The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1906-04-13

There were no other people who were
religious or civilized or who had the se-
cret OF great progress. They said the
kingdom would come : Jerusalem, not
10 Rome, and that not the Romans. but
the Jews. would be dominant. But
Christ said, mo. that is a mistake
The kingdom OF God is not in JcruSa-
lem or Rome or Athens. IL is in
spirit or universal helpfulness." That
Is the kingdom OF God. and the king
dom will come when every man helps
his felle<N man out of every kind OF
need, whatever IL may he. He was
hnally arrested and put upon oath and
asked: Are You the Messiah?" Il
am He said. He claimed Ia be the
Messiah and He claimed To bring about
the kingdom of God by diffusing the
spirit or hope and faith and good will.
The apostles went forth and preached
what? Not the Ten commandments
or the Sermon on the Mount, but This
is the Messiah. The peliyerer is
come" In the nature of the ease He
could not do ii alone. Ii il were 10 he
some sudden upheaVal. some catn.
clySm, some march Of armies. il could
be done in single period. but il good
viii, peace and universal helpfulneSs
were In he brought about. that would
take generations. That must go from
kingdom To Kingdom, from city 10 city
ana nation 10 nation. And So He called
Il few men To carry the mcSsagc-trst
twelve, then seventy. Then lie died.
Then, after His resurrection, He sent
others. He sent them in the spirit of
good will aud helpfuncss. 60 heal the
sick. cleanse the lcper and restore COM
fort To the Sorrowing. 10 minister To
everybody rich, poor, wise, ignorant,
TO the Jew and the Gentle.
There was something more. I'm all
ages men have believed i'm some great
occult power lying back of the phe-
nomeua of nature. The Jews thought
there was one great God who incXor-
ably demanded righteousness of His
people. and Jesus said, God is such
one as | am, actuated by the same
spirit. In My life and teachings | am
interpreting this great Infinite Power,
this just, wise God. this eternal Infinite
Presence" And He illustrated His
meaning by the parable OF the king
whose subjects rcbcllcd against him;
by the parable of The lost sheep and
the parable of the prodigal son. THAT
is the kind OF Father that God is" said
Jesus.
There is still more in, ChrstS mes
sage. In all ages men have been Try
ing to get 90 this unknown God. They
have said: 1--WE have done wrong We
have aroused the wrath Of this God.
lie is right 10 he angry with us. How
shall we appease His anger? We Will
offer sacrifices" IL is dilhcult in this
twentieth century 10 realize what wOr-
ship was twenty centuries ago. Pic
turc the temple. the altar, the white
robed priests. All around In the outer
court the cooling OF doves, the blcating
cf sheep, and within by this altar, a
butchers shop, shambles. Priests
cutting the throats Of lambs ana cattle
and the blood flowing in great rivers
out from under the altar. Whyi Be
cause these people thought God had a
right TO be angry-and they were right.
He had n right TO be angry-and they
thought He was angry-and they were
half right in that-and they thought
the way TO peace was by sacrifice, and
they were wrong in that. Jesus never
offered sacrifice so far rs we know,
or told anybody else to offer sacrifice.
This world is Gods rcformatory and
what lie has done is ,hs: His Marshal
has come for you and me. Has lie
come In power. with greatness or riches
or wonderful display OI intellectual
wisdOmy No. Come how? In sympa-
thy, in tenderness, in love, in purity
and truth and righteousness. We can
see no way 10 happiness save 10y en-
dowing with truth and purity and
righteousness. He has come to us-to
YOU and me-
He says, you can do the same
thing" You say: 81 have no power
Neither had l." 81 have not wealth.
Neither had J." "I was not an eccc-
siastic." Neither was l." Come to
Me: get My spirit; live as | lived; be
willing to lay down your life for others,
as | was for you"
/ have tried this morning TO get be-
hind all definitions, all crcedal state
ments, not because / think they are
bad. but because / am sure the spirit
OF Christ transcends all definitions and
creedal statements. Christianity! What
is It? 1t is the new doctrine OF God.
It is the new faith In God. It is the
faith os God. who Is In His world ns
He was in Jesus Christ, comforting the
sorrowing, helping the tempted, In
structing the ignorant. IL is the new
hope, the hope Of the kingdom OF God
that Is coming. There is coming the
time when men will give TO their fel-
low men fair. honest. generous meas-
ures and will do unto others as they
would be done unto" That Is right
eousness There Is coming time when
there will be peace I'm every heart be-
cause IL is at harmony with Itself, and
peace In the whole world between man
and man. nation and nation. And ID IS
new hope that Christianity brings
when ~ says: Now, you can work for
that because you are working In the
spirit OF the Eternal. and 1t IS the spirit
Of good will, OF service. Of sacrifice, Of
laying down our lives for others as He
laid down His life for us"
Christianity! What is it? IL Is that
God go loved the world that He gave
His only begottcn Son, that whosoever
belieyeth I'm Him might not perish. but
have everlasting life" That is the the
ology OF Christianity. "Tbe kingdom
Of God is at hand" That Is the hope or
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