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Testimonies for the Church Volume 2
quicken our watchfulness for our expected Master. Those not found
waiting and watching are finally surprised in their unfaithfulness.
The Master comes, and instead of their being ready to open unto
Him immediately, they are locked in worldly slumber, and are lost
at last.
A company was presented before me in contrast to the one de-
scribed. They were waiting and watching. Their eyes were directed
heavenward, and the words of their Master were upon their lips:
“What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” “Watch ye therefore:
for ye know not when the Master of the house cometh, at even, or
at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: lest coming
suddenly He find you sleeping.” The Lord intimates a delay before
the morning finally dawns. But He would not have them give way to
weariness, nor relax their earnest watchfulness, because the morning
does not open upon them as soon as they expected. The waiting ones
were represented to me as looking upward. They were encouraging
one another by repeating these words: “The first and second watches
are past. We are in the third watch, waiting and watching for the
Master’s return. There remains but a little period of watching now.”
I saw some becoming weary; their eyes were directed downward,
and they were engrossed with earthly things, and were unfaithful in
watching. They were saying: “In the first watch we expected our
Master, but were disappointed. We thought surely He would come
in the second watch, but that passed, and He came not. We may be
again disappointed. We need not be so particular. He may not come
in the following watch. We are in the third watch, and now we think
it best to lay up our treasure on the earth, that we may be secure
against want.” Many were sleeping, stupefied with the cares of this
life and allured by the deceitfulness of riches from their waiting,
watching position.
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Angels were represented to me as looking on with intense interest
to mark the appearance of the weary yet faithful watchers, lest they
be too sorely tried, and sink under the toil and hardships made doubly
severe because their brethren had been diverted from their watch, and
become drunk with worldly cares and beguiled by worldly prosperity.
These heavenly angels grieved that those who were once watching
should, by their indolence and unfaithfulness, increase the trial and