The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-05-10
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
TIE EMINENT DIvINE's SUNDAY
DISCOURSE.
'uIjecti Lift Up the Falien-A Plea For
welcome For tho ProdigaI-Kindness
would Eeclaim Many Unfortunates
who Have Dropped by the Way.

ICopNrlRht lHOO.
WAsHINGToS, d. C.-Gn this discourse Dr.
Talmage pleads for u hearty reception TO
all those who havo done wrong and waat
to get back, while the unsympathetic and
selt-righteous are excorluted: text. Luke
Xv., y, "And he was angry and would not
10 in"
Many times have been asked to preach
n sermon about the elder brother of tho
parable. | received n letter from Canada
saying, "Is tho elder son of the parable go
unsympathetic and so cold that he is not
worthy OF recognition2" The fact Is that
we ministers pursue the younger SON You
can hear the nappings of his rags in many
u sermonic breeze and the branching OF
the pods for which he was IN unsuccess-
iu contestant. | confess that Il has been
dihicult for me to train the camera oh.
scura upon the elder son of the parable. |
could not get n negative for Photograph.
There was not enough light In the gallery,
or tno chemicals were poor, or tho sitter
moved in the picture. But now l think [
nave him; not side face or n tbree-qunr-
ters or the mere bust, but u full length
portrait as he appears to me. Tho father
In tho parable OF the prodigal had nothing
to brag OF in his two sons. The one was N
rake and the other u churl. / find nothing
admirable In the dissoluteness OF the one.
and l Ind nothing attractive In tho ncrd
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 wanderugs, 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
concomitants. "Clapv' go the cymbals,
"rhrum!' 80 the harps. "Clickl" go the
chalces, up and down go the feet inside.
while outside is most sorry spectacle.
The senior son stands at the corner Of tho
house, frigld phlegmatlc. He had lust
come in from the fields in very substantial
apparel Seeing some wild exhilnrations
around the old mansion, he asks Of a SER
want passing by with goatskln OF wine on
his shoulder what all tho fuss is about.
ono would have thought that, on hearing
that his younger brother had got back, he
would have gone into the house and re-
loiced and, IL he were not conscientlously
opposed to dancing, that he would have
Joined in the oriental schottish. No. There
he stands. His brow lowers; his face dark
ems; his i p curls with contempt; he stamps
the ground with Indignation; he secs moth
ing at all to attract. Tho odors of the fenst
coming out on the air do not sharpen his
appetite; the lively music does not put any
spring into his step. He is Il terrible pout:
he criticises the expense, the Injustice aud
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 n pasqunade against
the younger brother. and he make tho
most uncomely scene; he says, Father, You
put premium on vagabondism. [ staid
at homo and worked on the farm. 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 of In fine clothes, and he comes
back not tit to be seen, and wha. a time
you make over himl He breaks your heart.
and you pay him for it. That calf, to which
we have been giving extra feed during all
these weeks, wouldn't be so fat and sleek
II | had known to what use you were going
TO put I'll That vagabond deserves 10 be
cowhided instead OF banqueted. Veal is
too good for himP' That evening, while
the younger son sat telling his father about
his adventures aud asking about what had
occurred on the place since his departure,
the senior brother goes to bed dsgusted
aud slams the door after him. That senior
brother still lives. You can see him any
day of the week. AT Il meeting OF minis.
ters in Germany some one asked the ques-
tion, "Who Is that elder SOM" and Krum.
machor answered: 81 know him; saw him
yesterday" And when they insisted upon
knowing whom he meant he said: "Myself.
Whom | saw the account of the conversion
of a most obnoxious man, [ was irrltated."
First, this senior brother OF the text
stands for the self congratulatory, self sat
ished, self worshipful man. With the same
breath in which he vtuperates against his
younger brother he utters a panegyrlc for
himself The self righteous man OF my
text, Ike every other self righteous man.
was full OF faults. He was hn 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 liar, for
he said that the recreant son had devoured
his fathers living when the father, so far
from being reduced to peDury, had Il home.
stead left, and instruments OF music, had
Jewels, had mansion and instead of being a
pnuper was II prince. This senior brother
with so many faults of his own, was
merclless 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 life 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 mon
that go about prowlng among prayer
meetings and in places Of business, telling
how good thcy are-look out for them;
keep your hand on your pocketbookl |
man gets good he gets humble. The deep
Mississippi does not make MS much noise
as the brawlinG mountain rlvulet. There
has been many store that had more goods
in the show window than inside on the
shelves.
This seli.righleous man of tho text stood
at the corner of the house hugglng himself
in admiration. We hear great deal in
our day about the higher life. Now, there
are two kinds OF hlgher-llfe men. The one
is admirable, and the other Is repulsive.
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 Il great deal
about himself, but much about Christ and
heaven, gets klndlier and moro gentle and
more useful until one day his soul spreads
awning, and 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, n 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 Il roll
OF bnnk bills or running up II difficult line
Of figures and asks him how his soul Is,
makes religion II dose OF ipecacuanha;
standing in religious meeting making an
address, he has patroni2lng way, as
though ordinary Christians were clear
away down below him, so he had to talk mt
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 Oft raIo aNn