The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-15
PREACHED ON THE PARALLELS.
Rev. A. w. NIcGahn at the First Bap-
tist Church.


church. The evening sermon was from
the text In the first and second verses Of
the fifteenth chapter OF Luke; Then
Drew Near Unto Him all the publicans
and Sinners for to hear Him. And the
Pharisees and Scribes murmured, saying,
This man receiveth sinners and eateth
with them"
Mr.. McGaha's Bible reading was from
this chapter of Luke, which gives the par
ables of the lost sheep. the lost piece of
money and the prodigal son. The two
verses he took as his text furnish the
key, he said, for the exposition of those
parallels.
Mr.. McGaha said there are some general
rules that ought to be observed in the in
depreciation of parts of the Bible, one of
these being the keeping up with the con-
text and maintaining a perfect connection.
one cannot jump right into a par
ticular subject of the Scriptures and eX-
pect its perfect comprehension. The events
and causes leading up to 1t should
be thoroughly digested before consider
ing the subject, and then a clearer uu-
derstanding of it may be reached. He
cited the instance of the fourteenth chap
ter of John, and said that reader would
give an entirely opposite one to its true
meaning, if that isolated chapter only
were read. The thirteenth has to be
read in a careful ma nner i'm order to in
sure the understanding of the following
chapter.
The speaker said that the Bible is read
in perfunctory way that bears with it
no intelligent understanding. If the let
tiers of our friends were read as the scrip
lures are read, they would seem alto
gether nonsensical. In the same way the
three parallels comprehension rests upon
the two opening verses of the chapter
A picture was drawn of the Christ
standing in the midst of the crowd of pub
leans and sinners with the Pharisees and
scribes short distance away, looking on
with such interest as the dignifed of the
present day hold 5loof, through interest
ed spectators from street scene
that is being enacted near them
The interest is there, however great the
assumption of dignity may be. These
were seeking to find fault with him as
critics, and condemned him because he
saved sinners. This TO them was as I'M
pardonable offense. and was the only
true charge that could be brought against
Him.
The fact of Christ having drawn all of
his illustrations and comparisons from the
everyday and commonplace events and
customs was referred to. The subjects of
the parallels were drawn from the COM
mon walks of life. In speaking of the
| parable of the lost sheep, Mr.. McGaha
said that Il was not the intrinsic value
| Of the animal that caused the shepherd
| to seek it, but the deep love planted in
| the breast of the shepherd for that which
must look to him for its protection. An
| other Illustration of this love for even
| dumb brutes, dependent upon US for pro-
lection, was given by Mr.. McGaha, and
| he said that such IS the love of the Sa-
vior for the lost sinner. Christ came
to save the lost" said he, land there Is
| the gospel In a nutshell Man must real
| ize this and feel that he is lost. Then be-
| lief is easy and his soul is saved" The
lost idea is common to all the parallels
| The reiteration of the idea was advised
| CHRIST meant to convey lessons by il, or
| he would never have used it,
From the parable of the lost piece of
money Mr.. McGaha drew the idea that
| God is always searching for the lost. If
| protracted meetings were begun in that
| church now, he said, and the
| enthusiasm should become great
many business men would leave the
city to escape the search. IF men were to
| work as hard to accept Christ as they do
| TO reject him they would he the pillars of
| the church. 1t Is harder to reject the Lord
| than to accept Him, and il is harder to live
| the life of sinner than that of a Chris
| tan.
The query as to which is the more desir-
| able character of the two in the parable
| u VIC PAOuiSdl SOIL ne WHO ndu Idllen or
| ne VINO had always kept the command
| ments and lived as a model of goodness
| and purity was put. Such a man as the
| last cannot now be proud" said he. THE
nearer man approaches God the more
| unworthy he seems to himself. This fact
| should assure the penitent that because
| they feel that they are not worthy, they
| are unconverted.
The darkest spot in the picture of the
| pure man was that he could not rejoice in
/ the return of his brother, and so the Phar-
| isees could not rejoice in the return of the
| lost sinners to the Lord. What reception
/ does the Lord meet with now in His efforts
to save sinners? Are all the Pharisees and
| scribes dead? When a ragged and forIorn
| creature, moved by the promptings of the
| spirit, walks up the aisle and kneels at
| the rail, some old Pharisee Will nudge his
neighbor and say that they don't want
| him, that he would be drunk In less than a
week. But what if he is?
Man must have sympathy, for without
| II he dies or is driven within the walls of
a madhouse Paul of Tarsus was for for
| " years prey to strong drink and the
| darkest crime. But some one will say
| Then you mean that the church should
wipe out the social liner No, that it not
what 1 mean; l mean that the church
| should not wipe out the lines of Christ
! Look when an old woman, dressed in
| faded calico, with jaded look and Bonded
| back, processes the faith, and see an old
| Pharisee say, We don't want her; let her
| 20 join the Methodists; send her out to
the mission church; let her join some
| other denomination.
| The scribes and Pharisees stand of
wrapped in this Indifference while 6O.OOO
! people are in this city and only a few in
| the church. We have the truth, but we
have not the people. There are people
who have been allowed to starve 20 Scath
and then had their graves covered with
flowers Help them before they die. The
| odor of one small bunch of those fiow-
| ers In sick room is worth more than a
| whole wagon load on the grave.
| man would not refuse a request 10
! aid In the burial OF some poor person. He
would willingly run his hand into his
| pocket and give a dollar, but Is cents a
| week before that poor creatures death
/ would have been worth more than 100 Of
| those dollars that were given to bury her
| MI. McGaha said he was glad that IL
| had been announced that there would he
a missionary meeting and Offering in tho
| lecture room Of the church Wednesday
night, as II would allow the members 10
give flowers to the living. He will con-