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THE K I N G ’S BUS I NES S
supplied an unbroken stream of evan gelical testim ony which has been grad ually increasing in power; and th ere is now sounding fo rth such a proclama tio n of th e Gospel as th e world has never h eard since th e days of th e apos tles. Those who are really C h rist’s seem to be strenuously urged by a sense of th e ir responsibilities: th ey are going ou t into th e streets and lanes, into th e highways and hedges, con strain in g men to come in: th e wedding h all is rapidly filling w ith guests. Amid th e calls to repentance, and offers of grace, am id th e m u tu al exhor tation s to w alk as children of th e light, th e re peals fo rth , waxing louder and louder, th e solemn cry, “ Behold th e Bridegroom com eth; go ye ou t to meet H im ” (M att. 2 5 :6 ) while th e te sti mony of th e faith fu l to th e world is assum ing its la st form— “F e a r God and give glory to Him, for th e hou r of His judgm en t is come” (Rev. 1 4 :7 ). Indi cations of th is new epoch h ave been growing more and more app aren t fo r some years, and many papers and periodicals have been devoted to th e resuscitation of th e long neglected tru th so prom inently set fo rth by our Lord and H is apostles. H undreds of books and pam phlets have been w ritte n on th e same sub ject; while th e m ajo rity of th e la te r revival preachers, and a daily increasing num ber of o th er w itnesses, have prom ulgated it to such an extent th a t it would now be difficult to find a m oderately in telligen t Christian who is igno ran t of th e g rea t hope, even if he does no t accept it as his own. But th e masses of th e world are again rejecting God’s more u rg en t appeals and as a n a tu ra l consequence, H is Sp irit is ceasing to strive w ith them : infidelity and sup erstition are begin ning to overshadow even th e most favored countries of Christendom . It is needless to w aste tim e in proving the simultaneous- spread of ritu alism and Popery, which is now sufficiently evi d en t even to th e most careless observer;
while they multiply, men are also exhib iting impatience of re stra in t: and since th ey are learn ing to act together, and seem to he grow ing inflated w ith reli ance on th e ir fancied power, they are soon going to go on to deeds of impious daring. Large organizations of people, which are no longer confined to the fron tiers of one people, forebode a sec ond rebellion of Babel. The tim e of th e shaking of all nations is approach ing, and th e h earts of many are already failing for fear, and for looking afte r those th ing s which are coming on th e earth . L et believers consider th e ir ways: fo r th e Lord will sho rtly descend to see w hat th e children of men are doing. Gallonsness of W orld to th e Gospel Whenever th e Word of God is faith fully preached, it cannot re tu rn unto H im void: it will accomplish th a t which He pleases, and prosper in th e th ing whereunto He sent it. (Isa. 4 6 :1 1 ). Some effect it m u st produce upon all who hear. It separates th e w heat from th e chaff: it eith er draw s men n earer to God, or renders them more callous th a n before, and prepares them for speedy judgm ent. (2 Cor. 2:15, 16). Noah’s loud calls to repentance and th reaten in g s of judgm en t to come, since they were slighted by th e world, must have m ightily harden ed th e h ea rts of men and caused th e Spirit of God to cease striving w ith them . Probably many were a t first impressed and alarm ed, b u t a fte r a while, when they saw day follow ing day, w ithou t any sign of th e predicted vengeance, they lo st th e ir fear: they w ent back to th eir favorite sins: they could no longer be roused as before: they began to be scoffers, and mocked a t th e most solemn w arnings: th e demon who h ad been for a b rief space expelled, retu rn ed w ith seven others more wicked th a n him self: so th a t th e ir la st sta te was worse th an th e first. (Lk. 11:24-26)-.! In th is case also, histo ry seems to be rep eating itself. F o r years God has
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