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About The Rockdale banner. (Conyers, Ga.) 1888-1900 | View Entire Issue (April 9, 1896)
REV. DR. TALMAGE. THE NOTED DIVINE’S SUNI)A < DISCOURSE. Subject: “The Prodigal’s Return.” Text-. “I will arise and go to my lather.” ' Luke 18. xv., There is nothing like hunger to take the energy out oi a man. A hungry man can toil neither with pen nor hand nor foot. Tbere has been many an army defeated not bo much for lack of ammunition as for lack of bread. It was that fact that took the fire out of this young man of the text. Storm and exposure will wear out any man’s life in time, but hunger makes quick work. The most awful cry ever heard on earth is the cry ior bread. A traveler teils us that in Asia Minor there are trees which bear fruit looking very much like the long bean of our time. It is called the carob. Once in awhile The people, reduced to destitution, would eat these carobs, but generally the carobs—the beans spoken of here in the text—were Thrown only to the swine, and they crunched them with great avidity. But this youug man of iny text could not even get them without stealing them. So one day, amid the swine troughs, he begins to soliloquize. He says: “These are no clothes for a rioh man’s sou to wear. This is no kind of busi¬ ness for a Jew to be engaged in, feeding swine. I’ll go home. I’ll go home. I will arise and go to my father.” I know there are a great many people who try to throw a fascination, a romance, a halo, about sin: but, notwithstanding ail that Lord Byron and George Band have said in regard to it, it is a mean, low, contemptible business, aud putting food and fodder into the troughs of a herd o* iniquities that root and wallow in the soul of man is a very poor business for men aud women intended to be sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty, and when this young man resolved to go home it was a very wise thing for him to do, and the only question is whether we will fol¬ low him. Satan promises large wages if we will serve him, but he clotiffis his victims with rags, and he pinches them with hunger, and when they start out to do better be sets after them all the bloodhounds of hell. Satan comes to us to-day, and he promises all lux¬ uries and emoluments if we will only serve him. Liar, down with thee to the pit! “The wages of sin is death.” Oh, the young man of tho text was wise when he utterrd tho res¬ olution, “I will arise and go to my father!” In tho time of Mary, Christian the persecutor, who a perse¬ had cutor came to a woman hidden in her house for the Lord’s sake one of Christ’s servants, and the persecutor said, “Where is that heretic?” The Christian wo man said, “You open that trunk, and you wili see the heretic.” The persecutor opened the trunk, and on the top of the linen of the trunk he saw a glass. He said. “There is no ' heretic here.” “Ah!" she said. “You look in the I glass, and the you will sea the heretic.” word As take up mirror of God s to day I would that instead of seeing the prod igal of the text we might see ourselves—our dition, want, our so that wandering;, we might our be sin, our wise lost con- this as as young man was and say. “I will arise and go to my father. Tho resolution of this j ; text was formed in a disgust at bis present circumstances. If this young man had been by his employer sot to culturing flowers, or training vines over r.u arbor, or keeping an account of the pork market, or overseeing other laborers, he would not have thought of going home if he had had his pockets full tf tro had been able to say: “Ihave ; f loop no\y ot my own. VVhat s the use of my going back to my father s house? Do you think I m going back to apologize to the old man? Why, he would put mo on the limits. Ho would not have going on around the old place such conduct as I have been engaged iu. ] won t go home. There is no reason why I should go home. I have plenty of monoy. plenty of pleasant surroundings, Why should I go home?” Ah, it was his pauperism, home. it was his beggary! He had to go Some man comes and says to me; “Why do you talk about the ruined state of the human soul? Why don’t you speak about the progress of the nineteenth century and talk of something