The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-12-09
RISING IN THE WORLD.


put the world into a ferment Leaven
pervades every particle OF the loat ana
wakes up the elements and raises the
lump. The divine account of what should
follow the advent Of the Messiah that
members Of the same household should
be set against one another, describes
social ferment New ideas and new prin-
ciples would oppose old; good should OPP
pose bad; right and wrong should face
each other; and new life and light wouin
assert themselves at any cost. me es-
pecial. vitalizing leaven that walked up
the lowest, and stirred the depths OF So
cietv. was the proclaimed divineness of
man: l said we are gods. The httle
founding born in a manger, one OF the
poorest, "despised, and rejected OF men,
vas the Son of God. The Son OF God
made it his business and special care to
honor all mankind by announcing HIM
self as the Son of Man; humanitie's type
Man, aroused TO his native rights and
honours, 10 his natural and divine prlVi-
leges and quickened with self-respect'
hegar the ferment that Is TO raise the
whole human race, and establish the
Kingdom: in which every man shall
have praise of God.
IL IS a partial pitiful thing TO see in
the general world, every man seeking the
best things merely ;hat he may be above
the general crowd; his mere self asser-
ed. The misery of commonplace ambi-
ton is that It does not coyet earnestly
the best gifts; 1t does not seek virtue,
ruth. goodness. wisdom. knowledge, even
health and soundness. for their own
sakes. but merely to be better than some
one else, and be admired. No use In
being cultivated If everybody is so.
The excellence of these best and divine
gifts is that they raise the quality, char
acter, and essential being. They make
life good in itself worth living, of the
very nature of the divine being-to re-
joice in the light and life and love Of
God.
The worlds achievements intensity sell
fshness and pride, and produce state
Estates, degrees and dignities, with the
common crowd. are taken as the meas
ure and realization of hghness and merit
and honour. And to get them or reach
them is taken as the evidence and guar
antee of goodness and worth. And a
gaping. fawning, admring crowd IS the
strong assurance OF honour. To be enVied
by the less lucky is the height of glory.
All such nonsense and childishness is
more or less wearing out in the light
and healthy air of true Christianity.
And the highest possible manhood and
purest virtue and truest honour and
happiness is being more and more Ia
miliarly recognized as cultivated and per
fected out of the worlds glare in lowly
lives, "in secret" ON the other hand, the
advertisement Of self, the seeking Of no.
toriety the getting OF wealth or dis
tinction by any means, honest or dis
honest, respectable or base, is becoming
more and more disreputable, and branded
as vulger. And the successful but dis
reputable climber Is owned social
and moral chimney sweep. Christian
character. in all the purity and
wHiteness of its divine original is more
and more back ground Of society, and
a. light before and under which the mon
strosities Of worldliness become more
and more monstrous and odious. The
city Of the blest on earth is low and in
a low place. The attainment OF high
character and high thoughts is the true
rising in the world that lifts the indiyid-
ual and his company with him.