December, 1935
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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purpose. “ Behold the handmaid of the L ord ; be it unto me according to thy word.” This was her acknowledgment of God and His power, and it was her great and gracious surrender and submission to the holy plan. Soon Mary hastened to Elisabeth, and together they sang their song o f praise to God. The Magnificat, as we call it, is Mary’s outpouring o f her soul to the most high God. She praises the Mighty One that He ■ should con descend to one so lowly, that His consideration is all of mercy. Mary acknowledges that she has neither pomp nor power, but she lays her soul at the feet of God. The sad wreckage o f all human effort in the social, political, and commercial worlds, when Christ is bowed out of their counsels, is bad enough. But when Christ is bowed out o f the religious world — that action will call for the deathwatch of our age ! “ Ye,” O Church of God, “ are the salt o f the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matt. 5:13) ! All of which means that, in the wis dom of the incarnate God, when the nominal Christian church loses its saving power (and modernism is suffi ciently demonstrating in this present day that it possesses none), then the hour has come for the judgment o f the “ harlot” that has forsaken her Lord and has gone harloting after illicit lovers. Thenceforth, she is “ good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot o f men” ! She that forsook her Lover, shall be forsaken of her lovers. Unquestionably, it is an apostate ecclesiasticism that the great Seer o f Patmos saw in his vision, and o f which he prophesied: “ And the ten horns [“ ten kings” ] which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire” (Rev. 17:16). The signs are not want ing, even now, that the kings of the earth have little love for the “ savorless salt” that in these last days parades itself as the “ Bride of Christ”-Sthat they are not being fooled by her gorgeous ecclesiastical robes— “ sheep’s clothing.” Ver ily, her judgment is just in the offing. But, amidst the deepening shadows, the true church, knowing Him and known of Him, stands unafraid! sanctioned it. After the cross, there is no further reference to her in the Scripture. In addressing her at the Cana wed ding, the Lord Jesus made it perfectly plain that she was a woman needing the salvation that all others needed, and which He would provide in His great “ hour.” Mariolatry is idolatry; it,is baptized paganism, sinful superstition, unspiritual and unscriptural sentiment. The New Testa ment gives no grounds whatever for the legends that have grown up around Mary. Prayer in her name is entirely without Biblical warrant. On the other hand, Protestantism in its fear o f worship has consigned Mary almost to ob livion. In revolting from idolatry and exaggeration, we are almost afraid to speak her name. This position is as false as is the other. Mary was a virgin. There is only one meaning to that term, not two, and that meaning is self-evident. It means more than unmarried. It means what Mary herself said it meant— that she had never known a man. Mary was betrothed, but not married (Lk. 1:17, R .V .). It was during the betrothal that the wonderful news came to her. This was the word o f the prophet hundreds o f years before: “ Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son” (Isa. 7:14 ). M ary ' s R esponse The announcement of the angel to Mary that she was to become a mother greatly troubled her. The angel had endeavored to quiet Mary’s heart with the words, “ Fear not.” This lowly soul was encouraged to listen. Three times that phrase is used in this passage: Zacharias Js urged to “ fear not” (Lk. 1 :1 3 ); Mary is urged to “ fear not” (Lk. 1 :30), and the shepherds are urged to “ fear not” (Lk. 2 :10). Divine encouragement comes to those who are prepared to do the will of God and who bow obediently to His plan. Without understanding it, she submitted to the divine BORN OF A VIRGIN [Continued from page 445]
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