God's glory; the remaining four are petitions for the satisfying of our own needs. Our Father which art in heaven 1. Hallowed be Thy Name; 2. Thy kingdom come; 3. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. 4. Give us this day our daily bread ; 5. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them 6. And lead us not into temptation, Amen. Having taught this Prayer, Our Lord refers especially to the fifth petition, in which we ask GOD to forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us; He tells us that it is only the forgiving who can hope for forgiveness, that they who refuse to forgive those who have done them wrong must not expect to be themselves forgiven by GOD. Fasting. Read St. Matthew vi. 16-18. Commentary and Explanation. Our Lord speaks of a third Christian duty, that of Fasting. We heard of the Jewish rule of fasting in a former Lesson [No. 30]; we saw there that it was the custom of the strict Pharisees to fast, or go without food, on two days of the week (Monday and Thursday). Some, of whom Our Lord speaks, made a show of their fasting, as they did of their almsgiving and prayers; they put on a gloomy expression of countenance, and they neglected the customary washing and anointing of their faces, so that their neighbours' attention might be attracted by the outward signs of selfdenial. These hypocrites were intent on the praise of men, and they had their reward. Christians were not to follow their example, but to perform this, as well as their other duties, without show or parade or affectation, trusting for their reward to the Father which seeth in secret. Questions.-What were the three Christian duties about which Our Lord gave instructions to His disciples? [Almsgiving, Prayer, and Fasting.] Against what did He warn them in connection with each of these exercises? [Against ostentation, a vain show or pretence of piety and self-denial, designed to catch men's eyes and to win their applause.] Who were guilty of this ostentation in the performance of their religious duties? [The Pharisees of Our Lord's day.] How did they show this in their almsgiving? [By making a boastful parade of it in public.] What did Our Lord say was their object? [To obtain glory of men; to get a reputation for charity and piety.] What does Our Lord call them? [Hypocrites, i.e. pretenders to a goodness which they did not really possess.] What is Our Lord's rule for Christian almsgiving? [St. Matthew vi. 3.] But are we not told to let our light shine before men? [Yes! but this refers to the effect of our good deeds, not to their motive.] In what other way did the Pharisees make a parade of their piety? [By praying in the synagogues and corners of the streets, that they might be seen of men.] Was it wrong to pray in public places like those? [Not in itself. We are told to pray always and everywhere; but Our Lord, who knew the hearts of men, knew that these Pharisees were only trying to attract attention.] What is Our Lord's rule for Christian prayer? [St. Matthew vi. 6.] Against what other fault in prayer did Our Lord warn His disciples? [Against vain repetitions.] What is the meaning of this? [The repeating of the same words in prayer again and again, under the idea that the mere repetition will win GOD's favour.] What further help in prayer did Our Lord give? [He gave a model form of prayer-what we call the Lord's Prayer.] Repeat the first three petitions of this Prayer. How are they explained in the Church Catechism? What is the fourth petition? What does the Catechism give as the meaning of our daily bread? [All things that are needful both for our souls and bodies.] What is the fifth petition? What is meant by our debts? [Our sins which have made us, as it were, debtors to GOD.] What is the sixth petition? How is this expressed in the Church Catechism? [That it will please Him to save and defend us in all dangers ghostly and bodily.] What are ghostly dangers? [Spiritual dangers-dangers to our souls-as distinct from bodily dangers.] What is the last petition? How is it explained? Who is our ghostly enemy? [Our spiritual enemy-the foe of our souls-the Devil.] How does the Lord's Prayer end? [With the doxology-For Thine is the kingdom, &c.] What does Our Lord teach us about the duty of forgiving those who have done us wrong? [St. Matthew vi. 14, 15.] How did the Pharisees make a parade of their fasting? What did Our Lord say of them? [They have their reward; they get what they seek, the praise of men, and must not look for any higher reward.] What is Our Lord's rule for the Christian's fasting? [It should be performed, like his other religious exercises, quietly, and without ostentation.] HYMN. Hymns Ancient and Modern, No. 247. Lord, teach us how to pray aright.' SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS. SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT (continued). 'Seek ye first the kingdom of GOD and His righteousness." The Christian's Aim in Life. Read St. Matthew vi. 19-24. Commentary and Explanation.-Our Lord speaks of men as laying up treasures for themselves-i.e., as doing things which they expect will yield them enjoyment or happiness in the future. Some, for example, are intent on making fortunes, laying by money which they hope will afford them pleasure in time to come: these are laying up treasures on earth. There are others who seem never to think about themselves and their own enjoyment, but are always intent on making other people happier and better; they very often fail to reap any great advantage on earth from their unselfishness, but Our Lord says they are laying up treasures in heaven-i.e., they are preparing for themselves a reward which they shall have for ever in heaven, when this life is over. Which of these are acting most wisely? Our Lord tells us that it is the latter who are truly wise. If men lay up money, thieves may steal it; if they lay up any worldly possessions, these may be destroyed, just as clothes are destroyed by moths, or as other things are destroyed by what is called rust; but the treasure in heaven thieves cannot steal, nor moth nor rust spoil; therefore, as a matter of mere prudence, it