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Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul clichA, il est filmA A partir de I'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. <, • * ' • 2 \ \ \ \ \ \ 3 ' ■ ■ 1 2 3 '^ a * 4 5 6 1 • a.. « 5 1 I «H « - *l. -^>^ ie|.'^i:u%s=3KKUg; \\ (^ \. '■~\ :.'^'4ct%g" ^^ ^ ^li^rAt ■•..'*. ' ■. ♦ ^Iji-ir-^^^^; ■;":■;• ^ (' »^.1 FOREWARNED - FOREARMEO. 'i 'S'itr * V>TW,'' T" ?V '^^'j?<-^.' V t ^ r ^♦•ij*- / Nt. f^' ss' :\v i •^ ■I I^B' \ : ^. f !i--vir:$^. pf^:^ /A FOREWARNED-FOREARMED. BY J. THAIN DAVIDSON, D.Q., ^^*l>or o/''T RICHES GOTTEI^ NOT BY RIGHT . . • VI. PIOUS PATRIOTISM VII. SLEEPING UNDER THE SERMON VIII. DESTROYED BY PROSPERITY IX. PAGE I 17 31 f 45 ' 59 •• 77 • 91 . 105 PROreSSION WITHOUT PRACTICE, AND PRACTICE WITHOUT PR0PB8BI0V . . ... . ■ 119 V yyhl -^^l '-'---- . ' — X. ■■ '-^^ 1AM.Y COT OfF, BUT LONG REMEMBERED 133 ly^^m 'i i-^f- ii* ''■ via Contents. XL BREAKERS AHEAD I . , _ . . . , XII. FAUB FEEDING ON ASHES- ' i:. • • XIII. THE WAY OF TRANSGRESSORS IS HARD i XIV. ' THE SHIPWRECK AT EZION-GEBER . , , XV. XIX. GOD OUR HOPE IN YOUTH . V \ XX. . 161 . 175 . 189 separated: and no tears at the parting . XVI; half-hearted; and therefore a failure , , ai7 XVII. an excellent spirit aji XVIII. A YOUNG MAN COBIB TO HIMSELF . , , , • »4S •. • • • aS9 YOUNG MAH, ARISE I . . . , , , , jyj .; -„i .*. ^i l\ fAUK . . 161 . I7S • .189 • ai7 . 331 . US -r-T' _?S4r ,B^ -; • •^ BIRTHRIGHT BARGAINED AfPAT. ■^i** ^?f .P ■^ i'i& t £^1 V (.-. 'i«Wi,'i-,--.r * ,.;: I- if'-f^a ^m?'4i*! 1,*^A. ~t' ,^ ' ^jttiii,. J!1*J* i^ " Esau, who for one morsel oj meat sold his birthrightr Heb. xii. i6 >^ / %''l ■ '-.''« -* / ■ i-'V k^ \ ' ^ .»>* <^ i'< ' "^ ^ ^ •'.^ . A BIRTHRIGHT ^ARGATNED AWAY, 1 ^^^.^^^ ^^^*' ^^^ the world began, there never was 1 stftiQk so foolish] so insane a bargain ! Just think what tiat young man did in a moment of impetuous folly. Lit me remind you what his "birth- right "was. As thel eldest son of Isaac, he had a noble future before him. to his renowned grandfather Abraham ;he Lord had solenjnly sworn, saying, "Get thee out of ;hy country, and fr<^m thy kindred, and from thy father's louse. unto a land that I will show thee, and I will make |f thee a great nation; and I will bless thee, and make fhy name great, and^hou shaltbe a blessing." r That siimal blessmg was to des(iend from sire to son all down the ages' in the Ime of the /first-born, until it should find its con-^ summation in Chriit Himself, of whom the Psalmist sanir in those prophetic^ words, "Men shall be blessed in Him' f all natrons shall c^l Him blessed." As Isaac's eldest son' Esau was naturajdy destined to be. so^o speak, chief of the great clan : ftot only would he inherit a double portion of his father's health, but he would be K>ne of the sue- cessive heads of that favoured nation,, who were to be in multitude "like the stars of heaven.\r the sand upon the seashore.f *^ _ Moi & oyei;. there we r e s pirit ual privileges pertaininirTr " his position. As the first-bom, he, would be the priest of the family. He would have a right to the covenant X-t— V*. t ■W^v , . ..4i^ji i« '■ , 4 Forewarned — Forearmed, " * v • made with Abraham, aq^d from his loins the Messiah would jBome^ ^"^ NeverS^M a greater future before any child of man- never did a grander panorama of prospect oj^eA^flip to aiiy one. Certainly no man of his day— no man living upon the earth— was so favoured as he. His "birthright" was everything to him. It was far more valuable than all other possessions. We can fancy him prizing it, glorying in the thought of it. We can imagine him, if asked to part with it, exclaiming with vehemence, " No : not for all the wpfld I " Yet he sold it ! For how much ? Ten thousand shekels of gold ? No ; listen to the text, " For one morsel of meat he sold his^ birthright." For one short moment's gratification he sacrificed his inheritance, he stepped out of the royal line— with one stroke of the pen he struck his name off the illustrious roll. " Thus,'* writes Moses, " Esau despised his birthright." It is a\ terrible word that " despised ";' but would a milder one \ meet the case ? When a "man barters away such a in- sure for so mean a price, might he not as well, throve it in the mire, and trample it under foot ? " But/' you say, "poor man, he was starving— he was at the point of death; and of what use would his birthright be to him, if he should drop down dead on the spot?" Nonsense! He was no more at the point of death than his brother Jacob. The fact is, the man was desperately hungry and no wonder, he had just come from the hunting- field ; and what with the bracing morning air, and the healthful excitement of the chase, his appetite was keen, as yours and mine would have been in the circumstances ; ^d when he came into the house, and smelt th» savory ^ '^ tnat Hifr oretneF was cooking" (and ^acob was" one w^o always seemed to toke good care of himself), he ■'-fi .il,. J Jit t** m SJ 4« ^'5,/ ?MU l^-ll'A^-tA ' ^^^^W.'? (.X -^-'^■'^frr.^t^ the Messiah A Birthright- Bargained Away "^ 5^ felt he would giVe anything /for a plateful of it; so, in a whining tone, her entreated, "I am famishing ; I am like to drop down dead with hunger : give me sdme of that lentile pottage you have prepared." Jacob took a mean advantage of him. With the keeij^ commercial instinct which i^said to have descendcd^to all his posterity, and which knows how to ttinTa penny under any circumstances, he caught the opportunity to strikiB the most extraordinary bargain that ever was madtf. "I'll give you the soup," he says, "if you will give me your birthright in exchange." 'c\ I think he must have blushed when he made such a proposal. I think his face must have been as red as the pottage he was stirring. The hungry sportsman was in no mood for delay. "What is my birthright to me," he said, " if J starve to death ? It Won't feed me, or nourish me. Come, Jacob, let me have the dish ; the birthright's yours." . Thus the strong craving of sensd prevailed-— the ^imal appetite conquered. The deed was| done. The birthright was gone \ " For ye know how that afterwards, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he feund ho place of repentance, though he sought it care- fully with tears." , It is no want of charity for me to say, that in this great assembly * there may be hundreds of young men who are 4 ♦making precisely Esau's mistake; nay, a. mistake still • more awful than his. He had been dead and gone for eighteen centuries, when an inspired apostle held up his <*se as a solemn warning to the Christian Hebrews of his time, bidding them ♦^look diligently" lest any of *^g"selves^j>ould repeat the fatal blunder; and now, Twrrenutjier eipteen cehfuriesliave rolled by, the story . • * Preached in the Agricultural Hall, " A r*-^* ^g^^^#^#^.f>ir*-P^ r '••!■'■■*' >«■* .^^'V'-li Jl " •*>. r » V fefr * 6 J^orewamed— Forearmed. is as fresh and the warning as needful, as ever. God heln ustobe aithful in self-examination to-night Le' us JS look diligently." lest there be in this hall " any In " a quote the Revised Version) "that falleth s^rt of the ^ I do not say that Esau was outwardly a bad man at tf 'Wnh T.' ""'"'' °^ "^"^'^^^^ h^ ^ superior to Jacob There was much that was generous and noble if fiL : "'7'^ "i.^°"^^ ^°^-«f f-»o-> fond of field sports, and speciily given to hunting J ^uch men are often wanting in the finer graces but udged by he world's standard, there was much that lis hkeable aUt him. One thing, however, he lacked he had no spmtual religion, no faith in God; he 1 ved jus! for this matenal world.with its present and sensual enfot ments; he looked no higher, and. therefore, had S a conception of his splendid birthright - aa naraiy This is just what I fear of some of you. Remember you have a^noble birthright too. You have been Teated lU T'^k'"'^- ^°" ^''' "°* »^°- "merely to grovel among the things of earth, to gratify your animal desires, and scrape together a little silver and gold, ^od made you for something better than mere eating and dnnking and working and sleeping. He designed you for^something mfinitely nobler than a brief brute Existence Would you know what your birthright is? Listen to ■ such words as these, "This people have I fomied for ' Myself, they shall show forth My praise." "I appoiL Me'''"VnH'H"^K'"' "^ ""^ ^"^'^^ '^*^ appointed unto iue God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain J^vationbymarLordJem -^elfier we sleep or wake, we should live to^th^^ ■s-'-'-^sr- A Birthright Bargained Away, 7. Him." Glorious and exalted destiny! Fellowship with God in this present world, land in the world to come life everlasting. This is the birthright of every man in this hall. Can you say that you have personally secqted the blessing ? I believe some of you can, and it has thrown . a halo and a brightness over your life, such as nothing else could gMre it. You feel you are living to purpose. Thank God yours is not a wasted life, that is being squandered away on folly, toxollapse some day,-^and leave you in the bitterness oTrew(^se and .the" blackness of despair. Your Divine Father has laid His hand in benison on your head, and given-ybu the sWeet consciousness that He is at peace with you ; and forth you go to each day's duties, strong in the'assurance of His love, and full of courage and of hope for all the future.- But, ah ! how many here have a different tale to tell ? Why, in this metropolis there is not a day passes that does not witness some young man selling that splendid birth- right of his for a mess of pottage, throwing away for /Some momentary gratification all that is noblest in him, sacrificing all his prospects for the pleasure of an hour.- Hardly ^ week, but I am visited by some remorse-stricken Esau, who is in desperation: to know whether by any ' possibility he can retrieve his error; but who seems to find that now, when he^would inherit the blessing, he is rejected; "for he finds no plac» of repentance, though he seeks it carefully with tears." Do I not well, then, tb lift up the voice of warning to-night, and entreat you, if it be not too late, to beware of Esau's terrible mistake ? I shall put my finger on one or two forms of this fatal blunder. ^' ^^ y°" ^° ^"^ ^^^^j^^^ y^^^ spiritual ihterests to the_ afpetiiei of the fteih. Such fallen creatures are vje, it happens every day (and specially, young mop, at your time ^^^» V- ^'X ^ n >f.tf».. -,( 4.^ r' * .'^'^ >i "^^ ,^;2v , ' t "^ ' 8 Forewarned— Forearmed. of life), that the interests of the soul, and the desires of the body, are in conflict. Your carnal nature, the animal in you,, prompts you to that against which conscience protests, and from which the soul recoils. The flesh pulls ybu one w^y,^'^the spirit another. t- I have shiwn you how stupid, how reckless, how in- fatuated Esau was. Whatever of conscience or intelligence hQ possessed must have whispered to him, "As soon part with life itself, as with that noble birthright." But the gross appetite prevailed; the temptation ove«)owered him ; the belly conc^uered 1 Ah I the inorsel may have been sweet ; but what a price he paid for it ! It is easy for us, as we read the story, to cry "Fool I "—but this very folly is beigg committed every day. It is as old as our fallen humanity. For the sake of a piece of fruit, our \first parents sacrificed their whole mheritance, "brought 4eath into this world, and all our- woe, with loss of Eden." One look back upon Sodom, and Lot's wife becomes a pillar of salt I Achan covets a ' Babylonish garment and a wedge of gold, and forfeits his life in consequence. For the sake of a woman's caresses Samson loses his hair, his strength, his sight, his all. David, for the sake of Bathsheba, loses a year's com- munion with God^ndjiands his name down with an ugly blot upon it to/all posterity. Ahab, coveting a pretty garden, commits murder, and brings "down Heaven's* judgments on his head. Judas, for a few shillings, betrays his Master. I might go on multiplying such v: instances to almost any extent; Esau waV not alone in selling his birthright for a morsel of meat. One sin has often been th e bli ghting of a mag's.whole ' "77 nre. tJne night's _ carousal has teen the blastifllf of a T ^■1 promising career.^ Let every young man remember th^/ •tj/i ". * /i' ^iK^hHght Batjigained Away. 9. he carries with him a breast full of evil passions, that 1 may indeed slumber for a season, but which, in a moment, stirred by some occasioiiji^ina^ assert their fierce power; and, unless he is st!;oiiger^han tHey,vn}ajr hurl him over the ^ brink into moral iliin. You try to pecsuade yourselves that this an^ that pourse is not wrong, or at least -excusable, because the djdsire bums so wildly within you ; but isi there nof a secret i^onitor striving to hold you back,^^ij} telling you that you go forward at your soil's eternal peril? 'It is a soun4 principle^o act upon — and I can give you'-. Scripture to support it— that when,you doubt the lawfulness ^^ of an ac^, that is sufficient to decide that it is wrong, unless the lawfulness of omitting it is equally doubtful. There /are men yf\ao, in the preseflce of some great temp- tatioi>; have wavered for days and for weeks, conscience puHjAg one way, and the .flesh the other: and at last they hay)6 yielded, and in that moment self-respect has gone, and peace has gone, and priilCiple has gone; and now they are hasting down at eighteen knots an hour to utter 4estruction. One sweet morsel tempted them; and for /that one morsel they " sold their birthright." y Do not loofcrwhere I point, but yonder is a young man / who came to London with as fair a character, and as bright a career as ever man possessed, and to-night he is almost a wreck. Ju^t the same old story; first, the genial glass,- the jovial company, the brifliant saloon, the lascivious song, the amorous dance, the sharp taste of pleasure, one rich delicious morsel, and then — the enchantment gone — the dupe awakes \to find he has bartered his ^birthright, for one night of hist sold an eternity of joy. 01^ that you could but see the end of vice before you see th^ ^beginninyl ' That there Is a day of judgment after death »1s> ■^3 we all know; eveiy reader of the Bible knows that; ay, but there is a day of judgment too before death; a day ■ ■ ■ ■ jfc ■ J- 'M. Ir _-^.J«ii^«.V S'*i«. ". [•^•' f^. 'I ■/ fij^ 1 > -. lO ^Prewarned^Forearmed, ^i of judgment in the bones in h.« « h,,the brain; not to speak of t ""■ '" '^' ''^^'' iff many a man walkinrr Tk conscience. There nearly aS TeH be in H K "^""^"^ ^^^^^*«' ^^o rti • an th'afhe detains of ^!^i^! ^ ."k^^"^^' "^^^ is not old. but his Lr ■ ""'^ ^^ ^*"«^ J ' broken do'wn L s^nV " IT '" r''"''"^^ * '«P-. - crawls through lifr' 'troub" "to 1""'.°' '^''^ i to himself. To gr^ify h!s flesM °''^'"'.^'^^ ^ burden 7 birthright; and now h^can find ^ 'T^''' ^" '°'^ '^^^ though ^e seeks it cartL"^^^^^^^^^^ n. See you V^ «^/ sacrifice the future for ih . ^ This isjust puttit^g-the same thinf in a^li J tT""'' . Esau saw befbre him th*» ,.«„ k?- ^'^erent, form. . en/oyment; his futur^ntestr ' *^, °^ ^^ ^™™^^'*^te and shadoMtt3>^-"Ah " h ? ^'^ ''''*^"t' ^nd *,ague ' . Of itself; iCsf tv ^r;'d r *'^ ^"^"- ^^^^ -- get it." .^^ '^^'''*>' "orsel while I can - pia^^t^i:;;;:;:^^^^^:andindoingso them. TJ,e beast of theTe d wm ''' T^^ "°^ ^'^'"^ ■ tion within its reach and knl \^^ ~ '^^ ^"' ^^^«fica- " an after day. Were 'e 1 "°. x^ orto-morrow or ravages, incapab^fof Took " ^"^^^ ^"^" ™d^ ' Of. making the in^e:;:'of ^^"^ l^^'^'^^ ^" '^^^ another, in such a case we shllKl^'"^^ ^^°'" ^^ censure. 'l^ . ^^HH^^ ^^ OjMMIo " 'Live while you Jive,' the ep.cure will say And se.ze the pleasures of the presenilis .. "snr^Sfiich just means thnf ««^ .^. . . ^'^ ^ ,.<^' ^« whir.!. ^^ ^ " "1 *" ^ iixmaos^worth i,yo In iW pr ■#- '"" "^^^ "■«<'»., certainty is Zn^ ■; >V'^Vi.i^'^.'»^,>-.r A Birthright^ Bargained Away, , i\ uncertainties : and had we no conception, either of after years in this world, or of an immortality in the world to come, perhaps the best thing we could do would be to take every " mess of pottage " we could secure. But when we.know thM this being of oUrs is to go on and go on for ages, that these capacities for joy or pain are to grow and expand to an eternal future, surely n^ terms of condemnation can be too strong to apply to us. if we think of nothing but immediate pleasure And yet. probably, this- is Just what some of you are domg To-ntght you assent to what I say, but to-morrow you will laugfr at the preacher, and treat the whole Wtter as a good joke. It is horrible the way men will ridicule on Monday what they solemnly accepted on the Sabbath. Ihey will sing, as you have been doing just now:— ' " GAiide me. O Thou great Jehovah, , Pilgrim through this barren land." '' and listen withdue respect to the pulpit, as it warns them of th^ alcohoR^ cup. and of the strange woman, a»d of the haunts of lust; and within twenty-four hours they will slip into the casino or the tavern, nudging one another as they en er, and saying, "Ah, I thought the parson told us such^places were dangerous." Thu^^do' men quench " the Spirft. and trample God's message unJet their feet. I ^ITfl '""",?°"«^ «f «"ch madnesrtogive realness earnln^'"''- J^ ^ ^^°* ^^P^^' *^ ^^^ ^'^'^ »>uh,ing earnestness, my heart must be a flint. . I tell you, sirs, sin is bard, and merciless, and cniel. I have seen the devil putting the dainty morsel into a young mans Iipj and then wresting from him his birth- nght for ever. I have seen as fine lads as ever .^t^red 'X k 1 V?' aanrr office. :tempted^ bf^he fetal bait-a brief spell of carnal pleasure being followed by yeirs of torment ■r' ^\ j-^SA^ ^f^tk #.'< '^^%Jt%. \. 4/ ■^i .9 ■• ■^/*^^'y»l m n- 12 Forewm ned— Forearmed. Some time ago, a ship went down, having struck \ hidden reef. Fortunately, unlike the sad c!s6 S" th^ Teuton the other day. there was time enough to p^t th! " frrrr'/""^"*^ '"^^ ^^oat, which teryh':^'^ SL L f""^ ''^^^'- M before the Lt boa! started, the captam and mate, having seen that all »! safe, stood upon the gangway' ready^^leave the 2^ She was fast sinking-no time to be lost The mal s '^d to the captain. "I have left my purse below iSl^^f But m that moment the ship went creeping do™ i Z htfjf Then"" ' • r "^ '"^'"» "" -^'^ '™e .o' xm he risked and lost hilllT " """ '^"^ Blessings on her.at whritet;^^^.^^',^^ • t-- Ispi;-,; r*^iif?*u'' t^» n itself would A Birthright Bargained Away. 13 hands in prayer, whose hands smoothed your little pillow, as you lisped : • "Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me ; Bless Thy little lamb to-night." Are all these tender memories and holy impressions to be , drowned in the whirlpool of delirious folly? You who have been drifting further and further away from the happy innocence of early days, are you just f6 go 'on in your downward course, till, like Esau, you shall find no place of repentance ? You, on whom my words make so little impression that, as soon as I close the Book, you shall bolt out of this hall, impatient to get to the giddy street, and grudging even five minutes for our closing hymn, am I to write you down "hopeless," booked by flyjng express for ^he city of destruction? God forbid I •'Tufn, O turn, while yet you may ; Flee from death, from sin, from sorrow ; ' Say not 'tis too soon to-day. Lest it be too late tp-monow." III. I have one word more. There may be some here to whom all that I have said has little application, for it is not m that direction that their danger lies". You have become supHcal You are advocates of what is known by a much-abused word, "free-thought." You have been reading or hearing specious arguments against Christianity: ^ mT ^^7 '^'f'^^^ vital truths of religion asonl; 80 many exploded superstitions. You are enjoying the luxury of absolute independence of thought, and fof that mqreel of nieat"you are selling the birthright of the Chris lan faith that has been handed dowh to you from g°<*ly ancestry. ^ J^enrr^^lejoice with you on your new position. In my university days ther« was no man for whom f K " /i.. >' k < f '^n A '%•' •,n-i,Y>,\/v H Porewamedr^Forearmed. entertained a profounder admiration than the late Professor Geofge Wilson, of Edinburgh. He was then a man under forty years of age, and destined, I aril convinced, had his life been spared, to stand in the very foremost ranks of the scientists of this age. His mind, unlike his body, was of a peculiarly healthy order ; he was a worshipper of ^ truth and an ardent student of natuYe. In a letter to a well-known and Christian man of science in I^jKpn. bearing date January 1859. Dr. Wilson wrote (i tfivTyou his words at length, for they are very strikk-"! rejoice to, hear of y^u- success with the young men. God bless you in your work I It is worth all other work, and far beyond all Greek and Roman fame, all literary or scientific triumphs; and yet it is quite compatible with both. Douglas Jerrold's life is most sad to read. In many respects it gave me a far higher estimate of him morally than I had had before. But what a pagan outlook 1 What a heathen view of this world and the next I He might as well have been born in the days of Socrates or Seneca as did him. There is something unspeakably sad in his life, and It was better than that of many a litttrateur. The ferocjty of attack on cant and hypocrisy, the girding at religion, which they cannot leave alone; above all, the JS r'"^'"' '^'''■^'''' ^°™^ ^^"^' ^»d the dim and .doubtful prospect for the future, are features in that ////.m/.«r life most saddening and disheartening. And hf r"«!if '?"' ^'^ "-^^^ ''^""^^ ^d fo^bid.I should slander n^ brethren in study, men above me in intellect, m capacity, and accomplishment. But recently I have r!::"!!^^:!^'! P!°°"!! -^ no .small performance. X^v^ compelled to enter Into some religious con^rersatioBT with them, and found them creedless. having ao '1 'ft-. «M '^ ifjjv.t^-^' i A Birthright Bargained Away. , 15 believe ' for' themsplves : standing in that maddest of all attitudes— namely, with finger pointed to this religious body and that religious body, expatiating upon their faults, as if at the day of judgment it would avail them, anything, that the Baptists were bigoted, and the Quakers self- righteous 1" **I rejoice," wrote Wilson in another of his letters, "that I have a creed with which I can face death and eternity, and \^hich makes this life often a joyous worship, and always a patient endurance." Oh that each of you had a faith like that Christian philoso- pher, reasonable, intelligent, robust, yet simple as that of a little child ! What an amazing pity that any man should go from this hall to-night unblessed, when the Lord Jesus wants to throw His lasso over you, and bring you, willing captives, to His happy fold. ' Young men! God help every one of you to toss away each tempting mess of pottage frdm your lips, and rise to the height of your noble, your glorious birthright. . Amen. • ^^ \ / • ' ■ • y / 1' • ■* ■ *1 ■^. Mi • ^■^^■^ . .^ - • ^ . , -^-'^;.-^v IBM GOOD TO BEAR THE YOKE 12V YOUTH, I '4 • Jisi • * • 1 • — -t — 1 1 /■ J ■m '" . ^^^^^^B| • « ^f^^^H "* « ^jjJHH ' ., ,,-■,■ .: . 'm^ •^;ii#%';?^#' ''.^:^t- ;, - «f ^ ■*■ *L ~. ? -♦^■•; .:.:;v; .(.v'-.V- K. ^l.fe--.^^> '// t's qoodfor a man that he bear the yoke in his youth." Lam. iii. 27, M^ " ^ m • ■ ■ - 1 v., , • 4 « - ft F''' ^' *> W'- . ^ ' m , ^■^ n - '^Ihi^ — . » — ■ — ' JM^f *- g^^^^M. ft fe^ J&AitV'-i4hy:.V2(a ^i .-^"^.^ >A *«■<• V* H*-^ -f V ^~c: ,"!' .■■ r r II. (700Z> TO BEAR THE YOKE AV YOUTH. THIS is the testimony of a man well advanced in life. It is not a thing that a young man would be likely to say. When we are young, we think it is very far from being "good" that we should bear the yoke. Indeed, there is no period of life when yoke-bearing is a thing we would choose. It may be good, but it is not agreeable. But then, it so happens, that just as there are many pleasant things that are not good, there are also good things that are not pleasant ; and the goodness of them is. sometimes in proportion to their unpleasantness. The most valuable medicines are not unfrequently the most unpalatable. When the prophet Jeremiah wrote these words, he produced an aphorism as wise and pointed as any proverb of King Solomon. I propose this evening to have a little familiar talk with you upon the subject. * The mention of a "yoke" suggests matters agricultural. ^ The figure is taken from farm life. The Jews were accus- • tomed to make use of oxen for the ploughing of the land, and it was of great importance that the animals should be early brought under training. If a bullock is not broken in when it is young, it will never be worth much ^of t he plou g h. The work will be galling for it self, and ^«ost unsatismctory for the husbandman. If a ploughing" Qx is to be well adapted for its labour, and make a good furrow, it must be disciplined while it is quite young. If V3 * -■ % ■I .20 Forewarned — Forearmed. £■■* '5>:. this be neglected, it is vain to attempt it by-and-by ; the beast will only be' fretted and irritated, and any workTt is put to will be a failure. A traveller in the East graphic- ally describes, as an eyewitness, the difficulty of getting an untrained ox to perform agricultural work. "I had frequent opportunities," he says, " of witnessing the pon- duct of oxen, when for the first time put into the yoke. They generally made a strenuous struggle for liberty, repeatedly breaking the yoke, and attempting to make their escap^. At other times such bullocks would lie down upon their side or back, and remain so in defiance of the drivers, though they lashed them with ponderous whips. Sometimes, from pity to the animal, I would interfere, and beg them not to be s0 cruel. 'Cruel!' they would say, 'it is mercy ;'.for if we do not conquer him now, he will require to be so beaten all his life.' " Well, this is just as true of any animal that is capable of being trained at all ; a horse, for example, or a dog, or other creatures of less intelligence ; if you delay till th^v are of mature age, and then try to bring theip into sub-^ ' jection and obedience, you are almost certain to find your eiForts fruitless. Now, ^f ft is good for all other creatures that are made for some kind of service to bear the yoke in youth, it would be strange if man were an exception. But man is no exception, and, therefore^ he may just as well face the fact, and at an early stage of life seriously and thought- fully ask himself, "What is the yoke which it is good for me to bear ? " and this is the question I propose to answer this evening. -. The text, indeed, expresses a truth .which does not belong ex clusi vely to the domain of religi on. ^ suppose tTiere is not a moralist. all the world over who would not endorse it. ''^ii% *%i j^^^i^ i^4i^;iijj3^i f^IL^ >:, <" ^ ,"''j Good to bear the Yoke in Youth. 21 But Christianity not only confirms, but interprets it, and . gives it wide and wholesome application. In unfolding to you the text, I projjose to start on the lowest plane, and, by a series of steps, bring you up to the highest principle which these words express. I. I observe then, first of all, that it is good for a man to bear in his youth the yoke of subjection to authority. If he does not learn this lesson early, he will suffer for it by-and-by. Nothing can be worse for a young person than to be absolutely free and uncontrolled. The spoiled and pampered child, who is " a law unto himself," whose will* has never been curbed or crossed, and who has been used to have everything his own way, will never turn out well in life ; his career is certain to be one full of misery to himself, and full of troubles to others. There are few characters less attractive. The unkindest thing you can do to^a child is to throw the reins over his shoulders, and let him do as he likes. If yOu wish to ruin his prospects, and to develop a mean, selfish, over-bearing natiire, never contradict him, never oppose him, let his every freak and fancy be gratified. ' But it is not only for little children' that the yoke of subjection to authority is wholesome. It is quite possible that the yoke may be removed too soon. Until the character is fairly formed, and* the judgment is stronger than the will, and the mind and conscience have ascend- ency over the 'lower nature, the controlling influence of another should be felt. Of course, it is not to be expected that we shall acknowledge this whilst we are young, for youth always likes to kick off" the traces, and be wholly free from restraint ; but though the yoke be not to our liking, it is a most wholesome discipline, and in our riper "year^we shall be thankful at the remembrance of it. The" cj-aving for liberty^ noble as the instinct is, may sometimes ,*'. »<•%» S'-r ■ I I'* -,7- ;J,-^ -^ ^ , * >»* ,>,-.: ^ ',*';«„••' »'4'r,^f.^{ 22 Forewarned — Forearmed. take a distorted and in young woman, who under the rule of great, there -is still in which there is assert its commanc when he says, " I jjtidicious form^ Many a respectable most happily placed in donicstic service, gives up her 1 situation, arid; enters some factory, under the tempting nation that she will then b* her own mistress ; and I have khown of young men, thrpagh the same impatience of the yoke of authority, throwiij up an ex- cellent berth, and darhaging their whole pro^^ft^ts for life. I believe there is notk wise and successful fiieichant in the city of London to-dav who would not heartily endorse this first interpretation ofl my text. But II. I now remark ihat it is good for a man to bear in his youth the yolk ol Mf -restraint. It is not enough to be qlthers. Let such authority be ever so sphere to w||||ph it cannot extend, and Scope for a liian'g own conscience to St. Paul speaks of this form of yoke, keep my body under, and bring it into subjection." However widely we may differ in appetite and temperamenli— some, of course, finding the needful self- control much ha/der than others — there are,, with all of us, desires and tendencies which we have sternly to resist, and the denying of Which is part of the training by which we are fitted for a noble and useful life. The argument of those who excuse their self-indulgence on the plea that the lower passions of human nature would not be given us if they were not to be gratified, is equally wicked and absurd ; for this life is a probationary state, and there can be neither discipline nor probation where there are no temptations to resist, and where we are at full liberty to ^^rift with every current, and yield to every impulse of the flesh. As reasonably may the murderer justify his deed wh|ch yields him for a moment or two the sweet enjoyment ^f revenge. The very lusts, pas sidns, "appetites, and" temp^fs of which, more or less, we are all conscious, may L^. 'f^^^-j^^i^iv^' ';,T^' I ff ' "* '' "x' t j^ ^-^^^ - 'ft*' " I wish I was married, And very well too ; Plenty of money, And nothing to do." 'V" Good to bear the Yoke in Youth. 23 ' •-% be turned to real service In our moral equipment for life ; for, in the steadfast resistance of them, and victory over them, we become stronger men than had there been no- conflict at all. III. It is good for a man to bear in his youth the yoke' of difficulty and toil. Nothing like having to " rough it a bit " in early life. Those who find a snug berth ready for ^hem, without the need of eflfort and industry on their own part, rarely turn out well. Of course, there are young gentlemen who do not believe this at all, and think thein- selves exceedingly unfortunate if they do not slip into some easy situation, where there is plent7 pf pay and little work. They remind me of a Welsh servant I once heard of, who was exceedingly prbud of heruelf because she had composed a piece of poetry : and when^asked to repeat it, she gave it thus :— But they are very silly people who have any such ambition. A friend once inquired of Sir Horace Vere, "Pray, ^ir Horace, of what did your brother die?" "He died, sir,* was the reply, "of having nothing to do." "Ah, that is enough to kill anybody," the other rejoined. It is very far indeed from being an advantage to a man to have been " bom with a silver spoon in his mouth." It is good for us all to ,have to work for our bread. Our Creator intended us for labour, and not for indolence. Even before the fall, man had his physical work assigned to him. God placed him not in a "sleepy hollow" to fatten -in idleness, but itra large ^rderi, to dress It^nct to keep- it. The lazy Dutchman, whose idea of heaven is a feather <^- ".■v.' .■ ■ .. ■''■■' * ■ SI.;;: , ^ - ' ,_- H yii i-V '-? 24 : Porewamedr^ Forearmed. \ Pnlr *♦ "^Sf ^'P^' '' * '^^ P°°' *P«^™«« ^f humanity, l-omt me to ihe most^sudcessful. and most highly-respected • Z:^Z1 T''' "'^ °' ^^"'°" *^-^^^' -a I will Sr to assert that 75 per cent, of them began life with nothing in theirpockets. and had to p^shnheir own way. and for a few ' years^ubmu to a good deal deal of drudgery and rough worl before they attained to an easy and comfortable position It has been my lot to know several young gentlemen whp were launched forth- with a few hundred pounds, and a pair of fine kid gloves ; and they have made nothing of 'it • - they are to-day just where they began some years ago. and do not seem hkdly ever to improve their position^ whilst others, who started along with then, without two half- crowns to rub on -one another, have now got faf ahead. , and are fast becommg men of wealth and influence. There IS nothing worse for a youth than the notion that he wHl not need to toil for his living, that some dear old aJnt is going.to die at the convenient moment, ^md leave him a fortune ; ten to one. the lad will give himself up to indo^ " lence and pleasure, and when the itnoney comes will not know how to nghtly use it. Many is the prospel(ous man thankful for havmg had to bear in his youlh tlfe Woke of genuine hard work. It was this that developed his energier reSrL^dXr^'^"'"""^'"^^"^^^^^^^^ IV. I now lift up the text to a higher level, and read m It an axiom of true religion. It is good for a man to\ «T.^ Ir''"'" ^^"""^ ^"'^^"'" ^"^'*^« "« ^hen He says. la% My yoke upoi^ yoU. and learn of Me." It is g^djfor a man t^ become a decided Christian' in early iferitis-peiteclIyIruTtfiat."^~Ghrist says, "this yoke ■JC ./•^■?? e • .-'". 10- •>i.Ai*.i^. 1 ■ "W^: G^(?tfho never seem to find a difficulty t)n the road to heaven. That celestial palace' is generally reached rather by the low level than the high level iine ; and it is through the valley of humiliation that you attain to the sweetest sunlight of conscious and habitual atceptance with God. Do not be discouraged, my brother, because it seems to you so difficult to become a Christian, oi» because a godly life demands at the outset such self-denial and mortifying of the flesh ; the earlier you bear this yoke of Jesus the happier your life willbe. " if • ■:■■ !?» V. 1 go iurtherr irTr~g«Qd r# a man to bear in his youth the yoke of a public Christian profession. In ■Hl;^ ■V"''';l!'r.''>«'j',iwii,>'.. ■ { S".a Jt ^i^^f ^l^:^'-«sJ'^^2Ji i'Ar^^f^i^'.^.''> ;•; ij SA* SyTTSXEiS ', u i -"v -,\ G^(?(7flf /'.:*Lh'.:i im .ffi' »• ri*-*: r1^-- ' "**?^« .^^' 5i*^-4 X^-^- .28 forewarned — Forearmed. k^ ■ p., ^w.. »!iJl, * letter to your cou»n who is getting tinged with infi(|elity, and tell him of the nobler and better way. If you are only ready for work, we shall find it for you : work in the Sunday School ; work in the mission district ; work in the evangelistic meeting, or in some other Ime that will suit you better. But indeed, if your heart is full of love to Christ, you will find opportunity everywhere for\ scattering the good seed. I am often astounded to notice how quickly the devil gets his followers buckled to active service. What an amount of mischief one really bad fellow will work in the circle in which he moves. One lad in a public school, one workman in a shop, one clerk in an ofiice, what a poison that young infidel or scape- grace will spread in the course of a few hours ! Oh that the followers of Christ were at least as valiant and as zealous for their glorious Master! Vtl. I come now to the last point, and withoiit it my subject would not be complete. It is good for a man to bear in his youth the yoke oi personal affliction. Many an one has thanked God all his days for some heavy cross he had to carry when he was young. That three months' tedious illness yqu had, you will never forget it ; it left idipressions that cannot be effaced, and taught you lessons you will carry with you to your grave. I have heard pe];;spns say bf some bereavement they met with in early life, perhaps the loss of a»dear mother or sister, that it gave a tone to their whole after life. In the memoir of Dr. Norman McLeod it is stated, .that nothing produced a greater effect upon him during the whole course of his life, than the death of a favourite brother, when they were both - quite young men. - ^,-"^ There are many other forms of trial, a^-'^ou welf ^ know {There is llie^breakmg up of a li^p^ homie; the coming away from all the tender, *lasociations and iJ^tSs^Vj /fcuS*-, •,1>,!ri.!.« 4 A At^' ^ ^ . Good io bear the Yoke in Youth. 29 hallowed scenes of infancy ; the solitude of a great city where all are strangers to you ; the loss of a situation, or disappointment in your efforts to obtain one ; all these things are trying, and may prove a heavy yoke to bear ; but, believe me, it is ^od to bear them in one's youth. You may be the better all your days . for the bitter dis- cipline. There is a marked want about thos»-Christians Who have never suffered. You will rarely see piety of a rich and mellow tone in a man who has knowiTnothing of sorrow. Did you ever watch such a person in his' efforts to comfort another who is in trouble — what a poor job he makes of it! Now, the seven-fold yoke I have spoken of is that of subjection to authority, self-restraint, difficulty and toil, living godliness. Christian profession. Christian service, and personal affligtion; and I do not hesitate to say that these are all embraced in the wise proverb of our text: "It is good for a man to bear this yoke in his youth.'' :._ Ah, do you say, what 'a wretched bondage, enough to deter A-. Li '',Tir;i''^i^iafe.rt«iL'.-v. '■m^ \ 1 : f' ,3a Forewarned— Forearmed. has seen- sixty or seventy summers becomes a Christian. Mercy at the eleventh hour is something to praise God for. But, oh ! it is better a hundredfold when life at its commencement is given to God, and Christ's yoke cheer- fully accepted in th6 days of youth. Bend now, my brothers, and He will lift up your heads for everl *' t'S^ w »» .|,^ «,...;.,.,, »^,S .i^^ i4#&'-'^ -^xs ^^J.- ^& — " ' .ij- A. K ^ ' 'HI* .^•5 v^ Ji, ^ PAMPERED IN YOUTH, RUINED IN THE PRIME, ^u 4 '^Z-' J 4 *- ' ^ • « • - * •.- u ■ \ . ' ■ ■ •■ !l r— 1 '■— ' ."'^H • ■ .'" t >' 1 / * „ "V4i 'W 4v; / '» ^ '-^k" - " But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him, aud took couuselwith the young men that were brought up with him." \ ► ' 2 CnfcoN. X. 8. X ijf^ ,..-1 iW V 1 ' ''. , ' > * • 4..A J^^ .kx^du&M,„iruJiMi'!^v^ '/■^J^^'^'^^^^^^^^f^^^^^^^^^^^l * ■£"i'"'*y= ':-f' 1^4-,>, "Sffe^^ S^'ij'^ f'/J 'Oi III. PAMPERED IN YOUTH, RUINED IN THE PRIME. TH?:^ life of Rehoboam, supplies a most remarkable Illustration of the truth, that whatever else may be hereditary^-title, property, wealth, talent, disease, certainly - wisdom, at least, is not. Like grace, it does not run in _the bloodGodly^ents, we know, may have a wicked offspHngTlHOKF^sest-sTTOeTTTi^^ 90n as big a fool as ever breathed. I cannot say Jiether Solomon was recording his own domestic expience, when he wrote amongst his proverbs, "A wise son/naketh a glad father; but a foolish son is the heaviness of his niother ; but I have a strong suspicion he was fhinking ofthe subject of my sermon to-night, when he declared. • Thererefore I Jiated all the labour which I had4aken under the sun, because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me; and who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool ?» A fool he turned out to be ; and the incident we were reading this evening, as it is the first recorded instance of his folly, so it gave shape and turn^o his whole after history. Let me briefly put the stoiy before you, and then extract some practical lessons from it. . The time of Rehoboam's accession to the throne was one which dema n ded e rrP n tional vigour a hd prudence- combined. *i. ^_.. .^--®^ ^^ "®^^®^ *^® ««w/^r in modo with the forhter m n, the iron hand in ^ ^love. of silk. From *>;; V it ■^ m%-~ 1- ?-*n' S-Xi^ ^?Vl%^^^'*f'^?*'"^*V*. V^'"''^1' *°"VT|^'^^^^-^'''^P^*^'^'>^'f ■^IfB t C*V^* t 1 34 Forewarned — Forearmed. the earliest period of Jewish history, it was but too evident that the confederation of the twelve tribes was but im- peri"ectly cemented. Specially after the death of Saul did a sort of deeply-rooted jealousy manifest itself between the tribes of Israel in general, and the tribe of Judah. The powerful Ephraimites could never brook a position of inferiority. They were always ready to show a spirit of resentment, if any enterprise was undertaken without their approval and co-operation. It appears that immediately after the slaughter of King Saul, t^ie tribe of Judah, without waiting to consult the other tribes, came and anointed bavid as their king ; and that it was not until the house of Saul had been alihost exterminated, that David's govern- ment was accepted and acknowledged by tl^e whole nation. Even then the latent jealousy was not uprooted. Nor did it tend to heal the sore, when King David removed his court from Shechem, the ancient capital, and transferred the tabernacle and centre of Divine worship from Shifoh to Jerusalem. The Ephraimites, and the other tribes that were in full sympathy with them, felt that these distinctions bestowed on Judah were slights cast on them? and the secret animosity naturally became deeper. The base Absalom knew this well, and cunningly availed himself of the circumstance, in seeking to seduce a large portion of the nation from its allegiance to his father. The de- fection broke out afresh upon Absalom's death, and found expression in a war-cry, which was remembered for ages, and was shouted forth anew in Rehpboam's days, "What portion have w^ in David ? or what inheritance have we in the son of Jesse ? Every man to your tents, O Israel I " But there, were other causes that operated later on to ace and intensify tbi* discontent. The extravagant. -jirodac and in his latter days se^^sh, expenditure of Solomon had imposed heavy burdens on the people, which they were ' I *. ^^•i. ■ N ^ v.i 'il^i. ■ j^ - ^^'I^K *^,#. •V .rjt-,;^^^ 'rfir/^'^f CS \'f'\h' Pampered in Youthy Ruined in the Prime. 35 IK)t willing to bear. His reign, prosperous and magnificent ' a^ it* was, proved, by reason of its monopolies and excessive -taxation, so oppressive, that large numbers of the people ^ were only too ready, on the first favourable opportunity, to protest and rebel. That opportunity arrived, on the appointed coronation-day of his son and successor at Sheche^i. If ever there was needed a young king of conciliating manners and sound judgment, it was then. Unhappily, such a man was not Rehoboam. /- f I must not here occupy your tinjte by saying jjiuch ^ of JeroboVm, another notable man who appears upon the scene. But, to see the force of our texty we must glance for a moinent at this personage. He had been a dis- tinguished \oflicer, and at one time a personal favourite of Solopioii's. By the force of hi« own character, he rose to a position of great influence ; and belonging to the tribe df Ephraim, was fitted, in the event of a revolution, tb be a serious rival to Rehoboam. The disaffected tribes soon came to look to him to represent their cause. Jeroboam, already informed; by a prophet that he is destined to bear rule over five-sixths of the kingdom, bid^ his time. A mine, so to speak, is dug beneath the throne ; the train of powder is laid ; and all that is wanied is— to supply the spark. Rehoboam's coronation-day has come. The fine old city of Shechem x^enfeiit. Banneifs flying ; bells ringing ; trumpets blaring. ' Gaily-hamessed regiments crowd the streets. White- robed ecclesiastics, in solemn procession, march to the place of ceremony. Holy prayers are recited, and psalms are chanted, and the sacrdtd oil outpoured : and now the ^ resplendent crown, glittering with diamonds ^and gold, M plw I 1 36 Forewarned — Forearmed. J 4b 'f no cheers ascend from that surging throng. In vain do obsequious courtiers strive to evoke one solitary huzzah. An ominous silence reigns. A sullen gloom is onrthe upturned faces of the multitude. Rehoboam, pale and nervous, looks on in embarrassment, and knows not what to do. Suddenly, a tremendous cheer I What means this? Ah! you have not long to ask. The excited crowd making way and dividing to let him pass, wel- come their hero,^ Jeroboam. He steps to the front, and looking Rehoboam full in the face, addresses him thus: — "Thy father made our yoke grievous : now there- fore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee." I see determinatiori in the speaker's face. Tha^^is not a man to be trifled with. Clearly he means business ; and Rehoboam, if he is a wise man,- will think twice before he treats him with contempt. The young monarch is nonplussed: conflicting feelings struggle in his breast. Just at that moment, methinks, one of the aged councillors, who stand beside him, whispers a sug- gestion, " Say to him and the people, that you will think over the matter, and bid them conie to you again in three days." The suggestion is acted on, and the storm averted for a little. Meanwhile, Rehoboam calls a council of the old and experienced statesmen who are around his throne, and asks . their advice. Unanimously they recommend gentle measures. " Speak kindly to the peopllp they say, "their temper is somewhat roused, and they are ready to dp desperate things ; make every concession that is possible, try a conciliatory course ; and the storm will blow over.'