■^l^'-d:. ABIDING IN CHKIST." A. SEKMiOIsr FOR THE NEW YEAR. PBKACHKU ISI TUB ^CHURCH OF St. JOHN THE EVANGELIST, HUROi^ COLLEGE, \ AN1> IN I CHRIST CHURCH, WESTMINISTER, f #tt Sjttnbaii, |Hn«atg 2nb, 1870, ^j r,"^ i BY THK BEV, ISAAC BItOCK, HI. A. ■ Queen's College, Oxford. I Principal and D«vialty Ptofosjior of Huron Co!l«go, ana In.^umbent of Christ Obmcb. W^t'stn InUter. M. A. TAYLOK, KICimOND STREET, LONDON, ONT: iJawwh & nro., Printers. BichmoncJ StR-et, ojiptwltc City Hall. 1«7 0. f-yk^^ji-fS'- ABIDING IN CHRIST." A. SERMON^ FOR THE NEW YEAR, PnKACHKD IN TIIK CHURCH OF St. JOHN THE EVANGELIST, HURON COLLEGE, AND IN CHRIST CHURCH, WESTMINISTER, #n S^ttttbas, lanunrg 2nb, 1870, BY THE REV. ISAAC BROCU, M. A. Queen's College, Oxford. Principal and nivlnitv Profesoor of Huron College, and Inourabeiit of Chrlxt Church, Wentniinlster. R, A. TAYLOR, RICHMOND STREET, LONDON, ON^T: Dawson k Rro.. Printers, Rlchinond Stiwt. opposite City Hall. 1 870. 13 S 5 3 lo John XV: 4. ''Ahidein Me." Through the good hand of our God over us, we are permitted to gather together in the Sanctuary of the Lord, on the first Lord's day of another of our earthly years. A year of mingled joy and sorrow has passed away ; a year wherein some of us have had to sing of both judgment and mercy. And now we have turned over a leaf >n the great book of time, we have entered on a new year — and naturally we ask, what shall it bring forth ? What events are stored up for us in its unknown future ? Happily it is not for us to know. But this we know, that our times are in our Father's loving hand, and that He, even when He tries us, does all things well. Let us stay ourselves, dear friends, on this assurance, and look for- ward trustfully and hopefully. And now, without further preface let me ask you to con judder with me the text which I have chosen forour congregjitional watch- word for 1870. Throughout its hours, and days, and months ; throughout its joys and sorrows ; throughout its cares and burdens ; may it ring in our ears, may it dwell in our hearts, may it inHuence our lives. I. " Abide in Me." Who is the speaker of these words ? A face exceeaing beautifid, fairer than the children of men, yet marred by no com- mon grief, chastened by no ordinary sor- row, speaketh them. A nuin, He seems conversin<'' with His fellow-men. A human teacher He appears amid the little band of His disciples. And yet what man, what hu- man teacher, dare speak and teach like Him ? Who like Him, dare beckon all men to Him- self, and then bid them having come, abide in Him ? Who of human teachers could say to all mankind, ' Come to Me/ — I will give you rest ? Who to His disciples could say, ' x\bide in Me,' — 1 am vour life ? Could Socrates, or Zoroaster, or Oonfu- cius, or Mahomet ? Could St. Paul, or St. John, St. Chrysostom, or St. Augustine ? Could Loyola, or Xavier, or Liguori ? Could Luther, or Calvin, or Cranmer ? Could Wesley, or J^omaine, or McCheyne ? Nay brethren, no human teacher, Heathen or Christian, Papal or Protestant, Nonconform- ist or Churchman, aHild invite all mankind to hiniHolf for re^^t, or command all his dis- ciples to abide in him Ibr life. Fioiii any human teacher, such language as " Come to Me," '• Abide in Me," would sound most unnatural and exaggerated ; and yet on the lips of Jesus of Nazari'th wlio spoke them, they sound but the natural utterances of so- briety and truth. Was He then a mere man ? a merely hu- man teacher i' Nay, man He was — truly man — for He became incarnate, as we have just commemorated in our Christmas festi- val, and it was no phantom Ijody that He took when He was made flesh, and dwelt among us. He becam'e a; real though a sinless man,but though man, He was God too; "God over all blessed for ever." He was, as the Holy Catholic Church throughout the world confesses, and as Holy Scripture teaches, " God manifest in the flesh." Yes brethren, a truly divine, though a truly human Christ is our teacher. Hence we wonder not at the authoritative words of the text, " Abide in Me.'' They are natural, they are looked for from the lips of Jesus, because as Son of God, He is our Lord and our God. But if His Godhead invests them with authority, 6 His manhood clothes them with winning tenderness. No far distant Deity speaketh here, 'tis Jesus