The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1910-09-16
PULPIT.
Messiah's
Coming Kingdom
Spiritual
Behold, a King shall reign in
righteousness. and princes shall rule
IN Judgment" ISAIAH XXI. y.

IN lud gment (lsaiah XXI, u.
ooO--.-.---.-.-.-.---.--.
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 conCeivable-that
all OF the heather and the ma jority
of their civilized ncighbors and friends
and relatives have been decreed. sen.
fenced. foreordained. to eternal tor
a miSbelicf in respect to which they
were thoroughly honest. Perpexed.
the missionaries ask. What shall we
preach The message of damnnttOn
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 ChriStcndom
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 Evoutionists and no longer
believe the Gospel which the Mission
AIRY Societies were organized to pro-
claim They are in perpleXlty. 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
~ to secular education and medical
practice In the interests of the heath
en-, with little religious doctrinc-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 cost to Christian
ity, because why should anyone he
called n 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 certain dread
associated with the dark cloud. What
kind of a storm will result? And what
will be the effect upon the great re-
IigiOus systems Of civilization? 1t il
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"
-REv. 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 Fla.
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 symbolic picture
of Psalm 81. A thousand fall at our
side and ten thousand at our right
hand-only the "lSraelites indeed" in
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 been
the rejection Of the Divine Plan and
the acceptance instead OF human
plan. The Church was going to con
vert the world-going to conquer the
world for Jesus and present it to him
as trophy. Alas. we have not been
pble to convert ourselves, which Is
the particular work the Master gave us
to do Greater humility would have
shown us our folly long ago.
Bible Students do not need to be re-
minded that all through the Old Tes-
lament Scriptures Gods promises
abound, telling Israel and all who have
ears to hear Of the glorious reign Of
Messiah and Of the success of his
Kingdom and how the result will be
that every knee shall bow and every
tongue confess to the glory of Cod"
of how "all the blind eyes shall be
opened and all the deaf ears shall be
unstOpped;" Of how the blessing Of the
Lord will be with Israel restored to
his favor and operate through Israel
to the blessing OF all peoples. We re-
member the prophecies which picture
earthly governments and show us their
termination and the establishment of
the Kingdom of Heaven on their ruins.