II.
The King whose Coming we Await.
1. The spiritual commonwealth must have a head; the city must have a King. Now Jesus Christ sits in the place of power :
' J. H. Jowett, in The British Congrcgationalist, Feb. 28, 1907. 2 A. C. Price, Fifty Sermons, xi. 271. ^ Thomas Hill Green, 31.
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386 CITIZENSHIP IN HEAVEN
He holds the reins of government. And we look to Him to come, according to His promise, to remove present disabilities and bring us into the full enjoyment of our privileges. " From whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ."
The expectation of the coming of Christ out of the world of supreme truth and purity, where God is known and served aright, to fulfil all His promises, — this is the Church's and the believer's great hope. It is set before us in the New Testament as a motive to every duty, as giving weight to every warning, as determining the attitude and character of all Christian life. In particular, we cannot deal aright with any of the earthly things committed to us, unless we deal with them in the light of Christ's expected coming. This expectation is to enter into the heart of every believer, and no one is warranted to overlook or make light of it. His coming, His appearing, the revelation of Him, the revelation of His glory, the coming of His day, and so forth, are pressed on us continually. In a true waiting for the day of Christ is gathered up the right regard to what He did and bore when He came first, and also a right regard to Him as He is now the pledge and the sustainer of our soul's life : the one and the other are to pass onward to the hope of His appearing.
^ Whenever you are met by those enigmas of life which perplex many of our deepest thinkers in these days, remember " the Promise of His Coming " ! " Yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry." "Be ye therefore patient ; stablish your hearts ; for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." " Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness." Say unto God, " 0 how wonderful art Thou in Thy works ! How wonderful it will be to see this enigma solved — this perplexing aspect of Thy dealings made plain — this mystery of iniquity explained ! How glorious will it be to see order and law, instead of a lawless world ; angels and archangels, principalities and powers, in a wonderful order ; loving to obey, or ruling with temperate and loving discipline ! "
" 0 the majesty of law ! " was the thought of the great theologian Hooker, when he was dying. When those around him asked him what he was looking forward to, he said : " I look forward to seeing law and order reigning everywhere, in the new Kingdom of God." When iniquity seems to abound, and the Church is divided, and heresies are increasing, then look up and
PHILIPPIANS III. 20, 21 387
say : " 0 my Lord, I know that Thou art coming ; for Thou didst foretell this. Thou didst say that when Thy Advent should be drawing near, the faith of Thy Church would hardly exist ; that the love of many would wax cold. Thou hast told me that evil will never be crushed, until the Day dawn, and, instead of the withering blight of the dark shadow of Death, there shall be seen the light and the glory of Thy Advent Kingdom. 0 come then, Lord Jesus ! Come quickly ! " And when you cannot think or feel or pray, or realize anything, or care about anything, at least 1)6 true. Do not say words to God that you do not mean. Be silent, but kneel down and worship ; or simply say : " 0 God, help me to say. Come quickly, Lord Jesus ! " ^
2. This brings us face to face with the great motive of a true Christian life — devotion to a -person, the person of Him who is our Eedeemer and our King. This is the great secret of loyalty to the city of God. It is not loyalty to an idea however lofty, to a system however beneficent, to a society however Divine, for the loyal Christian is the man who loves the city because he loves its Lord, and who seeks the good of the city because he believes that thus, and thus alone, can he
Fulfil the boundless purpose of our King.
^ You remember the old story of the Scottish knight, with the king's heart in a golden casket, who, beset by crowds of dusky, turbaned unbelievers, slung the precious casket into the serried ranks of the enemy, and with the shout, " Lead on, brave heart ; I follow thee ! " cast himself into the thickest of the fight, and lost his life that he might save it. And so, if we have Christ before us, we shall count no path too perilous that leads us to Him, but rather, hearing Him say, "If any man serve me, let him follow me," we shall walk in His footsteps and fight the good fight, sustained by His example.^