The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1910-02-24
@aturday Digit
SoJkc By Rev. r. E. DAWSON
4 /U1lAJ Rutland, W.
CITIZENS AND ALIENS
OF THE KINGDOM.
International Bible Lesson for Feb.
27, 'to.-(Matt. 7:t3.29.)
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES --, |.

ifs institutions, love its government
follow its flag. They sing, my Codn.
try 'Tis of Thee" They rear the
homes. and educate their children.
and invest their money, in the Ind
of their nativity. They we're Graded in
their fatherand and they expect 20
be buried among their kindred il the
land they call home.
But in every nation there are to be
found a class of people who are alicls
and foreigners. They confess that they
are strangers. They are far from
home. For the purpose of trade. or
the enjoyment of travel, or for edura.
tiona purposes they scjourn fCr n
time among those in whom they a-e
Interested. but they do not owe a,lcrl.
ancc to the government they Go rgl
invest their money. they 90 not tl5e
upon themselves any obligations. tloy
hold themselves ready to pack ~ a-I
depart at a moments notice. they *.
pect to return TO their own land soaa.
er or later. They live side By eide
with the citizens of the country. bat
so far as citizenship goes there IS an
the difference In the world between
them
So 1t Is with the Kingdom of Ho1v.
en-. There are citizens of that K nc.
dom, and there are those who ere
aliens and foreigners to It. The apes.
tie writing to a certain class Of pao-
pie said, Now therefore. ye arc 10
longer strangers and foreigners, bvt
fellow citizens with the saints. ana
are built upon the foundation Of the
apostles and prophets" And Chris
in our lesson to-day says, "By thc!r
fruits ye shall know them. Not eve =
one that saith unto me Lord, Lord,
shall enter into The Kingdom OF Fely.
en-; but he that doeth the viii Of my
father which Is in heaven.
Church Not the Kingdom.
1t is evident therefore that tho
church is not the Kingdom of Heaven.
Church membership may be the same
thing as citizenship and 1t may not.
All church members are supposed to
be natives of the kingdom. but tier
fruits show that oftentimes they
are only aliens masquerading under
the guise of citizenship for some per-
sonal reason. A life insurance agent
joined the church in certain place,
and when he had succeeded in writing
insurance policies for the most OF the
brethren he suddenly had a change of
heart that took him off in another d.
rection. He came in evidently in Or
der to shear the sheep. Church NOM
bership will never save anybody.
Creeds may be subscribed to. confes.
sions of faith may be accepted. the
pew may never be vacant in the
house of God, and yet the individual
be an utter stranger and foreigner 10
the commonwealth Of Israel.
lnfaIlible Tests.
There are two infallible tests OF
citizenship The first test is charac-
ter fruit. The test of all religious
teaching is its practical result in the
lives of those that receive 1t. The
answer TO modern culogists OF Bud
dhism and Confuciansm is India and
China; the answer to Mohammed IL
ism is Turkey. When men sneer at
Puritanism point them to New Eng
land; when they claim that pure a.
SON. is all that is necessary show
them the Bible trodden under foot n
Paris.
The Fruit Test.
And what Is true in general is tue
in particular. Men do not gather
grapes of thorns or figs from thist es.
Tho ,Iot ta ho ~
ange tree must bear oranges, AS a
tree it may be beautiful, broad
branched, full of leaves, and binds,
ana blossoms but if IL bears crab 9p-
pies instead OF oranges 1t is fraud
IN the pomological realm. In other
words, men are known by what they
are rather than by what they say they
are. A real professor of religion on
the outside of the fence Of the church
is OF more value to the world, so fsr
as fruit goes than sham professor
OF religion inside the fence OF tne
church. And that Is not saying any
thing against the church fr without
doubt the vast majority OF real g"nw
ire Christian fruit trees are within
its gates. And all OF them ought TO be
Nevertheless, fruit is fruit wherever
you find it, and you sometimes come
upon 1t in unexpected places. All such
do the will of God.
The Foundation Test.
Another test is the foundation upon
which men build personal character
Christ said, "These saying OF mine
are rock foundation, and all oihel
ground Is sinking sand. The matter
receives itself into a selection of gran
lie or gravel, on the rock or on the
sand Everything depends upon thu
Kind of foundation you erect you
soul structure upon, and the materia
you incorporate into the building. Fo
iaith makes Christian life proves
christian and trials confirm Chris
uan. The providential Affections o
HE may be likened to torrents
rain tho naoc;nnc ~ mon NAV wei