Page:SermonsFromTheLatins.djvu/425

 may for  a  time  appear  to  succeed  in  serving  both  God and Mammon,  but  eventually  his  duplicity  will  be exposed. God's angels,  good  and  bad,  have  continually the  freedom  of  His  audience  chamber;  aye, and virtuous  heathens  and  heretics,  as  Christ  said, shall rise  in  judgment  against  us;  and  you  know  that such sins  as  oppression  of  the  poor  and  defrauding the laborer  of  his  wages  cry  for  vengeance  to  the Lord God  of  Sabaoth. Oh! the shame  and  the  misery of the  defaulter  brought  to  bay! What wonder  that  it incites  to  murder,  or  impels  to  madness  or  self-destruction! But more  dreadful  still  is  it  to  fall  unprepared into  the  hands  of  the  living  God. Notice well his master's  words  to  the  steward:  "What  is  this  I hear  of  thee?  Give  an  account  of  thy  stewardship, for  now  thou  canst  be  steward  no  longer." He does not demand  the  account  then  and  there,  but  bids  him go and  prepare  and  then  present  his  statement. Nor is our  God  less  merciful. No man  ever  yet  died without having  at  some  time  or  other  received  sufficient warning,  and  hence  the  guilt  of  unpreparedness is all  the  greater. In the  nature  of  things  the  lightning should  precede  the  thunder,  but  the  good  God has so  arranged  things  that  we  hear  the  rumbling  of the  coming  storm  before  the  lightning  strikes. The Lord has  said,  indeed,  that  He  will  come  as  comes  a thief  in  the  night,  but  how  many  times  and  in  how many ways  does  He  warn  us  that  thieves  are  constantly abroad,  and  that  His  faithful  and  true  servant should be  ever  on  the  watch! And oh! the dreadful consequences of  allowing  the  warning  to  go  un-