in
the very center of religious duty, and so lifted them to the high level of
great social and religious principles.

In the next three chapters we shall take up a conception which is not
universally human, but which Jesus derived from the historic life of the
Hebrew people--the idea of the "Kingdom of God." A better translation would
be "the Reign of God." This conception embodied the social ideal and
purpose of the best minds of one of the few creative nations of history.

How did Jesus interpret this inherited social ideal? What did the Kingdom
of God seem to him to offer men? What did it demand of them? What
immediate ethical duty did this social ideal involve? Our inquiry will
move along these lines in the next three chapters.

DAILY READINGS

First Day: The Main Chance

The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in the field;
which a man found, and hid; and in his joy he goeth and selleth
all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a merchant
seeking goodly pearls: and having found one pearl of great price,
he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.--Matt. 13:44-46.

When war was common, property insecure, and safe deposit vaults were
scarce, it was common for men to bury treasure in time of trouble and to
forget it when they were dead. Whoever accidentally found it "struck pay
dirt" and hastened to locate his claim. An extraordinary jewel, too, was a
bonanza. The infant capitalists of that day were wise enough to liquidate
their other holdings and invest everything in the main chance. Jesus calls
for the application of the same method on the higher level. The Kingdom of
God is the highest good of all; why not stake all on the chance of that?
These parables were spoken out of his own experience. He was gladly
surrendering home, comfort, public approval, and life itself to realize
the Reign of God in humanity.

Imagine that Jesus had surrendered his religious idealism, had gained
wealth and official standing, and died of old age. Would he have gained?
What would the world have lost?

Second Day: The Master Fact

From that time began Jesus to preach, and to say, Repent ye; for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand.--Matt. 4:17.

The Kingdom of God is a master fact. It takes control. When the Kingdom
becomes a reality to us, we can not live on in the old way. We must
repent, begin over, overh