^ It had been \^ell for him if he had accepted their ad- vice, and remembered one of his own father's proverbs, A soft answer tnmellr^away^ wrath." It is wondeiftit what a little gentleness ^nd prudence can do at such a '■4r '''^''^"''-^MMMkv.i, ^. Pampered in Youth, Ruined in the Prime Vj • ■ ' < » , , *" juncture ; and howa wise word and skilful hand may calm the fury of an excited multitude. . ' Unfortunately, this was just what Rehoboam did not possess. Proud and self-willed, he was not disposed for a moment to parley with those presumptuous malcontents, and would not act on the advice which the old men gave him. A sharp and peremptory course was more to his liking ; and so he turned to the younger men, who had been his own companions, and asked what they had to say. Full of the rashness of youth, and only too rea<^ by flattery to court the favour of the king, th^y recommended him to give the people a reply that was equally impertinent and stem, and fitted to rou&e their fiercest rage, "My little fii%er shall be thicker than my father's loins. Whereas my father put a heavy yoke upon you^ I will put more to your yoke; my father chastised you iwith whips, hut I will chastise you with scorpions." , ^- For the sequel we are quite ^)repared. The pent-up indignation of the people burst into open revolti The covenant nation is rent in twain— ten tribes separating from the other two; and the foundation is laid of a succession of calamities and fratricidal wars as sad as the history of our race records. Rehoboam's career continued as it began. Folly and faihire were its most prominent features, his misfortunes seeming but to make him more stupid and resolute, and illustrating his own father's memorable proverb, "Though thou shouldst bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from himl" Many a bright Scriptural character is set before us for our example; this man is set before us for our warning. There were specially two things, I believe, that con^- \ « ). *\ •S-' V '■3. _ ibuted to make His liJeTa iailuce jT am sure ypii wW not" 'VJ-^ take it amiss, if I say a few plain iJords^about them. la. ^ "^ ...•» ^wd^ ^)<«'«3^^ "^mwW r.ff,t.a.. r» J.tf* V V- ?j:.; ;l-- ;y,ir> -If-* 38 Pprewamed—F'orearmed, f^: V the first plac4, he was brought up in the lap of luxury, and that is not giod for any man.. His father lived in a style of magnificence that has never been equalled. Never was a I4d brought ^p in a more luxurious home. The splendour of Solomon'^ palace was the wonder of the world. When the Queen df Sheba visited it, and- saw (to use her own words) "the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cup-bearers," and so forth, there was no more spirit in her. She was dumbfounded. Not a thing that heart could wish that was not there. Everything that could feast the eye, and please the palate, and delight the ear. Vessels of gold, and couches of ebony, and curtains of Tynan |»urple, and upholstery of cedar, and pillars of marble, and gardens of beauty, and ponds of fish, and horses of finest breed, and every coriceivable thing that can delight the sons of men. Not a breath of air that was not laden with the perfume of sweetest flowers, and treraiilous with notes of exquisite music. Not a morning that brought not with it its fresh round of pleasure. Not a meal that was not a banquet. Not a room that was not a place of enchantment. Thus was Rehoboam's youth and boyhood spent. MjMeo^r, he was heir to a crown. Courtiers flattered hiih. Young men felt honoured by his friendship. He had no opposition to contend with, no drudgeries to submit to, no hardships to bear. Now, could anything have been morally worse for him than that ? I ask the head of some large academy, " What is the chief cause of the ruin of many lads belonging to respectable families?"and he whispers, "Toomuch money." It IS a g oo d thing for a yni in g f e llow to hav&4o roogh it »— It; and ydu may be very thankful that few of you have beea Ky -a/' '^';'**''''V-?l^ 4,' '■'■•:< i \ .' ■ *--f;^ i: Pampered in Youih, Ruined in ihe Prime. 39 born with a silver spoon in your mouth. The president o^ •one of the largest educational institutions in America stated that he believed the surest protection to young men against the perils of opting life was poverty. A free supply of pocket-money has been ihe destruction of many a promising boy. The being free from the necessity of working for a living, has been the worst thing in the lot of many a young man. I have personally known youths who were unfortu* nate enough to start life with a patrimony office a year; and they never came to anything. " It is good^ for a man. ,to bear the yoke in his youth." It is good for a man, though he is going to be an architect, or a civil engineer, or a naval officer, to be* familiar with the workshop, and the anvil, and the forge, arid the ropes arid spars ; these are the men that prove successful and get to the top of the tree. I have just been re^^ding with intense interest a capital book, which I would recommend to every one of you. I refer to the autobiography of James Nasmyth, the inventor of the steam-fcammer. The grand lesson of the book I. take to "be the value of realness and- thoroughness in every woA we undertake. Here is a very characteristic passage. "I often observe in shop windows," says Mr. Nasmyth, " every detail of model ships and model steam-engines, supplied ready-made for those who are said to be of an ingenious and mechanical turn. Thus the vital U8e» of resourcefulness are done away with, and the «ham exhibition of mechaekal genius is paraded before you by the young impostors, the result, for the most part, ^f too free a supply of pocket-money. I have known too "inahy instances of .parents being led, by such false evidence of constructive skill, to apprentice their softs to some -engineering firm, and after paying vast sums, finding ODl — ~ that the pretender x:<>mes out of the engineering shop with jlSft 1 f 1^, ■vit % •f ^ /' '# 4' ,':/ %: ■,....- '.'V^ f liY b '.5 4P -f^orewc^ed^Porearmed, •"*»* ■p fai? Ther„crfs left ""« ".T'"'^ "'■"' '» ""r *.,„^K J "• ^^^^ unfinished. Every work tKh* j- worth domg at all is worth doing well fmm m J besdm to settinjr iewels it, » ^.« tI' making a in an office Is I S .- ' M J^ ""' ^"""^ ^'«* ^te^^ootsmtha^eSS k' P^^ *o be the ben- P^ m that establishment ; the Christian carpenter ■ WeX" iT-'" »"<'">P«*-"e»t than thai of glo«, _^r.'. ''''' ^•' "" «»«"»-the bare 6n«t. "lig gloves. Gloves, especially kid eloves ai» n«rf.« non.co«d„ctors of technical too Jedge*'^ '"'^"=' dei^ in it Jl H cT*^"?'- ^'' ''«• *»" » a good luinrionsly, had he linowir something in his earlv dam nf sthtlllTVl^'r """ <««->«« »rreTuff.' a more sts blitn ° ""T' *"' ""«'" ■■»" "■"»<) <>« ™re sensible ispd successful man. ri,ri,rit ''i "" "*' '"'"' "^ S""" «"«>«. '0 be down, r^ht thormgh m everything you take in hand. I think none of us are too big, to learn a lesson from , vo^, «.o2*Chuth''^'Ar ^" "'• ^''"'«-" "^ ""S ce XL «;'>. I'^r""" "■"'"nation with her. the o? aX^o t^He, '"?r "" f" """^ ''""»" "Since 1 h.^i(r1r^u '"" "^P'^ **» admirable. mat"" T ^ ^ "■ ' "''"^' '""f ""<'"«•« Jmony'r^vfa^'"!'- "" '"f ^»'- '" '- " Mv yr.L/^\ I ^'^ °^" pnncip e of action • - My meat IS to do the will nF h.-^ tu ^ a*,wun . finish His work.'? ^ *^^* ''"* "***' ^^ '« J^ilr'"l',:.4^ • ,:-%. . E«6&--., !'" »*•- r ■*■ -H Pampered in Youth, Ruined tn the Prime ai tt. rk T T ""^ '««'-n^e windows and doors; Li rd£ IrT""- ^^^ '■"-■"o^Pra^ical everyday religion, that would prove its reality in the humblest details oL of rr" '"■»'. '"'^' " " *""= P"''"'™ " "- '■<-»» o one of Keble's well-known hymns— "And help us, this and every day, To live more nearly as we pray 1 " Which is the same thought which a missionary tells us close'of'T 1 *'' '°"*' ''' IslandersTpre'ss at the close of a Sunday evening service. He was leading the devotions of the congregation, and he prayed- "Lrd TnVr ^ ''^^""^' '°°" *° b« taken off. folded up. ^1 hk'?" 'u " '°^ *^" ^°^^- SabLath come round. Oh. let them rather J,e like the tattoo on our bodies, meffaceable till death I" The^second thing that contributed t<»make Rehoboam's o/min who wcr, older and wiser than himself. His Zle tl:z:^: ^'r?^' ^^^^^ ^^^ ^-^ bi(ndefof pT of v^s tr "' ^°"''^^"' companions to that of men cusable that he was now no mere beardless lad. He had at least arrived at an age when he ought to have known better. -When I became a man." saM t>aul « I . CO l7hrve 't' ^;;'"««"'-^-'^«-orethanRSoam ' could have said. He got among a set of empty-head^ coxcombs, who filled his mind with vanity. Td ell plnio^^n' ' "°?k""^ ^"' ™'"^"« ^«"- Evil S' Jgggj|?»yJP proved his dest rucf toiH « C— <• t'-'^.l iij {l ii lie naV r fc «d "Saveme frou. my friendr^foTalZrwe^ .*. d.a„Uble enough to believe «>a. .hey*n.fLt ,hl . ^f^ '-,f, -1 / 4'^ fcAl? ift,'* Ami ^ - » ^« 42 Forewarned— Forearmed, " ATi advice for the best, yet, like the bear' which, froto friendly motives, tried withJiis paw to remove a fly ^ from his master's face, th^did more harm than good.! Nothing teM upon our life more distinctfy' than our early choic6 of companions. We take the colour of the society^ we keep, as the frogs of Ceylon ♦dA that of the leaf on which they sit. Be slow to form your friend- '' ships. Endeavour first to take the measure of every man who courts your company. To such of you especially as have but latelycome up to ' rtown, I say. Be on your guard. You liU have no difficulty in making acquaintances, if you are willing to take to your bosom all who* come. There are plenty of vampires in London, who are ready to suck out of you all they can, and then let you go. Remember, leeches fasten on the living, but drop off from the dead! Shakespeare gives yo\i whole- some warning when he says — . vr •" Every one that flatters thee - • , . Is no friend in misery ; Words are easy, like the wind / Faithful friends are hard to find | y ^ Every man will be thy friend, Whilst thou hast wherewith to spend ; But if store of crowns be scant. No man will supply thy want." I would particularly urge you to have nothing to do with any one— no matter how plausible and smart he be— who j^sts at sacred things. The frivolous mocker is a despic- able character. A youth devoid of reverence is always a poor specimen. Give a wide berth to eveiy low-bred fellow who sneers at the Bible, and turns religion to ridicu le. " • - Keejiclear of any man wha tu n w the Sabbath- .i^.'j; ■A' » « n ft ^^tihtk' i e i t into a holiday, who fprsakes the house of God, and laughs tr % u'^t' his ^ Pampered in Yoi4h, Ruined in i^ Prime, 43 at the strait-laced piety of his forefathers. Be cei^ain you will get no good fronv one who wants to shake you out of what he calls your old-fashioned principles A man of that character-let alone religion-has none of the quahtjes of a gentleman. There is no robber on the midnight street that can impoverish you, like the man who steals from you your faith. Never make a friend of ^ one who avows himself an unbeliever. The fear of God w at the root of all true nobleness of cjiaracter. Said a French monarch, when once asked to give his consent ,.■^1*.* dishonourable treaty, '/The blood of Charlemagne i^Bv" '" "^^^ ^^^"«' ^"d ^ho dares to propose this thing to fPP me ? and there are many of you that have a pedigree . sfill more worthy to gloiy in; see that ye do not play t false by its traditions. We want no Rehoboams amongst < . us; we want the sops to be betUr than their father I - know that I am speaking just now to some who have a hard battle t ^^ and to others who are in the deepest waters of trouble : alike for strength and comfort, I point Tnln TKTr^^J''^"'"'^*'"'*- He is the young man's tnend. The life He spent on earth was the life of a young man. Though as God the "Ancient of Days," as man He never knew what it was to be old. He is in full sympathy with you. Commit your souls to Him. Come to Him at once for pardon and eternal life. And, when every stream of earthly joy is diy, and the poor world iails to fill the dreary emptiness of your soul, you will find, th^t. unlike Christless worldlings, yoy are rich indeed- " At life's clear well-spring you shall drink, • .>,,. Kejoicingin tliesmileof God." to ■ 1 Amen. • ith - •"■ -hs 1 f" • ^€ ■ •_ f.iVJi*- v»/- : ■ , .* " , ^ ^ 1 ♦ft • •kill Mk, f ■■■; * / '■'/". t '■ I \ ■ -r ' \ I ■N- "■^■\%' in * ^^^HHI^ * t . ,- • ■■'* S ,'•;:■• HW?' i " -- / . rir^-: ^ t ''Wy "-■. ' ■.,■. . >' f -^ * 1^^- " ' ' '■. ' .■.■ X. V. A -|i 1 ■■ * - \\ , >,■ ■ > 'n- '.!; ■ b . ^ i ^?*^ A, •i&fc%' -f-r/.-.'S jSppiij liSMIS K ...'/ >. s l' V ^-•^ '" v'3 • r : --r-N -r '^ A HJEART' NOT FIXED. * t V ♦' "-Jj !■ •>.' •tr <. ■ if . ♦ ^N *' I. ■ *♦-*»" ■\--.- •\ . ^'\ \\ •#) * ' »■*. ■ • '- t -at^'- '• -^ k-e ^. ' :^ '^- f ■ • • m' •Isv". 'And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seeh the Lord.' ' 2 Chron. xii. 14. • %^- f\ ^ fi' ' m^- i s 1 ^ V t d ■ 8' ■r a .,- * w ^'^ »i^ of •^V' 5:^t»-' ' JfiSx''*''™.'' f " f ', U*' '" i »\(S t J 4. • j .1 • • IV. I ? -<< HEART NOT FIXED. THE life of Rehoboam, as we have^en, was a com- plete failure; and the text tells as what the secret of that failure, was. For this reason it is worth your study, • for I pfe|ume evei>' one of you has some ambition to live a purposeful and successful life. If you have not this ambition, why then I must try to awakfen it '^thin you: for withbut it. I shall have very little purchase power in . stirring you up to what is noble and right. , - Sijely, none of jou' are content to live an aimless, Ignoble existence, a sort of vegetable, or, at best, a mere animal life : and then to die like a dog, and be forgotten. 1 have too high an opinion of those I am addressing. to imagine any such thing. Remember, the success or failure of a life does not depend upon the number of its years, nor upon the social . status of the man. Rehoboam reached nearly threescore, .^d occupied a throne, yet lived to no purpose, accom, plished no good whatever, and went doVm " "To the vile dust from whence he sprung, "'' Unwept, unhonottred, and unsung ;<• While many a youth, in the humblest rank, and not one- ' third his age, has completed' a profitable and useful career. I ti^st most of yoM have a long and^hannv firt you in this world; but I want to put you on the way of securing that, whatever be the length of your life, it .„.iiSAV f, ^*''. mi"^:^--"^'' .jM^'-J^'-.f^ ■'V 48 forewarned— Forearmed. 5^" 1*^ tcess SIk ' ^"^^^^'^^^^t ^-^ of the word, a . success. Rehoboam went blundering on through life Ir. Trr""^""* *° '*« *^^<>«« («o far as w! know anything of him), with no mind of bis own, destituteof common sense, "a square man in a round hole," offendin. Sit. ; '"''^''"'T^ ^'^ ^"^"»^^«' -««keni«g his king! .dom, entaihng upon his successors unnumbered troubles ^ . ^nl3^ welLilluirating one of his lather^ prS^~ Though thou shouldst bray a fool in a mortar amongsl frorn ' «'""'' ^^* "'" "°* ^'« foolishness depfrt Sf thf "" ' "T'° '^' *'^ unfort^nate kn'ack Of saymg the wrong word, and doing the wrong .thing at cntica moments, when much depended on him • and so h,^re,gn prpved to be rather a curse than a WeX ItllThfr""''' '""r "^" "^- *° lament h\^: It IS possible his mental endowments were not of the firs Tn h- It ' "r* '" '°"^^*'^ environments were no in his favour; but the grand secret of his life's iJ^t mmioue fai ure is given us in these words of our Set . he d.d evil," or he went wrong, "because he prepared not his heart to seek theXord." P^parea Ah ! many is the young man I have seen come to ™f through precisely the same cause, and therefore I ^t you^ to look into the matter with me, and. by the Idp of God, escape the fatal blunder. / ine neip '•');<'" 'am 10 the margin of yojir Bibles, yon will find tUs trffii ' u^'""^"" ",'" "' •"' ^A^ Pf my address ' , ?t «• " " * remarkable expressioA, and is found only mfconnection „i«, .„o names in ScriAure I „f^ to Rehoboam, and to his grandfather, King David. DavS larkabteempnasis, saying in the S7th Ps^T^ ,'1''-. ' 4.S'' '-:'„■ v. again i?ttT^»> iK\j0r '1*1 .1 i>^_»..j .^3^s^ A Heart not Fixed, ■ «> 49 in the Lord." ^"^ *^ ^^ trusting -iraeshM thirst ™l„7*l^ ^ ^^^^^^^^ between .he cha^^.ro; SLh"'""". **"■" » ^<"""« ancestor, as th^^^^ot^^"^"" *""> *■" """'"'' <=>«er.hei,a»»M„rellHlw^^ ■» summing up his "« godly gnmd»irrv;i ■... if- m>, m. .'^ i \ *1 r»« V -■-'*, * W''^*^';j 3t,«ia Forewarned— iPorearmed, is interesting and suggestive. "When I think what I saw at the cross, that will do it ; when I look upon my broidered coat, thalj^ will do it; when I look into the roll that I carry in my bosom, that will do it ; and when my thoughts wax warm about whither 1 am going, that will do it." Pilgrim's reply, then, was fourfold, as he told how his heart was "fixed" in the ways of God; and I cannot do better than follow in the line of the great dreamer's allegoty. v^ I. The first condition of a fixed heart is a sight of the Cross. I take it for granted, that no serious and thoughtful man can enjoy anything like comfort and repose of soul until he has found forgiveness of sin ; and that is only td be realized by looking on the crucified Redeemer. The^ world's religion ends with forgiveness; God's religion*' begins with it. You are ready to imagine — and Satan encourages the belief— that if you live a fairly respectable life, do not altogether forget the soul, keep free from grosser forms of vice, and offer up an occasional prayer, it will come right in the end, you will at last dbtain Divine pardon, and admission into the Kingdoni. This is the vague notion that has taken possession of thousands, who t&e for granted that in the long run it will all turn out well, but feel no pressing nece'ssity to have a full and immediate absolution. , This, my dear brothers, is simply turning the Gospel upside down. The first point in religion is to get int^a right relationship with God; till that is done, you ha^e not even entered on the Christian life. In His infinite mercy He invites you to meet Him beside the cross ; and" only when yo u have d one so, and have there obta ine d the L-lV?'^ remission of your sins, do you begin the new and better .life. , . ■3» ^1 \ ! J^h '' ■ 'J- *>.* '• %, A Heart not Pixed, St 1 need not tell you what "the cross" means, li speaks of Christ's cruel, ignominiousf, and substitutionary death. It wraps up, within the compass of one monosyllable, the greiit doctrine of vicarious sacrifice. Christ met His deaths by crucifixion, because it was at once the most painful and humiliating of all methods of destrpying life. He might have been cast headlong from a rocky clifi; or drowned in the sea, or burned at the stake, or beheaded on the block, or hung upon the gallows, or thrust through with a spear : but not one of these deaths was so shameful and agonising' as that of cpicifixion; and so we^i:ead that "He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." . On that cross He took your place and mine. He suflFered in our room. "He bare our sins in His own body on the tree." - "The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." ' . „ And the first step which t sinner takes in his return to God is to look believing!)^ on that crucified Saviour, and say, "Jesus stood in iny stead ; He bore the curse for me ; I am free." You see I stifck to the old-fashioned Gospels^, and I defy any man, without a twisting and perversion of ^Scrip- ture, to escape from this doctrine of Substitution, \^hich, in the^e days, in many quarters, has become so un- popular, just because rpin's proud *reason rises up against it. Verily, "the offence of the cross" has not ceased. You will find all manner of ingenious endeavours made by clever men to explain away certain passages of the Bibl e, and to Jmp a rt^-Jo them-a, meaning ia accord with their own rationalistic views ; but there is no getting aw£^ from t)ie plain teaching of, the Word, that -V * - "i ■J.^.' ' / . K-», \'^*\i V- A- 5^ forewarned— Forearmed "'~ "Christ '^as once ofFefed to bear the sin of many," that '* He suffered, the just for the unjust, that He might bring ^ iis unto God," and that "he that believeth on Him is justified frona all things, from which he could never be justified. by^thA law of Moses." To this glorious truth I mean to cling. Living, it shall be my comfort and hope, and when I come to die, I shall hanl'^pon it all my eternal expectations. I want you all to start life on the. lines of perfect reconciliation with God. I want you, at the outset of your business career, to have the grand question settled, to have all terror stricken out of the future, and to know that you are safe for eternity. Believe me, there is no sunshine so bright as the smile of God. There is nothing that ^i^l impart such solidity « to your cha- racter, and such strength and dignity to your life, as to ^ . know that you are at peace with heaveh^ Christ hdi made j)eace by the blood of His cross; look with faith to the «ross, and that peace is yours. Do it now. Believe and be saved. Pay a visit every morning to Calvary. Thus will your heart be fixed. n. The next thing is to " /ook upon your hroidered coat!* A sight of the cross assures me that Christ has paid all my ^ debts, that every score, has been wiped out, and that I m. no more under condemnation. But I want more than this to establish my heart, and give me confidence before God. . I want a faultless righteousness to cover me. With no merits of my own to plead, I want the perfect obedience of another laid to my account. ' And this, indeed, has already been givjen me, if I am a believer in Jesus. If- f "am benefited by His death, I am '^•;-" -\^'' -™al«o benefited by His Hfe.' |f I have faith to say He died for me, I am also able to say He lived for me. During all Ki.**.'' '^^^t..'. 'M ^A 7^11 / '"^1^.1 ::^. t^. K .■*^- 1 "»V.. w4 //ear/ not Fixed. 53 those years of His earthly sojourn. He was ^bowing liow it was possible for one in human form to keep without flW or imperfection the commandments of God ; and He was weaving a garment of righteousness, a fair and beautiful^ . robe, with which the sinner who believes might be invested. As Paul says, the righteousness is "unto all and upon alU them that believe." It is a ^obe "without seam, woven ' from the top t^^te'"**" ^^^ '^ provided for every one ' who accepts Ql^^hod of salvation. Court* Zinzen- dorf pomted t|»ii^hundred years ago, as.translated \^y John Weslr" "**" *** * ■>% *^JtU^^t^toht of righteousness My Bieauty is, my glorious dress j 'Midst flaming worids, in this array'd, * With joy shall I lift up my head." It is a very precious doctrine to a Christian, that, through the imputation to him of Christ's obedience, he is righteous before God. in virtue of his union "*by faith to" the Redeemer, it is not m^re true that his sins are laid on Jesus, than that the righteoiisness of Jesus is laid oihim. As my sin did not become less odious and punishable when laid on Jesus, but crushed Him down even to the bitterness of death, so His righteousness when laid on me does not lose a vestige of its mt^v, but makes me • faultless before the Throne of^W." "Thou wast perfect in thy beauty," says the Lord, "through my comeliness, which I put upon thee." Oh, what a fixed tnd calm assurance it gives to the heart, when, looking to thisr broidered robe, we can say, "He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.'* Jfimembet very well- of -ftft4ncident that occun^ ^ (. •f* — "r— ~ ^ ^.j, w*«^ wt^-mt^ncraent tnat occurreo"^ good many years ago, and created a great deal of interest ai the time. An Englishman had gone to America, aiid 4 A I'iJi^ p>,. V'iV.,, uj#>f.i '.:<£>:k. f- ,^ ^ tS"*^ «"v I t 54 Porewarned-^Foreamted. after a few years' residenpe there; had settled in Cuba. It •so happened that civil war had broken out, and this man, being suspected of being a spy, had been arrested by the Spanish Government, and was ordered to be shot. Knowing , his innocence, the English and American consuls went to the Spanish general, and protested aga nst his action, but in vain. The morning appointed for his execution arrived. All the fortnal proceedings were gone through, and the soldiers only waited the order to fire. Just at that moment the consuls of England and America suddenly drove up. The former first sprang out of the carriage, bearing with^im the Union Jack, the British flag, and wrapped it round the man ; thtn the American consul ran forward and threw over that the star-spangled banner : and, turning to the Spanish ofiicer, they both said, "Fire on these flags, if you dare!" The officer drew back. He was appalled. He knew that behind those flags were two great Governments. The man thus clothed was safe. '!rhat.pilyf:oloured wrapping was a better defence than a sheeting of iron. The accused wanted no other covering than that. Now, such is "the broidered robe" in which every believer is arrayed : and to realise that you are thus in- vested does more than anything else to inspil^e the heart with a fearless confidence. *. HI. In ordeiv^ fix his heart, Buhyan's pilgrim looked also oftentimes into the roll whieh he carried tn his bosom. I need not tell you that that roll is the Word of God. It is not without significance that the immortal Dreamer reprWents Christian as carrying this Book with him, and very near his heart ; for it is a feature of every converted -«a*i^milie^deart7 loves Bis Bible. HabTtuar study of thi Holy Scriptures is indispensable to a healthy condition of '^ fl ■\\^v.-.U.;^" ri.^ J. ^i^td^M :A^4' '■ A Heart not Fixed. 55 the soul. You must daily rea^s^is peerless volume p your Q*ily infallible guide through Ihe wilderness of earth to the eternal city. In difficulty it will direct you ; in trial it will comfort you ; in temptation it will strengthen you ; in loneliness and depression it will tall?|^ith you and cheer you. There is no book. like the Bible; none that speaks ^ to us with such tone of authority; none that so searches' * the heart ; none that so lifts^ up into the presence of the unseen and Divine. Here you find counsels, commands, promises, warnings, fitting you for all occasions and at every turn. If your Bible remains day by day a closed book, I do not wonder that you fall into sin, and that every right feeling is like to die out of you. You should never go to busjgess without first consulting this heavenly oracle. McCheyne would not speak to any one in the morn- ing till he had first of all heard the voice of God. It gives a tone to the whole day when we begin the day with Him. Of course, if your soul is not in a gracious state, if you are i^ot in thorough sympathy with the 6ook, if you have no Spiritual tastes and yearnings, the mere perusal of a chapter will do you little good. Do not take up your Testament as 'though in the letter of it there were some wondrous charm to soothe your spirit, and make you jiroof against the anoyances and irritations of the day: or you will be grievously disappointed. But if, I with a soul resting in the love of God, you dip into His , Word to get a message of comfort and guidance, you will I5nd, like Christian, that it gives strength to your heart and stability to your character. • ';■*■ It Is a pleasant feature of our time that so many laymep ar e .di l igent Jtudent s of-^Scriptuf^ — Mittve -sometitBea '^ noticed younj men hurrying to the city of a morning, snatching- a glance of their well-thumbed pocket Bible; *,-, ' '4U^^ '*:*.■ ', .',v' "« "5- A-mAi. u%tk ,^;.*.'*. .x-i h •f -(%»•* K^ 56 Forewumed— Forearmed. and there are godM merchants not a few, who have a corner in their office desk for this marvellous and match- less vdlume. Younfr men, if you would be fortified for your daily work andj trial, " let the Word of God dwell in you richly in all wisdom. ' IV. Th6re is yet 6ne point moje ; " When his thoughts waxed warm about whither he was going» that gave fixedness to Christian's heart It could not do otherwise to one who was a pilgrim, passing through a strange land. If we ■ '" ' of our pilgrim state, we would .think were more mindful more of the better country. In early manhooci we are specially liable to be. so ab- sorbed with the atfairs of earth that we scarcely think of heaven. It seems Par away in the dreamy distance, so vague, and shadowy and unreal, that its claims have no chance beside those of a present, tangible, busy world : and many of you, I can well believe, are so pressed^anJ driven from morn till night, that you seldom have the opportunity for anything like quiet contemplation. But the Christian Church has furnished many noble examples of men, wiio, though in the very whirl of noisy ' commerce, and like be overwhelmed (as one might sup- pose) by the greatmsss of their success, never seemed to lose sight of the better world on high, and made it their supreme and daily aim to be more ready for that glorious inheritance. A heavenly-minded man is not necessarily a* mere pious dreamer (.r sentimentalist. You may be none the les^ shrewd as to the interests of time, because you are wise as to the concerns of eternity ; like the trusty pilot, Who; though his eyes ^re on the stars, keeps his hand upon .k:\ ^ n. Ah I "when we *e what pains men will ungrudgingly \\s^- »i*' ^* %..;a >^ '1^^ K V'^ J. ^ ^ ~V-- , M-#*^ ,«* >*:Vj"'<'^,".ftiJjf fj;:i*s.>^ ii'i«i^i(^ «^ //eari not Fixed, r ^t 57 ' bear, what drudgeries they will submit to, and with what patience they will toil, to secure for the|^elves a position of comfort in this worid, ought not the prospect of that glorious hgjne beyond the fills of time tb stir our languid energies, and reconcile us to the ills we have to bear ? * ■ I cannot tell^you hg^^ pleased I was the other day to notice that ^amongst a ^ble group of seven who had offered themselves for missionary \Nrork in China, and were last week formally set ^part to it, were two youi^ yien who had been distinguished in athletic sports, one as a champion cricketer, and the other as an oarsman, being, indeed, "stroke-oar" of the Cambridge crew; and t^tjbserve the. testimony which they gave to the value of the Ifitpe that now glowed within their breasts, "the expulsive power," as the late Dr. Chalmers use* to say, "of a new affection." "I have been a sort of Jack- of-all-trades," said the former, "and have feng been hunting after the best Master; and now, indeed. I have found Him!" These young men ate sacrificing every earthly tinterest ihal they may go out among tjfcie heathen, and win souls for Chnst, and the/ know how bussed is tfee reward which the Lord they serve will bestow. Possibly^duty does not call any of you ^o this |)articular fojp of sacrifice; but none the less should your d^ly life be cheered by the star of celestial hope, as in some substantial way you strive to advance the kingdom of your R^leemer. " Though earth hate still many a beiuttiful spot, As a poet or painter might show ; ^^at-moiy lovely and beantiM/ faotyaitf ttriglg: Is the hope of the ^eart, and the spirit's glad sight. In the land which no mortal can know. ,- !■ - ■'if ■'iv |i-1 5^ „ Forewarned— Ferearmed, r ^ ; ' ^ — ,'- ^" 'a: ■.- -■ * ^ "There the water of life, bursting forth from the throne, => . Flows' on, and for ever will flow ; , ., , Its waves, as they roll, are with melody rife, -\ ■ And its waters are sparkling with beauty and life, / In the land which no mortal may know. •« Oh I who but must pine, in^his dark vale of tears, * ' I From its clouds and its shadqws to go, ] To walk in Uie light of the glory above, ' ' - And to share in the peace, and the joy, and the love \, Of the laAd which no mortal may know." * young men! I have tried this evening, dipping my pen in the ink of John Bunyan, to give you, in very simpl^ language, the secret of a fixed heart. Tell me, my brother, would you wish to be a David or a Rehoboam ? •* Is your life to be .ruled by one noble purpose, directed toward one end, and made fruitful in bles~smg, as was that of the Royal Psalmist, " who," as Paul says, "served • his generation by the will of God " ; or, fickle and irfeso- ' lute, like hi» degenerate grandson, are you to drag 6ut y an aimless and unprofitable existence? Oh that I could persuade each of you to-night to look for pardon to the cross of Jesus; to enrobe yourself in the raiment of His* righteousness ; to make the Bible your daily study and delight; and to fix your hope upon a heavenly crown- then should I feel confident that there lay before you here on earth a bright and honourable career, and beyond the river a glorious immortality I Amen. ) » - M, \ .1 i 5 P^#^^"^'^#T' ":.*S^^?^; «",' ^> <^ ■y •■. v:v. 9 ^& RICHES GOTTEN NOT BY RIGHT. / » -ilii^ 7- .-^il ». *'^M* f'?**:? >-••",» % ., i?' ricAes, and not sitteth on eggs, and hatchet f» not : so he that IT •'• 1 \^> iKtT •' P"'' ¥■■ •^ i,2:::zzz;:^i ':- *"' '• % "^•' «^^- «^. '^ .V, XVU. 11. o>^ \ t '^'*^***'^^ .■ ■ . V ■»* » _ (*. \-. .' l..^- ^1 'A Si" >■ ^ 1 L ^ — i ! li^&vJig fi>T>f ift. m '' ;^* 4*V*1ir !.-.• '^H^ '^^ K'/^V i^^,.rp, ) I ^ V f*. [^-«-% '( ' V-<«'i V. . ■ ^fCHES GOTTEN IfOT BY RlGIiT. 'J-HE illustration is taken from natural history. The Poen th. h 'I "'"^ '^P'^"' ^" '^« ornithology: As you field of tision' rr^;'^ birds , hat iiy'Loss your swallow In t.",* h ' ^''^ '"""'^ ^°^^' aP. ■<«''* ■ » k": <#■■■/ 4^4 # >v *««* vt Porewamed^f'orear med. ■ .>< m , iting about and shouting, to start tie poor birds and djive them tdwards th^m. When pear enough, the fako^ M launched from the hand, and pounc is down upon his helpless victim, bears it off, and after flying about for a little,- as if in pride of triumph, lights" upon the ground; ^hereon the sportsman hastens forwan, cuts ^he throat ,(* the partridge, and/allows its captor t) suck the blood J I have referred to (this, though it does not bear imme- diately upon the illustration in our text, because it throws light on the only other passage in Scripture in which this mrd IS mentioned. I cannot say, of coulse, that ^he Jews. 0f ancieqt times were acquainted with /falconry; but the fords of David, when persecuted by W are quite in keeping with the supposition .'^"NoW, therefore, let not my blood fall tfe the earth before tl^ face of the Lord ; for the King of Israel is come ou; to seek me, as when pne doth hunt a partridge in the; mountains." / Some think that the prophet'4 language in our text , refers to an ancient practice still Maintained amongst the* Arabs, of driving the mother biyds from place to place Wl they become exhausted, and. are easily captured- in .whiclj case, of course, the p,oor( partridge ^ver has the Patiently Has,she sat for i^ \ joy of seeing her own progeny. .»„.„„;, naa,suc sai lor .week8.hi her nest, over eggs which another than herself is to hatch, Le« me frankly say I do not think this is the intended' Idea at all. On looking into the Septuagint, I find the rendering of the verse somewhat different, but practically the same as rfaany of -you will finb in the margin of your Bibles. "As the partridge gat^ereth young which she herself hrnnwhf T/m^K »» fri m. ;_ _. A. t . That is mo^e plain and lias not herself brought forth." natural, an4 is a rendering suijported by sbme "of The highest authorities. T h e idea plainly is that the pa ijt ridg \ isin-fche h^bit of "^ I Riches Gotten not by Right. stealing eggs from the nests of other birds of a different species., and.of sitting upon them< and that, shortly Xr narfn/'^^'' hatched,' the young, forsaking their faj parent, and associating with birds of their own order make the old partridge look ,eiy foolish, as Ther 1: , mising brood desert her. . ♦ ^ ° I am told by a friend who has himself witnessed the perfprmance that, m point of fact, it is not an uncommon thmg for a bird to cany off eggs from another nest. This thSft ^sI^^m'^ ''' r ^" '""^ ^^"^•- -d the s^ thief, by a skilful use of its bill, rolls the eggs alon/r and contrives to place them in her own nest ^ Je^To It "^ r^ ^T ^''" ^'°"^^* "P '" '^^ -o^^^^ ftave, no doubt, often been reminded of the prophet's laughed right out at the astonishment and dismlof a respectable-looking farmyard^ hen, standing by ThTelk^ 1\ "^K FTt' ''^'" ^ whole^ brood pf tiny duckliSPI he has hatched and tended with motherly care plunTl nto their natural element, the water, and seem ?o sS to their foster-parent, "Follow us, if you can!" ' Like that poor helpless and confounded biped is the earned. When he is most in need of them, they take their departure, and. for all the worldly wisdom of which he' had boasted, he stands out in the end an arrant^ Vet a fool; for, saith Jesus, "So is he that laf treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God I was requeued by an esteemed friend to addrels you o''frr^ 7 ^'^''^ ""^^^ of Jeremiah ; and I gladly do 80, for they deserve to be well pondered by all of you Jfc^w '^"^^^^n"'"'^^'"^ ' "'^"ey, or at least in tg in^ U - 1 itj^On-a^ Wieroi^ greater scale': ^ndlFe prophet itlons you against a mode of money-making which gives ,>'^'\,''iC.~ ^■^i#^4-^ ' ' *f-*lr t« « 7"^ '6warned^Forearmed. u\c Vt 'ir* -^ %. ^\.- "*^ °^ happiness now, and in the long- ruB ' aps lum as a fopl. , > , ' • Three things— . ' - __ - ■n tne word of God. Scripture nowhere asserts, aijfis^ «.met.,„es misquoted, that "money is the roolof ^l^,^' : On the confary, 1, declares "money is a defe«e,-l.d " money answeretb all things." In spite of all that s Sd aga,„st,tt is a powerful instrument in procuri^ 'en^^ ment, and m domg good: and if it comes to youhoniur- ably, and goesfrom you usefully, it is one of the greatest ■ dSXTf""T'" ThaneedofiiandamXl. des.re for ,t, form t most valuable incenti«(fco industry '' TieTh ricT' 'r^r.' '"" "'"^ "lessinffTtEe S maketh nch, if wealtl^ were necAssarily an evU Th,. t^o* old-fashioned. Sho''rter CatecLm, whTch m«y /f y» learned in childhood, very truW states, that "the eighth commandment requireth the layful proaWng and furthering thj, <«|Ith and outward estaL of ourS ^d ultS; K^^'"^' "'"''"''*^ whatsoVer do* ^ may mf nwjpf our o*n or ourtaeighbourli wealth." «^ haithy sighl it is w« may see eM* morning in ^o^e thousands of young, men prSg 1^^0*1^: *'?/^|^ or car, or^ettec.stil^n their Awn two feet e^e^usiness, a#,deter*in& to ^X Z lad «hp. has no such ardom^^^if Mf a M. ^ ^ i^t deserve tp succeed ^gHH^Sns ^\.^M^^Z>!!^ mto youfv^^rk Aat it within the vigour land all thJ IWn*!, T -^r^ ,. . . ' ! '•€ ?ny. ■ _,„.i;_.— \ .4 . jTij f ^ Riches Gotten mt iy lUght. ,llt , »'"ck to their busineM InH '^ , ' ''°' *'"' ™*«d hard. Diligence in busineTul i"''""P°"''<'»- ■-pel. it i, the evecea.,J„ of ^l^^'-^P"" -hich ■ ""lifferent to materii.1 profit ^ f!!^ / ^° ^ altogether . mendation, ^tokens anTn,^/"/"'? ''^■"^ " '*'°"'- Vou ought t7wi,h to incr^r v™, ?'^"'™ '^''a«cter. ' ■ fcecdme, a better and more ILm"^^*' °" "" "rtb *f kad it, reward,.and al„ fi'^ l.''''"» "h^" i-dust^r = "Of the garnered fmit, rf7" ^ """"^'f '" Possessioi ■ -.expand, ^o„r power for good T^\. ^.»'"«"''« *«alth , * tohitiea, and helps to epnd^^^^^^ . ■tf own place, and turn it .„'^XjD^?*itar'»°»» ' ■ i^^ wealth i. clean*^' P7°lJP, . .^. many a camel ha, gone threu^h',^ *HiSlly, thank The notion that povertv i, it,,* °f^ ** *J" "f a needlel - mend itself ,o Z ZL^^J'^ "'*«» ■>'i«l..com . PWo'opher. b«, it wi^^oTIo^?"""'. "' *« "'^eval «fe gence. » you ha« ,o^e f t^^™.."'"' """len. intellt 'j: vn.. „! ■■ ^-" "-'g ' o take a tw^ly . ho ur.- ■ ' "' "' ... ^ " ^*^ ^°"n^« w a first-class :^ ..it' vi I . " ' . . . / 66 ' Forewarned— Forearmed. carriage; but I canndt see anything to admire in the, Spartan indifference to comfort of the man who prefers hard bo^jrds to cushioned ease. In Boswell's "Life of Johnson," it is mentioned that on one occasion, when muring a tour in theWfestem Highlands, the doctoflanded on the bl6ak island of Coll in the Hebrides, and, havinjg entered a miserable hut, iSlled with smoke and squalor, hi^ first exclamation was, as he turned up his nose in disgu^, " JSt hoc secundum senientiam phUosophorum est esse beatus*^—' " And this, in the opinion of philosophers, is happihess I '* No man covild sing with sweeter grace than Robert Bums of the charms of humble cottar life ; yet we find him writing, " Poverty,, thou half-sister of death, thou cousin-german 6V hell, where shall I find force of execra tion equal to the amplitude of thy demerits ? " It is-all very well to moralise on the duty of being contented with our lot, but there is a, certain "content- ment with our lot" that simply means indolence, and stupidity, and the lack of enterprise. I do not hesitate to say that I have known young men who were only /bo contented with their lot; they had no ambition, no desire to rise, no energy, no pluck, no spirit. The wish to get riches is not a sinful wish ; nay, it may be a most laudable one, and, as I have said, a useful stimulus to industry. Hence, it is by no means a good thing for a man to nsive been " bom with a silver spoon i|i his mouth " ; it may, indeed, make him the envy of others, but his moral dangers are enormously increased thereby. It waj my privilege, many years ago, when residing in Manchester, to be acquainted with one who was not only a noble specimen of a man himself, but one of the best friends of young men the Church of England ever pro- -dncc d; J r6fcr4a 4he late=CanoaStowettrarid bistestimoi^ was this: — "Throughout a very Ibjng experience, I have ' ill- - ' '-%■; 'I ^^V^^ Gotten not fy RMt, 67 fieldom known a young man succeed" in Hfe who began with a lUtle independency, or who had a certain prosi^ct 01 It from his father or some other relative. That little independency I how often has it betrayed into irresolution * or sluggishness." ^ / hi/r!! ?' V" ^", ^^^ '^^'*' ™y y°^» ^fother^. if you " Have had to begin life without a halfpenny; so long as you have good brains, sound health, f veracity or honour. ^ ■ V "v • . -Ah 1 believe me, gentlemen, such a character is the grandest capital in the long run: as Johtt Bright wrote the other day to a young man who applied to him for advice : — " In my judgment the value of a higli^^ character for strict honour and honesty in business can liardly be estimate^ too highly; and it will often stand for more in the conscience, and even in the ledger, than all , that can be gained by shabby and dishonest transactions." But there are thousands of men "getting riches, not by ,^^»,^ right," who are not much troubled in conscience, and who bear a respectable jiam^^ * • * „..^ I should certainly g^oup undtr the class described in ' the text all who make money by mting transactions. Gloss '^W. over »s you will, there is not a question that gambling ,'.♦ is a crime against society and against God. A man hasV ho right to a sixpence procured in this%ay. (;jpce a »■ young man begins to bet, even for snjall sums, an(f in ft playful way, he is on a slippeiy incline, and God onjy'' knows where he will land. \ There i? a good deal of ^pya- wercial jgambling that never ^ oeahy4hat \ A. n a me.^ I don't mean to say t)iat there is not -a legitimate «- %* a ' . ■ . . .• " ■ - .- <.- * ■■ ■ ■ :. ■■ \ r ' t! i I « 'Pi JC- '•^4. T^ J^lW^\^w^'i>, 1 1 1> 11.- r> «i ^ Ruhes GQttenmt.by Right. 69 speculation. Nearly every merchant is, in some sense/a ' speculator. I cannot see why a man may not fairly benefit by his brains; and if h6 is shrevvd enough to mark the fluctuations of the markets, and. sharp enough to predict commg (^nges, I seie no reasoii why he should not make ' profit there^, whether he 'deal in slocks, or in sugar/^or coals, or leather, or hardware. If you stop all speculation you will soon shut up the . factories, close the banks. ' destroy the- shipping interest, and arrest the financial - progress^ of the, country. This may be; but every one knows that therard wOrk There is np royal road to opulei^pe, and. a* Solomon said , nearly three thousand years ago, "he that maketh haste to be^ich shall not be iiinoc|it/' To make money rapidly eveh by honest means, is pilous : how much more so Jbv questionable methods.? * ^ ^ . ' It seems to the rogue, wUe Thomas Carlyle, thlt he has foHftd out * short north-west passage to-wealth, biiie t ■ !?^"/'**^°Jf ^ that fraudulence is hot* only a crime b^a ^' •**^'?"*^'"- ,g^.»^gLP g yg- Smdapawky^otchArmcr to- 't' M:'. THiis son, "JoTin, Bonest/s the best poHcy: I've *♦ waygmrsel," ' . - - > \ ... ^ > . ^^^. , ways Ve tried both i'' jii •» » ■• :,<0i,.%-yi^iMf6,Tl%^nv.^,,,.- ,;;Krf>^;_^-VAv,^?;fv ~^'j^,: /70 Porewarnect^— Forearmed. .u There is a great deal of money made in trade, which, it must be confessed, is gotten not by right. Too often there is one code of virtue for the home circle, aAd another code for the factory or shop. One system of morals for the Sunday, another for'the weekday. Viola- tions of rectitude, which "^vould be severely condemned in the family, are winked at in business. Almost every article that money can buy must yield its percentage of imposture. Adulterations everywhere. Goods ticketed with false labels. Imperfections and flaws painted 'over. Such titles as "warranted," "fast colours," "all wool," "genuine gold," attached to goods that are known to be rubbish. On all sides w£ see work scamped or carelessly executed ; brick walls you are afraid to lean against, lest they tumble over ; front doors htetween whose i panels the postman may push your letters, ^vithout troubling to ring th6 bell ; mantelpieces you must prop up with a chair, lest they fall inwards; ceilings crumfeliug down, so that you must sit with an open umbrella over- head ; and fifty other evidences of a lamentable uncon- sci^ntiousness. Remerober, the clerk or workman who connives at' his master's dishonesty, is himself equally guilty ; and though every year may mark an increase to his salary pr wages, he has no Divine blessing on his gains. When we come to the strict standard of God's law, we shall find a vast deal ftiore unrighteousness in the fnercan- tile world than most of us are willing to allow. ' Strange as it may seem, thousands of men are far more ready to be benevolent than just. Mr. Gladstone, in one of his speeches, sagaciously observed, " I would almost dare to say there are f\ye generous men for one just man.« The g., . , p a ssions yill pftgn a lly, them selves witji generosity , b ttt ; . . they always tefid to divert ffom justice." i .'A..,: t^-^X^HT -1,1 Riches Gotten not hy Right. 