The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-08-21

a fair sized audience assembled at
the Simhson Methodist Episcopal
church last evening and listened to an
able discourse by the pastor, Rev. j.
Is. Sweet, on The Increase of His
Kingdom" The Simpson Male quar-
tette sang several selections and
Thomas Abraham and Harry Wrigley
sang a duet entitled Rock Jf Ages
in a faultless manner
Rev. Mr.. Sweet, taking as his text
John, $3.50, He must increase, but |
must decrease" said in part as folliws.
These are the words of John the Bap-
tist and are spoken concerning Jesus
Christ. In the sweep of prophetic vision
he sees the decline of his own mission,
the passing away of his ministry, and
the establishing of new kingdom which
was to be the potential kingdom of the
world In time and for eternity. He had
already introduced Jesus as the fulfill
ment of porphecy, the answer to their
longings for a Messiah and now he as
serts him to be the founder of new re-
ligion, the declarer of new principles
which were to be operative in life and
helpful to all mankind. John was but
stating what had already been asserted
in the days of the past
isaiah had given utterance to the
alt everlasting kingdom and that there
should be a constant increase of his gov
ernment. Ezekiel. in the Sunday school
lesson Of today, gives us a beautiful IL
lustration, In the swelling river, of the
Increase Of Christs kingdom. Daniel
with the figure of the stone cut out of the
mountain without hands, prophecies Of
the increasing growth of Jesus Christ and
OF his kingdom, and yet, viewed from the
standpoint of the times, the statements
OF prophets and the utterance of John APP
! pear exceedingly strange and improb-
| able.
| new order Of things to he established
| which should be so successful that Il
would constantly increase in value, in
| usefulness and extent to be established
| by poor friendless. dcspised carpenter,
without reputation. without the influence
| or some great scholastic institution, with
out political prestige and without wealth.
| Yet by word, by deed, by life. by death
to so triumph that the light which flooded
Judea's hills, when he was born, would
| so increase In brillianacy and power that
| II should tighten the whole world: that
| the sweet song Of the night should ring
| down the ages and harmonize the dis
| cords Of life
Viewed from the worlds standpoint the
! establishing of a new kingdom by the
| methods proposed was predestinated to
| failure. How would we of today do it.
| BY the gathering together of our best
| material. As England sent forth her best
| men as aids for the attempted discovery
| or the northwest passage, or the north
| pole. AS Stanley chose men best fitted to
| aid him in his search for Livingston, as
| we make choice of our best, most tai
| cnted and highly educated men to repre-
! sent us in foreign courts. But Jesus
Christ establishes his kingdom and eX-
poets its increase by methods utterly at
| variance with ours. He makes choice OF
crude. raw material. that which appears
| utterly out of place for the accomplish
| ing or fis mission and work. Poverty
| and ignorance are not commcndable at
! tributes for kingdom building, but he
| takes fishermen ard publcanS. outcasts
| and desniScd ones, cnthuses them with
| his own spirit, lives in their presence
| life that is constant education, laces
| himself into their affections as he de-
| clarcs his love for them, and for all men.
| and makes these even his ambassadors.
| his discOverers of nations. his explorers
into the coldness of sinful life to dis
cover a passage for his truth and with
| them establishes his kingdom on lines
| Of constant increase.
It's development appeared to be long in
| time, nevertheless II is sure. Sure as the
| triumph Of the dawn against the dark
| ness of night: sure as the triumph Of
| spring against the ice bound forces of
winter; sure as the growth of the seed
against the delays and demands of time
| for
Jesus shall reign whercr the sun
| Doth his successive journey run,
| His kingdom spro ad from shore to shore
Till moon shall wax and wane no more.