more exhilarating?” It is for this rea son: A mau never wants the gospel un til ko realizes he is in a famine struck State. Suppose 1 should come to you in your home, and you are in good, sound, robust health, and I should begin to talk about medicines, and about how much bettor this medteino is Hum that, and some other medicine than some other medicine, and talk about this physician and that physician. After awhile you would get tired, and you would say: “I don’t want to hear about medicines. Why do you talk to me of physicians? I never have a doctor.” But suppose I come into your house, medicines and I find you severely' sick you,anil aud I know the that will cure I know the physician who is skillful enough to meet your case. Yon say: “Bring on all that medicine; bring on that physician. I am torritly sick, and I want help. ’ If I come to you, and you feel you are all right in body, and all right in mind, and all right in sou) you have need of nothiDg. but sup pose I have persuaded you that of all the leprosy of sin is upon you, the worst sickness. Oh, then you say, ‘ Bring mo that balm of JJ® g0 hrin!r ivme medicii ' ment; t bring me Jasus Christ Ghrtst. ” . “But,” says some one iu the audience, “how do you know that we are in a ruined condition by sin?’ Well, 1 can prove it in two ways, and you may have your choice. I can prove it either by the statements of men orby the statement of God. Which shafi it k®? < Let us b ave tlie st ateme V. t of £ heart od - is . deceit Wen. He „ uliviove says all m . things one place, and . aesner- ( The p , atoly wicked. He says in another place, “What is man that he should be clean, and he which is born of woman that he should be righteous?” He says in another place, “There is none that doeth good— no, not one.” He says in another place, “As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and %o death passed “Well.” upon all men, for that all hiul sinned.” you say, “I am willing to acknowledge that, that but why should propose?” I take This the is particular the rescue “Ex you reason: eept a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. this is the reason: “There is one name given under heaven among men whereby they may be saved. Then there are a thousand voices here ready to say: “Well, I am ready to accept this the kospol. I would like to have this divine cure. How shall I go to work. Let me say that a nitre whim, an undefined longing, amounts to nothing. You must have a stout, a tremendous resolution like this young mau of the text when he said, “I will arise and go to my father. Oh, says some man, “how do I know my father wants me? How do I know if I go back I would be received.-' “Oh, says some man. “you don t know where I have been. You don t know how jar I have wandered. You tbat to ', ou all the iniquities Ihave committed. y^hat lsthat Butter among the ange.s of God? What is that horseman running with quick dispatch It is news. It is nows. Christ has found the lost. Nor angels can their joy contain, But kindle with new fire. The sinner lost is found, they sing, And strike the sounding lyre When Napoleon talked of going into Italy, they said- “You can’t get there. If you knew what the \lps were, you wouldn’t talk about it or think about it You can’t your ammunition wagons over the Alps.” Then Napoleon lose in his stirrups, and, waving his hand toward the mountains, he said: “There shall be no Alps!" which has r That ” u - i ' ~— won- the derful pass was laid out been wonderment of all the years since—the won derment of all enginee s. And you tell me there are such mountains of sin between your soul and God there is no mercy. Then I see Christ waving His hand toward the mountains. ■ ' I I hear near Him Him say, say. “I “1 will will come come overthe mouniains of thy sin and the hills of thine iniquity.” There shall be no Pyre nees; there shall be no Alps, resolution of the AgaiD, I notice that this young man of my text was founded in sor row at his misbehavior. It was not mere physical plight. It was grief that he had so maltreated his father. It is a sad thing after a father has done everything for a child to have that child ungrateful. How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is To have a