work as feeling
that 'the night is far spent, the day is at hand,' or as feeling the
apparently opposite but really identical conviction, 'I must work the
works of Him that sent me while it is day. The night cometh when no man
can work.' The day of full salvation, repose, and blessedness is near
dawning. The night of weeping, the night of toil, is nearly past. By
both aspects of this brief life we should be spurred to haste.

The first element, then, in Christian diligence is economy of time as of
most precious treasure, and the avoidance, as of a pestilence, of all
procrastination. 'To-morrow and to-morrow' is the opiate with which
sluggards and cowards set conscience asleep, and as each to-morrow
becomes to-day it proves as empty of effort as its predecessors, and,
when it has become yesterday, it adds one more to the solemn company of
wasted opportunities which wait for a man at the bar of God. 'All their
yesterdays have lighted' such idlers 'to dusty death,' because in each
they were saying, 'to-morrow we will begin the better course,' instead
of beginning it to-day. 'Now is the accepted time.' 'Wherefore, giving
all haste, add to your faith.'

Another of the phases of the virtue, which Peter here regards as
sovereign, is represented in our translation of the word by
'earnestness,' which is the parent of diligence. Earnestness is the
sentiment, of which diligence is the expression. So the word is
frequently translated. Hence we gather that no Christian growth is
possible unless a man gives his mind to it. Dawdlers will do nothing.
There must be fervour if there is to be growth. The heated bar of iron
will go through the obstacle which the cold one will never penetrate. We
must gather ourselves together under the impulse of an all-pervading and
noble earnestness, too deep to be demonstrative, and which does not
waste itself in noise, but settles down steadily to work. The engine
that is giving off its steam in white puffs is not working at its full
power. When we are most intent we are most silent. Earnestness is dumb,
and therefore it is terrible.

Again we come to the more familiar translation of the word as in the
text. 'Diligence' is the panacea for all diseases of the Christian
life. It is the homely virtue that leads to all success. It is a great
thing to be convinced of this, that there are no mysteries about the
conditions of healthy Christian living, but that precisely the same
qualities which lead to vi