The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1903-11-02

TO come. But nothing could quench the
thirst for something higher and better"
The interest In the Messanic work on
the part of the Jews was clearly mani
Tested in the vast multitudes that nockcd
to the baptism of John, who declared
himself the "forerunner" or road
maker" FOR the coming Messiah.
Jesus meant to say by the time is
fulfilled" that there confronted His peo-
pie a set of conditions that We're not
created il A day out Of nothing. but were
the product Of centuries. There entered
into the filing Of the cup Of time which
was brimming when Jesus opened His
ministry, all Of the discipline In man
kinds long struggle for existence, all
the favoring of the best the unfit
were weeded out all the painful. but
profitable. training of His own people
in agriculture and architecture in Egypt,
all the toughened physical and
moral hbre from long desert wars,
all the sad lessons of exile in Babylon,
all the lessons from internecine strife.
all the Increasing and deepening spir
tuaI tone Of Hebrew prophecy ali the
enarging and spirtualizing conceptions
OF God that had grown from concep-
ton of Him as tribal deity to the go-
Tious idea o. the Universal Father. az
held by Jesus Himself
The bud OF spiritual prophecy Was
ready TO burst into bloom. It is true
/ the blossom was 10 be very different from
the prevailing expectations of Ills people,
but notwithstanding II was &c be bios
som that had been predicted by the most
spiritual Of the Israelitish prophets.
While the ordinary reader had seen only
the apocalvptic picture Of the Messiah's
coming, Jesus found the wellnigh for
gotten words OF Hosea that declared that
pety OF heart and mercy are more pleas
ing 10 God than sacrifices. His mind
dwelt upon the prediction Of jeremiah
that the time would come when God
would make a new covenant with Ills
people, and write His laws upon their
hearts instead OF upon tables of stone.
So that. considered from the standpoint
OF Nehrew prophecy, Jesus could still
say. The time looked fer, the time
d aamed about the time prayed for. the
time predicted by your greatest spiritual
leaders, is come. / am ready to begin
the work Of the Jewish Messiah. and
the larger work of the Son Of Man"
THE kingdom OF God Is at hand.
What is meant by the Kingdom Of God
has already been partially implied in the
answer to the question as to the mean
ing Of the "fulness OF time But we
shall have to inquire at this time. and
more fully in the subsequent discourscs.
into the full meaning Of that great and
constantly recurring expression. NO fol-
lower Of Jesus is likely ever to have the
hardihood to write down a sentence, or
sny definite number of sentences, and
say. These express exactly what Jesus
meant by the kingdom Of Cod" There
are some things about the kingdom, some
pTominent features. which we may he
sure that We know, but there are spirit
u:tl reaches chat VIC fear we can never
appreciate. Jesus went away with these
words almost the last, upon His lips,
II have many things 20 say unto you,
bat We cannot bear them now.
We feel. however, that We cannot be
Gar wrong in saying that what Jesus
meant by the kingdom of God WAS what
lie had come to experience in the quiet
years in the carpenters shop at Mana
refh. He had not come to an experiences
O. something wild and weird and strange.
But IN HIS niue work shop, lie mad