THE REFERENCES

Matt. 25:14-30. Doc. and Cov. 60:13.

1. What is meant by a "chance?"

2. How much smaller opportunity had the servant with one talent than the servant with five?

3. What does the story of the water-boy illustrate?

4. How does the parable of the talents apply to the school life of boys and girls?

5. How does the parable apply to one's spiritual life?

6. What is man's duty to God?

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT, Hofmann

THINK RIGHT

The great commandment.

Once when a lawyer asked Him temptingly which is the great commandment in the law, Jesus answered unhesitatingly, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Divinely inspired, Jesus returned a very wise answer. The tempter was unable to catch Him. And now we all understand that answer is in very truth the sum of the law and the prophets. For if a man truly loves God, and also loves his neighbor as himself, there is no offense he will—or can—commit. All sin consists of evil done to oneself, or to one's neighbor, or to one's God. True love such as Jesus defined makes sin impossible.

The beatitudes.

At another time, when a great multitude followed Him from almost every part of the Holy Land, Jesus went up into a mountain and preached to the disciples that assembled near Him. It was at this time that He uttered the wonderful sayings commonly known as the Beatitudes. In these rich and beautiful sayings, Jesus describes the moral character that He requires in those who are to constitute His kingdom. In other words, everyone who would belong in full faith and fellowship to the kingdom of God must possess the qualities here named.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

A high ideal of life.

Here, indeed, is an ideal toward which to train one's life. To be poor in spirit, to mourn over imperfection, to be meek, to hunger and thirst after righteousness, to be merciful, to be pure in heart, to make peace amongst the quarrelsome, to be strong in persecution for righteousness' sake, to rejoice when men do us evil wrongfully, for Jesus's sake—these are goals worth while. Every man should keep the beatitudes in mind, and should try so to order his life that he may not fail to obtainany one of the promises associated with a good, moral life.

The great beatitude.

Yet, as one reads the beatitudes, one wonders what the great Master would answer if someone should ask Him—as did the lawyer about the commandments—which is the great beatitude. As you read them over, do you feel that any one is greater than the rest? Do you feel that the attaining of a certain one of them would comprehend the rest? Of course, we may not assume to say what Jesus would answer. But let us think the beatitudes over ourselves and try to pick out one very important one; one that expresses a moral quality the attainment of which will at least help in the attainment of all the rest; one that expresses a moral quality more often trampled under foot than any other; one that expresses a moral quality the neglect of which leads always to iniquity.

The pure in heart.

Have you found it? The sixth saying reads thus: "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." Here is a condition with a promise indeed! To see God! To associate with Him! And what must one be to see God? One must be pure in heart. When we remember that in the Jewish belief the heart was the seat of thought and intelligence, then we understand this saying better. To be pure in heart is to be pure in thought, to be pure in mind. To be pure in heart is to entertain no evil thought, to hold no impure desire. To be pure in heart is to weed out of the mind every evil or sinful suggestion, and to plant instead thoughts of righteousness. The wise man of old appreciated the full valueof purity of heart. Said he, As a man "thinketh in his heart so is he." And to the Prophet Joseph Smith Jesus said, "Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly, then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God, and the doctrine of the Priesthood shall distill upon thy soul as the dews from heaven." May we not hope, then, since God is a God of purity, that we have found here the great, the comprehensive beatitude? If one is truly pure in heart, one can not but possess the other moral virtues also.

Things that defile.

Jesus was very forceful in His teaching of the necessity of purity of heart. At one time, He called the people to Him and taught them thus: "Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand. There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him, can defile him: But the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

"And when He was entered into the house from the people. His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. And He saith unto them. Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; because it entereth not into his heart, . . . . And He said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye (greed), blasphemy, pride, foolishness: allthese evil things come from within, and defile the man."

Vulgarity in thought, word and deed.

It is very apparent, then, that vulgar stories of the kind that boys often tell each other on street corners, are begotten of an impure mind. The telling of vulgar, or "smutty" jokes, the reading of lascivious literature, the taking delight in obscene pictures and suggestive plays, the practising of secret abuses—all these are born of an evil mind. Surely, it must be plain to every boy and girl that those who indulge such thoughts and practices of evil are not pure in heart. They shall not see God.

The good tree and the corrupt.

Teaching again on the same subject, Jesus said at another time, "A good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit: for of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that which is good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh."

Plain teaching.

