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第15章

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

First; the Kingdom of God。



But there is another arithmetic word。  What is it?  〃Added。〃



You know the difference between ADDITION and SUBTRACTION。  Now;

that is



A very important difference



in religion; becauseand it is a very strange thingvery few

people know the difference when they begin to talk about religion。

They often tell boys that if they seek the Kingdom of God; everything

else is going to be SUBTRACTED from them。  They tell them that they

are going to become gloomy; miserable; and will lose everything

that makes a boy's life worth livingthat they will have to stop

baseball and story…books; and become little old men; and spend all

their time in going to meetings and in singing hymns。



Now; that is not true。  Christ never said anything like that。

Christ said we are to 〃Seek first the Kingdom of God;〃 and



Everything else worth having



is to be ADDED unto us。  If there is anything I would like you to

remember; it is these two arithmetic words〃first〃 and 〃added。〃



I do not mean by 〃added〃 that if you become religious you are all

going to become RICH。  Here is a boy; who; in sweeping out the

shop tomorrow; finds a quarter lying among the orange boxes。  Well;

nobody has missed it。  He puts it in his pocket; and it begins to

burn a hole there。  by breakfast time he wishes that money were

in his master's pocket。  And by…and…by he goes to his master。  He

says (to HIMSELF; and not to his master); 〃I was at the Boys' Brigade

yesterday and I was told to seek FIRST that which was right。〃  Then

he says to his master:



〃Please; sir; here is a quarter that I found upon the floor。〃



The master puts it in the till。  What has the boy got in his pocket?

Nothing; BUT HE HAS GOT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN HIS HEART。  He has

laid up treasure in heaven; which is of infinitely more worth than

the quarter。



Now; that boy does not find a dollar on his way home。  I have known

that to happen; but that is not what is meant by 〃adding。〃  It does

not mean that God is going to pay him in his own coin; for He pays

in better coin。



Yet I remember once hearing of a boy who was paid in both ways。

He was very; very poor。  He lived in a foreign country; and his

mother said to him one day that he must go into the great city and

start in business; and she took his coat and cut it open and sewed

between the lining and the coat forty golden dinars; which she had

saved up for many years to start him in life。  She told him to take

care of robbers as he went across the desert; and as he was going

out of the door she said:



〃My boy; I have only two words for you'Fear God; and never tell

a lie。'〃



The boy started off; and towards evening he saw glittering in the

distance the minarets of the great city。  But between the city and

himself he saw a cloud of dust。  It came nearer。  Presently he saw

that it was a band of robbers。



One of the robbers left the rest and rode toward him; and said:



〃Boy; what have you got?〃



The boy looked him in the face and said:



〃I have forty golden dinars sewed up in my coat。〃



The robber laughed and wheeled around his horse and went away back。

He would not believe the boy。



Presently another robber came and he said:



〃Boy; what have you got?〃



〃Forty golden dinars sewed up in my coat。〃



The robber said:  〃The boy is a fool;〃 and wheeled his horse and

rode away back。



By and by the robber captain came and he said:



〃Boy; what have you got?〃



〃I have forty golden dinars sewed up in my coat。〃



The robber dismounted; and put his hand over the boy's breast;

felt something round; counted one; two; three; four; five; till he

counted out the forty golden coins。  He looked the boy in the face

and said:



〃Why did you tell me that?〃



The boy said:  〃Because of God and my mother。〃



The robber leaned on his spear and thought and said:



〃Wait a moment。〃



He mounted his horse; rode back to the rest of the robbers; and

came back in about five minutes with his dress changed。  This time

he looked not like a robber; but like a merchant。  He took the boy

up on his horse and said:



〃My boy; I have long wanted to do something for my God and for my

mother; and I have this moment renounced my robber's life。  I am

also a merchant。  I have a large business house in the city。  I

want you to come and live with me; to teach me about your God; and

you will be rich; and your mother some day will come and live with

us。〃



And it all happened。  By seeing first the Kingdom of God; all these

things were added unto him。



Boys; banish forever from your minds the idea that religion is

SUBTRACTION。  It does not tell us to give things up; but rather

gives us something so much better that they give themselves up。

When you see a boy on the street whipping a top; you know; perhaps;

that you could not make that boy happier than by giving him a top;

a whip; and half an hour to whip it。  But next birthday; when he

looks back he says;



〃What a goose I was last year to be delighted with a top。  What I

want now is a baseball bat。〃



Then when he becomes an old man; he does not care in the least for

a baseball bat; he wants rest; and a snug fireside and a newspaper

every day。  He wonders how he could ever have taken up his thoughts

with baseball bats and whipping…tops。



Now; when a boy becomes a Christian; he grows out of the evil

things one by onethat is to say; if they are really evilwhich

he used to set his heart upon; (of course I do not mean baseball

bats; for they are not evils); and so instead of telling people to

give up things; we are safer to tell them to 〃seek first the Kingdom

of God;〃 and then they will get new things and better things; and



The old things will drop off



of themselves。  This is what is meant by the 〃new heart。〃  It means

that God puts into us new thoughts and new wishes; and we become

quite different。



III。



Lastly; and very shortly。  What was the third head?  〃Grammar。〃

Right。



Now; I require a clever boy to answer the next question。  What

is the verb?  〃Seek。〃  Very good:  〃seek。〃  What mood is it in?

〃Imperative mood。〃  What does that mean?  〃A command。〃  What is

the soldier's first lesson?  〃Obedience。〃  Have you obeyed this

command?  Remember the imperative mood of these words; 〃SEEK first

the Kingdom of God。〃



This is the command of your King。  It MUST be done。  I have been

trying to show you what a splendid thing it is; what a reasonable

thing it is; what a happy thing it is; but beyond all these reasons;

it is a thing that MUST be done; because we are COMMANDED to do

it by our Captain。  Now; there is His command to seek FIRST the

Kingdom of God。  Have you done it?



〃Well;〃 I know some boys will say; 〃we are going to have a good

time; enjoy life; and then we are going to seekLASTthe Kingdom

of God。〃



Now; that is mean; it is nothing else than mean for a boy to take

all the good gifts that God has given him; and then give him nothing

back in return but



His wasted life。



God wants boys' LIVES; not only their souls。  It is for active;

service that soldiers are drilled; and trained; and fed; and armed。

That is why you and I are in the world at allnot to prepare to

go out of it some day; but to serve God actively in it NOW。  It

is monstrous; and shameful; and cowardly to talk of seeking the

Kingdom LAST。  It is shirking duty; abandoning one's rightful post;

playing into the enemy's hand by doing nothing to turn his flank。

Every hour a Kingdom is coming in your heart; in your home; in the

world near you; be it a Kingdom of Darkness or a Kingdom of Light。

You are placed where you are; in a particular business; in a

particular street; to help on there the Kingdom of God。  You cannot

do that when you are old and ready to die。  By that time your

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