Frederick Brotherton Meyer - Directory of the Devout Life

We can never allow the great objective facts of Christianity, and their attendant doctrines, to sink low on our horizon; but we must give equal prominence to the demands of Christ for a righteousness which shall exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees, and a perfection which shall resemble that of God. We have no right to be content with saying «Lord, Lord;» we must do the things which He says.

Of course, the right kind of obedience is impossible, apart from the Cross and the Spirit. We must be reconciled before we can become obedient children; we must be filled with the Spirit before «the fragrance of Christ» can be manifested through us in every place. The Sermon on the Mount must be read in the transfiguring light which shines backwards from the later events in our Lord's life.

When, however, this is borne in mind, each sentence of that marvelous discourse glistens with celestial radiance, and rings with the music of the Gospel. In such a spirit let us address ourselves to the study of the «Directory of the Devout Life,» as it is contained in Matt. v., vi., and vii. (from the Preface)

F. B. Meyer was a Baptist preacher and a friend and contemporary of D. L. Moody.