THE KING’S BUSINESS
587
The contortion of faith is the most venial form of worldliness. There is a tradition to the effect that Nicholas held to the no tion that a man who was once “in Christ” could not sin; whatever his conduct, it was regarded as holy; his sins were “covered.” It is a strange conceit by which the devil has deceived and destroyed “even the very elect.” The day a man denies his frailty he stands on the brink of doom; the day a man boasts his strength he has come into awful weakness; the day a man is sure of his standing he is ready to fall. The doctrine of eradication has undone the most confident of men! Pearsall Smith was once the world’s most famous evan gelist, but he concluded with Nicholas: that he could not sin, and shortly his shame was abroad. Tamil David boasted himself without spot or stain, and accomplished the most corrupt conduct conceivable to mortal man. Campbell Morgan spoke truly when he said, “The very atmosphere in which we live is against the government of God, and . the most terrible, thing is this, that while men are against the government of God, they are praying, ‘Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done 1’ The most terrible blasphemy of the age is not the blasphemy of the slums, but the basphemy of the temple and the church, and the place of worship, where men pray these prayers and then go out to deny every principle of divine government in their lives. It is little wonder that Jesus concludes this1reprimand by saying, ‘Re pent, therefore, or else I will come to thee quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches,’ ” What, then, is- the hope of the.Church? How can our ctisis be turned to conquest? Christ’s promise, is the answer—“Lo, I come 1”
nication,” and yet that is the second fruit of worldliness, and they are not unrelated. The meat-filled find fleshly lusts easily exer cised. Balaam began with a slight offense, but led on to his abomination. After all has been said that may be said concerning the progress of science in the past fifty years, the rapid march of civilization and the true conquests of the Church of God at home and to the ends of the earth, it still remains a fact that “the world,” as such, was j never more sinful than at this mo ment. To exaggerate either the extent or seductiveness of present evils were well- nigh impossible. The more a man becomes acquainted with modern society, the more he sees of ,sin a t'th e surface, and hears about iniquity—half concealed—the more profoundly is he impressed with the pre valence and power of sin. It is a dark day when virtuous women get together and discuss seriously the ques tion, “Is any man to be trusted ?” when consecrated men assemble and, finding that some trusted sister has stumbled, ask, with bated breath, “Who Then can'be" saved'?”' Vice was never more refined than now, and sin was never so seductive; and in conse quence neither was ever so dangerous; yea, even deadly. The classics tell of a lake .called Avernus, famed for its beauty. But a poisonous va por rises from its foul waters; birds, at tempting to fly across it, fall stupified into its bosom; in its breath the eagle's wing becomes powerless, and gradually the proud bird sinks down. The nightingale, hover ing over it, speedily loses her power of song and drops with a shriek into its waves of death. That such a lake exists in moral life, men know full well. We have seen strong 'men sink in its depths, and have looked upon sweet-faced women go down in its dark waters.
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