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 one—that is to say, if they are really evil—which 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 seek—last—the 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