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For the Index.
Sunday school Lesson for May 24.
Christ in the Temple.—Luke 20:
9, 10 Parable of the Vineyard.
BY S. G. HILLYER.
This parable was given in the
temple, a few days before Jesus
was crucified. Let us note this
fact. We often fail to see the
full force of our Savior’s dis
courses, because we do not con
sider his surroundings at the
time he delivered them. The
present lesson presents him, as
we learn from the Teacher, just
three days before he was cruci
fied, standing in the temple, and
surrounded by a multitude of
people. Among them were many
Pharisees, Scribes and rulers,
who, he knew, were plotting
against his life. But he does not
quail before them. It was just
then that he chose to deliver the
parable of the vineyard,knowing
that they would see its applica
tion to themselves, and that it
would only intensify their hatred
of himself.
Read Luke 20:9-19, and also
Matt. 21:33-43. Both give us the
Sirable of the vineyard ; but
atthew mentions some particu
lars that Luke omits, and thus
gives us a more complete report
c* tlm Savior’s. words.
EXPLANATIONS.
1. The “man” who planted the
vineyard represents God.
2. The “vineyard” represents
the systemof revealed religion,as
far as it was then made known.
3. The “husbandmen” repre
sent the people of Israel, individ
ually and collectively, to whose
fidelity and care he gave in trust
the true religion.
4. The “hedge” and the “tow
er” denote the measures which
the Lord adopted for the protec
tion and perpetuation of that re
ligion.
5. The “wine vat” denotes all
the blessings, both spiritual and
temporal, that God designed
should inure to his people
through the religion which he
had committed to their trust.
5. The “fruits of the vineyard”
must stand for those grateful re
turns which the people of Israel
were expected to render to their
great Jehovah for his unnumber
ed mercies. What were those
returns? Remember,if the vine
yard denotes the true religion,
then, the ‘ ‘fruits” must denote the
outcome of religion— the exercise of
right affections towards God and a
cheerful obedience to all his require
ments. These -were the fruits
that God was expecting. But
Israel proved unfaithful to her
sacred trust. The fruits were
withheld.
7. Notice next the “servants”
of the parable. These evidently
denote the ancient prophets.
Israel failed to render unto
God those holy affections which
were justly his due, and to obey
his commandments. The Lord,
however, was merciful, and did
not destroy the nation at once.
He bore long and patiently with
his erring people. Nay,he sought
after them. To this end, he sent
to them, from age to age, his in
spired prophets to instruct, to
warn, and even to persuade, in
terms of mercy and of promise,
that rebellious people to return
from the backslidings, to re
nounce their idolatries, and, once
more, to give to their own Jehovah
the love of their hearts and the
service of their lives.
But, as it fared with the ser
vants in • the parable, so it had
fared, centuries before, with the
holy prophets. They were per
secuted ard some of them were
slain.
8. The next figure which the
parable gives us, is the “son’ of
the proprietor of the vineyard.
It was hoped that his dignity and
rank would save him from ill
treatment. Up to this point the
imagery of the parable had rep
resented only things that were
TH® CHRISTIAN INDEX.
past. But with the coming of
the Son, it touched the time then
present, and became prophetic
of things that should begin to be
in the near future, and continue
to be through succeeding centu
ries.
According to the parable the
wicked husbandmen seized the
son and slew him and cast him
out of the vineyard. Whom did
Jesus mean to represent by the
son ? There was no one in the
past to whom the “son” in the
parable could be referred. It
must refer to one then present,
or to some one in the future. But
subsequent events enable us to
know that Jesus meant himself.
In less than a week, that very
people who heard his parable
condemned him to death and gave
him up to the Romans to be cru
cified. As Jesus died, the mean
ing of the parable had reached
its climax, but not its end.
When the son was murdered we
learn that the vineyard should be
taken from those wicked hus
bandmen and entrusted to others
who should render to the great
proprietor the fruits thereof.
