The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-04-25
THE GOOD SAMARITAN.
A SERMON

phia, on Sunday Evening, April 20, 1S71'
"Whe1 He departed He took out too pence
and gGOe them to The h. st, and sGid unto him,
Take care Of him, and sohdtsoe0er thou
spendest more, aohen come again IaotH repay
thee. "-Lake K, 80.
The mystical Interpretation of the parable
of the Good Samaritan is, doubt not, known
to most of you; yet it may be useful to state
IL briefly, while take occasion from it to say
few words on the subj itsuggests-the min
istration of the Word and sacraments of
Christ as a remedy against sin.
The Good Samaritan is q representative of
our Lord Jesus Christ. The traveller is man
himself, who early left his home, Jerusalem,
the Holy City, the paradisal vision of peace,
and went down to Jericho, the city of the
world. When once the gates of Eden were
closed upon him, his course was ever and con-
tinually doaon0drd. His way lay through
vast and overwhelming moral wilderness, in
which he fell among thieves, the evil crew
of Satan, q robber and a murderer
from the beginning. They stripped him of
his raiment-the decent clothing of his origi-
nal righteousness-the covered him with the
wounds and bruises of sin, nor left him until
(half-dead as he was in his trespasses) they
thought his destruction and death were GER
tain.
In this condition, man could do nothing
for his own recovery. His case, as to any
all things are possible. In His good time
means of recovery was provided. The dis
pensation of the law, the exhortations of the
prophets, did not reach the case. The law
was weak; its priest passed by on the other
side.
The prophets came nearer to man, as did
the Levite, for they tried to bring home the
law to the consciences Of the people, and ap-
pealed to them by the love and terrors of
rod had lam civ oh
could have given life, verify righteousness
should have been by the law" But the law
was weak and powerless to this end, and man
could only wait for the fulness of time, in
hope of more effectual aid
At length the blessed Son of God under
took His weary journey and came to man, as
he lay all wounded and helpless He came
full of compassion, and (that He might more
fully sympathize with the weakness and
wants of humanity He laid aside His own
glory, and came to man as a man, binding up
his spiritual wounds, into which He poured
wine (the blood of His passion) and oil-the
amounting of His Holy Spirit. The wine
may also indicate the smarting which correc
tion of sin produces, while the oil is the
comfortable assurance of forgiveness. Man
is then raised from the ground through the
exaltation of his nature by the incarnation of
Christ. He is brought to the inn, which is
the refuge and shelter of us all; the Church
of the Neao Covenant and there he is cared
for with the most loving solicitude. But
inasmuch as Christ could not
always remain in the flesh
nth ,os,, and as it became expedient for
man that he should go away, Jet He would
not leave Him alone and friendless.
The Lord commits him to t..e care of the
host-the ministry Of ns L..s Church-in whose
hands he ni".oes, like two pieces of money,
tt.is word and His sacraments. sufficient
provision for mans edication and support
until he can enter upon the last stage OF MS
heavenward journey
The parting command of the Saviour to His
apostles and their SUCCESSORS concerning the
wounded man is, ''Take care of him." or, as
He said to St. Peter, ''Feed my lambs
'sFeed my sheep;" and there is promise,
''Whatsoever thou spendest more, when
come again will repay thee" ''If besides the
due miniBtration of my word and sacraments,
which have committed to you, ye shall
bestow. out of elf-denying love and sympa-
thy, kind, healing words, gentle and lowly
deeds, charitable thoughts, pure intention,
these things (even to cup of cold water) l
will not overlook ye shall in no wise lose
your reward.
1t is to the ministration of the sacraments
of Christ-those two priceless pieces of money
which He has given to His church that
would now draw your thoughts.
Let us consider this minlstration as it is
remedy for sin; a remedy against the
poison of sin past; a remedy tending to Its
gradual and complete removal from our whole
system.
First. Consider the ministration of the
Word of God in the Church. How fully and
Systematically is that word read in the daily
course of the lessons, and in the weekly
course OF epistle and gospel How are we, houl
by hour, taught to take into our mouths,
as part of daily heavenly food, the rich and
exhaustless language of the Psalms of David
How is the liturgy of the Church, her maths
and even-song, her various Offices for special
times and occasions, stepped, as it were in
the words of Scripture! And then to all this
patient setting forth of the Word is added
the illustration of the same, aud its enforce
ment by continuous and faithful preaching.
In the face of such constant proclaiming
of the revealed will of God, such an orderly
setting forth of the history of man, such an
increasing testimony to the misery which sin
has brought into the world, there ought
surely to be no churchman of ordinary spri.
tual apprehension and ordinary opportunities
of grace, who is not convinced of sin, per
suaded of its opposition to the will of God
its ruinous effects on the human race, and
its exceeding sinfulness in that it needed nc
less an atonement than the shedding Of the
innocent blood of Jesus Christ, the beloved
Son of God.
When we see how sin cast the disobedient
angels out of heaven, aud our disc
bedient first parents out of Paradise how il
marred every effort under the law and the
prophets for the bettering of mans falleI
estate. how even after the incarnation n