Has ever any man taught more plainly? The kingdom of God is to be made up of men and women rich in moral virtues. And the chief of those virtues is purity of heart. The vulgar, the profane, the lascivious, and all those who foster evil thoughts will find no place near God. Only the pure in heart shall see Him. Remember, then, the great commandment. Remember the greatbeatitude. Remember that as a man thinketh in heart so is he. Therefore, think right.

Matt. 22:34-40. Doc. and Cov. 121:45.

Matt. 5:1-13. Mark 7:14-24.

Prov. 23:7. Luke 6:43-45.

1. What is the great commandment in the law?

2. Show that the answer of Jesus does really cover the law and the prophets.

3. What are the beatitudes?

4. What kind of people do they describe?

5. Which is the great beatitude?

6. Show how this beatitude may possibly cover all the rest.

7. What did Jesus teach of things that defile?

8. How may a tree be known?

9. Apply these teachings to your own lives.

10. Explain the saying, As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.

THE UGLINESS OF ANGER

The story of Cain.

There is no more pitifully tragic story in all the world than that of Cain, the fratricide. Cain was the first son of Adam and Eve of whom the Scriptures make specific mention. Cain was a tiller of the soil. The riches of the earth were his, and the fulness thereof. With joyful heart, he might have plowed and tilled and garnered, and, at the last, ended a well-spent life in ease and comfort; with praise and thanksgiving, he might have worshipped God, acknowledging gifts already bestowed, and receiving daily more as he pursued his honest toil; with contented mind, he might have mingled with his brothers and sisters, and given unstintingly of his prosperous help in the establishing of man's dominion on earth. But Cain was of a jealous and envious disposition. His mind was darkened with thoughts of avarice and greed and hatred of others who prospered in the new world.

The occupation of Abel.

Cain had a brother named Abel. He was the second son of Adam and Eve mentioned by name in the Scriptures. Abel was a shepherd, a tender of flocks. Abel prospered, too, in his occupation. True, Abel was not so independent of his fellows as was his brother Cain, the tiller of the soil. Abel's calling produced him only meat to eat and wool to wear. He grew no fruits, nor grains, nor vegetables, nor other foods in variety produced by the soil. But Abel was happy and contented. He was unselfish. He loved his brothers and sisters,and rejoiced in their successes. He loved God. And as he tended his flocks, Abel worshipped God who had placed his father and mother, and their children, upon the earth to subdue it.

The brothers' sacrifices.

One day Cain and Abel carried sacrifices to offer to the Lord. Cain brought grudgingly of the fruits of the field. Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and the fat thereof without thought of withholding anything from the Lord. When the sacrifices were presented, "the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect." Now, this difference was not because Abel's offering was better or more desirable than Cain's. The Lord pays not respect to worldly things. The widow's mite is as acceptable to Him as the rich man's millions, if offered in the spirit of truth. For it is the spirit in which a sacrifice is made that counts with the Lord. And Cain did not come in the spirit of love, and thanksgiving, and worship. He gave grudgingly. Perhaps, even, he did not give of the best of his crops. Therefore the Lord did not accept his offering.

The anger of Cain.

Then, when he saw that his own offering was rejected, while Abel's was accepted, Cain became filled with anger, and his countenance fell. The Lord in His mercy spoke to Cain, and declared to him one of the great fundamental truths of life. "Why art thou wroth?" asked the Lord, "and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well thou shalt be accepted. And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door, and Satan desireth to have thee; and except thou shalt hearken unto mycommandments, I will deliver thee up, and it shall be unto thee according to his desire." But the anger and the envy of Cain were not appeased.

The murder of Abel.

Not long thereafter, Cain and Abel were together in the field. Cain had brooded over the incident of the offerings. His anger had waxed hot, till it was ready to burst into furious flame. Satan had gained possession of his mind, had filled him with envy, and had inspired him to hate his brother. So, as he talked with his brother in the field, Cain suddenly arose in ungovernable rage and struck his brother down and killed him. It was a day of horror in man's history. It was a day of blackness and blood. Cain was a brother-murderer—a fratricide. And it had come about because he had yielded to anger and envy and hate. Satan had gained possession utterly of his soul. Therefore, Cain was cursed by the Lord and cast out from His presence. In the story of Cain is illustrated wonderfully the truth of the saying of the Wise Man of Israel: "Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?"

The lesson at home.

