The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-02-27
Subject: The Parable Of Jesus.

unseen truth that must be searched
out to be secured. The ring and the
calf and the cloak and the feast
but tell in story the outward evil
dence of the fathers love. We for.
get the sheep when we hear the
voice Of God. Don't bother with the
yeast; think of the spiritual uplift
we would have and would become
personally If we had the fullness of
the kingdom of heaven within US.
The parallels are profound. If you
are u~nconvinced, just follow one of
them to the end of its implications,
under the guidance of the Spirit.
The positiveness of the parallels
is refreshing. There Is no hesitancy
about them. The Lord was certain
that men could understand them If
they would. He was SUR that they
mirrored life and would have a real
appeal to men. Furthermore there
was no doubt in the mind of Christ
that they contained a measure Of
spiritual truth which any man, under
the influence Of the Spirit, might
easily discern. No man has to think
twice to understand that it Is not
only unfair but also wrong to make
no use, or feeble use Of divinely be-
slowed capacities. There is mis-
taking the assurance that the parable
affords the man who puts his trust
in riches, that he is. a fool. Is there
any doubt as to the opinion God has
of those Pharisees who bless their
stars they are q little better than
the common herd? The action Of
the yeast in the dough presents a
strong picture OF the power Of truth.
Those things that are cogent and
positive almost always have point.
The parallels are pointed. They are
both sharp and we'll aimed. They
do not beat around the bush or be-
fog the issue. They make straight
for the mark. The sower and his
seed reflect the Gospel and Jul
hearts. The JOY at the finding of
the money Is like to the Joy Of the
Father over the lost who are found.
The drawnet and its catch ought to
make US less susceptible to class
and social distinctions, and more
cognizant of the fact that the king
dom of God is for all men. The
spectacle of the cautious king who
took tally Of his troops should re-
veal clearly that we cannot serve
Jesus without spiritual preparation.
Those ten virgins ought to warn us
that death-bed repentances are risky,
Just as certainly as the tale Matthew
tells US of the vineyard workmen
and their. hire admonishes us that
we should be cheerful not churlish
because men who have been bad in
this life enter r%epentant, by the
grace of God, into equal salvation
with US at the end Of evil lives. The
parallels have point and being well
barbed and feathefed they fly true
and stick. Full of life, and reflect
ing life, they carry truth lastingly
to our hearts.
Profoundly pointed, positive, the
pungent parallels of Christ are CO.
gent. They are powerful to arrest
attention and to hold 1t, and to
stimulate our thought. To appre-
ciate them best and for them to
be most of benefit to us we must
enter into the mind of Christ. Filled
with His Spirit and dominated by
His love we shall eve discover won
ders, comfort, peace, inspiration In
His truth. For Jesus is the master
teacher of the ages. He Is the pro-
foundest philosopher of the world.
Men may not accept Christian the
ology concerning Him, they may not
accept Him as a Saviour in the Chris
tian use of the term; but wherever
there is a man of philosophic ability,
wherever there is a mind of surpass-
ing intellectual clarity, there is
Christ honored for His insight, His
intellectual acumen, His intensity
of soul. The parallels Of Jesus are
the messages Of a philosopher and a
Saviour.