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THE KING’S BUSINESS
is a matter o f history. It has been fought and has resulted as Dr. Tay lor predicted. At the time he spoke nothing would seem more improb able, but it is now history which no one can dispute. At that time what he said about a revival of religion seemed just as unlikely. Men every where were saying that the old time revival was gone forever. All the scholars were endeavoring to reduce the Christian religion and its Christ to a purely naturalistic basis. Today things are changed. Philosophers, psychologists and religious leaders are all talking about the coming revival. It is not coming, it is already here. It is a question if any religious move ment since the day of the apostles has affected the world so profoundly as the present movement has. The world is literally on fire with religion. It is not all Christianity, but it is re ligious. Our scientists and philoso phers are practically all preaching re ligion. They are not all by any means preaching Christianity, but they are preaching religion. So the great religious awakening is upon us. It is interesting to note that in this religious awakening there is a strange note of expectancy. Men are looking for something. The most of them are not able to define just what they are looking for, but still they are expecting great changes. It is a ques tion in my own mind as to whether there ever has been this same intense feeling of expectancy in the world since the time immediately preceding the first advent of Christ. Surely God is in all this restlessness and expec tancy. What does it all mean? Many different answers will be given to that question. But this we are sure of. The New Testament makes the personal coming of our Lord the goal of the present age and the hope of the groaning and travailing crea tion, and the heart of the world is
In the very teeth of the world’s rejec tion o f Him we are to insist upon His right to rule in all the life of the world. The devil has no right to rule the commercial, political and social life of this world. Every legitimate impulse o f life in the universe belongs to the Son of God and ought to be har nessed to His glorious chariot. Our business is to witness to the reality of His claim till He comes to estab lish it in the glory of its fulness. Our great message is “ Be ye reconciled to God, and give Christ, His chosen King, His rightful place in the life of the world.” Our business is not to tinker and polish up an institu tion which is in rebellion against the King but to win the rebels to His standard lest He come and break them with a rod of iron. If we are not using our powers and influence in that way we are either burying or abusing the trust committed to our care. The Imminence of Christ’s Coming I am inclined to think that the King is coming soon to claim His own. Everything in the life of our time seems to indicate an immediate crisis. Men in every walk o f life seem to be conscious of the near approach of a radical change in the life of the world. That is an unquestionable fact whatever be men’s interpretation of it. Some years ago the late J. Hud son Taylor at a conference of mis sionaries in Shanghai, China, said that there was going to be a bloody struggle between Russia and one of the nations of the Far East, in which Russia was to be the loser. After that there was to be a great revival of religion which would quietly sweep the world, after which Christ would come. The war between Russia and Japan
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