Daniel 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament… Righteousness was the idea of the ancient hierarchy. Righteousness is the result of the work of the Christian Church. What is the power of righteousness, what is the source of righteousness, what is the instrumentality? 1. Righteousness means right in all departments of our being, the brain, the heart, the lips, the life. Righteousness is a power that conquers Time; a power that turns life, not into the victim of the passing day, but in the highest sense into life everlasting. 2. Take another measurement of righteousness. The best, the greatest, the purest, the most loving, are the subjects of imperfection. Andeas del Sarto when he went to look at Raphael's pictures granted that the drawing was imperfect. He said, "I dare not touch it, because it is marvellous, but certainly it is wrong." Then the higher genius, the most saintly life, may be the victim of imperfection. Now righteousness conquers that. It changes now. 3. Take another measure. Take friendship, which is one of the dignities of humanity. One thing cuts the tie that binds soul to soul; it is inconstancy, the weakness of will, of heart, of perception, that separates souls. Righteousness conquers it. What is the source of righteousness? It is the glory of God. The glory of God means the sum total, the collection, the complete centre of life, the central point on which we can rest. Righteousness of the soul is the result of God's power. Our last thought upon God's glory is the fact that God loves us. (Canon W. J. Knox-Little, M.A.) Parallel Verses KJV: And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. |
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