Man in the Gospel we are saying, " Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years," God may say to us, " Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be required of thee^" Who then, that knows the uncertainty of life, will presume upon its con- tinuance? Let us look at the many thousands who, though but lately they seemed as likely to live as ourselves, are gone into eternity, gone too, before they had prepared to give up their account to God; and surely we shall cry with the Psalmist, " Lord, so teach us to number our days, that we may instantly apply our hearts unto wisdom '^?"]
This subject naturally leads us to address,
1. The careless —
[Is it not sufficient that God has exercised such long- suffering towards you, but will you still continue to provoke him'=? " O be wise, and consider your latter end." " To-day, while it is called to-day, harden not your hearts;" lest while you are saying. Peace and safety, sudden destruction come upon you^.]
2. The lukewarm —
[Lukewarmness in religion is as odious to God as an utter neglect of it». It is not by a round of formal duties, but a strenuous exertion of all your powers that you are to obtain the prize : for though heaven is the gift of God through Christ, it is bestowed on those only who labour for it ^. Whatever then your hand findeth to do, do it with all your might'.]
3. The zealous —
[Endeavour to realize more and more the uncertainty of life, that, like the Apostle, you may " die daily." And, as you know not but that on the morrow you may be numbered with the saints in glory, let nothing be deferred till to-morrow, which you can do for God to-day. Thus will death, however sudden, be welcome to you.]
•^ Lukexii. 19, 20. 'i Ps. xc. 12. e Jam. iv. 13—16. f Heb. iii. 7, 8, 13. 1 Thess. v. 3. s Rev. iii. 15, 16.
h John vi. 27. i Eccl. ix. 10.