the last time, and in the waning light was walking home to Bethany, when he sat himself down to gaze with lingering love on Jerusalem, The evening sun was still glorifying her palaces; but the light was fading, darkness was coming ; and he talked with his disciples of darker shadows about to fall, which would leave her bereft of the light of God. But he looked beyond that—to the time when he would return from the “far country,” and, gathering his servants around him, would give each one recompense according as his work should be. During his absence he has given “to every man his work.” This clause suggests several thoughts concerning Christian service,
J. THE UNIVERSALITY OF CHRISTIAN SERVICE. It is appointed for “every man ” who is in the Lord’s household. God works in us in order that we may will and do of his good pleasure. He gives us love to others, and understanding of his Word, an expe- rience of his faithfulness, mental and spiritual faculties, in order to fit us for serving him, Science teaches us that natural agents are so closely related that they are mutually convertible. Motion passes into heat, heat into electricity, electricity into magnetism, magnetism into animal force, and so on in an endless circle. In the sphere of nature God arouses no force which does not arouse another; and though the primal energy passes on into many manifestations, it does not return to him void. So is it in the spiritual realm. He excites in your heart love to Christ, and that arouses thought about him, speech concerning him, activity for him; and these go forth like advancing waves of influence into the lives of others, and none can foresee the end. The Church is not meant to be like the phantom ship of which the poet sings, manned by a dead crew; but is likened to a living “ household,” in which all the servants are eager, watchful, and diligent; for their Lord has given ‘‘ to every man his work.” (Show the variety of capacities distributed amongst the old and young, the rich and poor, and the diverse forms of Christian service to which these point.)
Il. QUALIFICATIONS FOB CHRISTIAN SERVICE. 1. Harnestness. Too often this is fitful. It passes from us uselessly when in contact with the worldly, just as electricity passes off when insulation has been neglected. We want insulation of spiritual force. A modern Christian, surrounded by symbols of idolatry, would not always have “ his spirit stirred” within him as Paul did at Athens. The present age is enlightened rather than enthusiastic; self-complacent rather than self-sacrificing. 2. Love to Christ and love to souls is the true inspiration of successful Christian service. It is gained at the foot of the cross.
“ A life of self-renouncing love Is a life of liberty.”
3. Constancy. Such as Paul had, who, amid temptations to indolence, and amid perse- cutions which might have made him falter, pressed forward steadfastly. “This one thing I do” was the motto of his life. Is it ours? 4. Watchfulness. A special exhorta- tion to this lies in the passage before us. Let us watch (1) for opportunities of service (2) for results of work, and (3) for the coming of the Lord. ;
II. THe RECOMPENSE OF CHRISTIAN SERVICE. 1. There és blessing to be found tn doing tt, On the inactive mind and irresolute will doubts will gather, as limpets do on a motionless rock. Powers fairly exercised, whether they be physical, mental, or spiritual develop by use. 2. There is blessing awaiting us when we have done tt. It was not without reason that our Lord spoke (ver. 28) of the signs of his coming as being like the indications that “summer is nigh.” His advent will be to his people not a winter, but a summer, from which gloom and death will be banished, and in which there will be fruit-gathering after toil, and manifestation of beauty and glory arising from the disei- pline of thre past. That summer is nigh! The world is ripening for it. Our work is preparing foi it. Then shall the faithful reap fruit unto life eternalL—A. R.
Vers, 1—37.— Watching. This chapter relate. almost exclusively to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Yet in its testimony to the Divine power of foretelling future events, it has its evidential value t¢ all students of the person of our Lord; while its central and simple lesson, “ Watch! the day of your Lord’s coming ye know not,” may be fitably reiterated with frequency in the ears of all. One of the disciples, on passing out of the temple, drew the attention of the Master to the massiveness and crandeur of its building. How great! how stable! how wondrous! In this, as in so many instances,
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he saw what they saw not; and his thoughts were not as theirs. It must have been to their great surprise that he declared, “There shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” Sad and doleful words follow, as strikingly in contrast to the expectations of his questioners as were the former. The eager desire to know “when shall these things be,” was met by threats of deception, war, earthquakes, and famines, the mere presages of trouble, to be followed by personal afflictions, persecutions, hatreds, and deaths, mingled with the uttermost national and religious confusion, The dire symbols were, “the sun shall be darkened,” “the moon shall not give her light,” “the stars shall be falling from heaven.” We who read these words with the picture of Jerusalem’s destruction before us, and in the light of modern Jewish history, see a depth of meaning in them which, the words being words of prophecy, the disciples failed to see. Pitifully do our hearts move towards Israel according to the flesh, and prey for the lifting up of the veil that is upon their eyes, that they in a true sense may “see and believe.” The lesson is founded upon this prediction of judgment. In interpreting it in its application to ourselves we must see that it teaches—
I, THE EXTREME PERIJLOUSNESS OF HINDERING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN BY UNFAITHFULNESS. ‘The Jew was favoured as was no other nation under heaven. Fidelity to the great trust reposed in that people would have been attended with unmeasured Divine blessing ; while unfaithfulness regulted in the direst calamity and judgment. Who shall describe the bitterness to Israel of those dread days? A free and wider diffusion of the spiritual kingdom followed. But Israel, in giving birth to a gospel of blessing to the nations, suffered throes of travail “such as there hath not been the like from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and,” happily, “ never shall be.”