Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-03-13
INVITED 70 4 FEAST.
REV. Or. TALMAeE ASKS THE WHOLE
WORLD TO ATTEND.

Fer the Celebration of tho Saving of II
SouI-It Is II Sublime Soiace and II Mag
ninceMt Dcatitudc.
WASHINGTON, March THE glad
nesscs of religion are set forth by DR..
Talinago in this sermon under the figure
of a banquet, and all the world is III
yited 10 be guests. The text is Luke Ky,
aS, Bring hithcr the tasted calf and
kill it.
In all ages of the world it has been
customary to celebrate joyful events by
fcstiyity The signing of treaties, the
proclamation of peace. the inauguration
of presidents. the coronation of kings,
the Christmas, the marriage. However
much Oh other days of the year our ta-
bic may have stinted supply, Oh Thanks
giving day there must be something
bounteous. And all the comfortable
homes of Christcndom 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. y
favorite son whom The world supposed
would become vagabond and outlaw
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
como 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 proci;ims celebration. There
is in the paddock Il calf that has been
kept up and fed to utmost capacity, so
rs to be ready for some occasion of joy
that mightcome along. All, there never
would lie Il grandcr day OIL the old
homestead han this day! Let the hutch
ers do their work ard the honselieepcrs
bring in to Tie ta!,e Il. SIC i.':; lac:,t.
The musicilS VII ta.,c il.eii places,
and the gay groups viii ricTe ~ aud
down the floor. All the frieras and
neighIcrs are =, ..,le;. IL a@d ;:il extra
supply is sealt cut 70 the t,.0!e OF the
servants. u t..ii.er il,e at'es"t The t:;-
bic ar, s&s-' r.ee islC. i:...4!-s &C that
his long a;,sens boy Is i,e,lc ;:.'.i.i Oh,
how thev- ,:.ie;ed -, los. a!;.el t!iay
are to have ! s.! t", /!
One lrc; Ger stand: roatis:: u &c
back door AIT! says: ibis is great ;g!o
about no.h;l.. This h.eioy Should have
been chastised insreal Of greeted. Veal
is too good For KIM But the father
saws. Noting is too pootl nothing is
good enough" There sits the young
man, glad at the hearty reception, but
a shadow of sorrow fitting across his
brow at the remembrance Of the trouble
he had seen. All ready now. Let the
covers lift. Music. He was dead and
he is alive again! He was lost and he is
found! BY such bold imagery does the
Bible set forth the merrymaking when
q soul COMES home TO C;cd.
The Greatest Rescue.
First CT al, there is the new converts
ioy. Tt is no tame thing TO become Il
Christian. The most tremendous mo-
mont in Il MANS life is when he surren-
ders himself to God. Tie grandest time
on the fathers homestead is when the
boy comes back. Among the great
throng who in the parlors Of our church
professcd Christ one night was young
man who next morning rang my door
bell and said: Sir, cannot contain
myself with the joy feel. 1 came here
this morning to express it. lhave found
more 10Y in five minutes i'll serving God
than in all the years Of my prodigality,
and I came to say so. :" You have seen
perhaps IL man running 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 MAI; but it is a very tame thing,
that, compared with the running for
ones everlasting life, the terrors of the
law after him and Christ coming III to
pardon and bless and rescue and save.
You remember John Bunyan i'll his
great story tells how the pilgrim put
his fingers to his ears and ran, crying,
"Life, life, eternal liferi A poor car
driver some time ago, after years hay
ing had to struggle to support his fami-
", suddenly was informed that large
inheritance was his, and there was
JOY amounting to bewilderment, but
that is small thing compared with the
experience Of one when he has put in
his hands the title decd to the joys, the
raptures, the splendors of heaven, and
he can truly say, cts mansions are
mine its temples are mine, its songs
are mine, its God is mincn' Oh, it is
no tame thing to become Christian.
1t is u merrylnaliing. 1t is the killing
of the fatted calf 1t is Il jubilee. You
know the Bible never compares 1t to
funeral, but always compares it to some
thing delightful. 1t is more apt to be
compared to banquet than anything
else. 1t is compared in the Bible to Wa
ter, bright, flashing water, to the morn
ing, roscate, fircworied, mountain trans
figured morning.
wish I could today take al the BIZ
BILE expressions abont pardon, and peace,
and life, and comfort, and hope, and
heaven, and twist them into one gar
land ana put it Oil the brow OF the
humblest child of God III lis ;;sscln-
blase anl CIV, Wear it. v:a,r it now,
wear it forever. son CT God, daughter
of the Lora Cod Aim: .ty!' oh, the
icy OF the Nov convert Oh, the glad
ness of the Christian service! You have
seen sometimes Ean il Il religious as
sembly get up and give his experience.
Well, Paul gave lis experience. He
arose III the presence Of two churches,
the church Gil earth ard the church III
heaven, and he said, "Now this is my ex-
perience-solrowful, yet always rejoic-
ing, poor, yet making many rich. hay
ing nothing yet possessing all things. .