is wise to lay up treasure in heaven. And if our treasure is there, then our hearts-i.e., our affections-will be in the same place. But may we not do both-lay up some treasure on earth, and some in heaven? Our Lord says No! If we are to do any good, our eye must be single-i.e., we must look to one object and give up all else for the sake of that. Our Lord afterwards expresses the same truth in other words: No man can serve two masters. It is in vain for us to try to serve GOD with half our hearts, and mammon [i.e., riches, or the world] with the other half. GOD will be served all in all or not at all. Therefore we must make our choice between GOD and the world; or, rather, have we not made our choice already? Did we not promise, at our baptism, to renounce the pomps and vanity of this wicked world; and does not this pledge us to the service of God? Christians are warned against being over-anxious. Read St. Matthew vi. 25-34. Commentary and Explanation. Our Lord had been telling His disciples in the previous section that they should make the service of GOD the aim of their life; now He goes on to tell them that in this service they will find 'perfect freedom,' freedom from the anxieties and disquietudes by which those are harassed who make riches, or the world, their aim. Those who serve Christ need take no thought for food or raiment-i.e., they need not worry themselves, or make themselves anxious about these things; and Our Lord tells us why: (a) To be over-anxious is sinful; it shows a want of faith and confidence in our heavenly Father, who is caring for us much better than we can care for ourselves; He feeds the birds, who never exercise thought for their own sustenance; He arrays the lilies with a beauty beyond that of Solomon's most costly raiment; may not His children trust Him to provide them with food and clothing and all things that are necessary for them? (b) To be over-anxious is useless. Our Lord shows this by an example: Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?-a -as we might say, All our thinking won't make us an inch taller; no amount of anxiety will make us live a day longer;* and this shows us how little our most anxious thoughts can do in the way of ordering our life, making it either better or worse. For these reasons Our Lord bids us take no thought for the morrow; He does not, of course, mean that we are to be reckless or improvident, but that we are to do our duty in that state of life to which GOD calls us, and trust the future in His hands, without worrying or troubling ourselves about 'the morrow.' God knows what things are good and necessary for us, and Our Lord says that if we seek first the kingdom of GOD and His righteousness if we make it our aim to do GOD's will, and to obey His commandments-then all these things, which God sees to be for our good, shall be added to us. Thus Our Lord teaches us, in this section of the Sermon on the Mount, the duty of contentment, of earnestness in work, of trust in GoD's Fatherly care. The Sin of Judging Others. Read St. Matthew vii. 1-5. Commentary and Explanation. We are all of us prone to judge others, to find fault with what they do or say, to express opinions about their motives and their conduct. There is no doubt that we very often make mistakes in the judgments we ** Perhaps the latter is the correct meaning of Our Lord's saying. form and in the opinions we express; it is only GOD who knoweth the hearts of men, and who is therefore able to judge rightly about men's actions. So Our Lord's commandment is, Judge not, that ye be not judged, and for this He gives two reasons: (i) We all shall have to be judged by God. If, then, we are extreme to mark what is done amiss by others, we cannot rightly expect for ourselves a merciful judgment from GOD. (ii) Our own sins make us unfit to be judges of others. For us to point out the faults of others is very often as absurd as it would be for a man with a beam in his eye to remark on a mote [a small speck] in his brother's eye. Our Lord's rule is, First get rid of your own faults, and then, and not till then, it will be time for you to be thinking of the faults of others. Holy things not to be cast to Dogs. Read St. Matthew vii. 6. Commentary and Explanation.-Our Lord had spoken of the danger of judging others, but this was not meant to exclude a certain discrimination of character on the part of Christ's disciples. Such discrimination is especially needed by teachers. We must know what sort of people we have to teach before we can properly set about teaching them. Otherwise we incur the risk spoken of in this verse, the risk of casting pearls before swine, i.e., presenting precious truths to those who are utterly incapable of appreciating them; or, of giving that which is holy unto the dogs, i.e., presenting sacred things to those who will treat them profanely. Injudicious, though possibly well-meaning people, often violate this rule given by Our Lord, by introducing religious topics at unsuitable times, or to those who are not fitted to appreciate them, and thus their conduct leads to irreverence and profanity. Questions. What is meant by laying up treasures upon earth? [Living only for this world, seeking happiness in selfish pursuits, in getting money, or enjoying ourselves.] Why does Our Lord say we should not do this? [Because such a life is doomed to disappointment; a selfish life is always a disappointed life.] Where does Our Lord say we should lay up treasures? [In heaven.] What is meant by this? [That we should live lives of unselfishness of love to GOD and to our brethren on earth.] Why is this the better life? [Because it has no disappointments; those who live in this spirit of unselfishness are sure of a reward in heaven.] What is meant by a single eye in verse 22? [Entire devotion to God's service.] What does Our Lord say about serving two masters? [Verse 24.] What is the meaning of this? [That GOD requires from us an undivided service.] How do some people think they can serve GOD and mammon? [By spending their youth in pleasing themselves and following their own ends, thinking that when they grow old they will turn |