Romans 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. You have here a view of life opposite to the one taken by our Lord. Speaking of what is coming He says, "The night cometh," and speaking of what now is, "Work while it is called day." He looks upon us as labourers in the field, who, when the night comes, must leave their work done or undone, which must stand till the great light comes again to show exactly how it was left. Paul, however, regards us as soldiers in a campaign. The night is come, and we have encamped for the night; the uniform is laid off; some are sitting round the campfire, some are walking about, some are playing tricks, some are doing what they would not dare to do in the day. A voice is heard, "The night is far spent — put on your armour, be ready." I. THE PRESENT DARKNESS. 1. Suppose you are on a hill, say a mile from the Thames. It might be that you could neither see the river nor the objects on it, but that would not prove that they did not exist. The only fact is that they and you are in darkness. Light does not create things; it only makes them manifest. So we are dwelling in the midst of ten thousand grand and mysterious realities, but we do not see them because of the shadows that lie on our souls. 2. By misapprehension we are liable in the dark to take the distant for the near, the little for the great, the common for the valuable, and vice versa. As the armour is scattered in the night the breastplate looks no brighter than the trunk of a tree, the helmet than a stone, etc. And the things which are symbolised by these pieces of armour do not always seem to us of their proper value. There is the girdle of truth — of unutterable price and value; but in this dim world men think that an ingenious deception is better. The breastplate of righteousness — why, many a man thinks more of a royal or municipal decoration. The helmet of salvation — many a woman prefers a new bonnet to that. 3. The dark brings us false anticipations. "When a man walketh in the darkness he knoweth not whither he goeth." A man looking into the dark forms an incorrect estimate of what is before him. He has no power to calculate where he will be after five steps or ten. This is pre-eminently the condition of the man who is going straight towards eternity. 4. Darkness is often the time of dreaming. The sleeping soldier dreams probably not of battlefields, but of sheepfolds, etc.; and in the midst of the dream bursts in the cry, "To arms!" So it may be that thy imagination is full of a life to be that never will be; with plans for this very year that will never be carried out. II. THE COMING DAY. "The night is far spent." I know not in your case how far. The reason why we are in the dark is that this part of the world is turned away from the sun, and we are sitting in the shadow of our own world. And so the reason why we do not see God and heaven is simply because we have turned away from that side of heaven. Absence from the Lord is night-time; the presence of the Lord is the break of day. All you know is by faith; but the time of sight is coming. The moment is fixed, but God will never tell it. But it is at hand! The Judge is at the door. III. THE DUTY TO WHICH WE ARE CALLED. 1. "Cast off the works of darkness" — everything that people will venture to do in the dark, but not in the light. Even here we have certain lamps — dim, it is true — but which cast light on our affairs. The lamp of — (1) Civil law. Is there anything in your action that if brought out to a court of justice would be stamped as guilty? (2) Commercial integrity. Many a thing that would escape the former lamp would, if brought to this, appear odious. Is there in your ways anything that, if subjected to the keen eye of half a dozen honourable men, would be pronounced mean and shabby? (3) Domestic honour. Many a thing that will escape the other two would look very vile under this. Is there aught in thee which would appear shameful in the eyes of those who love thee? (4) Church discipline. Is there anything that, if brought under the knowledge of your brethren, would compel them to say, "It is sin"? Cast them all off, 2. "Put on the armour of light." Look at the man who has got the polished shield, breastplate, etc., etc. As long as it is night they look poor and common; but when the great sun begins to play, look at them, how they shine in the light! Everything beautiful welcomes the light; and righteousness, peace, truth, etc., are akin to the light. Don't say, "There they are, I can find them when I seek them"; or, "I shall have time enough when the alarm is sounded"; or, "I know some one who will get them for me." Put them on, so that when the day dawns you may be ready. "But the day has not broken yet." No; if it had you would have had no time to put the armour on. "But I have no armour, no girdle of righteousness," etc. Then "put on the Lord Jesus Christ" — there is all the armour you need. (W. Arthur, M.A.) Parallel Verses KJV: The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. |
    |