Orange County observer., 1910-01-20

hardship and sought religions helm
the church said. in substance to him
Yes. we know it's hard living in this
world, but what can you expect: man
is naturally a fallen, Degenerate crea-
tare, the devil is his spiritual adyfse,i
and his man Of business: but nevefy
mind. grin and bear 1t, for yol1ywilN
Frd Gods king gdom when you die and
there the devil will be shut out"
Such philosophy and such a re-
Hglon was but cowardly subterfuge
Whereby an easy escape was afforded
from the necessity for working out
solution for the hard problems of this
life.
Thank God, the liberal Church has
cut loose from dogmatic tradition and
is teaching religion not of mysti-
clsm and Of theory, but religion OF
present helpfulness and Of common
sense
We 60 not believe in fallen race.
We believe in rising race. We do
not believe in original and inherent
sin, nor that every man that's born
is born first into the kingdom Of the
devil.
And this we believe is the first step
IL seeking Gods good kingdom: the
recognition that every child that's
born is Gods and not the devils; the
good tidings that every soul has with
IN itself the spark Of divinity and not
the fame Of hell
It's true that some Of us are born
with heritage Iof sin and with birth
marks OF imperfection. but the good
tldings Of great Joy is this: That
whatsoever sins of the fathers may
have set the children's teeth on edge,
those children have another heritage
from their perfect heavenly Fathe--
heritage that can overcome the in
bred sin; that can round out in per-
feet growth all human imperfection.
He who would seek Gods kingdom
talks not of original sin: he publish
eth good tidings of ultimate perfec-
ton.
What does it mean for us, this
seeking for Gods Kingdom? We rise
with the new day and the sun shines
brightly through the windows "Oh,"
says one, 'sthe harsh light hurts my
eyes," OR, if it's a woman of one
kind, she says, ''It will fade my car
pet and the shades are quickly
drawn and the gloom of a sepulchre
ensues.
Is that seeking of Gods kingdom? :?
Another throws wide the windows of
his house and soul and drinks in the
life sustaining oxygen, basks in the
blessed warmth of natures medicine,
and sings an unconscious song of
praise to his maker and his life keep
e..
He is seeking Gods kingdom. And
| fhp-, Of tho TO h1o ono lyoc
| his place with no word of greeting
| for a mufled complaint that the toast
| is scorched Or the coffee cold. The
| other, the sunshine fellow, comes in
with the glow of the suns radiance
still upon him, and the room seems
| brighter for his coming. He has a
joke and a smile for all, even for the
fellow with the chronic crouch.
| Which one, think you, is getting near
er to the kingdom?
And then they are out upon the
way to business. The car is crowded
and when the conductor gets to oul
| friend, the crouch, he looks straight
at the conductor, but makes no move
! to get a nickel, and then through al
the remainder of the trip he shrink:
and starts whenever he's spoken tc
| and wonders if he has been spotted
| Finally, he slips into a seat, and. al
though a woman stands beside hin
with a, child in her arms, he feign:
intense interest in the paper he ha:
| lifted from the seat.
Is he getting very near to Gods
| kingdom? The other traveller helps
| an old man board the car and cheers
the withered, friendless heart with I
| goodwill smile. He hears with un
derstanding ear the conductors gruff
"Step lively and sees with under
| standing eye the same conductor yer.
| gently shove into the car an over
1 burdened daughter Of poverty, as sh
in turn supports her feeble mother
He hears with understanding ear, a
the conductor comes down hard upo1
the ignorance of some poor foreigne
as he asks directions, and he see
with understanding eye as that sam
| conductor sneaks up a little later an
gives the bewildered foreigner gruf
though kindly, instructions how t
find his way. He hears and sees un
derstandingly, say, for he is an or
timist, and he is seeking for God
kingdom, although he may know
| not. lie is lOOk1uS LOT lue SOOu
men because he knows it is there.
GAS man thinketh in his hear
so is he," and whether we shall b
| seekers for Gods Kingdom of trut
or servants of the kingdom of th
devil depends upon our purity {
heart.
The kingdom within determines th
kingdom without; if the kingdol
within be the kingdom of truth, {
purity, of unselfish kindness, then "
will find heaven without seeking ver
! far. We sometimes talk about seel
i ing Gods kingdom as though it mus
come through some mighty upheavs
! of nature or through some revolution
/ God doesn't work that way. Supe
stitious persons have arisen at VI
rious times and have proclaimed tt
coming of Gods kingdom, but
] short time since sect in New En-
land predicted the end Of the worl
and the ushering in Of heaven. Ar
now they are probably figuring Q,