The story of Cain is a story of long ago. But we all know many instances of the ugliness of anger in our own day. In every prison house in the world are confined men who have committed crime in fits of anger. "An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression," said the Man of Wisdom. When a man is angry, he loses control of the good that is in him. He returns to the state of the beast. He speaks words of which afterward he is ashamed. He does things for which afterward he sorrows. Anger is aninfernal poison, administered by the father of lies himself, which courses through the blood, makes the heart pound, and creates delirium in the mind. There are many ugly sights in the world; but there is perhaps none uglier, more repulsive, than a man furiously angry. Therefore is it said, "Make no friendship with an angry man and with a furious man thou shalt not go: lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul."

The power of the mind.

Everyone knows how unpleasant is the company of a quarrelsome boy, or of a quarrelsome girl. The best of sport and the choicest of company can be spoiled by one angry countenance. The truth taught in the preceding lesson may here be emphasized. "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he." According to your habits of thought, you are agreeable or disagreeable. According to your habits of thought, you find quarrel in a straw, or peace and serenity in turmoil. According to your habits of thought you may become a strife-breeder or a peacemaker. "A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth anger." And since it rests with yourself, is it not deplorable that you should follow in the footsteps of Cain?

"The human will, that force unseen,The offspring of a deathless Soul,Can hew a way to any goal,Though walls of granite intervene."

As a boy wills to be pleasant and cheerful, or to be disagreeable and quarrelsome, so then will he be. We know now that we may all be masters of ourselves, and hewers of our own fates.

All these things Jesus taught plainly. Said He, "Ye have heard it said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

"Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and then rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave then thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

"Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing."

Jesus an example.

There is in history no finer example of serene calm and self-control than that manifested in the earth life of the Savior of the world. When James and John, "the Sons of Thunder," asked permission to call down fire from heaven upon the Samaritan village that had refused to entertain Jesus, the Lord rebuked them, saying, "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of Man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." And when during the days of trial and suffering, men insulted Him and did Him physical injury, Jesus went like a lamb to the slaughter.

The strength of self-control.

All examples and precepts, then, admonish us to acquire self-control, to be slow to anger, to banish hatred, and to eschew envy. "For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God;" and "he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city."

Moses 5:16-41. Matt. 5:21-26.

Prov. 27:4. Luke 9:51-56.

Prov. 29:22. James 1:20.

Prov. 22:24. Prov. 16:32.

Prov. 15:18.

"Angry Words, Oh Let Them Never," S. S. Song Book.

1. What caused the downfall of Cain?

2. What effect does anger have upon the mind?

3. Why does not anger work for righteousness?

4. What do you think of a quarrelsome boy with a grouch?

5. What did Jesus teach about anger?

6. How does self-control make for strength?

JESUS BLESSING LITTLE CHILDREN, Plockhorst

WITH WHAT MEASURE YE METE

The two school girls.

Two little girls came home from school one day carrying on a very lively discussion. Their animation, and their complete absorption in the subject were very inspiring to see. One could not help but thrill at the manifestation of buoyant, interested, and healthful youth. But when they came into the house, and their mother overheard the nature of their conversation, she was woefully disappointed. These girls were not discussing the problems raised by their lessons; neither were they rejoicing at the prospect of the coming girls' hike to the canyon. In fact, the subject of their animated discussion was neither uplifting nor invigorating. On the contrary, it was disgusting—so thought their mother; and she was sorry to hear her girls indulge in such conversation. For the girls were gossiping; nay—they were slandering.

The theft.

It appears that someone had lost some money that day at school. The loser declared, however, that she had not merely lost the money. It had been stolen! The principal had called the pupils together, and had stated the case plainly to them. He had said that if anyone had actually stolen the money, it would be much better for the thief to confess than to be discovered, or even successfully to conceal the dishonest act. Such a thing would leave a scar upon one's character for life. But no one confessed. The lost coin was not found.

The suspicion.

Our two little friends, however, had observed that Mary Jones, who sat not far away, acted very suspiciously when the principal came into the room. She turned quite pale, and looked afraid. When the principal appealed to the offender to make a clean breast of his guilt, Mary had hung her head. Was it not proof positive that Mary had stolen the money; or that, at least, she knew where it was? At recess, and after school was out, the girls had talked it over. They had confided their suspicions to a few intimate friends; these in turn had confided in other intimate friends; soon the whole school was in possession of what was assumed to be a fact, that Mary Jones had stolen the money, but that she would not confess. The two little girls who first suspected Mary had grown firmly to believe their suspicions, and assured their mother that they knew that Mary was the thief.

The discovery.

The developments of the next few days, however, proved to these little girls how much truth there really is in the little bit of doggerel verse their mother had taught them.

