The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1912-08-02
LESSON FOR AUGUST d.
THE WORTH OF THE KINGDOM

THE WORTH. OF THE KINGDOM
LESSON TEXT-Matthew 10, 44-53.
HOLDEN TEXT-"Seek ye first his
iklngdoh1, and his righteousness. and ali
snese things shall be added unto YOU. :,
Matthew 633 'N'
We nave studied some of the prin
clples that are to obtain in the es
tabllshing and the working out of this
new kingdom Jesus came to found
ana the question naturally arises, lis
ht OF sufficient value for me to con.
slder or seek to enter it, or to possess
~! IN our lesson today there is set
before us four parallels Jesus fayorite
way OF teaching) which he gave priv
ately to his disciples and not to the
multitude, that ought to answer any
such questioning in our hearts.
The first two have to do with the
great value Of the kingdom. the Sec
ond Its mixed character and final sepa-
ration, and the last, the great respon-
.s1bility Of those who possess its
truths. In this entire group of par
aDles found in the thirteenth chapter
.of Matthew are four that are for men
VINO are careful to observe the out
ward development, ard four others
that are for those men of faith who
see beneath the surface the hidden
things of the kingdom. Those men
who view the kingdom in each par
tlcular age as God sees rather than
as man observes.
Today's lesson sets forth the DUR
chase Of things Of great value, the &C.
QUESTION and disposition of things of
mixed value, and lastly, the use of
these values after coming into the pos.
session Of them.
!. The hidden treasure, v: Al. Per-
maps more properly this should be
termed the parable Of the bought field.
We need to remember that in all of
these parallels the Master himself is
the important parsonage. He is the
one who sows the seed, etc. Hence
We understand that he is the one
who discovers this great treasure hid
den In the field. He has already told
US that the field is the world" (Matt
1888.
Symbolism OF Pearls.
H. The pearl of great price, VS.. As,
AZ. This parable is very much the
same as the foregoing, yet it adds great
strength and force to this study in
values. We ought to be very clear in
our study and application. The pearl
OF great price may perhaps be taken
as symbol Of our salvation, but If
80 for us to interpret the merchant.
man as the commonality of man would
be for the sinner to purchase his own
salvation, a thing as far as possible
FOR the New Testament teaching.
Why does Jesus speak of pearls to
the Hebrews who did not esteem them
at all? What is the symbolism of
pearl? The pearl is the one precious
stone that Is the result of living
organism; 1t Is the result Of an injury
done to the life Of the oyster. It has
always stood for purity and for in
nocence. Is it then illogical for us to
assume that Christ Is the merchant
man who gave all to redeem (e. G.,
buy back the lost souls of mankind?
III. The drag net, VS. 1850 This
parable is another that deals with. the
mixed character of the kingdom here
upon the earth and Of the final separa-
ton incident thereto. It is noticeable
that this is collective, not individual,
fishing. There will be many move
ments that will ostensibly be for the
gathering of men into this kingdom,
but the principle here laid down is
that one considered In the lesson of
the wheat and the tares, viz, that ul-
timately there shall be cast out all
things that do offend. In the f1nality
of all things the kingdom shall be
without spot or blemish Hence we
do not read into this parable empha
sis upon any phase Of evangelism.
Search the Scriptures.
w. The householder, VS.. 51-53. In
the first of these parallels we had the
Word as the seed OF this new kingdom,
In this the eighth Of the kingdom par
ables we revert as it were to the mat
ter of the Word. Jesus asks his
disciples If they understand the Word
he has spoken to them. Their re-
Spouse Is, Eyes. we do" Then Jesus
shows them what burden of respon-
sibility due to possession rests upon
them. Jesus refers to the Scribes
whose work under the Jewish econ
omy was to transcrlbe and to interpret
and tells the disciples that they in a
like manner are to interpret the king
dom to all men. They are to bring
forth" hidden treasures. We must re-
member that Jesus taught In parallels
that hearing they might not hear"