IvlRRARY
University of California
Mrs. SARAH P. WALS WORTH.
Received October, i8g4-
.Accessions No.51p^^\ Class No.
ILLUSTEATIVE GATHERINGS
PREACHERS AND TEACHERS.
A MANUAL OF ANECDOTES, FACTS, FIGURES,
PROVERBS, QUOTATIONS, ETC
Jitagto Ux (Blixnim %mt\m^.
BY THE
Rev. a. S. BOWES, B.A.,
IS-CTOR OF CHILLBNDEN, KENT, AND LATE SCHOLAR OP CORPUS CHRISr,
COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE.
"WITHOUT A PARABLE SPAKE HE NOT UNTO THEM.'
PHILADELPHIA:
PERKINPINB & HiaaiNS,
No. 56 NORTH FOUKTH STREET.
Sii^ri
CAXTON PRESS OP SHERMAN & CO.,
PHIIiADELPHIA.
PREFACE
"Illustrative Gatherings." — It is hoped the title
of this book will at once explain its design, — to supply
a selection of illustrations, gathered from many sources
for the elucidation of Christian truth; such as "preachers
and teachers" are constantly in search of, and yet often
find it difficult to meet with.
A few words, however, may be-^aid upon its plan. It
embraces, —
1. A Collection of Scripture References. The Scrip-
tures being the great source of truth, a collection of texts,
and also of scriptural emblems, have been placed at the
beginning of most of the articles, and short illustrations
subjoined to many passages of Holy Writ. Of the
former, it may sometimes happen that their applicability
may not at once be obvious ; but, it is believed, a little
careful thought, and comparison with the context, com-
bined with a due consideration of the subject, will fully
pi^ve their bearing, and show for what purpose they
have been selected. There are some texts which, like a
prism, can be rightly seen only when held in a peculiar
light.
2. A CjQllectio^ of Illustrations, combine J and com
IV PREFACE.
pressed with a view to brevity, applicability, ami variety.
The field of illustration is a boundless one, and the diflS-
culty is, not to collect, but to select. Many from the
author's own MSS., and other sources, might have been
added, which have been rejected, as being either too long
or too familiar; and in many that are here given, details
and applications have been curtailed to supply room for
greater variety. Of many of the articles, the authoi
can only say with Montesquieu, " I have culled a garland
of flowers; and the only thing that I can call my own
is the string that binds them." Many others are partly
original and partly selected.
To the whole, —
3. A copious Index has been added, as the same illus-
trations, it is evident, may often apply to many subjects,
and kindred subjects have so close an affinity with each
other.
In offering this work to the Christian public, much
might be said upon the value and use of illustrations,
the importance of which has long and universally been
admitted. Reason, history, and experience all witness
to their power. The most eminent preachers have used
them freely. Our Lord Himself, the Great Teacher, gave
them His sacred sanction. Our own experience attests
their magic spell. How often the well-told anecdote—
the touching figure — the pithy proverb — are renembered,
when the argument is lost, and the exhortat^oii is fur-
PREFACE. V
gotten ! A freer and judicious use of illustration would
tend much to enliven the dullness of many of our
preachers, and to arrest the attention of many of our
congregations.
Two cautions may here, however, be suggested : —
1. Illustrations, valuable as they are, should be used
sparingly and judiciously ; otherwise, our instructions
may be made gaudy, instead of attractive, puerile rather
than powerful ; as a coat, too richly embroidered, encum-
bers the wearer. Hence, generally speaking, one or two
striking figures, skillfully opened out and wisely applied,
produce far more impression on the mind than a long
string of similes, touched, but not dwelt upon. At the
beginning of most of the articles, therefore, in this book,
a number of simple emblems have been collected, one or
two of which the reader may select and open out for
himself, after which any of the following illustrations
may be used. This is desired to be a suggestive book ;
not one to encourage idleness, but one to help the
thoughtful.
2. Illustrations, valuable as they are, let it always be
remembered, should be kept in their due place. "Argu-
ments are the pillars of the temple of truth ; illustrations
are the windows to let in light." True ; yet such light
only as can reach the mind. It is a higher power that
must reach the heart. "It is recorded of one of the
Reformers, that when he had acquitted himself in a pub-
1 *
n PREFACE.
lie discuss!on with great credit to his Master's cause, a
friend begged to see the notes, which he had observed
him to write; supposing that he had taken down the
arguments of his opponents, and sketched the substance
of his own reply. Greatly was he surprised to-find that
his notes consisted simply of these ejaculatory petitions, —
*More light. Lord; more light, more light!' "* This is
the light the true teacher wants. If anything here
written be useful as a help to supply light, let it only be
in humble subservience. The wisest words of the wisest
minds are only a dark lantern, without the Spirit's light.
Too much time mai/ be spent in seeking to adorn and
enforce the truth. Let those who use this book use it
only as a help. It is our bounden duty — it should be
our diligent care — to use all the helps we can; but let
this prayer be ever upon our lips, and in our hearts,
"More light. Lord; more light, more light!"
N. B. — The letters ef. are used throughout for " com-
pare," being the abbreviation of the Latin word confer ,
—the imperative mood of the verb confero, to collate or
compare.
G. S. BOWES.
* Rev. C. Bridges on Psalm cxix. (p. 173, note.)
txssr-
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
ABIDING IN CHRIST— Denotes: 1. Dependence.
(John XV. 5.) 2. Continuance. (Luke xxiv. 28, 29.)
3. Peace, rest, and love. (Psalm xxv. 13 ; xci. 1.)
One of the many expressions peculiar to St. John, and
which so sweetly breathes his tender spirit, who leaned
upon the Saviour's bosom. As he has titles of Christ,
peculiar to himself ("the Life," "Light," "the Truth,"
&c.), so he has distinctive terms for our life in Christ,
and this is one, — "Abide in Me, and I in you," &c.
(See John xv., and elsewhere in about twenty-one places.)
ACCESS TO GOD.— Psalm Ixv. 4; Ixxiii. 23-28;
Micah vi. 6-8; John x. 1-9; xiv. 6; Eph. ii. 18; iii.
12; Rom. r. 2; Heb. iv. 16; x. 19-22.
Through Christ. — Cf. 1. The order of the Taber-
nacle, — the Brazen Altar — Laver — Holy Place — Most
Holy.
2. Nearly all the gifts and sacrifices were offered at
the door of the Tabernacle.
3. John X. 1-9 ; xiv. 6.
4. Heb. vii. 22. Jesus "a Surety of a better Testa-
ment," iy}'oo<7, from iyyu<7, near.
10 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Cf. God's way of forgiveness with man's. David for-
gave Absalom, but he said, "Let him turn to his own
house, and let him not see my face." (2 Sam. xiv. 24.)
" So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw
not the king's face." (Ver. 28.) But God's pardons
include direct access. (Rom. v. 1, 2.)
ACKNOWLEDGING GOD.— Genesis xxxiii. 5; 1
Chron. xxix. 10-25; Ps. xxviii. 5; cxv. 1; Prov. iii. 6;
Eccl. vii. 13; Isa. v. 12; Dan. iv. 30-32; v. 23; Acts
xii. 23.
"We do, when we (1) take Him into our counsels before
we form our plans; (2), ask his blessing in their pro-
gress; (3), surrender or change them whenever he re-
quires it; and (4), when we honor Him as our Father,
and obey Him as our King.
There were several striking examples of, under the
Jewish economy, as in the offerings. The wave offering
was waved horizontally to the four points, and the heave
offering heaved up and down, the two acknowledging
Him as the Lord of heaven and earth. All the firstborn
of man and beasts were also his. The tithes were for
the maintenance of his ministers. So also in war (see
Numbers xxxi. 28-30), the tribute offered to God was
from the soldiers l-500th part, and from the people
l-50th, besides a large thank-offering of the officers,
about $140,000.
England has often shown her Christian character in
this respect; as when Queen Elizabeth ordered a medal
to be struck, after the destruction of the Spanish
Armada, having on it Ex. xv. 10, "Afflavit Deus, et
dissipantur," — " God blew on them, and they were
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 11
Bcattered." So we have well inscribed Ps. xxiv. 1 on
the forefront of the Royal Exchange, and stamped "Dei
gratia" on all our coins of the realm. But do viefeel
the acknowledgments we so often make, as, e.g., when we
say grace at meals ?
Pope Adrian blasphemously put the inscription upon
the college he had built, " Utrecht planted me, Louvain
watered me, but Caesar gave the increase." Upon which
some one wrote underneath, "It seems God did nothing
for this man."
ADOPTION.— Prov. xiv. 26; Isa. Ivi. 5, 6; Ezek.
xvi. 3-14; John i. 11-13; Rom. viii. 14-17; 2 Cor. vi.
18; Gal. iv. 5-7; Eph. i,^ 5-11; Phil. ii. 15; 1 John
iii. 1-3.
Is included in Justification.
"Justification is the act of God as a Judge, adoption
as a Father. By the former we are discharged from
condemnation, and accepted as righteous; by the latter,
we are made the children of God, and jointtheirs with
Christ. By the one we are taken into God's favor; by
the other, into his family. Adoption may be looked
upon as an appendage to justification, for it is by our
being justified that we come to a right to all the honors
and privileges of adoption." — Dr. Guyse.
By adoption, God gives us — (1), a new name (Numb,
vi. 27 ; Rev. iii. 12) ; (2), A new nature (2 Pet. i. 4),
["Whom God adopts He anoints; whom He makes sons,
He makes saints," — WaUon.~\ (3), A new inheritance.
(Rom. viii. 17.)
Fruits of {a) On God's Part. Love towards the
adopted. (Psalm ciii. 13.) Provision for them. (Ps
12 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Ixxxiv. 11.) Protection. (Zech. ni. 8.) Gruidance.
(Hosea xi. 1-3; Rom. viii. 14.) Correction. (Heb.
xii. 5-11.)
(6), On our Part. Holiness. (2 Cor. vi. 18 ; vii.
1; 1 John iii. 1-8.) Love for the Father. (Rom. viii.
15.) Love to all God's family. (1 John v. 1.)
The wonder of God's adoption appears, if we compare
it with the love of men. 1. Men generally adopt, when
they have no children of their own. But God had a
Son — his "dear Son," — a Son better than the angels.
(Heb. i. 4.) 2. Men generally adopt such as they think
deserving. God adopted criminals, traitors, enemies.
3. Men adopt living children. God adopts those spirit-
ually dead. 4. Man adopts one son. God adopts many.
(Heb. ii. 10.)
Such Love. — When the Danish missionaries stationed a-t
Malabar set some of their converts to translate a Catechism in
which it was asserted that believers became the sons of God,
one of the translators was so startled that he suddenly laid down
the pen, and exclaimed, " Xt is too much. Let me rather render
it, 'They shall.be permitted to kiss his feet !' "
Ex. Ephraim and Manasseh by Jacob. Moses by
Pharaoh's daughter. Esther by Mordecai.
Application. God's yearning love. (Jer. iii. 19.)
Our duty. (1 Sam. xviii. 3; Esther vi. 6; Mai. i. 6;
1 John iii. 2, 3.)
AFFLICTIONS.
Ex. i. 12 ; iii. 7 ; Euth i. 21 ; 2 Sara. xxii. 28 ; Ezra ix. 13 ;
Neh. ix. 31, 32; Job ii. 10; v. 27 ; xiv. 1; xxxvi. 8-12; Ps.
XXXV. 19, 42; xxx. 8; cxix. 71, 75, 107; cxxvi. 5; cxl. 12;
Eccl. vii. 2-4; viii. 13, 14; Isa. xxvii. 9; xxx. 32; xxxiv. 11,
xlviii. 10; liii. 7; Ixiii. 9; Lan. iii. 1, 22, 23, 39, 40; Ezek.
XX. 87; Horica v. 15; Joel i. 19; Amos iii. 6; Micah iv. 7;
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 13
Zeph. iii. 12 ;' Mai. iii. 3. John xvi. 20 ; Kom. v. 2 ; viii. 17,
18, 28, 35-39 ; 2 Cor. i. 10 ; iv. 17 ; vi. 10 ; Col. i. 24 ; 1 Thess.
iii. 3; 1 Tim. ii. 12 ; Heb. x. 32 ; xii. 3-11 ; James v. 11-13;
1 Pet. iv. 13, 14 ; v. 9, 10 ; Rev. iii. 19.
Gen. XXXV. 18. "She called his name Benoni [son
of my sorrow] : but his father called him Benjamin" [son
of the right hand].
«* There is a dark and bright side to every providence, as
there was to the guiding pillar-cloud. Nature fixes on the
dark, and calls it 'sorrow ;'/<'*^^ sees the sun dispersing the
darkness, and calls it by a name of joy." — Bonar.
Judges viii. 16, "And he took the elders of the city,
and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them
he taught the men of Succoth."
Marg.^ " made to know ;" and how much is the believer made
to know in affliction, of God, of Christ, of the Spirit, of the
Scripture, of himself, of sin, of faith, of eternal life ? Luther
used to say, there were many of the Psalms he could never
understand till he had been afflicted. Eutherford declares he
had got a new Bible through the furnace.
Psalm Iv. 19. "Because they have no changes, there-
fore they fear not God."
Of. Jer. xlviii. 11.
*♦ There is a great want in those Christians that have not
suflfered. ' ' — M' Cheyne.
Even the heathen Bion said, " It is a great misfortune not
to endure misfortune ;" and Anaxagoras, when his house was in
ruins, and his estate wasted, afterwards remarked, "If they
had not perished, I should have perished." So said one brought
to himself by blindness, *' I could never see till I was blind."
Daniel iv. 25. "Lo, I see four men loose, walking in
the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt, and the
form of the fourth is like the Son of God."
2
14 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
How complete is the preservation of God's people in the fur-
nace: sometimes temporally, always eternally! The Three
Children lost something! But it was only the bonds that bound
them: and why ? Because one •* like the Son of God" walked
with them through the flames. So is it still. (Isa. xli. 10-14 ;
xliii. 2.)
Matthew xiv. 30. "Beginning to sink, he cried, say-
ing, Lord, save me."
Sinking times are praying times. It was only when Peter
looked at the waves, and heard the winds, that he sank. Be-
lievers "looking to Jesus" may walk securely upon the watery
surge.
Mark xv. 23. "And they gave Him to drink wine
mingled with myrrh, but He received it not."
" Because it was designed to deaden the pain, and He would
suffer to the utmost. Learn a lesson of patient submission from
his example. But as for us, we may use every alleviation. He
purchased alleviation for us." — Bonar.
John xi. 3. "Therefore his sisters sent unto Him,
saying, Lord, behold he whom thou lovest is sick."
"Afflictions make many send to Jesus. Joab would not come
to Absalom, till Absalom set his corn-field on fire. One writes,
— ' By pain God drives me to prayer, teaches me to pray, in-
clines me to pray. Say, my heart, with respect to the stone, I
am unworthy of this mercy.' " — Adam's Private Thoughts.
John xviii. 11. "The cup which my Father hath
given me, shall I not drink it?"
So Christ speaks of suffering. 1. It is but a cup; a small
matter comparatively, be it what it will. It is not a sea, a Ked
Sea, a Dead Sea, for it is not hell ; it is light, and but for a
moment. 2. It is a cup that is given us. Sufferings are gifts.
(Phil. i. 29.) 3. It is given us by a Father, who has a father's
authority, and d< es us no wrong, — a father's afl'octions. and
means us no hurl
ILL'JSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 15
1 Peter i. 6. "If need be."
" Three graoious words. Not one of all my tears shed for
nought ! God here pledges himself that there shall not be one
redundant thorn in the believer's chaplet of sufferings. Oh,
what a pillow on which to rest thy aching head!" — Macduff.
Rev. ii. 10. "Thou shalt have tribulation ten days."
1. A. fixed time ; for God hath determined the beginning and
ending of all our trials. 2. A short time — ten days. What are
-they to the years of a believer's life, or to the three years of
contradiction and sorrows the " Man of Sorrows" passed ?
[The author would recommend those visiting the sick some-
times to take some single verse or phrase, to open out, and turn
into prayer. One or two thoughts, dwelt upon, are at times
more effective than a long passage. For the plan carried out
more fully, see Bonar's " Visitor's Book of Texts." Nisbet.]
Emblems. — Baptism, a rite sacred and sanctified. —
Cross — ["I would not exchange my cross with any." —
Rutherford^. — Cup, Fight, Fire, Furnace, Jewels polished
by friction, Medicine, Ploughshare, Pruning-knife, Rod,
"Songs in the night," Storms and billows. Thorns, Deep
"Waters, Winter's frost and snow.
Cf. Burning bush, — burning, but not consumed;
Moriah ; Valley of Achor, the Door of Hope ; Marah's
bitter waters sweetened ; Wilderness, the road to Canaan ;
Olivet (Jesus suffering and ascending there).
" Afflictions are blessings to us when we can bless God
for afflictions. SuiFering has kept many from sinning.
God had one Son without sin, but He never had any
without sorrow. Fiery trials make golden Christians ;
sanctified afflictions are spiritual promotion." — Dyer.
As sanctified or unsanctified, soften or harden. The
same sun melts the wax, and hardens the clay, makes
the rose to grow in its beauty, and the thistle with its
16 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
curse. A child shut up in a dark room comes mt hum-
bled, or hardened. The prodigal went first to the citizen,
then to the father. (Luke xv. 15-17.) Summer storms
are soft and fertilizing. Winter storms are bleak and
destructive.
" There is as much difference between the sufferings
of the saints and those of the ungodly, as between the
cords with which an executioner pinions a condemned
malefactor, and the bandages wherewith a tender surgeon
binds his patients." — Arrowsmith.
If God dries up the water on the lake, it is to lead
you to the unfailing Fountain. If He blights the gourd,
it is to drive you to the Tree of Life. If He sends the
cross, it is to sweeten the crown ; for no cross, no crown ;
no rain, no rainbow.
" Nothing is so hard as our heart ; and, as they lay
copper in aquafortis before they begin to engrave it, so
the Lord usually prepares us by the searching, softening
discipline of affliction for making a deep, lasting impres-
sion upon our hearts." — Nottidge.
A Precious Treasure. — A young man who had long
been confined with a diseased limb, and was near dissolu-
tion, was attended by a friend, who requested that the
wound might be uncovered. This being done, " There,"
said the young man, " there it is, and a precious treasure
it has been to me ; it saved me from the folly and vanity
of youth ; it made me cleave to God as my only portion,
and to eternal glory as my only hope ; and I think it
has now brought me very near my Father's house."
Side Winds. — " I have heard that a full wind behind
the ship drives her not so fast forward, as a side wind
that seems almost as much against her as for her ; and
ILLUSTRATIVE aATHERINGS. IT
the reason is, that a full wind fills but some of her sails,
which keeps it from the rest, but a side wind fills them
all. Now, our afi'ections are our sails. If the Lord
give us a full wind, and continued gale of mercies, it
would fill but some of our afi'ections, — -joy, delight, and
the like. But when He comes with a side wind — a dis-
pensation that seems almost as much against us as for
us — then He takes up all our afi'ections ; then we are
carried faster to the haven where we would be." — From
Owen.
AMBITION.—Psalm xlix. ; cxxxi. ; Prov. xvii. 19;
Isa. V. 8 ; xiv. 12-27 ; Jer. xlv. 5 ; Matt, xviii. 1-6 ;
Luke xxii. 24-27 ; Rom. xi. 20 ; Phil. ii. 7.
" Men are not so much mistaken in desiring to ad-
vance themselves as in judging what will be an advance,
and what the right method of it. An ambition which
has conscience in it will always be a laborious and faith-
ful engineer, and will build the road, and bridge the
chasms between itself and eminent success, by the most
faithful and minute performance of duty. The liberty
to go higher than we are is only given when we have ful-
filled the duty of our present sphere. Thus men are to
rise upon their performances, and not upon their discon-
tent. A man proves himself fit to go higher who shows
that he is faithful where he is. A man that will not do
well in his present place, because he longs to go higher,
is neither fit to be where he is, nor yet above it ; he is
already too high, and should be put lower." — Beecher.
" The best way to get more talents is to improve the
talents we have." — Bickersteth.
Look to the end of worldly ambition, and what is it ?
18 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERING^.
Take the four greatest rulers, perhaps, that ever sat upon
a throne. Alexander, when he had so completely sub-
dued the nations that he wept because there were no
more to conquer, at last set fire to a city, and died in a
scene of debauch. Hannibal, who filled three bushels
with the gold rings taken from the slaughtered knights,
died at last by poison administered by his own hand, un-
wept and unknown, in a foreign land. C^sar, having
conquered 800 cities, and dyed his garments with the
blood of one million of his foes, was stabbed by his best
friends, in the very place which had been the scene of
his greatest triumph. Napoleon, after being the scourge
of Europe, and the desolator of his country, died in ban-
ishment, conquered, and a captive. So truly " The ex-
pectation of the wicked shall be cut ofi"." (Prov. x. 28.)
/ Was it worth climbing for ? — A boy at play struck
the ball awkwardly, so that it fell upon the roof of a high
barn. He immediately scrambled up the rugged door,
and, clinging by the hole in the brickwork, reached the
top of the barn, rubbing the skin from his fingers, tear-
ing his clothes, and running the risk of breaking his neck.
He gained the ball, but was it worth climbing for ?
A man climbed up a greasy pole, on the top of which
was stuck a hat, for any one who chose to take it. The
man had great difficulty to climb up the pole, for it was
greasy, so that he had to take sand from his pockets to
rub upon it, that it might be less slippery. At last, he
reached the top ; but the hat being nailed fast there, was
spoiled in being torn away. The man obtained the hat ;
but was it worth climbing for ?
The boy and the man were climbers after things of
little value ; but all earthly things are of little value,
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 19
compared with things which are eternal. A peasant boy
raay climb after a bird's nest, and a prince may climb
after a kingly crown. Both the bird's nest and the crown
will fade away. Well would it be for us to put to our-
selves the question, concerning many an object of our
arduous pursuit. Is it worth climbing for P * — From Tract
Magazine,
The Pope's Coronation. — Up to the present day,
when the Popes are crowned, the master of the ceremo-
nies carries a lighted wax taper in one hand, and a reed,
surmounted by a handful of flax, in the other. The flax
is lighted ; for a moment it flashes, and then dies away,
and the thin ashes fall at the Pontifi^s feet, as the Chap-
lain chants, in a full and sonorous voice, " Pater Sanctus,
sic transit gloria mundi."
Fables for children. — Phaeton attempting to drive the
Chariot of the Sun. The Frog that strained himself to
be as large as the Ox.
Dr. Payson writes very forcibly to a young clergy-
man : — " Some time since I took up a little work, pur-
porting to be the lives of sundry characters, as related
by themselves. Two of these characters agreed in say-
ing that they were never happy until they ceased striving
to be great men. The remark struck me, as you know
the most simple remark will, when God pleases. It oc-
curred to me at once, that most of my sorrows and suf-
ferings were occasioned by my unwillingness to be the
nothing that%I am, and by a constant striving to be some-
thing. I saw that if I would but cease struggling, and
* See a, well-known anecdote, " The name cut on the Natural
Bridge in Virginia," Christian Treasury, 1858, p. 401.
20 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
be content to be anything or nothing, as God pleases, I
might be happy." (Jer. xlv. 5.)
Ex. Satan, Adam and Eve, Babel-builders, Miriam
and Aaron, Korah, Absalom, Adonijah, Nebuchadnezzar,
Sons of Zebedee, Diotrephes.
ANGER.— Eccl. vii. 9; Ps. xxxvii. 8 ; Prov. xiv. 17 ;
XV. 1 ; xvi. 32 ; xix. 19 ; xxv. 28 ; Matt. v. 22 ; Eph.
iv. 31 ; vi. 4.
often only punishes the angry man ; like stones
pulled down in mischief from an old ruin, that fall upon
the man that pulled them down.
" Ashes fly back in the face of him who throws them."
— Yoruha Proverb.
''I have heard of a married couple," says Matthew
Henry, " who were both passionate naturally, but who
lived very happily together, by simply observing this
rule — never to he both angry at the same time.'*
" That anger is without sin, that is against sin." —
Mason.
Julius C^sar. — It is said of him, that when pro-
voked he used to repeat the whole Roman alphabet
before he suffered himself to speak.
Plato said to his servant once, when angry, " I would
beat thee, but that I am angry." (Prov. xix. 11.)
Duke of Dorset. — It is said that his servants used
to put themselves into his way when he was angry,
knowing that any indignities offered to them then, he
was sure to recompense in his cooler moments.
Dr. Arnold, when at Laleham, once lost all patience with
a dull scholar, when the pupil looked up in his face, and said,
"Why do you speak angrily. Sir? Indeed I am doing the
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 21
best I can." Years after, he used to tell the storj'' to his chil-
dren, and say, " I never felt so ashamed of myself in my life.
That look and that speech, I have never forgotten." [May
not this fact put many Christian parents and Sunday-school
teachers to the blush ?]
" There is an anger that is damnable ; it is the anger
of selfishness. There is an anger that is majestic as the
frown of Jehovah's brow ; it is the anger of truth and
love. If a man meets with injustice, it is not required
that he shall not be roused to meet it ; but if he is
angry after he has had time to think upon it, that is
sinful. The flame is not wrong, but the coals are." —
Beecher.
" Never forget what a man has said to you when he
was angry. If he has charged you with anything, you
had better look it up. Anger is a bow that will shoot
sometimes where another feeling will not." — Ihid,
Ex. Cain, Esau, Simeon and Levi, Moses, Balaam,
Naaman, Asa, Uzziah, Jonah.
ANIMAL CREATION.
Marking the Sheep. — Edmund Andrews was a
thoughtless, cruel boy. One day he was passing by
Burlton's farm, and saw Wilkinson, the old shepherd,
busy with his pitch-kettle and iron, marking the sheep
with the letters "J. B.," for John Burlton. "So you
are putting your master's mark upon the sheep, are
you?" said he. "Yes, Master Edmund; but God, the
Almighty Maker, has put his mark upon them before."
"What do you mean?" asked Edmund. "I mean that
our Heavenly Father, in his wisdom and goodness, has
put marks upon the creatures He has made, and such
marks as none but He could put upon them. He gave
22 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
wings'to the cockchafer, spots to the butterfly, feathers
to the bird, a sparkling eye to the frog and toad, a swift
foot to the dog, and a soft furry skin to the cat. These
marks are his marks, and show that the creatures belong
to Him ; and woe be to those that abuse them !'* " That's
an odd thought," said Edmund, as he turned away.
"It may be an odd thought," said the shepherd, *'but
odd things lead us to glorify God, and to act kindly to
his creatures. The more we have, Master Edmund, the
better."
ASCENSION OF CHRIST.— 2 Kings ii. ; Ps. xxiv.
7-11 ; Ixviii. 18 ; Mark xvi. 19, 20; Luke xxiv. 50-53 ;
John xiv. 2; xx. 17; Acts i. 2-12; Eph. iv. 8-10;
Heb. vi. 20.
Cf. 1. The Manna laid up in the Golden Pot. 2.
Moses going up to receive the Law. (Deut. x.) 3. The
High Priest entering within the Yail. 4. The Ark going
up to Mount Zion. (Ps. xxiv.) 5. Elijah's Translation.
(2 Kings ii.)
Time. — Forty days after Resurrection. Sufficient to
establish the certainty of the Resurrection, and to in-
struct the disciples.
Place. — Mount Olivet, the scene of his previous suffer-
ings. So often works God's providence. Cf. Mount
Moriah; there Abraham's faith was tried, and there
rewarded. Egypt; Joseph in the prison, and Joseph on
the Throne. The Three Hebrew Children — in the fur-
nace appeared to them one like the Son of Man. So
Judges V. 11.
Manner. — In his Resurrection-body. Glorified, yet
like ours. Still bearing the marks of Calvary's wounds.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 23
Unostentatiously (few witnesses). Triumphantly (cloud,
angels). Tenderly (his last act one of blessing ; " While
He blessed them He was parted from them." Luko
xxiv. 51. He began to bless them on earth, and He
went up to heaven still blessing).
De4gn. — 1. To confirm the prophecies. 2. To com-
mence his mediatorial work in heaven. 3. To send the
Holy Ghost. 4. To prepare a place for his prepared
people. He went up as our representative Forerunner,
High Priest, and Intercessor, and as the King of Glory.
Application — Ascension follows Resurrection ; — As
with Christ, so with us. (Col. iii. 1-3.)
Judgment follows Ascension. This " same Jesus" shall
come again (Acts i. 11 ; Zech. xiv. 4) ; though not as a
priest (as represented in Rev. i.) but as a king, on whose
head are many crowns. (As Rev. xix.)
ASSURANCE.— Isa. xxxii. 17; 2 Tim. i. 12; iv.
6-8 ; 2 Pet. i. 10, 11 (like a ship haled into the harbor).
1 John iii. 14, 19-21; Heb. x. 21 (faith). Heb. vi. 11
(hope). Col. ii. 2 (understanding).
1. Attainable. 2. Desirable. 3. Not essential.
"The greatest thing that we can desire, next to the
glory of God, is our own salvation; and the sweetest
thing we can desire is the assurance of our salvation.
In this life we cannot get higher than to be assured of
that which in the next life is to be enjoyed. All saints
shall enjoy a heaven when they leave this earth ; some
saints enjoy a heaven while they are here on earth." —
Not Essential. — A letter may be written, which is
not sealed. A child may be heir to a great estate, and
24 ILLUSTIIATIVE GATHERINGS.
yet not have the full enjoyment of it, nor know the
greatness of his possessions. A weak, palsied hand may
receive a strong Christ. All plants do not bear flowers.
Weak faith saves. Strong faith assures.
No Presumption. — ^" If the ground of our assurance
rested upon ourselves, it might justly be called presump-
tion ; but the Lord and the power of his might being the
ground thereof, they either know not what is the might
of his power, or else too lightly esteem it, who account
assured confidence thereon presumption." — Grouge,
"The world always love to believe that it is impossible
to know that we are converted. If you ask them, they
will say, 'I am not sure; I cannot tell;' but the whole
Bible declares we may receive, and know that we have
received, the forgiveness of sins." — M^Qheyne.
"The Church of Rome denounces assurance in the
most unmeasured terms. The Council of Trent declares
roundly, that ' a believer's assurance of the pardon of
his sins is a vain and ungodly confidence;' and Cardinal
Bellarmine calls it, 'a prime error of heretics.' " —
Byle.
Want of, Benefit.
May arise from — It makes —
1. Bodily temperament, 1. The holiest Chris-
Nervous, gloomy tians.
state.
2. Defective views of 2. The happiest Chris-
tlie righteousness of tians.
Christ, faith and
works, law and
Gospel.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
25
Want of,
May arise from —
3. Cherished sin. —
''Christian" lost
his roll in the
arbpr, as he slept.
— Bunyan.
4. Hidings of God's
face. "Many goto
heaven in a kind of
mist." — Boston.
Benefit.
It makes —
3. The most active
Christians.
The most decided
Christians. (See
Ryle on "Assur-
ance.")
^'AlVs Well" — The sentry's challenge, which gave
comfort to a dying soldier, tossing upon the bed of death.
"Yes," said he, "All is well; all is well!"
Ex. Job, David, St. Paul, Peter, John.
ATONEMENT.— Ex. xxxii. 32, 33. (Man inade-
quate to make. — Cf. Ps. xlix. 6.) Num. xvi. 46 ; Isa.
liii. 4-6, 8-12; lix. 16 ; Dan. ix. 24-27; Luke xix. 10;
Rom. iii. 25, 26 (the text that spoke peace to the poet
Cowper, after a long period of painful agitation of mind) ;
V. 8-11; viii. 1, 2 ; 2 Cor. v. 18, 19; Gal. i. 4; Col. i.
20-22 ; Heb. ix. 13, 14, 22 ; x. 8, 9 ; 1 Pet. i. 19 ; iii.
18 ; 1 John i. 7 ; ii. 2 ; iv. 9, 10; Rev. i. 5, 6.
Typified. — Gen. iv. 4; xxii. 2; Ex. xii. 5; xxiv. 8;
Lev. xvi. 30, 34 ^ xvii. 11.
Blood. — What a fearful view the ancient Israelites
must have had when they saw it exhibited in every part
of the Tabernacle and Temple ;— on the altar, — at the
entrance, upon it, and underneath it, and on the horns ;
— on the golden altar, upon the vail, and within the vail ;
everywhere there was blood, blood ! So fully did God
26 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
foreshadow Heb. ix. 22. Let us look back with reverent
thankfulness upon these ancient types, — thankfulness
that our blood need not be shed ; the Lamb has been
taken in our stead.
The Sun and Moon. — "We consider the sun tho
type of Christ, and the moon the type of the Church.
Now, it is remarkable that at the Crucifixion, the sun
(the type of Christ, who suifered) was obscured, and the
moon (the type of the Church) was at its full. This was
probably the reason why the Passover, the type of the
Atonement, was appointed to be celebrated at the full
moon . ' ' — Biblical FragmeMts.
"This is what I want."— A certain man, on the
Malabar coast, had long been uneasy about his spiritual
state, and had inquired of several devotees and priests
how he might make atonement for his sins ; and he was
directed to drive iron spikes, sufficiently blunted, through
his sandals ; and on these spikes, to walk a distance of
about 480 miles. He undertook the journey, and tra-
veled a long way, but could obtain no peace. One day
he halted under a large, shady tree, where the Gospel
was sometimes preached ; and while he was there, one
of the missionaries came and preached from the words,
" The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from
all sin." (1 John i. 7.) While he was preaching, the
poor man's attention was excited, and his heart was
drawn ; and, rising up, he threw off his torturing sandals,
and cried out aloud, " This is what I want !" and be-
came henceforward a lively witness of the healing effi-
cacy of the Saviour's blood.
"All in All." — There was once a poor man, in a
small country-town, who had not much sense, though he
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 27
had serK>e enough to be a great drunkard and swearer.
One day he was walking through the street, and heard a
poor woman singing —
" I'm a poor sinner, and nothing at all;
But Jesus Christ is my all in all."
The words struck him, and stayed with him till they led
him, by the Spirit's teaching, to a crucified Saviour.
Well, he came to the church, and said, " I want to join
your church." The members were astonished, remem-
bering his past sinful life, and said, " We must have some
evidence of your conversion. You have been a great
sinner," said they. "Well," replied poor Jack, "I
know it. I confess I am a great sinner.
" ' I'm a poor sinner, and nothing at all ;
But Jesus Christ is my all in all.' "
So he was taken into the Church. After this he was al-
ways happy. A Christian man once asked him how it
was he was so " uniformly joyous ?" " Well, I ought to
be," he said, "for,
** ' I'm a poor sinner, and nothing at all ;
But Jesus Christ is my all in all.' "
"Well, but," said a friend, "I am at times miserable,
because I remember my past sinfulness." "Ah," said
poor Jack, " you haf en't begun to sing,
" * I'm a poor sinner and nothing at all ;
But Jesus Christ is my all in all.' "
" And are your frames and feelings never variable?" le
was asked. "What do you think of then?" "Think
of! What better can I think of?" said th« «imple be-
liever.
28 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
" 'I'm a poor sinner and nothing at all ;
But Jesus Christ if my all in all.'"
Such simple, childlike faith may be well coveted ; — out
of self — into Christ. *' My soul hangeth upon thee.'
(Ps. Ixiii. 8, P. B.)
BEGINNINGS.
Of Grace. — Like "mustard seed" (visibly), "leaven'*
(inwardly) ; dawn of the morning ; first flowers of spring,
harbingers of summer ; " The seed always whispers oak,
though it was put into the ground acorn." Mountain
rills, the parents of rivers.
" That scholar is never like to read well that will needs
be in his grammar before he is out of his primer. Cloth
that is not wrought well in the loom will never wear well,
nor wear long ; so that Christian that hath not a thorough
work of grace begun deeply in his heart, will never wear
well ; he will shrink in the wetting, and never do much
service for God." — Mead.
Of Sin. — "The trees of the forest held a solemn Parliament,
wherein they consulted of the wrongs the axe had done them.
Therefore they enacted, That no tree should hereafter lend tho
axe wood for a handle, on pain of heing cut down. The axo
travels up and down the forest, begs wood of the ?ftdar, oak, ash,
elm, even to the poplar. Not one would lend him a chip. At
last he desired so much as would serve him to cut down the
briers and bushes, alleging that these shrubs did suck away the
juice of the ground, hinder the growth, and obscure the glory
of the fair and goodly trees. Hereon they were content to give
him so much ; but, when he had got the handle, he cut down
themselves too. These be the subtle reaches of sin. Give it but
a little advantage, on the fair promise to remove thy troubles,
and it will cut down thy soul also. Therefore, resist begin-
ning-s. Trust it not in the least. — Adams.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 29
" I have found by experience that in the country my
watch does not go so well as it used to do in town. By
small and gradual changes, I find that it either gains or
loses. The simple explanation is, that in town I meet
with a steeple in every street, and a good-going clock
upon it, and so any aberrations in my watch were soon
noticed, and easily corrected. And just so I sometimes
think it may be with that inner watch, whose hands point,
not to time, but to eternity. By gradual and slow changes
the wheels of my soul lag behind, or the springs of pas-
sion become too powerful, and I have no living timepiece
with which I may compare, and by which I may amend
my going. You will say that I may always have the
sun ; and so it should be. But we have many clouds,
which obscure the sun of our weak eyes." — M' Cheyne.
Of most great discoveries, movements, and Institutions,
have been small. Cf. the Bible Society ; — Charles of
Bala, and the Welsh girl. Church Missionary Society,
London City Mission ; David Nasmith and two other
persons held a prayer-meeting by themselves. The
Society was formed, and in two years after, had sixty-
5 three agents, and was expending upwards of $20,000.
So the late American Revival began with a prayer-meet-
ing, at which there was only one man present for the
first part of the hour ; 'and the late Irish Revival is traced
to the earnest labors and faithful prayer of one single
Christian lady.
Learn, — 1. What may one true Christian do ? Inquire,
— 2. What am I doing ?
BEREAVEMENT.— Gen. xlii. 36, and 1. 1 ; Job i.
21 : ii. 10; Ps. xxxix. 9; xlv 10; xciv. 12, 13; EccL
8 •
30 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
vii. 1-4 ; Ileb. iii. 17-19 ; Matt. xi. 26 ; John xiii. 7 ;
Phil. i. 21, 23; 1 Thess. iv. 13-18; Rev. vii. 15-17;
xiv. 13.
Teaches us, — 1. Leave trusting to creature comforts.
2. The importance of eternal realities. 3. To under-
stand the Divine character and Word. 4. Sympathy
for others.
"We are Seven." Wordsworth's touching hymn.
To an afflicted mother by the side of her dead child,
it was well said, " There was once a tender Shepherd,
whose care was over his sheep night and day. There
was one sheep in the flock, who would neither hear his
voice, nor follow Him. So He took up her tender lamb
in his arms, and then she came after Him."