"There is so much that is bad in the best of us,And so much that is good in the worst of us,That it doesn't behoove any of usTo talk about the rest of us."

Poor Mary Jones suffered keenly for three days. Both the boys and the girls shunned her as if she were a leper. The girls huddled together and whispered when she passed. Once a rude, unfeeling boy called after her, "Why don't you 'fess up, Mary?" But Mary had really nothing to "'fess up," and on the third daythe truth came to light. Out in the hallway, the janitor noticed something shining in a little crack between the boards of the floor. It was in the afternoon, and the light coming through the transom of the west door fell just then upon the spot. The janitor stooped to see what the shining object was. It was money! He pried it out with his pocket knife. It was of the same denomination as that which had been reported stolen. Immediately, the janitor returned it to the teacher with a full explanation.

The tables turned.

It is strange how things turn and turn about. When the money was returned to the girl who had lost it, with the janitor's story, she remembered that she had been skipping there in the hallway, and that she had thought she had heard something strike the floor; but since she had seen nothing she had forgotten it. The girls who had suspected Mary and had shunned her, now flocked about her and assured her that they had never believed her guilty. The two who had started the slander stood shame-facedly apart. The school turned on them, and for many days they were avoided, and were shut out of the school games, as Mary had been. They were mischief-makers, said the pupils. It was only after Mary herself had pleaded for them, that a complete reconciliation was effected, and the school society moved harmoniously forward as before.

An everyday occurrence.

You think that this is a story? Yes, it is a story; but it is a true story. And the sorrowful thing about it is that just such unkind and unfounded judgments as that formed by the little school girls are passed every day uponinnocent men and women. You yourselves pass judgment, without any evidence on which to base that judgment. You condemn your playmates for this or for that. You find fault with what your parents do, not knowing the many problems they have to solve. You criticize the bishop of your ward, or the president of your stake, or even the president of the Church, without knowledge of a single item of the vast amount of information which he has and which compelled him to do as he did. It may be that some of your associates have faults. Those faults stand out glaringly enlarged to you. You are offended by them. You are prompted to criticize, or to try to correct the defects. But you forget that you may have faults as glaringly apparent to your associates as theirs are to you. You do not stop to think that the little girls who suspected Mary Jones were also guilty of a grievous offense in judging and condemning without cause. You forget what the Lord Jesus taught, "Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother. Let me pluck out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye. Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."

The mote and the beam.

Is it not simple and common sense? How can a man see clearly to correct the faults of others, when his vision is distorted by his own faults? Have you ever set a stick into a pool of clear water? Have you noticed how the stick has been distorted in size and shape? The lightwaves passing from water to air, or from air to water, are refracted, bent, so that you do not get a correct image of the object immersed. Just so is it when we, who are immersed in our own faults and weaknesses, attempt to pluck the mote from a brother's eye. Our vision is defective; the image is distorted; we are ourselves in worse condition than our brother.

What Jesus said.

Jesus set Himself strongly against such unkind judgment as that passed by the two little school girls, and as that we are tempted every day to Jesus pass upon our neighbors. "Judge not," He taught, "that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."

Here is sound philosophy, of which few men stop to think. It is easy to pass judgment on others. It is easy to think that one is the center of the universe and that all things else revolve about that center. It is easy to think that one's own opinion is always right, and that the opinions of others are wrong. But one should not forget that others also hold opinions. It is almost certain that one will be judged as one judges; and that one will have measured to one as one measures to others.

Now, what Jesus points out is that the spirit of fault-finding and criticism is to be condemned. One cannot correct the faults of others until one has corrected one's own faults. One cannot even get a good hold on one's self, and find the right estimate of one's self, until one learns to see only good in others, and tostruggle with one's self to overcome faults. Moreover, fault-finding and criticism, like anger, hate, and envy, destroy one's peace of mind. One who judges and condemns cannot possibly maintain mental and spiritual health. Harsh judgment is far more hurtful to the man who exercises it than to the man whom he judges.

"Judge not!—thou canst not tell how soon the look ofbitter scornMay rest on thee, though pure thy heart as dewdropsin the morn.Thou dost not know what freak of fate may placeupon thy browA cloud of shame to kill the joy that rests upon it now.Judge not!

Matt. 7:1-5.

