A Seasonable Exhortation

A Seasonable Exhortation

(No. 1909)

A SERMON DELIVERED ON LORD'S-DAY MORNING, JULY 11, 1886,

BY C. H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

"Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober and hope to the end
for the Grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus
Christ." 1 Peter 1:13.

To read the whole chapter is most helpful to the understanding of our
text. If we have studied it carefully, we must have said to ourselves,
"How full of their Lord were the minds of these holy writers!" Peter
can scarcely write a verse without an allusion to the Lord Jesus
Christ. He was not only, "Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Christ," but you
can see that his heart was steeped and saturated in memories of his
Master–he could hardly get through a sentence without some allusion to
the death, the Resurrection, or the Second Coming of his beloved Lord.
Oh that my ministry might always be of the same sort, dripping with the
holy unction of the Savior's name! Brethren, may your conversations and
your lives be full of the Lord Jesus Christ, that men may take
knowledge of you–that you have been with Jesus and have learned of

Him.

A second thought will have occurred to you–How ardently these men
expected the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ! Peter was continually
speaking of it and so was his beloved Brother, Paul. They hoped that
Christ might come while they were yet alive–they evidently looked upon
His Advent as very near. They were not mistaken in this last belief. It
is very near. A long time has passed, you say? I answer, By no manner
of means! Two thousand years is not a long time in the count of God,
nor in reference to so grand a business! If a thousand years is with
God as one day, if the Lord does not come for the next 20,000 years, we
shall not be truthfully able to say that He delays His coming, for with
a history of which the chief fact is the death of Christ, there may
well be due pause and ample time for working out its infinite problems.
We are dealing with eternal things and what are ages? Let us patiently
wait. "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise as some men count
slackness." Let us persevere in the same belief which filled the minds
of the early Believers– that Jesus will come, that He may come at any
time–and that He will surely come quickly! Brothers and Sisters,
before the word which now proceeds from my lips shall have reached your
ear the Lord may come in His Glory! Be you as men that look for His
coming at any moment.

It is equally noticeable that while Apostolic men looked for the coming
of Christ, they looked for it with no idea of dread, but, on the
contrary, with the utmost joy! In this chapter Peter sets forth the
glorious Advent of our Lord as an event to be hoped for with eagerness.
He speaks of "the Grace that is to be brought unto you at the
revelation of Jesus Christ." It was to him, therefore, not a day of
terror and of thunder and overwhelming confusion, but a day of the
consummation of the work of Grace, a period in which Glory should crown
the Grace received through the first manifestation of the Lord! It was
all joy to the early Believers to think of the Lord's appearing. The
falling stars, the darkened sun, the blood-red moon, the quivering
earth, the skies rolled up like an outworn vesture–all these things
had no horror for them since Jesus was, thus, coming. Though all
creation should be on a blaze and the elements should melt with fervent
heat, yet Jesus was coming and that was enough for them–the Bridegroom
of their souls was on His way and this was rapture to their expectant
spirits!

Observe also, once more, how constantly they were urging this as a
motive! Peter never holds it out as a mere matter of speculation, nor
exclusively as a ground of comfort, but he is constantly using the
Lord's glorious appearing as the grand motive for action, for holiness,
for watchfulness! Our text is a case in point–"Therefore gird up the
loins of your mind, be sober and hope to the end for the Grace that is
to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." My Brothers
and Sisters, let us not set aside a Truth of God which is evidently
meant for our stimulus, our strength and our

sanctification–but let us receive it into our hearts and pray that God
may bless it to our practical profiting in all time to come.

