The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1910-08-04
The Laborers in
the Vineyard
Sunday School Lesson for Aug. II, 1910
Specially Arranged for This Paper

shall be last and the last shall be first"
Matt. 1890. va
TIME.-March A. D., 80. a short time
before the cruchxion.
PLACE.-Perea, beyond Jordan.
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
/. The Parable of the Laborers and
Its Meaning.-vs. Ills. For the king
dom of Heaven is like unto a man
that is a householder, the owner Of
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
Observation-Disclosures, 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 borne
on these vines. "He looked that II
should bring forth grapes, and It
brought forth wild grapes" grapes of
gall. bitter clusters"
Gods Garden. In 1 Cor. $40, Paul
tells the Christians at Corinth that we
are Gods husbandry," which old-fash-
Toned 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 It Gods har-
vestneld." II is a farm. an orchard. a
garden in its larger meaning. There,
too, God wants laborers each In his
own garden. to make II yield all
graces. all virtues. all Beatitudes, the
Ten Commandments, the Fruits OF the
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
! IN mi Ia Ar1I 10 q "A
to be. full OF all the fruits OF the
spirit. transformed into the kingdom
OF God. There ia no such privilege in
the world as to be laborers with
God.
81. "He went out about the third
sixth ninth g.
eleventh hour" Several times the
householder went after laborers, for
there was more work to be done than
the first ones called could do. why
stand we here all day idle?" They an
swered 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
Nad 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 to
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 variations
was repeated several times by Jesus,
so the last shall be first. and the first
last"
Those are really first in Gods sight
In whom the desire TO be first has
been overmastered by the spirit OF
love"
This is true OF nations, as the Jew
ish nation were first In time, first in
opportunity, but they did not make use
OF their advantages: and Christianity
which was last has become the first.
The Call for Laborers. There are
two ways of increasing the number
OF laborers One is by adding to their
number; the other is by increasing
the power and value of each one.
There is a call for workers in the
fields white to the harvest In every
community. in every Sunday school. in
every church. II people realized the
value of "the penny a day" God gives.
the blessing OF personal work for
Christ In every department. but espe-
cially in work among the children.
they would beg for the opportunity.
What Doctor Payson said of preachers
is applicable to all; that II ministers
realized the blessing and the oppor-
tunity God had conferred upon them.
they would leap and shout for 10y:
Il am a minister of Christ; | am a
minister OF Christ"
During the late war in Ashantee the
chief officer of the Scotch Guards.
when reviewing this splendid regi-
raent, asked who among them would
volunteer for the Ashantee expedition.
When he looked again he saw the regi-