Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-03-05
MY YEfGHBOR.
A discourse at the Christian
Church by Elder j. h. Jones.


partakes of absolute perfection. The test
mony of men not identified with any churc
award to it all praise that they are williog {
accord to no human production. There ar
surface truths that the children may ru
and read; and there are great principle
which take hold upon the heights of Heave
and the depths OF eternity. The books O
men, after due study, are cast aside as prac
tically mastered. From the study o. God
men like Newton and Scott never seye
their moorings. In the hour OF death, il
the battle of life, the bible is the book O
books.
1t is a fact that Jesus had the power tt
transmute every object he touched into
channel through which thought followed
from his heart to the heart of humanity
This wonderful adoption to his surround
ings establishes the rule of Interpretation
that in order to understand his teachings
back in the position of his pupils. We must
look through their eyes, hear throu yh their
ears and think aud feel as they felt.
We stand then in Jerusalem. lawyer
approaches, asking the question: "What
must l do to inherit eternal life?' He is
not seeking information. He is anxious to
entrap the Savior, if he can but tempt
HIM, and his end is reached. AS skillful
teacher Christ throws the question back
upon the lawyer: what says the laws, how
readest thou?'' The answer is plain and di-
rect: Thou shalt love the Lord, thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy strength, and with all thy
mind, and thy neighbor as thyseh." Nc
better answer could have been given. In
fact, this would be appropriate in the mouth
of any man who has ever lived; it was
right between the Garden Of Eden and
Mount Shasta, to say that love fulfilled the
law 1t was Just between the giving OF
the law and the coronation of Je-
sus as prophet,priest and king, to make love
n n C
time that Christ was declared the Son OF
God, by his resurrection from the dead tt
the day when he shall turn over all govern
this ' can e be dsvised % Patriarch, e1 Jew % an9
Christian ascend three sides of a pyramid
whose apex ends in these two command
ments, on which hang all the law and
the phophets. Beyond and above these,
apart from what they include, no human
duty to self, neighbOr or God can exist.
Specific laws may be and have been enacted
. for the several dispensations, bnt this funda
mental law involving "loye oI, out. out Of pp!e
and without the thinking, feel
ing, willing man: But has any
one man ever kept these laws
Where is the soul that can truthfully say,
have from youth up? He is not to be found
But u failure in one place is fatal It. is moi
necessary to break the cable that draws the
car in in several points to suspend travel
A break in one point cuts off communities
all travel. So sin, whether doing evil OF
failing to do good. breaks thu connection
between the soul and God The sinner OF
his own will snaps the chord that binds him
to the throne of the Lord. This lawyer was
not consciaus that he was sinner. He was
self deceived. He wishing to justify him
self, said, who is my neighboI" He was
not satisfied with the answer he had him.
self had given; for thessoul had within it a
poisonous fountain of self-rightsousness.
How prone are men to Justify self. "The
woman gave me and did eat" said Adam.
1.-THE serpent beguiled me and l did eat, "
said Eve.
'.He that confesseth and forsaketh his
sins, shall have mercy" Sin clings till the
soul is ready to cast it out with loathing.
In the answer TO the question, who is my
ne;ghbor, Jesus does not pursue the logical
method. He had the power to reason. All
thought stood before his mind in its reality.
The thread of human discourse as found in
a clear distinct, and connected thinking was
in his hand but it is one of the peculiarities
of his style that he prefers pictures to logic.
Painters and sculpters find in his life their
best inspiration.
He utters a parable the best answer to the
question which the world has ever re-
ceived. The scene of that parable lies be-
tween Jerusalem and Jericho. The road
connecting these points makes many a
turn, now descending to the deep gorge
Overhung by rocky crags, and now ascend
ing to the peaks that kiss the Clouds Here
it hugs the side of a deep ravine, with here
and there stream OF water putting in from
this side or that In that day this section
to the temple area at Jerusalem. There is
the priest beside the altar. On the parch-
ment of his garment is written the law,
After Offering the victim, be thanks God that
he is not as other men, unjust, idolatrOus,
adu1terOus, and especially does he rejoice
that he is far above that Samaritan who
stands without the temple inclosure, forbid
fn
sings of the temple and shut out
of every home. in. the city: The prayer
over, he goes to his home and then passes
from Jerusalem to Jericho. The Levite goes
up to the same altar, offers in effect the same
prayer. When he passes by the Smaritan,
It is with a look of disdain; II am
holy, thou art unholy. He enters the same
not cross the threshold of the temple, dare
not have any intercourse with the Jews,
this man denounced as dog, offers his
brief simple prayer, God be meIciful to me
Kedron and follows the priest and the LIE.
yite Ahead of them all is a traveller, going,
1t may be to the mountains of Gilead, or else
where for supplies, to the market; weary
overshowing rock by the way to rest and
nuench his thirst, when strong men spring
like panthers from the place of their con.
cealinent and he is thrown to the earth, rob
bed, wounded and left half dead. There he
lies bleeding and crying for help. Will the
priest help him? "And by chance there
came down a certain priest that way, and
when he saw him, he passed by..on the other
side" No tears, no cries, no blood from
wounds can pierce the steel plate of hypo
crisy On he goes with quick haste to leave
his example to multiply sin. What mus
i be the conclusion of the sufferer? Away
with religion.
The temple and its service is brought into
disrepute by one of its unworthy advocates
: He who suffers is not Paul to say, He il
not a Jew who Is one outwardly, neither Ii
D flesh"
la his heart the suffering man must hate
areligion which has form but no power tC
Lev'ite. What win he do? "And when he
was at the place he came and looked al
him and passed by on the other side" Does
he make his reckoning. from the. life of the
priest? Does he say if the priest can be
saved and not help him, why not 1? Such
sophistry has ruined its thousands. Instead
of taking religious time from the central
clock of the ages, Jesus of Nazsreth, people
are setting. their watches by some frail
standard. Let us go back of man and look
at the Goldman. But these two upon whom
rested the responsibilities of the law-these
avowed spiritual leaders-turn their backs on
the sufferer. Let them pass on to the shades
of merited condemnation. There Is the
Samaritan, hated because he was born OF
Mt Garizm rather than in Jerusalem
Whist will lie do? And when be saw him
he had compassion on him and went to him
and hound up his wounds, pouring
on oil and wine" Was that enough,
1t would have been with those
who are forever shrinking back from the
brink of doing too much and are drifting
into the vortex of doing too little. But be
sets the man ON his own beast, brings him
to an inn, and cares for him. He does MOI
shake off the burden as early as practicable
and think he should get away from self
sacrifice as from the jaws of u shark
Through the night he watches by the bed
side of the wounded man. and when the
hour of separation comes, he takes out two
pence, and turning to the inn keeper, says
hWhatsoever thou spendest more, when !
y, come again will repay thee"
Z. 3uch is the picture drawn by the hand o.
, Ttesns. Turning to the lawyer, he says,
(which now of these, thinkest thou was
neighbor unto him that fell among the
{ thieves?" Was the priest his neighbor,
Was the Leyite his neighbo.? Was the hat
ed Samaritan his neighbor? What can he
u9 ua wi M Qrftqn That