h men are permitted to join His Kingdom; and,
secondly, the life which His subjects are required to lead.

At the very commencement of His ministry a divine picture was drawn of
the character and life of the true subjects of "The Kingdom of
Heaven." For as He "went about all Galilee preaching the Gospel of the
Kingdom, there followed Him great multitudes of people. And seeing the
multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His
disciples came unto Him: and He opened His mouth, and taught them,
saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of
Heaven" (S. Matt. iv. 23-v. 3). Thus He began the Sermon on the Mount
by declaring the blessedness of His subjects, though they would be
very different from those whom the world commonly counts blessed. And
the last Beatitude ended, as the first began, with distinct reference
to the Kingdom, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for
righteousness' sake; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven" (S. Matt. v.
10); as though to make it clear to His hearers that the blessedness
spoken of throughout all the verses was connected with His Kingdom.

He then addressed those who, in their hearts, accepted Him, as "the
salt of the earth;" and as "the light of the world" (S. Matt. v. 13,
14). They would not only be blessed in themselves, as His subjects,
but they would also be a blessing to others. They were to be the salt
which should preserve the world from corruption; and the light which
should lead men to "glorify their Father which is in Heaven" (S. Matt.
v. 16).

Having thus described, at the beginning of His Sermon, the general
character and office of the subjects of His Kingdom, our Blessed Lord
went on to answer a question, which would doubtless arise in the minds
of His hearers. Would the Kingdom of which He spoke destroy, or be
opposed to the Law, under which God's People had lived from ancient
times? The answer was most distinct: "Think not that I am come to
destroy the Law and the Prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to
fulfil. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least
commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in
the Kingdom of Heaven. For I say unto you, That except your
righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and
Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven" (S.
Matt. v. 17-20). So far from coming to destroy the Law, He had come
that it might be fulfilled by His subjects