Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1905-05-13


entered upon His holy mission lie dis
appointed the common expectation In
His announcement. My kingdom is
not OF this world" Again ard again
might He have assumed the symbols OF
royalty and won an enthusiastic follow
Ing. Indeed, He was compelled TO re-
sist the passionate ardor OF the people
at times. who lOnged for a crowned
head and a deliverer.
Persistent was His emphasis upon
spiritual truth. He demanded n picry
not interpreted by long prayers and
longer robes, but by surrender and 10y
atty 10 God. NO religion but that or
Christ has disclosed the innermost ma
ture OF God. none but this has laid
bare in it's peculiar centre point the
moral nature OF man" Man fallen
and dishonored was driven from Para
disc Lost" The grand design OF the
Kingdom OF Christ is 70 bring him into
such fellowship with God as that he
may be an heir OF Paradise Regained."
At Athens We're two temples. "a temple
OF Virtue and a temple Of Honor
Only through the former could the lat
ter be entered.
Only through the invisible Kingdom
OF God on earth-the Kingdom OF
Grace'-can we hope for admission at
length into the Kingdom OF the Re
deemed"-the Temple OF Glory" The
subjects OF this empire must be i'm
harmony with and breathe the spirit
OF the King. We are reminded sec
ondly OF the small beginnings OF the
Kingdom OF the Messiah.
The "stOne cut out OF the mountain
without hands" was diminutive at first
as compared with its subsequent ap-
pearance. This is indeed the law OF
nature. The trees which all our for
eSts were once but tender saplings-the
men or the next genera ton are today
but weakly children. Christianity was
| indeed complete az the beginning
From its very nature II must have
been. An imperfect system would have
! been a witness against itself In AZ
| these nineteen centuries not a single
principle Of truth has been added. II
/ was Christs gift 10 the world. a mine
1 10 he wOrked-a very bonanza. 4 svs-
/ tenn TO be studied very thesaurus %
| truth Christ in His doctrine was its
/ teacher. In His matchlcss character
/ It's grand exponent. Each Christian is
a matriculate I'm the preparatory school
/ and when the term time OF life shall
I end viii receive a certificate into the
! University OF Heaven. Laws are being
/ constantly changed I'm order that they
may Toe adapted 90 the varying condi-
| Constitution have been added one bv
one. Statutes are subject 20 FREQUENT
revision. Provisions that have proved
I lnJudicious have been struck out. Nee
/ cSSarN notifications and additions have
/ often been made. Can anything be
/ added 90 the system OF religion which
/ Jesus introduced into the worldg Has
\ the sermon on The Mount" ever been
/ improved: Can 10 beg As well ate
]
I midday sun or tile ma icsty OF the heav-
/ ing ocean. The necessity of change
/ would imply weakness. crudcncSs. im-
\ perfect knowledge. i ann the Lord /.
| change not" and Christianity is the
| creed Of Jchovah-tlc system OF Him
| who said, Il ann the truth" Who shall
/ say that Christianity can ever need
modification.
! To what age or the world. 10 what
/ nation, TO what government. 20 what
| human conditions has il not been
| adaptedt Still. in its beginning. iii
! seemed Of small and weak proportions.
! FROM human standpoint. what could
/ appear more uucompromisingt Ii
seemed like "a Limput arraylng itself
against host OF giants We are 50
| constituted that We look for causes
| which shall seem adequate 10 given
/ effects. Who in the first century could
! nave conceived as ever possible the
scenes which IN these latter days greet
/ our eyes and the facts which thrust
themselves upon our attention. Christ
/ himself was poor and obscure Nuza-
| rene pea SAINT. without prestige or inn
| mediate pedigree of note. His disciples
| were. with few exceptions, lacking ia
| culture and of but limited influence.
/ The new religion had In 10 nothing to
| WIN the opulent or the influential II
| ministercd NOT 10 the capriccS OF men.
| but combattcd their strongest preiu-
| ulccS. IL brought not peace, but a
! sword Judged 10y ordinary stand
| ards. 10 seemed doomed To failure. We
| need not turn 10 the grand treatiseS of
the ButlerS, the Paleys. the DwightS-
| reSiStleSS As their arguments seem. the
| sublime history Of Christianity during
! these nineteen centuries offers a might
! Ter and more eloquent plea for its Iii.
| vine origin and character. a perfect
Gibraltar against which all the shafts
OF lnhdelity seem but paper pellets.
But as we turn again 10 the inspired
narrative OF the dream Of the Baby
| lonian king, we read that after the
| image was smitten and the iron. the
! clay, the brass. the silver and the goIe
were broken in pieces. becoming like
the chan or the summer threShing floor
] the stone which destroyed the image
| became a great mountain and filed
the whole earth.
Ihus IN mystic symbolism was the
truth revealed that the kingdom. which
at length Jehovah should set up, was
! destined TO universal prevalence NOt
"a NJ. lHN.sr 4