The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-02-19
THE KINGDOM OF JESUS.
DIR. Haines's Impressions of How 1t
Was Planned and Established.

The congregation Of the First Presby-
terrain Church listened to a strong sermon
yesterday morning. Rev. NJ. L. Haines. the
pastor. addressed his hearers on 1.-THE
Kingdom Jesus Planned and Established"
from the text:
"Pilate therefore said unto Him, Art
thou a king. them Jesus answered, Thou
sayest that 1 am a king"
DR.. HaInes thought that it naturally fol-
lowed that a great man will have great
thoughts; that his ideas will be in accord
with the proportions of his mind. If Jesus
Of Nazareth was greater than man, it
would be expected that his ideas and
thoughts would have a depth and range
beyond those of men. Christ's standpoint
is truth. He does not reason up to a truth
and grasp the edge of it, as Socrates or
Bacon, but he enunciates universals as
though they were the ~undisputed formulas
of the multiplication table. To-day one
quarter of the population of the globe is
under the nominal headship of this man
of Nazareth as their sovereign. They can
be seen in all lands falling down before
Him and paying Him homage. All that
has been achieved has come about not
through accident, not through the unfore-
seen work of blind forces. but as the out
WIN ~ - 0NAAAANN - IAoeAA nv AOhSAl
Of this kingdom lay in the mind of Jesus
just as clearly as the thought of the mass
i've State Capitol now rising in the midst
of the other buildings of our city. The
wonder of wonders of this kingdom is not
that it was accomplished, but that it was
all planned out. mapped out beforehand.
He distinctly outlined TO His disciples the
nature of His kingdom, the laws and the
standards of greatness in it, and the pure
bond by which, through all the ages. it's
subjects were 10 be united to Him as their
sovereign. From the beginning of His min
istry Christ tried, through parable and dis
course. to make clear the character of the
ingdOm The minds of His best disciples
could not rise at once 70 the plane of his
grand conceptions, but He was patient with
them. and gradually opened their eyes to
the grea. light as they were able TO bear
il, until, after His ascension. they seemed
for the first time TO take in the thought
of what was meant when He taught them
the greatest of all prayers: Thy kingdom
come"-when He sent them out TO pro-
claim The kingdom of heaven is at hand
1t was not TO be confined To one country.
Jews, Greeks and Romans and barbaTians
were to stand alike In II. Citizenship in IL
was to be free TO all. The sovereign's
death laid the cornerstone on which the
whole structure was To rest. Jesus looked
forward to His death. He spoke of it fire.
quently, and tried To prepare His follow
ers for ii. lie wanted them to understand
that 1t was a part of His plan-in fact, Of
Gods plan.
The members Of this kingdom. thus
strangely established. were to be bound to
their king by the bond Of a strong and
personal affection. y strange method OF
government-tAe kingdom OF love. The
kingdoms OF the earth before and since
have relied largely upon force. They have
extended their kingdoms by power and
armies. Napoleon was astonished at this
character OF Jesus kingdom, and said:
Alexander, Caesar, ChaTlemagne and my
self founded great empires; but upon what
did the creation of our genius depend?
Upon force. Jesus alone founded His en-
pire upon love, and to this day millions
would die for Him"
In concluding his discourse. the pastor
eloquently said: 'Oh. il is the hand that
was once pierced by the nails that now
holds the sceptre of power. II is the brow
thar once bore the thorns that now wears
the crown"
Work of American Tract Society.
Rev. T.. NJ. Wherry. secretary OF the
American Tract Society, is in the city. and