Christ when praying for his Apostles, prayed not the Father to take them out of the world; but that He should keep them from the evil of the world. Nor need we ever look to be freed from temptation; but He will not suffer more to come upon us than He will give us grace to bear, and with every temptation will provide a way for our escape. Christ at one time said to Peter "Satan desireth to have thee, that he may sift thee as wheat;" but what follows? The wrath of God hangs over Peter, but Christ our mediator intercedes, and his soothing words are, "I have prayed the Father for thee, that thy faith fail thee not; and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." Thus we must be kept for mutual aid and for mutual comfort. If God were to remove each one as soon as he becomes perfect in Christ, who would be left to tell transgressors the way? Or how could the kingdom of Christ flourish in the world? For the kingdoms of this world are to become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ, and the sanctified Christian is the salt of the earth. Take him away, and what becomes of the world? God has use for all His perfect men and women in the world; they must be _in_ the world, but not _of_ the world. It is a mistaken idea that we can be Christians and not sanctified Christians; and, as God has use for us in the world, it is very plain that He is not only able to keep us, but He will keep us, until He has finished all His righteous will concerning us; until everything is done that we can do; until we have withstood temptation at every point even as our Saviour did; until the last battle is fought and the victory won! Oh! I wish that every Christian would feel that he is a sanctified Christian, and go to work as such. Oh! that every one could feel that to-day I am a _pillar_ in the temple of our God; a _living stone_ in the building; instead of sitting still and dreaming: "Can I be sanctified, or when can I be sanctified." Oh! that _Christians_ would awake, and look around, and see what they can do for the Master. The fields are all white for harvest. The Lord calls for laborers. Christian brothers and sisters will you not awake; will you not have faith in Christ; seeing that God hath perfected in him all that He promised in Abraham, and all that He "set apart in Israel." The Lord which made heaven and earth is thy keeper. "He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil; He shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out, and thy coming in from this time forth, and even forever." (Psalms cxxi., 3-8). This God, O Christian, is thy God. He that spreadeth out the heavens as a curtain; who keepeth the stars in their courses; who causes the sun to show forth his light at morning,