God has purposely placed the matter in such a position that His people must take their choice, and lose either the Divine friendship and fellowship, or the worldly friendship and fellowship; because those things which the Lord loves are distasteful to the worldly, and those things which the worldly love, evil deeds and evil thoughts, evil-speaking, are an abomination in the sight of the Lord, and those who love and practice such things lose His fellowship—they are not of His Spirit. "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his".
The friendship of this world implies the good will, approval and confidence that those who are in harmony with the present order of affairs give others; and because the present order is out of harmony with the principles of the Divine character and government, the world withholds friendship from the Lord's people and bestows it upon those who love the present order. The worldly are at heart at enmity with God. Since there is no friendship between them, to obtain the friendship of the world of necessity implies that we become at enmity with God. This is too costly a price to pay for the world's friendship.
1 Sam. 8:19, 20; Psa. 49:16-18; 73:2-22; Eccles. 2:1-12; 11:9, 10; Matt. 16:26; Luke 8:14; John 15:19; Rom. 12:2; 1 Cor. 7:29-31; 2 Tim. 3:2-8; 1 John 2:15-17.
