Friendship with the World
"Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?" is the declaration of the apostle James, [chap. iv, 4,] and he continues, "Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." Thus are we taught in the word of God, neither to cultivate nor maintain any friendship with the world, or fellowship with its votaries. "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world," [1 John ii, 15,] "Be not conformed to the world," [Rom. xii, 2,] "Come out from among them and be ye separate," [2 Cor. vi, 17,] "If ye were of the world, the world would love its own," [John xv, 19,] "Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you," [1 John iii, 13,] are some of the expressions of Holy Writ, which describe to us the position which the Christian should occupy and maintain in this present life. Such is the teaching by which they are to regulate their daily walk. Now let us see to how different emotions from the sinner they are led when the judgments of God are descending on the earth. This is described in Rev. xviii. When great Babylon (divided, degenerate and world-loving christendom) is receiving of her plagues, death, mourning and famine; when the kings of the earth are bewailing and lamenting for her; when the merchants of the earth are weeping and mourning over her; when those who have been made rich through the abundance of her delicacies, and the multitudinous articles of her merchandise, not excepting slaves and souls of men, are lamenting her judgments, and casting dust on their heads and crying alas! in view of her burning; what is the emotion of the saints? They are on no terms of friendship with her; their interest is not connected with her, they are unenriched by her merchandise, unpampered by her delicacies, undazzled by her gold, and purple and precious stones, and unstained by the blood of her slaves and souls of men. Do they join the general lamentation? Far from it. "Rejoice over her," is the injunction they receive, "ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged you on her." The judgment of the enemies of Christ and his cross, is the period of the church's triumph. While worldlings lament and bewail, the saints shall rejoice. So God decrees, and so be it.