The World Getting Better.

 
MY eye one day caught sight of a paper, and an article headed “The World Getting Better” attracted my attention. What, thought I, the world getting better? Oh! what a delusion. How can anyone say so, when the Word of God is so plain, and tells us that “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:1313But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:13))? So I read on, and the writer went on to compare the state of things now with what they were many years ago in the county asylums, prisons, &c., showing the good works and improvements that have been made, and mentioning that many of them were due to the labors of certain men whom I knew to be Christians. Ah! thought I, that is it. The Holy Spirit through these men has counteracted the working of evil, but man’s heart is just the same, and remains unmendable bad; but for people to think that the world is getting better because the working of evil is restrained is quite a mistake, for we read in 2 Thessalonians 2:7,7For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. (2 Thessalonians 2:7) “The mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he that now letteth (or hindereth) will let, until he be taken out of the way.” So that, dear reader, the world and man’s heart is no better now than when they cruelly put the Lord Jesus to death upon the cross.
The article finished by saying that any one to look around, and examine these things, could not deny that “the human race was steadily progressing, and that after all the world was really getting better.” But be assured, dear reader, from God’s Word, that the cross of Christ was the end of this world’s progress. Jesus said at that time, “Now is the judgment of this world” (John 12:3131Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. (John 12:31)). So there we see that all hope of man’s improvement was at an end, and that man needs to have implanted within him a new nature, for God has judged man’s heart to be corrupt, and not fit for himself. Just look in Romans 3 for a picture of man. There we see that all are concluded to be guilty before God, and that nothing will avail but being justified freely through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:2424Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (Romans 3:24)). No doubt a deal has been done in the shape of sanitary improvements and inventions, but let it not be forgotten that these things in no way alter what God has said, and that still even now in this nineteenth century “all the world stands guilty before God.” Nevertheless God’s invitation to the sinner is still going forth, “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:1717And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17)). G. S.