“Here is something for all of us at least once or twice in our lives to stop and consider. Keeping someone else’s secrets, especially those secrets that would reflect poorly on them, is a triumph of human conduct and a mark of unusual godliness. Indeed, when you are given to know something significant to another’s discredit and you carry that knowledge with you to the grave, no one else ever hearing it from you, the Bible says you are covered in glory. Almost no one keeps juicy secrets, which is why newspaper reporters and bloggers have so much to write about every day. But it ought to be a truism that Christians do. You may remember Mark Twain’s wonderful simile, it’s my favorite Twain simile: “The man was as confident as a Presbyterian with four aces.” Well, let’s invent one of our own: “That person is as tight-lipped as a Christian with someone else’s secret!”

Next Saturday is St. Patrick’s Day. If you remember the story of his life, you will remember that when he had been bishop of Ireland for some time he ran afoul of the bishops of Britain who were the very men who commissioned him to his work in Ireland, a country that before Patrick was only a missionary field and a particularly hard and dangerous one at that. Indeed, if you remember, as a teenager Patrick had been captured by Irish raiders, sold into servitude, and spent some years doing hard labor as a slave in Ireland. The trouble began when an English warlord by the name of Coroticus, undoubtedly a Christian in name himself, raided Ireland and attacked a group of Patrick’s converts who were returning home after Easter celebrations in which they had been baptized with their wives and children. Many of them were still wearing the white robes in which they had been baptized. The men the raiders didn’t kill and their wives and children were taken back to Britain to be sold as slaves. Enraged, Patrick sent to Britain many copies of a letter to Coroticus and his subjects, excommunicating the general, threatening damnation to his soldiers, exhorting the the British church to have nothing to do with these men, and ordering the captives released and sent home with their property. This letter, however, angered the British bishops because they saw it as an interference in their affairs. If anyone was to discipline Coroticus, it should be they; though Patrick understood rightly that they would do nothing of the kind. For Patrick the gospel itself and the future of the fledgling Irish church was at stake and there was no time to lose.

The British church replied with formal accusations against Patrick and a summons for him to return to Britain, which summons he wisely refused. But, in the spirit of thinly disguised revenge, the charges the British bishops listed against him began with a sin he had committed many years before, when a teenager – we don’t know what the sin was – and which he had confessed to a friend before he was ordained to the Christian ministry. The confession of his sin at that time, when he was still a younger man, was no doubt to clear his conscience before he should take up the office of minister. Patrick’s friend had kept the secret for years, but now, for some reason – we don’t know what it was (he was known as Patrick’s friend, perhaps he had been pressured by the bishops; perhaps he was jealous of Patrick’s growing international reputation) – he chose to disclose Patrick’s ancient sin to others. That sin became the pretext for a long list of accusations, all of which others were untrue. His reply to those accusations is today known as his Confession, one of two great works from St. Patrick’s hand that are in existence today.

Still, how sad that a man who had kept a secret for a long time couldn’t keep it when it mattered most. How sad and how typical. No, brothers and sisters, when God’s providence entrusts you with someone else’s secret, as it will, give thanks to God that you have been given the opportunity to overlook a fault and to get glory for yourself and give glory to God, the keeper of your secrets, by never telling it to anyone, ever! More Christians should relish the opportunity to do this and it should be our reputation together that we are a community in which the worst secrets of other brothers and sisters are safe and sound.”

An excerpt from the sermon entitled, “Miscellany” March 11, 2012 PM, By Rev. Dr. Robert S. Rayburn, From: Proverbs

“Then the king went to his palace and passed the night fasting, neither were instruments of music or dancing girls brought before him; and his sleep fled from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. And when he came to the den and to Daniel, he cried out in a voice of anguish. The king said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is your God, Whom you serve continually, able to deliver you from the lions? Then Daniel said to the king, O king, live forever! My God has sent His angel and has shut the lions’ mouths so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent and blameless before Him; and also before you, O king, [as you very well know] I have done no harm or wrong.” (Dan. 6:18-22)

“The description of Darius’ sleepless night and his anguished cry to Daniel is moving; not least because it reminds us that our own stand upon assured faith has sometimes seemed to be swamped by an overwhelming flood of utterly unreasonable fears. For if the enemy can not prevent us taking our stand in faith, he will assail us in every possible way, especially as we near the climactic test, and apply such shock treatment of panic-stricken fears and desperate doubts as may almost bowl us over.

This is exactly poor Darius’ condition as he went to the den. He believed that Daniel’s God could, and possibly would, keep him safe; but if he didn’t, the death of this good man to whom the kingdom owed so much would be at his door. And the prophet spoke, and all the king’s fears were proved liars.

Daniel’s God had kept him. Faith was honoured, and once more the world was proved to stand on moral foundations. Wickedness could not triumph over good. What joy to know God is in heaven, ruling and overruling human affairs and turning all to his glory.”

Still, William (2006) “Through The Year With William Still” May 21, The Banner of Truth Trust and Rutherford House,pg.158-159.

Jesus! what a Friend for sinners!
Jesus! Lover of my soul;
Friends may fail me, foes assail me,
He, my Saviour, makes me whole.

Hallelujah! what a Saviour!
Hallelujah, what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.

Jesus! what a strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in him;
Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing,
He, my strength, my vict'ry wins.

Jesus! what a help in sorrow!
While the billows o'er me roll,
Even when my heart is breaking,
He, my comfort, helps my soul.

Jesus! what a guide and keeper!
While the tempest still is high,
Storms about me, night o'ertakes me,
He, my pilot, hears my cry.

Jesus! I do now receive him,
More than all in him I find,
He hath granted me forgiveness,
I am his, and he is mine.

I came across this when reading Sproul's Tabletalk magazine. When we speak of the "Father is begotten, the son is eternally begotten of the Father, and the Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son."

The use of the word proceed for the Spirit is new to me. I mean I have never heard it said that way. Why proceed and not begotten?

Let's go back to Trinity 101 - how do we understand begotten and proceed, and why is it important to see the Three as a procession instead of begotten at the same moment. I realize that God is outside of the way we view time so procession may have a different connotation than the way we normally understand it.

will play out in about 5-10 years? Will it become like co-habitation, say 35-40 years ago.

Another thought, would it help Christians in generally to condemn cohabitation as much as we condemn homosexuality. I mean, would it help to be seen as consistent in this. I realize it would not change anyone minds, but at least they could see the argument better and give us credit for being consistent.

A very informative and edifying article by Sinclair Ferguson. Do take the time to read this one through at least once.

You can read this article HERE.

In His service and grace,