December 10

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2 Therefore when thou doest come alms, do not sound a tramplet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.

4 That thine alms may be in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them; for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face:

18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

1. Almsgiving. "The poor man is, as it were, an altar; if we bring our alms and lay upon it, with such sacrifices God is well pleased."—Watson.

"Alms should be like oil, which, though it swim aloft when it is fallen, yet makes no noise in the falling; not like water, that still sounds where it lights."—Hall.

2. Prayer. "Never abandon the wholesome practice of saying your own private prayers night and morning. I have never abandoned it myself, and I know the comfort of it."—Charles Dickens to his son.

It is possible even in private prayer to be ostentatious. Says Chrysostom: "If thou shouldest enter into thy closet, and, having shut thy door, shouldest do it for display, the door will do thee no good." Again, there may be some who can have no closet. "Every man," says Jeremy Taylor, "can build a chapel in his heart." And the Rev. Dr. Whedon remarks: "Not only may we be in our closet, but our closet may be in us."

3. Fasting. The Christian must learn to have dominion over his body. The object of fasting is to set us free from the power of the flesh and of the world.

Closet Promise.—Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.—Rom. viii. 26.

The prayers I make will then be sweet indeed, if Thou the spirit give by which I pray; My unassisted heart is barren clay, That of its native self can nothing feed,—

Unless Thou show to us Thine own true way, No man can find it; Father, Thou must lead! —Michael Angelo.