TJ The return of Christ in bodily form to reign over His faith- ful ones, their own bodies rescued from death and the grave, is the aim and goal of our exultant hope. For that return His early followers eagerly waited. And their eager hope suggested that perhaps they might hear His voice and see His face without passing under the dark shadow of death. That expectation was not fulfilled. And we cannot share it. But, long as the time seems, that day will come. Had we witnessed the creation of matter, and known that long ages were predestined to elapse before rational man would stand on the earth, our expectation would have wearied at the long delay. But those long ages rolled by ; and for thousands of years our planet has teemed with rational life. So will pass by whatever ages remain before our Lord's return. Many reasons suggest that, though not close at hand, it cannot be very long delayed. Doubtless we shall lay us down for our last sleep. But in our sleep we shall be with Him. And when the morning dawns we shall wake up in the splendour of the rising Sun.
Yes, I come quickly.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.1
*
4. Thus the Kingdom is both individual and social. It begins with the individual indeed ; it can do nothing unless it transforms the springs of action within him. But it does not end with the individual. It proposes to regenerate society also, and so to renew both that every individual act and every social agency shall be in harmony with the original ideal of God. Its Founder in His humility declared the Kingdom of God to be like leaven which rests not till it pervades and restores the mass unto itself. And when He sat upon His throne, He said, " Behold, I make all things new."
TJ The Kingdom of Heaven does not mean the kingdom in heaven. The phrase describes the Kingdom's temper and quality, not its locality. It is a term spiritual, and not geographical. John Bunyan had a wonderful vision of spiritual experience in Bedford gaol. It is accurate enough so long as you make it sub- jective. A man ought to escape from spiritual pest-holes, and
1 J. Agar Beet, The Last Things, 112.
1 64 THE FIRST THINGS FIRST
struggle out of spiritual despondency, and get the burden of his sin loosened from the shoulders of his soul, and vigorously climb hills of difficulty, and valiantly fight the devil, and get mountain-top visions of the Glory Land, before he gets to the Celestial City. But if you forget that these are interior experiences that the great spiritual dramatist is describing, and make them instead a picture of a man's actual attitude towards the world, then the pilgrim's achievement ceases to be a spiritual exercise and becomes a terribly 6elfish performance. For the thing that is true about the man who really seeks the Kingdom where it ought to exist — that is, on earth — is that he will not run away from the city of destruction, but do his best to make it a city of God ; will not calmly desert wife and family to get personal spiritual treasure ; and will not be carelessly indifferent to his companions on his trip because they are not of his sort. And if he comes to a slough of de- spond, he will try to drain the swamp instead of merely floundering in and floundering out again ; and when he escapes from the castle of the Giant Despair, he will bombard the castle and do his best to make an end of the giant for the sake of other poor pilgrims. His business is not to get to the City Celestial as soon as possible, but to bring celestial atmosphere and celestial splendour into all the regions through which he moves.1
5. Our Lord adds, "and his righteousness." What does He mean ? There is a righteousness such as that in which man was originally made upright ; there is a righteousness which is a part of the character of God ; and there is a righteousness composed of all the perfections of the life of Christ. These three righteousnesses are all one. Now, this triple righteousness is what every good man is " seeking " after : first, something which will justify him before God, and then something which will justify him to his own conscience, and to the world, in believing that he is justified before God. And where shall a man find his justification before God but in faith in Jesus Christ? And where shall a man find the justification of his faith and hope that he is justified, but in the justification of his own good works which he is doing every day ? To those, then, that " seek " these two things — " the kingdom " and " the righteousness " — the promise belongs.
^ Righteousness, as it was understood and taught by Christ, includes the two things which we often distinguish as religion
1 W. MacMullen.
ST. MATTHEW vi. 3$ 165
and morality. It is right-doing, not only as between man and man, but as between man and God. The Lawgiver of the New Testament, like the lawgiver of the Old, has given to us two tables of stone. On the one He has written, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind " ; and on the other, " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." In these two commandments the whole law is summed up, the whole duty of man is made known.1