1 A. Moody Stuart, Recollections of the late John Duncan, 175, 7 Stopfoid A. Brooke.
;S THE FIRST BEATITUDE
TIT. The Benediction.
1. The bulk of the remaining Beatitudes point onward to a future ; this deals with the present ; not " theirs shall be," but " theirs is the kingdom." It is an all-comprehensive promise, holding the succeeding ones within itself, for they are but diverse aspects — modified according to the necessities which they supply — of that one encyclopaedia of blessings, the possession of the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Kingdom of Heaven — what is it here ? Surely we shall read the words aright if we think of them as conveying the promise of a present dominion of no ordinary kind ; an inward power that comes here and now, and finds its exercise in ways all unknown to the possessor, that blesses those whom it has never seen and cheers those who have felt only its shadow ; an inward un-self-conscious, often unrealized, power that flows out and is conveyed in a word or a look, or even by something more subtle still. So does Christian influence work among men. The poor in spirit make men believe that Christ is God, because they show the Divine beneath the human.
Tf Often, as formerly with Jesus, a look, a word sufficed Francis to attach to himself men who would follow him until their death. It is impossible, alas ! to analyze the best of this eloquence, all made of love, intimate apprehension, and fire. The written word can no more give an idea of it than it can give us an idea of a sonata of Beethoven or a painting by Rembrandt. "We are often amazed, on reading the memoirs of those who have been great conquerors of souls, to find ourselves remaining cold, finding in them all no trace of animation or originality. It is because we have only a lifeless relic in the hand ; the soul is gone. It. is the white wafer of the sacrament, but how shall that rouse in us the emotions of the beloved disciple lying on the Lord's breast on the night of the Last Supper?1
2. The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who feel their own unworthiness and utter need, and who seek in Christ the sufficiency they do not find in themselves. They have already
1 Taul Sabaticr, Life of Si. Francis of Assist, 131.
ST. MATTHEW v. 3 79
entered into their heritage because they have learnt their true position in it — fit to rule because they have learnt to serve, fit to influence because they have felt the Divine spark kindling them. They may not be called to high office ; their place in the world may be a very lowly one, but their rule is more of a fact now than if they had the mastery of many legions. For there is no influence so certain, so strong, so compelling, as that which is founded upon the assured sense of the Divine indwelling, and the Divine co-operation; if a man has that sense he must become poor in spirit, emptied of mere conceit and shallow pride, because he has seen what real greatness is.
T[ The clearest and most significant of all the relationships of this grace of humility is that which connects it with greatness. Humility and greatness always walk together. I do not think that Euskin ever spoke a truer word than when he said, " I believe the first test of a truly great man is his humility." That truth shines with lustre upon every page of our human record. There is nothing more beautiful in the whole of the human story than the humility of the greatest men. The mind of the seer is not so far from the heart of the little child as we sometimes imagine. Most of the great scientific discoveries have been achieved through the spirit of humility. Men have been willing to be led to great discoveries through observation of the simplest things — an apple falling from the tree or steam coming through a kettle's spout. The willingness to learn has opened the doors to the most fruitful discoveries. An over-assertive knowledge is always the cloak of ignorance. And as with knowledge, so with everything else. Power always veils itself. It does not seek to produce an impression. It does not need to do that. It walks in the paths of the humble. There are many people in the world who will not stoop to menial tasks. In their blindness they imagine humble duties to be a sign of lowly station or inferior nature. If they but knew, there is no sign of inferiority so patent as that which cannot stoop in lowliness or work in secret. There is a beautiful and significant sentence in St. John's record of the ministry of our Lord which illustrates this association be- tween greatness and humility. This is how it reads : " Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God ; he riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments ; and took a towel, and girded himself . . . and began to wash the disciples' feet." The moment when He was most conscious of greatness was the time when He performed the most menial duty. And that association is always