This is of chapter five, and move on to chapter six. One Timothy chapter five, reading at verse twenty two. Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins. Keep thyself pure. Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities. Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment, and some men they follow after. Likewise, also the good works of some are manifest beforehand, and they that are otherwise cannot be hid. Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather do them service because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort. If any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness. From such withdraw thyself. You notice that most versions omit that last clause, from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and do many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil, which, while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession, that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his times he shall show who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen nor can see, to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen. Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy, that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust. Avoid profane and vain babblings and oppositions of science falsely so called, which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen. Now, as I bring to its conclusion this evening our consideration of the first epistle to Timothy, I want to end on a simple, yet a very practical note. Last evening, we got so far as the charge of verse twenty one in chapter five. That leaves us to consider from verses twenty two to twenty five. And when we look at these verses, we discover that verse three is a kind of interpolation, a little word given for Timothy, specially for his benefit. Drink no longer wine, but use a little wine, drink no lot of, no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach, say, and thine often infirmities. Let us try and grasp what is meant here. Verse twenty two says the apostle, lay hands suddenly on no man. The apostle here is introducing an altogether new thought. There are those who teach that when the apostle here speaks of the laying on of hands, he is continuing the thought of the elders that he has been dealing with in the preceding verses. But I'm convinced that here the apostle is not thinking of the instituting of elders at all. In fact, as we read through God's word, we discover that there is no record whatsoever of the laying on of hands on elders. You remember in Acts chapter seven, the seven deacons that were chosen by the church to deal with that matter there, the apostles laid their hands on them. These men were not elders, these men were deacons, and the apostles laid their hands on them, and thus dignity and approval was added to the menial work that was being undertaken by these seven deacons in Acts chapter six. You remember too that the elders, they joined in the matter of the laying on of hands with Paul on Timothy when the gift of God was given to Timothy. And you will recall that in Acts chapter thirteen, hands were laid on Barnabas and Paul, when prophecy named these two men for a special work, a special mission. But nowhere in the scriptures do we find that hands were laid upon elders. In fact, this idea of the laying on of hands in scripture has a very wide significance, and it must always be interpreted in the light of its context. And I would suggest that interpreting verse twenty two in the light of its context indicates that the laying on of hands in this verse was a s- is a sign of fellowship. That's the extent of the significance of the laying on of hands. It was a sign of fellowship. Now, says the apostle, don't do that suddenly. Don't do that hastily. There must never be any haste in this matter of fellowship. For always remember this, dear brethren, that hasty action relies on first impressions. And I suppose that each one of us has lived long enough to have learned that first impressions are often most deceptive. Thus, says Paul, lay hands suddenly on no man. And verse twenty two makes it very clear that this was not the laying on of hands in connection with elders, nor could it be the conveying of spiritual power. For, says verse twenty two. neither be partaker of other men's sins, for there's the danger in this hasty action of fellowship in becoming a partaker of other men's sins. Now says Paul to Timothy, Timothy, keep thyself pure. What is meant by this? Keep thyself clear of all reproach in matters of fellowship. My dear brethren, if ever there was a need for that kind of teaching, it is today. Hastiness in the matter of fellowship involves very often trouble and subsequent shame and reproach. Now, says Paul, Timothy, keep yourself pure. Lay hands suddenly on no man. This word pure simply means clear. Keep yourself clear of all reproach. It's the same word as we have in second Corinthians chapter seven and verse eleven, where the apostle says to the Corinthians, ye have proved yourselves to be clear in this matter. You've exercised the discipline that was necessary, and in performing that discipline according to the mind of God, you have proved