I intend to handle the text with special view to the present time. It
seems to me that there never was a text more appropriate for any day
than this one for the time now passing. It begins, as you notice, with
girding up the loins of your mind. These are days of great looseness–I
see great laxity of doctrinal belief–and gross carelessness in
religious practice everywhere! Christian people are doing, today, what
their forefathers would have loathed! Multitudes of professors are but
very little different from worldlings. Men's religion seems to hang
loosely about them, as if it did not fit them– the wonder is that it
does not drop off them! Men are so little braced up as to conscientious
conviction and vigorous resolve that they easily go to pieces if
assailed by error or temptation. The teaching necessary for today is
this–"Gird up the loins of your mind," brace yourselves up! Pull
yourselves together–be firm, compact, consistent, determined! Do not
be like quicksilver which keeps on dissolving and running into
fractions–do not fritter away life upon trifles, but live to purpose,
with undivided heart and decided resolution.

These are equally days in which it is necessary to say, "be sober." We
are always having some new fad or another brought out to infatuate the
unstable. Very good but very weak-minded people are apt to make
marvelous discoveries and to cry them up as if they had found the
philosopher's stone! In my short time I have heard, "Lo here!" and I
have listened. And, "Lo there!" and I have listened–the call has come
from a third, fourth, fifth, sixth quarter in quick succession and,
after all, there was nothing worth a thought! The whole world was going
to be enlightened by some new light which Peter and Paul never
saw–something far superior to anything known by any of the saints or
sages of the Church! But the grand illumination has not yet come. "Be
sober," keep your feet; possess your souls; do not be carried away with
every wind of doctrine! Do not be little babies, to believe everything
that is told you, whether it is a ghost story or a fairy tale. Be
sober–quit yourselves like men that have their wits about them. A very
necessary word is this in times when everybody seems excited and some
are so bewildered that they do not know their head from their heels!
Crowds are prepared to follow any kind of foolery, whatever it may be,
as long as it is advocated by clever men and is made to tickle their
fancy. Do but shout loudly enough and many will answer! Do but set open
the door and beckon and they will rush in, whatever the entertainment
may be! Brothers and Sisters, "be sober," and judge for yourselves.

Nor is the third exhortation at all unnecessary–"Hope to the end."
Certain of us have to confess that the outlook appears to us very dark
and dismal. Our surroundings seem full of fear and we are apt to grow
despondent, if not almost despairing. Wisely, then, does bold Peter say
to us, "Hope to the end." You who love the Truth of God, do not despair
of its success! You who hold to the good old ways, do not dream that
everybody will desert them! Do not give way to distrust as to the
issues of the conflict. Be so hopeful as to be "calm mid the
bewildering cry, confident of victory."

Put these three exhortations into one–pull yourselves together, be
steady, and be hopeful. There you have the practical run of the text. I
desire earnestly that, by God's Spirit, we may carry it into practice
from this day on and always.

In asking your attention to the text, I notice, first, an
argument–"Therefore." Secondly, an exhortation–"Gird up the loins of
your mind; be sober, and hope to the end." And thirdly, an
expectation–"hope to the end for the Grace that is to be brought unto
you at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

I. First, then, here is AN ARGUMENT, indicated by "therefore." True
religion is not unreasonable–it is common sense set to heavenly music.
Albeit that true religion may be above reason, it is never contrary to
reason, but if we had the reason of God, our reason would teach us what
His Holy Spirit has revealed. Pure religion is pure truth–God help us
to be sure of this! Holiness is also a direct logical inference from
Revelation. I like to notice the Epistles with their, "there-fores"
and, "wherefores." If you read the First Epistle of Peter, you have in
this verse, "therefore," and in the 18th verse, "forasmuch," and in the
22nd verse, "seeing then." The second chapter begins with, "therefore."
The sixth verse has its "wherefore;" the seventh its, "therefore," and
the rest of the chapter is studded with the argumentative word, "for."
Peter might seem to be too impetuous to be argumentative, but it is
clear, to him, godliness was a matter of argument–he saw a distinct
connection between the Doctrines of Grace and a holy life! Here in our
text he says, "Therefore gird up the loins of your mind."

