Page:Studies in the Scriptures - Series I - The Plan of the Ages (1909).djvu/273

 of the heavenly kingdom (Eph. 2:19), and as such should claim only such rights and privileges under the kingdoms of this world as are accorded to aliens. Their mission is not to help the world to improve its present condition, nor to have anything to do with its affairs at present. To at- tempt to do so would be but a waste of effort ; for the world's course and its termination are both clearly defined in the Scriptures and are fully under the control of him who in his own time will give us the kingdom. The influ- ence of the true Church is now and always has been small so small as to count practically nothing politically ; but however great it might appear, we should follow the exam- ple and teaching of our Lord and the apostles. Knowing that the purpose of God is to let the world fully test its own ability to govern itself, the true Church should not, while in it, be of the world. The saints may influence the world only by their separateness from it, by letting their light shine ; and thus through their lives the spirit of truth REPROVES the world. Thus as peaceable, orderly obeyers and commenders of every righteous law, reprovers of law- lessness and sin, and pointers forward to the promised King- dom of God*and the blessings to be expected under it, and not by the method commonly adopted of mingling in pol- itics and scheming with the world for power, and thus being drawn into wars and sins and the general degradation in glorious chastity should the prospective Bride of the Prince of Peace be a power for good, as her Lord's repre- sentative in the world.

The Church of God should give its entire attention and effort to preaching the Kingdom of God, and to the ad- vancement of the interests of that Kingdom according to the plan laid down in the Scriptures. If this is faithfully done, there will' be no time nor disposition to dabble in the politics of present governments. The Lord had no time for

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