Morgan County republican., 1910-08-11
The Laborers in
the Vineyard
Sunday School Les'oa for Aug. II. 1910
Specially Arranged for This Paper

before the CruclIlSlOn,
PLACE.-Perea, beyond Jordan.
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
/. The Parable Of the Laborers and
its Meaning-Vs. i.15. For the king.
dom Of Heaven is like unto a man
that is householder, the owner of
a farm or an estate.
The householder represents Christ
who is the visible representative Of
God.
Went out early in the morning to
hire laborers.
The Vineyard represents the world
In which God has planted the true
vine. This is set forth with peculiar
power by Isaiah (ch. 81. He compares
the nation OF Israel to vineyard plant
ed by God. "the we'll beloved" who
had loved them with everlasting love.
He did everything possible for them,
that they might bring forth the best
fruits.-obedience, sincere worship,
righteous living, the beauty Of holi.
ness, love, Joy. peace and all the fruits
of the Spirit, intelligence, noble char
acter and missionary work among the
nations. He placed them in the best
country in the world for the purpose.
He hedged them round with laws and
divine institutions, and with his own
loving care defended them from all
enemies.
But the expected fruit was not borns
on these vines. "He looked that II
should bring forth grapes, and 1t
brought forth wild grapes" grapes of
gall. bitter clusters"
Gods Garden. In l Cor. 3:9, Paul
tells the Christians at Corinth that "ye
are Gods husbandry," which old-fash.
ioned word seems to have little mean.
ing to us. The Revised Version helps
us to see its meaning, "Ye are Gods
titled land" The twentieth century
New Testament calls 1t Gods har.
vestfleld" 1t is farm. an orchard, q
garden in its larger meaning. There.
too. God wants laborers each In his
own garden. to make It yield all
graces, all virtues. all Beatitudes, the
Ten Commandments, the Fruits of tho
Spirit. You are to be part OF the
church as described in Acts 2; and Of
the redeemed earth. and Of Heaven.
pictured to us in the last chapters Of
Revelation
The Laborers are all those who are
helping to do Gods work on earth,
who for him and with him are labor
Ing to make the world what It ought
to be, full Of all the fruits OF the
spirit. transformed into the kingdom
of God. There is no such privilege in
the world as to be laborers with
God.
81. "IIe went out about tho third
eleventh hour" Several timss the
householder went after laborer&, for
there was more work to be done than
the first ones called could do "Why
stand ye here all day idle?" They an.
swercd that mo man hath hired u.s."
mo man would stand all day in the
marketplace idle, unless because he
wanted work and could not get IT,
Exp. Ok Test.
Call the laborers, and give them
their hire" They received each one
penny. whether they had worked
one hour or twelve.
The first =. , supposed that
they should receive more" since they
had borne the burden and heat OF th'
day." the scorching heat. Having done
more they felt that they ought to have
larger pay; and they complained tc
the steward OF their unfair treatment
Their very complaint showed that
they were not truly the first and best
The Last First and the First Last
V. 16. This saying with variation,
was repeated several times by Jesus
so the last shall be first, and the frs
last"
Those are really first in Gods sigh
in whom the desire to be first hal
been overmastered by the spirit O
love"
This is true Of nations, as the Jew
ish nation were first In time. first II
opportunity. but they did not make us,
OF their advantages: and Christianit.
which was last has become the first.
The Call for Laborers. There ar,
two ways Of increasing the numbe
Of laborers. One Is by adding to thei
number; the other is by increasin,
the power and value of each one.
There is a call for workers In tn
fields white to the harvest in ever.
community. In every Sunday school, Ii
every church. II people realized tn
value of "the penny a day" God give.