Will you kindly follow me while I run over his argument? I shall have
to give you only an outline of it. Here it is. He begins by saying,
"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through
sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood
of Jesus Christ." See, Brothers and Sisters, you are elected to a very
high

privilege! You are chosen of God from before the foundation of the
world, out of His free favor, that you should be a sanctified, obedient
and cleansed people! Therefore, since God has chosen you to this, do
not give way to the world, but gird up your loins to contend with it!
Be not carried away with every novelty, be sober. Do not be downcast
and dispirited, but bravely hope. Shall the elect of God be timorous?
Shall those who are chosen of the Most High give way to despair? God
forbid! There is an argument, then, in the first and second verses,
forcibly supporting the precepts of the text. If we had time to
elaborate it, we should see that it well behooves the elect of God to
choose his service resolutely, to abide in it steadfastly and hope for
its reward with supreme confidence.

But next, Peter declares that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ has "begotten us again unto a lively hope by the Resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead." O you begotten of God, see that you live
as such! You are twice-born men! Live not the low life of the merely
natural man. You are of the blood royal, you are descended from the
King of Kings–degrade not your descent! You are born, not to death, as
you were at your first birth, but unto life! Though you pass through
the grave, you shall not remain there. The morgue is no home for your
body–you shall come up out of the grave, for you are begotten again
unto a hope most full of life by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead. Therefore, gird up your loins! If it is so that there is this
new life in you, a life eternal as the life of God, then be not cast
down! Pull your belt close about you! Keep yourself free from the
oppressive cares and temptations of the world and stand with holy hope,
expecting the coming of your Lord from Heaven! That is a good argument,
is it not? Your election and your regeneration call you to holy living!

Further, the Apostle goes on to say that you are heirs of "an
inheritance incorruptible, undefiled and that fades not away, reserved
in Heaven for you." For you, the harp of gold! For you, the starry
crown, the endless victory, the sight of the King in His beauty! For
you, the sitting upon the Throne of Jesus, even as He has overcome and
has sat down with His Father upon His Throne! Courage, then, Brethren,
if this is your destiny! Within a month you may be in Heaven! If within
a brief period you shall be exalted to share the rest of your Redeemer,
do not be cast down, nor overwhelmed with trouble, nor dismayed by the
abounding of sin, nor even by your own personal temptations. "Gird up
the loins of your mind, be sober and hope to the end," for your end
must be glorious! Good argument, is it not?

Then he goes on to say that you are "kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." God
Himself surrounds you as with a wall of fire. Until Omnipotence can be
vanquished, until Immutability can be changed, until the Immortal God
can die, not one of His chosen people shall be destroyed! "Kept by the
power of God," what power can destroy us? Therefore, Brothers and
Sisters, be brave and confident. Shall such a man as I flee? Kept by
the power of God, shall I tremble? If the power of God keeps me, shall
I "reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man?" If the power of God
keeps me, shall I be hopeless? Shall I speak like one that has no
hereafter to rejoice in? It cannot be so! If God keeps us, we will keep
our hope even to the end. Is not that a good argument?

Further, the Apostle goes on to say that we may be passing through
necessary trial, but it is only for a little while. "Wherein you
greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if necessary, you are in
heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith,
being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it is tried
with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the
appearing of Jesus Christ." See, Beloved, the Apostle declares that you
must be tried even as gold must be put into the furnace–you have faith
and faith must be tested–it is according to its nature and Divine
purpose! The faith of Abraham was sharply tried and so must the faith
of all Believers. That your religion may be really solid metal and not
an imitation of it, or a mere gilded bauble, you must be tried!

Your Master was tried–not without fighting did He win His crown! Not
without labor did He enter into His reward. There is a necessity for
our present affliction. God has a design in it–that He may have praise
and Glory and honor at the appearing of His dear Son–a praise, Glory
and honor in which we shall share! Come, then, Brethren, if this fire
is to be passed through, let us gird up our loins to dash through it!
Let us not fear, for the Lord has said, "When you pass through the fire
I will be with you, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame
kindle upon you." My Brethren, if for a little time we must be tried,
let us set our faces like flints to bear the trial. Let us not be
intoxicated with sorrow or fear. Since God has a grand design in it,
let us bow ourselves to His Divine will and only ask that His holy
design may be fully answered. Let us hope to be sustained in the trial
and sanctified as the result of it–and let no unbelieving fear cast a
cloud over our sky. Is not this a good argument?