yourselves to be clear in this matter. Now, says Paul, Timothy, you keep yourself clear of all reproach in the matter of fellowship by never acting in haste in the laying on of hands as a sign of fellowship. Now, verse twenty three is parenthetic. And what made the apostle to think as he does in verse twenty three may be his reference or his use of the word pure in the preceding verse. And Timothy was evidently a scrupulous and a most careful young man. But now, says Paul to Timothy, when I speak of being pure, I don't mean that purity that is garbed to the point of asceticism that could weaken your frail body. And he says, drink no longer water. What does this mean? The apostle, of course, does not mean to Timothy, mean to infer to Timothy that he must abstain altogether from using water, that he must cease from drinking water. Oh no, he simply means drink no longer as a habit water. Be not a water drinker only, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmity. And my dear brethren, we know that what is being practiced today in many circles is certainly not God-honoring. But Paul says to Timothy here, Timothy, you may take a little wine, a little, just as much as is needed for your health's sake. Drink a little wine. While maintaining your liberty in this matter, Timothy, exercise caution. Take but a little. And thus, in this verse, the nature of wine is intimated, and the impropriety of du- indulging in excess is also intimated as well. Take a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities. It's evident that Timothy was a young man of feeble frame. Reading of the scriptures makes that very clear. You will recall that Paul writes to the Corinthians in one Corinthians chapter sixteen and verse ten, see that he be with you, that is Timothy, without fear. Timothy was a young man who was evidently prone to timidity in his duties, a young man of feeble frame, prone to timidity. Now says Paul to him, in this matter of purity, Paul, eh, Timothy, don't carry this to the point of asceticism that will weaken your frail body. You don't need to be a water drinker exclusively. You can take wine, but make it a little. Take it for your stomach's sake and thine often infirmities. What an interesting little interpolation on the part of Paul. Now, in verses twenty four to twenty five, the apostle resumes the thought that he has commenced in verse 22. Lay hands suddenly on no man. And here he sets forth principles to guide us, where mistake can be so easy and the consequences so serious. Principles are set forward, set before Timothy to govern him and to govern you and me, indicating that mistakes can be made so easily, and mistakes that have such serious consequences. Thus, in verse twenty four, Paul speaks of two kinds of sins, and in verse twenty five, he speaks of two kinds of good works. What are the two kinds of sins? There are sins which are public and open, and there are sins which are silent and unknown, that is, unknown as far as public knowledge is concerned, and possibly to save appearance. Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment. There are the sins of men that are public. Their sins are open, and they are heralds of the judgment that one day they're going to meet. On the other hand, some men's sins are silent and unknown. They're following after them. Their sins are concealed, possibly, uh, for appearance sake. And for that reason, Timothy, it's so easy to make a mistake in the matter of extending the hand of fellowship. But there are also two kinds of works. Verse twenty five, there are good works which are openly manifest. And secondly, there are those good works which, though they might for a while be concealed, they cannot always be concealed. My dear brethren, what does it mean? Just this. Unworthy men can so easily pass today as they did then. And the tragedy is this, that worthy men whose good actions are not in the limelight, they're inclined to be overlooked. And thus, says Paul, don't be hasty in the matter of laying on of hand as a sign of fellowship. Now we come to one Timothy chapter six. As I pursue this chapter, I don't want to indulge, as perhaps I've been doing in past evenings, in a lot of exposition. I want to speak to this evening in a practical and in a devotional manner from this interesting yet searching chapter. We discover in one Timothy chapter six, the apostle begins by dealing with the servants, the bond slaves, and he deals with a servant who has an unbelieving master. Then he goes on to deal with the servant who has a believing master, and he gives direction for both. Then he goes on to speak of the poor and of the rich. A word to those who are poor and a word to those who are rich. For speaking to the poor in verse nine, he says, they that will be rich. That's the poor man who desires to be rich, and is a word for those who are poor and have set their hearts upon being rich. Then we come down to verse seventeen. Paul has a word for those who are rich. Charge them that are rich in this world. Now we shall think in a very simple way of Paul's instructions, divine instructions with regard to the servants, with regard to those of us who are poor, and with regard to those of us who