The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1896-01-17
THE PRODIGAL son.
Rev. Dr. Talrnage Dlscourse6 Upon
! q Wen-Worn Theme.
q Cordial Invitation to Como to tho Ear
ther and Receive tho Ring that
Shall Wed the Repentant
Sinner to Christ.

The following discourse by Rev. 7
Dewitt Talmage was delivered before
his Washington congregation. The sub
iect: "The Return of the Prodigal. WA
based on the text:
Put ring on his hand.-Luke Nv, "a
will not rehearse the familiar story
of the fast young man of the parable
You know what 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-
citement one day in front of the door
of the old farm house. The servants
came rushing up and say: whats
the matter? What is the matter?''
But before they quite arrive, the old
Imam cries out: "Fut ring on his
hand" What seeming absurdiJy!
What can such wretched mendicant
as this fellow that is tramping on to-
ward the house want with ring? Oh,
he is the prodigal son. No more tend
ting 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 back.
There are gold rings, and pearl rings,
and emerald rings, and diamond rings;
but the richest ring that ever flashed
on the vision is that which our Father
puts upon a foreign 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 a roistering
independence for an ecclesiastical
strait Jacket. Not SO. When q man
becomes Christian, he does not go
down, he starts upward. Religion
multiplies one by 10000. Nay, the
multiplier is in infnity. 1t is not
plotting Quit is a polishing, it is an
effiorescence, it is an irradiation.
When 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
che 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 !
a ring on his hand"
Iremark, in the first place, that when |
Christ receives soul into His love, He |
puts upon him the ring of adoption.
While in my church in Philadelphia,
there came the 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 a great-hearted wealthy
man came up and said: 'I1l 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 to
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
name back with bundle under her
arm, and she said: 'There's nv old
1ress; perhaps come of the poor chill
iren would like to n;.ve it," while she
herself was in bright and beautiful
array, and those who more immedi-
ltely examined her said she had ring
1n her hand. 1t was the ring of adop-
ion.
There are great many persons who
pride themselves on their ancestry,
Ind they glory over the royal blood I
lat pours through their arteries. In
heir line there was a lord, or duke,
Or prime minister, or king. But
when the Lord, our Father, puts upon
Is the ring of His adoption, we be- |
,ome the children of the Ruler of all
Nations. behold what manner of
owe the Father hath bestowed upon
is, that we should be called the sons j
If God" 1t matters not how poor our
garments may be in this world, or how
icant our bread, or how mean the hut
We live in, If we have that ring of
jhrist's adoption upon our hand we
Ire assured of eternal defenses.
Accepted! Why, then, we are broth I
IT'S and sisters to all the good on earth {
md Heaven. We have the family
lame, the family dress, the family
teys, the family wardrobe. The Fa-
her looks after us, robes us, defends I
Is, blesses us. We have royal blood in ,
'ur veins, and there are crowns In our
inc. If we are His children, then
,rinces and princesses. 1t is only q
question of time when we get our cor I
met. Adopted Then we have the
'amily secrets. "The secret of the
Lord is with them that fear Him."
Then we have the family
Inheritance, and in the day when our