The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-03-09
WHAT IS GOOD 2

(IO0 Z g i
HE hath showed thee. o man, what
is good and what doth the Lord require
of thee but to do justly, and 70 AoVt
1tercy, ard to walk humbly with my
God ?"-Micah. VII, 6-S. i
This man asks the greatest Of all pos
s,ble questions. Many earnest souls in
all ages are asking that same question.
Orc says: "Shall I come before him with
hunt offerings, calves of a year old
What do you think? Will that satisfy
the Lord? Another says: "Will the LORD
be pleased with a thousand sfof rams,
What do you say? Another says: Shall
1 give my first-born for my transgrcs-
sicns, the fruit of my body for the sin
OF my soul?" Would you do that: AND
if you did-what? Upon all this enquiry
there comes an answer-say If 1t IS not
from another world: He hath showed
thee, o man, what is good"-(do not
make a mystery Of it,. And what doth
the Lord require of thee but to do justly
and to love mercy, and to walk, humbly
With thy God?" That is the right reli-s
zion, the only true religion. You cannot
get behind that sublime revelation.
Look at this answer as revealing the
,na1 acter Of God. We shall know truly
what God is by what He requires Of US
What, then, does God want? Justice,
mercy, humility. Is God just? Let Ills
providence reply. We must not take Ills
providence into pieces, nor seize some
par ticular decade of history, either favor
sble or unfavorable. We must await the.
sum total We must let the allotted.
period run its full course. Gods appeal
is to the everlasting. We must follow
+; i'm into His own court and get our YER
Gict there. He demands that men should
walk in mercy, in the spirit OF love ana
Fly. Is God Himself merciful? Let his
tory reply. Let our own conscience be
heard as we look back upon the brief
handful Of days that we call life. Who
will not say goodness and mercy have
followed me all the days of my life ~
HE hath done all things well. !"
Does He walk humbly with nlen2 Aye;
even that. Let this mind be in6 you
which was also in Christ Jesus, tho be.
ing in the form OF God, thought it not
robbery. to be equal with God;s but made
Himself Of no reputation and took upon
Him the form Of servant, and was
made in the likeness of men. And being
found in fashion as a man. He hum
bled Himself, became obedient unto
death, even the death Of the cross
None have stopped SO lowly as our God.
Taking the text, therefore, as the rev.
elution of the character of the speaker,
own economy and sphere that which He
asks us to do in ours. He hast showed
thee, o, man, what is good. and what
doth the Lord require of thee but to do
justly, to have mercy, and to walk hum
bly, with thy God"
What means this revelation? It does
away with all ostentation. Many would
be glad to buy themselves off from judg
ment. We may not put the question
into words. It is not, therefore, any the
less a question of the soul. No amount
of oil will do; no number Of rams and
calves will be taken in exchange. The
Lord will not have it so. It is the heart,
and heart worship alone that can be &C
cepted. .'Do justly and have mercy"
Again it vindicates God from the
charge Of delighting in animal sacrifices.
"Will the Lord be pleased with burnt
cnerings and calves a year old? He began
His lessons where the scholar could be-
gin. Everything the Lord did require OF
"
to be used in a temporary sense. The
whole aim of Gods teaching was to lead
UP to spirituality. God is spirit; and
they that worship Him must worship
Him in spirit and in truth.
The text destroys all idea Of piety by
| proxy. Not even the First born can
take our place Each and every one
must in that dread day give an account
of himself and the deeds done in the
| body before the Supreme Judge.
Is it easy to be just? to do justly be-
! tween man and man, and to do justly
by myself? We never can tell how diff
| cult such case is until we try to work
it out in detail. What have you done?
Hold up your deeds to the SUM-
| = - . i
Examine your justice in the full sun
light of Gods law; hold up in dazzling
sunbeam your finest morality, and be
ashamed of it. We must render to all
their due, according as our relations to
them may be. We must do wrong to
rene. and do right to all in their bodies
goods and good name. Is it then natural
to be Just? Not to think of self, nor be
swayed by sef-interest; not to grasp; not
to insist; to give up and do it cheerfuliy.
/ to weigh accurately both word and act?
/ Alas! we have only to look around us and
at ourselves to see that it is far from
natural.
Is it natural to be merciful? Who does
1 not like to assert his mastery? Who does
4 not like to show his power? Mercy stops
tina. it may do good. Mercy says: Have
you had enough: can you take nlo,e?''
/ DC you wish softer pillow for your