Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1913-02-06
THE GREAT SUPPER.

Not box supper, either. Christ has
spoken in parallels to His fellow guests
to rebuke their pride and desire for
notoriety, and one to thu man who
made the feast to point out the folly
of making a feast for the rich and
those able to repay kindness, saying,
Call the poor, the MANNED, lame and
blind who cannot repay" If we con-
slider the things of the gospel as feast
or a supper, it is plain that the guests
who heed the gospel will be the poor
in spirit, the lame and blind, who
know full we'll that they cannot repay
the Lords kindness in the matter.
A certain man made great supper
and babe many to come, and sent bis
servant at supper time to say to them
that were hidden, Come, for all
things are now ready" and they all
with one consent began to make ex-
cuses, showing the poor reception CIV
en- the gospel by the Jews. Luke IA;
24-27), and it met with rejection.
John Bunyon wrote of the Jerusalem
sinner saved and held that the preach
| ing first at Jerusalem exhibited the
richness of Gods mercy in preaching
thele first to those who afterwards
slew him, and no doubt many of them
were saved and ioyfully received the
gospel Paul was an example of it.,
for he that prosecuted him was made
an object of mercy, but as nation
| the Jews rejected his words and that
to their own ruin as a nation. Their
excuses ware frivolous and show the
depravity of the heart. When men
have no ear to hear and no heart TO
understand and love the gospel, they
| will find al excuse for staying away
from it and rejecting it,
But after this man of the house SAID,
$50 out quickly into the streets and
lanes of the city and bring hither the
poor and the manned and the halt aud
the blind 10, we turn to tie gen
tiles, and better report was made.
This time the word had been needed
by some at least. The servants said,
eve have done as thou hast command
ed and there is ROOM" Then the Lord
told the servants to go into the high
I WAYS and hedges and compel them to
come in that his house might be filled
The poor sleep under the hedges by the
high ways and message of bountiful
supper would be appreciated, while the
rich and self-sufficient would have no
ear for it. This all shows that the
proud, pharisaical and self-righteous
will find some excuse for rejecting the
gospel, while the poor and lowly Will
ioyfully receive it and compel them to
come in. ...,
This furnishes no authority for phys
ical force. It does not Justify persecu-
L.-A 'noynpollsn0 ia moral.
There is a sweet compelling power In
the gospel for those who know tneir
need He brought me into his BAN
quoting house and his banner over me
was love. The GOSPEL sounds 80 sweet
to me that / can no longer stay away.
BY starvation on one band ana tne
knowledge of plenty on the other, we
may say that the Prodigal Son was
compelled to come home. In my
father house is plenty and TO spare,
and am starving here. All these
things together compelled him to come
home and yet he came willingly and
from choice, that "My house may be
filed" It is not to be failure, no
not in the least. Though men reject
the Lord and despise and scott at nus
servants, yet in the end the house will
be filled, and an innumerable company
that no man can number will be
there. Not one plate will be laid at
the supper without guest, not one
garment will hang in that wardrobe
without redeemed sinner to wear it.
The house will be filled. We should
seek 70 compel them by the force of
truth. We should seek out suitable
words that apply to poor hedge dreep-
ers, who see and feel their unfitness
for this costly supper, and for these
noble guests. They do not hesitate be-
cause other things are mere important
to them. The land they have bought
or the cattle, or even the wife, would
be of no value compared to the sup