Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-02-23
CaQn1age
Ser mon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmase. d. ID.

Los Angeles, Cal, Feb. 1S.--It Is the
old, familiar story OF the Maynard son,
The ''blacl< sheep" of the family, which
the preacher takes for his theme In this
sermon, the text chosen being Luke XIV.
16, with the husks that the swine did
eat"
What an epitome of pathos Is con-
densed within these eight small wordsi
Never was gaunt and hideous visaged
want more dramatically depicted than
IN this tragic climax of the prodlgal
sons misery. He was In almost ex-
actly the same pitiable condition as
the only son OF one OF New York's mil
honaires and most honored citizens
was few years ago. His father for
Years and years had been the compan-
ion and the associate OF the greatest
leaders OF thought, both trans and els
atlantic. In wealth and honor he re-
tired to his palatial metropolitan hcme
to pass his life amid refined associa-
tons. Not only was he great himself,
but he had three great brothers, all OF
whom had made noted successes In
other lines OF work than his own. Pure
was lhC bAOO0 VI lhdl ARCHAEOLOGICAL
family from which they sprang. But
amid ali his fame and wealth and bril-
liant family connections there was one
startling weakness. The father could
not see the faults OF his Maynard son.
His love for his only boy blinded his
common sense. In his old age he let
his only son control his money. This
son not only mortga ged his fathers
property, but upon his fathers name
borrowed right and left Then by
pro1igacy and dissipation and reckless
wildcat speculations he squandered his
fathers all. A few months before the
fathers death came the financial crash.
He awoke as from a horrible dream.
he was practically bankrupt. Then
came the death and the funeral. Then
this only son sank lower and lower in
to the quagmire of dcbauchery; lower
and lower until he used to tramp the
streets of New York city with the sign
board of a cheap restaurant strapped
to his back. He sank lower and lower
in the social scale until one day he
was found digging for food in the ref
use barrel before the very palace in
which he and his father once lived.
Alb, could any condition In life be sad
der than that? And yet this son was
in no lower condition, socially or NOR
ally, than was the young Hebrew of
my text, caring for a herd OF swine
and fighting with these four legged
beasts for their meals OF dried, unpala-
table husks.
But as we see this social outcast of
my text chewing the husks which had
been thrown to the swine this thought
comes TO me: "How similar is the con-
dition of some OF us in a mental and
spiritual sense who have not vet sur
rendered our hearts to Jesus CHRISTI"
Sin has come into our lives and taken
away the sweet hopes which our IA
theirs and mothers had in the pardoniny
love and protecting care OF their Saw
Jour. In place OF these sustaining
hopes sin has come and given TO us a
lot of husks-dried, unnutritious and
unpalatablc husks. Then sin has said.
Now try to masticate and digest the
teachings of the doctrines of atheism.
agnosticism, skeptielsm, and all will be
we'll" All, some of us have been trying
TO live upon these spiritual husks too
long. Like the poor prodigal, we have
been sinking lower and lower In the
Quagmire OF despair Therefore / am
going TO try to analyze for you some
OF the substances and ingredients of
the false hopes which sin Is Offering
and at the same time by the help OF the
Holy Spirit to break unto you the
bread OF life, OF which IL one eats he
shall uavar N ,cot~
The Husks OF Atheism.
Sin would blind our eyes TO the spir-
itual blessings of the gospel by trying
TO circumscribe us with the hateful doc
trine OF human humiliation. 1t comes
to us as a scoffer OF life beyond the
grave. 1t says to us: Man is an ami
NAL. We grant that he is a higher form
OF animal, but still an animal. He has
to ca. and sleep and drink He has to
grow and develop and decline. He has
to be born, and he has to die. There
fore as man never existed before. he
was born he Is not going to exist after
he is dead. When he Is dead he Is ex.
actiy the same as q turkey, which, with
head chopped OF. is cooked for the
Thanksgiving dinner. He Is dead, and
that is all there is OF him. Now, rs a
man has only short time to live ut
most and as there Is no life beyond the
grave, therefore II is the duty OF every
man to have just as good a time as It
is possible to have. Come, friends, let
us eat, drink and be merry, for tomor-
row we die" And everywhere we see
men and women worshiplng at the al
tar of Bacchus and bowling in the tenn
pie of Hcentious Baal and kissing the
golden shrine OF evil Midas because
they do not think there is to be a here
after, and therefore they can do with
impunity as they will.
But our whole natures revolt against
the teaching, Eat, drink and be merry,
for tomorrow we die" For two rea-
sons we feel this repulsion. We know
that there is a Judgment on this side of
the grave for sin if there is not on the
other side. We know by bitter. awful
~ bitter, personal experience, that
worldly life, lived for mere pleasure
or fame, does not produce real pleasure.
From worldly standpoint our search
for happiness has been great deal like
that or Goethe, the uncrowned king OF
German literature. In one of his RI
Elections he wrote as follows: ewhen
look back to the earlier and middle
periods of my life and now in my old
age think how few are left of those
who were young with me I always
think OF summer residence. AT q
bathing place when you arrive you
make acquaintance and friends of |
those who have already haan tharo
some time and who leave in a few |
weeks. The loss is painful. Then you |
turn to the second generation, with |