Son of Mary who converses with us as friend with friend. Our brother says, " Abide in Me/' and we are drawn, we are melted by the tenderness of His hu- man love and human sympathy. Our God says, '' Abide in Me," and our wayward hearts are constrained to listen to His author- itative voice. II. I pass to a second enquiry : When did Jesus Christ speak these loords ? The night before He was crucified ; yea a lew short hours only, before He was ar- rested hy His foes ; the Holy Supper was over ; Judas had gone out on his errand of darkness and treachery ; the upper room where the last typical passover had been eaten was soon to be left ; for the " Arise let us go hence," with wnich the previous chapter closes, indicates an approaching change of scene ; Gethsemane's olive-shaded garden would soon be reached ; the time of His agony was close at hand ; the vision of His cross was over-shadowing His soul ; His sufferings, death, and burial were immedi- ately coming on : and yet He sa3^s, " Abide in Me." Think of the force of these words as unfolded by their surrounding context — tliink of these circumstances connected with them — and do you not see in them an indi- rect but striking prophecy of the resurrection and exaltation of the Speaker ? Of what avail would be abiding in a dead Christ ? What posver would He possess for the succour of His people ? How would He then be the living Vine, giving life to the branches, the source at once of their growth and fruitfulness ? When therefore Jesus said, '* Abide in Me/' He looked beyond His bitter cross, and silent grave, and sojourn in Hades, to His glorious resurrection and triumphant iiscension, and prevailing inter- cession at the right hand of the Father. TI. A third enquiry arises: To ichorn loere these words spoken ? First to the faithful eleven. The traitor is gone ; Christ could no longer say, as once He said in sadness, " Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil ?" No. Those around our Lord now were not only called and chosen, but faithful. Yes, in spite of all their failings and imperfections, which the next few hours would so vividly depict, they were loyal. In a few moments their omniscient Lord, in His prayer to His Father, would speak of them thus : " I have manifested thy Name, unto the men wliich Thou gavest Me out of the world ; thine thev were, and Thou gavest them Me; and tliey have kept Thy Word ; and they have believed that Thou didst send Me." Jesus read the lu^arts of the little sorrowing band around Him ; and He can speak of them thus in His higb priestly prayer. The words of my t(?xt then, spoken in the first instance to the fjiithful eleven, were spoken to true be- lievers ; weak doubtless as yet, tVir from bei no: established in the faith, but still true. The taithful Apostles represent those to whom the Master speaks the words of my text now. He speaks then to believers, to those who amid all their short-comings, and failures, and sins, have given their hearts to Him, who in answer to Jesu s searching question, '' Lovest thou Me ?" with Peter can say, " Lord, Thou knowest all things, Thou knowest that 1 love Thee " To such Jesus says now, " Abide in Me." In the very nature of the ca*se, it is evi- dent that only to such can Jesus speak such words. For what does abiding in Christ imply? Clearly that we have already come to Him. Hence believers onlv can be asked to abide in Christ. Others h ive v st to come to Him, to give themselves to Him by faith, to surrender their own hearts to Him. But those who have come, those who bv the grace of God have obeyed the Master's first w^ord to wandering weary sinners, *' Come unto Me," are asked, yea lovingly entreated, to remain. Jesus does not wish them to wander away from the embraces of His love, and therefore to His own believing people, who have come to trust under the shadow of His wings,He says,'^Abide in Me.'' IV. We are conducted now to a fourth enquiry ; Why does Jesus ash Hw he/ieving pexyple to abide in Him ? (1.) First, because He loves them. Jesus loves all poor sinners of mankind. This love brought Him from heaven to eartli. The story of Bethlehem, the story of Nazareth, above all the story of Calvary, is the '* Old, old storv of Jesus, and His love." This love led Jesus in His lowliness, this love leads