The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-04-07
WATOHFULNEss,

| overthrow tnelr enemies, WIS KuOWn only 10
COP Himself JESUS only knew by the signs
that it was approaching and would occur in
that generation. So We know the season
when the harvest occurs, and we may know
| by certain signs which we may observe that
| it is approaching, but we cannot tell before
hand precisely the day when it is approach
| ing, but we cannot tell beforehand precisely
the day v hen it will be ready for the sickle.
Gods Judgment days, the crises in human
life and history, when His providence and
the power of his administration in the moral
government of mankind, is strikingly mani
tested, come like the harvest, when the
causes and forces that are in operation to
produce them ripen to their completion in
inevitable results. Because they knew not
the precise day of their Masters glorious
presence to preserve his disciples and punish
their enemies at crisis when the old king
dom of Israel should be dissolved and the
new kingdom of the Messiah established,
they were exhorted to watchfulness. Though
they could not know the hour of their danger
or their opportunity, they knew that it would
occur within a certain limit which he had de-
fined, and they knew also that if the owner
of a house knew in what watch of the night
thief would come, he would watch and pre-
vent his house from being broken into. AS
the thief comes in an unexpected hour, go
the Son of Man would come when the disci-
pies we're least expecting his presence, and
they must be constantly watchful. Watch
fitness is a perpetual and universal duty,
since all are exposed to dangers; and mae
much as all need to make their lives bet
ter by constant painstaking, we need to
watch our habits, our tempers, our tenden-
cies, and our opportunities to grow in wis.,
dom and holiness, and to do good to others.
The kind of watchfulness demanded by
Christianity is constant faithfulness.
THE FAITHFUL ARE REwARDED.-To
illustrate the duty and Importance of faith
fulness, JESUS relates parable of a house.
holder who appointed one of his slaves to be
the steward of his household during his alb
sence. The man was prudent and proved
himself faithful, and for his faithfulness was
promoted to the highest position in the man
agement of the business of his masters es-
tate Fidelity to trust and faithfulness to
duty are sure to be rewarded. The duty of
watchfulness was shown by the parable to be
based not merely on the ground of fidelity
to trust imposed. CHRIST had committed
his religion to his disciples, and desired that
they should be careful of their lives that they
might disseminate that religion. He had
conferred on them the Gospel and commits
stoned them to preach it, and wished them
on that account to guard against being swept
down by the great impending calamity which
he had announced. AS a man about to take
long journey gives authority to his servants,
and to every man his work, and expects them
to be true to their several trusts, 20 CHRIST
gave to his disciples trust to which he en-
joined them to be faithful. He gave to them
Christianity, and wanted them to live in it's
spirit and thus reveal its fullness, and to pro-
claim its benign and saving truths. To us
also are committed trusts, and we, too, need
to watch and pray that we may be faithful to
them. We are called upon to be careful of
life and health and culture and character,
that we may not only be blessed by them
ourselves, but that we may be in condition
to bear blessings to others. We are the
stewards of Christianity, and owe to it our
fidelity. To us the Saviour entrusts his
Church, and bids us take heed to its interests.
that as ministers and teachers we may rightly
divide the word of truth and give to each bis
portion in due season.
THE UNFAITHFUL ARE CONDEMNED.
The parable is employed to illustrate the
results of both faithfulness and unfaithful-
ness to the demands of Christian discipleship.
The case is stated on the supposition that the
| slave is evil-disposed. and acts on the pre-
| sumption that his master will not soon return.
! He is oppressive and brutal in his treatment
of his fellow-slave over whom he has been
appointed. Instead of maintaining order in
the household, and exercising a prudent
economy, he feasts and carouses at his mas
ter's expense with the drunken and disorder
| ly. But the master returns unexpectedly,
and inflicts upon the unfaithful servant the
severest punishment. There appears to be
some confusion of the figures by which the
punishment is described, and sudden trans
ition from the figure to the reality. To cut
asunder was an ancient form of capital pun
ishment, which is described by the author of
the Epistle to the Hebrews as having been
inflicted upon the martyrs OF the church Y
Samuel xii. 81; Hebrews XII. 30. The Jewish
rulers, upon whom the severest Judgment
of the coming of the Son of Man would fall,
were hypocrites, and they we're represented
as being cast out of the kingdom of the Mes
siah, under the figure of feast, into the
darkness without, where shall be the weep
ing and gnashing of teeth (see viii. IL, II;
xxi. LA; and Studies, Oct. 2, April -. 1t Is
declared by the figures employed that the
unfaithful disciples will share the doom of
the unbelieving Jews in the judgments threat
ened upon that generation. Christians who
are unfaithful to their profession and calling
will miss the blessings which Christianity
affords, and will be classed with hypocrites
in the Judgment of heaven, if not indeed in
that of the world also.
In Rermorfatn.