Spurgeon: September PM
* 09/26/PM
"Howl, fir tree, for the cedar is fallen."
--Zechariah 11:2
When in the forest there is heard the crash of a falling oak,
it is a sign that the woodman is abroad, and every tree in the
whole company may tremble lest to-morrow the sharp edge of the
axe should find it out. We are all like trees marked for the
axe, and the fall of one should remind us that for every one,
whether great as the cedar, or humble as the fir, the appointed
hour is stealing on apace. I trust we do not, by often hearing
of death, become callous to it. May we never be like the birds
in the steeple, which build their nests when the bells are
tolling, and sleep quietly when the solemn funeral peals are
startling the air. May we regard death as the most weighty of
all events, and be sobered by its approach. It ill behoves us to
sport while our eternal destiny hangs on a thread. The sword is
out of its scabbard--let us not trifle; it is furbished, and the
edge is sharp--let us not play with it. He who does not prepare
for death is more than an ordinary fool, he is a madman. When
the voice of God is heard among the trees of the garden, let fig
tree and sycamore, and elm and cedar, alike hear the sound
thereof.
Be ready, servant of Christ, for thy Master comes on a
sudden, when an ungodly world least expects Him. See to it that
thou be faithful in His work, for the grave shall soon be digged
for thee. Be ready, parents, see that your children are brought
up in the fear of God, for they must soon be orphans; be ready,
men of business, take care that your affairs are correct, and
that you serve God with all your hearts, for the days of your
terrestrial service will soon be ended, and you will be called
to give account for the deeds done in the body, whether they be
good or whether they be evil. May we all prepare for the
tribunal of the great King with a care which shall be rewarded
with the gracious commendation, "Well done, good and faithful
servant"