Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1907-01-16
OKOLONA, MISS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY Is 1907

more VICIOUS. Jesus was 00G aVor6o TO reSpocC8DlI
ity; His wonderful interview with Nicodemus was
as faithful as His equally marvellous dealing with
the woman Of Sychar's WE'LL fathfulness characteriz-
ed Him with the Ruler of the Jews and the Samari-
tan adutress neither really susceptible to His
teachings than the other The man who came to
Him by night had no mole moral fitness to receive
Him than the woman Of Samaria, of whom he asked
drink at high noon. Jesus had but one gift to
bestow upon respectable and ontcast, "fOr there is
no difference. By one man sin entered into the
world and death by sin, and so death passes upon
all men for that all have sinned." One man brought
in sin and every man begotten through him had the
same characteristics; brought in life, there
was no life apart from Him, no one good enough
without it, none too bad to be out OF reach Of it.
'The wages of sin is death, but the gift Of God is
eternal life thro' Jesus Christ our Lord"
Jesus had nothing of the natural antipathy of
man, who simply judged BY what he could see; He
hated hypocrisy and he only could see the heart;
while he hated sin, He loved the sinner; when He
died it was to save sinners, respectable and other
wise. Jesus proved His willingness to receive Il 1
prodigal; the elder brother pilloried himself with
the other respectables, who conspired to kill
Lord because Of His readiness te save the lost.
respectables joined hands, Pharisees, Herodif
Sadducers, Romanes, to compass His death becaG
He received sinners and ate with them. Til
righteousness which the Tespectsbles brought tfs
John Baptist also brought to Jesus and reject
ed by Him; for in their ignorance they refused to
submit themselves to the righteousness Of God while
they went about establish their righteousness.
The Pharises extOlled his own virtues, the Publi.
can saw himself sinner, the one under conviction
the other in the temple Of Go1, but net brought
under the power of God, and Jesus was no more
affected by the Pharsee's recital of His virtues
than by their comparison with che alleged vices Of
the Publican. That which pleased the Lord and
justified the Publican was found in his taking his
place AS a sinner. In the estimation OF men one was
worse than the other, but they were both alike
until the one took his place sinner This gave
him the precedence and hence the preference with
God. (Luke 1900 These distinctions still exists,
practically the Publican was NO worse than the
Pharisee. Their lives, in their alienation to God,
had simply taken on and reflected their environ
ments, one in religion, the other without, both
holiness Of HE own unreconciled, sinful nature, he
never would have fattered himself and slandered
his neighbor. The alleged extoItion and injustice
OI Gn0 Ou61 no more Ou0uSlV0 III Cu0 6IguG OF GOU
than the Outbreaking hate hypocrisy Of the other,
the conduct Of the Publican not nearly subversive
Of the Jewish national life as the bigotry and self
righteousness Of the Pharisee who pretended to
stand for God The most despicable class in all the
universe is found among those who wear religion as
cloak, but whose hypocritical lives speak louder
than their profession; what they are is not what
they seem; among this class those who in their
ignorance grade sin in the face Of what is written
whatsoever is not Of faith is SIM and to him who
kEoweth to do good and dOeth it not to him is sim"
The Pharisees condemned themselves in judging and
condeming the Publicans. The Lord Jesus was
not swayed for . moment by the estimate they
placed upon those whom they desired to stgmatize
the "hated class, " and whose unsupported experate
testimony our writer affects to believe and stands
ready to give it currency. The attitude Of the
Pharisees toward Him who was the express image
Of God, and who had come out from God, furnished
but poor equipment for fitting in the place Of
judge. These ultra respectable religionists who
cursed the land 'shated Him without causeJ' they
ccvenaDted with Judas for the price Of slave for
the betrayal Of One who came to bless and save.
Kingston, Jamaca, was overwhelmed BY AZ