The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-01-28
THY KINGDOM COME" "
A Stirring Sermon Delivered by Rev.
Elliott at Congregational Church

gregational church, Rev. NJ. G.. Elliott
the pastor, preached to q good-sized
congregation. A feature of the SER
vice was the excellent music rendered
by the choir, under the direction OF
John Naylor. the new chorister and
| organist. Miss Edith Fowler, who
possesses rich contralto voice, was
Ia the choir for the first time yester-
day morning and was decided ac-
1uisition.
Mr.. Elliott chose for the text OF
his mornings discourse phrase in
the Lords Prayer: Thy Kingdom
Come" Matthew vi: 10. The clergy
man said: THE text implies a pain
full fact. That in some important
sense, The Kingdom of God had not
come. II also implies most glorious
fact-that God has a Kingdom; is a
King. Jesus had dwelt in the realm
of perfectness; he knew it's unbroken
harmony, its eternal peace, its joyous
service. He prays that the world may
become such kingdom. Was He
merely dreamer of beautiful dreams?
VIII the leopard never change his
spots? VIII our children through
countless generations live on in ire
L
thought!
God has ever had a. people in the
world. No day has passed from the
Creation even until now. but some
of the race have bowed before Him
I'm alteration. For the sake of the few
righteous men He has spared the
world
THE prayer contemplates the uni
versatility and supremacy of justice.
Jesus pleaded for a time when right
should prevail when probity. integrity.
honor, equity, constancy and incor-
ruptibility should he the hntarnished
attribute of all men.
such a position is possible only
through the Gospel He proclaimed and
through the blessed spirit He be-
queathed to the church.
wherever God rules supreme,
man will think more of others than OF
himself. When every man is = Chris
tian perfected. he will be living for
others Another shall be as dear as
self-another happiness shall b.
guarded as our own--another'S inter-
est as our own Jesus said Love thy
noighbOr as thyself. Thank God, We
see now acts of Compa ssion and char
ity, but the time will he when acts
shall he succeeded by habit.
I'm proportion as we do right. love
mercy. and apprchend the truth about
salvation ana all else, IL, so far has
,ho Kingdom of God come to us.
The probable method by which this
prayer of our Lord will be answered
viii not be by coercion. Men cannot
ho forced into goodness: for mon
an no more be forced into goodness
than be forced into Crimnality. II
man H. forced to do crime he who
forced him is the criminal. If man
he COerCed into doing a right thing.
he himself is not proven to be (nor Is
ho) better than he was before. Were
men simply made to do perfectly.
they would remain without merit nr
goodness. God would not rule in them
but in spite of them. The method Of
God is to inducc men Ia n higher M
turc-to work in them better dispn-
sitions--so that they Of thcir own ac-
cord elect to serve Him. True obc-
dience must be voluntary, Just as real
guilt must be consciously contracted.
Nor by noise. As the temple was
built without sound of axe or ham
mer, so shall the Kingdom of God
come without external pomp -'withou,
observation AS leaven works in the
meal-as the sun rises in the heavens
as the stars march in their courses
60 shall the Kingdom cf God coma--in
silence. The prayers of mercy ara i'll
silence; the method of wrath is in
noise, thunder and terrible earth
quakes.
I,.,
ply because we see not the Kingdom
of God coming with observation. noise,
publicity? Are we not disquieted If
stirring reports do not reach us? Arc
we not fainthearted because We can
not number the children of Israel? If
YOU were out at sea. although the tide
shoult rise sixty feet. You would not
he able 10 discern the fact; but if
You were in sight Of the slenderest
rock YOU would be able. Even so, our
position or powers of discernment may
he such that, although the tide of
grace is rising--aye, and bearing us up
We may not perceive il, Yet If you
see one soul turn from sin to holiness
from trust in self to trust in God
YOU see how nightly does the work
of Goo progress. You may reason
from this solitary case-known. per-
haps, only to a very few--how many
may be simultaneously affected,
"NOr by man alone. Not by might,
nor by power, but by the spirit of God.
man may proclaim the Gospel-man
may eXhort to obedience. He. God all
glorius, will, and has come 10 pur-
suade to enlighten men.
THE experience of sorrow, the eX-
perience of sin, the sight of the molly
and upright, the merit and deserts OF
Jesus--all these should induce us to
breathe this prayer"