Watch!

"...I say unto all, Watch." -Mark 13:37 [KJV]

It is very awful, when God’s precious promises are opposed to His righteous commands. Hence some get above and beyond duty: they cannot bear the word duty! O say they, don’t tell us of duty, it is such legal stuff! We are at liberty. We are not under the law, but under grace. True, indeed they are at liberty, but it is to pervert the gospel. They are awfully under the law of sin; not under the law of love, but the spirit delusion. Their ears are closed, and their hearts shut against the sweet voice of our loving charmer, Christ. 

O my soul, watch against such, and their licentious notions of liberty, as you prize the love of Christ, and sweet communion with Him. He who sees no danger, and thinks he has nothing to lose, will give no attention to this command, Watch. It is here opposed to sleep. Sin is not dead. Satan never sleeps. The world ever invites and enchants. All is war against thee. Therefore, thy Lord in love calls unto thee, Watch. And you have a most treacherous, most deceitful, and desperately wicked foe within, who ever takes part with your enemies without, even your heart, “out of which proceeds all evil,” (Matthew 15:19.) 

There is not an evil in our thoughts, in our tongue, or in our life, but what is first hatched there, and springs from thence. If there was no evil within, there would be none without. Satan finds something within us to work upon, or we might bid him defiance. We cannot say as our Lord did, “the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me,” (John 14:30.) No, but we have, as St. Paul had, an evil nature, “flesh, in which dwelleth no good thing,” (Romans 7:18.) 

O then, watch continually over the motions of your wicked heart and evil nature. Watch against high thoughts, which spring from pride: against carnal reasonings, which exalt themselves against thy Lord, and His truths, and tend to rob thee of thy peace, thy hope, and thy joy. Watch against that vile offspring of pride and carnal reason, cursed unbelief. O this is a many-headed monster. He will suggest, that truth is fiction: the way of holiness, folly; and the paths of sin delightful. 

“Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation,” (Matthew 26:41.) Join prayer to watching. The diligence and number of our enemies should urge us to watch, that we be not surprised: our weakness and proneness to presumption, should make us pray to be powerfully strengthened. For though the devil takes part with all evil in us, Christ takes our part, and is before the throne for us. -see Hebrews 9:24 

 

My soul, be ever on thy guard, 

Still watch and keep thy armour on, 

Be ever looking to thy Lord, 

And know thou can’st not stand alone. 

O may I ever hear Thy voice, 

Jesus, Thou Captain of my soul, 

So live and walk, as to rejoice 

In grace which does my pow’rs control.

 

-preacher Wm. Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)