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THE DUTY OF WATCHFULNESS ENFORCED
ON different occasions, but especially at the close of his life, our Lord taught his Disciples to look forward to a future period, when he would assuredly come again. He specified two objects for which he would come; the one was, to destroy Jerusalem; and the other, to judge the world: and, inasmuch as the former of these advents was typical of the other, he blended them both together, and thereby raised in them an expectation that they should take place at the same time. The truth is, that though the one was accomplished within forty years, and the other, notwithstanding almost eighteen hundred years have already past, remains yet to be accomplished at some distant and unknown period, they are both equally present in the mind of God, “with whom a thousand years are as one day, and one day as a thousand years.” And it is also true, that the day of death is to every man, in effect, as the day of judgment: so that the union of the two periods in their minds, notwithstanding their distance from each other, was strictly just, as it respected God, and highly salutary as it respected them. Not but that our Lord did make a clear distinction between the two periods: for in ver. 30, he says, “This generation shall not pass till all these things (relative to the destruction of Jerusalem) be done; and then, in a way of contrast, he adds, “But of that day and that, hour, namely, the Day of Judgment, knoweth no man.” It is in reference to this latter period that he speaks in the words of our text; in discoursing on which we shall consider,
I. The duty inculcated—
Watchfulness and prayer are often united in the Holy Scriptures as duties of the first importance. In themselves they are different; but in their exercise they are inseparable: neither would be of any avail without the other: prayer without watchfulness would be hypocritical; and watchfulness without prayer, presumptuous. We shall therefore combine the duties, as though it had been said, Watch in the exercise of prayer. And that we may yet further simplify the subject, we shall not enter into a detail of particulars, but rather follow the general ideas of our text; and shew,
1. What we should watch and pray against—
[Here we must include every thing which has a tendency to lull us asleep. We see how intent men are on all the things of time and sense: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, so occupy them, that they find no time nor inclination for spiritual concerns — — —
Against these then we should “watch and pray:” we should watch, to prevent them from gaining an ascendant over our hearts; and cry mightily to God to keep us from yielding to their influence. Seeing how the whole world is led captive by them, we should tremble for ourselves; and day and night intreat God rather to leave us destitute of all earthly things, than to give us over to the love of them, or suffer them to deprive us of eternal happiness — — —]
2. What we should watch and pray for—
[To be found ready, at whatever moment our Lord shall call for us, should be the one object of our ambition. With this view, we should seek to be found in Christ, not having our own righteousness, but that which is of God through faith in Christ. Not content with a general hope of acceptance through Christ, we should wash our every sin, yea our every duty also, in the fountain of his blood, which must cleanse us from the “iniquity even of our holiest actions.” We should seek also to “be renewed in the spirit of our minds,” and to be transformed into “the image of our God in righteousness and true holiness.” No attainments should ever satisfy us: if we were as holy as Paul himself, we should, like him, “forget the things that are behind, and reach forward towards that which is before.” With a view to progressive holiness, we should carefully “abide in Christ,” “living by faith on him,” and receiving daily out of his fulness grace for grace: assured, that without him we can do nothing, but through him shall be enabled to do all things. In a word, we should seek to be ever ready to meet our God; yea, to be “looking for, and hasting unto the coming of that day,” when we shall be summoned to his tribunal, and receive our eternal doom — — —
For the attainment of this happy frame of mind, we should be watching our progress in the Divine life, and praying day and night to God to perfect in us the work that he has begun — — —]
Let us next attend to,
II. The considerations with which it is enforced—
These may be comprehended in the two following:
1. The uncertainty of the time when our Lord shall call us—
[The time of the general judgment is unknown to the holy angels; nor was it revealed even to the Messiah himself for the purpose of communicating it to us [Note: As God, one with the Father, he knew all things; but as the Mediator, he received his instructions from the Father, and delivered nothing but what he had before received. Joh_14:31. Rev_1:1.]. And there was good reason why it should be concealed; because if it had been represented as at a great distance of time, men might have become secure; whereas the idea of its speedy arrival tended to quicken all to holy exertion. In like manner the uncertainty of the time of our death has a very salutary effect; since it necessitates us to be always ready. The idea of a man going a long journey, and leaving his servants their appointed work, and ordering them to expect him every moment till they see him, justly illustrates this point. There is not a moment of our lives when we may sit down secure. The night was divided into four watches, which terminated at evening, at midnight, at the cock-crowing, and in the morning. Now at no one of these periods are we sure that we shall not be summoned into the presence of our God.
What a consideration is this to enforce the duty in our text! Who that reflects one moment on the possibility of his being called this night to the judgment-seat of Christ, must not desire to be found in the exercise of watchfulness and prayer? — — —]
2. The awfulness of being found in a sleeping state—
[In the parable of the Ten Virgins we are informed what we must assuredly expect, if we indulge in careless security; we shall be shut out from the marriage-supper of our Lord, and be “cast into outer darkness, where is weeping and gnashing of teeth.” It will be to no purpose to plead, that we were not engaged in any wicked projects. We were “slothful servants,” and therefore are justly regarded as “wicked:” we were unprepared, and therefore are justly cut off from all further opportunity to prepare for our great account; we treated heaven with contempt, and therefore we are consigned to the miseries of hell — — —
Who that contemplates these tremendous consequences, must not determine with God’s help to watch and pray through the whole remainder of his days? — — —]
Our Lord’s concluding admonition, “What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch,” will lead us to address some different descriptions of persons:
1. The old—
[Is so much of your time gone, and will you not improve the remainder? — — —]
2. The young—
[What security have you against death, that you should delay so necessary a work? — — —]
3. The afflicted—
[God sends you afflictions on purpose to awaken you from your slumbers, and to stir you up to heavenly pursuits: What an aggravation will it be of your guilt, if these dispensations pass away unimproved!]
4. The backslidden—
[What an awful thing is it, that, instead of having advanced in the Divine life, you have lost in a good measure the life which you once had! Attend to God’s admonition to the Church of Sardis, lest he execute upon you the judgment that he threatened to inflict on them [Note: Rev_3:2-3.] — — —]
5. The more steadfast Christian—
[Experience proves that the exhortation to “watch” is not less necessary for you than for others. How many who are on the whole pious, grieve, by their unwatchfulness, their Divine Master! Be on your guard against such a slothful way of seeking him as his Bride was found guilty of [Note: Son_3:1.]; nor think to justify your sloth by such frivolous excuses as were urged by her [Note: Son_5:2-3.]. If you act like her, like her you will reap the bitter fruits in the hidings of his face [Note: Son_3:1-4; Son_5:2-6.]. To you then no less than to others I would say, “Sleep not as do others, but watch and be sober [Note: 1Th_5:6-8.].”]