When　you　see　a　boy　on　the　street　whipping　a　top；　you　know；　perhaps；
  that　you　could　not　make　that　boy　happier　than　by　giving　him　a　top；
  a　whip；　and　half　an　hour　to　whip　it。　　But　next　birthday；　when　he
  looks　back　he　says；
  〃What　a　goose　I　was　last　year　to　be　delighted　with　a　top。　　What　I
  want　now　is　a　baseball　bat。〃
  Then　when　he　becomes　an　old　man；　he　does　not　care　in　the　least　for
  a　baseball　bat；　he　wants　rest；　and　a　snug　fireside　and　a　newspaper
  every　day。　　He　wonders　how　he　could　ever　have　taken　up　his　thoughts
  with　baseball　bats　and　whipping…tops。
  Now；　when　a　boy　becomes　a　Christian；　he　grows　out　of　the　evil
  things　one　by　onethat　is　to　say；　if　they　are　really　evilwhich
  he　used　to　set　his　heart　upon；　（of　course　I　do　not　mean　baseball
  bats；　for　they　are　not　evils）；　and　so　instead　of　telling　people　to
  give　up　things；　we　are　safer　to　tell　them　to　〃seek　first　the　Kingdom
  of　God；〃　and　then　they　will　get　new　things　and　better　things；　and
  The　old　things　will　drop　off
  of　themselves。　　This　is　what　is　meant　by　the　〃new　heart。〃　　It　means
  that　God　puts　into　us　new　thoughts　and　new　wishes；　and　we　become
  quite　different。
  III。
  Lastly；　and　very　shortly。　　What　was　the　third　head？　　〃Grammar。〃
  Right。
  Now；　I　require　a　clever　boy　to　answer　the　next　question。　　What
  is　the　verb？　　〃Seek。〃　　Very　good：　　〃seek。〃　　What　mood　is　it　in？
  〃Imperative　mood。〃　　What　does　that　mean？　　〃A　command。〃　　What　is
  the　soldier's　first　lesson？　　〃Obedience。〃　　Have　you　obeyed　this
  command？　　Remember　the　imperative　mood　of　these　words；　〃SEEK　first
  the　Kingdom　of　God。〃
  This　is　the　command　of　your　King。　　It　MUST　be　done。　　I　have　been
  trying　to　show　you　what　a　splendid　thing　it　is；　what　a　reasonable
  thing　it　is；　what　a　happy　thing　it　is；　but　beyond　all　these　reasons；
  it　is　a　thing　that　MUST　be　done；　because　we　are　COMMANDED　to　do
  it　by　our　Captain。　　Now；　there　is　His　command　to　seek　FIRST　the
  Kingdom　of　God。　　Have　you　done　it？
  〃Well；〃　I　know　some　boys　will　say；　〃we　are　going　to　have　a　good
  time；　enjoy　life；　and　then　we　are　going　to　seekLASTthe　Kingdom
  of　God。〃
  Now；　that　is　mean；　it　is　nothing　else　than　mean　for　a　boy　to　take
  all　the　good　gifts　that　God　has　given　him；　and　then　give　him　nothing
  back　in　return　but
  His　wasted　life。
  God　wants　boys'　LIVES；　not　only　their　souls。　　It　is　for　active；
  service　that　soldiers　are　drilled；　and　trained；　and　fed；　and　armed。
  That　is　why　you　and　I　are　in　the　world　at　allnot　to　prepare　to
  go　out　of　it　some　day；　but　to　serve　God　actively　in　it　NOW。　　It
  is　monstrous；　and　shameful；　and　cowardly　to　talk　of　seeking　the
  Kingdom　LAST。　　It　is　shirking　duty；　abandoning　one's　rightful　post；
  playing　into　the　enemy's　hand　by　doing　nothing　to　turn　his　flank。
  Every　hour　a　Kingdom　is　coming　in　your　heart；　in　your　home；　in　the
  world　near　you；　be　it　a　Kingdom　of　Darkness　or　a　Kingdom　of　Light。
  You　are　placed　where　you　are；　in　a　particular　business；　in　a
