The Better and the Best

‘The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls.’ — Matthew xiii. 45.

‘^*HE kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man’ travelling hither and thither in search of good pearls. Already he has gathered together many pearls of great value; but his eyes are watchful for more. One day he discovers a pearl of exceeding preciousness, far surpassing in its beauty and rarity any that he then possessed. What shall he do? Buy it. But it is of great price! Let him then sell some of the pearls he has, and so acquire this one of superlative splendour. True, the pearls he has are valuable, and not to be despised; but they must be sacrificed to gain this pearl of pre-eminent excellence. The good must be sacrificed for the sake of the better.

Now see the Master’s application. The sacrifice of that which is good for the sake

of that which is better is one of the dominant notes of the Christian religion, as it is one of the characteristic features of the human life. If I belong to the Kingdom of Heaven, I am in search of moral and spiritual pearls, and my conduct will be based upon the principle that I am willing to sacrifice a pearl of comparative worth for another of superlative worth. This is an aspect of the Christian life which is sometimes overlooked. We are commonly inclined to think that because a thing is good we are entitled to keep it. No; we are called upon to sacrifice pearls. Whenever we see a moral or spiritual pearl, a heavenly grace or accomplishment, surpassing anything that we possess, it is our duty to buy it, even though it be at the cost of sacrificing something which we have valued and loved.

There is one pearl which most people value, and which I suppose is treasured by every one of my readers — the pearl of personal liberty. Liberty is a precious possession; we regard it as of great and significant value. But suppose I discover another pearl of greater value, which cannot be gained without the sacrifice of personal liberty, what is my duty in the sight of God? The duty of sacrifice; to sell what I have and buy it; to let go the

one pearl for the sake of getting the other. But what can be more precious than personal liberty? Social Redemption. Personal liberty is good, social redemption is better. By social redemption I mean a saved commonwealth; the integrity and purity and sound moral health of social life. The moral welfare of a city is of greater value than the personal liberty of any individual citizen. Paul counselled Onesimus, the fugitive slave, to enter into servitude again. Why? Because, although personal liberty was an exceedingly precious thing — a pearl of great price — there was something more precious still — a pearl of greater price — the welfare of all the other slaves. A runaway slave, instigated in his flight by the Christian faith, might not only have jeopardized the interests of the struggling infant Church, but would have plunged into greater hardships all the slaves throughout the empire. So Onesimus voluntarily went back into bondage, sacrificing his personal liberty for the common good, the good pearl for the sake of the better, and in so doing proved himself a worthy member of the Kingdom of God.

If ever there was a man who loved liberty, it was the Apostle Paul, He was a man of clear head and determined will, and so could s

use his liberty safely. He was a man of sound, healthy conscience, and so could use his liberty widely, walking with bold and confident step. Yes, liberty was a pearl which the apostle cherished and prized. Was there a pearl of greater price? Yes. What was it? The integrity and conscientiousness of others. Some of his fellow Christians had consciences which were easily offended. Their consciences were like newly-opened eyes, exceedingly sensitive, and they looked with pain upon the brilliantly glorious liberty reflected from the lives of some of their fellows. And regarding these Paul said: ‘We must not ignore our weaker brethren. Our liberty is a great joy, but we must not exercise it at the cost of their pain. We must restrain ourselves for their sakes.’ And so he would not eat meat which had been offered to idols, lest the liberty should give moral offence and pain. He took his personal liberty and sacrificed it for the sake of the integrity of others, a good pearl for the sake of a better, and so exemplified the teaching of our Lord.

This is another pearl which is greatly valued among men — the pearl of popularity. Yes, popularity is a pearl, and not to be despised. The esteem of men is not to be regarded as a thing of no worth. The Scriptures do not counsel us to despise it. We are urged to watch against a false emphasis, and not seek the praise of men more than the praise of God. But if popularity be a pearl, there is a pearl of far greater price, and to gain it we must be prepared, if necessary, to sacrifice the pearl of smaller worth. We must be ready to let go the pearl of popularity for the pearl of truth. The esteem of men must be appraised as of infinitely inferior value to the preciousness of the good-will of the holy God. Let us all be wise merchantmen, eager traders, ever ready to sell all that we have, when we discover pearls of transcendent worth.