The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-05-02
LESSON STORY.

Jesus did not, as we learned in for
mer lesson, prescribe any formula for the
private devotions of his disciples. He
did not attempt to bridge the natural
liberty of the individual soul. But he
was none the less insistent on prayer. as
a life-habit. Freedom in prayer, &C
cording to his incubation, is divinely
right; neglect of prayer, as a life habit,
is humanity wrong.
AS the shadows we're gathering around
his own path he found renewal OF
strength and deepening peace in frequent
communings with the Father. He was
himself assured that. however forsaken
of man he might be, he was not alone.
because the father was with him. What
he taught concerning prayer by example,
he emphasized by precept.
Immediately preceding our leesonp pas
sage Jesus narrated the parable of the
Unjust Judge. A judge administered
his office, as Jesus imagined, for the sole
purpose of securing its emoluments. A
widow of the same city came to him ask
ing to have wrong which was being
done to her righted. Some adversary
was withholding from her what was
legally her own. The widow came to the
judge again and again. He was annoyed;
he had no disposition to do justice for
the sake of justice; he had no thought
of serving God or man in administering
his office. But he said. Il must give her
the benefit of the law, else she will wear
me out, literally bruise my head to
jelly, by her importantly" So the wo-
mans urgency secured from the unjust
judge the justice which was her due.
The lesson taught by the parable is that
the disciples of Christ shall by persistent
prayer keep their hearts from discour
agement, in the assurance that what the
unrighteous judge granted unwillingly,
God will grant willingly to his elect.
Jesus further tells his disciples that the
crisis for which he would have them
prepared cannot be long delayed; God
a0iH aUenge them speedily. He exhorts
them to keep their faith, while he warns
them that their faith will be severely
tried. He indicates the severity and
danger Of the approaching trial of their
faith the trial which would come
when he was crucified and their cause
be apparently lost,-by the pathetic
question, When the Son Of Man conaeth
shall he find the faith IN the earth? He
wonders whether human nature can en-
dure such crucial test.
So far Jesus teaches the need of un-
discouraged persistency in prayer.
He continues his instruction in our
lesson passage. By another striking
parable, drawn from common life in his
day, he shows that mans supreme need
is moral publication. and that the su-
preme answer of prayer is moral har-
nomination with God.
1. The Pharisee's Prayer
VS.. 9-12.
TAO men loent up into the temple to
pray: the one Pharisee and the other a
publican.
The Pharisees had been a sect of the
Jews about an hundred years. They
rose as a company devoted to the strict
observance of the Mosaic Law. The
name chosen by these religionists was
Companions; the name given to them by
opponents, to indicate their partialism,
was Pharisees, that is Separatsts. They
held themselves aloof from their brother
Jews; they assumed to be above the
common people; they were not them
selves averse to be known as Separatists.
The idea to which this sect was at first
devoted, the exaltation of the Mosaic
Law. was good one; but when the sect
subsequently maintained that number
less oral additions to the law were iden-
tical with the Law itself, its original idea
was twisted into a deformity. The
Pnarisees appear to have believed in
endless punishment; they accepted the
doctrine, as the scholars tell US, not be-
cause it was taught 10 either the Law or
by the prophets. but because it was pre-
scribed by their own teachers. What
ever ethical value there may be in this