1. What was wrong in the action of the two little school girls?

2. Why is it wrong to find fault, and to criticize?

3. What did Jesus say about the mote and the beam?

4. Explain Jesus's saying, "Judge not that ye be not judged."

5. Show that it is the spirit of fault finding that is sinful, rather than the act.

6. Who is most injured: the man who criticizes or the man who is criticized?

JERUSALEM FROM THE MOUNT OF OLIVES, From a Photograph

THE GOLDEN RULE

Positive instruction.

Jesus was not content to teach merely "Judge not, that ye be not judged." In a way, that is only negative teaching. It exhorts men to withhold judgment, but does not exhort to positive action. But the nature of the teaching of Jesus is generally constructive. His "don'ts" are always directed against prevailing evil, and are almost immediately followed up with constructive directions as to what to do. So now He continues, "first cast out the beam out of thine own eye"; and further, from place to place. He instructs men how they shall deal with their fellowmen. One's duty is not fully done when one merely withholds judgment; there remains yet to be done some positive act of good—a kind word, a charitable deed, an effort at reconciliation with one of ill-will if such a one there be.

The doctrine of reconciliation.

In the matter of friendly association, good-will, and forgiveness, Jesus spoke very definitely. "If thy brother shall trespass against thee," said He, "go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican."

The attitude of a citizen of the kingdom.

Long suffering, slow to anger, not vengeful, and without condemnation, should the citizen of the kingdom be. How many of us follow the course here outlined, when an associate "trespasses" against us? How many of us go to him first and talk it over? If the matter is not settled then, how many of us try again, and take two or three friends along to help arbitrate the difficulty? And if still a reconciliation is not effected, how many of us appeal in a spirit of love to the church—the court of last appeal in matters spiritual? Unfortunately, most of us are prone to cast off the brother who has done us wrong without looking into the causes that prompted him to act as he did. If we take steps to settle the difficulty, it is too often not through the mediation of friends or the spiritual influence of the Church, but through the cold procedure of the civil court. And worst of all, we yield not infrequently to the temptation to talk. We gossip; we slander; we start scandal; we wrong much more than we have been wronged. Jesus would not have it so. Agree with thine adversary quickly.

The doctrine of forgiveness.

Sometimes it happens that a brother offends more than once. How many times shall he then be forgiven? This question troubled Peter. He of came therefore to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?"

"Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee. Until seven times: but until seventy times seven." Of course, Jesus did not mean that one should forgive an offender exactly seventy-seven times, no more, no less. Hemeant that there is no limit to the number of times that we should exercise the gift of forgiveness; but that we should forgive freely and cheerfully as often as the offender repents. Then, in order that there might be no question as to the meaning of His teaching, Jesus told the parable of the unforgiving servant.

The parable of the unforgiving servant.

"Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him which owed him ten thousand talents (or about $10,000,000). But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

"But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, who owed him an hundred pence (or about $20): and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me what thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.

"So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: shouldst not thou also have had compassion on thyfellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

"So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."

The Meaning.

About the meaning of this dramatic story there can be no question. Our indebtedness to God the heavenly Father is incalculable; our dependence upon Him is infinite. God recognizes our helplessness, and our inability to pay, and He forgives us our shortcomings, even as we pray, "Forgive us our debts." The indebtedness of our fellowmen to us is slight in comparison; their dependence upon us is nil. Yet, we are likely to render harsh judgment against them, and to withhold forgiveness from our hearts, even though we utter in prayer the words, "as we forgive our debtors." But if we deal harshly with our fellowmen who owe us so little, can we expect God, whom we owe so much, to deal gently with us? If we want the Great Creditor to forgive us our large indebtedness, should not we—small creditors that we are—forgive without the asking, and from our hearts, the little debts of our fellowmen?

The right attitude toward our enemies.

Such was the teaching of Jesus concerning our association with our friends and fellowservants. But Jesus's teaching of love and reconciliation did not stop there. It is our duty—since we all want God to bless and favor us—to love even our enemies, and those whom we are by nature prompted to hate. For, said Jesus, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thyneighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven; for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

The Golden Rule.

So, then, it appears that the practicing of the Golden Rule makes a large stride toward perfection. We should do good to all, forgive all, love all. Then can we come in strength before the Lord and plead for patience and forgiveness.

"He prayeth best, who loveth bestAll things both great and small;For the dear God who loveth us,He made and loveth all."

Jesus put it thus: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."

Matt. 18:15-17. Matt. 5:43-48.

Matt. 18:21-35. Matt. 7:12.

