The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1910-09-08
PEOPLES PULPIT.
Messiah's
Coming Kingdom
Spiritual
Behold. q King sh2n reign IN
righteousness, and prnoes shall ude
10 judgment" Usaiah xxxu. ID.

can no longer be swayed TO the same
extent Thinking people refuse 20 be
lieve that God for centuries has sat
calmly viewing the situation. allowing
millions TO go TO eternal torment
They refuse 10 believe that their
hearts and sympathies are more ten
der than those Of their Creator
Even the heather are getting awake
TO the Inconsistency Of what has been
given them under the Gospel label.
They are finding out that the word
Gospel signifies good tidings. and that
what has been preached to them Is the
most awful message CONFERENCE.-The
all of the heather and the majority
of their civilized neighbors and friends
and relatives have been decreed, sen
fenced, foreordained, to eternal tor
ture because Of ignorance, because or
a nisbelief In respect to which they
were thoroughly honest. Perplexed.
the missionaries ask. What shall we
preach? The message Of damnation
does not sound good to the heather,
and they do not run after 1t nor feast
their souls upon Ii. The question
comes to the ministers and professors
of colleges throughout Christendom
and they are perplexed what answer
to give. The majority Of them have
become higher critics. and no longer
accept the Bible as the Word Of God;
they are Evolutionists and no longer
believe the Gospel which the Mission
airy Societies were organized to pro-
claim. They are In perplexity. And
many of them are prepared to aban-
don the former theory Of missions and
to continue their work henceforth
merely along humanitarian lines. In
deed, within the last twenty-five years
missionary effort has turned gradual
Iy to secular education and medical
en-, with little religious doctrine-and
SO much the better.
Everybody Is agreed that the King
dom of Messiah cannot be brought
about by the wholesale conversion of
the world. And logical people see
that larger numbers have been lost to
Christianity In civilized lands during
the last twenty-five years than were
ever claimed to be converted amongst
the heather. We say lost to Christian
ity, because why should anyone be
called a Christian who has lost all
faith In the Bible-in the Law, the
Prophets and the teachings Of Jesus
and his Apostles? The great cloud
of bewilderment which encompasses
Christendom Is realized by all earnest
peOple-churchmen and others. And
no wonder there Is a certain dread
| associated with the dark cloud. What
kind of storm will result? And what
will be the effect upon the great re-
| ligious systems of civilization? 1t is
| to join hands against these ominous
| conditions that the clergy of all de-
nominations are arousing themselves
in favor of Church Union or Fedora
ton of some sort. But the people
the people feel comparatively little
interest in the proposition. which they
will not oppose. however.
1.-THE Hour Of temptation"
-RBv. 8: TO-
The difficulty with the present situa
ton is that we have stupidity and blum
deringly misread the Bible We have
twisted what we did read and picked
out certain portions which pleased
best our fancies and supported best
our various creeds. We have neglect
ed the honest. truthful study which we
should have given to our Heavenly Fa
theirs message. The confusion OF
Christendom is the result That con
fusion and perplexity the Scriptures
portray. assuring us that we are in the
midst Of a great falling away from
faith in God and in his Revelation
We see fulfilled all about us the won
derful prophetic and syr@'oIic picture
Of Psalm 81. A thousand fall at oul
side and ten thousand at our righ
hand-only the "lsraelites indeed" il
whom there is no guile. will be kept
from stumbling in this evil day. The
chaos which we already see every
where in evidence is only beginning
:, Gods Great Remedy at Hand.
The fault of Christendom has beer
the rejection Of the Divine Plan ant
the acceptance instead of a human
plan. The Church was going to con
vert the wOrld-going to conquer tn,
world for Jesus and present it to hiu
as trophy. Alas, We have not beer
able to convert ourselves. which i:
the particular work the Master gave u.
to do. Greater humility would hav,
shown US our folly long ago.
Bible Students do not need to be re
minded that all through the Old Tes
lament Scriptures Gods promise:
abound. telling Israel and all who have
ears to hear Of the glorious reign Of
Messiah and of the success of hi.
Kingdom and how the result will b,
that every knee shall bow and ever,
tongue confess to the glory of God; >
of how "ali the blind eyes shall b,
opened and all the deaf ears shall b,
unstopped;" Of how the blessing of tn,
Lord will be with Israel restored t,
his favor and operate through Israe
I, to the blessing of all peoples. We re