Rutherford's Letters abound in comfort to the
mourning and bereaved. A few passages only can be
selected : —
To Mistress Taylor. — " Grace, mercy, and peace, be
with you. ... Ye are not to think it a bad bargain
for your son, when he hath gotten gold for copper and
brass, and eterijity for time. . . . The good hus-
bandman may pluck his roses, and gather in his lilies at
Midsummer, and, for aught I dare say, in the beginning
of the first summer month ; and he may transplant young
trees out of the lower ground to the higher, where they
have more of the sun, and a more free air at any season
of the year. What is that to you or me ? The goods
are his own. . . The Creator of time and winds did
a merciful injury, if I dare borrow the word, to nature,
in landing the passenger so early. They love the sea
too well who complain of a fair wind, and a desirable tide,
and a speedy coming ashore, especially a coming ashore
ILLUSTRATIVE GrATHERINGS. 31
in that land where the inhabitants have everlasting joy
upon their heads ; he cannot be too early in heaven ; his
twelve hours were not short hours."
To Barbara Hamilton. — " We see God's decrees when
they bring forth their fruits, — all actions, good and ill,
sweet and sour, in their time ; but we see not presently
the after-birth of God's decree, to wit, his blessed end,
and the good that He bringeth out of his holy and spot-
less council. We see sorrow : the end of his council, and
working, lieth hidden and underneath the ground, and
therefore we cannot believe.
"Even amongst men, we see hewn-stones, timber,
and a hundred scattered parcels and pieces of a house,
all under tools, hammers, and axes, and saws ; yet the
house, the beauty and ease of so many lodgings and
rooms, we neither see nor understand for the present ; — >
these are but in the head and mind of the builder, as yet.
We see red earth, unbroken clods, furrows, and stones ;
but we see not summer lilies, roses, and the beauty of a
garden. If ye give the Lord time to work (as often he
that believeth not, maketh haste, but not speed), his end
is under the ground ; and ye shall see it was your good,
that your son hath changed well in places, but not his
Master. Christ thought ^good to have no more of his
service here, yet (Rev. xxii. 3) * his servant shall serve
Him.'"
" Earthen vessels are not to dispute with their former ;
pieces of sinning clay may, by reasoning and contending
with the potter, mar the work of Him who hath his fir«
in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem."
" There is no mist over His eyes who is * wonderful in
counsel.' "
'62 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
" He that made yesterday to go before this day, and
the former generation, in birth and life, to have been
before this present generation, and hath made some
flowers to grow, and die, and wither in the month of
May, and others in June, cannot be challenged in the
order He hath made of things without souls ; and some
order He must keep here also, that one might bury an-
other. Therefore, I hope you shall be dumb and silent,
because the Lord hath done it."
"If the fountain be the love of God, as I hope it is,
you are enriched with losses."
"All that die for sin, die not in sin."
" There is a like nearness to heaven, out of all the
countries of the earth."
Bengel had twelve children, of whom half died in
infancy. He said, when speaking of his loss, "As little
children give their sweetmeats to their parents to keep
for them, so my pleasant things are safer in God's keep-
ing than in that of my own treacherous heart."
Elliot said, of the death of his children, "I have
had six children, and I bless God they are all either in
Christ or with Christ, and my mind is now at rest con-
cerning them. My desire was, that they should have
served Christ on earth; but if God chooses to have
them rather serve Him in heaven, I have nothing to
object."
Cecil. — "I cried, 'Lord, spare my child!' He did,
but not as I meant. He snatched it from, danger, and
took it to his own home."
Dr. Guyse is related never to have prayed in public,
without thanking God for departed saints.
Ex. of resignation under. — Aaron (Lev. x. 1-3); Eli
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 33
(1 Snm. iii. 18); Job (i. 21; ii. 10); David (2 Sam. xii.
28); Shunammite (2 Kings iv. 26).
BESETTING SINS.— Heb. xii. 1; Eccl. x. 1.
The Tap-root. — Almost every tree has its tap-root,
which goes down as straight into the earth as the trunk
goes into the air ; and until that root is cut, the tree will
stand and grow, no matter how the side fibres and roots
be injured. Besetting sins are often the tap-root of the
tree of sin, which bears fruit unto death. One sin, un-
mortified, may destroy the soul. One lust maintained,
in spite of conscience, and sin still lives.
Under-Ourrents at Sea. — *^A sailor remarks: — •
* Sailing from Cuba, we thought we had gained sixty
miles one day in our course; but at the next observation
we found we had lost more than thirty. It was an
under-current. The ship had been going forward by the
wind, but going back by a current.' So a man's course
may often seem to be right, but the stream beneath is
driving him the very contrary way to what he thinks."
Cheever.
A boat may often be seen, when you are staying at
the sea-side, in the same spot day after day, rising occa-
sionally with the tide, but^never much advancing either
way; — there it stays. Come closer, and you see the
cause: it is fastened to the beach by a slender rope.
How many professors does this represent ! Many seem
to rise a little every Sabbath, and get out a little further
than they were, but, when the tide of Sabbath ordi-
nances has ebbed, they return to their old place again,
and so they must, so long as the slender rope of sin cop-
fines them. ,
'34 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
BIGOTRY.— Jer. vii. 4, 8; Mark ix. 38-40; Luke
ix. 51-56; John iii. 25, 26; iv. 9; Acts x. 28; xix. 34;
1 Cor. i. 12, 13; iii. 3.
Luke XVII. 11-19.
Neander thinks that this action of our Lord's was designed
to counteract the prejudice of the Jews against the Samaritans.
It is certainly worthy of notice, the kindness our Lord showed
to them, as in John iv., and his rebuke of the bigotry of his
disciples. Luke ix. 53-56. Cf. also Luke x. 33.
*'If we thoroughly examine, we shall find that pride,
policy, and power, are the three principal ingredients in
all the disturbances of our churches." — Henry.
"I love to think that the trees in my orchards and
my neighbor's grow in a different soil ; and yet they are
blown upon by the same catholic wind, and ripened by
the same unsectarian sun." — Br. Cumming,
Water Companies. — "The Church Ecclesiastical is
like a vast water-company chartered to supply the
Church Spiritual from the great River of the Water of
Life. But how absurd it would be for a wat-er-company
to claim the right to interdict rain from heaven, or to say
to the inhabitants of a particular city or district, ' You
shall receive no water, except it pass through the hy-
draulic machinery which I have constructed!' " — Captain
Gordon.
Union in the Harvest. — "I have seen a field here,
and a field there, stand thick with corn, — a hedge or two
has separated them. At the proper season, the reapers
entered: soon the earth was disburdened, and the grain
was conveyed to its destined resting-place, where, blended
together in the barn or in the stack, it could not be
known that a hedge had ever separated this cori) from
ILLUSTKATIVE GATHERINGS. 35
that. Thus it is with the Church. Here it grows, as
it were, in different fields, and even, it may be, by
different hedges. By-and-by, when the harvest is come,
all God's wheat shall be gathered into the garner,
without one single mark to distinguish that once they
differed in outwacd circumstantials of form and order."
— Toplady.
"My Brother John." — Mr. Jay, in one of his sermons
at Surrey Chapel, thus illustrates bigotry : — "Some time ago a
countryman said to me, ' I was exceedingly alarmed this morn-
ing, Sir; I was going down in a lonely place, and I thought I
saw a strange monster. It seemed in motion, but I could not
discern its form. 1 didn't like to turn back, but my heart beat,
and the more I looked the more I was afraid. But as we ap-
proached, I saw it was a man, and who do you think it was ?'
'I know not.' 'Oh, it was my brother John!' — * Ah,' said I
to myself, as he added that it was early in the morning, and
very foggy, 'how often do we thus mistake our Christian
brethren !' "
Remember Augustine's well-known rule, — "In things
essential, unity; in things questionable, liberty; in all
things, charity."
BIRTHDAYS.— One joyous thought, in this world
of sadness, is, that there is never a day in the calendar
but many are celebrating their birthday upon it ; and
there is joy and gladness in many a house.
It is a dark heart that never looks at the bright side
of things.
Should be kept with — 1. Fervent thanksgiv-
ing. 2. Deep humiliation. 3. Faithful self-examination.
4. Earnest prayer. And if it is a day of extra happi-
ness to yourself, go and try if you cannot gladden some
other heart.
06 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
M'CiiEYNE.— '^3/(7^ 21.— This day I attained my
twenty-first year. Oh, how long and how worthlessly
have I lived, Thou only knowest? Neff died, in his
thirty-first year. When shall I ?"
{See Early Death.)
Philip Henry, on his Thirtieth Birthday. — " So old,
and no older, was Alexander, when he had conquered the
great world ; but I have not yet subdued that little world
— myself.''
Dr. Arnold died on the morning of his forty-seventh
birthday, June 13, 1842. What a Sunday was that at
Rugby ! He had ^' lived so as to be missed."
G. Wagner just lived to see his birthday, before he
died ; and, on his sister reminding him of it, he answered,
"I believe I shall have two birthdays this year."
Brainerd said, "I was born on a Sabbath-day, I was
new born on a Sabbath-day, and I hope I shall die on a
Sabbath-day. I long for the time. Oh, why is His
chariot so long in coming?"
BLINDNESS.— iVa^wmZ. Ex. iv. 11; Lev. xix. 14;
Deut. xxvii. 18; Job xxix. 15; Luke vii. 21; xiv. 13.
Spiritual. Bom. xi. 17; 2 Cor. iii. 14 ; Isa. xlii. 16-19;
Matt. XV. 14; John ix. 41.
There are now about 20,000 blind people in England.
Embossed Truths. — As blind people can only read
their books because the characters are embossed, and
stand out boldly from the blank sheet, so often, by afflic-
tion and trial, old truths are thus raised and brought out
to the mind of the spiritually blind.
Remarkable examples of —
Homer — Ossinn — Milton — Blucklock (only saw the light live
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 37
months, yet linguist and poet) — Sanderson, celebrated Mathe-
matician and Lucasian Professor at Cambridge (blind before
one year old) — Euler, Mathematician — Huber (Nat. Hist,
*' Habits of Bees.") — Holman, traveler round the world. — Wil-
liam Metcalf, builder of roads and bridges. — John Metcalf
("Manchester), guide to those traveling through intricate roads
by night, when covered with snow ; afterwards a projector and
surveyor of roads in difficult mountainous parts ; most of the
roads about the Peak, and near Buxton, were altered by his di-
rection. — Laura Bridgman, neither sight, hearing, nor speech,
yet learned to know herself a sinner, and Christ a Saviour. —
Milburn, the blind American preacher. — Prescott, the his-
torian. — Goodrich ("Peter Parley.")— Kev. J. Crosse, Vicar
of Bradford.
Hence learn, — 1. God's sovereignty in creation : Why were
you born blind ? Matt. xi. 26. 2. God's goodness in provi-
dence : that blind men so often see more than those who have
sight. The blind are proverbially cheerful. 3. God's riches
in grace.
Richardson, the blind man, used to say of his con-
version, " I could never see till I was blind."
'''Mother, shall we see in heaven?'' was the touching
question of a poor blind girl. " Yes, dear ; we shall see
in heaven. There shall be no night there."
BOASTING.— 1 Kings xx. 11 ; Ps. x. 3 ; xlix. 6 ;
Prov. XXV. 14 ; xxvii. 1 ; Isa. x. 15 ; xlviii. 2 ; Eph.
ii. 9 ; Jas. iii. 5 ; iv. 16.
Empty casks make most sound. Shallow rivers make
most noise. The shadow of the sun is largest when his
beams are lowest.
" Do you think you have any real religion ?" asked a
young Pharisee of an aged Christian. "Nothing to
speak of!" was the wise reply.
John Newton's favourite expression to his friends
4
38 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
was, " I am not what I ought to be ; I am not what I
wish to be ; I am" not what I hope to be ; but, bj the
grace of God, I am not what I was."
In a well-known town, a slater had to mount the tall
spire of the church, and repair some injury done by the
wind. Having reached the top, he stood upright upon
the ball, holding in his hand a jug of wine, and filling a
glass, drank to the health of the dignitaries of the place.
The people stood below, wondering at his boldness and
danger, in which he seemed to glory. But they forgot
that the next moment might hurl him from that emi-
nence ; and then how changed would be his fate ! Thus
it is with "vain boasters;" they are in equal danger.
*' Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he
fall." (1 Cor. X. 12.)
BODY, The.— Job xix. 26; Matt. vi. 25; x. 28;
Bom. viii. 10, 13, 23 ; xii. 1 ; 1 Cor. vi. 12, 13, 19, 20 ;
ix. 27 ; 2 Cor. iv. 10.
Redeemed, and should be cared for, as such,
yet not with the care bestowed upon the soul, —
" If one should send me, from abroad, a richly-carved
and precious statue, and the careless drayman who tipped
it upon the side-walk before my door, should give it such
a blow that one of the boards of the box- should be
wrenched off, I should be frightened lest the hurt had
penetrated further, and wounded it within. But, if, tak-
ing off the remaining boards, and the swathing-bands of
straw or cotton, the statue should come out fair and un-
harmed, I should not mind the box, but should cast it
carelessly into the street. Now, every man has com-
mitted to him a statue, moulded by the oldest Master,
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 39
of the image of God ; and he who is only sclicitous for
outward things — who is striving to protect merely the
body from injuries and reverses — is letting the statue
go rolling away into the gutter, while he is picking up
the fragments, and lamenting the ruin of the box." —
Beecher.
Galen, it is said, was converted from atheism by see-
ing and examining a human skeleton ; and afterward he
said, he would give any one one hundred years' time to
see if he could find a more commodious situation for any
one member of the body.
The glorified bodies of the redeemed may probably be
distinguished by these four, among other capabilities : —
1. The capability of intenser action, as an organ for re-
ceiving and retaining knowledge ; . . . (millions of
worlds to survey, — greater grasp of God's dealings) . .
2. A capability of accommodation to different physical
conditions (the three Hebrew men in the fire, — not a hair
singed). 3. A capability of becoming invisible at will.
4. Transmission from place to place. — {See '''Protoplast.'')
It is a striking fact, that after our Lord's resurrection
scarcely one of the disciples seem to have recognized
Him.
BOLDNESS.— Joshua i. 7 ; Ps. cxix. 43-46 ; Prov.
xxviii. 1 ; Isa. 1. 7 ; Jer. i. 8 ; Ezek. iii. 9 ; Acts iv. 20 ;
Eph. iii. 12 ; 2 Tim. iv. 2. Cf. The Book of Deutero-
nomy. (No book breathes more continually the spirit of
boldness for God, arising from strength in God.)
"A stout heart for a stiff brae." — Scotch Proverb.
" A minister, without boldness, is like a smooth file, a
knife without an edge, a sentinel that is afraid to let off
40 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
his gun. If men will be bold to sin, ministers must be
bold to reprove. — Gurnall.
I admire the boldness of that Reformer, who, when
some one said to him, " The whole world is against you,"
calmly replied, *' Then I am against the world !"
Palissy the potter, when Henry III. of France tried
to terrify him out of his Protestantism, replied, " The
Guisarts, all your people, and yourself, cannot compel a
potter to bow down to images of clay."
Simeon was once summoned to the deathbed of a dy-
ing brother. Entering the room, the relative extended
his hand, and, with some emotion, said, " I am dying,
and you never warned me of the state in which I was,
and of the great danger I was in of neglecting the salva-
tion of my soul." "Nay, my brother," said Simeon,
" but I took every reasonable opportunity of bringing
the subject of religion before you, and frequently alluded
to it in my letters." " Yes," said the dying man, " but
you never came to me, closed the door, and took me by
the collar of ray coat, and told me I was unconverted,
and that if I died in that state, I should be lost ; and
now I am dying, and, but for God's grace, I might have
been for ever undone." It is said, Simeon never forgot
this scene.
Ex. Noah (Heb. xi. 7) : Abraham (Gen. xviii. 22-
82); Jacob (Gen. xxxii. 24-29); Moses (Ex. xxxii. 31,
32) ; Aaron (Num. xvi. 47, 48) ; David (1 Sam. xvii. 45) ;
Elijah (1 Kings xviii. 15, 16); Nehemiah (Neh. vi. 11);
the Three Hebrew Children (Dan. iii. 17, 18) ; Daniel
(Daniel vi. 10) ; Peter and John (Acts iv. 8-18) ; Stephen
(Acts vii. 51) ; Paul (Acts v. 27-29 ; xix. 8) ; Barnabas
(Acts xiv. 3) ; Apollos (Acts xviii. 26).
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERiXGS. 41
Joseph and Nicodemus, who at first were amongst the
most timid disciples, at Christ's burial became the bold-
est; while Peter, before the boldest, became the most
timid. 1 Kings xx. 11 ; Matt. xix. 30.
BOOKS.
All the books ever written, and much more than that,
may be compressed, as John Newton says, into four
books : — the book of creation, the book of revelation, the
book of providence, and the book of the heart.
The number of immoral books, published annually, is
about 30,000,000 ; being more than the total issues of the
Christian Knowledge Society,Tract Society, Bible Society,
Scottish Bible Society, Trinitarian Bible Society, and some
seventy religious magazines. The present circulation of
immoral publications, (in England), from one to three cents,
is more than 400,000 weekly, or 20,000,00.0 yearly.
The good one book may do, blessed by God, was never,
perhaps, more shown than in the single tract brought in
a peddler's pack to the door of Richard Baxter's father.
It was the means of the conversion of the preacher of
Kidderminster. Baxter wrote the *^ Saint's Rest," which
was blessed to the conversion of Doddridge. He wrote
" The Rise and Progress," which was blessed to the con-
version of Wilberforce. He wrote his " Practical View,'*
which was blessed to the conversion of Legh Richmond,
and he wrote his " Dairyman's Daughter," which has
been translated into more than fifty languages, and been
blessed to the conversion of thousands of souls.
Contrast, — The influence of Homer's "Iliad." It
was through reading Homer's "Iliad," that Alexander
became the wholesale robber and murderer of the world.
4 •
42 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Reading Alexander's Life, inspired two other bloody
heroes, — Csesar and Charles XII. of Sweden. Caesar
was the heau ideal of Silymus, who, after defeating and
poisoning his father, caried bloodshed and ruin into Egypt
and Persia.
BURIAL OF CHRIST.— Ps. xvi. 10; Isa. liii. 9;
Matt. xii. 40; xxvii. 57-66; Mark xv. 42-47; Luke
xxiii. 43, 50-56; John xix. 38-42; Eph. iv. 9; 1 Pet.
iii. 19.
Cf. Lev. vi. 11. — The ashes poured out in a clean
place. May not this have been intended to pre-figure
Christ's burial ? — [See Bonar on Leviticus.)
How instructive is it to consider —
The persons employed. — Not our Lord's relations,
apostles, &c., but Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus,
both good men, and great among the Jews, but before
secret disciples, — now so emboldened. Mark xv. 44.
They who w^ere at first the weakest, at last became the
boldest; while Peter, who was at first the boldest, at
last became the weakest. (1 Kings xx. 11 ; Matt.
xix. 30.)
The place — A garden^ — the place of pleasure; yet
into that death entered. John xix. 41. So, as we see
the leaf falling in the loveliest garden, are we reminded
of the sorrows of the grave. Isa. xl, 6-8. But it was
meet ; for, as Death obtained its triumph in a garden
over the first Adam, it was conquered in a garden by the
Second Adam.
In the garden was the tomb of Jesus. It was a new
tomb, to honor Him who lay therein, and to prevent the
charge of deception, — " It was not He who rose, but
ILLUSTRATIVE QATIIERINGS. 43
some previv)us tenant." Christopher Ness. — * When
Christ was born, he lay in a virgin womb, and when He
died. He was placed in a virgin tomb."
A costly tomb, a rich man's grave, to fulfill Isaiah
liii. 9.
A borrowed tomb. He who had not where to lay his
head in life, had not a burial-place of his own for death.
But is this strange ?
" I take it not to dishonor Christ, but to show that, as his sins
were borrowed sins, so his burial was in a borrowed grave. Christ
had no transgressions of his own ; He took ours upon his head
He never committed a wrong, but He took all my sin, and all
yours, if ye are believers. Concerning all his people, it is true
He bore their griefs and carried their sorrows in his own body
on the tree ; therefore, as they were others' sins, so He rested in
another's grave-; as they were sins imputed, so that grave was
only imputedly his. It was not his sepulchre ; it was the tomb
of Joseph." — Spurgeon.
It was a tomb in a roch. — The Rock of Ages was
buried in a rock; ''a Rock within a rock."
The. time. — The tomb was borrowed but for three days ;
long enough to certify his actual death, yet no longer,
that his resurrection and exaltation should not be hin-
dered. — [See Pearson.)
The grave of Jesus was an evidence of his (1), Hu"
manity^ in that He who took a sinner's nature, at last
laid in a sinner's grave ; (2), Divinity^ that He rose by
his own power. John ii. 19; x. 18.
Believers are made like Christ in his death, so also in
his burial, the public declaration of death; and in his
glorious resurrection and exaltation.
** Roses bloom
In the desert tomb,
Because the Saviour once lay there."
41 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
BFSINESS. — Gen. xxiii. (the first record of business
— the purchase of a grave; and see Abram's good ex-
ample of courtesy, straightforwardness, and promptness) ;
Gen. xxxix. 2 ; Exod. xxxiv. 21 ; 1 Sam. vi. 13. 14
(business cheerfully left for devotion) ; Prov. x. 4 ; xxvii.
23; Matt. xxi. 12; Luke ii. 49 (Christ's first recorded
words) ; Luke xiii. 28 ; xiv. 18, 19 ; Rom. xii. 11 ; 1
Cor. vii. 30 ; 1 Thess. iv. 4; James iv. 13.
"Prayer and provender hinder no man's journey."
" There is no time lost in sharpening the scythe."
Market Crosses. — It was a beautiful truth which
our forefathers have symbolized, when, in most of our
old market-towns, they have erected a market-cross ; as
if to teach the buyers and sellers to rule all their actions,
and sanctify their gains, by the remembrance of the
cross. The Israelites were taught the same in their en-
campment ; every part of the camp looked toward the
tabernacle. So the Chinese, though in superstition and
ignorance, set up their idols in their shops.
" The Christian must not only mind heaven, but attend
to his daily calling ; like the pilot, who, while his eye is
fixed upon the star, keeps his hand upon the helm." —
Watson.
Diligence in business should not hinder fervency in
spirit. " Like the pure-mettled sword, that can bend
this way and that way, and turn to its straightness again,
and stands not bent, that heart is of the right make that
can stoop and bend to the lowest action of its worldly
calling, but then return to its fitness for communion with
God." — Gurnall.
A Fine Picture. — " I have just seen a most beautiful
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 45
picture," said Mr. C. to his friend Mr. T., as they met
after the labors of the day.
" What was it ?" said Mr. T.
" It was a landscape. The conception is most beauti-
ful, and the execution well-nigh perfect. You must go
with me and see it before it is removed."
"I have seen a fine picture to-day myself."
" Have you? What was it?"
"I received notice this morning that there was great
Buifering in a certain family, and as soon as I could leave
my business I went to see what could be done. I climbed
up to the garret where the family was sheltered, and as
I w»s about to knock at the door, I heard a voice in
prayer. When the prayer was ended, I entered the
wretched apartment, and found a young merchant, whose
shop I had just been in, and whose business I knew was
very pressing. Yet he had left it, and spent some time
in personal labors for the comfort of the sick and suffer-
ing inmates of that garret; and when I came to the
door he was praying with them preparatory to taking his
leave. I asked him how he could find time to leave his
business at such a busy season ; and he replied, that it
was known that the condition of the family had been
communicated to several professing Christians, and that
he was afraid the cause of religion would suifer if relief
were not promptly given. It is not absolutely necessary
(said he) that I should make money, but it is absolutely
necessary that Christ's honor should be maintained."
In commercial troubles a true Christian may take
comfort. There are some things which he can never
lose.
"A merchant some few years ago failed in business.
46 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
He went home in great agitation. 'What is the matter?*
asked his wife. 'I am ruined! I am beggared; I have
lost mj all!' he exclaimed, pressing his hand upon his
forehead.
" ' All !' said his wife, * no ; I am left.' ' All, papa,*
said his eldest boy ; ' here am I.' ' And I too,' said his
little girl, running up and putting her arms round his
neck. ' I'm not lost, papa,' repeated Eddie. ' And jou
have your health left,' said his wife. ' And your hands
to work with,' said his eldest. 'And I can help you.'
' And your two feet, papa, to carry you about, and your
two eyes to see with, papa,' said little Eddie.
" ' And you have God's promises,' said the grand-
mother. ' And a good God,' said his wife. ' And heaven
to go to,' said his little girl. ' And Jesus, who came to
fetch us there,' said his eldest.
" ' God forgive me !' said the poor merchant, bursting
into tears ; ' I have not lost my all. What have I lost
to what I have left !' And he took comfort, and began
the world afresh.
" Reader, are there not things more precious than
gol-d and bank-stocks ! When the Central America was
foundering at sea, bags and purses of gold were strewn
about the deck as worthless, as the merest rubbish.
' Life, life,' was the prayer. To some of the wretched
survivors, 'water, water; bread, bread;' it was worth its
weight in gold, if it could have been bought. And, oh I
above all — far above all — the salvation of your soul is
precious. It is not yet lost. Is it saved?'' — Christian
Treasury.
A man of business should have three marks, — consci-
entious — diligent — contented.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 47
Ex. The shepherds of Scripture, — Abram, Moses,
David, &c. The rulers^ — Joseph, David (Ps. Ixxviii. 70),
Nehemiah, Daniel, &c. How often have God's servants
been called to service from their work, — Moses, David,
Elisha (1 Kings xix. 19), the shepherds (Luke ii. 8, 9),
Matthew (Matt. ix. 9).
CALVINISM and Arminianism, regarded as theo-
logical systems, may be compared to the thin, empty,
crescented forms of the old and new" moon, butting at
each other with their sharp-pointed horns from the oppo-
site sides of a darkened disc. Scripture does not alter
the position of these two belligerents, but by illuminating
the whole intervening space, it fuses both into one glori-
ous orb of holy light. — J. E. Gordon.
John Newton, when asked, " Are you a Calvinist ?'*
replied, "Why, Sir, I am more of a Calvinist than any-
thing else; but I use my Calvinism in my writings and
my preaching as I do this piece of sugar (taking a lump
and putting it into his teacup and stirring it). I do not
give it alone and whole, but mixed and diluted." And
at another time, — "I hope that I am, upon the whole,
a scriptural preacher; for I find I am considered as an
Arminian among the Calvinists, and as a Calvinist among
the strenuous Arminians."
The error of attempting to harmonize the two systems
was never more shown than by Baxter, who, in seeking
to do this, only added another sect to the Church, and
afterwards admitted that he had been wrong.
CARES.— Gen. xxii. 8, 9, 14; Ps. Iv. 22; 2 Chron.
XX. 12; Jer. xii. 4; xvii. 7, 8; xlix. 31 (cf. Ps. Iv. 19);
48 ILLUSTKATIVE GATHERINGS.
Matt. vi. 25-34; xiii. 22; xiv. 12 (the best remedy)^
Luke xii. 29; Phil. iv. 6, 7; 1 Pet. v. 7.
" Ills that never happened have chiefly made men
wretched. ' ' — Twpper.
Sinful. — When, 1. They hinder or exclude sober
devotion. 2. When we let our minds run upon them at
unseasonable times, as on the Sabbath (Isa. Iviii. 13).
3. When they deprive us of the proper enjoyment of
what we have. 4. When they lead us into unlawful or
doubtful ways to obtain our desires. (Gen. xxx. 3.)
Psalm xcvil 1, 2. — When Bulstrode Whitelocke was
embarked as Cromwell's envoy to Sweden, in 1653, he
was much disturbed in mind, as he rested at Harwich the
preceding night, which was very stormy, as he thought
upon the distracted state of the nation. It happened
that a confidential servant slept in an adjacent bed, who
finding that his master could not sleep, at length said,- —
" Pray, Sir, will you give me leave to ask you a ques-
tion?"
"Certainly."
" Pray, Sir, do you think that God governed the world
very well before you came into it ?"
''Undoubtedly."
"And pray. Sir, do you not think that He will govern
it quite as well when you are gone out of it?"
"Certainly."
" Then pray. Sir, excuse me, but do you not think
that you may trust Him to govern it quite as well as long
as you live ?"
To this question Whitelocke had nothing to reply:
but, turning about, soon fell fast asleep, till he was sum-
mmed to eobark.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 49
1 Peter v. 7. — A man carrying a burden was over-
taken by a rich man as he drove along, and invited to
get up behind in the carriage, which he thankfully did.
After a while the rich man looked around and saw the
burden still strapped to the traveler's back. He there-
fore asked him why he did not lay down his pack on the
seat beside him. But he answered, " He could not thiiik
of doing that ; it was quite enough that he himself
should be allowed to sit behind the carriage, without put-
ting his burden on the seat also." Thus often do be-
lievers fear to lay too much upon the God who has bidden
us "cast all our care upon Him," and assured us that
"He careth for us."
Dr. Payson, in his last days, said, " Christians might
avoid much trouble and inconvenience if they would only
believe what they profess, — that God is able to make
them happy without anything else. They imagine that
if such a dear friend were to die, or such and such bless-
ings were to be removed, they should be miserable;
whereas, God can make them a thousand times happier
without them. To mention my own case: — God has
been depriving me of one blessing after another ; but as
every one was removed, He has come in and filled up its
place ; and now, when I am a cripple and not able to
move, I am happier than ever I was in my life before, or
ever expected to be ; and if I had believed this twenty
years ago, I might have been spared much anxiety."
Matt. vi. 34 (?). — "Sometimes," says John Newton,
"I compare the troubles we have to undergo in the
course of a year to a great bundle of fagots, far too
large for us to lift. But God does not require us to
carry the -vihole at once; He mercifully unties the bun-
50 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
die; and gives us first one stick, which we are to carry
to-day, and then another, which we are to carry to-
morrow, and so on. This we might easily manage if we
would only take the burden appointed for us each day ;
but we choose to increase our trouble by carrying yester-
day's stick over again to-day, and adding to-morrow's
burden to our load before we are required to bear it."
CENSORIOUSNESS.— "Constant complaints never
get pity."
GoTTHOLD had a little dog, which, when placed before
a mirror, became instantly enraged, and barked at its
own image. He remarked on the occasion, " In general
a mirror serves as an excitement to the love of self,
whereas it stimulates this dog to anger. The animal
cannot conceive that the figure he sees is only a reflec-
tion of itself. It fancies it is a strange dog, and there-
fore will not suffer it to approach its master. This may
remind us of the weakness of our hearts. We often
complain of others, and take oifence at the things which
they do against us, without reflecting that for the most
part the blame lies with ourselves. Men behave ill to
us, and we behave ill to them. Our children are fro-
ward, because they have inherited and learned froward-
ness from us. We are angry with them, and yet they
are our own images."
CHARACTER.— "The purchase of the lever of in-
fluence."
"Should be judged of," as Dr. Johnson says, "in the
mass. A block of tin may contain a grain of silver, but
it is still a block of tin ; and a block of silver may con-
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 51
tain a grain of tin, but it is still a block of silver.**
The mass of Elijah's character was excellence, but with
alloy.
" Happiness is not the end of life ; character is. This
world is not a platform where you will hear Thalberg
piano-playing. It is a piano-manufactory, where are
dust, and shavings, and boards, and saws, and files, and
rasps, and sand-papers. The perfect instrument and the
music will be hereafter." — Beecher.
Rowland Hill, when once shamefully attacked in a
public paper, was urged by a friend to bring a legal ac-
tion ; to which he replied, "I shall neither answer the
libel, nor prosecute the writer. 1. Because in doing the
one I might be led into unbecoming violence. 2. Be-
cause I have learned from long experience that no man's
character can be eventually injured but by himself."
CHARITY.— 2 Sam. xxiv. 24 ("That religion which
costs nothing is worth nothing"); 1 Chron. xxix. 14;
Ps. xli. 1-3; Prov. iii. 9, 27, 28; xi. 24, 25 (like the
clouds receiving and restoring) ; Eccl. xi. ; Isa. xxxii. 8;
Mai. iii. 8; Matt. x. 42; xxv. 40; Mark xii. 41-44;
xiv. 8; Acts iv. 32-37; ix. 36; x. 4; 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2
(the apostolic rule, giving not from impulse, but from
system ; not now and then, but regularly) ; 2 Cor. viii. ;
Gal. ii. 10 (" God hath left his poor saints to receive his
rents" — Gurnall); vi. 10; Heb. vi. 10; xiii. 16.
"Charity to the soul is the very soul of charity.**
Mark xii. 41. — " Jesus sat over the treasury and be-
held" • • • The best check and the truest comfort
to remember in our alms, — Jesus sees what we cast in
" Many people now-a-days give, not with tears in their
52 ILLUSIRATIVE GATHERINGS.
eyes, but with pens behind their ears" [Mrs. Sfoive); not
so much for the pjor to live upon as for the rich to
look at.
No proportion is absolutely enjoined in the New Tes-
tament ; but most of God's devoted saints seem to
concur in the ancient tenth ; of course, with certain re-
strictions. This was the principle adopted by Lord
Chief Justice Hale, Dr. Hammond, Dr. Annesley,
Baxter (still he found it too little), Doddridge (who be-
sides gave one-eighth of all presents and gifts), Havelock,
Bickersteth (who gave a three-fold tithe). Dr. Watts
and Tillotson used to give one-fifth, Mrs. Bury one-
fourth, Mrs. E. Rowe, Hon. B. Boyle, J. Gouge, &c.,
one-half.
How little do Christians give compared with the an-
cient Jews or modern heathen; — look at the
Jews. — Cf. their costly service and liberal contribu-
tions for the tabernacle and temple.
Heathen. — "I once visited the Rajah of Burdwan,"
writes the Rev. J. J. Weibrecht, and found him sitting
in his treasury. Fifty bags of money containing 1,000
rupees ($500) each were placed before him. ' What,'
said I, ' are you doing with all that money?' He replied,
*It is for my god.' 'How do you mean that ?' Ire-
joined. * One part is sent to Benares, where I have two
fine temples on the river side, and many priests who
pray for me ; another part goes to Juggernaut, and a
third to Gaya.' And thus one native is spending $25,000
annually from his income upon idle Brahmins."
The Egyptian Hieroglyphic of Charity is very
striking, — a naked child, with a heart in his hand, giving
honey to a bee without wings. 1. A child, humble and
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 53
meek (Matt, xviii. 3). 2. With a heart in his hand, be-
cause the heart and the hand of a charitable man must
go together, — he must be a cheerful giver. 3. Giving
honey to a bee — not a drone. 4. To a bee without wings,
— help such as would work, but cannot.
Excuses. — 1. " I have nothing to spare." But re-
member 1 Kings xvii. 11, 12; Mark xii. 41-44 ; Prov.
xix. 22.
2. " Charity begins at home." True, but should i\
end there ? Should it not be like the stone in the water,
ever spreading its circumference ?
3. ^'I have a right to do what I will with my own,"
Nay; 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20; iv. 7; Rom. xiv. 7.
4. "The poor are unworthy and ungrateful;" "and
such were some of you.'' But has God had mercy ?
James ii. 13.
5. " If I were rich, what pleasure should I have in
giving!" Are you sure of that? Read 2 Cor. viii.
6. "My 'mite' can do nothing." Yet five barley
loaves, when Christ blessed them, fed 5,000.
A gentleman who had been at a missionary collection
was met the next day by a man of opposite habits, who
began to chide him with the folly of sending out such
sums abroad, when there was so much to be done at
home. The gentleman calmly replied, " I will give five
dollars for our poor at home if you will give the same."
"Oh, I didn't mean that," said the objector; "but if
you must go from home, why so far? Think of the poor
in Ireland." " I will give five dollars for the poor in
Ireland," saia the gentleman, "if you will give the
same." " No, I don't mean that either," said the man
So answer those who bring the same objections, for it is
54 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Bimplj to veil out their own selfishness bj blaming the
liberality of others, which they feel reproaches them-
selves.
"Pyrrhus, a merchant of Ithaca, once saw a good
man captive in a pirate ship, took compassion on him,
and redeemed him ; and with him also bought his com-
modity, which consisted of several barrels of pitch. The
old man perceiving that, not from any service he could
do him, nor the gain of commodity, but merely out of
charity, Pyrrhus had done this, presently discovered to
him a great mass of treasure hidden in the pitch, where-
by he grew exceedingly wealthy, having, not without
Divine providence, obtained an unexpected blessing for
so good an act of piety." — Spencer.
What One Cent can Do.— A son of one of the
chiefs of Burdwan was converted by a single tract.
He could not read, but he went to Rangoon, a distance
of 250 miles ; a missionary's wife taught him to read,
and in forty-eight hours he could read the tract through.
He took a basket full of tracts, with much difficulty,
preached the Gospel at his own home, and was the means
of converting hundreds to God. He was a man of in-
fluence; the people flocked to hear him; and in one year
1,500 natives were baptized in Arracan as members of
the Church. And all this through one little tract! That
tract cost one cent. Oh, whose cent was it? God only
knows. Perhaps it was the mite of some little girl ; per-
haps the well-earned ofl'ering of some little boy. Yet,
what a blessing it has been !
What the Farthings can do. — In July, 1794, was
the most destructive fire in Ratcllfl"e there had been in
London since 1666. Out of 1,200 houses, only 570 were
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.. 55
preserved. About 1,400 persons were thrown entirely
upon the charity of the public at once ; and amongst the
contributions offered for their relief was upwards of $4,000
collected at the encampment provided by Government,
of which $2,130 was in copper, including $193.50 in far-
things^ each a poor man's offering.
CHEERFULNESS.— 2 Chron. xvii. 6; Neh. viii. 10;
Ps. XXX. 11; xcvii. 11; Prov. xv. 13, 15; xvii. 22;
Rom. xii. 8; 1 Tim. vi. 17 (Z); James v. 13.
Promoted by : —
1. Active work. — Physiologists say that walking on
an agreeable errand gives the countenance a more health-
ful look than walking out merely for exercise.
" Employment so certainly produces cheerfulness,"
says Bishop Hall, "that I have known a man come home
in high spirits from a funeral, because he had had the
management of it."
2. Expectancy in Prayer, — We often are as sad after
prayer as we were before it, because our prayers are not
the prayers of expecting faith. But prayer, with real
belief and hope, will enable us always to roll our cares
from ourselves upon the Lord.
The Countess of Huntingdon was first drawn to the
truth through the preaching of the Methodists. Lady
Mary Hastings was brought to God under Mr. Ingham;
and she and Lady Huntingdon used to talk about it.
The Countess was much struck by one remark, — that
since Lady Mary had known and believed in Jesus for
life and salvation, she had been as happy as an angel.
The Countess had never felt this; and being ill at the
time, she thought much about the contrast, and was
56 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
almost in despair, till that remark came to her mind,
and she was drawn gradually to find the same peace and
jo J herself.
CHILDREN.— Gen. xxxiii. 7 ; Dent. xxxi. 12, 13 ;
Ps. viii. 2 ; Prov. x. 1 ; xxii. 6, 15 ; xxix. IT ; Acts ii.
39 ; Eph. vi. 1-3.
Mark x. 13-16. — " ' Oh, mamma,' said a little girl on
returning from church to a sick mother, ' I have heard
the child's Gospel to-day.'
" So said another, six or seven years of age, when on
her death-bed she asked her eldest sister to read the same
passage to her. The text being read and the book closed,
she said, ' How kind ! I shall soon go to Jesus ; He
will soon take me up in his arms ; bless me too ; no dis-
ciple shall keep me away.' Her sister kissed her, and
said, 'Do you love me?' 'Yes,' she replied; 'but don't
be angry, I love Jesus better.' " — Cheever.