  particular　street；　to　help　on　there　the　Kingdom　of　God。　　You　cannot
  do　that　when　you　are　old　and　ready　to　die。　　By　that　time　your
  companions　will　have　fought　their　fight；　and　lost　or　won。　　If　they
  lose；　will　you　not　be　sorry　that　you　did　not　help　them？　　Will　you
  not　regret　that　only　at　the　last　you　helped　the　Kingdom　of　God？
  Perhaps　you　will　not　be　able　to　do　it　then。　　And　then　your　life
  has　been　lost　indeed。
  Very　few　people　have　the　opportunity　to　seek　the　Kingdom　of　God
  at　the　end。　　Christ；　knowing　all　that；　knowing　that　religion　was
  a　thing　for　our　life；　not　merely　for　our　death…bed；　has　laid　this
  command　upon　us　now：　　〃Seek　FIRST　the　Kingdom　of　God。〃
  I　am　going　to　leave　you　with　this　text　itself。　　Every　boy　in　the
  world　should　obey　it。
  Boys；　before　you　go　to　work　to…morrow；　before　you　go　to　sleep
  to…night；　resolve　that；　God　helping　you；　you　are　going　to　seek
  FIRST　the　Kingdom　of　God。　　Perhaps　some　boys　here　are　deserters；
  they　began　once　before　to　serve　Christ；　and　they　deserted。　　Come
  back　again；　come　back　again　today！　　Others　have　never　enlisted　at
  all。　　Will　you　not　do　it　now？　　You　are　old　enough　to　decide。　　The
  grandest　moment　of　a　boy's　life　is　that　moment　when　he　decides　to
  〃SEEK　FIRST　THE　KINGDOM　OF　GOD。〃
  The　Changed　Life：　　The　Greatest　Need　of　the　World。
  God　is　all　for　quality；　man　is　for　quantity。　　The　immediate　need
  of　the　world　at　this　moment　is　not　more　of　us；　but；　if　I　may　use
  the　expression；　a　better　brand　of　us。　　To　secure　ten　men　of　an
  improved　type　would　be　better　than　if　we　had　ten　thousand　more　of
  the　average　Christians　distributed　all　over　the　world。　　There　is
  such　a　thing　in　the　evangelistic　sense　as　winning　the　whole　world
  and　losing　our　own　soul。　　And　the　first　consideration　of　our
  own　lifeour　own　spiritual　relations　to　Godour　own　likeness　to
  Christ。　　And　I　am　anxious；　briefly；　to　look　at　the　right　and　the
  wrong　way　of　becoming　like　Christof　becoming　better　men：　　the
  right　and　the　wrong　way　of　sanctification。
  Let　me　begin　by　naming；　and　in　part　discarding　some　processes　in
  vogue　already　for　producing　better　lives。　　These　processes　are　far
  from　wrong；　in　their　place　they　may　even　be　essential。　　One　ventures
  to　disparage　them　only　because　they　do　not　turn　out　the　most　perfect
  possible　work。
  1。　　The　first　imperfect　method　is　to　rely　on
  Resolution。
  In　will　power；　in　mere　spasms　of　earnestness；　there　is　no　salvation。
  Struggle；　effort；　even　agony；　have　their　place　in　Christianity；　as
  we　shall　see；　but　this　is　not　where　they　come　in。
  In　mid…Atlantic　the　Etruria；　in　which　I　was　sailing；　suddenly
  stopped。　　Something　had　gone　wrong　with　the　engines。　　There　were
  five　hundred　able…bodied　men　on　board　the　ship。　　Do　you　think　that
  if　we　had　gathered　together　and　pushed　against　the　mast　we　could
  have　pushed　it　on？
  When　one　attempts　to　sanctify　himself　by　effort；　he　is　trying　to
  make　his　boat　go　by　pushing　against　the　mast。　　He　is　like　a　drowning
