Some clocks strike often,—every quarter of an hour; some every hour; and some not at all. Those that do strike are expected to do something else, and that is, to point to the correct time, all through the day, between the hours, as well as just when the striking time comes. Then the striking of the bell corresponds with what has been seen before, when you could hear nothing but the ticking. So it should be with the life of those who love the Lord.
He does not set all the people to preach the gospel, but He does expect that, whether we say anything or not, what is seen in us all the day long should be “as it becometh the gospel of Christ.” If we speak to others, whether publicly or privately, we must mind that what we say is “according to truth,” but we must not forget that “actions speak louder than words.”
Pointing to the time between the hours is of even more importance than sounding out the hours when they come. We could do better without the bell of the clock than without the hands, but we want both. Only if the hand points to one, when the clock strikes twelve, which shall we believe?
If we say one thing but do another, who will know our Lord and Master any better from us? If we say,
“Jesus, Thou art enough
The mind and heart to fill,”
but do things which show that we are not satisfied with Him, and want the follies of the world, who will know which to believe? At striking time may we say,
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”
“Thou art with me, I will not fear,”
but what do people see us doing at other times? Are we full of anxious care, as if we had no Father in heaven, and no Lord our Shepherd?