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Class_ 

Book l 



i j ui-:si-:S'TKi) by 



OR THE LANGUAGE OF A CHURCH CLOCK 




X . o'clock. The Universal Command, 

JL\ 

j jr\ General Duties 

jy \ The Christian Temper 
I in. regard, to iitis life ■ 
~V.... Corn/ort and. Warn.in.cf 

\'L..The. Sum.rrt.ons . 



VIZ o'clocK . Prayer . 

ym . The Principles of Grace. ■ 

JX .TheFrmciples of Victory 

-yj.) Particular Duties 

XE The Looh-Owt>. 



Boston. Fwb^by SaxtcwL.Teirce 



TONGUE OF TIME 



THE LANGUAGE OE A CHURCH CLOCK. 



WILLIAM HARRISON, A. M. 

OF BRASENOSE COLLEGE, OXFOBD ; 

MOBNING PREACHES AT THE MAGDALEN HOSPITAL; DOMESTIC CHAPLAIN 

TO H. E. H. THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE. 



jFrom t])e ^rcontf Sonticm Etrftfon. 



BOSTON: 
SAXTON, PEIRCE & CO. 

No. 133 1-2 Washington Street. 

new york: saxton & miles. 
1844. 






^3 '/^ 



PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. 



The design of this little work was suggested to 
me, a short time ago, by hearing the clock strike at 
midnight. A thought arose in my mind, of the vast 
number of hours which slip by, unnoticed by our 
senses, unless some circumstance, or business, or 
engagement, happen to impress a few more 
particularly upon our attention. It immediately 
occurred to me, that the connection of some 
scripture precept with each hour of the day, might 
not only lead the christian to note, more jealously, 
the passing flight of time, but would also as 
constantly remind him of its solemn and final 
object. 

For this purpose, I have selected a few portions 
of the word of God, accommodating the number of 
words in each portion to the number of strokes in 
each hour ; besides arranging, methodically, the 
various subjects, so as to give, in the whole, a short 
synopsis of christian principles and duties. I have 
endeavored, also, to carry throughout such a 
reference to the sufferings of our Lord and only 
Savior ; Jesus Christ, as will enable the reader to 



IV PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. 

realize, in every division of time, a part of that 
cross which was borne for us ; and this is ; in fact, 
the chief recommendation of the writing. 

So little., indeed, is the composition intended to 
engross the attention of the reader, or to draw it off 
from the simple text attached to each hour, that, 
could the design have been published alone, he 
would have been presented only with what now 
constitutes the frontispiece. It will be seen, that 
some of the passages are separated from their 
immediate context, and that others have been 
accommodated to certain truths ; but I have only 
ventured upon the former, where the sense is still 
in itself complete, and the real force of the passage 
is evident ; and upon the latter, where, in addition 
to the real interpretation, I could introduce some 
wholesome thoughts in connection with them, 
without doing violence to the truth. 

I trust that the christian will not despise this 
little attempt to assist and encourage him, even 
though it should tell him nothing new ; and if, after 
all, it should be found to possess no more merit 
than the machinery whose language it is supposed 
to interpret, it will abundantly repay me, if it 
should prove half as useful. 



PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 



It is with much thankfulness that I send forth 
the second edition of this little work. From the 
very rapid sale of the first thousand, and the kind 
notices which it has received from various reviews 
and public journals, I cannot but augur that my 
design has been, to some extent, realized ; and I 
trust I may express the hope, that this little book is 
calculated to be useful in the great work of religious 
discipline, and that the mode in which the subject 
is handled is likely to arrest the attention of other 
than serious minds. I am glad, moreover, of this 
opportunity of correcting some inaccuracies which 
had escaped my observation in the former sheets. 
And thus I dismiss the second edition, with the 
humble but earnest prayer that its pages may be 
blest to those that read, and to him that wrote them. 

Christ's Hospital, 1843. 



1* 



INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. 



Reader ! you have often heard the clock strike. 
Have you ever thought upon its meaning? 
Monotonous as its sounds may be to a careless ear, 
they have language. Not an hour but carries its 
lesson. Far reaching in its scope, every stroke of 
that ponderous hammer summons before you the 
three grand attributes of time. From each tower 
and belfry, time calls to you, with solemn, but 
benignant voice, as if unwilling that you should 
lose sight of your privileges. It speaks of itself ; it 
speaks also of you. It declares, ' I was.' I came 
to you, christian, as a friend sent from a loving 
hand, to be an instrument of good to your soul, and 
a promoter of its everlasting peace. Whatever you 
have done with me is past. If good, thank God : if 
evil, ' be watchful, and strengthen the things that 
, remain.' For, l I am.' As the plastic clay in the 
potter's hands, you may mould and impress me as 
you will. I am come to bear the record c of works, 
and charity, and service, and faith, and patience.' 
O, then, l give all diligence to make your calling 
and election sure.' Use me well, and you will not, 



INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. VU 

hereafter, blush at my report : for c I shall be.' 
Brief is the appointed term, but yet a little while I 
am with you. While, then, you look back to the 
past for experience, lay hold upon the present as a 
treasure, and look onward with the patient and 
steady eye of hope. Behold! the bridegroom 
cometh at an hour when you know not. Expect 
him, and be ready ; your loins girded, and your 
lamp burning ; lest, after many a round of unheeded 
hours, you should be forced to cry, c the harvest is 
past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.' 

Such, reader, is the meaning of that measured 
sound, which, it may be, you daily hear proceeding 
from some sacred pile ; and, indeed, there is as 
much of truth as of fancy in the statement ; for time 
is like a merchant's capital — ventured it must be, 
if we would live. If used with judgment and skill, 
profitable, indeed, will be its harvest, repaying us, 
in proportion to our exertions, thirty, or sixty, or a 
hundred fold. And why not a hundred fold for us 
all? For time is the universal talent, subjecting 
every man living to a charge and an account. 
Within its circle all our other talents turn. They 
are the wheels within this great wheel, whose 
united movement causes it to revolve, for as they 
are duly exercised, time is successfully employed. 
Lastly, it is the entail of humanity, come down to 
us as our inalienable heritage ; and, as in the law 



VU1 . INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. 

of primogeniture, unencumbered with our father's 
debts. God grant ; reader, that you and I may prove 
such wise occupants and inheritors of this invaluable 
property, that, whatever may be the passing anxieties 
of its tenure, we may realize its profits in the 
kingdom of heaven ! 



TONGUE OF TIME. 




THE UNIVERSAL COMMAND. 



This is a needful warning ! It is but once 
in the day that it greets our ears. Its next 
sound comes in the dead of night. Few 
comparatively are the ears that hear it then : 



10 ONE O'CLOCK. 

some children of pleasure at the fag-end of 
their toil; some solitary bending over the 
lettered page, or taxing his o'erwronght brain; 
some anxious spirit watching by the curtains 
of sickness ; some restless body tossing upon 
a bed of pain. To these the single stroke of 
time, perchance, may come at night; but to 
the rest of the world it speaks at noonday, 
and, whether for these or them, alike needful 
is the warning, ' watch.' This is the time 
when the world is most busy, when the hive 
is stirred, and its inmates are bustling. The 
business of the day is in full operation. The 
nets of the adversary are spread far and wide, 
and, amid all this turmoil, time lifts up his 
voice, and as he again commences his steady 
round, reminds thee, christian, to watch. 

Christian ! thou art on duty. Remember, 
therefore, that a soldier must not be off his 



THE UNIVERSAL COMMAND. 11 

guard in the enemy's country. Every device 
that can be employed to distract thy attention 
will be used against thee. Covetousness 
opens before thee as a pitfall, (1 Tim. vi. 9.) 
Worldly cares are on thy right hand in 
ambuscade. False principles, like the light 
cavalry, hover on thy left. Self-interest offers 
his services as a treacherous guide to conduct 
thee. And, last of all, the world's maxims 
and frowns stand in deep column to resist 
thee. ' But thou, O man of God, fight the 
good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, 
whereunto thou art also called.' ' Be sober 
and watch unto prayer.' It may be, however, 
that this is an hour of relaxation to the reader ; 
when a short breathing is allowed him amid 
the exercise of the day. Still let the stroke 
of time bring before him the same caution. 
Short, indeed, is the term of our service here, 



12 ONE O'CLOCK. 

and, even while reading this, the moments of 
the hour are vanishing with noiseless steps. 
No time have we then for security. Security 
is the olive leaf upon the conqueror 's brow. 
Does one o'clock, then, bring to the reader a 
short remission of work, let him not put off 
his armor, but, like Habakkuk, let him stand 
upon his watch, and set him upon the tower, 
and watch lest God should speak to him. 
Soft are the gales of the Spirit, and unheard 
their breathings by ears that are ever filled 
with the din of the world, or by hearts which 
are torn with distractions. If we would dis- 
cern the still, small voice, we must keep our 
hearts quiet, and listen. 

Christian! once more. It may be, thou 
shalt hear this hour when weary bodies are 
sleeping. Should this stroke attract thy 
attention, remember Jesus ! This was the 



THE UNIVERSAL COMMAND. 13 

hour of his passion. Then was it that the 
nearness of his approaching trial began to 
pierce his soul. Often had his spirit shrunk 
from contact with the sin around him. More 
than once he was forced to look up to heaven 
and sigh. More than once he gave vent to 
his anguish of heart: 'how long shall I be 
with you ? How long shall I suffer you ? ' 
But now he was to bear the consequence of 
imputed sin. He was to be accounted the 
sinner : not as one of us, but worse than any 
single offender, for he was to bear the sin of 
many ; and this, too, not in the sight of men 
only, as an execrated criminal, but in the 
sight of his august and holy Father, as the 
representative of a world of iniquity. This 
was the pang, that at this hour was 
commencing ; teaching us that there is no 
real punishment but the absence of God ; and 



14 ONE O'CLOCK. 

that this in itself is hell. Then was it that 
he bade his friends ' watch.' O ! if vain 
thoughts or thoughts of sin molest thee, 
think upon Gethsemane. Carry thy heart to 
that garden where the crushed olive gave its 
perfume,, and he that made the peace of the 
world was wounded for thy transgressions. In 
this hour he fell on the ground and prayed. 
If sleep be not near thine eyelids, do thou 
watch with Jesus and pray. 