2 Tim. iii. 15. — " The letter of Scripture in the minds
of children is the combustible on which the Promethean
spark of the Spirit generally falls ; and where there is
no such preparation there will seldom be any conflagra-
tion. True it is that the power of God, as in the case
of Elijah's sacrifice, can turn even the stones of the altar
and the water in the trench to fuel ; but this is not the
usual mode of the Spirit's operation. The probabilities
of conversion, humanly speaking, will generally be found
to bear a proportion to the quantity of the incorruptible
seed of the Word, which has been dibbled into the soil
of the young heart by the instrumentality of parental
instruction and prayer." — Gfordon.
Every Jewish parent was obliged to do four things
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 57
for his child. 1. To circumcise him. 2. To reieem
him. 3. To teach him the law. 4. To teach him some
trade.
Jewels. — A Campanian lady, fond of pomp and show,
when visiting Cornelia, the mother of the Gracchi, dis-
played her jewels with much ostentation, and asked to
see Cornelia's in return. The mother begged her to wait
a short time ; when, at the usual time, her sons came
home from the public schools. Then, presenting them
to the lady, she tenderly said, " These are my jewels."
" Come this Way, Father." — Some years ago some
friends were enjoying a pleasant excursion, on a sweet
summer's day, in a boat. Having gone a certain dis-
tance, a young lady declined going further, saying she
would remain on one of the islands in the stream. The
party, however, remained longer than they intended,
and, a thick fog coming on, they were much afraid of
losing her. But at last her clear voice was heard, *' Come
this way, father; come this way."
The young lady is now dead, and in a better world ;
but oh ! how often does he still hear the words repeated,
from the upper sanctuary, " Come this way, father ;
come this way."
Little Mary and the Lighthouse. — The story is
almost too well known to be repeated, of the little girl
whose father lived in a lighthouse on the coast of Corn-
wall. The father, mother (who was a pious woman), and
their little girl, lived alone, amidst the bowlings of the
great, wide sea. One day the keeper went ashore, and
when there was soized and kept prisoner by a band of
wicked men, who thought if they could only keep him
prisoner, the lighthouse would be unlighted at nighi
58 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
and vessels would be wrecked, of which they should get
the spoils. But his little daughter was left in their
watery home, and when no father came home at night,
though her heart sank within her, at his absence, she
thought of the poor sailors who might be lost, and, brave
girl that she was ! she went up to the top, and, one by
one, lighted all the lamps, till the whole sent forth the
clear and welcome blaze. It was a noble action ; and
gave her and her father a warm heart of .joy. So may
the daughters of Israel send forth the lamp of light to
many who sit in darkness !
The Rev. Moses Browne had twelve children. On
one remarking to him, " Sir, you have just as many
children as Jacob," he replied, " Yes, and I have Jacob's
God to provide for them."
Ex. Good. — Isaac, Joseph, Samuel, David, Obadiah,
Josiah, Esther, John Baptist, Timothy. Cf. Edward YL,
Little Jane, James Laing. — {M'Cheynes ''''Life.'')
Bad. — Esau, sons of Eli, sons of Samuel, Absalom,
Adonijah, Children who mocked Elisha, Adrammelech
and Sharezer.
CHRIST.— Ps. xlv. 2 ; Isa. ix. 6 ; Matt. i. 21, 23
John i. 14-18 ; vi. 68 ; vii. 46 ; xvii. 3 ; Acts x. 38
xvi. 31 ; Rom. xv. 3 ; 1 Cor. i. 30 ; 2 Cor. viii. 9 ; Phil
i. 21 ; ii. 5-11 ; iii. 8 ; Col. i. 15 ; ii. 3, 9, 10 ; iii. 11
1 Tim. i. 16 ; Heb. i. 3 ; ii. 9 ; vii. 25, 26 ; xiii. 8
1 John i. 3 ; ii. 1, 2 ; Rev. i. 5, 6 ; xi. 15.
Judges iii. 9, 15, 31.
What a lesson on the patience of God ! Again and again do
we read, " The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. bd
Lord," and then He raised them up a Deliverer {margin, Sav-
iour). So patiently does Almighty love still bear with human
ingratitude and depravity. Psalm ciii. 10-14.
Isa. xxxii. 2. — "A man shall be as a hiding-place
from the wind and a covert from the tempest."
♦' I creep under my Lord's wings in the great shower, and
the waters cannot reach me. Let fools laugh the fool's laugh-
ter, and scorn Christ, and bid the weeping captives in Babylon,
*sing them one of the songs of Zion,' "We may sing, even in
our winter's storm, in the expectation of a summer's sun at the
turn of the year. No created powers in hell or out of hell can
ir.ar cur Lord's work, or spoil our song of joy. Let us, then,
be glad and rejoice in the salvation of our Lord, for faith had
never yet cause to have tearful eyes, or a saddened brow, or ta
droop or die." — Rutherford^ s ** Letters^
1 Cor. i. 1-13.
One of the peculiarities and beauties of St. Paul's style may
be traced as occurring here. Twelve times does he refer to
Christ in thirteen verses, — a fit model for all who would be suc-
cessors in the spirit of the Apostles. It was the wise counsel
of Philip Henry, — " Preach a crucified Saviour in a crucified
style.*'
2 Cor. ix. 15. — " Thanks be unto God for his un-
speakable gift."
We may say of Christ, as one said to Csesar, when he had re-
ceived a munificent present from him, "This is too much for
me to receive." To which the Emperor answered, "But it is
not too great for me to give."
Col. i. 27. — *' Christ in you, the hope of glory."
Four thoughts are here. Header, consider your interest in
them. Glory ; — the hope of glory ; — Christ, the hope of glory.
But pause. — The most important part is, — "Christ in youy the
hope of glory." ♦' Christ's blood on the head is the greatest
curse; Christ's blood on the heart is the richest blessing."
Col. ii. 7.— "Rooted and built up in Him."
There are tvvc difierent kinds of growth into Christ; a
60 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
growth dovnward, when the believer becomes more ** rooted *
in his principles, and established ii his hold of the covenant ;
and a growth upward, like the palm and the cedar, in the
Lord's enclosed garden. But all growth comes from union with
Christ. 2 Peter iii. 18.
Heb. xii. 2. — "Looking unto Jesus."
Like the bitten Israelites, " look and live." Like Peter on
the waters, who sank when he erased to look. *'For one look
at self, take ten looks at Christ."
Objection. — But must we not search our hearts, to know our
failings ? Yes ; but the best way to learn our fault is, to get
more light. One minute's search in the dark with a lighted
candle, is more useful than ten minutes' groping in the dark.
1 John i. 7. — The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us
from all sin."
So that poor South Sea Island Christian saw, when he came
to death's "water-side," and saw a large mountain rise before
him, which he tried to climb in vain. A drop of blood fell
upon the mountain, and in a moment it was gone. "That
mountain," said he, "was my sins, and the drop which fell
upon it, was the precious blood of Jesus,"
Rev. xxii. 21. — " The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
be with you all. Amen."
The last words of Revelation are of Christ. It is worth ob-
serving that, taken in their supposed chronological order, this is
the case with the last words of each of the three Apostles : St.
Paul (2 Tim. iv. 22); St. Peter (2 Pet. iii. 18); and St. John
(xxi. 25). Cf. Mai. iv, 6. (^See Grace.)
" Oh, that Christ had his own !" — Rutherford.
" The sea ebbs and flows, but the rock remains un-
moved." — Ibid.
"If sin was better known, Christ would be better
thought of." — Mason.
"Presumption abuses Christ; despair refuses Him."
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 61
*' He who thinks he hath no need of Christ, hath too
high thoughts of himself. He who thinks Christ caLnot
help him, hath too low thoughts of Christ." — Ihid.
" Too many only see Christ in a book, as we see places
in a map ; but, to come nigh, — to enjoy Him, — this is
delightful and saving." — Rutlie7'fo7'd.
*' Christ is not prized at all rightly, unless He be
prized above all truly."
" It is not so much great talents that God blesses as
great likeness to Jesus." — M'Cheyne.
The Stationer at the Fair. — "A stationer, being
at a fair, hung out his pictures of men famous in their
kind ; among which he had also the picture of Christ.
Divers men bought, according to their several fancies.
The soldier buys his Caesar, the lawyer his Justinian, the
physician his Galen, the philosopher his Aristotle, the
poet his Virgil, the orator his Cicero, and the divine his
Augustine ; — every man after the dictation of his own
heart. The picture of Christ hung by still, of less price
than the rest ; a poor shopman that had no more money
than would purchase that, bought it, saying, ' Now every
one hath taken away h/s god, let me have mine.' Thus,
whilst the covetous repair to their riches, like birds to
their nests ; the ambitious to their honors, like butter-
flies to a poppy ; the strong to their holds ; the learned
to their arts ; atheists to their sensual refuges, as dogs
to their kennels; and politicians to their wit, as foxes to
their holes ; the devout soul will have no other sanctuary,
fix upon no other object, but Christ Jesus, not pictured
in their chamber, but planted in the inner chamber of the
heart." — Salter.
The Plank that will Bear. — A vessel was wrecked
62 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHEIIINGS.
a good many years ago on the stormy coast of Cornwall.
It was a time of much danger and distress, but the Lord
was merciful, and no lives were lost. On the following
Sabbath, the rescued sailors attended Divine service in
the nearest parish church, and thanks were publicly re-
turned for their deliverance.
The minister who officiated that day was aware of the
circumstances, and endeavored to improve them to his
audience. At the close of his sermon, he spoke with
much earnestness of the sinner's danger and the Saviour's
love. Among other things, *' Imagine," he said, "the
situation of a drowning man, who feels that all his own
efforts are unavailing, and that he is fast sinking beneath
the overwhelming waters. Imagine what would be his
feelings, if suddenly a plank floated within his reach, and
if, taking hold of it, he found it would bear his weight !
My fellow-sinners, this is your case, and my own ! We
are like the drowning mariner. Christ is the plank of
safety. This plank will bear. Oh, refuse not, delay not
to seize upon it 1 This plank will bear ; yes, sinner,
this plank will hear !"
The good man's own heart was much moved, and he
felt that he spoke with unusual animation. But he
heard no more of the discourse than he was wont to hear
of others, and by degrees the whole incident passed
away from his remembrance.
Fourteen years afterwards, he received an urgent
message entreating him to come and see a man who was
nea^* death, in a village at a considerable distance. He
obeyed immediately, unable to resist such a call. On
entering the apartment, he saw at once that the sufferer
was a total stranger to him, and also that his moments
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 63
on earth were almost numbered. He knelt beside the
bed. " Mj brother, you have sent for me, and 1 am
come. You are on the verge of that awful transition
which awaits us all. Will you tell me on what hope you
are resting for eternity ?"
The dying man was evidently conscious, but the power
of speech seemed gone. "My brother," continued the
minister, " if you can no longer speak, will you give me
a sign, a token, to tell if your hope is now in Christ ?"
Then, by a last effort of expiring strength, these words
were uttered, and we may easily conceive the thrill of
joyful, grateful recollection with which they were list-
ened to : " The plank bears."
Yes, that long-forgotten sermon had not been preached
in vain. In one soul, at least, the good seed had borne
fruit to everlasting life.
Reader, this plank will hear! It carried that soul
safe to the haven of eternal rest ; it will carry yours also.
Have 7/ou taken hold of it ? Jesus is the all-sufficient,
but He is also the onli/ Saviour. " There is none other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we must
be saved." "How shall we escape if we neglect so great
salvation ?"
Happy Death of an Indian. — A missionary in the
East Indies was called to visit one of the native Chris-
tians in a dying state. He inquired how she felt.
" Happy ! happy !" was her reply ; and, laying her hand
on the Bible, added, "I have Christ here,'' and, press-
ing it to her heart, "and Christ here,'' and, pointing to
heaven, "and Christ there."
Christ is Mine. — A gentleman one day took an ac-
quaintance upon the leads of his house to show him the
64 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
extent of his possessions. Waving his hand about,
*' There," says he, '' that is my estate." Then, pointing
to a great distance on one side, "Do you see that farm?"
" Yes." " Well, that is mine." Pointing, again, to the
other side, " Do you see that house ?" " Yes." " That
also belongs to me." Then said his friend, "Do you see
that little village out yonder ?" " Yes." " Well, there
lives a poor woman in that village who can say more
than all this." " Aye ! what can she say ?" " Why, she
can say, ^ Christ is mine !' " He looked confounded,
and said no more.
Russian Nobleman. — Some years ago, a Russian no-
bleman was traveling on special business in the interior
of Russia. It was the beginning of winter, but the frost
had set in early. His carriage rolled up to an inn, and
he demanded a relay of horses to carry him on to the
next station, where he intended to spend the night. The
innkeeper entreated him not to proceed, for there was
danger in traveling so late ; the wolves were out. But
the nobleman thought the man merely wished to keep
him as a guest. He said it was too early for wolves,
and ordered the horses to be put to. He then drove off,
with his wife and his only daughter inside the carriage
with him.
On the box of the carriage was a serf, who had been
born on the nobleman's estate, to whom he was much
attached, and who loved his master, as he loved his own
life. They rolled over the hardened snow, and there
seemed no sign of danger. The moon shed her pale
light, and brought out into burnished silver the road on
which they were going. At length the little girl said to
her father. " What was that strange howling sound that
ILLUSTRATIVE GATIIERINaS. >,.^^V 65
I just heard?" *' Oh, nothing but the wind sighing
through the forest trees," replied the father. The child
shut her eyes, and was quiet ; but soon she said again,
*' Listen, father ! it is not like the wind, I think." The
father listened, and far, far away, in the distance behind
him, through the clear, cold, frosty air, he heard a noise
which he too well knew the meaning of.
He then put down the window, and spoke to the ser-
vant, " The wolves, I fear, are after us ; make haste.
Tell the man to drive faster, and get your pistols ready."
The postillion drove faster ; but the same mournful sound
which the child had heard approached nearer and nearer.
It was quite clear that a pack of wolves had scented
them out. The nobleman tried to calm the anxious fears
of his wife and child.
At last the baying of the pack was distinctly heard.
So he said to his servant, " When they come up with
us, do you single out one and fire, and I will single out
another ; and while the rest are devouring them we shall
get on." As soon as he put down the window, he saw
the pack in full cry behind, the large dog- wolf at their
head. Two shots were fired, and two of the wolves fell.
The others instantly set upon them and devoured them ;
and meanwhile the carriage gained ground. But the
taste of blood only made them more furious, and they
were soon up with the carriage again. Again two shots
were fired, and two more fell and were devoured. But
the carriage was speedily overtaken, and the post-house
was yet far distant. The nobleman then ordered the
postillion to loose one of his leaders, that they might
gain a little time. This was done ; and the poor horse
plunged frantically into the forest, the wolves after him,
6* &
bb ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERII5GS.
and was soon torn to pieces. Then another horse was
sent oiF, and shared the same fate. The carriage Labored
on as fast as it could with the two remaining horses ;
but the post-house was still distant.
At length the servant said to his master, " I have
served you ever sinee I was a child. I love you as my
own self. Nothing now can save you but one thing. Let
me save you. I ask you only to look after my wife and
my little ones."
The nobleman remonstrated, but in vain. When the
wolves next came up, the faithful servant threw himself
amongst them. The two panting horses galloped on
with the carriage, and the gates of the post-house just
closed in upon it as the fearful pack were on the point
of making the last and fatal attack. But the travelers
were safe.
"• Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay
down his life for his friends. But God commendeth His
love toward us, in that tvhile we were yet sinners^ Christ
died for us."
The Worm within the Circle. — A converted Indian
was one day taunted, — " What has Christianity done for
you ?" Seeing a worm by the side of the path, he took
it up, and put it down before the man ; then collecting
some straw, he placed it in a circle round the worm and
lighted it. The worm, feeling the heat of the flame,
began to writhe. The Indian took it up in his hand,
and turning to his opponent said, with beautiful sim-
plicity and sanctified emotion, " This is what Christianity
has done for me. I was a worm of the earth, and the
flames of hell were gathering round me, when Jesus
came and had pity on the wprm. He took me in His
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 67
hand, and snatched me from ruin. What more could I
wish that He had done ?"
CHURCH.— Ps. xlv. 13 ; Ixxxvii. ; Cant. vi. 10 ;
Isa. xliii. 21 ; Ixii ; Matt. xvi. 18 ; Acts ii. 47 ; xx. 28 ;
Rom. xvi. 19 ; Eph. iii. 10 ; v. 27 ; Heb. x. 21 ; 1 Pet.
V. 13 ; Rev. xii. 1 ; xix. 8.
Emblems of, — holy ; branch of God's planting ; bride
of Christ ; burning bush (the arms of the Church of
Scotland) ; golden candlestick (gold, for excellence — six
branches in one, for unity — ornaments, for gifts and
graces — snuifers, for discipline) ; dove ; family ; flock
(few but favored) ; garden inclosed ; fountain sealed ;
heritage ; house ; kingdom ; king's daughter ; lily among
thorns ; leaven (grace in the heart) ; mustard-seed
(grace in the life) ; moon (shining with borrowed light,
and constant changes) ; mother ; Mount Zion ; net (gath-
ering fish to the shore and to each other) ; olive-tree ;
pillar and ground of the truth ; ship (tossed, but Jesus
in it) ; sister of Christ ; temple ; tree ; virgin ; vine ;
vineyard ; wife ; woman. Rev. xii. 1.
The marks of a true Church are three. 1. Pure and
sound doctrine. 2. Sacraments administered according
to Christ's institution. 3. Discipline. — Homily for Whit
Sunday.
It is much easier to give oneself to a Church or a sect
than to God.
In the best Reformed Churches there must be many
deformed professors.
Many shrink from joining themselves openly to the
Church because they are not fit. Thus they neglect
68 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
one of the very means the Lord has ordained to make
them fit.
" The Church of Christ, which is partly militant and
partly triumphant, resembles a city built on both sides
of a river. There is but the stream of death between
grace and glory." — Toplady.
" The Scripture is the sun ; the Church is the clock.
The sun we know to be sure, and regularly constant in
his motions ; the clock, as it may fall out, may go too
fast or too slow. As, then, we should condemn him of
folly that should profess to trust the clock rather than
the sun, so we cannot but justly tax the credulity of
those who would rather trust to the Church thaji to the
Scripture." — Bishop Hall.
Quicksilver. — " Take a mass of quicksilver, let it
fall on the floor, and it will split into a vast number of
distinct globules. Gather them up and put them to-
gether again, and they will coalesce into one body as
before. Thus God's elect below are sometimes crumbled
and distinguished into various parties, though they all
are, in fact, members of one and the same mystic body.
But when taken up from the world, and put together in
heaven, they will constitute one glorious, undivided
Church for ever and ever."
CIRCUMSTANCES.-Glorifying God in all. 2 Cor.
vi. 3-10; James i. 9-12.
" He is happy whose circumstances suit his temper ;
but he is more excellent who can suit his temper to his
circumstances." — Hume.
" If you can't turn the wind, you must turn the mill-
Bails."
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 69
*' If I were differently circumstanced, I could serve
God so much more fully," is the devil's tempting bait
to mislead souls.
Joseph was a beautiful example. See him, in his
changed positions, still the upright saint ; and Jesus
[cL John ii.), our Lord's conduct at the marriage and in
the temple.
Wm. Pitt used to be called the minister of existing
circumstances.
A Christian Shepherd^ when a gentleman said, to try
him, " Suppose your master were to change, or your
flock to die ; what then ?" replied, " Sir, I look upon it
that I do not depend upon circumstances, but upon the
great God that directs them."
The Rev. H. W. Fox^ when dying, had constantly
upon his lips the words of Baxter : — '' Lord, when thou
wilt; where thou wilt; as thou wilt."
COMMUNION WITH GOD.— Ps. xxxvii. 3-7 ; xlii.
1 ; Ixiii. 5, 6, 8 ; Ixxiii. 23-25 ; Cant, passim ; Matt. v.
8 ; Luke xxiv. 32 ; 1 Cor. x. 16 ; 2 Cor. iii. 18 ; Eph.
ii. 6 ; 1 John i. 3 ; Rev. iii. 20.
The believer has, in his, — 1. Attributes, when the
soul, according to its capacity, is moulded after the Di-
vine image, and when it responds to the Divine attri-
butes by affections of love, joy, submission, trust, &c. 2.
Works of creation, providence, and grace, when we
adore and serve God, and are transformed as we behold.
2 Cor. iii. 18. 3. Ordinances.
Dr. Payson recommends Christians who would raise
their minds to close communion with God, to take one
scene in the life of Christ a-day for meditation, and
70 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
dwell upon it closely, till the scene grows clear and
bright, and the heart begins to burn with love to the
Saviour.
Archbishop Leighton. — Bishop Burnet declares
that, having known him intimately for many years, he
had never seen him in any other temper than that in
which he would wish to live and die.
Hewitson writes : — " I think I know more of Jesus
Christ than of any earthly friend." Hence one who
knew him well remarked, " One thing struck me in Mr.
Hewitson. He seemed to have no gaps, — no intervals
in his communion with God. I used to feel, when with
him, that it was being with one who was a vine watered
every moment."
** "When one that holds communion with the skies
Has filled his urn where those pure waters rise,
And once more mingles with us meaner things,
'Tis e'en as if an angel shook his wings ;
Immortal fragrance fills the circuit wide
That tells us whence his treasures are supplied." — Cowper.
Favored Places. — Eden, Peniel, Sinai, Temple, Mount
of Transfiguration, Olivet, &c.
Favored Persons. — Enoch, Abraham, Jacob, Moses,
David, Elijah, Daniel, Stephen, Paul, John, &c.
Isa. lix. 2 ; 2 Cor. vi. 14-18.
COMMUNION OF SAINTS.— 1 Sam. x. 26 ; xxiii.
16; Ps. Iv. 14; cxix. 63; cxxii. 3; Prov. xiii. 20;
xxvii. 9, 17 ; Eccles. iv. 9-12 ; Mai. iii. 16 ; Mark v.
18,19; Rom. i. 12; xii. 15, 16; Eph. ii. 18-22; iv.
12 (Z) ; Heb. iii. 13 ; 1 John i. 3 {m).
The Jewish economy contained many provisions to
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 71
promote. Cf. the passover, and peace-offermgs, which
were directed not to be eaten alone, but in company.
The annual feasts, to celebrate which God's people had
many a happy journey, and much sweet communion.
Ps. Ixxxiv. 7. Cf. the golden candlestick, — six branches
around the centre branch.
So in the Christian dispensation, — conversation, devo-
tion, social worship, the Lord's Supper, &c. Cf. the Lord's
prayer, " Our Father ;" the end of St. Paul's epistles.
The house Beautiful well sets forth Bunyan's reali-
zation of the communion of saints. It stood by the road-
side. Watchful was the porter at the door. Discretion,
Prudence, Piety, and Charity talked with Christian till
supper, when their communion was about the Lord of
the hill. After which good Christian slept in the cham-
ber called Peace, and in the morning was shown the
study, the armory, the Delectable Mountains, and other
rarities, and sent on his way rejoicing.
The Rev. J. H. Francke writes : — " It is with Chris-
tians as with burning coals. If these are scattered far
apart, one after the other is easily extinguished ; but,
when collected together, the fire of one preserves that
of the other, and the glowing coals often ignite others
that lie near."
A husband and wife remain one though a hundred miles
apart. Believing souls have spiritual sympathy and
attachment, irrespective of distance, time, or state.
COMPANY.— Exod. xxiii. 2; Josh, xxiii. 7; 2
Chron. xix. 2 ; Ps. i. 1 ; cvi. 35 ; cxix. 63 ; Prov. iv.
14; xiii. 20; xxviii. 19; Rom. xii. 2; 1 Cor. v. 6; xv.
33 ; Eph. V. 11 ; Col. iv. 5.
72 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Bad company is like a nail driven into a post, which,
after the first and second blow, may be drawn out with
little difficulty ; but being driven up to the head, the
pincers can scarcely take hold to draw^ it out.
The Christian who has put aside his religion because
he is in worldly company, is like a man who has put off
his shoes because he is walking among thorns.
Pitch. — Did you never touch pitch, and it stuck to
your fingers that you could not wash it ofi" for days?
Such is the influence of a bad companion.
Iodine. — Chemists tell us that one grain of iodine
imparts color to 7,000 times its weight of water. So
wide is the circle of one bad book, or one evil coun-
selor.
Sir Peter Lely used to make it a rule never to look
upon a bad picture, as he found, by experience, when he
had done so, his pencil always took a tint from it. Prov.
iv. 14-16.
Eliot, the missionary. — It was said of him by one of
his friends, " I was never with him but I got, or might
have got, some good from his company.'*
Usher. — Archbishop Usher and Dr. Preston were
very intimate, and often met to converse on learned and
general subjects ; when the good archbishop used com-
monly to say, "Come, Doctor, let us have one word
about Christ before we part."
The bee-hunter in America puts a piece of honey-
comb into a box, and catches a bee. He then covers the
box, and very soon the bee fills himself with the honey.
Being let loose, it finds its way home, and in a little
time returns, but not alone. He brings his companions
with him, and in turn they bring their companions, till
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 73
the box is filled with a full swarm of bees. Ltt every
Sunday scholar, and every attendant at a Christian
church, do likewise. If they have tasted that Word
which is sweeter than honey, let them bring their com-
panions and neighbors with them, till the school and the
church be filled with devout and thoughtful hearers.
CONFESSION OF SIN.— Lev. xvi. 21; Ps. xxxii.
5; xxxviii. 18: li.; Prov. xxviii. 13; Jer. iii. 13, 25;
Dan. ix. 20; Luke xv. 18; 1 John i. 9.
" I HAVE SINNED." — A sermon with seven texts, show-
incr the different kinds of confession, as the words are
used by Pharaoh, Balaam, Saul, Achan, Judas, Job, the
Prodigal. — Spurgeon.
" A man will confess sins in general; but those sins
which he would not have his neighbor know for his right
hand, which bow him down with shame like a wind-
stricken bulrush, these he passes over in his prayer.
Men are willing to be thought sinful in disposition, but
in special acts they are disposed to praise themselves.
They therefore confess their depravity and defend their
conduct. They are wrong in general, but right in par-
ticular. Whether they shall confess their faults or not,
they generally leave to their moods, and not to their
principles." — JBeecher.
" We tell God that we are sinners, miserable and
helpless, but cannot bear to be told so by others." —
Adam.
John Bradford. — It was observed of him, that when
he was confessing sin he would never give over confess-
ing till he had felt some brokenness of heart for that sin ;
and that, when praying for any spiritual mercy, he would
7
74 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
never give over the suit until he had got sone relish for
that mercy.
CONSCIENCE.— Job xxvii. 6; Prov. xxiii. 7; John
viii. 9; Acts xxiii. 1; xxiv. 16; Rom. ii. 15; ix. 1; 2
Cor. i. 12; 1 Tim. i. 5; iii. 9; iv. 2 (Cf. Eph. iv. 19);
2 Tim. i. 3; Titus i. 5; Heb. ix. 14; xiii. 18; 1 Pet. ii.
19; iii. 16; 1 John iii. 18-21.
Power of an evil. Gen. iii. 8; iv. 9; xlii. 21 (after
twenty-two years); 1 Sam. xxiv. 5, 6; 2 Sam. xxiv. 10;
1 Kings xxi. 20 (Ahab after Naboth's murder); Prov.
xxviii. 1 ; Matt, xxvii. 3 ; Mark vi. 16.
Has three offices, — to instruct, command, and judge.
Is ignorant, flattering, seared, wounded, scrupulous,
or good.
Differs from the understanding, as common glass differs
from a looking-glags.
" Understanding is a common glass, that lets in, all the
forms and colors of external objects ; conscience is a
looking-glass, opaque, which reflects only internal objects.
Through the first W' e see other people ; by the second we
see ourselves." — Gordon,
Is too often, like an alarm clock, awakening at first,
but after a time it loses its effect.
Like the awful lightning-flash, revealing in one fearful
instant the secrets of the deepest darkness, though anx-
iously concealed in the darkened room. Yet too fre-
quently the illumination is but for a passing moment ;
the heart returns again to the same darkness as before.
" Many have conscience enough to make them uneasy in
sin, but not conscience enough to keep them from sin."
^-Adam.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. iO
M. Henry used to say, when persecuted for hip opin-
ion, "How sweet it is to have the bird in the bosom sing
sweetly." Cf. Charles IX., who could never bear to
lay awake in the night without music playing; Tibe-
rius, who declared in the Senate that he suffered death
daily.
CONTENTMENT.— Gen. xxviii. 20; Ps. xxxvii. 1-8;
Prov. XV. 16 ; xvi. 8 ; xxx. 7, 8 ; Matt. vi. 11, 25-34 ;
Phil. iv. 11; 1 Tim. vi. 6; Heb. xiii. 5.
Cf. Hebrew servant. Exod. xxi. 2-6.
Manna, which, gathered as God gave it, was good ;
but if sought to be hoarded, bred worms.
" Nature is content with little, grace with less, sin with
nothing. ' ' — Brooks.
" They that deserve notliing should be content with
anylMng. Bless God for what you have, and trust God
for what you want. If we cannot bring our condition to
our mind, we must bring our mind to our condition. If
a man is not content in the state he is in, he will not be
content in the state he would be in." — Manon.
" One staff on a journey is helpful ; but a bundle of
sticks is a burden."
The wheels of a chariot move, but the axletree moves
not ; the sails of a mill move with the wind, but the mill
itself moves not ; the earth is carried round its orbit, but
its centre moves not. So should a Christian be able,
Amidst changing scenes and changing fortunes, to say,
"0 God, my heart is fixed, my heart is fixed."
It was the beautiful expression of a Christian, who
had been rich, when he was asked how he could bear his
reduced state so happily, " When I was rich, I had God
70 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
in everything, and now I am poor T have everything in
God."
An Italian Bishop, having struggled hard through
life without repining, was asked the secret of his being
so uniformly happy, and replied that it consisted in
" making a right use of his eyes." Being requested to
explain, he added, " In whatsoever state I am, I first look
up to heaven, and remember that my principal business
here is to get there. I then look down upon the earth,
and call to mind how small a space I shall occupy in it
after death. Lastly, I look abroad upon the world, and
observe how many there are more unhappy than myself.
Thus I learn where true happiness is placed, where
all my cares must end, and that I have no reason to
repine."
Fable. — A canary and a gold-fish had their lot thrown
together in the same room. One hot day the master of
the house heard the fish complaining of his dumb condi-
tion, and envying the sweet song of his companion over-
head, " Oh, I wish I could sing as sweetly as my friend
up there !" whilst the canary was eyeing the inhabitant
of the globe, " How cool it looks ! I wish my lot were
there." " So then it shall be," said the master, and
forthwith placed the fish in the air, and the bird in the
water ; whereupon they saw their folly, and repented of
their discontent ; of which the moral is sooner drawn
than practiced : — Let every man be content in the
state in which Providence has placed him, and believe
that it is what is best fitted for him.
CONTROVERSY.
In many cases in jurious : —
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. ll
"Many controversies about religion have almost
brought religion itself into controversy."
Two learned physicians and a plain, honest husband-
man met at an inn. The two doctors, falling into a dis-
pute about the nature of aliment, could eat no dinner ;
while the plain, honest countryman, who understood
nothing of the dispute, fell heartily to his meal, gave
God thanks, went to his labor wdth renewed strength, and
reaped the fruit of his industry. " Such," says Bishop
Home, " is the difference between polemical and practi-
cal Christians."
Yet controversy is, in other cases, ne-edful and useful.
" A man can scarcely be an earnest Christian in the
present day," Dr. M'Neile has well said, "without being
a controversialist."
As in many of the Scotch mountains we often see the
cloud hanging on its side, as a part of the mountain, but,
as soon as it is broken by the wind, it descends in re-
freshing dew upon the mountain side, and runs down the
steep to fructify the mountain flowei;^ ; so the mist of
controversy is a means, when scattered, of enriching the
understanding and fructifying the heart.
" My great controversy," said a good man," is with
myself."
The Pastor's Prayer. — A pastor, having just fin-
ished family worship, was reading Leighton's works in
his study, when he was called down to see a visitor. " I
have called to see you," said Mr. G., " about your ser-
mon last Sabbath.
" You insisted upon repentance and faith, as first
duties. I was not entirely satisfied with your reason-
ing. I have some points of difficulty which embar-
78 ILLUSTRATIA^E GATHERINGS.
rass me. Perhaps you can so explain them as to relieve
me."
Mr. G. then proceeded to state his difRculties, not in
the clearest manner, but still showing some forethought
and contrivance. They were certain metaphysical ques-
tions as old as the human race, which have been an-
swered a thousand times.
The pastor heard him patiently, and when he had fin-
ished, inquired, " Mr. G., are you prepared for death
and the final Judgment?" ''I cannot say I am."
The pastor remained silent for a short time, and then
said, "Let us pray." With this he knelt down, and
presented all the difficulties of the case before God.
The prayer was fervent, solemn, and earnest.
Mr. G. retired somewhat abruptly, and complained to
his friends that his difficulties had been evaded, and
prayer had been resorted to as a subterfuge. But that
prayer proved more effectual than controversy. The
young man afterwards confessed it so.
"- 1 was displeased," he wrote, "with your sermon, be-
cause Ifelt it to be true, and I hoped to perplex you by
discussion, and thus ease my own conscience. But the
Holy Spirit triumphed, and I am a brand plucked out
of the fire." — CJmstian Treasury.
CONVERSATION.— Ps. xix. 14; xxxiv. 13; xlv.
2 ; cxli. 3 ; cxlv. 11 ; Prov. x. 11, 19-21 ; xv. 23 ; xviii.
4, 7, 21; Eccl. V. 3; x. 11-14; xii. 11; Mai. iii. 16;
Matt. xii. 36, 37; Luke xxiv. 32; John iv. 27; Eph.
iv. 29 ; V. 4 ; Col. iv. 6.
" Our conversation need not always be of grace, but
it should always be with grace." — Matthew Eenry.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 79
John Locke, having been introduced by the Earl of
Shaftesbury to the Duke of Buccleuch and Lord Halifax,
these three, after a while, sat down, and began to play
at cards. Locke began to write ; when one of them
asked him what he was writing. "My Lord," said he,
*' having waited with impatience for the honour of being
in company with the greatest geniuses of the age, I
thought I could do nothing better than write down your
conversation." The well-timed ridicule had the desired
effect, and the party quitted their play, and entered into
a conversation more worthy the dignity of their character.
Bishop Latimer, when examined before Bonner, at
first answered without much thought and care ; but pre-
sently hearing the rustling of a pen behind the curtain,
he perceived that his words were being taken down. Oh,
if Christians would remember that the recording angel is
always so near them, how much more circumspect and
holy would their conversation be.
Instances are recorded, without number, of the influence
of conversation for good or bad, —
Henry Martyn. — It is said to have been a single re-
mark of Simeon's, at Cambridge, about the blessing that
had followed Dr. Carey in India, that first awakened
Henry Martyn to the cause of Missions.
Wilberforce. — It was in a conversation at Nice about
some Evangelical clergyman, who, he thought, carried
things too far, that Milner proposed to read the Greek
Testament together daily with him. The plan was agreed
to, and the entrance of the Word thus gave light to the
great statesman's mind, and was one chief means of his '
conversion.
(See also Boohs.)
80 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
The Countess of Huntingdon was once speaking to
a workman who was repairing a garden wall, and press-
ing upon his care the welfare of his soul. Some time
after she spoke to another workman, " Thomas, I fear
you never pray, nor look to Christ for salvation."
" Your Ladyship is mistaken," said the man; and, on
asking him what first led him to turn to Christ, he said,
" I heard what passed between you and James at such a
time, and the word you designed for him, took hold of
me.'' " How did you hear it?" "I heard it on the
other side of the garden, through a hole in the wall, and
shall never forget the impression I received." Thus
does the Spirit illustrate his own Word. (Eccl. xi. 1, 6.)
[See similar instances, under Providence.']
The Rev. Spencer Thornton. — It was the excellent
rule he used to make : — In every call, leave at least one
word for Christ."
CONVERSION.— Ps. xix. 7 ; Matt, xviii. 3 ; John
iii. 5 ; Acts iii. 19 ; James v. 19.
*' Many persons come to the right point in conversion,
but they never shove off. I question them about their
state, and I find all as it should be; but they are waiting
for something — they know not what, — standing still in
thought and feeling." — Beeclier.
The instrumental causes of, would form a deeply in-
teresting record, but far transcend the limits of this
book. (See Index, for some illustrations, sub voce Con-
version.)
God's Word. See "Illuminated Bible" (Scripture).
God's Providence. — The celebrated Mr. Alexander
Henderson (seventeenth century) was presented to the
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. • 81
parish of Leuchan, Fife. His settlement was so un-
popular, that on the day of his ordination the church
doors were shut, and secured by the people, so that the
minister who attended, and the precentor, were obliged
to go in by the window. Shortly after, having heard of
a communion in the neighbourhood, at which Mr. Bruce
was to be an assistant, he went thither secretly, and, for
fear of attracting notice, placed himself in a dark corner
of the church. Mr. Bruce, having come into the pulpit,
paused for a little, as was his manner, — a circumstance
which excited Mr. Henderson's surprise, — but it aston-
ished him the fnore, when he heard the text announced,
" He that enter eth not in hy the door^ hut olimheth up some
of he?* way, the same is a thief and a robber. (John x. 1.)
The words so struck his heart that he could not forget
them, but they proved the means of his conversion to
God.
God's Spirit suggesting a sudden impulse upon the
mind. Cennick, an excellent and devoted minister, was
thus impressed, while walking along Cheapside.
Affliction. — " I could never see till I was blind."
The counsel of Christian People.
"Just AS I am." — An Indian and a white man at
worship together, were both brought under conviction
by the same sermon. The Indian was shortly after led
to rejoice in pardoning mercy. The white man, for a
long time, was under distress of mind, and at times ready
to despair, but he was at last brought also to a comfortable
experience of forgiving love. Some time after, meeting
his red brother, he thus addressed him, " How is it that
I should be so long under conviction, when you found
comfort so soon?" " Oh, brother," replied the Indian,
c
OZ ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
•' me tell you. There come along a rich prince. He
propose to give you a new coat. You look at your coat,
and say, ' I don't know ; my coat pretty good. I think
it will do a little longer.' He then offer me new coat.
I look on my old blanket. I say, ' This good for noth-
ing.' I fling it right away, and accept the beautiful
garment. Just so, brother, you try to keep your own
righteousness for some time ; you loathe to give it up ;
but I, poor Indian, had none ; therefore, I glad at once
to receive the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ."
CONVICTION.— Jer. iv. 3 ; John xvi. 8, 9 ; Acts
ii. 37 ; ix. 6 ; xvi. 30.
like an arrow — axe — hammer — ploughshare —
north wind.
SHOULD BE DEEP. — For want of this, how many
are like Pliable, in the "Pilgrim's Progress," who went
■with Christian a little way. He was ravished with the
glory of the prospect, but felt no burden upon his back ;
so, when they came to the Slough of Despond, he was
at once disheartened, and turned back again ; yea, began
to ridicule his former efforts.
If Stifled, harden.
