Page:The World Beyond.djvu/17

 mercial value of its imports and exports. How man will persist in mistaking the spirit and intent of the holy Word!

The sayings of the Bible are, on the contrary, like so many seeds of truth dropped into the soil of human minds, there to germinate and grow. They grow as we give them life within the heart; they germinate as we warm them with love; they spring from the cold, damp earth, and rise into the sunny atmosphere of heart-land, as the tears of life, instead of flowing off into desert sands, water them and start them into greener growth.

The Word of God does not, therefore, teach us many facts in regard to heaven; but it gives us innumerable seed-germs of truth, which will grow into immense heart realizations of its nature as we grow toward heaven and the Lord.

Let us see. The first great truth of Revelation that comes from a close examination of its pages, is: That heaven is a state of the soul and not a place. It is a condition of the heart and not a locality. Let us endeavor to fully comprehend this. There is no understanding this question of salvation, eternal life, and heaven without it. It is the golden thread that leads us through all the labyrinths of what is otherwise so puzzling a theme. Heaven may indeed be in a place—in any place; but it is the hearts of the people and not the place that make it heaven. It is the Lord's sphere or influence within the soul which constitutes all that can be properly recognized as the kingdom of heaven.

Nor is this very difficult to understand. When