Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-06-07
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.

DIVINE.
| Subject: Lift Up the Fallen-A Plea For
Welcome For the PrOdigal-Kf ntlness
Would Reclaim Many UnfOrtunates
Who Have Dropped by the Way.
Gcopyright lsoo.l
WASHINGTON, D. Gin this discourse DR..
| ralmage pleads for hearty reception to
Ill those who have done wrong and want
to get back, while the unsympathetic and
self-rlghteous are excorinted; text, Luke
xv.. 2s. "And he was angry and would not
go In"
Many times have been asked to preach
n sermon about the elder brother of the
parable. 1 received a letter from Canada
| saying, "Is the elder son OF the parable so
unsympathetIc and 80 cold that he is not
worthy OF secognition?" The fact is that
we minlsters pursue the younger son. You
,an hear the 1appings Of his rags In many
n SEEM monic breeze and the branching OF
the pods for which he was an unsuecess-
ful contestant. confess that It has been
difficult for me to train the camera OBJ
| scura upon the elder son OF the parable.
| could not get negative for photograph.
There was not enough light in the gallery,
moved in the picture. But now I think
have him; not II side face or three-quar-
| .ers or the mere bust, but u full length
portrait as he appears to me. The father
In the parable OF the prodigal had nothing
to brng OF In his two sons. The one was q
rake and the other a churl. find nothing
admirable in the dlssoluteness of the one,
und find nothing attractive In the acrid
sobriety OF the other. The one goes down
over the larboard side. and the other goes
down over the starboard side, but they
both so down.
From all the windows o; the old home
stead bursts the minstrelsy. The floor
| QuRkes with the feet OF the rustics, whose
dance is always vigorous and resounding.
| The neighbors have heard OF the return Of
the younger son from his wanderings, and
they have gathered together. The house
is full OF congratulators. ! suppose the
tables are loaded with luxuries; not only
the one kind OF meat mentioned, but its
concomitants. "Clap!' go the cymbnls,
"Thruln!" 20 the harps. "Click!" 20 the
chalices up and down go the feet inside,
while outside is Il most sorry spectacle.
The senior son stands ut the corner Of the
house, a ffigid phlegmatic. He had just
como In from the fields In very substantial
apparel. Seeing some wild exhilarations
| around the old mansion, he asks OF SER
want passing by with goatskin OF wine on
his shoulder what all the fuss Is about
| One would have thought that, on hearing
that his younger brother had got back, he
would have goue into the house and re-
loiced ana, IL he were not eonscientiously
! opposed to dancing, that he would have
| joined in the oriental schottish. No. There
be stands. His brow lowers; his face dark.
ems; his lip curls with contempt; he stamps
the ground with indignation; he sees moth
Ing at all to attract. The odors OF the feast
coming out on the air do not sharpen his
appetite; the lively music does not put any
spring into his STEP He is a terrible pout;
he criticises the expense, the injustice and
the morals OF the entertainment. The father
rushes out bareheaded and coaxes him to
come in. He will not go in; he scolds the
fafh hnr. hay int NIL do
the younger brother, and he make the
most uncomey scene; he says, "Father, you
| put premium on vagabondism. staid
mt home and worked on the farm. You
never made party for me; you didn't 80
much as kill a kid. That wouldn't have
cost half as much as n calf. But this scape-
grace went off In fine clothes, and he comes
| back not fit to be seen, and whn. a time
you make over him! He breaks your heart,
and you pay him for 1t. That calf, to which
we have been giving extra feed during ali
| these weeks, wouldn't be SO fat and sleek
II had known to what use you were going
to put IL! That vagabond deserves TO be
! cowbtded Instead of banqueted. Veal is
too good for himr' That evening, while
the younger son snt telling his father about
his adventures and asking about what had
occurred on the place since his departure,
the senior brother goes TO bed disgusted
and slams tue door after him. That senior
brother still lives. You can see him any
day OF the week. At II meeting Of minis
tiers in Germany some one asked tho cues.
lion. who Is that elder SOM" and Krum-
macher answered: II know him; saw him
Yesterday" Aud when they insisted upon
knowing whom he meant he said: Myself.
When saw the account OF the conversion
OF most obnoxious man, 1 was irritated."
First this senior brother of the text
stands for the self congratulatory, self sat
isiied, self worshipful man. With the same
breath in which he vituperates against his
younger brother he utters IL pnnesyric for
himself. The self righteous man of my
text, like every other self righteous man,
was full OF faults. He was an migrate, for
he did not appreciate the home blessings
which he had all those years. He was dis
obedent, for when the father told him t }
come in he staid out He was liar, for
| he said that the recreant son had devour red
his fathers living when the father, so far
| from being reduced to pepury, had IL home
| stead left, and instruments of music, had
| jewels had a mansion and instead OF being
| pauper was u prince. This senior BROTHER
with so many faults of his own, was
merciless in his criticism of the younger
brother. The only perfect people that /
| have ever known were utterly obnoxious.
| was never so badly cheated in my lie as
| by perfect man. He got so far up in his
devotions that he was clear up above all
the rules OF common honesty. These men
that 60 about prowling among prayer
|
how good they are-look out for them;
keep your hand on your pocketbook! l
have noticed that just in proportion as a
mnn gets good he gets humble. The deep
Mississippi does not make as much noise
us the brawling mountain rivulet. There
has been many II store that had more goods
| In the show window than inside ou the
| shelves.
This self righteous man of the tex, stood
at the corner of the house hugging himself
| In admiration. We hear a great deal in
our day about the higher life. Now, there
are two kinds OF higher-life men. The one
| Is admirable, and the other Is repulsive.
| The one kind of higher-life man is very
Ienient in his criticism of others, does not
| oore prayer meetings to death with long
| 1arangues, does not talk great deal
| about himself, but much about Christ and
heaven, gets kindlier and more gentle and
more useful until one day his soul spreads
awning, anil lie flies away to eternal rest,
| and everybody mourns his departure. The
other higher.life man goes around with II
| Bible conspicuously under his arm, so es
| from church to church, u sort OF general
| evangelist, is a nuisance to his own pastor
! when he Is ut home and nuisance to other