The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-28
LIES BEST REWARDS.

Terse Comments on the Uniform,
Prayer Meeting Topics of the Chris
tian Endeavor Societies, the Bap-
tist Young Peoples Unions, etc., for
March lessons From the Sermon
on the Mount: "What Christ Teach
es About Biessedness." Matt. 5, 1-12.
China has been called the upside
down nation" Christianity is the up
side-down" philosophy Of life 1t in
vertS the worlds order. Much that men
nave been accustomed to approve it
condemns; much that the world scbrns.
1t honors. Right at the outset Of this
sermon on the Mount, which some
one has called "the platform" Of Jesus,
ne defines the characteristics that are
supremacy approved, and to most Of
them the world would attach an en-
phatic NO" Who are the blessed, y
the happy, the favored of God, accord
ing to this definition? Why, they are
the poor in spirit, the sorrowful, the
meek, the spiritually hungry, the mer-
ciful, the pure hearted, the peace-mak-
ers, the prosecuted, the abused and the
reviledl
The Sermon on the Mount may be
practced on the plain. -.-
just to be pronounced blessed" by
his Master. should be reward enough
for any Christian. A soldier asks no
higher honor than the approval of his
general
Men say: Blessed are they that
have" Jesus says: blessed are they
that have not" Blessed is the man
Ii, %
says the world; but BLESSED are the
endurers and the sufferers" says Je-
sus. There is higher happiness than
having and doing, and it is to be
learned in the school of Christ.
A man may be earning Christ's "bles-
sed' when the world counts him most
failure.
Some rare souls there are whom
this old world has no power to wound,
All its shafts of venom touch them
not, for they live the spirit life, which
IS Indifferent to the tawdry prizes of
praise and goods that the earth offers.
They have heard the enhancing voice
OF One who went to death in apparent
defeat say blessed" and this has
made them industrious of all lesser re-
wards.
A pure heart brings more happiness
than a powerful hand.
Earthly sorrow is not too great a.
price to pay for heavenly comfort
There is a might in meekness thai
is greater than the power of self-as-
sertion. Everybody delights to weave
laurels for the humble brow, while the
braggart finds the world filed with his
detractors.
The poor in spirit possess a peace Of
soul which the prouder never know
And 1t is better to be contented than
to be enVied.
Heart hunger is, paradoxicaIly, a re-
ward. Capacity is blessing. To de-
sire spirituality is the first sign Of pos
sessing it. The man who has no as
pirations toward the ideal is the one
to be pitIed; he whose heart cries out
after truth and beauty and God IS al
ready blessed.
The man who truly suffers for the
sake OF a principle does not care to
pose before men as a martyr; he Is
satisfied with the blessedness which
comes with power to be loyal to truth,
and with the approval of "the Father
who seeth in secret" He who is per-
mitted to pay a price for serving
righteousness finds himself kin to all
the great souls Of the past, and most
Of all to Him who sealed his loyalty
and love on a malefactor's cross
The Beatitudes promise a double re-
ward. First they say, You are bless
ed"-which in itself is highest honor
and they they add, You shall have"
some great prize, such as the earth, or
the kingdom of heaven, or seeing God.
One reward Is a present benediction,
and the other is a future possession.