Article January 22, 1910 Issue

The fact is that too few persons have entered into that...

Baltimore (Md.) Sun

The fact is that too few persons have entered into that moral expectancy which gives the highest uplift to life and which is expressed by the apostle in the words: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." Every man who lives that life is promised a crown, and the warning is given those who are not alert to their opportunities, "Let no man take thy crown." Again, the apostle holds out the "crown of rejoicing" which the Lord has for them that love Him. Multitudes of references are made to the regality of those who are set forth in the book of Revelation as kings and priests before God the Father.

What is the crown? It is, after all, the symbol of the democracy of heaven, the absolute impartiality of the spiritual life, the bestowment of righteous rewards for moral living, absolutely with impartiality. One does not need to project the spiritual life, the kingdom of heaven, into another world, for, as Jesus declared, "The kingdom of heaven is within you." One does not need to refer to culmination in order to discover progress. Here in this life are the awards of the crowns that never fade away, that are more substantial than those crests of earthly rulers which glitter with priceless stones. Animate will may accomplish wonders on Mars, but regenerated will accomplishes the wonders on the earth. It is this kind of will that is docile and teachable by divine truth: it fits men and women for the crown of fidelity, of probity, of faithfulness, of integrity, of abounding faith, of energetic good works, of broad charity, of exuberant inspiration, of keen responsibility to their day and generation. They furnish the martyrs of heroic ages; they supply the ranks of those who watch and pray; those who, leaving the attractions of the world, give themselves up to the communion with God that enriches the world. These are they who give to the earth the testimony that Spirit is superior to matter by that best of all evidence—the subjugation of sin and the establishment of virtue. They purify the stream of life at all points; they give courage and high purpose to life; they win its genuine conquests and promote its real progress.

There is nothing absolute in life but the absolute necessity for man to rise above his mortal limitations to the realization of his spiritual destiny. Many good persons worry themselves over the enigmas of life, of thought, of experience. They do not reflect that if many things were explained life would cease to interest. Explanation is impossible, because truth cannot conceivably be stated in a definition. The crown of life is at the disposal of the higher will that enlarges the human will to match the divine purpose. The subordination of a will to a purpose is the line of progress all the world over, and the bringing of the human will to divine direction is the line of progress toward supremacy over earthly conditions. Here, then, is the crown for every man. It is the crown of happiness, of conquest, of power, of privilege, of rationality and felicity. After all, goodness is the great preserving force and principle of progress, and goodness simply means God active in the lives of His creatures.

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