1. Why could not Jesus be content to teach merely "don't"?

2. Of what does the doctrine of reconciliation consist?

3. What is the proper attitude of a citizen of the kingdom toward his fellow-citizens?

4. How often should one forgive an offender?

5. How does the parable of the unforgiving servant show why we should forgive our fellowmen?

6. What should be the attitude of a citizen of the kingdom toward his enemies?

7. What is the meaning of tolerance?

8. Show how the Golden Rule may be made to enrich your own lives and make them happier.

THE GOOD SAMARITAN, Van Diepenbeek

THE GOOD SAMARITAN

The law of love.

There is, perhaps, no principle of conduct that Jesus emphasized more in His teachings than the law of brotherly love. As we have already learned, the first great commandment requires that we love God; and the second requires that we love our neighbor as ourselves. It is not enough, then, that we withhold judgment and condemnation; nor that we do unto others—even unto our enemies—as we would have others do unto us. We must forget self; bury self, as it were; and cultivate for others a real affection—such an affection as God has for us, for God is love. The reward of such a God-like love of our fellowmen is beautifully expressed in a poem—oft but never too often quoted—written by the English poet Leigh Hunt.

The reward of brotherly love.

"Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase)Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,And saw, within the moonlight in his room,Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,An angel writing in a book of gold:—Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,And to the presence in the room he said,'What writest thou?'—the vision rais'd its head,And with a look made of all sweet accord,Answered, The names of those who love theLord.''And is mine one?' said Abou. 'Nay, not so,'Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,But cheery still; and said, 'I pray thee then.Write me as one that loves his fellow-men.'The angel wrote and vanish'd. The next nightIt came again with a great wakening light,And show'd the names whom love of God hadbless'dAnd lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest."

The angel wrote and vanish'd. The next nightIt came again with a great wakening light,And show'd the names whom love of God hadbless'dAnd lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest."

Questions of the tempting lawyer.

There came a lawyer to Jesus one day and asked Him what to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus, knowing that the lawyer came only to make trial of Him, answered, "What is written in the law? how readest thou?" The lawyer—who knew well the law—was forced then to reply, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind: and thy neighbour as thyself."

"Thou hast answered right," said Jesus: "this do and thou shalt live."

But the lawyer was not satisfied; and desiring further to justify himself, he asked, "And who is my neighbour?"

The parable of the good Samaritan.

"And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of all his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

"Which now of these three thinkest thou," asked Jesus, "was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?"

The lawyer answered, "He that shewed mercy on him."

"Then said Jesus unto him. Go, and do thou likewise."

A discussion.

The priest, who was the specially appointed servant of God among his people, and the Levite, who was closely associated with the priest in his ecclesiastical duties, ought to have had compassion upon the unfortunate traveller. It is to be assumed that he was a Jew. He was therefore of the chosen people. He might lay claim to the services of the priest and the Levite who officiated in the temple of his God. Moreover, these men above all others should have known the passage quoted by the lawyer in answer to Jesus's question, "What is written in the law?"—a passage repeated by every Jew in each morning and evening prayer. But these men had seen only the letter of the law; they had never felt the spirit of it. At the most, the love of neighbor meant only the Jewish interpretation of the passage, "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Of the broad interpretation placed by Jesus on the meaning of the word "neighbor," these men of the temple service knew nothing.

The real neighbor.

The Samaritan however who was an outcast in the eyes of the Jew, for whom God Himself could hold no love; an apostate and a degenerate from the rich blood of Israel as unclean inthe opinion of the orthodox Jew as the loathsome leper—the Samaritan felt the thrill of the spirit of the great commandment "Thou shalt love thy neighour as thyself." He manifested that divine love—and that to one from whom he was an alien—which Jesus enjoined when He said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect."

The fulness of the answer.

Jesus could not have answered the lawyer more completely; neither could He have silenced more quickly the man who came to make trial of Him. The story of tender love and sympathy was of such compelling nature that the lawyer himself was forced to admit that the good Samaritan was the real neighbor. And that conclusion forced upon the lawyer the plain answer to his question, "Who is my neighbor" Why, he is my neighbor whom it is within my power to help, no matter what may be his creed, or his nationality, or his color. There was no room here for the splitting of hairs. The lawyer was used to the refined arguments of the learned rabbis as to the meaning of the word neighbor. Here it was plainly set forth in a simple little story. There was no more to say.

The lesson clinched.

