Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1897-03-08
INVITED TO A FEAST.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE ASKS THE WHOLE
WORLD TO ATTEND.

He Sa53 Nothing Ks Too Fine Joyous
For the CezehGatsen Of the Saving of O
Eoul-It Ks n SxshEizHe So7ace and = Mag
! nificent BeafFensFe.
WASHINGTON, March 7.-The glad
nesses of religion are set forth by DR..
Talmage in this SERMON under the figure
of a banquet, and all tho world is in
vited to be guests The text is Luke XIV,
%, Bring hither the fatsed calf and
kill it.
In all ages of the world it has been
customary 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 marriage. However
much ON other days OF the year our TIA
BILE may have stinted supply, GA Thanks
giving day there must be something
bounteous And all the comfortable
homes of Christendon have at some
time celebrated joyful events by banquet
and festivity. Something has happened
ON the old homestead greater than any
thing that has ever happened before. A
favorite son whom the world supposed
forever has got tired of sightseeing and
has returned to his fathers house. The
world said he never would come back.
The old man always said his son would
come back He had been looking for
him day after day and year after year.
He knew he would come back. Now
having returned to his fathers house
the father proclains eelebT alton. There
lis in the paddock q calf that has been
kept up and fed TO utmost capacity, SO
as to be ready for some occasion of joy
that might come along. Ali, there never
would be a grander day ON the old
homestead than this dayi Let the butch
ers do their work, and the housekeepers
bring in to the table the smoking meat.
The musicians viii take their places,
and the gay groups will move up and
down the Aoor All the friends and
neighbors are gathered in and an extra
supply is sent out to the table of the
servants The father presides at the Ia
BILE and says grace, and thanks God that
his long absent boy is home again. Oh,
how they missed him, how glad they
are to have him backl
One brother stands pouting at the
about nothing. This bad boy should have
been chastised instead of greeted Veal
is too good for himr' But the father
says, Nothing is too good: nothing is
good enough. ~ There sits the young
man, glad at the hearty reception, but
a shadow CT sorrow fitting across his
brow at the remembrance of the trouble
he had seen- All ready now. Let tho
covers lift Music He was dead and
he is alive aGainl He was lost and he is
foundt By such bold imagery does the
Bible set forth the merrymaking when
a soul comes homo to God
The Greatest Rescue.
First of all, there IS the new converts
Joy. It IS no tame thing to become
Christian. The most tremendous mo-
ment in q rrlan 3 life Is when he surren-
ders himself to God The grandest time
ON the fathers homestead is when the
boy comes back. Among the great
throng who In the parlors of our church
professed Christ one night was young
man who next morning rang my door
bell and said> t'Sirp cannot contain
myself with the joy feel. came here
this morning to express lit. Ihave found
more joy In five minutes in serving God
than in all the years of my prodigality,
and came to say 500 You have seen
perhaps man cunning for his temporal
liberty and the officers of the law after
him, and you saw him escape, or after
ward you hear the judge had pardoned
him, and how great was the glee of that
rescued man, but 1t is very tame thing,
that, compared with the running for
ones everlasting life, the terrors of the
law after him and Christ coming in to
pardon and bless and rescue and save
You remember John Bunyan in his
great story tells how the pilgrim put
his fingers to his ears and ran, crying,
Life, life, eternal Iifer' A poor car
driver some time ago, after years hav-
ing had to- struggle Co support his fami-
ly, suddenly was informed that a large
inheritance was his. and there was
Joy amounting to hewilderment, but
that is a 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. sits mansions are
mine, its temples are mine. its songs
are mine, its God Is uinep' Oh, it is
no tame thing TO become Christian
1t is a merTymaking. It is the killing
of the fatted calf 1t Is jubilee You
know the Bible never compares it to a
funeral, but always compares it to some
thing delightful IL is more apt to be
compared to- banquet than anything
else. Tt Is compared In the Bible to wa
Ter, bright, flashing water, to the morn
ing, roseate, firewozked, mountain trans
figured morning.
i wish could today take all the BIZ
bic expressions about pardon. and peace,
and life, and comfort. and hope, and