TWO O'CLOCK. 




1 FEAR GOD. 



GENERAL DUTIES. 

Short is the lesson to which the hour of 
two calls our attention, and jet the Bible 
declares it to be the whole duty of man, and 
the summary of all instruction. And is it not 
so ? Congregated upon one spot in the 
measureless ocean of space, and intertwined 
in the relationship of being, by the identity of 



16 two o'clock. 

nature, feelings, habits, occupations, interests, 
we all stand alone and unattached in regard 
to God. Between us and him there is no 
intervening power, nor second principle. As 
the planets together form one system, and yet 
are vitally influenced and governed by the 
sun, rolling together in wonderful harmony, 
but deriving all their benefits from that orb 
alone ; so we are held and sustained in our 
respective orbits by the sole energy of God, 
while we are yet commingled in the various 
relations of life. From him, indeed, life 
physical and spiritual directly proceed, 
insomuch that, as the apostle expresses it, 
'in him we live and move and have our 
being.' Let the hour of two, then, impress 
upon the reader this element of his 
immortality : ' fear God.' And what is it to 
fear God? It is not to be afraid of him, 



GENERAL DUTIES. 17 

though that sentiment may well be felt 
toward one who can destroy both body and 
soul in hell. And, indeed, christian, if thy 
heart be not cleansed from sin, it were well 
that thou shouldst fear him thus. But it 
behoves the child of God to fear him 
without terror, and dread him without alarm. 
Christian fear is the sacred awe of a creature 
in union with the fervent affection of a child ; 
for though there may be nothing of fear in 
love, yet is there a holy love in such a fear. 
In a word, it i-s the adoration of love. 

This is the first branch of general duty : 
the abstract of the first great commandment. 
All things flow from it that tend to wisdom, 
holiness, and life. We have learned nothing 
in the school of religion till we have learned 
it; and when we shall have arrived at the 
2* 



18 two o'clock. 

perfection of an archangel's purity, we can 
learn no more. 

And now, reader, noon is past already; 
but a few hours, and darkness shall close in 
the day. When, therefore, the clock reminds 
thee of this hour, let it refresh thy resolve 
to cultivate this spirit. O ! it will save 
thee many a perplexity, and many an 
uncomfortable reflection. It warns thee 
against offences : • stand in awe, and sin 
not.' It bucklers thee against the fear of 
man, as it fortified the three young Jews 
against the wrath of a Nebuchadnezzar ; 
and kept the apostles calm in the face of 
the Sanhedrim. It brings thee, as it were, 
under the sensible inspection of the eye of 
God; denuding all earthly objects of their 
pretensions, and raising thee into communion 
with uncreated Intelligence, for • the secret 



GENERAL DUTIES. 19 

of the Lord is with them that fear him.' 
It purges the heart, for ' the fear of the Lord 
is clean.' Who knows how opportunely 
the hour of two may come to thy soul? 
Perhaps it shall be when thou art on the 
brink of some unjust transaction, or some 
unfair advantage; perhaps when thou art 
angry, or heated with discussion, or tempted 
to forget thy spiritual associations and 
privileges ; or, it may be, when thy whole 
soul is concentrated in the issue of some 
gainful enterprise. O ! if thou shouldst be 
reminded at that juncture to fear God, will 
it not be good for thy neighbor's cause, and 
better for thine own soul? It was at this 
time that Jesus was hanging on the cross, 
in the last hour of his desertion. In this 
solitary abandonment he exhibited the penalty 
of sin — the abhorrence and displeasure of the 



20 two o'clock. 

God of love, who, when he looked upon 
his only and well-beloved son as the 
representative of rebels, turned from him. 
for awhile, and hid his face in clouds. 
Think on this, and it will make sin odious 
and dreadful ; and, while it puts thee on thy 
guard against surprises, will demonstrate the 
value of a godly fear. 



THREE O'CLOCK. 




'honor all men.' 



GENERAL DUTIES. 



The epistles of St. Peter are not merely 
remarkable for the truths that they contain, 
but also for many touches of practical 
wisdom, which, while they indicate a great 
knowledge of human nature, are admirably 
adapted to the intercourse of society. There 
is a wholesome good sense in many of his 



22 THREE O'CLOCK. 

precepts, which qualifies them no less to 
form the manners and tastes of the 
gentleman, than to enlighten the conscience 
of the christian. In short, they might, 
without derogation, be called the elements 
of good breeding. It is so important that 
religion should carry the charm of courtesy 
and gentleness, at least, to temper its 
indispensable faithfulness and zeal, that no 
man can be universally useful who wants 
them. There is too much of zeal without 
this chastening disposition, although none of 
us like to be roughly handled, since we 
receive even rebuke with more readiness, 
when it comes with a courteous manner 
and a gentle tone. But, besides this, there 
is a certain deference due to every man. 
Nothing strips any individual of this right 
but unwarrantable temper or aggression, of 



GENERAL DUTIES. 23 

which no christian would take a vindictive 
advantage. Personal feelings, in short, are 
sacred, and the peasant may have to complain 
of undue liberties, as well as the peer; for 
we are all, in one way or another, sensitive 
plants, and feel the rubs of unkindness, 
however little others may give us credit 
for the sensibility. "We must be careful, 
however, not to confound this, nor to allow 
our want of courage to take shelter under 
the fear of offence. Speak we often must, 
and that decidedly; offend we sometimes 
shall, and that deeply; but the cause must 
not be found in our bad manners. 

The hour of three will enable the 
reader to apply to his own heart the provision 
which the apostle makes against this defect ; 
for no christian can be rude who remembers 
thus to ' honor all men.' Many persons so 



24 THREE O'CLOCK. 

often mistake bluntness for candor, that this 
rule can never be too strongly impressed 
upon us. Thus, persons in authority, for 
example, or such as hold official or 
professional posts, not unfrequently have 
recourse even to roughness of manners, in 
order to get rid of the inconvenient tax 
which inconsiderate people lay upon their 
time or attention. But is not this done at 
the expense of brotherly kindness ? No 
good feeling can ever be purchased by 
rudeness or neglect; while much has been 
preserved, in spite of disadvantages, by 
civility on the one side, and courtesy on the 
other. Nothing sets forth the sufficiency* of 
religion, for the management of the ordinary 
business of life, more than such little touches 
as we meet with in the Bible ; - be pitiful, be 
courteous, honor all men.' 



GENERAL DUTIES. 25 

This last sentiment, indeed, is equivalent 
to the sum of the second table, and is a fit 
successor to the admonition of the foregoing 
hour. The two together include the total of 
human obligation. How much is contained 
in a little word ! In this respect scripture 
may be likened to the eye, that holds in its 
tiny mirror more space than could be 
traversed in a thousand years. But the 
reader is, doubtless, occupied deeply at this 
hour. Possibly he is tired with the objections 
or thwarting interests of others. He has 
been for some hours at his employment, and 
is somewhat weary in mind. The adversary 
is glad of a weaiy moment, if he can but 
betray us even into a hasty expression. If 
such should be the reader's case, let this 
hour bring its accompanying exhortation to 
his mind, ' honor all men.' Three o'clock 
3 



26 THREE O'CLOCK. 

is a point of time consecrated by the burst of 
a dying Savior's anguish. It was at this 
season that, in the yet lingering darkness, 
after he had been hanging in silent endurance 
for three hours, while the then speechless 
throng were still watching him, he uttered 
those mysterious words, ' eloi ! eloi ! lama 
sabachthani ? ' This hour is consecrated to 
love, therefore, as he himself tells us ; 
' greater love hath no man than this, that 
a man lay down his life for his friends.' 
This was his love ; the appointed rule and 
pattern for ours : ' a new commandment I 
give unto you, that ye love one another : as 
I have loved you, that ye also love one 
another.' Was it not intended in this that 
we should submit to some inconveniences, 
not to say self-denials, in order to keep up 
the charter of the gospel? Forbearance is 



GENERAL DUTIES. 27 

only a part of the charge, though a very 
important one ; but we who are called upon, 
as it were, to wash the feet of our brethren, 
are reminded, in that figurative action, to 
render the outward tribute of love, as well as 
to learn the discipline of a meek spirit. In 
the intercourse of everyday life, many will 
be the occasions for the exercise of the 
principle of which we have been speaking. 
Let not the reader, then, be weary in 
well-doing; nor let him suppose that 
gentleness and courteousness can ever be 
thrown away; for if they should even fail 
to awaken a response in some ill-regulated 
heart, they will not be lost in their practical 
benefit to ourselves, their silent example to 
others, and their submission to him whose 
will it is that we should ' honor all men.' 



FOUR O'CLOCK. 




BE CAREFUL FOR NOTHING. 



THE CHRISTIAN'S TEMPER IN REGARD 
TO THIS LIFE. 



