The Newtown bee., 1901-09-20

torments and those that were possessed with devils and those that were lunatic and those that had the palsy: and he healed them. And there followed Him great multitudes of people from Galilee and from DecapoliS and from Jerusalem and from beyond Jordan. And seeing the multitudeS he went up into mountains: and when he was set, his disciples cannes unto him; and he opened his mouth and taught them saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven." This is the opening sentence of memorable discourse. For this king, like Solomon, was also preacher and a greater preacher than Solomon, al though SOlOman was preacher of worldwide renOwn. Seated on his stately throne of ivory and gold, guard ed by golden lions, in the chamber of state, SumptuOuS beyond compare, ar rayed in royal robes, attended by the dignitaries of the realm, he poured in- to the eager ears of princes, philOSo- pherS, savantS and the literary and social magnatcs of all lands, the out put of his imperial mind on current topics touching individual and social welfare. And for the privilege of lis tening thereto they brought every man his present, vessels of silver and yes sells of gold and garments and armor and spices, horses and mules, rate year by year. Among his admirers was
 THE QUEEN OF THE SOUTH.
 She came to Jerusalem with a very spices and very much gold and pre- ciouS stones. And when she was come to SolOman she communed with him of all that was in her heart. And her final impression she thus describes: 'It was a true report that I heard in mlne own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit believed not the words until came and mine eyes had seen it; behold the half was not told me; thy wisdom and prosperity ex- ceedeth the fame which 1 heard. Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants which stand continually before thee and that hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the Lord thy God which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel; because the Lord loved Israel forever therefore he made thee king to do judgement and jus tice." But the preachingof Solomon's more illustrious son and successor was not confined to the halls of an imper- ial palace and the ears of the elite of his own or other lands, but was de- livered in the private dwelling, in the synagogue, by the wayside, and the seaside, on the mountain slope, in his Fathers house at Jerusalem and as on 1 this occasion, under the azure dome that spans the broad temple of nature. Out of a mind furnished with all wis dom he delivered the word beftting each time and place. The entire king dom of nature and every phase of hu- man life and character were made sub- servient to his purpose. This is the l It appropriately opens with thrice three beatitudeS or benedictiOnS. in the first of which he assumes to be the Ruler of the realm of which he speaks, the kingdom of heaven. And the en-
 tire discourse may be considered an eX- dom, of the qualities that mark its citizens and of the benefits it confers
 Its statements and cOunsels are so di
 rect and explicit that when he had ended these sayings the multitudes
 were astonished at his teaching, 'for
 he taught them as one having author
 ity and not as their scribes."
 The first beatitude then teaches us
 that it is a blessed thing to belong tC
 the kingdom of heaven and that this
 blessedness falls to the poor in spirit
 It concerns us therefore if possible t( arrive at a correct idea of the meaning of this phrase, "poor in spirit" An(
 first let us dismiss the idea, if we have it, that it contains any reference tt
 the amount of worldly possessions whether more or less. Of himself thu
 Master could say: ''The foxes hav'
 holes, and the birds of the air hay,
 nests; but the son of man hath not
 where to lay his head" He uttered
 no invectives against the wealthy a.
 some modern teachers who pose as phil anthropists do. Neither did he court them. When a rich young ruler in
 quired how he should inherit eterna life he was advised to give his sub
 stance to the poor and to become Hi follower. When John in a momen
 of doubt but who was no reed shaker
 by the wind sent messengers to inquir, \ if he were really the Messiah he re
 turned to him with other proofs thi
 that he preached the gospel to tn, poor. whom God had chosen to b' rich through faith and heirs of tn kingdom he has promised to.then tha love him. The poor we have always An equal distribution of property i not the divine order. It would elimi nate the terms rich and poor from Ou
 vocabulary as there would he nothing l to answer to them. There would b } no capital and no labor in the ecOnt mic sense. No man could be hired if h were as we'll off as his would be employ : CT.
 IT IS ADMITTEDLY DIFFICULT FOR :, |