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T^ qHUi^ bl^ THE w rm WBctcm, rev. w.tt Ifk^CTntZH '■-»» *«-»^.'- I lijltffi-— ■■»i'"«»i« IBllHMM Gi::t of "-'-A of *■"-■' In memory of our Ont J ? « V "' • SERMON PREACHED IN THE CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION, HAMILTON, BY THE RECTOR, REV. ^. H. ^ADE, 4th OCT., J896 U^- /; APR 1 3 1954 1 MARY KOUGH, The beloved wife of Adam Brown, Hamaton, Canada, passed peacefully away at Sea, on board the S. S. Sardinian, <7th September, J 896, on her voyage from Liverpool to Quebec 9f ^ yilE remains of Mrs. Adam Brown, who passed away at sea, on the S. S. Sardinian, arrived from Quebec at 8:45, on the morning of the 22nd Sept., being accompanied by Mr. Brown, his daughter. Miss Brown, and son-in-law, Mr. Ernest B. Smith, of London. The two sons of the deceased, Mr. J. Harley Brown and T. Hilhouse B.own, Mr. Wm. Kough— Mrs. Brown's brother— Mr. W. E. Brown, and many friends, were at the station. The remains wore removed to Bowbrook, Mr. Brown's residence, from whence the funeral took place in the afternoon to the Church of the Ascension. There was a large attendance. The casket was almost buried in flowers, many old friends sending most beautiful floral tributes. The pall-bearers were A. G. Ramsay, A. Bruce, Q.C, F. W. Gates, John Crerar, Q.C., John Stuart, P. A. Lucas, J. E. Parker, and J. f ottenger. The service at the church was conducted by the Rector, Rev. W. H. Wade, assisted by Rev. Rural Dean Forneret, of All Saints, and Rev. Canon Sutherland, of St. Mark'a. The Hymtis (A. &- M.J sung at the funeral service in the Church of the Ascension on Tuesday, 22nd September, and at both services on the 4th October, were all favorites of the loved one, and •mere as follows : Funeral service, 32nd September~Nos. S37, 228. Morning service, 4th Oct.—Nos. 232, 228,317. E^iening service.— Nos. 222, 223, 266, 23. funeral Tuesday^ the 4th ne, and 3f, 228. S.3'7' ON SUNDAY MORNING, Oct 4, 1896, At the Church of the Ascension, Hamilton, the Rector, Rev. W. H. Wade, preached the following sermon : Rev. xiv. 13 : •• And I ^ rd a voice from heaven say- ing unto me, Write, Blesso. ^re the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth : Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours ; and their works do follow them." I am sure if I could confer with our dear depart- ed friend, Mrs. Brown, this morning, she would say : '• Don't say a word in my praise. If I have done anything at all for my Saviour, let Him have all the glory.'' I shall therefore act very much on what I know would be her wish. There are some lives which demand more than passing notice when they terminate, for "the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance" (Psalm cxii. 6). And such was her's, who for thirty.five years worshipped within these walls. Her interest was lively in every part ot Church work, for I find she was a member of the choir ; a Sunday-school teacher, not only before but after her marriage ; an earnest worker and officer in the Woman's Auxiliary Missionary Association ; Il^ I f \\\ I i for some years the superintendent of the Junior Branch of the W. A. M. A.; and a lover of the poor, visiting and helping them in many ways. Especially do I think of her as a faithful wor- shipper. Her husband, speaking of her connec- tion with this church, said to me the other day : •'She always loved the Church of the Ascension, and no inducement could wean her away for even a single service." Such faithful members of a church are its pillars, especially in these days. She will be missed not only here, but in the city, for her earnest and quiet spirit had much to do with the success of the Ladies' Benevolent Society, Orphan Asylum and Aged Women's Home. Many an orphan— for she kept up her interest in them long after they left the Asylum- has returned to thank her for her loving sympathy. Her quiet, sweet, peace-loving disposition is worthy of the emulation of every one of us. We have therefore no hesitancy in thinking of her this morning as one of those *♦ blessed " ones of which our text speaks. There is no good reason for the uncertainty and doubt as to the hereafter of God's people, which so frequently may be found. The voice of inspira- tion is clear upon it. Historian, prophet, psalm- ist, evangelist and apostle, all agree in asserting and assuming the blessed lot of the holy in the future state. But we naturally attach the greatest importance to our Lord's words on this subject. Knowing Him as the Eternal God, we are prepared to obey His Father's command, who said (Mat. xvii. 6 iMMM f the Junior a lover of many ways. aithful wor- her connec- other day : Ascension, ay for even imbers of a it days. but in the id much to Benevolent t Women's ^ept up her e Asylum — r sympathy. iposition is 3f us. We : of her this es of which irtainty and opie, which ! of inspira- het, psalm- n asserting holy in the importance Knowing repared to (Mat. xvii. 5), "This is my belqved Son, hear ye Him." What revelations of the life beyond He has ^iven I How widely has He drawn aside the veil for believing eyes I I say for believing eyes advisedly. For it «s regarding eternity and Heaven as it is with all that IS spiritual (Mat. xi. 25), - these things are hid from the wise and prudent, and revealed unto babes." It is ever the unbelieving, world-loving heart that doubts judgment, eternity. Heaven, and the glory which shall be revealed " (Rom. viii. 15). On the contrary, the devout soul receives con-' tmual confirmations of these things. In its pro- gress through life "the distant scene" is made radiant by the - kindly light," and becomes the vista of the soul. Heaven is not far off to such spirits. Its