Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-09

lied. There a singleness of purpose,
there was the same place to which they
went, the temple was the place to which
they directed their steps, and prayer was
the purpose for which they entered the
holy place. They seemed TO be very near
together, they seemed to be almost as
though they were as one in character and
purpose and life, but widely separated. as
far apart as God and the sin of hypocrisy
as far removed from each other as God is
removed from those who turn away from
Him. forgetting Him and forgetting their
fellows and remembering only themselves.
This is a word picture. 1t might well be
the subject for the most skilled artist. See
the temple with it's courts and transepts.
with its place of prayer; see the pharisee;
he enters the door of the holy place and
gathers about him his robes of prayer; he
walks with studied step and sad counte-
nance and he comes TO the place and
stands and talks and prays, and the words
very significantly are that he prayed with
himself" To the mind of the pharisee
there was only one worthy of considera-
tion IN the temple--for the moment he had
forgotten God. For the moment he sim
ply despised the publican and he said. with
out very much thought as TO the signid-
canoe of the words, only as they related to
himself-he said God. l thank Thee that
/ am not as other men are, extortioners,
unjust, adulterers. even as this publ
ND In, ba pfrt ha
upon his face as he casts a passing glance
toward the corner where the publican with
bowed head and beating upon his breast,
with no thought OF the pharisee, with
thought only OF God and of his own hearts
need In the presence of the Eternal-he
cries for mercy.
But the pharisee Is not satisfied with that
He soliloquizes concerning his own self
Righteousness and not only thanks God
that he is not as other men are in the gen.
oral principles that control his life, but he
says: Il have 20 my credit other things
l fast twice In the week, more than the
law even requires; 1 give tithes of all that
/ possess" Religiosity his sin. Some
enc has said that reigiosity is the religion
of some people. and 1t was the religion OF
this pharisee. He was observing the things
that the law demanded. He was making
his life. so far as outward observances OF
set orders of things were conference.-the was
making his life to conform to the letter OF
he law, and he was forgetting Its spirit.
He loved himself and he congratulated him.
self. for he belonged to the pharisees, that
most scrupulous sect of the religion which
he professed, and the felicity of his life.
whatever we may say of his creed-the fe-
licity of his life appeared in his despising
the publican.
II is right for us to thank God that we
are not as some other people are. You and
l have reason TO be grateful to our hea-
venly Father that we have not yielded TO
life of dissipation and sin and crime, that
We are not shut behind prison bars, that
We are not a disgrace to our families and
our friends. BY the grace of God We are
what we are. and, while we may thank God
for the restraining inuenees that He has
thrown about our lives. We have no ground
for boasting of our acknowledgements In iiis
presence. Much less have we any reason
Tor looking upon another and bx compari-
son with ourselves despising the other
Now let us turn to the prayer of the man
who was not talking merely to himself.