St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-12-08
| A Religion Of Power and Prom
iSP.
THANKSGIVING SERMON Bv REV. f. W.
CULVER.


CULVER.
| There was a rainbow round about the throne
! Rev. 4:3
This text will be regarded by some
as novel, no doubt by others as some
what sensational but it has been Sc
lected for widely different reasons, one
of which is that it contains two ideas
so closely welded together that You
cannot well put them asunder-POwel
and Promise. The throne is the sym
| bOl of power, the rainbow of promise
hence we have as theme the Chris
tian Religion Religion of Power
and of Promise.
If you will take the trouble to read
the context you will discover that the
throne spoken of in the text is the
throne of
MEDIATORIAL POWER,
and that the rainbow promises the ul-
innate triumph of this power in til,
earth over the chaos and tumult which
sin has caused. 1t may be well here
to briefly call attention to the fact that
the scriptures make an important dis
tinctiOn between the mediatOrial gov
ernment of our Lord Jesus Christ on
earth and that of Jehovah's sovereign
worlds government, and an
thinking if this distinction were bet
ter understood and more carefully
regarded we should hear less of the I'M
mediate destruction of the world be-
cause of wickedness and sin. And
further, this distinction is all-essential
that we may understand the logic OF
| Christ's reign and assure our hearts OF
his ultimate triumph. Bear in mind
then, that Gods sovereign, absolute
government is from everlasting to ev-
erlasting the same, marked by nc
change nor devlatiOn-rewardi Obe-
| dience and punishing sin that this
government of the Father was prior Ia
any and every Other-eXisted an eter-
nifty anterior to the birth of this globe
or that of its race. And, further, that
there was time when the Father deliv-
cred into the hands of his Son the gov
ernment of earth, John ID: 3; Heb. ,,
first ) verses Matt. %: lS). And that
there is coming a time when the king
dom shall he delivered up to the Faith
er returned and correlated with his the
Fathers all-wOrlds' government ,(I Cor
Is: 2426) that God may be all in all.
Now the distinction in Christ's gov
ernment from that of the Father is
marked by these features First, it is
modified in form second, exceptional
in its character; third, provisional il
its purposes fourth, redemptive il
agencies-a system of recovery.
A kingdom which had buginnins
and is to have an end must necessarily
be limited. Some are trying
to fix the limit 10y mathematical calcu
latiOn, but nothing is more prepOster
Gus. The final Issue i'll the ultimate
triumph of Christ alone determines tn,
limit. But as we proceed il
the discussion of this subject we ash
that this great fact may be borne il
mind, that this remedial reign owe
earth, this "new departure" in the di
vine economy of government, is com
mitted
SOLELY TO THE son.
That it is his given right to rule here
that he has supreme authority here au
thOrity over men and devils, power owe
natures forces that his reign mean
redemption, not destruction that i
Will continue until he has put down al
rule, all authority and power, etc. An,
let us remember further, that ever,
remedial agency, every helpful mora
appliance, every worthy interest, ha
: power back of it and promise in tn
future before it that each and ever
individual and national interest set fO
the elevation, ameliOratiOn OF salvatio
of the race, be that interest material
educational, political or religious, ha
throne of power and of promise Il
its foundation of strength and hope q
success. The secret of on
great wealth as nation is to he fOun
] in the fact that
p CHRISTIANITY Is OPERATING IN TIL
REALM OF OUR MATERIAL INTEREST.
1t is because of this that our industrie
flourish. Christianity enjoins the me
tives and stimulates the activitie
which promote prosperity. Honest
! and frugality are principles laid dow
. by Christianity as basal principles ,
t material success; while, on the 9th,
) hand, it forbids every hurtful indu
e gence and wasteful expenditure til;
would interfere with or hinder pros
perity. How is it that every natio
that would shut its gates to the advel
of the gospel is bankrupt to-day, {
nearly so, while three great Christia
powers have each revenue of a mi
j lion dollars daily VIII;
y ails Africa She has a soil in much
II her territory as rich as that of the va
ley of the Mississippi, and yet if 81
were sunk in the bottom of the dee
how much would be lost to the ente
prise of the world Her place on OF
map would disappear, and that is abo
all. Fill Africa with Christians, al
is how would her treasures flow dow
her ancient rivers and be gathered fro
her fertile plains
CHRISTIANITY ADDS TO THE VALUE