" As the worst traveling is, when the road is frozen
after a thaw, so those are frequently the most hardened
who have had some convictions — who have had some
knowledge of the Gospel, and some religious affection,
and have then relapsed into their natural hard-hearted-
ness." — Arrowsmith.
CREATURE COMFORTS. Ps. xx. 7, 8 ; Isa. xl.
6-8 ; Jer. ii. 13 ; Jonah ii. 8 ; Micah vii. 5-7 ; 1 Cor. vii.
29-31 ; Gal. v. 24 ; 1 John ii. 15-17.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERIxVGS. 83
Luther used to say, — "The greatest temptation the
devil has for the Christian is comfort."
" Trust not so much to the comforts of God as to the
God of comforts." — Mason.
" May 9. — How kindly has God thwarted me in every
instance where I sought to enslave myself. I will learn
at last to glory in disappointments." — M^Cheyne.
Of. The Manna. Israelites taught moderation by —
Kibroth-hattaavah. Numbers xi. 31-35.
Cherith. 1 Kings xvii. 1-15. Trial of faith.
1. Elijah was in the path of duty. 2. It failed gradually.
3. It was the withdrawal of life's necessaries, not luxuries.
Yet see the wisdom and goodness of Providence. Elijah
was taught many useful lessons of trust and preparation for
future work, and God provided for his wants. When one
supply fails, God can furnish another. It was only sending
the man of God from Cherith to Zarephath.
Jonah's G-ourd. Jonah iv.
•' 1. Creature comforts are short-lived, 2. The comforts we
most delight in are generally the first to perish. 3. Our com-
forts often perish from unforeseen and inconsiderable causes. 4.
They perish often, when most needed." — Bradley.
"He builds too low, who builds below the skies."—
Young.
"Build not thy nest on any tree of earth, seeing God
hath sold the forest to death." — Rutherford.
" I fear that I adore his comforts more than himself,
and that I love the apple of life more than the tree of
life. ' ' — RutJierford.
App. — 1. The poor. Ps. xxxiv. 10.
2. The distressed. Ps. xlii. 11.
3. The distrustful. Ps. xxxvii. 3-7.
84 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
4. The earthly-minded. Jonah ii. 8 ; Isa, Iv.
2 ; Col. iii. 2.
CRITICISING SPIRIT.
How often ministers and parents speak very unwisely
of the sermons they have heard, and of the charactertJ
of Christian people, before their own children and ser-
vants, and their friends and visitors !
*' Sept. 2. — Sabbath Evening. — Reading. Too much
engrossed and too little devotional. Preparation for a
fall. Warning. We may be too engrossed with the
shell even of heavenly things." — M^Cheynes Life.
CURSE.
"Believers undergo many crosses, but no curses." —
Arrowsrnith.
A saint doth pray, not only that the curse may be
removed, which sin hath brought, but that the sin may
be removed, which brought the curse.
Ebal (which, according to Gesenius, means, void of
leaves). How could Israel respond "Amen" to the-
curses pronounced from thence ? They saw on Ebal
that altar which Joshua had built, and on which had
been offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings to the
Lord. Thus we see how Gal. iii. 13, delivers us from
terror, — " Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the
law, being made a curse for us." It was like the halle-
lujah over the smoke of torment. The law was illumin-
ated by the blaze of the altar fire.
DANCING.
" Attending places of vain and fashionable amusement
tends to stifle all serious reflection, and cherish a vain
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 85
and airy temper, and to promote an idle and dissolute
life. It tends to make young people forget that they
are sinners, and that they must die and come to judg-
ment. It tends to make them neglect reading, medita-
tion, and secret prayer. It tends to render them deaf
to all inward warnings of God's Spirit, and to the checks
of their own consciences, and deaf to all the outward
calls of the Gospel, the counsels of their ministers, their
parents, and other spiritual friends." — Dr. Bellamy.
Eternity. — A gay and worldly lady had a pious
servant. Night after night she was kept up till four or
five o'clock, waiting for her mistress's return from her
fashionable parties ; and night after night she was found
reading the Bible, or some good book. One night, the
mistress looked over her shoulder, and asked, laughing,
"What melancholy stuff' are you reading this time?"
But her eye caught the word Eternity ; and suddenly
the laugh was changed for a strange feeling of sadness.
Sleep fled from her eyes, and mirth from her heart, and
the word Eternity' still haunted her, until a conviction
of her unprepared state led to serious inquiry, and that
to a full surrender of her heart to God.
The scriptural dances aff'ord no warrant for dancing
at the present day, and as at present practiced. They
were (1), only on particular and festive occasions ; (2),
for religious cheerfulness, not for sensual pleasure ; (3),
not mixed, but for one sex only, — all men, or all maidens,
— generally the latter ; (4), held in the day chiefly, not
by night. Besides which, we often see the evil resulting
from them, because perverted.
DAY OF GRACE.— Ps. ex. 3 ; Prov. x. 5 ; Jer. viii.
8
86 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
20; Matt. xx. 1-7; Luke xix. 41, 42; Join ix. 4; xi.
9; xii. 35; xvii. 4; Rom. xii. 11, 12; 2 Cor. vi. 2;
1 Thess. V. 5, 8 ; Heb. iv. 7. Called a day^ which is —
1. A sliort time, and therefore calls for diligence. 1
Sam. xxi. 8. The King's business requires haste.
2. A limited time, beyond which there is no mere}*.
Eccl. ix. 10 ; Luke xiii. 9.
3. A varying time ; as summer days are longer than
winter days ; and there are sunny days and cloudy days.
But the rainbow of God's mercy is seen only in the
day of grace. We should look for it in vain in the night
of eternal darkness.
A Roman Captive.— It is recorded of a Roman
prince, that when a captive whom he had taken de-
manded time to deliberate, whether he would be the
enemy of Rome, or not, the prince drew a circle round
him, with the end of his rod, and required him to decide
before he left that circle. So does God deal with sin-
ners. Rev. ii. 21 ; Isa. Iv. 6 ; Prov. i. 20-33.
DAY OF JUDGxMENT.— Matt. xxv. ; John v. 22 ;
Acts xvii. 21 ; Rom. ii. 16 ; 2 Cor. v. 10 ; Heb. ix. 27 ;
Rev. vi. 12-17 ; xx. 1, 12.
" That day.'' An expression often used by St. Paul,
of the day of judgment, as if it were a time so often
thought of, that he need say no more. 2 Tim. i. 12, 18 ;
iv. 8. Cf. Luke X. 12.
Compared to, — the Harvest — Reckoning of accounts
— Separation (tares and wheat, sheep and goats, good
and bad fish) — Vintage — Winnowing— (For suddenness)
— Thief in the night — lightning — snare — trumpet. Cf.
Judges vii. 20-22.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 87
The Three Friends. — " I have read of a man who
had a suit, and when his cause was to be heard, he ap-
plied himself to three friends, to see what they would do.
One answered, he would bring him as far on his journey
as he could ; the second promised him that he would go
with him to his journey's end; the third engaged to go
with him before the judge, and to speak for him, and
not to leave him till his cause was heard and determined.
'These three are, a man's riches, his friends, and his
graces ; his riches will help him to comfortable accom-
modation, while they stay with him ; but they often take
leave of a man, before his soul takes leave of his body ;
his friends will go w^ith him to the grave, and then leave
him ; but his graces will accompany him before God.
They will not leave him nor forsake him ; they will go
to the grave and to glory with him." — B^^ooks.
" Will my Case be called to-day?" So asked a
client of his lawyer, with the greatest eagerness, having
heard that the Lord Chancellor's decision was expected.
*' Are you sure," was his anxious inquiry, *'that nothing
is left undone ? If judgment is pronounced against me,
I am a ruined man." The lawyer was a Christian man,
and the question suggested to him the solemn inquiry,
" What if my case come on to-day before the Eternal
Judge, whose sentence there is no reversing ! Am I
prepared ?" Let every reader of this book put the im-
portant question to himself — Is nothing left undone for
me ?
An Infidel was introduced by a gentleman to a min-
ister with the remark, " He never attends public wor-
ship." " Ah," said the minister, " I hope you are mis-
taken." " By no means," said the stranger, "I always
88 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
spend Sunday in settling my accounts." " Then, alas !"
was the calm, but solemn reply, " you will find. Sir, that
the Day of Judgment will he spent in the same manner.'
The Interpreter's House. — There (in the " Pil-
grim's Progress ") Christian was shown an awful picture,
in the man who, as he got out of bed, shook and trem-
bled, because he had heard the shout, " Arise, ye dead,
and come to judgment !" (See the whole account).
" What does that remind you of?" — J. B. walked
home with me, telling me what God had done for his
soul, when one day I had stopped at the quarry, on ac-
count of a shower of rain, and took shelter with my pony
in the engine-house. I had simply pointed to the fire
of the furnace, and said, " What does that remind you
of?" and the words had remained deep in the man's
soul. — M^Oheynes Life.
Eccl. xi. 9 ; Amos iv. 12 ; v. 18-20 ; Matt. xiii. 40-43 ; Luke
X. 12-15 ; xii. 8-10; 1 Cor. i. 8; 2 'Tim. iv. 8.
DEATH.~Gen. iii. 19; xxiii. 4; Josh, xxiii. 14,
15; 2 Sam. xiv. 14; Job i. 21; vii. ; xiv. ; xxix. 18;
Ps. xxxix. ; Ixxxii. 6, 7 ; xc. ; cxvi. 15; Prov. xiv. 32;
Eccl. vii. 1; ix. 10; xii.; Luke xxiii. 46; John xxi.
19; Acts vii. 59, 60; Rom. v. 12; vi. 23; 1 Cor. iii.'
21, 22; XV. ; 2 Cor. xi. 23 (?) ; Phil. i. 21-23; iii. 21;
2 Tim. i. 10-12 ; Ileb. ii. 9, 15 ; ix. 27 ; xi, 13, 21,
22; Rev. i. 18; ii. 10; xiv. 13.
Numb, xxiii. 10. — " Let me die the death of the
righteous, and let my last end be like his." (Spoken
near Pisgah.)
Balaam has been well called the "Judas of the Old Testa-
ment," Contrast his pious profession with his mournful end ;
and let it be an example to those wlo trust in good wishes and
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 89
vain desires. " Mark the perfect man, and beh )ld the upright,
for the end of that man is peace." (Ps. xxxvii. 37). Cf. Is.
xxxiii. 14.
J)eut. xxxiv. 5. — '^ So Moses, the servant of the Lord,
died there in the land of Moah, according to the word
of the Lord ; and he buried him."
" Moses had just sung, * There is none like unto the God of
Jeshurun. . . . The Eternal God is thy refuge, and under-
neath are the everlasting arms.' And so he is laid to rest. And
lo ! fifteen hundred years afterwards, how safe he is! — how
blessed! for, ' there appeared unto them Elias with Moses, and
they were talking with Jesus.' " (Mark ix. 4.) — Bonar.
Compare these two. Very near the place where Ba-
laam was, Moses died ; yet what a difference !
" There are many who desire to die the death of the
rigbceius, but do not endeavor to live the life of the
riiTJicous. Gladly would they have their end like theirs,
bur not then way. They would be saints in heaven, but
not aaints on earth." — Matthew Henry.
Ps. xxiii. 4. — " Yea, though I walk through the val-
ley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil ; for Thou
art with me ; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."
''Here is one word, indeed, which sounds terrible; it is,
death, which we must all count upon ; there is no discharge in
that war. But, even in the supposition of the distress, there
are four words Which lessen the terror. 1. It is but the shadow
of death; there is no substantial evil in it. The shadow of a
serpent will not sting, nor the shadow of a sword kill. 2. It
is the valley of the shadow; deep, indeed, and dark, and dirty;
but the valleys are fruitful, and so death itself is fruitful of
comforts to God's people. 3. It is but a walk in this valley, a
gentle, pleasant walk. The wicked are chased out of the world,
and their souls are required, but the saints take a walk to an-
other world as cheerfully as they take their leave of this. 4. It
90 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
is a walk through it, they sball not be lost in the val ey, but get
safe to the mountain of spices on the other side of it." — MaU
thew Henry.
Ps. xlviii. 14. — '' This God is our God for ever and
ever ; He will be our guide unto death."
Unto death, and over death.
" Not one object of his care
Ever suffered shipwreck there." — Bonar.
Luke vii. 13. — " And when the Lord saw her, He had
compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not."
" Here learn, that (1), Death is the great destroyer of hap-
piness ; but (2), Jesus is the destroyer of death." — Dr. Hamilton
Emblems of: Water spilt on the ground, 2 Sam. xiv.
14. — Sleep (calm and peaceful, from which there is a
joyous waking), John xi. 11. — Cutting down the grass
or the flower (difference of rank or age, but all alike
leveled by the mower's scythe), Ps. xc. 5, 6. — Desolat-
ing flood (violent and irresistible), Ps. xc. 5. — A shadow
(fleeting and harmless), [see above]. — A valley (deep
and dark, but fruitful), Ps. xxiii. 4 ; Hos. ii. 15. — A
tent taken down, 2 Cor. v. 1. — A change of place (from
a world of trial to a world of triumph ; from the wilder-
ness to Canaan), Phil. i. 23. — Passing over Jordan.*
Jer. xii. 5.
To the Believer, is but putting off rags for robes,
going out of one room of his Father's house to another,
more fair and light ; falling asleep in his Father's arms ;
being ejected from a decaying cottage to be taken to a
palace : like a child being sent for home, from school.
♦ Jordan (the river of judgment, divided for Israel and Elijan
to pass through, and in which our Saviour was baptized). 2 Kings
ii. 14.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATIIEillNaS. 91
It is remarkable that we have three instances in Scrip-
ture, in which the exact time of death was foretold ; yet
we find this solemn warning ineffectual to save the person
warned : —
Hezekiah, fifteen years. Is. xxxviii. ; yet see chap.
xxxix. 1-7.
Hananiah, one year. Jer. xxviii. 16, 17.
The rich fool, one day. Luke xii. 20.
Marriage Service. — What service is considered to
be so joyful and cheering as the marriage service?
Where should we look to find real happiness, at least ex-
pected, if not there ? Yet how death creeps in ! — '' To
have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for
worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to
love and to cherish, till death 21s do part'' I
*' Here lie the remains of ." And is this
all of beauty, rank, and power ?
Turk's Turban, the origin of, is supposed by many
to have been the wearing of the winding-sheet, to remind
the wearer of his own mortality.
Color of Mourning. — It is singular to observe the
diffeient colors different countries have adopted for
mourning. In Europe, black is generally used, as re-
presenting darkness, which death is like to. In China,
white, because they hope that the dead are in heaven, the
place of purity. In Egypt, yclloiv, representing the de-
cay of trees and flowers. In Ethiopia, brown, the color
of the earth from whence man is taken, and to which he
returns. In some parts of Turkey, blue, representing
the sky, where they hope the dead are gone ; but in
other parts, purple, or violet, because, being a kind of
92 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
mixture of black and blue, it represents, as it were, sor-
row on one side and hope on the other. — Encye. Brit.
" Earthen Vessels, under the ceremonial law, if they
were polluted, there was no way but to break them ; so
there is no way of purifying our sinful bodies but by
breaking them by death." — IlopJcins.
" My death will be no more regarded by the world
than that of a worm or a fly ; but it will be of infinite
consequence to me." — Adam's Private Thoughts.
" Sand-blind were our hope if it could not look beyond
the water to our best heritage." — Rutherford.
Hallyburton. — "I am not acting the fool," were
his words to his physician the day before his death ;
^' but I have weighed eternity during the past night, I
have looked on death as stripped of all things pleasant
to me ; I have considered the spade and the grave ; and
in view of all this I have found that in the way of God
which gives me satisfaction and makes my heart rejoice."
" A PROPER view of death may be useful to abate most
of the irregular passions. Thus, for instance, we may
see what avarice comes to in the coffin of the miser ; —
this is the man who could never be satisfied with riches ;
but see now a few boa.rds enclose him, and a few square
inches contain him. Study ambition in the grave of that
enterprising man ; see his great designs, his boundless
expedients, are all shattered and sunk in this fatal gulf
of all human projects. Approach the tomb of the proud
man ; see the haughty countenance dreadfully disfigured,
and the tongue that spoke the most lofty things con-
demned to eternal silence. Go to the tomb of the m^on-
arch, and there study quality ; behold his great titles,
his royal r^bes, ani all his flatteries, — all are no more
ILLUSTRATIVE GATIIERINJS. 93
for ever in this world. Beliold the consequence of in-
temperance in the tomb of the glutton ; see his appetite
now fully satiated, his senses destroyed, and his hones
scattered. Thus the tombs of the wicked condemn their
practice, and strongly recommend virtue." — Saurin.
" If a man were tied fast to a stake, at whom a most
cunning archer did shoot, and, wounding many about
him, some above and below, some beyond and some
short, some on this hand and some on that, and the poor
wretch himself so fast bound to the stake that it were
not possible for him in any way to escape, would it not
be deemed madness in him if, in the meantime, forgetting
his misery and danger, he should carelessly fall to bib
and quaff, to laugh and be merry, as if he could not be
touched at all? Who would not judge such a man be-
side himself that should not provide for his end ? Such
Bedlamites are most amongst us who, knowing and un-
derstanding that the most expert archer that ever was,
even God himself, hath whet his sword, and bent his
bow, and made it ready ; and hath also prepared for him
the instruments of death, and ordained his arrows (Ps.
vii. 12, 13) ; yea, that He hath already shot forth his
arrows and darts of death, and hath hit those that are
above us, superiors and elders ; such as be ever near us,
kindred and allies, on the right hand our friends, on the
left our enemies ; yet we think to be free, sit still as men
and women unconcerned, not so much as once thinking
that our turn may be next." — Spencer.
" Put the case that one man should give unto another
many loaves of bread, conditional that he should every
day eat one ; but if the party should come to know that
in one of them lay hid a parcel of ieadly poison, yet in
94 ILLUSTRATIVE GATIIERINGIS.
which of them it was he should be utterly ignorant, oli,
how careful would he be in tasting any of them, lest he
should light upon that which might prove his fatal de-
struction ! Thus it is that God hath given to us many
days, — to some more, to some less, — but in one of these
He hath, unknown to us, conveyed the bitter sting of
death ; and it may so fall out that in the day of our
greatest rejoicing a deadly cup of poison may be reached
out unto us. Death, like an unbidden guest, may rush
in upon us, and spoil all our mirth on a sudden. Oh,
how watchful, how diligent, should the consideration of
these things make every one of us to be to look upon
every day as the day of our death, every breathing the
last breathing we shall make ; to think, upon the ring-
ing of every passing bell, that ours may be the next ;
upon hearing the clock strike, that there is one hour less
to live, and one step nearer to our long home — ' the
house appointed for all living !' " — Ihid.
Pilgrim's Progress. — " Now I farther saw that be-
twixt them and the gate was a river ; but there was no
bridge to go over, and the river was very deep. At the
sight, therefore, of this river the pilgrims were much
stunned ; but the men that went wdth them said, •• You
must go through, or you cannot come at the gate.' They
then addressed themselves to the water, and, entering.
Christian began to sink ; and crying out to his good
friend Hopeful, he said, 'I sink in deep waters ; the bil-
lows go over my head ; all his waves go over me. Se-
lah.' Then said the other, 'Be of good cheer, my bro-
ther; I feel the bottom, and it is good.' Then said
Christian, 'Ah! my friend, the sorrow of death hath
compassed me about I shall not see the land that flows
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 95
with milk and honej.' And with that a great darkness
and horror fell upon Christian, so that he could not see
before him. Hopeful therefore here had much ado to
keep his brother's head above water ; jea, sometimes he
would be quite gone down, and then ere a while would
rise up again half dead. Hopeful did also endeavor to
comfort him, saying, 'Brother, I see the gate, and men
standing by to receive us ;" but Christian would answer,
' It is you they wait for; you have been hopeful ever
since I knew you.' ' And so have you,' said he to Chris-
tian. 'Ah, brother,' said he, 'surely if I was right, He
would now rise to help me ; but for my sins He hath
brought me into the snare, and hath left me.' Then I
saw in my dream that Christian was in a muse awhile.
To whom also Hopeful added these words, — ' Be of good
cheer ; Jesus Christ maketh thee whole.' And with that
Christian brake out with a loud voice, ' Oh, I see him
again, and he tells me, " When thou passest through the
waters, I will be with thee ; and through the rivers, they
shall not overflow thee." ' Then they both took courage,
and the enemy was after that as still as a stone until
they were gone over. Christian therefore presently
found ground to stand upon ; and so it followed that the
rest of the river was but shallow, but thus they got over."
Rowland Hill.— During the last two or three years
of Rowland Hill's life he very frequently repeated the
following lines : —
•* And when I'm to die,
Eeceive me, I'll cry,
For Jesus has loved me, I cannot tell why :
Bat this I do find,
We two are so joined,
He'll not be in g]()ry and leave rae behind."
96 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
" The last titne he occupied my pulpit," writes his
friend and neighbor, the Rev. George Clayton, " when
he preached excellently in behalf of a charitable institu-
tion, he retired to the vestry after service under feelings
of great exhaustion. Here he remained until all but
ourselves had left the place. At length he seemed, with
some reluctance, to summon energy enough to take his
departure, intimating that it was probably the last time
he should preach in W . I oiFered my arm, which
he declined, and then followed him as he passed down
the aisle of the chapel. The lights were nearly extin-
guished, silence wns profound. Nothing, indeed, w^as
heard but the slow, majestic tread of his own foot-steps;
w^hen, in an undertone, he thus soliloquized i—
" 'And when I'm to die,' &c.
To my heart this was a scene of unequaled solemnity ;
nor can I ever recur to it without a revival of that
hallowed, sacred, shuddering sympathy which it first
awakened."
When the good old saint lay literally dying, and ap-
parently unconscious, a friend put his mouth close to his
ear, and slowly repeated his favorite lines, —
"And when I'm to die," &c.
The light came back to his fast-ftiding eye, a smile over-
spread his face, and his lips moved in a vain attempt to
articulate the words. This was the last sign of con-
sciousness he ever gave.
We could almost w^ish that every disciple of Christ
would commit these lines, quaint as they are, to memory,
and weave them into the web of his Christian experience.
Confidence in Christ and undeviating adherence to IlitHj
can alone enable us to triumph in life and death.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 97
DEATH OF CHRIST.-Isa. liii.; Dan. ix. 26; Zach.
xiii. 7; Luke xxiv. 46; John iii. 14, 15; x. 17, 18; xii.
24, 32; Heb. ii. 9; xii. 2.
Typified. — Isaac, Gen. xxii.; paschal lamb, Ex. xii.,
the sacrifices, burnt-off*ering, sin-offering, &c. ; sacrifices
on Day of Atonement, Lev. xvi. 15; scapegoat, Lev.
xvi. 20 ; smiting of the rock, Ex. xvii. 6 ; brazen serpent,
John iii. 14, 15.
"I should think, if a person were saved from death by
another, he would always feel deep grief if his deliverer
lost his life in the attempt. I had a friend who, stand-
ing by the side of a piece of frozen water, saw a young
lad in it, and sprang upon the ice in order to save him.
After clutching the boy, he held him in his hands, and
cried out, ' Here he is ! here he is ! I have saved him !'
But, just as he caught hold of the boy, he sank himself,
and his body was not found for some time afterwards,
when he was quite dead. Oh, it is so with Jesus. My
soul was drowned. From heaven's high portals He saw
me sinking in the depth of hell. He plunged in.
" * He sank beneath his heavy woes,
To raise me to a crown ;
There's ne'er a gift his hand bestows,
But cost his heart a groan.'
" Ah, we may indeed regret our sin, since it slew
Jesus." — Spurgeon.
Good Friday. — The Rev. George Wagner speaks, in
his "Life," of being called to visit a poor man, who had
to undergo a painful operation, and begged that it might
be deferred to Good Friday, that he might fix his mind
more fully upon the sufferings of Christ.
There are few stronger proofs of the indi^'erence of the
9 " 7
98 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHER] NGS.
natural heart to Christ, than the way in which so many
spend Good Friday, as a day of pleasure and amusement.
Christ was six hours upon the cross, in agony for us ; we
cannot bear to sit one hour to hear of it.
" Death stung himself to death, when he stung Christ.'*
— Romaine.
DEBT.— Lev. xix. 13; 1 Sam. xxii. 2; Matt. vi. 12;
xviii. 32, 33; Rom. xiii. 8.
Ejected Ministers. — Philip Henry remarks it, as a
wonderful providence, that during the persecution of the
2,000 ejected ministers, notwithstanding many were very
poor, and had such large families, he never heard of one
arrested for debt.
DECEIT.— Ps. V. 6; Prov. xi. 1; xx. 17; Isa. liii.
9; Jer. xlviii. 10; Matt. xiii. 22; Eph. iv. 22; Heb.
iii. 13; 2 Pet. ii. 13.
Compared to a deceitful how^ Hosea vii. 16. — A sum-
mer brook, Job vi. 15. (Cf. Isa. Iviii. 11.) — A dishonest
merchant, Hosea xii. 7. — The daughters of Zion, Isa. iii.
16. — Decoy birds, Jer. v. 27.
" Trust not the whiteness of his turban ; he bought
the soap on credit." — Turkish Proverb.
One of those sins we often see punished retributively
in this world. Those sins chiefly cry to God, concerning
which human laws are silent.
Leads to falsehood, cowardice, flattery, &c.
Ex. Satan, Rebekah and Jacob, Laban, Levi and
Simeon, Ehud, Delilah, David, Simon (Acts viii. 9).
Cf. David. Ps. ci. — Nathaniel. John i. 47. — Jesus.
1 Pet. ii. 22.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 99
DECREES, Divine, The.— A person, whose life had
been anything but that of a genuine Christian, was,
nevertheless, a great speculator on the high points of
theology. This remained with him till he came to his
deathbed, when he became perplexed with knotty ques-
tions about the Divine decrees. Thomas Orr, a person
of very different character, was sitting beside him, en-
deavoring to turn his mind to his more immediate wants.
*^Ah, William," said he, "this is the decree you have
at present to do with,-^-' He that believeth shall be saved ;
he that believeth not shall be damned.* "
DEDICATION TO GOD.— Numb. vii. 10 ; 1 Kings
vii. 51; 2 Chron. xxxi. 12; Ezra vi. 16; Rom. xii. 1;
xiv. 7, 8; 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20; 1 Peter iv. 2-4.
Cf. the many examples of, under the Jewish econ-
omy:—
The burnt offering, wholly consumed ; the meat offer-
ing, offered with the burnt offering, representing the
offerer pardoned and accepted, and then presenting him-
self to the Lord ; and this offered with the drink offering,
showing the cheerfulness of the surrender (1 Sam. i. 24 ;
X. 3); without leaven or honey (carnal corruption), but
with salt (purity and friendship.)
There was also express provision made that the poor
might bring their offering (Lev. ii. 7, 14) ; and upon all
was oil (setting apart), and frankincense (acceptance).
Cf., also, the special offerings, — first-fruits^ tithes^
thank-offerings^ Nazarites, vows, S^c.
"Like the child with the stalk of grapes, who picked
one grape after another from the cluster, and held it out
to her father, till, as affection waxed warm, and self faded,
100 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
she gaily flung the whole into her father's bosom, and
smiled in his face with triumphant delight; so let us do,
until, loosening from every comfort, and independent of
the help of broken cisterns, we can say, * I am not my
own.' * Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is
none upon earth that I desire beside Thee.' " — Bonar.
*•• And here we offer and present unto Thee, Lord,
ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy,
and lively sacrifice unto Thee," &;c. — Communion Ser-
vice.
Application. — Ps. cxvi. 12. A solemn question for
Christians. — My heart — my body — house (Deut. xx. 5;
Ps. XXX., titUy) — purse — time — influence. How much is
dedicated to the Lord?
Remember Acts v. 1-11 ; 2 Cor. viii.
DELAYS— God's.— Ps. xiii. 1; Ixix. 3; Ixxvii. 7-13;
Hab. i. 2.
Cf. Abraham, long waiting for Isaac; then (Gen. xxii.
4, 9, 10), the third day, bound him, stretched forth his
hand; then 11-14. Joseph and David. Long, anxious
years before their advance.
Jesus. Matt. xiv. 25 (fourth watch, almost daybreak) ;
John xi. 5, 6.
Matt. XV. 23. " It is said, ' He answered him not a
word ;' but it is not said, ' He heard not a word.' These
two differ much. Christ often heareth, when He doth
not answer. His not answering is an answer^ and speaks
thus, — Pray on, go on, cry on, for the Lord holdeth his
door fast bolted, not to keep you out, but that you may
knock, and it shall be opened."^ — Rutherford.
" Let us remember that God gives liberal interest for
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 101
every year that He keeps our prayers unanswered : and
that what becomes us is to wait at his footstool, and not
to hurry his arrangements. The most luscious fruits are
those which are longest in maturing ; the richest blessings
are often those which take longest in coming. An unripe
blessing may prove sour to the teeth, and unhealthful,
when partaken of. Impatience is almost always accom-
panied by loss." — Rev. P. B. Power.
Isa. xlix. 14-16; liv. 9, 10; Hab. ii. 3; 2 Tim.
ii. 19.
DEPRAVITY— Total, of the heart.— Gen. vi. 5;
Ps. liii. ; Iviii. 3; Eccl. vii. 10; ix. 3; Jer. xvii. 9;'
Hosea vi. 7 ; Rom. iii. 10-18 ; vii. 9-25 ; 1 John i. 8.
Cf. the figures, — Blind — asleep — sold — captive — dead.
" The seeds of all my sins are in my heart, and per-
haps the more dangerous that I do not see them." —
M'Cheyne.
" Nothing is to me a greater proof of the flesh being
utterly Satanic, than the fact that, though Satan ^ works
in the children of disobedience,* they mistake his opera-
tions for the spontaneous movements of their own will ;
they walk according to * the Prince of the power of the
air ;' and they are not conscious of the fact, — their walk
is so entirely according to the desire of their own hearts."
— Hewitson.
" We are sinners by the corruption of the heart, and
it is a fatal mistake to suppose that we are so only by
the commission of sin. Our guilt does not then begin to
exist, when it is brought into action, but to appear ; and
what was always manifest to God, is now become so to
ourselves and others." — Adam.
9*
102 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
" Our corruptions are like lime, which discovers not
its fire by any smoke or heat, till you cast water (the
enemy of fire) upon it." — Charnoch.
The fall of man has made our" hearts like the load-
stone. We refuse gold and silver, and pearls, and price-
less jewels, and only draw to ourselves inferior things,
like steel and iron.
A man once wrote on the door of his house, " Let
nothing evil enter here !" on which another, passing by,
remarked, " Then the master of the house must never
come in."
" A mountain stream, whose pure and salubrious
waters are continually polluted by the daily washing and
cleansing of poisonous minerals, is a just emblem of the
flesh, whose desires, imaginations, and aifections were
once pure and healthy, but are now like a troubled and
corrupted spring, which is always sending out foul water."
— Salter.
Broken Glass. — In visiting some of our glass manu-
factories, it is wonderful to see how, out of a few simple
materials (a little flint, &c.), a skillful workman can
make the most beautiful and delicate articles. But
suppose one of these had been shivered by a fall into
ten thousand fragments ; and we saw the workman col-
lect the scattered pieces, throw them into the furnace,
and remodel them into an object of still greater beauty;
should we not praise his skill and admire his wisdom ?
Yet such is the work of God with man. Rom. v. 15-21.
DIFFICULTIES.— Gen. xxii. 7, 8; Ps. xxvii. 13, 14;
Prov. xxvi. 18 ; Eccl. xi. 4 ; Isa. xl. 6-8 ; Zech. iv. 7 ;
Matt. xi. 12 ; Mark xvi. 3, 4 ; Luke xiii. 24.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 103
"Never covet easy path's. The Lord keep you and
me from that sin, beloved." — J. H. Evans.
" Men may judge us by the success of our efforts.
God looks at the efforts themselves." — Charlotte Eliza-
beth,
"Wicked men stumble at a straw in the way to
heaven ; and climb over great mountains in their way to
destruction."
" Little strokes fell great oaks."
Fogs.— The way to go through difficulties is the same
as when we walk home through a fog. When we enter,
all seems dark and mist before us, and as we advance we
are completely enveloped by the hazy, cheerless cloud.
But if there be a little space around us, which is clear
enough to show the path a few yards before, it is enough.
On we go, straight through, and we have our reward in
the end. So it is with the Christian.
The Hill Difficulty. — Bunyan's representation of
this is striking. At the base were two easy by-ways,
called Danger and Destruction, where Formalist and
Hypocrisy went and perished. The true and narrow
way lay right up the hill ; but it was so steep that
Christian fell from running to going, and from going to
climbing on his hands and knees. Yet, observe the kind-
ness of the Lord of the hill; — at the foot, there was a
spring, where pilgrims might refresh themselves ; and
half-way up was an arbor, to break the length, and give
opportunity to rest.
" Can you climb ?" a captain asked of a sailor-boy
before taking him out in his ship. The trial was soon
after made, and the poor boy's head began to grow dizzy
as he mounted higher and higher on the rigging. " Oh,
104 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
I shall fall " he cried, looking down upon the sea.
^'Look up, my boy," shouted the captain ; and so he did,
and gained the mast-head. Thus is it with us. When
we look below and see the waves, we fear, or, like Peter,
we begin to sink ; but keep the eye fixed on Jesus,
''look up," and the diflficulty is overcome.
DOCTRINE.— John vii. 17; Acts ii. 42; Rom. vi.
17 ; Eph. iv. 14 ; 1 Tim. iv. 13, 16 ; vi. 3 ; 2 Tim. iii.
16 ; Heb. xiii. 9 ; 2 John ix.
'' In the Bible, the word doctrine means simply teach-
ing, instruction. It was a moral direction, a simple
maxim, or a familiar practical truth The doctrines
which the schools teach are no more like those of the
Bible than the carved beams of Solomon's temple were
like God's cedar-trees on Mount Lebanon." — Beecher.
Many people seem to think that ministers should be
dwelling constantly upon promises rather than on doc-
trines. But every promise is founded upon a doctrine.
Legh Richmond used well to say, " Preach doctrine
practically, and practice doctrinally."
" I always find," he says, " that when I speak from the in-
ward feelings of my own heart with respect to the work-
ings of inbred corruption, earnest desire after salvation, a sense
of my own nothingness, and the Saviour's fullness, the people
hear, feel, are edified, and strengthened. "Whereas, if I de-
scend to mere formal and cold explanation of particulars which
do not afifect the great question, * What must I do to be
saved ?' my hearers and I grow languid and dull together, and
no good is done."
So Newton preached election. [Vide " Calvinism.")
Revivals. — It is w^ell worth consideration how many
of the Church's most remarkable revivals have been
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. ' 105
commenced by sound, earnest doctrinal preaching. Cf
the Reformation in England, Germany, and the Ameri-
can revivals under President Edwards, Nettleton, and
others.
DOOR, Christ the. — Gen. xix. 11 ; Matt. xxv. 10 ;
Luke xiii. 25 ; John x. 1-10 ; xiv. 6 ; Acts iv. 12 ; Eph.
ii. 18 ; Heb. x. 19-22.
The Widow's Daughter. — The daughter of a poor
widow had left her mother's cottage. Led astray by
others, she had forsaken the guide of her youth, and
forgotten the covenant of her God. Fervent, believing
prayer was the mother's only resource ; nor was it in
vain. Touched by a sense of sin, and anxious to regain
the peace she had lost, late one night the daughter re-
turned home.
It was near midnight, and she was surprised to find
the door unlatched. But she was soon told, in the ful-
ness of the mother's heart, "Never, my child, by night
nor by day, has that door been fastened since you left.
I knew that you would come back some day, and I
was unwilling to keep you waiting for a single moment."
Reader, are you yet far from home — God's home of
love and holiness ? Remember, then, the door is open.
Ps. Ixxxvi. 5 ; Isa. i. 18. Oh ! enter in at once.
DOUBTS.— beut. xxviii. m-, Ps. xlii. 11; Matt,
xiv. 31 ; xxviii. 17 ; Mark ix. 22-24 ; Luke xii. 29 ;
1 Tim. ii. 8.
Are not inconsistent with true grace, when (1), they are, ac-
companied with much shame and sorrow of spirit ; (2), the
believer longs for the very things he fears he has not (Pa. cxix.
106 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
20; Job xxiii. 3); (3), the believer strives to lelieve; (4), ho
keeps •' looking to Jesus" in the darkness. Peter, when link-
ing, yet prayed. Sinking times are praying times.
" Let doubting Christians ask themselves three ques-
tions, — 1. Whether there be anything gained by doubt-
ing ? 2. Whether there is anything more pleasing to
God than to trust him when all comforts are out of view ?
3. Whether you must not venture on Christ at the last?
and if you venture on him at the last, why not now ?" —
W. Bridge.
Slough of Despond. [See " Pilgrim's Progress.")
— The trial Christian had at first setting out. The ste'ps
which he missed. Pliable turned back.
J. Newton says : — " When a man comes to me and
says, ' I am quite happy,' I am not sorry to find him
come again with some fears. I never knew a work stand
well without a check."
"I only want," says one, "to be sure of being safe,
and then I will go on." No; perhaps then you will go
oif.
Mede. — It is related that he used to have his scholars
come to him every evening, and the first question he
asked them was, ''Quid dubitas ?" What doubts have
you had to-day ? for he always affirmed, that to doubt
nothing, and to understand nothing, were the same.
Marshall (the author of the treatise on '' Sanctifica-
tion") was, in his early years, for a long time under
great distress of mind from the burden of sin. At last
he stated his case to Dr. Thomas Goodwin, who, after
hearing him enumerate a long catalogue of his sins,
replied, " You have forgotten the greatest sin of all, —
the sin of unbelief, in refusing to believe in Christ, and
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 10 1
rely on his atonement and righteousness for your accept-
ance with God." This word in season banished his
fears. He ventured to believe, and was happy.
"Dr. Owen was for nearly five years under doubts
and fears ; when one day he went to hear Mr. Calamy,
the popular preacher, at Aldermanbury Church. Mr.
C. happened not to preach, and many went away at
once. Mr. Owen stayed, and well it was, for the sermon
was on the text, ^Why are ye so fearful, ye of little
faith?' It just met his doubts, and thus paved the way
for his future usefulness." — Ormes Life.
Dr. Merle D'Aubigne. — When a student at Kiel he
was oppressed with doubts, and went to Klenken, an
old-experienced teacher for help. The old man refused
to answer them, saying, " Were I to rid you of these,
others would come. There is a shorter way of destroy-
ing them. Let Christ be to you really the Son of God
the Saviour, and his light will dispel the darkness, and
his Spirit lead you into all truth." It was hard advice
to follow, but its wisdom was afterwards acknowledged
and owned.
DRAWING, Divine.— Cant. i. 4; Jer. xxx. 21;
Hos. ii. 14 ; xi. 2-4 ; Mark iii. 13 ; John vi. 44 ; xii. 32 ;
James iv. 8.
Cf. God's drawing his enemies to judgment. Judges
iv. 7 ; Micah iv. 11, 12 ; Zeph. iii. 8 ; Rev. xix. 17, 18.
The salvation of God's chosen ones may be well repre-
sented by a chain let down from heaven to earth, of
which the poor but believing sinner takes hold, which is
taken up from earth again to heaven.