Him still in His Father's glory to say to poor w^eary sinners, ^' Come unto Me, I will give you rest." 10 Dear fellow -sinners here, who have not yet come, Jesus loves you, He died for you, He pleads for you on His throne in the heavenly Zion — that you have been spared to see 1870 is in answer to His pleadings. Will you go on resistmg divine love, turning a deaf ear to your beckoning Savioinr ? Oh, why will you die ? Why live us if you had no souls to save? Shall Jesus have to say to some of 3^ou w^hat He had to say to some of old, '' Ye wrill not come to Me, that ye might have life T' Do not tell me that in a dying hour you hope to come to Christ. Then reason may have forsaken her throne; or prostrating weakness, or racking pain, may render all serious thought impossible. Nay, delay not under any pretext, sinners out of Christ to flee for refuge ; delay not lest 3^our day of probation close in darkness ; delay not lest a long-suffering God summon you to an ac- count for your neglected opportunities, your slighted mercies, your w^asted blessings. How unutterably sad it will be for you to have to say hereafter, as you look back on a past which cannot be recalled, " The har- vest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." Oh, dear fellow-sinners, ugaiii I remind you, Jesus loves yon. Do you still doubt it 1 Then ponder over the the mystery of His hol}^ incarnation; think of His holy nativity and circumcision; His baptism, fasting and temptation ; His agon}' and blood sweat ; His cross and passion ; His precious death and bu;ial ; His glorious resurrection and ascension ; and His sending of the Holy Ghost. All this He undertook for you. Will you not then turn to Him in penitence? Will you not seek Him now by faith ? Or, will you allov/ Him to go on caUing you in vain ? Will you slight the love which now says, ^' Come unto Me V Then I must affectionately but most plainly warn you, that tliat very love which now in- vitees, which now says " Come," will hereafter say "Depart," '* Depart from Me, into ever- lasting lire prepared for the devil and his angels." Yes, love to prevent further manifestations of rebellion, to restrain further developments of sin in those who would not be won to holiness by the Cross, love to the lost shall compel the execution of that sen- tence of the judgment throne. Love to those who would not be saved, shall leave for them no other alternative but the reahn of eternal torment, where rebellion and resistance 12 as they will be hopeless shall be unknown, for as our living Milton has sung, "Passive submission is the law of hell."* But, my brethren, if our Jesus loves sin- ners who are still wandering far from Him, much more does He love His own. If He loved Judas, much more did Pie love 8t. John. The former He loved with divine compassion, the latter He loved with divine complacency. And because He thus loves His people, because He loves them as He loved John the beloved, He savs to tliem, *' Abide in Me." For His own sake then, and for theirs too as we shall see. He thus entreats His loved ones. His heart is knit to them, as it was to the inmates of Bethany's favoured home, and therefore He does not want them to leave Him: He prizes their companionship. True, He has in His high * This is a quotation from a poem in twelve Books, by the Rev. E. H. Blckorsteth, M. A., entitled, " YoBterday, To-Day and Eor Ever." In the hope that aome in Canada will purchase, and thoughtfully peruec this wonderful poem, I append the enbjocte of the diftercnt books : I. The Seer's Death and Descent to Hades. II. The Paradise of the Blessed Dead. III. The Prison of the Lost . IV. The Creation of Angels and Men. V. TheFallofAnKolsand Men. VI. The Empire of Darkness, VII. Redemption. VIII. The Church Militant. IX. The Bridal of the Lamb. X. The Millennial Sabbath. XI. The Last Judgment. XII. The Many Mansion*. Id court on the heavenly Zion the beloved so- ciety of His Eternal Father, and the Ever Blessed Spirit, and the eonverse with myriads of holy angels, who do His commandments, and hearken unto the voice of His Word. True, whenever He walks throucrh the bowers and gardens of His Paradise of the blessed dead, He has the companionship of multi- tudes, of His redeemed, who are safe in their home with Jesus ; but for all tliis, He would not lose the com])anionship of one of His dear children still in the Church Militant ; all, all are needed to fill His cup of joy, to complete His jewelled diadem, to accomplish the number of His elect. Each one there- fore He loves with divine solicitude, and hence to each of His beloved people on earth, He says, "Abide in Me.'' (2.) But again, Jesus asks His people to abide in Him, because He wants them to be holy. Mark the words that follow. "Abide in Me, and I in vou. