The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-12-22
SUNDAY AT
THE CHURCHES.
Parable of the Marriage
Supper,
DIR. B &. MITCHELL'S THEME
At The First Cumb 'rland Presbyterian
Church Sunday NIght-At the Other
Churches.
DIR. B &. MITCHELBS THEME


DR. B. G. Mitchell, who has been con
ducting services at the First Cumberland
Presbyterian Church for the past two
weeks, preached his last sermon to that
congregation last night. His discourse,
which was based on the parable of the
marriage supper, as found in the 14th
chapter Of the gosple of st. Luke, was
fervent eXhortatiou to his hearers to
turn away from sin and lead better lives.
In beginning, Dr. Mitchell said that
the first thing to be implied from the
text was that all things were ready. A
certain, man says the parable, had pre-
pared great supper and bade many to
come So God has prepared fesat and
invites dU to come and partake of it.
| God does not deal in peices and parts.
He is infinite in His resources, and He
pleads with all people to come unto Him.
| God invites us because He has all for
| giveness. Over against our uncleaness
| lie sets His forgiveness and cleansing.
| Over against our nakedness, He offers
His clothing garments made clean in
the bic Cd of the Lamb: beautiful robes
that will wear us throughout all eter-
nifty Over against our sorrow He sets
His infinite Joy and peace, and He is
calling to us to come and partake of
them. saying they are now ready. Over
against our weakness, He sets His in
finite strength. O how weak we are, and
how prone to yield to temptations! Yet
in God we may find strength to overcome
them. Over against our death and
darkness He sets His life and light. God
says, 81 am the way, the truth and the
life, and sin Him was life and the life
was the light of man y
All these things are nOU ready. God
didn't say all these things would be ready
tomorrow, but He bids us come to- -dav
while Heis rear, for tomorrow may be
too late. AS the men who refused to
come to the supper were forbidden to
taste thereof, so God will refuse to let
us partake Of His feast if we do not
heed his call.
The unreadiness and excuses of those
who refused to come to the supper grew
out of their possessions and abilities.
They had so many acres and so many
oxen, and could do so much and do it SO
we'll, that they had no time to 90 to the
supper So it is in the world to-day.
Men have so many possessions and are
so wrapped up in their business and So
cial matters that they have not time to
, attend to spiritual things. They are
bending their energies toward gaining
! acres and oxen and money, and leaving
, their religion to take care of itself They
have time to think of pleasure and bust
! NESS, yet they have not time to think of
God. The world is running wild with
the idea of business and greed for gold
Young men are growing up to believe
that the only thing they were sent into
the world for was to become business
men, and they are losing sight of the
: fact that they are here for a grarder.
nobler cause-to love God and do His
, bidding. The love for money and world
ly possessions is one of the great evils of
the country. Nearly nineteen hundred
years ago the Divine hand portrayed the
picture of this covetousness which is
seen in the world to-day. Riches and
abilities keeping are many men from
coming to God.
After those who were hidden to the
supper refused to come, the master oi
the feast sent into the streets and lanes
of the city and then into the highways
and hedges and bade the poor, and the
MANNED, and the halt, and the blind, tC
come. Unlike those who declined tC
come, they were poor and not encum
bered with earthly possessions, and wer,
empty and hungry. Some of them, per
haps, were outcasts, and some were
manned so they could not walk to see
the lands or manage the oxen. Many Of
them accepted the invitation and wen
to the feast. Sometimes it is better fol
men to have their worldly possession.
taken away from them or to become af
fiicted in some way in order that they
may be made to turn to God.
God so loved the world that He sem
His Son into it TO invite us to the grea
feast, and He is sending men and womer
out into the highways and hedges TO
day, spreading abroad the invitation anC
beseeching all to come. The invitation
is going to close bye and-bye, and if W,
refuse to turn and accept we cannot at
tend the feast. What are we going {,
do with the call? What are we going t,
do with this gracious offer and invita-
ton?
In closing the sermon, DIR. Mitchell
urged those who were out Of God {,
leave off their sins, and accept the invi
ton. and several shook hands with hin
as an expression of their desire 20 lea'
better lives.