To be diligent in our business, without 
being devoted to it; to have an enterprising 
spirit, and to be chastened withal in the pursuit 
of the object, is that happy reconciliation 
between this life and the next which is 
attained only by the favored few, but the key 



THE CHRISTIAN'S TEMPER. 29 

to which is to be found in the foregoing 

precept. The natural man has ever been at a 

loss to understand this, and it is, perhaps, one 

of the last tilings that is perfectly learned by 

the christian. But, in truth, this principle lies 

at the threshold of all our permanent peace, 

whether in temporal or spiritual matters. 

Here it is, however, that we see one of the 

great contradictions of human nature. Our 

anxieties spring from the tacit sense of our 

own insufficiency, and yet we depend upon 

ourselves because we are afraid to trust him, 

whom, after all, we are obliged to recognize 

as the sole fountain and dispenser of all 

things. What a simple, but what a 

wonderful thing is faith! And yet, in most 

of us, the amount of it is incredibly small. 

There is something so all conclusive and 

satisfactory in the abstract view of dependence 
3# 



30 four o'clock. 

upon a supreme and loving Father, that it is 
only when we are required to put it into 
operation that we detect the utter fallacy of 
imagination, and the desperate deadness of 
our own hearts. Little, however, as is to be 
said for the general appearance of faith, the 
christian has his Jehovah-jireh. It were 
saying little, indeed, for the gospel, if 
Abraham's conduct, (Gen. xxii. 8 — 14,) and 
David's feelings, expressed in the twenty-third 
psalm, had not many imitators, or awakened 
no kindred sentiments in the christian's 
breast. 

But the clock is striking four, and its 
tone comes somewhat softer to the fancy 
when associated with this language of 
encouragement, ' be careful for nothing.' 
The day is waning, and its work is drawing 
to a close. The reader is, perhaps, on 



THE CHRISTIAN'S TEMPER. 31 

'change. He is one of that bustling throng 
whom the business of this world brings 
together, for the space of a few minutes, 
from every country on its surface. Amid 
those calculating heads and thoughtful faces, 
is all to be of this world alone? Would it 
be out of place for us to exchange words of 
another life while we are providing for this ? 
Shall christian men, even while buying 
and selling, proscribe all mention of the 
grand conclusion and winding-up of these 
arrangements and accounts ? Why, then, is 
the presence of divine things considered 
unfitting for such employment, and why 
cannot we appreciate the combination ? The 
answer is simple : we are too careful ; we 
would be our own providers. 

But now, reader, let the hour that summons 
thee to go on 'change, not only remind thee 



32 four o'clock. 

to ' be careful for nothing,' but let it make 
that place thy Jehovah-jireh. While the hum 
of voices tills thine ears, and money is 
changing hands, and the shrewd speculator 
is at his figures ; while thou art about to 
make provision for a future day, lift up thine 
heart in faith, and say, ' the Lord will 
provide.' The thought of this will calm thy 
soul, and relieve thee of that unhealthy 
excitement which clogs the mind when we 
are too busy for this world. It may be, 
however, that the hour of four shall one day 
fall upon the reader's ear amid the pressure 
of some trial, either of the adverse turn of 
his affairs, or of a calamitous loss. Will it 
not afford him some thoughts of childlike 
submission, and cheerful but dependent hope, 
to associate these comforting words of the 
apostle with the hour ? What if things have 



THE CHRISTIAN'S TEMPER. 33 

gone wrong with thee ? ' Be careful for 
nothing.' The Lord hath taken away, but 
the Lord gave. Why, then, be cast down? 
The Lord has provided for thee hitherto : 
the Lord will provide for thee still. We 
have two instances recorded in the histories 
of Elijah and Elisha of the support of two 
widows in a time of dearth. The second 
case, however, ought forcibly to remind the 
christian of the power of his great Prophet 
' Elisha said unto her, what shall I do for 
thee ? tell me.' Jesus says to his petitioners, 
' therefore take no thought, saying, what 
shall we eat ; or, what shall we drink ; or, 
wherewithal shall we be clothed? Take no 
thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall 
take thought for the things of itself. ' If thou 
wouldst stand aloof from distrust, care 
would not darken thy doors. Little could 



34 four o'clock. 

the three kings in the wilderness of Edom 
calculate on seeing floods without rain, and 
the dry, parched country filled with water. 
But the Lord had his purposes ; and in his 
own time, when men would see his hand in 
the matter, he made the valley full of ditches. 
Do thou, therefore, trust him ; and while the 
stroke of foue, bids thee ' be caheful for 
nothing,' let this practical comfort take hold 
of thy heart, ' sufficient unto the day is the 
evil thereof.' 






FIVE O'CLOCK. 




4 THE LORD IS AT HAND. 



COMFORT AND WARNING. 



It was not, surely, without reason that 
our blessed Master, and the apostolical 
writers after him, so repeatedly enforced 
upon christians the peculiar expectancy of 
then condition as disciples. Every thing in 
the circumstances of the early church 
appears to have given an additional 



36 five o'clock. 

representation of this feature ; and it is only 
when the formal and external fabric has been 
settled, and the gospel has enjoyed a long 
triumph, that the sense of so important a 
characteristic seems to have passed away. 
It is not, indeed, the general and popular 
condition of the church to which allusion is 
here made, but the individual position of 
every believing christian. Do we, then, 
sufficiently consider our present separation 
from the sight of him, ' whom not having 
seen we love,' in the light of a privation — in 
such a light as that in which he himself put 
it : ' the days will come when the bridegroom 
shall be taken away from them, and then 
shall they fast.' Was it not the intention of 
all this to hold up the distinction between 
the servant of the cross and the world? 
Was it not to teach us to sit so loosely to 



COMFORT AND WARNING-. 37 

all attractions here, that we might be ready, 
as it were, at a moment's notice, to go forth 
and meet the bridegroom, and that we might 
exhibit the power of a living faith, to the 
glory of the grace of God ? But it is not 
the Master alone who has called off his 
followers from the engrossing pursuits of the 
world. A similar intention appears to have 
influenced the apostle, who admonished the 
Philippians to remember that ' the lord is 

AT HAND.' 

The warning stands midway between 
two exhortations, to either or both of which 
its significant conclusion may extend. If 
referred to the former, it would act as a spur 
to self-denial, and encourage them to ' let 
their moderation be known unto all men.' 
If to the latter, it would remind them that 
their heavenly Father was aware of their 



38 five o'clock. 

necessities, and that they were, therefore, to 
1 be careful for nothing.' The same principle 
is applicable to either result. The active 
habit of self-denial, and the passive 
submission of a thorough dependence upon 
God, may spring alike from the expectation 
that ' the lord is at hand.' Not unsuitable, 
therefore, is the apostolic caution to the hour 
of five. Whether it comes in the early 
dawn, or at the closing of the day's work, 
when we are about to refresh our bodies 
with the day's meal, it greets us with equal 
appropriateness. ' The lord is at hand,' 
both actually and prophetically. In the 
former case, he comes to reign and judge; 
in the latter, he is nigh to overlook and 
provide. Is the christian reader, then, 
reminded of this hour, when the morning's 
sun is opening its golden eye upon his 



COMFORT AND WARNING. 39 

hemisphere, and the gray mist is rolling away 
before its brightness ? Let him remember, 
that the Sun of Righteousness is at hand 
likewise. It is a solemn, peaceful hour. 
The world is not yet awake ; its energies and 
its vices are sleeping : and in such an hour 
the Lord may come. It will be a good 
commencement of the day, if the reader 
will occupy himself in meditating upon this 
event. ' ' My lord is at hand.' How 
many are there that will expect him ? One 
half the world will be asleep ; the other will 
be absorbed in the day's work. Shall he find 
faith when he comes ? Will men believe 
his approach ? Are they looking for it ? O ! 
my Savior, let me have mine eye fixed in the 
direction of thy royal highway. Let mine 
ear catch the distant tokens of thy approach. 
Ere thy chariot of fire shall rush upon an 



40 five o'clock. 

imexpectant world, let those that expect thee, 
be ready and awake. And as, at thy coming, 
houses and lands, honors and employments, 
will cease to us, let me only use them as a 
temporary charge, and remember that the 
fashion of this world passeth away. Let me 
show my moderation to all men, and be 
careful for nothing. 

' At this hour thou wast surrounded by a 
tumultuous rabble: no rest had come near 
thine eyelids. Faint and worn, heart-broken 
and pierced with many sorrows, thy weary 
frame was dragged before rulers for my sake. 
O ! let my heart go forth to thee, and espouse 
thy cross. At this hour, too, thou hadst risen 
from the grave, and conquered the conqueror, 
for ' thou wast up by break of day.' O ! let 
me rise in thy strength, and shake off my 



COMFORT AND WARNING. 41 

sins, as thou didst burst the wrappings of the 
cerecloth. Let me begin the day with thee.' 
But the hour of five comes with almost 
universal notice in the other division of the 
day. Most of us are ceasing from our labors, 
or preparing to enjoy the day's meal, or 
refreshing our minds with some relaxation. 
In this season, let the christian consider that 
'the lord is at hand,' to overlook and 
provide. If he be partaking of the creatines 
which God has given to us, let him remember 
that they are purchased by the blood of 
Christ, and sanctified by the word of God, 
and prayer. Let him associate the Lord's 
bounties with that sacrifice winch hath made 
all tilings clean to our use. To the expectant 
believer the Lord presents himself at the 
board, and invites him as he invited the 
4# 



42 five o'clock. 