Nor is this all. He tells us that even while we are in trial we are
still full of joy. Read the eighth verse concerning, "Jesus Christ,
whom, having not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see Him not,
yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory."
Beloved, we who love the Lord have our joy even in our present
adversity! We have two heavens–a Heaven here and a Heaven hereafter!
Jesus is with us and this is Heaven–we are soon to be with Jesus and
that is another Heaven! Though sometimes cast down, we are glad at
heart–

"I would not change my blessed estate For all that earth calls good or
great." Give me but the company of the sweet Lord Jesus and I ask no
greater happiness! Yes, let me go back to my bed and my pain if I may
have Jesus there! Better to lie in a dungeon and pine on bread and
water with Christ's company than to sit in a parliament of kings and be
their emperor and be without the Lord! Saints find everything in Christ
when they have nothing else–and they equally find everything in Him
when earthly comforts are multiplied! Beloved, if it is so, then let us
gird up the loins of our mind, be sober and hope to the end! He that is
with us now and makes all our sorrows work for good will be with us
even to the end! Come life, come death, our Lord's Presence provides us
with an all-sufficiency. If His Presence shall go with us and He will
give us peace, we need not stipulate as to the road. Therefore let us
not be dismayed, nor even think of doubting. Is not this a good
argument?

Once more–the Apostle goes on to say that the Gospel which we believe
and which we teach, and for which we are ready to suffer and even to
die–is a Gospel that comes to us with the sanction of the Prophets.
The Holy Spirit moved upon those choice spirits so that they spoke to
us concerning the sufferings of Christ and the Glory which should
follow. It seems to me, Brothers and Sisters, that with such men as
Moses and David, Isaiah and Jeremiah to support our faith, we need not
be ashamed of our company, nor tremble at the criticisms of the
moderns! We ought, rather, to gird up the loins of our mind and give
our whole soul to the proclamation of a Gospel which is rendered
venerable by the testimony of inspired men of all ages! Be sober and
steadfast in the belief of the old faith! Never be moved by anything
that modern rationalism or ancient unbelief may have to say! For not
only do the Prophets assure us that we follow no cunningly-devised
fable, but the angels stand gazing into it with strong desire to know
more of it! The daily study of cherubim and seraphim is the Revelation
of God in Christ. I tell you, Sirs, that the Gospel which, today, is
hacked in pieces by the wise men of this world who tell us that they
have found out something more in harmony with growing enlightenment, is
still the admiration of every holy one who walks yon golden streets, or
waits before the burning Throne of God! Still do angels and
principalities and powers admire the mystery of the Incarnate God and
the substitutionary Atonement made for men by the crucified Lord! They
never cease to wonder and adore concerning the glorious Gospel of the
blessed God! Standing, then, side by side with Prophets, looking with
intent gaze to the same Object which fixes the attention of angels, we
are not abashed by ridicule, nor disquieted by opposition! We stand
fast, as upon a rock, girding up the loins of our mind and hoping to
the end! There again is a right good argument. Is it not so?

II. I beg you, dear Friends, to follow me to the next head of
discourse, namely, THE EXHORTATION. The exhortation is a triplet–"Gird
up the loins of your mind, be sober and hope to the end."

The first exhortation, "Gird up the loins of your mind," sounds very
sweet in my ears. I do not know whether it raises echoes in your minds,
as it does in mine. I fancy that Peter had a noticeable habit of
pulling his garments together. I read of him that he, "girt his
fisher's coat unto him, for he was stripped." Almost everybody has some
personal peculiarity and mannerism. And it may have been the way of
Peter to be often tightening his belt. Hence the Savior–and here is
the music of the text to me–said to him by the sea, after He had said,
"Simon, son of Jonas, do you love Me?"–"When you were young, you
girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you shall be old,
you shall stretch forth your hands and another shall gird you and carry
you where you would not. This spoke he, signifying by what death he
should

glorify God."