71 You cannot be too particular in seeing to it, that every penny you make is money got " by right." You cannot be too scrupulous in regard t^ the straightforw^dness of all your business trarisactiohs. Why, the late George Moore, the rich magnate of Bow Churchyard, would throw all the clerks in his ^great establishment into a ferment because a 'bus fare of threepence had been charged, for which no voucher could be found. This was not because he was%neari or shabby, but because a principle iWas , involved: and it was the sapie to him whether it was a threepenny-piece or /300. " Be just, and jear not." ^ On the highest authority I asSure yoir that, " the little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked," and, as the poet says— "... the honest man. Simple of heart, prefers inglorious want / To ill-got wealth." * Before coming to the last point, I wish you younger men would just let me give you t^^^9 hints. Well, I am quite in a lin^ witlf the text when I advise you to practise frugality. Don't spend air your earnings ; cultivate thrift. Every young mlui who is drawing a salary should open an account \^i^ a savings bank. However small the gpm, it will grow ; an;^ the tendency will be to develop in you self-denial, ac9nomy, and forethought. The time may come when you ^vill thknk God you " laid by" a little against at4iny day. Franklin used to saythat " ecpnomy in youth makes an (pasy chair for old age." I will go so far as to>ay that if you spend yotir all whilst you courd lay aside a part^ you are not honest, for, ten to one, others will be taxed by-and-by^ to help you in your- straits, IjyoHld not J bi Av4 y o tt omrmW -or- gtingyT-lik «=^ Elwes, who^lways puts out hi$ candl^ whei» (alkiniiif (9 ^ > i ,:A!ffj''. ■v IT tlOr ,4- •7. ■■■ 75 ^ > Forewarniii— Forearmed. friend, to save^ the light; but there is a great difference tctween being" saving and beingf parsimonious. It was sound advice whifch Ben Jonson gave :— ^ '"Learn to be wise, and practise how to thrive : ^^/^ That would I have you do : and not to spend . . ^ Your coin on every bauble that you fancy, „ Orevery foolish brain that humours you." * Then I would also suggest to you the wisdom, nay, the duty, of effecting, at as early a date as possible, an insurance .; on your life. Please don't 6ome to ' me. as many a man - .^oes, and ask me to jecommend an office, for I hold no / • agency ; that is not -my business ; but it is my busines^ t/'. Recommend a step so judicious, and I will even add^^so - Scriptural in principle. When Jacob was bargaining' with ^ Laban about terms, he showed the sagacity that h4s ever been characteristic of his posterity; he was not going to remain in Laban's service without fa(r wages ; /'and now," he added, "when shall I provide for mine own house also?" You may say you have no household to provide for, and you. don't inj^end to marry, ^ TPhat is all very well., just now, and that is what hundreds of young men have said befo*; but the time comes when a subtle influence overpowersyyou, and you go straight to the gpldsmiSsVo buy the riri^ ; apd, sure enough, all 'the other steps and responsibilities folfow. VV'ell, you will spare yourselves *a good deal of^iiety in after life, if you will just' go this week to some, ttustworthy office, arid take the step I am urging. I would almost go so far as to say that ^he small ' yearly sum it will now involve is not your a^-^ if you spend.it on unnecessary comforts, ybu. may "leaVe them' in Aie midst of your days, and at your end may be a fool." ^ \ .' • ni , T have only to add,4ft the last pldcc, that, -«- the tCJtt teaches, the penalty on the acquisition of unrighteous ^ain .A ,1 'il I >XJ - t . . . ' ,•■ I^uAes Gotten not by Right. 73 .generally follows even in this li/e. Perhaps tliis does not held 80 markedly in our times as under thet)ld Dispensa- tion, because immortality, with its just retribution, is now more clearly revealed. Still, no thoughtful person can fail to see how often a terrible Nemesis pursues the fraudulent manj^even "in the midst of his days," and how, "at his end," even the world styles him "a fool." Some unex- pected turn comes, some monetary crisis, some commercial disaster, and, lo I aU his hoarded gains take^wing and fly away, and the unprincipled man is left like i\^ silly ^partridge, to sit disconsolate in a^empty nest! But though the money abide wilT him, there may be wretchedness untold, and he is ready to curse the gold that promised so much happines^, and now yields so little. Thmk of these solemn words from the old Book :—** How often is the candle of the w^ked put out ! " '«The wicked shall notUve out half their 'dayf." " He hath swallowed ^ down riches, and he shall vomit them W again." "^©ur gold and silver is cankered, and the rust of them shall be a wiiuMs against you, and shall eat j^ur flesh as it were ' fire. Y ^ ^ lU-feotten wealth wiU never ma% its owner really happy - There are plutocrats in this city wllose tables are covered with Silver plate, who drink their sparkling champagne, and roll along the streets in their ■ sump^u9us carriages, whose lives are unutterably miserable. A worm is gnaw- mg at the root. "Jh^ir fortune has been built upon a basis of de€ej>tion, bringing with it deep, unutterable remorse; and though friends may flatter, an ypbraiding voice from the uns^eii is ever whispering in their eaf one little word of four letters— and t?o of them the same—" Fool \ " Young men I I cannot content myself with entreating pu, as 1 have done, to be ^tiSly^u^ripTiiir^h^,^^ mflexible in prindiple. and strictly honourable and straight- ^ 4 <*„ * * ' ki . 4&^.,^&ki^' IL ^.^ML^A^Z^ki.. . \- t J: 1.4- a- f% Forewarned—Forearmed, iamard in. the smallest details of your busines^trans- actioDs ; there is needed something more than iMff, if yau wowi be truly rich, and would enjoy the smile and bless- tag of Heaven. _ . Oh, I cannot be too urgent in imploring y<;^ to seek for better treasure than the best that earth can yield I The wise man feels tha^^it is not enough to be endowed, §K time ; in order to be happy he must also be endowed fer eternity. " On all he has there ^ill remains imftt^'d One truth conspicuous— This is ttot my rest t From that Divine rememjirance ever sprihjgs A moderated care for earthly things." Do not forget, my dear brothers, that your best posses- sioBS, even now, are things which cannot be weighed in a scale, nor measured by a rylg ; they are treasures which rust cannot tarnish, nor thieves carry away. It was a noble declaration of Marcus Aureliys, "My dominions are greater wifhi'n than without " ; and if this was the Utterance of a heathen monarch, what ought a Christian to feel ? Only let a living faith in the Loid Jesus Christ put you into connection with the riches of His grace, and let there burn within you the hope of a glbrious immortality ; ihen, I hesitate not to say, your fortune is made ; you have the guarantee of peace and plenty here, and the promise of a blessed inheritance hereafter i These are plain wofds : but yau are too generous not to receive them in the spirit in which they are offered. Your temptations, confessedly, are great : but " God is able to make you Stand." Never fall iri with the odious concep- tion which I have heard expressed, that it ia simply impossible in this modem Babylon to maintain a high 'Standard of righteousness^ and to prosecute business- cessfuUy with a sensitive and scrupulous conscience, -•■*?, ■ iift , ' ■■ ■ ' • ,\t<. ^^^>Asi^^iH^ I 'f ^ ^ - ! ^ *v-;i.iti' /''^?ipM;^|:iori^ -' li^^ V Riches Gotten not by RtghL 75 The notion is as false as it is^'baseless. # 1 know Christian parerits far away who tremble for their sons in the prospect of their coming up to. the metropolis, and seldom, think t)f the great city but as of a vortex 6f iniquity, sucking in to tbeir efema^ ruin the youths who » ye^f are flocking hither from all parts of the land. , . Tell them it is an utter mistake... Tell them that even }fi Pergamo?, * where Satan's seat is," God has a hoji of faitbful.ones, to Whom He says, "' I know thy works, that _ thou boldest fast My name, and hast not jdenied My faith " ; » l^stire them that there is here as noble a band of pure and )riil|[t-minded yoitng men as Christendom eyer knew ; and - "that, if Sodom could^not point to ten righteous men wfthin „^ her, London can point to ten times ten thousand, who " keep their garments clean." 'Ma)iv'each of you belong to this blessed bandj . \ ' ■ ■ / • ■ ./* J^ n "A; ,%.. *.♦ w. i* -.fjeMi^^iimtsi^kiaus «^"r1^ ■» ■ > - J *-t*'\ "r" C v.. Y •if N ^ s^ \ ^ I *t • / 1%" I 1 1. t- V. • ' \" t ( k ^ « . 'Y'\' /'/OC/iy P-ATRIOriSM. « . i ■• - ^1 ."^^ / • ' J 1 ''1 St I '■4 > >• > , . ' ■ '■, ^* Beef good courage, and let us play the men/or our people, und for the t'^ptits ofvur God:andtfU Lord do that which seemeth Him good." . 2 Sam. X. IX ; ■».. ■, ■ - ' « ■ ■ ) ; > 1 0- • ■ ■ «" ■■. •■ ' I - • ■ 1 ,.«U>/. iA4'*i£j£l!Sij^^lte& > 1 ^ i£^i^^l.,... ■* ""i ., ■. J- • Kfr^" YTHM PIOUS PATRTOtiSM. IT is a common saying that boys take after their mother j and undbubtedly it is true of some of the most remark- able tnen of history, that on the maternal -side they came of a strong- and noble stock. It was so with the man that ottered these words of our text. He was one of the three sons of Zeruiah, King David's sister. Zeruiah was a lady of vigorous individuality and welj-marked character, and possessed not a little of her brother's courage and decision. I do not know who her husband was, and I do not care to know, for plairily he was a nobody, his name not even being once nllntioned in the Bible ; or shall we be chari- table enough to believe that he died early, leaving the ^idow with her three fine boys, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel, who would then naturally come under the special notice^ and care of their uncle David ?. Many an orphan youth has Owed more than he could ever express to a wise and . affectionate uncle ; ^d I hope those of you who are thus indebted, will never fSrget, nor cease to be grateful for the counsel, and help' you have thus received. ♦ Of David's three nephews, Asahel, the youngest, was cut off in early life. He was a remarkably handsome boy, and the darling of his mother; and, moreover, was so nimble and light-footed, that they used to call him "the wild gazelle." Abishai, the second son, was a man possessed PC m§IUr efelent an ^ sold ie r - Ji k e qu a lities; 4te w a s b rav ey- ^ aealous, and devoted, and rose to be one of the first officers in David's army. Bt^, unquestionably, the most eJti/vi *^tM , , til 'C^' "^^ fc.^fi^ n ^tSte. y ^ 4 \ # V-,- " * - . T, _ - Jl "» • ^ - '-"■■ - ■ ■" ■ t ' , • ■ /; .. J • • ' ■M :1 I, ,' £;ij£ij ■t '-^V.' . p 1 1 ■ ■ ■ wm ill ■n ■1 <. V • ■ 4 1 ■■■"'■' ' ' f ■ 1— .■■■-.—— ..^ ■■'"—" - . ,, I - ' - ■• i '" - * ' . „ . 4 ^„_,,..,..,,., ^^Ja^^^^^^^j^l^J^^^^^ jUk^^L^L^^,^^ * ^^^- HHHHHl IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) A /, y ^/ / 4% ^ 1.0 I.I 11.25 1^ |Z2 2.0 - m U 11.6 y ;^i * "• 'Mv. .* '«* ^SdffliGes Corpaaton .« i . •«.'SI.'l ,i3a _ 23 WIST MAM STIin WnSTM,N.Y. 145M (716)t7^5Q3 Ji ^. ^v*s5('"» ^t«t ^ ,.3rW' V^S? ■ .^ .l.tL.A J»i -Ml « ^ /'^O \ ;!•••» aS^A j^ i^^Ate*tiki^ifeij4ii&>ji i.' \ ^j ft. I^^^'^i'i !*ii ^;*f.M«-:a ilii-^ 'k'',i„ '•Aj^x'-^'^'^'f je^»V ^\> 'i-*>4''"'J 80 Forewarned — Forearmed. •, notable of the three young men was the eldest brother, Joab, who had great force of character, and, indeed, came to be the most prominent figure in the whole history of David's reign. 1 am not gomg to occupy your time by pointing out the various good and bad traits in Joab's cbaractei' ; to tell the truth, he had a good many of both ; but I will say this, that probably, in the whole course of his life, he never appeared to greater advantage than on the occasion that is described in this chapter. To make a long story short, the king of a neighboilring and friendly nation had just died ; and as h^ had during his life shbwed some kindness to Divid, the latter thought he would send a message of sympathy to his son. It seemed a very fitting and considerate acl^ for never is friendship felt to be more valuable, or sympathy more seasonable, than in a time of. bereavement. But mark what occurred. Some of the princes of the King of Ammon were silly enough, and pig-headed enough, to see in David's action a cunning purpose to spy out their land ; and they actually succeeded so well in persuading the young monarch that there were hostile, intentions towards him, that he basely insulted the ambassadors of David, and * sent them away grossly affronted. Of course, an insult like this could not be submitted to; and as no apology was forthcoming, the ultimate issue was a declaration of war. The Ammonites, probably feeling themselves hardly a match for the people of Israel, sent and hired the Syrians to come and help them ; and so the battle was pitched, and preparation made for a bloody and, terrific struggle. The enemy disposed themselves into two compdhies, one of Ammonites, and the other of Syrians ; the plan being \xf^ charge the forces of Israel at the same moment on the front aad^a^ t h e r e ar. Darid' s^ a rm y w a » led by Jo a by and his brother Abishai, the former holding the chief 'm$iiti^sMiM;S£ML^i:M ' »- «* (^ V Uf?'^f^^^^^W^-^y ^^v^"^"-:'^- Ptous Patriotism. - ' 8i command. Perceiving with a quick eye the design of the enemy, Joab, like a wise general, -divided his forces also; . the choicest men he took under his own direction to fight the Synani (whom probably he knew to be the better soldiers), whilst the remainder of the army he put under charge of Abishai, to fight the Ammonites ; but, before a '^l"^- """' ^"^Z\ ^' ^°°^^^ "^^°l^ to his brother, and^^e presence of their men utterfediith a loud voice • Lr r"'?K uTl''^' " ^^ *^" ^^'^' ^^ t°° strong for me then thou shalt help me ; but if the children of Amr^on be too strong for thee, then I wfll help thee : Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people ; and for the cities of our God ; and let the Lord do that which IS good in Hij sight." From these heroic .^itThisTverg' " ^^"^ ^-^' -''' - ^o- P-^-1 I.. The first is a lesson of mufual helpfulness. As occasion demands, s^ys Joab. you wUl help me. or I wii? help you. If I am in difficulty, Abishai. you will come o my rescue; if you are m difficulty. I will come to you He does not assume th/airs of the "big brother," and take for granted that he himself will not want an; aid; he| neither so vain as to think that he cannot possiblUe i„ need of his brother's help, nor so mean as to dream of standing aloof in a brother's difficulty. Now. this is a word for us all. God has so ordained that we are mut«lly depend^ent on one another; and I hardly know which of the two i* worse, the sejf-coilceit of ness of the man who has no instinctive desire to helo his neighbour when in trouble. Why. away from religion T^aI:^!^^ ^""'^ ^'^ to lean and to carry: for°_, t^,!!: „' "* ffiafthere is hot a stronger than our- selves, who can render us aid; and equally seldom that 4., ■» ^^ «.J^^ UlicMj^ iii.19^ 1li rr 'AV *»* %r V * /*^ Forewarned— Forearmed. there is not a feebler than ourselves, to whota we may dc a service. It rarely happens that Ihe various members even of one family, though equally deservmg, a^ equ^ly successful and prosperous in life. Of two brothei^one it may be. carries ^1 before him. advances from ^P to step till he gets to the top of the tree; wh.lst the other ^or felW though not less painsUking and mdustnouS. .never meets with success. ; ,j ., . i a^. Why are siJcb things permitted in a world that is under the government of an all-wise God. but to te^ch us ^ lesson «of interdependence, and «>^« ^^^/^^^^^l^^."^ « one body, and every one members one o/another. What Toab said to Abishai is just what each of us should say to inf ^ther " If I am in trouble, you will help me ; if you r irttuble. I will help you." Too often the sentiment of the worl^ is. •' every man for himself/'-the survwal if ndt of the fittest, at least pf the strongest Let the bold and lithe push to the front, and thewed^o the wall. There is a great deal of this in buslfpP some of you. well know; certain men, elbowing >iid driving forward, no »«»»» to be ashamed ^7 brethren, we can do a «eat HmI ja w^t needed than lA^London. If you. sir. are lucky enoirirh to mend who ,8 out of a situation; and if. on the other |^d ■ toterjiri" '^'^'''""' '°-°* hesitate a Ltn; ro leii OS how we can assist you. • moral, spiritL cohml^in 2.h ^K ."* ""«"«*«'. it^e ^""^'''^^-^-XrrtroTh^ ovetwhelming force, so.thal he fe 1*110^.?'"" "** ' in you, and have overcome the wick*»r! «»,« »» *u ""*."» ^onr .empte^ friend. ana-r.'U"^- ^^-^J tk. tJ.^ 'nMaa. piuduiol aonse gfaia meB."hmi«i S ~ tie truest senw of the «ola. The ,™,d "teo/?^ -^^-"^^ y* r . i>.t-£ueemimmmtt~- f'-'-v . A k 84 Forewarned — Forearmed: perhaps, expresses our loftiest conception of moral gran- deur, comes from a Greek word of the same root as the Latin vir, a man. So that a hero is a man, in the fullest, largest sense of the word. \ do not know that our country has ever produced a man of greater courage^ or who has behaved himself more valiantly, than the extraordinary soldier who, at the command of his Queen, went forth at a momeht's notice to endeavour to rectify matters in the Soudan. General Gordon, of Chinese reputation, is an admirable study for young men. . I shall refer, later on, to his ardeht piety, but even in the matter of a courage that knows no fear, and a devotion to his country in which self is absolutely forgotten, I question if England has ever produced his like. When only fifty-one years of age, he had achieved exploits sufificient to fill volumes, anS make a place for himself in history ; and yet his dauntless intre- pidity was only equalled by his peerless modesty. Keeping in the background, and always courting obscurity, he obstinately refused to accept the honours and rewards to which he was entitled ; his favourite expression being, " I am only a chisel which cuts the wood, while the Great <:arpenter directs it." In his great military undertakings in China, at the head of a small but valiant army, he did not even carry a musket or a sword, but always went into action armed with a small cane, with which he would stand calmly under the hottest fire, pointing to the spots he wished attacked, ahd encouraging his men by voice and gesture. The soldiers- christened that cane "Gordon's wand of victory," and came to believe that, amid a very hailstorm of bullets, their charmed commander was invul- nerable. He seemed not to know what fear was ; and, on one occasion, as he was leading a storm ing party, and saw Tiis men beginning to waver under a terrific fire, Tie turned cheerfully round, stood still, and calmly lighted a <%ar. ».■*•* ■ f * J' V -O I .Wt* 'f:VrV";i,,v'^"':*?^).<,f^^«'-- ^ri^ Pious Patriotism. I "W 85 He then waved his cane, and the men came up with a rush and earned the position. ' r.nT' ?^"""">^"' ' ^°^Jd "ot for a moment wiste to convey the impression that heroes, are confined to cam- paigns and battlefields. I venture to assert that in the commonest spheres of civil and prosaic life may be found ms^nces of an equally noble, though less show^, herdsm office, of the market-place, on whose courage may be put as severe a strain as though they stood upon the field of musketry When a man has to fight with poverty with w 2 sni ':'-' :"' ^^-«p°^«*-nts,'wiS;; ' tions and still keeps his head to the wind, battles on (Z''/fT '° '""'^^ ""^^^' ^«-« «till o 'trust Z nn^ uV^' "fi^ht."I say. though he4ias no epaulettes on his shoulders, nor medals on his breast, he is as tmlv a m^ and a hero, as though h. had stored a c tl'jf Oh dear, what awful battles, never dreamt of perhaps bv fnends and acquaintances. • have been fought hi mil young ma^m this city, fought in these streets'^^uHhose tairs, behind those window-blinds I God only kLows ho' a London establishment. You want 1^?!^^ " "l^'r WhlTJaL^.:' T ^" "° ^^^ ''^^ When a man s hfe ,s dominated by the one aim nn* ^^r^^^sJL^^^"!^ how m.ch respect "enjoys. Wihe^^^ri^Z^ is to ott ri^u lu °' '^ y®""" supreme object « to get nch. then, even though that object be seeded. :!fi 'W "J k' •^\ -^Sw ^-^tviLi *^^ '■f.-'-^^ ■/■■ • K u ll. 86 Forewarned — Forearmed. the happiness and respect will not come with it; and you will find, when it is too late to repair the blander; that your whole life has been a huge mistake. The ancjient Greek legend tells us of King Midas, that he amassed, a great heap of gold, but that he offended Apollo, the god of learning ; the consequence being — so runs the story — that his ears grew extraordinarily long. Now this is just what I have myself observed, in the case of persons who had no other thought from Monday to Saturday, than to make money, that they became singularly asinine in character, and were devoid of all those qualities that impart nobleness and dignity to man. III. The third lesson we take away with us from our subject is a lesson of true patriotism. Listen again to General Joab : " Be of good courage, brother, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the cities of our God." Now you will notice the motive which he adduced. Some men, no doubt, have exposed their lives to danger, and done deeds of daring, with a view to personal preiferment and self-interest. They have had "an eye to business," as the saying is; and have been prepared to face the greatest dangers, in the chance of coming off" victorious, and ultimately being well rewarded for their t«l. We have so deluged vi'\i\i iclat our success- ful generals, and ffited and feasted them, and voted them thousands a year, that there is really very little glory now attaching to great military or naval exploits. When men are so handsomely paid for the risks they run, I do not sees that there is anything very heroic in their conduct. But njark the motive which Joab addressed to his brotheijh" For our people an(f for the cities of our God." Bravo 1 ye sons r^f 7ftniiah I " God and our c ountry " w as the ir c ry. It was no empty, silly Jingo shout, like that which we have heard in our own day from a hysteric rabble that clamour for ,!,. • »■>»» -> ,?ifcsy* < /'ww^ Patriotism, 87 glory, but would turn tail with the first shot that whizzed about their ears; it was a tall to action and to danger, .impelled by love to Israel, and to Israel's God. Sirs! patriotism is one of the l^oblfest sentiments that can occupy the hmnan breast ; but tfeere is no patriotism so pure and disinterested as that which is kindled at the altar of love to God. ^ -^-3 .-4;- I: Never was there a more remarkable instance of it, than the dauntless British officer to whom I have already adverted. Self-negation characterised his whole career. After all. his great wcii|;k in China, General Gordon left the country as poor as he entered it, having refused all rewards. When a sum of /-lo.ooo wa? forwarded to him by the Emperor, he divided it all amongst his troops. On his arrival in England, he declined every honour, preferring to bury himself in obscurity. The very medals that were showered upon him he put no v^ue upon, and would pven have them melted down to prJ^ relief for those who were in want. ^%' I am well aware, gentlemen, that probably none of you will ever have your patriotism tested, as was that of - a Joab or a Gordon, on th6 field of battle. None the less will you haye ample scope for ils exercise. The greatest enemies of our country are not those who can be disposed of with powder and shot. There are far ,more teitible foes to be reckoned with than were ever met on the plain of Waterloo or the heights of Alma; evlVr w '^" °"' '° *'""" ^^^»^« *«»>»«* them every Christian patriot who is here. No ent.ny that ever threatened the honour of England is half as much to be ^eadedjsjh^combined forces of intemperanGe,- -ychasflQr, gambling, commercial immorality, infidelity, and .superstiUon, that are attacking us on every side ' n^^^ ■f ■} ' .\ 88 Forewamedr^Forearmed. y\~'-'Jy \l and there is not a right-hearted man among you that is not summoned to the front, and called to immediate action. Let thel^oabs attack the Syrians, and let the Abishais attack the Ammonites; and let us all "be of good courage, and behave ourselves valiantly for our country, and for the cities of our God." IV. Our fourth and last deduction from the text, is a lesson oi genuine piety. " And let the Lord do that which is good in His sight." ■ I do not venture to say that Joab was a saint, nor would I like to answer for many things ^ which he difi: but on this occasion, certainly, his conduct atiid language werp admirable, and worthy of imitation. " Abishai," he seems to say, "you and I shall do our best, and leave the issue with God. We cannot command suc- cess, but we can do our duty, and leave the result in higher hands than our own." . It is a fine thing to see a God-fearing soldier. It is an interesting feature of pur time that there is in the British army a very considerable amount of deep and unaffected piety. Some of our highest officers, some of our most distinguished generals, both abroa'd and at home, are real men of God. They are none the less, but all the more, valuable as soldiera. They have more pluck and less fear than the others. A man is all the braver soldier for being a Christian. When true piety is engrafted on a fearless and gallant nature, it forms a splendid character. For a 'noble and beautiful Chris- tianity, commend me to a converted soldier. I never knew a man of a more Resolute but simple faith in God, than the distinguished general of whom I hav^ spoken more than once this evening. I think the secular press is at a loss what to make of him. Worldly-minded men J?^Lg5Ptecijrte ^uck^and hardihood, and self- denial, aniL, \\- Intrepidity ; but this lofty spiritual faith is a puzzle to them. fe^ k^m& 'sS^s'^'X^ ^C^"^ '^.ff«!T f'^''.^>J-e- fc s&^ 'Jt-^-^tA^siK.' i -.■"« .,.■,■.■■ ' ■ ■ ■''' ■ ~, ■■.''■■ ^ -'. ' ./- -^^J Patriotism. 89 "General Gordon.' says one of the monyng papers "is ^ot a man whose actions or whose fortunes c^be est . submitted. His smgularly pure and lofty character im- presses every one with whom he is brought into contact He beheves himself to be alway. fulfilling a mission frorn worldly wisdon, with t^e integrity of a saint and the sim phci y of a child may walk secureJy in places .^he e 2 other foot would slip. But. on the other hand. Geneltl Gordon would march quietly on to what he ine w wTs ce^ain destnictlon. if he believed that to do ^Z cadet?h.T"r'''''' ^ ""^ addressing, not a company of cadets but of .young merchants, and clerks, and^artlLs face the dangers of the battle-field ; but nohe the less I td^thf :or ' ^^ ^°" -^ '^ octpy^iir;: all an u^fl""'!^"^^^^^^ '^^^^'-^ ^- -7 text; and above Te^Z^f ^ ^°"^^g|^«'ted with firm faith in God iemptations manifold ar^i&« ♦« ^ i * lainers contended even unto blood : " ^l^j* y"''" to^^alue and improve Th^t 'J^'I'''"'' y"" ^"'^^ '^^ dearly won • • ThaUacred Truth which, joined with Christii'love. May make even earth like Paradise begun ^ And those great rights, secured- by martyS' blood " .Which once destroyed, our country', name isTchabod I " r- i!^ \ y * v*,**"!. *» V '*^ r«A;r mmm > #*" V^ :._;^/. rf'^^' .•'♦-«?H ^ '■<■■' +,^' J. - .-/ i^p Bl ' • ■ • / . • ^ N V •li^.. 1 — . .*<, i^-iJ ''- .-■■ SLEEPING UNDE^ THE SERMON, ^ rr ; •u . .#■ ■.* F r- " ^«rf //i«;^ J«/ .« a window a certain young ntan named Eufychuk bnng fallen tnto a deep sleep : and as Paul was long preaching, he suns, do^wrth suep, and fell down from the third loft, and wZ taken up aeaa. — Acts xx. 9. ^ * I t- ' * ■•■■ ■ ^ ■ M %.jVl^» VII. ^■ SLEEPING VNDeMhE SERMON. ^ forget^helizy youth who fell asleep under the e'::nL'rat Trot T' ?t '''^' "^P^ "^1^ J Here are Six veL^rSMl^rp^^^^^^^^^^^ Uveo a, drowsy lad who could not keep awake unaerTe ^Ltt ' ^l\^r °"' '"' '^" ^^°- ^ three-storey window into the court below. I am veiy sure this paragraph is noT here without a pu^^ose ; and my object this e^ning is to find out what that puroose is- Tf fkL^ , i f of us \^\ „= fr, . ^r^^^^^ 's- " there are lessons for any ot us, let us tiy to discpver and apply them. SunZ" K T' ^'^^"^^^^ *^'"^ ^^^^ the sharp young Sunday scholar, who, when asked, "What is the firsf thing wh,ch this story -teaches?" replied. "Why tha ven^ excellent lesson, no doubt ; and I trust that we tClh . ?' «<^^"Py.the pulpit will lay ft to hea^ moral of the passage ; at least, it is plain that Paul did not consider the accidfent m k» « . long preachinir fnr *^"^"* *<^ *^« a warning against Stored he h.!^' ' ' '°°" ^ *^^ y°""» »»an was re- ^edjie begaiLa^n, ^nd, as^Xuk^ telke^ henrw^ -^ verse. " talked a long while, even till break oX^ It - .8 perfectly clear that Paul took upon himself none ^.the *A« '.^? -1P. iijSMk J, ^■^>;*^ r, -t 1^-" Sleeping under the Sermon. 95 * . ■ . afternoon sermon : and adds, " that it is the very sound of the sermon which bindeth up their faculties is manifest from hence, because they all awake so very regularly as - soon as it ceaseth, and with much devotion receive the Wessmg." Now, my object this evening is to put before you the facts that are related here, and then to turn the story to some practical and useful end. Troas was a seaport on the north-west coast of Asia Minor. It is now called Eski-Stamboul, and must always be ^ mteresting spot to Christians as that from which bt. Paul ^first sailed, when, in consequence of a Divine intimation, he proceeded to carry the Gospel from Asia . to Europe. On the present occasion, the Apostle was making a return journey from Philippi to Ephesus. The iEgean Sea, as most of you know, divided the former of these town5 from Troas; and though, on ordinary occa- sions, two days is ample time for a sailing ship to cross over yet now, owing either to calms or contrary winds five days were occupied with the voyage. The missionar^ party seems to have consisted of nine persons, including besides Paul and Luke, Sosipater, Aristarchus, Secundus' Gams, Timothy, Tychicus, and Trophimus; but the latter seven I have mentioned preceded the other two. and waited for them to join them at Troas. It was, so far as we can gather, on Tuesday, the 4th April. A.D^s8. that Paul and Luke set sail across the -.- Agean. They reached the port on Sunday, probably in htT'"^p^?' "° T""'^ ^ «^'^"" ^^ the'proceedings of that day. But on the first day of the following week we findthem attending Divine service with the little company =^Qjnst«n convms-af Troas.^t-!ll^ liK^ .gregation was more than ordinarily nmneix)us. not only on W*'- ■-■■ ■.vr-.-*'.*©.— 96 Forewarned — Forearmed. 3H account of the arrival of the visitors I have named, but in the expectation of hearing the great Apostle preach. The place of meeting — there being no church yet erected — was a large room on the third storey of a house belonging to one who was favourable to the new religion. Ita all probability the number of worshippers fully taxed the capabilities of the place, so that it was scarcely possible for every one to get a seatj and a young man who was exceedingly desirous to hear Paul's address, forced his way to one of the windows, whose folding shutter had ■ been thrown open for fresh air, and seated himself in the broad silf, in a position that appeared perfectly safe. The scene is graphically pictured by Luke. There were many lamps burning in the room (for those folks had no fancy for what is called " a dim religious light ") ; and — what , with the lamps and the crowd of people — I can well believe there was not much oxygen /to spare. It was the middle of April, when the temperature in those parts is mild, so that it is easy to conceive that the atmosphere of the room would be close and oppressive. [I believe in light, and always ffeel some regret when these gas jets have to be lowered, for I like to look into the faces of my audience; but you will Understand that when the lights are put down, it is not for the purpose of economy, but in order to keep the atmosphere in this building as cool and fresh as possible, for we do not wish to witness any such accident as happened at Troas.] I do not know at what hour Paul began his discourse, but, stirred by the crowd of eager faces before him — animated by zeal for his blessed Master — eager to gather souls into the Gospel net, and solemnised by the thought that he was' to leave on the morrow, and might never meet his hearers again, he continued with impassioned earnestness to set before them the truths of salvation until midnight came; and probably ..■IB.:'';/*'.. . >-■ v.-, ■ .■-.-, . , f^-tn?:' y-v. '-^•t;',jfi;' S/ee/zn^ under tk^ Siirmm. ' ^^""^ "^'^^ a panic over the assembly. v^^^^^^:L7:::^^^^^ who has drowsy. I seeLstyel^d?di2^'L"l'""^^^^^^^ then his head gradually sinks dow/ipt^ hif h' *° "°'' body leans over; he loses his h!? ^ ? ^'■^^''' ^'^ •Js the sound of a heavy Thud on .^ ' '^""'' '^""'^ a scream of horror f^mth. '\V^^^"^^"t below, and preachers discour^ ^V^l^^'^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ great lost no time in going down the ^-^ ^ *''*''^- P^"' • fortunate youth but n ^'^^^^aircase to see the un- skull. he ;ri;;e J ZZ^TTV^ ^-^- ^f the bystanders, as they lifl „nT """"" ''''"' ^"^ the "He is dead." tkf EHs 'o^ The^t" '^"^' "^^' the Apostle threw himself on the brll) T""'' ^"' to those around. "Do not A^T ■ ^^^^^^^^ body, saying is in him." and by a mL ''''' '°"''''''^' '°^ ^^« "^^ perfect life and vTgcfur Th „" asTn' T"^' ^^ '« occurred, he ascended to The 'n. "^ "°thing had with the devout company t rnl'^^™ '^"'"' J°'«^d Supper, and continued h'Twords^nfK^ °^ *^^ ^^^'« o'clock of that Anril L ' 1°^ exhortation until five of dawn lit up thX^r;^' ;t t^nh ^'' '''-''' party took ship at once fnV A.. ? °'^"'' «>™ionaiy further south, but °he indln^^Kf- ^>°' '«»'y milS . labours seen,;! to ertau f .kT i' '^'""'»- *'«>- «o not a nttle frt>m sers'to j,"^"' "*■;• 'h*"^'-' ™«-««<1 """•""""''"""^-'"■^•'"-Wk.o ."he question. SV, %Tv ,:■ \-, . /■^■Sk >'i*t*-. ij ^3j(S|l^»;l r ^Vi-r^" 98, Forewart^e^-^r Forearmed. # 1 V *''F>th what object js it rented here ?"XWell, perhaps the %► first object (^ tlie" inspire^ historian is Wvftdd another to the evidencestt^ Paul was\a Divinely-sent Apostle— God sealing his ministry with miraculous gifts, and using him as an instrument to bring the dead to life again. This we shall take for granted ; but there is many a subordinate point brought out in the passage; and a few of these ' lessons we shall bear away with us to-night. I. We learn that, from the earliest times, the Christian^ recognized the importance of social worship. They were not satisfied with reading and praying in private. Profit- able as they found their secret devotions to be, they felt it indispensable to their spiritual life to worship God in concert, to join in Christian fellowship whh those who were Uke minded, and to have specific hours for.so doing. What was good for them is not less good for us. When a . ' man says, " I don't see what is the use of connecting myself with a place of worship, or attending- public services; I can be a Christian on my own account, and keep free of all these entanglements and responsibilities," you may be sure there is not much religion about him. The Apostles warn us " not to forsake the assembling of our- selves together," and it is one of the first symptoms of religious backsliding and decline, when one becomes indifferent in regard to attendance on Divine ordinances. It is remarkable how quickly such neglect develops into a habit, and how that habit grows on one; until, with scarcely a qualm of conscience, the man gives up the public means of grace altogether. I have seen men drop back from a Christian profession into practical hoftthenism —and they are the saddest cases I meet with in my ministry— men who once seemed to value Gospel 6r- din ances, but have now thrown off even the senablance^of^ religion, and are no better than pagans or infidels ; and it E » ■ ^«i*»: feV%' 'V>-^ y^;-t- 'is"' Sleeping under the^ Sermojf 9^ all began ^ith deserting the House of God R« c r • n>y dear brothers, if your hearts Tre in tt ?^f^°f 't- will not willingly be absentfrom T^ "^''* P'ace, you ready with^ the'Ll.t t 7^ ^1^7^.' '^ 1" *^^ habitation of Thine house a^d tZ\ ^^V""^"^ '^? honour dwelleth » T .^ \ , ^^^^^ "^^^'^ Thine an^ountsta p tion wi h" e f' 'T ''^ '^^'^^ ^''"^^^ public servicesTint" tti":' 1° ^^^^-^^ ^ne'of these- And fain would I haveTt Z. 'T'"' ^' P^^^^'^^^- leave th. buildiigtuhrrei^gr ^^^^^^^^^^ was good to be there." ^' ^^^'^d, it "On the fiic^thf^^r?''^- ^^ ^-^^-e. together." w^s ca leVr V "'^ *'' "'^^'P'^^ ^^^^ Sabbath, and wlsheld at k "''^ ' ^"^' '^' Christian Saviour^; risinjlt J S ^"^^.r— ^-n of ou. think that the earlvPK . ^^'^ '' "° ^^ason to the Jewish Sa^ba h'but ?he7 '"' ''''''' ^"^ '^^^ *« of rist from S^ b 'ranTof hof ""' ""' ^ ^^^ thus nourished the LlZZLli^^ co„veeation, and" that, without such observance Th If • .^ ^° "^^^ Relieve maintained, either in ThT !) ^^"'*'^"'t>^ ^an be long , Give up y^ur Sundav f ' """°" ^'^ '» the individual 1. Bible. "aC; f^^ ^1/°"/"^ ^°°" ^'^ "P your U^ with *secrat'onTtL CdTn""';^^^^ ^^""^'^"^'^ religion, you want one entire dt • ^^' t'" "^"'^ ^'""^ brain, miscles. bonTs thl V" '^.'" ^°' '"''• Serves, nature, demand it. xie worfd T ? ''^"^ ""' "^"*^' ' do less work in seven dav^th "^""^ °"* '^^^ ^ <=*« two days of the ^I ^ven TJ^ '"' "^' ^'^^ ^^^ fi^^' than a subtraction ^1^° '^'V^ ""^ ^^^'t'^n rather t > 'e idler or t fi^S^iFlf:^.'^^^^ be that ot— t l m idler or t fi^slug^r^^fffr^ to rolling on your bS .. 1 ^°" ^^^°*^ *^« ^^^^^^d day ^ n your bed, or lounging about doing nothing^ •*&> Pifrt'-si-v' - )i'4 •«^ .V«i '- fl ii I :' . 'i«i'' ido Forewarned— Forearmed. it will prove anything but a blessing. Learn from'^these primitive believers to turn the Lord's Day to your highest and eternal advantage. in. We are taught here, also, the duty end privilege- of the Lord's Supper. The^y met together to break the bread of holy communion. We have departed a long way from the practice of the early Christians in this matter. I do not refer to our less frequent celebration of the ordinance, for our, circumstances are different from theirs, and we are left to our own judgment on this point; but I allude to the fact that, in those primitive times, all who took 4ipon them the Christian name sat down together at the holy feast, whilst with us it is but a limited number in each congrega- tion that do so. There Avas ho such distinction amongst them, as we meet with everywhere- here, of adherents and communicants; every adherent was a communicant; every one who espoused the cause of Jesus, and accepted Him as his Saviour, expressed that fact by partaking of the supper. We want to come back to primitive ideas about this sacrament. AH who assembled in that upper room at Troas met to join in the ordinance, Eutychus amongst the rest ; and there is no young man who has committed his soul to Christ for salvation who should keep back from this public profession of it. Many is the dear fellow who has assured me he has found it a great help to him, amid the snares of business and perils of city life, to be thus a pro- nounced believer ; and he has again and again come away from the Lord's table strengthened and emboldened for the battle before him. IV. I leam, moreover, that that is a true House «f God, where His people sincerely meet together to worship Him. Not a syllable about any ceremony of consecration. Neither here ttOf^lsewhere in the Ne\r Testament will yor find- even a hint of this. That large room on the third floor W " ' .. K !t, ^ , J-'* ,!.,•( t\ ',\«^*i<^1kj,/^ fm ("( S/ee^in^ under the Servim, at Troas was as truly a chiir^K » liest Gothic edifice whkh A-i" '^"'*"">'' *« the state. blest. Never ^l^\Z ^of '" ^^ ''°"^*'» ^'^^^^P «ver splendid art. or gor^^ou3ce^^^^^^^ \^°''^*" music, or and believing pe^^are !w'^ 'J'^'''^ «" ^"'able- V. I gather too fr!. ^ ""'" "^ ^^e"- ^"^ earner, too. from our nassao-A ♦!.»* ^ ^^^ '^^ tmportant part of Divm^or^^^k ^'*''^^%> day are ever ready L Z^wl^f u °'"' ^^^^^ ^^^"^ " St. Paul says, ^^l^^ ^l^^Z^^t^ (orgettin Aat o preaching to save them that TJiet '' 'rh! '°°'"'"^^^ silent meetings, or spiritual rnnr ^''^^ «^* '" for Jbatsoxt; whtt^tin"^^,^^^^^^^ ^'"^^^'^'"^ o^ bturgy i, accounted eve^thing td ' t "" "^ P'^>'^^ °' takes the place of inst3;Zsi?ion' "*■""'''' ^^^^ appeal. We shall do well to JcvT °' '"^Passioned it bas been the special^ tf .^^^^^^^^^^ and exalted the pulpit, and ^demanded o^T '^'' '' ^'' manly and painstaking enforc™2ntnrl ' "'"''*"" ^ of the Christian faith '"'"^'"^"t of the great doctrines We have no record of Pai.Po * ^ . «>" nigh.; but it is Zt^' f «■• «« Of thougl,. coarsed about. He never tl/r *"r' "*" ''« <"«- ".erne-Chris. 0^0^.^16 11 I ^"1 **' «»"^ ".teres, and arres. his hearers Tkl^ V"" '""' '» «" on till midnigh. had theTL u' "°°''' "ot have J«» the baming eloquencl of Z „'""' 'P""»"nd. Such by unobserved; .he audtence 1^'^"!. ""^ '«'"" ««" overpowering eames.nessXXr'^'^ **'^ "^ "« fct upon one ano.her ; and bre«M ^ '**™" '" »<< •pW.ti„uiateata«ff^/,^^^^"h«iJ««tiga4n4h^ Sames had been lis.ening .oTt^i' ' ""'P"' Old Dr. •-ed b. a rrieud upo^at^g^rot;:^"^ , -i' -*r « '.' ' i"> * V'' " f .rt. ' ..i • T • 102 Porewamed— Forearmed. I ■' ?" '; -^ ,.'< -r . ,-7* insisted that he had beeijawake all the time. " Well then,** said his friend, "tell me what the sermon was about." "It -was about— half an hour too long," was the dry re- joinder. Hogarth has been called the most audible of painters, just as Dante is styled the most visible of poets ; and the painting that suggested this title for the famous artist is one of a sleeping congregatipn, in which you can almost think you hear the labouring tones of the weary and monotonous preacher. It is remarkable, as I have alrea(^ said, Uhat in this whole passage before us, there is not a hint of reproach, either on the preacher for being too long, or on one of the hearers for dropping over ; and as to the latter, I take it, the exception proved the rule ; there was but one sleeper in the crowded assembly, and all the rest remained interested to the close. You may name to me the greatest pulpit, orators the Church has produced since the days of Paul, I know not one who, prolonging his sermon until midnight, would find but a single sleeper -in his audience. Nor was this preaching mere rhetorical declamation; Paul was a solid thinker and an earnest student; and though, but a passing visitor at Troas, had . Uis little library with him. When writing subsequently to Timothy, he says, " The Boak that I left at Troas with . Carpus, when thoii C9^est bring with thee, and .the books, but especially the parchments." And this suggests my closing thought this evening. There are indications that Paul hurried away"from Troas eatly on that Monday morning, perhaps under a hint that he would be arrested if he remained. He had been suying at the house of a Christian convert. Carpus; a^ as* he was not to adoj^the usual method of travellmg% - ship, but '' - wrag^minded^ go to A S5Q S a -foQt;' fais h eavy S(- cloak and bis books would be a burden to him ; so he left " them to be brought on at a conveniefht opportunity. !>***-* L K.,t& ii, ■it&sjsTS.v^ ,'*i^'. ^^'.^: Sleeping under the Sermon. id^ • mems :Y'vll''"^^'^''^ "' " '"^ '^'^'^^ ^^ *^- parch- ments ? Paper having not yet befen invented, there were two kmds of material much used for^ wn'tings. the papyms or paper^reed, and a kind of vellum. The kt er. of coZ ' was more costly and more permanent, and was main y "S in the transcription of the ancient Scriptures. The fSr akmd ofleaf wasspeciallypreparedforwri!ing; andThen a number of these leaves w^e attached together formed a book Perhaps the books referred to Were the liZaLre Pa.^ had acquired when a student under Gamalie alyrri ltrh'*and\?;T'"^"^^" ^'^ *^^ P-iou1 rol Tf I^tah and the Psalms and the other parts of the Hebrew th^I'Trin.' m 'h ^r" "^""^ *° ^™°*^^ -^-^^ ^tl "'c. T ^ ^?^' ^''^ >'°^' but specially my Bible " vodT^'^^T" '^'^' '^-r-> text enough for* a pomted sermon ; here is something for you all to thLw WhlVeTlitrl ^° "'"^-'^^ ''''^'' ^'^'woM of G^' ^vetrsvrml^^^^ the llrLTT ^^'°'"'"'"' ^^^'^ on^your table, and me jargest share of vour tim« tu^ t, ' means " fortunate " /nT "^""^ Eutychus "^* '"Wand Gospel, bound in one, Do meet the sinner's anxious eye • And point him. when his hopes are gone. iTom Sinai's Mount to Calvary." "^ It is -the grand mission of the Churrh t« k • Bible; of thfe Bible tn Kwl - ^""fi^ ^^" to the - Gospel to bring i^atlrhf*^^^^ *^^ ^°«P«^* «f the i ''f" >>»' ■^. 'A"i .«'■ 7'i^'-' ^\ ;i&^/ f *^^t w« -r. ^m T ^ - i - 1 11^' . 1* m ' 1 1^' ^*..- * . ^ ' . '^ * • •* ■'■ *, ^ ' . , • * t f .. 4 •*■ J • *■ ^k %: . L *- / '^'^ r >> •■>. I>£SrjtOYSD BY PXOSPERITif td\ •v.. . ^ N • ^ i *•' ;*/.%'■ '^^'*-f nt TtTl*^ ^ ''Ht -was man'ellausiy helped till he was strong. But whcft he ^ Strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction." " 2 CiiRON. xxvi, 15. tuas ei;?^ " f- ■ •' " « ' • .* ■ ' j -' • ^ > ■ ..- . 9 . • • • « • ■K ,/- -^t "^ - ^ * ff'V^" ^ f'j . * \ 11 I'lS ^!mH ^^ ^tra iii ■HWtTpiK i!iiinflftM>' $msmmm^- *t "^ , ) ..-:"'. -f VIII. -- DESTROYED BY PROSPERITY. 'M'OW young men, I have a fine subject for you 1 ^ this evening ; my only fear is I may not do justice to it. ft To some of you, I daresay. Uzziah is not a familiar name. There are many'Old Testament names with which you are much better acquainted. Do I mention Joseph, or Moses, or Gideon, or Joshua, or David, or Daniel, at once the character in its main features stands before you you remember the chief incidents of the life, and you have a notion of the moral I am to draw. Not so, probably, with Uzziah. And yet, let me tell you, he was one of the greatest of the kings of Judah and reigned longer than any other monarch ; and whethe^ you look to the variety of his accomplishments, or the extent of his territory, or the beneficencS of his rule, he is only second to the far-famed Solombn. to?J' ^r\ ^''^ ""^ 4 *° «'^« ^o« a sketch, and then : o d«w the lessons which it yields. The subject of the sketch IS King Uzziah; and, as the text suggests, I w1 U give ,t in two parts, which I may entitle, (,) his ''Marvel- bus Prosperity," and (a) his "Marvellous Presunfi,tion." ^y sfep till he reaches the pinnacle of success; anJt^T^ « one fatal hour, giddy with his eI<^vation, toppling over. * -»i .