Dr. Payson once, in the progress of a revival at
108 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS-
Portland, gave notice that he would be glad to see any
young person who did not intend to seek religion. Any
one would have been surprised to hear that about thirty
or forty came. He spent a very pleasant interview with
them, saying nothing about religion till, just as they
were about to leave, he closed a few very plain remarks
thus : — " Suppose you should see coming down from
heaven a very fine thread, so fine as to be almost invisi-
ble, and it should come and gently attach itself to you.
You knew, we suppose, it came from God. Should you
dare to put out your hand and thrust it away ?" He
dwelt for a few moments on the idea, and then added,
" Now such a thread has come from God to you this
afternoon. You do not feel, you say, any interest in
religion. But by your coming here this afternoon God
has fastened one little thread upon you all. It is very
weak and frail, and you can easily brush it away. But
you will not do so ? No ; welcome it, and it will enlarge
and strengthen itself until it becomes a golden thread, to
bind you for ever to a God of love."
DRESS. — Exod. xxxiii. 4; xxxv. 22; xxxviii. 8;
2 Kings ix. 30 ; Ps. xlv. 13 ; Isa. iii. 16-24 ; Ezek. xvi.
7-13 ; Matt. vi. 28-33 ; 1 Tim. ii. 9 ; 1 Pet. iii. 3.
Silkworm. — The brightest silk the silkworm weaves
it designs to be its shroud. When it has attained its
duration, and lived its time, it looks out for some corner
where it may die unseen, and there it envelopes itself
with the beautiful web, which we prize so highly, as its
shroud. Oh, that those who flaunt in their gayety would
remember that they are wearing a shroud, and that the
object of their pride was first used as the robe to cover death.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 109
[See "Death. The Turkish Turban."]
Simplicity. — Krummacher illustrates simplicity in
dress by a little fable : —
" The angel who takes care of the flowers, and sprin-
kles upon them dew in the still night, slumbered on a
spring-day in the shade of a rose-bush. When he awoke,
he said, ' Most beautiful of my children, I thank thee
for thy refreshing odor and cooling shade. Could you
now ask any favor, how willingly would I grant it !'
" * Adorn me, then, with a new charm,' said the spirit
of the rose bush in a beseeching tone.
" So the angel adorned the loveliest of flowers with
simple moss. Sweetly it stood there, in its modest at-
tire, the moss-rose, the most beautiful of its kind."
So the costliest ornaments are often the simplest.
There is no gold, nor jewel, nor sparkling pearl equal
to the " ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is
in the sight of God of great price."
Charles Y. — The Due de Najara, coming to the
Court of the Emperor richly dressed, with a numerous
train in rich liveries, the Emperor said, " The Duke does
not come so much to see me as that I may see him.' "
DRUNKENNESS.— Prov. xxi. 17; xxiii. 21, 29-
35 ; Isa. v. 11, 12 ; Hos. iv. 11 ; Hab. ii. 15 ; Luke
xxi. 34 ; 1 Cor. vi. 10 ; vii. 31 ; Eph. v. 18.
About 30,000 drunkards die in this country (England)
every year (15,000 in London) ; so that there are about
83 funerals of drunkards every day (including Sundays)
in the year.
In 1858, 85 472 persons were charged with drunken-
10
110 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
ness before the magistrates, and 83,086 for assault ; of
which, probably, nine-tenths were the result of drink.
In the United States it was reckoned a few years ago
there were 300,000 drunkards.
In London, there were, in 1848, of bakers, butchers,
cheesemongers, fishmongers, grocers, green-grocers and
fruiterers, and dairymen, 10,790 shops, and 11,000
public-houses.
In Scotland, a short time ago, it was found in forty
cities and towns, every
149 people support a dram shop ; whilst it takes—
981 to support a baker,
1,067 ,, butcher,
2,281 „ bookseller.
i the insanity, C -i . • • ,
„ . . I are supposed to originate
t the pauperism, < . " , ,
t , . ) m drunkenness,
f the crime, l^
The cost to this country of intoxicating drinks is about
$300,000,000 annually, which is almost equal to the
whole annual income of the State, and nearly three times
that of the army and navy. On gin alone $135,000,000
are spent ; whilst on literature, $25,000,000.
Gambling-houses. — The furnishing of the wine-cel-
lar at Crockford's gambling-house cost $350,000 ; the
whole building, $300,000 ; and its furniture, $175,000.
Thus there was spent on this place of iniquity alone,
more by several thousand dollars than the whole sum
raised for the London City Mission, to fill the great me-
tropolis with happy homes and happy hearts.
The Lacedemonians used to exhibit slaves, when
drunk, to tl^ir children, to excite in them a horror of
drunkenness.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. Ill
DUTY.— Ezra iii. 4 ; Eccles. ix. 10 ; Luke xvii. 10.
** Doing the right thing in the right way."
" Satan's two chief aims are, — to prevent our duties,
or to pervert them."
" If the Lord command, oh, to have no truce with
consequences !" — J. H. Evans.
" Do the duty that lies nearest thee," is a rule that is
often useful when Christians are in doubt.
The Rev. J. H. Stewart writes, in his diary: — "I
begin to see that religion consists, not so much in joyful
feelings, as in the constant exercise of devotedness to
God, and in laying ourselves out for the good of others."
Old Monk. — There is a story told of an old monk
who was favored with an unusual vision of Christ. When
the bell rang for him to go and distribute the alms, he
had a severe struggle to determine whether he should go
to his duty or remain. At length the sense of duty pre-
vailed. He went, and returned, expecting to find the
vjsion gone. But, to his surprise, it was there still, and
as he entered the room, he heard a voice, saying, *' If
thou hadst not gone, I had.''
Hannah More well says, — " In my judgment, one of
the best proofs that sorrow has had any right effect upon
the mind is, that it has not incapacitated you from busi-
ness, your business being your duty."
Dr. Judson sent once for a poor Christian convert,
who was about to engage in something which he feared
would not be for her spiritual good. "Look here," he
said, snatching a ruler from the table, and tracing a not
very straight line upon the floor ; " here is where you
have been walking. You have made a crooked track,
to be sure,— out of the path half the time ; but then you
112 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
have kept near it, and not taken to new roads ; and you
have, to a certain extent, grown in grace ; and now here
you stand. You know where this path leads. You
know what is before you ; some struggles, some sorrows,
and, finally, eternal life and a crown of glory. But to
the left branches ofi" another very pleasant road, and
along the air floats, rather temptingly, a pretty bubble.
You do not mean to leave the path you have walked in
fifteen years ; you only want to step aside and catch the
bubble, and think you will come back again ; but you
never will.''
The matter thus put was blessed by God, and the wo-
man long after confessed that though she had taken
many crooked paths since, the Doctor's ruler, and coun-
sel, and prayer came to her mind, and strengthened her
to resist temptation.
Sir Henry Lawrence. — One of the last dying wishes
of this brave and Christian soldier was that this inscrip-
tion should be placed upon his tomb : — " Here lies Henry
Lawrence, who tried to do his duty."
EARLY DEATHS.— Ps. cii. 23; Isa. Ivii. 1; Jer.
XV. 9.
" Who gathered these lilies ?" asked the gard(!ner,
as he came into the garden and found some of his fairest
and loveliest lilies cut. "I did," replied the master.
Then the gardener held his peace.
It is mysterious how many of God's choicest servants
have been removed so early. Cf. H. K. White and An-
drew Gray, 21 ; John Janeway, 23 ; Patrick Hamilton,
24; Hugh Binning, 26; R. M. M'Cheyne, and Captain
Vicars, 29 ; David Brainerd and H. W. Fox, 30 ; Felix
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 113
Neff, 31 ; J. H. Forsyth and H. Martyn, 32 ; Toplady
and W. Archer Butler, 35 ; W. H. Hewitson, 38, &c.
*' What is this voice to us ?" says Bonar of the early
death of M'Cheyne. Ps. Ixxvii. 19. " Only this much
we can clearly see, that nothing was more fitted to leave
his character and example impressed on our remembrance
for ever than his early death. There might be envy
while he lived ; there is none now. There might have
been some of the youthful attractiveness of his graces
lost had he lived many years ; this cannot be impaired
now. It seems as if the Lord had struck the flower
from the stem ere any of the colors had lost their bright
hues, or any leaf its fragrance."
Jesus himself. See an emblem, which referred to his
early death (33), Lev. ii. 14. (Bonar on Lev.) The
voluntary offering of firstfruits, green from the field ; not
suffered to ripen under a genial sun, but plucked when
green, and dried by the fire. So was it with Jesus. Ps.
xxii. 15 ; cii. 4.
EARLY RISING.— Ps. v. 3 ; Prov. vi. 9-11 ; xx.
13; xxxi. 15; Cant. vii. 12; Eph. v. 16.
One of the chief promoters of health, a devotional
Bpirit, and decision of character.
There have been few eminent men who have not been
early risers. Of. Buffon (who used to say he owed ten
or a dozen of his best works to his servant who pulled
him out of bed every morning at six) ; Frederick the
Great (who rose at four) ; Peter the Great; Hunter (who
used to declare that for twenty j^ears he had risen, sum-
mer and winter, before the sun) ; Kant, Earl of Chester-
field, Duke of Wellington, &c., &c.
Ij * 8
114 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Almost all old men hare been early risers. Take the
following, many of whom rose at four : —
Sir M. Hale, 68 ; Bishop Burnet, 72 ; Buffon, 81 ;
Dr. Franklin, 84; J. Wesley, 88; Lord Coke, 85;
Fuseli, the painter, 81 ; Washington, 68 ; Stanislaus,
King of Poland, 89 ; James Mason, 110 ; Lewis Cornars,
above 100.
It is a remarkable fact in the history of the Church,
that some of the most useful commentaries have been
written chiefly before breakfast, —
Matthew Henry used to be in his study at four, and
remain there till eight ; then, after breakfast and family
prayer, he used to be there again till noon ; after dinner
he resumed his book or pen till four, and spent the rest
of the day in visiting his friends.
Doddridge's ''''Family Expositor,'' he himself alludes
to as an example of the difference of rising between five
and seven, w^hich, in forty years, is nearly equivalent to
ten years more of life.
Dr. Adam Clarke's Commentary was chiefly pre-
pared very early in the morning.
Barnes's popular and useful Commentary has been
also the fruit of '* early morning hours."
SiMEON^'s " Sketches " were chiefly worked out be-
tween four and eight.
EARNESTNESS.— Neh. vi. 3; Ps. Ixiii. 8; cxix.
164 ; Eccles. ix. 10 ; Matt. xiii. 44-46 ; xiv. 12 ; Luke
xvi. 8 (cf. Micah vii. 3) ; Phil. ii. 30 ; iii. 8 ; 2 Tim. iv. 2.
Cf. the figures used — striving — wrestling — fighting —
racing, laboring, &c.
Lord Eldon used to say of the law, that a man must
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHEEINGS. 115
work like a horse, and live like a hermit, to succeed.
Luke xvi. 8.
" No man can ever become eminent in anything unless
he work at it with an earnestness bordering upon enthusi-
asgi," — Robert Hall.
" A soldier in battle should feel as if the whole battle
depended Upon himself."
*'We are afraid of being desperate Christians. Oh,
let us be desperate ! The Church needs extremity — a
great tug out of the world." — Lady Power scourt.
A proud scion of the aristocracy one day taunted one
of the most influential Members of the House of Com-
mons, by saying, " I remember your origin, when you
blacked my father's boots." "Well, Sir," was there-
ply, " and didn't I do it well ?"
EASTER.
No day was more highly honored in the primitive
'Church (see Wheatley) ; yet scarce anything caused more
bitter spirit and unholy strife ; the constant struggles
and debates about the time of keeping Easter caused
many deaths.
The ancient salutation of the primitive Christians,
when they first met on Easter morning, was, ^' Christ is
risen;" to which the response was, " Christ is risen in-
deed;" or else, ''and hath appeared unto Simony** — a
custom still retained in the Greek Church.
The Moravians have a separate Litany in their
Church, which they use every Easter-day morning in the
church-yard, at six o'clock: on which occasion they re-
fer by name to all their members who have died in the
past year.
116 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
The Uov. C. Simeon. See his ^' Life" for an account
of his entrance into joy and peace in believing, April 4,
1779. For a long time before he had been in the deep-
est distress, envying even the dogs that passed under his
window. But his preparation for receiving the Lord's
Supper was greatly blessed to enlighten his dark mind.
It was in Passion-week that he met with the expression
in "Bishop Wilson on the Lord's Supper," 'Hhat the
Jews knew what they did when they transferred their
sins to the head of their oifering." " The thought rushed
into my mmd, — What ! may I transfer all my guilt to
another ? Has God provided an oifering for me, that I
may lay my sins on His head ? Then, God willing, I
will not bear them one moment longer. Accordingly, I
sought to lay my sins upon the sacred head of Jesus, and
on the Wednesday began to have a hope of mercy ; on
the Thursday that hope increased ; on the Friday and
Saturday it became more strong ; and on the Sunday
morning (Easter Day) I awoke early with those words
upon my heart and lips, ' Jesus Christ is risen to-day !
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!' From that hour peace flowed
in rich abundance into my soul ; and at the Lord's table,
in our chapel, I had the sweetest access to God through
my blessed Saviour."
Felix Neff. See an account also, in Dr. Gilly's
*' Life," of a remarkable Easter week he had in the Alps.
The whole week was spent in penitence and prayer,
pious reading or conversation, and attending the Church
services. "During the whole eight days," he says, "I
had not thirty hours' rest." There was a general awak-
ening am )ng the people. At some of the services the
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 117
people were so affected that they could scai^ely sing.
Two of the leading singers could not raise a note.
ENVY.— 1 Sam. xviii. 8, 9 ; Ps. xxxvii. 1 ; Prov.
xiv. 30; xxiii. 17; Eccl. iv. 4; Isa. xi. 13; Ezek.
xxxi. 9; 1 Cor. xiii. 4; James iii. 16; iv. 5, 6 ; 1
Peter ii. 1, 2.
" Weak eyes cannot bear strong light."
*' Envy is a stone that, if thrown, falls back upon the
thrower."
It is his own punishment. Hence Nazianzen well
says, — " Nothing is more unjust than envy, and yet
nothing is more just."
Judges xii. an example of its effect — the envy of
Ephraim cost 42,000 lives. Cf. Isa. xi. 13.
Ex. Satan — Cain — Rachel — Joseph's brethren —
Aaron — Korah — Joshua — Saul — Sanballat — Haman —
the Jews against Christ.
ETERNITY.— Ps. xc. 1, 2, 4; Isa. Ivii. 15 ("in-
habiteth," i. e., fills up); Matt. xxv. 46; 2 Cor. iv. 18;
Eph. iii. 11; Heb. ix. 14; xiii. 8, 20.
" M. G. lies sore upon my conscience. I do no good
to that woman. She always managed to speak of things
about the truth. Speak boldly. What matter in eter-
nity the slight awkwardnesses of time?" — M'Oheynes
Memoirs.
What is Eternity?" — The question was asked at
the Deaf and Dumb Institution at Paris, and the beau-
tiful answer was given by one of the pupils, '' The life-
time of the Almighty."
At an Inn in Savoy, a Christian traveler saw the fol-
118 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
lowing Inscription, printed upon a folio sheet, and hung
upon the wall (the same being placed, he was told, in
every house in the parish) : — " Understand well the
force of the words, — A God, a moment, an eternity ; —
a God who sees thee, a moment which flees from thee,
an eternity which awaits thee ; a God, whom you serve
so ill ; a moment, of which you so little profit ; an eter-
nity, which you hazard so rashly.
Suppose, after one of our most violent snow-storms,
which covers the earth for thousands of miles, one sin-
gle flake were melted in a thousand years ; or if a single
beam of the sun's rays stood for a year, and as many
years were added as there have been rays flooding the
earth since the sun began to shine ; or if a single drop
of the ocean were exhaled in a million years, till the last
drop was taken up ; — though we cannot conceive the du-
ration of such apparently almost interminable periods, —
yet, though we could, eternity would stretch as far be-
yond them, as if they had not yet begun.
The Hermit. — A profligate young man, as an aged
hermit passed by him, barefoot, called out after him,
" Father, what a miserable condition you are in, if there
be not another world after this!" "True, my son,"
replied the anchorite; "but what will thine be, if there
be?"
Lord William Russell, when he was on the scaf-
fold, about to be beheaded, took his watch from his
pocket, and gave it to Dr. Burnett, who was attending
him, with the remark, " My timepiece may be of service
to you. I have no further occasion for it. My thoughts
are fixed on eternity."
"A Question of Time." — " How do you fii.d your
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 119
patient this morning, doctor ?" " No better ; I have
been hoping for a favorable change, but the disease is so
far advanced that there is no probability of his recovery.
He may yet live a few days, more or less ; but it is only
0. question of time.'" How often is such an announce-
ment made to sorrowing friends! But oh! are these
questions of time only ? Are they not, with many others
which we think questions of time, much rather questions
of eternity f
EXAMPLE.— Exod. xxiii. 2 ; Prov. xiii. 20 ; John
xiii. 15 ; Rom. viii. 29 ; 1 Cor. xi. 3 ; xv. 33 ; 2 Cor.
viii. ; 1 Tim. iv. 12 ; James v. 10 ; 1 Peter v. 3 ; Jude
7.
Like footmarks in the snow, showing where one
has trodden the road before.
Like the copies put before children to imi-
tate.
" a friendly guide, carrying a lantern in
the dark road before us.
" He that gives good precepts, and follows them by a
bad example, is like a foolish man who should, take great
pains to kindle a fire, and when it is kindled, throw cold
water upon it to quench it." — Seeker.
Every father is like a looking-glass for his children to
dress themselves by. Let every parent take heed to
keep the glass bright and clear, not dull and spotted.
There are three kinds of bad examples that do us
harm: — 1. Those we have been led to imitate. 2. Those
we have prided ourselves on being exempt from. 3. Those
that drive us to the opposite extreme.
C^SAR. — One of the great secrets of his power over
120 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
his soldiers was, that he seldom said, ^' Ite,' Go, but
" Venite^'' Come, follow me.
Fenelon. — Lord Peterborough, more famed for hia
wit than his religion, when he had lodged with Fenelon,
the Archbishop of Cambray, was so charmed with his
piety and beautiful character, that he said to him, at
parting, " If I stay here any longer, I shall become a
Christian in spite of myself."
The Rev. J. A. James, the well-known minister of
Birmingham, says, in one of his lectures, — " If the pre-
sent lecturer has a right to consider himself a real
Christian, — if he has been of any service to his fellow-
creatures, and has attained to any usefulness in the
Church of Christ, he owes it, in the way of means and
instrumentality, to the sight of a companion, who slept
in the same room with him, bending his knees in prayer,
on retiring to rest. That scene, so unostentatious, and
yet so unconcealed, roused my slumbering conscience,
and sent an arrow to my heart ; for, though I had been
religiously educated, I had restrained prayer, and cast
off the fear of God. My conversion to God followed,
and soon afterwards my entrance upon college studies
for the work of the ministry. Nearly half a century
has rolled away since then, with all its multitudinous
events ; but that little chamber, that humble couch, that
praying youth, are still present to my imagination, and
Avill never be forgotten, even amidst the splendor of
heaven, and through the ages of eternity.
EXCUSES.— Gen. xix. 18 ("not so far, not so fast,
not so soon") ; cf. v. 14. Judges v. 16-18, 23. (What
a true picture of excuses! Reuben was kept back by
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 121
internal divisions. Gilead was too far off. Dan too
busy with his ships. Asher occupied in repairing his
breaches.) Cant. v. 3 ; Matt, xxiii. 5 ; Luke ix. 57-62;
xiv. 18-20; John xv. 22 (margin).
" The real man is one w^ho always finds excuses for
otliers, but never excuses himself." — Beecher.
Pilgrim's Progress. — Just after Christian had left
the cross, he found three men at the bottom of the hill,
fast asleep, with fetters upon their heels. Their names
were Simple, Sloth, and Presumption — apt types of the
different classes of men who put off Gospel offers with
vain excuses. When urged by Christian to awake and
rise. Simple said, "I see no danger." Sloth said, " Yet
a little more sleep;" and Presumption said, ^' Every vat
must stand upon its own bottom." And so they lay down
to sleep again, and Christian went on his way.
Common Excuses. — Says one, —
1. I have a family to provide for. But see Matt. xvi.
26 ; Luke ix. 59-62.
2. Religion makes men melancholy. So David Hume,
the infidel, affirmed. But the good answer was given to
him, that he was a very unfit person to judge, for two
reasons : — 1. That most probably he had seen very few
true Christians ; and 2, If he had, the sight of him was
enough to make a true Christian sad.
3. " So many Christians are inconsistent." Alas ! too
true. But the faults of professors are not proof agairst
the religion they profess. Do worldly men act thus?
Thousands of tradesmen cheat, but do they, therefore,
refuse to buy and sell ? Manj^ drugs are adulterated ;
will they, therefore, take no medicine ? " It is tK<j
11
122 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
devil's snare to blind worldly people's eyes with the dust
from the soiled garments of Christians."
4. " There are so many sects and parties. "We don't
know really which to choose!" So some would be of
none ! Suppose the same person were on a journey, and
saw some travelers choose one way, and some another,
though all aiming to go to the same city; — because one
went by the highway, and another by the bridle road,
and another would, perhaps, persist in going over hedge
and ditch, until he missed the way completely, — would
the objector, therefore, turn back, and stop at home ?
Would he not rather take the more pains to inquire the
best road ; and then act upon the information he had
obtained?
5. "I can read the Bible as well at home." But
query ? — Bo you read the Bible at home ? and can you
read it as well? Is there no advantage in united prayer
— no promised blessing to God's own ordinances ? The
Ferry Boat Company would, however, have no jealousy
with the man who preferred using a small boat, or swim-
ming from Dover to Calais alone. It would be the
best thing to make him desire their steamer for the
future !
6. " I am afraid of being laughed at, or being thought
singular." And will that screen thee, poor soul ! in the
day of judgment ? Luke ix. 23-26 ; xii. 4-9.
7. "As for me, I make no profession."
8. "I am afraid I should not be able to maintain
a profession, and therefore I had better not make
one."
Oh, what pride and self-complacency there lurks in
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 123
tliese excuses! But what folly! Will such mock mo-
ilestj avail in the day of wrath ?
9. " To become a Christian will bring much hardship,
and a heavy yoke." Try it, and you will find. Matt.
xl. 29, 30, &c., &c., &c.
" Wanted a Will." — Such are some of the many
excuses people make. They would come to church, but
they want fit clothes — a hat, a bonnet, or a shawl ; or
they want some one to look after the children at home ;
or they want a seat of their own at church. They want
time ; they want rest after the six days' work. They
want . But their wants are innumerable. Yet
there is one want they never name ; which would swallow
up all the rest; they want — i\\Q will. "Where there's
a will there's a way." And, let us add, —
Wanted the Spirit of God, to give the will. Chris-
tian ministers, visitors, parents, teachers, pray more that
it may be given.
EXPEDIENCY.
" 'All things to all men,' in any sense but the right
sense, is nothing to any man." — Tapper.
" ' Honesty is the best policy,' but he who acts from
that principle is not an honest man" (because he acts
from policy, and not from the love of right). — Archbishop
Whately.
" The highest principle is the highest expediency."
"Satan's moral system is the inverse of the moral
system, and his rule of action, expediency. He never
commences his game of deceit, either with individuals or
churches, by a direct contradiction of the truth, but by
a qualified udmission of its claims, and in this manner
124 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
gives it the go-bj, in order that he may be able to ope-
rate in its rear. Murder, for instance, is murder, and
not for a moment to be tolerated ; but a contingency may
arise when it is expedient that one man should die for
the people. Hell is hell, and death is death, and both are
objects of terror and righteous aversion; but it may be
expedient to make a covenant with the one, and an agree-
ment with the other." — Captain Gordon,
EXTREMES meet.
"Too far east is west."
, as intense heat and intense cold produce like
effects.
" Man's extremity is God's opportunity."
(See Delays.)
FAITH.— 1 Sam. xvii. 45; Dan. iii. 17; vi. 10, 23;
Hab. ii. 4; Matt. xvi. 16; Mark v. 36; ix. 22-24; xvi.
16; Luke xvii. 5; John i. 12, 13; vi. 69; xi. 27; xx.
28, 29: Acts viii. 37; xv. 9; Rom. i. 17; iv. 19, 20;
V. 1; X. 17; 2Cor. v.7; Gal. ii. 20; Eph. ii. 8; vi. 16;
Phil. i. 29; 1 Thess. v. 8 ; 1 Tim. vi. 12; Heb. x. 38 ;
xi.; xii. 2; James ii. 14-26; 2 Peter i. 1.
Rom. X. 10. — " With the heart man believeth unto
righteousness."
<'With the hearty Just the distinction between historic,
temporary, and dead faith, and that which is living. One is
the belief of the understanding only, the other the appropriation
of the heart. Wicked men and devils may have the one ; true
believers only can have the other."
Heb. xi. 1. — "Now faith is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 125
The substantiation — realization.
"The word properly means that which is placed under; then
ground, basis, foundation, support. Then it means also reality,
substance, existence ; in contradistinction from that which is
unreal, imaginary, or deceptive." — Passow.
** A belief that there is such a place as London or Calcutta,
leads us to act as if this were so, if we have occasion to go to
either. A belief that money may be made in a certain under-
taking leads men to act as if this were so. A belief in tho
veracity of another leads us to act as if this were so." — Barnes.
" Faith makes invisible things visible, absent things present,
things that are very far off to be very near unto the soul." —
Brooks.
" Faith is not a sense, nor sight, nor reason, but a
taking God at his word." — J. H. Evans.
" Faith is nothing else but the soul's venture. It
ventures to Christ, in opposition to all legal terrors ; it
ventures on Christ, in opposition to our guiltiness ; it
ventures for Christ, in opposition to all difficulties and
discouragements." — W. Bridge.
is compared to, —
A shield. Eph. vi. 16.
Breastplate. 1 Thess. v. 8.
The eye of the soul. So Num. xxi. 8, 9. It was not
the nimble foot, nor the strong arm, that were of use,
but the eye, however dim and weak, directed to the
Brazen Serpent. Isa. xlv. 22.
The hand of the soul, — to hold and to work.
" Then saith he to the man. Stretch forth thine hand."
But how could he ? — it was withered ! Faith is obeying
Christ's word, and believing Christ's promise. " And
he stretched it forth ; and it was restored whole, like as
the other." Matt. xii. 13.
The life of the body.
11*
126 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
" The soul is the life of the body. Faith is the life
of the soul. Christ is the life of faith." — Flavel.
The master-key^ that opens out God's treasures.
The master-wheel^ that sets the other wheels in motion.
2 Peter i. 5-7 (faith first in the list).
The tendril of the ivy, that clasps it round the giant
oak.
The telescope, that reveals to believers the wonders of
the world of light. And think of the revelations the
telescope has made !
Hyssop. — " Hyssop is a plant which roots itself in the
rock or wall. It is a low, and apparently mean produc-
tion, but it has great medicinal qualities. 1 Kings iv.
83 ; Ps. li. 7. It is a type of faith. Faith is a plant
of the Spirit's production, in the garden of grace. It
roots itself in Christ, the living Rock, and grows by
nurture received from Him. It is low and contemptible,
in the opinion of men ; nothing is more vilified or con-
temned than faith. It is a humble plant, but it is the
instrumental grace by which Christ is apprehended and
privileges are embraced." — Mrs. Stevens.
described by various figures in Scripture : —
Believing on Christ. Mark xvi. 16.
Coming to Christ. John vi. 37.
Receiving Christ. John i. 11, 12.
Committing ourselves to Him. 2 Tim. i. 12.
includes chiefly three distinct acts : —
1. Self-renunciation.
2. Appropriation.
3. Recumbency, or Reliance. — Watson.
" The way to have a strong faith is to think nothing
of yourself." — Dr. G-ordon (when dying).
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 127
" Faith is the soul's outward, not inward, look. The
object on which faith fixes its eye is, not the heart's
ever-varying frames, but the never-varying Christ." —
Baillie.
'* Reliance is the essence of faith. Christ is the ob-
ject, the Word is the food, and obedience the proof.
So that true faith is a depending upon Christ for salva-
tion, in a way of obedience, as He is offered in the
Word The true tears of repentance flow from
the eye of faith. . . . We must derive our works from
faith, and demonstrate our faith by works. . . . Men
would first see, and then believe ; but they must first
believe and then see. . . . There may be joy without
faith, and there may be faith without joy. ... A con-
stant faith begets a constant peace." — Mason.
True faith may be called colorless, like air or water.
It is but the medium through which the soul sees Christ ;
and the soul as little rests upon it as the eye can see the
air. When any are bent upon examining or analyzing
it — resting upon it — they are obliged to color and
thicken it, i. e., they substitute for It something or other,
— a feeling, a notion, sentiment, conviction, — upon which
they may rest or dote. They aim rather at experience
without them, than Christ within them." — Newman.
Child's Definition. — It was the beautiful reply of a
child, when asked, "What is faith?" and she answered,
"Doing God's will, and asking no questions."
There are many doubts and hindrances to believing in
Christ for salvation : —
Objection 1. — " Repentance is necessary before faith."
" I must repent before I can believe." — True. But
what is repentance, but the desire to come to Christ? If
128 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
we would truly repent, the best way to begin is, to begin
to believe. A soul that would find Christ must repent
first, and believe first, for the two are joined together,
rather than distinct and separate acts. Repentance is
the " tear from the eye of faith."
*'The subject of true repentance is a convinced, believing
souL An unconvinced sinner cannot be a true penitent, for
what the eye sees not, the heart rues not. Neither can an
unbelieving sinner be so, for without faith the heart may be
rent /or sin, but not from it. Faith is the spring and source of
repentance ; so that, though the graces of faith and repentance
are given together, and at once, in respect of time ; yet, in the
order of nature, faith goes before repentance, and the acting of
faith before the exercise of repentance, and he that would re-
pent must first believe in Christ, that he may repent." — Boston.
Objection 2. — " Regeneration is necessary, before we
venture on Christ.'" — But »what is regeneration but a
begetting anew, or creating again in Christ Jesus ? and
faith is the uniting grace ; and, therefore, when you
truly believe, you are regenerated, and not till then.
Objection 3. — " An eatire surrender of ourselves is
necessary to salvation." — True. But how is it obtained ?
Not so much before receiving Christ, as after. All
resolutions made to do this, before coming to him, will
prove useless and vain.
Objection 4. — " Our Saviour teaches us to pray,
* Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that
trespass against us.' " This shows that true faith can
exist only when we are willing to obey this. Yet, if we
strive to obey, before we venture on Christ, we shall
certainly fail to do it, in the love of God.
Reason and Faith.—" A Roman wrote to Tully, to
inform him in something concerning the immortality of
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 129
the soul. Tuilj writ back again unto him, 'Read but
Plato upon the subject, and you will desire no more !'
The Roman returned him answer, ' I have read it over
again and again ; but I know not whence it is, when I
read it, I assent unto it, but I have no sooner laid the
book out of my hand but I begin to doubt again whether
the soul be immortal — yea or no.' So it is with all
persuasion from natural principles ; as to that extent of
doctrine it would persuade us of, the persuasion that
ariseth from them is faint, and very weak. It is true
that Nature hath principles to persuade the soul by, to
some kind of assent, — as, that there is a God, and He
must be worshiped. ' Look upon me,' saith Nature ;
* I have not a spire of grass but tells me there is a God.
See the variety, greatness, beauty of my work. Read a
great God in the workmanship of the heavens, — a glori-
ous God in a beauteous flower, — a wise God in my choice
of works ; — behold a God in the order thou hast seen in
m-e ; see him in my law, written in my heart.' From
these, and such like things, Nature bequeaths a kind of
faith to the soul, and learns it to believe that there is a
God ; but this is far from faith, in the point of true
believing." — Spencer.
Faith and Sight. — " Two children were standing at
evening on the summit of a hill, watching the setting
sun, as it seemed slowly to roll along the bright horizon.
''What a way," said the elder, "the sun has moved,
since we saw it coming from behind that tree !"
" And yet you remember," said the younger boy, " we
learned, in this morning's lesson with our father, that the
sun never moves at all."
"I know we did," replied the first; "but I do not
9
130 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
believe it, because I see it not so. I saw the sun ris«5
there this morning, and I see it set there to-night. How
can a thing get all that distance without moving ? You
know very well that if we did not move, we should re-
main always just where we are upon the hill."
"But our father," said the other, "told us it is tho
earth that moves."
" That is impossible, too," replied the elder, "for you
see it does not move. I am standing upon it now, and
so are you, and it does not stir. How can you pretend
to think it moves, while all the time it stands quietly
under our feet?" — {Adolphe Monod.)
The Diving-bell. — " The true Christian is a man
working under water ; he is out of his proper element ;
he could not live at all spiritually, unless he drew down
continually that pure, fresh, vital air into his soul, — even
the air of the heaven above him. His soul would die
without it ; but prayer is the open mouth, and faith is
the pipe, by which he constantly inspires the air of the
pure heaven above him ; and, strengthened by supplies
of grace, — ' Grace for grace,' — fresh grace for fresh ef-
forts and fresh duties, — he is enabled to work in this
(comparatively) dim world, till, his day's work being
over, he is drawn up, or rather springs up, as the diver
in the bell rises to the surface as soon as ' the weights*
that kept him down are shaken oif." — Champneys'
" Floating Lights.''
Rev. a. Fuller. — The admirable discourse on "Walk-
ing by Faith," the first sermon printed by Andrew Ful-
ler, owed its origin to a small matter. It was delivered
at an Annual Meeting of the Northamptonshire Associ-
fition, at whose rec^uest it was printed. Not a word of
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 181
it was written, until after its delivery. On his way to
the Association, the roads in several places ware flooded,
arising from recent rains, which had made the rivers
overflow. Mr. Fuller came to one place where the water
was very deep, and he, being a stranger to its exact
depth, was unwilling to go on. A plain countryman re-
siding in the neighborhood, better acquainted with the
water than the preacher, cried out, " Go on, Sir, you
are quite safe." Fuller urged on his horse, but the
water soon touched his saddle, and he stopped to think.
" Go on. Sir, all is right," shouted the man. Taking
the man at his word. Fuller proceeded ; and the text was
suggested, "We walk by faith, not by sight."
The Large Umbrella. — Not long ago a great drought
prevailed in some of the midland counties of England.
Several pious farmers, who dreaded lest their expected
crops should perish for lack of moisture, agreed with
their pastor to hold a special prayer-meeting to petition
God to send rain. They met accordingly ; and the min-
ister, coming early, had time to exchange friendly greet-
ings with several of his flock. He was surprised to see
one of his little Sabbath-scholars bending under the
weight of a large old family umbrella. ''Why, Mary,"
said he, " what could have made you bring that umbrella
on such a lovely morning as this?" The child, gazing
on his face with evident surprise at the inquiry, replied,
'' Why, Sir, I thought, as we were going to pray for rain,
I'd be sure to want the umbrella." The minister smiled
on her, and the service commenced. While they were
praying, the wind rose, the sky, before so bright and
clear, became overcast with clouds, and soon, amidst
vivid flashes of lightning and heavy peals of thunder, a
132 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Storm of ram deluged the country. Those who attended
the meeting, unprepared to receive the blessing they
sought, reached their homes drenched and soaked, whilst
Mary and her minister returned together under the fa-
mily umbrella. — Union Magazine,
FAITH, HOPE, AND CHARITY.—l Cor. xiii. 13 ;
Rom. V. 1-5 ; xii. 3, 9, 12 ; Gal. v. 5, 6 ; Col. i. 4, 5 ;
1 Thess. i. 3 ; 1 Pet. i. 21-23.
"Now abideth these three," — Faith, by which we see
the glories of the eternal sphere ; Hope, by which we
mount toward them ; and Love, by which we grasp and
inherit them, — therefore the greatest of these is Love.
" Love, amid the other graces in this world, is like a
cathedral tower, which begins on the earth, and, at first,
is surrounded by the other parts of the structure. But,
at length, rising above buttressed walls, and arch, and
parapet, and pinnacle, it shoots spire-like many a foot
right into the air, so high that the huge cross on its sum-
mit glows like a spark in the morning light, and shines
like a star in the evening sky, when the rest of the pile
is enveloped in darkness. So Love, here, is surrounded
by the other graces, and divides the honors with them ;
but they will have felt the wrap of night, and of dark-
ness, when it will shine, luminous, against the sky of
eternity. ' ' — Beecher.
FAMILY.— Gen. xviii. 19 ; xy.x. 27 ; xxxix. 5 (how
much good one godly man may do in an ungodly family,
— Ja3ob in Laban's, Joseph in Potiphar's) ; xxxv. 2 ;
Josh xxiv. 15 ; 2 Sam. vi. 11, 20 :, Job i. 5 ; John xi.
1- 5 : Acts x. 2, 33 ; xvi. 15, 31-34 ; xviii. 8 ; 2 Tim. i. 5.
TTTT-'-^'-rATIVE GATHERINGS. 133
Deut. iv. 9, 10; Nch. iv. 13; Ps. ci. (householders*
psalm); cxxvii. ; cxxviii.; Jer. x. 25; xxxi. 1; Zech.
xii. 12 ; 1 Tim. iii. 5.
What is the Family ?
A little Empire, where order should be maintained and
Bubmission rendered.
A Nursery of happiness and usefulness on earth, and
for rest and glory in the great family in heaven ; where,
as t.he proverb says, "Like seed, like harvest." Byron's
mother would become frantic with passion, and throw the
tongs at him in early childhood ; hence he became wild
and ungovernable. Cowper's mother was all kindness
and affection ; so her memory clung to him with fondness
all through life, though she died before he was six years
old.
A School, " I was my father's son, — he taught me
also ;" and good masters may look to make good scholars.
A Society^ a Divine institution ; the foundation of all
civil society.
A Sanctuary^ where the man of business, jaded with
care ; the laborer, worn with toil ; the sailor from the
stormy waves ; the wanderer, weary and restless, — ^look
for repose.
A little Churc\ — "a Church in the house," where God
the Father is the Head, Christ the Elder Brother, and
the Spirit the Comforter, Teacher, Sanctifier.
An emblem of the great family above ; " of whom the
whole family in heaven and earth is named."
Family Failings.
Turning every tiling into ridicule.
The habit of viewing eviSrything in a ridiculous light,
is one of the family failings to be guarded against. It
12
134 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
too often leads to an unamiable desire to detect and hold
up to ridicule the faults of others ; and it almost always
destroys the finer feelings of admiration for what is beau-
tiful, and the tender and more lovable, of putting the
best construction on the actions of others, &c.
An irksome mode of carping and contradicting one
another.
No harm is meant, and no offence is taken ; but what
can be more irksome than to hear two sisters, for in-
stance, continually setting each other right upon trifling
points, and differing from each other in opinion, for no
apparent reason, but from a habit of contradiction ? It
is generally on such trifles that this bad habit shows it-
self, so that it may seem needless to advert to it ; but it
is a family fault, and should be watched against, for it
is an annoyance, though but a petty one, never to be able
to open your lips without being harassed by such contra-
dictions as, " Oh, no, that happened on Tuesday, not
Wednesday;" or, if you remark that the clouds look
threatening, to be asked in a tone of surprise, " Do you
think it looks like rain ? I am sure there is no appear-
ance of such a thing." Narrate an incident, every small
item is corrected ; hazard an opinion, it is wondered at
or contradicted ; assert a fact, it is doubted and ques-
tioned ; till you at length keep silence in despair.