And so it happened to the Jews.
Many hundreds of the multitude
who heard the parable from Je
sus' lips, lived to see the day
when the commonwealth of Is
rael was completely swept from
the earth. The city was
burned, her people were slain to
the number of thousands,the rest
were scattered abroad, among the
nations, and many thousands
of them were sold into slavery.
But the Lord did not lose his
vineyard. The former husband
men had proved false to their
trust and were discharged. But
in anticipation of this, Jesus —
the Son, whom the great Father
had sent to make his last appeal
to apostate Israel —had, during
his personal ministry, gathered a
little group of faithful followers
and in due time committed to
tiem his vineyard.
It still represents the same re
ligion, but immensely enriched
with additional revelations of
surpassing value. If space al
lowed, it would be interesting to
show how exactly the religion of
Moses'agrees in meaning with
the religion of Christ, while the
latter so far transcends the for
mer in the fullness of its revela
tions.
Jesus, when about to leave his
disciples, charged them to begin
their work at Jerusalem, in Ju
dea, and in Samaria, as if he
was still anxious to save as many
as possible of his ancient prople.
And then he charged them to go
to all the nations of the earth
with their glad tidings. It is
said by some writers, that at
least ten thousand Jews were
brought into the “vineyard” in
less than forty years after the
day of Pentecost. But in the
meantime converts from the Gen
tiles were far more numerous
than from the Jews. And that
majority continued to increase,
till at length the Jewish element
was almost effaced. These facts
illustrate and verify the prophe
cy of the parable, viz., that the
wicked husbandmen who killed
the son should be destroyed and
the vineyard taken from them
and given to others. To whom
was it given? It was certainly
given to those whom Jesus had
made his disciples, and to all who
should be brought, both Jews
and Gentiles, through their min
istry, into the kingdom of God.
Christians, therefore, from that
day, became the “husbandmen”
of the vineyard. And they to
gether make up the body of
Christ, which is his church. It
has no nationality, and should
have no political connection with
civil government, but it is made
visible in the local churches scat
tered throughout the world, that
are “built upon the Apostles and
prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief corner stone.”
My brethren, you are now the
keepers of the vineyard. God
has made you the custodians of
his holy religion,in which he has
given to you a revelation of him
self in all the perfections of his
nature, in all the plentitude of
his love, as manifested in his
sublime work of redemption
through Christ, and then, he
opened up for you in his vine
yard a fountain far more precious
than the wine vat —a fountain
that shall be in you a “well of wa
ter springing up into everlasting
life.” What returns —what fruits
—are you rendering to God for
all his goodness? All he asks in
return is, “Love me and keep my
commandments.”
563 S. Pryor st., Atlanta.
“Gold and Silver” was the or
iginal, but only the temporary,
motto of Montana. When it be
comes the motto of a soul, as it
does in many instances, there is
little likelihood that it will be
changed for another and better.
Vice promises a Paradise, but
makes a Purgatory first, and then
a Perdition.
f SUBSCRIPTIC. Y«A». - .»a.OO. I
ITO MINISTER*, ■'A. 1.00.1
The Bible, the Only True Rule, Tri
umphant.
From the beginning of the
Christian era, the true church of
Christ has declared him tobe“the
only law giver in Zion,” “that
the Bible is the word of God, and
the only true rule of faith and
practice.” “The Bible has God
for its author, salvation for its
end, and-truth without any mixt
ure of error forj its matter-” It
teaches us the best way of living
and the most comfortable way
of dying. The truths written
on its holy pages prove the Bi
ble to be of Divine origin. If
there were no other sources of
proof this would be sufficient.
If the Bible is the word of Gpd,
its authority cannot be ques
tioned. It therefore contains
his testimony, precepts and
promises, and is a rule of faith,
duty and hope.
Since Christianity arose it has
been estimated that not less than
50,000,000 of mortals have laid
down their lives for its sake.
