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to follow, can see where he is going, and with his light in his hand, while he need not stumble himself, he is ready to help all who may be in trouble by the way. Does not this well express the clear, truthful religion which, like a lamp always trimmed, has its light from God's Holy Spirit; and not only fills the Christian himself with peace and gladness of heart, but enables him to be a guide to those who would wish to leave the ways of sin, but know not how.

What must be done to keep our lights burning? In the word of God, read with earnest prayer for the Spirit of God to teach us, we shall find offered to us the light that is to be our guide, and, in the means of grace, that is, in the Sacraments, and in all the appointed ways of religion, we shall find, as it were, the oil which will make our lamps burn clear and bright. No man, no woman, need sit still in gloomy fear. A bright cheerful light is offered to all; let us be up and be doing we know not the hour, but we know that soon to each of us our Lord shall come. Death shall knock at our door, and then, before ever we are aware, Christ the Lord is come. Let us be always expecting him, not in fear, not as an evil which we would fain escape from if we could, but gladly, joyfully, so that, at the first sound of his feet at the door, we may “open unto him immediately." Then blessed shall we be, if thus found watching; for He has said that He will come to help, yes, even to serve those who have waited for him. "Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when He cometh, shall find watching. Verily I say unto you that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth, and serve them." He comes, at an hour fixed by himself, but which they know not, "in the second or in the third watch," and He finds those of his servants who love him, and who are glad that He is coming, watching for him with their "loins girded about," and their "lights burning," showing their love by their obedience. Does He come as a hard master, strict to enquire into the

value of the service they have done for him? No; He accepts at once the loving service of their hearts. He needs not what they can do for him, and his first care is to give to them a thousand times more than they could have asked or hoped; for what master but himself would, on returning to his house, make his servants sit down that he may serve them? By this unexpected part of the parable, Jesus shows us, though in words that cannot now be clear to us, that at his second coming, his faithful loving servants will receive from him, a glory which they cannot now even imagine. His second coming! Yes; our Lord will come again in glory to arouse the dead, and to judge the world. To see who have been watching for him n; and who have lived and died forgetting him. But to each of us the hour of our death is also the hour of the second coming of the Lord from heaven, for our state of watching is then ended; our loins may be ungirded, for labour is done; our lights need no longer be kept burning, for the full glory that is brighter than the noon-day sun will shine around each faithful servant of the Lord. Oh let us then be of those who love his appearing. Though flesh and blood must shrink from the thought of death, the faithful, the redeemed Spirit will spring with joy to meet the coming of the Lord.

Prayer.

O Christ, my Saviour, let me love thee, so that the thought of thy coming may fill me with joy, and not with fear. Let it be my daily delight to do the work thou hast marked out for me, thankful that thou wilt stoop so low as to be served by me. Let not the hurry of this world's business hinder me from hearing the sounds of thy coming; let not the glare of its pleasures blind me to the signs of thine approach. Lord, thou art near. O give us grace that we may be found with our loins girded, and our lights burning, ready to go out to meet thee, that we may dwell for ever with thee. Amen.

LII.

LUKE Xii. 39, 40. " And this know, (said our Lord), that if the good man of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not."

Why did our Lord change the picture of his return from that of a master whose servants were waiting for him, to the secret coming of a thief in the night? The master of the house was welcome to his servants who waited for him, that they might "open unto him immediately;" but the thief is never welcome. He comes while men sleep, to break open the house, and to take away their goods. Why then does our Lord say that He "will come as a thief?" He knows the weakness of our frame, "He remembereth that we are but dust." (Ps. ciii. 14.) He knows that to no man death is welcome; our very nature starts back from the thought. To die, is grievous even to the servant of God, for death is the punishment of sin, and had we never sinned, we had never died. Therefore death must always be unwelcome in a house. Even God's children shrink from his coming-but to the worldly-minded He is indeed the loss of all things, for they have no happiness that is not ended by death. To them indeed He comes as a thief comes to break open the house, and to take out of it every thing that is of value. The Lord Jesus knew that in each disciple there were as it were two natures, and therefore that even the most faithful of his followers, to the end of time, would partly long for, and partly dread the hour which would, either by death, or by the second coming of the Lord, end his mortal life. He knew also, how the worldly-minded man takes fright at the idea of that hour, when all must be over with his worldly possessions

and enjoyments, whatever they were; He knew there was but one cure for the fear of death. That if a man's heart, that is, his chiefest desires, were raised above this world, then death might come, by night or by day, he could do no real harm; just as a thief at midnight breaking into a house, may alarm those that are within, but cannot take away their treasure, if it has all been before placed in safety. For this reason Jesus said, "Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not."

Now it is clearly of great importance to each of us, that we should know how we are so to be ready, that the hour, which will come upon us as a thief in the night, may not be able to do us any real harm; in short, how we are every day so to live that we need not fear even sudden death?

We may be glad that Peter, at this place, interrupted our Lord by a question

Verse 41. "Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even unto all?"

We see that the twelve apostles were not yet gone forth on the message Christ had sent them, to preach the Gospel throughout Judea. But a crowd of people had gathered round, and the answer made by Jesus, spoke first to the disciples and to all who like them were appointed to teach, and then to every one, who, taught by them the will of God, had their different duties given them in God's household.

Verses 42-48. "And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his Lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. But and if that servant say in his heart, My Lord delayeth his

coming; and shall begin to beat the men-servants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; the lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”

What is it this parable tells us? Surely this, that the only way to be ready against the coming of our Lord, is to do with diligence the duties of the station of life God has marked out for us. Words easily spoken-but, if really fulfilled, containing in themselves the whole Christian religion-for to live doing the Lord's will, and watching for his coming, is to be a Christian indeed. But is it so with us? Let each of us, before we pass on, stop awhile, and put to ourselves the solemn question-Do I so live? Do I so watch? We cannot plead that we know not our Lord's will? We do, or at least we may know it, for his word is in our hands. Week after week it is read and explained to us in the Church; in our own houses we may ponder over it. We cannot say that we know not our Lord's will. It is not ignorance; it is unwillingness but let us rouse up in time. He is coming. The sound of his feet is at the door. Friend after friend is called away to meet him. How do we know but that our turn may be the next. Let us be wise in time, and now, at this very moment, calmly ask ourselves, each one of us apart, what is my duty in the household of my Lord ? * Am I a parent? Am I a master or a mistress?

* There is not one single duty in our daily lives, however little they may have

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