The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-06-08

how beautiful it is 10 realize that the
perfect Jesus was humble and that
all the holy angels are so.
Grapes OF Bramble Bush
While the Scriptures forbid God S
people to Judge one another. they do
commend to us another kind of judg-
ing. We are not to judge in the
sense OF condemning, sentencing,
etc, those who claim to be honest,
sincere, reverential, merely because
they differ from what we would eX-
rect; God knows their hearts and to
his own Master each servant must
stand or fall eventually.
But while not cOndemning the
heart We are TO Judge Of the out
ward conduct. The parable which
our Lord in his lesson gives respect
ing the gathering of grapes from
bramble bushes illustrates this point
Gods people are likened to the grape
vine, which produces no thorns but
luscious clusters of fruit. Mankind
in general are likened TO bramble
bushes, ready to scratch, tear, in
jure on the slightest prOvocation,
ard are merely lf-sustaining, no;
bringing forth fruitage that will be
tinguish between such characters
and Gods people: by their fruits
shall We know them"
1t is said that at times a brambla
bush will be entirely covered by 4
vine, so that the grapes would APP
pear to be coming from the bush. We
are not to be mistaken. 4 good tree
cannot bring forth an evil fruitage
neither can an injurious tree bring
forth a good fruitage. The lesson
applied to humanity, is that those
who are really Gods people cannot
live injurious lives or fruitless lives;
they must be fruit bearing else they
are none of His. And should we find
some of the fruits of the spirit COM
mingling with a thorniness of life,
an evil. injurious disposition. we are
to assume that In some sense of the
word the fruitage is merely put on
and does not belong to the bramble-
bush character.
II is therefore useless for any man
to tell us that he has given his heart
to the Lord in fullness Of consecra-
ton and that he has received the
sanctifying influences of the Holy
Spirit and yet find him rejoicing in
sin, taking pleasure in iniquity, in
justice. selfishness and course of
life injurious to his neighbors. If
his heart be changed the results will
be manifest in his daily life. because
'out Of the abundance of the heart
the mouth speaketh."
The House on the Rock.
The closing parable Of this lesson
is in full tune with its opening verse
In the first parable the blind who
trust to the leadership of the blind
fail into the ditch. In the parable
now before us the picture is that of
a householder. Ii he be wise he will
not build upon the shifting sands.
which either a wind storm or a rain
storm may undermine. and cause a
wreck, but he will seek solid, rock
foundation which will endure the
storm.
This parable illustrates two classes
of believers. Both hear the Great
Teachers instructions and both be-
lleve and both rear faith structures
| and entertain heavenly hopes. But
the one is more prudent. NOR. care
full than the other. One seeks for the
doctrines and principles of thc Divine
Word, and builds his faith structures
upon that true foundation which III,
Divine Revelation affords. Ills faith
cannot fail whatever storms max aS.
sail; ii is surely founded on III, hi
vine promises.
The unwise believer takes loo
much for granted and builds upon
the traditions of the elders. tn,
creeds of the Dark Ages. etc. II,
fails 10 appreciate the necessity iol
having proper foundation for III,
faith and his works In the ,inl,, O.
stress and storm with which tn ac,
will end all such will find thc foam
dation swept from under thti~ -!
structure. There will be a go. Il
fall of Babylon. as the Scriptura~ r.
>, elare-eNerythins not we'll iouuL..
upon the sure word OF God W. .iy
way: That day shal! deelar, E. :.
, Paul mentions The same class .td A.,
j., plies the lesson specially - o.~ II
: in his letter 10 the Cor.r- an.
Those whose faith structure W., fai
: will thereby suffer great loss. hong