Standing out for little things.
******
[Query. — "Would it not be a good family exercise to fill up
the list ?]
" The best way to keep the city clean, is for every
one to sweep before his own door." — Chinese Proverb.
Cf. Neh. iii. 23, 28, 30
illustrative gatherings. 185
Family Maxims.
1. Let God be first
2. Never be idle. *• Not a minute to spare."
3. "Thepower of littles."
4. "I will try."
5. Attend to minor morals.
6. Be happy and make happy.
7. Never say, " We must do as others do."
Halyburton, when dying : — " Oh, blessed be God
that ever I was born ! I have a father, and a mother,
and ten brothers and sisters in heaven ; and I shall be
the eleventh. Oh, blessed be the day that ever I was
born ! I shall shortly get a very different sight of God
from what I have ever had, and shall be made meet to
praise Him for ever."
" ' I HAVE BEEN IN HIS FAMILY,' Said Christian of
Talkative, ' and have observed him both at home and
abroad ; and I know what I say of him is the truth. His
house is as empty of religion as the white of an egg is
of savor. There is there neither prayer nor sign of re-
pentance for sin ; yea, the brute in his kind serves God
far better than he. He is the very stain, reproach, and
shame of religion to all that know him ; it can hardly
have a good word in all that end of the town w^here he
dwells, through him. Thus say the common people that
know him, — "A saint abroad, and a devil at home."
His poor family find it so. He is such a churl ; such a
railer at, and so unreasonable with his servants that
they neither know how to do for or to speak to him. Men
that have any dealings with him say it is better to deal
with a Turk than with him, for fairer dealings they shall
have at his hands. This Talkative, if it be possible, will
136 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
go beyond tliera, defraud, beguile, and overreach them.
Besides, he brings up his sons to follow his steps ; and
if he finds in an'y of them a " foolish timorousness" (for
so he calls the first appearance of a tender conscience),
he calls them fools and blockheads, and by no means
will employ them in much, or speak to their commenda-
tions before others. For my part, I am of opinion that
he has by his wicked life caused many to stumble and
fall ; and will be, if God prevents not, the ruin of many
more.' " — Pilgrim s Progress.
" Is SUCH A MAN A CHRISTIAN ?" was asked of Whit-
field. " How should I know ?" was the impressive an-
swer ; " I never lived with him."
" We are really what we are relatively." — P. Henry.
App. See the importance of prayer {^for and with the
family) ; instruction (Deut. vi. 9) ; discipline (1 Kings i.
6 ; Prov. xxii. 6 ; 1 Tim. iii. 4, 5). Example.
John i. 41, 42. Have I found my brother ?
FAMILY WORSHIP.
" Hem the day well with prayer and praises, and it
will be less likely to ravel out before night."
Wherever Abraham pitched his tent, there he built
an altar.
It was gravely asserted at a clerical meeting some
time ago, that not one-third of the heads of Christian
families statedly maintained family devotion. The re-
mark may seem a libel upon the Church ; but those who
have had the best opportunity of judging, give it their
assent.
How is it that many professing Christian families
have family prayer, in the morning, and not at night'
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 137
Does the night demand it less ? The daily sacrifice was
to be morning and evening. (Numb, xxviii. 3, 4.)
Philip Henry was most exemplary in his practice
of family devotion. Besides the regular plan of reading
and expounding the Scriptures morning and evening, he
used strongly to recommend singing, saying that it was
a way of exhibiting godliness, like Rahab's scarlet thread,
to such as pass by our windows. (Josh. ii. 18 ; Ps.
cxviii. 15.) His children and servants used to take
notes of his expositions ; and the foundation of Matthew
Henry's Commentary was laid from these notes. Be-
sides this, on Thursday evening, instead of reading, he
used to catechise his children and servants upon the As-
sembly's Catechism, with the Proofs, or sometimes in a
smaller catechism ; or else they read, and he examined
them in some other useful book, as Mr. Poole's " Dia-
logues against the Papists;" and on Saturday evening
they gave him an account of what they could remember
of the chapters they had read through during the week,
each a several part in order. Besides this, he had also
days of humiliation with his family. The consequence
was that, in addition to the blessings resulting to his
own children, many who came to live with them dated
their first impressions from these services, and gave God
thanks that they ever came under his roof.
Bradbury. — For a remarkable Providence once at-
tending family devotions in his house, see Thieves.
John Newton. — " He used to make excursions in the
summer to different friends in the country, endeavoring
to make these visits profitable to them and their neigh-
bors by his continual prayers, and the expositions which
he gave of the Scriptures read at their morning and
12 *
138 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
evening worship. I have heard of some who ^ere first
brought to the knowledge of themselves and of God,
by attending his exhortations on these occasions ; for,
indeed, besides what he undertook in a more stated way
at the church, he seldom entered a room, but something
both profitable and entertaining fell from his lips." —
CeciVs Life.
A. L. Newton. — It is stated in her interesting and
useful " Life," that Dr. M'Neile's exposition, at family
prayer, on Col. iii. 1, dwelling upon the word " ef," was
one of the chief means used by the Spirit to lead her to
become decided.
Spencer Thornton.— When at Cambridge he resided
in private lodgings, and his earnest and solemn manner
in family prayer, was blessed to the conversion of the
landlady with whom he lived.
FATHER, God a.— Ps. Ixviii. 5 ; ciii. 13 ; Isa. Ixiii.
16 ; Ixiv. 8 ; Hosea xiv. 3 ; Mai. i. 6 ; Matt. v. 48 ; vi.
8, 9 ; xxviii. 19 ; Luke vi. 36 ; John xx. 17 ; Rom. viii.
15 ; 2 Cor. i. 3 ; vi. 18 ; Gal. iv. 6 ;• Eph. iv. 6 ; 1 John
i. 3 ; Rev. xiv. 1.
Luke ii. 49.— "Wist
ye not that I must
be about my Fa-
ther's business?"
Luke xxiii. 46. —
" Father, into thy
hands I commend
my spirit "
The first and last recorded words of
Jesus. So all through his life,
he honored the Father. Of
the seven sayings upon the cross,
three were addressed to Hira.
Luke xxiii. 34 ; Matt, xxvii.
46 ; Luke xxiii. 46 ; cf. John
iv. 34; V. 19-23; vi. 38 , xvii.
4-8.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERUM fiS. 139
God has a Father's —
Hearty that pities, — spares — embraces all, especially
the young and weak of the family.
Wisdom. Appoints our path — assigns our work —
mixes our cup.
Rod. Not spared when needed, yet always used
with tenderness and yearning.
Blessing. Cf. Jacob — Moses — the High Priest (the
father of the nation).
A Sailor's Faith. — It was the touching answer of a
Christian sailor, when asked why he remained so calm in
a fearful storm, when the sea seemed ready to devour the
ship? He was not sure that he could swim ; but he said,
" Though I sink, I shall only drop into the hollow of my
Father's hand; for He holds all these waters there." —
From Arnot.
Similar was the well-known answer of a child, under
like circumstances of danger and alarm: — "I never fear
when my Father's with me."
" My life hangs by a single thread ; but that thread
is in a Father's hand." — J. H. Evans.
FAULTS.
It is observable that, whenever any saints of God,
under the Old Testament, are mentioned in the New,
they are always spoken of with honor, and their faults
and failings are not alluded to. On the contrary, the
ungodly are never spoken of, but with some blot, — Cain,
" who was of that wicked one;" Ishmael, the persecutor;
Balaam, Korah, &c.
" If the sun be eclipsed one day, it attracts more
140 ILLUSTRATIVE QATHERINGS.
attention than by its clear shining a whole year."—
Seeker.
" Many persons have quickness enough to discover
their faults, who have not energy enough to eradicate
them." — Mrs. H. B. Stowe.
" To reprove small faults with undue vehemence, is as
absurd as if a man should take a great hammer because
he saw a fly on his friend's forehead."
*' I should consider the Ethiopian's skin and the leo-
pard's spots more than I do, that I may pray more feel-
ingly, and cast myself wholly on Divine Providence." —
Adams Pinvate Thoughts.
The National Liee-boat Company have published a
chart of the chief places where shipwrecks have occurred;
so should every man do with his own history and experi-
ence.
FEAR, godly. — Gen. xxxi. 42; xxxix. 9; Lev. xix.
14 ; 1 Kings xviii. 12 ; Neh. v. 9-15 ; Job xxviii. 28 ;
Ps. ii. 11 ; V. 7 ; xix. 9 ; xxxiv 7-11 ; xxxvi. 1 ; Ixxxix.
7 ; cxi. 10 ; cxii. 1 ; cix. 38, 63 ; cxxx. 4 ; Prov. viii.
13 ; xiv. 26, 27 ; xv. 16, 33 ; xxiii. 17 ; xxviii. 14 ;
Isa. viii. 12-14 ; Jer. xxxii. 40 ; Hosea iv. 5 ; Mai. iii.
16 ; Matt. x. 28 ; Acts ix. 31 ; 2 Cor. vii. 1-11 ; Phil,
ii. 12.
The fear of the Old Testament is the love of the
New ; and the love of the New Testament is the fear of
the Old.
" Many men affect to despise fear, and in preaching
resent any appeal to it ; but not to fear where there is
occasion, is as great a weakness as to fear unduly, with-
out reason. God planted fear in the soul as truly as He
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 141
planted hope or courage. Fear is a kind of bell or gong,
which rings the mind into quick life and avoidance upon
the approach of danger. It is the soul's signal for ral-
lying. ' ' — Beeeher.
" A low and normal action of fear leads to forecast ;
its morbid action is a positive hindrance to effort. Water
is necessary for the floating of timber ; but if a log be
saturated with water, it sinks in the very element which
should buoy it up. Many men are water-logged with
anxiety, and, instead of quickening them, it only para-
lyzes exertion." — Ibid,
FEAR AND LOVE. — "Fear and love are necessary
to constitute that frame of mind wherein the essence of
piety or true godliness doth consist. Fear is necessary
to keep God in our eyes ; it is the office of Love to en-
throne Him in our hearts. Fear cautions or avoids
whatever may offend ; Love yields a prompt and liberal
service. Fear regards God as a witness and a judge ;
Love cleaves to Him as a friend and a father. Fear
makes us watchful and circumspect ; Love renders us
active and resolute. In short. Fear and Love go hand-
in-hand, and mutually assist each other. Love keeps
Fear from being servile and distrustful ; and Fear keeps
Love from being forward and secure : and both spring
from one root, viz.. Faith in God as a being possessed
of infinite perfection, and related to us as our Creator
and (lovernor, our Redeemer and Judge." — Cope.
"I fear nothing — and there is nothing I have so much
reason to fear — as myself." — Adams Private ThouyJtts.
*' The world says of me, ' A good sort of man, but a
little too strict and precise.' My real character is rather,
142 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
* He has not the fear of God before his eyes, neither doth
he abhor aught that is evil.' " — Ibid.
'' The fear-nots of Scripture." See an excellent
little book, with this title, embodying the encouragements
of the Divine Word, under this head, for the comfort
of God's people, — adapted especially to the tried and
fearful.
Filial Fear. — A little boy was tempted to pluck
some cherries from a tree which his father had forbidden
him to touch. "You need not be afraid," said his evil
companion, "for if your father should find out that you
have taken them, he is too kind to hurt you." " Ah,"
said the brave little fellow, " that is the very reason
why I would not touch them ; for though my father
would not hurt me, yet I should hurt him by my disobe-
dience."
FEAR OF Man.— Deut. vii. 17-21 ; Neh. vi. 10-14;
Ps. iii. 6 ; xxxii. 3 ; Ivi. 3, 4 ; cxviii. 6 ; Prov. xxviii.
1; xxix. 25; Isa. vii. 2; viii. 12, 13; 1. 7; li. 7, 8, 12,
13; Jer. i. 17, 18; Ezek. ii. 6; Micah iv. 4; Matt. x.
28; Luke xii. 4; John vii. 13; xii. 42, 43; xix. 38;
XX. 19; Acts iv. 19; ix. 29; xviii. 9; Phil. i. 14; 1
Pet. iii. 14.
Deuteronomy i. 21, 29 ; iii. 2, 22 ; vii. 17-21 ; xx.
8 ; xxxi. 6, 8.
No book in the whole Bible seems to impress more strongly
the duty of boldness and courage: and observe throughout the
motive, — the Lord has been with you ; " the Lord thy God bare
thee, as a man doth bear his son" (i. 31) : and the Lord shall
be with you, " he shall fight for you.*' So we find all through
the " fear-nots" of Scripture. The best remedj^ against the fear
of man is to get a vivid sight of "God with us." — Isa. xii. 10,
13. 14.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 143
"I do not know the person whose good opinion I do
not love more than himself. .... I had a full
CDnviction that I stand in greater awe of P. L. than God."
— Adams Private Thoughts.
" Do not fear the power of the world. When a blind
man runs against you in the street, you are not angry
with him. You say, ' He is blind, poor man ! or he would
not have hurt you.' So you may say af the world,
when they speak evil of Christ, ' They are blii.d.* " —
M'Cheyne.
" Learn from your earliest days to inure your princi-
ples against the perils of ridicule. You can no more
exercise your reason, if you live in constant dread of
laughter, than you can enjoy your life if you are in con
stant dread of death." — Rev. Sydney Smith.
"What would the nigh-tingale care if the toad de-
spised her singing ? She would still sing on, and leave
the cold toad to his dank shadows. And what care I
for the sneers of men who grovel upon earth ? I will
still sing on in the ear and bosom of God." — Beecher.
"Fear produceth unwilling, servile performances, as
those fruits that grow in winter, or in cold countries, are
sour, unsavory, and unconcocted; but those which grow
in summer, or in hotter countries, by the warmth and
influence of the sun, are sweet and wholesome. Such
is the difference between those fruits of obedience which
fear and love produceth. A goodly heart is like those
flowers which shut when the sun sets, and open again
when the sun returns and shines upon them. If God
withdraw His favor, and send the night of afliliction, they
shut themselves and their thoughts up in silence; but if
the sun shine again, and shed abroad the light and reuse
144 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
of Ilis love upon them, then their heart and mouth is
wide open towards heaven in lifting up praises to Him.
Hannah prayed silently so long as she was in bitterness
of spirit, and of a sorrowful spirit ; but as soon as God
answered her prayer, and filled her heart with joy, pre-
sently her mouth was enlarged into a song of thanks-
giving." — Bishop Reynolds.
Ex. Abraham (Gen. xii. 12 ; xx. 11) ; Isaac (Gen.
xxvi. 7) ; Saul (1 Sam. xv. 24) ; David (1 Sam, xxi. 10
-13 ; xxvii. 1-3) ; Elijah (1 Kings xix. 3) ; Nicodemus
(John iii. 1) ; Peter (Matt. xxvi. 69-75 ; Gal. ii. 12) ;
Blind man's parents (John ix. 22).
FEELINGS.— Luke xiv. 26 ; Rom. xvi. 1 (charity
from principle, not from impulse) ; Gal. v. 24 ; Eph.
iv. 19.
Ex. fear (2 Sam. xvii. 33) ; joy (Matt. xiii. 20, 21) ;
repentance (1 Kings xxi. 27, 29) ; zeal (2 Kings x. 16) ;
reformation (Mark vi. 20).
'* Our minds are like a lute^ soon put out of tune. In
fair weather it rings loud and clear ; but let the weather
change, and the sun of prosperity withdraw his beams,
and hide himself behind dark clouds of trouble, and then
our courage vanishes, and we give up ourselves to de-
spondency. ' ' — Gotthold.
the light and shade upon a waving field, cours-
ing each other, while the flying clouds now hide, and
now reveal the sun.
the changing of a brook at the different seasons
of the year ; sometimes full, its swelling waters seem
ready to overleap its banks, and seem to say they shall
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 145
never fail ; but again we see it scarcely able to maintain
itself, — so variable are the Christian's feelings.
The way to the great city — up mountains ana
down valleys, and therefore the traveler has not always
a view of it, though still he is in the way.
" The variableness of Christian moods is often a mat-
ter of great and unnecessary suffering ; but Christian life
does not follow the changes of feeling. Our feelings are
but the torch, and our life is the man that carries it.
The wind that flares the flame does not make the man
waver. The flame may sway hither and thither, but he
holds his course straight on. Thus oftentimes it is that
our Christian hopes are carried, as one carries a lighted
candle through the windy street, that seems never to be
so nearly blown out as when we step through the open
door, and in a moment we are safe within. Our wind-
blown feelings rise and fall through all our life, and the
draught of death threatens quite to extinguish them ; but
one moment more and they shall rise and for ever shine
serenely in the unstormed air of heaven." — Beecher,
" Our most exalted feelings are not meant to be the
common food of daily life. Contentment is more satis-
fying than exhilaration ; and contentment means simply
the sum bf small and quiet pleasures. We ought not to
seek too high joys. We may be bright without trans-
figuration. The even flow of constant cheerfulness
strengthens ; while great excitements, driving us with
fierce speed, both rack the ship and end often in explo-
sions. If we were just ready to break out of the body
with delight, I doubt not but we should disdain many
things important to be done. Low measures of feeling
are better than ecstasies ; for ordinary life, God sends
13 10
146 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
his raina in gentle drops, or else flowers would be beaten
to pieces." — Ibid.
Feeling and Faith. — " There are two classes of
Christians ; those who live chiefly by emotion, and those
who live chiefly by faith. The first class, those who live
chiefly by emotion, remind one of ships, that move by the
outward impulse of winds operating upon sails. They are
often in a dead calm, often out of their course, and some-
times driven back. And it is only when the winds are
fair and powerful, that they move onward with rapidity.
The other class, those who live chiefly by faith, remind
one of the magnificent steamers which cross the Atlantic,
which are moved by an interior and permanent principle,
and which, setting at defiance all ordinary obstacles,
advance steadily and swiftly to their destination, through
calm and storm, through cloud and sunshine." — Profes-
sor Upham.
" The industrious peasant, sitting in his evening chair,
sees his children gathering round him, and courting his
afi'ections by a hundred little winning ways ; he looks,
and smiles, and loves-. The next day he returns to his
labor, and cheerfully bears the burden of the day, to
provide for these, his little ones, and promote their in-
terest. During his day's labor he may not feel his love
operate in such sensible emotions as he did the evening
before. Nay, he may be so attentive to other things, as
not immediately to have them in his thoughts. What
then ? He loves his children. Indeed, he gives proof
of it, by cheerfully enduring the toils of labor, and will-
ingly denying himself many a comfort, that they might
share their part ; and were he to hear of their being in-
jured or afflicted, he would quickly feel the returns of
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 147
glowing affection in as strong, or perhaps stronger, mo-
tions than ever. Thus the believer may have real love
to God in exercise, only it does not work in the same
way as at some other times." — A. Fuller.
" Our union with Christ is the union of the covenant,
and therefore not dependent upon frames and feelings."
— A. L. Newton.
*' The ROCK does not shake nor change, though the sea
may ebb and flow about it." — Rutherford.
" He who looks upon Christ through frames and feel-
ings, is like one who sees the sun on water, which quivers
and moves as the water moves; but he that looks upon
Him in the glass of his word by faith, sees Him ever the
same."
'• Whether sensible comfort or relish is vouchsafed in
religious exercises, or not, let our faith be fixed nakedly,
or irrelatively to anything else but the Word of the Living
God, and, as far as practicable, in the way that we be-
lieve a philosophical or mathematical truth, that is,
independently of our feelings." — Nottidge's Correspon-
dence.
" There is nothing in which young converts are more
prone to err than in laying too much stress upon their
feelings. If they have a comfortable half-hour in the
morning, it atones for a multitude of sins in the course
of the day. Christ says, ' If ye love Me, keep my com-
mandments.' " — Br.Payson to his Daughter.
FLATTERY.— Job xxxii. 21; Ps. v. 9; xii. 2, 3;
Iv. 21; Ixxviii. 36, 37; Prov. xx. 19; xxvi. 28; xx-ii.
21; xxviii. 23 ; xxix. 5; Acts xii. 22 ; 1 Thess. ii. t.
148 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
like the ivy that seems to embrace tne tree in its
affection, but in reality chokes and kills it.
, '' the beast that biteth smiling."
*^ Beware of flattery; it is a rock thinly covered with
smooth water, upon which unthinking youth are apt to
split ; nor do they perceive the danger till they are ship-
wrecked."
Whitfield used to say, when flattered, "Take care
of fire ; I carry powder about me."
FOREBODINGS.— Gen. xxi. 16-18; Ps. xlii. 11;
Ivi. 3 ; cxii. 4 ; Isa. xl. 27-31 ; Dan. iii. 17,' Matt. xiii.
22 ; 1 Peter v. 7 ; Bev. ii. 10.
Gen. xlii. 36. — "All these things are against me."
So thinks poor unbelief, in the dark hour. But stay ! Were
all these things against the tried Patriarch ? Were they not,
rather, working for his good ? Oh, let us trust God, when we
cannot trace him !
Judges vi. 13, 14. — " Oh, my Lord, if the Lord be
with us, why then is all this befallen us ? and where be
all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying.
Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt ? but now the
Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands
of the Midianites. And the Lord looked upon him, and
said. Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel
from the hand of the Midianites : have not I , sent
thee?"
" 1. Most of our difficulties arise from discussing what be-
longs to God. 2. God does not reason with us, but replies to
our suspicious reasoning by displaying anew the love of his
heart and the power of his arm." — Bonar.
1 Sam. xxiii. 26, 27. — " And Saul went on this side
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 149
of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of
the mountain : and David made haste to get away for
fear of Saul ; for Saul and his men compassed David and
his men round about to take them. But there came a
messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come ; for
the Philistines have invaded the land."
So, often the' Lord helps his people in their distress hy (1)
interposing the mountain between them and their enemies, and
(2) calling off the attention of their dreaded enemy to some
other quarter. What need to fear, therefore, if we know that
his shield is defending us, though it may be an unseen shield ?
1 Sam. xxvii. 1, 2. — " And David said in his heart,
I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul : there is
nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape
into the land of the Philistines ; and Saul shall despair of
me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel ; so shall
I escape out of his hand. And David arose, and he
passed wn'th the six hundred men that were with him unt«
Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath."
One snare of the Great Tempter. David thinks, "I can
help myself out of trouble, by flying to the Philistines." But
no good can come by doing evil. Let us beware of this too
common resort. God's saints never sin themselves out of
trouble, though Abraham, Job, Jonah, and many others, have
tried it. There were easy ways that ran round the base of the
hill Difficulty, but the name of the one was Danger, and of the
other Destruction ; the only right way was straight up the
hill.
Job vii. 7. — '' remember that my life is wind : mine
eye shall no more see good."
Yet he did. " The Lord blessed the latter end of Job more
than his beginning." (See Job xlii. 12-17.) It was a better
moment for Job, when he said, "Though He slay me, yet will
1 trust in Him ." fjob xiii. 15.)
13 *
150 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Mark xvi. 3, 4. — " And they said among themselves,
Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the
sepulchre ? And when they looked, they saw that the
stone was rolled away: for it was very great."
*' Ills that nover happened have mostly made men wretched.*'
— Tupper. Difficulties that we reckon upon meeting with in
our path strangely vanish, when we are seeking Christ ; an
unseen hand has cleared them away, before we came.
Phil. iv. 6. — " Be careful for nothing ; but in every-
thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known unto God."
St Paul's reply for undue anxiety, — Prayer SiXidi praise. The
latter should not be less frequently sought than the former.
*' When you cannot pray," was the good advice of an excellent
minister, to one in trouble, " try to praise." Cf. Acts xvi. 25.
^' The soldier wastes his strength who fights with
shadows."
" We should remember that God has given us no
promise of exemption from trial for the future, but re-
quires us to live day by day on him. To be, therefore,
always fearing for the future, is to be taking matters
into our own hands, and then we cannot expect his help.
Is it not well that God often shows us our own weakness
when we do so? It is good advice, though hard to
practice, 'Never cross a bridge until you come to it.' "
The Discontented Pendulum. — There is a good
moral in Jane Taylor's story of the discontented
pendulum, which began one gloomy day to calculate how
many times it would have to swing backwards and for-
wards in an hour, and then in a day, then in a week,
then in a month, and then in a year, and then in ten
years. How was it possible to do so much, or to work
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 151
at all any given moment, with the dark prospect of so
much work before it ? So the pendulum stopped. Nor
could it be induced to start again, till it was reminded
that though it would have so many times to tick in the
whole year, it had the year to do it in, and was only re-
quired to do the hour's work in the hour ! The anxiety
men heap upon themselves arises greatly from forgetting
this, and trying to provide for the morrow's work to-day.
But leave to-morrow till it comes, — " take care of the
minutes, and the hours will take care of themselves."
The Two Seeds. — A gardener was about to sow some
seeds, when one exclaimed, " Oh, let me not be buried
in the dark, damp earth ! Why should I not remain in
this warm sunshine where I am?" But the gardener
threw the seed into the ground, and covered it, without
regarding its complaint. As he did so, another seed
fell out of his hand, upon the stone close by, where it
remained exposed to the sunshine and heat. In a short
time it was parched and shriveled up ; while the buried
seed was just at the same time beginning to shoot up a
delicate little stem, which grew till it ripened into a
flower, and afterwards into the full-grown fruit. Was it
not better to pass through the darkness first !
FORETASTES of Glory.— Gen. xlv. 27. (How
Ja<;ob rejoiced in the pledge of Joseph's exaltation !) 1
Cor. ii. 9, 10 ; 2 Cor. i. 22 ; v. 5 ; xii. 3, 4 ; Eph. i. 14 ;
Phil. iii. 20; Heb. xii. 22-24; 1 John v. 11. ['' Eath^'
I. e., now — in this world. What is glory, but grace
begun ? — here the bud — there the flower V]
Cf. Edeu before the Fall.
Eschol's grapes, (Numb. xiii. 23, 24.)
152 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Moses on Mount Pisgah. (Deut. xxxiv. 1-4.)
Firstfruits of the harvest, the pledge of the
whole. (So Rom. viii. 23.)
Canaan. — It is reraarkahle how often the phrase
occurs in Judges, " The land had rest forty [or
eighty] years." (See Judges iii. 11, 30; v. 31;
. . . .) God thus giving an emblem of the true
rest ; though any type of glory must be imperfect
here ! For ancient Israel there was war between
the rests, and sorrow in the rest. So is it still,
— "toil is for earth, rest is for heaven."
Stephen. (Acts vii. 55, 56.)
like the sjnces of Ceylon and Madagascar, of
which sailors inhale the fragrance, before they land upon
the islands.
" The First B.Gse of Summer.'" We value it chiefly
for the promise it gives of coming sunshine, flowers, and
fruit ; so our sweetest Sabbaths, Communions, seasons,
and glimpses of eternal joy. Oh, what sweet firstfruits
are they of the eternal summer, where no cloud can
overcast the sky, and no night can shorten or darken
the day of bliss !
In the "Pilgrim's Progress," Bunyan has beauti-
fully described Christian's earnests of glory, at three
different periods of his pilgrimage : — There was, first,
the view he had, from the house Beautiful, of the
Delectable Mountains, before he had to battle with
Apollyon ; then, from the Delectable Mountains, he had
a sight of the Celestial City ; and lastly, in the land
Beulah, they even met with the inhabitants of the city,
dnd heard the voices of them that dwelt therein. How
couching is the description of the latter : —
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 153
Beulih. — " Now I saw in my dream, that by this
time the pilgrims were got over the Enchanted Ground,
and entering into the country of Beulah (Isa. Ixii. 4-12 ;
Cant. ii. 10-12), whose air was very sweet and pleasant ;
the way lying directly through it, they solaced them-
selves there for a season. Yea, here they heard con-
tinually the singing of birds, and saw every day the
flowers appear in the earth, and heard the voice of the
turtle in the land. In this country the sun shineth night
and day : wherefore, this was beyond the Valley of the
Shadow of Death ; and also out of the reach of Giant
Despair ; neither could they from this place so much as
see Doubting Castle. Here they were within sight of
the City they were going to : also here met them some
of the inhabitants thereof ; for in this land the shining
ones commonly walked, because it was upon the borders
of heaven. In this land also the contract between the
Bride and the Bridegroom was renewed ; yea, here, ^ as
the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so doth their
God rejoice over them.' Here they had no want of corn
and wine ; for in this place they met with abundance of
what they had sought for in all their pilgrimages. Here
they heard voices from out of the City — loud voices, say-
ing, * Say ye to the daughters of Zion, Behold, thy sal-
vation Cometh ; Behold, his reward is with Him !' Here
all the inhabitants of the country called them, 'The holy
people, the redeemed of the Lord, sought out,' " &c.
" Now, as they walked in this land, they had more
rejoicing than in parts more remote from the kingdom
to which they were bound ; and, drawing near to the
City, they had yet a more perfect view thereof. It was
builded of pearls and precious stones, also the street?
1 A ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
thereof were paved with gold ; so that by reason of the
n" tural glory of the City, and the reflection of the sun-
beams upon it, Christian with desire fell sick ; Hopeful
abo had a fit or two of the same disease : wherefore,
here they lay by it a while, crying out, because of their
pangs, * If you see my Beloved, tell him that I am sick
of love/"
The Christian cannot be always upon the Mount.
There is a " need-be" that the light of glory should not
dazzle our weak eyes.
" I REMEMBER," says Dr. Pierre, " on my return to
France, after a long voyage to India, as soon as the sail-
ors had disoerned the shores of their native country,
they became, in a great measure, incapable of attending
to the duties of the ship ; some looked at it wistfully,
others dressed themselves in their best clothes ; some
talked, others wept. As we approached, their joy be-
came greater ; and still more intense was it when we
came into port, and saw on the quay their parents and
children ; so that we had to get, according to the cus-
tom of the port, another set of sailors to bring us into
the harbor. Thus would it be with God's children, if
they saw the full and unclouded glory of eternity, be-
fore they reach the eternal heaven. ' I have many things
to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.' (John
xvi. 12.)"
John Holland, an old Puritan minister (of whom
little is known except the brightness of his death), when
he saw that he was near his end, called out, " Come, oh,
come! let us gather some flowers of comfort this hour."
He requested to have Romans viii. read to him, and at
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 155
tjverj verse he stopped the reading, and explained /t, to
the comfort of his own soul and the joy of his friends.
Having thus continued about two hours, he suddenly
cried out, " Oh, stay your reading ! What brightness
is that I see?" They told him it was the sunshine.
*' Sunshine," said he, "nay, my Saviour's shine ! Well,
farewell world ! Welcome heaven ! The Day-star from
on high hath visited my heart. Oh, speak it when I am
gone, and preach it at my funeral, — God dealeth fami-
liarly with man. I feel His mercy ; I see His majesty ;
whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell,
God knoweth ; but I see things that are unutterable."
Thus ravished in spirit, he roamed towards heaven with
a cheerful look, and soft, sweet voice ; but what he said
could not be understood.
Flavel, at one time, on a journey, set himself to im-
prove his time by meditation ; when his mind grew in-
tent, till at length he had such ravishing tastes of heav-
enly joy, and such full assurance of his interest therein,
that he utterly lost the sight and sense of this world and
ail its concerns, so that he knew^ not where he was. At
last, perceiving himself faint through a great loss of
blood from his nose, he alighted from his horse, and sat
down at a spring, where he washed and refreshed him-
self, earnestly desiring, if it were the will of God, that
he might there leave the world. His spirits reviving,
he finished his journey in the same delightful frame. He
passed that night without any sleep, — the joy of the
Lord still overflowing him, so that he seemed an inhabi-
tant of the other world. After this, a heavenlv serenitv
and sweet peace long continued with him ; and for many
years he called that day ''one of the days of heaven,"
156 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
and professed he understood more of the life of heaven
by it, than bj all the discourses he had heard, or the
books he ever read.
Mr. Golding. — A little before his death, when his
brother said to him, " You seem to enjoy foretastes of
heaven," he replied, " Oh, this is no longer a foretaste ;
this is heaven ! I not only feel the climate, but I breathe
the fine ambrosial air of heaven, and soon shall enjoy
the company." The last words he was heard to utter
were, '' Glory, glory, glory !" He died in the twenty-
fourth year of his age.
FORGETFULNESS of GoD.-Deut. iv. 23 ; vi. 10-12 ;
xxxii. 18 ; Judges iii. 7, 8 ; 1 Sam. xii. 9 ; Ps. ix. 17 ;
X. 4; xliv. 17, 20; 1. 22; cvi. 21; cxix. 16, 93; Prov.
ii. 17 ; Isa. Ixv. 11 ; Jer. ii. 13, 32 ; Hos. ii. 13 ; viii.
14.
" Forgetting of accounts payeth not debts ; nay, the
interest of a forgotten bond runneth up with God inter-
est upon interest." — Rutherford.
Forgetful-green. — " Your father had a battle with
Apollyon," said Greatheart to Samuel, " at a place
yonder before us, in a narrow passage, just beyond For-
getful-green. And, indeed, that place is the most dan-
gerous place in all these parts ; for if at any time
pilgrims meet with any brunt, it is when they forget
what favors they have received, and how unworthy they
are of them. This is the place, also, where others have
been hard put to it. But more of the place when we
come to it ; for I persuade myself that to this day there
remains either some sign of the battle, or some monu-
ment to testify that such a battle there was fought."
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 157
St. Paul'j* Cloak. — A street preacher in Germany
was one day assailed by some opponents, and one per-
son remarked that the Bible was full of fables. The
brawler referred to Paul having forgotten his mantle, —
Pastor B. — " That is a passage quite suitable for me,
perhaps, also, for you. I am very forgetful. I see here
that the great apostle could forget, and this comforts
me, and admonishes me also, that I should endeavor to
make good what I forget. I thought once like you, and
forgot the one thing needful ; but I now endeavor not to
forget the goodness of God. Have you, brother, forgot-
ten this?''
FORMALISTS.— 1 Sam. xv. 22 ; Ps. 1. 7-15 ; Prov.
xxi. 3 ; Eccles. v. 1, 2 ; Isa. i. 11 ; Iviii. 3, 4 ; Hosea
vi. 6 ; Matt. xv. 8, 9, 13 ; Rom. ii. 17-29.
Those who wear the uniform, but do not fight the
battles of the Great King.
The Lord's Prayer. — Suppose a person attends church
twice every Sunday, and uses it once daily at his own
family altar, — the Lord's prayer is offered by such a
one between 700 and 800 times every year. What a
fearful witness are its seven petitions against the soul,
offered so often, if the offering has been but a mockery,
— the utterance of the lips, not the worship of the heart !
Six Years of Sabbaths. — In the same way, in the
course of forty years there are 2,080 Sabbaths, or nearly
six years of Sabbaths. What will the judgment be, if
this long seed-time has been wasted !
The Cranes. — '' Rhennus reporteth that he saw in
Metz, in Germany, two cranes standing, in silver, upon
the altar, into the bellies whereof the priests, by a device,
14
158 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
put fire and frankincense, so artificially, that all the fire
and smoke came out of the cranes' beaks. A perfect
emblem of the public worship of a dead and formal peo-
ple ; the minister puts a little fire into them — they have
little warmth of themselves, or sense of true zeal ; and
as those cranes sent out sweet perfumes at their beaks,
having no smell at all thereof in themselves, so they
breathe out the sweet incense of prayer and zealous de-'
votion, whereof they have no sense or spiritual under-
standing at all." — Spencer,
BuNYAN, in the " Pilgrim's Progress," represents
Christian, after he had left the cross and passed by Sim-
ple, Sloth, and Presumption, seeing Formality and Hy-
pocrisy come tumbling over the wall. They were born
in the land of Vainglory, and were going for praise to
Mount Zion. They had not entered in at the narrow
gate, as that by all their countrymen was esteemed too
far about, and they would fain make a short cut, for
which they pleaded custom, foolishly arguing, " If we
get into the way, what matter which way we get in ?"
To which Christian beautifully contrasted his own sure
evidences of acceptance at the last:— *' When I come to
the gate of the city, the Lord thereof will know me for
good, since I have his coat on my back." But when
they came to the foot of the steep Hill Difficulty, they
turned aside, one into the path called Danger, which led
him into a great wood ; the other into the path called
Destruction, which led him into a wide field, full of dark
mountains, where he stumbled and fell, and rose no
more.
FOUNDATION, Christ a.— Gen. xlix. 24; Ps.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 159
cxviii. 22 ; Isa. xxviii. 16 ; Zech. iii. 9 ; Matt. xxi. 42 ;
Acts iv. 11, 12 ; 1 Cor. iii. 11 ; Eph. ii. 20 ; 1 Pet. ii.
6-8.
" An interesting case was that of one aroused to con-
cern during his sermon on ' Unto whom coming as unto
a living stone.' As he spoke of the Father taking the
gem out of his bosom, and laying it down for a founda-
tion-stone, she felt in her soul, * I know nothing of this
precious stone ; I am surely not converted.' This led
her to come to speak with him. She was not under
deep conviction; but, before going away, he said, 'You
are a poor, vile worm ; it is a wonder the earth does not
open and swallow you up.' These words were blessed
to produce a very awful sense of sin. She came a second
time, with the arrows of the Almighty drinking up her
spirit. For three months she remained in this state,
till, having once more come to him for counsel, the living
voice of Jesus gave life to her soul while he was speak-
ing of Christ's words, 'If thou knewest the gift of God,'
&c., and she went away rejoicing." — M'Cheynes Life,
. FRIENDSHIP.— Job xvi. 21; Ps. Ixxxviii. 8, 18
(acknowledging God's hand); Prov. Avii. 17; xviii. 24;
xxvii. 6, 9, 17 ; Cant. v. 1 ; Micah vii. 2-8 ; Luke xii.
4 ; John XV. 13-15 ; 3 John 14.
Fahe. — Deut. xiii. 6 ; Ps. xii. 2, ^b ; Prov. xxii. 24;
XXV. 19; Lam. i. 2; Micah vii. 2-8; Zech. xiii. 6;
Matt. xxii. 12 ; 1 Cor. xv. 33 ; James iv. 4.
The Jewish economy was eminently adapted to sanctify true
friendship, in the three annual feasts, gathering together so
many from all parts of the land. See Ps. Ixxxiv. 7. " They
go from company to company" (marg.), alluding to the corn-
160 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
panies of fellow-worshipers, who went up to the holy city,
many a time strenf^thening each others' hands in God.
Cf. also, the sending forth of God's ministers, in all ages, by
twos : — Moses and Aaron, Elijah and Elisha, the seventy dis-
ciples, the two witnesses ; and in the history of the Church,
Luther and Melanothon, Cranmer and Latimer, &c., &c.
*' Promises may get friends, but it is performance that
keeps them."
" Better is the ass that carries you, than the horse
that throws you."
" Poor and true is better than rich and false."
Bees in Summer. — " So long as there is blossom on
'the trees, and honey in the blossom, the bees will fre-
quent them in crowds, and fill the place with music ; but
when the blossom is over, and the honey is gone, the
I bees too will all disappear. The same happens in the
1 world with men. In the abode of fortune and pleasure
1 friends will be found in plenty ; but when fortune flies,
I they fly along with it. For this reason, let good men be
\ advised to fly to Christ crucified, who never forsakes, in
\^heir distress, those who truly seek Him." — Gotthold.
