Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1894-06-06
A SERMON BY REQUEST.

copy OF his sermon this day delivered to tn
old soldiers. for publication In the INDEX an,
Cresset. The sermon 10 as follows:
Text Matt, 0-l0 Thy Kingdom Come
Thy Will be Done on Earth as II n In HeavaD ,
The subject is doing the will of God on earth
1t Is drawn from a portion Of the PRAYER on
Saviour taught his diciples to pray. comment,
called the Lords Prayer.
The teaching Of Christ applies to the entfr,
relations of man on earth, political. moral aut
religious, and to fulfill the Christ idea of life
the true political life must be- both moral ant
religious in the fullest sense of the term.
There can be no distinctions drawn between &
moral life and q christian life: nor between q
christian life and political one. The popula,
idea OF religious life In this world is to str,u
1t of moral and political life. Christ made ne
such distinctions. To MI the Christ idea of q
perfect religious life. it must be moral; 1t must
be political. That is to say. a mans political
lie must be as pure as his moral life, and his
| moral NE must De as pure rs his religious
me- hence the three phases of life as they
now exist, political, moral, and religious. have
no existence In the teaching of Christ. There
fore the popular idea that q preacher must
not dabble in politics. is OF the devil and ID
| deVilish. man cannot be GOOD christian
without being good moralist, and he cannot
| be good moralist without being a pure poll
tician. Therefore to be good christian in
cludes good morals and good politics, To be
good christian Q man must teach by preoept
and example, good morals and pure politics,
since Christ has made no such distinctions. 1
would not give the snap OF my finger for q
protested christian who lives an immoral and
debauched political life. Every mans poll
tics should be part of his religion. Christ,
both by precept and example. taught his fol-
lowers to obey the laws. The language 70 all
| of usis. Submit yourselves to every ordi.
nance Of man for the Lords sake As chris
tians We are taught to pray for the prosperity
OF whatever form OF government we happen
| to live under. Hence, the Holy Spirit says,
BE subject to the powers that be, for the
powers that be arc ordained OF God" And
again, Your peace is in the peace Of the gov
eminent in which you i've" Hence the apos-
tie, Paul says, II command that FIRST Of all,
prayers, interceesions and giving Of
thanks be made for all men, especially for
those who are in authority over u.s." AND
then he tells us why-'"That we may lead q
peaceable life In all goodness and honesty.
No one knows this better than the old soldier
1t made no difference what part Of the govern
ment person lived In on the breaking out OF
the rebellion, there was no peace.
Solomon, the Wisest OF all men said, Fright.
eousness exaltOth nation: but SIN 70 q re-
proach to any people," Therefore the preach.
er should teach that sort of righteousness that
will exalt the nation. The cry SO often heard
that preacher should let politics alone IL Of
the wicked one. 1t Is also an admission that
the politics OF the day are dirty. filthy and i'm
moral. And yet We. as christians are COM
manded to submit ourselves to its authority In
faithful obedience to al Its laws, and not
only that, but to pray for ito prosperity, i'm
moral and wicked as It is.
There was but one law the rebels refused to
obey-loyalty to the country; and there are
men and women too, let 1t be said to their
shame who refuse to obey our law now. They
persist In keeping and patronizinH sinks Of
iniquity called "dives." If IT was disloyal 70
disobey one law, is it not equally treason to
refuse to keep the one now2 You, my old
comrades, refused to patronize the disloyal
element then, why do you do It now2 Are you
not, every time you enter ono of these sinks
OF iniquity, aiding and assisting q rebellion?
And II 1t was traitorous in 1881, how much
less Is 1t now? You were not traitors then.
will you cease to be now? The southern rebel
said, Let us alone" and the dive keeper SAYS,
let us alone, our business 10 not respectable
Tor you preachers to handle. Leave II in the
hands of the devil. where It belongs" The
man who desecrates the Lords day says, "let
us alone, this is none of your business" and
the gambler says, "let US alone, this is mono of
your business; you preachers have no bust
ness to dabble in politics." And the prize
nghter and the train robber and the midnight
assassin and all the rest Of the criminals OF
large and small dimensions chime in and say,
Let US alone; you preachers have no right to
daDble In politics, attend to your pulpit and
pew and let US alone" And as long Al this
state of Affairs exists the preacher is confined
to very narrow sphere, indeed, and the devil
has wide range. How long under this state
of affairs before the twill OF Christ will be
done on earth as It is in heavenT'
AS have already said the teaching Of Christ
is morality and good politics, or true states-
manship, and q man cannot be- q good chris
tian and q bad politician at the Same time
And when the old veteran shouldered his mus
ket and went out to fight rebels, he also went
out to fight for pure politics. But 1t does not
follow that every man who went to the front
to fight rebels is q good christian. Many Of
them have fallen from grace. and many of
them, l am sorry to say, were never in grace.
and still quite as bad many are still living
without praying ''Thy will DO done on Garth
as it is in heaven" or any other prayer, and
should they die In their present condition,
| would have NO hope Of joining In dress parade
on the gold paved streets OF the new Jerusa-
lem. Every true soldier should have q long.
ing desire for the will OF God on earth. 1t
makes a better country and q better citizenship
which all should desire. You stood shoulder
to shoulder on many hard fought battlefield
| and now you should stand shoulder 20 shout
der on Christs battlefield, in His Kingdom,
where all is Joy and peace in the Holy Spirit.
not blood and carnage a. on eartb's battle
field. VIII you do itP
The most important organization on earth,
according to the teaching Of Christ, Is Gods
Kingdom, or the kingdom of heaven. Christ
taught that His Kingdom should come here, ON
| earth. This basic truth is found IN the prayer
| he taught his followers. 'sThy Kingdom Come
| thy will be done on earth as It is In heaven"
Now It is true, that IL Gods Kingdom or
will is done on earth rs perfectly as It is in
| heaven, we will be surrounded with pure
christianity, which means pure mor4ls and
pure politics. Christianity Is not q thing Of
the next world; but thing of this world. .
preparatory state, Every man and woman
should seek higher and q better life. and
therefore the constant prayer of the christian
should be. ''Thy kingdom come. thy win be
done on earth as it is in heaven
The teaching of Christ was po litical az well
| as religious He drew no fne hair splitting
lines between the two; With him the one en-.
| braced the other. The idea that religion be-
longs to heaven is absurd. 1t belongs to this
life. and this life u aprepaFatoFy state, or the
drill ground, where mcR are prepared for
heavens dress parade. Christianity 10 Of and
for this world. "Pure and undehled religion
is to visit the fatherlecs and the widow in their
Affections and keep ones self unspotted from
the world" 1t ID the constant doing OF some
thing in this life. 1t is earth's battlefield.
The whole Sermon en- the Mount is the plain
est and elearest Teaching OF how to Ike ON this