are rich. Verse one, he speaks of the servant who has an unbelieving master. What is the attitude of a servant to an unbelieving master, says Paul? Count him worthy of honor. Ah, you say, that's not an easy matter. You don't know the master that I have. My dear brethren, the simple teaching of God's word is this. Even though your master be a man of worthless character, as your master, you have to respect his position and count him worthy of honor. You might have no respect for him as to his person. He might be a, a worthless character, but you must respect his position as being your master and count him worthy of honor, that the name of God and the doctrine be not blasphemed. My dear brethren, I need not tell you this this evening, that whenever a Christian servant defaults, the master, the unbelieving master, and po- possibly the other unbelieving servants, they love to use that as an occasion to attack the believer's God and the believer's faith. How they love it, and they exploit the default of any servant to attack the believer's God and the believer's faith. And they do it, my dear brethren, oftentimes because they know that there's nothing hurts the Christian more. Now, says Paul, count your unbelieving master worthy of honor that the name of God and the doctrine be not blasphemed. When you turn to Ephesians chapter six, and the apostle is dealing with the same matter, he has this word to say to the servants there: serve your master as unto Christ. Secondly, serve your master as doing the will of God. Brethren, on what elevated plane is Christian service brought by the Apostle Paul? When you serve your master, serve him as unto Christ, and serve him as one that is doing the will of God. What will that mean? Well, says the apostle, serving your master as unto Christ, you'll serve him with singleness of heart. In other words, you'll always be possessed of an honest desire to do what is right. Serving your master as unto Christ, with singleness of heart, you'll always be possessed of an honest desire just to do that which is right, and serve your master with fear and trembling. This isn't in fear and trembling as far as your master is concerned, but it's fear and trembling as far as God is concerned. I know that we're inclined to forget these things. My dear brethren, this is divine instruction with regard to the Christian servant. But, says Paul, not only do you serve your master as unto Christ, but you serve him as doing the will of God. What does that mean? Serving your master as doing the will of God, you will not serve him with eye service. In other words, you won't just be faithful in your service when your master is watching you, when your work is the subject of your master's inspection. You know, I registered as a conscientious objector during the last war, and I was sent to work in the forestry, and during my first days amongst those men, I noticed something that I couldn't understand. At times I would see them touching their cap, and I wondered what this meant. Then, in course of time, I learned what it meant. That was an indication to the other men that the foreman was coming, and it's time they were doing a little bit of work. Now, that's how the men and women of this world serve their master, but that's not how you and I have to serve our masters. Not with eye servants. Not just busy when the boss is watching, but serving our masters as doing the very will of God itself. But more, not as men pleasers. Well, of course, it's so easy to serve one's master in order to have one's master's approval. And one would think that that's an end in itself. But dear brethren, Christian teaching is not just that you serve your master in order to have his approval, approval, but serving your master as one who, whether he approves or not, you'll serve him well, for you're doing the will of God. That's high ground. And I want to say to you, brother, in these days of unions and restrictions and all the rest of it, this is still Christian teaching for the twentieth century. I believe that with all my heart. And the Apostle Peter would add an interesting little word here, not only to the master that is good and gentle, but also to the froward. You might have a master that's good and gentle, gentle, kindly and reasonable is the thought. Serve him well, but also the master that's froward. That word froward means crooked, and of course there can be crooked masters. Masters who are ill-tempered. As says Peter, you have to serve them just as well as the master that's good and gentle. We will do it, dear brethren, if we do it as unto Christ and doing the will of God. And how wonderful to think that in so doing, the name of our God and the doctrine will not be blasphemed. Now the apostle has a word to the servants who are serving a believing master, verse two: they that have believing masters who are your brethren. And further down he speaks of them as faithful and beloved. The expression faithful and beloved simply means believing and beloved. It's not the question of their fidelity here, it's just the question that they are believers. Says the apostle, if your master is a believing one, if he's your brother, if he is believing and beloved, what have