may be poverty of spirit where there is a plethora of wealth, and there may be a bloated pride where there is a de- pleted purse. God has chosen the poor of this world rich in faith (.Jas. 2:5), but in sin and in salvation the rich and the poor may meet together (Prov. 22: 2). 3. "Blessed are they that mourn." Not they who experience the sorrow of the world that worketh death (2 Cor. 8:10), but a godly sorrow, are blessed. There is much cursing and blasphemy accompanying the mourning of unbelief. Blessed sorrow is sorrow for sin, for want of grace, for yielding place to the devil, for the sorrows, the miseries, the sins of the world, and the failings of the church, and the delay of the King- dom, and the multitude led captive by Satan at his will. Blessed are such as these, for they shall find themselves in fellowship with the Man of Sorrows, and their sorrows shall be changed into joy (John 16:20), for deliverance and joy are not far ofE. 4. Yerse 5—" Blessed are the meek." The world takes the meek for the pusi- lanimous, but they are the mighty men greater than those who capture cities (Prov. 16:32). Moses, the meekest of men (Num. 12:3), and perhaps the mightiest. David was meek when he let Shimei curse (2 SCam. 16:11). Jesus was meek when He stood silent before His persecutors (Luke 23:8-11; Matt. 26:62, 63), though He might have con- sumed them with the breath of His mouth (2 Thess. 2:8). They shall in- herit »the earth who have not "wanted the e a r t h ;" who have not "thought more highly of themselves than they ought to t h i n k" (Rom. 12:3); who have not spoken evil, but said " The Lord they which hunger." Hunger is a blessing if satisfaction is at hand, and only to be dreaded if it must go unappeased. An appetite is the best sauce for the feast. The natural man hates right- eousness. To practice it would throw all his plans out of gear; to receive it would damn him in hell forever. But a good man loves righteousness. He hungers and thirsts for it—to stand righteous before God, to be righteous in his character and in his dealings with his fellows, to see righteousness enthroned among men and reigning over the earth. His platform is the "square deal," and it shall prevail. He shall rebuke t h e e" (Jude 9). 5. Verse 6—"Blessed are
helplessness in its thralldom. Thank I God, it is not far from the Mt. of Beatitudes to Calvary; and through Him ; who bore the eurse there we may in- herit the blessings here. M (3) THE MOUTH. "He opened His month" (V. 2). * The words of His mouth were as mira- culous as His works, and more far- reaching, for we have never seen those miracles, but His wonderful speech still 4, Bounds on the ear. It is incomparable. Men have compared His words with ^ those of the wise men of earth, but there is no likeness. " H is thoughts are not as our thoughts" (Isa 55:8). "Never man spake as this ma n " (Jno. 7:46). " H e taught as one having au- 4f thority" (Matt. 7:29). We may add a beatitude and say, "Blessed are they V who can say from their souls, 'His mouth is most sweet.' " So. So. 5:16. "Sweet is thy voice and countenance" (So. So. 2:14). "How sweet are Thy words" (Psa. 119:103). "Sweeter also than honey and the honey comb" (Psa. | 19:10). (4) THE MESSAGE. 1. "Blessed." In Delitsch's Hebrew New Testament this word, as in the i Old Testament, is in the plural, "bless- edness." "Oh, the blessedness o f , " etc. Blessings, like sins and misfor- • tunes, do not come singly. They are in groups; in bundles. He who rejoices ' in one of these beatitudes possesses to a degree all of them. And he who pos- sesses them has Christ, and he who has Christ has all things and abounds, happy is the man who abounds in such graces, for he is blest, he shall be blest, K andj be a blessing. 2/. "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (V 3). In Luke 6:20 we read "Blessed ara ye poor." It is a true saying that there is more happiness among the poor than among the rich. Neither poverty ¡ in ¡purse or in spirit is a blessing in the eyas of the world, but it is so. There ara microbes on money and many dread •. ma ladies are attached to it. There is toi I in getting, care in keeping, and dr ad in accounting for it. There is va tly more sympathy, generosity, se- cu ity and less responsibility among the pd ir than among the rich. There is ml re fertility and promise for the Gos- pel seed which finds fewer cares, pleas- urt ¡s and riches to choke it in the soil oil poverty. But we must not miss the qiflilifying words " i n spirit." There
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