15.
Suddenness of Christ's coming.
Among us, however, there is as great a defect of unanimity, as there is a falling of in works of charity. Men in those days gave houses and lands for sale, and laying up for themselves treasure in heaven, presented the price to the Apostles, for distribution among the necessitous. But now we do not even give tithes of our estates, and while the Lord saith "sell," we rather buy and gather up. Thus is it that the power of faith languishes, and the believer's strength sinks: and therefore the Lord, in respect of this our age, saith in His Gospel, "When the Son of man cometh, think you that He will find faith on the earth?" We see that done, which He predicted. In the fear of God, in the law of righteousness, in love, in works, faith is not. No man, in fear of the future, takes thought for the day of the Lord, and the anger of God; and no man contemplates the punishment which is to come on unbelievers, and the eternal torments decreed to the faithless. That which our conscience would fear if it believed, because it believes not it does not fear; if it believed, it would become cautious; if made cautious, it would escape. Let us awake, my beloved brethren, as far as we can; let us break through the slumbers of our former sloth, and rise up to observe and perform the commandments of our Lord. Let us be such as He bade us to be; "let your loins be girded, and your lamps burning, and be ye like unto men who await their Lord, when he cometh from the marriage, that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him: blessed are those servants, whom their Lord when he cometh shall find watching." We must gird ourselves up, lest when the day of haste cometh, he find us hindered and impeded. Let our light shine in good works, let it so beam, as to lead us on from the night of this world to the splendours of eternal glory. Let us be always anxiously and cautiously on the wait for the sudden coming of
