The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-05-23
Or. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject: Lift Up the Fallen-A Plea For
Welcome For the Prodigal-Kindness
Would Reclaim Many Unfortunaees
Who Have Dropped by the Way.
(Copyright lauU.l


Who Have Dropped by the Way.
Copyright laoO.l
WAsH1SGroS. D. C.-In this discourse Dr.
Talmase pleads for hearty rsceptlon 70
ALI those who have done wrong ana want
to ret back. while the unsymRathettc and
eelf,richteons are excoriated; text. Luke
xv., %, "Ard he was angry and wouiu not
MANY times have been asked to preach
n sermon about the elder brother OF the
parable. I received letter from Canada
saving, SIS the elder son OF tne paraoie 80
unsym pathetic and 90 cola tnat ne IS not
worthy OF recognition: Tue lact IS tnat
wa ministers nursue the younger son. You
.nnn hear the lappings OF his rags In many
oarmonic breeze and the branching OF
fine mods for which he was an unsuccess-
fnl contestant confess that 1t has been
dIf1cnlt for me to train the camera OBJ
scurn Il pon the elder son OF the parable. l
oould not get negative for photograph.
There was not enough light in the gallery,
or the chemicals were poor. or the sitter
noreS IN the picture. But now think I
have him; not side face or three-quar-
tars or the mere bust. but full length
nortrait as he appears to me. The father
In the parable OF the prodigal had nothing
TO brae OF In his two sons. The one was a
rake and the other churl. I find nothing
admirable In the diSsosuteness OF the one.
and I find nothing attractive in the acrid
sobrety OF the other. The one goes down
.ovar the larboard side. and the other goes
down over the Stafooatu sloe, pue eney
both 60 down.
= From nil the windows OF the old home
stead bursts the minstrelsy. The floor
: .uuakes with the feet OF the rusttcs, whose
dance Is always vigorous and resounding.
The neighbors have heard Of the return OF
the younger son from his wanderings, and
thew have gathered together. The house
tables are loaded With luXurles; not only
the one kind OF meat mentioned, but Its
concomitauts. "Clap" go the eymbals,
ssThrum!" 90 the harps. "Click!" 60 the
chalices, up and down go the feet Inside,
while outside Is a most sorry spectacle.
The senior son stands at the corner OF the
house, frigid phlegmatic. He had Just
come in from the fields In very substantial
apparel Seeing some lid exhtlarations
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, lie
would have goue into the house and re-
ioIced and, IL he were not consclenttously
opposed to dancing, that he would have
Ioined 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 Injustice and
the morals Of the entertainment. The father
rushes oit bareheaded and coaxes him to
come in. He will not go In; he scolds the
father; he goes intoa pasquinade against
the younger brother, and be make tho
most uncomely scene; he says, Father, you
+. nut premium on vagabondasm. staid
at home and worked on thetfarm. You
never made party for me; you didn't so
much as kill kid. That wouldn't have
cost half as much as calf. But this scape-
grace went,ofT In fine clothes, and he comes
back not fit to be seen, and what time
you mako over him! he breaks your heart,
and you pay him for 1t. That calf, to which
we have been giving extra feed during oil
these weeks, wouldn't be 80 fat and sleek
II had known to what use you were going
to put It'll That vagabond deserves to be
cowbided instead OF banqueted. Veal is
too good for him. 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 dlsgusted
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
ters in Germany some one asked the ques.
tion. "Who is that elder son?" and Krum-
macher answered: ''I know him; saw him
yesterday" And when thsy insisted upon
knowing whom he N meant he said: Myself.
When ! saw the account OF the conversion
OF q most obnoxious man, [ was irrltated.' -
First, this senior brother Of the text
stands for the self congratulatory. self sat-
isHed, self worshipful mao. With the same
breath in which he vituperates against his
younger brother he utter5 a panegyric for
himself. The self righteous man OF my
text, like every other self righteous mum,
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
obedlent, for when the father told him t.
come In be staid out. He was liar, for
he said that the recreant son had deyoured
his fathers living when the father, 80 far
from being reduced TO pepury, had home-
stead left, and instruments Of music, had
Jewels had q mansion and instead OF being a
pauper was a prince. This senior brother,
with so many faults OF his own, was
mercless in his criticism OF the younger
brother. The only perfect people that
have ever known were utterly obnoxious.
Twas never so badly cheated in my life as
by C perfect man. He got so fur up In his
devotions that he was clear up above all
the rules OF common honesty. These men
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 q
man gets good he gets humble. The deep
Mississippi does not make rs 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 In
our day about the higher life. Now. there
are two kinds Of higher.lfe men. The one
Is admirable; and the other Is repulslve.
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 great deal
about himself, but much about Christ an:i
heaven, gets kindlier and more gentle and
more Useful until one day his soul spreads
a-wing, anil he dies away to eternal rest,
and everybody mourns his departure. The
otke- Aigher.life man goes around with q
Bible conspicuousy under his arm, goes
from church to church, sort o: general
evangelist, is nuisance to his own pastor
when he is at home and nuisance to other
pastors when he is away from home, runs
up to some man who Is counting out n roll
OF bank bills or running up difficult line
OF figures and asks him how his soul Is,
makes religion dose os ipecacuanha;
standing in religious meeting making an
address, he has a ratronizlng way, as
though ordinary Christians were clear
sway down below him, 80 he had to talk a.
toe top OF hisEoieein order to make them
hear, but atsthe same time encouraging
them to hopSgon that by climbing many
years they may after while coma up With.
in sight OF the place where he noW stands