The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-06-09

! What does this mean? (see Addi-
! tional lnformation.) What did Heze-
kiah do when he found that some OF
the people had not sanctificd or
cleansed themselves? tRealizing that
| II was not through Indifference on
/ their part but probably owing to cir
cumstances over which, they had no
control. and seeing that they had set
their hearts upon returning to the
Lord, he allowed them to take part
IN the feast and asked God to par
don them for not carrying but the
lSster OF the law Did God pardon
tnem? After they had kept the feast
Tor seven days as required by the
law, what did they do? (vs. 23D Why
did they want to continue IL for seven
days longer? evidently because they
were so happy. They had returned
to the Lord and the Lord had par
doned them and their hearts we're full
of JOY. And they kept other seven
days with gladness Do we hear
anything of joy in Jerusalem during
all the years in which the hearts OF
the people We're turned away from
God? Note that ain may give pleasure.
but not Joy. Pleasure Is "A thing OF
the senses: JOY Is from the heart, Let
God take away the burden OF sin
from your heart and you will have
JOY there. though you may be shut
of from everything that can give
pleasure.
When God pardoned the people who
had entered into the fast without be-
ing cieansed according to the laws OF
publication. what did he teach us or
his method of judging men? tSee
| Heart of the Lesson IF God looks
on the heart rather than on the out
ward appearance. what should he our
chief concern? Ito see that our hearts
are right in his sight,
TIE Heart of the Lesson.
Hezekiah was struggling hard to
bring his people back to the Worship
OF Jehovah. 1t was a gigantic task
and ne could not have everything an
he wanted 1t. and those who came 10
worship did many things awkwardly
and in some things even Went con-
trarv to the law, but the good king
knew his people and knew that they
were sincere, and he knew God and
knew that under the circumstances
God would take the will for the deed
And so he went to God and asked him
to pardon his people who had wor-
shipped him so imperfeetiy, even con-
trary to the law, And God looking
not on the outward appearance hut on
the heart, and seeing how sincere they
were, graciousiy pardoned them.
II is Gods way. II has always been
his way Man looketh on the outward
appearance, but not God God looketh
on the heart. II lis not the deed that
counts but what's behind 1t. 1t is not
what the lips speak. bat what the
heart prompts them 10 speak. II ~
not what the hand does bur what the
heart would have the hand do The
lips may speak words Of love while
the heart may he full OF hate The
y Re f,,tf -
may fail to express IL for stammer-
ing The hand may grasp the hand
Iof a neighhor In affected friendship
while the heart may want the hand 10
grasp him by the throat. The heart
may prompt the hand To help and the
hand may be palsied. God wants Us
TO do things. hu; the thing that counts
with him Is the motive behind the
deed.
II Is better to worship God awk-
wardly II we are sincere than 10 carry
out every form OF worship with per-
feet grace IL the heart has 10 part IN
1t. All this sounds commonplace
enough, and yet how slow We have
been to learn the lesson When Jesus
came he found the religious teachers
of the nation teaching that If a man
outwardly kept the law~~ir he only
performed the rite--he was accepta bic
to God no matter what he might hide
in his heart, And this belief Was So
deeply entrenched in their minds and
hearts that when he insisted that the
important thing with God was not
what a man did. hut ihe motive that
prompted what he did, they were 40
angry that they went about 10 kin
him. And even to-day, after nineteen
centuries OF the Masters teaching. We
are still inclined TO think more of the
form than the substance. IT Is 40
much pieasanter to try to do right
than to be right. It IL so much easier
to whitewash the outside than to wash
white the inside' Let us stop deceiv-
Ing ourselves. When man puts OUT
ward religious acts In the place OF in
ward piety he swallows the hull and
throws the sweet kernel away Take
care that you don't throw your kernel
away,