But as He concluded his story, and received the lawyer's answer, Jesus drove home the lesson. "Go," said He, "and do thou likewise." It was as if He had reverted to the opening question, "Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" If you would inherit eternal life love your neighbor as yourself; consider him your neighbor whom you can help; hold no class distinction; despise no man for his creed or his color; but hold yourself always inreadiness to do good, to serve, and to help those who need your help. Remember the Good Samaritan. Do not pass by on the other side, but show your love in deeds of love. Then shall you inherit eternal life.

The command renewed.

The Savior's law of love is a principle of divine beauty. And so important is it in the Gospel plan of salvation, that it has been specially renewed in our own dispensation. Said Jesus to Joseph Smith, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and strength; and in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve Him.

"Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

"Every man (shall seek) the interest of his neighbor and (do) all things with an eye single to the glory of God."

Luke 10:25-37. Doc. and Cov. 59:5, 6.

Lev. 19:18. Doc. and Cov. 82:19.

1. What more must men do besides withholding judgment and observing the golden rule?

2. Explain the lesson of Abou Ben Adhem.

3. What did the lawyer seek of Jesus?

4. What conclusion was forced, upon the lawyer by the story of the Good Samaritan?

5. How was this story a complete answer?

6. Why did it silence further questioning?

7. What does Jesus's admonition, "Go, and do thou likewise," imply?

8. How do these commandments affect us in the dispensation of the fulness of times?

CHRIST IN THE HOME OF MARY AND MARTHA, Hofmann

NO ONE CAN LIVE TO HIMSELF.

The fable of the body and its members.

In the ancient book of wisdom ascribed to Aesop, there may be found the following fable with its moral: "The Members of the Body once rebelled against him. They said he led an idle, lazy life at their expense. The Hands declared that they would not again lift a crust even to keep him from starving, the Mouth that it would not take a bit more food, the Legs that they would carry him about no longer, and so on with the others.

"The Body quietly allowed them to follow their own courses, well knowing that they would all soon come to their senses, as indeed they did, when, for want of the blood and nourishment supplied from the stomach, they found themselves fast becoming mere skin and bone.

"No one can live to himself."

The time of Aesop.

Aesop lived in the long ago. Tradition declares that he was born five hundred and fifty years before the time of Jesus. But already in that remote age men had learned to appreciate the value of organizing themselves into communities and churches and governments. Already, men had discovered that to live to oneself was to fight alone a losing fight against all the forces of the world.

The growth of society.

From the time that Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden, and their children began to settle two and two in the land to till it and to cultivate it, man has understood the advantages of friendly association. First it was the family. The family has always been,and is still the actual basis of society. The members of the family clung together, and each one worked for the interest of the whole. Then, when the families increased they became associated in clans and tribes. Then, with the increase of population, came the organization of communities, religious association, governments. For protection, for worship, for education, for commerce and trade, for civilization, men have banded themselves together, and have worked for larger units, of which the individuals were but members. Only by such banding together can a community become socially efficient.

A football squad.

Now, we may easily understand what this means if we apply the principle to the organization of a football squad. There are eleven men, you know, in the "team." One of them is the captain. When the squad is in action, playing hard against an opposing team, no single man can hope alone to win the game. The strength of the squad depends upon its team work. While each individual must put forth the best that is in him, whether in bucking the line or in playing the open field, that best must be so directed as to add to the sum total of the strength and efficiency of the united eleven. No member of that team may live or play to himself. And the orders of the captain must be obeyed. Some player in the line may think the orders poor—wholly wrong in fact—yet he must obey those orders. If he does not, he will go down to ruin himself, and he may possibly drag his team with him to shame and disaster. For, as is clearly evident, when he neglects to follow the command of the captain, he stands alone; the other ten obey orders.Alone he can accomplish nothing. Nor is that the worst; by disobeying orders, he may spoil the premeditated play and lose the game. The football man is required to learn, therefore, that he is only a member of a body; that he must act with the body; that if he attempts to act in opposition to the body calamity is sure to follow; that success can come only through concerted effort. The football squad is an organization of society for efficiency.

The teachings of Jesus.

As it is with the football squad so it is with society in the large. Men and women are organized into communities and associations of various kinds for greater efficiency, and are subject to the laws governing organized society. Now, since Jesus was not primarily a social reformer, nor a social teacher, we should not be surprised if He had little to say about man's duties to organized society. Yet since He touches in His teachings nearly all phases of temporal and spiritual life, we might expect that somewhere He has something to say about the larger aspects of society. And we do really find it so. The three chief social institutions in the world are the family, the state, and the church. About man's duties to each one of these Jesus has something significant to say. Let us consider briefly the most important sayings of Jesus concerning these three fundamental institutions.