life has already begun : its songs and music already entrance and enrapture. This was particularly so with S. John. In his isolation on the isle of Patmos his soul was ipQcxaWy prepared for " the revelation of Jesus Christ" (Rev. i i) He says (Rev. i. 10), - I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard a great voice, as of a trum- pet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega." That is the state in which to receive Divine consolation and enlightenment. No darkness of earth-clouds is so dense, and no sounds of raging tempest are too fierce for the "great voice" ''from Heaven." Jesus speaks now, as ever, in the midst of earth's stormiest seas, •• Peace be still!" ' Our study of this wonderful text this morning shall be very simple. Indeed, it shall consist only of the expansion of the one erreat master-fhnucrhfr it contains— rA« Blessedness of the holy dead. You will observe that it shows that the blessedness consists most especially in several things here spoken of. I. *' Blessed akk the Dead " — because thev "die in the Lord." It has been noted by many faithful expositors that the words "from henceforth" show that those '* saints" mentioned in this chapter, who perhaps are the tribulation saints, are pri- marily meant as " blessed " in their death. But such expositors always admit that the blessedness xs for all who '• depart hence in the Lord." Now notice that the text follows these words in the 12th verse: "Here is the patience of the saints : here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Therefore, those who "die in the Lord" die in faith and obedience. (a) They die m faith. We mean by that the faith of Jesus Christ, which comprises two main things : ist. Faith in Christ's death. The true primitive and Catholic faith is beautifully summar- ized in the collect for Easter Even : Grant, O Lord, that as we are baptized into the death fltfthv blessed Son our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, so by caadnual mortifying our corrupt affections we may he baried with him ; and that through the grave, and gate of death, we may pass to our joyful resurrection.; for his merits, who died, and was buried, and rose again for us, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Every true Christian is baptized " into the death of Christ." A true believer is one who is " rec- onciled to God by the death of His Son" (Rom. ofydetul. You le blessedness 1 thing's here )BCAUSB THBV ful expositors i" show that chapter, who Its, are pri- r death. But le blessedness Lord," lese words in tience of the •mmandments erefore, those id obedience. I by that the 5es two main h. The true fwJly summar- I into the death us Christ, so by IS we may be 'e» and 'gate of ection.; for his 5 again for us, nte the death /ho is '* rec- Son" (Rom. V. Kb). Mente he enters «'the gate of ever- lasting life." 27id, Participation in Christ's Itfe hy the Holy Ghost. The Christian receives life eter- wal here~«irf m Heaven-~Sii\d so a true faith in Christ receives and retains that life. They •♦die in the Lord." They pass through dearti's portalr as triumphant heirs of immortality. "The saints who die of Christ possest Enter into immediate rest. -" For them iro further test remains Of purging firos and torturing: pains." (b) They die in obedience. The will of their Lord has been their rule of life. One of the great writers of fiction in these days (George Eliot), speaking of the holy departed, calls them '• The choir invisible Of those immortal dead, who live again In minds made better by their presence," If Christianity were only what some people think it is— something only between the individual and God— a secret, mystical relationship,^then alas I for the world 1 Then the great conqueror, Saladin, was right and wise in his dying request : for he ordered that the tunic he then wore should be carried on his spear at the head of his army, and that the soldier should stop the funeral pro- cession at intervals and exclaim, •« Behold all that is left of Saladin, the emperor and conqueror t Of all the states he conquered, of all the wealth he accumulated, nothing did he retain but this shrotid." Our text -this "voice" which speaks •♦from 9 n I I I I Hi ! ! 1 Heaven" is in extreme opposition to such a doleful retrospect of life. - Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord." II. " Blessed are the Dead "-because they REST FROM THEIR LABORS." The state of - the dead in Christ " is never represented as being one of idle ease. When the soul IS -delivered from the burden of the (sinful) flesh It will be free for higher, fuller service than ever here So the service of heaven equals rest, and that by contrast with the •• labours " of conse- crated souls on ea'-th. (a) Their "rest" will be that of J/olmess. Wicked people do not really rest now ; and here- after, the eleventh verse says, - they have no rest day nor night (Rev. xiv. ii). Nothing disturbs the soul so much as sin. But soul^s " with Christ " cannot sin. Their garments made white in His precious blood can never be soiled again (b) Their "rest" will be that of Prosperity - How sweetly the voyager rests in port after the storm, and the husbandman when the harvest is safely garnered ; and the soul when guided "to that happy land Of perfect rest above ; Where loyal hearts and true Stand ever in the light, All rapture through and through, In God's most holy sight." (c) Their "rest" will be that of Activitv.