Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-11

without the ma
- chinery which has
n,aue American agriculture possible.
The thoughts which came to Jesus
with these sights were those of other
harvest fields. He knew that men
needed wheat and he rejoiced that they
were to have it. But he couid not
forget that man ran not live by bread
alone Such a diet would enable him
to live in fellowship with beasts, but
not to attain a personality akin to the
divine. There must be other harvests
than those which brought bread to his
table.
Saw Field for Work
What were the prospects for this
greater harvest of moral and spirit
ual resources. If we had been in His
place and saw the conditions which he
viewed. we would have been utterly dis
rouraged. The religion of the Jew had
been ~formalized. The prophets were
dead. The scribes and Pharisees were
the religious teachers. Yet Jesus
looked on such a nation and said: The
fields are white already unto the mar
vest He did not speak of a harvst OF
punishment. but n of reward. lie DID
not mean that wheat wa sto be gar
nered, but that the invisible u
of life were to be harvested. Jesus
was optimistic. Yet his optimism was
; inspired by an accurate knowledge OF
the facts and conditions which would
bring the result he desired.
THE harvest indeed Is p%lenteous.
We wish that he had stopped here. but
he goes on. The laborers are few.
Men were willing to garner the eco
nomic harvest, but the other white
fields could rot and decay before they
would lift their hands to that more
essential task. A multitude would
follow Him when they were fed. but
only 20 could be found when He put
them 70 work of teaching and preach
ing. The house where He healed was
so flll that the man sick of the palsy
had TO be let down through the roof
hut there were only II in the upper
room when he laid the necessity OF
the cross upon His followers. The
multitude loved to hear Him preach
but when be wanted them to LABOR
that was different.
LAS we turn to the world in which
we live. we wonder If conditions ar
essentially different. Are the fields o
the invisible and the eternal white unit
the harvest? Even those who Nigh
have been skeptical of the Palestine o
Jesus cannot but look with wlnsomr
hone upon the world of our day. TheI
there were only two voices. John IN
Baptist was a voice crying IN the VII
derness. soon to be cut off by the hat
of q sinful woman. Jesus, by hi
teaching. preaching, healing ministry
has been sowing the good seed. To
dav 10 these two voices have beer
added A multitude crying from ever,
Mace of vantage the message of tn
eternal The newspapers and maya
= zines have constructed their pupllts b,
the wayside and are delivering som
effective messages. Every worth
while play and novel breaches TO us
BERNARD Shaw and others. noting thu
fact have attempted to check tn
tendency. but they did not get thel
fingers into the dixie in time. TIN
preaching will bear fruit. What W
have sown. we shall reap.
See Folly of Hate
I'VE arc especially confident of tn
harvest when We see the soil in whlc
the seed is sown. In times of pros
pprity We are prone TO forget the valu
If the invisible forces of life. We re
> ;o;ce that it is not upon the rocky so
' IF ~nrosperity. but in the fertile field
of adyersity, sorrow and war that tn
words of the prophets have fallen
: o,,r dav. Wa has taught men tn
FOLLY of hate and the price of nation;
sin. Sorrow has opened many eyes
tho realities OF the unseen world. AZ
~versitv has driven many to the door
[ the church to learn more about It
values of life which transcend tho'
{ which lie in the economic realm. Thel
are tares growing in the field, but b
. vond a doubt the fields are more reaC
. for n spiritual harvest now than thu
D ever have been in history.
1.-The harvest, indeed. is plenteou'
Again we wish we could stop. but v
cannot We must push on-'but Il
e Iaborers are few There are plen
c of critics. Some are friendly and son
arc hostile. Some are constructive al
some are destructive. We cam
escape them, nor do we desire to
so. Christ had them. They told Hi
all about how He should manage III
matter of religion. He did not folio
their suggestions, SO they crucifi'
|" Him. But they never helped Him
do any of the work of redeeming 4
world. Neither do their successor
$ Those who humbly attempt to car
on the work of Christ are grateful t
their suggestinos. but that is all tn
= hope to get-suggestions-
e 1.-THE laborers are few, but the
is no lack of those who like to aft
" ate themselves with Christianity as
,e sort of a robe of responsibility viii
they wrap about themselves. Th'
would not feel properly groomed wit
" out it. They like to point to sol
stately edifice and say, that IL Il
church. of course it must be a We