South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-08-15

1. The scribes and Pharisees re-
jected Jesus because they were jeaI-
Gus OF him. Jealousy is a sin equal
TO robbery as. in its essence. it is
robbery. for il is the desire 10 have
the good things which are possessed
by another. The husbandmen in our
lesson story were jealous OF the
householder who owned the vineyard
which they had been working, and
they thought by killing the servants,
whom he sent 10 collect the rent that
they would themselves possess the
property. In like manner the Jews
were jealous OF Jesus and thought by
rejecting and killing him they would
receive the honor OF the people which
Jesus at that time was receiving
They saw his matchless goodness and
envied him. They witnessed the
miracles he performed and were
jealous. and sought TO make the peo-
pie believe that his supernatural
works were performed by the aid OF
the devil. The very virtues which the
scribes and Pharisees saw that Jesus
possessed were what stirred their
hatred OF him. If they had been
good men they would have rejoiced
at the manifestation of Christ's good
ness and power, but because they
were bad men, they hated him for the
good qualities which they saw he
possessed. They claimed 70 be holy
but when cOntrasted with the spot
less purity of Jesus. the chief rulers
of the Jews saw themselves TO be
bad men by comparison, and this
inflamed their hatred of him.
=. Men reject Jesus today because
they love their evil deeds. The chief
of the Jews were corrupt men, for
had they been Cody they would have
accepted Jesus, but the outstanding
reason why they rejected him was the
fact that they were jealous, while
at the root of course, ii was the same
reason which causes men to reject
him today. Jesus calls upon men to
forsake their sins; he pictures the
cost Of discipleship. telling them that
unless they leave everything and take
up their cross and follow him that
they, cannot be his disciples. There
fore, men who engage in sinful trans
actions that are profitable, or indulge
in habits that are pleasurable, al
though sinful, and will not give up
their wicked ways, turn their back
upon the worlds Saviour. They gen
orally admit. although illOgically. that
Jesus is the only foundation stone
upon which a man can build true
character. and with the very admis-
sion reject the stone and build their
house upon the sand and by and by
their building falls down about their
heads
3. Jesus reigns in the heart of
every honest man everywhere. All
the good and true men who met
Jesus in the days Of his flesh accept
ed him. There is a natural affinity
between all truly good men and they
never injure one another, nor are
they ever opposed To each other in
any serious way. All men therefore,
who were in harmony with God, or
who even desired such harmony, ar
rayed themselves under Christ's ban
ner when lie was upon the earth, and
the same thing takes place today. In
any nation a man who is true to his
conscience, and lives up TO the light
he has, even if he has not heard of
the historic Christ. is the follower of
the essential Christ. Men who reject
Christ today are dishonest: they are
not true to their convictions. they
think do, and say things which they
know they ought not, and by the
same action they reject Jesus. The
moment, however, that such sinners
yield themselves to do what they
know they ought to do, they by the
same act accept of Jesus and become
his loyal followers. All truly sincere
men do this even though they may
not nave any HlltlltCludl COuCtpN4OA
or their relationship to the Saviour.
But the moment they are acquainted
with the words of Jesus they then
realize that they love him.
4. Jesus will yet reign over all
mankind. The day will come when
Gods entire vineyard will be rented
out to good husbanomen; the time
Will come when all nations will be
true to Christ our Saviour; when the
hearts of all men will beat Loyalty to
Gcd our heavenly Father 1 believe
that Jesus will yet reign to earths
remOtest bounds, and that this will
be accomplished through the power
of the Holy Spirit resting upon his
servants as they preach the gospel to
the nations of the earth. 1t may
take a long time to bring it about
and no doubt will do so. when the
tured for God and his Christ. l have
no sympathy with the teaching that
this dispensation of the Holy Spirit
is TO be a failure so that the major
ity of the people will not be convert
ed. 1t may be many generations, and
many centuries before Christ in his
conquering march around the world
subdues all his enemies and turns all
his sinners into saints but T. will be
done I believe that by the present
preaching of the gospel that the world
is 10 be conquered. Ii must be that
Christ is stronger than the devil that
he will finally Destroy the works of
the devil" just as the scriptures state.