The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-06-11
9bort germtons
For
5unnap Dalf-Dour
Theme:
THE REIGN OF GOD
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BY Rev. DR.. Edward Everett Hale
r. L. T.
Text: "And said, Behold, | see the
heavens opened, and tho Son of man
standing on the right hand of God"
Acts viii, Sc.
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] think that we should advance the
real life of the world if, by some de.
vice or devices, we could bring that
mysterious person, the average read
er, into a broader idea an idea wider,
deeper. higher, and in every way larg-
er, OF what IS meant in the New Testa-
ment by the words tNe kingdom OF
God" If at the same time we could
enlarge and improve the words the
Kingdom of Heaven" that would be
well.
For ! suppose that. IS this average
reader reads or hears the words the
"kingdom of God" or the Kingdom of
Heaven" his mind goes but tile
way. The picture which the ave 'ge
man presents to himself is that a
royal or imperial court, where a w.
ereign is sitting in the central r lce
and receiving the homage of So of
courtiers to whom he has given is
and that business to discharge. e.
member little book, with bright red
paper covers, which we got hold of in
some way when / was boy of ten
years of age. 1t was an enthusiastic
demonstration of the validity oe the
In w inh
was laid on the prophetic power of the
Saviour. Among other things he had
prophesied the coming Of the king
dom Of God. He had said, There are
some standing here who shall see the
kingdom of God come in its glory"
And this coming of the kingdom of
God meant that the Emperor Titus
was to destroy the city of Jeru-
salem before Saint John died. When
in other studies we came to read of
the awful carnage and horror of the
storming Of the city of Jerusalem, It
was not unnatural If intelligent boys
and girls should ask how it could be
that the Saviour of men had such hor-
hors in his mind when he said thou
sand times that what he hoped for
was the coming of the kingdom of
God or the kingdom of Heaven. 1t
seems almost burlesQue to bring to-
gether two uses of these words 80 dis
similar, but | believe that just such
false ideas of what the kingdom of
God is hold back many intelligent
mer and women from an adequate
idea of what they mean themselves
when they pray that "Thy kingdom
may come"
once heard DR.. Durniss say that he
had never met a man who was edu-
Gated on the continent of Europe who
knew what Jesus Christ meant when
he spoke of the kingdom of God. 1t
is even worse than the idea which
half the continent of Europe has rs
to the meaning of the word govern
ment."
Perhaps we do not hear so much
now as we did fifty years ago about
the second advent of the Saviour;
but even now | could name people
otherwise intelligent who really sup.
pose that before this generation of
men is dead Jesus Christ will appear
in the city of Boston in a carriage not
unlike circus wagon with four or
six horses as the case may be, with
or without wings, as the case may be,
and that this will be the beginning Of
a new dispensation of things.
What good men want, what
prophets and kings waited for, is not
any machinery of palace or etiquette
or courtiers or officers. 1t is the rule
of God. Precisely what it is not is
the reign of a body of officials COM
ing between God and his children.
Precisely what we want is that the
life of men may be life in which they
know and feel the presence and wish
of God as an intelligent child knows
and feels the wish and hope of his
father in the home, whether the
father be in sight or no.
All the analogies of nature are on
our side. In Dr. Stebbins's fine
phrase, we can spell Nature with a
large N. We are praying that the
will of God may be fulfilled, that the
moral law of God may be obeyed, that
the presence of God may be felt and
acknowledged. We are not praying
for any palace on seven hills or on
seventy. No! And we are not pray.
ing for any court of high chancellors
or keepers of the kings conscience
We are not praying for any secre
taries of state or of war or Of peace
even. We are praying that the will OF
man, the child Of God, may reflect the
will of God the Father. We are pray
ing for the common life, for the com
mon law, for the common wealth o.
the whole world, that literally and alb
solutely 1t may be one with the will
Of God. Our daily prayer is for the
real presence of the living God in the
hearts and In the actions of all hi!
children.