Notes of a sermon preached by the Rev. C.E, Darwent in Union Church] on Sunday morning, September 22.
Text: St Matthew XIII. 12.
"For whosoever hath, to him ehall be given and he shall have abundance, but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath."
It is evident that Jesus Christ attached quite unusual importance to this saying. It is repeated with very slight variations by St. Matthew, twice, St Mark, once, St Luke, twice. This is very unusual. In St. Matthew it follows the Parable of the Sower and in Chapter XXV it follows the Parable of the Talents. In St Mark it follows the Sower with the statement that as we measure to others it shall be measured to us. In St Luke again it follows the Parables of the Sower and the Pounds. There are the usual disputes as to the exact occasion, but why should not Jesus Christ have repeated himself as preachers have to dot It was no uso for Him any more than for any other teacher to enunciate a truth once only. Repetition alone drives truth home in a world that does not. want it. And this is such a striking saying. Everyone knows it. Everyone has wondered about it and probably every one of us used it in cynical sense when in a bitter mood, viewing some good fortune that has happened to some fellow-man who is already fortunate, we have said oh yes, to them that have shall be given." It is probably the most striking case of the use of antithesis in all literature. him that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance, but whoeoever hath not, from him shall taken away even that which he hath." No wonder it has struck the imagination of the world as unmistakeable as a bullet strikes the forehead. There is no getting away from it. As has been said 12 is falflled in the history of every man." Probably none of us or few of us are aware of that; a good many would dispute it; we look at it as a clever dox only. But it not. It is @ law of life. That i what all the great sayings of Jesus are. They are not laws that He made, but laws that He revealed. They have always been operating. Only He brought them into the light of consciousness and general knowledge. The result of that that we may know them and guide our life by them. It has always been true that from him that hath not has been taken away even that which he hath. That explains the tragedy of Cain and Abel and the pathetic failure of King Saul. It explains your failures and mine.
If we can understand it, it may save some of us from ruin.
Because
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.