Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-05-16
SERMON
Rev. Dr.. Calmaee

~
Subject: Lift Up the Fallen-A Plea For
Welcome For the Prodigal-Kindness
Would Reclaim Many Unfortunates
Who Have Dropped by the Way.
ICopyright 1901
WASHINGTON, D. C.-Inthi discourse DR..
Talmage pleads for hearty reception to
all those who have done wrong and want
to get back, while the unsympathetic and
are excoriated; text, Luke
xv., %, "And he was angry and would not
go in"
a sermon about the elder brother of the
parable. I received a letter from Canada
saying, SIS the elder son OF the parable so
unsympathetic and so cold that he Is not
worthy of recognition The fact is that
we ministers pursue the younger son. You
can hear the fiappings of his rags in many
a sermonic breeze and the branching of
the pods for which he was an unsuccess-
full contestant. 1 confess that it has been
difficult for me to train the camera OBJ
scura upon the elder son OF the parable. ]
could not get a negative for a photograph
There was not enough light in the gallery.
or the chemicals were poor, or the sitter
moved in the picture. But now l think
have him; not Il side face or three-quar.
ters or the mere bust, but II full length
portrait as he appears to me. The fathei
In the parable OF the prodigal had nothing
to brag of In his two sons. The one was a
rake and the other a churl. L find nothing
admirable In the dissoluteness of the one,
and 1 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 go down.
From all the windows OF the old home
stead bursts the minstrelsy. The floor
quakes 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. l suppose the
tables are loaded with luxuries; not only
the one kind OF meat mentioned, but its
concomitants. "Clapr' so the cymbals,
"Thrumr' go the harps. "Click!" go the
chalices, up md down go the feet inside,
while outside is most sorry spectacle.
The senior son stands at the corner of the
house, a frigid phlegmatic. He had just
come in from the fields in very substantial
apparel. Seeing some wild exhilarations
around the old mansion, he asks of a SER
want passing by with goatskiu 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 gone into the house and re-
joiced and, IL he were not conscentiously
opposed to dancing, that he would have
Joined in the oriental schottish. No. There
he 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 I'M ustice and
the morals OF the entertainment. The father
rushes out bareheaded and coaxes him to
como in. He will not go In; he scolds the
father; he goes into a pasquinade against
tho younger brother, and he make the
most uncomely scene; he says, Father, you
put premium on vagabondism. l staid
at home and worked on the farm. You
never made party for me; you didn't SO
cost half as much as a calf. But this scape-
grace went of In fine clothes, and he comes
back not fit to be seen, and what time
you make over himi He breaks your heart,
and you pay him for 1t. That calf, to which
we have been giving extra feed during all
these weeks, wouldn't be so fat and sleek
IL had known to what use you were going
to put 1t! That vagabond deserves TO be
cowhided instead Of banqueted. Veal is
too good for himl" That evening, while
the younger son sat 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 the door after him. That senior
brother still lives. You can see him any
day OF the week. At meeting of minis.
ters in Germany some one asked the ques.
tion. "Who is that elder son?" and Krum.
macher answered: 81 know him; saw hin
yesterday" And when they insisted upon
knowing whom he meant he said: Myself
When l saw the account OF the conversion
OF a most obnoxious man, L was irritated.'
First, this senior brother Of the tex
stands for the self congratulatory, self sat
isfied, self worshipful man. With the same
breath in which he vituperates against his
younger brother he utters panegyric foI
himself. The self righteous man of m,
text, like every other self righteous man
was full OF faults. He was an migrate, fol
he did not appreciate the home blessing.
which he had all those years. He was dis.
obedient, for when the father told him t.
come in he staid out. He was a liar, fol
he said that the recreant son had devouret
his fathers living when the father, so fal
from being reduced to peDury, had home
stead left, and. instruments of music, haC
Jewels had mansion and instead OF being 6
pauper was a prince. This senior brother
with so many faults of his own, wa.
merciless in his criticism of the younger
brother. The only perfect people that J
have ever known were utterly obnoxious
I was never so badly cheated in my life a,
by perfect man. He got so far up in hi
devotions that he was clear up above al
the rules of common honesty. These mer
that go about prowling among prayer
meetings and In places OF business, telling
how good they are-look out for them
keep your hand on your pocketbook! !
have noticed that just in proportion as a
man gets good he gets humble. The deep
Mississippi does not make as much noise
as the brawling mountain rivulet. There
has been many store that had more goods
In the show window than inside on the
shelves.
This self righteous man of the text stood
at the corner Of the house hugging himself
In admiration. We hear great deal liz
our day about the higher life. Now, there
are two kinds Of higher-life men. The one
is admirable, and the other Is repusive.
The one kind of higher-life man Is very
lenient in his criticism of others, does not
bore prayer meetings to death with long
harangues, does not talk a 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 he flies away to eternal rest,
and everybody mourns his departure. The
other higher-life man goes around with a
Bible conspicuously under his arm, goes
from church to church, sort of general
evangelist, Is nuisance to his own pastor
when he Is ut home and nuisance to other
pastors when he is away from home, runs
up to some man who Is counting out "A roll
OF bank bills or running up difficult line
Of figures and asks him how his soul is,
makes religion dose of ipecacuanha;
standing in religious meeting making an
address, he has ratroniziDg way, as
though ordinary Christians were clear
away down below him, SO he had to talk ut
the top OF his voice In order to make them
hear, but at the same time encouraging
them to hope on that by climbing many
years they may aftera while come up with
In sight OF the place where he now stands.
l tell you plainly that roaring, roister-
ing, bouncing sinner is not so repuisive to
me as that higher life malformatlon. The
former may repent; the latter never gets
over his pharisaism. The younger brother
brother stands outside entirely oblivious
TO his own delinquencies and deficits, pro-
nouncing his own eulogium. Oh. how