thankless child. That Shakespeare. A foolish , son is . the ,. is heaviness of his mother. That is the Bible, Well, my friends, have not some of us been cruel prodigals? Have we not maltreated out Fathei? And such a Father. Three times a day has He fed thee. He has poured sunlight into thy day, and at night kindled up all the street lamps oi heaven. With what varieties of apparel He hath clothed thee for the sea sons. Whose eye watches thee? Whose hand defence thee? Whose heart sympathizes with thee? Who gave you your children? Who is guardmg your loved ones departed? Such a Father: So loving, so kind. If He had been a stranger, if He had forsaken us if He had flagellated us, if He had pounded us and turned us out of doors on the commons, it would not have been so wonderful-our treatment of Him—bnt He is a Father, for so loving, so kind, and yet how many of us our wanderings have never apologized. If we say anything that hurts our triends fe - - mgs, if we do anything that hurts the feel ings of those in whom we are interested how quickly we apologize! We can scarcely wait until we get pen and paper to write a letter of apology, flow easy r. it formy who is intelligent, right hearted to wrte an apology or make an apology! Weiapologize of for wrongs done to our fellows, butwme us perhaps have committed ten thousand times ten thousand wrongs against God and never apologized. I remark still further that this resolution of the text was founded in a feeling of home sickness. I do not know how long this young man, how many months, how father’s many years, he had been away from his house, but there is something about the jreadiug of my text that makes me think he was homesick. Somb of you know what that feeling is. Far away from home some times, surrounded by everything bright and pleasant—plenty ;.j of friends—you have said, wou i d g i va the world to be home to Lk nif.pt ” well fiber’s this hS vmim? Thav* man was home for his no doubt wJiea be thought of his father’s house he gaid < >Now per haps father may not he jiving” We read nothing in this story— this parable—founded on everyday life; wa re ad nothing about the mother. It says nothing about going home to her. I think s he was dead. I think she had died of a br0 ken heart at his wanderings, or perhaps had gone into dissipation from the fact that he could not remember a loving and sympathetic mother. A man never gets over having lost his mother. Nothing said about ber< bu t a0 is homesick for his father’s Jiouse. He thought he would just like to go and walk around the old place. He thought be would just like to go and see if things were as thev used to be. Many a man after having been off a long while has gone home aad knocked at the door, and a stranger has come. It is the old homestead, but a father stranger comes to the door. He finds out is gone, and mother is gone, and brothers.and sisters are all gone. I think this young man 0 f the text said to himself. “Perhaps father may be dead." Still, he starts to find out. He is homesick. Are there any here to-day homesick for God. homesick for heaven? a sailor, after having been long and on the his seaf returned to his father’s house, mother tried to persuade him not to go away again. She said: "Now, you had better stay at home. Don’t go away. We don’t want you to go. You will have it a great deal better here.” But it made him angry, The night before he went away again to sea bo j ie ard his mother praying in the next r0 om, and that made him more angry. Ho went far out on the sea, aud a storm came UPj and p- e was ordered to very and perilous amid duty, the !iud bo 2 in up the rat-lines, that shrouds of the ship ho heard the voice b0 j iad heard in the next room. He tried to whistle it off. he tried to rally his courage, out he could not silence the voice he had heard in the next room, and therein the storm and darkness he said: “O Lord, what a wretch I have been! What a wretch I am! yjelp m0 j ust now . Lord God.” And I thought in this assemblage to-day there may be some who may have the memory of a father’s petition or a mother’s praver press in „ m i K htl\y upon the soul, and that this hour they may make the same resolution I dnd j n mv text, saying, “I will arise and go