and mine uprising; He knoweth the se crets of the heart.” He comprehends us altogether, and is aware of our pride of heart. Our sins are not hidden from His countenance. We are but the crea tures of His hand. It would be strange indeed if by an outward piety we could fool the God whom the Heaven of Heav ens cannot contain. How incongruous it would be if we could hoodwink Him into believing that we were genuine — the “ real thing” — when we were not! It may be that our friends can be deceived—perhaps even our families, al though that is more difficult, but we can never keep from God our true spiritual condition. Our righteousnesses are in His sight “ as filthy rags.” “ Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work in iquity” (Matt. 7:23 R. V.) Hypocrisy in religion is not only wicked, but it is utterly foolish, since God can see through us so readily, no matter what our disguises in the way of a sanctimonious appearance, devotion to a church, and apparent interest in “ every good word and work.” God will deal with us according to what we are in reality, not according to our pretensions or our professions. In Pilgrim’s Progress, Formality and Hypocrisy, from the land of Vain-glory, came tumbling over the wall into the road on which Christian was traveling. They were going for praise to Mt. Zion, and were endeavoring to take a short cut. When they came to the foot of the hill Difficulty, they saw that the hill was steep and high, and that there were two other roads. Now the name of one was Danger, and the other Destruction. So the one—Formality—took the way which was called Danger, and Hypocrisy took the way called Destruction. Formality
the things we wish to believe. We are most susceptible when our own self-will and pride of life are involved. Our imaginations go far afield, and are not in captivity to Christ. “ God is not Mocked” The Greek verb translated, “mock” literally means, “ to turn up the nose,” or, “ to sneer with the nostrils drawn up In contempt.” It is a gesture of disgust. Thus we are warned against deriding God for we are only duping ourselves if we think that He can be imposed upon by mere pretension. There is the bitterest irony in this word, mock, conveying the exact oppo site of what is meant. One calls to mind the habit of certain bad schoolboys among which any of us might have been num bered in our youth, of “mocking” the teacher. He walks by our group, and we all, with sweet smiles, greet him politely, but the moment he is out of hearing we laugh rudely, make faces at him, and call him uncomplimentary names sotto voce. But the Apostle insists that they only delude themselves who laugh behind God’s back. He is perfectly acquainted with the hearts as well as the deeds of men. “He needed not that any should testify of man, for he knew what was in man; He understandeth our thought afar off; He knoweth my downsitting
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man someth, that shall he also reap. For he that someth unto his oum flesh shall of the flesh reap cor ruption; but he that someth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life” (Gal. 6:7,8 A.R.V.). T HIS passage has been translated thus by Lightfoot: “What? You hold back? Nay, do not deceive yourselves. You cannot mock God. Ac cording as you sow then will you reap. If you plant the seed of your selfish de sires, if you sow the field of the flesh, then when you gather in your harvest, you will find the ears blighted and rot ten. But if you sow the good ground of the Spirit, you will of that good ground gather the golden grains of life eternal.” The expression, Be not deceived, occurs in two other passages of Scripture, First Corinthians 15:33, “ Be not deceived; Evil communications corrupt good mor als,” and James 1:15: “ Be not deceived, my beloved brethren.” This phrase may also be rendered, “ Do not err.” In our modern English we would put it: “ Do not fool yourselves.” It is not difficult for us to delude ourselyes, particularly with regard to spiritual things. Our hearts are “ deceitful above all things.” So it is easy to mislead ourselves by false expectations, by trusting to ap pearances. We make ourselves believe
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