The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-04-16
GODS MESSAGE TO MAN
PREGNANT THOUGHTS FROM THE
WORLDS GREATEST PROPHETS.

Pay Too High Price For Eternal LIss
-comrnon sonss and the Bible.
Gods boundless love and arching sky
Above us when We wake or sleep,
Above us when we smile or weep,
Above us when We live or die.
Gods tireless love! Beside the cot,
Of her sick child the mother sieepa
The Heavenly Father ever keeps
Unweary watch-He slumbers not.
Gods patient love! Misunderstood
BY hearts that suffer in the night;
Doubted-yet waiting till heavens light
Shall show how all things work for good.
Gods chanseless love! The wandering one
Forsakes, foryets, dishonors, yet,
Repensing, going home, ID met
With no reproach-"Weicome, My con-"
Gods endless love! What will it be
When earthly shadows fee away,
For all eternity's bright day,
The unfolding Of that love TO see!
-Maltbie D. Bsbeock.
The Psfsblss.
To the Editor-PIease explain Matthew
are the pearls!-Reader.
The parable of the merchantmen and the
pearl Of great price and the parable Of the
treasure hid in field were both designed
to illustrate tho teaching that man cannot
pay too high q price for eternal life. It is
the same truth that Jesus taught in still
more pointed way when Q very rich young
man-who was also Q very good young
man, MP to the measure of his understand.
ing OF life's obigations-kneeled before
Him on the public road and asked what
he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus
said, Sell whatsoever thou hast, and give
to the Door, and thou shalt have treasure
in heaven; and come, take up the cross
and follow Me-" (Mark 10: ~. And He
taught it again when He said, III thine eye
cause thee to stumble, cast it out; it i!
good for thee to enter the kingdom OF God
with one eye rather than having two eyes
to be cast into hell"
It Is not wo:th while to debate over the
symbols used in our Lords parallels. One
man might attach enc meaning to one oi
the symbols and another another, and yet
they might be both right or both wrong
in their Interpretation Of the parable a. q
whole. The important thing in each case
is to get at the truth which the parable
was intended to set forth, and that Is usu'
.. ally quite easy If we look directly and sim.
ply at the picture presented by eur Lord
and NO not try TO exercise our ingenuity
In thinking up hidden or unlikely mean
ings to try and make the parable agree
with our ideas Of truth.
The parallels Of our Lord were not in
tended to be interpreted literally or tc
have q meaning attached to each sentence,
Each parable is designed to set forth some
great truth in regard to the kingdom oi
heaCen which Jesus had come to set up on
earth, and the whole parable should b
read in its relation to that truth. Other
wise very false ideas with regard to the
character and manner Of the kingdom vii
inevitably be found in the parallels:
For instance, It 10 easy to make the para
bic of Dives and Lazarus teach that hell
or purgatory, is q place purihcation; fol
the rich man, who was utterly seifsh on
earth, is represented as having developed
| a missionary spirit in hades.
In like manner, the parable Of the "Un'
lust Steward" might be made to teach that
righteousness 10 not 50 important a.
shrewdness; for it IS written that "hia
lord commended the unjust steward be
cause he had done wisely-althoush hil
wisdom consisted in swindling his lord.
Or again, the parable OF the "lmportu
| nate Widow" might be used to teach that
God grants prayers only to get rid OF ths
petitioners without any regard to the quail
| ity of the prayer. .--~".~,
And the parable Of the "Laborers in thu
Vineyard" might easily be used to prove
that It would make no difference to mar
| in the end whether he had served God al
| his life or had only begun in old age.
Common sense must always be used II
the Interpretation of the Bible II we want
| to have an intelligent comprehension OF it,
teaching. The Bible was intended princi
pally for simple.minded folk; not to give
ingenious people an opportunity to display
their ingenuity. Some religious teachers
eet great credit for knowledge and under
standing Of the Scriptures, because they
bring new ideas out OF them. And there Il
class Of religious people who are always
running after such teaching, and who
whenever they get q new thought which
pleases them say they have get such q
| blessing" from the sermon or address tc
which they have been listening. These
people have an altogether erroneous ldea
of the religion OF Christ, which does no,
consist in running after new ideas, but II
doing new works.-New York Witness.
Let Your Hearts Be Opened.
Take stone. dash it over q vessel o.
| -. thon r-;th a atodoe nreak oDen thai