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from religious experience. Evangelizing effort on the part of the church, therefore, is to be urged not merely on the ground of the benefit brought to the individual who is turned from evil to righteousness, but on the ground of its profound significance and helpfulness in all matters of social advance. It cannot be too often emphasized that social regeneration according to the conception of Christ cannot proceed on any other line than that of the replacing of bad men by good men. And this above all others is the function of the church. For the Christian ideal is not that of the monk but of the Christ. To aid in the regenera- tion of a man is to aid in the regeneration of society.
V.
It is evident that such transformation of an imperfect world into the perfect family Jesus anticipated must, if this process is to be followed, require much time. So Jesus foresaw. To those people who expected that the kingdom of God would come immediately he spoke the parable of the nobleman who went into a far country. 1 Indeed, the entire completion of the transforming process was not to be reached until the end of the age an event of such indefinite date that in regard to it he professed himself to be in ignorance. And not only was it to be slow, but it was to be full of struggle and anguish for those men who attempted to better humanity and human society. Jesus would, indeed, have been wonderfully lacking in fore- sight if his own experience had not taught him that his fol- lowers must expect bitter opposition. The master had been called Beelzebub and had been persecuted, and should the dis- ciples expect to be above their lord in escaping like treatment ? It was enough for the disciple to be like his master. 2 Helpful as the new doctrine might be, Jesus saw that it was such as might well be judged revolutionary by those whom its insistence upon equality and fraternity might alienate. His was not a ion wholly of peace. 3 He came to bring both sword and fire into social life. 4 The members of the new propaganda were
Luke 19:11 *?. 'Matt. 10:24, 25. Mtt. 10:34. 4 Luke 12:49.
