Norwich bulletin., 1912-03-07
BROOKLYN RECTOR
BREACHES LENTEN SERMON.
Rev. w. E. Bentley Spoke on Parable
of the Sewer at Christ Church.

The third in the midweek united
Lenten services of the Episcopal
churches was held Wednesday even
ing at Christ church with Rev. Walter
E. Bentley Of the Church Of the AsCen-
sion, Brooklyn n Y, as the preacher.
Because of the Wintry weather the
congregation was not large, but those
present heard forceful and logical
discourse applicable in a helpful way
to the Lenten season. The service of
evening prayer was conducted by
Archdeacon ]. Eldred Brown Of Trim
ity church.
Rev. Mr. Bentley spoke upon the
parable of the sower, which he said
was really the parable OF the soil, and
was one that showed the conditions of
the human heart in the various stages
through which it passes and as God
sees it. We have been in the habit of
treating this parable as applying to
others, and when we made the classi-
fications the people around US and got
down to those typified by the seed that
fell upon good ground, we. Of course,
placed ourselves there and then the
parable was exhausted. But If we stop
there we have not reached the depths
Of our Lords parable. We in fact
don't need to think OF others. We can
find these four types of human soil
right within our own souls, and it is
worthy Of note that the harvest failed,
not because of the sower or of the
soil. We know the sower and the seed
but what of the soil? Jesus had the
utmost confidence in humanity. He
believed the soil good at the bottom.
In the words of Jesus there was no
Calvinism. In the first class which he
indicates in the parable the soil was
good at the beginning, but someone
had made a hard path across it. Here
Jesus was not dealing with original
sin, but rather with the actual, the
current sin, that took root in our lives
and has grown pleasant to us so that
1t is like hard pathway across our
lives. This is the deliberate sin. the
sin of habit, which makes the soil i'm
pervious TO receiving the seed. What
shall we do? Shall we not make Lent
Of use and bring out the pillow of re-
pentanee and cut up the hard path
and turn over the fallow ground, for
if we do not God will surely break it
up.
Again the seed fell on thin soil and
was scorched up and dried away. This
deals with the rock beneath the sur
face, with impenitent sin, with the in
herited faint. What shall we do with
THESE. w nat 90 we 90 Nothing, Tor
we cannot touch 1t, but He knows and
He has provided. The seed withered
| away not because of the rock, but for
lack Of moisture and God has pro-
vided the heavenly moisture from
above to refresh our parched souls It
is the good news that it is possible
| for every child of Adam 70 outgrow
| his inherited faint through the heaven
| ly moisture.
There are those who are choked by
| the cares, the riches and pleasures. We
| try to carry our own cares, or our
| riches possess us instead Of our pos
sessing them; our pleasures keep i'm
Polling us to constant excitement.
| These are the weeds and thorns which
choke out the good fruit. The thorus
may be useful for protection for the
! garden when kept as a hedge, but it is
when they mix among the flowers that
/ the trouble begins.
| But in each one is good ground to
be found, and with patience is the
| fruit to be brought forth. 1t is keep
! ing at it, leading a sober as we'll as a
| religious life. Gods method is the
-quiet steady, persistent keeping it up,
and in this thought We come to the
sober season of Lent. Bringing forth
| fruit, here little and there little in
proportion to tho way we work. and
according to our measure, we shall at
/ last be proud to hear the Master say,
| We'll done, good and faithful ser
want, enter thou into the Joy Of thy
Lord.