The Unstrung Lute. — " One evening one of a com-
pany of friends despatched a servant to his house for a
lute, and, on its being brought to the apartment, it had
lost tune, as usually happens to these instruments, when
exposed to the changes of weather or atmosphere.
While the owner was tightening the strings, Gotthold,
who was present, thought within himself, What is sweeter
than a well-tuned lute, and what more delightful than a
faithful friend, who can cheer us in sorrow with wise and
affectionate discourse ? Nothing, however, is sooner un-
tuned than a lute, and nothing is more fickle than a
human friend. The tone of the one ch.oxiges with the
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 161
Weather, that of the other with fortune. With a clear
skj, and a bright sun, and a gentle breeze, you will have
friends in plenty ; but let fortune frown, and the firma-
ment be overcast, and then your friends will prove like
the strings of the lute, of which you will tighten ten,
before you will find one which will bear the tension, or
keep the pitch." — Gotthold.
" It is one of the severest tests of friendship to tell
your friend of his faults. If you are angry with a man,
or hate him, it is not hard to go to him and stab him
with w^ords ; but so to love a man that you cannot bear
to see the stain of sin upon him, and to speak painful
truth through loving words, — that is friendship. But
few have such friends. Our enemies usually teach us
what we are, at the point of the sword." — Beeeher.
The best cementer of Christian friendship is nearness
to Christ. As the spokes of a wheel, the nearer they
approach the centre, the nearer they approach each
other.
Lady Blessington. — A person in humble life, who
had known her every motion for the last eighteen years
of her life, said, " My opinion is, that no woman was
ever over.whelmed with such professions of friends, and
attachment for so great a number of insincere acquain-
tances." How mournfully did her end confirm the testi-
mony ! Surrounded in life by the most polished circles
of admirers, she died in poverty, almost without a friend.
Compare with such a case Ps. xxxvii. 37.
President Edwards, when he came to die, — his last
words, after bidding his relations good-by, were, "Now,
where is Jesus of Nazareth, ray true and never-failing
Priond ?" And so saying he fell asleep.
14 * n
)1
162 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
"Doctor, what shall I do?" asked a patient of her
medical adviser, "my friends are all out of town."
"You may have one Friend," was the answer, " who is
never out of the way, but ever near and ever true. Jesus
is the best Friend, for earth or heaven."
Ex. David and Jonathan, 1 Sam. xviii. 1-4 ; xix. 20 ;
2 Sam. i. 26. Hushai, David's friend, 2 Sam. xv. 37.
Peter and John, John i. 35-42; Matt. iv. 18-22; Luke
V. 10; Mark v. 37; Luke xxii. 7, 8 ; John xiii. 23-29;
xviii. 15, 16; Matt. xvii. 37; Acts iii. 1; iv. 13; v.
20 ; viii. 14. Paul and Silas, Acts xv. 40. Aristobulus
and Narcissus, Rom. xvi. 10, 11 (marg.).
Cf. Abraham, James ii. 23. Moses, Exod. xxxiii. 11.
John Baptist, John iii. 29. Lazarus, John xi. 11.
FRUGALITY.— Luke xvi. 1, 2 ; John vi. 12.
" A penny saved is a penny gained."
" He sups ill who eats all at dinner."
"Neee^-nots." — Baxter used to make it one of his
rules, — Spend nothing upon " need-nots."
GAMBLING.
" The best throw of the dice is to throw them away."
Mrs. Newell. — Nearly fifty years ago a young man
was appointed preceptor of the Bradford Academy, who
had just become interested in religion. He was invited
to attend a social party, and after a time cards were
brought out. This much tried him ; but he felt bound
to be decided, and left the room for another, especially
as some of his own pupils were of the party. Some of
the young ladies soon inquired, where was the pre-
ceptor ? They all then gathered round him, and he
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 163
stated his reasons, which lad to a conversation upon re-
ligion. Harriet Attwood, afterwards Mrs. Newell, one
of the first missionary company who went from America,
traced her conversion to that conversation ; and the pre-
ceptor himself has been a faithful pastor of a church in
New Hampshire for more than forty years.
GIFTS. — (compared with grace.)— Luke x. 20 ; Rom.
xii. 6 ; 1 Cor. xii. 4 ; 28-81 ; xiii. 1, 2 ; xiv. 1.
Differ, as God has given to every one his sphere,
Joshua fights in the valley, whilst Moses prays on the
mount ; Barnabas is a son of consolation, James and
John are Boanerges, the sons of thunder.
[Note. — It is a great thing for every man to know
his gift, and improve it. " The right man in the right
place," — always, however, *' putting first things first."]
The Corinthian Church seems to have abounded
above all the Apostolic Churches, in the richness and
variety of gifts ; yet it was the most unfruitful and most
divided. 1 Cor. xiv. 26 ; i. 7 ; and i. 11-13 ; iii. 3.
Gifts without grace are often only a fair glove to
cover a foul hand ; grace hath the clean hand and pure
heart. Ps. xxiv. 4. They are like Uriah's letter, who
carried his own death-warrant with him ; or, like a long
row of ciphers without a unit before them, looking large,
but having no real value.
" Gifts may decay and perish,^ — they do not lie be-
yond the reach of corruption ; indeed, grace shall never
perish, but gifts will. Grace is incorruptible, though
gifts are not. Grace is ' a spring, whose waters fail
not ;' but the streams of gifts may be dried up. If
grace be corruptible in its own nature, as being but a
164 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
creature, yet it is incorruptible in regard to its con-
server, as being the new creature. He that did create
it in us, will conserve it in us. He that did begin it
will also finish it. Gifts have their root in nature, but
grace hath its roots in Christ ; and therefore, though
gifts may die and wither, yet grace shall abide for ever.
Now, if gifts are perishing, then, though he that hath
the least grace is a Christian, he that hath the greatest
gifts may be hut almost a Christian." — Mead.
Balaam, Saul, Caiaphas, &c., all had prophetical
or other gifts ; yet, not having grace, what profit was it
to themselves or others ?
GOD.— Exod. XV. 11; xx. 2, 3; Deut. iv. 35; vi. 4;
xxxiii. 26; Job xi. 7-9; xxvi. 14; xxxvii. 23; Isa.
xliii. 10 ; xliv. 6 ; Matt. xix. 17 ; John i. 18 ; iv. 24 ;
Rom. xi. 33 ; 1 John i. 5 ; iv. 8.
" The Being whose centre is everywhere, but whose
circumference is nowhere." He who may be at once
easily apprehended by the lowest of His spiritual chil-
dren, and yet cannot be comprehended by the highest
of His seraphim.
One of the most ancient hieroglyphic representations
of God was the figure of an eye upon a sceptre, to de-
note that God sees and rules all things.
The Egyptian hieroglyphic was a winged globe and
a serpent coming out of it ; the globe to signify God's
eternity, the wings His active power, and the serpent
His wisdom.
The Thracian emblem was a sun with three beams ;
one shining upon a sea of ice, and melting it ; another
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 165
upon a rock, and melting it ; and a third upon a dead
man, and putting life into him.
" It is a deep and difficult thing to conceive properlj^
of God in our thoughts of Him, but especially in our
addresses to Him ; thus much we know, that, as it is re-
vealed He is a Spirit, we should banish from our minds
every idea of His having any form or shape whatever,
and only think of Him as an infinitely glorious and un-
limited Being. Our heart should adore a spiritual Ma-
jesty which it cannot comprehend, and, as it were, lose
itself in His infinitude. We must believe Him great
without quantity, omnipresent without place, everlasting
without time, and containing all things without extent ;
and when our thoughts are come to the highest, let us
stop, wonder, and adore." — Bp. Hall.
A HEATHEN PHILOSOPHER onco asked a Christian, —
" Where is God ?" The Christian answered, " Let me
first ask you. Where is He not?" — Arrowsmith.
SiMONiDES, the philosopher, being requested to de-
scribe God, asked a week to think of it ; and, after that,
a month, and then a year ; then, being still unable, he
declined the task, declaring that the more he thought of
so great a Being, the less he was able to describe Him.
The Christian feels the same, nay, greater awe ; but he
has been permitted to see God revealing Himself. John
i. 18.
An Arab, when one day the question was put, " How
do you know there is a God ?" turned with apparent in-
dignation upon the questioner, and replied, " How do I
know whether a man or a camel passed my tent last
night?" His own footprints are the best evidence of
the existence and character of Jehovah.
166 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
" The character of God is but little seen but from
Revelation. Redemption, that is the glass which re-
flects its true beauty. Look at the light of day ; it pre-
sents one uniform and undistinguished and unbroken
mass of light. The many beautiful rays and colors which
united together to form that light are lost and hid from
our eyes. It is science only that has discovered to us
this fact. But when we take the prism, and cause this
apparently simple and uncompounded light to pass
through its sides, we are charmed with the beauty of its
rays, the richness and variety of its colors. So when
we turn away from the glass, which redemption holds up,
how many of the attributes of God are hid from us !
That it is which (as the prism separates and untwists the
rays of light) brings to light the hidden glories of the
Godhead. There it is. His justice and mercy, His holi-
ness and purity and love beam, and, like rays of light,
pour their effulgence on our astonished sight ; and the
Almighty shines forth in all the glory and beauty of
these attributes now manifested and revealed to His
creation." — Salter.
The eye is qualified to receive delightful impressions
from the objects of creation seen in reflected light. But
there is a point at which the eye fails, — the direct ap-
proach to the meridian sun. So it is with reason, — the
moral eye of man. It is qualified to examine the crea-
tion around us, and to draw arguments from observa-
tions on creatures ; but where it approaches God, it fails,
and must veil itself before the incomprehensible splendor
of that bright luminary. When any process takes place
upon the organs of the natural eye, enabling it to de-
light in a direct look at the sun, such process resembles
LLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 167
true, spiritual conversion, and then the individual is en-
abled to gaze on the eternal source of Life and love,
even 6rod Himself." — Ihid.
" ' If God be for us, who can be against us ?'—
When Antigonus was ready to engage in a sea-fight with
Ptolemy's armada, and the pilot cried out, ' Sow many
more they are than we /' the courageous king replied,
' ' Tis true if you count their numbers ; hut for how many
do you value me V One God is sufficient against all the
combined forces of earth and hell. We are, therefore,
commanded to cast all our care on Him, for He careth
for us." — Spencer.
"How MANY Gods are there?" was said to a little
boy. "One." " How do you know there is only one?"
" Because there is no room for more, for the one God
fills heaven and earth."
GOSPEL.— Matt. xxiv. 14 ; Mark i. 14; xvi. 15, 16
Luke ii. 10, 11; Acts xx. 24; Rom. i. 16; ii. 16 ; xv
29; 1 Cor. i. 17; ix. 17; 2 Cor. iv. 3-6; Gal. i. 8
Eph. i. 13 ; vi. 15, 19 ; Phil. i. 27 ; Col. i. 5 ; 1 Thess
i. 5; 2 Thess. i. 8 ; 1 Tim. vi. 3 ; 2 Tim. i. 10-13
Heb. iv. 2 ; James i. 25 ; 1 Pet. i. 24, 25 ; iv. 6 ; Rev.
xiv. 6.
Matt. xi. 5, " The poor have the Gospel preached to
them."
•* Think not that the beauties of this world are for the rich
and great alone. The illuminated drawing-room, the green-
house, and the hot-house, they are theirs : but the quiet moon-
light, the nightly heavens, with their multitude of shining
worlds ; the sun, spreading his splendor over a sky of cloudless
blue, or lighting up the clouds of evening, with a thousand gor-
geous hues ; the air, perfumed in its passage over fields and
168 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
heath ; the lovely flowers of the wild and hedge-row. — these are
provided by a beneficent God for rich and jioor alike. And
who would leave these for the painted gayeties of art ? So the
blessings of the Gospel are not for the learned alone. They may
taste the beauties of the inspired poetry better, and penetrate more
deeply into the few obscurities of Holy Writ ; but the comforts
of the Bible, — pardon of sin, reconciliation with God, peace
and holiness, and heaven, — these are for all ; these gladden the
heart of the laborer at his toil, of the patient of an hospital on
his dying bed. And beware, then, how thou quit these Divine
eonsolations for all that learning can offer." — Salter.
2 Cor. ii. 16, To the one, " we are a savor of death
unto death; and to the other, the savor of life unto
life."
" See here what different effects the Gospel hath upon the
children of men, even as the sun hath in respect of his hot
beams; i. «.. if it shines upon wax, it softens that; but if it
shines upon clay, it hardens that. Also, it shines upon a gar-
den, and causeth the herbs and flowers thereof to send forth a
fragrant scent; it shines upon a filthy dunghill, and what a
loathsome stench doth the same beam produce ! So the Gospel
Bun makes the hearts of believers soft and tender ; but it tends
(through sin and Satan's temptations) to make the hearts of
some wicked men more hard. ' The Gospel is a savor of life
unto life unto some, and of death unto death unto others.' *' —
Spencer.
1 Pet. i. 12, "Which things the angels desire to look
into."
'♦ The interest felt by the angels in all that concerns the Gos-
pel and the eternal interests of men, put on their probation,
form a very humbling contrast to our cold indifference in what
concerns us much more nearly than them. It is as if a ship,
nearing a lee-shore in the midst of tremendous breakers, while
every inhabitant of the neighboring coast was watching her
progress with beating hearts, and longing to see her delivered,
the passengers and crew should pursue their wonted amuse-
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 169
ments, or, hanging over the straining sides, idly speculate on
the number of billows, and sport with the raging foam. Alas !
with the hosts of heaven there is all sympathy and intense
interest : with perishing men, all apathy and madness." —
Christian Lady's Magazine.
" The Gospel is a plant which is not affected bj earthly
changes. It is the same in the temperate as in the tor-
rid zone, and as in the frigid. It does not s^eem to be
scorched by heats, or benumbed by cold. Age does not
diminish the freshness of its bloom ; soil does not affect
its nature ; climate does not modify its peculiar proper-
ties. Among the frost-bound latitudes of North America,
and the burning sands of Africa, or the fertile plains of
India, we find it still shooting up the same plant of re-
nown, the same vine of the Lord's right-hand planting,
the same 'tree of life,' raised up from the beginning of
time, * whose leaves were for the healing of the nations,'
and under which all kindreds, and tribes, and tongues,
and people shall one day rejoice, when privileged to take
shelter under its all-covering shade, and draw refreshing
nourishment from its perennial fruits." — Dr. Buff.
Greenland Mission. — " It is well known that the
Moravian missionaries in Greenland labored for several
years without any apparent success. They seem to have
thought, with many in the present day, that they should
first instruct the natives in the existence of God, the
creation of the world, the nature of their souls, kc. ; and
all this they did without exciting any degree of attention.
On one occasion, however, while one of these good men
was occupied in translating the Gospels, he was visited
by a number of these savages, who were desirous of
knowing the contents of the book. He began an address
15
170 ILLUSTRATIVE aATHERINGS.
to them by giving them some general scriptural instruc-
tion, and then slid into an account of the sufferings of
Jesus ; reacifiig them the account of His agony, and
speaking much of the anguish which made him sweat
great drops of blood.
" Now began the Spirit of God to work. One of these
men, named Kaiarnack, stepped forward to the table and
said, in an earnest and aiFecting tone, ' How was that ?
Tell me that once more, for I would fain be saved too.*
" Never had such language been heard from a Green-
lander before. A full statement of the Gospel was given.
This man became indeed converted to God, and eminently
useful. A change took place in the general character of
the preaching of the brethren, and their subsequent suc-
cess is well known.'*
GRACE.
Ascribed to God, 1 Pet. v. 10. Christ, Ps. xlv. 2 ;
John i. 14, 16, 17 ; Rom. v. 15. Holy Spirit, Zech. xii.
10 ; Heb. x. 29. Ps. Ixxxiv. 11 ; cxv. 1 ; Isa. xliii. 25 ;
Ezek. xxxvi. 32 ; Zech. iv. 7 ; Acts xx. 24 ; Rom. iii.
24; iv. 4 ; v. 8, 20, 21 ; vi. ; xi. 5, 6 ; 1 Cor. i. 4 ; xv.
10; 2 Cor. viii. 9; xii. 9; Eph. i. 6, 7 ; ii. 4-10; 2
Tip. i. 9 ; Titus ii. 11 ; Heb. iv. 16 ; xii. 15-28 ; 1 Pet.
i. 13; V. 5; 2 Pet. iii. 18; Jude 4; Rev. xxii. 21.
John XV. 29, " They hated me without a cause."
The word Scopsdv here used is the same as in Kom. iii. 24, " being
justified /reeZy by his grace ;" and affords an apt illustration of
Divine grace. As there was no cause in Christ that the Jews
should hate Him, so there was no cause in us ; no merit, no de-
sert that he should love us. Wickliffe's prayer was as expressive
Hs quaint, " Lord, save me ffratis."
Heb. xiii. 25, " Grace be with you all. Amen.'
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 171
2 Pet. iii. 18, "But grow in grace," &c.
Rev. xxii. 21, " The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
be with you all. Amen."
The last words of the three apostles, St. Paul, Peter, and
John (as their books stand in our Scriptures), are all of grace.
Tn their supposed chronological order, they speak of Christ (2
Tim. iv. 22; 2 Pet. iii. 18; John xxi. 25). Cf. Mai. iv. 6 (the
olose of the Old Testament and the New).
" As the word mercy ^ in its primary signification, has
relation to some creature, either actually in a suffering
state or obnoxious to it ; so grace^ in its proper and strict
sense, always presupposes unworthiness in its object.
Hence, whenever anything valuable is communicated, the
communication of it cannot be of grace, any further than
the person on whom it is conferred, is considered as un-
worthy by him who confers it. For. as far as any de-
gree of worth appears, the province of grace ceases,
and that of equity takes place. Grace and worthiness,
therefore, cannot be connected in the same act, and for
the same end. The one must necessarily give place to
the other, according to that very remarkable text, — ' If
by grace, then is it no more of works ; otherwise, grace
is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no
more grace ; otherwise work is no more work.' As an
elegant writer (Hervey) observes, * It is not like a fringe
of gold, bordering the garment : nor like an embroidery
of gold, decorating the robe ; but like the mercy-seat of
the ancient tabernacle, which was gold — pure gold — all
gold throughout.' " — Booth.
" The notion of free grace may make persons dissolute,
but the sense of it restrains from sin. . . . Saul was not
so free in persecuting Christ, as Christ was in pardoning
ITii ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Paul. The goodness of God respects our emptiness, the
grace of God our sinfulness, and the mercy of God our
unworthiness. There is grace in the desire of grace, as
there is sin in the desire of sin. Grace is an immortal
seed, cast into an immortal soil, that brings forth immor-
tal fruit." — Mason.
" If God (says Mr. Hooker) should make us an offer
thus large : — Search all the generations of men since the
fall of Adam, find one that has done only one action
which has past from him pure, without any stain or
blemish at all, and for that one man's only action, neither
men nor devils shall be tormented, — do you think any
one person could be found that has done one such per-
fect action ? We firmly believe not ; and if so, then all
must be of free grace. It is the peculiar glory of Gos-
pel grace to humble every believer in the dust, and from
gratitude and love to produce the best obedience." —
Venn.
" Had I all the faith of the patriarchs, all the zeal
of the prophets, all the good works of the apostles, the
constancy of the martyrs, and all the flaming devotion
of seraphs, I would disclaim them all in point of depen-
dence, and rely only on free grace. I would count all
but dung and dross when put in competition with the in-
finitely precious death and meritorious righteousness of
m}'' dear Saviour Jesus Christ ; and if ever a true and
lasting reformation of manners is produced amongst us,
it must (under the influence of the Eternal Spirit) be
produced by the doctrines of free grace. Till these
doctrines are generally inculcated, the most elegant
harangues from the pulpit, or the most correct disserta-
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 17^
tions from the press, will be no better than a pointless
arrow, or a broken bow." — Hervey.
" Holiness and diligence in all our lawful employ-
ments are not superseded by the freeness of God's grace ;
as, when a schoolmaster teaches a boy gratis, we all
know that the youth cannot attain to learning without
some application of his own, and yet it does not there-
fore cease to be free on the teacher's part ; nor is his
favor and kindness the less, because attention and dili-
gence are necessary on the part of the learner." — Br.
Arrowsmith.
" We are apt to suppose that God is such a one as
ourselves. If we wish to enjoy the patronage of a great
man, we very naturally think we must say or do some-
thing that may acquire his esteem, and recommend us to
his notice. Thus would we also treat with God ; when,
alas ! the plain truth is, we can have, and say, and do
nothing that He approves, unless He himself give it of
His free grace, and work it in us by His Spirit." —
Salter.
" Grace is the same Divine principle in all God's chil-
dren, how various soever it may seem on account of their
different tempers, abilities, or advancement in religion.
If you draw water out of one and the same well with
vessels of different metal, one of brass, another of cop-
per, a third of tin, and another of earth, the water may
seem at first to be of a different color, but when the
vessels are brought near to the eye, it is the same, and
the taste of the water has the same relish."
" Dei Gratia." — '* An officer, during an engagement,
received a ball which struck him near his waistcoat-pocket,
where a piece of silver stopped the progress of the
lb*
174 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
nearly spent ball. The coin was slightly marked at the
words ' Dei gratia.' This providential circumstance
deeply impressed his mind, and led him to read a tract,
which his beloved and pious sister gave him on leaving
his native land, entitled, • The Sin and Danger of Ne-
glecting the Saviour.' This tract it pleased God to bless
to his conversion. Truly the ways of God are wonder-
ful, and in none more than the salvation of sinners." —
Cope.
The Delusion. — A clergyman once represented the
conduct of awakened sinners towards God's offers of
gratuitous salvation thus : — " A benevolent and rich man
had a very poor neighbor, to whom he sent this mes-
sage, — 'I wish to make you the gift of a farm.' The
poor man was pleased with the idea of having a farm,
but was too proud at once to receive it as a gift. So he
thought of the matter much and anxiously. His desire
to have a home of his own was daily growing stronger ;
but his pride was great. At length he determined to
visit him who had made the offer. But a strange delu-
sion about this time seized him, for he imagined that he
had a bag of gold. So he came with his bag, and said
to the rich man, ' I have received your message, and
have come to see you. I wish to own the farm, but I
wish to pay for it. I will give you a bag of gold for it.'
*Let us see your gold,' said the owner of the farm.
' Look again, I do not think it is even silver.' The poor
man looked, tears stood in his eyes, and his delusion
seemed to be gone ; and he said, ' Alas ! I am undone ;
it is not even copper. It is but ashes. How poor I
am ! I wish to own that farm, but I have nothing to
pay. Will you give me the farm ?' The rich man re
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 175
plied, * Yes ; that was my first and only offer. Will you
accept it on such terms?' With humility, but with
eagerness, the poor man said, ' Yes ; and a thousand
blessings on you for your kindness.' " — Br. Plumer.
"Sammy's part." — There was a poor man whose in-
tell<3ctual faculties had not advanced in harmony with his
physical growth, and for this reason his infantile name
had been perpetuated in his manhood. But " God hath
chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the
wise."
" In a period of religious awakening, Sammy thought
himself a subject of the work, and, with others, presented
himself for admission to the Church. The office-bearers
hesitated, on the ground that he might not have sufficient
capacity to comprehend the doctrines of the Gospel,
and the evidences of conversion. They concluded, how-
ever, to examine him, and began with the subject of re-
generation.
" 'Do you think, Sammy,' said the pastor, *that you
have been born again ?'
" 'I think I have,' was the answer.
" ' Well, if so, whose work is that V
" 'Oh, God did a part, and I did a part."
" 'Ah, what part did you do, Sammy?'
" ' Why, I opposed God all I could, and He did the
rest.'
" The result of the examination was, that so far as they
could judge, the Holy Spirit had been Sammy's theo-
logical teacher, and had indeed created him anew in
Christ, 'not of works, lest any man should boast.' " —
Oliristian Treasury.
Rev. J. W. Fi etcher, of Madely.— " Having ren-
176 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
dered some services to Lord North, the Prime Minister,
during the American war, he received a polite communi-
cation from that nobleman, desiring to know if he stood
in need of anything which it was in his power to bestow.
Mr. Fletcher modestly replied, — * He was sensible of the
minister's kindness, but he only wanted one thing, which
he could not grant him, and that was more grace.' It is
a high attainment to prefer the grace of God to earthly
honors and emoluments. None but God, the author of
grace, can incline the heart to this." — Cope.
James Laing, a Scotch boy (whose history is related
in M'Cheyne's " Life,") when near death, Mr. Miller,
of Wallacetown, asked him, — " Would you like to get
better?" He answered, "I would like the will of
God." — Mr. M. ^' But if you were getting better, would
you just live as you did before ?" — James. " If God did
not give me His grace, I would."
GROWTH IN GRACE.— Job xvii. 9 ; Ps. xcii. 12 ;
Prov. iv. 18; Hos. vi. 3; xiv. 5-7; Mai. iv. 2; Luke
xvii. 5 ; John xv. 2, 8 ; Rom. i. 17 ; Eph. iv. 15 ; Phil,
i. 9 ; Col. i. 10 ; ii. 6, 7 ; 2 Thess. i. 3 ; Heb. v. 12-14 ;
vi. 1 ; 1 Pet. ii. 2 ; 2 Pet. i. 5-11 ; iii. 18.
Like Seed. — Growth after burial, John xii. 24 — im-
perceptible — sun — rain.
„ Trees. — Palm — cedar — vine, Ps. xcii. 12 ; Hos.
xiv. 5-7 (spreading in every direction —
downwards — upwards — on every side — grow-
ing as the lily, for beauty — the cedar, for
vigor, extent, and fragrance — the vine, for
fruitfulness )
„ A building.— E^h. ii. 20-22.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 177
Like The body. — Epli. iv. 15, 16 — by the propor-
tionate and gradual increase of every part.
„ The path of the sun. — Prov. iv. 18— gradually
rising to the meridian, though often hidden
by clouds and mists.
„ The possession of Canaan. — Obtained " by little
and little," Exod. xxiii. 29, 30; Josh,
xiii. 1.
„ Polishing metal — First there is an opaque, dark
substance, neither possessing nor reflecting
light; presently, as the polisher plies his
work, you will see here and there a spark
shooting forth ; then a broad surface of in-
creasing light, till, by-and-by, the workman
may see his own face clearly reflected as in
a sheet of glass.
„ The rising tide. — Imperceptible in its advances,
except when compared at some intervals —
apparently ebbing and flowing, and making
little way — amidst much fretting and foaming,
going back as often as advancing, yet really
making sure progress, until it has reached
the full height, and covered the shore.
There is nothing more fatal to piety than the idea
that it is a fixed point, — that conversion is safety. " I
am converted, and therefore I am safe."
We must estimate relatively — as we consider the bur-
den a man bears, as well as the pace he runs. '' Watch
and pray against failures," says Mrs. Hawkes ; '' but
take heed of desponding under them. Be content to
travel as you are able. The oak springs from the acorn,
but does not become a tree at once. Because the stage-
12
178 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
wagon cannot travel to York as fast as the stage-coach
can, would vou say it will never get there ? The mush-
room springs up in a night ; but what is a mushroom ?
Do not be satisfied to be a dwarf; but remember that
there must be time to grow."
Swelling and growing are things very frequently
confounded, yet essentially different. The one is the
effect of disease, the other the sign of health. There
may be a swelling of our hand or foot, or some other
part of the body, but this is unnatural. So there may
be an enlargement of the unrenewed mind in knowledge,
or zeal, or great pretensions ; but " knowledge puffeth
up." " Great swelling words of vanity" are the mark
of those who "walk after the flesh." (2 Pet. ii. 10, 18.)
Cecil says,—" Growth in grace manifests itself by a
simplicity, that is, a greater naturalness of character.
There will be more usefulness, and less noise; more
tenderness of conscience, and less scrupulosity ; there
will be more peace, more humility. When the full corn
is in the ear, it bends down because it is full."
Simeon. — " Religion, in its rise, interests us almost
exclusively about ourselves ; in its progress, it engages
us about the welfare of our fellow-creatures ; in its more
advanced stages, it animates us to consult in all things,
and to exalt, to the utmost of our power, the honor of
our God."
Newton has entered fully into the subject in his three
admirable letters, — Grace in the Blade; Grace in the
Ear ; Grace in the Full Corn in the Ear. The chief
characteristic marks he assigns to these three states are,
desire^ conflict^ and contemplation.
Of the first, — desire, he says, —
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 170
" A is not without knowledge, yet this state is
more usually remarkable for the warmth and liveliness
of the affections. On the other hand, as the work ad-
vances, though the affections are not left out, yet it
seems to be carried on principally in the understanding.
The old Christian has more solid, judicious, connected
views of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the glories of His
person and redeeming love. Hence his hope is more
established, his dependence more simple, and his peace
and strength (coeteris paribus) more abiding and uniform,
than in the case of a young convert ; but the latter has,
for the most part, the advantage, in point of sensible
fervency. A tree is most valuable, when laden with
ripe fruit, but it has a peculiar beauty when laden with
blossom. It is spring time with A. He is in bloom ;
and, by the grace and blessing of the Heavenly Hus-
bandman, will bear fruit in old age. His faith is weak,
but his heart is warm. He will seldom venture to think
himself a believer, but he sees, and feels, and does those
things which no one could unless the Lord was with him.
The very desire and bent of his soul is to God, and to
the Word of his grace. His knowledge is but small, but
it is growing every day."
Of the second, — conflict : —
" I apprehend that in the state of B, that is, for a
season after we have known the Lord, we have usually
the most sensible and distressing experience of our own
evil natures.
" By a variety of exercises through the overruling and
edifying influences of the Holy Spirit, B is trained up
m a growing knowledge of himself and of the Lord.
He learns to be more listrustful of his own heart, and to
180 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Buspect a snare in every step he takes. The dark and
disconsolate hours which he has brought upon himself in
times past make him doubly prize the light of God's
countenance, and teach him to dread whatever might
grieve the Spirit of God, and cause Him to withdraw
again. The repeated and multiplied pardons which he
has received increase his admiration of, and the sense
of his obligations to the rich, sovereign, abounding mercy
of the Covenant. Much has been forgiven him, there-
fore he loves much, and therefore he knows how to for-
give and to pity others. He does not call evil good, or
good evil ; but his own experience teaches him tender-
ness and forbearance. He experiences a spirit of meek-
ness towards those who are overtaken in a fault, and his
attempts to restore such are according to the pattern of
the Lord's dealings with himself."
Of the third, — contemplation : —
" C has obtained clearer, deeper, and more compre-
hensive views of the mystery of redeeming love, of the
glorious excellency of the Lord Jesus, in His person,
offices, grace, and faithfulness ; of the harmony and
glory of all the Divine perfections manifested in and by
Him to the Church ; of the stability, beauty, fullness,
and certainty of the Holy Scriptures ; and of the
heights, depths, lengths, and breadths of the love of God
in Christ. Thus, though his sensible feelings may not
be so warm as when he was in the state of A, his judg-
ment is more solid, his mind more fixed, his thoughts
more habitually exercised upon the things within the
vail. He grows especially in three things, —
^■' 1. Humility. — A and B know that they ought to be
humbled, but C is truly so. ... From the exercise
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERIN'SS. 181
of this grace he derives two others. . . . The one is
submission to the will of God. . . . The other is
tenderness of spirit towards his fellow-Christians. . . .
Here A is usually blameable ; the warmth of his zeal,
not being duly corrected by a sense of his own imper-
fections, betrays him often into a censorious spirit. But
C can bear with A likewise, because he hath been so
himself, and he will not expect green fruit to be ripe.
^'2. Spirituality.— ^Q has learned, with the apostle,
not only to suffer want, but (which is, perhaps, the harder
lesson) how to abound. A palace would be a prison to
him without the Lord's presence, and with this, a prison
would be a palace. From hence arises a peaceful reli-
ance upon the Lord. He has nothing which he cannot
commit into His hands, which he is not habitually aiming
to resign to His disposal.
" 3. A union of heart to the glory and will of God, is
another noble distinction of C.'s spirit Now, in
proportion as we advance nearer to Him, our judgment,
aim, and end, will be conformable to His, and His glory
will have the highest place in our hearts."
Ex. St. Paul. (See Humility.) St. Peter.— Of. his
history in the Gospels, — zealous but rash, warm but self-
confident ; in the Acts, — humbled after his fall, and
chastened in spirit ; — in the Epistles, — the ripened saint,
waiting for his departure, with calm peace and assured
hope. (Cf. also, the marks of humility, in the Gospel
of St. Mark, supposed to have been written under his
direction where, — "Everything tending to exalt himself
is omitted ; everything tending to lower himself is in-
serted." — GrresswelL) Nicodemus. — The three stages
of his advance in courage. — John iii. 1, 2 (came to Jesu3
182 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
by night) ; vii. 50 (defended Him before the Pharisees) ;
xix. 39 (took part openly in Christ's burial, when Hia
professed disciples held back through fear).
GUIDANCE, Divine.— Ex. xxiii. 20 ; 2 Chron. xx.
12 ; Ps. XXV. 9 ; xxxi. 3 ; xxxii. 8 ; xxxvii. 23 ; xlviii.
14 ; Ixxiii. 24 ; Prov. iii. 5, 6 ; xi. 3 ; xvi. 9 ; xx. 24 ;
Isa. XXX. 21 ; xlix. 18 ; Iviii. 11 ; Jer. x. 23 ; John x.
4 ; Acts xvi. 6, 7 ; 1 Thess. iii. 11.
There are three ways by which God guides His people.
—By (1) His Word, (2) His Providence, and (3) His
Spirit, Ps. cvii. 7. — " He led them forth by the right
way."
Though it was not the nearest way, nor the easiest way, nor
the safest way. But it was "the right way," — right, though
rough, Isa. Iv. 8, 9.
Israel of old was under God's peculiar guidance,
manifested in three different ways, — the pillar of cloud
and fire, to direct their general journeys; the Urim and
Thummim, for Aaron to consult, in particular cases
(Numb, xxvii. 21), and wise counselors, guided by God,
in individual and smaller matters, as Moses (Ex. xviii.
15 ; Numb. ix. 6-8, &c.), Hobab (Numb. x. 31). It is
remarkable that several cases occurred, where they acted
without consulting God, and always suffered for it. (See
Joshua ix. 14, 16 ; Numb. xiv. 40-45.)
With reference to the first of these modes of guidance,
Scott, the Commentator, says : —
" In allusion to this special guidance of Israel, many
pious persons use the expression, 'moving of the cloud,'
as denoting the providential and gracious direction which
God now affords His peo})le; and, doubtless, it is very
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 183
allowable thus to accommodate and apply these typical
passages to our own circumstances, provided it be done
with sobriety, judgment, and caution. But we should be
^careful not to introduce a new rule of duty ; or give oc-
casion to error, uncertainty, or enthusiasm, by a vague
and indeterminate use of such allusions. We are not
under the same evident infallible guidance that Israel
was ; the Word of God, soberly explained, is our only,
and our sufficient rule of duty ; and in understanding it,
and in applying general precepts to particular circum-
stances, good counsel, fervent prayer, and a careful
observance of Providence should be employed. Some
things are always our duty, When we have opportunity
and ability ; and these need no other direction. Other
things are lawful in themselves ; but it may be doubtful
whether, in our case and situation, they are advisable ;
that is, whether they are likely, all things considered, to
conduce to the glory of God and our own real good.
When, after mature consultation and fervent prayer, such
matters still remain doubtful^ the events of Providence,
yea, perhaps, a prevailing bias of mind — may be of some
weight in the decision, especially in cases where self-
denial must be exercised, and danger encountered. But,
when any undertaking is evidently wrong, or plainly
inexpedient, or unadvisable, in the opinion of impartial
judges, and yet the inclination leads that way, — in this
case, that which men call ' the moving of the cloud,' or
the opening of Providence, is generally no more than a
temptation of Satan. The suggestions of that enemy
are often mistaken for Divine impressions, and mer. fancy
they are following the Lord, when they are gratifying
184 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
tlieir own wayward inclinations." — Scott's Commentary^
Exod. xl.
" Take God into thy counsel. Heaven overlooketh
hell; God can at any moment see what plots are hatch-
ing there against thee." — GurnalL
" The Christian must in all his ways have three guides,
— Truth, Charity, and Wisdom ; Truth, to go before him ;
Charity and Wisdom, on either hand." — B^all.
'' I BELIEVE that wherever guidance is honestly and
simply sought, it is certainly given. As to our discern-
ment of it, I believe it depends upon the measure in
which we are walking in the light. One indulged sin
may so cloud the sky, that it spreads a mist, so that tc
see what God is doing is impossible."— JL. L. Newton.
How MAY WE EXPECT DlVINB GUIDANCE tO be MANI-
FESTED ? — See a striking letter of John Newton's
(" Omicron," Letter xxviii.)
Some look for direction by, —
1. The lot. — " It is true the Scriptures, and indeed
right reason, assure us, that the Lord disposes the lot ;
and there are several cases recorded in the Old Testa-
ment, in which lots were used by Divine appointment ;
but I think neither these, nor the choosing Matthias by
lot, are proper precedents for our conduct.
2. '' Some, when in doubt, have opened the Bible at a
venture, and expected to find something to direct them,
in the first verse they should cast their eye upon. It is
no small discredit to the practice, that the heathen who
knew not the Bible, used their favorite books in the same
way.
3. "A sudden strong impression of a text has been by
many accepted as an infallible token of Divine guidance."
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 185
But by this, a person may be unwarily misled into great
evils and gross delusions ; and many have been so. There
is no doubt but the Enemy of souls, if permitted, can
furnish us with Scripture in abundance, in this way, and
for these purposes.
4. " Some persons judge of the nature and event of
their designs by the freedom which they find in pra7/e7\''
But " self is deceitful, and when our hearts are much
fixed and bent upon a thing, they may put words and
earnestness into our mouths."
5. "A remarkable dream has sometimes been thought
as decisive as any of the foregoing methods of knowing
the will of God." But, though all these methods may
be, and have been, used by God, for communicating His
will, they are not the rule. " The promises are not made
to those who dream, but to those who watch."
Upon the whole, then, " in general, God guides and
directs His people, by affording them, in answer to
prayer, the light of His Holy Spirit, which enables them
to understand and to love the Scriptures. The Word of
God is not to be used as a lottery; nor is it designed to
instruct us by shreds and scraps, which, detached from
their proper places, have no determined import ; but it
is to furnish us with just principles, right apprehensions
to regulate our judgment and afi'ections, and thereby to
influence and direct our conduct In particular
cases, the Lord opens and shuts for them, breaks down
walls of difficulty which obstruct their path, or hedges
up their way with thorns, when tbey are in danger of
going wrong, by the dispensations of His Providence.
They know that their concernments are in His hands ;
they '*iro willing to follow whither and when He leads, but
186 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
are afraid of going before Him. Therefore, they are
not impatient ; because they believe, they will not make
haste, but wait daily upon Him in prayer ; especially
when they find their hearts most engaged in any purpose
or pursuit, they are most jealous of being deceived by
appearances, and dare not move farther or faster than
they can perceive His light shining upon their paths."
HABIT.
" One year's seeding, nine years' weeding." — Proverb.
