The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-05-13
WHAT IS GODS KINGDOM F.?
RET. DR. LYMAN ABBOTT A-NSWERS
TITS HERE, ON EARTH.

REV. DIR. LYMAN ABBOTT A-NSWERS
TITS HERE, ON EARTH.
Powerful Sermon by the Eminent New
York Clergyman and Author Mt Center
Church Yesterday Morning.
At Center church yesterday morning
a large congregation listened to very
able sermon by Rev. Lyman Abbott,
D. D., on ''The Kingdom of God" the
text being from Matthew vi. $40, Thy
kingdom come, thy will be done on
earth as it is in heaven"
What does Christ mean by the king
dom of God? When you get home take
your concordance and study it and see
If I rightly interpret the kingdom OF
God This kingdom of God is at hand,
on earth; we can enter it here and now.
1t is very easy for children, the poor,
the humble and lowly to enter 1t, but
1t is difficult for the rich to get in and
absolutely impossible for the proud.
This kingdom of God cannot be seen,
but nevertheless it is here and it IS
real. 1t is seed growing steadily. men
know not how. Yet though this king
dom Of God is here and on earth, men
cannot find it, but say, "Lo here" and
"Lo, there" 1t is invisible. No man
can see that it is here. He must be
lieve, must understand. The world
kingdom will eventually become the
God kingdom.
There are two views Of this world,
the theological and the socialistic. the
former says this is a lost and ruined
world; Jesus Christ came to save u.s.
and we are placed here to prepare Tor
the other world, the kingdom OF heaven.
The socialistic theory is that we 90 not
know much about God, but we know
each other; let us do all that we can
for ourselves, help each other all posi-
BILE, and when the time comes to meet
God we will know what to do and do 1t
as we'll as we can.
There are five points in evangelical
Christianity = revelation, redemptloh'
regeneration, atonement and sacrlflce'
Let us consider their corporate mean
ing. Revelation is Of God as one who
marches. through human history, not as
an unknown God. We are to be reveal
ers as a nation. Take recent history IN
China for example. We went to the
aid of the helpless, but some of the ma
lions outvied the Chinese themselves IN
carnage, especially Russia Germany
and France Thank God we need not
saw America. How many sermons from
how many pulpits will it take to obht-
crate the Chinese idea of our Christi
anity? All honor to the brave heroes
Tewksbury and Ament, who not only
had to face the dangers there, but the
peril of Misrepresentation and abuse
here.
Redemption is saving Of individual
men one by one from their personal
sins; vet 1t is more, it is cooperate, le
is worldwide God Is lifting off the SIN
OF the world. This historic process OF
redemption which began in Moses time
has been going on ever since. The his
tory Of the world Is the history of re-
demption, education, transformation
call it what you like. The whole world
has been changed by this power of God
through Jesus Christ marching through
history. Wherever it has gone the
schoolhouse, the open door, have gone,
and even religion itself has been chang
ed Every minister in every pulpit to-,
day is trying to teach men how to be
more honest, more pure, more lovely,
more manly, in Christ's name.
Regeneration is Individual. The in
dividual must be born above, must have
higher life than mere animal life.
What is man. a body or spirit? Both,
a spirit dwelling in body. Christian
ity puts a new light in the old social
organ Jesus Christ was not REFORM
er; He did not advocate the public
school system but He had great deal
to say of the spirit of light that was to
be put into the body social. Put the
spirit of service against the spirit OF
self-seeking. This is what God is do
ing. Everywhere men are studying the
problem what they can do for their fell
lows 1t is splendid, this spirit of help
fitness wrought through every fibre of
this nation.
Atonement is the bringing back Of
the man who wanders to his father. 1t
is more than mere reconciliation
AIOHGIQGIlL
universe in God, the uniting of all in
one beautiful system. The true unity
Of the race is in Christ Jesus. There
will be no true unity until we under
stand that we are all children of one
Father, and that industrial things, the
railroad, the shop, the store, are just
as essential to the end as the pulpits
and their ministers. The whole race
has one Father in heaven and one Saw
Jour Of men.
Sacrifice is both individual and cor
porate. Jesus Christ died in our be-
half, not in our stead. He says we
must take up our cross and follow Him.
We are to complete the work He left.
The hope of the world lies in the spirit
of self-sacrifice wrought in the hearts
of the children of God. He that would
be greatest among you let him be chief /
server Not until then will the king
dom of God, now not even seen, have
come.
RAIDED FIVE TIMES.