The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-04-04
WORK IN The VINEYARD.
An Earnest, Practical. Sermon by
Row. Dr.. Cunningham.
TIE TWO SIDES TO SERVICE OF GOD.
Tho Soul must Ncccivc from Him
0rs,...I.cssons for To-day drawn
from the P%arnblo0r tho Household.
or who wen, out 10 hlrc IiaDorcrs.


Al tho First Presbyterian church yes.
tcrday Rev. DR.. Cunningham preached
an eloquent sermon on tho theme,
"L.aborers in tho Vineyard" His text
WAS Matthew, xx.l:
nror tho Kingdom OF Heaven Is like unto n
nnn that Is IN householder, which went out
|aTiy IN the morning to hire laborerS into his
y%iaCyAtd''
The speaker first contrastcd the par.
oble Of tho marriage feast and that OF
laborers in tho vincyard-in the one,
pcoplo called TO a great feast in tho
house OF the king; in tho other 10 work
in 4 vincyard-on one hand rest; OH tho
other hand toll. There Is, on ono hand,
call 10 enjoy blessings for nothing
by free grace; OH tho other hand, people
liboring for 4 hire. And, what Is moro
wonderful, all those who have been pre-
yiorsly invited to tho marriage refused
10 como, and all those who are sent to
the labor accept.
There is no contradiction-these are
two sides OF tho same gospel truth.
First, We have to receive from God be-
fore We can give Him ourselves. First
We must accept His kingdom and His
everlasting riches, rs these poor people
who came to the marriage supper; there
were the MANNED, and the halt, and the
blind. Wo must accept heaven by free
grace; and when we have accepted it,
We poor sinners, who had nothing to
bring 10 God except u sins md our
awful condcmnation,-whc We have
accepted that everlasting Kingdom OF
Heaven, then wo become laborers in
the vineyard.
have four questions to ask about
this parable:
!. What is it to DO laborers in Gods
vineyard?
When the people OF Israel rejected
Tie Heir and killed Him, the vineyard
was given TO others. The first vineyard
was hcdged about, but tho hedge was
taken away by the death Of Christ 1t
exists now over the whole world, and Is
still extending. The first laborcrs were
the apostles and those who along with
them went to preacl, Jesus Christ to
Jew and gentile-apostles, evangelists,
pastors and teachers. But now, every
Christian is n laborer in the vineyard.
The first vineyard in which VIC must
work is our own heart. God'ist the hus-
Gandman, but we are laborers with
him. Chief among our enemies is the
devil, and one OF his crafty deceirs is
that We keep the vineyard Of others and
forget to keep our own Christians are
often SO taken up with work that they
forge. to look at their own hearts. 4
fountain cannot give more water than it
receives; Tut us remain near the Lord,
that we may be in tho outside good
laborers in Tho vineyard. Fill BY
prayer your heart with love to Christ
and to your fellow men, and from the
abundance OF the heart the mouth will
speak Alright.
.. In what state wore those who were
called to the vineyard?
They are idle. Is it possible? idle in
:he world where men arc so active in
pursuing their ownaims, fortune, every
thing which is pleasant to their eyes!
They are restlcssly active, and you say
they arc idle. We must look upon every
thing from the point of view OF God
Himself. God has created the world
Tor His W glory. He has created man
Tor Himself. Every man is like a fig
tree in His vineyard, and must bear
fruit for good-for God. Allow me a
kind Of parable.
A householder left his estate for 4
time. lie gave his garden to one Of his
servants, and said, You mustwork in
ny garden, and keep it prosperous"
Now, when he comes back, lie looks at
his garden, and sees that nothing has
been done in it. He calls his servant
and says, You have done nothing
You have been idle" The servant an
swers, and shows to the master. his own
garden and his garden was Kept in per-
iect order, everything tlourishing, the
lrult splendid; and he says to the mas
ter, Look how busy I have been in nv
own garden!" The master replies, II
DO not keep you as q servant'to work in
your own garden. You arc" ;bound to
workin my garden, and you have been
Idle, you have done nothing" 1t is the
same when the Lord says to everyone
that lives to himself, "ThouS-art idle;
thou hast done nothing" For the
whole question is, Do we belong to God
or to ourselves? One may BE- a pro-
tossing Christian, and do n great deal in
religious matters, and devote part OF his
nm and money to excellent purposes,
and yet be idle. He may do ii only pv
haDlt, or because everybody does. Ii
ne does not do it out OF pure love to
1od, as being His property, he is idle.
3. nat is the hire or reward given
when the day is over? Some will say it
means salvation; but we have SOC that
TO be- laborer in tile vineyard we must
already have salvation, nor is salvation
areward, 1t is 4 free gift. The Lord
mere speaks OF 4 reward which is prom
lscd to those who love him and who de-
vote themselves to him. y
Various references in tho Scriptures
70 rewards weroquoted, and the speaker
concluded that the reward will consist
~ higher measure OF knowledge, OF
!ove and OF power to love God.
l. What are those different hours OF
the day when the laDorors are called?
1hey are the different times OF his
.M1Fy, the di!fereht periods OF time, from
mo llrst promise after tho fall, up to the
second coming OF Christ.
IN the beginning tho sun was not
Eet very hot. We SEQ the p~atriarchs,
ak9 l1noch, Abraham, Isaac, living long
IiG'sturbcd-with very few outward
Soltlslons,. peacefully with the Lord.
but ut the third hour, nine in the
morning, the sun is already hot, and
INC prophets had much to suffer for
Christ. Zechariah was stoned, Isaiah
Tas sawn asunder. And then comes
.Ao great heat Of tho noon and afternoon
70 The apostles and first Christians
curing the three first centuries OF the
church, and to all those wholud to sui.