The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1900-05-17
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
DISCOURSE BY The EMINENT DIVINE
LAST SUNDAY.
5 ubject: Lift Up the Falien-A Plea For
welcome For the Prodigal-hindness
Would Reclaim Many Untortunates
Who Have Dropped by the Way.

VINO Have Dropped by the Way
Copyright 1851
WAsuryGroN. D. Gin this discourse DR..
Talmage pleads for hearty reception to
all those who have done wrong aud want
to get back, while the unsympathetlc ana
seIf-righteous are excorated; text, Luke
Ky. %. "And he was angry and would not
go in" -,.
Many times nave been asked to preach
n sermon about the elder brother OF the
parable. | received letter from Canada
saving. SIS the elder son Of the parable so
unsympathetic aud so cold that ne Is not
worthy of recognition?" The fact is that
we ministers nursue the younger son. 1ou
can hear the lappings Of his rags in many
n sermonic breeze and the branching OF
the mods for which he was an unsuccess-
ful contestant. confess that it has been
difficult for ne to train the camera OBJ
scura upon the elder son OF the parable. l
could not get a 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 l think L
have him: not Il side face or three-quar-
ters or the mere bust, but Il full length
portrait as he appears to me. Inc father
In the parable of the prodlgal had nothing
to brag OF in his two sons. The one was
rake and the other churl. L lind nothing
admirable in the dissoluteness of the one,
sobrietv of the other. The one goes down
over the larboard side and the other goes
down over the starboard side, but they
both 90 down.
From all the windows OF the old home
stead bursts the minstrelsy. The floor
ouakes 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
thew have gathered together The house
is full of congratulations. l suppose the
tables are loaded with IuXuries; not only
the one kind of meat mentioned, but its
concomitants. "Clap." go the cymbals,
"Thrum'' go the harps. "Click!" 90 the
chalces, up and down go the feet inside,
while outside is most sorry spectacle.
The senior son stands at the corner of the
house, frigid phlegmatic. lie had just
come in from the fields in very substantial
apparel Seeing some wild exhilarations
around the old mansion, lie 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 gone into the house and re-
joiced and. if he were not conscientfously
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 terrible pout;
he criticises the expense, the injustice and
the morals of the en.ertaln~cnt. The f2ther
rushes out barenealed aid coaXes him to
como in. He will not go in; he scOlds tho
father; he goes into pasqunade against
the younger brother, and he make the
most uncomely scene; he says, Father, you
put premium on vagabondlsm. l Staid
at home and worked on the farm. You
never made party for me; you didn't sc
much as kill a kid. That wouldn't have
cost half as much a calf. But this scape-
grace went Of in lne clothes, and he comes
back not fit to be seen, and what time
YOU make over him! he breaks your heart
and you pay him for it. That calf, to which
we have been giving extra feed during ali
these weeks, wouldn't be 50 fat and sleek
if had known to what use you were going
to put it! That vagabond deserves TO be
coWhided 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 disguised
and slams the door after him. That senior
brother still lives. You can see him amy
day of the week. At meeting OF minis
tiers in Germany some one asked the ques-
ton "Who is that elder SOM" and krum-
macher answered: 81 know him; saw him
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, [ was irritated.
First, this senior brother of the text
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 Il pGneGyrlc for
himself. The self righteous man of my
text, like every other self righteous m an
was full OF faults. He was un migrate, for
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 a liar, fci
he said that the recreant son had devoured
his fathers living when the father, so far
from being reduced 20 perjury, had II home,
stead left, and instruments of music had
jewels, had a mansion and instead OF being 4
pauper was prince. This senior hroths y
with 50 many faults of his own, Wa
merciiess in his criticism OF the younger
brother. The only perfect people that ]
have ever known. Mere utterly obnoxious.
l was never so badly cheated in my life as
by perfect man. He got so far up In his
devotions that he was clear up above al
the rules OF common honesty. These men
that go about prowling among prayer
how good they are-iook out for them;
keep your hand on your pocketbookl
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 in
our day about the higher life. Now, there
are two kinds of higher-life men. The enc
is admirable, and the other is repulsive.
The one kind of hiSher-life man is very
lenient in his criticism of others. does not
bore prayer meetings to death with long
harangues, does not talk Il great deal
about himself, but much about Christ and
heaven, gets kindlier aud more gentle and
more useful until one day his soul spreads
awning, and he dies away to eternal rest.
and everybody mourns his departure. The
other higher-life man goes around with Il
Bible conspicuously under his arm, goes
from church to church, Il sort of 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 a roll
of bank bills or running up a difficult line
- aol-e 10,