And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Except ye be converted - Unless ye be saved from those prejudices which are at present so baneful to your nation, (seeking a temporal and not a spiritual kingdom), unless ye be clothed with the spirit of humility, ye cannot enter into the spirit, design, and privileges of my spiritual and eternal kingdom. The name of this kingdom should put you in mind of its nature. -
1. The King is heavenly;
2. His Subjects are heavenly-minded;
3. Their Country is heavenly, for they are strangers and pilgrims upon earth;
4. The Government of this kingdom is wholly spiritual and divine.
See on Matthew 3:2 (note).
And become as little children - i.e. Be as truly without worldly ambition, and the lust of power, as little children are, who act among themselves as if all were equal. The following saying from the Boostan of the poet Saady is very appropriate. "The hearts of infants being free from avarice, what care they for a handful of silver more than for a handful of dust?"