you to do? Says Paul, you have to do them service. And you discover that Mr. Darby, in his translation, rightly adds this significant word, serve them with subjection. Serve them in acknowledged subjection. And he speaks of them as being partakers of the benefit. What does that mean? Even though you realize that your believing master profits by your good and ready service rendered, you're still to serve him. Serve him well and in acknowledgment of your subject place. Not only that, says the apostle, don't despise him. Now I pause for a moment here. You see, oftentimes difficulties occur in this matter of master and servant. It may be that the master and servant find themselves in fellowship in the same assembly. It might be that the servant is spiritual and the master is carnal. It might be that the servant is an elder in the assembly and the master is devoid of the spiritual qualifications for being an elder. Well, says the apostle, that makes no difference. Out there in the world, he's still your master. He's believing and beloved. He's gaining a benefit by your Christian service. Don't despise him in the assembly, he's your brother, but outside he's still your master. Well. Well, I believe that's teaching that's needing to be emphasized today. There's a danger of trying to take advantage of Christian masters. You know, I know quite a number of Christian employers today, and a good many of them have said this: My worst servants are my own brethren. And some of them actually told me they've made up their mind not to employ any more of their brethren. Now these things ought not to be. While we're brethren in here, outside we're servant and master, and that must always be acknowledged. Now what for the poor? Verse five, We have the supposition of certain men that godliness is a means to gain, for that's how the expression should read, supposing that gain is godliness. Supposing that godliness is a means to gain. My dear brethren, we need to remind our hearts of this, that under the law in old time, prosperity was an evidence of divine favor and divine blessing, but that isn't the case now. Godliness is not a means to gain now. In fact, I'm sure that many of you here this evening could confirm this, that some of the godliest saints today are the poorest. And today, prosperity is no evidence of divine favor and divine blessing. I was just reading a little note I have on the leaf of my Bible today. Mr. Darby's words on true greatness, and they always impress me. Said the late J. N. Darby, this is true greatness. Say little, serve all, pass on. This is true greatness, to serve unnoticed and work unseen. And this is what impressed me in the light of one Timothy chapter six. Oh, the joy of having nothing, of being nothing, and seeing nothing but a living Christ in glory, and being careful for nothing but his interest down here. I think we would all be agreed, dear brethren, that that indeed is true greatness. Second Corinthians chapter six says the apostle, as poor, yet making many rich. As having nothing, yet possessing all things. My dear brethren, I would covet that perhaps more than anything. Does James not say this in his epistle? Poor in this world, but rich in faith. Now, since the apostle lies, he pursues this certain that godliness is a means to gain. Verse six, godliness with contentment is great gain. He's, I'll tell you what's great gain. I'll tell you what's gain indeed. Godliness with contentment. And I want, as I've said already, dear brethren, to be extremely practical this evening. To meet today godliness with contentment is like finding a precious gem. That gem which is so valuable because it is so rare. To meet that dear brother, that dear sister who has refused to join in the race to be wealthy, to have a better car than his brother or his sister, and a nicer house, to have a bigger bank book, just to meet that dear brother, that dear sister who wants to live in contentment and in the fear of God. Brethren, I want to say this evening, I am convinced of this, that materialism today is robbing the assemblies of their spirituality. And the saints today are involved in the rat race of trying to keep up with the Joneses, having a nicer house, a bigger bank book, a better car. Says the apostle, let me tell you what great gain is. Gain that's gain indeed. Godliness with contentment. Brethren, I want each one of us, as we sit in the presence of God tonight, to covet this, this great gain, godliness, piety with contentment. What says Paul in verse seven? Let me remind you of this. We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. We all know that. I heard of the instance where a dear old brother now with the Lord, having heard of the passing of another brother, said to an old Christian sister, how much did he leave? Said the old Christian sister, everything. That's it. We brought nothing at, we brought nothing in. We'll take nothing out. We'll leave it all behind. My brother, my sister, it's time we learn to appreciate that what we accumulate down here, we're going to leave. Might I say the same thing? If we could view things in the light of the sanctuary, we would all be agreed on this, that it's far better to leave behind, one, a