The record-union., 1894-10-22
is THE WORLD GROWING BETTER +?
Rev. M. D. Buck One of Those Who
Believe That 1t Is.
He Gives Many Reasons to Prove That
Christ's Kingdom is Conquer
ing the Earth.

Rev. NJ. D. Buck preached to a we'll
filled house last night at the Sixth-street
Methodist Church on the subject, Sis the
world growing better?"
He took for his text that part of the
dream which the king asked Daniel to
explain. which reads: "The stone that
smote the image became mountain and
filed the whole earth" The stone, he
said, was Christ, who overcomes the
Kingdoms of the world and breaks them
to pieces. 1t is great kingdom, cover
ing the earth. The kings dream OF the
stone being cut out of the mountain with
out hands indicates his miraculous birth.
1t began to strike at the time when the
apostles went out to carry the tidings Of
the gospel to all nations. Theigreat blow
to the Roman Empire was the conversion
OF Constantine. 1t came just at the time
when the empire had been under the
government of four Emperors, and by
Constantine's decree idolatry were broken
and Christianity became the religion OF
the empire.
This Kingdom in its progress destroys
in every Government all that is opposed
to the happiness, advancement and pros
perity OF the people, and will ever do So
and will subdue the whole earth by its
influence. The kingdoms of earth are
becoming, and will soon be said to have
become, the Kingdom of Christ. The
change is nearly at an end. People of
every tongue, in every land, are singing
His praises and listening to His word,
and the kingdom of Christ is rapidly in
creaSing.
LET us look at some facts in support of
this statement" said he. '"The popula-
ton of Europe for the 1,500 years sue
ceeding the birth of Christ did not in
crease understanding at 100000 ,OOO.
In the next 800 years the population ln-
creased 80 per cent, making it about l5O,-
0O0.0O0. In the present century 1t has IN
creased l40 per cent, and is now o6O,OOO,-
600. The three preceding centuries
showed an average increase of little
over l6 per cent. each ant this one nearly
l50. What does this mean? What is the
cause that kept the population standing
for 800 years?
1t was constant war, panic and pesti-
lence that kept the death rate equal TO The
birth rate. Easy words to pronounce, but
a condition not easy to concelve-almost
unalterable misery. In the severe strug-
gle of those times only the strongest
could survive. The figures show that
Europe in the middle ages, before the
kingdom of Christ took possession of it,
was bad place to live in. After the
Reformation, however, the conditions
We're changed Tor the better. The hard
ships of life were so ameliorated that the
population increased with bound. SO 1t
was in India Till the English took posses
sion; but when under the Christian rule
of Britain. imperfect as it was, famine
was alleviaJed and the population has
nearly doubled in one and quarter CEN
turies.
So with England. At the time of the
Norman conquest the population was
-,
had increased to 200, 600; two centuries
after it had grown TO 100000, and in the
present century it has increased to 3d.,
900, 900. What volume Oftestimony this
increase is of safety from disease, better
schools and q better chancellor happiness
and comfort.
Another fact is the increased duration
of human life. 1t used to be 80 years;
now it is 40 In the last twenty-five years
the average of life has increased five
years. This indicates better sanitary
era, better food and better environments.
righteousness tends to death; right
eousness to life. These facts show us on
the up grade as people and not on the
down grade, as some think.
Another feature of the progress of
ChristS kingdom is to have all people
united. All nations are coming together
closer. Much of the progress is the VIC
tory of mind over matter, the triumph of
better conveniences we have now-tele-
graphs, railroads, telephones, the power
of steam, which bas doubled capacity for
work, and electricity, which is suppressed
ing steam. We are getting fast commu-
nication, which has destroyed distance
and brought nations into close contact
and drawn their hearts together. Europe
will soon be connected throughout its
interior by telephone lines, a large part
being already so. The contrast between
to-day and what it was in the times of
our fathers is startling. Then the rich
could not buy even common conVeniences
like matches.
Great achievements indicate a high type
OF manhood and develop mans highest
powers. Man is more nearly reaching
the ideal that God set up for him. Every
victory of the higher part of man over the
lower elevates him to a higher place and
shows him to be growing better.
We have reason to thank God that labor
is being elevated and that industry is
recognized as being necessary to respecta-
bility.
The editor of a paper in Japan has said
that If we judge by the number of con-
Verts made to the Christian faith in that
country the labors of the missionaries
there would have to be set down as a
failure. But higher morality than ever
before was spreading all over the land,
and he was satisfied from his observa-
tions that it was due to Christian teach
ing.
Good is not to be measured by the num-
Der of converts, but by the influence
they exert. a current of heat can be
passed through an iceberg without melt
ing it, and set off gunpowder on the
other side. So the heat of Christianity is
spreading over the world and its forces
are all tending to good everywhere. The
time is coming when the laborer will get
better wages through being Christian,
as the milkma in Switzerland do who
sing sweet songs while milking and
He wanted his hearers to go through
the world singing Christ's goodness and
fill the hearts around them with content
and happiness.