dom of heaven must first be baptized
with water unto repentance, as a sign that he abjures and is
cleansed from all his old errors and iniquities. Then he must be
baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire, that is, must learn
the positive principles of the coming kingdom, and apply them to
his own character, to purge away every corrupt thing. He must be
born again, born of water and of the Spirit: in other words, he
must be brought out from his impurity and wickedness into a new
and Divine life of holiness, awakened to a conscious experience of
purity, truth, and love, the great prime elements in the reign of
God. He must be guileless and lowly. "Whosoever will not receive
the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter
therein."

The kingdom of heaven, the better dispensation which Christ came
to establish, is the humility of contrite hearts, the innocence of
little children, the purity of undefiled consciences, the fruit of
good works, the truth of universal laws, the love of God, and the
conscious experience of an indestructible, blessed being. Those
who enter into these qualities in faith, in feeling, and in action
are full citizens of that eternal kingdom; all others are aliens
from it.

Heaven, then, according to Christ's use of the word, is not
distinctively a world situated somewhere in immensity, but a
purely spiritual experience, having nothing to do with any special
time or place. It is a state of the soul, or a state of society,
under the rule of truth, governed by God's will, either in this
life or in a future. He said to the young ruler who had walked
faithfully in the law, and whose good traits drew forth his love,
"Thou art not far from the kingdom of God." It is evident that
this does not mean a bounded place of abode, but a true state of
character, a virtuous mode of life "My kingdom is not of this
world." "Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice." That
is, "My kingdom is the realm of truth, the dominion of God's will,
and all true men are my subjects." Evidently this is not a
material but a moral reign and therefore unlimited by seasons or
places. Wherever purity, truth, love, obedience, prevail, there is
God, and that is heaven. It is not necessary to depart into some
distant sphere to meet the Infinite Holy One and dwell with him.
He is on the very dust we tread, he is the very centre of our
souls and breath of our lives, if we are only in a state that is
fitted to recogni