Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-11-12

EfA ffNH 80 N~1 lNE4N - 80
.his kingdom uf the present Is likened
unto the net that was cast into the
sea and brought out both good and bad
fish; it is likenCi unto The field that
was sOwed with tares. but the Master
said to let the wheat and The larrs
grow up together and then he would
have the tares gathered and burned
with lire.
The kingdom that is future is the
purified kingdom, for, said the Lord
the good fish will be separated from
the bad even as the tares will be sep.
arated from the wheat. This is sug-
eestive of the teaching of the Bible
that tells MS the time is coming when
the real Christians will be separated
from the mere professors of Chris.
tianity II Thess. 4:lJ-l6l, and that
after that the work Of publication
will be carried on by the purifying
fires of trihulatlon, and after that the
Lord will return to conduct Il kingdom
of righteousness and of love-
This purified kingdom is umdoubt,
eddy that the Lord had in mind when
He instructed His disciples to play.
Thy kingdom come
First Methodist Church.
The text used in the first Of the
serial sermon by Rev. Chas. Briggs.
was taken from Revelations go: And
| saw, and behold Il white horse: and
he that sat on him had a bow, and q
crown was given unto him: and He
went forth %conquering and to con
luer." He said in part;
The church has passed thru a long
period when her teachers and preach.
ers have dwell almost exclusively up
on the thought that Christ must be
preached as suffering and sorrowing
Sayious. and He has not been looked
upon by the world as the King of earth
and heaven. riding on in all possible
majesty and glory. He has been pie
tured too often as the lamb of God.
when the impression needed for the
crisis in the affairs of man was that
thought of Him as the Lion df The
tribe of Judah
I'VE are inclined to think of the
kingdom Of Christ as a thing Of the
future, while the text represents Him
as not coming to His Kingdom. but
as coming in His kingdom. He is al.
ready a king, and those who once
scorned Him are placing The crown
upon his kingly brow.
"Christ is here represented rs tax
ing the aggressive and going into bat
tie. Ills army Is not one Of occupa.
ton, but of aggression. Our King is
satisfied that we have occupied The
field as a church and upheld the dig.
nifty of our denomination for fifty
years. He calls upon US to look out
upon fields always white unto the
harvest, and tells us to put in the
sickle and garner for him" The
church that does not reach out to
make the city better for their fellow
men to live in, cannot have its proper
influence with those who II seeks to
meet at its affairs in spiritual minis
trations. The church that does not
take the proper interest in the Army
Y. M. G. A. which ministers to the so.
cial and spiritual interests of the sol
diers in the camps, need not expect
to look into the faces of many sol
diers at services of the church after
the boys get home.
The church that does not hear the
cry, Come over into Macedonia and
help U.S., and seek By cooperation
with approved missionary agencies to
carry the Gospel 60 the ends Of the
earth. must not look Tor a very deep
spirituality among it own members.
"rhe church that is kept busy fix
lng up petty quarrels among its mem
bers, will not only lose prestage in
the community, but it will also use
up all its energies on self-preserva
ton and sacrifice that benefit Of sell.
development that ONE only thru
service for others.
THE power BY which Christ con.
,liers today is the same puwer as that
by which he conquered WHEN on earth
in the flesh, He %conquers by the
overs OF love and truth His wea.
pons Of conquest are the cross and
he sword OF the Spirit which is the
Word Of God. Ia the vision which
Constantine saw Of a flaming cross
4 heaven with the inscription be.
meath it, BY this sign we conquer
we may discover the secret of The
ehurch's power"
Fling out the banner, let it float
akyward. seward, high and wide,
Ouf " glory is the Cross,
Our only hope the Cucified."