The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-07-02
fN MNzEabROKEYN MlEKBERNA ACLEl NlcAAIBIsEE. STUDY ON
Laborers in the yineyard

anu ou tne sOou, ana senueln TalH OH aue
 just and on the unjust."-Matthew 5:45. This parable is difficult of interpreta- tion so as to make all It's features find fulillment. The Great Teacher gave it
 as a parable of the kingdom; hence 1t
 applies to the church's experiences during this gospel age. If we were to apply the different intervals to different epochs in
 this age, we should have difficulty; for the apostles and others called early in the age did not labor throughout the entire De- riod. Again, in so applying them, We should face the proposition that only those at the beginning of the age had definite promise as respects a reward; that all others got merely the assurance that they
 would receive what was right.
 Another difficulty in interpreting the parable is how to apply the murmuring of those who were first called and last re- warded. Other scriptures show us that the apostles and others first called in the gospel age will experience their resur-
 rection change before those living at
 Christ's second coming. St. Paul declares that the dead in Christ will rise first and that then those of us who are alive will be changed. Furthermore, 1t would be
 unthinkable that the apostles and others of the early church would murmur at their | reward.
 All these difficulties must be borne in
 mind when we attempt to find a solution
 to this parable that will fit the experi- ences of the church as a whole during the gospel age.
 
 | If we apply the parable to individual ex- periences. we have trouble also. Applying | 1t thus, we might say that those who
 began Christian life early, and are found faithful in the Lords service at the even | ing time of life, would be the ones first called and promised a reward Others coming later and serving the Lords cause
 with only portion of their time, strength
 and talent would correspond to the later
 call-some even at the eleventh hour. If
 we interpret the parable as meaning that
 all these will get a similar reward regard less of the time spent in the Masters ser vice, we should still have difficulty with the fact that those called earliest were dissatisfied. On the contrary, any who murmur against the Lords just and low | ing arrangements for His people will I | the veil.
 l How then can we apply this parable consistently, in harmony with the teach | ings of other scriptures respecting the
 reward of the kingdom class? We can
 think of only one way. and that is to
 apply the parable entirely to present life
 experiences of the kingdom class, es- pecially of those living at the close of this gospel age.
 Privilege of Discipleship the Penny 1 For 1900 years and more the Jews await. ed for the first coming of Messiah and
 the blessed opportunities which then would | be theirs. When Jesus began His min. listry, He preached "The kingdom of Goo is at hand" and gave the Jews the priv
 ilege of entering into 1t. That privilege was a penny or a reward for theil | faithful endeavor to Keep the law. Bu when the offer of the Kingdom was pro
 mulgated. some publicans and sinners
 were received by the Lord Jesus and giver
 an opportunity to become His disciples. | The Scribes and the Pharisees. who hac
 been faithful to God all their lives, con sdered that they should have had some I pre- eminenoa over the publicans and sin ners; that they murmured at any ar rangement which would not give them the first opportunities of the kingdom as un fair. If publicans and sinners were tt ODtdiH titc DltSStu pTlN1ltSt Ol ulSClple ship with Messiah, then surely they
 thought some still higher favor should | come to them.
 The general lesson of the parable would seem to be that we should appreciate the l fact that whatever God has to offer is a gift. We should enter His service with
 loving loyalty to principle, to righteous
 ness. If we have served many years that privilege of service should be esteemed l a inf In ba I 0r5' e cho
 make us glad to see the Lords work car ried on, glad to see others enter the serv- | ice, and glad to see them get the same | reward that we hope for ourselves. Only those who have such a broad spirit such | an appreciation of the privileges of the vineyard, such a sympathy for ''as many as the Lord our God shall call'-only these will be in readiness to receive the l special privileges of knowledge and op- portunity when the kingdom is ready to be announced.
 l As the kingdom was offered to the Jews | in Jesus day, and as those who were newest in divine service received the same opportunities for share in the Kingdom with those who had been long engaged
 so apparently 1t is to be in the end, or harvest time. of this gospel age. Those who have all their lives sought tot be | faithful to the Lord and His cause should | remember that they have had that much | more of privilege and blessing. If some | shall enter the divine service later, they
 should be rejoiced with as fellow ser vants
 Indeed, all who are servants, according
 to the Lords word. should be praying
 the Master to send other laborers into the vineyard. instead of feeling jealous of any others who come. And as greater knowl edge of present truth Is now coming a. Il reward to all in the Lords vineyard. lei us not be surprised if this shall be equally distributed to those who have come ir | recently and to those who have been 6
 lcrg time in the Masters service.
 Lesson of the Golden Text
 In a very important sense our fore
 fathers during the dark ages lost thu of His plan for human salvation. Instead of picturing Him in the creeds as loving
 and gracious. they postrayed Him in very different colors. The creeds handed down l to us from the dark ages have given us I colored and distorted views of the teach | ings of the Bible. Only in recent years are Bible students beginning to discern this fact. Nearly all people of intelli- gence have now cast away the creeds az irrational in the general trend of their teaching-in their representation that God from the everlasting purposed hell of l fire and everlasting torture for nearly all His human creatures, numbering thou l sands of millions. and a paradise of bliss for only an elect few. But alas, while we have ben realizing the errancy of our creeds and discarding them. many of us have failed to notice how different are the teachings of the Bible and have discarded 1t with the creeds Now. however the Bible Is being