Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-07-09
THE WICKED HusHANDMEN.
Three Lessons to BE Drawn from Oul
Saviourss Parable.

Three Lessons to BE Drawn from Our
Saviour's Parable.
The parable of the wicked hus-
bandmen, though addressed to the
| ruling class among the Jews in our
Lords time, involves lessons that are
of continual pertinence. Through
Gods dealing with men in one set OF
circumstances we have a revelation OF
the principles of His government.
One thing that lies upon the very sur
| face of the narrative is that this parable
clearly sets forth the fact of human
stewardship. The tenants were not
owners. The truth to which this
circumstance points has become one of
the commonplace of religion. Preach
ers and teachers are never weary of tell
| ing us that we hold all we have in trust;
that our faculties, opportunities AMI
possessions are not ours to use for our
own ends, but in subordination to tie
| purposes of the owner. But though
this statement is very familiar and is
generally accepted by Christian people.
probably no one thing would moro
powerfully contribute to the advance of
true religion than for Christians gener-
| ally to act upon it in the practical con-
duct of their affairs. Horace Bushnell
used to say that the great need of our
civilization was the Christianization Of
the money power. He saw that the rec
ognition of stewardship not only in
volved the gift of money to worthy
causes, but he saw that it involved the
Christian use of money regarded as fixed
capital.
The parable also suggests that God
gives men large range of freedom in
the use of that with which He has in
trusted them. The owner of the vine
yard went into another country for a.
long time" The tenants had apparent
possession; they were left there. Only
in the last emergency was force en-
ployed against them, and then it was
not reformatory, but punitive. The
servants came to the husbandmen simply
bearing a message. RI Even when the
owner of the vineyard sent his son his
confidence was: "They will reverence
my son." The appeal of God to man is
very largely moral and resistible. HUI
man choice has full opportunity under
conditions of freedom. God does not
make men righteous in their own de-
spite. Even His grace does not compel
men. There is always large margin
for free choice. God restraints this
power and respects the personality of
His creatures in order that He may not
destroy the possibility of moral char
acter by overwhelming force which
might constrain conduct without
affecting the will.
The parable also reminds us of tho
truth that the violation of clear obli-
CATION involves the soul in network Of
evil. The husbandmen thought they
saw an opportunity to seize the vine
yard for their own, and therefore they
not only resisted the owners lawful
claim for his dues, but they did not
shrink from murder. We think that
it takes a very wicked man to be guilty
of such crimes, but little study of hui
man nature shows one sin immeshes
the soul in system. The grosscst
crimes often have had their origin
simply in the attempt of men to pursue
their apparent self-interest at the ex-
pense of others rights. The career of a
Judas, a Macbeth or a Romola exhibits
in another realm the operation of the
same principle that Jesus outlines in
this parable. 1t is from this point of
view that we see how the rejection of
the appeals of the Gospel may identify
us with those who put Jesus to death.
The violation of an obligation tesvhich
the moral nature witnesses might ill
volve any one of us in that tragedy Of
the ages as readily as such violation
ensnared the rulers of Jerusalem.-Bos-
ton Watchman