August 1926
TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
444
parade around and give their opinion of a “ God who would create a place of eternal punishment’ And tell what they believe! Of what they propose to bring to pass! In spite of the sadness and sorrow of it all, one can not but see the ludicrous side. It is as though a child should keep turning the handle of the bank lock and insist that the door would soon open. What do these prattlers know about Heaven t About hell ! About the plans of the Creator for His creatures,—present or future ? Can they discover them by studying the trees, the rocks, the rivers, the stars! Can they by any means prevent the earthquake, stay the wind, stop the storm, thwart the tornado! Can
in the truest sense, as we journey with Him, by faith, remembering His promise, “ What I do t^hou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter.” The Rugged Road calls for not only loyalty, but love for the Lord. Not a mere profession of Christ as Saviour—although that is essential, of course; not a mere church membership—although every Christian should be in fellowship with some band of believers; and not merely a member of some band of believers, undertaking definite service for Christ—although such are often the most fruitful agencies for God; but the Rugged Road will be traveled by those who definitely surrender their lives to the indwelling Holy Spirit and allow Him, in His fulness, to dominate them; allowing
they even solve the problem of the insects which are becoming an increasing menace in the destruction of v e g e t a t i o n ! Dare t h e y , in fact, trifle with any of the known laws of God! They use g r e a t , swelling, high-sound ing words as they tell “ what they think,” but their poor little thinking machines are like an infant’s rattle, for does not God Him self say that He will laugh at them! (Prov. 1 :22 -26 ): “ How long, ye sim ple ones, will ye love simplicity? a n d t h e »corners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? “ Turn yon at my re- p r o o f : behold, I will pour oat my spirit onto yon, I will make known my words unto you. “ B e c a a s e I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand and no man re garded:
Him to take the things of Christ and show them unto them; al lowing Him to lead us a l o n g that Rugged Road. As we listen to His voice in the matter and manner of. separa tion from the worldly idols and influences which hinder fellow ship with Him, we will be **strengthened with m i g h t by the Holy Spirit in the i n n e r man” to keep our eyes upon Him, and our ears open to His call “ Follow Me,” as up the hill and down into the valley, in the midst of sorrows, suf fering, self-sacrifice and disappointments, our feet t r e a d the strange, •rough, Rug ged R o a d through Time, into Eternity, and into the v e r y presence of Him who will say to us then: “ Thou hast been faith ful over a few things; I will make thee ruler
NO OTHER KEY WILL UNLOCK IT
H over many. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. THE KEY TO THE KINGDOM Mr. Pace has given us a most suggestive cartoon this month, and one much needed in this our day, for it is impossible to understand the mind of man without the Bible, and it is impossible to understand the Bible unless one has been “ born again,” through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. The conceptions of God, of Heaven, of man’s rights and titles, in the minds of the unregenerate, are as confused and complicated as the lock to a bank vault, the door of which will never open until the numbers are brought into exact accord with the proper combina tion. Christ is God, and His eye searches the hearts of all men. He knows their thoughts. He reads their minds. He beholds the childish, foolish, silly people who
i “ Bat ye have set at nought my counsel, and would none of my reproof. . . “ I also will laugh at your calamity: I will mock wnen your fear cometh.” * Now look again at the cartoon: A locked door, > yes, but a key ! The new birth! Only one key 1 Only ‘ one way! Only one Ruler! Only one abiding-place * for that Ruler and those who are in fellowship with 1 Him His laws are unchangeable. He loves men—poor, i sinful, silly, wilful men! There was but one way by i which they could be brought into harmony with His , will and way. He came here and dwelt among them, j He gave His life gladly in order that sin might be - atoned for. Blood was the price— His own blood! God wants and will have harmony in Heaven—other- l wise, it would not be Heaven. There must be but l one Ruler, one Throne, one Will, one Mind. Then ) there will be perfect peace. No ambition, no avarice,
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