The Tupelo journal., 1910-02-11
WORLDLINESS
AND TRUST

LESSON TEXT.-Matthew 6:19-34. Menu
DRY verse, "a.
GOLDEN TExT.-"seek We first the
kingdom Of God. and his righteousness;
and all things shall be added unto YOU"
Matt. 6:33.
TIME, place and circumstances the same
as in our last lesson.
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
Question-How can we live in this
world without giving our time and
strength to gaining the things of the
world?
Answer-God wants us to have the
best things of both worlds, but we
cannot have the best of this world
without seeking first the kingdom OF
God and its righteousness.
Two Great Treasure-Ideals Placed
| Before ISL. Earthly Treasures, '.
| 10. Lay not up" use for needs, but
not hoard up merely for the sake OF
holding possession. "For yourselves"
selfishly, without thought of what good
can be done with this surplus. One
test of anyone is what he does with
his time and earnings beyond what is
necessary for his own living and work.
Treasures upon EARTH" are the ma
terial things, connected with our phys
ical needs and desires, such as money,
houses, clothing, food, pleasures.
where moth and rust doth corrupt"
The ~orientals had no savings banks, no
bonds, in which to invest their wealth;
hence costly garments were a favorite
way of boarding wealth. But these
had one deadly enemy, the moth.
Rust, the consumer, corroder, refer
ring not only to treasures hidden in
the ground, but to houses, books, furn1-
ture, etc. Where thieves break
through" Lit, dig through" the
mud walls of a house. The Greek
name for a burglar is a "wall-digger."
2. Heavenly Treasures. v. 20. But
lay UP for yourselves treasures In
Heaven" God wants us to be rich,
but with riches toward God, Heavenly
treasures. This refers indeed to the
b~lessedness of Heaven, all its rewards,
it's glories, Its joys; but chiefly to the
kind of treasures which make Heaven
what 1t is, Heaven begun here on
earth through the heavenly life, treas
ures of character, of enlarged being, OF
good deeds, of blessed work done, OF
souls made better, of faith, love,
peace, ~godliness, brotherly kindness,
honesty, meekness, and all the fruits
of the spirit. These Heavenly riches
we may acquire and enjoy here.
Second. The Power of Heavenly
Treasures Over Life. v. 81. For
where your ~treasure is" That which
you most prize and love and seek for;
that into which you put you life.
There will your heart be also"
Third. A Clear Vision of These
Treasures Essential. VS.. %, %. The
light" of the body, Il earthly taber-
nacle, ais the eye," as a lamp is the
light of a house. "If therefore thine
eye be SINGLE" etc., seeing things just
as they are, with no double vision.
%. "Thy whole body shall be full
of darkness" cropping in ignorance. un-
certain as to truth and duty.
"a. mo man can serve two mas
ters," standing for opposite principles,
belonging to hostile kingdoms, demand
ing characters, feelings, lives and
fruits that are In essential contradic-
ton of one another, as light and dark
ness, god and evil. Either he will
hate the one, and love the other" If
one loves goodness he must hate evil;
If he loves evil, he will hate h good
ness, which interferes with 1t. "Ye
cannot serve God and Mammon."
But the question arises: How can
we live in this evil world without Civ
ing time and strength to the gaining of
worldly things, such as money, posses
sions, houses, clothing, food, and the
comforts of civilization?
The answer is: God wants us to have
the very best of both the heavenly and
earthly, but we cannot have the best
OF ever this world without making God
and his righteousness first and chief.
Therefore, do right, seek first the
kingdom of God, and do not be anxious
lest your Heavenly Father fail to
keep his promises.
Illustration. The physician author
of Why Worry? has a chapter on
1.-The Doubling Folly" in which he
shows the evil of continually doubling
whether we have done the right thing.
We nave all heard of the centipede
with it's hundred feet who could no
longer proceed upon his journey, when
it occurred to him to question which
foot he should next advance" 1t is
the worry of continually making new
decisions in minor things that ex-
hausts the mind. One great underly-
ing choice (settled once for all carry
ing with it the whole being) to do right
under all circumstances-"the single
eye"-both eyes seeing a single pur-
pose-will solve most doubts and
q~uestionings.
How a Famous Hymn Was Written.
AS Tennyson's nurse was sitting n
day at his bedside, sharing to a de-
gree the general anxiety about the pa
tient, she said to him suddenly:
you have written a great many
poems, sir, but l have never heard
anybody say that there is a hymn
among them all. / wish, sir, 0 would
write a hymn while o are lying on
your sick bed. 1t might help and com
fort many a poor sufferer"
The next monring, when the nurse
had taken her nuiet Mace at the he'd