The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-05-29

GOLDEN TEXT-"Tako head that you
DO not your Righteousness before men, to
be seen of them; else we have no reward
with your Father which Is In Rsaven."-
Matt. 81.
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. It is easy for a man to try
to do for himself in order to merit
Gods favor. It Is hard to let God do
for US and we to accept his finished
work.
In this lesson there Is one 1nclu-
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-
lions used are, first, that we shall
make wi righteousness secure by 80
doing our aims as not to be seen OF
men; second, that In the saying OF
u prayers We shall not, like the
]hyprocrites, desire to be seer Of men,
and third, that in the keeping Of u
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 1t he summarized It
all by telling us that except our righte-
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 he
Is demanding Of the subject Of his
kingdom. He demands that our righte-
BUSINESS shall seek It's approval not
from nor among men but Of God. The
motive which must govern is the
glory, not Of mar but Of God, not
mans approval but the approval Of
God. In verse two the word "alms"
is retained and hence the first illus.
tration has 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 Is
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 u 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,"
and such an idea of righteousness is
repugnant in the kingdom of Jesus.
We nov come to the third illustra-
ton, the keeping Of fasts. Fasting
does not and never has appealed to
the natural man. Naturally it is re-
pugnant and distasteful and yet we
see men making a 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-
sists In foregoing and abstaining for
the glory Of God"
God the Final Judge.
1t Is a sad fact that much of Our len
ten fasting and Of our abstemiousness
upon Fridays Is that 1t shall be seer
of men and not because Of any real ap-
probation of the underlying need or
sense of the principles of fasting.
This lesson Is a great warning that II
we condition our righteousness upon
the approval Of man it 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 selfshly
seeking to exalt and this Is always an
tagonistic to God who is properly jeal-