446. Monday after Twenty-fifth Sunday after Trinity.
Let thy word, O God, create earnestness
and faithfulness in our soul! Amen.
Matthew 24, 4-14. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations: and then shall the end come.
❦
This is a truly appalling description of the time immediately preceding the end. Similarly Paul writes: “Know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come! For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” Verily, this is something which should make us all to pause and examine ourselves! — Unhappy men are we, if we be of those here described! O that we would earnestly consider this in the sight of God! There are true believers among us; but they experience that the spirit of unrighteousness is mighty in these latter days of the world; they have difficulty in protecting themselves against the pride, disobedience, want of charity, unbelief, love of pleasure, and all the venom of Satan, which surround them. How sad a statement is not this, which Jesus makes in regard to the Christians living in the last days of the world: “Then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Let this be so solemn a warning to us, that we may escape the awful danger. Even in the very worst times it is possible for us to watch and win the victory. The Savior says: “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” On another occasion he said to his disciples: “Ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake; but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” To each one of us he shouts: “Be faithful; watch, and hold fast; I will strengthen and keep you; surely I come quickly; endure a little while; fear not that which you shall suffer; be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life!” He is faithful; hear and obey him! Fear God; pray without ceasing; abstain from all appearance of evil; and keep the covenant of brotherly love with the children of God. Then shall the poison not kill you, nor the fire consume you, nor the flood carry you away; but Satan with all his cunning and power shall be put to shame.
Grant us this grace, our merciful and faithful God in Jesus Christ. Amen.*
Stand up, my soul, shake off thy fears,
And gird the gospel armor on;
March to the gates of endless joy,
Where Jesus, thy great Captain’s gone.
Hell and thy sins resist thy course,
But hell and sin are vanquished foes;
Thy Jesus nailed them to the cross,
And sung the triumph when he rose.
[suggested tune: Mendon, TLH 447; listen here]
* Here the head of the family says a short morning or evening prayer in his own words, and closes with the Lord’s Prayer and the Benediction. This is to be done every day. If the stanzas are not sung, they may be read in their proper place before the impromptu petition and the Lord’s Prayer.