Fifth Sermon for Advent: On the Second and Secret Advent, and How We Are to Keep the Words of Christ

‘ If any one love Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and will make Our abode with him.’’—John xiv. 23.

In my last sermon I told you, my brethren, that they who have covered their wings with silver must “ sleep among the midst of lots.” I explained these lots to mean the two advents of Christ, but said nothing concerning the place of sleeping between them. This intermediate place is in fact another advent wherein such as have knowledge thereof enjoy a most pleasant repose. For whereas the other two are known to all, this is secret. In the first ‘‘ He (Christ) was seen on earth and conversed with men,” when, as He Himself bears witness, ‘‘ they both saw and hated ” Him. In the last “‘ all flesh shall see the Salvation of God,” and “they shall look on Him Whom they pierced.” But in that which intervenes He is hidden, visible only to the elect who see Him in themselves, and so their souls are saved. Therefore, in the first He came in the flesh and in weakness, in the second He comes in spirit and in virtue, and in the third He shall come in glory and majesty. For it is through virtue that glory is reached, as the Psalmist sings, “ The Lord of virtues, He is the King of glory.” And similarly, the same Prophet says in another place, “ In the sanctuary I have come before Thee, to see Thy virtue and Thy glory.” Thus, this intermediate advent is the way, so to speak, by which we must travel from the first to the last. In the first Christ was our Redemption, in the third He shall appear as our Life, whilst in this second He is our Repose and our Consolatior, so that we may *‘ sleep among the midst of lots.”

But perhaps what I have been saying about the middle advent may seem fanciful to some of you. Listen, therefore, to the words of Christ Himself, “ If any one love Me, he will keep My words, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and will make Our abode with him.” But how are we to understand the statement, “ If any one love Me, he will keep My words ” ? For I have read elsewhere in Holy Scripture, “He that feareth God will do good.” It appears evident to me that something greater than this effect of fear is affirmed of him who loves, when it is said that he will keep the words of Christ. Where, then, are these words to be kept? Doubtless in the heart, as the Psalmist declares, “ Thy words have I hidden in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee.” But in what manner are they to be kept in the heart? Shall we say that it is enough to preserve the memory of them ? But to those who keep them in this way the Apostle gives warning that mere “ knowledge puffeth up.” Besides, the records of memory are so easily blotted out by oblivion. Keep the word of God in the same way in which the food of thy body can be best preserved ; for it is a living bread and the food of thy soul. Material bread, whilst it is kept in the cupboard may be stolen by thieves, or nibbled by mice, or may become stale and unfit for use. But once it has been assimilated, we have nothing further to fear from such possibilities. It is thus we should keep the word of God, for “ blessed are they who keep it ” so. Receive this spiritual bread, therefore, into the stomach of your minds, and having been there properly digested, let it be transmitted thence to the affections and the will. Do not forget (like David) to eat thy bread, lest thy heart (like his) should wither, but nourish thyself therewith that thy soul may be filled “ as with marrow and fatness.”

My brethren, if you thus keep the word of God, there can be no doubt that it, in turn, shall keep you. For the Son will come to you with the Father, the great Prophet will come to you to rebuild the Jerusalem of your souls and to make all things new. This is the work which the second advent shall accomplish, “ that as we have borne the image of the earthly ” so may we “‘ bear the image of the heavenly (man).” Just as the old Adam had diffused himself throughout the entire man and had occupied him wholly, in the same way the whole man has passed into the possession of Christ, Who created him wholly, redeemed him wholly, and will glorify him wholly ; for it is He Who “ hath made the whole man sound on the Sabbath day.” That old man, my brethren, dwelt in us formerly, that ancient prevaricator lived in every one of us; we had him in our hands, and in our mouths, and in our hearts. He manifested himself through our hands, in two ways, viz., by deeds of violence, and by deeds of shame. In two ways also was he present in our mouths, in arrogant speeches and in words of detraction. And in our hearts similarly his presence was twofold, in carnal desires and in desires of earthly glory. But now for all who have been made new creatures in Christ, ‘‘ the former things are passed away.” For in their hands innocence has succeeded to violence, continence to turpitude ; in their mouths arrogance has given place to humble confession, detraction to the language of edification, so that, according to the words of Anna, “old matters. have departed from their mouths ” ; in their hearts, likewise, ' charity has extinguished the desires of the flesh, humility the love of human greatness. And consider now whether Christ, the Word of God, is not received according to these three ways, viz., in the hand, in the mouth, and in the heart, by each of His elect, to whom He said, “ Put Me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm,” and in another place, “ The Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart.”