The Washington times., 1901-08-19
TO WHOM CHRIST COMES.
The Respectable Pharisee and the
Sinful Woman Compared.
Jesus welcomed in Home of Lux
ury-A FriendIcss Outcast Seeks
the Salvation. of. Her Soul - Re
deemed by Fcrvcnt Faith in God.

The Rev John Pollard, D. D., pastor
of the Baptist Church at Bowling Green.
Va, yestertla~ morning occupied the pull
pit of the First Baptist Church. in this
city of which his son, the Rev. E. 3. Pol
lard, is acting pastor. The theme of his
discourse was Jesus With Two Sinners
and his text was taken from Luke vii:S7, IS.
lie began by saying that resemblance
between the two sinners described in the
text is illustrated in the rock everywhere
underlying the surface of the earth In
some regions, H. said. this rock protrudes
itself, at other points a few feet of dig
ging and probing will reveal it, at other
places it lies far beneath that its pres
ence would not be suspected. Yet even
here, after sufficient drilling, the steel
will finally strike the rock strata. So. he
said. all men are at the bottom sinners.
The sinfulness of some is thrust upon
you, in others it is revealed upon slight
acquaintance, while the wrong-doing of
still others may be buried under so many
prcprieties. decencies, and professions
that you may sometimes doubt its exis-
tence. Yet peculiar circumstances will re-
veal it, and it is always open to God.
In contrasting the two sinners alluded
to in the theme, DIR. Pollard said that
one was a respectable sinner, while the
ether was a despised sinner. THE re-
spectacle sinner he continued, lis ST.
mon, the man who was entertaining Je-
sus at this time. He is spoken of as
Pahrisee, a name then the synonym OF
responsibility. The despised sinner is
woman: she is known 10 have been guilty
of that sin which stamps an indeilibie
stain upon a woman and drives her forth
as a reprobate and an outcast- To one
OF these sinners Jesus comes; the other
comes to Jesus. To the Pharisee Jesus
comes. He desires Jesus to dine with
him; Jesus goes in and sits down to meat.
We can imagine how this respectable man
manages the affair. When Jesus appears
at his door he is met by liveried SER
want who invites him into the parlor,
while a report is made to the master of
the mansion. After a sufficient time
elapses the Pharisee appears and well
come is formally presented. All very nice,
all very proper.
But the other sinner comes to Jesus.
On a recent occasion she has heard Jesus
say unto the crowd about her. Come unto
me all we that travail and are heavy laden
and / will give you rest. And in accor-
dance with the invitation she has sought
his presence. Her shame makes her
shrink from his gaze. She knows the
1t is better to come to Jesus than to have
Jesus come to us.
''One of these sinners is impenitent, the
other contrite The Pharasee Is self
righteous and seIf-composed. Go and
teach repentance to those who dwell In
prisons and in brothels to criminals on
the way to execution. but mention it not
to me. Such is the language Of the pha-
risical heart. But the woman stands
weeping at the feet of Jesus. Weeping for
what? Because some friend is dead? She |
has no friends, unless she has perchance
found one in the Saviour of the world |
What then is she weeping for? For her |
sins All her previous life passes before |
her like a panorama painted upon the |
misfortune. Such tears Jesus would glad |
iy wipe away, but tears for sin he would |
sooner start than stop.
One of these sinners Is in doubt, the I
other strong in faith. The Pharisee does !
not believe Jesus equal to Moses and |
Elijah. IT. Ich less equal to God. The wo- /
man has faith; she sees in Jesus a pro- |
phet- the eternal son. the promised Mes /
siah. One is unsaved. the other saved. |
The Pharisee was not saved. This inter- |
veiw with Jesus left him where it found |
him, with all his sins upon him He was |
rot penitent, he would not believe. there /
fore he was not saved. But the woman !
was saved. Her sins. which were many.
were foreiven-a striking illustration of
what Jesus said upon another occasion,
that pubiicans and harlots shall go into
She was saved not because she was a
woman. not because the gospel looks
lightly upon that particular sin of which
she was guilty, but through her faith and
He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved