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第14章

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INSIDE PEOPLE。



I remember once taking a walk by the river near where the Falls of

Niagara are; and I noticed a remarkable figure walking along the

river bank。  I had been some time in America。  I had seen black

men; and red men; and yellow men; and white men; black men; the

Negroes; red men; the Indians; yellow men; the Chinese; white men;

the Americans。  But this man looked quite different in his dress

from anything I had ever seen。  When he came a little closer; I

saw he was wearing a kilt; when he came a little nearer still; I

saw that he was dressed exactly like a Highland soldier。  When he

came quiet near; I said to him:



〃What are you doing here?〃



〃Why should I not be here?〃 he replied; 〃don't you know this is

British soil?  When you cross the river you come into Canada。〃



This soldier was thousands of miles from England; and yet he was

in the Kingdom of England。  Wherever there is an English heart

beating loyal to the Queen of Britain; there is England。  Wherever

there is a boy whose heart is loyal to the Kingdom of God; the

Kingdom of God is within him。



What is the Kingdom of God?  Every Kingdom has its exports; it

products。  Go down the river here and you will find ships coming

in with cotton; you know they come from America。  You will find

ships with tea; you know they are from China。  Ships with wool;

you know they come from Australia。  Ships with sugar; you know they

come from Java。



What comes from the Kingdom of God?  Again; we must refer to our

Guide…book。  Turn to Romans; and we shall find what the Kingdom

of God is。  I will read it:  〃The Kingdom of God is righteousness;

peace; joy〃three things。  〃The Kingdom of God is righteousness;

peace; joy。〃  Righteousness; of course is just doing what is right。

Any boy who does what is RIGHT has the Kingdom of God within him。

Any boy who; instead of being quarrelsome; lives at peace with

the other boys; has the Kingdom of God within him。  Any boy whose

heart is filled with joy because he does what is right; has the

Kingdom of God within him。  The Kingdom of God is not going to

religious meetings; and hearing strange religious experiences; the

Kingdom of God is doing what is rightliving at peace with all

men; being filled with joy in the Holy Ghost。



Boys; if you are going to be Christians; be Christians as boys; and

not as your grandmothers。  A grandmother has to be a Christian as

a grandmother; and that is the right and the beautiful thing for her;

but if you cannot read your Bible by the hours as your grandmother

can; or delight in meetings as she can; don't think you are

necessarily a bad boy。  When you are your grandmother's age you will

have your grandmother's kind of religion。  Meantime; be a Christian

as a boy。  Live a boy's life。  Do the straight thing; seek the

kingdom of righteousness and honor and truth。  Keep the peace with

the boys about you; and be filled with the joy of being a loyal;

and simple; and natural; and boy…like servant of Christ。



You can very easily tell a house; or a workshop; or an office where

the Kingdom of God is NOT。  The first thing you see in that pace

is that the 〃straight thing〃 is not always done。  Customers do not

get fair play。  You are in danger of learning to cheat and to lie。

Better a thousand times to starve than to stay in a place where

you cannot do what is right。



Or; when you go into your workshop; you find everybody sulky; touchy;

and ill…tempered; everybody at daggers…drawn with everybody else;

some of the men not on speaking terms with some of the others; and

the whole FEEL of the place miserable and unhappy。  The Kingdom of

God is not thee; for IT is peace。  It is the Kingdom of the Devil

that is anger; and wrath and malice。



If you want to get the Kingdom of God into your workshop; or

into your home; let the quarreling be stopped。  Live in peace and

harmony and brotherliness with everyone。  For the Kingdom of God

is a kingdom of brothers。  It is a great Society; founded by Jesus

Christ; of all the people who try to live like Him; and to make the

world better and sweeter and happier。  Wherever  boy is trying to

do that; in the house or on the street; in the workshop or on the

baseball field; there is the Kingdom of God。  And every boy; however

small or obscure or poor; who is seeking that; is a member of it。

You see now; I hope; what the Kingdom is。



II。



I pass; therefore; to the second head; What was it?  Arithmetic。

Are there any arithmetic words in this text?  〃Added。〃  What other

arithmetic words?  〃First。〃



Now; don't you think you could not have anything better to seek

〃first〃 than the things I have named to do what is right; to live

at peace; and be always making those about you happy?  You see at

once why Christ tells us to seek these things firstbecause they

are



The best worth seeking。



Do you know anything better than these three things; anything

happier; purer; nobler?  If you do; seek them first。  But if you

do not; seek first the Kingdom of God。  I do not tell you to be

religious。  You know that。  I do not tell you to seek the Kingdom

of God。  I tell you to seek the Kingdom of God FIRST。  FIRST。

Not many people do that。  They put a little religion into their

lifeonce a week; perhaps。  They might just as well let it alone。

It is not worth seeking the Kingdom of God unless we seek it FIRST。



Suppose you take the helm out of a ship and hang it over the bow;

and send that ship to sea; will it ever reach the other side?

Certainly not。  It will drift about anyhow。  Keep religion in its

place; and it will take you straight through life and straight to

your Father in heaven when life is over。  But if you do not put

it in its place; you may just as well have nothing to do with it。

Religion out of its place in a human life is the most miserable

thing in the world。  There is nothing that requires so much to be

kept in its place as religion; and its place is what? second? third?

〃First。〃  Boys; FIRST the Kingdom of God; make it so that it will

be natural to you to think about that the very first thing。



There was a boy in Glasgow apprenticed to a gentleman who made

telegraphs。  (The gentleman told me this himself。)  One day this

boy was up on the top of a four…story house with a number of men

fixing up a telegraph wire。  The work was all but done。  It was

getting late; and the men said they were going away home; and the

boy was to nip off the ends of the wire himself。  Before going

down they told him to be sure to go back to the workshop; when he

was finished; with his master's tools。



〃Do not leave any of them lying about; whatever you do;〃 said the

foreman。



The boy climbed up the pole and began to nip off the ends of the

wire。  It was a very cold winter night; and the dusk was gathering。

He lost his hold and fell upon the slates; slid down; and then

over and over to the ground below。  A clothes…rope stretched across

the 〃green〃 on which he was just about to fall; caught him on the

chest and broke his fall; but the shock was terrible; and he lay

unconscious among some clothes upon the green。



An old woman came out; seeing her rope broken and the clothes all

soiled; thought the boy was drunk; shook him; scolded him; and

went for the policeman。  The boy with the shaking came back to

consciousness; rubbed his eyes; and got back on his feet。  What do

you think he did?  He staggered; half…blind; up the stairs。  He

climbed the ladder。  He got on to the roof of the house。  He gathered

up his tools; put them into his basket; took them down; and when

he got to the ground again fainted dead away。



Just then the policeman came; saw there was something seriously

wrong; and carried him away to the hospital; where he lay for some

time。  I am glad to say he got better。



What was his first thought at that terrible moment?  His duty。

He was not thinking of himself; he was thinking about his

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