Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1912-07-12

i>L~cDo-N l f4AI-MdrR 4.l-2l,
GOLDEN TEXT-"Receive with meek
ness the implanted word which is able to
save your souls" james l:Z
Jesus tells us plainly why he taught
so much by means of parallels Matt.
13:10-13) viz, to teach the truth to
those who sought it, and to hide it
from those who refused to receive il.
The truth had to be taught, hence the
parable, that those to- whom it was
given to know the mysteries of the
kingdom might know and understand
but that to the others it might be hid
den Mark 4:11-12). We have in this
lesson one of the best known Of the
masters many parallels. Like all the
rest Jesus draws his picture from the
common experiences of life. Jesus
uses the fields, the home, etc. while
Paul in his preaching and teaching
draws from the city, the army, the
markets, etc. We have in this pic
ture the seed, the sower and the soil.
We must turn to the parable accounts
in Luke and Matthew to get the full
and the complete picture.
What is the seed? Luke records
that Jesus told the disciples that the
seed is the word of God duke SID.
Mark also tells us practically the same
thing in V. IA of the lesson. A great
deal is being made today of seed Sc
lection and some wonderful results
have been obtained. How much more
important for US who deal with immor-
tai souls that we select the best, viz.
the word of God.
Sought Not Adulation.
Next the sower ". A.. Notice he
went forth not to SOAR, nor is it
recorded that he was SORE He did
not have crouch nor did he enter
into his work that he might receive
the adulation of men Matt. 6:2).
1t IS however the soil that seems to
be most emphasized in this lesson,
both in the direct teaching and also
in the explanation of the parab BILE.
There are four kinds of soil and il is
also very significant the manner by
which the seed came into contact with
each kind of soil. Some fell by the
wayside" The path was well trod-
den, the ground was preoccupied e. G.,
used for other purposes rather than
to yield a harvest. 1t was hard to be
broken and hence it was an easy mat
ter for the birds of the air (Satan V.
15) soon to pluck it away We need
to remember that if men receive with
meeFness the implanted word there
will be of course no such opportunity
for the evil one. The trouble is that
in this case the word was not implant-
ed. Thus it is that one-fourth of the
seed is lost. That the result is a de-
plorahle one is shown in Heb. 2:l-4.
TIE seed in this case fell "by" the
wayside, in the next it fell ION" the
rocky ground The first is the picture
of the needless, this is a picture of
the superficial ones. Oh for a time
they did run we'll, they even received
the word with gladness ". 16) but
tbsy had no stability; they lacked .h,
element of persistence; their surround
ings were superficial, there was M
chauce for the seed to get a real griI
uycn their lives.
Three Fourths Lost.
In the, third place Jesus speaks {
seed that fell among" the thorns
Here in this worldly soil it is not
much the character of the soil as tn
character of that which already occ,
pied the soil ere the sower sowed tt
seed. The cares of this world, Il
deceitfulness of riches and 10Th,
things" (v. 19) had so entered in tn
the good seed never had a real chant
in the soil of that human heart, henE
it was choked and yielded no fru
There was no real grin of the Will,
whole.hearted surrender. How oft
these thorns, "the cares of life" ke
the housewife, or the business m
away from the word. How often
"deceitfulness of riches" snare men
as to choke the word that at one Il,
gave such promise in their lives. A
then the "lusts and other thin&
which the evil one so well knows h
to use that he may keep us from
word, for he knows that by it we II
be saved Uuke SID.
We have thus seen three-fourths
the word lost. OF the remain
fourth which fell into" Or. W
good soil, not all yielded the same
turn 1t all brought forth ". y it
yielded, it all sprang up, but not
in the same ratio. We ought TO
member at this point that this par
plainly teaches us that We who rec
the implanted seed. we who rec
and obey shall in turn become the
of the kingdom.
There are three distinguishing
ures of this last class OF hearers
They hear" the word. These
the ones who appreciate its value
give good heed to its precepts.
They accept" it, e. G., they u
stand its teachings, they take it