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THE KING’S BUSINESS
church of God that would mistake external conformity for inward piety, and pride anr: plume herself on numbers of adherents while losing all true separation from the world and separateness unto God. Just here comes the temptation to wrench the Scriptures from their original and ob vious meaning in support of a carnal doc trine of the last things. When the Chris tian church began, it was understood to be the law of the kingdom that disciples should be separated from the world and its idols. .The way of life was the pathway of sel f- denial, the way of the cross —via lucis. Dis ciples expected poverty, persecution, the Hatred' of the world, the opposition of the wise and mighty. They did not expect this world to become Christian but to remain the implacable enemy of the Lord whom the world crucified. Because the world hated Him, they expected to be hated as His dis ciples and because they were His followers. But when Constantine ascended the throne, an emperor was a professed Christian. Now all the powers of royalty, th e , re sources of the state, the force of armies, could be turned to the purposes of the church. No longer need there be self-denial and separation unto God. Via crucis be cause via lucis —the way to worldly emolu
ment, splendor, dignity and affluence. To bear the Christian name was now to follow the emperor and be of Caesar’s household. Now came the subtle temptation to wrest Scripture testimony in support of a royal priesthood, a worldly church, a temporal kingdom. Nothwithstanding Christ had said, “My kingdom is not of this world,” His own professed servants yielded to the temptation to remove all barriers of sepa ration, and merge the kingdom of God into the kingdom of men. The'Millennium had come; Christ, in the person of Constantine, had taken the throne. The saints were in heriting the earth and possessing the king dom. Scripture was perverted- from its meaning in the interests of a worldly and temporal heirarchy. And so it came to pass that the church nearly ceased to be —nearly became lost, or, like treasure hid in a field, or a pearl sunk to the bottom of the sea, to be recovered only after a thousand years of virtual oblivion. And hence came also that stupendous mystery of iniquity, a church founded on the principle of temporal sovereignty; ally ing itself with human governments and using temporal power to oppress and perse cute the saints of God for their fidelity to His Word!
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FORM OF BEQUEST
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All bequests should be made to “Bible Institute of Los An- geles” and NOT to “The Bible Institute” as formerly but errone-
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ously, advertised. The following is the correct form:
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I give and bequeath to Bible Institute of Los Angeles, incor- porated under the laws of the State of California.......................1,.
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I Dollars, and I direct that the release of the President of the ' Board of Directors of said Bible Institute shall be a sufficient • 1 | discharge to my executors in the premises. j • i1 • <1 • , 1 '• • 1
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