They so valued the Bible as a
rule of life, that rather than re
nounce its teaching or relinquish
the hope it inspired, they deliv
ered their bodies to the flames.
Its enemies have put forth their
severest attacks and most vio
lent onsets to destroy it and
forever remove its holy influence
from the world. It has been
.hated by thousands, yet it has
been preserved amidst all the
revolutions of time and handed
down to the present generation
uncha’4?ed. And it has no less
a long bright record of the most
glorious triumphs over its ene
mies in every contest. In every
pagan country where it has pre
vailed, it has abolished idolatry
with its polluted rites, and raised
the standard of morality, giving
freedom to captives, light to the
blind, comfort to the distressed,
hope to the despairing, and life
to the dying. In spite of all
violent opposition Christianity
has so diffused its blessings
among mankind that even infi
dels have been constrained to
acknowledge the importance
and expediency of its moralizing
influence. From Mt. Calvary it
speedily found its way to impe
rial Rome, gathering fresh lau
rels as it progressed, until it
entered the palace and unfurled
its banner over the dwellings of
Caesar. With all the influence of
priests and kings against it, and
all the terrors of the gibbet or
flames, it reached Britain with a
power divine, where it success
fully overcame all the storms of
wild skepticism and infidelism,
like the bush which Moses saw
that rose up amid the flames and
prospered, raising a standard of
religion and morals which has
not been overcome by all its ene
mies. And not ceasing its holy
contest, in the.marchof its prog
ress it reached the shores of our
own blest America, where its
greatest blessings are seen on all
sides; in the happy Christian
homes that everywhere det this
country, in the good and pure
society, and just and pure laws,
in the multitude of colleges and
in the numerous and flourishing
institutions of learning of all
kinds, in the thousands of
Christian churches whose spires
tower towards the skies, in the
asylums built at public expense
for the orphan and the friend
less. Our nation to-day with all
its free institutions and Cits
grand 'achievements owes all
to the Christianity of the
Bible. It has never gotten a
foothold in a nation without
bettering its condition. And in
no case under the gospel era has
a nation made true progress, ex
cept under the influence of Chris
tianity. Even ihe worst forms
cf Christianity are better than
the best forms of any other re
ligion under the sun. Even the
mummeries of the Greek and
Roman churches do not make
them so bad as the philosophy
of Confucius or the Mohammed
anism of Turkey. What a
precious gift is the Bible, the
book we hold so dear. It has
successfully overcome all the
storms of wild skepticism and
infidelity, and has waved its ban
ner triumphant over its enemies
and has won the crown of honor,
majesty, glory, truth, an immor
tal fame from the fields of sin.
And thanks be to the Great Au
thor .and giver of the word when
we look to all our missionary
fields, China, Japan, Africa, Rome,
Cuba and Mexico, where our
missionaries, far from delights
of their Christian homes, amidst
all the dangers of paganism and
superstitior, are giving their lives
to the preaching of the glorious
truths and doctrines of salvation,
we'ean but rejoice that the Bible
is still subduing its enemies,
and that superstition and idola
try are still bowing before the
shrine of Christianity. And still
may it conquer until the sun in
the heavens shall not look down
on a single human being desti
tute of the knowledge of Jesus
Ch/ist. Our Savior and Media-
ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY, MAY 21, 1896.
tor is the Christos the Bible. We
have no infallible interpreter of
the Bible but the Holy Spirit.
We may derive assistance from
others in understanding it; but
no man has the divine right to
step between us and the Bible to
interpret it by authority. Let
us realize that God speaks to
us in the Bible, teaching us how
to order our steps in life’s short
way so that we may obtain eter
nal life. We are standing on a
boundless ocean with but an inch
of crumbling sand remaining.
Let us be wise and accept the
Christ of the Bible as our sub
stitute and trust him, for his
blood shed on the cross is an all
sufficient atonement for our sins.
J. M. Humphreys.
View, Ga.
For the Index.