The family.

In the teaching of Jesus, marriage is presented as a divinely appointed sacrament, and the family as a sacred institution One day the Pharisees came to Jesus to test Him, and asked, "Is it lawful for man to put away his wife? AndHe answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.

"And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh; so then they are no more twain but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together let no man put asunder."

The family sacred.

Thus emphatically did Jesus teach that the marriage relation was ordained of God. And in doing so He declared also that the family is a sacred institution and its claims should never be put aside. The crying shame of the world today is the common practice of divorce. Boys and girls who become acquainted with the teachings of Jesus, should grow up with a horror of the divorce court. They should learn to look upon marriage as one of the highest privileges accorded to them by the heavenly Father. And boys and girls in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should rejoice in the thought, that, when the proper time comes, they may go into the House of the Lord and have there performed the divine sacrament of marriage for time and for all eternity. For the Lord has said in this generation, "Whoso forbiddeth to marry is not ordained of God, for marriage is ordained of God unto man."

The state.

Jesus was equally emphatic in His teachings of man's duty to the state—to organized civil government. Certain of the Phariseesand of the Herodians were sent one day to try to catch Jesus in his words. "And when they were come they say unto Him, Master, we know that Thou art true, and carest for no man: for Thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give? But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them. Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. And they brought it. And He saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto Him, Caesar's. And Jesus answering said unto them. Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at Him."

The state divinely instituted.

They had good cause, indeed, to marvel at Him; for, not only had He quieted them with a sufficient answer, but He had also declared a fundamental principle of the state. A government cannot exist without revenue to maintain its organization and to enforce the laws enacted for the protection and the welfare of its citizens. Caesar was doing much for Palestine. It was not only right, therefore, but just that the Jews should pay taxes to Rome. And so it is in our own day. "We believe," asserted Joseph Smith, "that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man." It becomes therefore the duty of every honest citizen to do his utmost to uphold the righteous laws of the government, and to help in the maintaining of peace and order. And it is not only right, but just, that we should pay the taxes imposed by the government. We all enjoy the benefits derived from civil organization—protection, liberty,illumination, trade, good roads, and all. The man who tries, then, to evade the taxes and the responsibilities of the government is dishonest.

The Church.

But in declaring that it is right to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, Jesus also taught that man owes likewise certain duties to his The Church, religious organization. Render, said He, "to God the things that are God's." In line with this thought we are instructed by another experience of the Lord's. When Jesus and His disciples came one day in their journeyings to Capernaum, "they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your Master pay tribute (the temple tax)? He saith Yes, And when He was come into the house Jesus prevented (anticipated) him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon, of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children or of strangers? Peter saith unto Him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee."

These gatherers of tribute money, were, it appears, those who collected the taxes for the support and maintenance of the temple at Jerusalem. Jesus was Himself the son of God. He was the Master of the temple. He might have been free from the tax. But Jesus recognized the fact that the principle was right; therefore, He paid the tax. And in doing so, He taught the lessonthat it is right and just for every citizen in the kingdom of God to pay the taxes imposed for the maintenance of the kingdom. As with the state, so with the kingdom of God, he who tries to evade the temple tax is dishonest. "Behold," declared Jesus to the great modern Prophet, "now it is called today (until the coming of the Son of man), and verily it is a day of sacrifice, and a day for the tithing of my people, for he that is tithed shall not burn at His coming."

The teachings of our own Church.

The children of the Latter-day Saints have much for which to be thankful. Here we are reared in the sanctity of the home, in love and in the fear of God. Our family relations are established to continue throughout the eternities. Here we are taught to yield honor and obedience to established government, and to deserve the benefits provided by it. Here we are taught to revere the priesthood of God, to pay ungrudgingly our tithes and our offerings, and to do our best from day to day in the upbuilding of righteousness. And this we do that we may live and profit and prosper together; for no one can live to himself alone.

Mark 12:13-17. Doc. and Cov. 49:15.

Matt. 17:24-27. Doc. and Cov. 134:1.

Doc. and Cov. 64:23.

1. What is the meaning of Aesop's fable?

2. Explain by means of the football squad how man can not live to himself.

3. What did Jesus teach concerning man's duty to the family?

4. What are a man's obligations to the state in which he lives?

5. What does a man owe to the church to which he belongs?

6. Why should the children of the Latter-day Saints be grateful above all other children?

JESUS WASHING PETER'S FEET, Brown

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