disciples by the side of Galilee's waters, 
' come and dine.' Here he is called to faith. 
' The lord is at hand.' ' Let thy moderation, 
therefore, be known.' ' The lord is at 
hand.' ' Be careful, therefore, for nothing.' 
It may be, however, that the reader is 
refreshing his mind with some innocent 
gratification. Let the hour of five, then, 
remind him that the Lord is overlooking Ins 
proceedings : ' thou compassest my path, and 
my lying down, and art acquainted with all 
my ways.' ' God,' said some one of old, 
1 is a great eye.' Beware, then, christian, of 
unbelief. If thou believest that God sees 
thee, thou canst not be mindful of his 
attributes, and sin. Wherever thou art, it is 
the same : at thy table, or in the park, God 
seeth thee. Thy secret imaginations and 
purposes are as overt as thine open words 



COMFORT AND WARNING. 43 

and deeds. This is publicity of which thou 
needest not be afraid, if thine heart be right ; 
but, if deceitful, let it cleanse thee, for thou 
canst not shake it off In all thy ways 
remember that ' the lord is at hand.' And 
that thou may est be kept to this, consider and 
apply the apostle's memento, ' some have 
entertained angels unawares.' Was it not 
at this hour that two friends were walking 
homeward, conversing, with a mournful 
interest, about divine things and him that 
had died near Jerusalem ? Was not this the 
hour when a Stranger joined them, and made 
their hearts burn as he opened to them the 
things that showed forth the Redeemer of 
men ? Was not this the hour, in short, when 
Jesus talked by the way with two of his 
disciples ? Such an honor may be thine. 
Carry with thee such thoughts as they had, 



44 five o'clock. 

and it may be, that the Lord shall manifest 
himself, and so fill thee with his welcome 
presence, that thou shalt be kindled by its 
influence, and enjoy such refreshment of soul 
as will send thee on thy way rejoicing. 



SIX O'CLOCK. 




'why sleep ye? rise and pray.' 



THE SUMMONS. 
These words were uttered at an earlier 
hour than this, at which time there was such 
an occasion for watchfulness as will never 
occur again. Their number, however, suits 
the hour of six, and six o'clock is a fitting 
time for a man to rise and pray. Christian 
reader, it is a good thing for a man to begin 



46 six o'clock. 

his day with an act of self-denial. Time has 
many depredators, but none so extensive as 
sleep. He, therefore, that begins the day by 
curbing his self-indulgence, gives a fillip to 
his conscience, and braces his resolution to 
achieve another victory over self. There is 
no apology for abundance of sleep but a weak 
frame, or a sick body, and as little for a late 
hour. Useless, indeed, would the divisions of 
time be, if that sun, which wakes all the rest 
of creation, should fail to arouse the chief 
organ and mouthpiece of its daily praises, 
man. Twice does David specifically mention 
this duty : ' awake up psaltery and harp : I 
myself will awake early.' And is it not 
becoming, when all creation is pouring forth 
its praise, that man should lead the chorus ? 
Long ere this hour has arrived, the birds have 
begun to pipe their thanksgiving. By this 



THE SUMMONS. 47 

time the sweetest, because the freshest, 
breath of the morning is beginning to ascend. 
The sun has had power enough to call out 
and combine those odors which are never, as 
then, so fragrant. O, it is the holiest hour ! 
so tranquil, that it invites to prayer ! There 
is, as it were, a pause in the world's evil. 
Like one awaking, and not quite awake, it is 
not yet come to itself. Think, then, christian, 
that, at this hour, there stands one, by the 
curtains of thy bed, who gravely but gently 
admonishes thee, ' why sleepest thou? rise 
and pray.' Yes, this is a fitting couplet, rise 
and pray. ' Rise ! for, at this hour, I witnessed 
my good confession before Pontius Pilate. I 
hid not my face from shame and spitting. I 
gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks 
to them that plucked off the hair.' ' Pray ! 
lest ye enter into temptation.' 



48 six o'clock. 

This is the time of a christian's strength. 
It is the opportunity for getting a start of the 
world. An hour's communion with God at 
this season, often turns the scale of the day ; 
for it is a matter of christian experience, that 
the tone of a man's spirituality is very much 
affected by the use he makes of it. If he 
uses it to this purpose, he gets on his way 
while the world is still asleep, and before it 
can come in with its business and distractions ; 
and it is his own fault if he cannot keep the 
heading during the rest of the day. Like one 
who has mingled in the best society, he 
cannot soon reconcile himself to low company. 
There is, also, another advantage. The 
employment of this early hour imparts a 
satisfaction to the mind, that affects it with 
a peculiar cheerfulness throughout the day. 
The fact is, that we have obtained a little 



THE SUMMONS. 49 

conquest over self-indulgence, and we are 
conscious of it. Nor should this sentiment be 
undervalued. No emotion of the mind is 
more sustaining and healthy in its effects than 
cheerfulness. It not only makes us set about 
our duties with a good heart, but it is a feeling 
which, when it arises from a consciousness of 
successful exertion, encourages us to fulfill 
them heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men. 
The scripture, moreover, tells us, that God 
loves ' a cheerful giver,' from which we are to 
infer, that he is more pleased with cheerfulness 
than constraint in his service, and that 
joy is, or ought to be, its constant companion. 
But we are reminded that six o'clock 
comes also at another portion of the day. 
This is a season that demands no less 
self-denial than the former, and more 
watchfulness. Indulgence, whether of body 



50 six o'clock. 

or mind, is usually connected with it. How 
needful is it, therefore, christian reader, 
that the Savior's warning should be allied to 
this hour : c why sleep ye ? rise and pray.' 
It is not now of bodily slumber that thou art 
warned. Beware lest thine heart should fall 
asleep ! The social meal, the mirthful talk, 
the idle hour, or some other intended 
recreation, may lull thee into a foolish 
indulgence as much as thy bed. Remember, 
therefore, that, at this hour, the lifeless body 
of thy Redeemer was laid in its last earthly 
dwelling-place. Last! should we say? It 
was the only place that the heir of all tilings 
had wherein to lay his head. Sorrowing and 
devoted hands had wrapped him reverentially 
in fine linen, with as much haste as they 
could, and then laid him, composed in decent 
order, in his new and lowly home. With 



THE SUMMONS. 51 

such a thought in thy mind as the clock tells 
this hour, let the apostle's language stand on 
thy lips : ' therefore we are buried with him 
by baptism into death.' Dead, yet alive ! 
Asleep with Jesus, yet awake ! Such is the 
paradox of the saint's condition. Dear reader, 
is such a condition thine ? O, then, let thine 
heart watch, lest thou shouldst be betrayed 
into sin. When thy body, or thy fancy, is 
deriving entertainment from what is passing, 
see that there be nothing which can shut out 
the grand object of thy soul. What a power 
of thought lies in those little words, ' to live 
is Christ ! ' Christ is the sum total of a 
christian's life. Every moment is Christ. 
Eveiy subject is Christ. Every thought is 
Christ. Every design is Christ. Canst thou 
say as much ? If not, ' rise from thy 

LETHARGY, AND PRAY.' 



SEVEN O'CLOCK. 




1 ASK ! AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN YOU.' 



PRAYER. 



Prater is the panacea of trouble, 
necessities, desires, in short, of every thing 
winch can affect the mind and soul of man. 
This is a comprehensive challenge, but the 
apostle says, ' be careful for nothing, but in 
every thing, by prayer and supplication with 
thanksgiving, let your requests be made 



PRAYER. 53 

known unto God.' It is in order that the 
reader may be enabled to realize the practical 
comfort of this advice, that seven o'clock is 
supposed to summon him to prayer with 
these encouraging words : ' ask ! and it 

SHALL BE GIVEN YOU.' Let SEVEN O'CLOCK, 

then, be the reader's call to matins. If he 
rises at some time in the previous hour, he 
will, probably, be enabled to enjoy an 
undisturbed season of devotion until eight 
o'clock. Less time must suit, if we 
cannot give it; but, then, our meditation 
upon the word, and our accompanying 
worship, must be sadly curtailed, and our 
souls will be proportionably deprived. Nor 
does any subsequent appropriation of time 
compensate for the loss of the morning's 
portion. Whatever first fills the mind and 
heart, gives more or less tone to the thoughts 
5* 



54 seven o'clock. 

of the day ; and it may be put generally to 
any christian, whether he has not felt his 
degree of spirituality, in the day, affected in 
proportion to his enjoyment of the morning's 
devotion ; and whether the early prayer has 
not always predisposed him for more ? The 
language adapted to the foregoing hour may 
be so far applied to this, that it contains the 
exhortation to prayer. In this supposed 
address of seven o'clock, however, we 
have the essence of prayer itself — a simple 
confidence — ' ask ! ' Let us call it the 
essence of prayer, for so it is, because it 
implies sincere faith, and sincere faith 
involves all the other grand requisites. 
Above all things, it involves abstinence 
from sin. Unmortified sin, and dalliance 
with temptation, make a mockery of prayer ; 
for a man cannot heartily invoke the grace 



PRAYER. 55 

of God, who is not sincere in withstanding 
his own corruption. Such prayer wants the 
eloquence of desire. The apostle Paul 
comprehends, in a few words, all the 
requisites of right prayer : /' lifting up holy 
hands without wrath and doubting.' The 
first gives us holiness ; the second, charity ; 
the third, faith ; and prayer is no prayer 
without themj The reader will judge from 
tins, how necessary is that other caution of 
the apostle, that we should ' watch unto 
prayer ; ' for how is he sufficient for these 
things, who cannot ascertain the present 
state of his own heart ? 

