The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-03-12
Tile International Sunday School Lesson
sIsreh ~, 1903. Matthew XII, ai.3oj 3o-i;
~ lI.. Tho Xhe at nd the tn res.

,lAe International Sunday School Lesson.
March ~, 1903. Matthew iii, 2i.3O, 36-i3
The Wheat aud the Tares.
It Is true yet in q sense that without
a parable Jesus does not speak to the
world. His whole system Is dark
saying to the human mind naturally.
open eye. attentive ear. understanding
heart, alone apprehend his meaning.
There Is need Of moral earnestncss
which cries, Explain to us the para
ble." Tho parable OF the
wheat and tares Is fundamental, II
has been called brief and simple
moral history Of the world" II con-
talns "the ground question OF the phi
losophy Of oil times relating to the ORR
gin Of evil" The parable as
serts that there is no existence OF good
or evil In this world apart from person.
ality. Moral qualities have human
souls as their only sphere. Virtue and
sin root and bring forth fruit In men.
Thus Jesus says, 1.-THE good seed nrc the
children OF the kingdom, but the tares
are tho children OF the wicked one.
+. Those who with the docllity Of
children have come to Jesus, to learn
OF him and have his Kingdom set up
within. have become the wheat with
which the Lord has sown the earth. So
the tares are the children OF the wicked
one. EVIL roots Itself In human souls.
;. As we look out and see n thou-
sand million growing together rs wheat
and tarcs in this vast field this age-long
antagonism, this dread and poisonous
admiNturc, We cxclaim In language OF
c n hn hnn 1gt
thou not SOW good seed? From whence
hath 1t tares?" Jesus dismisscs this
purely speculative question with the
declaration, IAN enemy hath done this"
After thousand volumes have been
written of the origin of evil, we shall
know just as much Of 1t as Christ has
told us here" Sin Is here. Its deadly
effects are apparent. The question Is
not SO much, How did sin get into the
world, as, How may we get 1t out Of
the world? Jesus cautions the disciples
against an attempted mechanical and
forcible publication of the world. LET
both grow." What rivers of blood would
have remained unshed had the church
always been guided by this parable!
). The present Is n probationary
period. in which change of character Is
possible. AS st. Augustine suggests
Those who are tares to-day may be
wheat Tomorrow" Again this oppor-
tunity Is afforded to prove ones good
ness genuine by steadfastness. As Daub
aliirms. THE enemy can put into the
wheat the tendency to become tares"
Only at the end of ones probation, when
full proof of goodness or badness is
made. can flnal separation be effect
ed. This will be done by the hand Of
Omnipotence. guided by unerring wis
dom. The general Judgment
Is the official announcement. In the
court of heaven and to the intellIgences
OF the universe. of the destiny each soul
has made for itself In It's probationary
state. Then shall the right
eous shine forth as II up to that time
they had been under cloud In their
present unavoidable association with
the evil
Mosaic from Commentaries,
Kingdom of heaven: Gods method OF
managing the affairs OF the world and
concerns OF his church.-clarkc. !.
Sowed good seed: God planted man pure
upon the field OF the world-Whcdon.
While men slept: No intima-
ton Of negligence; equivalent 10 .in the
night. Sleeping is added as
q living feature Of the narrative not to
be used in exposit!on.-Rengei. -. :.
Slowed tarcs: Not an unusual circum-
stance in the East.-Hurl6ut. Darnel:
The only poisonous grass.-Schubert.
An enemy hath done this:
Plain answer TO the great question con-
corning the origin Of eril-Wesley. An
enemy with mans concurrcncc.-Ibid.
Answer removes origin OF evil from
God; but further. 1t answers nothing,
and we should rest satisfied.-Stier
Wilt thou that We gather them
up? In such zeal usually large mixture
of carnal heat. F. B. False notion
that the wicked should be destroyed. in
troduced by simply putting 1t dramati-
ically into the mouths of the servants
Whcdon. II. Nay. lest while ye
gather tares ye root wheat: The evil
OF attempting to uproot tares Illustrated
by history Of all religious prosecutions. :
Abbott. He answered.: Hap
PLY this exquisite parable Is, with like
charming simplicity and clcarness. eX-
pounded by the great Teacher himself.
J. T. 3. The field the world:
Those who substitute the church for the
world In Interpretation lose thereby
very important ground feature OF the
parable.-Stier.
Ihe Iencher'siQutrrr. tra
This world IS Jesus own field. He
has never relinqulshed or alicnated his
claim. He holds 1t by triple tenure
creation, preservation. redemption. :.
Twenty centuries have had reason to be
grateful for the earnestness Of the apos-
ties which extracted from Jesus the key
to this fundamental parable. :,
The demand for n perfect church on
earth Is unphllosophical. The effort to
produce one by hasty and arbitrary
means leads TO persecution. A relative
goodness only can be attained In the
present probationary state. I.
Some are offended because of this una
voidable mixture Of good and evil In the
church. The servants of the household
or were not so affected. They did not
desert him because his field contained
both wheat and tarcs. The
sorting time comes later But 1t comes!
After sinners have lnveteratcly resist
ed grace which would have converted
them from tarcs to wheat, they will be
removed. After the Christian
has resisted temptation, arising from
the mixed condition OF the world and
the proximity of the tares, and proven
the intelligence and persistence OF his
choice, he shall be gathered as wheat
into the barn.
- n - q