The Kingdom of God is come already, and men are everywhere "pressing into it" (S. Luke xvi. 16). But His rule over the hearts of men is imperfect, and will be so as long as it can be said "We see not yet all things put under Him" (Heb. ii. 8). Therefore He has taught His faithful people of every age to lift up this prayer--"Thy Kingdom come"--that it may be brought to pass that He may rule in all hearts supreme; that the lands which are still heathen may be brought into His Kingdom; and that those who now profess to bear His Name may be "Saints" indeed. And inasmuch as He "loved the Church and gave Himself for it," not that it might consist of so-called Christians--who in heart are worshippers of Mammon, and not subjects of the Crucified--but "that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water and the word, that it should be holy and without blemish," this prayer--"Thy Kingdom come"--must continue to ascend until He can "present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing" (Eph. v. 25-27). And then at last the cry will be raised, "The Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev. xi. 15). We are taught in Holy Scripture that faith can move mountains of difficulty (S. Matt. xvii. 20), and that the prayer of faith has a power to which God has set no bounds (S. Matt. xxi. 22). And the surest way to pray in faith is to be ourselves striving for the fulfilment of our prayers. Now the King Himself declared the source from which the weakness of His Kingdom would arise. When He prayed for His little band of disciples, He added, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me" (S. John xvii. 20, 21). Consequently if we would gain an answer to our prayer, "Thy Kingdom come," we want to lead Christian men to think that the saying is true, "A Kingdom divided against itself cannot stand" (S. Mark iii. 24); and that it is impossible for "The Kingdom of Heaven" to be strong to win souls for Christ, whilst its subjects are forming factions and so-called denominations, and are opposing one another. "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! For there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore" (Ps. cxxxiii. 1, 3). To re-unite the divided branches of Christ's Holy Church, or even to heal the divisions amongst God's people in our own land, is a work which is beyond the power of man to accomplish. But if Christians would but be persuaded to see the advantages of unity, and to desire to live up to their high calling as God's children--as the one family of God--the first step would have been taken which would lead, in God's own time, to the end in view.