Conversion of Sr. Efidio, Brazilian
Coffee Planter.
BY Z. C. TAYLOR.
This rich coffee planter lives
about 150 miles southwest of
Bahia. His brother, Morciano,
had already been converted in a
marvelous manner and was a
zealous Christian, hating Romish
error and slavery, about as much
as he loves truth and the Savior.
Some years before, Sr. Egidio
was' presented with a Bible by a
believer, but it lay on his table
as a false Protestant book.
When he heard of his brother
Morciano’s conversion, he left his
work and went sevent y miles to his
house in order to shame him out
of and away from his new faith.
After several efforts to convince
Sr. Morciano of his error, he
took the train and went for the
parish priest to help him in de
stroying his brother’s faith and
gaining him back to Romanism.
The priest came, but it only
proved an opportunity to preach
the gospel to him, and he left a
wiser and also an humbled man.
Sr. Egidio breathed out curses
against Proles tan ism and sought
revenge against otr Bro. Medei
ros, an excellent old Christian
who had instructed Sr. Morciano
in the truth. This Bro. Medei
ros came into the house while Sr.
Egidio was there, who taking him
to one side said to him: “See
here, Medeiros, if you don’t stop
thrusting these perverse doc
trines into my head I
will send fl
from my home to\ taka off your
head.” Bro. Medeiros replied:
“You may kill the body, but the
soul you cannot kill, and the
truth must live forever.”
Sr. Egidio returned to his
home, swearing vengeance, ut
tering blasphemies, and drinking
desperately. But in place of do
ing violence he resolved to get
Bro. Medeiros away from his
brother, and so arranged a house
for him in an adjoining town,
where he has sown the truth un
til a faithful little band <of be
lievers has been raised up there.
And in Bro. Morciano’s town a
church was formed which has
recently given out letters for
two more churches, in all thirty
nine members.
Day and night Sr. Egidio was
heated under the disgrace his
brother Morciano had brought
upon their family. Desperation
and intemperance were the condi
tions of his life. Going to town
one day, he resolved he would
drink at every place along the
road, and there were sometwenty
places where he could find rum
for sale. In his reflections the
conduct and words of his brother
Morciano often got the better of
him. He said to himself, “Re
ally, I don’t see that Morciano
has become a bad or worse man.
He works, he cares for his fam
ily, he does no harm but talk
against our priests —how they
here lead the people astray.” He
remembered what Morciano had
said against images—that they
were blind, dumb idols of paint
ed wood and metals—that they
could do nothing, but that it was
base idolatry. Yes; his rea
son taught him that those dolls
could do nothing; the mass, pur
gatory, avaricious and scandalous
priests, yes, there is reason in
all he said.
But most of all he could not
understand the secret of his
brother's courage in burning his
idols; his abandoning, with joy,
in so short a time, the religion of
his fathers; lys happy talk about
Jesus as the only Savior; his
deep conviction that the Bible
was God’s law that should be
studied and obeyed.
Then he turned to his dusty,
hated Bible to see what it said.
He was confused with the Old
Testament, but finally struck on
the New Testament. Then he be
gan to realize the truth. His home
Lome was 70 miles away from the
nearest Christians, but the Spirit
began to work in his heart. Like
his brother Morciano, he is a
recognized doctor in his neigh
borhood. A boy had been shot by
his own drunken brother, near
his house. He was called about
ten o’clock at night to treat
the boy. It was the night and
time the Spirit had set for his
decision. As he rode across an
open field the state of mind was
reached. He implored God to
give him rest —that if he was
right, still in the religion of his
fathers; and if his brother Mor
ciano was right and saved as he
declared hewas, that he would also
save him. And then he said:
“Here, Lord, I am, not to do my
will anymore, but thine; save
me.” Then he said there came
a voice so strong— Thou art saved
—that he looked up to see who
had spoken it.
He rode on rejoicing, arriving
in time to point the dying boy to
Jesus as his only Savior.