But, to return to the encouragement, 
consider what motives we have to pray ! 
We have every thing to gain, and nothing 
to lose; we have neither venture nor risk. 
On the other hand, we must pray, if we 



56 6EVEN O'CLOCK. 

would be safe, for nothing of eternal weight 
will be granted without asking. ^But, besides 
this, prayer is the only method of keeping up 
our correspondence with God. I We are like 
children at a distance from home, and we 
must write to our Parent. It is true that he 
can learn how we are going on, and what our 
necessities are, without this ; but he has a 
right to expect that we t should ourselves 
acquaint him with our circumstances. How 
foolish were it, in a child, to say, ' I know that 
my father would allow me this, or give me 
that, if I would but write ; but, though I 
want it much, I do not feel inclined to 
take the trouble.' And yet our dullness, and 
disinclination to prayer, are worse than the 
folly of the child. Dear reader, if such be 
your case, put away your childishness. The 
apostle says, 'when I became a man, I put 



PRAYER. 57 

away childish things.' Do not act any longer 
as a silly child. If your Father's house is 
precious in your sight, remember that you 
are now, as it were, under tutors and 
governors ; and that, when you shall have 
been duly exercised unto godliness and 
patience, you will be summoned home to 
dwell with him. Ask, then, for all that is 
needful for your salvation, and it shall be 
given you. Ask, in submission, for all that 
you desire, and, if it be good, you shall have 
that, also. What more can you want ? Rest 
upon the simple promise of Christ: 'ask! 

AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN YOU.' This includes 

every thing. The King's Son has volunteered 
to take charge of your petitions, however 
numerous or particular, ^provided they be but( 
attested by the seal of faith.! Without 
question, therefore, prayer is the most 



58 seven o'clock. 

important habit of the christian life. It 
commands every other habit, and, like a 
master-key, opens all the locks. It is, also, 
the greatest promoter of cheerfulness and 
vigor, and imparts such a liveliness to the 
spirits, that difficulties appear only half their 
size. Christian ! be much with God. It is 
not the world that will make your face shine 
as that of Moses did : it is not the world that 
will place the everlasting arms underneath 
yon. These are the rewards of prayer ; and 
lie who is most in it, and makes it to bear 
most universally upon his affairs of body and 
soul, realizes most of the blessing. To all 
this, only one caution more need be added. 
Faith implies hope, and hope patience, for, 
c if we hope for that we see not, then do we 
with patience wait for it.' It were but ill 
manners in us, to ask a great man for a 



PRAYER. 59 

precious gift, and not to wait for his answer. 
God is not sparing in his bestowment of 
good ; and, if Alexander gives as a king, 
surely God is not to be outdone by his 
creature, but will act up to his own character. 
\yVe are not only to pray, therefore, but to 
expect ; nor only to expect, but to wait. 
Stay, then, dear reader, and hear the fate of 
your petition. If you have indited it by the 
help of the Spirit, sealed it with faith, and 
delivered it to the Prince, you have the 
strongest possible ground of confidence. 
After this, you have nothing for it, but to 
wait ; and, truly, you have need of patience, 
that you may receive the promise, for c in due 
season we shall reap, if we faint not' j 



EIGHT O'CLOCK. 




'I AM THE VINE, YE ARE THE BRANCHES. 



THE PRINCIPLE OF GRACE. 



There is a beautiful operation in floral 
gardening, called ' budding,' by winch a 
rose-tree may be made to bear a vast number 
of roses of different forms and colors, which 
all derive their nourishment and life from one 
and the same stock. This is no inapt 
illustration of the believer's position and 



THE PRINCIPLE OF GRACE. 61 

connection in regard to the Savior. Jesus 
Christ is the principle of our spiritual being : 
a truth which he himself expressed in those 
words, of which eight o'clock may serve 
to remind us. 

The reader is, at this hour, preparing for 
his daily employment : he will at once 
appreciate, then, the thought which this 
language suggests, namely, that all his 
strength for the ensuing day is derived from 
Jesus, and that it will only be retained so 
long as he continues in him. The christian 
is a bud of this chief of flowers ; a branch 
of this most precious tree. This enables him 
to say, ' I live : yet not I, but Christ liveth in 
me.' This is the foundation of the distinction 
between him and the world ; a distinction 
which he must ever carefully remember, and 
rigidly preserve. The broad, black feature of 



G2 EIGHT O'CLOCK. 

the world is opposition to Christ : opposition 
to his spirit, his forbearance, his gentleness, 
his holiness. Amid all this, the believer has 
to walk ; and he must carry about with 
him, as an amulet, the talismanic name of 
christian ! Great and vile ; despised, yet 
honored name ! what magic is there in thy 
sound ! Didst thou nerve the dying martyrs 
of old — the hoary head, whose sand had 
almost run out, and the delicate flower, that 
was just bursting into womanhood ? Was it 
thy soothing influence that deadened the 
anguish of the torture, and composed the 
quivering limbs ? What deep meaning lies 
couched in thee ? ' A christian ! ' And 
what is it to be a christian ? Is it not to be 
baptized? Is it not to be a member of a 
church? Is it not to use ordinances and 
forms? But what, then, is this angry spirit, 



THE PRINCIPLE OF GRACE. bo 

this covetous heart, this sensual eye, this 
obdurate soul, this lover of pleasure and 
ease, to whom all these privileges yet belong? 
How shall we reconcile these things ? Ask, 
reader, of the word. That tells thee, * he is 
not a Jew, that is one outwardly ; ' ' they are 
not all Israel, which are of Israel.' To be 
Christ's servants, and yet not a christian, is 
analogically the same ; but to be the christian 
is another matter. This is to be in Christ, 
and to have his spirit. And this is the origin 
of all distinction between the branch and the 
world. The world has no part in Christ, 
for he said of it, ' if the world hate you, 
ye know that it hated me, before it hated 
you.' Tins truth, and the difference that it 
expresses, were once witnessed by this very 
hour. About this time it was that the fate 
of thy Lord was decided. Around one whom 



64 EIGHT O'CLOCK. 

false judgment had condemned, trooped a 
tumultuous throng, of which many, but a 
short time before, had shouted hosannas to 
the same solitary being, that were now 
yelling, with hoarse and furious voices, 
' crucify him ! crucify him ! ' This was the 
world. These were the characters represented 
in the parable of the sower, under the images 
of the wayside, the rock, and the thorny 
ground. These had heard, commended, and 
even followed, but the tide was turned, and 
so were they. Christian reader! it is among 
such that thou art walking. Not that they 
are ruffians in appearance, or even in heart, 
but that they understand not the language of 
the apostle, 'joint heirs with Christ, if so be 
that we suffer with him, that we may also be 
glorified together ; ' so that, when the truth 
comes home to their consciences, they are 



THE PRINCIPLE OF GRACE. 65 

ready to join in the cry, * crucify him ! ' That 
infuriated mob, which closed around the Son 
of Man, contained persons as much alive 
to the agreeables of life, the pleasures of 
society, and the distinctions of rank, as any 
among thy acquaintance. But they were 
of the world, and, therefore, hated they the 
condemnation which the doctrines of the 
Son of God brought against their principles 
and life. O ! then, let this hour remind thee 
of the loftiness of thy privileges, the sanctity 
of thy associations, the detachment of thy 
calling ! When thou goest to thy business, 
quit thine house with this thought, ' I am a 
christian ! ' When thou meetest with low 
and carnal principles, quicken thy resolve 
by this appeal, ' I am a christian ! ' When 
thy spirit is ruffled, and thy passions are 
beginning to stir, silence their rebellion with 



66 EIGHT O'CLOCK. 

this remembrance of thy dignity, ' I am a 
christian ! ' When strong and sudden 
temptations assail thee, repel them with tins 
indignant rebuke, ' I am a christian ! ' This 
is to use thy baptism. This is to realize the 
effects of ordinances. If any reader should 
complain that he has not hitherto realized 
these things, what is the state of his heart ? 
Is he looking to himself, or to his Lord? Is 
he trusting to his own might in the combat, 
or to the strength of Christ ? Does he think 
himself safe, because he is baptized and 
called a christian ; or does he expect safety 
only by being a fruitful branch of the Vine? 
Dear reader, the answer is simple : ' the 
things which are not seen, are eternal ; ' ' we 
walk by faith, and not by sight.' Ordinances 
lead to Christ, but the instrument of 
apprehension is faith. A simple faith will 



THE PRINCIPLE OF GRACE.. 67 

reveal all this mystery, and will make thee 
one with Christ. 

At this hour Jesus was on his road to 
Calvary. Dost thou believe this ? Canst 
thou picture it by faith, and supply the cause 
of his anguish in thine own sins ? Canst 
thou realize what followed as the ground 
of thy salvation? This is faith, if the 
consequence be love ; for love will make his 
sorrows thine, and his will thy law. Between 
this hour and the next, Pilate had, probably, 
written the inscription, ' this is Jesus of 
Nazareth, king of the Jews ! ' Let this 
thought encourage thee. Do thou take up 
the Roman's pen, and write upon thy head 
and heart the answer, ' this is Jesus' disciple 
and subject ! ' and let the world see it. 



NINE O'CLOCK. 




AND THEY THAT ARE CHRIST S HAVE CRUCIFIED 
THE FLESH.' 



THE PRINCIPLE OF VICTORY. 