t0 mv A, father.” . . LWernool P went out to bathe- went int0 tho sea ’ went out too far’away far got be vond b i s dev> lor'Dublin . b a „ d be floated iook A ship ' bound came along and , . boar ,i sailors are generally verv generous 'nother fellows gTve and one gave him another a cap nnd nim gentleman’passing a iacEet and 3 him shct0S> A along 011 tbe beaoh at Liverpool found the lad’s ciothe .s ami took them home, aud the father wftg beart broken, the mother was heart broken, at the loss of their child. They had be ard nothing from him day after day. and they ordered the usual mourning for the sad eveat _ But th0 lad took sb j p f rom Dublin aud andved j n Liverpool the very dav the m0U ming arrived. He knocked at thedoor. The father was overjoyed and their the lost mother was over j oyed at tba return of son. 0b ’ friends, have you waded out too (i Have you waded down into sin? Havo you waded from the shore? Will you comeback? Whoa vou come back, will you C ome in the rags of your sin. or will vou C omo robed in the Saviour’s righteousness? j believe the latter. G-o home to your God to . day> He is waiting for you. Go home! But I remark the characteristic of this res oiution was, it was immediately put into ex ecution. The context savs, “He arose and (> ame to his father.” The trouble in nine hundred and ninety-nine times out of a thou sand ^ that our resolutions amount to noth ingbecause we make them for some distant ti me. If I resolve to become a Christian next ye ar, that amounts to nothing at all. If I re solvent the service this day to Decome a Christian, that amounts to nothing at all. If j resolve-after I go home to-dav to yield my b ,, art t0 God. that amounts to nothing at all. The onlv kind of resolution that amounts to anything is the resolution that is immediate j,. put ^ ato execution. There is a man who had the tvphoid fever, He said: “Oh. if I could get over this terri ble distress, if this fever should depart, if I could be restored to health. I would all the mst o( my life servB God.” The fever de juried. { He got well enough to walk around h e block. He got well enough to go over to business. He is well to-day—as well as he ever was. Where is the broken vow? There is a man who said long ago, “If I could live to the year 1896, by that time I will have my business matters all arranged, and I will have time to attend to religion, and I will be a good, thorough, consecrated Christian.” The year 1896 has come. January, Febru ary, March, April—a third of the year gone. Where is your broken vow? “Oh,” says I some man, “I’ll attend to that when get my character fixed up, when I T can get over my evil habits. I am. now giv en to strong drink.” Or, says the man, “1 am given to uncleanliness.” Or, says the man, “I am given to dishonesty. When I get over my present habits, then I’ll be a thorough Christian.” My brother, you will will get worse and worse until Christ takes you in hand. “Not the righteous, sinners Jesus came to cal!.” Oh, but you say, “I agree with you iu all that, but I must put it off a little longer.” Do you know there were many who cams just as near as you are to the kingdom of God and never entered it? I was at Easthampton, and I went into the cemetery to look around, and in that ceme tery there are twelve graves side by side the graves of sailors. This crew, some years ^go, in a ship went into the breakers at Amagansett, about three miles away. My brother, then preaching at Easthampton. had been at the burial. These men of the crew came very near being saved. The people from Amagansett saw the vessel anu they shot rockets and they sent ropes from the shore, and these poor fellows got into the boat and they pulled mightily for the shore, but just before they got to thp shore the rope snapped and the boat capsized, and they wt , rt5 lost, their bodies afterward washed up on the beach. Oh, what a solemn day it was— I have been toid of it bv mv brother—when thes0 lwolve meQ !ay at the foot of the pul ^ and he read over them the funeral ser They f came very near sbore-within shoutinR d etauce 0 f the shore-yet did not arrive oa sodd land. There are some men whQ eome almost to the shore of God’s mercy, but no “ t quite, | ’ ' not quite. * To