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THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
up into immortality. “Thy brother shall rise again.” Thy children shall come again from the land of th eir captivity. No aching Jjands and weary brows then; but we shall be raised in power. Our vile body shall be changed, and made like unto his glorious body. Though sown in corruption, our body shall be raised in incorruption, and this mortal shall put on imm ortality. W hat a glorious pros pect lies before us in connection with the day of his appearing a second time unto salvation! Now notice th a t this appearing and this salvation will chiefly belong to those who look for him. Will you bear with me patiently a minute or two here? I wonder how many there are in the Taber nacle who are looking for him. The text says, “Unto them th a t look for him shall he appear a second time without sin unto salvation.” Beloved, I will put the ques tion again: How many here are looking for our Lord’s second coming? I am afraid if conscience hath her perfect work many will have to say, “I am afraid I am not among the number.” I will tell you what it is to look for th a t second appear ing. It is to love the Lord Jesus, to love him so th a t you long for him as a bride longeth for her husband. Why are his chariots so long in coming? Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Strong love hates separation, it pines for union. It cries, “Come, Lord! Come,. Lord!” Longing follows on the heels of loving. P rep aring fo r Him To look for his coming is to prepare for him. If I were asked to visit you to-morrow evening, I am sure you would make' some -preparation for my call— even for one so common-place as myself. You would prepare, because you would welcome me. If you expected the Queen to call how excited you would be! What preparation good housewives would make for a royal visitor! _ When we expect our Lord to come, we shall be concerned to have everything ready for him. I sometimes see the great gates open in front of the larger houses in the suburbs:
and it means th a t they are expecting com pany. Keep the great gates of your souls always open, expecting your Lord to come. It is idle to talk about looking for his com ing'if we never set our house in order, and never put ourselves in readi ness for his reception. Looking for him means th a t you stand in a waiting atti- tud, as a servant who expects his master to be a t the door presently. If you look for his appearing you will be found in an attitude of one who waits and watches, th a t when his Lord cometh he may meet him with joy. Christ is coming, I must not sin: Christ is coming, I must not be rooted to the world. The T ired Ones My friend Mr. Govett, in his Commen tary on my text, reminds us of the story of Moses, when God told him to take seventy men up the hill with him. We read of these honored men, th a t “they saw God, and did eat and drink.” What a privilege! They were all the Lord’s guests. As Moses w ent up to God into thick darkness, he said to them, “Tarry ye here until we come again unto you.” Moses was 'gone for forty days, and how many waited for him? I do not know when they began to slip down from the hill, or whether they went one by one, or in groups; but when Moses returned not a soul of them was left, save Joshua, whom Moses had taken up with him to still higher ground. The seventy had gone down among the people, and prob ably spread th a t unbelief among them which led to the making of the golden calf. None can do so much mischief as those who have been w ith God, but can
not wait for the glorious appearing. You tell me Moses was gone a long time—well-nigh six weeks. Yes, and th a t is why many cannot wait for the Lord now, because the delay is so long: it is nearly nineteen hundred years since he went away. True, four thousand years rolled away before he came the first time, but two thousand quite wear out the watchers for his second coming. Men cannot wait, and therefore go down to KEEP THE KING’S BUSINESS DOLLAR SMILING—HOW?
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