The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-08-15
KINGDOM OF GOD
 ALWAYS AT HAND MT, Hendrix Breaches Stirring
 and Practical Sermon SURE REMEDY FOR EVILS, Man Should Hear the Uttsrsnoe of eod-some Church People Know
 More About 5GsebaIt Than
 Affalrs of the Church.
SURE REMEDY FOR EVILS


 Johns Methodist church. occupied his pulpit as usual yesterday. Inatte manning his text was from St. Mark 1.l5-i'The time is fulfilled; the KingdoussoS God ia at hand" MT. Hendrix spoke in partTaa follows:
 When Jesus entered upon Hlg ministry of teaching He wasted DO time fn pre- llminaries and introductions. Knowing the widespread expectation among the people that the Kingdom would soon ap- pear, He plunged at once into the heart of Ills subject by announcing the time fulfilled and the kingdom of God at hand. How profoundly thls announcement im- pressed both the speaker and His au- dience can only be appreciated by those who know something of the origin and history of the thought of the kingdom of l God among men.
 From God.
 The conception of this kingdom of God among men, had It's dateless origin in the benevolent purpose of an all-wise God. before the world began Tn the dewy morning of tlme God marched out be- yond the confines of heavenly habitations and to the strains of angelic song and the rapturous shouts of His joyful children 1 laid the foundations of a new world Above its intelligent inhabitants He pur- posed to lift His scepter of righteous sovereignty that they might know the goodness of God and rejoice in His excel lent glory.
 The result as seen fin Paradise justified the purpose Man moving among the fruits of luxurlant garden. malntain- ing benignant authority oyer subordn- ate creatures. enjoying fellowship with his maker, and administering faithfully the affairs of his happy home.
 Brighter Than Eden.
 Looking over the finished work God said of It. that it was good, yea very good. Brighter than Eden's sunshine. sweeter than her fragrant flowers. more perfect than her luscious fruits, was that moral order which reigned in the new kingdom set up. Here truth distilled as the dews of heaven, and righteousness springing up from the earth unfolded as naturally as the flowers planted by the Creator hand in mans lovely garden home Fol lowing this glorious prelude to the king dom's history, like the mournfnl strains of a dirge breaking in upon the throbbing measures of wedding march. comes the record of that catastrophe when sin en- tered into the world and death through sin" Heneeforth mans moral relation to his Maker is changed, and a new factor enters and continues in human history.
 While the purpose of the kingdom is not given up, it's movements are necessarily | q Though it's movements were retarded by opposing forces they were not overcome. Abel by justifying faith offered accept able sacrifices to God Enocn in the midst of sinful surroundings walked with God on the earth 300 years. and was translated to the skies Noah was a preacher of righteousness and at least won his family as converts to the Kingdom.
 The belief current in the time of Jesus that God would raise up king and estab- fish a kingdom among men, was based partly upon the history contained in the Old Testament, and partly upon the prophecies recorded therein. Not only their own records but the records of heather nations, bore unequlvocal testi- mony to the fact that God had establish ed in Judea Kingdom, of which He Him self was law-giver and king.
 The affairs of the kingdom were admin istered with the express view and pur- pose of creating in Judea nation zeal ous of good works. The accumulation of wealth and extension of territory were all subservient to the promotion of right eousness.
 The Visible Kingdom.
 From among the people many illustri- ous examples of holy men and women were recorded, whose virtues yet pro- yoke many to better lives. This visible Kingdom existed long enough before the backslldings of Israel brought 1t to ruin,, to teach the whole world two cardinal truths: That the God of the Hebrew was above all Gods. and that He loved righteousness as mother her child.
 Also for Israel that they forsook the Lord, but the true place of the kingdom in the world was only more emphatically proclaimed by their downfall Not racial descent, nor geographical position. but heavenly living was the real condition that brought and kept the kingdom.
 Before the downfall of the Jewish state, God-inspired men who were zealously righteous, declared that since Jewish su- premacy no longer counted for righteous ness in the world that He would withdraw His presence and blessing until such a time as was best suited when He would raise up righteous king whose reign I should be holy and of His kingdom there should be no end.
 Under the oppression and injustice that cursed all classes, the people were look ing fin every direction for relief from these intolerable conditions. Most men were fixed in the opinion that their ills were be- yond the skill of any merely earthly bene- factor. With them the hope of a heavenly kingdom was the lost star gittering in the blackness of the Armament. How 1 welcome to them must have been the an- nouncement that the time of waiting was over, and the long -wished-for kingdom was now at hand
 It seems little short of tragedy that this suffering multitude rejected their last hope because the conditions of en- trance into the Kingdom were not accord ing to their likes. Alas, how many of the Kingdom to return to our sorrows and sins because we too are not willing to re- pent.
 A Practical Theme. The one sovereign remedy for the null