Christian testimony, a fragrant testimony, than a fat bank book. Far better to leave behind souls who will bless us for leading them to Christ and helping them spiritually, and leave behind us those who will remember us for having set them up in business. We brought nothing into this world. We'll take nothing out of it. Never forget that, dear brethren. Verse eight, And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content. Having sustenance and covering, let us be therewith content. You know, I think I remember dealing with this verse before in this hall when dealing with the subject of piety. And I draw your attention to this, if you remember, that the word for food and raiment here, they're both in the plural. And the significance of both of these words being in the plural is this. The apostle would say, it's not a matter of having bread and flesh in the morning and bread and flesh in the evening, and nothing else. It's not a matter of having one suit and nothing else. That's not what this verse means. It's having food of sufficient variety. And the word that's employed here for raiment is the word covering. And it's used in the plural in this way as to include not only the clothes that we wear as covering, but the house in which we live as a covering. It embraces both. Thus all are brought together in this verse. What then does it mean? Why, the apostle would just say this. Having what you need to see you through, food in sufficient variety, covering in the matter of clothes and a house to live in, let us be therewith content. Notice the emphasis, dear brethren, on contentment. Now verse nine: they that will be rich. The emphasis here is in that word will. They whose will it is to be rich. They who desire to be rich. Those who have set their heart on riches fall into temptation, and so on. My dear brethren, this verse makes it clear what riches can bring with them. Temptation. A snare. Unwise and hurtful lusts that drown men in destruction and perdition. Notice, dear brethren, not the saints. The saints cannot be drowned in destruction and perdition. It's men here. The next verse tells us what happens to the saints. This verse tells us what's ha- what hap- what happens to ungodly men who have set their heart upon riches. What does it mean? My dear brethren, this desire to be rich, this setting of one's heart to be wealthy, is the very thing that keeps so many today away from God and his salvation. Oh, you've met it. So have I. This desire to be rich on the part of ungodly men and ungodly women, it's drowning them in destruction and perdition. Remember, dear brethren, invariably there's a price to be paid. There's a cost in order to be rich. All these will I give unto thee, if thou wilt bow down and worship me. And many a man in the wo- man or woman of the world has bowed the knee to the devil in order to accept what the devil has to offer. Their heart set on riches, they've been drowned in destruction and perdition. But now the next verse tells us what happens to the saints. For the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some of the saints have coveted after, they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Now this needs a little explanation. Our authorized version says, for the love of money is the root of all evil. Now don't misquote this verse. This verse does not say that money is the root of all evil, often quoted that way. For money is not the root of all evil. What is the root? The love of money. See it here, brother. Those who will be rich, those who desire to be rich, for the love of money is the root of all evil. But furthermore, this expression ought to be read in this way. For the love of money is a root of every kind of evil. You see, the love of money is not the only root, but it can become a root that leads to every kind of evil. We do well to remember that. Which, while some having coveted after, they have erred from the faith. What is meant by this erred from the faith? Simply means they've wandered from the faith. That's the word. They've wandered from the faith, perhaps imperceptibly. They've wandered away from the faith. And in the end they've discovered they've been pierced with many sores. Oh yes, I haven't lived so very long, but I've seen this. Dear saints of God who have coveted riches. They've wandered away imperceptibly from the faith, only to discover in their last days, pierced with many sorrows. Now I want to say what I believe to be an important word. And I say this from a little experience. My dear brother, we must never think that to sacrifice piety for wealth is justified by giving liberally to the work of the Lord. Now, I know a number of Christians today who have sacrificed their piety to be rich, and they feel justified in that by giving liberally to the work of the Lord. My brother, my sister, I say this tonight as from the Lord. Nothing must take the place of one's personal piety and devotion to the Lord. That brings happiness, that preserves from the sorrows of this verse. Now I see my time is fast running out. The apostle now has a word for the rich, verse seventeen: Charge them that are rich in this world. Now, while it's wrong to set one's heart on riches, it's not