Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-05-11
REV. DR.. 1ALMAGE.
THE EMINENT DIVINE'S SUNDAY
DISCOURSE.


Would Reclaim Many UDfortunatef
Who Have Dropped by the Way.
copyright 1901
WASHINGTON, D. Gin this discourse DR..
Talmage pleads for hearty reception to
all those who have done wrong and want
to get back, while the unsympathetic and
self-righteous are excorlated; text, Luke
XIV, 2S, "And he was angry and would mol
so in."
Many times have been asked to preach
a sermon about the elder brother OF the
parable. l received letter from Canada
saying, "Is 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 fiappiDgs Of his rags In many
IA sermonic breeze and the cranching OF
the pods for which he was an unsuccess>
full contestant. l confess that it has been
difficult for me to train the camera op.
scura upon the elder son OF the parable.
could not get negative for photograph.
There was not enough light In the gallery,
or the chemicals were poor, or the sitter
moved In the picture. But now / think
have him; not a side face or three-quar'
tiers or the mere bust, but full length
portrait as he appears to me. Inc fatnei
In the parable OF the prodigal had nothing
to brag OF in his two sous. me one was
rake and the other churl. nnd nothlng
admirable In the dissoluteness OF the one,
and I 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 oil home.
stead bursts the minstrelsy. The fooi
ouakes with the feet of the rustics, whose
dance is always vigorous and resoundlng
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 luxurles; not only
the one kind OF meat mentioned, but Its
concomitauts. "Cap!" go the cymbals,
"Thruml" go the harps. "Olickl" go the
ohalices, up and 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 exhllarattons
around the old mansion, he asks OF SER
want passing by with goatskin OF wine on
bis shoulder what all the fuss Is about.
One would have thought that, Gu hearing
that his younger brother had got back, he
would have gone into the house aud re.
| joced and, If he were not conscientously
| 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 bis
appetite; the lively music does not put any
spring into his step. He is terrible pout;
| he criticises the expense, the Injustice and
| tho morals Of the entertainment. The father
rushes out bareheaded and coaxes him to
come in. He will not go In; he scolds the
| father; he goes into pasquinade against
| the younger brother, and he make the
most uncomely scene; he says, Father, you
| put q premium on vagabondlsm. stafd
ut home and worked on the farm. You
never made party for me; you didn't SO
much as kill a kid. That wouldn't have
cost half as much as calf But this scape'
| grace went off In fine clothes, and he comes
| back not lit to be SEEN and what time
| YOU make over him! He breaks your heart
| and you pay him for It, That cali, to which
we have been giving extra feed during all
| these weeks, wouldn't be 80 fat and sleek
| if / had known to what use you were going
| to put It'll That vagabond deserves 10 bt
| coWhided instead of banqueted. Veal !:
| 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 disguised
| aud slams the door after him. That senior
| brother still lives. You can see him any
/ day OF the week. At a meeting OF minis
tiers in Germany some one asked the ques
| ton. "Who is that elder SOM" and Krum
| machef answered.: ~ 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 most obnoxious man, was frritated.'
| First, this senior brother OF the tex
stands for the self congratulatory, self sat
| isfed, 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 my
text, like every other self righteous man
| was full OF faults. He was I'm migrate, fol
he did not appreciate the home blessings
| which he had all those years. He was dis
| obedient, for when the father told him t,
come in he staid out. He was liar, fol
| he said that the recreant son had devourec
| his fathers living when the father, so fal
from being reduced to perjury, had home
| stead left, and instruments of music, hat
| Jewels had a mansion and instead OF being 9
| pauper was n prince. This senior brother
| With so many faults OF his own, wa!
merclless In his criticism Of the younger
| brother. The only perfect people that
| have ever known were utterly obnoxious
| l was never so badly cheated in my life az
| by perfect man. He got so far up In bill
| devotions that he was clear up above al
| the rules of common honesty. These mel
| that go about providing among prayer
| meetings aid in places Of business, telling
| how good they are-lOok out for them
| keep your hand on your pocketbookl
| have noticed that just in proportion as 9
| man gets good he gets humble. The deeI
| 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 thu
| shelves.
This self.righteous man OF the text stood
at the corner Of the house hugging himsel
| in admiration. We hear a great deal IL
our day about the higher life. Now, there
| are two kinds of higher.lfe men. The ont
| is admirable, and the other Is repulsive
| The one kind of higher-llfe man Is very
] lenient in his criticism OF others, does mol
| bore prayer meetings to death with long
| harangues. does not talk a great deal
| about himself, but much about Christ ant
| heaven, gets kindlier and more gentle ant
| more useful until one day his soul spread!
| awning, anil he flies away to eternal rest
| and everybody mourns his departure. The
| other higher-life man goes around with
Bible conspicuously under his arm, goes
| from church to church, sort OF genera
evangelist, is nuisance to his own pastor
| when he Is at home and a nuisance to othel
| pastors when he is away from home, runs
| up to some man who is counting out rol
| OF bank bills or running up difficult lint
| Of figures and asks him how his soul Is
| makes religion dose OF ipecacuanha
standing in religious meeting making al
addresy, he has a patronizing way, al
though. ordinary Christians were cieal
away down below him, so he had to talk al
| the top of his voice In order to make them