Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

* Night of Prayer.

A NIGHT OF PRAYER.

LUKE vi. 12.

And it came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in

prayer to God."

ESUS CHRIST is our Master; we, therefore, are low-servants; worldly rank, riches, honour, poverty, k into nothingness, or should so sink, here, in His ouse, whose common servants we are. The servant not greater than his Lord.

What is the great work that our Master setteth us do?

The Philosopher setteth his disciples on philosophy, зу sit at his feet, and learn wisdom; and oftentimes, r so we limit the meaning of words) oftentimes, rely the wisdom of this world, that cometh to ught. The General setteth his followers on the idy of war, and leadeth them forth to fight, and is the best disciple who sheweth most prowess and

valour. There are many masters, Lords many, and services many; but our Master and His service, these we must turn to. We may be philosophers indeed; we may be soldiers; but we must not be satisfied with this; we are Christians and our Master is Christ; this is our service; He is our glory.

What is the great work that we are set on? It is salvation. We came not into this world to follow the bent of an evil nature. We were not born into the Christian family to do as we list. We must not stand all the day of our little lifetime idle in the vineyard of the heavenly Husbandman; or, when the hour of reckoning cometh, we shall be in most wretched case. We were born to work; to work for God; we are His creatures, He made us, and not we ourselves. We were born again to work, to work for Christ; the word of God telleth us, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death; and that we ought to reckon ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Think not, my beloved, Oh, think not, I pray you, because it may peril your souls, that you have only to work for your daily bread, and clothes, and necessaries in this world, and then to finish up by death; or, rising higher in the scale of human society, that you may read newspapers, and books, work a farm, or follow a trade, or improve your property, or do good merely in a worldly and secular way; this is not the work of salvation, this may be

-llowed by a Heathen, by a Turk, by a Jew. Christian a most sacred name; badge of a most holy order; le of a heavenly profession; mark of a most laborious ade. How is it? Men sleep not behind the counr, at the office, on 'change, at farming, or daily laur; how is it that they sleep at Christianity, at eir high and heavenly calling? Forgive me for sayg so, dear brethren, some of you do sleep at this, d the rest of us are but half awake. We may well n to the Saviour again, that He may put His hands us afresh, that our eyes may be opened quite. I cannot now take in the whole compass of the work salvation, neither need I; the words of the text int to a definite portion of that great and blessed our. Allow me to call your attention to it. It is a theory; it is not a simple proposition, or statent of dogmatic theology, that the words of the text I us to; no, it is our Master, shewing us the way work. We all say, and we say the truth, that "Exple is stronger than precept." How then shall we ape if we neglect so great salvation as is set before by the example of our heavenly Master, as well as His precept! He does not preach simply, as I ach. He does not give lessons out of books, or ow a syllabus of lectures; Oh, no! but He turneth n to each of His disciples, and saith—“Look on and do likewise." It will not do to excuse oures, saying, "Lord, Thou art perfect, but I fail;" Master, I have a family to support, a trade to

[ocr errors]
« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »