The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-11-27
\ SERMON FOR SUNDAY
A LEARNED DISCOURSE ENTITLED
THY KINGDOM CONE"
The Rev. DR.. Clarence Augustus Harbour
Makes an Eloquent Plea Dor Fellow
ship-Cause 81 the Dearth Of Candidates
For the Ministry.

ship-Cnuse ~ the Dearth Of Candidates
For the Ministry.
BnooKLYN. N. YIN the Emmanuel
Baptist Church, Sc. James' place and Lac
layetto avenue, Sunday morning, the Rev.
Or. Clarence Augustus Barbour. pastor OF
the lake Avcnue Baptist Church, Roehes
ter. n y. preached or the subject. THY
Kingdom Come; "a Pea for Fellowship"
The re-t was from Matthew vi:l0: Thy
kingdom come" Dr. Barbour said:
Matthew Gospel is distinctively the
gospel of the kingdom. but in very true
sense the Bible throughout is the book OF
the kingdom. IT, as one has suggested.
the conception of q suffering Redeemer
runs as a hlood.red cord through the
Scripture. II Is no less true that the con-
.aception of the all-embracing kingdom and
The all-couQuering King runs through all
the Scripture as a cord Of royal purple.
- Nv fundamental proposition is that the
kingdom Of supreme and transcendent
importance The kingdom of God, that
divine nolty over which Jesus Christ IS
King of Kings and lord Of Lords-that
claims ure-eminent fealty
The KINGDOM is of greater Importance
than the local church, Of greater import
ance than any communion IN any COM
munity. of greater Importance than any
single denomination With any different
conviction the denominations easily be-
come "sects,' something cut off in sym
pathv, as well as in organization and he
lief from the rest Of the Christian world.
There is real danger that the local
church or the denomination he exalted
above the kingdom of God. You know
that our Roman Catholic friends say that
Professionalism is split up into innumerabie
little sects quarreling among themselves.
In the Protestant missionary work of
Japan" they say, "the Japanese, seeing
the Headquarters of fifteen different and
Incorporating sects in the square of
Toxic, wrote TO America. DO not send us
any more kinds of religion We Of the
Catholic Chuch are everywhere the same
IN America, in Africa in Asia in Europe.
in almost every city and village of every
land; the same form Of worship, the same
articuate and compact organization. We
are the church, one and united We
might answer that this is not necessarily
a ground for elf-cougratulation; that
wherever there is freedom of INQUIRY, free
dom Of opinion freedom of will. there is
bound to be diversity. But we are not
now discussing the truth or fasehood.
s good or evil. in Roman Catholicism;
Iav that this argument the Roman
.aS lie uses with powerful effect.
True it is that narrow denominational-
ism is belittling and deadening That was
a significant remark made by one Of our
college presidents, 'The men who least
comprehend what I am trying to do in this
college are some professors of the college
They are noble, self-sacrifcing men. but
each one considers his own department the
only really important one. and the idea
of building IN a university is something
which none Of them can grasp" So there
are self-sacrihcing denominationalists who
have no adequate concention of the dig.
nifty and Importance of the church univer-
sal-the vast embracing kingdom Of God.
'"The field is the world j" says our Mas
ter, nothing less; any smaller conception
is carica ture of Christianity, a behttling
Of our faith; any ideal short Of united
effort for the conquest of the world-feld
is an ideal unworthy of the Christian
name "The good seed, these are the sons
of the kingdom;" the words Immediately
follow the reference to the world-feId.
'"Ihe good seed these are the sons Of the
kingdom" not the membership of any To-
cal church, nor OF any single denomina-
ti6nal body.
believe that we are coming to recog.
nize the essential unity of the kingdom OF
God Many mountains, one globe; manv
rayines, one mighty earth mass, vastly
greater than the wrinkles on her face
many regiments, one army; many denomi.
1AoblOuBI OllG GIluLGug AAhuN C1GGuBs Out
faith; many ways I'D the hill one city al
the top, where sits the King on His
throne. Denominationalism, wisely man
aged may be used for mutual provoca
!. tion to love and good works. Perhaps il
Is better to be broken up externally, that
bach denomination may do it's own work
3)ut there must be recognition, and that
Z recognition more than a normal one, oI
the practical fellowship, the cooperative
fellowship Of believers
am Baptist by birth, by training, by
conviction. I Weld to no one in nv 10y
atty 70 essential Baptist principles There
are ConVreVstionalsts and Presbyterian.
and Methodists with equal loyalty. But
the Christian should be no bigot. and NJ
species of bigotry is more offensive thar
tsst of the denominational bigot.
Let no one misunderstood. We are no
of those sentimentalists who decrv eccle
siastical and denominational organization
We are not of those who idealze the mar
who Derches on the denominational fence
The fence-sitter is nauseating as lukewaru
water.
We counsel no sacrifice of conviction
hut a mirroring forth of the spirit of ou
divine Lord, who prayed for His discin'e
and for those who should believe on Hin
hkhrough their word. chat thev all may b
"a Ne, even as Thou, Father, art in Me- ant
gNHFh them, that they also may be in us
t the world may believe that Tho
dst send Me-" that as Of old the worl,
Imay recognize us as His, in that thes
Christians Glove one another"
Such a spirit is a long way beyond tn
epirjs Of federation, Yet even federation
is in advance of what we have known
even in this 6and of the free" In tn
Harvard baccalaureate of this year Dr
Van DYKE eloquentlv said of the Puritan
Something too little Of sunlight ma
have come in through the narrow window
of his house. Brt that house Ind fourda
tions. and the virtues lived in it," Wit
eference cue tn our national forefatF
-and to them Difference is due-ther
II sc tenants in the house other tina
4 q Use readily recognizable as virtues II
q - ,-nr,nn 1880 IL l.EEnr -r.rr 49,.