Connecticut western news., 1896-01-09
THE BEAUTIFULRING
THAT WHICH THE FATHER BESTOWS
 UPON A FORGIVEN SOUL.


 THAT WHICH THE FATHER BEsTOws
 UPON A FORGIVEN SOUL. Rev. Dr. TAlmage Sees New Beauties In the Familiar Story of the Prodigal-The Ring of Adoption. of Marriage and of ! Festivity.
 WAsHINaToN, Jan. 5.-In his sermon today Rev. Dr. Talmage took for his subject the return of the prodigal son. The text chosen was Luke xv, 22, "Put a ring on his hand.
 will not rehearse the familiar story of the fast young man of the parable. You know what splendid home he left. You know what harA time he had. And you remember how after that season of vagabondage and prodigality he resolved to go and weep out his sor- rows on the bosom of parental forgive ness. We'll, 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 ring on his hand" What seeming ab- surdityi What can such 8 wretched 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 troughi No more longing for the pods of The carob treel No more blistered feet Off with the rags! On with the rebel 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 on the vision is that which our Father puts upon forgiven soul.
 ~Put . 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 roistering independ- ence for an ecclesiastical straltjacket. Not 30. When man becomes Chris tian. he does not go down. He starts upward. Religion multiplies oae by ten thousand. Nay, the multiplier is in in- fnity. It is not plotting out. It is polishing it is an arborescence; it is an ef1orescence it is an irradiation. When a man comes into the kingdom of God. he is not sent into 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 a 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 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 or ten children of the street that he had picked mp, 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, "I'll take this little bright eyed girl. and I'll adopt her as one of my own children. And be 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 { l,, ,1n cho in bright and beautiful array, and those who more immediately examined her said she had ring on her hand. It was . ring of adoption.
 There are a 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 8 lord, or duke, or a 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 Fla ther hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. 7" It 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.
 Adoptedl 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 fly wardrobe The Father locks after us, robes us, defends us, blesses us. We have royal blood in onr veins, and there are crowns in our line. If we are his children, then princes and princesses. Il is only a 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 in. heritance. and in the day when our Fla ther 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 ances try. The insignia of eternal glory is oul 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 hymnmakers, auG ding: ....
 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 been told that when any of th' members of any of the great secret so cieties of this country are in a distan city and are in any kind of trouble, ant are set npon by enemies, they have onl. to give a certain signal and the mem bsrs of that organization will f1ocl around for defense. And when any mal belongs to this great Christian brother