The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-07-09
PEOPLES
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.


Ct.-s-s-s-.-.-s-s-s-s-s-s- o
Brooklyn, N. Y, July 4.-Pastor Rus
sell preached today at Brooklyn Taber-
nacle to a large audience. He said:
The words of our text have been re-
tionalities for centuries. You recognize
them as portion of what is generally
termed the Lords prayer, given to the
Lords followers as q model in answer
to the request Of the Apostles, Lord,
teach us to pray" The fact that our
Lord instructs us to pray for his King
dom to come, implies several things.
ID That it was not already here. (2)
That it is part of the divine provision
that in due time the Dominion of the
Highest shall be established among
men. 81 That this is one of the chief
desideratums for Gods people and for
humanity.
Our Lords Parallels.
1t surely has not escaped the atten-
tion of every Bible student that nearly
all of our Lords parallels are more or
less closely identified with this King
dom thought. The majority of them
open with such expressions as, The
Kingdom of heaven is likened UNTO"
etc. If we keep in memory that it is
a Kingdom of priests that is to be es.
tablished, otherwise called a Royal
Priesthood, all will be plain. Our Lord
Jesus, after he had paid our ransom
price, after he died the just for the
unjust, as our sacrificing High Priest
assembled up on high to be our King; to
be Priest upon his throne. And sim
ilarly he is now calling for an under
priesthood, willing to follow his ex-
ample of self-sacrifice in the present
life. These in due time he will glorify
with himself, giving them share in
that Royal Priesthood as Priests upon
the throne of the Millennial Kingdom.
Thus he promised, ITO him that over
my throne, even as 1 overcame, and
am set down with my Father in his
throne Revelation iii, 90.
If all Christian people could realize
that their high calling" of God is
not q calling away from eternal tor
ment, but a calling, or invitation, to
association with Christ in his great
Kingdom, which shall ultimately rule
the world. under the whole heavens"
they would read the Bible with fresh
interest; it would soon be to them a
new book.
Glance at some of the parallels. Note
how they give snapshot pictures of
the Church's experiences, not only in
the future, but especially in the pres
ton and testing-picturing the trying
experiences necessary for attaining the
Kingdom. In other words, the Church,
while on trial, is the embryo Kingdom,
the probationary Kingdom class. This
is the enlisting time, the testing time,
the proving time, and none will be ac
counted worthy to share in the actual
Kingdom of Gods dear Son" except
those who now demonstrate not only
loyalty but loving devotion to the
Lord, to his Truth, to all who are his
to the extent of laying down their
lives for the Truth and for the breth-
rem.
Note the parable of the sower, and
seed of the Kingdom" Note that the
ripe wheat developed from that SOW
ing is denominated the children of the
Kingdom. Note that the gathering OF
the wheat into the barn-by the reSur-
rection change, to the heavenly state
is still associated with the thought of
the Kingdom in the words, 'Then shall
the righteous shine forth as the sup
in the Kingdom of their Father" Now
they are exhorted to shine forth their
light as tallow-candles, that they may
'show forth the praises of him who
called them out of darkness into his
marvellous light" If unfaithful in
shining forth the light under the pres
ent conditions of prevalent darkness.
they will not be esteemed worthy of
place with the glorified faithful in the
Kingdom which will shine forth as the
sun.
Note in the parable of the net cast
into the sea, which gathered fish Of
various kinds, that the net represented
the nominal church of this present
time, which in due time is drawn
ashore, the fishes caught separated,
and those suitable for the Kingdom are
represented as gathered in baskets,
while the unsuitable are represented as
being cast back into the sea.
Notice the parable of the pearl of
great price, which represented the
Kingdom blessings and privileges, and
could be obtained only by the selling
of all that was possessed; that thus
the Lords followers who desire a
share in his Kingdom are to reckon
that no sacrifice is too great to make
to attain that blessing-indeed, they
are to know that the Kingdom can be
attained at no less cost than the sur
render Of all their earthly hopes and
aims.
Note the parable of the pounds and
talents, which represented our Lords
departure to heaven for investure in
authority to be the great King of earth.
the sovereign of the Millennial King
dom to be established at his return.
Note the giving of the pounds and the