“Behold, I Come as a Thief.”
By C. GREEN
THERE is a certain class to whom these words will be fulfilled in all their force and terror, on the day of Christ’s appearing. “But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of.” Matt. 24: 48–50. Here is a person who has been looking for the coming of the Lord, but he has not come yet, after so many years of anxious watching, and in his heart (not openly), he is putting away the instruction to “watch and pray,” and saying, “He has delayed his coming so long, may be it will be years ere he comes, if he comes at all.” He encourages doubts and unbelief. His heart becomes evil, and dwells upon the faults and failings of others, and he is ever more ready to speak of them and smite his fellow-servants than anxious to confess and forsake his own. And why is this? If we are looking for the soon coming of the Lord, our own sins will be of most concern to us, while toward others we shall exercise that charity which covers a multitude of faults. Let us watch the course of that evil servant. His first step is saying (in his heart, by himself, unto himself), My Lord delayeth his coming. This prepares the way to act more openly, and the second step is taken by openly smiting with the tongue or pen of slander his fellow-servant who still adheres to the faith he once trusted in, then secretly and now openly denies. The two first steps taken, the third becomes easy and he begins to eat and drink with the drunken; and what will be the end of such an one? He will find when too late that his portion is with hypocrites, instead of with the finally faithful. Dear brethren and sisters, the nearer we can make the coming of the Lord appear, the safer it will be for us. Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of us should seem to come short of it. C. GREEN.