THE REËNFORCEMENT OF RELIGION HE statement of the requirement of religion in terms of aspiration, of motive, and of service, and the carrying of the matter into detail as regards the world, the flesh, and the devil, tend to discourage those who perceive that these things are true, but doubt their ability to fulfil them. This state of mind is met in the last paragraphs of the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount is concerned with the ideal life. In the course of it, Christ criticises the current standards of religion. He says that in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven, these standards must be exceeded. He points to the men who are conspicuous for their religious zeal, the eminent churchmen of His time, and tells His disciples that theirs is a misleading example. You must be better than that, He says. He com pares the common righteousness superficial, material, mechanical, and easy — with the true righteousness, spiritual and sincere, and including the inmost thoughts and motives. Such a statement calls out three quite different kinds of response. Some of the hearers begin at once to think about their neighbors. "That is pretty hard," they say, "on So-andSo who pretends to be so pious. I hope that Ephraim took to heart what the preacher said about swearing; and that Manassah, with his bad temper, heeded that mighty reproof of those who are angry with their brethren without a cause; and that Levi will wash his face when he fasts, and not look so much more solemn than he really is; and that Reuben, whose name is always so conspicuous on subscription lists, noticed what was said about ostentatious giving." To these critics who have enjoyed the sermon because it seemed so admirably adapted to their neighbors Christ says, "Judge not," and illus trates and enforces the saying with the grave humor of the parable of the mote and the beam. "You will be ready,' He says, "to attend to these bits of dust in your brother's eye, when you have improved your sight by taking out the stick of wood which is in your own eye." A second class of hearers begin at once to think of nothing at all. They agree that the sermon was excellent. They have no criticism of it. They praise it for its interest and eloquence. But it makes no difference. They are in no way affected by that which they have heard. They do not ask, like the hearers of John the Baptist by the Jordan, and the hearers of Peter in Jerusalem, "What shall we do?" It does not occur to them to do anything. They look about at the clouds and the trees, and at their companions, noting who is present and who is absent. They consult the time, and go home to dinner. To hearers such as these, Christ says, "Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" |