Ver. 58.-The worl. of works. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stead- fast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." "Therefore." This is the practirnl conclusion of the sublime argume~t which Paul had conducted on the resurrection, in the preceding verses. All true doctnnes lead to practice. "Therefore "-because death is not your end, because you are to live body and soul in a future state-" be ye steadfast." I. The work of soul-restoration is SPECIALLY D1v1NE. It is "the work of the Lord." 'Ihe work of the Lord is illimitable. 'l'he universe is his handiwork, and all its movements are his operations. Providence is his work. But the " work" referred to in the text, viz. the spiritual restoration of mankind, is in a special sense his. It is his great work. Isaiah speaks of it as a creation that will eclipse in glory the material universe. Jesus always spoke of it as the great work. 1. Think of the preparation fur this work. Four thousand years were occupied, invol vin~ a long series of sacrifices, priests, seers, miracles, as preliminary. 2. Think of the sacrifices made to accomplish this work. Christ came into this world, and the Incarnate lived, suffered, and ditd here, etc. 3. Think of the unceasing agency of the Divine Spirit in order to effect this work. He is always striving with men from age to age and in all lands. 4. Think of the wonderful results of this work. Millions of lost souls redeemP.d to the knowledge, image, fellowship, and service of Almighty God. What is the value of one soul? What is the influence that one soul can exert on the universe? This, then, may emphatically be called the "work of tile Lord." It is the field which he-the great Husbandman-has been cultivating. He will make it one day his choicest garden. lt is the temple which he-the great Architect-has been building; it will excel in glory all former structures. It is the "new creation" which he is accomplishing; before it will pale into dimness all other productions. II. 'l'he work of soul-: estoration DEMANDS THE MOST EARNEST EFFORTS OF M.ANKI:SD. "Steadfast, unmovable." There are some works of the Lord in which we cannot ~ngage. "\Ve cannot help to control the ocean, gui~e th~ stars, or eveu create a blade of grass, but here we are "labourers together with him." 1. Our labour must be invincible. The two words, "steadfast" and" unmovable," express this. So many are the impulses within, so many are the forces without, opposing the work, that nothing but an invincibl.e determination can carry us through. We must have a purpose strong enough to bend and subordinate everythiug to itself. "'l'hi~ one thing I do," says Paul. 2. Our labour must be abounding. "Alwliys abounding." The spirit of this work should reign in us, everywhere and at all times. As the parental element inspires the mother, and mingles with all her domestic arrangements and pleasures, so this spirit must inspire us and mingle with all our undertakings. It should sweeten our daily toil and breathe into our recreations and amusements. 'l'he distinction lietwcen the secular and the spiritual is a theological fiction. Religion in a man is either everywhere or nowhere, everything or nothing. Labour and business, ns well as t.ho gospel, are means of grace. As the life of the plant requires the tempest to beutl its fibres, as well as the calm to yield it repose, so the religious life requires for its development the rough element of worldly business as well as the smoother influences of SIJ1ri tual devotion. Ill. The work of soul-restoration MUST INEVITABLY SUCCEED. "Forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." There are two kinds of vain !abour. 1. That which aims at a worthless end. 'l'herefore, if it succeeds, it is useless. 2. That which is directed to a good end, but can nevei· realize it, simply because it is too indeterminate and feeble. llut here is a work that must succeed. Every true thought, every earnest prayer, every godly de~d, carry in themselves success. As a!l the elements and forces of this world go to build up a new stratum around the globes ~urface, for geologists of coming ages to study, so all that I do and think and say iu the work of the Lord goes to give blessedness to my being. Inasmuch, therefore, as you cannot fail in this work, labour. , lV. The "·ork of _~oul-rcstoration will FCLLY REALIZt: ITS SUCCES8 DI TllJ;: FUTURE 510 THE FIRST EPISTLE TO 'l'HE CORINTI-IIANS. (cH. xv.1-58.
won_~,D.. "T~e1;fore," says Paul, "we~e _this life our all, our spiritual labour might be- con,1deied vam. _ What boots our stnvmg after knowledge, our efforts to build up a noble character, if the grave be our end? But there is a future, and in it there is a full reward_. All the _w~ters of holy thoug\1t and effort we now receive into our being go to make a well w1tlun us that shall spring up to everlasting life.