
mendicant as this fellow that is tramp
ing on toward the house want with q
ring? Oh, he is the prodigal son. No
more tending Of the swine troughl Nc
more longing for the pods Of the carot
tree No more blistered feet OFF with
the rags On with the robe Out with
the ring Even so does God receive
every one Of Us when we come back.
There are gold rings, and pearl rings,
and emerald rings, and diamond rings,
but the richest ring that ever flashed Oh
the vision is that which our Father puts
upon forgiven soul.
'Put a Ring on His Hand"
know that the impression is abroad
among some people that religion be-
means and belittles man that it takes
all the sparkle out Of his soul; that he
has to exchange a roistering independ-
ence for an ecclesiastical straitjacket.
Not so. When man becomes a Chris
tian, he does not 90 down. He starts
upward. Religion multiplies one by ten
thousand. Nay, the multiplier is in in
finity. 1t is not blotting out. 1t is a
polishing; it is an arbOrescence; it is an
efflorescence; it is an irradiation. When
q man comes into the kingdom Of God,
he is not sent into a menial service, but
the Lord God Almighty from the pal
aces Of heaven calls upon the messenger
angels that wait upon the throne to fly
and put ring on his hand. " In
Christ are the largest liberty, and
brightest Joy, and highest honor, and
richest adornment. "Put ring on his
hand.
remark, in the first place, that when
Christ receives q soul into his love he
puts upon him the ring Of adoption.
While in my church in Philadelphia
there came tho representative Of the
Howard mission of New York. he
brought with him eight or ten children
Of the street that he had picked up, and
he was trying to find for them Christian
homes, and as the little ones stood on
the pulpit and sang our hearts melted
within Us. at the close Of the services
q great hearted wealthy man came mp
and said, "I'll take this little bright
eyed girl, and I'll adopt her as one Of
my own children. And he took her by
the hand, lifted her into his carriage
and went away.
The next day, while we were IN the
church gathering up garments for the
poor of New York, this little child came
back with q bundle under her arm, and
she said: "There's my old dress. Per
haps some Of the poor children would
like to have it, while she herself was
In bright and beautiful array, and those
who more Immediately examined her
said she had a ring on her hand. 1t was
a ring Of adoption.
There are \ great many persons who
pride themselves on their ancestry, and
they glory over the royal blood that
pours through their arteries. In theil
line there was a lord, or a duke, or
prime minister, or king. But when
the Lord, our Father, puts upon Us the
ring Of his adoption we become the
children Of the Ruler Of all nations.
behold what manner Of love the Fa.
ther hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons Of God. II
matters not how poor our garments may
be in this world, or how scant oul
bread, or how mean the hut we live in,
If we have that ring of Christ's adop-
ton upon our hand, we are assured oi
eternal defenses.
Adopted Why, then, we are brothers
and sisters to all the good Of earth and
heaven. We have the family name, the
family dress, the family keys, the fam
ily wardrobe. The Father looks after
us, robes us, defends us, blesses us. We
have royal blood in our veins, and there
are crowns in our line. II we are his
children. then princes and princesses. II
is only question Of time when we gel
our coronet Adopted Then we have
the family secrets. 1.-THE secret Of the
Lord is with them that fear him. u
Adopted Then we have the family in
heritance, and in the day when our Fa
ther shall divide the riches Of heaven
we shall take our share Of the mansions
and palaces and temples. Henceforth
let as boast no more of an earthly ances
try. The insignia Of eternal glory is oul
coat Of arms. This ring Of adoption putt
upon Us all honor and all privilege.
Now we can take the words Of Charles
Wesley, that prince of hymnmakers, ant
sing:
Come let US join our friends above
Who have obtained the prize,
And on the eagle wings OF love
To Joy celestial rise.
Let all the saints terrestrial sing
With those TO glory gone,
For all the servants OF our King
In heaven and earth are one.
have beeh told that when any OF th'
members Of any of the great secret so
cieties Of this country are in distant
city and are in any kind Of trouble, ant
are set upon by enemies, they have only
to give q certain signal and the mem
bers Of that organization will hocl
nround for defense. And when any maj
belongs to this great Christian brother