The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-07-07

chapter of St. Luke's gospel, the Pharlsees had been crit
icising Christ for receiving %Publicans and sinners and eat
ing with them. And in answer to their structures ana JudS
ments, Christ addressed to them this parable. He showed
to them the folly and w~ickedness of ~despising these low
and degraded classes, and refusing to help them, by the
spectacle of the elder son refusing to receive ms rePentant
brother. 1t was designed as a rebuke to the Pharlsees tor
their naughty and supercilous contempt tor the so-called
classes of sinners and for their refusing to them any
rights or spiritual privileges. In the elder brother our
Lord doubtless meant to represent the Pharlsees; SO repre-
sent them as to force them to see and recognize the image
of themselves-to show them how, in the presence OF COM
passion and mercy they would yet close the gates against
repentance and contrition in others. Ii, then, we are to
Judge by the purpose of this parable, the chief character
in It is the elder son, All the surroundings, the younger
sons riotous living, his degradation and repentance ana
the fathers OVERLOOKING tenderness and COMPASSIONATE OF
that is put before us as a setting to display the character
and conduct of the elder brother. This narrative, then, IS
not merely the parable of the Prodlgal Son, as men deno1n-
mate it, but also that of the elder brother AND 1t IS TO-
a consideration of some of the features and characteristics
of this person in the parable that I invite your attention
this morning.
Now, let it be said in the first place, that the errors and
weaknesses and deficiencies of the elder brother are those
to which excellent and religious people are PecullarlyNable.
The sins of this person are the ofenses OF a lite otherwise
upright and honorable. His whole existence had been
one of faithful and meritorious service, and was IN stnk-
ing contrast to the designations of his brother. And yet,
good and excellent as his lite was ne had MS iauitS ana
sins. AS the younger son shows the faults OF a dlsobedlent
and ungodly life, so the elder brother displays the dangers
and weakness that just as surely belong to the obedlent
and religious life. What are some OF the Deficiencies !
Moral and upright as was the lite OF the elder son. ne 1alS
utterly in a broad and kindly human spirit. He had form
ed his theory of life; and in this theory faithfulness and up
, rightness had the chief place. He knew no lite into Whlch
the cardinal qualities did not enter. That was his conceP-
ton of life, and he lived up to it. 1t was correct SO lar as
# went. But at the same time it was narrow and limited.
There were truth and life that were not included in his con-
ception; of which indeed he was ignorant. He had lett no
place for repentance and forgiveness. For him, lite was to
be won by inAexible uprightness, and the man who tailed
here was utterly rejected. The life of this man was cor
rect no one could charge him with fault. And yet 1t was
"a cold and repellant kind of correctness, utterly lacking IN
human interest, altogether failing to inspire IN us pleasure
and admiration. He was trying to serve God ne bent all
the energies of his being to obeying the command to love
God with heart, and soul, and mind. But he forgot the
second commandment of the law which is like unto the
first, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyselt." He was
lacking in real human flesh and blood, warmth and LIE.
He was good and moral, but cold, and hard and rePulslve.
And so the world has always turned from the elder brother
with his small and lfeless excellence, and has dwelt upon
the misguided and yet generous life of the younger son,
and rejoiced at his restoration to righteousness: NOW, IS
there not much of goodness and religion to-day OF tnls
character In it's efforts to live a life such as 1t ought to
live, does it not forget that the end is not to be better, sim,
ply, but rather to be better men? More and more, men !
To be broader, truer, more natural, and human Does 1t
not forget this Is not the goodness OF many christian
people to-day somehow divorced from a strong and vlgor-
Gus life? Does it not seem to be abstract Far away
from the things and objects that engage the attention OF
men? So hard and repellant has Christianity been made
to appear, so far removed from the ordinary interests ana
enter prises and thoughts of men, that the problem with
Christianity is, today, how to reach the masses. SUCH a
problem could arise only where Christians are like the elder
brother-simply correct and upright, and lacking in a broad
and kindly sympathy for men, as men. Such a problem
could arise only where Christians, as did the elder brother,
fail to meet the second great command of the law-love to
lone neighbor. And this problem can be met only when
Christians show in their lives that the gospel OF Christ does
not make them less human, less men, does not abstract
them from the ordinary thoughts and feelings OF men
does not in any way separate them from men, but brings
them closer into touch with all that is best in man in all
time. In the effort to maintain their Christian character,
some men seem to go about encased in armor that shuts
out people and things about them. They appear separated
from life about them, and hard and repenant. But the
t Man Christ was genial and kindly, afable and aPProacha-
Bile, taking a part in the life about him with keenest zest
and interest. And He is the One Man in all time.
But again, in this elder son, in this correct and religious
Il man, there is an illustration of this truth Ihatsome per-
sons are solicitous about righteousness, not for its own sake,
but for the Incidental advantages and rewards that go with
it. The prominent thing in the mind OF this man was the
wealth, and position, and responsibility that resulted from
81 his goodness. He was therefore utterly indifferent TO the
i fact of his brothers repentance and restoration to an up
:; right life. The fact of goodness was of minor Importance
to him. His brothers repentance and sorrow, and deter
mination to do better, awakened no responsive feeling IN
his heart. His only thought was, that as his brother hao
not been true, and good, he should forfeit the rewards OF
such a life. How very different the father. he was Just
as correct and upright and good as was the son yet, IN the
mind of the father, righteousness and the restoration to 1t
were foremost. And when this father saw his younger son