^^^ -■■.;*■ ..iiSfi;^' .'.i^C^-Ai^jf- v.-.fi>.t. ;:.-.^-*j.*. io8 Forewarned — Forearmed. falling right down Iftto ignominy and ruin, and illustrating the proverb of his wise progenitor, " Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." I. UzziaKs Prosperous Career. — "He was marvellously helped till he was strong." His good fortune, as the world would call it, dated from his seventeenth year. Although his father, Amaziah, had been hurled from the throne, and swept out of the world by the rage of the people, who could not tolerate his defiant idolatry and wickedness, yet, apparently, there was no ill-will towards the dynasty,' or the young prinqg/ was decidedly popular, for no obstacle whatever was put -in the way of his acces- sion. We read in the first verse that "All the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old* and made him king in the room of his father." It was a trying position for a mere boy to be placed in ; for the cares and responsibilities, as well as the tempta- tions and luxuries, of a royal palace demand a ripe wisdom and strength of moral purpose rarely found at so early an age. But God's grace could qualify even so young a man for the task ; and I am struck with the fact, that almost every one of thcf good kings of Jiraah was quite a youth when he succeeded to the throne^^ There is no reason why the season of young manhood should be given up to pas- sion and frivolity ; and nowhere is Ithe mantle of a grave • and thoughtful piety more comely than when it is thrown over the shoulders of -one who is^but a stripling'. At such a period of life the heart controls quite as much as the head; there is a tenderness of feeling which, as years advance, survives, indeed, in the woman, but commonly dies into coldness in the man. As mature age is not all strength, so youtFTs ndi all weakness. ^ Old men," as Elihu truly said, " are not always wise " ; and young men ^satessi •'^X*' Destroyed by Prosperity. 109 are not always foolish. Alike in statesmanship, and art, and science, many of the greatest achievements have been wrought by men long before their prime ; and what Mr, Ruskin says of art, is a truth of much wider application: " The most beautiful works have all been done in youth." It was a great advantage to the young Uzziah, that he had the loyal attachment and confidence of hiis people. But what mainly guarded him from the dangers around him, and kept him steady on his throne, was a sincere piety. He was blessed with a wise and faithful friend and minister in the person of Zechariah, who was a4£eply spiritually- minded man, and exercised a powerful and wholesome influence on the youthful monarch. Fdr, So we read in the fifth verse, "And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God ; and as long as he sought the Lord,. God made him to prosper." All that is pleasing in a young man's character becomes doubly attractive when brought under the influ- ence of a genuine religion. And those very elements which, under the malign control of Satan, may lead him headlong into ruin, become, when swayed by the Divine Spirit, fruitful of happiness and blessing. For a time, everything to which Uzziah put his hand turned out to be a success. He was a man of considerable energy and versatility, ahd had no idea of luxuriating in the soft indulgences of the palace, whilst there was work to be done for the advantage of his kingdom; and on every project he undertook fortune seemed to smile. The first thing to which he turned his attention showed his active enterprise. ^ti ^^xJ^^ltVi P"^^ ***®^® ^^ a small seaport xsHedEiotli, which had Been ah important commercial" station in the days x)f Solomon, but had since then been ■4 '^^^&^ "^.A ^'*'^^ ':■■ ' '■'•^-*tl#-' IIO Forewarned — Forearmed. seize^ by the Edomrtes, and allowed to fall into ruin. . Uzziah recovered this town to Judah, rebuilt and fortified it, and established it as a mart for foreign trade. The next thing ia which he set himself, was to weaken the Philistines — fhose ancient enemies of his country — which he did by levelling several bf their' ^rtresses to the ground, and constructing fortified outposts on the borders of their territory. " Then he causecT the Arabians to feel his might, and the Mehunims, and compelled thfe Ammonites to pay tribute to him. So that there was no want of pluck about him. It is ^he greatest mistake in the worl^ to suppose that godliness is unfavourable to a robust manliness and energy of character — that a pious young man must, as a nfatter of course, be a sheep, or a " ninny," or a fool. It is religion that supplies not only the loftiest motives, but the mightiest and steadiest impulse ; and whether a man be a king, a warrior, a clerk, or a ploughman, whatever work he takes in hand will be more effectively done, if he is under the control of an earnest piety. But Uzziah did not confine his energies to operations abroad. He repaired the walls of Jerusalem, and fixed upon them formidable engines of war, making the capital strong against hostile assault. ' « Nor was his taste entirely military in its character. I •think more of him as I read of his efforts to promote agriculture, for there is not one of the ancient kings of whom this is so expressly recprded. See what the tenth verse states : " He built towers in the desert " — that was for the protection of travelling merchants, and of the peasantry — "and digged many wells; for he had much cattle, both in the low country, and in the plains ; husband- -mcn also, and vinedressers in 1;he motintains, and ht Carmel; for'hel loved husbandry." 1 1 "' Destroyed by Prosperity. ifi So that, altogether, he was a clever, enterprising, busy, practical man; just the sort of man to advance the arts of civilisation, to develop a country's resources, and further its prosperity. And, indeed, this is what he did ; for under his reign the kingdom of Judah reached a more prosperous condition than it had known since the time of SoMmon • and, as the fifteenth verse informs us, the reputation of Uzziah spread far abroad to foreign lands. ' . Up to this point he had had an even run of success I have said that fortune smiled on him at every turn • but did I mean what men comnlbniy call "good luck "' this chapter would give me many a rebuke, for again and again we are reminded where the secret of his prosperity lay. It was God who "made him to prosper" we are told in verse 5; again in verse 7, "God helped him against the Philistines"; and once more in our text, "He was marvellously helped till he ^yas strong." My brothers, never forget the quarter from whence all true prosperity must come. Success does not depend on yourselves alone. Still less does it qome from chance. Take God with you into all the affairs of life. Look to H.m to bless your business. Ask His help in every fresh enterprise you undertake. There is not a Christian man among you who does not daily pray-pray for spiritual, blessings; but I want you to take everything to God remembering that even "the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord." Thus far Uzziah is to be admired and envied ; but the latter part of our text throws a dark shadow on the picture ; for we have here— II. Ht^ Marvellous Pnsumption.—*^ Bni when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to hre^destruction " It req uires special grace to keep a man right when he h..' u,j - ° . : z^^^^'r » "A"" "Kill wnenne Has W^x^reeror.tmbroken prosperity. Sometimes, as I am about to come to the pulpit, a paper i«r put into my hand. .»* ■• M .^, li\ y ' » J ■ 112 Forewarnect— Forearmed. r ■■ ^~ \>t:- ■f.-:"- :.-"V ; (,■■< to the effect that the prayers of the congregation are requested for such and such a person in deep affliction ; but there are ^thers who are not less, in need of being remembered at God's throne. One .day, when the cele- brated GecH-ge Whitfield was about to conunence the service, an intimation was read out from the desk below : •' The prayers of the congregation are desired for a young man who has become heir to an immense fortune, and who feels he has much need of grace to keep him humble in the midst of his richfes." Nothing tries a man so much as the favour of fortune a'hd the,,flattery of the world. The godly Richard Cecil, having learnt, regarding a young man of his acquaintanceship, that he had Ikfely been very successful in business, and had been amassing a consider- able amount of money, called upMi him, and,, on entering, remarked, " I understand, sir,, you^are in a very dangerous state." "I am not aware of it," replied the youth, astonished to be thus addressed. " Probably you are not," rejoined Mr. Cecil, "and, therefore, I have called upon you. I hear you are getting. rich ; take care, for it is the road by which the devil leads hundreds to destruction." I do not know whether Uzziah's good and faithful minister Zechariah was now dead ; but if not, I cannot doubt that he often warned the king of the snare into which he was liable to fall; unhappily, however, such warning, If giveh, was unheeded. Trampling on one of the strictest enact- ments of the Jewish law, which limited the priestly offices to consecrated persons of the trilj^of Levi^ Uzziah dared to enter into the most holy place of the temple, and to bom incense on the sacred altar Not satisfied with being, king, he must be high priest too. Perhaps he was tempted toimi t ate the heathen sovereigns around him, who genera lly were supreme in matters religious as well as civil ; anyhow, nothing would content the elated monarch short of fulfilling ..W' /--■ *S! : »*??■;'■■' Destroyed by Prosperity. K "3 the highest function of the priestly office. Horror-struck f^coa^f r'^' ^""'' *'^ ^^^' P"-*' -th a Lnd of fii^^uLi^h ^ "' '"*'^'''^ ^''"^^ ^° «"t of the sanctuary. But Uzzmh was not to be talked to thus ; he persevered 7n h.s .mpious attempt; when, suddenly, a^ awfu Sit cr^h^ti d^ef ^^^'"^^' ^"^^^^ '^^^ '--^'^ Dei?ed*n? ''"'*''' f ''*'"" ^' never, recovered. Com- pelled. of course, to live in a separate house, he was cut le^r::Trt ^'r °"^ ^^^"^ -yenJo;n.ent ofth wealth he had gathered ; and thus he ended his dav a wretched outcast from his fellow-men. and even denied a place of burial in the sepulchres of the kings nn^'r? u.^''*°'^ '' "°* ^"" of solemn warning, I know sl^of^'"'"^'^^^" ^^- ^hl thousands a'dthou! sands of times, on a lower scale, has the story of Uzziahl -|pnly too true to the original-in the case of young men who have been associated with us here ; once modest unassuming, religious men ; |ut lifted up ;ith proTperUy' Sd tor^'^^r"^^^^ behind them. aSd c'ri^Td uZZa *.P^°"*^'^ of presumption, from which they LTlSenXri^^^^ ^-il HI. T/ie JVbf, 0/ Warm„g.-As there nre many kinds of Fospenty..o there are many kinds of presumptLn and I am su eyou w.11 not take it amiss, if I caution you against one or wo of them. A man may be "lifted up to h^ i^jyl^l^^^""^ tomakesome people "pu.se. ^ ro ad "-^a^ .;^ ^ "„.a.vcswne people " purse- K^T '^^'y ,^"^fi^^«able people these are. They have nsen from nothing ; they are the makers of their own i^i^iiv- I ■*.t(2f'*^*'r i > 8 -M ,f-'- 114 Forewarned — Forearmed, I W .*• ^: fortunes ; and so they toss their heads, and put on airs, as though it was the greatest condescension to take notice of those who were ooce thgir pktymates. I have known of •young men who have come up from the country to London with not more than a couple of half-crowns in the world, . and they got into a good niche, and advanced from step to step, until in a few years they were rich men ; but I observed they took good care not to tell us anything about their father's two-roomed cottage, or their motKer's spin- ning-wheel ; they were far too fine now to go the Dissent- ing chapel th^ey once attended ; and as for their accent, it had become such a quere mixture, no man on earth could say where they came from. Now that is very small, very contemptible ; but, after all, it is just poor human nature, and we are all liable to it in some form or other. They say in America, that in Boston, where they worship literature, the question is, "How much does he know?" In Philadelphia, where they worship rank, it is, " Who was his father ?" And ia New York, where they worship the dollar, it is, " How much is he worth?" But if you estimate a man' by his money, or by his birth, or ^en by his learning, it dres not say much for your own judgment. "The man's the gowd for a' that." Although Solomon declares that " the prosperity 06 fools shall destroy them," we are not to imagine that a pros- perous career necessarily leads to moral or spiritual ruin, for." God is able to make you starid "; and, happily, we can point to instances in which, with money pouring like a flood into a man's lap, he has remained as humble and unostenta- * tious as before, and has used his wealth to noble purpose. ""Gentlemen, may God bless you iii your bti&Iness, and" open, up to you lucrative and comfortable spheres. But /•<•■ 'iV> ■v-y :' ■ "'"if iiW.iii-jis',,! .v ^, Destroyed by Prosperity. 115 rather may you be pinched and poor all your days, than that, like Uzziah, your heart should be lifted up by pros- perity to your own destruction. (a> The pride of intellect I wish to put you on your guard against a current which is running very strong in our day. 1 mean the tendency to set up the reason against religion. Many of you are acquainted with young men-clever fellows • perhaps they are-who have given up Christianity alto- gether, allegmg that their cultured understanding compels them td reject it. We have had such men here, once members of the Church, and teachers in our Sunday School, but now, through pride of intellect, "lifted up to their destruction." They fancied themselves, able to grapple with problems far beyond their reach. They thought they ought to understand everything, an(i t«, because they could not, they would believe nothing. Oh. this is 9 terrible ^ curse to a man I It brings darkness and misery unutterable. Doubt and unbelief, once sprung, 4re weH nigh ineradicable The most wretched men I know are the men who have cast off their faith. Remember, their position is a very weak one, and easily assailed. There is much more for revelation than.against it. Truth shines by its own light; and even the internal evidence which the Bible affords to the ingenuous- mmd that studies it. is alone sufficient to silence the caviller. Do not apologise to the doubter; It is his place to apologise to you. The man who seeks to rob you of your faith does you an infinitely greater wrong than he who tries to rob you of your purse or property. It is pitiful to see a Christian professor wincing before a blatant, loud- voiced scoffer, as though with a craven fear that the would-be philosopher is right, and the believer without nrm ground to stand on. My brethren, you were nevermore mistaken, the '•^1 '5* ■ 'k>- . *?•'• &^:/7 < '' 116 . Forewaf Hed — Forearmed. . best intellect of our time - is in, favour of Christian\ truth. Some years ago, indeed, science seemed to threaten our religion. She does so no more. I am „ speaking carefully, when I say that the dJiKction of scientific inquiry is towards the faith of the Christiq|i \j Church; and not against it. The reaction that has set„if|. is unquestionable. The difficulties that face the i^ndii^ are enormously greater than those that face the intelliff^t Christian. To every one of you who has but aa atom pf faith, I would say, with the Apostle, " Cast not away your confidence, which has great recompense of reward." Taking eveii the lowest ground, see whether infidelity or Christian faith brings most hun^an happiness. Contrast the labours, say of Voltaire or Paine,'withr Ijbose of John Wesley. Can it be siid with truth of eiifttr pf the twd former that he has made any ma? happier Or better? Yet who will deny that, through the instrumentality of the latter,- thousands and tens of thousands have had d brightened life and a peaceful death ? Oh, by all means use the brains that God has given you ; think and study all you can ; let your i;itellectual powers have full sway ; but let a humble piety hold the guiding rein, lest, lifted up with pride, you fall through the error of the wicked. Perhaps I might mention (3) Pride of wit. Now I go in for a sunny, cheerful religion. God has put within us a faculty of mirthfulness, which He did not mean us to suppress. There is no necessary connection between dulness and piety, between a long face and a new heart. They are no friends of religion who seem to teach that it is a sin to laugh. True,^ but there are some men who are hardly ever serious. They must turn everything into a jest. No matter how solemn the theme, they will have their joke "^O their fun. Now, whe Mid Buinoiir are Mept liT their proper place, they are salutary— they lighten labour. r\ W >J ■mkff^f0i ' ~. *: TreUroyed by Prosperiiy, \\j an^ help to make the wheels of life run smoothly. But it IS possible to indulge this faculty in such a way as to bnng much detriment to the soul. There are subjects which shoujd always be handled in a grave and reverent spirit. Pun^ and quibbles are entirely out of place when religion is the theme. Never, uiyler any circumstances, «se the language of Scripture in jest. I have knowh men, smart young fellows, with whom this became a terrible snare, ^^he wit, no doubt, is a general favourite. He movQs like a comet, and in the darkest quarters throws > out his sparkling scintillations. But, like a comet, he is pot a safe companion, and, ten to one, having made awkward Hits, will suddenly dart off into dark vacuity. Be it yours, rather, to resembje the quiet star, that shines with calm and steady light, nor ever becomes eclipsed till It melts away into the light of morn. Dear friends, I must not keep you longer. 'I trust Uzziab has taught us all a wholesome lesson. We are ^ all apt to grow vain. We 'are all very easily uplifted If It is not money, or talent, or success, or learning,* which lifts us up, it will be something else. Satari is sure to find our weak point, atfd tempt us there. Where, then, is our place OC security? I pause not a momer^tto answer— at the foot of the cross. A look of the crucified Saviour is enough to empty the vainest man of his pride. That sight shows sin enough in us to • sink us to the lowest hell. But, ohl it tells 6f mercy too. Amid the mountains of lour sin there rolls the grand song* of redemption, parkon for all sin, cleans- ing for all pollution, light for ku darkness, healing for all disease. Oh ! believe me, nfy brothers, through all ^hese two thousand years the Gosp el has never n mvH a failure. Not one sinner has liumbly looked to the Lord Jesus without receiving a full salvation. I ask ■ <..r »' ''. \-,^^f*'^ \*^\i.'.-k--.iS..' ..""•V *?»• ■ ■-. ■\y ■ ■/. .^. ,i- .■ ^^' fe;/- ii8 Forewamed-^Forearmed. you, then, to give- your hand to-night to the best Friend ypu ever met ; I bid you^ accept from God the best blessing that Heaven can bestow; I point you to the secret of inexhaustible hapmj^s;! I implore you to make a resolve that shall detenmn\ yofr\ whole future career. ^ The Koran of Mohammed hai a Sringe fable about the patriarch Abraham. It says tltet, when he set put upon his travels, he had no knowledJ|e of religious truth. He looked up, and saw the eveninV star, and said to his followers, " That is my god." Oat the star went down { and he said, "I care not for a% gp^s that set." By- and-by, the grand constellations appeared, and he said, ""These are my gods." But the gala: ies of stars were carried beneath the westj ahd'again\he said,.<'I will have rio gods that set." Theii the mdpn arose, and he- exclaimed, " That is my god." But the\moon, too, went down. Then, when the sun uprose, hb saluted it as Divine; but the wheeling skjj carried the king of day away behind the. pine-tops of the west. Then^Abr^ham, in the holy twilight, turning his face upwird toward the'^* seiene and tranquil empyrean, exclaimed, 'U giveC myself to- Him who was, and is, and is to come,' Father of the^ sun and moon and Stars, who never sets, for He only^jis • the everlasting Light." To Him I commendWou all, now and evermore I Amen. r / -../".* ' J."-- > > '" W-t,iA PROF^SSIOI/ WITHOUT PRACTICE, AND PRAC- TICE WITHOUT PROFESSION. f "'I • ,- ''' ,*i4S!!(Sij?:,a;;-i:.vt' '.v5:-:<,;Lri^;U-^i:,:,,. :>.^i ^;.;v '*"j^ ^- ,5y> -#«£' if^fTsTSj .- y.-f- ^^.^j\%' 'ff-^ " '^■^ ^ »*• i*' " W%a/ /A/«it ye f A certain man had ttvo sons : gnd he came to the first,and said, Son, go work to-day in my vineyard. . . . lie answered and said, I will not : but aftertvards repented, and went. . . . And he came to the second, ana said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir, and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father f " Matt. xxi. 28-31. jRfe 11 ' irs^x' ■ k: '•..;- V-- « IX. P^OFESSfOJV IVlTffOUr PRACTICE, AND PBACTICE . mTHOUT PROFESSION. " t^^^^^'^^ C^^W ''Acer'^^'^t r'^^ '^^' ^^^- --this v-/ ^way . A certain man had two sons "; but thoueh m each case a contrast is drawn between the youn^ men the character and purport of the stories widely differ^ tT; one story is commonly known as "the narabir'of .k Prodigal Son." because the interest of LT . ! centres in a foolish youth, who hadVo„ ^Xtd '"' and pardon ; whilst the other story (which we have before us this evemng) is gerierally styled "the Parable of the Two Sons " because here the interest is equally divLed winin^g/'' ^°""^ "^-^ 7^^"^ ^° ^-^«»^ ateded If you wU| kindly give me j'our thoughts for half an hour. I wish to speak about these two lads, who are 't types of two classes that exist in the world Itill one o whom promise less than they perfbrm and fh« f, c whom perfonn less than they p™ '''" °' For j^is astonishing how Ijuman nature, in its InSn features, remains the same from age to age~how th2 ^^infirmities show t h e ms^ lveai J l^^J ^^ T^^i)'. Geologists tell us that in tl^e low^l?ra"k of certain rocks they find fossils ofmanyplants aruJanLu ■^ 1 S'* ■ — +-4j '• ',&-%■- •".'; "^ ' < - . ' - Forewarned — Forearmed. 122 that can nowhere be found in the flora or fauna of the earth now. Their day is over; they are extinct. But every variety of human ch'aracter, pourtrayed in the Bible still exists. The sketches Christ drew to the life 5re as true as ever. And it is this that makes His teaching so searching and forcible. These two sons have their exact representatives here to-night ; and if I can but bring out their features as I wish to do, I believe that some of you will see your own picture, and I trust will be the better for . the hints and warnings to be given. The father of these young men is a respectable man, be- longing to what we would call the nr.iddle, or lower middle class of society. ' He owns or rents a piece of land, which, with the assistance of his family, he is able to manage* and cultivate. He is not a large proprietor, like the gentle- man described in the preceding chapter, who required to hire group after group of day labourers, and kept a steward or overseer to look after them, and manage the estate.. Neither, on the other hand, is he a mere labouring man, holding no land of his own. Like many of the small farmers in England, 'or " crofters " as they call them in Scotland, he has a portion of ground sufficient to provide for the Wants of his household, and not too large to be efficiently worked by his- sons and himself. I think he represents a condition of life in which a 4arge amount of real happiness is found. I do not know thai I have any- where Witnessed more pleasant scenes of domestic bliss and cheerful industry than amongst the class referred to. To a great extent they are the strength of the State, and the guardian's of piety and virtue in the land. It is neither amongst the very wealthy, nor the-^ery poor, that true religion seems to find its most con ge nial home. Like Agur, it says, " Give me neither poverty nor riches." Ill fares the land in which this class is diminished or by \ . •( » *f * Profession without Practice. 123 unjust laws crushed out. Woe betide the country, whose population tends to divide itself into the two extremes of ^ large proprietors and landless labourers- .It is a calamity which wise statesmanship will ever seek to avert— this ownership of Ihe soil by a few ratgnates, who owe it to an accident of birth, whiJst the vast bulk of the people neither > have, nor can acquire, a square yard which they can c^ their own. Give me a country apportioned amqngst the largest number of its Inhabitants, and dotted" over with thriving homesteads, where father and sons themselves till the soil, and I shall have the highest hope of that country's weal. I shall be pardoned for saying that it is from such homes that a large proportion of you have come, and that I cannot but connect with this circumstance the fact, that so many whom it has been my pleasure to form acquaint- anceship with here, have turned out well in life, a credit to themselves, a comfort to th^eir friends, and a blessing to society. But a shadow now falls upon the picture. The same spirit of pride and rebellion that Entered paradise, and broke up the first earthly home, has intruded iiere. Ob- serving probably lie evidences of negligence in his vine- yard, the father goes to one of his sons and bids him address himself to the work, whereupon the young man gives him a flat refusal. He is not even courteous or civil.r In the rudest, bluntest manner he say9» "I will not." * He does not even beg to be excused, or'ask for delay, or offer to provide 3 substitute ; but curtly refuses to obey. "If father wants the vineyard looked after, he gan do it himself, or get somebody else to do it. I am not going to toil like a slave at that sort of work." It is easy to see _tha|ihg poison of conceit and idleness ba«Hgot i n to th a t — young man.- He does not want to work. He cannot soil his fingers with labour in the fiel.. His white hands are ■%\ Se'^i-i ^A -.. ^ ij^«^kiiA^ i.v'Jt^.iij-. ^t, .>\n'i »"«..,,..,' i.'i'i..' .%> ^Ki<>,it^y) A-l^ 124 Forewarned — Forearmed. ^^ not made to tie up the vines or turn over the soil. He has no liking for manual employment. He would take things easy, and enjoy himself. Now when a mkn begins life in that style, it is a very dark future that |ie has before him. Disobedience Jo parents, and disinjclination to work, -are about as bad omens as can possibly exist. The youth that does not honour his father and mother, has got at least one great blemish in his character. We can augur no good of him- It is asf certain as anything can be in this world, that the lad who speaks disrespectfully to his father, and shows no disposition to relieve him of his toil and care, will turn out badly in life. Sp, on the other hand, the tenderly affec- tionate manner in which I hear some young men speak of their parents, and their passionate desire to ease their burden, and minister to their comfort, not only evince a beautiful character, but give promise of a happy and prosperous career. But stay, I am doing this young man injustice. It was but a spurt of bad temper or lazine^ ; for " afterwards," adds Jesus, " he repented and went." He saw the mistake he had made, and was ashamed of himself. Better thoughts prevailed, and throwing off his coat, he buckled to the work, and made up by his energy for the. hours he had lost. Seeing him in the heat of the day \^iping the sweat from his brow, his father forgave him the misconduct of the • morning, and rejoiced to see the e^dence of a true repentance. ' ' Meanwhile, however, he had gone to the second son, and bid him work in the vineyard. This youth is a model *of prompt obedience, the pink of politeness. " I go, sir." iMsvax now respecnat i8^ni& tone, -i admire niRi tor 1 Some young men appear to think it manly to be disre- ^-fei'^ ^'^-'^d:^^ w -,,.t:.'<^---_ri5T^'S?jJ»wW??*? Profession without Practice. unbe™™" .Ls k f""'""-"'"" i» »«>e such Uo tr . t prdciice. I he man told a deliberate ^id ^T^'f' ""' ^'^ ■" '»'»"» 'o perform He whe„Tj\ '^ . "' "'"•'' ""» «»'«>}■ out of his liDS s- xtcr • dir °"' -— " .w~t„";''?,°'r\''''^' ™ *' worse of these wasfhebS '.Whe2rtf'.V" '"""-/o^-Which his father ? •• Ti, ""**' of ""e"" twain did the will of n 8 lather ? The answer is not difficult to (rive We all J0.n with His hearers in saving, " The «™t -^ Pr„f • ™y;t ttfZ *^^^ '^ ^^^^'^ -°r«« than the oiner, yet both require to be plainly spoken to. Were >. « - -1. ^''Lltii^^) '■ V "fWE^SMM , * I / V ' '- J ' « J*- , r-- ' '-1.I " ' ■ I •> ''■ •, « \ ' i ■ • . 1^/ . • • . ^ ^ ■ . ^ . ■ •'. , . P''ofession without Practice, 127 thai the fiankness of your disclaimer may be counted a.' a tT™^^h fr- '■; ' '■""""'"' ^°""8 "■«" speaking a, . though their enure rejection of all religious profession . heaven. I have known men Jive themselves to drink and bad company and late hours, and free-thinklng, and eUTy ^ZlT '!:"■■' '"" """• ^ "> '^^ stand'^koulder To shoulder mth some pure and godly man. and. stretching ■ f's^^h the T "' " ^°°^ """ '"'«'' " >-■ "-»- forsooth they made no pretension to be religious. It is - a gross delusion Your boasted honesty will do noth ng to save you. No doubt hypocrisy is loathsome; but h! hatefulness of hypocrisy will not make your impiMy good I w,sh you would think of .this. andmoJe that, fhink of it' Zv a hef '" I'T """^""^ ''P»""«- There is e"o2^ of a^T ' " ""' "-^ •"""''"» ^M "' 'he matters as I have, not done;- but there has been no «su^ because there was not instant decision. In the am^° 'fa^i^eral says to a soldier of his regiment. "Come»ilis S.r 1 11 thmk oven it." Yet. is not this just the way in ' which some of you treat God's -commjd ? The B«>le S,f. Ho '■'""'"»°:^'* He all men everywhere to EL "°:"' J"™ ''<«"»8»i"> that command? You w^^l Jrt !r ' y°" "» forthwith to repent. And if you you Thlt «1 '"'*"' "" ^'^ enco«„gemei,t fo^ you. That first son repented and obeyed, and the nast ™all forgiven The father might haveUsS him wC ^gg^j »«<^d,--Nor:g.,r ^„ ldnot-c.ih .toZA^^ now'' Rnf haxi 1, A ^°"' y°"*"^* not.be received now. But had he done so. he would not have be?n a . , .'W'i'illS n V ■ M' > )'"i'i ■tJ^ t«. ,;:^4v • >.■>,<- >^f"' 128 Forewarned — Forearmed. true picture of our Father in heaven.. Do not let the memory of past misconduct tempt you to think you will not be accepted now. Ohl some of you must often have said to that ill-treated father, when he pleaded with you to come, " I will not." You have been called, and invited, and implored, and warned, till Sinai has no more threaten- ings to thunder in your ear, and Calvary has no more tenderness to melt your heart. Yet, oh 1 let it be told of some of you to-pight,as of that vine-dresser's son, "They said, I will not ; but afterwards they repented arjd went." If you will but give up your heart at once to the Saviour who died for you, whose atoning blood can wipe out the sins of a lifetime, and whose arms, which may be closed ■ against you before Mother Sabbath, are to-night stretched wide open to welcome you, I promise you a religion that will soothe your sorrows, and help you over all your troubles in this world, and at death usher you into the palaces of everlasting life. Oh, you do not know what is before you, and how you will need all the help that the Gospel of Jesuj can give. Some of you will have many a hard rub in life, in this or in foreign lands ; you will meet with difficulties, and disappointments, and rebuffs you little expect. You are not going to pass out of the world without your sh^ire of trials and tears, and sitting by sick-beds, and dropping loved ones into the grave, and so forth; ancj with twenty-five years' experience behind me, I solemnly say that there is only one thing that can support a man amid all these changes and sorrows, and carry him triumphantly through, and that is a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. What am I to say about the other class represented in our text, that give the promise, but never perform ? They ^^e^lass for whom, ail through Scripture, God His heaviest and bitterest condemnation. They say, and k. ,^ki4i#j|i^^^';'^>^.>. , ■K ',w,\ . ■^ ■^^ "^ Profession withoiU Practice, 129 ^^- ^:t~ !:; t^' "°"*'^' ^"* '^'^o- their f---^ the moment when C.2,^^^'^\^XT;. no such, mention. His smooth words were a hWorPK does not represent him =« oft ^ * "®' "*' Christ when bis faL; ::,tt " thH .'l"**"* "'', »■»'' when he was present n.Ud to\L^fr:rwt;^rar.ron;tier*^ r:re-tnt„ai:n:;:f:hr^^^^^^^^^^ and earnest Promiser:^d 'a fm d°e "2'??""" endeavours, and then subsequently have ten .^ "'""i ■nto sin; but of those who w"tho„t 1° "fapped •heart at all have miH. Tr ^ S^"^' '" ""if smooth tonUhav^Lir "''""' "■°''' """ '-'""'^i' . For the unhappy ba'^ksWrthl^^V^'V"!; TlLreThet?'"^' ^" "■' "y^^'^^ ^" a go*y upbringing!':^raroutt:^VL"!iL"ch'rt"* that we are tempted to think this win do fIS^ ""' of God J mother, a jewel of a saim „ , V""' * "" kingdom of God » ThT ^ ' .^"°* *"*" *»»<>* the S m 01 ood. The maniac who twists some straw ^■• ^ . .-•J :'J ■Iff."' Profession without Practice. 131 luted with the unclean laughter hrp;,k,n„ ., r - thousand saloons of dissioalron .nH^^. ^ '^^^ '^" laskwou i<,,-ffi,o.- '"f'P^*'^" and abandonment: 01 true Chri;tL ,-' ^°'" *""" °^^°"' ^^° has a spark of true Christian manliness n you to «5tanH jhi^ • ,.1. • _ ^ "That man may last, but never lives, , Whomuch receives, hut nothing gives; , ^X^^f'^njove.-whom none can than';. The Church's blot, the mition's blank. " f^^^^^i'^J'o marks from day to day. In Christian toil his aiduous way Treads the same path his Saviour trod. Aixe path to glory and to GoJ." ^ .^•A ^t ^^», EA. T^'r-'-n ■y-'.yjt.' a, r. ■ r' ;l K'^'>. ' wr- ■■(, («,. tf*, ,r' j.-'!H..ir(j' ■r ,' ,. "■.r ^-<-^zr c^^y o^^ ^Crr ZOATG ^JSMBAfBBUSi -M .< I-- ;t ;• ■** ■ / - . • ,; i:-\ • ♦ - * • " F ■ ; *!?;,"■ •■ ' • '" .! ■ ■ • r -^^^J 1' / **> - ' ^-»£& ^ ■!i^jJW'4^«*^\ I . r tit ijjr>>!^^^i •^. 0k ^;- X ^ ■!*'::'>••/'.?» • ■>'«■*-« k I z:-/^ ^: c " /« Ai»» /A*r« »f found some good thing toivard thjt Lord God of Israel" f I Kings xiv. 13. ¥ V,*) -^ '"*t* % , «,.' .' 'i-kt ,> «&(*(? fttsi'.wi « i> j^^ C w^' ■^ '*?'!'/' VS *" 4 ^ n £AJlZy CUTOFF, BUT LONG REMEMBERED. T'^pLe ofrr' '' """i"""' '^'^^^^ ^ "^^ i" the • ?"r, '^^' ^^' ^"^ ^""^ even a grey-headed sinner to the foot of the cross, is a tmh of whk7hapDilv examples can easily be found. Not a few over wtmforty thfk^LiriVr '^^^ P""'' ^^- ^-'^ -"ed info the k ngdom gf Christ; and some at the very ver^e of eternity after a long life of unbelief and vice have bee„ snatched out of the grasp of Satan, and caugLt up to the gl6ries of Paradise. "Go and speak to the young "s^d an aged man, to one who was pressing on Wm the ii vuations of the gospel; "it is too late for^me to health sJ ttongs now; my day of grace is past." Nay, say not so my venerable friend, *,r Christ is omnipot^t He there is nothing too hard for the Lord; even 1^'; heart may be melted, and your dark soul ;nlightened ^ "For while the lamp holds on to burn, The greatest sinner nJ^y return." But, while this is true, let it never be forgotten that t h. great majority of conversions take place intarfy l^e If theold proverb is true, " Repentance is never tooTa I" sti more true IS it to say, "Repentance is never too si.-' thJu 1 ,'^'' "' '°-°'«^^' ^ ^^«*^<=« of early piety that IS worth looking into , T her^ a « two .«>yal per^^S^ ^^^nameoTAbijah mentioned in Old TestTenT^^^T One was the son of King, Rehoboam, and his succes or oL' .sit A '4- ■ -' jf., ■^- 1 36 Forewarned — Forearmed. - the throne of Judah. , He was a bad man, and though one might have supposed that good blood flowed in his veins (for, both on his father's and his mother's side, he Was descended from King David), he yielded himself -up to idolatry and its attendant immoralities to such an extent, indeed, that the historian in the Second Book of Chronicles ' altered his na«)e from Abijah to Abijam ; in order, as Dr. Lightfoot thinks, to avoid introducing the sacred word Jah (for Jehovah) into the name of so unworthy a character. The other^bijah was a youth of a ver^ different spirit, and, thx)ugh he came out of a bad nest, was a true child of grace. He was the youngf son of Jeroboam, and heii- apparent to the throne of Israel. A worse man than his father has rarely worn i crown upon his head. Scarcely had he seized the sceptre of .government, than he forsook the worship of Jehovah, and not only gave himself up to gross idolatry, but compelled the people to follow his example. His name is notorious through all ages, as the man " who made Israel to sin." To his son Abijah, Jeroboam was very tenderly attached. The lad took ill of a serious sickness, and his father was thrown into deep anxiety. Earnestly solicitous about the issue of the malady, Jeroboam sent his wife to one of the prophets of the true God, to inquire whether his son would recover. Why did he send to him f Why did he not apply to one of the idol-gods he had himself set up at Beersheba and Dan, and whom he had commanded all the people to worship ? Ah I it is not difficult to tell the reason. When adversity comes upon ungodly men, when sorrow visits their dwelling, then they discover how vain are their earthly confidences, and hoiv little support these yield them. Then Isaiah's words are verified, "Lord, in trouble h&ve jhey visited Thee ; th ^ poured out a prayer whpn T hf— chastening was upon them," • ^ -4 )XSt^,\^2^ m^^f^tf"^ ^T^;U'^*'«""-^ .' 1 -"-i^-* T'^ff^k'" * 'AT ■■1*' ' "*' " ' '' f ^^i w ^j <^/;c> jSi"' ">■•■» i 138 &rewamedr-^Fotf armed. of Israel." What, think you, might this " good thing " be ? Cfertainly, it was not his rank, nor wealth, nor power, nor intellect. As regards all these, I have no reason to suppose tihft the other msmbers of that house were at 11 inferior to himself. Ah I these things commend nc/t a soul to God ; and not less precious in His sight is the youth that has ))een bom in a peasant's cottage or a miner's cabin, than the scion of a noble house, or the hei;<»apparent to earth's highest throne. / And, as this "good thing " w^s not any mere material endowment, so neither was it any mere moral excellence. It does. not mean simply that Abijah was what the world calls "good-hearted," * a good-living lad"; that he was amiable and well-behaved ; that, in the midst of abounding debauchery, he preserved his virtue unstained. This, in- deed, would be much, tut it would not be expressed in the peculiar language of the text : " the irood thino- '' was = " the good thing '' was a "good thing towards the Lord God of Israel," a gracious, a spiritual, a divine, a holy thing. It was » something that sprang not out of nature, nor of the flesh, something that his father did not give him, something that he never learnt from the royal but dissolute court of Israel. Fallen as we all are in Adam, we come into this world without a single good thing in us on which a holy* God can look with pleasure j and even when grace has wrought a wondrous changd, and made us new creatures in Christ Jesus, the words of Paul Still befit our lips, " I know that in me, that is, in my 4esh, dwelleth no good thing." Let our dis- positions bel«ver so Jtmiable, and .our outward life ever so correct, we are still " altogether as an uncjean thing," til( by a power which comes from above, we have been bom ^again. • Do not any of you imagine that you are right with God, because you are right with man. The eye of a K* ,4*\\i^.- ^ % u ., ^M^ **«. ■«'*■*; ■'* '-•i-'i ' ,.r' ■ tH' ', :>^4w- • £arfy Cut offi but Long Remembered: 139 generous and indulgent friendship may see in yoJr charac- ter much to admire, and nothing to condemn; in the ,., worlds estimate you may be noble, and chivalrous, and ^ good ; and yet. for all that, you may be living under the frown of Him before Whom only spotless holiresrcan ' Gentlemen. I suppose that the doctrine of liuman de- ^.5.;' fr T'^^ ^'^ ^^^'^ ^''^^ ' ^^ I -^ not sure without this, you cannot savingly understand and accep the Gospel. I suspect the notion of many is that of a ^ man of whom I knew, who, being askfed to lead the devo- tion of a large assembly, began his prayer thus:-"© •" Lord, we are all sinners before Thee ; at least, com'para-' tively speaking (I)" It is my firm belief that there are not ^ a few before me now who are uncqntaminated by the vices of this great city, who are as m(Jral and virtuous as Uiey are aimable and kind; but, O my dear brother, do ' act forget that there may h6 in you many^good thing toward your family, ,nd toward society. i;;d^Ward th! worid a large, while as yet there is no work 6f grace, no good thmg toward the Lord God of Israel." That thimr must be implanted in you by the Holy Spirit, and by Him ' too, sustained You remember Paul's words to young T,mdthy, «That good thing which .«as ■•committed unto thee keep, by the Holy Spirit ^hich >iwelleth in us." ., There^are t#, things which, when ^nd in a man, are K good and acceptable to God. The fi^st^is true repentance or what the Bible calls the "brokei^and contrite hea^^ Search the Scriptures through; you will find notliing- 5f wh.ch^^,sj a.d a ^ 4<.i^«aidel^hl>,^fa^ii i. weH pl^ nf in Ah-^'?T'^^' ?" ^" *^^ ^^'^^ *^'"« tl^^t w^ found m Abijah ? Some of you are apt to take a gloomy view of .;* 140 Forewarned^Forearmed. your own state, although^e Spirit has been dealinj?' graciously with you ; you fear thdt you have neither part nor lot in Christ's .salvation, though it is your earnest f"^ *i.^^^°"^^'« followers. Oh, if you have nothing elseto^erto God but the sacrifice of a contrite spirit, there is some good thing in you toward the I^ord^od of Israel; and He who has begun the good work in you will perfect It Unto the day of final redemption. A second thing on which God specially sets the seal of His approbation is ^^ faith in that one sacrifice which doth for sm atone." Amongst all the princes of the royal house, Abijah alone refused to worship the golden calves which his father had made. Jewish writers tell us that Abijah would not bow down to the idols; but insisted on worship- ping the true God at Jerusalem. And when he tried, as best he could, to follow the ritual which Moses appoiflted he doubtless saw therein, though it might be with dim and imperfect vision, the sacrifice of the Lamb of God who should one day die for the sins of the worid. His faith might have been but a little spark, but that secured his acceptance before God. Possibly some of you are bewail- ing your low spiritual state, and afraid to believe it possible that you are Christians; but if you have only been led to trample your own righteousness in the dust, and place your whole reliance upon Jesus as your substitute, then, amid all your unworthiness and imperfection, there is "some good thing" found in you^ and He who put it there will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax. But without these two things, "repentance from dead " >- ^' ^oriEs, and iaith towards our Lord Jesus Christ,^lhere is /" nothing in you that God can approve. J have sonie^ ■- ^ti ^ uC(,W-. ■»*,rt*t '-,. Mf •. .^,, ■/ t. ' I Km' vi M ' M ; ■ • k h^ •sl^r one in this I,rge assen-blT al 0?^^,? Ih'!' 7^ , question, " Have I j,et repenV of my Zf H» r""'" . ™sied n,, sou. into tiJe handlf th^Cd esfsT" {Jt the answer s " No " then thc^l ■ . •' ^°'^» *^ yon are stiil "in the laH of S "° ^°°' '""«> ^'"" iniquity." . * ' ""^ """W^. and in the'bond of surroundings were of the worst ;Lr,5,';11;''r ungodly home, an idolatrous conrf XltT^^ /." even- relative he had under the curse tf God r""' would say, oietv coaU «n. t; ° f'^ ¥ God : why, you as these Ah i ,h, k u * '^^ an>i\sach conditions iniquity may havfra J : Tgu^d fc"™:^ breast of his son T?«o« "'»i,ust and refcoil m the w^-ednerwri^h ^Z^Z "iVa^Vl^ "^ struck with the fact that young mr,ho htr,X 'd? ' liome and a quiet neighbourhood anrt T ''"T.*^ ^ wonder the vice and irrfligion tot me. wUrinTld"* " have at once become far more earnest t^H T^*\ °"' here than thet wire befo» T^ """* "'«V«' has made rlj:r^''^^'^''y^''^':''ll^ become more vivtrf tka>. X? 5;: J^^ co ntras t fa ^b^oome more vividr Tfie Tta;^ tl^ co ntras t^ their Side. It would not dVto be "' ""' ^'^"^ ■ 'I-*' ■ ■is /rVa S^ilr^ top^ k. '■» > F r-'u "Vi ^t." M2 Forewarned — Forearmed. ri- The sooner you all feel this the better. A young man says, *'I am not a rake; I am not a prodigal; without professing to be a believer, I am fairly virtuous in my life." My brother, you will ^Uow me to say, if you do not profess to be a believer, then you profess to be an ^nbe- liever. O, if Abijah, nursed and brought up in a very hell of depravity, yet found the way to God, ^th what an awful responsibility will you be crushed, if, with all the hallowed memories of a Christian home, and of the Sunday-school, and of the blessed sanctuary of your youthful days, you are living without God in the world ? 