That word, "gird," while it had something to do with Peter's old habit,
is now sanctified by that blessed word which his Master had given him.
Turning to the Lord's people, whom he desires to feed, he says to them,
"Gird up the loins of your mind." "My Master talked of my girding my
loins and of my being girt. I say now to you, Gird up the loins of your
mind." Do you not think he borrowed the expression from the Lord Jesus?
I think he did.

Moreover, he was writing to Hebrew strangers scattered throughout
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. May he not have had
ringing in his ears for these Hebrews, the words of Moses to their
fathers when they were

strangers in Egypt? They were to eat the Passover with their loins
girded and their staves in their hands. Thus would Peter have his
brother "strangers" live in expectation of their complete deliverance
and Home-going which was drawing near. I detect an echo of Egypt and
the Paschal supper in this word.

Or did Peter wish them to be ready to rejoice in the great blessing
which was soon to come to them? Were they to be ready to leap and run
for joy? We read of Elijah, that when he heard the sound of an
abundance of rain, he girded himself and ran before Ahab's chariot–and
so when we hear of the Grace that is to be revealed at the coming of
our Lord, we are ready to run without weariness and walk without
fainting! Oh that every servant of God would gird up his loins to run
and meet his Master's chariot, for the King is on His way! He comes! He
comes! Go forth to meet Him. Meeting Him, it is but fit that you should
be found as servants prepared to do His bidding and run on His errands.

The exact meaning of the metaphor, "Therefore gird up the loins of your
mind," is to be found in the form of Oriental dress, which requires the
use of a belt and the girding of it tightly, lest the garments should
entangle the feet of the traveler, or otherwise hinder his action.

"Gird up the loins of your mind." My Brethren, that certainly teaches
us, in the first place, earnestness. A man going to work tucks up his
sleeves and tightens his robes. He has something to do which demands
all his strength and, therefore, he cannot afford to have anything
hanging loosely about him to hinder him. We brace ourselves for a
supreme ef-fort–and the Christian life is always such. We must always
be in earnest if we would be disciples of our earnest Lord.

Does it not also mean preparedness? When a man has girt his garments
about him, he is ready for his work. A true Believer should be ready
for suffering or service–ready, indeed, for anything. A servant
standing with his loins girt signifies that whatever the message may be
from his Master, he is ready to deliver it. Whatever the errand, he is
ready to run upon it. He only needs the word and he will not hesitate,
but will obey at once. This is the position which Christian people
should always occupy–you should be earnestly prepared for the will of
the Lord, let it be what it may. The future is unknown to you, but you
are in a fit condition to meet it, whatever form it may assume.

But the figure means more than this, does it not? It means
determination and hearty resolution. The man who girds himself up for a
work means that he is resolved to do it at once. He has made up his
mind–no shilly-shallying remains with him, no hesitancy, no
questioning, no holding back–he is set upon his course and is not to
be moved from it. You will never get to Heaven, any of you, by playing
at religion! There will be no climbing the hill of the Lord without
effort; no going to Glory without the violence of faith. I believe that
the ascent to Heaven is still as Bunyan described it–a staircase,
every step of which will have to be fought for. He heard sweet singers
on the roof of the palace singing–

"Come in! Come in! Eternal Glory you shall win."

Many had a mind to enter the palace and win that eternal Glory, but
then, at the doorway stood a band of warlike men, with drawn swords, to
wound and kill every man that ventured to enter! Therefore many who
would have liked to have walked on the top of the palace did not care
for so dangerous an enterprise–they desired the end but not the way to
it! At last there came one with a determined countenance and he said to
the writer with the inkhorn by his side, "Set down my name, Sir." And
when his name was duly recorded, he drew his sword and rushed upon the
armed men with all his might! It was a fierce conflict, but he meant to
conquer or die, and he did conquer! He cut a lane through his enemies
and, by-and-by, he, too, was heard singing with the rest–

"Come in! Come in!

