The Green Forest tribune., 1912-05-31

CULLEN TEAT-"Take heed that you do not your righteousness before men, te be seen of them; else ye have no reward with your Father which Is in Heaven."- Matt 6:1
 Someone has called attention to the "buts" 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 fer 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 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 lasts 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- ousness shall exceed the righteousness of these Seribes and Pharisees, whom John the Baptist designated as a gen. eration of Wpers-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- ousness shall seek it's approval not from nor 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 "alms" IS retained and hence the first illua- tT0t hr- +o T aims i. e., our relations to men about ns, 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 I&rt 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 di- rected to God and not to man. Apart from our belief in God, why should we pray? Commercial or other inter-rela- t1onships do not require prayer, why then pray? The keen blade of Jesus logic again reveals the innermost se- cret, that they may be seen of men," |" and such an idea of righteousness is repugnant in the kingdom of Jesus,
 We now come to the third illustra- tion, 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 show of fasting and imposing 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.
 It is sad fact that much of our Ien- ten fasting and of our aSstemiousness upon Fridays Is that it shall be seen of men and not because of any real ap- preciation of the underlying need or sense of the principles of fasting. This lesson Is great warning that If 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 it's reward from men and weighs naught.
 In so doing We are but self1shly seeking to exalt and this is always an- tagonistic to God who is properly jeal- ous Of the glory which is rightfully his Our exaltation should be of God, not from man. If 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 Boston audience" we need expect no answering reply from the throne on high. If our fasting is pa raded before men as an outward show to create in the minds of men a 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 the honest heart of mankind rebels at the suggestion of affected