The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1896-01-10
THE RING OF PROMISE.
DR.. Talmage Further DiscCurses on
tho Redemption Of Sinners.
When Christ Receives a SOnI Into His Love
He Puts Upon His Hand the Ring
of Festivity-It Means
Eternal Joy.

I. De Witt Talmage took for his sub
ject the return of the prodigal son.
The text was from Luke XIV. 30: Put
ring on his hand" Following is the
sermon:
l 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 a hard time he
had. And you remember how after
that season of vagabondage and prodi-
gality he resolved to go and weep out
his sorrows on the bosom of parental
forgiveness. Well, there is great ex-
element one day in front of the door of
the old farm house. The servants come
rushing up and say: whats the mat
ter? What is the matter?" But before
they quite arrive, the old man cries
out: Put a ring on his hand" What
a seeming absurdity. What can such
a wretched mendicant as this fellow
that is tramping on towards the house
want with a ring? Oh, he is the prod
igal son. No more tending of the
swine trough. No more longing for
the pods of the carob tree. No more
blistered feet. Off with the rags! On
with the robe! Out with the ring!
Even so does God receive everyone of
us when we come backi There are
gold rings, and pearl rings, and emer-
aid rings. and diamond rings, but the
richest ring that ever flashed on the
vision is that which our Father puts
upon forgiven soul,
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 q FOSTERING
independence for an ecclesiastical
it-jacket. Not so. When man
becomes a Christian he does not go
down. he starts upward. Religion
multiplies one by ten thousand Nay,
the multiplier is infnity. 1t is not
plotting Quit is polishing, it is an
arbor-escence, it is an effloresceuce, it
is an irradiation. When a man comes
into the kingdom of God he is not sent
into a mental service. but the Lord
God Almighty from the palaces of
Heaven calls upon the messenger
angels that wait upon the throne to fly
and put ring on his hand"
l remark, in the first place, that
when Christ receives a soul into His
love, lie puts upon him the ring of
adoption. While in my church in Phil
adelpbia. there came the representa-
tive of the Howard mission, of New
York. lie 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 service Il Great-hearted
wealthy man came up and said, III
take this little bright-eyed girl, and
I'll adopt her as one of my own chill
dren," 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 Il bundle under her
arm and she said: There's my old
dress; perhaps some of the poor chill
dren would like to have it, while she
herself was in bright and beautiful ar
ray, and those who more Immediately
examined her said she had ring on
on her hand. 1t was ring of adop-
ton.
There are great many persons who
pride themselves on their ancestry,
and they glory over the royal blood
that pours through their arteries. In
their line there was lord, or a duke,
or a prime minister or a 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
Father hath bestowed upon US, that
we should be called the sons of God"
1t matters not how poor our garments
may be in this world, or how scant
our bread, or how mean the hut we
live in, if we have that ring of Christ's
adoption upon our hand, we are as.
sured of eternal defenses.
Adopted! Why, then we are broth
ers and sisters to all the good of earth
and Heaven. We have the family
name, the family dress, the family
keys, the family 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. If we are His children, then
princes and princesses- 1t is only a
question of time when we get our cor
onet Adopted! Then we have the
family secrets THE secret of the
Lord is with them that fear Him."
Then we have the family |
and in the day when our
Father shall divide the riches of Heav- |
en- we shall take ourshare of the man
sions and palaces and temples.
Henceforth let us boast no more of |
an earthly ancestry The insignia of |
eternal glory is our coat of arms. This |
ring of adoption puts upon us all
honor and all privilege. Now we can
take the words of Charles Wesley, |
that prince of hymn makers, and 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