Grace and victory are inseparable. Tins 
is the truth conveyed in the apostle's words : 
' ye are of God, little children, and have 
overcome them, because greater is he that is 
in you, than he that is in the world.' By this 
hour the great machinery of the world has 



THE PRINCIPLE OF VICTORY. 69 

been set in motion ; the appointed tasks are 
commenced ; the correspondence of the day 
has begun. Before, then, that thy head and 
heart are immersed in these cares, remember, 
christian, the warning of the ninth hour. 
The principle of victory is the true sequel 
to that of grace ; for, if the latter is declared 
in the Savior's own terms, ' I am the vine, 
ye are the branches,' the apostle adds ' and 

THEY THAT ARE CHRIST'S HAVE CRUCIFIED THE 

flesh.' The community of image between 
the vine and the branch is carried farther 
than a spiritual intercourse. The resemblance 
of the disciple to the Master would fail in its 
most important feature, if a certain amount 
of suffering were not virtually attached to 
his condition. Is not this the teaching of the 
epistle to the Hebrews ? ' It became him, 
for whom are all things, and by whom are 



70 NINE O'CLOCK. 

all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, 
to make the Captain of their salvation perfect 
through sufferings ; for both he that sanctifieth, 
and they that are sanctified, are all of one.' 
And then, again, it is said, ' consider hirn 
that endured such contradiction of sinners 
against himself, lest ye be wearied : ye have 
not resisted unto blood, striving against sin.' 
In all likelihood, it may not be the reader's 
call to ' resist unto blood ; ' but, if he would 
be a disciple of Jesus Christ, he must * strive 
against sin ; ' and this is the suffering by 
which he is conformed to the image of Ins 
Captain, because ' they that are Christ's 

HAVE CRUCIFIED THE FLESH.' This is the 

instrumental principle of victory ; it is like a 
commanding position in a fortress, where all 
the approaches can be swept by its ordnance. 
So, from this citadel, the world and satan are 



THE PRINCIPLE OF VICTORY. 71 

successfully and surely resisted. It is not 
without reason, therefore, that the christian 
is urged to begin the conflict with himself, 
and his own flesh. If the motions of sin 
are resisted, there will be no outbreaks ; and 
external temptations will have little success, 
where they can make no lodgment. Let the 
thought of this chasten the reader's heart, as 
he is commencing the duties of the day. 
The scars of the old Roman were his 
testimonials, and orders of merit : the 
mortification of the spirit, and the crucifixion 
of the flesh, are the insignia of the christian's 
rank. The suffering is not all our own : we 
are partakers. How appropriate, then, is the 
alliance with the time ! for this was the third 
hour of the Jewish day, and it brings before 
us the testimony of the evangelist : ' and it 
was the third hour, and they crucified him.' 



72 nine o'clock. 

Can we not say with the apostle, ' God forbid 
that I should glory, save in the cross of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is 
crucified unto me, and I unto the world?' O, 
let not this application to our own condition 
seem strange, for it is the evidence of a 
disciple : ' they that are Christ's have 
crucified the flesh.' Consider, then, reader, 
lest thou shouldst be weary. At this time 
thou art enjoying all the comforts of life — thy 
daily food, thy raiment, thy home, and the 
hope of an inheritance among the saints. At 
this time thy Lord was nailed on a tree. 
Draw the contrast ; calculate the exchange ; 
place thyself before that cross of wood 
whereon hangs the Savior of the world ; 
arraign thine own heart, and ask whether of 
the two deserves that lot, thou or he ? Look 
at that attenuated form, whose bones may be 



THE PRINCIPLE OF VICTORY. 16 

told by the spectator; look at those gentle 
eyes, now troubled with anguish, near which, 
for nights and days, no sleep has come ; look 
at those hands, that healed and blessed the 
sick and sad, and those feet, that carried 
mercy, now torn, and bruised, and swollen, 
by the iron that has pierced them. Look at 
that face, which was once so beautiful. 
Alas ! it is marred more than the sons of 
men, for the s miter has wounded it. Man ! 
whosoever thou art, wouldst thou cherish the 
hand that slew thy parent, or the knife that 
drank the blood of thy child ? How canst 
thou foster the assassin that destroyed thy 
nearest and dearest friend ? Was it the Jew 
that nailed Jesus to the cross ? was it the 
Roman that sentenced him ? No : it was thy 
sin, it was thy corruption, it was thyself, else 
how could the apostle say, that if men shall 



74 nine o'clock. 

fall away, after having been made partakers 
of the Holy Ghost, they ' crucify to themselves 
the Son of God afresh, and put him to an 
open shame ? ' O, christian, think on this 
truth till thou hast realized it ! Let it 
provoke thee to choose, spiritually, what 
Peter welcomed to his body — crucifixion 
with Christ ; or, as the English martyr, in 
the flame, condemned that unworthy hand, 
which had shrunk from confessing Jesus, and 
held it forth to suffer first, so do thou sentence 
thy fleshly lusts and tempers, which have so 
oft denied thy Lord. Bitter it may be ; and 
who shall find the nails soft, or the cross a 
bed of repose ? but thou bearest but a part. 
It is with thee, as it was on Calvary ; the 
malefactors on either side, and Jesus in the 
midst; but he alone forsaken. Is it morning, 
or is it eve, be thou found with Christ ; not 



THE PRINCIPLE OF VICTORY. 75 

with Christ a conqueror, nor Christ in glory, 
but with Christ crucified.. Is this a thought 
too sad ? "Will it put the viol out of tune, 
and turn the festive dance into a sinful revel ? 
Can Calvary be an unfit place for the world's 
merriment ? Ah, Lord Jesus ! it is there that 
thou, being lifted up, dost draw all men unto 
thee ! and, till thou shalt call me thence, I 
have no other resting-place. 



TEN O'CLOCK. 




1 LET YOUR SPEECH EE ALWAY WITH GRACE, SEASONED 
WITH SALT.' 



PARTICULAR DUTIES. 



It is a strong, and, at first sight, a 
perplexing statement, that, by our words, we 
shall either be justified or condemned. A 
little reflection, however, is only required, to 
make the truth of it luminous and distinct. 
There is nothing, in fact, by which a man 



PARTICULAR DUTIES. 77 

displays the real bias and savor of his mind 
more than by his words. The reason is 
simple. Language is but the index of 
thought, and this the scripture teaches us, 
when it asserts that ' out of the abundance of 
the heart the mouth speaketh.' What we 
speak, therefore, will declare the state of our 
mind, and the degree in which we are 
endeavoring constantly to walk with Christ. 
Nor does hypocrisy in our conversation affect 
the truth of the assertion. A hypocrite will 
be always condemned in his particular sin, 
and his words, therefore, will turn evidence 
against him, in the same way as those of the 
more direct and palpable sinner. The tone 
and taste of a man's habitual conversation are 
a fair criterion, then, of his character. It is 
not necessary, indeed, that religion should be 

the perpetual, although it might well form 

7 # 



78 ten o'clock. 

the staple, subject; nor yet that it should 
be unceremoniously dragged in, much less 
offensively paraded : but there is a method of 
talking upon most subjects, which, although 
disgusting when assumed, is no inconsiderable 
test of christian grace. In short, devoutness 
is the salt that seasons a christian's 
conversation. It is the harmony of the 
combined graces of the Spirit, which, like a 
well-tuned and perfect chord in music, arises 
as the voice of many strings. It may be 
said, nevertheless, that there are many 
subjects of ordinary business and occupation 
which preclude the exercise of this principle. 
But that is not true. There is a way of 
speaking which shows what is uppermost. 
The purchase of stock, or the ordering of a 
dinner, gives no room for spiritual thought ; 
but when the thing is done, the subject is 



PARTICULAR DUTIES. 79 

dismissed, and better things come in. This 
is devoutness. It is the natural turning of 
the thoughts to One who occupies the heart, 
just as the liberated bow springs back to its 
original shape. But this, after all, is only a 
small part of the intention of this remark. 
Men must converse, when they are met 
together, with no other object than the 
enjoyment of each others society. This is 
the season, beyond all others, for the 
application of the apostle's precept : and the 
meaning of it is this, that christian edification 
should be the object of our conversation, and 
that we should be on our guard not to let it 
degenerate into frivolous, or exclusively 
secular, talk ; in" a word, that it should not 
lose its devoutness. If, however, it be said 
that all places, (the ball-room, for example,) 
are not suitable for this, we can only reply, 



60 TEN O'CLOCK. 

that the apostle gives no exception, and we 
must not make one. On the contrary, he is 
most exclusive, and says, ' let your speech 
be alway with grace.' Whether this does 
not incidentally exhibit the incongruity of 
such revelings with the christian character, 
we need not stop to inquire. If we are not 
engaged in our business, and our conversation 
is not necessarily occupied in discussing 
matters relative thereto, let it be seasoned 
with the salt of a heavenly mind. If a man 
is of a heavenly mind, it will peep out ; if he 
is not, it is only hypocrisy to assume it. But to 
what a dilemma is he in the latter case reduced? 
To no other, we reply, than the rest of his life 
reduces him ; for a man's talk is, so far, a sort 
of thermometer, that tells us whether he is at 
blood heat, or at zero. Change of heart will 
effect, not only a change in life, but in talk, also. 



PARTICULAR DUTIES. 81 

But now, reader, the clock is striking ten, 
and you are, probably, at work. The tongue 
is a little member, bat it works an infinity 
of good or evil. Admitting that it does not 
positively manifest the character of a speaker, 
positively it denounces him. ' If any man 
among you seem to be religious, and bridleth 
not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, 
that man's religion is vain.' This hour 
reminds us of the misuse of that little 
member, and shows us that the warning is 
not without cause. It reminds us of a time 
when a multitude of men were assembled 
before a cross. For one hour the suspended 
criminal had been enduring the anguish of 
his position in patient silence. Not one of 
that multitude could tell wherefore he hung 
there, and yet many of their number rejoiced 
to witness his sufferings. To all his pangs 



82 ten o'clock. 

their jeers and mockings were added. Their 
tongues were exercised in sporting with his 
anguish : for this was the season of the 
power of darkness, triumphing over the Light 
of the world. But it reminds us, also, of 
another time, when another multitude was 
assembled, to witness another scene. Was 
it not at this hour that Peter stood forth, to 
make known the first fruits of a Saviors 
death? The crucifixion was an event still 
fresh in their minds. Fifty days, save one, 
had elapsed, since the report that he who 
was hanged on a tree was risen. It was an 
era of wonders. But ten days before, it had 
been asserted that the same being had 
visibly ascended into the heavens ; and now 
twelve men stood forth, twelve Galileans, the 
poor friends of the despised Nazarene, and 
spake in every known language of the world. 



