He that keepth thy soul, doth not He know it? and shall not He render to every man according to his works?"
Very early in the course of His ministry, the Lord Jesus taught His people that they were to be the light–not of Jerusalem, not of Judea, nor yet of the Jewish nation, but–of the world. And He taught them to pray–not as the heathen, who use vain and unmeaning repetitions; nor yet as the worldly-minded, who ask first and principally (if not solely) for their own private benefit and need: "For," said He, "your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask Him. After this manner therefore pray ye:—
"Our Father which art in heaven,
"Hallowed be Thy name;
"Thy kingdom come;
"Thy will be done; as in heaven, so in earth."
And it was only after these petitions, and quite secondary to them, that any personal petitions were to be offered. Even the very moderate one, "Give us this day our daily bread," followed them. Is not this order too often reversed in the present day? Do not Christians often really feel, and also act, as though it was incumbent upon them to begin with, "Give us this day our daily bread;" virtually concluding with, "If consistent with this, may Thy name be hallowed too?" And is not Matt. vi. 33, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you;" practically read, even amongst the professed followers of Christ, Seek first all these things (food and clothing, health, wealth, and comfort), and then the kingdom of God and His righteousness? Instead of honouring Him with the first-fruits of our time and substance, are we not content to offer Him the fragments that remain after our own supposed need is supplied? While we thus refuse to bring the tithes into His storehouse, and to prove the Lord therewith, can we wonder that He does not open the windows of heaven, and pour us out the fullness of blessing that we desire?
We have a striking exemplification of the manner in which we should seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, in the life and in the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. And when risen from the dead, ere He ascended on high, He commissioned His people to make known everywhere the glad tidings of salvation–full and free–through faith in His finished work. This duty He enjoined on us; enjoined in the most unmistakable form, and to the most definite extent; saying, "Go ye, into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Grievously has the Church failed in fulfilling this command. Sad it is to realize that so near to the close of the nineteenth century of the
