The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-03-24
REV. DIR. TALMAGE
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE
NOTED DIVINE.
Subject: "Invited to a Banquet"

Subject: Invited to Banquet"
TEXT: "Bring hither the fatted calf and
kill it."--Luke xv., %.
In all ages of the world it has been custom
ary to celebrate joyful events by festivity.
The signing of treaties, the proclamation OF
peace, the inauguration of presidents, the
coronation Of kings, the Christmas. the mar
riage. However much on other days OF the
year cur table may have stinted supply, on
Thanksgiving Day there must be something
bounteous. And all the comfortable homes
of Christendom have at some time cele-
brated joyful events by banquet and fes-
tivity. Something has happened on the old
homestead greater than anything that has
ever happened before A favorite son whom
the world supposed would become vaga-
bond and OUTLAW forever has got tired OF
sightseeing and has returned to his fathers
home. The world said he would never come
back. The old man always said his son
would come back. He had beer looking for
him day after day and year after year. He
knew he would come back. Now having re-
turned to his fathers house the father pro-
claims celebration. There is in the paddock
a calf that has been kept up and led to ut
most capacity. so as TO be ready for some
there never would be grander day on the
old homestead than this day! Let the butch
ers do their work, and the housekeepers
bring into the table the smoking meat. The
musicians will take their places. and the gay
groups will move up and down the floor.
All the friends and neighbors are gathered
in and an extra supply Is sent out to the
table Of the servants. The father presldes at
the table and says grace, and thanks God
that his long absent hoy is home again.
On. how they missed him, how glad they are
to have him back!
One brother stands pouting at The back
door and says: ''This is great ado about
nothing. This bad boy should have been
chastised instead of greeted. Veal. Is too
good for him." Bu- the father says, "Noth-
ing is good enough" There sits the young
man, glad at the hearty reception. but
shadow OF sorrow fitting across his brow at
the remembrance of the trouble he had seen.
All ready now. Let the. covers lift. Music.
lost and he Is found! By such bold imagery
does the Bible set forth the merrymaking
when a soul comes home to God.
First OF all, there is the new converts Joy.
It Is no tame thing to become Christian.
The most tremendous moment in mans
life is when he surrenders himself to God.
The grandest time on the fathers homestead
is when the boy comes back. Among the
great throIG & who in the parlors OF our church
professed Christ one night was young man
who next morning rang my door bell and
said: "Sir, cannot contain myself with the
joy feel. came here this morning to e1-
press it. I have found more Joy in five
minutes in serving God than in all the years
of my prodigaIity, and I came 10 say so.'
You have seen perhaps man running Tor
his temporal liberty and the officers OF the
law after him, and you saw him escape, or
afterward you hear the Judge had pardoned
him, and how great was the glee OF that res
cued man; but it is very tame thing, that,
compared with the running for ones ever
lasting life, the terrors of the law after him
and Christ coming in to pardon and bless
and rescue and save.
You remember John Buuyan In his great
story tells how the pilgrim put his fingers to
his ears and ran. crying: Life, life, eternal
life!' A poor car driver some time ago,
after years having had to struggle to SUP
port his family, suddenly was informed that
large inheritance was his, and there was a
Joy amounting to bewilderment, but that Is
small thing compared with the experience
OF one when he has put in his hands the title
deed to the Joys, the raptures, the splendors
Of heaven, and he can truly say, "lts man
sions are mine, Its temples are mine, its
songs are mine, its God is mine!" Oh, 1t Is
no tame thing to become q Christian. It is
a merrymaking. 1t Is the killing Of the
fatted calf. 1t Is a jubilee. You know the
Bible never compares 1t to funeral, but
always compares 1t to something delightful.
1t is more apt to be compared to g. banquet
than anything else. 1t is compared In the
Bible 10 waller, bright, flashing water, to the
morning, roseate. freworked, mountain
transf1gured morning.
piob no,,ld to-dav falo all the Rihla eY-
pressions about pardon, and peace, and life,
and comfort, and hope, and heaven. and
twist them into ona garland and put 1t on
the brow Of tho humblest child OF God In
this assembage and cry, "Wear 1t, wear 1t
now, wear 1t forever, son of God, daughter
of the Lord God Almighty" oh. the JOY Of
the new convert Oh. the gladness of the
Christian service You have seen some
times a man n a religious assembly get up
and give h1s experience. Well, Paul gave
his experience. He arose in the presence
church in heaven, and he said, "Now this Is
my experience-sorrowful, yet always re-
joicing; poor, yet making many rich; having
nothing. yet possessing all things" II the
people in this house knew the joys OF the
Christian religion, they would all pass over
into the kingdom of God the next moment.
When Daniel Sandeman was dying OF chol-
era, his attendant said, "Have you much
pain?"
"oh," he replied, ''since found the Lord I
have never had any pain except sim" Then
they said to him, would you like to sent a
message to your friends?" "Yes, I would.
I ell them that only last night the love of
Jesus came rushing into my soul like the
surges Of the sea, and I had to cry out,
stop, Lord. 1t is enough; stop, Lord
enough" Oh, the joys OF this Christian re-
ligion. Just pass over from those tame joys
in which you are indulging, joys OF this
world, into the raptures Of the gospel. The
world cannot satisfy you. You have found
that out. Alexander longing for other worlds
10 conquer and yet drowned in his own bot
tie; Byron whipped by disquetudes around
the world; Voltaire cursing his own soll
while all the streets Of Paris were applaud
ing him; Henry II consuming with hatred
against poor Thomas Beckett
ali illustrations of the fact that this
world cannot make man happy.
The very man who poisoned the pommel Of
the saddle on which Queen Elizabeth rode
shouted in the street, God save the Queen"
One moment the world appIauds. and the
next moment the world mathematics. Oh,
come over into this greater Joy, this sublime
solace, this magnificent beatitude! The night
after the battle OF Shiloh. and there were
thousands OF wounded on the field, and the
ambuances had not come, one Christian
soldier lying there a-dying under the star
light began to sing:
There is land Of pure delight.
And when he came to the next line there
were scores OF voices singing:
Where saints immortal reign.
The song was caught up all through the
fields among the wounded until it was said
tbar nt1 Lao. laI MI
ing their voices as they came to the verse:
There everlasting spring abides
And never wither1ng flowers.
Ills hut a NARROW stream divides