the command nor the declaration of uncer- tainty and suddenness. It would have anticipated all these. It would have acted upon them unbidden. But the Lord could not trust us. He could not trust our love; and therefore he adds the command, there- fore he reiterates the warning. It is strange and sad indeed, that neither the power of love, nor the awe of the command, can quicken us into watchfulness or rouse us into preparation.
The announcements of the suddenness of His coming are very distinct and par- ticular. There is nothing vague about them ; nothing to take off the edge of the warning which they contain. They are much more specific and repeated than those of His first coming. His first advent took the church by surprise, even though he had set the time and numbered the years. How much more then is his second coming likely to surprise us, when, by the way in which he has announced it, he has pre-
THE NIGHT-WATCH. 21
vented us from counting on any interval at all ! Yet we watch not ! Neither his mea- suring the time in the one case, nor his leaving it unmeasured in the other, pro- duces the designed effect. " When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth ? "
During this our night-watch, faith is to be ever vigorous and in motion. For it is the root of watchfulness. Without faith one can hardly have the idea of what it is to watch. For all the objects towards which watchfulness turns, are connected with things unseen, — an unseen Saviour, and an unseen kingdom.
When first we knew the Lord and be- lieved on him as the peace-maker, not only were we freely forgiven, but we were de- livered from a present evil world. Things present fell off from us ; things to come gathered round us. What was once shadowy became real ; what once seemed real seemed then a shadow. Christ's words
22 THE NIGHT-WATCH.
became real words ; his truths real truths ; his promises real promises. All else ap- peared unreal. The veil was not with- drawn, but we realized what was within it. The future did not become the present, nor the invisible the visible ; but we felt as if they were so. " Our faith was the sub- stance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Believing then that the Lord is coming, that the time is short, that the interval is uncertain, and that his arrival will be sudden, we watch. Unbelief throws us off our guard ; but faith sends us to our watch-tower. We know what our Lord meant when he said, " Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed." Or, altering the words of our Lord, may we not also say, " Blessed are they that have seen and yet have not believed ? " To see and yet not to believe, is one of the things that faith teaches us, and one of the things that quicken watchfulness. We look upon a world full of ungodliness, and
THE NIGHT-WATCH. 2&
yet believe not that God has forsaken the earth. We see the world's wisdom worship- ped, but yet believe not that it is wisdom. We see the power of evil, and yet believe not that evil shall triumph. We see con- fusion every where, and yet believe not but that order is God's law. We see a divided church, and yet believe that the church is one. We see mighty kingdoms ruling, and yet believe not that they shall abide. We see the saints trodden down, but yet be- lieve not in their shame or extinction. We look upon the tomb of the righteous, and yet believe not that he is dead. We see the church's persecutions and defeats, and yet believe not only that she is conqueror, but invincible. We see the march of Anti- christ, but yet believe not in his progress, save as a progress to doom. We see the world's joy, and yet believe not that it is joy. We see the saint's sorrow, and yet believe not that he is sorrowful. We see night, thick, deep night around us, but
24 THE NIGHT-WATCH.
yet we believe not in the night, but in the day.
Thus faith triumphs. We believe, we trust, we hope ; and, so doing, we stand above the world. We lift up our eyes to the hills whence cometh our help. We look towards the east, where the dawn breaks. We ivatch for the morning. Our night-watch has been long and weary ; but the morning will soon end it.* The watching, the waiting, and the hoping will then be done, but the loving will be for ever.
We ivatch ; for we know of no interval between us and the Lord's appearing. The hour of our meeting with him, and with those whom we have loved and lost, may be nigh at hand. Sooner than we think, we may be joined together insepar- ably, our bodies clothed with resurrection-
* " Tell her that the day is near the dawning, the sky is riving, (cleaving,) our Beloved will be on us ere ever we "be aware." — Rutherford.
THE NIGHT-WATCH, 25
health, and our souls rejoicing in holiness and love.