  man　trying　to　lift　himself　out　of　the　water　by　pulling　at　the　hair
  of　his　own　head。
  Christ　held　up　this　method　almost　to　ridicule　when　He　said；　〃Which
  of　you　by　taking　thought　can　add　a　cubit　to　his　stature？〃　　Put　down
  that　method　forever　as　being　futile。
  The　one　redeeming　feature　of　the　self…sufficient　method　is　thisthat
  those　who　try　it　find　out　almost　at　once　that　it　will　not　gain　the
  goal。
  2。　　Another　experimenter　says：　　〃But　that　is　not　my　method。　　I　have
  seen　the　folly　of　a　mere　wild　struggle　in　the　dark。　　I　work　on　a
  principle。　　My　plan　is　not　to　waste　power　on　random　effort；　but　to
  concentrate　on　a　single　sin。　　By　taking
  One　at　a　time
  and　crucifying　it　steadily；　I　hope　in　the　end　to　extirpate　all。〃
  To　this；　unfortunately；　there　are　four　objections：　　For　one　thing；
  life　is　too　short；　the　name　of　sin　is　legion。　　For　another　thing；
  to　deal　with　individual　sins　is　to　leave　the　rest　of　the　nature
  for　the　time　untouched。　　In　the　third　place；　a　single　combat　with
  a　special　sin　does　not　affect　the　root　and　spring　of　the　disease。
  If　you　dam　up　a　stream　at　one　place；　it　will　simply　overflow　higher
  up。　　If　only　one　of　the　channels　of　sin　be　obstructed；　experience
  points　to　an　almost　certain　overflow　through　some　other　part　of　the
  nature。　　Partial　conversion　is　almost　always　accompanied　by　such
  moral　leakage；　for　the　pent…up　energies　accumulate　to　the　bursting
  point；　and　the　last　state　of　that　soul　may　be　worse　than　the
  first。　　In　the　last　place；　religion　does　not　consist　in　negatives；
  in　stopping　this　sin　and　stopping　that。　　The　perfect　character　can
  never　be　produced　with　a　pruning　knife。
  3。　　But　a　third　protests：　　〃So　be　it。　　I　make　no　attempt　to　stop
  sins　one　by　one。　　My　method　is　just　the　opposite。
  I　copy　the　virtues
  one　by　one。〃
  The　difficulty　about　the　copying　method　is　that　it　is　apt　to　be
  mechanical。　　One　can　always　tell　an　engraving　from　a　picture；　an
  artificial　flower　from　a　real　flower。　　To　copy　virtues　one　by　one
  has　somewhat　the　same　effect　as　eradicating　the　vices　one　by　one；
  the　temporary　result　is　an　overbalanced　and　incongruous　character。
  Some　one　defines　a　PRIG　as　〃a　creature　that　is　over…fed　for　its
  size。〃　　One　sometimes　finds　Christians　of　this　speciesover…fed
  on　one　side　of　their　nature；　but　dismally　thin　and　starved　looking
  on　the　other。　　The　result；　for　instance；　of　copying　Humility；　and
  adding　it　on　to　an　otherwise　worldly　life；　is　simply　grotesque。　　A
  rabid　temperance　advocate；　for　the　same　reason；　is　often　the　poorest
  of　creatures；　flourishing　on　a　single　virtue；　and　quite　oblivious
  that　his　Temperance　is　making　a　worse　man　of　him　and　not　a　better。
  These　are　examples　of　fine　virtues　spoiled　by　association　with
  mean　companions。　　Character　is　a　unity；　and　all　the　virtues　must
  advance　together　to　make　the　perfect　man。
  This　method　of　sanctification；　nevertheless；　is　in　the　true　direction。
  It　is　only　in　the　details　of　execution　that　it　fails。