Eternal Glory you shall win."

By conflict throughout a whole life we come to our rest–there is no
other way. You cannot go round to a back door and enter into Heaven by
stealth! You must fight if you would reign! Therefore, gird up the
loins of your mind.

Once more, the figure teaches us that our life must be concentrated.
"Gird up the loins of your mind." We have no strength to spare. We
cannot afford to let part of our force leak away. We need to bring all
our faculties to bear upon one point and exert them all to one end.
Much can be done by concentration. The rays of the sun are warm, but if
you collect them into a focus, by a magnifying glass, you produce a
fire which otherwise you could not find in them. Concentrate your
faculties upon faith in Jesus! Concentrate your emotions upon the love
of Jesus! Concentrate your whole being upon the Glory of Jesus! You
will accomplish marvels if you do this. A man who is all over the place
is nowhere, but he whose life is one and indivisible, is strong–and
his influence will be felt in the service of his Master.

I cannot stay long upon one point, though there is so much to be said.
The second exhortation is–"Be sober." And does not that mean, first,
moderation in all things? Do not be so excited with joy as to become
childish. Do not grow intoxicated and delirious with worldly gain or
honor. On the other hand, do not be too much depressed with passing
troubles. There are some who are so far from sobriety that if a little
goes wrong with them, they are ready to cry, "Let me die." No, no!

"Be sober." Keep the middle way–hold to the golden mean. There are
many persons to whom this exhortation is most necessary. Are there not
men around us who blow hot today and cold tomorrow?–their heat is
torrid, their cold, arctic! You would think they were angels from the
way they talk one day, but you might think them angels of another sort
from the manner in which they act at other times. They are so high up,
or so low down, that in each case they are extreme. Today they are
carried away with this and the next carried away with that. I knew a
Christian man right well to whom I was accustomed to use one salutation
whenever I saw him. He was a good man, but changeable. I said to him,
"Good morning, Friend! What are you now?" He was once a valiant
Arminian, setting young people right as to the errors of my Calvinistic
teaching. A short time after, he became exceedingly Calvinistic,
himself, and wanted to screw me up several degrees! But I declined to
yield. Soon he became a Baptist and agreed with me on all points, so
far as I know. This was not good enough and, therefore, he became a
Plymouth Brother! And after that he went to the church from which he
originally set out. When I next met him, I said, "Good morning,
Brother, what are you now?" He replied, "That is too bad, Mr. Spurgeon,
you asked me the same question last time." I replied, "Did I? But what
are you now? Will the same answer do?" I knew it would not. I would
earnestly say to all such Brethren, "Be sober. Be sober." It cannot be
wise to stagger all over the road in this fashion! Make sure of your
footing when you stand. Make doubly sure of it before you

shift!

To be sober means to have a calm, clear head, to judge things after the
rule of right and not according to the rule of mob. Be not influenced
by those who cry loudest in the street, or by those who beat the
biggest drum. Judge for yourselves as men of understanding. Judge as in
the sight of God with calm deliberation.

"Be sober," that is, be clear-headed. The man who drinks and thus
destroys the sobriety of his body is befogged, muddled and has lost his
way. Ceasing to be sober, he makes a fool of himself. Do not commit
this sin spiritually. Be especially clear-headed and calm as to the
things of God. Ask that the Grace of God may so rule in your heart that
you may be peaceful and serene and not troubled with idle fear on one
side or with foolish hope on the other.

"Be sober," says the Apostle. You know the word translated, "be sober,"
sometimes means, "be watchful." And, indeed, there is a great kinship
between the two things. Live with your eyes open. Do not go about the
world half asleep. Many Christians are asleep. Whole congregations are
asleep! The minister snores theology and the people in the pews nod in
chorus. Much sacred work is done in a sleepy style. You can have a
Sunday school and teachers and children can be asleep. You can have a
tract-distributing society, with visitors going round to the doors all
asleep! You can do everything in a dreamy way if so it pleases you. But
says the Apostle–be watchful, be alive! Brothers and Sisters, look
alive! Be so awakened by these grand arguments with which we have plied
you already, that you shall brace yourselves up and throw your whole
strength into the service of your Lord and Master!