wrong to be rich. You see, we can be rather like the communists and think it's wrong for a Christian to be rich. It's not wrong for a Christian to be rich. And I thank God that I've met some godly rich brethren. Perhaps one of the wealthiest brethren I know. Wonderfully big business. He's told me that oftentimes he answers the phone on his knees. He said to me this, said this to me two years ago. He says, you know, I've had some troubles in my business of recent years. So I think I've learned what's wrong. It's since the Lord took my mother to heaven, I'm missing her prayers. Thank God there are rich brethren who are godly, and they put the interests of the Lord first. I remember visiting one evening a home with this same wealthy brother, and it was evident that the given of this home of about seventeen years of age was under conviction. She lingered before she went to bed. And before I left that evening, I went upstairs. I went into her bedroom. She was in bed, the blankets over her face. I pulled her down, I said, Hazel, did you pray before you went to bed tonight? She said, I did, uncle. I'm not her uncle, but she calls me uncle. I said, did you mention anything in your prayer about being saved? I did, she said. I told the Lord that I would love to be saved. Well, I said, Hazel, I'm going to pray for you. So I knelt down beside her bed and prayed for Hazel and left her. I went down, I told her father, and I told this wealthy brother that was with me. We set off for his home. As soon as we got in, he said, come on, let's pray for Hazel. And both of us got down on our knees, and I'll never forget the sight of seeing that wealthy, godly brother down on his knees, tears pouring from his eyes, praying for the salvation of young Hazel. And while we were praying, young Hazel was saved, we learned the next day. Not to think that every rich brother has no real interest in the things of the Lord. There are many who have. But riches, of course, can have their danger. And now the apostle, he has a word for those who are rich. Number one, that they be not high-minded. My dear brethren, never let us forget this, that we have one in heaven tonight who was rich. Well, thank God he was never high-minded. Though he were rich, for our sakes he became poor. How dare any one of us, when we become possessed of a few thousand of this world's wealth, become high-minded in our relationship with our brethren. Better that you lost your riches and enjoy the fellowship of your brethren. Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded. Nor trust in the uncertainty of riches. Notice how the apostle speaks of riches here. He says they're uncertain. And I don't need to tell you, perhaps you know this better than I do, that there never has been a day when riches were more uncertain than they are today. Never let our trust be in riches which are so uncertain, but let our trust always be in the God who gives the riches, who gives us freely, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Then there's the responsibility of those who are rich to do good, to be rich in good works. In other words, says Paul, if you're rich in this world, don't sit back and selfishly enjoy your wealth, but accept that your wealth has given you a greater freedom to be more fully engaged in doing good works. How wonderful, just to accept that one's wealth gives them a greater freedom to be more fully employed in this matter of doing good works, ready to distribute, liberal in distributing. Here is the character of giving. Do it readily. The word is do it liberally. Liberal in distributing, willing to communicate. The word here is disposed to communicate. Have this disposition that you're always ready, when need be, to communicate of your substance. Now, I may have mentioned this here before, but it comes to my mind again. This word communicate is a very interesting word. It's a military term. You've heard it used before in its military setting. There's the army engaged in warfare out on the front line. Miles behind there are the headquarters, and it's the responsibility of the headquarters to maintain the lines of communication. For if these lines of communication aren't maintained, the army must be defeated. Brethren, we thank God for men today who are out there in the front line engaged in the battle. We're behind here, so to speak, in the headquarters. We must see to it that we maintain the lines of communication. They need your help. They need mine. Let us always be willing to get and to maintain these lines of communication. Let us pray. We bow before thee, our God, in the precious name of the Lord Jesus. We ask tonight to bless thy word. We've covered ground, our God, which searches our every heart tonight, and we feel that none of us can say that we've been all that we might have been. We just pray for grace to do better. Help us to translate these practical things into our Christian living from day to day. Oh, for that contentment. Oh, for that great gain. Oh, for the joy of living ever in thy fear. So impress these important truths, we pray of thee, upon our every heart and mind tonight, and grant us thy parting blessing in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.