be almost saved ig tQ e Qs ‘ { m te „ of tw0 prodigals-the one that got back and the other that did not get baofe j a Richmond there is a very prosper QUg d beau . lful( home jn many respects. A voung man wandered off from'that home. ^ derfld far int0 sin . They heard of Wm after> bnt ll0 was always on the wrong ” track. He would not go home. At h d or oI that beaut iful home one night tbere was a * eat outory £ . T]l0 y0U ng mau f th house au dovvn 0 pon the door to see what was the matt er. It was midnight. The m;t of tbe family w0 re asleep. There were the wife and children of this prodigal young man. The fact was he had come home and driven them out He said: “Out of this ^ 01 V) e ,v ... Away_ with .hM „„„ mldren. t will dash their brains out Out mto tie storm, The mother gathered them up and fled. Th next morning the brother, the young man who had staid at home.went:oufto find this prodigal brother and son, and he cam o where he was and saw the young man wan dermg up and down in front of the place where he had been staying, and the young man who had kept his integrity said to the older brother: “Here what does all this m«an? What is the matter with you? prodigal Why < l0 you act in this way The looked at him and said: Who am x? Who do vou take me to be?” He said. “You are my'brother.” “No. I am not. I am and a brute. Have you seen anything of mv wife dren? Are they dead? I drove them out last night in the storm. I am a brute. John, do you think there is any help for me? Do you thinklwillevergetoverthislifeofdissipa tion?” He said, “John, there is one thing that will stop this.” The prodigal ran his finger across his throat and said “That will stop it, and I will stop it before night. Oh, my brain! I can stand it no longer.” That prodigal never got home. But I will tell you of a prodigal that did gat home. In Eng land two young men started from their father’s house and went down to Portsmouth —Ihave been there—a beautiful seaport. Some of you have been there. The father could not pursue his children—for some rea son he could not leave home—and so he wrote a letter down to Mr. Griffin, saying: “Mr. Griffin, I wish you would go and see my two sons. They have arrived in Portsmouth, and they are going to take ' ship and going away from home. I wish you would persuade them back, Mr. Griffin went and tried to them. back. He persuaded one to because go. He he went with very easy persuasion, already. The other was very homesick young man said: “Iwill not go. I have had enough of home. I’ll never go home.” “Well,” said Mr. Griffin, “then if you won’t go home, I’ll get you a respectable position on a respectable ship.” “No. you won’t,” said the prodigal. “No. you won’t. Iam going as a private sailor, father as a common sailor; that will plague my most, and what will do most to tantalize and worry him. will please me best.” Years passed on, and Mr. Griffin was seated in his study one day when a messenger came to him, saying at there was a young man in irons on a ship the dock—a young man condemned to death —who wished to see this clergyman. Mr. Griffin went down to the dock and went on shipboard. The young man said to him, “You don’t know me. do you?” “No.” he said, “I don’t know you.” “Why, don’t you remember that young man you tried to pereuade to go home and he wouldn’t go?” “Oh. ves.” said Mr. Griffin. “'Are vou that man? 1 ' “Ves, I am that man,” said the other, “I would like to have you pray for me. I have committed murder, and I must die, But I don’t want to go out of the world un n! some one prays for me. You are my father’s friend, and I would like to have you pray for me.” Mr. Griffin went from judicial authority to judicial authority to get that youug day. mans He pardon. He slept not night nor went from influential person to influential person until in some way he got that young man’s pardon. He came down on the dock, and as he arrived on the dock with the pardon the father came. He had heard that his son, under a disguised name, had been committing crime and was going to be put to death. So Mr. Griffin and the father went CD ship’s deck, and at the very moment Mr. Griffin offered tbe pardon to the young man the old father threw his arms around the son’s neck, and the son said: “Father, I have done very wrong, and I am very sorry, 1 wish I had never broken your heart. I “don’tmentlonit.Itwon’tmakeanydiffer- very sorry!” “Oh,” said the father, ence now. It is all over. I forgive you, my son.’’ And he kissed him and kissed him and kissed him. To-day I offer you the par don of the gospel—full pardon, free pardon. I do not care what your crime has been, Though y-ou say you have committed a crime against God, against your own soul, against your fellow man, against your family, against the day of judgment, against the cross of Christ—whatever your crime has been, here is pardon, full that pardon, and the Heavenly very moment you take His pardon your Father throws arms round about you aud says: “My son, I forgive you. ha a' 1 right. You are as much in My favor now as if you had never sinned.” Oh, there is joy on earth and joy in heaven. Who will take the Father’s embrace? Ir yon dream that yon have an ague, drtmkard. th^sign is that you will become a Judas committed no greater sin than the compromising church member. GEORGIA RAILROAD manaoS 111 office general Commencing Jan. 5th, 1896, the following 8 ch*d„i ^** trains run by 90th Meridian Time. The schedule 8 op* without notice to the public. axe enbiect READ DOWN. ts Train No. 8. |No. 1. Train iWjNb; BEAD n No. 11 N’t Exp nay si’l No. 27 STATIONS. ^_ 28 a. Si D# 7 H’l!s’t E ^ O 10 30p 12 lOp 7 15a Lv Augusta Ar 8 10 to 10 58p 12 3Gp...... Belair P 1 00p 5 i. CO 11 09p 12 46p 7 42a Grovetown 7'L" 12 “$*“ 3 % ' ^ C* 11 21p 12 58p...... Berzelia U4p ID C> 11 29p 1 05p 7 57a Harlem Lv. Ar. . 7 7 25p lOp f 12 l6p 09p 4 25, 10 HUlOnKIOH 11 38p 1 14p 8 03a Hearing 4 I6i O 11 58p 1 30p 19a Thomson 7 03p12 a ff*- 8 6 5 »P 11 44a 10 12 08a 1 42p ...... Mesena U CO to 12 16a 1 50p 8 35a Oamak 6 34p 33 a CO O 12 25a 1 57p 8 40a Norwood H 26a CO 6 27p 11 19a CO ^ 12 42a 2 12p 8 53a Barnett 1 U 05a CO 12 56a 2 24p 9 Ola Crawfordville o 10 C*3 54a rO CC 1 22a 2 45p 9 25a Union Point 5 45p 10 34a 2 21: 1 38a 3 04p 9 38a Greensboro 5 52p 10 21a 2 04i 2 05a 3 30p'10 00a Buekhead 5 09p 10 00a 1 2 22a 3 46p 10 12a Madison 10 cn 9 40a 37i 2 41a 4 05p 10 28a Rutledge CO co 9 20a 120 2 56a 4 25p 10 40a Social Circle 4 25p 1 oi 19a 4 44p 58a Covington 9 05a 12 45 3 10 4 06p 8 43a 12 22 3 41a 5 04p 11 15& Conyers 8 22a1209a 3 54a 5 lop 11 26a Lithonia CO 8 10 a 11 45, 4 15a 5 31p 11 42a Stone Mountain 3 22p 7 53a 1124; 4 28a 5 41p 11 51a Clarkston 3 13p 7 43a 11 ip 4 39a 5 49p 12 m Decatur 3 06p 7 34a 11 0 Q : . 5 00a 6 lOp12 15p Ar Atlanta Lv 2 55p 7 15a 10 45 Bun. Only —= 15a 50p 8 40a Lv Camak Ar ^tf^^COCOOOCOfcOfcOtOP-*l-‘ OOp 2 3 2 3 5 6 1 1 2 4 4 5 31a 30a 37a 28a 30a 06a 22a 07a 50a 48a 16a 10 10 11 9 8 9 9 9 47a 02a 22a 36a 43a 00a 24a 00a Ar Milledgeville Warrenton Deveretix Mayfield Haddocks Culverton Browns Sparta Macon James Carrs Lv 12 6 5 6 4 4 3 4 3 1 1 1 30p 20p OOpll 55p 34p 44p OOplO 06p 38p 24p 52p 40p llaBalTlSp 11 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 01a 17a 49a 40a 26a 18a 00a 46a 37a 28a 00a 11 11 10 10 10 9 9 8 8 8 7 32b 03p 44p 27p 07p 48p lgp 50p 34p 18p 30p ITlSp 11 08a 2 15p Lv Barnett Ar 1 50p 8 50a cr» 54] 6 23p 11 21a 2 27p Sharon 1 40p 8 37a CJK 41] 6 30p 11 31a 2 35p Hillman 1 31p 8 27a CTK 31| 6 55p 12 Q3p 3 0 4p Ar Washington L v 1 05p 7 55a ^ 1 2 45p Lv 0 nion Point Ar 9 20a if? 2 55p Woodville 9 08a 2 59p Bairdstown 9 Ola »f^> 3 Up Maxeys 8 51a AO 3 17p Stephens 8 44a 3 29p Crawford 8 30a AO 3 45p Dunlap 8 12 a -*$« 3 49p Winters 8 07a 4 05p Ar Athens Lv 7 50a 10 50a Lv Union Point Ar 2 05 p 11 30a Siloam 1 42p 11 50a Ar White Plains Lv 1 20 p _____________ and 84 and 35 Micoa All above trains run daily, except 11 and 12 on main line, on Atlaij 9 „hi 0 h do not run on Sunday. No. 28 supper at Harlem. Sleeping Cam between Charleston, Augusta and Atlanta. Augusta and Macon, on night express. Sleep between Atlanta and New York on train 27, and train ieavmg Atlanta at 7:15 o’clock, a. m lJtlUo.il. ,, MUL1, npnrrm JOE W. WHITE, A. G. JACKS! General Manager. Traveling Passenger Agent. General Freight aad Pm i Augusta, Ga, W. HARDWICK, J. ’W. KIRKLAND, W. Pass. Agt., Atlanta, Ga. Pass. Agt., Macoi i\l 17 m SEND us YOU] JOB WORK Nice Work % --and Cheao Pri ce