PARTICULAR DUTIES. Co 

Do not these two pictures recall to our minds 
the apostle's description of the powers of the 
tongue, ' therewith bless we God, even the 
Father, and therewith curse we men, who are 
made after the similitude of God ? ' Christian 
reader, out of the same mouth ought not 
diverse thoughts to pass. Every member of 
thy body is sacred, but, above all, thy tongue. 
As the soldier receives his sword, and holds 
it for his sovereign's service alone, so the 
child of God appropriates the use of his 
tongue to the service of Christ. It is a 
profanation of its glory to make it the organ 
of human passions and the other rebel 
authorities of sin. 

But now, after all that has been said, 
what can it profit a man to know it ? If it be 
hypocrisy in us to assume a virtue that we 
have not, will it conduce to our welfare to be 



84 ten o'clock. 

always talking religiously ? For this is the 
point. It is not talking of religion that is 
here held up as the sign of a devout mind, 
but talking religiously or devoutly of those 
topics which are innocently introduced in 
conversation. May a man assume this tone 
of speaking without sin? Will a cautious 
tongue convert him ? Will any thing govern 
his tongue, or guide it with meekness, short 
of a change of affections ? Let all this be 
granted : but, if the stroke of ten, bringing 
this admonition to his mind, shall teach the 
believer to watch his lips ; if it lead some 
careless one to question his own condition ; 
and if it account for the duty of a christian's 
circumspection in associating with worldly 
people, or mixing in worldly conversation, 
what has been said will not be useless. 



ELEVEN O'CLOCK. 




1 WALK IN WISDOM TOWARD THEM THAT ARE WITHOUT, 
REDEEMING THE TIME.' 



PARTICULAR DUTIES. 

The gospel has put all things in a new 
light, because it has brought them into new 
relations. In the first place, it has made man 
acquainted with the actual nature and number 
of his responsibilities. In the second place, 
it has both enlarged and defined his talents. 



86 ELEVEN O'CLOCK. 

Nothing proves this .more than the one article 
of time, the whole importance of which is 
suspended upon the truth of the immortality 
of man. To the christian, then, time stands 
altogether in a new light, and is encompassed 
with fresh demands : for it is the appointed 
orbit of human sanctification. Filled it must 
be by something, and the christian is called 
upon to fill it with a holy service. "We have 
nothing that expresses this sentiment more 
sweetly and forcibly than the language of our 
liturgical thanksgiving : ' giving up ourselves 
to thy service, and walking before thee in 
holiness and righteousness all the days of our 
life.' If any one thing can distinguish a 
christian from the world more effectually than 
another, it is the use of this talent. So 
strongly does the apostle see it, that he calls 

On US tO ' WALK IN WISDOM TOWARD THEM 



PARTICULAR DUTIES. 87 

THAT ARE WITHOUT, REDEEMING THE TIME ; ' 

as though the use of time was the grand 
mark of distinction between God's servants 
and the world. The force of his remark, in 
fact, lies in the connection of the two 
precepts, the latter exhibiting to us the 
meaning of the former. The real expression 
of the Greek word is c purchasing away from,' 
and conveys to us this thought, that it was a 
loss of time to walk as those without were 
walking. In other words, it might be thus 
understood: 'walk in sobriety as christians 
before the world about you, in order that they 
may see how elevated is your employment of 
time above theirs. Let your course of life be 
distinct from theirs, for you have no time to 
waste.' And may not language like this be 
used to the modern christian, as well as to 
the Colossian of old? It is true that the 



88 ELEVEN O'CLOCK. 

distinction refers to the heathen world; but, 
saving those flagitious enormities which 
heathenism fostered, it would not be hard to 
show that the time of many professing 
christians is no better occupied. Surely the 
gospel has an inner screen, a holy of holies, 
which draws a line between those without 
and those within ; not the shibboleth of a 
party, nor an outward profession, but the 
characters of a consistent life, and a holy 
employment of time. Thus, two considerations 
are suggested in the exhortation of this hour ; 
one referring to our conduct in regard to those 
without, the other intimating what our own 
employment of time should be. It is a great 
mistake to suppose that the gospel neither 
makes nor requires distinctions ; at least, its 
Author, in expressing its tendency to divide 
and sectionize the world, calls it a sword. If 



PARTICULAR DUTIES. 89 

it be said that the Savior's remark extends 
only to the distinctions of the christian and 
heathen worlds, how is this to be proved? 
The Savior stated a future fact, without 
qualification or limit ; and what is to be said 
for the experiences of life, and for such a 
state of things as the nominally christian 
world presents ? Are the distinctions of 
spirituality and holiness to be exclusively 
reserved till the day of public account ; and 
are the ministers of the gospel to be silent in 
regard to the deeper, and more conclusive, 
evidences of the christian character, and not 
to push its requirements and separations 
beyond a mere outward conformity and moral 
decency ? But, in point of truth, the difficulty 
in question practically decides for itself. Men 
do make these distinctions. There is as little 
inclination on the part of a person of decided 
8* 



90 ELEVEN O'CLOCK. 

spirituality of tone, to amalgamate with men 
of the world, however refined and worthy of 
human admiration, as if the prediction of the 
Savior had referred exclusively to christian 
society. It is these actual differences which 
enable the christian to point out the 
conformity of experience with the marked 
divisions of the Bible. The question before 
us, then, is how the christian is to walk 
toward the world. The apostle answers, 
' in wisdom.' Tenderness, steadiness, and 
unyielding adherence to duty, and to one's 
principles, are the characteristics of this 
wisdom. But the apostle appears to explain 
this by the subsequent expression, ' redeeming 
the time ; ' and on the observance of this 
rests the broad line of separation between the 
christian and the world. 

Let us suppose a worldly man to ask the 



PARTICULAR DUTIES. 91 

question of a christian, ' how would you have 
me use my time ? ' The reply would at once 
be, ' use it in the service of God.' If he 
should again ask, ' how much of this talent is 
to be so specifically employed?' the reply 
would again be, ' all.' Both answers are 
strictly scriptural, and in unison with common 
sense. The christian's use of time is here set 
in contrast to that of the world, and this is the 
very substance of the contrast, that they are 
respectively different in the object of service. 
The reader will not mistake this statement. 
It is not because every moment is chargeable 
on religious grounds, that all our employment 
is to consist of religious pursuits, so called. 
The real distinction lies partly in the spirit in 
which our occupations are conducted, and 
partly in the character of those occupations 
themselves. Thus our worldly duties are one 



92 ELEVEN O'CLOCK. 

particular of service. We serve God when 
we diligently earn our bread ; and it is only 
when we are hankering after more than a 
sufficiency, that we are serving ourselves. 
On the other hand, no christian lives without 
some specific work in hand for his Master. 
But there is a large mass of people who are 
released, by circumstances, from laboring for a 
livelihood. Men of independent property, for 
example, and vast numbers of females, have 
really nothing to call for their attention beyond 
a few domestic arrangements. So far are 
such individuals from being acquitted of all 
religious service, that they are the very 
persons who, by their freedom from the cares 
of business, are appointed by God for the 
prosecution of those works of charity and 
utility which give the true stamp of Christianity 
to this country. It is an honor to many a 



PARTICULAR DUTIES. 93 

coronet, that it sparkles with the jewel of 
christian devotion, and that the ' pearl of great 
price ' is found to consecrate the illustrious 
appendages of nobility. But, now, to persons 
of the foregoing description, the question of 
the use of time becomes very serious. Truly 
might it be said to them, ' to you it is given, 
more than to others, to exhibit the spiritual 
capability and the dilating energies of the 
gospel. You do not possess rank, influence, 
leisure, or money, in order that you may enjoy 
the excitement of the season in town, and the 
luxurious idleness of the country, by turns, but 
that you should magnify your opportunities. 
Should the reader, then, be in possession of 
all or any of these responsibilities, let the hour 
of eleven remind him to redeem the time. 
Objects of attention he may find in abundance. 
The charities of the great metropolis, (from 



94 ELEVEN O'CLOCK. 

which, as from a centre, radiates a flame 
that warms the world,) and the education of 
the poor in our own parishes, together with 
their temporal and spiritual improvement 
everywhere, present unlimited means of 
usefulness. There is a great pressure at the 
present moment, however, from the impulse 
of the religious feelings of society, and many 
have undertaken charitable pursuits with as 
little of judgment as of real christian principle. 
This demands the reader's watchfulness, that 
he does not suffer himself to act in an 
ostentatious spirit, or in the mistakes of 
fashionable charity ; for it is the unobtrusive 
and single-minded endeavor to do something 
for Christ, which serves him, and occupies our 
time. Well, then, christian, let this be the 
warning of the eleventh hour : ' FwEdeem the 
time.' Wonderful is the instance that it 



PARTICULAR DUTIES. 95 

recalls of diligence at the eleventh hour ! 
Wonderful and solitary the example of 
redeeming the time ! About this hour it was, 
that the soul of a dying thief, as it fluttered 
upon the confines of eternity, saw, felt, and 
embraced the moment of the world's 
redemption. An opportunity of grace, single 
in the annals of time, presented itself; it was 
seized, and secured, and he that had the faith 
to do it, is now reaping the reward. Whatever 
thy pursuit may be, when this hour vibrates 
upon thine ear, let it check thee with the self 
inquiry, am I walking in wisdom toward the 
world ? Am I redeeming the time ? In what 
spirit am I working ? What is the tendency 
of my present pursuit ? 