2. Again, I learn from our subject, WizX even a young and brief life may be fruitful in blessing. Young as he was, the whole nation tmoumedfor him. I know it'TiS's been common to speak of /fef^ as cut off in infancy.' This I believe to t>e a mistake ; and to arise from a mis- conception of the meaning of the word " cljild," applied to him in this chap'ter. , According to Old Testament usage, the woi-d may denote a full-grown youth ; and it is far from probable that, had he been but a little boy, there would have been so public a funeral, and so general a lamentation over hisa. He must hav^e attained such a period of life as to be capable of showing ^e excellence of •his character, and of rendering some public service ; and, probably, his acts gave so good promise of his future career, that the best men in the country augured a happier time when, in the course of nature, he should come to the throne. " Abijah," says the " Critical Commentary," " was of age, and considered by the people the heir to the J hrone." In the highest view of it, the length of life is not to be judged by the number of its years. It is possible '^ the ^ongegt l i fe to he b riefe r t ha n the^shertestt^and^ the smooth-cheeked youth may die older, that is, with mkii- If / ' y-'^wi •K<"^h-: 1 ' ; Early Cut off, but Long Remembered, 143 more of life crowded into his brief history, than he whose stagnant and profitless existence drags on to an inglorious old age. That life is the longest-however limited the number of its years-in which God has been best served, and the world most benefited. " They en, who measure life by years, With false or thoughtless tongue \ Some hearts grow old before their time, Others are always young." What is more delightful than to see a man, at the very outset of life, addressing himself to some work or project whereby he may prove a blessing to others ; not Content to be a mere drone or selfist, but firmly determined to find some sphere of practical usefulness. There is not a better feature of our time than the number of young men engaged in one form or another of Christian ot philanthropic service. It does one's heart good to see the g'enerous enthusiasm with jvhich many a younff fellow who has but little time to himself, devotes that time to the public «ood, working busily in the cause of temperance, it may be, or m the Sunday-school, or in evangelistic effort or m endeavours to get hold of other young men, and gather them.jndeLChri8tiair influence. Noble fellows I God bless them, and give them a rich reward. •'He lives, who lives to God alone, And all are dead bedde ; For other source than God is none Whence life can be supplied. But life, within a narrow ring « Of giddy joys comprised, Is falsely named, and no such thing, But rather death disguised." puty tn life u the only guar^tet of peace in death. An .<'. ^\ i^V** t'.if ■ I'A'SS' '/ 144 Forewarned — Forea rmed. Ih. U- early departure fropi fi^iis world is not a thing to be dreaded, provided youi: heart is right with God. It is a touching thought ta me, as I look round ojx this assembly, most of whom are in the bloom of youthful vigour, that according tp all, the laws of probability, some of you will never reach life's prime. Ere a few years have gone, the cannon shot of death wil] have thinned these I'anks. Nor is it the most robust that will be scared. When I look back in memory on those who sat on the same bench with me at schqol, and on those who were my fellow-students at college, I am struck with the fact that some of those who seemed the most stout and hardy have been the first to be called away. To which of us the summons will first come, none can tell ; hut it may be to you who appear the most likely to live. You cannot reckon on, a single year f nay, not upon a day. Oh, my dear friends, if. you would come to your grave in peace, be it sooner, or be it later, there must be found in you " some good thing toward the > Lord God of Israel." Your anticipations for this world may\never be realised. Your plans and^rospects for life may all be overthrown^ and the fine " castles in the air" you have sometimes built be rudely cast to the ground. Already, perhaps, there is on the mind of some of you, just the suspicion that you ax6 not to live long. That delicacy of heart, or lung, or throat, sometimes whispers the thought that, like Abijah, , you shall be cut off in early life. Well if, like him, there -isTn you " some good thing toward the Lord," you need not be greatly distressed. '"It matters little at what hour of day * The Christian falls asleep ; death cannot come To him -untimely, who is fit to die ; The less of this cold woild, the more of iieavqry The briefer time, the earlier immortality 1 " :. <. ^ 1 £arfy Cut off, but Long Remembered. 1 45 I trust it may please God to spare you to see many and happy days^ but the true way to throw a charm into life is to be ready for death. A young man. in the vigour of health, was thrown from a vehicle, and so severely Injured that he was carried to a neighbouring house, and medicaf assistance sent for As soon as the physician came, the sufferer said excitedly; "Sir. must I die? must I die? Deceive me not for a moment." He was told he could not hve an hour. "Is it so," he exclaimed, "that I must SffT't'^y.S*^''' ^" ^°«''? I have maddno prepara- 1^ for this." His agonised friends bid him repent and beheve in Jesu|. "Repent and believe!" he cried "I want all that e|f,lained. and death will notwaitW ex- planations. Sure enough, within one hour the spirit had fled; and his last words (which were never a^weredV were. "What must I do to be savedP" The. celebrated ' Dr. Paulus. Profpssor of Literature at Heidelberg, un- " happily imbibed atheistical views. He denied everShin^ supernatural. Specially would he not allow the immortality of the .oul. When his fatal illness began, he declared . that he was going to die. and that that would be the end of him. In this cheerless conviction he calmly awaited the closing scene. When it came, he lay*in a speechless ■ stupor for some hours. It was supposed he would never speak again. But at last he suddenly opened his eyes raised them to the ceiling as though he s^ something* mvisible to others, and starting to raise himself in bed he exclaimed, "There is another lif^J" then feU back a corpse. * God forbid that any of you should have sich a de- p ^ure fr o m this wor ld ! Will you risk it? MJftAyon ^Pear^SdTThat is Before me is trae ; or. ifitis aS true, It IS a he so stupendous that no human firain could ' 10 4>^mi0i 'i ,^^^ I^K>"' t" Kv- /,^ o Hk^'^'' ^,.- L ■ • ■r ■ 1 <-• W - • ' r - ' ' i'' ' i .■ ' 4 n" " "- — -r~* Hk! -\ ^ , » Ks*?: HS-£ '- • * - '^'^^• f[ *- , y ' '. " ^ ' n^v ~ A * » ,'•' " Bb&^ ^ * I , . ^^ » ? ' 1^^ & ^-'tk. M Llf.i.?-= ijf' J' Ai^J/ ^M I^S' .^^ i,: ' -; . ■ .'i ■■■■ ' ikt' BRBAKBRS AHEAD/ A' >, :':1 / J^ ^^ H^ V .*« yMt 4*a.4a'?> ,<"' -ji&. -r «<; 'n rtV>' \C» > T^t f'"*^ 1/ •\ " A7>M if, pass not by it. tumfrvm it, and pass away." Proverbs iv, 14-15. fe - »- \ f',' * ?p si-/- ( • c/ \," \ fer V % 1 «ri <► ^« • - «• I Sr.-. .> a #f''"-/ * < ' " =•■■ i |r, • '> ■ c A j' w> * t » * 8; [f*-, ^ f «i^ ■:^'^-fr-' «^ r evi/ > ■i . V s^ JA. Hv^ '-* f %"-,< ••'*j- '.•:'< -yf^? ' v'l "1"' ■!,£:'.-, 7 S>s.j',/?i»^_Yv XI. BREAKERS AHEAD! BREAKERS ahead 1" Such was the startling^cry that came from, the man on the look-out, asrthe great st^m vessel, at a speed of twelve or fifteen knots per hour, was bounding over a calm and pe^eful sea. A dense fog had for some hours rested on the waters; but under the belief that there was plenty sea-room, and that no land was near, it had not been deemed needful to slacken speed. Just then the curtain of mist began to rise, revealing to the watch the imminent danger : and not a moment too soon was the word of warning given : for, as the capfain afterwards informed me, he i|istantly perceived to his horror a precipitous cliff standing like a wall at no great distance before him ; and had not the wheel been at once pulled round, the ship must inevitably have dashed upon the rock, and have been shattered in pieces I " Breakers ahead ! " my young friends, is the ciy that would be sounded in the ears of many of you, could we but see the perils that lie in your path. You have but lately left the quiet harbour, and put forth upon the open sea of life, and at present to your limited vision all seems ' fair and prosperous ; but were the veil that hides the future only for a moment uplifted, you would Sfee such dangers as just now' you n§ver dream of. ^ "You are ai a most interesting perfod of Ufe^I might Bay, a most important and critical period. You are full of ' fi ^f ft. . f-f 4Si„^" \ « 150 Forewarned— Forearmed^ - KTi-S purpose and hope ; and that your purpose may be wisely directed, and your hope eventually realised, I wish to address to you some words of kindly warning : may they be blest to save you from the snares of the evil one. May I take for the basis of my address the wise and earnest words which king Solomon spoke to his son, and which are so fitting to be uttered in the ear of every young person beginning life : " Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it^ arid pass away " ? Whatever be the evil course that tempts you, your only safety lies in determined refusal to take a single step in that direction, to tamper for a moment with the tempta- tion ; and that this axiom may be as a nail fastened in a sure place, Solomon givds it six strong blows*^with the hammer, saying in regard to every such devious and sinful path, " Enter not, go not in it, avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away." That many of you, my young friends, are pure minded and right principled, I have not a doubt. It is your full purpose to be honourable in your actions, and virtuous in your life ; but you have no conception of the traps that will be set for you, of the fascinations in which vice will clothe herself, or of the demons who will seek to waylay you, and, knowing that your only safety under God lies in your stubbornly resisting the first solicitations to evil, I entreat you to lay to heart the plain words of warning I offer. . At some unguarded moment, when you are least sus- picious of danger, a door of strong temptation will open at your side, inviting y^u to greater pleasure than you have hitherto known ; consdiShce, like a drugged watch-dog, will make but feeble remonstrance ; and with honeyed vtl^rds IBe aevirwTin)eckbn 510U in. •V ■;^i#:' ,'^ A. I,', mi. Atm&''i^^d /|-^-i< ; MT 'I ^,- Tf-i'Ti. Breakers Ahead/ , icj At su(Jh a moment let there come to you. in voice of thmider, these prohibitory words, " Enternoi r* If already you have peeped within the panel, the wise# man shouts, " Go not in I" " ^ If you have actually taken ^e first step. draw*it back mstanter from the place of peril, as the word rings in your ear, '* Avoid til'* - ^ e> J Lest the next time you should be overcome, " Pass not oy the spot. That your safety may be still more su^e, " Turnfrm it " m another direction altogether. And, finally, to escape ev«3er |isk of being caught, " Pass away ' entirely from the scene of danger. Do not be offended if I speak plainly to you ; for there ' are no finer or more promising 1dds than some who have been mveigled into the very coursd^f against which I am now to warn you. I. The first I name is tAf way of the fraudulent. Very few men plunge all at once into ? career of dishonesty. But many a youth, who has entered upon business with the strictest ideas as to truthfulnes^ and fair dealing, soon gets these notions knocked out of 'him by observing the questionable practices that exist in trade ,* his conscience j|comes less sensitive, and, presently, acts U^ which fWmerly he would have recoiled appear to fiii^perfectly legitimate. , ' • I am both surprised and indignant t6 hear men of.whom better things might be expected, conniving at dishonourable courses or petty frauds, on the ground that they are neces- sary or universal. "Youmustjustwinkatagood^ealof • which you can hardly approve," I have heard such men ' Bay; "it is impossible to get on in the city if you arp tp p :-t straR-Taced^and scrupulous." Young men! I trust you will never condescend to such a standard of morality. It ■JlWi -»' !'S,m^hft:,'^ •ij.«!l.rf««^^:. 'i,' w f.^\ '^■■'■■ *5? Forewarned — Forearmed, is no excuse to assert that the practices to which I refer are accepted commercial customs, rendered necessary and therefore innocent by their universality. This is only to say that a sin has but to be widespread td transform it into a virtue, or at least to make it a justifiable act. It can never be either necessary or profitable to do wrong. If you cannot be rich without guile, ]b(? content to be poor. To aci or imply what is false, is as bad as to utter a lie. If it is not base to acquire gain bj? deception, then it is not a sin to steal. And do you not observe that men who transact business after the fashion I am condemning, are the last to admit the ^ axiom that we should do unto others as we would that they should do UHto^s ? The very merchants ,who cheat by wholesale are the most uiipityingly severe upon any clerk or subordinate, who may take advantage of them, and the loudest then to condemn what they had been accustomed in their own actions to approve. .Never be persuaded that, «jder any circupastances, the end can justify the means! Nfever be^tempied to belifeve that a questionable act in- volves no guilt so long as it is not found out. Never allow yourselves to indulge in habits which tend to dull and deaden conscience. You will find it to your ines- timable advantage all through life, to resist the first . tejjp)tation to a compromise of principle, and to maintain ' a conscience absolutely " void of offence." With an earnest and loving heart, I lay this maker before you. I warn you of the first evil course to which you may be tempted to deviate. I put you on your guard against unprincipled companions, who may turn up where you least expect them : and I beseech you, in the name of God, should you for a moment be tempted into the way of J^lfiaudul ent, th at you "enter noty go no t in it, avoid '/•I I it, pass not by*it, turn from it, and pass away." Mfif^.^i^-i.^ ,v,■»^.^4<». ^' 'i4f,'?.^^i^fr^-^. ■'■''.'■ r i- \ ^i^iirKi :^i^ka^ltl,i^itjtif^iM.-'i:»^A w>tet , 'TWr-. rw-^. m 1 *. ^ -" y Sreakers Ahead! ^53 II. I warn you against /As zf;ay^/A^(f;i;/r^^a«/; against spending money you do not possess ; against debt. Start , in life as yoii mean to continue, and let this be one of. your iriaxim3, that you will "owe no man anything." Do not begin to borrow — rather do without the thing you desire till you have n^oney to pay for it. If you once get into * the way of purchasing in advance of your means, theiiabit will grow, and the debt will increase till it is like a milj- stone round your, ijeck. Pay as you go, and count that as forbidden ypu which you have not money to buy. Deny yourself every luxury which your purse prohibits. Remem- ber, debt is' a rigorous tyrant, and,. as Solomon says, "the borrower is servant to the lender." I link it here with extravagance, and justly so, for in most cases it is a love ■ of show that- tempts a young la^ into the snare. He admires a seaif or a breast-pin, and as he must have it, he purchases on credit, and ten to one, before he has money to pay, the one is threadbare, or the other is lost, and so he grudges payment, and is tempted to evade it. Thus the mischief grows. Don't seek to be too fine. Be manly enough just to appear as you are. Be content to begin life at the^ beginning, and to wait as others have done before you, till your income warrants this and' that unnecessary indulgence. It is an awkward-looking arrange- ment when a youth begins with the large end of the horn, and comes out at the small endisV* Young men ; yes, and ytoiing Wmen, too ; listen to me. Never run into debt. Though you shpuld have to wear • a patched coat, and a cotton dress, rathac do that than borrow. '^, > ^^ I see so much of the trouble which people bring upo: themselves by getting into debt, that I may be pardoned being terribly earnest with you ofr the point, and sayin .' ^ ■ ': - a- ••; * '*iA^{\ 'fy •!'■( '"i^.'k »■ '*' t( .- "^fff' ^."'8 154 'U '.••'- ■^■■o of i^oreivarned-fMorearmed, not in it, fvoid it, pa^ notl|)y it, turn from it, and pass away.", . P '.-.; < (|> J[ • in. I warn yqu agiinst /^ w^ e/" ^^ A^f. :^st- aWa road I '460 vHe and repulsivfetl^iat onef.*5i4tki ima^e, itiUftnecessaiy to utter a word of ca|^on in^j^rd to il'; ■ '"- the fact is, that there ^te Mrit of thojl$i%is ^o^r ^ jen being thii^ entrapped. T^a ioathso|^ M.^*"ri ■^<*!^^!^3^'M^f^&lis^*society. It hiitjjp* ~-^ comm^ity. It go1qui'|, t}^ \. . ««-. ' itmm^ <^«r^"° M^^^at can put on sncJi'?'., - an ^t <^;|k>l^« j^wbrk such deadly mis- ^'^m^mf^^^m^^'iht hidpousne^s of itjC ^l.dh^aiijt^^:|fe4M[eVc^ which the J^e.w TestS* "**SL^^V^Sjpf^i^^'sdiaidi^.^ the clothefcl- of ^ d^^.^e4eci|er.t Horrible! See the revolting*" 'spectacle I r^Phe ch»|f priests and scribes, indeed, are »Bartlessl> l^ocking the sinless Sufferer. The thoughtless ' iabble are pu^ng, and driving, and shouting in hideous % .4in ;, '^Ht, i)o efthly creature save a gambler could be so I^Nto^eirery feeling of humanity, as to sit down coolly in \ iipiniiy of the cross, and take a bet on His seamless But this these soldiers did : and t|ieir direct descendants ■%,. ^^^^^ ^^^^ *°'^^^ '° *^® repulsive beings that Ibunge %/%^°"^.*^® °^^® of some sportinir journal, when the news K of a great herse race is expected; or in that poor bloated man with a couple of pigeons in his bosom; or in that ^ besotte^ half-idiot-looking wretch who is leading two or three, sihall dogs by a string along the street. Verily, the " ^M*^ ^^ human-kind cannot lower go. And y^t does not ^"W°'^' leprosy extend to the highest in thfj land, when • menibers of the Royal family patronise the Derby, and ' ^JH^ Mfi^ffl^rquisea stake large sumsoa favoupite^ feorses^^ and even Pariiament adjou^ and makes the occ&sion a f^ /■ 1 . ^ 1 a 1 > ; .' * r ■ • ■:t i - 1 ' B - ' ' > --l.,^ *t ■K Breakers Ahead! ^(•r; "i||jr' 155 loli^day ? Oh the ruin of souls that must be laid at the loor of this inexorable passion ! How deplorably wide- spread is it throughput our land I You can hardly enter a . ,#dtel or a railway train, but you hear the language of J^t\\\Ti%-vasxi, or have their literature thrust before "your ?eye. Not a syllable can be said in its favour. It is evil, it is rotten to the core. The plague reaches down to the' most trivial affairs of life. There is nothing so small, that some silly- p^ple will not bet upon it. Young men in particular are Uable to this folly. Oh I my dear lads, do take my advice, and tamper not >^ith the vice in atiy form whatever. / Have the manliness to say, " No ; I have made up. my mii^d not to do it." Beware of small beginnings. Do not stake so much as a threepenny-piece. Whether it be with dice, or cards, or in any other way, refuse stemly^o lay down money on hazard. It is not merely unwise ; I can prove to you it is a sin. You throw away your money if you lose ; you cheat if you win ; for you A^e no right to take money from another, unless you render him a service for it. Betting diseases the mind, and unfits it for the duties of life. There ia^no fevil course that is more insidious in Its commencement, or more insatiable in the appetite it awakens. Therefore, in the name of God, I appeal to every one of you: ^-^En^ not 1n it, go not in the way of It, avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away." IV. I Warn you of the way of the drinker. The literature of the temperance qU^on is now so prodigious, that a" man must be a geniuslndeed who can contribute so much Ma single fresh t^jlg^orargl^fcjapon it. That I do ^orattempt, anlgetW'startlifeg c^fV Breakers ahead I " ^^} ^^"^if £PJg ,^^'°q tha n ^hh ref erence to that fgtal ^ l^cE on wH^ so many iaiojisands of both s^es are yearly making shipwreck of their souls. ,1 hdpe'^ou h%e the '^ A ^\ 4^ t \ ■^s &V ,« ^ ^t '^ 1* •f^\ •i" '^ 4'' f\.)^' ~1^ • ' ': ^^^ ■-':^n@"^ \ If".' " " 156 Porewcirned^FQrearmed. good aense to make^h a disaster impossible by simDly refusing to tduch the dangerous thing. , ^ ^ That lad is-well. I simply call him a goosq, a fool, who Know the ensnaring character of Jcoholism.: j^uTs a drop to h.s l.ps.<=.He does n9t need it ; he is better without ^n^ ?t f n°l>eally like it (for the taste is unnatural), and If he does take Jt. .it is only from ad aping at maiv^ hness, wh ch betrayl the weakest childistneL^ A y^h ^ never looks so silly as when he takes his first mouthful of quor ; and then, if you are not looking, with wry face spits It out agam. I trust you will never be persuaded to take . any other drink thanthat which God A Jghty has brewtl for all H.S children. The man who offers you an intoxicant deserves that it should be dashed back into his tHor by that^act of his, for adght he knows, he is imperilling your, whole future welfare. ^ I am no wild, rabid preacher of abstinence. I do nof deny that in certain instances acohol may prove medicinally useful; all the more do I •claim your conviction, when \ entreat you not to touch the article; to keep a hundred miles away from the temptation • and should the door of the tavern or the gin-palace invit you, «nter not, go not in it; avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away." , ^ ' ^"™ V. . I warn you against the way of the libertine. I shouW grievously fail in -duty did I not caution you against the faintest approach to in^turity. There is no speeds o^ vice on which^the Word of God is more explicit-nonfe on which IS threatened more terrible punishment. Indeed on this, matter the Bible does^ot so" much speak a^ thunder-bolt after bolt, peal aftey peal-darning us of tl ^JIh • T!^"u?*f ' °^ '^'"'^ indulgence, both in this life, and m that which is to come. I am not going to lift |°13'^"^^^ "Mer other clrcurostaB c es . I m ig ht do i'srCV^*'' 1 ■m'-s^l "•■ii n V' > =..;=^^— ^ -^-^ ~-~~» v,«,^^ vni^ui n s i aB c es » X might do and expose the haunts of licentiousness, nor turn the bull's- f 1^^ M ^*->! '>J ^^ \ * t 'w.f' l-^OT- iff-' (!"•' »- 't • Breakers Ahead! »57 ; dye lanten, on that " house which is the way to hell, going : down to t^e chambers of death." God knU iZ^Z too well o conceive it possible that you sHckd sink to ;-ch bestial deg^dation. But I implore you to k^p t eLTT r k'''"'' '^°™ '''' '''''^' of,f>ollution. Ld. refuse to touch, even with a pair of tongs, a lewd and loose companion who would entrap you into evil. Such a man is more to be shinned than the cholera poisbn. Shut your ear agamst every whisper of immodesty Turn your Xferir ^^ picture. Fling out of your^xLch : " Keep thyself pure » ; for, if once that purity be ffone you have lost the most precious jewel in your casket ^and depravity of our fallen nature, when I say that there is a . certain original purity of thought and feeHng wMch once defiled, no fuller's soap can cleanse. Tru^Zl^av , , be repented of and forgiven, but you can ' never rega^ what you have lost. I speak of a class of sin to whkh in £h ''k " T ""'' " ^'^^ ' " ^°^ ^« only saf^t;^ in flight. Keep far away from it; for one vile thou/ht entertam^ed rather than resisted, may be like a spark on a magfazme of gunpowder. My dear young friends I do pray you may know how blessed it is'to b^e pureTn heart , and clean m life; and therefore I entreat you' shoryou be tempted mto the path of unchastity, "Enter it not To ■ ZXlCT'^'T'^' '^^^'*"^" from it'Xa's away. ^ I must give the text yet one more application y 1. l;et me warn you against /Ae path ofihe tcoffer. Some Of you may have s«gn an old German print which represents a game pf.chess. the^parties engaged being a young mal ^!^^,f^^f"^^^- There flits Satan, bending over , the board., with a c^i^n upon his face, and an air of' /if^-t - <5 J ■ } -1 !: *S ■, v> ,. i^>\- •k t -tf m i , » , • . t^i.fl/b ^'A^f t^ /'' ^'tpr-^ f^ ■11^ :pJ^.■•*^^, Forewa 158 conscious 8uperiorit|Ppin!ptly finge^ the pieces, and seems about to chegPkte his rival. Ther lad sits pensive and anxious, for he lias staked his soul upbn the issue of ttte game. There appears no hope for hi m ; ,^4 indeed *'*®'"e wbuld be none, w^re it not thaMPMGflll^iida almost invis^Ie, an angelic form bel^lSrSm, whoS the victoor i^ his favour. It is the angel of the covenant, the Divme^|*j^nsellor. whose skill works marvels on the board, and^iast defeats the destroyer. Be sure, youi^ men (for jl^^ devil will try this game with each of you), unless y|i^ave a Divine Friend to help you, you wfll be the easy>Tctims of his craftiness. You will be assailed on every sideH)f your being. If he does not succeed throuirh the lu^ts of the %sh. he will probably attack. you on the intellectual dde of ybur nature. H». will inject all sorts of doubts, start strange and unanswerable questions . 1)resent old truths in a grotesque aspect, and so get you ',.®ii^i,'^*° *^%*^^^!es8 regions of freethought and r^ r! n° ^ ^^'^^IJ^'ed is to be forearmed. Know that It il all coming, or may come, and be prepared for the assault. 1 , This danger almost always spriBg8%t of unwise, c6m- pamonships. One sceptic in an office may unsettle^l his fellows. By his sneers. l^nuM^oes. his exaggerations, he may do a world of »:hier One fool,^ rtiise a question which fifty wise ijien may be unable to answer : * «emem|fa-, there is far i^1|>r revelatib^han^gaiite It. For "Peiy argument against Christianityithere are a hundred m its favour. There are ho men sq^jspldoite ^ infideH. As Napoleon once s^id of Durdc, tS^Sii will believe anything provided it is not in ^Bible. Aflieism ' T?ltjw5,^- ""''^ ^^^ tSrw* the head.^ The best -^^^Tour country; by a l^Wjs-on the. 'dam'dofthe Bible. Do not go into the company .*»•- .s. ^- ^ J& t] b tl b) • in in it, dr CO be wh Sa de] me str( to ( hel whi abl( T^, mx •iras S-/- 'J^ifj^ 's' '*, *^iw . '^'' Si. « ^ rhs nt, the ng u). be on gh on all IS, ou id ►w or .K, Breakers Ahead/ ^' r^r i ■" '59 of scoffert. Do not visit the so-called Halls of Science or temples of infidelity. Far better strengthen your fS than put it in peril. Hold aloof from ajT who Lul 1^ -hat .s sacred, or speak disrespectfully of the beft o T iTV *^°"«-"C-:^ ?lr*" ■#"*- K ■. ; 9'j ^ i* ^« XII# - ^ rEMDING ON ASHES. - : Vy HO does? Of whom is the prophet speab'ng? Z \ ^ i 'P '"^ °^ '^" "^"•* ^ho strives t^satisfy the (Sod-ward yearnings of his nature by worshipping a deity of h,s own creation. We have just had in this chapter a most graphic description of the idolater's folly. With a . dash -of pungent satire. Isaiah shows what a silly man he Th ' ^T^"'' '^' "^°^^ P^°^^«« °^ god-manufacture which pro^bly hi, own hands planted many years ago and, Iiaving. hewn it down, sets to work with line and pl^6, andthis^ to fashion it into the resemblance- of a huina« being, ^.his being done, he places it in a shrine ,gtemp,e, and ^f,lls - down tf^fore it, and worships X ,«|t becomes of the rest of the tree? Oh', with |t he «rtp|ft b az,ngfi,e to warm himself, or to bake his bread I Somf It IS quite a chance which portion of the^ood becomes a god, and which portion turns to ashes on °he hearth ; the same tree suffices to cook food f(#,is hungry bod,, a^d to provide an object of adoration Sis hung y ^ughed ^;.and the propljet. holds him up to the derision of all senlJIe men. as one whose head is surely turned, or ^yi.Q.^a*.fiilrr3^ Josthis wits. Y fwo^ oytont, aod then bow down and do homage to them We th^k that nowadays, at all events, the secoi^'coinmahd- '**'. .•®*^'.> it .V. /;.Ji'f!fe:.' */1: 164 F^wamed^Forearmed. mfent might be safely expunged from the Decalogue. But we forget that, although human Customs may have changed, \ the human heart is still the same. ' Idolatry is by no means a thing of the past. • There is within the soul of man a powerful craving for some object to worship. The soul was made for God, and cannot be happy without Him. If it does not find Him, it must find some other object, out of arid beyond itself. There is an insatiable hunger, which, . if not appeased and quieted by the knowledge of God, will compel the soul to feed on meaner objects — to seek satis- faction in wealth, or carnal pleasure, or gaiety, or favour, or fame, or literature, or some other earthly resource ; and when a man, yearning after blessedness, seeks it rather in these than in the true God, he makes the same foolish mistake as did the idolater' whom the prophet describes ; and of the one, as well of the. other, may it be said, that " he feedeth on ashes." Though there are not a few of you, my dear brothers, who, thank God, are now living on very different diet, having " meat to eat that the world knows not of," yet there are hundreds of young men in this city— and, I doubt not, sofiie here to-night— who are still making the awful blunder of the text, " spending money for that which iS * not bread, and their labour for that which satisfieth not"; and to such I am now to appeal to put away that miserable fare, and feed upon the manna that cometh down from Heaven ! That your souls are hungry, I am as sure almost as I. am of your .existence. There is a deep unrest comes over you, that makes you feel you want something, in order to be tnriy happy. I think young men, and specially if they live alone, feel this more than any other class of people. You often into a yet queer, morbid, dejected Bt . atP. rynd yoiV wonder H what is the matter with you. Bife Moesft't seem worth . i'. «t r>4 Feeding on Ashes. 165 living. Everything 'around you seems an linreality, a sham you wish you were something else than you are. jYou some- times wish you were dead. You cannot inter^t yourself, as you know you ought to do, in the matters of your daily business and avocation. - What can it be that makes you so restless and unsatisfied ? borne people call it stupidity ; others call if nervousness • ,,- a third class call it the Bdgets ; but I will tell you what the ^ible calls it. ^unger. Hunger of sou^. It is the craving of .an appet;te which God Himself has put within you. And there is only one object in all the universe that can appease that craving. Your soul was fonned to know and love, and serve the Lord ; it has gone away far from' Him ; and till if come back to Him, it cannot be happy. "My heart is pained, nor cart it be ' At rest, till it finds rest in Thee." But, you say, some people appear to get on tolerably well, and to be fairly happy, without religion. Yes, for a while ^ It is strange what fancies a diseased appetite n^y assume. It is possible a man may come to enjoy jcrunching cinders. I , recollect a case in point. I remember a gentleman of my acquaintance whose reasonNgave way and one of the first evidences of his lunacy Us hi& fancy for ashes IW^ kno«r that-in some parts of th^ worll here is a class of persons called ^arth-eaters, who^are in the regular practice of using certain kiqds of sand or clay tor food. From time immemorial the Chinese have been in the habit of eating earth along with their bread." There are^districts in In^ia, where, as in the island of Java, a reddish kmd of earth 48 actually baked into cakes, and sold , ' Vh IT.^^!^^?'"/'''''' ^ ' ^^ """^bol dt mentions a spedeg o ftrlny whK» ^\i ^-^m^z^^m^ mM^^;^^^i-^^ Dails, ind store up in quantities aa,a luxury. * ' \.-1 • •• r V <. » t \ V f'w, *■ ..-rf 'S- \ ! Irt*' \ «HlT^ '^K. ■f-v^^f^^tl^l Qt' .€■ i66 ^ Forewarned— Forearmed. * * Well, every man to his taste, bu^ we cannot believe that any one can be nourished by such diet. We call it an un- natural, a perverted, a depraved appetite: Sodner or Irffcer It must prove fatal to the person who indulges it. No human bemg In his right' senses would feed on earth or ashes. i^-^ , And so it is spiritually. Hear what the prophet says in hlir^'L'."" ^"'^^^ on. ashes; a deceived he^ " r .. . ^™ ^'"^^^•" Thedeceived heart is the source .« of the depraved appetite. Oh that God would help me to undeceive some; hearts here to^-night, that they may lose th^ir^rehsh for "ashes," and may hunger for the bread which Cometh down from Heaven I ' . , Now, that fine old man, who.was so deeply interested m young men-I mfean the Apostle John-warns you -.against the indulgence of this depraved appetite. " I write Unto you. young meh." he says, " love not the world, neither 4he things thatare in t>e world " ; and then he speaks of it as taking a, three-fold form, "the lust of t^e flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life." I shall borrow his suggestion, and speak of thre^class^s 6f young men-all of them known to myself— whoVre "feeding on ashes " Iv Those who are giving Jhemsielves up to -sensual pleasure. Now. look here: I never say t<3 a n^an who has half a mind to become a Christian^, you must give up the pleasures of the world. There is no^one onearth who has , so much right to the pleasures of the world as the believer It is thfe greatest mistake imaginable to suppose that when a mail becomes truly religious, he is at once to give up all thQ luxuries of life, and *live on bro'wn bread and prison fare. I do not believe ih asceticism. I do not believe in i tnelancholv WifK- ' •f* v ■ i PIQUS -holy, Wif^> nil the thund g lignatron7 f , , , ^ '^•"=' '^ T"7 inuignanon, 1 rebuke the young men who ape being monks. The \ Feeding on Ashes. 167 religion of Christ is on the side of joyousness, and liberty, and manliness. No room, lighted up for marriage festival, IS so bright and gay as the heart 'that is right with God. If I want to see «imshine in a human face, I look out for the truest, sincerest Ghristian I know. The most saintly man I ever saw— or expect to see till I get to Heaven- was McCheyne of Dundee; and his buoyancy of spirit knew no bounds. I'll tell you a secret, if you will promise me not to repeat it. One Monday, morning, after the labours of the Sabba% McCheyne was walking in the copju^ry, along with one or twd'of^he best and holiest mmisters Scotland has ever known ; all of them in%e ' a]°^T °^ "°"*^' "^^^^ "^^""^ crossing a field, and McCheyne, bounding forward, started •'leap-frog," in which the others heartily joined. But a grave and aged elder, who had witnessed the sport, came up and solemnly rebuked the divines, who gpod-humouredly cbnfe|8ed the awful heinousness of ^*«ir crime, and promised nevprb do the like again 1 T ; ... ■ ' ' ■ „■. ■/ But this, innocent Kflaiity, which leaves no ilf results behind, is%ood and healthful, and a very differenCthing from the emmaddening gaieties of the world. *How many^ who give, themselves to constant party-going, and dancing, and mMnight carousals, find, ere they have been long at it, what a wretched existence it is. Amid the blaze of gaslight, and the ^n^, and. the revelry, tKey.are in ecstasy; but in the morning, jaded and de- pressed, they can only exclaim, "Ashes, ashes!" "As the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the'lailghter of the fool." Heap on the furzer arjll whins! What a glorious blaze ! What a merry crackle ! See the sparks and fla me s 1 ^ j^llj^w, t^Hirntrtrf^ -§117 iirten mi^^^^^^ shall look into that grate, where you are striving to make. ■■■ % V\ •.~:i..„ .- • > ''W' i-;^/ '-m .>j^'', t' ' ■■r w ""■iTi ^"^T"'!, J 68 ^orewmrned-^IBsrearmed. jour pot of pleasure boi, and yoH shall see nothing but a handful of ashes ! - Bewe your pots can feel the thorrts He *all take them ws^ as with a whirlwind, both livinff and m. His wraih." . - i^kBBm there mt some roung men that laugh at the ° iE '°"*''^ -"^^ "^^^ ^^^e their tea at five o'clock If^P.^*^"""""' ^"d their heads on the pillow by ten., ^'nr. thev sar. -'tha^ is just the time wh^n the jand the pleisure :egin." And so they turn night ^day, and think they nave a fine time of it. " Fast " _ ^ men ! Yes, mdeed ! they ixe " fast," for they hurry s.^ t farougn all the real enjoyment of life ; and if thev ^S^asA prematurely laid in the churchyard or cem/ «ry. tiiey at least soon feel that the charm, the glow «f existence is gone, and iMith bloated cheek and sunken Shes"^ °"'^ ''^^ ""^^ ^^^ *^^'^ "^^"'"^^ delights, "Ashes, I know you won't be angry with me for touchin*g so' often on the- point, or if you are I cannot help it, for eveiy day I see the frightful curse of drink, and I would to God that my poor words to-night might be th- savmgof some one here from the loathsome pit into which so many are slipping. A wise man among the ancients once said that the vine-cluster had three grapes-pleasure drunkenness, misery. If you resolve to have the first, yoii shall also have the second, and the third. When a man drinks intoxicants for the pleasure of it, there is hardly a chance for him. Three or four men in a hundred may escape, or perhaps five ; but I beKeve that 95 per cent go straight down the road to wretchedness and ruin. To tens' of thousands the public-house, the grog shop, the drinking saloon, has been simply, the antechamber of hell. Why I / could tell you of gentlemanly young <•"" -^^ •• -' it^r^rntered sucn a^paceVTBTRrsense of shameT^ **. i \ J V # ■¥tk .V 'V, f^ fH^ i- .*V :^ \ Feedit^ on Ashes. . 169 looked this way, knd that way, and behind, to see if a»y one observed them^ and then crept stealthily in ; now, they : wiU'^ stand for an hour at the bar, or sit in the tap- room, without a blush iipon their face : and so they go galloping down the fatal steep, till, at last, the cra^h wilj come, and, amid the ravings^f delirium, they will see a jeering, blaspheming crew dancing around the foaming cji'ps; and spirits of the damned, with skeletort fingers, holding aloft the brimming flagons*; whilst forms, more hideous than Hogarth ever painted, shall jpip in wild huzzah df death,, and, pointing to th^e^ so-called delights of sense, will shriek out with fiendish sneer, " Ashes, " ashes 1 " "He feedeth on ashes:, a decejved heart hath turned him aside." But ~ . II. I have a w(5rd to say to you who are setting uto another idol for your worship, it is neither Venus nor\ Bacchus, but it is Plutus ; it is worldly substance; it is ^ money. There is no doubt of it ; mammon, in one or other of its many forms, is the man-crea^ deity, whom large numbers are bowing down to with a devotion whose blind- ness is only equaHed by its fervour. You may t^m with loathing from the coarser pleasures on which I have touched, and yet as truly fall within the description of the text ; for every one is preferring " ashes " to bread who is seeking food for his soul in things created ratheijthan in the Creator. "The covetous man, who is an idolater." * Such is the language of St- Paul. It is not my/business this evening to speak 0/ the sinfulness of such/ idolatry, butto tell you that every one who makes the woijld his god ' is laying up for his soul starvation and disappointment. " The vrorld with stones instead of WdflC/ -My. 'haagrysouUias always fed ; r- / It promised he^th ; in one short hour ^ Pewshed the fair but fragile flower j / '■f?; . '''j"- ! f' -"\ ' nt *V IPS ^;ii^.: 170 Forewarned^^ecirmecL It promised riches B in a day They made them w«ng8, and flew away ; " It promised friendsh all sought their own, . •' -^d left.my widows heart alone." f. Gentlemen do not mistake 1; it is not from this pulpit that you will ever hear a sentimental tirade against energy m business, against a laudablelambition to do well for thV world, and secure, not only a Competency, but an abund- ance. There is no sin in desiriW to be rich, if your mopey comes to you honourably, anlj goes from you usefully. Ay, but what is all that, if that is all ? Can you feed the immortal soul within you >with bank cheques and good investments? Will all tile gold inf the Bank of Jingland appease, the hunger of yo\ir deathless spirit ? Oh no ! But many seem to think i^ will. They put out of their mind every other thought. li you go into their office and approach the outermost verge o\the subject of religion n.!VT . "\"P ' "°"' °^ '^^' 4 ^^^^•" So determi- natelydo they keep all serious thin^ out oUhelr^irtd. hat. .after a while, when the evening shades of life begin o fall, and when they think they must give a little attention • -I ?.\"^'' ^^'^ ^^"''- '^^^y h^^^ become so saturated * t^fyT^"" T W "^^'^ ^°P^'^^^ ^^«^« t° deal with and bringing to the feet of JesUs a poor bloated de^' bauchee, than of doing any good to one of these hard- twent' rr '■' ^'■"'"'^■"P ™°"ey-«crapers, who for , wenty, thir^.;, o^ forty years have no other thought but ' Inrf. ^^ "^^^'"• ^^l^^^^ known some of them here; ■■S'llICi "^ . . , ^ - i \ \ \- v^ ^^ / \ A 1 ■ II , ' 1. B 111' "^^V *^' I Feeding Washes, 171 Some time ago, I read in the papers of a little boy who^ for montlis had been gathenog up prune-stones. being fond of the kernel ;^o, wishing to prepare for him^ self a great treat, he laid up quite a large store: at last came the day of anticipated enjoyment ; he ate them all, and, after hours of agony, died I So I have seen men who^ have given up their whole life to one aim, toimass wealth • prepannga banguet of enjoyment for the evening of their days; and, when they sat down to the feast, lo I on the table only ashes, ashes ! Oh, what an array of testimony I could bring you were ;t necessary I Call over the roll ; and be quick f.r Vi' ^' *™^'' P^'''"^ °"- '^he worldling happy ? No ' shouts the late Duke of Brunswick, who dared no sleep out of his hous^ne nighf, Idst his fabulous collection of diamonds should be stolen. " No I " exclaims the late Mr. Rothschild, "how can a man be happy, when just as you are going to dine, you have a letter put in your hand, saying. 'If you do not send r^e^-soo. I will blow yourbrainsout.' ' "No!" cries the late William Astor. the^^ni.onaire of New York, who a few days t|^e his death worried l^imself till he was sick, becaus^e ol his rents had gone down, I mighl go on summoning the hving as well as the de^d ; but why should 1 weary tou > -^o you not know, that though you could holdithis globe in your grasp so long as it shall endure, it shaH one "day be ' shrivelled to a cinder; and. amid the blast of the arch- angel s trumpet, and the crash of final dissolution, all its pomp and wealth, ^d splendour shall be consumed by fire ■ whilst over the world, which men have hugged so cLely ajid Wed sc^ell, and with ,^hich they have souai^tTfi'lI • )■ .. ... , ' — ,'*"'^" "'cy nave spurti-te their i mmorta sQ uls.will be Written in letters oifs^,. ^«ltJful epitaDk *-A5hss .sbKSo^ 7-^ " V-*^vjyi epitaph, —Asres, ashes ./ ^1 i' ^ % in. There is a third class of men who are <|aHjr, > v*^b-\' :.»''''^%-v ^'J^ j^^.. „' «■■■ is^ > 172 Fch^ewantedr—Porearmed. "feeding qn ashes" (bfecause "a deceived heart has turned them aside "), and I want a word with them bef6f» we say to each othef, " Good-nig^t." They have got hold of a lot of tnfiM literature, and thdy are stuffing their souls /with as weak and poisonous rubbish as it is possible to meet with. «'0h," you say, "did you read that article in the last numbei^of such and such a review ? Have you read the^ boojT just brought out^'ty such and such an author?" and you put the question with the air of one who imagines ^hat Dr. This, or Professor That, has clean swept away the whole doctrinal foundation of our indent Christianity. Keep your mind easy, my friend ; the Gospel lives still. Our religion has stood a good number of these attacks, and means to stand a good many more. You cannot do better tha^^t the sdund "advice which Mr Gladstone gave a sho JH^ago to the students at Glasgow : Meet doubt with d« ^M ^g^i^X scepticism with scepticism,' . in. If a difficulty is thrown at the infidel camp, it is certainly quite as easy for you to throw back a difficulty from the Christian entrenchment. The fact is, these attacks are as old as the Gospel; they have their day; they make an agitation, and then they are forgotten. I am happy to tell you that the fortress of Christian truth was never stronger or more impregnable than it i^ now. Thoughtful Inen have tried worldly philosophies, and find they won'/ do The discoveries and conclusionsof this wise man contradict the discoveries and conclusions of that. The tide is turn- ing. Some of our men of science are speaking more respectfully, of the Bible than they did a few years ago We are certainly very much obliged to them. I have read • articles of living scientists, which I am sure they woul< not ,,mite no w. X)o-aot you^ve^up. an-hrefr of gnniiid:^^^^^^ meet question wit you, like a bombsh ^R meanest cant in thfe ^world is the cant of infidelity. Do riot C c ii ..■ ' , **" , h V ■ ■ • ■> \ - .'l ■' ■ ■. ■ / ' , • \ V •\ f. , « - ■■ • I. . * - ' ik.^:.. . 'liAluIiL-^^^i^i^M^vtjAfj.: ,'''.lJ!i>:.. :. .; ^<.A^.^v'^ ■5 .: xi. m ' M 1 - -if- ' 'm. ■ » ■■ t Ir V . s - « ' .' \ _1» - * "v ■ y • ■ • 1 \ - ■ .-^ .■ ['■ i 1 .■ 1 ■i *.. m ■ 1. 1 »''V„ (► >> ,/ .'- .*s4-« ■ * !* t ^'k. <^, • 4- :-*v^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) , ii« '^M., 1.0 I.I iM 12.0 11:25 iu 1^ 1.6 S^' ^ // <> 4uc /. / ^^- ^ ji^# Fhptogrsphia .Sciences LorpQPalion 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WnSTm,N.Y. I45M ( 7lH47a-4S03 '^ 4- "T i*'"""'.^('?"jt#r>'^ 174 Forewamed^-Fotearmed. Christians. I do not speak to them. I shall take the one hundred in this audience who are furthest from God. No, I would narrow the matter down, and stretch the cord of the Gospel around the twenty hardest, darkest jjipuls in this assembly. That does not satisfy me yet ; I shall take the five of you whose salvation seems to be almost impossible. No, I will go lower still, I want the one who is the worst of the five. I address myself at this moment to the most godless and wretched man within this building. The Lord knows who you are, though I do not. My brother, here, in Christ's name, I offer you the hand of help and sympathy. You are not too far gone for Divine mercy to save. Though to this hour you have been "feeding on ashes," Heaven spreads a banquet before you to-night, and beckons you to come and partake. Can you ^lesitate "• another moment ? On that ver>' seat where you are sitting determine that Satan has had the last of you, and that you .will no more feed y ur soul with the offal of hell. God help that young man ! Others have been blest before at these services, why not you to-night ? Up I and from this hour be a new life begun ! Say, I've had enough of sin, and enough of the flesh ; I have now done with all ; Lord, I want the Living Bread that cometh down from Heaven I " With ashes wifc would grudge to part, When called on angels' bread to feast?' .JT-'y I: i r^Jl WAY OF TJiANSGR£SSOIiS HARD. 'V . / " 7^ way of transgresiors is hard."— Vkov. xiii. 15. •Oi ^* •I* •^F '•' '\ ^ f f / ■- XIII. • / THE IVAY OF TRANSGRESSORS HARD. HTHE truth which is condensed in these words of Kin- X Solomon I take to be this, that in regard to a lacge class of sins, and especially those sins into which young men^ _ are apt to be ensnared, retribution follows in the present • liie. 3m never pays. ^. course of vice is not only a crime, but a blunder. When men sin. they do it in expectation of happmess ; the happiness does not come, but. on the other hand, wretchedness. Not once >llthin the past six thousand years has a man reaped a single advantage by doing wrong. In every instance without exception. In which a man has sinned, he has been the poorer and the sadder for it. Sin means sorrow, distress, pain, whether that pain fol- lows immediately, or after a while. You cannot sin without suffermg damage'. • t^Ti!'"