Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-10-22
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
BY Rev, 4. Y. Y. Raymond, d. D.. Ii. ID.

The kingdom of heaven is like unto
merchant man seeking goodly pearls.
| who, when he had found one pearl of
| great price, went and sold ali that he
| had and bought it.-Matthew xiii. 1915.
The kingdom of heavenn--a phrase,
figure of speech, picture, a dream. In
tangible, vague, mysterious, yet it cx-
| presses the inspiration of all the genera
tons, the dominant force in all history;
for under some form of words J, has
voiced the faith and aspiration Of hui
manity from the beginning, and all the
struggles of the ages have been but wit
nesses to its hidden energy. Wherever
men have believed in something purer,
holier, more enduring and more satisfying
than they have yet seen or known, there
| the influence of the kingdom of heaven
has been felt
From the beginning the forces of light
and of life have been striving for excel
lence, the complete unfolding of every
thing in itself true ard beautiful and
good. This is the general truth that
appeals to the instructive faith of human
ity in the essential nature of sovereign
energy, controlling intelligence aud will,
a kingdom of heaven
1lS ihoAt uc4lliile anu uTdcllCui lSuChiiS
is to identify this kingdom of heaven with
all our human strivings for something
beyond our present attainment, something
more complete, less marred and imper-
feet. What new meaning this gives to
life, bringing sacredness to much that
We are wont to think is wholly of earth,
separate and distinct from the heavenly
world. Every man reaching up in any
e.. AZ 81.
kingdom of heaven, which is as a lner-
chant man seeking goodly pearls, unsatis-
fed until he has found the best Surely
this is in part the teaching of Christ, and
its immediate effect is to clear our vision
and show US what is essentially divine;
not spirit that impels us forward, the
spirit of progress, discomfort that will
not let US rest while something that may
be attained is yet beyond us,
What new dividing line this draws
among the children of men. Only they
are altogether of the earth earthly, having
no part in the kingdom of heaven, who
are without ambition, without desire to
excel content with themselves and their
work, willing to do to-day what they
have always done, and even less, undis-
turbed by imperfections. Indifferent TO
failures, consulting only ease and physi-
cal comfort, living aimlesly and hope
lessly. These are the subjects Of degen-
Grating influences. They belong in spirit
and life to the inferic- world, the king
dom of earth and not OF heaven, The king
dom of death and decay, and not the king
dom of life and growth.
There is nothing arbitrary in the law
that determines destiny Life means
growth. The persistent striving for some
thing better is the sign of life, the evil
dence of the power within us, of the king
dom of heaven. The absence of striving,
contentment with the inferior and unwor-
thy is the mark upon US of the kingdom
of death. Unquickened from above. we
go back to the earth from which we
sprung.
But here we have need to distinguish.
There is a discomfort, an ambition, a
striving, that is begotten not of heaven,
but of earth. Striving for excellence is
not the same as striving for rewards. The
ambition to do more is different alto
gether from the ambition to be paid more
1t may be difficult for us to make the
distinction, since, as rule, we receive
in proportion to what we give; neverthc-
less, there is a distinction, and it is vital,
because it is a distinction between real
ity and its counterfeit.
In the world at large we see the dis
tinction where men struggle for success
alone, the hOnors of place, the show of
wealth. Out of their ambition grow 10
litical corruption. social pretense, bust
ness trickery and fraud. 1t requires no
argument to show that much of human
unrest and strife does not hear the distin-
gushing mark Of the kingdom of heaven,
which is a striving to excel rather Than
to win, a desire for the real rather than
the seeming, for merit rather than its
rewards.
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a
merchant man seeking good pearls: not
merely the profits of the pearl trade
which might be won with inferior goods.
by sharp practice. concealing their de-
fects and passing them off for excessive
values. Seeking goedly pearls means
seeking real values; seeking what is su-
perior, more perfect, for its own sake.
Let US not miss this thought 1t is fun
damental. The distinction we have made
strikes deeper than we may realize. Ii
concerns life in all its phases 1t enters
into all the great questions of the day.
When capital combines. not to Improve
products, but to increase profits: whom
its aim is by monopoly to create ficti-
tious values, to make uniform prices
without uniform merit, it is false to ;he
first principle of the kingdom of heaven
and its triumphs are but Temporary
When labor uuitcs to demand uniform
wages irrespective of individual cflcien-
cy, it is following the principle subver
sive of abiding good. All those forms of
socialism that seek to level humanity.
putting the rights of man above the rights
of men, ignoring relative merits in zeal
for the less deserving. are Tot inspired OF
him who taught that heaven begets desire
for excellence and fosters striving for the
best.
Every theory of commu? SIN that dis
dams this truth can only be destructive
in its workings, for the kingdom of heav-
en- Is supreme, and whatever opposes it
must fall. As it is supreme, so also is
it benehceut and the progress of the
world, greater good for the individual and
society, can only come through obedience
to its laws.
Let US then learn well the lesson of
Christ. Thesheavenly influence in any
life, that which holds within itself the
largest promise, is spirit that impcls
man to seek perfection, that leaves him
dissatisfied while yet there is something
better to be obtained. Holiness is whole
ness. Holy work is whole work. A holy
ambition is an ambition for thoroughuess,
for completeness. All striving for an
ideal is 4 divine irsDira4iou