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine ; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the Vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in Me, and I in Him, the same bring- eth forth much fruit ; for without Me, (or severed from Me,) ye can do nothing." 14 Jesus desires his people to be fruitful in good works ; He wants them to be holy. But this, Jesus explains to us in this parable of the Vine, is impossible unless we abide in Him. As well might you expeet a branch cut off' from the vine to bring forth fruit, as a sinner out of Christ to be holy. The severed branch must be engrafted, the sap in tlie tree must rise into the graft, then it will live, living it will bring forth fruit, and tlie pruning hand of the skillful husljandman will make it bring forth more fruit. Thus it is with us. We live only as united to Christ. Engrafted into Him who is our Life, we live. Living we will bring forth fruit. And our Father who is the Husband- man will, if need be, try us that we may bring forth more fruit. And here, brethren, I would have you note, that this fruitfulness, this holiliess of heart and life, is the evidence that our abiding in Christ is real. There is an abiding in Christ which is only outward and nominal. To it our Lord refers when He says, *' Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit, My Father taketh away." Such is the case with a great many baptized Christians. By Holy Baptism they have been engrafted into Christ. M They are *' memberH of Christ/' branches in Him the true Vine. The ligatures and hands of an outward profesr^ion unite them to Christ* But there is no inward and living union, and the absence of fruit attests the want of this real union. The doom of these fruitless branches is predicted by our Lord. They are taken away by the Heavenly Husbandman ; their outward union is dissolved ; and then what follows further t Jesus says, ** If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered ; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." Such in a cared-for vineyard is the end of the fruitless branches of a vine. Is there no fore- shadowing here of the end of nominal Chris- tians ? In the cared-for vineyard of God's Church think you that they will be allowed for ever to cumber the ground with their fruitless boughs ? Nay, a time of excision, long delayed perhaps, will come at last. Angels not men, acting under God's com- mand will gather out of His kingdom, all things that ofiend, and them that do iniquity; and angels, the executors of Jehovah's judg- ments, will cast these fruitless branches into the unquenchable fire. Are then any of you, my brethren, resting 16 satisfied with the fact of your l)(ung outward- ly Christ's, thinking that because you have been baptized, and confirmed, and because you come reguhirly to Churcdi and to the Lord's table, that you are all right ? It is well that you avail yoursidves rcigularly and punctually of all the means of grac-e. It is well if you do not allow frivolous excuses to keep you from the House of jirayer. It is well if you are here when divine service be- gins, if you do not show disrespect to the God of the San(ituary, and disregard to the feelingsof your fellow- worshippers, by coming in late into Gods house. It is well if you join heartily and audibly in the responsive service of our Church, instead of keeping your lips shut like mutes, or just moving them as if you were afraid to be heard join- ing in the public worship of Almighty God. It is well if you all join according to your ability in our service of song, instead of leav- ing all the singing to the choir, forgetting that their duty is to lead not monopolize the singing. It is well if you listen attentively to the sermon, remembering that the minis- ter is God's ambassador, sent