The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1916-11-03
INTO The HEART
Righteousness Which Alone Can
Satisfy God Must Be Perfect
in Its Purity.

Except your righteousness shall
exceed the righteousness Of the scribes
and Pharisees, We shall In no wise en-
ter into the Kingdom of Heaven
Matt. 5 20.
A strange doctrine this must have
been to those who looked upon the
scribes and Pharisees as foremost In
religion. The scribes were the most
noted teachers Of the law, the Phari-
sees the most noted professors Of 1t.
II had been said among the Jews, II
but two people were to enter heaven,
one would be Pharisee, the other a
scribe.
What q surprise, then, to hear from
the lips Of the great Prophet of Naz-
areth that "except your righteousness
shall exceed"-go beyond, be better
than-"the righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees, We shall in no case en-
ter into the kingdom Of heaven"
Wherein did the righteousness Of
the Pharlsees and the scrlbes fall
short2 What was lacking? 1t did
not 60 far enough. They were ex-
tremely careful to observe some of
the laws or parts of the law, while
they fell short In others. And 1t did
not go deep enough. That was the
chief lack. It did not penetrate be.
meath the shell of the outward life.
Holiness Above All Things.
But the law of God, properly under
stood, reaches deep into the heart with
all its desires, motives, and thoughts.
The law Of God demands holiness in
the inner sanctuary as well as in the
outer courts. To drive this home the
Savior adduces, by way of illustration,
several commandments of the deca-
logue. "Ye have heard 1t said"-The
traditional Interpretation confined the
application of these commands to the
actual crimes. Our Lord shows that
1t extends deeper-into the heart. In
the sight of him who searches the In
ner fountain of life, the evil thought,
the wicked wish, and the unclean de-
sire are as guilty as the deeds.
And so the only righteousness that
can please God is the one that exceeds
that Of the scribes and Pharisees; that
conforms to the law not merely in out
ward deed and action, but also In the
inner recesses of the heart with It's
desires, motives, and thoughts. And
this conformity to the law must be
complete, without any violation what
soever. Accordingly the Lord closes
this section of his sermon on the Mount
with the words recorded ut the end of
this chapter: BE We therefore perfect,
even as your Father which is In
heaven is perfect" Perfection, 100
per cent holiness, is the only right
eousness that can please the Lord.
But is this doctrine not sufficient
to drive a man to despair For where
ON this terrestrial globe is the man
who has ever succeeded in working
out for himself and of himself a per-
feet rightness2 "There is not a just
man upon earth. that doeth good and
sinneth not. (Eccl. 7:20), says the
Preacher inspired by the Omnlscient
Spirit of God. If Gods message to
humanity were confined to the law no
one might hope to stand before the
omnIscient One and receive the re-
ward of eternal life by virtue of his
own self-made, filthy-rag righteous
ness. The sinner must wander to his
grave condemned-lost.
Savlor's Gracious Promise.
But thank God, we have from the
lips Of Jesus, the prophets, and the
apostles also the sweet Gospel mes
sage, which proclalms to unrighteous-
ness, condemned, lost mankind the JOY
full tIdlngs, "Unto you is born a Savior,
which is Christ the Lord" And so
what man could not do the Savior,
which is Christ the Lord, did. "Thlnk
not" says he. shat am come to de-
stroy the law, or the prophets: I am
hOl COllc W uCSlfUyt uui W lulllil.
The Savior here assures us that the
purpose of his coming was TO fulfill
the law-that is. I'LL It full. The law
with all its demands and penalties
may be considered as vessel. Man
had been trying to all It full by his
own efforts, but unsuccessfully. All
have come far short of the mark.
Hence we are all under the condemna-
ton Of God and his broken law-last.
But behold 'The Son Of Man is come
to seek and TO save that which is lost"
And how did he save them? II am
come to fulfill" the law. He
came, and with his atonIng life and
death filed II full to the brim; full.
so that not one word Of the law re-
manned untitled, and not one penalty
unsatisfied. He worked out a perfect
righteousness.-Rev. Fl. P. Eckhardt.