Finally, let us "hope to the end." Never despair; never even doubt.
Hope when things look hopeless. A sick and suffering Brother rebuked me
the other day for being cast down. He said to me, "We ought never to
show the white feather, but I think you do, sometimes." I asked him
what he meant and he replied, "You sometimes seem to grow desponding
and low. Now I am near to die, but I have no clouds and no fears." I
rejoiced to see him so joyous and I answered, "That is right, my
Brother, blame me as much as you please for my unbelief, I richly
deserve it." "Why," he said, "you are the father of many of us! Did you
not bring me and my friend over yonder to Christ? If you get low in
spirit after so much blessing, you ought to be ashamed of yourself!" I
could say no other than, "I am ashamed of myself and I desire to be
more confident in the future."

Brethren, we must hope and not fear. Be strong in holy confidence in
God's Word and be sure that His cause will live and prosper. Hope, says
the Apostle. Hope to the end. Go right through with it. If the worst
comes to the worst, still hope. Hope as much as ever a man can hope,
for when your hope is in God you cannot hope too much!

But let your hope be all in Grace. Do not hope in yourself or in your
works, but "hope in the Grace," for so the text may be read. Hope,
moreover, in the Grace which you have not yet received–in "the Grace
that is to be brought unto

you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Bless God for the Grace that
you have not yet obtained, for He has it in store for you! Yes, He has
put it on the road and it is coming to you. When for the moment you
seem to be slack in present Grace, say, "Glory to God for all the Grace
I have not tasted yet." Hope for the Grace which is to come with your
coming Lord.

III. This has brought me to my last head, in which there is much
sweetness. I ask your patience while I dwell upon it. The third point
is EXPECTATION–"Hope to the end for the Grace that is to be brought
unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." What you have got to hope
for, Brothers and Sisters, is more Grace! God will always give you
Grace. He will never deal with you upon the ground of merit–that door
is shut–He has begun with you in Grace and He will go on with you in
Grace. Therefore, "hope to the end for the Grace."

Next, it is Grace that is on the way to you. The Greek should be
rendered, "Hope to the end for the Grace that is being brought to you,"
or, "the Grace that is a bringing to you." Grace is coming to you with
all speed. Jesus Christ is coming! He is on the way to earth–look for
Him to appear soon! The Grace you are to look for is Grace linked with
your Lord Jesus Christ–you never received any Grace apart from
Him–and you never will.

The Grace you are to hope for is to be brought to you at the revelation
of Jesus Christ. He has been revealed once, at His First
Advent–therefore the Grace you have. He is to be revealed very soon in
His Second Advent, therefore the Grace that is coming to you. Think of
the Grace that is coming. "My ship is coming home," says the child. So,
also, is mine–Jesus is coming–and that means all things to me. The
golden chariot of my Lord is coming loaded down with unutterable love,
infinite joy and eternal delight! Rejoice this morning for the Grace
that is coming, Grace that is linked with Jesus Christ.

But what can this Grace be that will be received at His coming?
Justification? No, we already have that by His Resurrection.
Sanctification? No, we already have that, by being made partakers of
His life. What is the Grace that is to be revealed at His coming? Just
look at the chapter and you will read in the fifth verse, "Who are kept
by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed
in the last time." Perfect salvation is one part of the Grace which is
to be brought in the last time when Christ comes! When He comes there
will be perfection for our souls and salvation for our bodies. Perhaps
we may be alive when He comes. If so, we shall be changed in the
twinkling of an eye into perfection, for, "this corruption must put on
incorruption." Perhaps we may die before He comes. If so, it does not
matter–though corruption, earth, and worms may have devoured this
flesh, yet, at His coming, our body shall rise in the image of Christ's
glorious body! We look for perfect salvation at the coming of Christ.
This is the Grace that is coming to us and is on the road now.