from God with a message to your souls. It is well if you come in the spirit, the Church invites to the 17 tabic of voii r I.ord. But rcmembd' m vfrienclH, that thougl) tlicBe tliingH accompany true religion, the essence of true religion consists in something deeper, even in a real abiding in Christ. Unless by a living faith we are in Christ.we mav have the form of grodliness, but we shall lack its vital power. The evidence of this real ainding in Christ will be the bringing forth of fruit. Do you ask what fruit? We are at no loss to an- swer, for the fruit of the living branches of the true Vine has been analysed by the Holy Spirit, and in the l)est specimens nine ingredients are found. — Love, — Joy, — Peace, — Long-Sufferiiig, — Gentleness, — Goodness, — Faith, -Meekness,- Temperance. These are the fruits of abiding in Christ. These fruits Jesus desires to see abounding in our lives, that His Father may be glori- fied, and hence He earnestly entreats us to abide in Him, • (3.) But again. He thus entreats us, be- cause He wants us to be happy. Immedia- tely after this parable of the Vine and the branches, by which we are taught the ne- cessity of abiding in Christ, our Lord says, " These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your A 18 joy may be full." Yes, Jesus wants His people to be happy, to be filled with joy — joy real and enduring. He would fain see them rejoicing in His love. Happy in the full enjoyment of the blessings which He has purchased for them by His passion. Happy in Him now as His pardoned chil- dren. Happy with Him herenfter in His Paradise of the blessed dead. Happy with Him in the day of His second Advent, in His future kingdom on earth, and in the many mansions of " Jerusalem the golden.*' And because He wants His people to be happy He craves them to abide in Him. Only thus can they be safe, and therefore only thus can they be happy. None knew this better than our prescient Lord, whose eye looked across the brief years of time, into the measureless ages of eternity. His • eye took in at one glance the misery of the lost, "the happiness of the saved. He knew full well that the saved would be those who were found abiding in Him : and therefore, not only that we might be happy in thisshort life, but above all that we might be happy in the never-ending life to come. He tender- ly entreats us as our brother, He solemnly conmiands as our God to a!)ide in Him. 19 Jesus loves us. Jesus wants us to be holy. Jesus seeks our happiness now and for ever ; — hence He says to His believing people, " Abide in Me." V. Do you ask now ; How shall ive abide in Christ ? First, as T have already shown, we must come to Ilim bv faith. There can be no real abiding in Christ witliout a living faith in Him — a faith which appropriates Jesus Christ as our own Saviour — a faith which will enable each one of us to nny with St. Paul, " Christ loved me, and gave Himself for me." This faith is the gift of God. Do you lack it ? Then seek it by earnest prayer. God says, " Ask and ye shall have, seek and ye shall find." But, be in earnest, be in earnest, I beseech you. It is a ques- tion of life and death. Doubt not God's promises. He has prom- ised to give the Holy Spirit to them tliat ask. Go to Him then in private prayer. Let not this first Lord's day of another year jjlose without earnest pleadings at the throne of mercy for the promised teaching of the Holy Ghost. He will bring you to Christ in penitence and faith, under His persua- 20 sive influence you will obey the first word of your Lord, " Come unto Me." And then having come to Christ hy faith, and through the gracious teaching of the Spirit, you need the continuous teaching of the same Spirit to lead you to abide in Christ. He who first shows us our need of Jesus, by discovering to us our helplessness and ruin, sliows us also our continued need of Jesus by enlarge^! knowledge of ourselves, and fuller unfoldings of " The unsearchable riches of Christ." First, the Holy Spirit tes- tifiesof Jesus, and this leads us to come to Him. Then He glorifies Jesus, and this leads us to abide in Him. Hence, if we would abide in Christ, we need the constant presence and teaching of the Holy Spirit. And this must be sought by daily prayer. But further, if we would abide in Christ, we