that vision
of perfect humanity before him, he kept its calm and tranquillity amid the
enmity of men as he sought to win men to its better ways.

The Kingdom of God is the highest good. The idea of God is the highest and
most comprehensive conception in philosophy; the idea of the Kingdom of
God is the highest and broadest idea in sociology and ethics. It is so
high and broad that many find it hard even to grasp the idea. Just as a
barbaric tribe of hunters or fishermen would find it impossible to
comprehend the social coherence and the patriotism of a nation of a
hundred millions; just as the narrow nationalist of today falls down
intellectually and morally when he confronts world-forces and relations:
so we who are trained to think in terms of family and State, give out when
we are to treat the Kingdom of God as a reality. It takes faith of the
intellect to comprehend a stage of evolution before it is reached. It
takes faith of character to launch yourself toward a great moral goal
before its tangible and profitable elements are within reach. It takes
more moral daring today than for a century past to believe in the
reemergence and final victory of God's social order. But this is the time
for all true believers to square their shoulders and say with Galileo,
"And yet it moves."

Any man whose soul is kindled by the conception of the Kingdom of God is a
real man. Whoever loves the idea, must turn it into reality as far as life
lets him. Whoever tries it, will suffer. But even if he suffers, he will
be more blessed and more truly a man than he would be if he did not try.
In seeking the Kingdom he realizes himself. "He that loseth his life for
my sake, shall find it."

III

Jesus bade us "seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness," and
he obeyed his own call. The main object of his life was the ideal social
order and the perfect ethic. Now if Jesus is our ideal of human goodness,
is any goodness good unless it works in the same direction? If a man is of
flawless private life, but is indifferent to any social ideal, or even
hostile to all attempts at better justice and greater fraternity, is he
really good? Even a strong desire for personal perfection, if there is no
desire for a regeneration of society in it, must be rated as sub-Christian
because it is lacking in the sense of solidarity and may be lacking in
love.

Suggestions for Thought and Discussion

I. _The Power of a Great Idea_

1. Di