The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-01-14
REV. MIR. BIDDLE'S SERMON.
DELIVERED LAST SUNDAY EVEN
 ING IN GRACE CHURCH.
His Subject Was "rhe Osgaa'zatiOH of the K,ngdom"-Firs, of Series of Lee- turss on the Kingio om of God on Earth Text Wa. from Psalm 1os.ls


 Text Was from Psalm Io3-I9
 The first of series of lectures upon the Kingdom of God on Earth was de- livered in Grace church. Fair Haven, by the Rev. J. H. Riddle last Sunday even ing. and was greatly appreciated by large congregation. The topic was ''The Organization of the Kingdom"
 Ps. 1Os-1s. The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens and his kingdom ruleth over all.
 The great fact of the text is that the earth is governed by a power outside itself. It is perfectly obvious fact to any one who observes it's movements. There is unchanging law in it's annual revelation around the sun, and daily revolution on it's axis The tide flowing and ebbing speak. of power mightier than the sun. The seasons follow each other with unvarying regularity. The power that makes seed time and har- vest can be depended upon. Law is written all over the face of nature, on every leaf or flower, on every part of insect, animal or man. Wherever you look in sea or land, in the air, you see evidence of control, order. method. Law, government, every movement in 1 the earth speaks of power not of earth. Yet is it necessary to remind ourselves of this tremendous fact. In our self-will we often assume that i We are self governed. What we de- clare to be law is law. What we say is right is right. and so forget that the 1 law by which we must live has already l been declared. A power that decrees Lord hath prepared His throne In the do nothing but hear and obey. The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens and His Kingdom ruleth over i all. We are already under the govern ment of a power outside the earth. : Science tells that power force, and tells us how absolute and all-controlling is it's dominion. Jesus calls Him God and says not sparrow falls without your Father. He is Force, but He is wise, living, loving Force. He is our Father, ! WiiO dIL Ill IlGtiNtils IL lS Ol L1Ai anu , His government for us that I am speak ing in these lectures You can distin- guish his government from all others by these five signs. It is one. It Is perfect It is universal. It is adminis- tered by agents sent by Him. It is { eternal. Gods kingdom is one over all the earth. He is the sole sense of every movement in the earth. There are not ! two Gods. the God of science and the God of the Bible. Force and spirit. l God is one. He is spirit, the only force in nature. The sun and moon are only Gods agents to rule the earth and give ] it light, heat and life. God is the di- Irecting intelligence in them that give their light, heat and life policy. The kings and rulers of men are only God S | deputies to execute his laws. If they obey Him He permits them to rule; If | they disobey "He puts down the nigh ] ty from their seats,' and gives the Kingdom to another. But God alone is king over all the earth. He does not di- vide his authority with angels. devils or mi. If they do anything they do it 1 by His will. He selects His own agents and invests them with power and au- thority. They rule in His name and by His power. He permits us to choose our own rulers, organize our own govern ments. Make our own jaws. If they agree with those He has already select ed for us it is we'll If not he simply ig- nores them until they perish from the earth. He says, yet have I set my | ly y;,,~ MxrI IIal, Iii r,f ion, he will sit until every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord, and all shall see that Gods king 1 dom is an absolute unity over all the earth.
 Gods government for us Is perfect, holy. It can not be improved upon. It | is arranged to meet all our personal, social, economical and religious needs. Its constitution, laws, methods of ad-
 ministration are without fault. It gives perfect liberty to each individual. It protects every right. It is at once an absolute monarchy and a democracy. God is king, but he Is enthroned in eve ry heart by voluntary choice. It is the 1 ideal government toward which all our
 theories point, the golden age of all our prophets dreams. It is the Kingdom of perfect love, the universal brotherhood of men under the Fatherhood of God, of peace, plenty and perpetual life. l Gods government is universal, catho- | lie. It is for all. The government Of God for all his children. Under it's be- nign rule every living theory in the earth lives its perfect life and comes to Tits highest perfection. It is for men as men. It knows no party, class, rank, lnation, language or race. It ignores all 1.-the artificial distinctness of society and lunites all men in that higher unity of one common nature of men as the chill dren of God. It is for every man and every man is in it. You cannot get
 away from it except you die and cease to be. It is not a question as to whether you will live in it or not. You do live in it; you must; if you live at all. |The only practical question for us is,
 will we hear and obey. Will you accept your king or reject Him.
 l Gods government is universal.
 | Gods government is administered by agents that we can see. The sun gives Jus light, heat and life. It controls all ! the movements of the planets, without and within, day and night, summer and lwinter seed-time and harvest, are all under His control. The chosen of God jare our teachers and rulers and regu-