Convenient seasons.
This familiar topic needs but a brief outline. Procrastination is one of man's chief perils. It is the "thief of time," the "delusion of the evil one." No man has any "by-and-by," any "tomorrow" to which he can trust. "Now" is our accepted time, our day of salvation. A man has nothing but the passing moment; yet he comfortably shifts off the duty of today by the vain fancy that it can be done to-morrow. "Felix is the type of the millions whose spiritual life is ruined by procrastination." Philip Henry says, "The devil cozens us out of all our time by cozening us out of the present time." Archias, a supreme magistrate of the city of Thebes, was seated at a feast, surrounded by his friends, when a courier arrived in great haste, with letters containing an account of a conspiracy formed against him. "My lord," said the messenger," the person who wrote these letters conjures you to read them immediately, being serious things." "Serious things to-morrow," replied Archias, laughing, and then put the letters under his pillow. This delay was fatal. The conspirators that evening rushed into the banqueting-room, and put the careless Archias, with all his guests, to the sword.
I. CONVENIENT SEASONS MAY EXCUSE DELAY. Better opportunities always seem to be away in the future. The pressure of daily business or daily pleasure will surely be lightened some day. We all have our eye upon some distant time when we mean to be in earnest about religion, and our sincere intent excuses our present delay.
II. CONVENIENT SEASONS MAY EASE THE CONSCIENCE. This is what we have in the case of Felix. He was smitten, but was purposed not to yield, so quieted conscience with a vague promise.
III. CONVENIENT SEASONS MAY NEVER COME. They seldom do. Press that the only convenient seasons for us are just those in which God brings home to our souls his truth, and urges us to its acceptance. Could Felix only have seen it, the most convenient season for him was the hour when Paul urged upon him the "faith in Christ."—R.T.