Article February 1, 1900 Issue

From the Religious Press

Jesus taught his disciples, and hence all believers in him, to pray "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." The kingdom referred to is God's kingdom, and all who take this prayer upon their lips are asking that this world may become pure, righteous, heavenly. Will it ever become so? There are those who think it will not, while others, and their number is steadily increasing, believe it will.

The kingdom for whose coming we are taught to pray is not that of a particular form of governmental rule. It is the invisible yet effective reign of truth and righteousness, purity and love; conformity of man's will to God's will; the establishment in the mind and heart of the principles of the mind and heart of the principles of the Gospel of Jesus. Therefore, whenever and wherever a person becomes christlike or God-like he is within the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven, whether on earth or elsewhere. To the extent that he is within that kingdom he experiences the eternal or divine life, he is spiritually saved.

As the world moves upward its ideals are raised, precisely as in the life of the individual. And it goes forward in the upward way only because individual lives are becoming better in quality, and the number of the better lives is proportionately increasing. Were every person on the earth truly Christian, or within the divine kingdom, or even up to the standard of the best people now living, what would follow? The cessation of the sins and crimes, the outrages upon public, social, family, and personal rigthts and interests, which now often shock the community. Purity, sympathy, love, and mutual helpfulness would universally prevail. No one would suffer in person or possessions because of another's wrong-doing or wickedness. The business world would have no troubles because of the injustice of one class toward another. The strong would aid the weak until they became strong. Ignorance would give place to knowledge, selfishness to brotherliness, envy to generous commendation, every harmful evil now existing to universal peace, joy, and prosperity. Such is the heavenly kingdom, God's kingdom, and the results it is intended to effect on earth. It is coming more and more in every century. Some day it will be here in full force. This century, this generation, this year sees more of God and truth and duty among men than any in the past saw. Today a greater number of men and women than ever before are trying to give practical expression to the Gospel teaching, the eternal kingdom.—The Universalist Leader.

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