And that is not all. The second Grace that Christ will bring with Him
when He comes is the perfect vindication of our faith–"that the trial
of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes,
though it is tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and
glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." Today they sneer at our faith,
but they will not do so when Jesus comes! Today we, ourselves, tremble
for the Ark of the Lord, but we shall not do so when He comes! The
coming of Christ in all the Glory of the Father will be a vindication
of our faith! Then shall all men say that Believers were wise, prudent,
philosophical. Those who believe in Jesus may be called fools, today,
but men will think otherwise when they see them shine forth as the sun
in the Father's Kingdom! Wait a wee bit–all will soon be cleared.

Copernicus declared the truth that the earth and the planets revolve
around the sun. His opponents replied that this could not be true, for
if the planet Venus revolved around the sun, she must present the same
phases as the moon. This was very true. Copernicus looked up to Venus
but he could not see those phases, nor could anyone else! Nevertheless
he stuck to his statement and said, "I have no reply to give, but in
due time God will be so good that an answer will be found." Copernicus
died and his teaching had not yet been justified. But soon after,
Galileo came forward with his telescope and, on looking at Venus, he
saw that she did pass through exactly the same changes as the moon.
Thus Wisdom is justified of her children. the Truth of God may not
prevail today or tomorrow, but her ultimate victory is sure! Today they
say that the Doctrines of Grace are antiquated, obsolete and even
injurious. We are at no trouble to answer the charge. We can wait and
we do not doubt that public thought will alter its tone.

I hear the sneering words, "You orthodox are fools, for you hold to
exploded notions." Truly, Sir, we do believe that which you please to
say is exploded, but we shall be found to be right when your new
systems have come and gone like vapors which appear for a little time
and then vanish away. He is coming who will justify all who believe in
Him and

award praise, glory and honor to their faith. If our Gospel is a lie,
it will prove to be a lie at His coming! But it is so true that we are
not troubled at the prospect of the Last Great Judgement! The mysteries
which now perplex us will be solved when the mists are rolled away.
Therefore, hope on for the Grace that is to be revealed.

Once more–when Christ comes there will be a revelation ofperfect
Glory. Read the 11th verse–"Searching what, or what manner of time the
Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified
beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the Glory that should follow."
Now this is the Grace which is to come to us when Christ appears.
"Grace," you say, "You mean Glory." I do. Yet what is Glory but Grace
come to perfection? Grace is Glory in the bud and Glory is Grace in the
full flower! You believe in Jesus Christ, but as yet you do not see the
Glory that awaits you. Wait a little while. "It does not yet appear
what we shall be: but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be
like He, for we shall see Him as He is."

I have brought you back to the Second Coming of Christ. I told you it
was a practical doctrine. I want to leave that impression upon your
minds that you may go back to your daily work and constant struggle
with the world. "Gird up the loins of your mind, be sober and hope to
the end"–because there is wondrous Grace to be revealed to you,
by-and-by. I should like you to act as the American–Colonel
Davenport–did, upon a certain occasion. One day, many years back, a
thick darkness came over the United States. Now and then in London we
have dreadfully dark days for which we can scarcely account, but this
was quite a new experience for the New Englanders and caused a terrible
sensation. So exceedingly black was it that the barn-door fowls went to
roost in the middle of the day!

The darkness grew worse and people trembled in their houses, declaring
that the end of the world was coming. They were all excited and
alarmed. One of the houses of legislature adjourned under the belief
that the Day of Judgment was come. The other house was sitting and the
blackness was so intense that everybody was awed. A motion was made
that they should break up, as the end of the world had certainly
arrived. Colonel Davenport objected, saying, "The Judgment is either
approaching, or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for
adjourning. And if it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish,
therefore, that candles may be brought."

Brothers and Sisters, it is dark. But whatever is going to happen, or
whatever is not going to happen, let us be found girded, sober and
hopeful! In these dark political times, these dark religious times, I
call for candles, for we mean to go on working! Amen.