must diligently use all the helps and means of grace which our Father has ap- pointed. Private prayer I have already alluded to as one means. I am sure, breth- ren, that there can be no abiding in ChrisJ; unless we cultivate a habit of private prayer. By prayer we hold converse with our Lord, iind this to every true Christian, to every- 21 one therefore who is abiding in Christ, will not be a painful duty, but an unspeakably delightful privilege. And as we speak to our Lord in prayer, so on the other hand, when we read His Holy Word, we hear Him speaking to us. Hence the devotional study of God's Word is another most important aid to a real al>iding in Christ. I speak of the devotional study of the Word, because we may study it critically, (and those who are to teach others must study it thus) ; or we may study it intellectually, as food for the mind ; or we ma}^ read it as an unwelcome duty, to satisfy conscience ; and all the while we may miss the devotional study of God's Word, that study which will lead us to come to the Word with delight as the fooeek tbe Lord early And those who having come to Christ,, would abide in Him, will certainly not ne- gleet the most blessed of all the Church's ordinances, the Holv Communion of Christ's body and blood. As no ordinance brings the faithful nearer to Christ, so I believe no ordinance is a greater help to us,^ (if we come to it in the spirit the Church directs,) in the matter of our abiding in Christ,. This certainly is the teaching of our Churcli, She says, " the benelit is great, if with a true penitent heart and lively faith we receive that holy Sacrament ; for then we spiritually eat the llesh of Christ, and drink His blood ; then we dwell in Christ iuid Christ in us ; we are one with Christ, and Christ with us.'^ Would ye then, my brethren, abide in Christ? Then conu^ to Plim by faith as ruined sinners, surrender yourselves to Elim, seek day by day the teaching of the Spirit of Jesus, cultivate habits of private prayer and of the devotional study of the Scriptures. Be regidar in your attendance m the Sanctuary, and at the table of your Lord. nn VI. A closing eiiquiry suggests itself; What t not he should urge us all to ahide in Christ ? 1 will not recur to some which have been already mentioned ; but I w411 refer to one which the beloved St. John urges in his Epistle wlien he affectionately presses be- lievers to abide in Christ. He thus writes^ ^' And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming." The blessed hope of Christ's second coming, this is the motive urged by St. John, with this in view, (and it was ever in view of the Church of the Apostolic age), he counsels us to abide in C'hrist that we mav not be ashamed before Him at His coming. What a contingency is here hinted at ! To vshrink with shame from Christ, to (lee from Him, to seek to hide ourselves from Him at His coming I Will any do this ? Alas ! multitudes ; mul- titudes in professing Christendom shall say in that day to the mouhtains and rocks, ^' Fall on us, and hme us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Laij^jb ; for the gre«.t day of His wrath is come ; and who shall be 24 able to stand T* Do you want to find your- selves amid that terrified multitude, who will shrink back abashed from Christ, who like Adam and Eve in Eden will seek to hide themselves from Him, but like them in vain, for the angels of God's power shall bring them in their guilt before Christ's judgment throne ? Do you, I say, want to find yourselves among that alarmed, despair- ing, craven crew ? You answer. No. Then come to Christ now. Abide in Ilim now^ and you will not be ashamed before Him at His coming ; you will not be aslumied, be- cause in that mighty Judge, coming in His majesty, you will see your Saviour and your Friend. Oh how blessed not to be ashamed before Christ at His coming ! Oh how blessed to be able to welcome His Advent, to be able to say as we see Him coming again, ** Lo this is our God ; we have waited for Him, and He will Siive us : this is the Lord ; we hav(3 waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." May this great blessedness be yours and mine, dear friends. And to this end, may you and I abide in Him, and then, when He shall appear, we shall not be ashamed before Him at His coming.