Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1911-06-22

! strenuous efforts have been made by
many good, but deluded people to spir.
| itualize it, and call it Christ's world
or kingdom This is still one of the
strong delusions that afflicts many.
The Church lost its bearings and tried
to set up Gods Kingdom by force. As
Jesus said, ''the violent take it by
force. Notwithstanding the fact
that the Catholic church, the most pow
erful system known to men, ruled the
world absolutely for 1876 years, both
temporal and spiritual-and utterly
failed to bless or uplift the world, the
delusion persists that this is the
church, business, here and now.
Our Socialist friends, like many 9th
ers, quote text after text to prove
this. They say that if the clergy
would only do their duty that the
world would be christianized within a
year. They denounce the present sys-
TENS as being contrary to Gods Word (;
contrary to our best interests, working
havoc with all our plans and efforts.
We certainly agree that our system is
not the one outlined in the Bible as
Christ's Kingdom, but we deny that
the clergy could remedy conditions ex-
cept in their own hearts and lives.
The clergy are as helpless as the mass
es. Like priest, like people, The
clergy are merely part of the groan-
ing creation, who Paul says, are wait
ing for the manifestation of the Sons
of God. These Sons will be manifest
ed in the millenial morning, the day
of Christ, the golden age of prophecy.
This day or age the Bible assures us,
will be introduced only in Gods time
and way This is reasonable. God
says that our ways are not his ways,
nor our plan his plan. He tells us
that he has a plan for mans recovery,
not only the living remnant, but all
that are in their graves. But like
greedy children we are in stew and
hurry. In trying to grasp these i'm
mutable promises for the world, we
overlook the sufferings of Christ, and
of his members. We overlook the fact
that God is selecting from among men
a class who are to be associated with
our redeemer in delivering AID bless
ing the world. These are referred to
as "little fock", "the BRIDE, etc.,
who, unknown to the world, are being
perfected through suffering, and thus
made ready for the marriage, and
who, as the ''lamb's wife" will moth
er the world. Then, as foretold our
Lord will become the worlds everlast-
ing Father Qife giver), and the Gov
ernment will indeed rest upon his
shoulders of authority. Then he will
in fact be the mighty ruler, the Prince
of Peace, and to whom every, knee
shall bow. The residue of the people
and all the Gentiles will then seek
him. We also overlook the Scriptures
which say that this royal class though
living in the world are not of it; that
as our Lord was, SO are they. These
must not be conformed to the world
and it's arrangements, but transformed
by new mind. They must set their
affections on things above, and not on
things on the earth. If they love the
world and its aims the love of the
Father is not in them. They are to
shine as lights in the midst of crook
I'd and perverse world. They are to
suffer for Christ, to bear his reproach,
TO fill up the sufferings he left behind.
They are to do good for evil, even as
the Father sends his rain and shine on
the good and bad. They must not
avenge themselves, because vengeance
belongs to God, and he will repay.
They are to suffer long and be kind to
Ill, and they must be subject to the
)owers that be; because these powers,
hese GENTLE governments, are ordain-
ID of God. This Church class can
neither ruin, nor convert the world.
They are to preach and witness to all |
lations, and be living epistles known
md read of all men. The witnessing
vas never intended to convert the |
world, but to take out of the world ''a
,eople for his name''a (bride) to share
Jhrist's Kingdom and reign over
arth, bringing blessing to all who
owe his appearing. Even as Jesus re-
used to become "divider Luke 49,.
3-2t when asked by some to cause 9th
RS to divide an inheritance, SO his
eciples would get out of divine order
they attempted to equalize matters
ow, This work belongs to the mil
ennial age 1t is too vast for mere
ian to accomplish. The kingdom of
rod is more than meat and drink. 1t
1cludes moral revolution, as we'll as
social revolution. The social revol-
tion outlined in the Bible could not
Q accomplished without the other.
9th must proceed at once, and only
, proportion as the moral cleansing
roceeds can the social blessings be ad-
anced. Thus seen, the moral revofu-
on is the Key to unlock the social
essings. The Kingdom desired by
ocialists and all good people, propose
lis moral cleansing from sin defile-
ent. 1t proposes to restore man to
s original perfection, to what God {