! ^^u ^^ t ^^"^•■^J ^ay. I suppose, we all assfent to the truth; and. though men tr>' to shut it out of their minds, there are few who have not the deep innate con- viction that God will bring them into judgment for the •errors they have done. , . . ' "" But as I apprehend, this is not the particular truth that lies before us here. Wh^t the wise man. lays down is that'. .in regard to a large class of sins, retribution follows n » 178 Forewarned — Forearmed. It promised to be a pleasant road. It looked smooth, flowery, and enticing : but it turned out to be " hard," or, as the original means, stony, rough, and rugged. We are all familiar with the Bible expressions, " the way of holi- . ness," "the way of truth," "the path of the just," "the way of the righteous " ; these are all different names for the same one road— the road that leads to God and to life everlasting. But, diverging from that, there are many . paths that lead to ruin : and very tempting do- some of them appear. You look down this avenue and that, and oh, how attractive is the view! Everything to bewitch, and charm, and promise pleasure ! A greenwood path perhaps, festooned with trees, and carpeted with flowers ! Such it seems at its opening, but, as you advance, the vision vanishes ; the flowery turf changes into sharp rugged stones ; and with *ore andtibleeding feet you are forced to own, " the way is hard ! " It is not merely that it leads tb destruction; that' its terminus is dark and hopeless de- spair ; but that the way itself proves unutterably painful. Confessedly, its earliest steps are not so, or it woQld offer you no temptation. To some of you who are yet young in the ways of the world, the paths orf" vice promise intense enjoyment ; it is the way of the righteous that seems so hard. To be a thorough Christian, to be decided for the Lord, to dis- join yourself from all wicked associates, and keep at a distance from every form of dissipation, and folly; it is this, you think, that is so hard — so harS, as to be almost impossible. #., And, on the other hand, to yield to your lower appetites and passio1!t: to follow where the flesh would lead you: t& givfr up t4ie restraints of religion, and dashin amid alT^ "^^'^^-^^ 4 , TAe Wayof Transgressors Hard. 179 are teZ^d t k . '' ^ '''^' '° ""^"^^^ «° inviting/you u i ? i-urns out to be rouffh and hard r»k Sir T. ^'^^^^'^^^^^^^ to revea, -..a.-t' .o";!'':;^ tnT'^ . ^'trf persons rubbing shoulders with us everv H» T a,.aa.s„.eri„,.he„n.o,d.,on';:sTLX"haU: <. har^T;e:;:;^;:io[rr :i—r •'"■'--• in contact »«h a large nuibsr 7Jfl ''""' '° '^°™ V v-wi interest in the spiritual welfare of f^s^ir,. 't- m 1 80 Forewamed-^Forearmed. the young men of his flock, happened to be in London. Passing along Cheapside one day, he took refuge from a shower of rain in the Mansion House, where the Lord Mayor was sitting in Court. On the following morning, whilst calling at the ofiice of afriend, a letter was handed to him, which had been thrust in under the door The letter was as follows : — « rk o AT • " Ttuiday evening. DEAR SiR,-As I was walking up Ludgate Hill this morning you passed me. It is ten years since I left but I knew you instantly, and forward this line to tell you' 1 am glad to see you looking so well, and that the sight of your familiar face induced a number of pleasing reflec tions^n connectidh with bygone scenes; but of agonising remorse at the madflening recollection, that, from the neg- lect of ihose principles you endeavoured to inculcate I find myself a young man stripped of fortune, friends, character, and hope of- the world to come-a mere wreck-a waif on the rest ess waves of life, that sway to and fro in this desert city! mat would- 1 not give to recall the past! The text, Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap ' thunders m my conscience constantly. I find it true ^n temporal affairs as well, as spiritual. The next you hear of me will be in the list of those who seek to bury their sor- rows in the waters of the Thames. That a coffee-house is my study, IS my only excuse for this rude scrawl. I thought these feelings! had smothered for ever, but conscience will be heard, despite all. I wilfully silenced her, and now I can trace the retributive hand of Providence in the results of every false step. I saw you>*t the Mansion House again in the afternoon. I hope you will refrain from making inquiries as to my name, as it would be labour thrown away. All .1 ask is an interest in your pra yers.'^ _!/. The . Way of Transgressors Hard. iNf i8i "A young man, who on the zxxA in^t -,^.1 a ■ to R T? AT u- L -^ "^'- ^fidressed a note to relieve him." ' ^^^j^'" be rejoiced 1 83 Forewarned^Forearmed. bu .t ,s a hopeless task- the instincts of my better part are unfortunately too truthful to be deluded with a lie. What an awful reality is life, and wh^t^a dream has been mine I Commencing with novel-readi%, and ending in vice m-seo^, and disease! Such are^a few of the least evils' fulir "°'' '''''^'"^' ^ ''"'"'"' ^^^' ''"' ^°"''' ^'^'^■ This is but one of hundreds, ay, of thousands of such cases which occur every year in this metropolis, many of )^^ f never come to light, but end in some dark lodging m the slums, or in the workhouse, or asylum, or banish Intent, 1 . .Im'v'/V'^ '?''""" ^"^ *°"'^'"S^ *h°"^ht to me, that in all likelihood there are one or two present this evening who are just on the verge of such a career, and within whose consciences a voice is whispering, as I point to the- downward course of the profligate. "That's me I that's me 1 J Were I not bound in honour to strict confidence, I could read you many a letter as distressing as those I have given you ; and you will not wonder that, as I peruse each one, l lay it down with a sigh, and find myself saying. "The way of transgressors is hard I" / 6, me I might endeavour to deter you from evil courses by telling you of the judgment to come ; by picturing the scenes of that dread day, when you will be summoned to C^od s great assize, and have to render an account of the deeds done in the body; and by setting before you the horrors of a lost eternity : but that is not my rSie this even- ing. What I wish to impress upon all of you who are still JviBfi^after the flesfr4% that ther« is a day of Reckoning -= ■/■>'. ^'Kfi' The Way af Transgressors Hard. 183 even here ; that there is a day of judgment on this side of the grave ; a day of judgment in the conscience, ©r, at least, in the nerves, in the liver, in the bones, in the brain. How the Psalmist reproached himself for mopientarily being such a fool as to envy the wick'ed! Why, he gets quite wild at finding himself so idiotic ; for he had been "envious at the foolish, when he saw the prosperity of the wicked." Just as an outspoken Englishman of to-day, if ' he finds he has made some outrageously stupid blunder, exclaims, " What a fool, what an ass I have been f"' pre- cisely so does the Psalmist, " So foolish was I and ignorant ; I was as a beast before Thee." As though he Would say,' " Had I the intelligence of man, I ought to have known better than to suppose that a life steeped in sin can ever be a happy one." ' • Look, for example, at the misery which intemperance brmgs. I could bring" you instance upon instance of young men who have sat iK these very seats, from whose bright faces and engaging manners we had augured a longy and happy career; and now they are wrecked, bloated, haggard, unfit' for anything, and hastening to a premature grave. You look at them in the outs^of their fatal career arid all sterns pleasant and safe. F«F is not the mean' semsh men that are mostly ensnared V this vice, but the warm; gefterous, large-hearted natures that have not the firmness to say " No." At the beginning all is delightful and feir. Yonder in the brilliant saloon, when the wine goes round, giving its colour iiAhe cup; yonder, where a few choice spirits sit ' over the genial glass far into the night : apd song, and wit- and humour flow; there is muchA there is eveiything, to ^zzle and allure. A"'^ • . -^ - ^' '" , , . , -^"^ "**"y a r&w, inexpenenced voutr looks on with a kind of wonder, and is almost ashamed \ 184 . Porewartud— Forearmed' ■ J because he is not expert in the things that give .^re- c^mence an such a company ; ashamed because Z J" • not n^ ;;? '"^u""' ""^ P'P^ ^-^^'^ him sick, and fe not hke tho.e dashing blades.that seem.up"to every.tying! otht^end "'1^' '" .''" ^^^" ^^° ^ and.^ow/ee the . clcle ? iv . ' "'^'u' '''^ ^" "^° ^°™^d t^t jolly circle ? Ay where are they ? Ask Abney pL and Highgate, aftd Kensal Green I T ' be^dlrLlf ?''^"f '''^^^^'" live: mi^ht as well bLkrTn; • I ' *^^«^^"-hearted. bitten wit^ remorse. throTu^ /character mere fragments of me/, crawling through hfe, hardly (fanng to look you in the f^e. A few ' it IT"!' ""^^^'u "''"P"^' ^'^'^ '■^'^^^^^^^ tl^femselves ere • t was too late ; but as for most of them, if t% are spared ^ 7 !f ^"^- *hey are prematurely withered f theJ kept a>ndred wicks burning at pnce, and ^sed themselvel up m their youth ; and now. the victims of hopeless despair with not a ray of comfort in memories of' the past, nor n .ant.apat.ons of the future, they can only/mutter, wi h deep sepulchral voice. •• The way of transgreLrs is Lard ! '' Look again at the misery- which lic^iiousneh entails ^In the words of Hamlet,: I might say-/ ■ .. ' I' -''■ • . . But that I Am forbid To tell the secrets of this prison-Iiouse I could a tale unfold, whose' lightest word Would harrow up your soyL" Its victims, so cancer-hke in it, consumption of the so'ul's capacity for happiness, Sur. and speedy is-.he Nemel e^errc'h ' f"" °' ^" "' 'i-^ «"'■■ I'-'y n jewel which, once lost ranwof ;« „ . -^ . .■ ' h iewPl v.hinu , ^"" "' ^Pe nesh. i^urity is a jewel which, onc e lost, carrot, in some sense, be regaine^- ^ ^ -^ — y-- / r ■i«. <^ ! I ' (The Way of Transgressors Hard. 185 ^P°» yncere repentance, through Divine mercy, pardon may .ndeed be found ; but you cap never in this world be • ^ tlm' t'^^r'' ^''^^*^^"' '^"^ ^°^-'^ --ted the tempter, and avercome ~ wh^^hlhlr.''"' '■°"' '°°' ■""' '^'"' '•' '>' co»flr™,idn »h.ch the text receives in the career of the iambUr ? The d,ce-box and card-,rt,lo, hoVever innocent they „ay seem , are responsible for an amount of moral misehfef and"^' ' ZT, Tt"""'' "*" "" '"""'y inconceivab^ The ' appetite for betting,- once formed, becomes so imperiouT that everything must yield to it; let a man meet with S one or two successes, he plunges head fAemost inl the ,. fatal vortex ; no principle ca, re«rain him ,■ honesty truth he ilT'Kr""" ""• ^^"■^"■-S"-' SO to th? vil; the nsatiable craving must be gratified ; \hd thfourt , °f"l8'=nc*of this pa33io„, thousands hay^'brouihruX themselves, even in this wgrld, the ago.ies of helf -,VoL^ men I be wise^nd tamper not with this evil in its most ■ innocent form. / ' ' s hard. How cunningly the ^rch-tempter beguiles, intb h,s snare many a youth who deems himself inca£etf . Slippery. The ftrst few steps seem innaqent and safe Borrowing, speculating, prevaricating, rpakin^g false LTs downward glides the unconscious 'vicJm, tx71 at last the . disclosure comes," ^Perhaps this went on for a year or two, and the young man never lost a night's sleep. He. was padding fiis con science with all tj^anner of sophistrils anS makf-beHeves •' ' he would even kneel down to h^s nightly prayer Tna ^whaos write nJn.^ to*^.« i^^^.^ r^" J-^^^^ ^^S^ ^ ^aps ri. ^„. <*er. h^^;;^.^^^ .was(!n the daify practice of deliberate fraud .--not only ..^ i-f:. tm.. 'if 1 86 J^orewamec^Forearmed. :-v And, thus far, the way of the transgressor seemed soft ■ and^ooth. He enjoyed life thoroughly. 'He could sirfg and be merry with his friends, and feel no inward pan^ as he bowed his head in public pray^, or even sat down at the table of the Lord. But now the crisis has come ; he IS found out: and to his amazement there is a resurrection of moral sensibility he never dreamed of. Conscience ■ awakes from its sleep; it bites, and gnaws, and stings: character and self-respect are gone; and "his iniquities take such hold upon him, he is not able to look up." He shuns the sight of his friends; every thought of home pierces h.m with agony; he wishes he were dead, yet shudders at the thought of it. He would give all the world to be able to wipe out the past, but it cannot be: so he drags along a wretched existence, muttering as he goes, " The way of transgressors is hard ! " ' You would not wonder at>e speaking so plainly if you Knew how many actual cases I have now before my eye • one of them, but a few years ago, with as fair a character' • and as good prospects as any of you, and to-day in yonder gaol, wmcmg nnder the pangs of hopeless remorse I I do not know that I should. have addressed you as I have done this evening, had I not received letters from some of you which suggested this subject. Oh, it would hardly be supposed that in this quiet, orderly, devout company, there were such cases of moral shipwreck, and fierp^mw^rd conflict, as are actually now present. The breast of some of you-a battle-field between God and the ^^v^^^ ^ an^ Iftt stri ving fo r t h. vic t o^.^op> ^a^ aespair by turns seem no- *« ^..^..-.i '^ *^ ^ HespairBy turns seeming to prevail. - i\ '•.^V-: I r ^...», _2,-';;- - } • - t»^S%$!/^^A easy \ r T/ie IVay of Transgressors Hard, 187 which you are passing, but He, who can make you more , than conq(iei'ors,*knows all. Gird up your loins then like men. and trample the adder under your feet. There is grace enough in Him to make the feeblest of you victor over all th4 wiles of hell, burely m vam is the snare set in the sight of any bird " • will you be more foolish than birds, and^ your^oot in the snares which I have now. exposed tS^our view? I want to take your hand, my young erring brothel, and lead you out of "the way of transgressors," into the safe and blessed path of righteousness. Come along, it is not too late. Christ bids me say to you in His name, "Him' that Cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out." His salvation would be worth nothing, if it could not meet your case I bring you the offer of pardon for the past, comfort for'the present, strength for the future. The Gospel of the lovinir Jesus is just the religion for you, foe it brings mercy for the most guilty, and hope for the most despairing If there is genuine repentance On your side, there is genuine forgiveness on God's. Let this be the hour of your final ana ever-to-be- remembered decision. From the .spot where you are now seated let the solemn vow go up to Heaven, "Lord I surrender myself to Thee. I choose Thee for my oid. ^d henceforth will seek my happiness in Thee alone" Never, never whilst you live, will you regret such a resolve - and when, at last, in long and mournful procession, the dissipated, and licentious, and fraudu^ent, and unbelieving are marching down tp the blackness of eternal despair ^r ^wardglowing path shall be^« Hke the shining Hgh^ ♦i. ♦ iT' V — ■•■•»» »iio aiiiiiiiijj tnat shmeth more and more unto the perfect day I '* V3 4 I . y-^ f>i- 1 I . . • ■ ' 1 •» rry.a « A> 1 • ■^-' ■* - • • 1 . ■' .J.T tJ.f\. sissayss. ■^-'/j tT- i%^S, W. .:>■■}' ;^H'-1,>4!r '^t •'-•-■^'V*- r W\--^V''S '^'IK. •'»iv »'"*• !'.■< »,-'cr,-fv« r^' *<•*-. i'lffi' -. W '«'^' rJKff SHIPWRECK AT E^ION. GEBER, L^ '^- fi JHA>t.tt*rlb.i. i, . A. tj-'i^ ,"-?*'*• ,i»f>'Jy?'*"'^^'S;^%2^p^^'^ s «..;::5^ ^ ''Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went n^a: for the ships were broken at Ezion-Gebrr." ^ ^ ""** , " I Kings xxii. 48. fe- .^^imAt 'K '^'^. 'rfAAlv«*'-'>'-.»ufW , ,.-L;^hki "...V ' -'v..^ <, rt? > I', > i". A^J*^ tl 7t '.5 , XIV. THE SHIPWRECK AT EZION^GEBER, FRIGHTFUL DISASTER IN THE GULP OF AKABAH-IJJMENSP DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY-^FURIOUS GALE AT E2ION- GEBER-HIS MAJESry's FLEET WRECKED. TT AD the art of printing existed, and had daily news- K r n3^^^ ^^^" ^'""^"^ ''' Palestine nine hundred years before Christ such a notice as the above might probafty have appeared one morning, creating universal panic and excuement. It is very little that we know of the terrible catastrophe, but it is not recorded without a purpos4 : and my aim at present is to bring out the lesson intended. Attention, then, to three things :-first, the Disaster itself- seconcUy. the Cause of it; and thirdly, the InstrucUon w' are to draw from it : — T k" u^V"^. ^^" ^°" °^ *^'' lamentable disaster to King • Jehoshaphat's shipping. * We have ^recently had our thoughts turned toward the fjf k! '"1 .^' '^^''^ °^ ^«^* ^^ Af^bia. Most of of lit^ " * '^"^ ^^ comparatively narrow sheet of watery running in a north-westerly direction from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean. Its extreme length from the Strait of Babel- Mandeb to the I«thn,„, .r cf'' ^^ .. T,^06 mIRs. but at the northern end it divides into two arms somewhat like the letter Y. which enclose bet^ ■ H ■M ''ku ^^M"^^.'^! ^" VHR: :m^'t ^¥!r 4^ 't-' w ^ J- :.*/*?€4i;^ 194 Forewarned — Foreartned. them the peninsula of Mount Sinai. The left, or western arm, and the larger o| the two, is that with which we are best acquainted, and is called the Gulf of Suez ; the right arm runs in a north-easterly direction for upwards of 100 miles, and is known as the Gulf of Akabah. \ ^ * At tire head of this latter gulf is the site of tl^Sancient Ezion-Geber, a city of Arabia, three times referred^to in the Old Testament. Shall I tell you what >those three occasions were ? • In the first place, it is mentioned as one of the halting- places of the people of Israel, in their forty years' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. Numbers xxxiii. 35 : '^And they departed from Ebronah, and encamped at "Ezion-Geber^ and they removed from Ezion-Geber, and pitched in tha wilderness of Zin." The next allusion is in the history of King Solomon. When he was in the zenith of his prosperity and power, he established at this place great ship-building yards^ for canning on a commercial traffic with India. • ' There was little wood in that region, but Hiram, the King of Tyre, who was very friendly to Solomon, sent him enormous supplies of timber from the forests of Lebanon, the timber being floated down on the Mediter- ranean Sea, along the western coast of Palestine, and then transported across country to the head of the Gulf •of Akabah. i Here are the words of the historian, in this First Boole of • Kings ix. 26 : "And King Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion-Geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, witj^the servants of Solomon. And they came to Ophir, and fetched frbih thence g old foar hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to King Solomon." The Shipwreck at Ezion-Gjeder. 193 The third and last mention of the spot is in our text I suppose that Jehoshaphat wanted to emulate his i lus- l^r^"' T *^ '""'^'^ '^' ^'^^'^ °f his dominions by importing the treasures of the east. It is not easv to '^^1^ r '^ °^^'^ '^"^ °^ "^ N: leTsThan sixteen different countries have been suggested as the spot. It seems to me that by far the strongest weight of evidence is in favour of the East Indies, though the Jecise wh rtr^l"'" '^ "^^^^'"^^- '' y- »^- -"^ind thorn ' I ^P' T'" ^^""'^"^' '"^ *h^ impossibility, in those days, when there was no Suez Canal, of their reach- C^nenf^^Vji'^" Mediterranean without doubling the Cape of Good Hope-afeat which it is not likely even the Phoenicians ever accomplished-you will be satisfied that Ophir could not be anywhere in the west of Asia, or on sir^r' °' ^""P^^ ^"' ^' ^h^ Hebrew ship " Solomons time, according to the inspired narrative, took where m Arabia, or on the eastern coast of Africa ^ Moreover, the variety of articles which these vessels I^L k' L '"•* ■'"•""^''^Pta' was resolved that he -s°me ^i K "'^■'t' '"' "■"'■'^ '"'P^ of Tharshish," some read the Hebrew, "ten ships of Tharshish" ?r 11 "ff"' * "''"' °f explanation. The loc^y „, i^i''. ' «Jy '^M • t't.j|ffi , '^^t^^B : -'!:|$ilH mm *- ^• / \ IV i kt I -" ' >^ 194 Forewarned — Forearmed. But morally certain it is, as I have said, that the vessels built and launched at Ezion-Geber never sailed to those regions. It is, of course, possible that in the same part of the world where Ophir was situated, there was a city called Tharshish. But it is not necessary even to suppose this. Let me explain : The ancient Phoenicians were accus- tomed to distinguish two classes of ships — those for the home traffic, along the comparatively quiet shores of Tyre and Sidon, and those for the distant traffic, say Tharshish, ,on the Spanish Peninsula, probably as far as they ever ventured to go. The fprmer were called " ships of Tyre," and were usually very light, and gay, and luxurious in their fittings. Ezekiel describes them as made of cypress wood, with masts of cedar, and oars of oak, and benches of ivory, and sails of fine linen, and bunting of blue and purple and scarlet. . " The latter class of vessels were, of much larger tonnage and robuster build, and were called " ships of Tharshish." What is meant in our text, then, is that Jehoshaphat made a fleet of great and powerful Vessels, which were styled " ships of Tharshish " ; just in the same way as in our own country an " East Indiaman " is a general pame given to a certain elass of ships, though some of them are never intended to go to India at all.* Now, to make the picture more complete, and the text more real, I have to draw your attention to another point. Every one knows that the lefl or western arm of the Red Sea is, as a whole, comparatively shallow. The banks are flat, and the channel is to some extent filled up by the sand which has been washed in by the strong tides, or drifted in by the winds. ' • Sob 3 CfirbnTlDt. jBj^obably tnmsoibei't mittoke, as in next chapter, verse 3, " Inael," for " Jud«h." A \ F !./,♦,«• vi^^ V "" ' * Tie Shipwruk at Eeion-Geber. 195 ind^d rr, '""• " i'"" "' *'"'>»''' " "'°'='' deeper ; sides-the valley of which it forms part stretching? fcr away to the north, till where i, holds in it Trough tl" tie nortl ' ""f ^ '"'"" '"" -c-ntain got hl,r f '' "'"''' ""'P " ""■« ""h fierce violence br«g.ng danger to any of the few ships that are saTin ' Oeterf ' '"■""<^'>'"ed at the head of it beside «*^ion! anJ''nlinrr,'-^r"'''°"^"''^"' - the glam-s backbone.- Wdni'r ■ ' '° " """' "' "'""'""^ ""="» '" '"« ^ The mountain, here are bars, precipitous, and iaeeed lar«"l™ h'' T^ *^ 'P°' "''"' Jehoshaphat established large ship-buildrng yards, and from which eirttv „r , hnndred years before, Solomon had ^^' Z'J ZlU manned navy to bring back to the land of Israel the fer famed treasures of India. There has been a busy time of it at Ezion-Geber Hart you been there you would have been deafened byl^-e n"s^ of P ane^ and saws, and hammers, all busy from mom l^ r'tiUedlr "'"^^' "-' Of vessieverirhe'd ^.p^miuTmrinTihr^-i-ffi- and the fleet i, to set out for th> ..„. „, ^^^j,^ "' "^^ Bntduringthenightwhaiachangel The doudb begto * < ' M^»y^\^ • * #• .-• ^;.',. »-:*■■- ■..:■&&,;.& \ v.- 'i.' 196 Forewarned — Forearmed, to hasten across the starless sky ; the wind moans strangely, as though in agony, and every niomentr^pspws more gusty and fierce ; the dark, deep waters of Akabah are lashed into foam ; and now the lightning-gleams, and the artillery of heaven booms amid the echoing hills with terrific roar ; the elemental war waxes wilder still, till, at last, down through the mountain gorge sweeps the mad hurrtcajie with resistless -might, shattering the ships of Jehoshaphat in pieces, and leaving for the grey morning to look upon only pitiful wreckage all along the shore. "Jehoshaphat iliade ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold ; but they-^weAt not, for the ships were broken at Ezion-Geber." Now, secondly, I wish to t?ll you the cause of this • disaster. It was a judgment from Heaven. I would not say this if the Bible did not tell me so. Some people are too ready, as though they were in the secret counsels of the Most -High, to say. of such and such a calamity, " Oh, it'^ is a judgment from Heaven, and is a punishment for some special sin." For example, there was a tower in Jerusalem that lay considerably off the perpendicular : it is three times referred to in the Book of Nehemiah as the "great tower which lieth (or leaneth) out," and was, I doubt not, the same to which the namfOf-^" Tower of Siloam" was given. Well, wheni^m^ build "leaning towers," they must not be greatly surprised if they should tumble down. I remember feeling very nervous about ascending the famous leaning tower of P)sa, which is 1)^9 feet high, and at its upper part no less than 13 feet out of the peipendicular. * One day the tower of Siloam fell to the ground with a _crash, and e ighteen coipses^ were aftegtards dug out- ..^ the ruin. Immediately there were stupia people who said that these unfortunate persons must have been the '-^" <5.e!i^vy- t l!> ,' 1, V, .«-.». VV-* . ; Tie Shipv^-eck ^^.ion-Gehr. ' \„ hath broken ihtsoT,!" '' """ ^'■"^'^''- ""^ ^'^ Jehoshaphat, remember, was ;. »„„j ' * did what he could trde^L^h.'^"""^ """'"^''' »"'' There was nothingTo flid ^h „ ^ n^ °'>-"""^- with the East Indies- therewl. '!"''=««''« Project a powerfnl mercan ile'mtine wT "\'" *"*' '""''"''""8 Ws sin, lay. wa. in assocSg htase'wirh T^ '''^'■ God. Thi, was^the signal .^TtLZ. """'^ "' ■'Now^eh„s?apLh=^dHcheTl°l ''"'"• ^^^^^^ and joined afflnS, with IS" Mab thTC' oT^'T' was a wicked man and l.h^.u I f ^ °^ ^^^^^' nothing to do wUh hTm ^'^^^'^^S^^' ^^ould have had •his h7?; and Jas faiSnn \"L''?^ "^^"-^^ ^°«' him words :-l..ShouTLWut^. 7k "^'^ '^ ^^^^ '" ^^^^ that hate the Lord Jh '^"'P-**»^ «"««aiy. and love them ^ the Lord." "*' '^'^'*^''^ « ^^t^ HPon thee from • >« 4S» L4*-bi« #. : W i» r . , (ii I n ii 'ini ii n ii lyj ' i i ' Porewamed — Foftf^fmed- ' A 19 of Ahab-this being the bccasion to which our text . refers. " - And again, subsequently to this, he involved himself in an alliance with Ahab's second son, when he came to the ^ sHhat it seems -to have been the weakness of his character, his besetting sin, to compromise his religious principle, and ^sociate with men who had no fear of God before their eyes. ^ if Tehoshaphat had been an openly wicked man, or a mere man of the-^orld, probably this great shipping disaster would not have occurred: but God would not allow one of His own servants to prosper m such an undertaking. ^T^ „^«*„ ; There is a little obscurity, because apparent contra- diction, in the two narratives, here and in Chrtfnicles, but I think the correct solution is this. On the first proposal that Tehoshaphat and Ahaziah should go partners in t^e expedition to Ophir, the former would hot consent; his «,nscience would not allow him; he felt it would be m^t, and he said " no" ; but afterwards he overcame hif scruples, and poohpoohed the objections;, so the big ; scheme was concocted, and the fleet built. * But these fine ships mver saile^,^ They never le . Gulf of Akabah. The Lord frown^upon the under* and- «fnt a storm that shattered them in pieces, ^e^hips were broken at Ezion-geber. tjie cause of the disaster. There is yet one >» whicli i t teaches. It is ajesson for Do Boiiboose 'your^^ftociates amonpT nbt the Xord. eve: those who t ■At i^* V ^^fj^^'J^jM^^^'^^^^^^^k^^ Mac "t 'jg^'-,^^ a''^"^ i^^^AkaW'^^'i " T^'-i ' -'4,^'''^ ■'&'" -~'rf*- 7>ttf Shipwreck at, Ezion-Geber. 199 WorJLS'l^'^ *° *^° '" ^* '^'^ ^^"^ ^^'th the wicked. riSJ?l5^£a??' ^"^ alliances, formed for selfish ends, frSSfl'f^.^''"*™""^^ profitable.. It is an ancient priipA|but .t is as true to-day as when Soloqspn wrote rnn.n / 7^^ f^ '''''' ^'"^ "^" «^^ ^eTise. but compwion of foQls shall be destroyed " .Jh o*"!." ^^^\ '^^ P'"'™'^* ^*^'*^ '^'d down was a t1,at fe^?; "'r^"' '"» a.comp^nion of alhthem St u T''^^' ^^ °^ ^^^"^ that keep Thy precepts " . c^mme^cl? V"""" ^"P"^*^^ ^°-' mat'riLnTo. . commercial .t is a sound principle to ^b upon, to siun those whp.^0 not fear God. Many a marriage ha^ been produc .ve of anything but happiness, becausf th^e ^a^ tl n.^T. ^'^'"^•" ^°^ ^^ ^'^^ ^"»ht sunshine S" tieh t't'"''^.*'^' "'""^^ ^'°^^°™ ^^^^^ «h°w«ed upon Inlo?^.' V"""" '""^'^ °"* " ^^^>' «^d «««. because one of the part.es was a godless woridling.' The Ill-matched fleet was hartNy launched when disaster came,, and the very house of God was made an '.'Ezion- neclions. It is always safest to keep under Christian mfluence, A^man is rarely better thai the compa^n" ^M^.fehoshaphat may hope to bring Aha^iah^p to Ungodlinew is infection,: better strengthen what is - S^X^° mT ""' " " P*"'- "«'" "«k» » We»d of o« who would destroy your f«th ; "go not in the way of To^f f; esson ortKlext bears aUo, and with pecS^ pomt, upon all business alliances. Perfectly true, Ln dp ^ ,>m |*ft^i,. ''*• 4li$>i ^. m '""i. * 4 ^ic ' . i -it' ^^} ^■i^?'*'^''/^^^'''^ \^ 200 Foreutfarned — Forearmed. <' \X not always in this matter have their choice. Circumstances may occur to make the partnership of Messrs. Smith and Brown a necessity, though Smith is a Christian and Brown >an infidel. Qf such a case I will not judge; but we all know that, as a rule^ men are very much at liberty to choose their own business connections : and the less Je- hoshaphat's sailors have to do with Ahaziah's, the better. You will do well even to sacrifice a measure of financial interest and worldly prospect rather than be associated in business with a man who is out of all sympathy with you in religion. I believe that the King of Judah's error was all the more serious and offensive to God because the alliance which he formed was with one whose own conscience, must have convicted him. Ahaziah was not a heathen monarch. As King of Israel hie was not unacquainted with the true religion. Had the co-partnwship been with an? ignorant idolater, it would not have been so bad, and perhaps the disaster would not have occurred. That hi^oric ship in which Jonah took a passage from Joppa to Tarshish would not have encountered the terrific gale that nearly sent it to the bottom, had its noted passenger been a blinded pagan. Now there is an important principle here. You would receive less harm from association in business with an unbaptized Hottentot, or a Parsee, or a Mahommedan, than with a cynical Christian hypocrite. The Apostle Paul, in writing to the people of God at Corinth, makes this point very clear. In what we call " his first Epistle "—(though he must have written an earlier letter, which has not been preserved) — he says that he had written to them in a former Epistle to dissociate ^he ms e lvca from for ni ca t o r s and^athkiiaigi But this instruction had been misunderstood. 'V«-" '.;/ mJ> «mim.^' i»W '*,^>« ^JlffciA** ««i. i ki ^ m ^X. iJ'Ka^^ .-^.^l 'm' ■«9 r, it would ,-(■>•■ T-yi^ Shipwreck at Ezion-Geber. 201 So he writes more explicidy to sav that ho a mean them to dissociate^he^L ^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^ ungodly "of tiiis world," for "then the/mn!. ?* out of the world » " But » h. J^ u J ? '* "^^^' «^° iNote that man. and have no fellowship with him fKof T may be ashamed/* ^ "™' ^"^^ ^® bless.„g wh,ch « p„„i,ed on., .„ ttofe who-S. t V-^s ^-« "V X > •■ • *■' • _...^,^2|9H ;fe^' J. « .... ■ 1 •' , '' ■' , Migk * ife'^^r^;-' ?{ I '.^■^ J ■' If VI 1 :l u / -< • V - t ■ * * • I' 1 f w. 1 1 ; , ^ 1 ^.^^ „ ', 'fl. » s f , - 1^ :■• •, -If V'^f*' f* ^iS/'^^^r^Z).. ^^z) J^O TEAHSAT THE PARTING. ■"1 ■ , »r. V t *"■■//■ } • 1 . ' '. I^:; ■ ^>'''#: ; !:m-j: Xi^%.^LiX.i^>r:A ,i-.;. ■ ,Y+" : fL. 1 ***^^, ."3h|!?T( •y-^'fr '^ ^^Ahalwcntom w^ hy himself: and Obadiah went another way by himself r—\ Kings xvili. 6. ' lli ^kMfiM^^mS&ki:i^MA^U-i-'. • f,jk t-1("ij'a.4,A a&i; ^^|;^'t^*^^^^^^? i . 'i*^- XV. T^tvrr/sr J r ^"'=- '--^ ^^^ - •- matched. ,HoJ .herrtanald T '''°™'" '»°- '"- 'ogether, I cannot imagtorTf/ """" ""« '<> P"" cowardly weakling, a gross id„L°"'' * '""'' "'^^^''^. 'l.e other, a firm, LoteT'drr * '"° <'^'>^"^hee, '"■e God: i, is surpr sL thi ? ""'"'■ipper of the have lasted a single Z, Y^.k"'^ .' ''^"'"'''P <^°°W ■•"Stance in histo^ of\e^' '^''.^l' "^^ ™"J' « together, and going so far if '"" ^"^ "*"*'"« "& '"' a point waf refched wh ^2 "ff "^ . ""» J°"™ey. . ^ broken, the fellowship ^^st end T"'™?'" """'' the,r path, diverged ■ the on. ? ^""^ ""a' point and the other went anolh." ""f ""•= *'^ '>'' ''tos'^lf, -ferring to provideitS events Sich '"'''"■ ' ™ "«' alter a young man's courseTj ."""*""'' °"" '» friends, and pve a new a„d 1 '""" ^"^ I"' '^'•<"«st career, b„, rfther to eirnrTK"" '°™ •» ""^ »"»'»' "hich split up .he closesrb^'?' character-nior^l forces, ) off in opposite directs ftoseTTT''"'''^''^"'' ''"^ parallel rail, togeth er *'" ha ^ hitherto run on ••How,ugge.ve,irr:^'---..yse,, tubiAiT^;**-!'; MK-i,.W,i. ■.#■ !^*j;&t!l44«V«)i .■l>4ai''f ii*«'»''v*JLj» j >'l"W w w» I k m m i ii fmm ■^IPf*''*'***''*'^!?!^ '■ ■■^' ' t •. 206 Forewarned-^ For edrimd. When a man is not possessed of mucIilBrains limseHThe not unfrequently makes up for it'by wedding a woman who and anon happening amongst ourselves ! How toany an Ahab and Obadiah havd I myself seen, who started on life's journey together, ^ with equal advantages, equal dangers, equal hopes, but at a certain point parted com- pany for ever: the One turning to the left, to pursue. a career of self-indulgence, indolence, failure, disgrace, re- morse, death— the other turning to the right, a career of duty, self-denial, honour, success, victory ! " ' There is a. point in life where the parallel rails diverge, and— the little flange once parsed— the subsequent course may be held determined. Many of you are already beyond it (some pressing along, with Obadiah, on the safe and heavenward line ; and perhaps a few 'hurrying, with Ahab, on the path to eternal Vuin) ; but I am much deceived if there are not a goodly number here wjio have not yet come quite up to the decisive point ; aim it is to them that I would specially address myself, and ask them whether they will follow the leading of Ahab or Obadiah ? We are here taken into the court of one of the silliest and. vilest monarchs that ever occupied a throne. The career of Ahab shows us to what a depth of moral degra- dation a man may sink,— although not altogether devoid of a conscience and of some better impulses— who is unfortunate enough to have a base, unprincipled woman for his wife. A more objectionable partner, I should say, man never had. Ahab Mjas fool enough to give his hand to a lady who is, without question, tl^ vilest female character in all sacred history. She was a clever, cunning woman, and I can believe had a good deal of show and style about her ; and the young prince, caught by the took a step that proved his ruin. t : "'-/! s . '. ' .»!?* I 1 - ' Separated: and no Tears at the Parting. 207 has more than her own share. I am not going to say any day . but this woman was as wicked and unscruouloua asshe was shrewd and designing; and she soon Z he husband into a peck of tro.ubles. Do not imaeine tLf t • ^ -justly maligning her ; for here is whaTrarltJ mthe twenty-first chapter :-" There was nonriikrun o ^^ht'o7f ''t'''. "" '•'"^^'^ '^ -^^ wickednes ' „ th: sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel, his wife, stirred up » Solomon says. '« He that findeth a wife findeth a good S'. ''""' '° ^""" '^°"^^t so. for he had seven hundred wives himself; but the truth of his proverb • depends upon the character of the woman that is wed iJut, for the honour of the sex let it be said, there is but one Jezebel in the Bible, whijst there are Sarahs and Rebekahs. Hannahs, and Marys, and Priscillas. !n abu„d I know well that there is little use of giving young men advice on M^ point; and yet, with the wretched ^ca"eer of this 1 1-matched couple before us. I am bound to w^ ^tter. and show, and beauty, than by sterlfng moiS . If Ahab had not made such a stupid and atrocious man than he did. Aa it is. his name is an ugly blot upon n:iZ^ii^'" H^^adnodecisionYfchara^:;: _Miss Mart ineau tells a cnrious sto,y of Lo r d ^ougfaa ^0. though a man of remarkable genius, has left no ^ ■• unpression on his countiy at all coiSmensLratr with hTs r 'm i^..»« ■^^ ■■ y-: „;t^.. :.v-#,Iw ^■y^M 208 JFbrewamed —Forearmed. i ^^'l- y..i ■«■,- '■ : r-. 4 .-■'■■" talents; and this, undoubtedly, because of a want of fixedness of purpose which characterised him all through life. It was whilst he was residing at his favourite chateau in Cannes, that the eariiest photographic process was invented ; 4nd an accomplished artist proposed to take a view of the chateau, with Brougham and a distinguished party of guests occupying a prominent position in the balcony. It was necessary, of course, that each of them should, for six or eight seconds, remain absolutely motion- less ; and his lordship emphatically promised that he would not stir. But even eight seconds was too long for his restless naturq ; the ' consequence was, that when the picture was developed, there was found in the centre of the group only a blur where the figure of Lord Brougham should be — and-that blur remains to this day. Ah I how many a young man, through restlessness and instability of character, has left only a blur upon the page' £>f human history! But — to go on with my story. Jezebel, who came of a heathen stock, and was a bom idolater, detested the true religion, and vowed to make a clean sweep of all the prophets of the Lord. Now it so happened, that the principal person or prime minister in the court of King Ahab was a devout and God-fearing man; and how he managed to get and to retain that high position, is, a question worth considering. I have noticed that, let a man be ever so immoral and irreligious himself, he likes to have his affairs managed by one who "fears the Lord." You ipay tell me, if you please, that some of the worst scoundrels that ever breathed were members of the Christian Church — that does not shake me from my position, that, taken all in all, there are fifty chances to "One tliat a pious, God-fearing man wilt manage a Business better than a profligate or an Atheist. ■■.^ii,» *^A^./A^J^.^^^1« Separated: and na Tears at the Parting, 209 Here is a gentleman who has a large and lucrative busmess m the city. He avows himself a " sceptic " wS cWh '^T:' T\''' ^" ^"«^^^- N-r entlrs a to God' wTth '\'^^'^" Never bows the knee to Uod. Well, this man has a responsible position in his ' unt;rt f^^-^-«^-^^-^-n qualified to undertake it. As a matter of course, there are over a -letSstto' ^h'""'"- ""''" *"^^^"^ «^*>' °^ «'^'3^ °f these ' rest, and eventually fixes on two that seem the most likell to call. Both eligible and intelligent-looking young men] ^^-I^e inte^iew it appears that one of Lm' ^ f v^r^?. H r 'u'°^'' '^ " "^^''^^^ «^ th« Church, anl^- s veiy decided in his religious character ; whilst the other a an avowed atheist, and scoffs at the Bible; does it taki two minutes to guess which of these candidates Vmte feats'iTLird' "r ''' K'''' '"°"' *^^* ^^^ ^^^ -hi trust '' "'^'^ *^'' '' ^^^*'^>' °f confidence and Well you will pleise notice what is said in the 3rd verse '• ' ••And Ahab called Obadiah. which was the governor of his house; Now Obadiah feared the Lord greaSy" Now ' I say to you. young men, that it has often been a grand though unintended testimony to Christianity, that Tveri W wh^ have themselves hated and deiL i 2 felt that they could sleep more soundly when they had fo. heir confidential servant or clerk a man who wfs a smcere disciple of Jesus. wno was ^ Oh. ^"^y°" jg)^LJ^ouM ObMlalLlcept hi^p^^ his pocket, and actftH i.,of t;i,^ .u. J^ . 7 t^^^'P'e* — at the roj-al court. Nothing of the kind. He was a1 14 rv j*> ii 1 x«l kr- '-' IH : t. „ ■ o ^ 2IO. Forewarned— Forearmed. firm and conscientious as Ahab,was fickle and irresolute. Many a man in his position would hafe sacrificed his con- victions. On the plea that "in Rome you must. do as Rome does," he would have laid his religion to 6iie side, and— if not openly joining with the royal pair in their idolatrous practices— would at all events have " sailed as close to the wind as possible." Obadiah was not a man of that sort. He stuck to hi/ ') principles. Neither threats nor flattery moved him. When "' he saw the wietch of a queen hounding out the prophets of Jehovah, he used^ the influence which his position afforded him to throw the shield ctf protection over them ; and at the risk of his own life stowed away a hundred of them in caves, and supplied them with food during^ time of exceptional danger. • . The king knew perfectly well what OBadiah's principles were. But he did not value him the less on that account. On the contrary, Obadiah's influence at court, like Daniel's at the court of Babylon, became greater every day. Of this, we have a striking proof in the chapter before us. A terrible famine had been devastating Samaria. For three years there had been no rain on the land. Every fountain and brook was dry. There was scarcely a blade of grass 4o be seen ; and whilst the people were still able to subsist on the corn that had been stored up, the cattle and horses were perishing. Ahab saw that matters had reached a terrible crisis, and that if something were not done at once, there would not be a live beast left in the land. Samaria, as you know, was a belt of country lying from east to west, in the centre of Palestine ; from Petraea on the one side, to the Mediterranean on the other. The capital was as nearly ^s possible i n t he centre. What the king proposed was tfiislTEatt two parties of explorers should be fonned,^«r s_ ii*Sjf« )u^«ji-f-%LM^^ ^tS. ^* /' le and irresolute, acrificed h|s eon- you must. do as jion to 6ne side, yal pair in their have " sailed as ^ .•v:^ a He stuck to hi^ ; jved him. When It the prophets of position afforded sr them ; and at idred of them in iring^ time of ' " * " fl idiah's principles on that account, •urt, Kke Daniel's 'ery day. hapter before us. aaria. For three Every fountain i blade of grass 11 able to subsist ;attle and horses had reached a ot done at once, land. Samaria, om east to west, the one side, to tal was as nearly f proposed was be fonned, one /• existed in the bed,6 f what »L .'"" °' '"""'' »«" either siif and a fin^'ad J aS"; T' "'.""^ ''''°'' ™ ' emef on^ new chapte, of S o 5 " ^"""P' '^"^^ «<> never ,o meet agS, on 1*^ """^"^'' '"'*'"^' >>« b"* parted. "Ahab wen. o„e 1T\ '"" °" """=" «"» wen. another „ayI>Lm"elfT'' '^'"^ "" O^iah . texV^lXSe^^r^r^.r""''" " ^'^-'•- "-» a solemn .hpngb. wi.S;! TsSr I" T"'" "^"^ ' "• "n»" memion but three. And first, there are, after all h^V. ehoose the one or the other V Y "''-^■' ' J""" ""«' yo" must go with Obadfal Th ° ""^ '"""^ ^>"''- <" numbers of youn> men r«M '• I "^"^ '"'° "''''='' '="«» They shrink^fC the lb ■ '■'""'" "' ""'P'omiL but do not careTo ctm^. .".I'T, "'^'''''"'=^» "' 'he one, of the other. I wish ,o 1 1 7°"° ""''^"'^^ Piet^ e-eof indecision '^■'a';^^ tr.h:T'*';-' "''" ''^"^'"^'^ ««nif ^^*?'^^'°^ twsHafiT =4be.ween^ra;dri:^— -:^- fcSj 1»4- ^ J, 1 ■r-p?,: .,.-.> •-#^ rfw *,. r^. tiv */ ' 2t2 Forewarned — Forearmed. ass in /Esop's fable, betweeo twa equal bundles of hay, as though the bias towards each side were eqq^l- We all •incline to the evil rather thUij the go(^. Ahab will always have niore to allure than Obadiah. I have seen a little boy fishing with ah unbaited hook, but Lnever noticed that he caught any fish ; 'the devil is far too clever an angler to do that. If a strong moral force does not 'gdvern the will, it is not difficult to tell'which side will be chosen. The words which Fowell Buxton "wrote near the close M his life, are well worthy of being pondered by each of you: — "The longer I live, the more I am certain, that the great difference between men is energy, invincible deter- mination^a purpose once fixed, and then death or victory I " " This quality," added he, " will' do anything that can be done in this world ; and no talent, no cii:cumstances, no opportunities, will make a two-legged creature a man with- out it." When Constantine wa? electedvifimperor, he was resolved to have aroynd him only men on whom he could place the most absolute reliance ; ahd he issued an edict — requiring Of all the Christians who held office that they should renounce theii" religion, or resign. A few basely abjured their principles, whilst the others thre^- up their office. The latter he immediately' reinstated with honour ; the former he dismissed fft>m his cdurt, saying, " You who can desert or deny your Divine Master, are not likely to be faithful to me, and are unworthy pf my confidence." When Mr. Biddle, who was a famous banker in New York, demanded that his clerks should perform some pressing extra work upon the Lord's Day, one of them replied, that his conscience would not peiHiit him to work on the Sabbath. " Conscience, fiddlesticks \ " was the rejoinder, ^' then yoH^ mtt^ glvev.ag^ yaur*p laee to x)n e who=- will;^== that's all." y ' \ V '4*t^A '■^■■■«^?^W; \ . • Separated :^ and no Tears at tie Parting. ,,3. length ,e, and I saTfo'L^UhT '" ^"^^""^ """ ■nydear boys, pu/dc™ "ol f '"™'"1 '^^^"'en Do, principle, and refuse to vLd a hi' u 1^ °" ""= """= °' - Every stern resistance^'u offer o.e™n,'° ''■' '™'""- moral momentun, gained- and^l,^ '^P'a'.on is so much fif'/yeaS, yon »ill nTv.; . *J ^°" ''""'''' ">"= for wi.lv God4 Lip, "onfo,:;:!^'''' ^'-^ '•«= day when. ^ecared. '' ulyl^.^^^' ^C^tt^^:^'' not respect. Many vrunTml ?. "'''"'' '■?"'• J'"" do or good natnre st°Z r! "'■ ^'""^^ ^ '^'^'^ ^-iability Harry, withom evefconsid" ' T ^ *"" ^o"' D'^k. or •«. E-so„eXrtSe?prr;'-»''-ey accept the society of lad, Thl t '^ J ^"'^ honourable "^ook sa3,3 thaT^eT^.r;^'^'-^^* ^^at the old destroyed." A com^L' ^o'npamon of fools shall be y A companion means , copy ; for. consciously " f ■-^ J m l|fSfci-^ffi^^.' ^iS. §» ^ ? s-^ ,'■ "'Y iMi, '%~i^ ■". ^ ri4 4 s^ \A'':0i^. iJ'j'X^\l\MM^ %^f,.&* J J. rT»t ;«««(?• WHWWWfWTOWi! Separated: and no Tears at the Parting. 2 1 5" I have known unprincipled fellows, from whose clutches it was nearly as difficult for the young and virtuous to make escape If the call of duty places you for a time, as it did Obadmh m the midst of bad company. God is able to pro- tect you from the moral taint, as he kept l)aniel pure in 1. r? k'^m^''^^°"' '"' "°* ^ "^°'«^'^* longer than I needful should you tarry in the place of danger, for St Pau truly says, "Be not deceived, evil company doth cor^p good manners." (Revised version.) ^ I look over this large-this dying, but immortal auditoH, and find myself asking. "How many Ahabs?