The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-05-19
Religious.
THE PARALLELS AND THEIR
TEACHINGS.
BY REV. W. R. ROBINSON.
(Texas.)


eous, but sinners to repentance. His
meek and sympathetic manner attracted
the publicans and sinners, for he ex-
tended to them heavens branch of
olive and raised before their anxious
hearts the bright star of hope. He
taught them; they heard him gladly
and this gave offence to the self-right-
eous; the scribes and Pharisees MUIR
INJURED. This led to the announcement
of the three consecutive progressive
lessons which follow, beautifully illus
trating the necessity for and adaptable
ity of the plan of human redemption
to the wants of fallen race.
1. The parable of The Lost Sheep,
illustrates the absolute helplessness of
the human race. A lone, lost sheep
away from the tender, watchful shep-
herds care, in the desolate wilderness,
at the mercy of the lurking inmates of
the mountain Businesses and the jung
les, presents sad picture of helpless
despair. On the other hand, the Good
Shepherd, who has pursued, found and
returns with the poor, hungry wanderer
in his arms, presents one of the strong
est and tenderest figures Of helpful
ness ever presented to the human mind.
The parable represents one of hun
bred going astray. May this not have
a lesson of instruction for US There
is no reason for our believing and it is
even presumptuous for US to think, that
we are the only intelligences in the
universe over whom God exerts control
and for whom he cares. On the con-
trary, it is probable-aye, almost GER
tain-that there are unnumbered orders
of intelligences in the vast domain of
Gods universal empire. Hence, when
we consider how small our world is,
when compared even to those around US,
within the reach of unaided vision, and
how insignificant our poor nature is,
being made subject to vanity" by
material elements, when compared to
the mightier order of intelligences,
who are not only innumerable, but who
are nearer to God in power and pure
spirituality than man ever was, we
may see how we stand in the order of
spiritual being as one to ninety and
nine.
Ninety and nine remained loyal to
their Lord; go up and down the shining
paths of his good pleasure and rejoice
to do his will. Ninety and nine differ
ent orders, moved by the word of his
power, revolve in their respective
spheres and no discordant note is heard
in the grand scale of universal har-
mony.
Only one order, the human race, like
a wandering sheep, has gone astray
Man has gone out from the light of the
Fathers love and the joy of his pres.
ence, and has plunged into the wilder
ness of ''outer darkness" where there
is no sound save the grating thunder
of discord, and no light save the glare
from the kissing meteors of death
But glory be to God, his love reaches
out after US.
''when at helrs dark door we lay
Wretched and undone"
and without strength, help was laid on
One mighty to save" for, sin due
time Christ died for the ungodly." Be-
hold what manner of love, how intense,
how far-reaching
The right hand of his love is bodied
forth in the person of his Son and he
thrusts him out across the borders of
his happy, peaceful realm, and into the
very bottom of the abysmal darkness
beyond, and there he found the lost
''dead in trespasses and in SIM" He
took away ''the sin of the world" and
with all the burden of our iniquities
he laid the lost race upon his own bo-
som and bore US back into the kingdom
of Gods grace, where we may live for
ever; ''for the gift of God is eternal
life."
II. The second parable contains les
sons, both doctrinal and practical. The
coin, thing of value, and the woman,
a responsible agent, illustrate funda-
mental doctrines of our holy Chris
tianity, while the loss, the light, the
search and the recovery, all present or
suggest practical truths for our instruc-
ton.
The coin represents intrinsic value
there is inherent value in the metal of
which it is made, but its specific, indi-
vidual value is determined by the
stamp and superscription which it
bears. 1t has, therefore, not only the
intrinsic value that inheres in and at
taches to the crude ore and the gross
metal, but also the specific value of an
individual coin.
When the Lord Jesus Christ under
took mans redemption, he made an in
vestment in the human family, which
has ever since impaired to it inherent
spiritual value. ''He by the grace Of
God tasted death for every man" and
all along down the aoas az generation