The Brinkley argus., 1910-02-18
THE GOLDEN
 RULE Sunday School Lesson for Feb. 20, 1910 Specially Arranged for This Paper

LESSON TEXT.-MattheW fi-iz. Ne"- cry verses, z. 8.
 whatsoever ye would that men do 10 YOU. do even ye even so to them; Tor tnls is the law and the prophets. s."-Matt. 7:lz.
 suaqestion and Practical Thought.
 The Golden Rule-V. 12. There fore" referring to the whole three chapters as the sum of all the pre- cepts given to the subjects of his king dom touching their conduct toward their fellow men, which conduct Is also . test of their discipleship. AS Luther puts it, With these words he now closes his instruction given in these three chapters, and ties 1t all up In one little bundle"
 "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you. All that you would have right to expect from others. all that would be really TOT your good. all that would be right and fair.
 DO ye even so to them" All our actions, our business dealings, our friendly intercourse, our giving, IS to be in accordance with this rule. But this does not require indiscriminate giving of everything one asks, for that kind of giving would not be good for us. We are under obligations to give so that we really do good. It Is not so much question of the worthy or the unworthy poor, as of really bene- fitting the recipient.
 For this is the law and the proph- ets." It is the sum of the duties to man required by the law and taught by the prophets Matt. 22:40). It inn plies the state of the heart and life which it was their purpose to produce.
 The Adventure of the Golden Rule Into the Judgment Hall-Vs. l, 2. Judge not" The word judge" here does not mean form an opinion, for everyone must do this of many persons and things (Luke 12:57; John 7:24). It does not forbid us to condemn wrong actions. wrong principles, and speak out our condemnation.
 The Adventure of the Mote and the Beam.-Vs. S-5 Still in the Judgment hall. Two men are presented, one with mote" in his eye, a small fault that keeps him from seeing clearly the paths of right or wrong The other with beam" in his eye, great fault that blinds him from seeing the truth in himself and others. And yet the man with the beam is trying to correct the vision of the man with the mote.
 The Adventure of the Pearls and the Swine.-V. G. In the same judg- ment hall there is presented another scene. A man with rich and costly pearls is casting them before swine, who care nothing for their beauty, but would rather have the swill in their trough, and finding that the pearls are not food, will turn again and rend you" in their anger at their disap- pointment. You must change their na- ture before the pearls of holy things will do them any good.
 The Adventure of the Golden Rule sif the Prayermeeting.-Vs. 7-11. The Golden Rule is the chief inspfrer of prayer for the temperance cause. Prayer is the door to the divine treas ure house which contains supplies for all our needs The living according to the principles set forth in the Sermon on the Mount is so difficult an attain ment, and bringing the whole world to obey them is SO colossal an undertak- ing, that without continual connection with heaven, and supplies of grace and power from heaven, the achievement would be impossible. And this Is as true of temperance as of any other virtue or reform. There are three methods of praying. CD Ask" Ex- press your desires to God, both in se- cret. and when Gods people are gath cred together.
 (2) Seek" by all active efforts, which are acted prayers; use all pos sible means, as in the parable of the pearl of great price. It is useless to pray with words if we do not put forth every effort to accomplish our part of the answer.
 (3) Knock" at the door of Gods LFtdSuIc HOUSE Ol UlCSciHSS IOi tAC blessings which no seeking can obtain, but which must be given directly from God.
 TO- If he ask fish, will he give him a serpent?" Never. But if he asks for a serpent thinking 1t to be fish. he will give him the fish and not the ser pent thus really answering his prayer; for the son wanted fish, and not the serpent.
 The answers will not always be given in just the way we expect, but they will come, and in the best way, through the ones that pray We pray for better fruit. God does not an swer by raising apples and peaches and grapes. nor by sending them in barrels. He gives Us gardens. and skill, and seeds, and sunshine and rain, and this Is thousand times the best way. We pray for temperance Gods lightning does not smite the sa. looms and those who sell in them But he is answering the prayers all the time, and never so abundantly as today.