Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-25

mentS. The words that thought weaveS TO
give expression to mental pictures contain
| the greatest possible Influence for good
and evil. The language Of men proclaims
that man is Of divine birth and Of the
stock of heaven. 1t is the means of our
communing with God and man.
Our lesson contains a comprehensive
study upon the proper use Of words from
| the Master. whose words have been the
most potent force in the worlds history
and from James, who was our Lord &
brother and the first pastor of the church
| at Jerusalem. The paragraph selected
| from the sermon on the mount continues
ChriSts compare tive studies between his
system and that of His opponents. we
had one of the three samples selected
| from the teachings of the literal interpre-
| tiers of the law last week. and We lave
one from three selections made by the
Master from the lfberalistic school this
week to prove that He had raised a SUI
perior standard in His gospel than either
of their schools of interpreters had by
their teaching Of the law. The selections
were all made from the common life and
involved fundamental principles IN one
relation to God and society. The three
selected from the literalistic teachers re-
ferred to murder, adultery and divorce.
The three chosen from the liberaiists re-
lated to profanity, retaliation ano na.Iea,
Our lesson deals with Christ's teaching
about truth and is supplemented by a
massage from the epistle OF James, Wnlcn
is an echo Of Christ's ethical teacnnss.
The letter of James contains twentietH
century message by translating the WORDS
of Jesus into the spirit Of our age: bring
ing religion into the affairs OF hfe- ~
demands an aggressive service tnas
brings things to pass as an evioence VI
Christian faith. James In TINS eospel
Of common sense follows his demands
for faith proven by works by pointing
ont the sins of speech. reproducing the
spirit Of the Master whose gospel raised
for the people a superior standard In re-
gard to perjury and profanity.
Perjury and Profanity.
Our lesson takes up Christ's demands
for sincere speech. and the Masters at
titude in reference to oaths which was
a burning question among the Jews:
Jesus introduces His comparison by a
quotation from the common speech made
up of. two separate although related
commands The first refers to the in
junction contained in Lev. 1912, which
was based upon the third commandment
and prohibited swearing falsely in the
name of Jehovah. The second was a rule
Of the law more than a command. per-
tanning to fulfilling vows made in the
Lords name. This Jesus made to apply
to oaths because the validity of it rested
on the underlying appeal to God, being
the same as a bond executed to God him
self.
The Master entered the sphere Of con-
troversy between the Essences and the
Pharisees when He took up the question
of oaths. These two sects OF Judaism had
many points in common, but the Essenes
forbade all use of oaths, while the -Phari-
sees practically encouraged the use OF
oaths. They misplaced the emphasis upon
the command so that the third command
ment was nothing more than a prohibi-
ton of perjury. The purpose OF the
statute was to secure fidelity to ones
promises. The Pharisees by juggling with
its teachings, especially laying emphasis
on the reference to Jehovah as that
which made the oath binding, taught that
If by any circumlocution SO that techni-
cally he was not called as witness then
the oath was not binding
They quibbled over what was bind
ing and not binding and forgot the
fundamental requirement of truth In
the inward parts. until through the
casuistry of teaching, perjury became
an art and profanity a practice.
The Master later in His ministry tore
the mask from their hypocritical sys-
tenn, but He now sides apparently with
the Essences in opposing all oaths, COM
handing that they swear not at all"
Yet Jesus did mot go so far as the
Essences, for while He opposed pro-
family, the swearing by anything in
Gods universe because 1T was swearing
by God, since all value and virtue that
the Master did not forbid taking
judicial oath. OF calling God to witness
any formal action. The superior stand
ard Of Christ's gospel called upon men