THE K I NG ' S B U S I N E S S
518 Christ adm inisters in th e name and in terests of th e Heavenly F ath er, The Church is bu ilt up; the kingdom is set up. The Church will reign w ith Christ, b u t th e subjects of the kingdom will be reigned over by Christ and th e Church. The Church is an election tak en out of all nations. The Kingdom will include all nations and will be over all nations, The Church is now in th e world, look ing forw ard to th e tim e when it will be tak en out. The kingdom is no t in the world b u t is prayed for in th e words “Thy kingdom come” un til it is estab lished. XU. God p u t heaven an d hell asund er and on no account a re they to be joined together. Many em inent theologians have pushed th e idea of gradation of rew ard and penalty in th e world to come so far as to say th a t th e re is little if any difference between th e lowest seat in heaven and th e high est seat in hell. Undoubtedly th e re will be varying degrees of happiness in the one and m isery in th e other, but, never theless, between th e two, th e re is a g reat gulf fixed, so th a t they differ by celestial diameters. They are th e oppo site poles of ch aracter and are no nearer th a n no rth and south. There is no sliding scale of being where salvation and perdition touch each other. God’s Word is presented to us under various aspects. As th e engrafted Word it is to be received w ith meek ness (Jam es 1 :2 1 ). As th e faith fu l Word it is to be held fast (T itus 1 :9 ). As th e word of life it is to be held fo rth (Phil. 2 :1 6 ). As th e word of tru th it is to be righ tly divided (2 Tim. 2 :1 5 ). If it is no t righ tly divided we have erro r instead of tru th . If we attem p t to join tog eth er w hat God has p u t asunder we shall have an ill-assorted union th a t will confuse our thinking, disarrange our living and make a safe, tru e or consistent in terp retation of God’s Word impossible.
STAND FAST Chas. Spurgeon once spoke some words th a t are of peculiar app rop riate ness a t th e present tim e: “ I will no t budge an inch from the old doctrine for any man. Now th a t the cyclone is trium p h a n t over many a bow ing wall and to tterin g fence, those who are bu ilt upon th e one foundation must prove its value by standing fast. We will hearken to no teaching b u t th a t of the Lord Jesus. If you see a tru th to be in God’s Word, grasp it by your faith ; and if it be unpopular, grapple it to you as w ith hooks of steel. If you are despised as a fool for holding it, hold it th e more. L ike an oak take deeper root, because the w\nds would te a r you from your place. Defy reproach and ridicule, and you have already van quished it. Stand fast like the B ritish squares in th e olden times. When fierce assaults were made upon them every man seemed tran sfo rm ed to rock. We m ight have wandered from the rank s a little in more peaceful tim es, to look afte r th e fascinating flowers which grow on every side of our m arch; but, now we know th a t th e enemy su rround s us, we keep strictly to th e line of march, and to lerate no roam ing. The w atch word of th e ho st of God ju s t now is— “S tand fa s t!” Hold you to th e faith once delivered to the saints. Hold fast th e form of sound words, and deviate not one jo t or tittle therefrom . Doc- trin a lly stand fast.”
Let me never ask for leisure While th e world is toiling so, While th e patien t poorer people Only weary effort know; L et me have my sh are of labor,
Lest some burden, it may he, F a ll upon an o th er’s shoulders T h at th e F a th e r m eant for me. M W ill you p ray daily fo r th e work of th e B ible In stitu te of Los Angeles?
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