an, must devote himself to
righteousness. To be right is no adjunct of completeness; it is the
ground and foundation of existence.' But perhaps it was a lesson for
John himself, who, mighty preacher of righteousness as he was, did not
yet count it the all of life. I cannot tell.

Note that when the Lord began his teaching, he employed, neither using
nor inculcating any rite, the same words as John,--'Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand.'

That kingdom had been at hand all his infancy, boyhood, and young
manhood: he was in the world with his father in his heart: that was the
kingdom of heaven. Lonely man on the hillside, or boy the cynosure of
doctor-eyes, his father was everything to him:--'Wist ye not that I must
be in my father's things?'

_JESUS IN THE WORLD._

'Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have
sought thee sorrowing.' And he said unto them, 'How is it that ye sought
me? wist ye not that I must be about my father's business?' And they
understood not the saying which he spake unto them.--_Luke_ ii. 48-50.

Was that his saying? Why did they not understand it? Do we understand
it? What did his saying mean? The Greek is not absolutely clear. Whether
the Syriac words he used were more precise, who in this world can tell?
But had we heard his very words, we too, with his father and mother,
would have failed to understand them. Must we fail still?

It will show at once where our initial difficulty lies, if I give the
latter half of the saying as presented in the revised English version:
its departure from the authorized reveals the point of obscurity:--'Wist
ye not that I must be in my father's house?' His parents had his exact
words, yet did not understand. We have not his exact words, and are in
doubt as to what the Greek translation of them means.

If the authorized translation be true to the intent of the Greek, and
therefore to that of the Syriac, how could his parents, knowing him as
they did from all that had been spoken before concerning him, from all
they had seen in him, from the ponderings in Mary's own heart, and from
the precious thoughts she and Joseph cherished concerning him, have
failed to understand him when he said that wherever he was, he must be
about his father's business? On the other hand, supposing them to know
and feel that he must be about his father's business, would that have
been reason sufficient, in view of the degree of spiritual dev