The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-30
Yesterday in the Churches
ciai revoiutionist that ever lived and
taught and died
Whole System Changed.

ciai revoiutionist that ever lived and
taught and died.
Whole System Changed.
Jesus was the most radical thinker
that ever lived. The temple In Jeru-
salem was and had been center Of
religious worship for centuries. 1t
seemed. with its orders of the priest
hood, its ritual and Its affairs for
sacrifice, to be absolutely essential
to religion, and yet Jesus. with one
sweep of his mighty arm, swept the
whole system away. Woman. be-
lieve me, the hour cometh and now
is, when neither in this mountain nor
yet at Jerusalem will men worship
him in spirit and in truth" That day
Jesus set religion free.
Now. asked Mr.. Cooper, what Is this
new kingdom. which is at hand? II
Is, said he. a Christian civilization
founded on the Fatherhood of God
and the brotherhood of man. In
jesus kingdom God Is the universal
Father. He is neither national nor
racial He Is the Father of the Jew
and the Gentle. of the Greek ard
and Teuton. All nations and races
that dwell upon the earth are of our
blood and our family.
Jesus Is the one universal man OF
history. the brother of us all. He
thinks in universal terms. The word
humanity was coined at the foot
of the cross Nations and races are
brothers in Jesus Christ.
All wars are fracticidal wars and
the present war in Europe is because
men think in national and Sataai
terms and have national aspirations.
rather than thinkink a human and
Christian terms, and seeking to serve
others.
The best expression of brotherhood
in government is democracy. Jesus
was the worlds first great democrat.
His teaching of brotherhood must luti-
mately overthrow Imperialism and
monarchism.
Said a Roman imperialist to a
Christian: What Is your Carpenter
Christ doing now7" The Christian
answered: "He Is driving nails In
your emperor's coffin"
The great governing principle in the
kingdom is love. Love is to control
not only the personal acts of man
but is to control all the forces OF So
ciety. 1t lis to control politics,
lions. Love is never egotistic but
altruistic. Its language Is Let no man
seek his own but every man another 9
welfare It subordinates personal
gain for the common good.
What Love Will Do.
/ do not known all that love will
do, declared the preacher, but am
sure 1t will do these three things. 1t
will give to every child, rich and
poor. the privilege of the highest de-
velopment of which il Is capable. II
will grant to every man the right to
share eQuita bly, In the wealth which
ne creates. 1t will demand of every
man that he give his best service to
the world without hope of reward.
Law of the Christian order ts Thou
shalt love God and thy neighbor,
and the whole world is a neighoor.
The end of 1t all is the enthrone-
ment of God as the direct ruler of
world and the reconstruction OF
human society by the application of
the ethical principles of the sermon
on the Mount. 1t means the enthrone-
ment of right and justice between
nation and nation, employer and
employee, manufacturer, merchant and
consumer.
The peace OF righteousness will. pre-
vail among brothers.
/ believe that humanity will ulti-
snateiy return to this vision of Christ
and reconstruct human society ac-
cording to the principles of His gospel.
Humanity will recognize Him as the
worlds Messiah and He will put all
enemies under his feet. He will put
down all selfishness and there will
be none to exploit nor rob or destroy
Education will be universal and the
enemy of ignorance will be put under
foot. Prosperity will be to all and
not to the few. Every man will
sit under his own vine and fig tree"
Wealth OF the world will be more
equitably divided. and the enemy OF
poverty will be put under foot The
bIessedness of a redeemed world will
be to the poor, the meek. the OPP
pressed and those who hunger and
thirst after righteousness shall be
filled. Every knee shall bow and
every tongue shall confess Jesus Lord
of Lords, and 1.-THE knowledge OF God
shall cover the earth as the waters
cover the sea"
I call on you, therefore. to repent.
to change your attitude toward God
and men and things: to rally around
the cross, which is the worlds SYM
Dol OF sacrifice for the worlds good;
to consecrate yourselves to the es-
Ia blishment of the kingdom Of God on
earth. or to create the Christian So
cial order which must be the ulti-
mate form OF human society.