Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1921-05-04

"'e'i' IHpl TCStEttlll. fAilN litS
the Spirit of God SciZcs upon their
words and writes them down as Il part
Of Holy Scripture. oh, blessed news
they are telling: This Man receivcth
sinners
Selt-righteouSneSs has no need for
grace; will not, indeed, have 1t; and
these upright, religious Phnrisccs re-
sent the grace that Is flowing out Of
Christ to all the world and that opens
the Fathers house to the very out
casts Of earth. The Lord Jesus will
permit no testimony to Himself from
demons, though full well they know
and own His deity nnd Snvi0rhood, but
He will permit this proclamation by
His foes, SO we'll does He love to have
1t known that He reccivcth sinners.
It is nowhere said that He receives
others. Nowhere do we find Him do.
Ing so. When the best man Of his day
came to Him by night, expecting to be
taught something that would make
him still better than he was, he
learned in a moment TINT he Ind not
yet begun to- live, and that he must be
born again TO enter the kingdom Of
God.
When Il lawyer Of blnmeless life
tempted Film With his question:
"Whnt shall do to inherit eternal
life?" the Lord referred him to the law
with Its impossible standard to show
him that he Is sinner.
Are there, then others than sin.
ners? There are not, for thus It Is
written: "All have slnned and come
short Of the glory Of God" And
whether these seff-righteous enemies
Of the Lord are able to appreciate It
or not, they are compelled to listen to
His holy sarcasm: Il am not come to
call the. righteous, but sinners" It IL
fIe who hns pronounced upon this
world Of sin, and His estimate Of men
shall abide in spite Of their good opin.
ions Of themselves. Sinners" He calls
them, and such they are.
But Oh, TO- think that this is what.
gives them cfaim upon Hlml Yea,
# Is the only claim they have or can,
have! This man receiveth sinners.
And not only does He receive them: :
He seeks them out, knocks Mt their
door and pleads with them to let Him.
in. "1he Son Of Man Is come to seek
and to saver' "Behold, l stand at the.
door and knock !" "All day long, 1
have stretched forth my hands"
And how does He receive them I
Are there conditions to be met first
Are we to make ourselves fit for Hfm7i
No! And so eager Is He to have us
know this that He has written 1t down
in n hundred tales and portrayedlt 1t In
g hundred! types and shadows:
In the same instant that Isaiah con.
fessed tl,e need that the light Of Gods
throne had revealed. he found that
need fully met without condition OIL
any sort. "Woe is me!' "Then flew
one Of the seraphim"-"hew," like the.
lightning, with the provision Of tho
altar that puts away discovered sim.
What said Jesus to the "woman sf
the city which was sinner" as She
"stood ut His feet behind Him2" "'rhy
sins are forgiven .. :. thy faith
hath saved thee!'
What said He to the. woman MI sin
as He sat by jacobs: well2 "F give.
thee living water!'
What said He to the adultoress'
brought to Him I'm the temple2
Neither do I condemn thee!" His:
enemies have brought this poor sinner,
to Him without knowing that they
were doing the bost possible thing for
her. and that the only safe place for
any sinner Is the presence Of tho.
Savior.
What snid FIe to the malcfact0r, but
now railing upon him In blaspllemy,
rs he hung upon q felOn'S CROSSE
"Vcrily, I say unto thee. today shalt
thou he with me In paradise"
And our question rs answered.: He
recelvcth sinners without an up6raids.
ing word or syllable Of reproach
without Il question or n condition Of
any kind.
And to what does He receive sin.
ncrs? TO His own level, TO n place at
His side, for they sit Mt table with
Him; to tho dearest intimacy; to TN.
broken fellowship, and thus to the
sweet forcta'tc Of heavens bliss: HE
EATETH WITH THEM! The Chris
tian life. In all It's elements and nc.
tivItics, one continual feast with thc
Lord OF life and glory. the heart once
dcsolatc because OF sin now satisfied
and at rest forevermore. "And He
went In to tarry with them :.
And rs He sat at meat with
them, Tie took bread, and blessed, and
brake. and gave to them. And
they said one to another. did not our
heart burn within us7" This man re-