He did not comprehend to its full
extent his changed condition;
but the news of his change
reached his brother and us all in
Bahia. He invited us to go and
preach at his house. Shortly af
ter this Bro. Neighboor went out
in that section to organize a
church in Bro. Morciano’s town.
Having organized the church,Sr. •
Morciano arranged the horses and
off they wentTseventy miles to vis*
it his brother Egidio, supposing
also that he would be baptized.
They preached along the way and
at Sr. Egidio’s house, but he was
not baptized; all his family, how
ever, had espoused the gospel,
and several of his friends. I
sent a box of Bibles and tracts to
him. He talked to everybody he
met on the subject of religion,
and, his house being on the high
way many would stop to get wa
ter or stay all night, or rest a lit
tle, and he, and all the family
would explain, the gospel until
the fame of their change went
far and near. His parish priest,
with several other priests of his
acquaintance, would talk with
him,and each in his turn received
the gospel; two or three of them
confessed to him that he was
right and that they (the priests)
had caused the people to wander
away from God.
Our brother, Antonia Mar
ques, took up the work in that
section, visiting once in three or
four months. In February, 1895,
Sr. Egidio, being at his brother’s
house when Bro. Marques was
preaching there, was baptized.
He then invited us to go to his
his house and preach and also
baptize the believers. Bro. Mar
ques went and baptized thirteen
including all the adult members
of his family (7) and five more of
the neighbors. Os all his perse
cutors, one of his most intimate
friends, while a Romanist, be
came the leader, not, however,
showing his ire so much against
Sr. Egidio as against the gospel
itself and against Bro. Marques.
He being a deputy sheriff and a
kind of terror to«the people, has
kept many frightened away
from the gospel. His own son
in-law was baptized. He went
to his house and shook his pistol
in his own son-in-law’s face while
threatening him that that relig
ion should go no further in his
family. Afterwards he went
there and took by force his
grand-child and carried it off for
the priest to sprinkle. He de
manded on one occasion that
Bro. Marques should leave Bro.
Egidio’s house and that commu
nity in twenty-four hours. He
had a lot of roughs hid in a
hicket near by the house to en
force his demand.
After this his cousin was con
verted and he threatened Bro.
Egidio’s life if she were baptized.
When I made a visit there re
cently, he was prostrate with
rheumatism; his cousin was bap
tized and he could do nothing. A
few days before my visit a hail
storm had destroyed nearly half
his coffee and some 2,000 banana
plants. His son, on same day,
was returning home and the
lightning knocked • his horse
down. So the Lord shook this
persecutor up and he is supposed
to be ( meditating on his past con
duct. His own daughter is a
Christian; her father calls her to
him whenever he gets sick, and
so she is teaching him by exam
pie as well as precept. This
daughter is waiting the time
w’hen she can be baptized. On
my visit to Sr. Egidio’s a church
of nineteen members was organ
, ized and Sr. Egidio selected to
preach to and lead the young
church.
He is a man of wonderful faith;
is blessed with a large family of
believers, has a large coffee plan
tation and a large circle of ac
quaintances. A happy provi
dence that nearly all his old
friends continue friendly rela
tions with him, and one by one
they are coming into’the fold.
On my return Sr. Egidio ac
companied me, visiting and
preaching along the way. We
have a long interior trip planned
for September and October, he
furnishing the horses. Let us
hope that he may become a bright
and shining light.
Unanswered Prayers.
BY ELLA WHEELER WILCOX.
Like ■oinvßehoolniaxter.kilitl In beingHtern,
Who hears the children crjlng o’er their
■ slates
And calling “Help me, master," yet helps
tot.
Since In his silence and refusal lies
Tlulr self-development, so God abides.
Unheeding many prayers. He IsnotdetU
To any cry sent up from earnest hearts;
He hoars and strengthens when he must
deny.
He sees us weeping over life's hard sums;
Yet should he ary our tears and give the key,
What would It profit us when school were
done
And not one lesson mastered?
