People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-02-10
PRACTICAL CHRISTIANITY.
TEo Kingdoms of the Earth Can Become
the Lords BY Political Action Only.

AAou eiS ElCdoulO VI liotSu4hS W al
able discourse based upon the following
text from the book of Revelation:
And the seventh angel sounded; and there
were great voices in Heaven, saying the king
doms Of this world are become the kingdoms OF
our Lord, and of His Christ: and He shall reign
for ever and ever.
Taking as his subject the millennial
reign of the Lord Jesus Christ, the elo-
quent preacher earnestly descanted
upon the glories and beauties of civil
ization in which the hearts of all men
were filled with a supreme love of God
and loving generation for His laws, and
with love for their neighbors, equal
in intensity to the love they bore them
selves. With burning words of elo-
quence he pictured to his audience a
state of society wherein there was no
need of or use for penitentiaries and
jails, lawyers or judges; and in which
sinks and slums, dens of iniquity and
haunts Of vice, saloons, gambling hells
and gilded palaces of sin should cease
to exist, because there would be none
found willing to operate and carry
them on and from the fact that none
would have a desire to frequent or
patrOnize them Growing enthusiastic
in his theme, he advanced the idea, no
doubt true one, that strict compli-
ance with the law of God would so con-
duce to health and vigor, and tend to
longevity, as to great extent to rem
der unnecessary the services of physi-
clans In short he pictured a state of
society in which the infinite love and
mercy, truth and justice, holiness and
perfection, of an infinitely wise God
should be manifested, so far as possible.
in finite man.
Profoundly impressed with the SER
mon train of burning thoughts has
since that night been constantly press
ing for recognition in my mind. 1t
will be observed that, in the language
of the text, it is the kingdoms of this
world that are to become the Lords
This phrase emphasizes the truth that
1t is as governments, nations or COM
munities that human beings are to be-
come subject to the authority and rule
of the King of kings. That is to say
that Kingdoms, nations, governments,
will not be obliterated or destroyed,
but that some sweet day. when the
Word of God shall have done Its per-
feet work" the governments of this
earth will become subOrdinated TO the
government of the Ruler of rulers, and
all laws and rules of government will
be based upon the eternal principles of
truth, justice and equity. This central
idea or thought permeates and per-
vades every book in the Old and New
TestamentS If there be those who
scott at religion and christianity. carp
ing critics of the Word of God. who
point with pride to the evolution of
humanity, it may be well to remind
them that the purest, noblest human
beings and the greatest grandest gov
ernments are but lame and feeble imi-
tations of the perfect man and the ideal
state written of in the Word of God
from Mount Sinai to Calvary. After
from seventeen to eighteen hundred
years of evolution neither men nor gov
ernments have been able to prove by
FrIng examples and practical illustration
that it was possible for human being
to have imagined or originated the
ideal type Of human beings and human
governments set forth in the Word of
God. 1t must be remembered that while
1t is true that water cannot rise higher
thanits source, it is also true that water
will find its own level.
But, my reader, You doubtless think
that this is irrelevant matter to appear
in political newspaper and wonder
what | am driving at. | will tell YOU.
All popular governments are luaugu-
rated and sustained by and with the
consent of the governed. Specially is
this the case in the United States
where, theoretically at least. we have
government OF, by and for the people.
In the freeman's ballot the citizen of
the United States has most potent in
strumentality for good or for evil
Upon the soil of the United States of
America, ! firmly believe, is to be
fought out the battle for the supremacy
Of Gods word, commonly called
human rights" Here in America it is
to be decided whether man is to be ac-
corded his God-given rights, under a
government Of just and righteous laws.
or become slave to organized greed
and avarice under laws of corrupt self
ishneSS. If the United States ever be-
comes the kingdom of our Lord and
His Christ" it will become so by virtue
OF righteous political action on the part
of those who love the Lord. We have
heard great deal of late years about
men voting as they shot; why not COM
mence to vote as you pray? Is it not
time that Christians Appreciated the
fact that they can in no wise better
manifest their Christian faith than by
taking their religion into politics and
assisting in instituting Gods govern
ment upon earth-among men. The
parable of the talents is much com
mented upon. There is perhaps no
talent for the use of which man will be
held to more strict accountability
than the God-given instrumentality-
the American ballot.
Is usury accursed of God and a curse
to man? Destroy it with the ballot.
Have usurpers appropriated the earth,
Gods gift to man? Oispossess them
with the ballot remembering that as
eminent authority as Blackstone has