_and h^ many Obadiahs ?" I divideyou into these two groups, onl group gomg one way, and the other another. Oh which way are your faces tumed-towards a joyless hell, o a glorious heaven? Is it to be the " pleasures of sin fo a season." or the everlasting festival, and the amaranth ne crown ? Are you to " sell yourselves to work wickedness " or are you to " fear God. and keep His commaTdme„T^^^^ at the devil's biddmg, till, like Ahab. you tremble at the rT^^H^s ?ho' r ? '^' f^ °^ HiLinister'lrolJ^y^ cry. Hast thou found me, O-mine enemy ? "^r are you to make Jehovah your God. give your strength to His Ah I some of you have been warned and entreated till Smai has no more thunders to sound, and Calvary no more .tenderness to plead. # - ^ ^^ To-night I press iSi- a decision. Oh J drop your sin, and grasp the Saviour, saying. "This Jdis^Grfo; ever^and ever: He will be my guide even unio death." of getting it out ijiifto^'1'4^ bihi^ivS^u ,tW«k h'dk.H ll.A^it^^ ' u . ll~ l-..' . . ^ »ALF-H£ARTED : AND-THF.REFORE FAILURE. 1 m '^ "^^ l4rt*^4kfl0'i** f '"■nt;, 41 J .*<», M-, • J« Ji 1 il«4<^#' •I'^l >^%»9 * V **Andhe did that tbhich was right in the sight of the Lord, htt rut Vi^h a fietfect heart."— 2 CHROti. XXV. 2. Mi*. -T ^W&V'i'^ ^,, '- f^'. ■ '■":'» 'r^ff^'*-;! -jf^ MW^^^^fS-: tht Lord, but net XVI. ""^^^■^^^^TE^; AND T^^^^^ORE A FArzanE. T^nlnr ^"^ ^ '™^ *^^ °^ '"^« ^'^"^bers of younir A Jinghshmen m om- own dav u,k« ^ -^u /o™g lent principles and ^reod^ointf r L T'^^ "^^"^ ^^^^^^l" half-hearted in religion .^"*' of ch^cter, are only Th"ereis\ttrb T^" ^^^ ««^« -^•^^-'^• ofhiskfeV^^^fsl^tr^^^^^^^ met with a sermon upon it I ^nL ^ "^''®' yo. asked .he., co J „".".« ',Zr^".^-r'- " Book of Kinirs that " h.TA ,.^® ^*o'<^' »» the Second •iight of they'd h . . .?*' ""^'"^ ^^^ "«ht in the D^vid!?' t^ ^sli.'l,''^^:,^;^^^^^^ ^°^ ^"-^-) ^ of the good and the evil BuT? ^. ^^\* «''»«l'nfi: account he was onlv *),«? * ™*«^'"^ *^** °« this unt was only the truer type of the vast majority of '^ 1 also, happily, are Ahabs.and mSs eh^ b„t w? T eveijrwhere abounf \ ««*«a88en8. but Amawaha f^[!^?SP?^^^^S??55^^pi '^^^^' V'^^W^*^^'" *.?*!'-^^^''* 220 Forewarned — Forearmed. We shall make this man our study for a little, and, I hope, shall carry away some useful lessons. ■ » . • , There are three sources from which we obtain informa- tion about him ; I shall avail myself of them all. "There is, first, the record in the Second Book of Kings; then there is the passage before us; and lastly, there is an interesting chapter in Josephus's "Antiquities of the Jews ; " which, though of course it has not the authority ^ of Scripture, is generally held to be reliable. Amaziah was twenty-five years of age when he succeeded ^ to the throne. As k boy he had been conscientious and well-behaved. Josephus says^ " He was exceeding careful of doing what was right, and this when he w;as very young." From the express mention of his mother's name, both here and in the Book of Kings, I fancy she was a go6d and pious woman ; and that her faithful training had much to do with the eady promise he gave of a useful anji hon6^ able career. Many aTtime, I dare say, Jehoaddan (forsuch was her name) would take her son aside, and in fervent prayer coriimend him to the God of his fatliers, and tell him of the heroic deeds of some of his saintly ancestors, and point out to him the responsibilities which, in future years, would devolve- upon him. Oh, who can estimate the influence of a godly mother ! Do not many of you owe mor6 than words can ever express to the wise and gentle rule of her who gave you birth ? What tender and hallowed associations cluster round the home of your early - childhood I John Wesley wrote :— " I remember that, ) when I first understood what death was, and began to think of it, the most fearful thoiight it induced was that of losing my mother ; it seemed to me too re, than Ijnn rd ^ear, and I used to hope that I might die Ijefore her.^ Ah ! there is no velvet so soft as a mothei^ lap, no star I, ^\ / • \ JCu. 'W H,./4,.. . ■ , 't J5»T.- >)>^ ^ <,Jf • .^ ! a little, jcnd, ^ "'^Vfearted.-ind therefore a Failure. 22, son could not Jst ul| t"' ^'"^ "P"" >■" bed. His to ju.uce. ^If he had cl„ ror?r''.'r '"" '>"»■«'■' of his own time, he w^uW 1 ^ ' ™'"'^"'<' P'^"'"' too; but hacaird .0 "tVaTen "''=' '^'" ''^"■"-» Moses, to the effect IhaT chiM? '"I'^'T"' '" ">« '^ of s»ffe. for the sins^one'LVt ":;'"' ^ ^ '° ahve. ti'iers, and he spared them Bibt;„'d':htrt:si!:r"t r ""^™"- """ -'» J»st. Had he not ble^ acoZ, ^ ^- 1"""'"' ^^ ""« »» and had he not had reTmetr 'f lo h"""'^'^ '^"' heart, he would, no doubt, have sZt o/fh 7" '" """ earth, root and branch th. I 7? "" "^ce of the had taken his fath's ml ' '""'"" •" '"-^ -ho The great exploit of liis reign was a mil-, against the Edomites Th. ""htary compaign on Palestine, and tl.e^arorKta;?^''""^ """"''^ subject to Judah: but for il ^ '^ ■'f''''''P''^' ^^ successfull/revolted and A^, . "" P*°P'^ ^ad ambition to reduce them to "hfi"" ™' ^'■^<"' ""h the . e«e„d the glo„ of hrJngdot""'^^ "*'"■' '^^ '" '» ■J':: ::' ^r „?''-' °'-^-"an, lokt^ for mo s t necessit jr .^f Qj^ power. No doubt T^rSF^^-dandthe pretek^forit: kings and gove would find some iments always manage this. _ ^ -~ ■^, .1 .■'I /hi:. ''V-' \^.;lt ., ',«,;:» •.,j,,.-ij mi* - '¥: 222 forewarned— Forearmed V » magnificent a^y" ^^W iTto iX "°.* '° "^"-^ » little about it in our own time tIT. T- """ " world, desirable for poHit^ / *'' r*'"""'"" weak and iU-mvemed In^/ "=°°"»"°^ '«>«>■". « we feel it ou d~'Ct4.Ts- "l ." ■"-»>"•»■>»''.- » neither less nor 1^1^^, „ V'" '•'" '"^'»"'«' Well, Ama^iah, hav^naS^this^'i^ ,,°'t"^ '"«"^- would mak.. it a <,T,r../ • f '" '"*"''• '*'°'™<1 he consistrg of ZlZl^' '" """"'" '"> "" '""■ ^y. neighbo"? Toash Xi'''°'?,"""' ""^ ^ired fron, hi "4h; Jen o^Ton';:^'^ "' ''"^'' .00,000 soldiers, "aD Ho^ever^Xrf 'T^ ' """""^ '='-«» «' *"ve^. utuiic/ ne couid not recover. "What cKoIi j •• said he "fnr fi,» u J ^ ^"»ci. vvnat shall we do." Lo«. is Le toX' thee'ruct^rttZr"' " ""' And Z did t°act ? wf . ^""^'P" »" f^"" '» «»". He^d thelhfnVr Z^.tT'^fltT^! ^-J he teid '- «*iab«i dho ii J ~ ^ ^' - ^ tn e m oney g o/ Hc»ia, we snail disnenup urfK tk^^^ T ... ^? ' J*^^^^. « i:^^,""** "*" "KOL " J ^t th e m oney g o » - l"«d; "Weshall dispen« with these Is«e,ite"^5 {^ ^^^y^l^^flV^-"^- -'" •• i- '% \0t ' '' ' ' ' ' "It - ' " IfaV-m^ted; and therefore a Failure. .■'I' tX^"^: «o Resent the 223 men back to their own to wreak their »en«^«. .1 * ""'^ '°°^ '^"'M Having got rid of the them in the vallm „f «, . '■? *^ * "«■"' "<:'0V ovtr -•ead "Pon .::'t,rOhe?r„':ho""""r ""' 'f prisoners, and bringing them to ,he t^ r ''. ''" """' P of thai rocky region thr^»^i,° '' °^ ""^ ="'=? <=«£ ther«ered4:ir,,ite, . '"" "'^ '"^^W, «, J. j.e f.*sook tiTirof ht 2*:^'' t'"^ '''/^■' «'''4. to take back into h,c ^® ^^^ ^°olish enouiTh Hdo.,xrkere;T;r^^^^^ ^^^^ ^°^4' ' worship. Yielding hSlf n T . "^ ^' °^J«^t« ^^ - actually boWed hlel lltt^^^^^ T ?""^"' f ^ ' and burned incense unto thTm q' T" ^'''^'" ^^'"^«' to him, and rebuked hm for hi, ^'''^ ^"^^^^^ ^4« only provoked the k^n^To rL f °^^ ^^^'^^0^ ^ but tijis his peace, and threZS To^ ' t\^'^ '^' ^'''^^'' ^o d The man of God re^d th?, T ' ? '' ""' •"*^^^-^^- peace, but warned St^at^^^^ -^««<^ l^oW L of the Most High, and that u^f .^l^"^'"^"^^^ the wralh TK^ J. . ^"^ "'^ destruct on was nnf far Jff The prediction was fulfilled, and that in T f T* and tragic manner. Amaziah n.!2-l . '^"^H^^ * -e. or L..„:;hert^'ih"rg:rr 4;^ - |vJi.^f.i-t*.'<.J(;S-l'v •, ,-, ■■ii;. t ii-. •¥ W«.i (, 224 Porewarned— Forearmed. Israel to come and try their strength in battle. Had it been a personal duel he proposed, the case would not have been so bad; but, unfortunately, the whims of kings involve the sufferings of the innocent; and too often thousands of livfes have been sacrificed to one man's capricious humour. King Joash seems to have been a bit of a wit or a wag : for he sent him back a smart and pungent reply, which must have stung Amaziah to the quick. Many a wholesome truth old iEtop told with emphasis by his witty fables ; and by the quaint little story we were reading to-night, Joash read his royal brother a lesson he was in need of. He compares himself to a stately cedar of Lebanon, and Amazikh to a sorry contemptible thistle: intimating that hi scorned as much to have anything to do with him, as a cedar would to affiance his daughter to a weed. He made tlie pill even more^bitter to swallow, by adding, that a wild beast came and trod down the thistle ; the import of which it would not be difficult for the King of Judah to understand. Josephus tells us, that, on reading this letter, Amaziah was more determined than ever to fight, and hastened to bring his army to the field ; but that, as soon as his men were drawn up in battle array, a strange unaccountable panic seized them, so that they all fled in every direction, and left their king alone, who was immediately taken pri- | soner by the enemy. Moreover, to add to his humiliation, Joash threatened to kill him, unless he would persuade the people of Jerusalem, his own capital, to open their gates to t4ie conqueror. This Amaziah did ; but, not content there- with, Joash broke down a part of the ancient wall, " and drove his chariot through the breach, leading his royal prisoner captive behind him ; and not till he had rifled the Ring's p alace, and taken away all the costly treasures of the Temple, did^Ke ieTEim S^iberty, and return to Samaria. ^m^^.^M^ i^^ih^ s^" _ii.aL_*i*" ■* * Jr ''fit* ^S. ' ■->.\Y'^,'?;Vft« '""T: battle. Had it would not have hims of kings and too often to one man's ^e been a bit of rt and pungent ! quick. Many iphasis by his B were reading son he was in itely: cedar of ptible thistle: e anything to is daughter to er to swallow, rod down the )e difficult for tter, Amaziah 1 hastened to )n as his men maccountable ery direction, ely taken pri- | s humiliation, persuade the their gates to ;ontent there- snt wall, and ing his royal had rifled the easuresofthe to Samaria. Hat/.Hearted ; and therefore a Failure. 225 he fled to the city of LacW rL,T ? h'T'^lem. >Iew him there. " Tlu! •• add. ?^ ? ''"' " '"'"■ '•'"'* the life of Amaiiah. beiu^ o^h^" '■ • ™ '"^ '"" "' 'nd his contempt of GoT» ""■"vations in religion. I daresay it has occurred to vou a. I h„„i, ■"« the story, that there was much mo e „7 ^ '*~""'- iTirthTitTLro?h'"----:dyt^ ■hat Which was r^^::^^^;::^^ " -^ ■«■' Something must be allowed, of course fnr*K *• which he lived, and for the cont'it whh t "^^ '" . worse than himself; but there we^nl T ^''^'^^ good element,about him; a^d hlHe nl"'^ ^"^ ""^^ haughty temper and ambiUorpride his ^ ^"'" "^u^ '° * been a useful and a happy onl hI' ™'^'^' ^^"^ the Scriptures, and pafd'esj^'et fo thToT""*'' "^^'^ ligion ; he had the desire to fS ordinances of re- but the secret ot^^^^^^^^^ ^^dlylife; right with God. HisiroodrH ' ^^^"^ '^^ "^^ Tore artificial; it^Tnt ro^Z^oJ^t' "' ^ nature. < ■ outcome of a regenerate . Wei!, there may be nothing venr novWnnti, •. nor entertaining in the ln,.h i u ' "">*">» «citing b« I know nothing thatfallT °*'"«^ °°' "^"*'" = roung men thrthf^tLrSr^'^' '° ""P"*^' "'«'" outward life, your ft^.%^ th Zrd'oTTr °' ( «- your hciLvtui-iZ ° '°^' °*^ the matter" '5 . •r ^^»:2iJ--f,lt\ ,'h t -Sj-J • ^H w » Vilt^ "J?,TP -:#' 226 Forewamed^Forearmed. thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things that remain, which are ready to die ; for I have not found thy works perfect before God" ? Now, do not misunderstand this word "perfect." No man is perfect, in the absolute sense of the term, though we are to strive after this as the goal. No meaner standard are we to set before us, than to " be perfect, even as our Father which is in heaven is perfect." But, if our own experience and observations do not tell us, all Scripture does, that "there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinnetl^ not." Wfe are told of Jpb, that he was " a perfect man and upright," and yet what does he himself say? " If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me ; if I say I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse." It was not because Amaziah was not sinless, that his life proved such a failure, but because Aewas not thorough-going in his principk and piety. -». Let this be the lesson we bear away with us. No lesson more needed. English life at present seems to be afflicted with a plague of levity. There is so much hoUowness and unreality, so much veneer in character and work, that it behoves us to preach aloud the gospel of thoroughness. A short time ago some workmen were engaged in trying to remove a piece of old London wall. They tried with hammers, then with pick-axba, then they had to borrow the help of some stalwart navvies, but to no purpose, the wall seemed to smile at al^ their efforts ; at last they were obliged to have recourse to boring, and blowing it up like a piece of solid rock. Tm is hardly the way they build now-a- days, for a man nJif^ht almost pn?^h ovf r nomp-ef ear^brict walls with his hand. \. c ■^^k I flilf-Hearted.- and there/ore a. Failure. ■»7 Of fi'Xtlt l^t^ %->f ' -„, .e „,« wall of life. When a ^a„ W 'C "^ ""'' '" '"='^ real, permeated Ihrough and thZI f " ""' '"'"''. ciple, jou cannot have Tnt 2^ .""""^'■"""'" P™" ' ness of his work. They savThafTf "' "' ""^ S™"'"^- an old copper coal-sou.Ue a Vo '"'""'"''"'■■^'"""e'"'"' battety, they will send ^u VaTr^' T"^^* «'^'^''- of gold plate. Brummagem Itk T^T T""'' "«'' articles as these. Shams ab!u^V """^""^ 'o such pain, car,, the da,, o™ .^ :; tXstr' " °"' ^^ And the worst of it is that tu- -uch of the religion amo„:,t "r"'""^ characterises a horrible form of Ant,„„ ■ ■ sometimes meet with "Anything .mZ roT:T::T^- "'r' ^'^"^"^ ^^^ so the work is actual], I;e3We'hrf '' ""'"^^ = " ^^ the^individual claims^ ^^t^'iT^'''''^^'^^^ grace." Why. it is almost as mlr. '^^ ^^^' ^"* ""^er good you^g Ln mad™ o h slanTd" l^ *'^ ^^^^^^^ ^ ceJlent Christian example shou d ^' ■ ' ^'' °^" ^'- Payment for his lodgings I ""^ '" "^" ^^ ^^ekly any^rtertfis^Mtdtr^^^^^^^^^^ " jou imagine you at Lo "^^ rdo^'^e^• -^^^ ^ because you are a Christian Tsav i. "^'^"^"^ ^ork ^ reverse. It is just because vo„ T-' '' Precisely the that any sort of work^Unr/ p '° '^ ^^^ ^^^^'^ you are responsible to Him Z « * ?^'"«^ "'« ^^'ne, life. If your seculardutS" e 1 '^ ^''"" "^ ^°"^ ^^7 because you are a ^1;"^^'"!""^''"^^^^^^^ ■ ^^eemer. If yo„ ,„,,--:',>g ^y^SlT^V" ^^^ w scatter tracts, or prepare fa^.^^ ^^^''^^^^^ to read your Bible • orV k ^^^^'^ ^^^«' ^^ even / , or If, m business hours, your thoughts •■• (.Vi -^r^- /!•■■ -^#i ^^ ,.<^., -Y li- % !'.-. cm-h i'V!^ > ^ % 228 Forewarned — Forearmed, are so given to spiritual themes that you cannot do justice to your work, in any of these cases you do real harm- to- religion. A man's piety is of the true sort only when it helps to make him — if an artisan, a better workman; if in an office, a better clerk ; if behind the counter, a better salesman, than he would have been without it. Our religion is given us to be a universal blessing, to sharpen our faculties, to quicken our diligence, to increase olir likelihood of success. If you have the grace of God in your heart,- as the spring of your whole life, you have the promise of the first psalm, "And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." You have the guarantee of the highest of all success. ' This may not always mean earthly abundance and ease ; for it sometimes happens that a man's best days are those in which he has the least of the woi^ld's smile ; but i'f your heart is right with God, all must Bie well ; and we know who has said that "the little 1||ia^a righteous man hath is better than the abundance o^^ ^i^y wicked." Remember, then, that ^igten is something within you, working outward from the centre, and that centre a heart possessed by the grac<^f God. Jt is not, as too many * imagine it, a reformation commencing in the outer cir-' cumference of one'^ life and habits, and then working its way inwards to the core ' till the heart is reached and changed ; nay, ^tit it takes its start in the innermost Tecesses of our, being, and from thence reaches outwards, till the whole character and conduct are brought under its blissful sway. Ah ! brothers, you have the rough world before you, with its bufiTetings, and its trials, and its difficulties, and its snares ; and there is not one of you tl^at will not find your greatest need of all to be true religion. Even Robert^ ^ums wrote to a friend ^— I-'.' ....i%. J-Su* ■*iiXu..i ous man hath is Half-Hearted; and therefore a Failure. ^^ " When rantin' roun' in pleasure's ring, Religion may be blinded ; ' And if she gie a random sting, ; But little may be minded. • But when on life we're tempest-tossed, And conscience but a canker, A correspondence fixed wi' Heaven, Is sure a noble anchor." That correspondence with heaven can be enjoyed only through Hun who is the "One Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." Lord,. let my hope rest there alone! "Have you no dotibts. no fears?" asked a friend of Sir David Brewster the emment |cien^ific philosopher, as he lay on his bed of ^eath. Non^- hie blood of Christ has washed away my sins ; I ha*^ life in Christ ; this I am sure of. for God has said it." "Have you no difficulty in be- hevmg the Bible?" hi^ friend further inquired, know- :r^i°T. f ^Pt'^'ff« P^eviMled amongst scientific men. NoRe he replied; add^g. "Alas! few receive the truth of Jesus. But why ? it k the pride of intellect, for- getting its own limits, steppin^sbeyond its own province. How little the wisest of mortals know of anything! How preposterous of worms to kink of fathoming the counsels of the Almighty!" "kt. do the ChrLian mysteries give you no trouble ? "\ " No. Why should they?- We are surrounded by Mysteries. My own being ,s a mystery-I cannot eiplaiW the relation of my soul to my body. Everybody believi much which he cannot understand. The Trinity an& the Atonement are a great deep; so is eternity; lo is Providence. It gives me no uneasiness that I cannot explain them. They are secret things that belong to (^d. I th-inV God ^e way of salvation is so sin^ple; no faboured argmnent. no high attainment, is required. To fcelieve in the Lord "I ?^n .■'1^' , . .X -^.fft^^l#^ii^-'ri#^ ■ i. k :,^ 230 Forewarned— Forearfned. Jesus Christ i^ to live; I trast in Him and enjoy His peace." Such were among- the latest words of one of the most eminent of the scientific men of our day. It was my privilege to know the man who uttered them. He was constitutionally slow to believe anything 'that was not established on good evidence. I thank God for the dying testimony of such a man. It does me good to recall it, and t^ tell it. What served for him, may do for you, and for me. ,0h ! get the matter settled now; come over at .once to the safe landing-place which the Gospel prj{>vides; so will you have the gOiarantee of a successful iife, a peaceful death, apd glorious' eternity ! Amen. tV ki^M / t f •>'a*vi and enjoy His ^ ; ne of the most • - ly. It was my them. He was ^ ■'that was not )d for the dying od to recall it, do for you, and ; come over at ospel pr]{>vides; ccessful iife, a Men. m ilk # >"■ AJ\r EXCELLENT SPIRIT ,^ -,4^ • '1 J!'_ ^.■!| « • • ' « . :-'^ i • ■.♦kU ;ii bv^ ;- \ • • 1 \2^ch ^\ F • X " not this Danul was preferred above the pt^uidents and princes, because an excellent ^rit was in him. "—Daniel vi. 3. . MhHa . \ t' ': .<•» ^ '• wl&'s ftHlt-' 4* Ar,«ip.iT ir- " . '■Vij. -.'!'/,;-?^»?^W;fe '<«^^ --^> XVII. . -*^ Excellent spirit. JUT Y aim in this address will be to point out to you secriof D.'T'*'"* ^""f ^^'^^ ^"^ *^^ ^^^^rt«. that (he secret of Daniel's remarkable rise from step to step, until King of Persia was not any accident of his birth, nor lucky V ■ . ■ * ■ ' .J/ • t a-* " • ' ' ■ C ,» ^ I w^Id like to enquire what this excellent spirit „a, . to I behsve rt to ha.e been a type of character which, 'n Z ' «ge and ,n any part of the wo'rid, is almost cer.ai^,J a man prefement and success. It was hot mere tSt that ^sedJDaniel to his high position ; no doubt he w^ a e^wL'-'^lnn 'a,r-. ^^ '^ "'""= "' ">>P'- ^ ne was skilful ;n all wisdom, and cunning in knowledire and understanding science." but it was something mo^ han this that brought him his promotion. InleTectTke ce .8 colourless; ^ one has mo,e of it than thedevU Let a young man have large mental capacity, it winnoi weigh for m«ch. if that be ill. His real st^enSh oTweak nessis closely linked with his moml naturef the ^^' even more than the brain, determines the man. ' .^^^yUte^aUficLIiarius) had just aac^ nd e d the- PersianflSpneT^s the last verse of the previ^XT^ tells us, he was «^ixty-two years of age. Not posse snX j^ u ■ ^ ■•■4 , ' n V' .i^tjM^iiL-'kf^,i:\;mii. ■f; '* •?>..-.. "i *• 234 P'orewiirned^For^armed. .nHni f /"^ ^''''^'^ ^"^S^«' by sensuality and Midolence. h^felt himself incapable of personally ma^- agmg the affairs of his great kingdom."^ U„d r tTese circumstances, he had the good sense to lo«k out '' Babylonian Court *^TheW- ""''.'™"''' f" "^^ -' '!>» ■some, goodXoWn/vTun ' ? ,7"^'' '° '''™ «"«• ^^d- aniunLthetlZTiS^Tft^''-^^^ 0™; would be favoufeble to thi. hT ''''°"="' '""es . foufHebrewyou.tr„ Va.V^:%7^™'i,» "■»' "- Daniel had sense enough to kLow tha?? ^ r" '"""• wine-bibbine was hv n„ v """ '"S'> ''""g and health and ag^d ZZeT" l^'J""" "■'"« '"' ='"»■' " he was forbS to paSll^f • "f ^' '' * ''"»'™» J«- heathen ; and he wa, „„t ™"''' '""" ">' '^^e of a . even for 'the king oTBatlorHe """''?" ^™"'™-' ■• farinaceous food and' Aitf s »f, ™^ ^ """ '"'''^''" '" himself and his comn,„1r ,^ ' f""* '" '"!"=«'* for pulse and water This ° „' , " "'''' ■"'«'" "^ f'^" ™ P«ddingorpot:ge,ra'eo :: r^^.^yf" °r^™P>«J / "f grain; plain fare, perhaos b« I V ' """"^ ™" ' and palatable. , "^ "^ ' •""• ' "*"? '^J'' ^0- good • Who propose to ^sti-T^pr t theH^-'T Ji , «' " J^ <*■' ^t. "».-ta&«.»v«\,* i .■^- r* ^ 236 Forewamed^—Forearmed, \ ■ m through no miracle that these pulse-fed, water-drinking Hebrew youths had a better constitution, and clearer head, and healthier complexion,* than the pampered young Chaldeans around them : it was the natural opefAion of hygienic principles. It is an exceilen^eature of our times that so'much attention is being giveji to the laws of health; and it is a notable and unquestionable fact that the more the whole subject is looked into by thoughtful and com- petent men, the more distinctly do they arrive at the conclusion, that nothing will be so likely to bring about an improvement i^ the natWal health, and make us a strong and sturdy J)(Bople, as the adoption of a simpler diet, and the absolute rejection of alcohol as a luxury. An old proverb says that "a loaden stomach makes a leaden mind ; " and many is the man who, by gluttony and excess, has impaired a good constitution, destroyed his usefulness, and brought himself to a premature grkve. We may laugh at the extreme to which vegetarians go*; but Daniel, who, both physicallyhalid mentally must have been a finely- developed man^ and who certainly Te^ched a great age, appears to have thought animal food Unnecessary; at all events, he kept a roost simple table., **" Thank God, the tendency in our day, even amongst the wealthy, is towards a plainer d'et; and soon, I trust, the portly aldermanic gourmand, whose heaven is a sumptuous dinner, washed down with the choicest wines, will be as rare an aninial as the ichthyosaurus, or some qther reptile of the secondary strata. Many is the Scottish youth, like the late Hugh Miller, whose sturdy physique and splendid brain have proved what oatmeal can do; and, I verily believe, we should have a finer jfite-of young fellows here in London were the example more largely followed. Christianity tloes^ not encotirag/asceticIsmyiFiaoes noT^ call upon us to afflict the body7nop«fuse the good things i.f^ • r i, I,."* 1 ( , ^iti, ' ,.u^ * ■■ «\ . <(i yJisrfj « V A **it "> X I . An ExcelUtUSfmt. 237 mustt! fT'"'" 5" "'; ""' '^' '«%>" »s that ma. must eat to live, and not (as some do) fee to eat. But If gluttony has slain its thousandl stmng drinfc has sjam ,ts tens of thousands. Daniel Xd*fe a, » abstamer, and there is no evidence that he ever deMrtS ^r He™'" ' T'"' '° " '^^' admiration Tws £ wine Th'' '" ";" '■''"•'' ^° *= -"0. "« ^ take wme. There was no fuss ma,de about it. He didn't Wus er. He didn't fling his own pmctice in the f^e o h.s fnends. Ha didn't browbeat and miscall th,r^who ^ffered from him He simply purposed in his he^ He said, "This is to be my rule." ' I have not a word to say against "making a public vow writing the name in a book, receiving a beaut^^^ embossed card, wearin,, a coloured ribbon, or becoS > G(^od Templar God bless eveiy method and devi" tLt will save men from the cup ; let a man sign the pTeXl in the .jnost formal manner, and wear a yard o blu"! s^fc I It will help him : but. what I urge every voun«; ^.n hi at lpa«!t it\ Hft .0 ♦« r II , every young, man here at least to do^is^to follow the exampie of Daniel. The drinkmg ewtom^^eP^abj^lS were excessive It was a shocking phce'for a young man to liVeT Its gaiety, and luxury, and gross licentiousness probabi; sur passed that of any cky of modem times. What ' II^ "[^ fifty i^ctangular streets, each of them one hundred Id fift ' feet wide; its hanging gardens ; its noble rive ^Xtes flowing through the ,entre. and spanned by brleTof magnificent architecture; its splendid palaces pfi^a^ and bazaars, it was a place that ministered T the ' senses every conceivable enjoyment. The young ^„ of J^bylon, as histo ryjnform^ »«, ^er^^^S ^Taii/ — profligate, devoted to enervating pleasure ^dSST^ amusements, p r . *'««*" corrupiinj^ •?fl J '% ^ m''.: ■'m c% ^ :\ 'f"! •'*^"5t'».^;^-» Y'^ -,i'~*-^ii' .:W- 23S f^oi^ewamed— Forearmed, ., ^r^f,' ";'' ""P'^""" Daniel TOS exposed. Yonno- bealthM, clever, and good-lcK,king, his coinpa„; „2d be much sought after. He mo,ed in the iThett cMe, of soc^tj. A, the great Chaldean dinner ESl^wL deemed an acquisition. If a state banquet Wgi^n« he palace, an inntation.would come to^he young Jew " such terms as these-" His Majesty the King command" he presence of Belteshazzar on such an evening to mee the princes of the realm." ■ s "> meet And it added enormously to the strength of the temnla .on that Daniel w^ far from hi, own family and homt It .s when a young fellow leaves his native ' place and Wees up h„ id,„,, i„ ^ ^^^ ^^^^ nobodrkno™ him, that we discover how much of the real ^LV7 ciMe is in him. 'That he may indulge t '^ v^ llZx his friends and relatives knowing anything abouT ilTsan argument which the devil well understands how to ply. But the young Hebrew was not to be caught His purpose was m*de, and he stuck to it. " No' wine "0 nie. I do not reqmre it; and vow not to muddle mv bm,„, and expose myself to temptation." I Zsav the youBg gentlemen of Babylon laughed at thetoit aced Hebrew but he could afford to bear their V^. JS! tto moral determination, this liigh-toned^ct tod"' ^ S't'*'" ""'• 'o- advancement, as the eaue,' proved. Nebuchadnezzar and his successors saw X stuff youftg Daniel was made of, and ultimately le™ preferred above all the presidents and princes, blcaZ this ezcelleni spirit of self-control was in him 11. This "excellent spirit" was more than a soirit of iffP aWfii.'r-i> *KA ir- -r-- — g" *«*«g fiery. M n ch s » ^^S^^peranee, the lofty courage, the sublime moral heroism of Daniel, we must ^o deeper than this to r . _ ^ r **»V ; ^^,s■^ ^^« Excellent Spfrit. 239 find the secret of bis strength. I quite acknowle dire that* man. ^,s moderation and abstinence gave him i healthv on h s face told of secret vices. He had a f3«K bespcfk^ySiianly and noble naturfe. K ^* * J, had there been nothing more than this. L and I i never have heard his n^,«^ u . . !' f ^" ^"5 ^ Bi would never have heard his name. He would haWWft-„„ .mpr*s.o„ on history. He was, aboye all.TjTn^ Three ,,mes over in this Book he is styled "a rn^S beloved ; and Ezekiel brackets him with Noah^nf ? k when h. speaks of men who had spec^pow" i:,'' I believe that his convictions were the fmif Xf , training. In the home of his ch^dLn^ i V "'^ he had learned of the true God f^'i.u ^" ^^'^' he endured as though he saw Him who is nvMe ri^ had constant intercourse with Heaven To hto rln a reality, a living and reliable friend"' to^horwlw d";er^ d.fficu,.y. and on whom he 'could 'r.^?: ':^ harC'r^an^irrf-rt- ''^ T'" "-- devotion .0 the faith of Ws f^I He """ "''«r "" of this inheritance. Now thltTe hfn ™ °°' '^^^^ city, and was on the ::y^V^^.Z:Z t Y. not snan his fino-Pro o* l- , ^ ™^' "® ^»d about th^e b.-;^^ rh ot ::oi'"'r^:f A /-^'^'- i iUlC'lilisfflfe. ,ijj 'Si', :M. ■ • \ ' >..,' f .? 5, "V • . • P f 1 ■•,^-- .»yvt" 2;^o ''Fonwamed— Forearmed. w On the contrary, the superstition, and infidelity, and debauchery he witnessed, made him cling the more tena- ciously to the faith of his fathers. His deepest instincts told himi on w!ttch side truth lay. He was prepared to maintain his ground against all comers. The Chaldean wise men might look to the stars, Daniel looked beyond the stars to the great God that made them. Staring him , in the face every day was the magnificent temple of Belus, or Baal, a marvellous pile, whose lofty tower stretched heavenward far above the highest pyramids of Egypt ; but Daniel believed in the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and could sdy with David, " My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth." ■* ' ' 1 s^ It was Jerusalem versus Babylon ; that was about the long and short of it. He would make no compromise. Where truth and duty were involved, he would not yield an inch. " Mine," he said, " be the God of my fathers ; mine the ancient faith of Israel ; mine the dear old songs of Zion." Yet, all this tenacity to religious principle was united with a courtesy and urbanity that secured the ad- miration of all, and bespoke the true gentleman. Uncom- promising as he was, he did not make himself a bore and a nuisance to other people. There was no sourness of temper, nor incivility of manners. He knew how to be firm, and yet polit« ; conscientious,, yet forbearing. f My dear brothers, I do wish you 'would take for your ^ model Daniel in Babylon. To many 'of you, this great city is what the Chaldeail capital was to the young Hebrew. You are tempted not only to vice, but to error. , You meet with those who jeer at your religious notions. They would " b^Foarfiitt^ ^foursaoat solemn^ convictions. Bepre« pared for them. Remember that thpse who sap fow[ iS^'bti V^ijE"-' ''*; \r ■ i^vi-^tt rl^.. An BxtelUnt Spirit, 241 religion sap your morality, and compass your utter ruin • As the B.shop of Calcutta said.in India, on the ^tL™ of a native society for tii> reform of Hindoo morals ™f >ou wish to make anything eternal, you^ii^ bdS it on the Christian religion. That is iLfmC^^^Z world that is eternal." j, -M^fS^W^' *" ^'^w Now, the point of our tejt is, thatit lS!!»^el's "e, • S?"°' 'P'"' " '"" I'd to hi, prefem,S„PSd ^ t w» and judged that he was a man who could be trusted His piety actually led to his promotion. the Si'th'ot'- ';; "■' '""^ "■"■ ""' '"*»» P™«=» "o •« ine case. Those who are over you may care n«t aw'o*« for religion ye. they know its vie iXXZ „?„„tr nessandsohdity of character. This tribute^s ofteH^d Sahh^ri S?"*""" J-oungman, the Bible-lovine t^H ■ !"'T" C''°"=l>-«°i»8 *o«th, is the lad .75 teu^d. An abominable exception .0 .his rule, doub'?e« »me.unes occurs ; and, of course, .he mos. is made „fT. ^d all .he world hears of ,.; but, as a simple matter of fact, ,1 .s unchallengeable, that even men of .hTw^ M lookmg out for some one to fill a vacant post of .rusT Id I'Sfi' f" " "'"' •""" '" "■e'a.heVs.td *e et S th^l T ""''' ' oonscien.ions CbrisHan. it, rlrLl ? i'-'^ "'"'" *"= '■"""^S advertisement •- ' ■^ Army Service. Young men wishing .0 join Her MafestV.' Army will, on application at any PostoL in .hfunS' Kmgdom, be supplied, wi.hou. charge with a ™mnS etc. men,' — — i n form ati on as ta c o nd it iong of service" Gr^t prospects of promotion are offered to youSg Well, thought I. this is quite in a line with ' 16 ^ . J. J" 242 Fdrewamedr — Forearmed, subject this evening. I would act as a recruiting-officer for the King of kings ; and, with far greater truth than the Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, can offer " great prospects of promotion" to those of you who will serve in#be hosts of the living God. III. I observe that this " excellent spirit " to which Daniel owed«his preferment was a spirit of unshaken ya«M in God. All through his troubles— and they were many and great — he never lost confidence in God, never feiiled to betake himself to ftim in prayer. This was the more remarkable because he was in the" very midst of that oriental philosophy which has always .jp roved the parent of the darkest scepticism. The pretejitious teachings of the Chaldean Magi would have bewildered the mind of a less decided believer than Daniel, and drawn him into dreamy speculations before which his faith would have 'withered away. Even then there began to be taught a plausible materialism which is of the essence of infidelity. Out of Chaldea sprang the opinions to which, at a later period, Democritus gave shape in his famous atomic theory of the universe. To this the6ry, probably, Lucretius 9^wed the production , of his famous work, "De Renim Natura," which appeared ab(|pt half a century before the birth of Christ, and in iVhich the author, seeking to free men from the trammels' df superstition, rebounds to the other extreme, and essays to show that there is no slich being as God. It is precisely in the footsteps of such m^n that mahy of our bolder rationalists at the present day are walking, men like the late Porfessor Clifford, like Spencer, and Harrison, anf Tyndail, who virtually teach that the exist- ence an3 active interferences of a Supreme and personal -Deity are not aeceakry ta be suppo s e dyia flider t o^ccpunt for the ifcenoSena of Mfture, and that the central energy .,.■5 ■)(■. ^„«i.»s.^t*jj :£^' Ah Excelifnt Spirii. ■ 243 .h« controls the universe is an unco,Wiou, and eternal ^Daniel's faith in God was too deep and strong to suffer any senous shock from such spurious philosoph/Thekto. himself bore witness that in all matters of .J^LiillZ. slandmghe was "ten times better than' all thema.teS,; and astrologers in the realm"; and as resu ts p™"^ ctn^r"'" ",""";?'"''= ™» »°' i-compatible wirflrm he kneeled upon his knees three times a day,.and prayed say, Eveijmg, and morning, and at noon will I pray and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice." ^' gre!t sfh T'" r "''""" ''°" ™'' '"'=^™ "^ '<"««« i" iHis Tur ChS ia"' '^:f;'-°"'>e throne of grace, before wh.ch Le. ^WreTete^u-tTf^^ guMe Zt fr' r'^ '° ^°* "^ -" «ta 'X aM i^cuS "otr^^ I'k'd i°" ■"''^ '-^"^ ™"-- t,.m„,,f . . ' ™* ''""'"s to conquer, fiertfe buT ta tr ;?"'; '""''''™ ■»"f°'""'- '» '-counter bu m the midst of all remember yon have an unsMn Fr,e.^d^,o go to, who will hear your /rayer, an^dTup-^ai" Perhaps, as yet, you do not know that Friend? L^t m. W ' * ,ij ■» ». ■ *.^ •;«*.*'? ,.,-1 ■-'h^, L htV ' t ' . % 244 I Porewamed— Forearmed. \m"'^mi^^^ supplications,* says he, " for our righteousness, but for Thy great mercies." Of all the prophets of the Old Testament none more distinctly predicted the coming of Jesus ; none indicated more plainly the object of His coming as a substitute to atone for the guilty. All Daniel's hope for salvation was founded on the Messiah's work, who should " finish transgression, and make an end of sins, and make reconciliation for iniquity, and bring iA everlasting righteousness." To that Saviour I point you to-night. God is now waiting to be gracibus. He is ready to pardon. When the old Romans attacked a city, they used to set up a white flag at the ^ate, and leave it some time there. If the garrison surrendered whilst the white flag was up, their lives were spared ; but after that the black flag was run up, and every man was put to death. Brothers, I have * to tell you that to-night, God be thanked, the white flag of mfinite mercy is flying in the breeze. Will you sur- render to God and live ? or, are you still to delay till the black banner is unfuried, which-tells that your day of grace has gone for ever ? May God give to each one of you that ? excellent spirit" which was found in Daniel; the spirit of self-control, of genuine piety, and of feariess faith. It shall make your preferment more likely, even in this worid; and in the worid to come shall lift you far above earth's potentates*4pd princes ; shall raise you from grief and groan to a golden throtje beside the King fiFHeaven. Amen. ' V *»•■ \ ■4-' * ' ^' 4/ ■ - -A ■ ( t - ■t-. • , ^■y- , » ,; , ■ '■ i Ijsfts.:^.™;,,,- H :•'•*,. ■■ ■ • i i-* ' :?,,■ ,.. » J),. ..i%,v.,j^» L«,>^'* •■ f ^* \%,'i ->"'** r ''■■'' ■ 'rf ■ -^ )^ » *. ■f • ' * . r . ="J • , . '\ ...-Ao in * i I # V / " And when he came to htmse//."—LuKK xv. 17. .^i'.t'i" V ^;i..' ^ I -^.W .11 _ / A*^^ !" ' •.:> •'.- ^^^ "" ii'i^ji^.itMiift'^^.i^ '• fi iL «ij' »<*4S». , -M» /■; o xviir. yO&J^G MAN COME TO HIMSELF. NLY six words, but- six sermons would not exhaust their meaning ! This is one of those touches that make the Bible so remarkable a Book. Just as an artist who is gifted with ' real genius can, by the dip of his brush, produce a power- ful effect which a less skilful painter cannot realise by a ^ potful of colour, so we often find it in the Word of God. I am not going to 'take up the parable of the prodigal son. I thinK it right to say so, because this unhappy prodigal has been preached upon ad nauseam. I am told there are more addresses given upon this young scape- grace than on any other subiect ^^cripture. I heard lately that the people attending a great mission-hall in the East of London sent to a popular evangelist, asking him to come and take a service ; but added, '* PleaWL^void the parable of the prodigal son." • > ^!^ I sympathise wifh this request. The Bible is a big Book, and contains an endless variety. Everybody knows that this parable is one of the most beautiful gems of Scripture. It is like a great diamond, which, turn it on whatsoever side you please, sparkles with exquisite radi- 4nce^ Xjurt c faip^ off» l itt le frag ffieiit,-an^ii8e if aT^ leniT to look into some of the deepest operations of the human heart. -' . • ¥ *» luftti: & •^ft^.^'-f-' ■ iio, ^ ^, '°" """St " , -i,and4irra,Crrr.~-- ^ — ble,.. V For there are mal% three thing*Mn'%H# . ^ • ,- ■ tinguished froqlVhe brutes . pnTf- k u ™^" '' '^''■ what he has in^ll; t t '' '' ^^ these,..and not by co™.j, hin-self only wht .h?^ J 7o ot fl" ^^ duct ar? reason, eonsden.., and th^ indWiu, p^ft*;- '- fl. ■J^- .'S\ I ' I \ ■!»**• =^a: And first, I name reafffn or mind. ani not ffOj ? , . iJh»'*i, ' Ajkx .^^. '^\'f-^i''-'-^t i'< *««?,' ^^^^•^'"''^^'* jt^^fM''"^'"'^''''''-''^^'^^ *" ' s I n'* 250 Forewarned— Forearmed. '''^ . T ' • stop to discuss;^ whether 'this is possessed by any of the lower ammals, There is not the sligh^st doubt that with certain of them there does exist somJ approximation to the reasonmg faculty. When I was a fiinister in a country charge, I used to notice how much mo^e willing my horse was to turn in to some farms than to otiiers. The sensible t'.T[f ""^'It °V ^°""^^"d P^'-fe^t Syllogism, it said to Itself. "At such a farm I always get k Jeed of oats. I am fond of oats ; therefore, I shall turn ik to suclT a farm '* Some dogs are certainly possessed of a kind of logical faculty ;.at least they act in a very logical A^ay ; more logical many a time than their 'masters. And Sit John Lubbock has told us such things about the intelliience of ants as are almost incredible. I But, after all, to man belongs the distinction, the grand and noble pre-eminence, of being a thinkiijg being. And I take leave to say to you, that hoWever laborious your life may be, and honest, and harmless^ you have not come to your true selves if you are not cultii^ting and de- veloping the mind tl^al God has given you. | In a community like this, a very large num|ber of persdns must earn their livelihood by njanual labour. There must be mAsons, and carpenters, and j?lacksmiths, and plasterers and polishers, and so forth. Now. it is no misfortune to be ' a mechanic ; butUt is a misfortuhe to be only a mechanic Man was intended tQjbfi a machine, but he w^ intended to be more than a machine. This mere "machine life is not confined to suth occupations as I have mentioned ; therfe are thousands of salesmen, and sJtop-assistants, and ofiTce- men and bank-clgrks. and so forth, whose life is quite as much a mechanical routine as th oug h they stood ^\\ A^., .4. •W»-.l»..—-wtr-T» »!•-«-*--—- — ••- . — ' ■ * ^--^Vii-'**^ May m, 1^.^?^^ the anvil.- Any man who lives so farZm that his tmde or his professipn satisfies him ; any man who Ji^ >L ''M'. *^ ^a/aa.v^^B>,8 1 •'•ffm,'.Mi.U,\4 Wu * . .1 ^ F(?««^ J/^« ^^^^^ /^ Himself. 25 1 cultivates no other part of i.is faculties than thos'e that are h L 7 V" ^'' ^''^'^' '' "^'"^ below the digni y of h,s toanhood. and has not yet come to his true se/xhere snot a man now listening to me who ought not to be a ^h^nker ; and to be a thin^r it is neces.^^ thaf;: t a reader. If your busmess is soich. if your hours are so long that you have never an evening to yourselves, no leisure that kmd I do not hesitate to say, wherever the fault may nght to make of himself, or to make of another, a me^. T !u f .^^^'^'^"^ ^""Sine. I would urge you. if it be withm the hmits of possibility, to add a something ve^ day to your mental stores ; and all the more if yofir momenti are scarce should yon be careful in your selection oTthe books you read. Eve^^body knows the saying of Francis Bacon, that " reading makes a full man " ; but many forg another observation of his. "Some books ai-e to be tasted Zl^''' rT'' ''''r^^^^- to be chewed and digested. I make no apology for these remarks, and hope they may prompt some good brother here to bestow a little mofe culture oh the intellectual part of his being. aro^J^lTrh'!(H''"'"^'»'"^''^ "^°'^ the other animals around h.m bythe possession of a ..«..^«.. or moral sense; and one may^said to "^e to himself" when that in ' ward monitor asserts its di||ithority over him A nerson who acts as thoiighhe h^c|>nscience, and no dS^ perceptio^of the distin^S^etween right and wrLg S -t Mrf fara t>- tr^ ."""-" • ""V" ^"^'imM^ ^i around M % -m^ humanity. and|i„gs himself do:::^^]:^ The lower animals ha^ no sense of i^ral obli4e!o|. ' *.^ •-J '■■ft. 'y^'"^'^?f*;'^'^^^ff^^' 2,52 fforewam^d-^Fbrearmed. % They caj^ distinguish the pleasant^ftomthe painfuFj but they cannofcjistinguis}! the right from the wrong. "^^^^f^ p'^' *°°' ™"^* ^® *^^^" with modification ; there are ins^&tes which seem to show that they are conscious of de^ef^g praise or blame, and, therefore, of having bee^jpoa or bad. The little dog that leaped on my study tabKand scattered all the papers in wild (jonfusion on the floor^-^^oks, as I enter the room, the picture of conscious gi«lt, and roUiisgf himself at my feet, with obsequious fawn, se6ms to say, " Whipime, but do it asj^indly as you -can:" Still, after all, this is but the, faintest shadow of con- ficidfi^e. To atf intents and purposes the brute has no mo^ sense ; that%? the prerogative of man. I hesitate not to say that one of the grandest possessions a young man can have is a pure and s^sitive conscienre. 1 You will find mai^^o a|||ear to ilave no ^nscience at all. The moral ^gfitness or wrongness of' an action,, is not a question thafever troubles them. Can I increase^ my i||j^ness ? Can I )|il%is stdck d]^sed of i*%:an I,^, turn these' goods int6 tfftiney ? Tliat"^ ^th^only-poini •M^th them ; and there are actually meiU|ifewiir stand up before you, and thrust th^irthut^inraRheir vests,. and says^^' No whimsical, puritanical ^»n^for nfe^ there i^ so much T^my to be made, and^Mfoa At very particular astd^iqjjyimake it:" 'if ■ lad that talks in that style has not " come to himself." elieve me, g^tlemen, it is a sure mark of a backward and downward course when a man becomes less and less scrupulous about the right and the wrong of a thing he is going to d(5; Th3.t is an admirabE vefse^oFBishop* Ken'p: — t .'i**-!.w'5n'*f 4t'-fc 1 w \^t .X. ■ ■■■•'■ Iv ^^ Young Man come to Himself . 253 •' Let all tb^- converse be sincere ; '% Keep^nscience as the noontide clear % i ^^ '^ Think how all-sedng God thy ways PP ., And all thy secret thoughts surveys." I have sometimes wondered why Paul, then writing to the samts at Ephesus, should say such things as the§e :— " Puttin^^^way lying, ^peak'eVeiy.man the t^th- with his neighbour. Let him «iat stole, steal no more," etc. Fancy writing iri this style to Christian members | What would my congregation say if some time when I am from home I were?:^rite them a letter bidding them give up lying ' ^^^ ^*^j|8: ' Our missfonaries in China throw great lighfcvup3»e matte^. Only in last month's Record, I find one of Ihe^j^ying that it is all but impossible in many cases to g4^»e native heathen to understand what 1% meant, by " sin '' ii^e Christian use of the word. The conscience requir^o be educated, the moral sense quickened, as onJy the religion of Christ can effect it. Oh I it is a fine thing to know that, even in this huge mammon- serving city, where t^ere is so much sjiarp" practice, and extortion, and over-reaching, and adulteration, and fraudu- lence of every form and kind, there are hundreds, ay, thousands of young men, §0 fixed in their high and holy principles they would rather sacrifice all they possess, and forego any advantage, than do what they know to be wrong I ,.,,, , But, thirdly, I must;;^till go a step further; I have now to name an element which raises you and me to an im- measurable elevation above the brute creation ; and that is our spiritual nature. Amongst the lower animals there may be some^ing very Ifke to mihd or reason ; there may even J^loggtJlHlg which we imaginp a pp r o achea con aciencep^ or a rough moral sense; but, when we come to the re- hgious principle, there is no bridging the gulf. To man '■*; , lifi: ^^•f *- 4 «^'*"''/^.''t*f»~f'^'?',/; 4jii^'7/'"'^ "* " ly ''•' T;C^ iip'mw ^f X" **«..,. W \i -• 254 ^ortwamed^Forearmed. ^pa^'foT/ ''"'' °' accountability to God, and a capacity for Knowing, trusting, and loving his Maker is so far cdrrect that no other animal is religious • that every part/of the human .race possesses some 7o;m o rel^ionyand that just as mVn rises in the scale of cuTture I s^then, a man. if he \s not religious, 14 scarcely a man. He wants that in whic[h his manhood chiefly lies Artd I mean, of dourse. nOt a mere outward form, but an/mward grace. I_speak| of spiritual yearnings o Tn ^1""^"''''' °^ '^'■^^^"^^ '^'^^ ^^'"'thing better wa, h?r K k' ^ ^''^"'""^ ^^'"^^ '"^^^ «f a ma-n that he IS short of this and you are "living, and moving, and havmg your being" within the range of your bodSv -nses, you have forsaken your true self. CoTersLn to God IS nothing less than an inward revolution. The change from lunacy to sanity may be more striking and discernible to the outward eye, but it is not neiri so radical and so thorough as the change from na^^re o Chr dan r-^ T^"''' ^'^^''' '"^^ ^^^^''"^^ ^n earnest Christian, it ,s the commonest thing possible to hear • people say his head is turned rdf i* '' r™!i ^"* " ^"PP""' '^ ^^ "«^ turned the £ r^ vf T ° '^^^ ""converted, " Madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the Chrtt • sZT ^'" "f * "•"' ""^" he'comes to Christ. Some of you know that when you were converted jour first thought was. What a madman have Men m >owl what a world of delusion was I living te | th! . -^e. laea h<«e, wfaorif Ud-^ Spirit wen> to d escen d uj ^ n 'r*- # './i ** > ' 5->?