What a world
Were this If all our prayers were granted!
Not In famed Pandora's box were such vast
Ills
As He In human hearts,. Should our desires.
Voiced one by one In prayer, ascend to God
And come back as events,shaped to our wish,
What chaos would result!
In my tierce youth
I sighed out breath enough to move a fleet,
Voicing wild prayers to heaven for fancied
boons •
Which were denied : and that denial bends
My knee to prayers of gratitude each day
Os my maturer life Vet from those prayers
1 always rose regirded for the strife
And conscious of new strength. Pray on,
sad heart,
That which thou pleadest for may not be
given,
Hut In the lofty altitude where souls
Who supplicate God's grace are lifted, there
Thou shalt find help to bear thy future lot
Which Is not elsewhere found.
-Selected.
Living Together In Circumstances
Over Which We Have no Control.
A man will not get far from
that first experience of involun
tary living together in the home
of his birth before he finds that,
though in other circumstances
he must live with others, ’ that
was the most favorable condi
tion he is likely to find. Alas,
we do not realize it at the time!
Our parents figure to us as irre
sponsible tyrants, our brothers
and sisters as impertinent in
truders Beyond the home nest,
we think a better community
can easily be constructed. But
it is a delusion. Beyond the
nest the boughs are bare. No
one but a parent can build any
thing so comfortable as a nest.
When that is deserted and ruined
we still live together with others,
and on compulsion, but it is a
sorry covey, perched, huddled,
bustling, pecking and flapping,
side by side.
This kind of involuntary liv
ing together is now to engage
our consideration; for all of us
at one time or another make
some acquaintance with it.
Men live together in messes, in
boarding-houses, in great busi
ness establishments, as masters
and servants, in hotels, on board
ship, for longer or shorter pe
riods. There is no opportunity
of choosing the company. We
are there on a kind of compul
sion, and we have to take our
fellows as we find them. We are
not responsible for their charac
ter or behavior; but we are for
our own. We all are under an
obligation that if failure, rupt
ure, or irritation come, it shall
not be chargeable on us. , Others
may be ill to live with, but we
must not be. Here, therefore,
comes the strongest reason for
mastering the principles on
which men can live well to
gether. And though the cases
seem too varied and peculiar to
admit of a common treatment, it
is possible to bring them all
within two laws of practical con
duct:TheLaw of Caution and the
Law of Kindness. I will not
venture to assert that these
cover the whole ground. But they
are indispensable. And if the
one savors of worldly prudence
and the other of Christian char
ity, yet are they both necessary;
for it is a mixed condition in
which we find ourselves here.
Unless we bring the life of
angels into it, God knows we
make of it a bungling business;
but if we think it can be itself a
life of angels we mistake, and
may make ugly blunders. The
Law of Kindness is good, but it
is not enough to produce success
ful living together. The Law
of Caution sounds cold and cal
culating ; but for the compulsory
society of which we are now
thinking, it is often as necessary
as kindness itself. Indeed, the
lamentable breaches and the ir
reparable wrecks sometimes oc
cur where there is no defect in
the tides of good feeling, but these
tides come rushing, swirling,
foaming, and breaking over reefs
which make perilous havens.
The Law of Kindness,as a Chris
tian grace, has been plentifully
illustrated and taught from pul
pits ; but the people in the pews
are often making a failure of
their life, though with good in
tentions, because the Law of
Caution is not considered so suit
able to the pulpit.
Now, the Kaw of Caution is
briefly this: Every human
being demands a careful study, if
you will live with him, giving no
offence and taking none. A mari -
ner in approaching a Pacific is
land is always in peril unless he
has an accurate chart. His ship
may ground upon the coral reef,
which comes up to within a few
feet of the sea’s surface. Only
if he knows his bearings well can
he pass safely within the atoll,
VOL. 76-NO. 21
and ride unhurt by the breakers
and the surf. And
We, in this sea of life enisled,
are all curious and camstrairy
creatures unless we are under
stood. We will let one ship
come very sweetly within our
borders to the leeward, and with
equal readiness we will dash an
other coming to windward on our
rocks.
