Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1914-06-17
SOUGHT The LOST
Beautiful Parable of the Ninety
and Nine Shows Gods Just
Claim to All.

AS long as the most beautiful OF
the parallels of Jesus is read the
church will have as its highest COM
How beautifully is set forth the
claims to social service and to spirit
ual aid Of the unfit, the vicious. the
neglected, the SHINING. The church
today should receive great encour-
-agement from the ratio set up by
Jesus. Ninety and nine were In the
sheltered fold, one was out upon the
barren wastes. The shepherd left the
ninety and nine that he might seek
out the one that was lost. He found
it and brought it back in his bosom
with rejoicing The day is far distant
when the ratio of the saved" to
the "unsaved" shall be that OF the
ideal parable. But the church be-
lieves that it is coming and the prog
ress Of religion gives assurance lot
the faith. 1t is such matchless ideals
of service and salvation as the par
able of the Good Shepherd that In
spire the churches to the work or
ministry, to the work Of evangelism.
to the work of teaching, to the work
of charity. 1t is this ideal that fos-
tiers faith in the human race and
makes redemption the scarlet thread
that runs through the mesh OF the
worlds hopes.
For Complete Redemption.
How narrow is the view that the
securing of the condition of ultimate
blessedness, when "all shall know the
Father from the least to the great
est can only be brought about In
some one way. Paul points out that
some are evangelists, some teachers
some prophets, and so on with the
enumeration Of all the gifts OF the
spirit. The ethical standards set up
in the walks of business life-albelt
these are not as yet compelling with
the men who do the big business OF
the country-the ethical standards set
up in the ways OF statecraft, the
ethical standards set up in the or
binary associations Of men-these are
all a background into which the
beautiful picture Of the complete re-
demption of mankind is being woven.
Without this ethical background how
ardent would be the work OF re-
Igion.
AS the sun rises over the banks Of
night clouds and sends its shafts with
wonderful tints against the Opaque
mass. tightening it until castles and
temples and forests and meadows, be-
girt with flowers and floating islands
in seas Of gold are pictured upon the
background, making 1t part OF the
glowing picture, so the sun OF right
eousness, shining upon human LIE,
finds In the uniiluminated masses or
ethical background the material that
only needs its light to be made golden
and glorious. Ethics is the true ma
terial of religion and the ethical
progress of the age is the best as
surance that the time is coming when
the ninety and nine, instructed in
righteousness, secure In faith and pro-
tected by mercy will be found IN the
fold of divine love. Let no one de-
spise the day of small things!
Church Must Lead.
If the ultimate end of redemption
to present every man perfect before
the Father-calls forth the full sery-
ice of religion, the entire mediation
of the Man Of Calvary, what must be
said for those who wander the streets
of the cities and the ways Of the
country, like those in Jerusalem over
whom Jesus wept as sheep without
shepherd? The work Of the evan
gelist Is greatly needed. as was the
work of John the Baptist in the will
derness crying, Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand But
more than this work is needed the full
work of the Master through the full
agency Of the churches. This work
includes the teaching of those un-
learned in the golden argosy Of faith,
the beautiful words of life, the teach
ing of the uncared-for children and
their elders in the ways Of peace, the
leading of the strangers within the
gates from foreign lands into the lib
erty of the sons of God. 1t includes
not only the wide range of specific
performance, but the wider range OF
ultimate ideals. unswervingly held to.
Organization, agencies and ideals are
the utilities of the church. Love and
redemption are the provisions OF God.
The ratio Of ninety and nine to one
is not the ratio OF those who feel the
sense OF divine security 10 those who
are without this feeling. But the
church and those without its folds
who are still in leagre with God for
the ,beterment OF mankind are seek
ing TO have this proportion realized.
But Is long as there is single per-
son crying out in the words OF the
Psalmist: "No man careth for my
SOUL" must the full agencies OF re-
demption and the love behind 1t be
forthcoming from the Church OF the
First Born"