Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-02-06
TALNAGE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMACE. DID,.
Pastor of Jefferson PARK Preeby-
terrain Church, Chicago

Chicago, Feb. In this sermon
Pastor Talmage, while not excusing
the rrodigal. throws q new ard search
Ing light upon the character and con-
duct of the elder brother of the famous
parable. The text is Luke XIV. 2S, and
he was angry"
Who was the prodigars elder broth
err? 81 know who he is" answers some
one. 81 see him almost every day of
my life. He is the honest. upright son
who stays at home and gets no credit
for being good; he is the respectable
plodder of the family who does most
of the hard work in the office, In the
store and on the farm and then has the
extreme pleasure of seeing all the
young girls run after his dissolute
younger brother merely because that
brother is driving fast horses and SOW
ing his wild oats The elder brother
is the son who is always sober and yet
receives he not one extra dollar from
his parents as reward, while the
drunken sou of the family is continual
ly receiving extra money to get his
clothes out of pawn, so that he may
have another start in life. The elder
Is the good boy upon whom the moth
er depends to help give his sisters new
dresses for the winter parties, yet he
never has party given for him. He
never had q fatted calf killed that he
might entertain his friends, though for
years he has cared for the cattle by
day and has seen that they were prop
erly MIXED at night. He Is the good
boy who never had a fine ring put on
his finger. The folks laughed at his
horny fingers, which were knotted from
handling the pillow and welding the
hoe and the ak. His feet were never
measured for dancing slippers because
his sandals were always soiled and
dirt begrimed. He was always work
ing I'm the fields. The drunkards. the
prohigates, the midnight carousers, the
libertines and the associates OF lewd
companions are the ones Nwho, when
they reform. have the smiles and the
dancing parties given 70 them, not the
elder brothers who have never done
any wrong
Some years ago a young college
clasSmate said to me: at never pays
to be good. When am good and stay
ut home, then father and mother mere
ly take my goodness as n matter OF
course, but if 1 only go Off on n long
carousai then nothing Is too good for
me when 1 come back home. There's
lots OF fun in being n repentant prod
igal. There is no fun in always being
goody, goody boy, who never gets the
fatted calf killed for his benefit" "My
sympathies have always been with the
elder brother I'm the parable" once
wrote John r. Paxton, the great New
York preacher, and the popular SYM
pathy of tho world from time imme-
mortal has been with the elder brother
OF my text and not with the repentant
herder of the swine, who returned in
rags and as n beggar to his fathers
house.
Two Kinds OF Faults.
But neither of the brothers is por-
trayed MS an example Both were
bad, though I'm different ways. We cas-
lily see the faults of the younger broth
er; they were open and scandalous; but
the faults OF the elder brother. being
decorously covered up by dutiful con-
duct, are not so easily recognized. In
estimating character on Gods lines we
nave TO ask not only what man has
done, but what he is Meanness and
unbrotherliness and cruelty in the heart
deface mans character as indellbly
as open iniquity. They make men, as
Christ said, like "whited sepulchers.
which indeed appear beautiful outward.
w In, f,.1I -
ana or all uncleanness." Therefore
place my chief emphasis upon the sim
fui life OF the elder brother, to show
that the so called respectable sins of
SELF righteousness are OF all sins the
most TO be dreaded and that II is the
duty OF the preacher TO warn his hear.
ers against them.
Inc elder brother is the modern Phar.
isee, who thanks God that he is not ms
other men. He complacently looks
upon the drunkard and the social out
cast ana the pauper and says 10 his
friends: Just look at me. | never had
any more advantages than those peo-
pie have had. 1 was of high strung
fmpetuous nature. yet never would
let my evil desires get the better OF
me. nave never been drunk. / have
never run up bill 1 was unable to
pay. l never was n frequenter OF the
clubs. nor convivial associate of mid.
night carousers. Indeed, to be frank
with you, 1 have just about as good
opinion OF my moral attachments rs
Prince bismarck had OF his skill In
craftsmanship. When some one asked
the Iron Chancellor who he thought
was the brainfest statesman I'm all
Europe, Bismarck replied: 'Modesty
forbids my stating who is the brainiest
because then 1 might have to mention
my own name. But l am perfectly
willing TO state that BENJAMIN Dis.
raeli is without doubt the second
abiest statesman in all Europe Other
saints" remarks the pharisaical elder
brother. may be my equal in moral
attachments, but am sure there is nc
superior in all the world to my humble
self"
But, my pharisaical friend, though
In one sense you may never have bro
Ken the criminal code OF your state, vel
there are more ways than one OF break
ing the moral and the spiritual laws
Shyiock. the outraged Jew, may have
been legally an honorable man. but IL
the eight OF God and OF the community
IN which he lived Shylock was a fiend
and murderer at heart. Like a pam
Their crouching among the long grasses
OF the African prairie, waiting for the
time he could spring upon a helpless
antelope, Shylock was longing for the
time when he could lay Antonio a
corpse at his feet.
a Defect In Character.
Elder brothers. you have no ground
for pride If the restraint that has kept
you from prodigality is itself defect
OF character. 1t is true that you have
not gone off as prodigal into a far
country of sin. You have not given a
midnight banquet and started your
young friends on the path to a drunk
ards grave by teaching them how to
bury their lips in the red poison of the
wine Gun. YOu NAV have haan tc.o