190 Q. What does our Lord mean by a single eye?" A. A simple and pure intention to know, love, serve, and enjoy God, as the one thing needful. 191 Q. What do you understand by that promise, that "if thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light?" A. That if the intention be pure, the soul shall be filled with knowledge, holiness, and happiness. 192 Q. What does our Lord mean by "an evil eye?" A. A double mind; or an intention which is not singly directed towards God. 193 Q. What will be the consequence of such an ill-directed and wavering intention? A. It will involve the soul in darkness; that is, in ignorance, sin, and misery. 194 Q. What do you understand by the light that is in a man being darkness? A. The intention being evil, and thereby occasioning ignorance, sin, and misery. 195 Q. When our Lord affirms that "no man can serve two masters," what is implied? A. 196 Q. A. 197 Q. A. 198 Q. That the will of the one is in opposition to that of the other. What solemn truth does our Lord intro, duce by this declaration? That it is impossible for us to serve God and Mammon. What does the word Mammon signify? And why cannot we serve God and Mammon? A. 199 Q. A. Because they cannot both be the objects of our love. Is this asserted in the Scriptures? Yes:-St. John says, " If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him;" and St Paul affirms, that "covetousness is idolatry." 200 Q. What does our Lord mean, when he commands us to " take no thought for our life, what we shall eat, and what we shall drink, nor yet for our body, what we shall put on?" A. That we must not be anxiously careful even respecting the necessaries of life. 201 Q. Is there any sin in labouring for our bodily support? A. No:-The Apostle forbids Christians to be slothful in business; and orders, that if any among them will not work, neither shall he eat at the expence of his brethren. 202 Q. But is it possible to labour for support, and yet to be without anxiety? A. Yes:-By simply putting our trust in God, to give his blessing to our honest and industrious endeavours. 203 Q. A. What is the first consideration which our Lord suggests in order to check our anxious care about the necessaries of life? The consideration that "the life is more than meat, and the body than raiment." 204 Q. In what sense do you understand these words? A. They mean, that our natural life is a more valuable gift than meat, and our body of more worth than raiments 205 Q. And what conclusion would our Lord teach us to draw from this consideration? A. That God, who has bestowed upon us the superior blessing of bodily life, will assuredly give us those inferior blessings without which the former would be useless to us. 206 Q. What is the second consideration which our Lord suggests in order to dissuade us from entertaining earthly cares and anxieties? A. The consideration that "God feeds the fowls of the air, and clothes the lilies of the field." 207 Q. How is this consideration calculated to remove all worldly carefulness from our minds? A. By leading us to trust in the providential care of our heavenly Father, in whose account we are of more value than the creatures here mentioned. 208 Q. Why is man of more value than all the other creatures upon earth? A. Because he has an immortal soul, and is formed with a capacity of knowing, loving, serving, and enjoying the God who made him. 209 Q. What is the third consideration which our Lord suggests in order to inculcate this same lesson of keeping our minds free from worldly care? A. The consideration, that no man 210 Q. What may we infer from this? A. That, if by all our anxiety and care we cannot do" that thing which is least," or prolong our lives for a single moment independantly of God, it is much more in vain to "take thought for the rest," or to be disquieted about the means of supporting life throughout all the days of our appointed time. 211 Q. A. 212 Q. What is the fourth consideration which our Lord suggests in order to make us ashamed of anxiety respecting food and raiment? The consideration," that after these things do the Gentiles seek." Who were the Gentiles? A. All other nations excepting the Jews, and consequently such as had not at that time the knowledge of God and of the world to come. 213 Q. What is the fifth consideration by which our Lord would suppress our anxiety respecting the things of this life? A. The consideration, that God, who is our heavenly Father, "knoweth that we have need of them;" and that they shall therefore be given us; since he is able and willing to supply all the need of his children. 214 Q. But if we must not be careful and troubled about earthly things, what should be the great object of our care and diligent pursuit? "The kingdom of God and his righteous A. 215 Q. ness. What do you understand by seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteous above all things to obtain an inheritance in heaven. 2, That as the only means whereby this great end can be secured, we should count all but loss that we may win Christ, and be found in him, not having our own righteousness, which is of the law, but the righteousness which is of God by faith. 216 Q. But is there not reason to fear lest too much diligence in the pursuit of heavenly things and spiritual blessings should hurt our temporal interests, and reduce us to want? A. No:-For Jesus has promised that if we make these the first object of our search, all other things, which are good and needful for our bodies, "shall be added unto us." 217 Q. Our Lord adds two more reasons why we should not take thought for the morrow, or cherish anxiety respecting the supply of our future necessities. What are they? A. 1, Because "the morrow shall take. thought for the things of itself." 2, Because" sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." 218 Q. What do you understand by these words, "The morrow shall take thought for the things of itself?" A. That as future necessities arise, time and opportunity will be afforded for making such provision as they may require. 219 Q. And what do you learn from that declaration," Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof?" |