THE CITY OF GOD

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1678, 27 April 1904, Page 81 (Supplement)

THE CITY OF GOD

* <By. the Rev Canon • Brameld,:M.A., Vicar of St-'Steplien’s, Lewisham).■ :•.4.4A‘Aiid>Uohn-SaAv/the .Hoily City;; 'ne*w 4 Apf fis; bride . <;for xxhv : y -24 -• 'T: ; 'O-. ", • •!>.. *• *<. - • >• * •••- vV - f - “Jerusalem,' -the Holy City.” 'The. ti tie /sounds '.strange ) read-in the, light of : I “the:writings of 1 prbjjhohsi,: Thore;)vO • :;-find one; denunciation after another: of the sins of the woe , afto^ •;V nAotho r 5 4 ’ /<ci ty 4/ / 3BP€^o oth^b9- 0 th^b9-p i 4 hence • the 4; laying '■ waste 6f4 ; tlie sacred •; city: it self;;' the retribution’ that^/ sooner . or ilater, follows all / 4//-Ciip/oflthe‘city'sioiouity^whsi'full to the ;V TbrimJ in ithe ■ • iiine/oF 1 oii r / blessed. Lord: •; ‘ tendereist affection for the people who ■i-^liad^isp!i'.yjiely transgressed 1 .? In spite of, - its formalism, its hypocrisy*.. itsopen 4 sin, it'/is 'recorded that, “when Jesus was 4 <.*dwie,-. neat' He belie 1 d the, city.; and wept oyer at,”4and deep breathing ' from ijis •; an most /heart came the onost touching ' :words' 4and' ;;.“Q Jerue^ • 4-tem, Jerusalem thou that- -killest the 1 pi^ophets.' stpnest ; tliem; : ‘ that, are 4sent unto s 'tboe.’how-often; would thy- • ;ieven //a; -fieri gathefebli bet cliiokens. undet her, and/ye/ would ; not.;” ‘" And.' so t;he day, of retribution ; oahrib : and, aft ex* a, 4‘siegevfull sufferings,;: 4' the city- bind; ihe^^f^d-perishedv^/ ‘/hot/ * one stone / feeing upon/another.’’' •.-: • Then it was-—then., when ' the -Holy 4. Teinplo ; iha'd been* inode;'ri : '■-heapiof ,%febheis-^hat; .. . John wrote: thd glorious 4 yisiori - of t>bie 4 4;' teriti/ ;i .new dibni Cod •; but' of GBOeayenjprepared 'as ; a' bride her husband.” - - .W'hht - does t h e-v i sion'. mean' ? People ;tell us. thht' it has : altogether to do with -ythe Christians' will have a ■ ■ orand ttme in the new Jerusalem. Sur-i

sum oorda. lift up . your hearts. In a little-time all the sorrows and the sins of earth will be over, and.in the heavenly city bright and glorious things are;ip store for -us all. And so in awe and rapture men in every age . have lifted their ;faces . heavenwards, : longing for the! first .glimpse of. that far-ocff lahd. 4>4 4 O .my sweefc. home, Jeruealejn; I ' Would God I wero in thee. ' ■ . j Thy joys when shall I see ? x j. -• I think there; 'is i “Why stand ye gazing -up into Heaveu ?”; i vyas the.;que^ti6iy'piit' to.: fhe,; sonrowing , disciples at '-the asbension pf our ' Lord, f d-nh Ithink it-is;still put fo hW wlid'giaze jUpwardsomuch thattheyseemtp;have. t neither tunerhor .inclination theii* dUtyi bn x eaith, 'leaving the typfid;; to go where Und as it; likes 'foi v :anything they i ?aire. y Beadi carefully -4pui text' does not oounteriance suph inactibh.; The vision has to do with the- preseiit as as the ;lfuture.;;. It. is not a vision of. ehath her ing; lifted up to Heaven, but of Heaven ; "eoming -doym upon earth-—-a hoi y city out of Heaven, .troini ’God.’ ’ ;Have tve; not . I; would like to ask, •here, a. picture of- what greiit' Christian cities are bv God iutended to be? '. Tfc bas been 4sa : -." “G-od made the ebutdry4 ‘.’and4niatt made one town.’” ,'jt sounds specious enough! thut surelv i-.v- untrue:.It is God Himself that “moketh : die Rplit-afy. to dwell tcgether •; in faariilies'.” These great'cities of'' tho : world ; God’s; aridhindet Jlig’ i ov- • .ing; care and protection. Even, lieatilieii Nineveh,. that “exceeding, great city,” • : unto, v ,Gpd;U kn'o-w4, exact!v rihovV ;jp;any 1 thousands hbf • inhabitants it 4hadt;ah.d:H^ba^ie^4dl^Xt4'' a d by their inamesv .4.He‘ watched Over the- very caf;tle vdthin their gates. Believe me. it is for you 'and ine to try and -make -th e -great 4city God.” -