When you find yourself obliged
to live with any person, man or
woman, you should lose no time
in taking careful soundings,
and marking the chart. It is
necessary to go cautiously, or
you may not survive to complete
your observations. No good can
come of it unless you know the
coast line pretty well. As a pic
turesque object in the Southern
sea, with fronds of palm,and vol
canic mountains that gleam pur
ple and gold in the glory of sun
set or the clearing of rain, this
individual may be surveyed with
a wide berth and enjoyed. But
to live together is another thing.
It involves coasting round,riding
at anchor, occasionally landing.
An unseen shoal may be as fatal
as a threatening jut of pointed
rock.
Sir Thomas More was one
day meditating on his house-top,
when a maniac presented him
self, and announced his intention
of throwing More over the para
pet. ‘ ‘Very well, ” replied More,
with perfect equanimity, “but
shall we prolong the sport a lit
tle? Let us first throw over the
dog, and see how he takes it.”
The lunatic agreed, went down
to pick up the animal, and Sir
Thomas was able to bolt the door
against further annoyance.
“Let us first throw over the
dog,”—it is an admirable rule.
A slight sacrifice will soothe and
divert impracticable tempers. It
is not necessary to resent every
affront, or we may live a life like
the Three Musketeers, in perpet
ual broils. We are not called on
to accept every challenge. Let
people “swear awa’ a little,” as
the good Scotchman said ; and
then we can speak to them quiet
ly when they have done—on an
other subject.
We need not give offensive
names, or tell the people under
the roof with us that they are
monomaniacs. But here is the
fact; each person is so far by
himself and peculiar that he de
mands study as a solitary instance.
The shoals and shallows, the reefs
and the inlets, the points of dan
ger, and the clear water, must
all be carefully mapped and con
stantly remembered, if you are
to live with him peacefully and
happily. And this is the Law of
Caution, without which all forms
of involuntary living together
will be sullen or stormy.
But let no man think that the
Law of Caution will suffice. Un
less the Law of Kindness bears
an equal sway, the result will be
at the best but a putrid calm. To
speak of this second law is a de
light. “The Law of Kindness is
on her tongue,” that may be
counted one of the large utter
ances of the Old Testament
Scripture. It is in the grand
manner. It affects us even more
than the statement that the Law
of the Stone Tables was given on
Sinai. The word is the same in
the two cases; the most sacred
word of all to Jewish ears after
the divine unutterable name.
The Toruh, that is, the Law,
is the subject of Psalm cxix.,
and the cherished treasure
of a race for now three thousand
years or more. But is not the
“Torah of Kindness” larger and
lovelier even than this? Is there
not reason to think that the
“Torah of Kindness” not only
came down from heaven, like the
Tables of Stone, but actually re
mains in heaven as the presiding
principle of all that blissful soci
ety?
And when it is said that the
Law of Kindness is on the tongue
of the virtuous woman, let it be
understood that the law cannot
be on the tongue unless it is in
the heart. For kind speeches
from a false heart, which are all
the kindness that can be met
with in many conventional and
world-poisoned lives, are the
most cruel contradiction of that
sweet law. Kindness without
sincerity is only a sweetened un
kindness, a draught not less bit
ter because it is conveyed in a
palatable medium.
Now the Torah of Kindness is
delivered in two tables, though
there may be more or less than
ten commandments in it; that is
a point undetermined. * N
The one table contains certain
prohibitions, and its tenor is,
Thou shalt not be unkind. But
the second table is all positive,
and runs throughout, Thou shalt
be kind. It would be a poor
thing to master the first and
leave the second, but it is a fitful
and faulty method to master the
second and to neglect the first.—
The Art of Living Together —Hor-
ton.