SERMON VIII.

SAFE KEEPING.

1 THESSALONIANS V. 23.

"The very God of peace sanctify you wholly, and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

THE VOWS of a most sacred profession are upon us all. According to the well-known words of our venerable Church Catechism, "We have promised and vowed to renounce the world, the flesh, and the Devil-to believe all the articles of the christian faith,-and lastly, to keep God's holy will and commandments, and to walk in the same all the days of our life." To the engagement expressed in those last words I would draw your attention-to walk in God's holy ways all the days of our life! Is our christian profession for a passing day? or for every day and all the days of our life? Are we to do our duty to God and to man to-day, and to neglect it, and from very

carelessness, fall back again to-morrow? Are we to enjoy the unspeakable happiness of the christian life for a time, and only for a time? or, shall we seek to be good and happy in the high and christian sense of the words, all the days of our life? Are we yet trifling with the things that are eternal? Are we acting like thoughtless children? or like thoughtful men ? "When I was a child," says the apostle, "I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things." It is with one accord that we are this day assembled together in one place. We have, at least for a time, left the world and the things of the world. We have been meekly kneeling upon our knees before God; we have solemnly called upon Him, as being present with us, even in the midst of us. Oh! let us still turn to Him, in the spirit of prayer, beseeching Him that the healthful spirit of His grace and the continual dew of His blessing may be poured out upon us, so that our chief desire may be to do His will. "The very God of peace sanctify you wholly, and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Have you ever seriously considered this beautiful passage of Scripture? Is there any one thoughtful, soberminded person, any one in downright earnest, that would not give up, with

a calm and resolute spirit, the things that he now holds highest in value, if he could be assured that when his spirit leaves its lifeless body in the chamber of death, and in the midst of those who weep around his departure, he might be at once received into the joy of the Lord. Could we but be assured of our safety from falling here, and of our salvation hereafter, all indeed would be well. How is it that we are not so? How is it, I might rather say, that with all our carelessness, and worldliness of living, we are in a state of blind security, and have but little fear about our safety? Perhaps there is scarcely one among the thoughtless, who has any serious fear or doubt but that all will be well with him at the last. He will take his chance with others. Alas! it is thus that we perish for want of thought. Some of us, wishing ill to no one, doing ill to no one, but to themselves, their own souls. But again, I ask, why should you perish? The Lord will keep them safe, whom He keeps faithful. Why should we not seek this proof of safety? Why should we not seek to be faithful unto death, in order to our obtaining a crown of life? The sweet spirit of adoption, of which the reformers of our church speak with such humble, but rejoicing confidence, how seldom do we find it! Men are wise for time. often beyond their calculation.

Eternity is too

Though the

very God of peace might sanctify you wholly, and though God might preserve blameless your whole spirit and soul and body unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I. Let us, first, consider the occasion when these words were written. Paul and Silas had departed from Philippi, and they had formed a church, or congregation of believers, at Thessalonica, another city in Macedonia. A party of envious and malicious Jews persecuted and attacked them there so violently, that they were obliged to depart by night to Berea. Their persecutors followed them to Berea, and from thence the apostle Paul went alone to Athens. From Athens he proceeded to Corinth, and from Corinth, not from Athens, he wrote to his beloved church at Thessalonica. His letter is the first epistle to the Thessalonians. It is supposed to be the first epistle that he wrote. It is full of instruction, but it breathes also the very spirit. of love and encouragement and comfort.

The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is that awful season to which we are all drawing nigh. His second advent is the terrible day of account to the wicked and to all that forget God, whilst it is the day of the manifestation of the sons of God to those who "look unto Jesus as the author and finisher of their faith." It is that day when the Son of man shall come in his glory,

when He shall separate the sheep from the goats, when he shall say to those on His left hand,

Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels;' when He shall say to those on his right hand, 'Come, ye blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for r you before the foundation of the world.' I ask you, the question must be answered, therefore it is well to ask it,-are you prepared for this great and terrible day? "Behold He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him, and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him."* Many humble followers of our Lord are too apt to look on the day of our Lord's coming as a dreadful and terrible day. Ah! how is this? The coming of the Lord was looked upon by the apostle as a glorious rather than a fearful event. It was his support and comfort to feel that He in whom he believed would keep him safe through every danger of affliction and temptation unto that great and glorious day. But he exhorts his flock to constant watchfulness, lest the coming of Christ should find them in a state wholly unprepared. He reminds them that they are not children of the night, but of the day, having put off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light. Is it not so with us, if we are

* Revelation i. 7.