03 - Matthew 6:2, 5, 16

’Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.’ --Matthew 6:2;Matthew 6:5;Matthew 6:16.

They have the reward which they seek. They seek glory of men, and they obtain it. What distinguishes the case referred to by our Lord is that the parties sought to win honour from men by acts of piety. Some seek worldly honour by means of wealth; some by valour, knowledge, skill; and some seek it by religion. The great desire of these is to be thought holy men, given to fasting and prayer, and abounding in alms. Men have not the power to read the heart; it is not therefore necessary, to win their praise, that pure and undefiled religion should be enshrined in a man’s heart; it is only necessary that he should be seen doing those things which are commonly regarded as expressive of true piety, and that the things which are not quite consistent with such a profession should be kept out of sight. A play actor is for the most part known only as he appears on the stage; the world is invited to see his acting, but not to see his private life; his reputation rests upon his public exhibitions. So the man who seeks a religious reputation must aim to have attention fixed exclusively upon those things in him which seem indicative of piety, and to have a veil drawn carefully over the rest.

All the world has agreed in this day to pronounce a sentence of utter condemnation on hypocrisy; and it is thought that there is very much less of it at present than there was formerly. If such a happy change has actually taken place, the reason must be either that human nature has grown better, or that the world is less disposed to reward a religious profession than it once was. Human nature is essentially what it has been. There is reason to believe that men (in Europe and America) are not so ready to honour a religious profession as they once were. Still, it is evident enough that the pursuit of honour in this way pays; a religious reputation is considered desirable by a great many, and is eagerly and industriously sought after. Perhaps, instead of sending our curious gaze far and wide in search of such, it may not be amiss to interrogate ourselves as to the motives for our various religious acts. It is not impossible that some among us who enjoy a reputation for piety and devotedness may have made this reputation the great object of their solicitude.

How plausible is a train of thought like the following: ’A religious reputation will enable me to advance the cause of religion very greatly among many who otherwise would be little likely to entertain favourable views of it; it will give me influence, and through this influence religion will gain the attention of many; there will result a measure of concession to its claims greater than could have been hoped for under other circumstances.’ Yes, but there is a great snare in all this. Let us suppose that a man, simply for the greater glory of God, should lay himself out to win such a prominent and influential religious position; he will be obliged to have his attention fixed upon the minds of men and upon the springs by which they are governed, and very warily to regulate his conduct so that he may not destroy his prospects by incurring their displeasure. In various ways this will harm him. The mind is naturally affected by that to which it gives its chief attention; if its attention is given to the sentiments and aims and motives that ordinarily govern men, the unworthy character of these will exercise a debasing influence upon it. But the chief injury will be wrought negatively. The grand secret of all religious progress is to have the attention supremely and habitually given to the glorious character of God as it presents itself to us in Christ; to have an eye simply to his glory; to be swayed by the motives and considerations presented in his word; to be guided by the Holy Ghost into all truth. It is truth, not falsehood, that is to have our attention. "If I yet please men," says Paul, "how can I please God?" If I seek the honour which cometh from man, how shall I have that which cometh from God only? Beware of men, says Christ to his disciples.

God sometimes gives his servants honour among men. But it is for God to give it, not for us to seek it. Our one study should be, to be approved of God. Moses, in the early part of his life, sought to commend himself to the Israelites, as their appointed liberator; but failed signally, and was sent into exile and isolation for forty years; then when he was loath to believe that he was the man for this great work, God sent him with the needed credentials. God generally reduces his instruments to nothingness, before he puts his power upon them.

If suddenly, on the Lord’s day, all were eliminated from our churches who have been drawn there by a desire to be seen of men, or in search of something that God has not promised them, what vast unoccupied Sahara・s would take the place of well-dressed worshippers? If they come there because people of their own position are there, if they come because a crowd is pleasanter than solitude, if they come to see and to be seen, if they come for the music, if they come for entertainment in any form, they will generally obtain their reward. And they who contribute to charitable and religious funds from a desire to be thought liberal, or from a desire to be thought wealthy, generally obtain that which they seek. And they who do it because they are ashamed not to do it, afraid to be thought illiberal or unsympathetic, obtain what they seek; but what a great pity that they should know nothing of the infinitely better rewards that God gives! Is it not an unspeakable insult to God that such an overweening importance should be attached to the wretched judgments of sinful men in the matter of religion, and the magnificent invitations and promises of God be disregarded? The same care, the same pains, the same sacrifices, the same perseverance that are shown in seeking a religious reputation among men, God asks of thee, asks from the cross of Christ, asks with a crown of righteousness in his hand, with a charter of glory, honour, and immortality, and asks in vain. If the poor reward thou seekest content thee, take it and go; and when, in the last day, with thy honour giving multitude, thou art excluded from the inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, depart without murmuring, remembering that thou hast had thy good thing, hast for a little hour walked among men as a man of piety. Verily, thou shalt have had thy reward.