>'i-»l,i4it .1 », - V I <>■— m ^ K?««^ Man comedo Himself. 257 hushed, and in the stillness of the sid-room there rose up within your soul a consciousness of all you ought to have been, but failed to be ; and the world seemed so worthless and eternity so near ? Then you came to yourself, as you' . had never d^ne befoxe. Many a man has4' come to him- ". self under the blow of some crushing bereavement Yes- ": ^1 the sermons in the world would not move him • all our arguments failed, to make an impression. But one day there, came to hirp ji stealthy preacher without notes, and that pale preacher was Death ; and when he saw his bonnie little lister l^ing col^ in her coffin, or the turf laid smoothly over the gra^e tha^ contained his precious mother, he could , stan4 ifno longer.- hie Said, " From this hour my treasure ' a^ajtny Ij^rt shaft bein heaven." ' \ "^ ■• ■' ^', • ■ _ . ^.^ "^^y^ J'^^ ycnwg men hd found that you had a Father" and a F^d above, Ofi, how many never /ina this qut till the day of- sorrow comesj A good, pious man.rfeta poor ra^^M urchin ift the^eet, and. putting his hand o» his'h,ead.,said, " My Httlemair.^whe^your father and your mother foi-sac6 yoi» who ^ill takg you bp P." ( i^ ^ ^ ^ ;^ v.; *■«( m: , :^1 ♦ ■>« -f ->. ■ tmnr you, was the wee laddie's answer ?'" Tke perlice, ' V . *'7 '" ■* -. i •1 L#. 'f\ & •T I 558 forewarned— Forearmed. Ah I there are many who ought to fcnow better, that seem to be as friendless as that little boy. J know I am speaking just now to some who are in diffidlilties; they have -spent all, and there is a famine in the land. Oh! do what this youth di0, whom Jesus has painted. When h? came, to himself, his first thought was, *' I will arise and^o to my father." Wise resolve. Sure proof that he had come to himself. This is what I urge you all to do to-night. Rise up at once, and,^o to God. Whatever your age, whatever your station, whatever your line of businiess. whoever your prospedts, take the thought of God with you down into your whole life-a God at peace wifli you through Christ, in whom you trust. And this ■shall be to you, as most heartily I pray it, may be to one and all, 9 prosperous and happy year I k^ 1 ■ k. \ i.' ' \ A «. f ■' . H:- ■ X • . ■».-•• ■J . . - -.-rtt^J-.-^ ■V5(*\^ \ 3 w *■*'■*?, c '} '•' ?■., ?• &-OZJ Oi/^ ^Cl>^ IN YOUTH. s3 .. • * - V- . . )r* # f p • '^ . . • ■ » V * ^ ' '• . > ' i ■ • -«: - tT - * ■ '. V .* ■ /• ^ ■ t „'"•.- ' ' *>\ •■ vi. • ■'■^ . ♦.''•■ : 1 * •.<* A -" < '" " '^ » •" ..■■^' '. "^'^1 ' • fc * '' ■ « ? .• , ,./ .. * V '? " '"' ** J " .. 1 £^ .4-.. Aft. ir\:' ' . '».!-., H--, } *K J,' •>•^ •• > ' ■ ^«v J*")" S^li""'- youth. nou ««■" mpfiope, O Lord God: Thou art my trust from my "X. % e fc- "" ^ ' ♦ o t ^,-- \" ■.-_ .'■ , ■■) ' • • J . g , •- — *** ^'■.., • . *■ i. '„- • to ■> %' •' e t( tl b a/ Ifc v-*fe. i *^,-'i ^iL^^i ^^^) ••V r ~X. XIX. ^ GOD OUR HOPE IN YOUTH. M It was a man well advanced in life who uttered these words. Read the psalm through, and you will se^ that. " Cast me not off," he sajjs, " in the time of old age : for- sake^rtie not when my strength faileth. Now also, when I am old-ah(l grey-keiaded, O God, fprsake me iiot." * •^ Ay, the snows oTage are falling on his head ; his back ) bends under^ the weight of years ; his faculties are n(/ . longer acu,te as once tbefiTwere, and the world has lost its power to^ chann ; but4-is the frail old man dejected and forlorn? No, nothing of the kind: the faith oAiis youth pra\tes.the comfort of his age ; and, as he leaps his hand upon his staflF, he lifts up his eyes to Heaven, and says, "Thou art my hope, O Lord Godl Thou art my trust from my youth." / .« What I wish to bring out and illuWte is this, that a pious trust in God at the outset of life guarantees a blessed hope ill God at the end of it. ; • ; ; Now, if we look only to this world, liiniting our view to existence here on earth, I grant you, hope belongs rather to youth thah to agS-to the spring time rather, than to v the autumn of life. „ In boyhood an^J adolescence we look fpltward; we live verjK much in Jhe future; life is still \, ' •before us, full of brightness and promise; but when bid age comes, memory" to a great extent takes the place of hope ; -we livr in tlie puat.-and-takfr |be days |hat are gone, , ' '■■■ 'I '\ :^ «s % 262 |.-*^,,V - ■-- Foremarmed— Forearmed, ,|^eil, to mew of us the former is the more attr^rti've of ^^ two. To myself, I confess, the tiniest flower of spring a chann uroosseaaEd by ail the floral beauty of autumn, ttle pnmrose or anemone, or a crocus peeping through soil, conveys an exquisite oleasure to my mind, which ailthe wea.th of asters and cirrysanthemums cannot yield ' ' Jmi why? Because the former speak' the languaflfe of ^:: the latter of retrospect. The one says. «%ow fee^tiful IS the summer that is coming!" the other says, ilow beautiful the summer that is past ! " I quite acknowledge that, from both quarters, a'refined and cultured mind can draw much enjoyment. Delicibus as the firsts breath and beams of morning are. there is a glory m the sunset too, and a spell oft-times about the stiH evemng hour. If the poets Campbell and Young smg of the "Pleasures of Hope," hardly less sweetly does Rogers sing of the " Pleasures of Meniory." But. after all. it is a melancholy thing to dwell only in the past ; and the old man who has no other satisfaction IS poor mdeed ! Such persons I do sometimes meet with • and a sadder sight I rarely witness. Says the old world; ling, I have had a fair share of earthly pleasure, and I must not murmui; now ; " but his tone is that of one whose joys are just expiring, and whose future no Christian hope has gdded with prophetic ray." To the world he had said Thou art my trust f rota my youth;" but to that world he cannot say, " and thou art now my hope m ag^ " One by onl the lights of earth.go out; but to him no bright stars begin to twinWe in yonder heaven ! How diff-erent with the man who has made the Lord his confidence ; especially with* him^who has dbne so in early life Never was his hgrizon clearer, his vista brighte'r than now* h"- A friend who stood by the bedside of John Knox in his t;i- ■ Gocfour Hope in Youth. 263 ^ last moments, put toiiim the question, " Hast thou hope ?" Already speech had gone^ but the noble Scbttish Reformer summoned up his rAnai^ing strength, 'and raising his right hand, pointed with his forefinger to heaven. Archbishop Leighton beautifully observes : — " The world dares say no more fof^ks device, than Dum spiro spero, 'While I breathe, I hope';/ but the children of God -can go furtiier and %diy^Dum exspiro spero,' 'Even when I die, I hope ; ' for that ver^ event which drowns all the world- ling's prospects, throws open to the Christian the gates of ' a glorious. eternity ! ' Only last week I met with an admirable comment' on our text. Visiting an aged Christian la^y of eighty-six, who has known the Lord from the days of \ her youth^I said to her, as I noticed that she \yas hardly able now even to read her Bible, or knit a stocking, or in any other way while away the hours, " I suppose you are much occupied now in recalling and living over again the times that are past ?" Why, the old body instantly drew herself up, and sa,id, with a warmth which I felt to be a rebuke, " Not at all. Sir ; I employ myself looking forward to the future ; for the God I have trusted in the past is now all my hope." They say that sailors on beard ship have a practice, during the first half oiP^the voyage, of holding up their glasses, and drinking a toast to " Friends astern I " but, for the latter half of the voyage, they change it to another, " Friend^^,^ad ! " and few Christians the,re are, that have reach^Jeven the middle point of life, who do not feel that there is much more to * invite their thouglits to the better land they have in view, than to the world from which they are every day receding. But I am speaking to. young men ; and there are two main tHitffiiext, whidr I wouht-fe ay e with yon io-TTtffifr J. TKe first is this t that 1/ is well for you in your vouth t9 ! / : ^# ri>t*' -■ >-■* 264 I^orewarned^Forearmed. contemplate and^prepare fir age. A greater mistake a yom«r' man can hardly make, than to live and act as thomrh^ were to be always young. Precisely what many, neverthe- less, do. At this moment I see some hundreds ofyoune capitalists before me. You may not indeed as yet be rich in money, bat you are rich in what is better than monev rich m what all the gold in the Bank of England could nol buy-nch m^heaith. in energy, in animaf spirits, in all the capabilities of happiness and usefulness. One of the very last of the many great discoveries of our time is that of a method of storing up electric power ; and, if I am not mistaken, the "electric accumulator" is destined to effect something hke a revolution in the njechanicaLj^forld It seems to me, that each of you is like sucli^'an instrument • ^ and the question is, What are you going to do with that vital force with which you have been charged? Oh I remember, it is of priceless value, and once wasted' can never b^ re-supplied. V As I was wandering one day through thfe old cathedral at Elgin, my eye lighted upon a quaint epitaph, carved on a slab m the wall :— •' This world is a city fuH of streets ; i- . And death is the market that all men meets ; If hfjp were a thing that money could buy, The/poor could not live and the rich would not die." The gramri»ar may be at fault, but the sentiment is true Oh. bow many squander in early life those energies they would afterwards give a fortune to recall I How many are practically saying. Let yohth ^.tve its carnivakwf pleasure, and let age look out for itself I I was reading the other day of a wise old Spaniard a man upwards of a hundred year, of age, who said thit, aUhough old, h^onld live-as if he >er. yn„ng. ^,,' i "Then young, KTfed lived as if he were old, -,.«:; '.^A,4^,ij W^"^ ,.x \ God our Hope in Youth. 265 Now, g^tlemen, I say you should contemplate living long, and growing old. God. has ifnplanted within each of us the desire tolive ; it is a proper, a healthful desire ; not to have this desire indicates a diseased moral condition. If any of you at times get languid, sentimental, lackadaisical, and wearv of life-and such a thing is sometimes met with amongst y(^ung men-know, that there is something wrong decidedly wrong. You have no business to feel like that' I remember a young lady once ^ling me that she made ita daily prayer that she might be cut off before middle life, for she could not tear thq thought of being old; but though twenty-five years have gone, she does not think ic is quite time to die yet. ♦ No, y<»ir should wish to live, and hope to live, and iffi^d to live, and make provision for after days. I have '^d you capitalists; well, take dare of your capital ; *dbnt spend It nbw. Take care ofiyour- health. With all respec*' tor^ medical men, I want you to put as "little bijsiness in their way as possible. When the millennium comes thfcre will be no doctors, for "the inhabitant shall not sav,"! am sick." Almost every youthful excess and vicious irregu-" larity brings its own p^uijishment even in the present life m shattered nerves, and blighted health, and depressed" spirits, and sho#ened days. ' > ---r^ | Where dyou spend>your evenings f Answer me that,'Ed I shall haVe somp notion where you will spend eternity Answer me that, and I will venture'to predict your worldly prospects. Are you in^the habit of taking stimulants ?". ihen you may probably reduce by 50 per c^. your prospects of seeing old age. Dr. Andrew ClartSft the other day, that of ^yery tfen ihvalids who ar^ piilM p^ r*';"- care, seven owe their disordeTto habits of drinkiS^Sou 4re not jroine to be so fonlieh t k«..^ »„ 4.« i„ -^ % ot §:oing to be so foolish, J hope, ^ to tampS w||ra '■V Y' il >, > '^-y V, .:•«' >*v pM ■ iiJP-!»R^ »mf*ff^ \ 266 ForiwarnedK^Forearmed. fiend tha^ every year digs a grave for hundreds of the flower of London. When a ship is launched, her deck gay with buntrn^, a bpttle of winejs dashed against her sides • and amid^he ble^^ings of thel.nlookers, fnd therdelfen: mg huzzas, away she glides down the slip, and enters the element that is to bo her home. It would be a^ood thing If every young man. in launching forth upon the ocean of ife would dash the wine bottle to the ground, never to touch It rnore. I am not going to mention names, but I could tell you of poor fellows who. are sleeping ten feet deep under the jg|in one of yonder cemeteries, who, had they been ^l^us and virtuous, would have been "r ^^^^WKm '■expected, useful men. Probably none of you e^^HH^ith the epitaph which Lord Byron wasted years. Here it is, and what wrote upon, one of a melancholy effusion : — <; 1821. HERE UE, INTERRED IN THE ETERNITY OF THE PAST, FROM WHENCE THERE,, IS NO RESURRECTION FOR THE DAYS, WHATEVER THERE MAY BB FOR THE DUST : THE THIRTY-THIRD YEAR OF AN ILLtSPENT LIFE : WHICH, AFTER A UNGERING DISEASE OF MANY MONTHS, SUNK INTO LETHARGY, '. AND EXPIRED, \ JANUARY 22ND, 182I A.D., LEAVINQ A SUCCESSOR INCOI«JSOLABLE FOR THE VERY LOSS WHICH — pcc^sroNED i-re ; ^ ^ISTENC^t. r &:>• 71 " ' /''< ir / '%V^'*'-'*f- f/: » ; Qod our fJope vn Youth. Ah I this was all that rank and genius could do for its sessor, when he had yielded up himself to sinful pleasure Ho^ truly does the Psalmist say, that "wicked men sffall not live out half their days." that is. the days- they might and would hav^ Kved. had they been virtuous and God- fearm^ men.; . '\ If some of you will act upon the advice I am now to give you, will thank me for it some day: Whilst you are to hope and prepar^^ for a long life, you are to contemplate the possibility Of being, suddenly called away, and you are to make provision, even in this world, against such a contin- gency. Itris meanly selfish for a man. dying in the prime of life and professing a Christian hope, to be perfectly happy whilst he knows that as he steps into heaven, his wife and children will step into the,.^rkhouse'. I say it is abomin- able ! If you have the farntFst prospect of having any de-* pendent upon you, you have no business to spend on gratification all your weekly wage or your yearly salary It IS not yours to spend. The first few shillings, or the first few pounds, belong to them, and should go tV, pay the premium on a policy that at least will keep them from beggary. # ^ - > ' ^ ,EXcuse- me for mentioning tlys; but I am really pro- voked to see men, throug^h sheer thoughtlessness, laying up for their families trouble that might easily have been spared, had they only insured their li^s in some sound and respectable office. Now. next year is not the time to do it, if you can do It to-morrow, for you don't need me to tell you that the soo„6r you take this step the lighter the burden will be j;hat grand ol d m an. Dr . Guthrie, of Edin hnrgh^. f.^ yearrbefSre his death, rose ^ at a public meeting; and said, " When I came to Edinburgh, the people sometimes *)v w' J ■■1 ":'".■/■ .' f./ ■■■■ V 1 'i ■ ■:'":/. 1 '%■' ■■•■ / - ■■' .■ ■^ ■ % • ■ 'm ■r, ■■■',■:'..' .'■'■■ ■ ' . • ■ '■ , '■ . -■'''" .'/' ■ * ^ ' - '].' i. • % ' - ■ ,'■*■ • • • - ■ rf' . -"■ ■■' ' 1 V ■ 7''^- 1 '■ . ' . . - 1 -i ''i '■■'■"""-",:'' .t#i.v V<- '.-.^t.-.:' t -' ■ J i- • ^ k a i V ■* *' , ' ;i--' \ ?v' , r :.WW- )* ■' ^ ,/ / * ^■' . . """"""'7' ■ 1 4 ^ ... ./J / , , ■ - ' A . i ■ y i- ;/' ■.' ■ • ^" ' !* ■'*. ,' y • ■fc ' ^) ' V ■ g« t- ^ " - 1 ■ \, " _^ ;b V- ^' *■■ ^■' ■ ';■■■ ^ ^^^^^ , .»■ ^fciA- : '"5-^ ■' ^^ Ik ik. *^ P- iilil _| bhbh HHH|| ■i III % I - IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET {MT-3) A {/ A >* 4^ w. 1.0 I.I itt 12,2 III lU u 11:25 1 1.4 1^ 1.8 1.6 » -7 ^Sciences Corporalion as WIST MAIN STRHT WnSTIt,N.Y. I4SM -^* ■ • "A2:\:}$: ■ :'■ iismmiii . ..^^^ *v<.^ 4t^ , « 4* . »v •i>;4.^-^ 4': X 268 ■ \ Forewamea—Fcirearmed. Xm?IoTm,V'°''T;"''' "-"X cotton umbrella. Office, would mate his househ;,?'^^ a^aiu^ ^7"" tTef ^Irel Jbtrrihe ,^\' "'* '° "" ""^ ">« tn ™„ fill "°. '^"' ""c one teaching our dutv to our fellow-men, and the other our duty to God ■ Td *at the pulpi. fails if ;, ^^, „„, inculcaU loVh ' ■ subTr.rr' '• '''^l ™P"'?"' '" «« '» ">« '«ter part of my The happiness of your future years lies to a great extent myonr own hands, and is being determined^ow t vw fbnndat,on is laid in a genuine " tnast in GoS" ,' Men who g„ fo„h in life without this, are anchorless and rudderless, and will drift, the Lord only knows where I h^e you don't need, me to tell you .h« worldW s„"es W.I not secure happiness. A man may have evervthTn ' ^*f .w". T «'™ ■""■• »« he wretched* We ar^ so const, uted, that our happiness alway, seems to liever^ much m the future, or. in „,her words, to belargel ' mld^ bril,T= '^i "= »"" """"»« »<>"' hoXeHot ■I"* ".iEPPTraaij. And K i. nn. —^..-l 1. i '-™;»u», »-=?= ^^PR^«. And it is no, enough to have ^^foT «j. JitSi^rV^''^^*^ • *ia 1 t»*'*1»>c K ' _*t»Ii^ - 4* r, ..^ ^fJ^^t-JSpilVi ^^^. ^^•^4: ^->^:.:^ ^,^* Qod our Hope in Youth. 269 to-morrow, hope for next year, hbpe for the rest of our at 'Tnr' ':? • ^u'""^* '^ ^ ^°^^ *^^*' ^« the Bible 2nd t ^^^'^^^^ '^"'"^"^ ^'^t^"^^^ t° the world beybnd the grave. It must be a hope -that is "full of _J-n,ortality." Oh. it is a miserable thing to spend a ' T^ 7 ^'t ' '"' ^tprnityloiering in the disUnce , The first thmg you should set your minds to. brothers. . f } ''"■°'' ''"'^"'^ °"t °^ the future, and the .s^ar of everlastmg hope kindled brightly in your sky. Now. th,s comes of what David here calls making God tlst "" A ; ^'r"V^ *'^ '"^^ ^^^' -^^th the Jrd h°s trust. And. what^oes this mean } Many an ignorant 1T?WK "'' '" ^°^' ^^*'^t he knows nothing o ■ o.n .1 l'"'"' '^^^ '""'• '^^^ ^i'^^t characters alive can take up this cant, and persuade themselves that it is all nght wuh them. The wretch who has imbrued h hand in the blood of his neighbour, and is caught red- T/f^ '". r^^'"^^' ^' '^^'^ ^' he is sentenced to death flul^^ k''''^^ " '''' ''"' '^^'"« to t^k ^ith ea^y frLnT- . ' *T " ^°^' ^^ °^ ^°i"^ ^ "^eet dear Had we time just now. I could easily show you that there are (wo leading thoughts running through Ts whole psalm. Thes. are the Lord our rigLousnfss, Ind the Lord om^trength. This is where David's trust was pUced and where his hope sprung. For his ^u t ^ needed a perfect righteousness; in his weakness he needed a jerfect strength; and both he found in God need°" WhVk ^""^ ^'^7 ''""^'■' ^^ '^^ «^« two-fold need. Whether m our hearts we feel it or not, the need •,fK , '^T^^^^^'^Sjiirit of t3o(f begins to deal " with us, there comes an awful, an alarming sense of thfs 'IC '•" i .-N -/I <-*''i^'- ^t*^'',^^^^*r4i^i'i,i<*''iy s (.^^'Sii jt«iybw«^t'^'tjti.y»4p-V'*^^^'^#^ w .» Tf^A. U-^ ^ 270 forewarned— Forearmed. need. I cannot resl^.till I find a Divine righteousness to cover me, and a tWvine strength to uphold me. It is the mission of the bospel to point me. for both, to Jesus. Isaiah, prophe/ying of Him. had written. " Surely shall •one say. in the Lord have I righteousness and strength- " and to Him. as to the coming Messiah, the Hope of Israel, the Psalmist makes many an unmistakable refer- ence. The trust I want -you all to put in exercise, is an evangelical trust, a trust in the Christ- of the' Gospel- a trust that finds its utterance in such grand hymns' as Rock of Ages," "Jesus, Lover of my soul," "Just as I am without one plea,"- "I lay my sins on Jesus," and so lorth. I have been with dyingmen. when in these words they whispered out their last breath ; they found that Christ was a real Saviour, real to them in life, and real to them m death. 1 do not say. thatif you give your youth to folly, and your prime to m|B|h, you cannot'at the last have hope in God. I daflff shut the door against any man; nor deny that •' •♦' " While the lamp hoids on to bum, Tlie grgatest sinner may return." I see some grey heads here: God help you. my aged friends, now. if you have never done it before, to put your entire trust in the Lamb slain on Calvary. But oh ! young men. it is not easy, after long years of hard indifference, to seek the Lord in truth. There is such a thing as groping after the light and not finding it. I was once summoned to the military barracks, to visit a soldier who was lying in the sick ward. I saw at once the stamp of death upon his countenance. It was evident he had but a few moments to live. I stooped over him. ^^#^"' ^^'^ ^^ ^ "^Hiva ^-* »»^ in Ohnst ? His answer made me tremble • and though ft I<'^.'. \'' *, God our Hope in Youth. 271 twenty years have gone, it rings in my ear to-day-the last words of a dying unbeliever, "I have no hope!" Will any of you, dear lads, risk such an exit from 'the worid?^ Can your life be genuinely happy, with a drawn sword hanging daily over you? Are you prepared to spend the coming year just as the past has been spent, with your relations to God and to eternity all unsettled, and your only peace found in driving these things out of your mmd altogether ? Or. do you want to have the great matter put straight now ? No man has a right to be happy, until his peace is made with God. To some of you the call will come unexpectedly. Sopie'^of you will never see your seventieth year. Some of you will never see your fiflSeth year. Some .of you will never see your thirtieth year. "But." you say, "see I I am strong and healthy." «ir, ydu. may be the first to go. I retain a list of about fifty names-the fellow-students who sat with me on. the same benches at college, neariy thirty years ago. Ah! how few of them are spared and ahye to-day I ^he one notable thing that has struck me, in looking at the list from time to time, is, that it has been the stout and robust, the men who I thought would far' out-hve myself, who have been the first to go Would you not wish, then, to be prepared ? Would it wl ^.^j^';^^"* *»>'"» if everybody could say with -Dr. watts :-- I lay my head upon my pillow to-night, not " caring whether I awake in this world or the next ?^' Oh won t you all take the decisive step at once, the step that will make your whole life luminous, your death triumphant, and your etefnlty infinitely happy ? ' To compress my address into a nutshell, you are to trust Chnst now in your youth ; to trust Him for the pa rdon of =|our sms 1 to trust Him for strenpnrfErBouror tempta- "~ tion • to trust Him for guidance in eveiy time of difficulty 5 . .t -.^ '^ # P # !fa\i«. ;. J.J.:. ,-!$»,.,^ ■- 272 Forewarned— Forearmed. to look to Him as your Redeemer, Counsellor, and Friend ; and then you can go forward with courage to all the duties and burdens of life, your spirits becoming brighter as the years increase ; and, if God spare you, as I trust He will many whom I now see before me,' to be " old and grey- headed," you shall be able, leaning on your staff, to say:— ** Now, even in feeble age, Thy name Doth still my languid heart inflame, And bow my faltering knee : " , Oh, yet this bosom feels the fire ; This trembUng hand and drooping lyre Have yet a strain for Thee I Yes I broken, tuneless, still, O Lord, This voice, transported, shall record Thy goodness, tried sl^rlong : Till, sinking slow, with calm decay. Its feeble murmurs melt away Into a seraph's song I " / - V* *''.. ***'-. nw^'J.Sii* ,i. >.••»(. 1-. ' *«, j,i st-" 't-iH-'t^-tt* / • / • f ,• . YOUNG MAN, Ak^EI A t8 U-^-^ ■^-^l^' / 'i ♦ I ♦•id' 'i> . ■■:P " And He said, Youn^; man, 1 say unto thee. Arise.'*— Lvkk vii. 14. ^^ ' 4 - » ^* *il* '^^ -' 5...,., ..'S i_ j^ ,^ .— « , *-.t - . .1 . . . L to • ' cor pre th< • pal * -t t i^^B- I. r - ^ If*"* - » ■ J- tJiji'T li XX. YOUNG MAN, ARISE r I HAVE often wondered how it is that we -see so few funerals in London. When you consider that in this vast metropolis every eight minutes witnesses the departure of a soul, and that there are on an average a hundred and eighty interments ev.ery day of the year, I think you will agree with me that it is surprising our eyes are so seldom arrested by the mournful pageantry of death. And even when it does pass before us, such is the stir of the busy streets, and so absorbed are we with our several pursuits, that it is marvellous how little impression is made. We may feel for a moment solemnised, but tha|i^xt moment we are as deep in our worldly business as e^W" There is something, however, specially toliching and impressive in a village funeral. In a small population every family is known ; and death, when it enters, throws a general sadness and gloom around. ^ How silent and de- jected are these mourners, as they bear their burden slowly to the tomb I How many an eye is moist, as the humble cortige creeps onward to the old churchyard. And, if it is a young man that is carried out, 4 yotith of promise, who was the hope of his family, the life and joy of the village circle, the sorrow is exceptionally heavy. What pathos there is in those lines of Gray : — ^ " One mom I miss'd him on th' accustom'd hill, . ^loDg the hoLth, and Jifiar Ms Jay'iite tre e g ^1 Another came, nor yet beside the rill, -Nbr up the lawn, nor at the wood was he 'a!,'*j^.> . ' fi^ ,- ■ *-1 1 276 P'ore'wamed— Forearmed. "'"'^""t. ^i'h dirges due, in sad array, Slow through the churchyard path we saw him borne • Approach and read, for thou can'st read, the 1« ' Oravsd on a stone beneath yon aged thorn." been he scene ctf one of Christ's greatest miracls S rit^rtrf °V' " "'' ^"^•" ""' « =■« know haVT„ one hutoric incident thft\::L!:::;:rs:^^^^^ that Its only ant quities are tomho tu ^"fi5>"an, snapped the thread of life • but there L L m :'^ ^ and still. I think death^^ev^ 1^/ ' '^^^^^^^ S I K !' ^"^' ''^^" ^^ ^^<^^c-t on its pure life hardh^ stamed by the pollutions of the. world, an^d on he car s and dangers from which it has so earlv moH. cannot but feel it was a tin A! a.u^ ^^ ^'^^P^' ^® -nc«vcnaiid snatched it away. ^^ ^^ ,' — V- ♦ '.,. 'i V I -. . •VIS' :^;v.: 'r-XrUr ,«'", "-t'-^uK-^^^^W"'^?'^ :,;;: i,}>'v,i7'4r^gi^^ Voun^ Man, Arise / ^77 And when an old saint dies, we feel It is wrong to weep. He was tired of life's journdy,^and longed to be away. His work was done, and he was just waiting to be released. You look on his calm features, ere the coffin lid is fastened down ; you kiss* the cold forehead, from which the wrinkles seem to have melted away, as though giving promise of a new and immortal youth; and yoqsay, "Happy manl having served your generation by'the will of God, you have now "fallen asleep." ' But oh ! the dispensation's very dark when it is a young man that is being carried out to burial. " 'Tis hard to die, before I've reached my prime, To sleep insensate, ere I have grown old, Ere faded visions, or the hand of time ^ Had twined the silver with my locks of gold." And yet, mysterious as is the event, and deeply affecting, it is no uncommon one. • It occurs every week in London. Even in this church I have seen some of the most bright and promising lives suddenly brought tO a close. Youryoythful strength gives you no guarantee that death is far /away. Nobody, steps out of the world when he expects to do sq. Though forgjftnty years you have never had an ache nor- a pain, you '^Tmake no safe calculation about the future. A fine, amiatu^, robust fellow of twenty, who used to worship here, was sitting in his office one day, when a fellow-clerk came up merrily, and, slapping him upon the back, said, "Well, how are you this morning ?" That good-humoured blow injured the spine, and, after some weeks of almost total paralysis, the young man was borne to his last jesting place. You don't know in what form death may yisit you ; but, lay this wfeU to heart-<^tHat youth, and energy, and muscular ^strenph, and robTisf=fiealtft,^nd"p6d yorldly pro^^^^^ are no security against the invader. , 19^ t- w ,1 \. \ \ / Ma " ' ' ■ '"■ ■■■« .f*«^ ^7^ Forewftrned-^Forearmed. th^Ti '"^"' ^' ^''^^ ''°"'^'* be 'prepared for life, ast thyselfthe question. Am I prepared to die? . ~ . ' ' ' ■ ^ . But. secondr;.. there js another thing that adds much to the impressivenessy thi^ funeral-I learn that that young m^n ,s an only son. Well.-I irfiigine that, let a Lily them that can be spared. Every one is dear, every one is • ' rhM?"'' rl:"'* ^""^ benevolent gentleman, who had no children of h,s awn, was entering , a steamboat one day. ^ Jh^" he noticed a poor man with a group of little one ... around him all m a state of piti^jl destitutiom Stepping up to him. he proposed to take one of the children and adopt It as his own. "I think." said he, "it will be a great relief to you." " A what 1 " exclaimed the other. "Areheftoyou.Isaid." "Such a relief to me., sir." re* jomed the poor man. " as to have my right arm cut off- it . may be necessary, but only a parent can know the trial." But. an only son. in whom all the hopes ani the joys of the parents centre : ah ! it Js long sincethe extreme bitter- o nfess of such a beifeavement passed into a proverb ; " Thev shall mourn for him." writes Zechariah, "asone mourneth for his only son."'- .., wrr°*^^*^"'''''^^*'^P'^^"^^- You Will not wonder ^1?T "T'» TT^ exceptional sympathy, and that much people of Nam joined the procession, when I re- ' mind you that this young man's mother was a widow. Poor ^ .body, he was her sole support. The light of her dwelling Was now put out ; the comfort and support of her advancing y^ars ,taken awdy. No doubt he Had been a good son, or ' his death Avould npt have created so profound a feeling in- ^^^ pla cer-- — I , — — ^ ft--jL ^ <> \m-- \.'- ■ 1 ^/*^« '*" ^ i&iit ■/ ' ■ ■ i " ■ '. ■« ■ r ^ % .V / Young Man, Arise ! N 279 Olvl if there is t)ne trait in a youog man's character, more ' ^ beautiful than another, it is devotion to his parents, and specially-to hiimother. .1 have known lads who have gone •suchjengths inlTh, that you almost gave them up for lost, ^ they seemfe'd utterly hardened ; but there was one tender point that still Remained ; yotx could always move them, •and bring the sleeve to their eyes, when you spoke to them ^ of their mother 1 My dear friends (excuse me saying it), there is maiw^ wa^ in which you can show a tende|^nd loving consi(kration for the old folks at home j ana to those ofj^you who have, had the misfortune to lose your ^ father, I would specially say. Oh, do the utmostsin your * power to lighten t^e burdeng, and cheer the heiart,; of the „ dear widowed one who remains. . •'".,. But, see ! the procession moves slowly on, andAhe people . stand back to let it pa|s, and every head is uncovered in token of respect ; and now it has got out of the city gate- (for the burial pla6e, according to the Jewish law, w^s oui^ side the walls) ; but ere theyreacli the- little cemetery, a strange incident occurs. -'^ > / , Who is this Stranger that mysteriously approaches and stops the procession ? Mark how He lays His hand upon the bier, arid, amid the sHent astonishment of* the mouiners, bids the dejected widow, " Weep not." And then, hi pre- sence of the awe-struck company, who perceive that a Divine pne is in the hiidst of them, He addresses to the pale corpse these wprds of my 'text — "Young' man, I say unto thee, arise I " » *"" With Dr. Trench, I believe -that this majestic voice was something more than a summons back to this mortal life — that it inch^ded also an awakening' of the youn^ man to a higher and a spiritual Lfej with nothing short of which ^ .--^ would -the^ Saviour have "delivere d him to' his mother/' =£ "H e gave hiiii back to her who bare him, not merely to be fimaS, iJ i^»%a^^£ga;.. ferA / i8o * ^or^Vfamed^Forearmed. time and for S, '°"' '" "« '" >■=' ^ W. both for »«; *«, until aiusedrlvreJ^r''"'' "'""'^°- unto thee, arise I " ^' Youngman, I say suc1.t:,!i:"fjr*.''f-''f/ Now. .en^e, inhere again, a ge^in^n rj^ f TC/^I^"'' ^ "^'"^ ''°™ -ell pm awa„ha Bible, and d La'd chrTt "°' ^™ "'^ "' for if there is one truth in thisS ^''"'' ^ J'"" "acher. than another, it is this ' y!. ^^ ^°"! •''"'°'^''=^'"«'*'. complete a change is ,h; ,^^,T u" '"'"' ^«''"-" S" death unto life." Eve^vonl . '1'*""* " '"P""'"* f™"> said to be d^ad, and alT JLT ' ""' ™*'«™' " " to be alive. When vou bl^ . ''^P^^nced it are said a corpse were ,u ckened i„r if ""?" """■• " '' »» 'ho-Sh in Which the ApostSd'r:: e stlietr ' vfu^-f-T —I'^-AtJ^X'T" '■°" ""^ ^^-^- ' «' dead." Were Tto ;tlrfd u^! '"'"' "'"' "'=' ''<"" ">« tety. and with a loud vdrmar"'""' '" ^°""'"^'"'- beneath to come fonh o eT™„°?d' Tk '° "-^ ""« " the way in which Christ Wdsm' Tw '' ^ " "'""'■'' "^ dear unsaved brother here 1, "™' '™""'" «ach ">an I say untote 1 1 T \ "^^^ ." Young in this doctrine as it hnko ^^^''^ " ^ mystery sibility, the fre; aVe„^^?°"'' '"ability with your respond God/J Jow LSlr f' *'^ -vebignt/of ""-y '^^I^'"^" -^ Bene the less^doTmake bold ^^ r. t;, ; IK Young Man, Ar:isef 281 ■ to say, that such of you as are unconverted are willinriv unconverted, and that wherever there is the sincere ^ J ingenuous desire to be a child of God, the grace is given which translates you out of darkness into marvellous light. When you regard the miracles which Christ wrought upon the bodies of men as types or analo^es of spiritual operations (and thus we ought ever to view theSi). it is in- ^reslmg to noti^hat one of the three persons whom He raised to life was a young man. One, you remember, was a little girl of twelVe, the only daughter of Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue; and the third was Lazarus, who we have reason to believe was a man we" on m life ; for as none are too young, so none are too Old, to experience His quickening power. of ?h^^ "^.t "Vm"^ °^ ^^™' "^ ^^°^^"^' ^y His selection of his youth of Nam to be one of the three grandest illus- " InH r' ?" P"^"'' ^'^ ^'^""^ ^^*^^^«t i« yo^ng men, and His readiness and ability to save them. ' Ah ! my de^r friends, there are times when you are ready to t]»ak that religion is very well for little children; and that if^is very well for the old people, who have had their enjoyment -of this world I "but," you say to me, "you don t expect a young man like me to be religious." I do And. more than that. I say that real piety is nowhe're more becoming and more graceful than in those who are in the bloom and vigour of opening manhood, -I do not believe .!rArl ?"^°i>'°" "^^ listening to me, who wishes to dis- card Christianity. It makes you wild to hear a man speaking against religion. You would not sit at the same desk with ^^ ^'1^°^^ '" th esame shopjf^ couldhelp^ ^ You thmk™i pleasure of your early days in the sST^ day-school, and often in the street you whistle over, with i|j^^5fl*j4y ^,iWi\,yf^A(l 'jiP'^;j 4..^:..^,^ '*w/«' iC^X ^ *s 282 Forewarned—Forearmed. m. tender memories of the past, the hymn-tunes you used to smg; and you love to recall that little sister who often spoke to you of Jesus, and is now gone to be with Him in , Heaven. And you mean to be a Christian gome day. You like to see old people pious, tou know that nothing but the hand of Christ can smooth out the wrinkles of care, or shed a mellow light upon the aged brow. But you do not quite see the necessity Of your becominff religious just now. , ^ Oh, my friends, I am here to-night to tell you, that the same Saviour who cried to Jairus's little daughter, " Maid arise, and to the deceased brother of Martha and Mary' Lazarus come forth," stopped the bier at the gate of . Nam, and cried to the widow's son, "Young man, I say unto thee, arise." ^ X nere are some of you who, if you are not to be Christian young men, will never be Christian old men. You will not see even middle life. It isas certain as the bills of mortality and the law of probability can make it, that some of you will die young. You don't think it will be you, but it will be you. On Wednesday last, I was called to visit a young man whb used often to attend these monthly services. He was on his bed of death. Only twenty-one. I had come straight from other houses of sorrow, and was secretly praying God to give me the fitting word to speak. But as I entered the room, and looked at the dear fellow I saw the day of grace had closed. Just one quiver of theiip -he was dead I Breath 'gone. Life extinct. Time ended. Eternity begun. ^h^iyou-Wfio are looTcTng towards thisputpit just nOw, 'ff 1*^ , <¥ ik*\ ^ r,^ ," ' ' „ ■rni Young Man, Arise / 283 - with earnest attention, it may be you next ! I may now be ringing the last bell of Divine mercy to which you will ever listen. 'Dear young brother, you cannot afford to be lost. The interests at stake are too tremendous to be im- perilled by delay. Oh, in this evening hour of a blessed Sabbath, when everything is so still, and the cords of Divine love are so strong, and heaven is so near, and Christ is so pressing, won't you yield, and say, "Yes, Lord, at Thy bidding I arise, to live from this. day for Thee!" But some young man says (I know it as well as if you had told me), "I feel the force of all you say; I know' I ought to be a Christian, and shall never be happy till I am one; but it is no use trying ; sin has got the upper hand of me, and, when certain temptations meet me, I fall, and must fall, and will fall." I remember of a young man talking to me in that style, and saying, " I believe the Gospel to be true ; that Christ is an omnipotent Saviour, I have not a doubt. I can fully trust Him, so far as that is concerned ; and yet I dare not profess Him. because I know that a particular sin has complete mastery over me, and I am not going to be a hypocrite." But I took him by the button-hole, and said, " Let me read a iverse to you," and then I turned to John i. 12:— "As many as received Him, to them He gave power to become the sons of God;" and I showed him that, when one accepts Christ, he accepts Him, not merely as a Saviour fro^ guilt and from hell, but as a Saviour from lust, and from vile passions, and from evil thoughts ; and that He must be trusted for this just as for the other. It wa s like a new discovery to that young man| he had "Been taiight only one-half of the gospel; and th]^ was thc^ other half. Now, there ai j special sins trying hard to k«ep . -^i^iia' 284° Poreyjamed— Forearmed. every one ofyou out of heaven. The devil has aU sorts of weapons m his armoury, and he tries one here and another there as he thinks most likely to succeed. With this man It is the wme-cup ; with that, the dice,box ; with a third the lust of the flesh ; with a- fourth, a craving for ~ and so on. With such strong ropes as thesf he ^r^Io bind you ; but I have to tell you to-night that they shall all become as the green withes of Samson, or as a thread of tow^when It touches the fire, when once you yield response to that mighty voice, which calls you forth from the prison! house of corruption-.' Young man. I say unto%hee. Arise-from the death of unbelief; arise-from the • bondage of sin ; and once more, arise-from the apathy of indolence. In «ome of these monthly sermons I have spoken to you of your social responsibilities ; I have even touched upon your political responsibilities ; I have dealt with questions of health, and physical development, and intellectual culture, and polite manners ; but this evening, I am at the root of all-a decided adhesion to Christ. , . ; Every ten years the natibnal census is taken. On such occasions there is generally no small discussion as to whether it shall include the religious faith of every inhabi-' tant of these realms. Shall the Government register how many Episcopalians there ^re, and Presbyterians, and Methodists, and Roman Catholics, and Baptists.* and ' bwedenborgians, and Mormons, and so forth? Well such statistics are apt to be very fallacious and deceiving- but I believe, if all the people of the British Isles were polled there would be found very few. a mere handful, who would jgPly»sh iaJ>e^lasgified , 4a aome form or ano t her ande t the Christian name. l^'fe^'i-y\v-T Voun^^ Man, Arise / 285 Vet, of thirty millions who desire to bear Thy blessed name, O Christ, how many truly quickened into life, and workmg for the spread of Thy Kingdom ? Shall we say ope m fifty? One in a hundred ? One in a thousand ? The great mass of nominal Christians are asleep. " The only thing they want religion for is its comfort; it gives them a pillow to lay their head on. Is that the purpose for which j/<7« have enlisted ? When the stern Scottish chief was walking round his encamp, ment one night, he saw his own son lying on a pillow of snow, which he had carefully gathered and packed together before he lay down; the father kicked the pillow from under his son's head, and said, " Come, I will have no effemmacy here. I want robust men in my army" Oh how many ift Christ's army ^re fast asleep, not on a bolster' of snow, but on a pillow of down. " Young man, I say unto thee, arise. Arise from the slumber of lethargy, and come and grapple with the foe. Oh, when all the forces of dark- ness are in full blast; when steam printing presses are throwmg off from their rollers infidel and immoral publi- cations countless as the flakes of snow; when the gaudy palaces of alcohol are thronged with thousands who dre speeding to a drunkard's doom ; when the night air is pol- luted with the scream and laughter that issue from countless saloons of abandonment and dissipation ; when a million people at our doors never bow the knee to Jehovah, nor read a single verse of the blessed Bible : is it the time for one of you to stand hesitating between the opposing ' camps, and not fling your whole soul and energy into the cause of your Redeemer? By God's grace, be this the J^MxQurdecision- an4 by-and-bj^^w Herwho^f- old summoned back to life ihe young villager of Nain. shall come m the majesty of resurrection ^loiy, and. aipi4 I /.'j. "*.* 286 Forewarued— Forearmed. UH * 'V the trumpeting of the archangel, and. the out-flashings of the judgment throne, and the up-heaving of a world of graves, shall once more utter that word, "Young^ati I say unto thee, arise." you shall respond with i^Cid leap- ing from the tomb, shall rise to a blissful imiSrt«Uty Printed by Hwell, W««,q. * Viney, Limited, London and Aylesbwy. ■i .•■ Vt THE SAME AUTHOR. ;M5'*t^ Tiird Edition, Crmtn 8d^ Cloth. Price y. 6d. TALKS WITH YOVNG M^N. Contents. The Glory of Young Men. -Called to a Kingdom.-Wimted • « MAN ! — An Artisan, yet a Gentleman. — Putting away Childish Things. — Master of One's Self. — Setting Out in Life.— Young Men from the Country.— The Eyes of a Young Man Opened.— True to the Religion of One's Fathers.-] Setter than a Sheep.— Hungry Students.— The Way to Get on in the World.— Doing everything thorougWy.— Starting on the Right Rails.— Beginning Well, but Ending 111.— Burie<3 with the Burial of an Ass.- The Right Sort o^riend.— Companion- ship with Fools.— The Conclusion of th6 Whole Matter. 4«VM|^WVWWWWW<, 1? V-^' ^"^ young men fine manly advice, fall of grace and truth. Enlivened by stonr and proverb, fresh witji sympathy, and on firJ with zeal, thes short lectures are just what they should ht."~Swot^ and J rowel, \ "It is full of wit, wisdom, geniality, and high-toned, manly Christian \.ta.zhmg:'— Sheffield Independent. ^ ^ " For sterling common-sense, combined with true spiritual fe^ they have not been surpassed for many a day. The addresses b with telling metaphors and illustrations, and the book can be from cover to cover with profitable iTHeTtsf'—Ltterafy World These 'talks ' are remarkable for the capital selection of'subi their effective treatment and illustration, sensible advice, and pereqnai ^peals, which are by turns pointed and pathetic." — Clergyman's "Dr. Davidson is one of the most popular and successful preachers to young men. A book so full of wise counsel, so bright, and fullTol sympathy with those for whom it is intended, should be circulated I and wide among our young men. There is a ring of true ChrisU manliness m every paragraph,"— ^nVwA Messenger. ^ 'Earnest, racy, practical, spiritual, fiill of common sense and home wisdom. •—Evangelical Magazine. "Their style is simple and direct, their tone thoroughly healthvl while the author can attain upon occasion to the height orstrong an< impressive eloquence."— Scotsman. ^ " Elevated in tone, genial in spirit, and practical in their tendency— T™; il«tl^""''. *?* ^"en^°" of t»»e young, to instil the principles ol true manhood, and to strengthen the bases of moral and intellectua growth. —Ecclestasttcal Gaedte. "This is one of the very best books for young men we hBTO«Bir There is not a duU page in the hoo]t."-£aptisL >«"*««» LONDON : HOPDER & STOUGHTON, ay. PATERNOSTER ROW ■■|J ^«i^i'sal'ii, ■'& . (.. .^^... iiferaTit ^fSL»-^-Ai(^ftT .■■;k:-^''»uy*x;^ f^. 6=, # BY W M. 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