The Sussex Republican., 1896-01-11
THE EBEAUTITULRING
THAT WHICH THE FATHER BEsToWS
UPON A FORGIVEN SOUL,


sscv DR. ralniaee Sees New Beauties i
the Familiar Story of the Prodigai- Til
Ring of Adoption. of Marriage and q
Festivity.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 5.--In his sermon
today Rev. DR.. Talmage took for hi
subject the return of the prodigal son
The text chosen was Luke XIV, 22, "Pu
ring ON his hand "
win not rehearse the familiar stor,
of the fast young man of the parable
You know what a splendid home h,
left. You know what hard time h,
had. And you remember how after thai
season of vagabondage and prodigality
he resolved TO 90 and 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.n What seeming alb
surdity What can such wretcheu
mendicant as this fellow that is tramp
ing ON toward the house want with a
ring? Oh, he is the prodigal son. No
more tending Of the swine trough No
more longing for the pods of the carob
tTeol No more blistered feet OFF with
the ragsl On with the robel Out with
the Iingl 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 ON
the vision is that which our Father puts
upon forgiven soul
"Put a Ring on His Handv
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 FOSTERING independ-
ence for an ecclesiastical straitjacket.
Not SO. When man becomes a Chris
tian, he does not go down He starts
upward. Religion mnltiplies one by ten
thousand. Nay, the multiplier is in in
flnity. It is not blottin9 out Ibia-e
poliglaS-,s,s----se cst arls tfsct 81
etfioreScence; 1t is an irradiation when
a man comes into the kingdom Of God,
he is not sent into mental 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 n ring ON his
hand "
remark, in tho first place, that when
Christ receives a 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 OF 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 aud sang our hearts melted
within us. AT the close of the services
a great hearted wealthy man came upI
and said, "I'll take this little bright
eyed girl, and Ill 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 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 inamediately examined her
said she had 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 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 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 our
bread, or how mean the hut we live in,
if we have that ring of Christ's adop-
tion upon our hand, we are assured of
eternal defenses.
Adopted Why, then, we are brothers
and sisters 10 all the good of earth and
heaven. We have the family name, the
family dress, the family keys, the fam
lily wardrobe. The Father looks after
us, robes us, defends us, blesses us. We
have royal blood in our veins, and there
are crowns in oar line II we are his
ihen princes and princesses. 1t
is only question of time when we get
our coronet Adopted Then we have
The family secrets. "The secret of the
Lord is wi,h them that fear him.
Then we have the family in
leritunce, and in the day when our Fa-
her shall divide the riches Of heaven
So shalltaka cur share of tho mansions
md palaces and temples. Henceforth
lot MS boast no morao Of an earthly anoes-
ry The insignia q eternal glory is our
'uatrf arms This ring Of adontiop puts