Be careful to guard against all
occasions of sin and evil. There is no safety without setting
a watch against all that is likely to prove a stumbling block. I read one day of the remarkable
precautions which are taken to avoid danger in a gunpowder manufactory. The walls are all of stone, and
no wood is allowed to be in the place. Anyone who walks through
has to take off his shoes, lest the nails in them should strike
a spark. Then, if he has any metal on
him, he must leave it at the door. The danger is so great
that everything must be done to avoid any approach to it.
Oh that Christians would take heed in a similar way to keep
from the peril of sin. Keep far away from any approach
to temptation. You have gunpowder hearts, so
ready to ignite from the least spark. A look, a word, an evil
example, a sentence in a book, a suggestion from a bad companion. Any of these may be the cause
of a world of mischief. Therefore make it your firm resolve
to keep out of harm's way. Beware of all places and scenes
and people that may turn you from the right course. Don't
imagine you are strong enough to go and get no harm. Better
to keep far from the edge of the precipice. Better to keep
out of the lion's reach. Better to keep from the long
grass where the viper is coiled up. Stop while you can, or you
may go so far that it may be impossible to escape. Be careful
to guard well the various gates of access to the heart and of
egress into the world. Guard well the eye. Keep it from
vanity. Remember that one look cost Akin
his life and a lustful look embittered the whole of David's years. Let
the eye look straight onward and right upward to the throne.
Guard well the ear. Receive nothing that will pollute
or defile you. Hearken to no voice of flattery
or persuasion to evil. Welcome every message of the
word of truth. Guard well the memory and imagination. Let no vision or image tarry
there, which will chain and enthrall the soul. If unclean birds fly
over your head, do not let them settle in your hair. nor be less
mindful to curb the tongue, to guide the foot, to use the hand
according to God's holy will. The words you utter, the paths
you go, the deeds you perform, tell mightily on yourself and
on others, and none should be permitted to act except under
the control of the fear and love of God. Yet always remember that
it is not your careful walking, but Christ's careful keeping
which will ensure your final victory. Your enemies are legion,
your strength is nothing, your resolutions soon fail, your heart
is easily beguiled and turned aside. But the Good Shepherd
will keep his own redeemed people. He will point out your danger
and enable you to flee from it. He will uphold you in perilous
places and lift you up when you fall. He will keep you from falling
and save you even to the uttermost.