Page:Meditations For Every Day In The Year.djvu/368

 Son, that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him  may  not  perish, but may  have  life  everlasting."

III. "The light  is  come  into  the  world,  and  men  loved darkness,  rather  than  the  light." O, shameful  neglect, examine yourself  whether  in  your  actions  you  love  darkness, rather  than  light,  "  for  every  one  that  doeth  evil hateth  the  light." Do you  do  nothing  in  private,  which you would  be  ashamed  of  in  public? Beware of  this, "for there  is  nothing  hid,  that  shall  not  be  revealed,  nor secret,  that  shall  not  be  known." (Matt. x.  26.)

I. "  There  was  a  certain  rich  man,  who  had  a  steward." Imagine yourself  to  be  this  steward,  whom  our  Lord  has intrusted with  several  important  things,  external  and  internal, supernatural  as  well  as  natural. What advantage have you  taken  of  them? As yet  but  little,  it  is  to  be feared,  has  been  done. Examine yourself  thoroughly, and you  will  probably  find  many  things  out  of  order. You have  slept  out  your  sleep  of  tepidity  and  now  you find nothing  in  your  hands;  and  therefore,  you  are  a  disgrace to  your  Employer,  because  you  have  squandered away, not  your  own  goods,  for  you  have  nothing,  but those, which  belong  to  Him.

II. Our Lord,  as  your  Employer,  will  wish  to-day,  to exact  from  you  an  account  of  the  goods,  with  which  He has  intrusted  you. At present  His  visitation  will  be  conducted with  mercy  and  commiseration;  for  as  holy  Job  remarks, "  He  doth  not  now  bring  on  His  fury,  neither  doth