Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1896-01-15
Rev. DR.. TaLuaGE.
The Eminent Divine's Sunday
Sermon.


Sermon.
Subject: "Heturn OF tho ProdigaI
Son."
Tfxr: ':Pnt a ring on his hand. Luke
w., ~.
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 a hard time he had. And you
remember how, after that season OF vaRa-
bondage and prodigaiity, 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 farmhouse. The servants come rushing
! up and say: "What's the matter? What Is
the matter?' But before they quite arrive the
old man cries out. ''Put u ring on his hand. "
What seeming absurdity! What can such
| wretched mendicant as this fellow that is
tramping on toward the house want with
ring? Oh, he is the prodigal son. No more
tending of the swine trough! No more long
ing for the pods of the carob tree! No more
blistered feet! on 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
I the richest ring that ever flashed on the vis-
| ion is that which our Father puts upon a
forgiven soul.
| I know that the impression is abroad
among some people that religion bemeaas
and belitties a man; that 1t takes all the
4 sparkle out of his soul; that he has to ex-
change a roistering independence for an ec-
| clesiastical straitiacket. Not so. When
! man becomes a Christian, he does not go
down. Hestarts upward. Religion multi
4 NIL 70 fou NM ha
plier Is in tnf1nity. 1t is not blotting out.
II is polishing; 1t is an arborescence; it is
an efdorescence: 1t Is an irradiation. When
/ man comes into tho kingdom OF God, he is
rot sent into mental service. but the Lord
God Almighty from the palc7es OF heaven
calls upon the messenger angels that wait
/ upon the throne to fiy and 'put ring on mis-
hand" In Christ are the largest liberty, and
brightest joy, and highest honor, and richest
| adornnent. PUT ring on his hand"
| / remark, in the 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 repre-
sentative 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 tryingto 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 great hearted
wealthy man came up and said, I'll take this
little bright eyed girl ana I'll adopt her rs
/ one of my own children" And he took her
by the hand, lifted her into his carriage and
| went away.
| Tie next day, while we were in the church
gathering up garments for the poor of New
York, this little child came back with a
bundle under her arm, and she said: '.There' 5
my old dress. Perhaps 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 II 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 roya, 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 upor
US the ring Of His adoption we become ths
children Of the Ruler OF all Nations. 'Be
J hold what manner Of love the Father haiti
bestowed upon US. that we should be called
the sons Of God" 1t matters not how pool
our garments may be in this world, or how
; scant our bread, or how mean the hut VT
I live in, If we have that ring of Christs adop
, tion upon our hand, we are assured Of eter
nal defenses.
Adopted Why, then, we are brothersa and
sisters to all the good Of earth and heaven.
We have the family nam, 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 ouI
veins, and there are crowns in our line. II
We are His children, then princes and prin.
cesses. 1t is only question of time when
we get our coronet. Adopted! Then We
have the family secrets. The secret OF the
Lord is with them that fear Him." Adopted
Then We have the family inheritance, and in
the day when our Father shall divide the
| riches of heaven we shall take our share OF
the mansions and palaces and temples,
Henceforth let US boast no more OF an earthly
l fnci af a<n~ <pl< ;r
our coat Of arms. This ring of adoption
puts upon US all honor and all privilege
| Now We can take the words OF Charles Wes
J ley. that prince Of hymnmakers, and sing:
Come, let US join our friends above
Who have obtained the prize,
And on the eagle wings of love
II 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 been told that when any OF the
Members OF any of the great secret societies
OF this country are in a distant city and are
in any kind OF trouble, and are set upon by
enemies, they have only to give a certain
signal and the members Of that organization
will flock around for defense. And when
any man belongs to this great Christian
, brotherhood, II he gets in trouble, in trial.
In persecution, in temptation. he has only TO
show this ring Of Christ's adoption, and ali
the armed cohorts Of heaven will come to
, his rescue.
Still further, when Christ takes soul into
His love He puts upon 1t a marriage ring.
; Now, that is not a whim of mine (Hosea ii.
! I19), II will betroth thee unto Ne forever;
Iyea, will betroth thee unto Ne in right
, eousness, and in judgment, and in loving
kindness. and In mercies.' At the wedding
L IN hpA Aoryr vrrrfd III fha
, hand Of the bride, signifving love and faith.
iulness. Trouble may come upon the house
hold. and the carpets may go, the pictures
nay 60, the piano may go, everything else
may go-the last thing that goes is that
marriage ring, for it is considered sacred.
In the burial hour it is Withdrawn from the
hand and kept in . casket, and sometime:
/. the box Is opened on an anniversary day
, and as you look at that ring you see under
Its arch long procession Of precious men,
ories. Within the golden circ.e of that ring
there IL room for a thousand sweet recollec
tions to revolve. and you think OF the great
contrast between the hour when, at the clost
| Of the wedding march, under the flashing
lights and amid the aroma of orange bios
soms, you set that ring on the round finger
Of the plump hand. and that hour wien al
the close Of the exhaustive watching, when
you knew that the soul had ned, you tool
srom the hand. which gave back no respon
| ,ive clasp, from that emaciafed finger. tn;
ring that she had worn 80 long and worn 81
we'll.
! On some anniversary day you take up tina
ring, and you polish 1t until all the old lustel
comes back, and you can see In 1t the hast
Of eyes that long ago ceased to weep. Oh, 4
is not an unmeaning thing when I tell you
1 that when Christ receives . soul into Hi
| keeping He puts on It q marriage ringl H'
endows you from that moment with all Ht
wealth. You are one-Christ and the soul
one in sympathv one in Affection one II
hope.
There is no power on earth or hell to effec
J divorcement after Christ and the soul ar
united Other kings have turned out thei