Edward Burbidge

“ There is, first, the sowing of the seed; then the apparent spoiling of the design by the intermixture of evil with the good; then the Kingdom is seen to have a power of rapid growth and extension, and a leavening influence over the hearts of men; then its value is declared to be so priceless, that men will give up all things for its sake; and lastly, we are told of a day when all evil will be purged out, and it will become a glorious and perfect Kingdom. ”

“ Let me beg every reader of these lines to pause here, and shoot up an arrow of prayer that God may lead men to think of the blessedness of being united, as sons of one Father, brethren of one family, subjects of one Kingdom. And I would ask those readers who may be, at present, living in outward separation from the Ancient Branch of Christ’s Church in this land, to consider with themselves what cause there is in their own case to justify, before God, such a separation from their Brethren in Christ. ”

“ To know a truth perfectly men must see it from every point of view. And the power of taking such comprehensive views of truths is granted to few, if any, here on earth. Probably this perfect knowledge is reserved for us in Heaven; when all, who have loved their Lord in sincerity, will find that their controversies with one another here on earth have been due to their imperfect knowledge and limited views of the truths of God. ”

“ If it is true that our Lord came to found a real Kingdom, and if the Church described in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles is this Kingdom, it is clear that the quality of Unity or Oneness is essential to it. ”

“ But the words—“The Kingdom of Heaven”—are apt to lead away the thoughts from the present to the future, from this world to a better one. And since men are not in Heaven now, but are surrounded with earthly cares and troubles, there is danger lest they should forget or be ignorant of the intimate connection which these words have with their daily life as Christians, and with its duties, privileges, and blessings. ”

“ So that whilst all who are called to enter the Kingdom of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ are called to enjoy the blessings which He has gained for us, the multitude make little or no use of His gifts. ”

“ And S. Paul wrote to “the Church of God which is at Corinth,” to rebuke them for imagining that the founders of the Church were founding communities in their own names, forgetting that they were the mere ministers of the King. “While one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man” (1 Cor. i. 12; iii. 1-5) . ”

“ But first let us clear the way by calling to mind the origin of the present lamentable state of things. The difficulty has been created by the inevitable imperfection of all things with which man’s freewill is concerned. For God clearly intended that His Church should be [Pg 108] one; and that it should work upon the world with the irresistible force of an united Kingdom. And inasmuch as we find, in our own days, that this intention has been frustrated, there can be no doubt but that it is our duty to do what we can to bring back the conditions of our life here into conformity with it. ”

“ His Kingdom was already being set up amongst them, though they knew it not; and ever since those days it has been spreading amongst men. But He knew how strongly the great enemy of God and man would oppose the extension of His Kingdom; and how powerful the perversity of man would be to hinder it ”

“ In other words, men must not merely listen to His teaching; but they must have their eyes opened to see Him as the promised King, and receive the principle of a new Life as His subjects; or, else, His coming would be in vain.
Taking now as our starting-point the great truth that the Lord Jesus Christ came to found [Pg 13] a Kingdom, our next enquiry must be respecting the subjects or citizens of this Kingdom. ”

“ For, if the leaven represents a corrupting influence, the Parable would describe the Kingdom of Heaven either as having an evil effect upon the world, or else as progressing itself towards corruption till the whole is corrupted. ”

“ The Parable of the Sower admits of frequent illustration if we understand the seed to refer, [Pg 89] in a general sense, to the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, whether it is preached to men outside the Kingdom or to those within it. The birds are continually carrying off the seed from thoughtless and hardened hearers; opposition and persecution and temptation still scorch up the seed in others; and worldliness and love of money still choke that which was beginning to grow well in many hearts. ”