-^ ^Vherein there will be no weariness-no failure- no self—no sin. Many believe that the souls of Christians are lO -BECAUSE THEV iristians are welcomed into Christ's presence with songs of angels. There is much to warrant such a belief. For my own part I confess to having been almost persuaded out of it again and again by theories of men and great arguments of speculative theolo- gians—but, blessed be God, only to return with gratitude and joy to the simple faith which I pos- sessed thirty years ago as a child at my mother's triumphant death-bed : and to calm, steady belief in the doctrine of the Church which declares that " the souls of the faithful, after they are delivered from the burden of the flesh, are in joy and felicity, " Some one thus apostrophizes a departed friend, and I cannot but endorse it : " Heroic saint 1 Bright sufferer I Thou dost lend To Heaven a new charm." ♦ • • • "Shine on, pure spirit I Tho' we see thee not, Even in thy passage thou hast purged away The fcgs of earth-born doubt and sense-bound thought From hearts that followed thine all-piercing ray ; And while thou soarest far from human view Even thy faint image shall our strength renew." III. •• Blessed are the dead— because •'their WORKS DO FOLLOW THEM." The idea is two-fold. Their good deeds go WM them: they take into Heaven the sweet, chastened, sanctified character which has beauti- fied their lives on earth, making Heaven brighter for their presence. Then their good deeds ''follow themr Each golden seed of faith and love will be fruitful and reproductive. What astonishment will be experienced by many a saint of God in •• the day of Christ I " Think of being rewarded, II I 'I Mi ! i i' ! . Hi II H I not only for martyrdom— scourging^, imprison- ments, the rack, stoning, bitter persecution — but for deeds of love, acts of self-denial, bearing the cross, speaking for Jesus. Aye— listen to this (Mat. X. 42) : " And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward." "Their works do follow them." Some time ago a young policeman grasped the hand of Dr. Thain Davidson on a street in London, and told him that through one of his sermons to young men', six years before, he had become a Christian, and he had induced sixteen other members of the force to give themselves to Christ. See the mean- ing of Jas. V. 20 : " Let him kuow, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." In this case not only the •'multitude of sins" of one "sinner," but one plus sixteen, and who shall say of how many more, brought to Christ through their 'nstrumentality ? Dr. Valpy wrote these lines as a confession of his faith : " la peace let me resign my breath, And Thy salvation see ; My hins deserve eternal death, Hut Jesus died for me." He gave them to Dr. Marsh (Rector of Becken- ham), who put them over his study mantle-shelf. The Earl of Roden came in and read them and asked for a copy. Lord Roden put them over his mantle-shelf. General Taylor, a Waterloo hero, 13 I > saw them, and was brought to Christ by them. The General gave a copy to an officer going out to the Crimean war. He came home to die. Dr. Marsh was called upon to see him, and during the visit the poor soul asked : " Good sir, do you know this verse, which General Taylor gave to me ? It brought me to my Saviour, and I die in peace." To Dr. Marsh's surprise he repeated the same verse. Though it is, perhaps, seldom that the results of working and witnessing for Christ are thus seen and known, our text assures us of the immortality of the Christian's labors. It will take eternity to unfold, discover and properly ap- predate the ever-abiding and continuing effects of a holy consecrated life. So, think of those who have •« departed in the true faith of God's holy name" as "blessed." When you speak of them do not say •' poor," they are rich ; do not think of them as cut off from th'e joys you are permitted to have tor your •• little while''— they are '• with Christ," which is "far better " than the most exalted position or experi- ence you could possibly have on earth. Look forward to the time when there will be a happy re-union. I was reading the other day a little book, in which the author said something to this effect : That in the life beyond we should make many new friends, but the radiant, perfect beings, who have never sinned, could never be quite so near and dear to us as those struggling and suf- fering mortals who have shared joy and pain with us-who have quarrelled with us and kissed us again-who have watched for us over mountain, »3 m |!!lf i ( III m !i( i|f 1 1 , I'M plain and sea— who have loved us tenderly and been faithful to us even unto death. Holy Scripture warrants us in this belief. Re- member how those precious words (i Thess. iv. 17). ** So shall we ever be with the Lord " are the assurance to God's people of re-union with their friends who have "departed hence in the Lord." The apostle says, " God will 6nn^ them with Him " when Jesus comes again. They are then *• with Him." Oh, blessed thought ! •♦ Wherefore comfort one another with these words." So of the beloved one we mourn to-day we say in th^ words of saintly William Pennefather : " Not here, but yonder at her Saviour's side, Behold her now in glory glorified ! Death is behind I and on the shining more. Which never bears the wild waves' distant roar, She stands with Christ And we would not, had we even the power. Expose that precious soul for one short hour To brest the billows, and to feel the lash— of angry waters. We would rather strive in heart to rise And dwell with her beneath unclouded skies. And with her sing the blessed song of Heaven, Jehovah glorified, and man forgiven." S^i »4 •« I ' ll — I I I i, <»MMfc . s tenderly and is belief. Re- i (i Thess. iv. Lord " are the lion with their in the Lord." \g them with They are then I ♦'Wherefore ds." to-day we say icfather : 's side, : more, listant roar, power, nrt hour J lash — of angry se ed skies, >f Heaven, mm^ "mmm H