The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1910-02-11
D
AND TRUST

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LESSON TExT.-Matthew 6:1s-34. Mem
DRY verse, "a.
GOLDEN TExT-"seek we first the
kingdom OF God. and his righteousness:
and all things shall be added unto YOU"
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 Il 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 pest of this world
without seeking first the kingdom of
God and its righteousness.
Two Great Tr~easure-Ideals Placed
Before isl. Earthly Treasures, v.
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 ne 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
zeal needs and desires, such as money,
houses, clothing, food, pleasures.
Where moth and rust doth corrupt"
The o%rientals 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, furni-
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
blessedness OF Heaven, all its rewards,
it's glories, its joys; but chiefly to the
kind of treasures which make Heaven
what it is, Heaven begun here on
earth through the heavenly life, treas
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 low and seek for;
that into which you put o life.
There will o heart be also"
Third. A Clear Vision of These
Treasures Essential. VS.. %, %. The
nacle, "is the eye," as a lamp is the
light of a house. eff 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 hat 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" Il
one loves goodness he must hate evil
If he loves evil, he will hate the good
ness. which interfereS with it. Eye
cannot serve God and Mammon."
But the question arises: How cal
we live in this evil world without Civ
ing time and strength to the gaining o.
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 ant
earthly, but we cannot have the bes
of even this world without making Coz
and his righteousness first and chief
Therefore, do right, seek first tn
kingdom of God, and do not be anxious
lest your Heavenly Father fail t,
keep his promises.
Illustration. The physician autho
of Why Worry? has a chapter OF
The Doubling Folly In which b
shows the evil of continually doubtin,
whether we have done the right thing
We have all heard of the centiped'
with it's hundred feet who could n,
longer proceed upon his Journey, whel
it occurred to him to question which
foot he should next advance" It i
the worry of continually making new
decisions in minor things that ez
hausts the mind. One great underly
ing choice (settled once for all carry
ing with 1t the whole being) to do RICH
under all circumstances-"the singh
eye'-both eyes seeing a single pul
pose-will solve most doubts an,
Questionings.
How a Famous Hymn Was Writer
AS Tennyson's nurse was sitting on
day at his bedside, sharing to a dc
gree the general anxiety about the ps
tient. she said to him suddenly:
You have written q great man,
poems, sir, but l have never hear
anybody say hat there Is a hymn,
among them all. I wish, sir, you woul