Let us not forget, however, that this is an 
hour consecrated to worship. The notes that 
each belfry in the land sets forth, convey 



9G ELEVEN O'CLOCK. 

something more to our ears — not merely a 
caution, but an invitation, and yet such an 
invitation as may well chime in with the 
supposed language of eleven o'clock, 
' redeem the time.' Yes, like the opportunity 
of the dying thief, this may be the eleventh 
hour to some soul, and a season propitious in 
grace. Does not the cheerful tone of that 
last bell, which gives notice, as it were, that 
the good man, who is about to minister to you 
in holy things, is preparing for the coming 
service, does not that bell bid us come to the 
court of the great King with hope and joy ? 
Does it not seem to say, ' today ! if ye will 
hear,' redeem the time ? Or is it at night, 
when we are retiring to rest, that we are 
attracted by the admonitory voice of this hour ? 
Does it not summon us to self-examination? 
Or are we in the society of friends, with 



PARTICULAR DUTIES. 97 

whom we are just parting, after a few hours' 
enjoyment? Can time be redeemed more 
certainly than in the union of many hearts in 
prayer? Where was Jesus at this hour? 
Was he on his face in Gethsemane ? Lord ! 
as thou art, so let me be. 



TWELVE O'CLOCK. 




HERE HAVE "WE NO CONTINUING CITY, BUT WE SEEK 
ONE TO COME.' 



THE LOOK-OUT. 



Reader ! we have arrived at the last hour, 
for though the divisions of time travel in a 
circle, clocks will stop, and books must have 
an end. With the twelfth hour, then, we 
will associate the touching but solemn image 
of the apostle, 'here have we no continuing 



THE LOOK-OUT. 99 

CITY, BUT WE SEEK ONE TO COME.' Amid 

the stir of noonday, or in . the stillness of 
midnight, it will serve to remind us of our 
vocation and destiny. For this is, in so 
many words, the expression of the christian 
condition. This world is a land of travel. 
Today we pitch our tent ; tomorrow we strike 
it and depart ; so that, if we would journey in 
comfort, we must have as few encumbrances 
as possible. We cannot sit down, and abide 
in any one of the pleasant places which we 
find, for a tent is but a sorry habitation for a 
home, and we have nothing better than a tent 
for the present passage. When, therefore, 
the reader hears the call of twelve o'clock, 
let him imagine that it tells him, ' thou hast 
no home here.' Let it remind him to be on 
the look-out. Alas ! we have need of this ! 
Let us lay aside our figure, and grapple with 



100 TWELVE O'CLOCK. 

some of the obstacles which we find in the 
way of onr embracing the familiar realities of 
the christian pilgrimage. Who would suppose 
that the world around us is doomed ? Who 
would think that many who talk of the 
christian's prospects, and the hope of glory, the 
uncertainty of riches, and the certainty of death, 
believed their own words ? What is the picture 
that greets our eye on every side ? Here is 
one intent upon the comforts of life. He is 
what the world calls ' comfortably settled.' 
He is on good terms with his neighbors ; has 
an agreeable family ; is very much respected, 
and wants nothing. But ' he hath settled on 
his lees.' His sole object is to pass peaceably 
through life, neither aiming at great things, nor 
exposing himself to the shafts of malignity, nor 
stirring himself for the truth. His heart is not 
set upon the future. Can this be a pilgrim ? 



THE LOOK-OUT. 101 

Here is another of a different turn. 
Active and restless, he is bent upon great 
things. In business, he is for pushing his way 
by bold enterprise. In a profession, he is for 
rising to eminence. Money he regards only as 
a means to an end ; but he must have money 
in order to be great. But is this the greatness 
of the city to come ? Can this be a pilgrim ? 

Here, again, is a third, differing from both. 
This is a man of science. Tasteful and 
refined, he can appreciate deeply all that 
relates to nature, literature, and science. 
Pursuits of this character fill up his time. 
Not that he disregards religion. This has its 
place, and a certain amount of attention, but 
intellect, not Christ, engrosses the chief portion 
of his time and thought. Can this be a pilgrim ? 

A fourth character is a female, sensible 

and well informed, methodical in her habits, 
9# 



102 TWELVE O'CLOCK. 

and a judicious manager of her family : but 
she aims at a good position in society ; she 
studies the proprieties and fashions of life ; 
she seeks good alliances for her children, and 
counts herself happy if she succeeds in her 
plans. Can this, too, be one who neither has, 
nor seeks to have, a home in this world ? 
Can this be a pilgrim? 

Turn now, reader, for a moment, to the 
occurrence which twelve o'clock brings to 
our remembrance. ' And when the sixth hour 
was come, there was darkness over the whole 
land.' This is midnight for noonday ; but, out 
of that darkness, what light sprung forth to 
gladden the world ! Under this gloom, in 
which nature sought to hide the dreadful 
sacrifice from itself, was brought on the 
climax of the Savior's agony. But O, 
christian ! is there no connection between this 



THE LOOK-OUT. 103 

and thee ? Is there nothing in this scene of 
horror to bear upon thy condition ? Mark the 
connection in which the light of God's word 
places it : ' let us go forth, therefore, unto him, 
without the camp, bearing his reproach : for 

HERE HAVE WE NO CONTINUING CITY, BUT WE 

seek one to come.' What a different picture 
is here ! — Jesus in darkness at noonday : the 
world in all the glare of its enjoyments. 
These are the two objects offered for 'choice. 
Reader, it is incumbent upon you to choose ! 
Would you follow Jesus ? You must go forth 
without the camp of this world. Would you 
follow Jesus ? You must bear his reproach. 
The hour of twelve reminds you, seasonably, 
of this necessity, because it reminds you of 
your present lot, and future p aspects. You 
have no continuing city here whether you 
will seek one to come, or not. You may heap 



104 TWELVE O'CLOCK. 

up comforts, and carry off distinctions, and 
manage matters dexterously, and pass as 
agreeably through life as any time -killer could 
wish ; but, what then ? Fading powers, dim 
faculties, blunted tastes, failing health, the 
sick bed, the death struggle, are coming, and 
your pilgrimage is over. But, where are you ? 
You have gone one way ; Jesus has gone the 
other. You have kept with the world, and its 
camp ; Jesus has taken his body unto himself, 
out of the camp, as he requested : ' Father, I 
will that they also whom thou hast given me, 
be with me, where I am.' The christian 
pilgrimage is no fantasy, any more than the 
gospel promises. The one is contingent upon 
the other. The promise makes the pilgrim. 
A city to come has been held up to the 
affections and emulation of the world — a city 
that hath no need of sun, nor yet of moon, to 



THE LOOK-OUT. 105 

shine in it ; whose walls are of jasper, and 
foundations of precious stones laid by God ; 
whose gates are pearls, and streets of shining 
gold. In the midst of it is a pure river of 
water of life, clear as -crystal ; and on either 
side the tree of life, whose fruit is yielded 
eveiy month. This is the city set in contrast 
to the camp of this world, and this it is which 
makes the pilgrims. 

Well, then, reader, to this thou art called. 
Twelve o'clock bids thee be mindful of it. 
"When thou nearest it strike, ask thyself, to 
what thou art looking, what thou art pursuing, 
on what thou art set. Think of the darkness 
that spread over the world at this hour. Does 
it not teach thee, that there is no light 
here ? Imitate, then, the patience of the 
fire -worshiper, who watched, before the dawn 
of day, for the burst of its glory upon the 



106 TWELVE O'CLOCK. 

horizon of the ocean. Amid the pressure of 
business, or the calls of ambition, or the 
enticements of pleasure ; amid all those 
perplexities or agreeables, which make life 
either a trial or a pleasant passage ; let not 
thine eye wander from the horizon of its 
ocean. Wait with patient expectation for the 
morning : it will break at last, it will surely 
come, it will not tarry ; and then, christian, 
while the world has been seeking to enliven 
its night by the paltry lamps of its officious 
and miserable enjoyments, and while thou 
hast been contented to watch, in the twilight 
of thy hope, for the revelation of its glorious 
object, thine eye shall be suddenly entranced, 
and thine heart be filled with worship, as thou 
seest that great city of thy hopes, the holy 
Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from 
God, and having his everlasting glory. 



CONCLUSION. 



And now, ere we quit the subject, let me 
address to the reader a parting word. In thus 
accompanying him through the circuit of the 
hours, it has been my wish to suggest to him 
some useful thoughts, that might tend to keep 
alive in Ins heart a feeling of devotion to his 
great calling. It is not that I have ventured 
so much to direct the appropriation of Ins time, 
as to show the importance of every part of it. 
The sum of all that I have said, therefore, 
amounts to this, that one hour is as precious 
as another. It is not the past, nor yet the 
future, that demands our attention, but the 
present moment ; for eveiy thing that is 
valuable and dear is crowded into that little 
space ; and, to use a thought of the great 
Fenelon, ' time is the only gift in which God 



108 



CONCLUSION. 



has stinted us ; for he never entrusts ns with 
a second moment till he has taken away the 
first, and never leaves us certain of a third.' 
In saying farewell, therefore, and bidding him 
' God speed ' upon his pilgrimage, let me 
salute him in the words of that eloquent, 
though silent monitor, the sun-dial of 
Lincoln's Inn : 











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