The Progressive West Virginian. [volume] (Williamson, W. Va.) 1911-1913, 1912-05-30

do not your Righteousness before men, to
be seen of them: else We have no reward
with your Father which Is in Heaven
Matt. Gil.
Someone has called attention to the
butts" of God as recorded in the
Scriptures, showing that they always
lead to something good and contrasts
them with those of men that are always
the introduction to some derogatory re.
mark. In something resembling this
the words of Jesus, Take heed are
tremendous with import.
Doing was the greatest thing in the
Jewish religion that Jesus came to set
aside when he established his new
kingdom. 1t is easy for man to try
to do for himself in order to merit
Gods favor. Itsis hard to let God do
for us and we to accept his finished
work.
In this lesson there is one inclu.
sive word and three illustrations. This
word is the. word righteousness sub.
stituted in the Revised Version for
the word "alms" in verse one. The
three lines of application or illustra.
tions used are, first, that we shall
make our Righteousness secure by SO
doing our aims as not to be seen OF
men; second, that in the. saying OF
our prayers we shall not, like the
hyprocrites, desire to be seen of men
and third. that in the keeping of our
fasts and our vigils we do them, not
as do hyprocrites, that the multitudes
may observe and comment thereon.
In another lesson upon this mani.
festo Of Jesus we studied the subject
of the law and in it he summarized It
all by telling us that except our righte-
BUSINESS shall exceed the righteousness
of these Scribes and Pharisees, whom
John the Baptist designated as a gen.
GRAFTON of vipers-hypocrites we shall
In no wise enter into this new kingdom
which Jesus came to establish.
Righteousness He Demands.
In the lesson Jesus shows us the
difference between their righteous.
ness and the righteousness which h4
is demanding of the subject of his
kingdom. He demands that our righte.
BUSINESS shall seek Its approval not
from Eor among men but of God. The
motive which must govern is the
glory, not Of man but of God, not
mans approval but the approval OF
God. In verse two the word 'talms"
q rntoinnd opd boooa A. at ;lI.,-
trationaahas to do with our doing OF
aims" 1. e., our relations to men about
MS, our right-ness. The doing Of aims
has no fundamental connection with
any question Of Honesty between man
and man. The doing of aims accord
ing to the strict Interpretation of civil
law Is no part of duty. There Is NO
reason why the business man should
give away his earnings provided he ID
just In his dealings and does not de-
fraud in his transactions. Yet we do
see men making great gifts and bene-
factions to the cause OF philanthropy.
Why? Jesus lays bare the secret
when he says, that they may have
the glory of men"
Next Jesus takes up the subject OF
prayer Again our attention is drawn
to the fact that the exercise OF prayer
has but little to do with our relations
to men. True 1t is these relations
must be right before we can come to
God acceptably but prayer is to be d.
rected to God and not to man. Apart
from our belief in God, why should we
pray? Commercial or other inter-rela-
tionships do not require prayer, why
then pray? The keen blade of Jesus.
logic again reveals the innermost Sc
cret, that they may be seen OF men, Z
and such an idea Of righteousness is
repugnant In the kingdom Of Jesus.
We now come to the third illustra-
ton, the keeping of fasts. Fasting
does mot and never has appealed to
the natural man. Naturally it is re-.
pugnant and distasteful and yet We
see men making show OF fasting and
imposing a like burden upon others,
why? That they may be seen OF
men" Is there. then, no place for,
nor ministry in fasting? Certainly
there is. True fasting, however, con-
sfsts in foregoing and sustaining for
the glory Of God"
God the Final Judge.
It Is a sad fact that much OF our lem
ten fasting and of our abstemiousness
upon Fridays is that 1t shall be seen
Of men and not because of any real ap-
probation of the underlying need or
sense of the principles of fasting.
This lesson is great warming that If
we condition our righteousness upon
the approval Of man 1t will have no re-
ward whatever of God. The ostenta
tious or unctious display of phil
anthropy will receive its reward from
men and weighs naught.
In SO doing we are but selishly
seeking to exalt and this is always an.
tagonistic to God who is properly jeal
Gus Of the glory which is rightfully his.
Our exaltation should be OF God, not
from man. II our prayers are but
external forms repeated to make an
impression upon men, like that one
said to be "the finest prayer ever Of
fered to a Boston audience. need
expect no answering reply from the
throne On high. If our fasting is pa.
raded before men rs an outward show
to create In the minds of men false
estimate Of our spiritual lives, we must
look to men for our reward and not to
God for It has no merit that will
avail With him.
How Ire honesf heart of vnanblns