" The diminutive chains of habit are generally too
small to be felt, till they are too strong to be broken.' —
Br. Johnson.
" How many habits and opinions do we begin from im-
pulse, and persevere in from indolence !" — Danhy.
" Like flakes of snow. — The seemingly unimportant
events of life succeed one another, as the snow gathers
together; so are our habits formed. A single flake pro-
duces no material change ; but, as the tempest hurls the
avalanche down the mountain, and overwhelms the in-
habitant and his habitation, so passion, acting upon the
element of mischief, which pernicious habits have brought
together by imperceptible accumulations, overthrows the
edifice of truth and virtue." — Jeremy Bentham.
'' Little habits drive nails into our coffins."
HAPPINESS.— Deut. xxxiii. 29 ; Job v. 17 ; Ps. i.;
xxxvi. 8; Ixiii. 5 ; Ixxiii. 25; cxxvii. 5; cxxviii. ; cxliv.
15 ; cxlvi. 5; Prov. iii. 13, 17 ; xiv. 21 ; xxviii. 14 ; xxix.
18; Hab. iii. 17-19; Luke xii. 15 ; Johnxiii. 17; Rom.
xiv. 22; Phil. iv. 10-12; James v. 11 ; 1 Peter iv
10-12.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 187
Some persons' happiness has no present tense. They
are always full of dark forebodings ; their sky is always
cloudpd.
" Happiness is not the end of life, but character is." —
BeecJier.
(See Character.)
" It is impossible to churn happiness out of a chest of
gold ; it will never come. You can never make unfading
crowns of fading flowers." — Case.
" He enjoys much who is thankful for little. A grate-
ful mind is a great mind." — Seeker.
" There are three things which, if Christians do, they
will find themselves mistaken : — If they look for that in
themselves, which can only be found in another, — perfect
.righteousness ; if they look for that in the Law, which
can only be found in the Gospel, — mercy ; if they look
for that on earth, which is only to be found in heaven, —
perfection." — P. Henry.
John Newton used to say, " I see in this world two
heaps, of human happiness and misery. Now, if I can
take but the smallest bit from the one heap, and add it
to the other I carry a point. If, as I go home, a child
dropped a halfpenny, and if, by giving to it another, I
can wipe away its tears, I feel that I have done some-
thing; and I should be glad indeed to do greater things,
but I will not neglect this."
Sydney Smith recommends it as a rule, to try to make
at least one person happy every day, and adds the cal-
culation, — Take ten years, and you will have made 3,650
persons happy, or brightened a small town, by your con-
tribution to the fund of general joy.
John Howard, the philanthropist, in the midst of his
188 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
constant perils and dangers, wrote from Riga, — *' I hopo
I have sources of enjoyment that depend not on the par-
ticular spot I inhabit ; a rightly cultivated mind, under
the power of religion and the exercise of beneficent dis-
positions, affords a ground of satisfaction little affected
by heres and theres.'*
Dr. Arnold exclaimed, on the review of the past, "I
have enjoyed almost a fearful amount of happiness."
H. Martyn. — " I fear I have not learned the secret
of true happiness — a poor and contrite spirit."
Sunshine. — " The day had been overcast ; suddenly
the sun shone out, and a little patch of sunshine bright-
ened the corner of the carpet. Immediately Tray got
up, and, with a wise look trotted to the bright place, and
laid himself in it. ' There's true philosophy,' said George ;
*only one patch of sunlight in the place, and the saga-
cious little dog walks out of the shadow to roll himself
in the brightness.' Let not Tray's example be lost upon
us ; but wherever there shall shine one patch of sunlight,
let us enjoy it." — Children 8 Paper.
HARDNESS OF HEART.— Ex. iv. 21 ; ix. 14 ;
xxxii. 9, 10 ; Josh. xi. 20; Jobix. 4; xvii. 4 ; Ps. Ixxxi.
12 (marg.); Prov. xxviii. 14; xxix. 1; Isa. xliv. 18 ;
xlviii. 4; Jer. v. 3; Ezek. iii. 7; xxxvi. 26; Mark iii.
5; vi. 52; xvi. 14; Rom. ii. 5; ix. 18; 1 Tim. iv. 2;
Heb. iii. 8-13.
" A reckless mind — a seared conscience — a hardened
heart; — one step more, and — a lost soul."
In believers
" There are times when the soul is conscious of such
excessive hardness, such absolute want of feeling, that
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. , 189
it is thankful to be wounded ; but no one else than God
could be trusted." — A. L. Newton,
'•^ Monday^ Dec. 27. — Hardness of heart still con-
tinued; occasionally in prayer obtained relief, but all
day long tormented with unbelieving thoughts, — the
cause of them evidently an inordinate desire of enjoying
sensible comfort." — Hewitsons Journal.
" God is said to harden the heart when He withholds
restraining grace, — to harden when He does not soften.
He is said to ma.ke blind when He does not enlighten, as
freezing and darkness follow upon the absence of the
sun, the source of light and heat." — Salter.
The Palimpsest. — Angelo Mario, a Jesuit librarian
at the Vatican, made the discovery many years ago, that
some of the ancient MSS. had more than one layer of
writing upon them. By certain chemical experiments,
he succeeded in making legible the ancient writing.
Archbishop Whately has suggested the theory, now gen-
erally admitted, that this was done on account of the
expensiveness or scarcity of parchment in the middle
ages. De Quincy, in his " Confessions," has given us a
chapter on the subject, applying it to signify different
layers of thought and emotion that have at different times
passed upon the heart, and become apparently covered
over completely with some other. So is it with the
hardened sinner. How many a layer of conviction after
conviction and partial reformations has he known, yet
Btill how thick a case covers his hardened heart !
"Past Feeling." — "A faithful pastor relates the
following fact : — ' I once entered a farm-house on a chilly
November evening, and spent an hour in personal reli-
gious conversation with its inmates. The aged father
190 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
of the family — a most kind and amiable man — followed
me to the door and stopped me at the porch. He took
me by the hand and most deliberately said, " I thank
you for this visit, and hope it will not be the last. As
you have just commenced your labors among us, I wish
to give you a word of advice, based on my own experi-
ence, — Let us old people alone, and devote your labors to
the youth of your flock. Forty years ago I was greatly
anxious about my soul. Many were then converted ; but
I was not one of them. And now for years I have not
had a single feeling on the subject ! I know that I am
a lost sinner. I know that I can only be saved through
Jesus Christ. I feel persuaded that when I die I am
lost! I believe all you preach, but I feel it no more
than if I were a block of marble. I expect to live and
die just as I am. So leave us to ourselves, and our sins,
and give your strength to the work of saving the young."
I remembered that incident, and watched the progress of
that man. His seat was rarely vacant in the sanctuary ;
but he was a true prophet of his own fate. He lived as
he predicted, and so he died. We laid him down at last
in his hopeless grave, in the midst of a congregation
over whom God had so often opened windows in heaven.'
He was joined to his idols; God let him alone." — Mev.
J. L. Cuyler.
Ex. Pharaoh, Sihon (Deut. ii. 30) ; Ahab, Zedekiah
(2 Chron. xxxvi. 13) ; Belshazzar (Dan. v. 20) ; Judas.
HARVEST.— Gen. viii. 22; Lev. xix. 9, 10; xxiii.
10-14; Deut. xxiv. 19; Ps. Ixv. ; Ixxxi. 13-16; cxxvi.
6 ; Prov. iii. 9 ; x. 5 ; Isa. ix. 3 ; xvii. 10, 11 ; Jer. v.
24, 25 ; Hosea ii. 8-22 ; Acts xiv. IT.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 191
Ex. xxxiv. 21. — " Six days shalt thou work, but on
the seventh day thou shalt rest ; in earing time and in
harvest thou shalt rest."
«* That is, * You shall not violate the Sabbath because it is
harvest' I have heard persons say, 'It has been six days very
wet ; the corn is standing, and Sunday happens to be a bright,
sunny day,' and they say, * We ought to go and cut down the
corn on the Sabbath-day.' Here is a provision for this very
possibility : God says, ' Even in harvest and earing time you
shall keep the Sabbath sacred to God.' And I have noticed,
although I admit my observation has been very limited, that
that man who has cut down his corn on the Sunday, in order to
get it in well, did not succeed one whit better in the long run
than he that observed the Sabbath as holy, and waited for
sunny week-days, in order to do his week-day work." — Dr,
Cumming,
Under the Jewish economy the law made very striking
provision that God should be acknowledged and honored.
Harvest was never to be commenced till the first-fruits
had been offered. (Lev. xxiii. 10-14.) No harvest was
to be reaped at' all in the sabbatical year, or the year of
jubilee ; teaching a lesson of trust. Under all circum-
stances, the Sabbath was to be observed (Ex. xxxiv. 21) ;
and the poor were to be kindly remembered. (Lev. xix.
9, 10; Deut. xxiv. 19.)
Diorama of the Harvest. — Who is not familiar with
the pleasing and shifting scenes of the diorama ? It is
a clever way of painting pictures, and letting the light
so fall on particular parts — in particular directions, and
sometimes throwing out more light, and sometimes less^
— that the objects seem to have different appearances at
different times. To arrange any picture for the diorama,
different lights are needed. Now God's " Word is a
192 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINaS.
Lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path." (Ps.
cxix. 105 ; 2 Cor. iv. 4.) Let us illustrate the harvest
by this method, and see what varying truths it presents
to the mind : —
1. To produce the first dioramic change in the harvest
picture, see it represented in the Word of God. We
must use those Scripture lamps, Matt. xiii. 1-9, 18-23 ;
Mark iv. 1-9, 14-20 ; Luke viii. 4-$, 11-15 ; Isa. Iv.
8-11. Here we see the Divine seed cast into different
places ; — the public path — that thin piece in the field,
near the gravel pit — there under the hedge, where the
thorns and thistles grew, but not the corn, and in the
wide, rich, fertile land.
2. Let a change come over our thoughts, and another
lamp be taken from God's Word. (Matt. xiii. 24-30,
36-43.) Immediately the bending stalks and the still
sheaves represent immortal souls ; but oh, how different !
— all prepared for the threshing, the winnowing, the
sifting, when only real good grain will remain, and the
rest be blown away, or burnt.
3. Take a third set of lamps. (1 Cor. xv. 35-45 ;
John xii. 24.) Thus shall it be with the raised and
changed bodies of Christ's own. How different to their
state now ! (Phil. iii. 21.)
4. A fourth change. (Matt. ix. 37, 38 ; John iv. 35.)
"Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields." Ask any
missionary what is their state, and he must have a dull
heart who cannot see openings for exertion by the
Church, and he must have a dull ear who does not hear
the cry, " Come over and help us."
A Christian Farmer. — ''Can I ever forget," says
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 193
the Rev. Y. Storr, " the yearly scene of Mr. Last's
"harvest-field ? On the ripe and golden grain telling that
it was time to put. in the sickle, intimation was given to
me that on such a morning, at such an hour, if God per-
mitted, my presence was requested in the harvest-field.
I attended at the time named, and found myself in a
group of twelve or fifteen men and lads, with their mas-
ter at their head, waiting to commence the gathering in
of the harvest. But on that farm the Lord of the
harvest must first be honored, ere any sickle be put in.
All heads were uncovered as the hymn was given out,
and we raised our united voices, emulative of the lark
who was caroling on high, in praise to Him who had
covered the valleys so thick with corn that they laughed
and sang. Prayer was then offered that God might
strengthen the hands of the reapers, and preserve them
from all evil, both of body and soul. On rising from
our knees the sickle was presented to me. I first put it
into the corn, and then in every direction they spread,
and busily bent to their pleasant task, going forth in the
name of the Lord. Thus the hallowing influence of that
good man extended to all that he undertook, and to all
over whom he had control. I have been assured by one
who worked for him for many years, that he never knew
an oath to have been sworn on that farm."
Leonard Keyser, who was burned at Scherding, in
1527, as a Protestant, when he came near to the stake,
exclaimed, as he looked at the crowd, " Behold the har-
vest ! Oh, Master, send forth thy laborers !"
The Hindoos, when gathering in their harvest, before
it is removed from the threshing floor, always put aside
17 18
19 i ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINaS.
a part for their gods. Do they not shame many — would
not truth say, most ? — living in a Christian country ?
HASTE. — Josh. viii. 19 ; Judges vii. 5. [Two marks
of good soldiers — ''hardy and hasty." — Matthew Henry.']
1 Sara. xxi. 8; Ps. cxix. 59, 60; Prov. xiv. 29; xxix.
20 ; Ecol. V. 2 ; Dan. ii. 15 ; Matt. v. 25 ; xxviii. 8 ;
Luke xiv. 21 ; John xi. 29 ; xiii. 27.
" Haste trips up its own heels."
" Haste makes waste, and waste makes want."
. "A fool's bolt is soon shot."
" Hurry is the mark of a weak mind ; despatch, of a
strong one." — Conduct of Life.
" Make a slow answer to a hasty question." — Ihid.
Wesley's maxim was a good one, — ''Always be in
haste, but never in a hurry."
Bacon", in his Essay on Despatch, says:- — " Affected despatch
is one of the most dangerous things to business that can be. It
is like that which the physicians call predigestion, or hasty
digestion, which is sure to fill the body full of crudities, and
secret seeds of diseases ; therefore, measure not despatch by the
time of sitting, but by the advancement of the business: and
as, in races, it is not the large stride, nor the high lift that makes
the speed, so, in business, the keeping close to the matter, and
not taking of it too much at once, procureth despatch. It is
the care of some only to come off speedily for the time, or to
contrive some false periods of business, because they may seem
men of despatch : but it is one thing to abbreviate by contract-
ing, another by cutting off; and business, so handled at several
sittings, or meetings, goeth commonly backward and forward
m an unsteady manner. I knew a wise man that had it for a
by- word, when he saw men hasten to a conclusion, 'Stay a little,
that we may make an end the sooner.' On the other side, true
despatch is a rich thing: for time is the measure of business, as
money is of wares ; and bu.<iness is bought at a dear hand where
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 195
tiiore is small despatch. The Spartans and Spaniards have been
noted to be of small despatch. ' Mi venga la muerte de Spagna ;'
' Let my death come from Spain,' for then it will be sure to be
long in coming."
The Broken Buckle. — "You have read in your own
history of that hero who, when an overwhelming force
was in full pursuit, and all his followers were urging him
to more rapid flight, coolly dismounted, in order to re-
pair a flaw in his horse's harness. Whilst husied with
the broken buckle, the distant cloud swept down in nearer
thunder; but just as the prancing hoofs and eager spears
were ready to dash down upon him, the flaw was mended,
the clasp was fastened, the steed was mounted, and, like
a swooping falcon, he had vanished from their view.
The broken buckle would have left him on the field a
dismounted and inglorious prisoner ; the timely delay
sent him in safety back to his bustling comrades. There
is in daily life the same luckless precipitancy, and the
same profitable delay. The man, who, from his prayer-
less awaking, bounces into the business of the day, how-
ever good his talents and great his diligence, is only
galloping on a steed harnessed with a broken buckle,
and must not marvel if, in his hottest haste or most haz-
ardous leap, he be left inglorious in the dust ; and though
it may occasion some little delay beforehand, his neigh-
bor is wiser who sets all in order before the march be-
gins." — Rev. James Hamilton.
An overworked clergyman gives these rules, as the
result of well-bought experience, for those who have much
work to do : —
1. Rise early, and thus gain time to be alone with
God., Begin the day well.
196 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
2. Form a strong resolution nevei' to he hurried.
3. Aim at great punctuality/ in all matters of business.
It is said of one of our Prime Ministers, that he had the
constant manner and spirit of a man who, having lost an
hour in the beginning of the day, was striving all the
rest of the twelve to overtake it.
4. Never undertake more than you can do. — Christian
Observer.
HEARING THE Word. — Isa. xxix. 13 ; Ezek. xxxiii.
30-33 ; Matt. vii. 24-27 ; xiii. 3-23 ; Mark iv. 9, 24 ;
xii. 37 ; Luke xvi. 29-31 ; xix. 48 ; John vi. 45 ; x. 3 ;
xii. 47, 48; Rom. x. 17; Eph. i. 13; 1 Thess..i. 5; ii.
13 ; 1 Tim. iv. 16 ; 2 Tim. i. 13 ; Heb. ii. 1 ; v. 11 ;
James i. 19-25 ; Rev. iii. 3 ; xxii. 17.
" The majority of hearers are better judges of exam-
Dies than of sermons.'*
A fire in a picture may afford amusement to the be-
holder, but it will not warm ; hearing sermons may amuse
the hearer, but cannot warm the heart, or do any good
to the soul, unless the Spirit of God attend it. This
shows the necessity of prayer before and after attending
the means of grace.
Assimilation. — Heb. iv. 2. Faith has been well
said to be the gastric juice of the soul. " The most whole-
some food is poison to the sickly stomach. Unless the
gastric juice be healthy, the best food cannot nourish.
That wonderful solvent, which God has provided, must
melt, separate, and dissolve the food, or. else it will not
assimilate ; it will not be digested, — ' carried through'
the system, — repairing its wastes, supplying fresh ele-
ments of combination for its various parts : feeding the
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 197
blood ; keeping that current of life full, and so by it
pouring into the furthest creeks of this wonderful body
the tide of health. Faith is to the soul what that won-
derful solvent is to the body ; without faith, * the Word
preached will not profit ;' unless mixed with ' faith in
them that hear,' it will be *the savor of death unto
death,' killing instead of nourishing. Without faith there
is no assimilation of Divine truth ; it never passes into
the system, never becomes part of the man, so as to
'nourish him up by the words of sound doctrine.' With-
out faith he is the sickly patient, starving in sight of
food, and lean and thin in the midst of plenty. Faith
turns traith into nourishment, — makes that which was but
a while since general and common, to become so entirely
a man's own as to be part of himself, worked into his
very being, incorporated with his own soul, and so nour-
ishing him unto eternal life, and making him grow, by
*the sincere milk of the Word,' from ' the new-born babe'
into * the young man,' and from ' the young man into
* the father,' — the man ' of full age,' who can digest 'the
strong meat,' — the deep things of God's Holy Word."
— Champneys' '''Floating Lights.''
Philip Henry used to recommend to his family and
friends, the practice of writing down notes of the ser-
mons they heard, and often referring to them, for their
benefit. He began the practice himself, when about
twelve or thirteen years old, when he heard some of the
best divines of that day, Burroughs, Marshal, Case,
Usher, &c., and kept it up till almost the year before
his death, making copious indexes, and often referring
to them.
[Whilst recommencing such a plan, two cautions may,
17 *
198 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
perhaps, however be added. (1.) Let the notes be
written after hearing the sermon, not during the time of
its delivery, which too much distracts the attention, and
hinders devotion. (2.) Let the notes be really referred
to afterwards from time to time, and not, as is too gene-
rally the case, when written, be laid aside, and, if not
forgotten, remain unused.]
" Pray for a soft heart and a retentive memory ; and
often speak together of the sermons you hear, and get
them harrowed into your hearts, that Satan may be
cheated, and your soul saved." — M^Cheyne.
Punctuality. — A woman, who was remarkable for her
always being at church before the time, being asked her
reason for being always so early, replied, " It is no part
of my religion to disturb the religion of others."
''You and Me." — "When attending the ministry of
a devoted servant of God," said one, "he once preached
upon the Diotrephesian spirit, in his usual faithful man-
ner ; and when he came to the application, brought the
subject home so closely, that I felt persuaded there was
some one who had been a peculiar trial to the Church.
Knowing the harmony there was in that Church, how-
ever, I felt puzzled, and said to a neighbor who sat near
me, and was an elder, ' Mr. L , who does Mr. S.
mean?' — 'You and me,' was the quick reply."
" There are four different kinds of hearers of the
Word," says Boston ; " those like a sponge, that suck up
good and bad together, and let both run out immediately,
— ' having ears, and hearing not;' those like a sand-glass,
that let what enters in at one ear pass out at the other,
' — hearing without thinking ; those like a strainer, letting
go the good, and retaining the bad ; and those like a
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 199
Bieve^ letting go the chaff, and retaining the good
grain."
*' Oh ! TO THINK THAT THEY can HEAR, AND WCntf'
— A poor old woman, who was so deaf that she could not
hear a word, was remarkable, notwithstanding, for her
constant attendance at the house of God ; and very for-
cible was her frequent exclamation of pity and true sor-
row, when she saw the carelessness and indifference of
the great mass of hearers, — " Oh ! to think that they can
hear, and won't !"
Always a Good Sermon. — Those who come away
from the house of God complaining (whether justly or not)
that they have heard a poor sermon, may remember that
they can always see a good one; — in the Church around
them, — God's house of prayer ; in the Bible before them,
— God's Word of love ; and in their own hearts within
them, — God's message to it^ ^'•Is thine heart rights'
Archbishop Leighton one day, returning from church,
saw a funeral coming. On reaching home, one who had
been confined to the house, inquired, " Well, have you
heard a good sermon ? "I have met a good sermon,"
was the reply.
Said, not Done. — "Is the sermon done?" it was
asked of one who returned from church sooner than usual.
"No, not yet," was the answer. "It is preached; but
it still remains to be done." James i. 22.
Rev. Ebbnezer Erskine. — " A lady who was present
at the commemoration of the Lord's Supper, where the
Rev. E. Erskine was assisting, was much impressed by
his sermon. Having inquired the name of the preacher,
she went next Sabbath to his own place of worship to
hear him ; but there, to her surprise, she felt none of
200 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
those strong impressions she experienced in hearing him
before. Wondering at this, she called on Mr. E., and.
stating the case, asked what, he thought, might be the
reason of such a difference in her feelings. He replied,
'Madam, the reason is this: last Sunday you went to
hear Jesus Christ; to-day you have come to hear Ehc-
nezer Urskine.
HEART, THE.— Gen. vi. 5; Deut. v. 29; xxx. 6; 1
Sam. X. 9 ; xvi. 7 ; 1 Kings iv. 29 ; viii. 61 ; 1 Chron.
xxix. 17; Ps. xii. 2; xxxiv. 18; li. 17; xc. 12; cxix. 32;
Prov. xiv. 10; xv. 13; xvi. 1, 5; xxi. 1; xxii. 15;
xxviii. 26; Isa. xliv. 20; Jer. iii. 10; xvii. 9, 10; Ezek.
xi. 19-21; xxxvi. 26; Hosea ii. 14 (marg.); Matt. v.
8; xii. 34; xv. 8, 9, 19; xxii. 37; Acts xvi. 14; Rom.
X. 10; Eph. iv. 32; vi. 6; Col. iii. 23; Heb. iii. 12;
iv. 12.
Prov. iv. 24, " Keep thy heart with all diligence ; for
out of it are the issues of life."
"Above all keeping." (Marg.) *'Keep our hearts from do-
ing hurt, and getting hurt; from being defiled by sin, and dis-
turbed by trouble; keep them as our jewels, as our vineyard !
keep our conscience void of ofience; keep out bad thoughts, and
keep up good thoughts; keep the affections upon right objects,
and within due bounds." — Matthew Henry.
" As the virtue of a strong spirituous liquor evaporates by
degrees in a bottle which is not closely stopped, in like manne*
the life and power of the Spirit insensibly vanishes away, if the
heart be not kept with all diligence." — Salter.
Ps. li. 17, " The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and a contrite heart, God, thou wilt not de-
gpise."
It is the crushed olive that yields the oil, — the pressed grape
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 201
that gives us wine. It was the smitten rock that gave tie peo-
ple water. Thyme and the palm are said to grow the strongest
when pressed down. So is it the broken, contrite heart that is
most rich in holiness, and fragrant in grace.
Prov. xxiii. 26, "My son, give me thine heart."
For two reasons : — Because, — 1. Unless the heart be given,
nothing is given ; Hos. vii. 14; Matt. xv. 8, 9. 2. If the heart
be given, all is given ; 2 Chron. xxx. 13-20. — Rev. Hugh Stowell.
The GREATEST DIFFICULTY in conversion is to win the
heart to God ; and the greatest difficulty after conversion
is to keep the heart with God. Even a gracious heart is
like a musical instrument, which, though it be exactly
tuned, a small matter brings it out of tune ; yea, hang it
aside but a little, and it will need setting again before
you can play another lesson on it." — Flavel.
Luther used to say, — " I am more afraid of my own
heart than of the Pope and all his cardinals. I have
within me the great pope, self.''
Rutherford.—'' Every man blameth the devil for his
sins ; but the great devil, the house-devil of every man
that eateth and lieth in every man's bosom, that idol that
killeth all, is himself. Oh, blessed are they that can
deny themselves, and put Christ in the room of them-
selves !"
An Ant's Nest. — A corrupt heart is like an ant's nest,
on which, while the stone lieth, none of them appear ; but
take oiF the stone, and stir them up but with the point of a
straw, you will see what a swarm is there, and how lively
they be. Just such a sight would thy heart afford thee,
did the Lord but withdraw the restraint he has laid upon
it, and suffer Satan to stir it up by temptation.
*' There is in every man's heart, as in a desk, a se-
202 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
cret drawer; the only thing .s to find the spring, and
open it."
" Rude without, bnt Rich within." — ^' The heart
of many a poor neglected Christian, is as if we opened
some rude sea-chest, brought by a foreign ship from dis-
tant lands, which, though it have so rude an outside, is
full of pearls, and gems, and diamonds."
The Pope's Answer. — When a statute was made, in
the reign of Elizabeth, that all the people should attend
the church, the Papists sent to Rome to know the plea-
sure of his Holiness. lie returned for answer, " Tell the
Catholics in England to give me their hearts^ and the
Queen may take the rest." We cannot but applaud this
shrewd reply of the Pope, which should teach us the im-
portant lesson that, without the heart, all profession is
vain and unstable.
The Dusty Parlor. — " Then he took him by the
hand, and led him into a very large parlor that was full
of dust, because never swept ; the which, after he had
reviewed a little while, the Interpreter called for a man
to sweep. The dust began so abundantly to fly about,
that Christian had almost therewith been choked. Then
said the Interpreter to a damsel that stood by, ' Bring
hither water and sprinkle the room ;' the which, when
she had done, it was swept and cleansed with pleasure.
"Then said Christian, 'What means this?'
" The Interpreter answered, ' This parlor is the heart
of a man that was never sanctified by the sweet grace
of the gospel ; the dust is his original sin and inward
corruptions that have defiled the whole man. He that
began to sweep at first is the Law ; but she that brought
the water, and did sprinkle it, is the Gospel. Now,
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 203
whereas thou sawest that so soon as the first began to
sweep, the dust did so fly about that the room by him
could not be cleansed, but that thou wast almost choked
therewith ; this is to show thee that the Lsw, instead of
cleansing the heart (by its working) from sin, doth re-
vive, put strength into, and increase it in the soul, even
as it doth discover and forbid it, for it doth not give
power to subdue it. Again, as thou sawest the damsel
sprinkle the room with water, upon which it was cleansed
with pleasure ; this is to show thee, that when the Gospel
comes in, with its sweet and precious influences thereof
to the heart, then I say, even as thou sawest the damsel
lay the dust, by sprinkling the floor with water, so is sin
vanquished and subdued, and the soul made clean, through
the faith of it, and, consequently, fit for the King of
Glory to inhabit.' " — Pilgrims Progress.
Sir Walter Raleigh. — At his execution, the execu-
tioner asked him if his head lay right on the block ?
" It matters little, friend," was Sir Walter's answer,
"how the head lay, if the heart be right."
The Rev. W. B. Johnson, missionary at Sierra Leone,
went one day to see one of his converts, who was dying,
and asked him, — "How is your heart now ?" " Master,"
said the dying Christian, "my heart no live /ierenow, —
my heart live there .'" pointing upwards.
The Best Present. — The three sons of an Eastern
lady were invited to furnish her with the proof of their
love, before she went a long journey from home. One
brought her a marble tablet, with the inscription of her
name ; another brought a garland of sweet, fragrant
flowers ; while the third entered her presence, and said,
"Madam, I have brought neither marble nor flowers. —
204 ILLUSTRATIVE^ GATHERINGS.
I have neither ; but I have a heart, and here your name
is engraved, — your memory is precious. This heart, full
of aifeotion, will follow you wherever you travel, and re-
main with you wherever you go." Need it be asked
which present was most precious to the mother ? As well
might we ask whether Orpah's kiss and departure, or
Ruth's cleaving, "Entreat me not to leave thee," were
dearer to Naomi.
The ALPHABET of good and bad hearts — A good exer-
cise for a Sabbath-school, — find out from Scripture, texts
and examples of good and bad hearts, answering to each
letter of the alphabet.
The Scoffer Changed. — When Whitfield was preach-
ing at Exeter, a man who was present had filled his
pockets with stones, intending to throw them at the
preacher. He heard the first prayer with patience,
meaning to wait till the sermon. No sooner was the
text announced, than he pulled out a stone ; but God sent
the sword into his heart. The stone soon fell to the
ground ; and, after the sermon, the man went up to
Whitfield, confessing his intention, and saying, " Sir, I
came here, intending to give a broken head, but God has
given me a broken heart." The man became afterwards
an eminent Christian.
The Child's Garden. — ''The poor little girl knew
not what to do next. The sun was high, the day was
getting hotter, and she was tired — tired. She almost
wished she had not pleaded so hard for leave to make a
garden in that waste corner of ground, where the grass
walk ended and the fir wood began.
" It lay close by a pond for water-flowers, and a rock-
work for plants that did not recpire much earth. Among
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 205
the wild weeds that grew in it, there was one tall crimson
foxglove, and a lilac orchis as sweet as musk. These
would do well among the flowers, she had thought; and
then there were heath and ferns all the way back into
the wood.
"But it seemed now as if the hoe and rake were never
to make way. When she began, it looked only like a
few hours' work, and yet this was the third morning of
her labor. Why? There was a great stone under the
soil, and the tools struck upon it. Cover it as she would
with spadefuls of red earth ; do her best to stick roots in
the softer places ; water it again and again, the bare,
ugly stone was always corning through; and the very
first shower showed her that all her work was useless.
" The gardener smiled when he was brought ; but when
he came again, with his iron pick, he set cruelly to work.
No advice would he take from the little worker, — no en-
treaty would he listen to. Down he struck, deep into
the soil.
" How the ground shook as the split rock gave way !
How it heaved, as roots and shallow earth were cast into
the air, — her garden spoiled, for altogether now, she
thought !
"Nor could she have believed, had she not stood by
and seen it, how well an old, kind hand works, and how
quickly. He let her help him to smooth all down again
into the flat bed, and plant the roots, too, where they
now could grow; and he promised to bring her more
plants, some all in flower, and to come and see how she
got on, as she tried to do what a child may — to watch
and weed a little plot, to dress and to keep it.
" What does the Bible mean when it says, 'I will take
18
206 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
the stony heart out of your flesh?' It means that there
is in your heart something that makes it as hard for you
to be good, as that great stone in that little piece of
ground made it hard to turn it into a garden where
flowers would grow. Did your heart ever give you as
much trouble as that?" — Children 8 Missionary Record
of the Free Church,
HEATHEN.
Mr. Jay and John Newton were one day conversing
about the conversion of the heathen, when the latter
pointedly observed, in answer to some remark, *' My
dear brother, I never doubted the possibilit}^ of the con-
version of the heathen since God converted me."
Another striking answer was made by a pious clergy-
man, in reply to a question about the heathen, — " If
ever you get to heaven," said he, "I am sure you will
either find many there, or you will find a good reason
why they are not there. ' Shall not the Judge of all the
earth do right?' "
HEAVEN.-Gen. xxviii. 17; 1 Kings viii. 27; Ps.
xi. 4; xvi. 11; Ixxiii. 25; Isa. Ixvi. 1; Jer. xxiii. 24;
Matt. vi. 9; vii. 21; xxv. 34; xxviii. 18; Luke xii. 37;
John xiv. 1; 1 Cor. ii. 9; vi. 9; xiii. 12; 1 Tim. vi. 15;
Heb. ix. 12, 24; 1 Pet. i. 21 ; Rev. vii. 15-17.
Figures of, — A garner. Matt. iii. 12; a kingdom,
Eph. V. 5; 2 Pet. i. 11; the better country (literally, a
fatherland)^ Heb. xi. 16 ; a city, Heb. xi. 16 ; a temple,
llev. iii. 12; vii. 15; an inheritance, 1 Pet. i. 3; a
father's house, John xiv. 2 ; rest, Heb. iv. 9 ; Canaan,
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 207
Heb. iv. ; Jerusalem, Heb. xii. 22 ; the tabernacle, Heb.
viii. 2; ix. 24; SaMath, Heb. ix. 9; (marg.)
"Heaven's gates are wide enough to admit of many
sinners, but too narrow to admit of any sin." — HoweU.
"Heaven's gates are not so highly arched as princes'
palaces ; they that enter them must enter them upon
their knees."
"Heaven is a day without a cloud to darken it, and
without a night to end it. In heaven there is the pre-
sence of all good, and the absence of all evil. As
heaven is kept for the saints by Christ, so they are kept
f6r heaven by the Spirit. If we live with God here be-
low, we shall live with Him above ; we must change our
place, but not our employment. In heaven all God's
servants will be abundantly satisfied with His dealings
and dispensations ; and see how all conduced, like so
many winds, to bring them to their haven ; and how
even the roughest blast helped to bring them homeward.
In heaven God will never hide His face, and Satan never
show his. Grace and glory diifer but as the bud and the
blossom; grace is glory begun, and glory is grace per-
fected. We may hope for a place in heaven, if our
hearts are made suitable to the state of heaven." — J.
Mason.
" If I were to choose whether I would go immediately
to heaven, or remain longer here, I believe I should
choose the former; but then I believe it would be rather
to avoid being thought a fool, and to be rid of the vexa-
tions I meet with here, than from love to Christ and a
desire of the company and delights of heaven." — Adam»
Private Thoughts.
"Gcd'=; house is a hospital at one end, and a palace
208 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS
at the other. In the hospital end are Christ's members
upon earth ; conflicting with various diseases, and con-
fined to a strict regimen of His appointing. What sort
of a patient must he be, who would be sorry to know
that the hour is come for his dismission from the hos-
pital, and to see the doors thrown wide open for his ad-
mission into the King's presence !" — Ihid.
" As A DEAD MAN Cannot inherit an estate, no more
can a dead soul (and every soul is spiritually dead until
quickened and born again of the Holy Ghost) inherit the
kingdom of God. Yet sanctification and holiness of life
do not constitute any part of our title to the heavenly
inheritance, any more than mere animal life entitles a
man of fortune to the estate he enjoys. He could not,
indeed, enjoy his estate if he did not live ; but his claim
to his estate arises from some other quarter. In like
manner, it is not our holiness that entitles us to heaven ;
though no man can enter into heaven without holiness.
God's gratuitous donation, and Christ's meritorious right-
eousness, constitute our right to future glory; while the
Holy Ghost, by inspiring us with spiritual life (of which
spiritual life, good works are the evidences and the act-
ings), puts us into a real capability of fitness for that
inheritance of endless happiness, which otherwise we
could never, in the very nature of things, either possess
or enjoy." — Salter.
"Our past lives will, when we attain the perfection
of our being, be present to us again. . . A traveler,
who sets out upon a line of road, sees, we will suppose, a
given object before him, as he advances ; he comes up
with that object, and it is present ; he proceeds, and
o-isses it, and sees it no more. But let the traveler bo
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 209
elf^vated Into the air, or ascend a mountain, and the
whole line of progress which, as he journeyed, was
measured out in gradual succession, becomes all at once
present to him again. So with respect to the passenger
through time. While here below, he reached and passed
his several stages, one by one ; but, when ascended to
his eternal state, he may look down and see the whole
path of life before him." — Woodward.
The Three Steps. — *'It's a very simple way to
heaven," said a poor, unlettered man, "if people would
but take it. There are only three steps ; out of self —
into Christ^nto glory."
The Three Wonders. — There will be three things
which will surprise us, when we get to heaven ; one, to
find many there that we did not expect to find there ;
another, to find some not there whom we had expected ;
a third, and, perhaps, the greatest wonder, will be to find
ourselves there.
Dr. Payson wrote : — " Once I had a dream of being
transported to heaven, and was surprised to find myself
so calm and tranquil in the midst of its happiness. I in-
quired the cause, and was answered, ' When you were on
earth, you were a bottle but partly filled with water; now
are you like the same bottle filled to the brim, which
cannot be disturbed.' "
Robert Hall and Wilberforce. — " My chief con-
ception of heaven," said Robert Hall, "is perfect rest;"
"and my idea," said Wilberforce, "is perfect love."
Hall was nearly always suffering from bodily pain ; Wil-
berforce enjoyed life, and was all amiability. May not
the two combined give us as perfect an idea of heaven
as we can well have here ?
18^ 14
210 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
The Three Great Puritan Writers, in like manner,
have each given us their conceptions of the eternal state,
according to their own peculiar cast of mind and circum-
stance : — Owen's last work was his Meditation " On the
Glory of Christ;" and, in many parts of it, he seems
almost to echo the praises of the heavenly worshipers.
We may say of his work, as Bunyan says of his pilgrim,
" Drawing near to the city, he had yet a more perfect
view thereof." Baxter's great production was his
" Saints' Everlasting Best ;" and who can wonder that
his idea of heaven, like Robert Hall's, was that of rest,
when almost his whole life was one prolonged disease ?
Howe's conceptions of " the blessedness of the right-
eous" were, like himself, stately and majestic.
To these we must add, —
Bunyan' s description of the Celestial City and Chris-
tian's entrance into it : —
'' Now, while they were thus drawing towards the gate,
behold, a company of the heavenly host came out to meet
them, to whom it was said by the other two shining ones,
• These are the men "that have loved our Lord, when they
were in the world, and that have left all for His holy
name, and He hath sent us to fetch them ; and we have
brought them thus far on their desired journey, that they
may go in and look their Redeemer in the face with joy.'
Then the heavenly host gave a great shout, saying,
^ ' Blessed are they that are called to the marriage supper
of the Lamb.' There came out also at this time to meet
them several of the King's trumpeters, clothed in white
and shining raiment, who, with melodious noises and loud,
made even the heavens to echo with their sound. These
trumpeters saluted Christian and his fellow with ten
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 211
thousand welcomes from the world ; and this they did
with shouting and sound of trumpet.
" This done, they compassed them round on every
side. Some went before, some behind, and some on the
right hand, some on the left, as it were to guard them
through the upper region, continually sounding as they
went, with melodious noise, in notes on high, so that the
very sight was, to them that could behold it, as if heaven
itself was come down to meet them. Thus, therefore,
they walked on together, and as they walked, ever and
anon these trumpeters, even with joyful sound, would,
by mixing their music with looks and gestures, still sig-
nify to Christian and his brother how welcome they were
into their company, and with what gladness they came
to meet them. And now were these two men, as it were,
in heaven, before they came at it, being swallowed up
with the sight of angels, and with hearing their melodi-
ous notes. Here also they had the city itself in view,
and they thought they heard all the bells therein to ring,
to welcome them thereto. But, above all, the w^arm and
joyful thoughts that they had about their own dwelling
there with such company, and that for ever and ever,
oh ! by what tongue or pen can their glorious joy be
expressed! Thus they came up to the gate. Now,
when they were come up to the gate, there was written
over it, in letters of gold, ' Blessed are they that do his
commandments, that they may have right to the tree of
life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.' '*
HEAVENLY-MINDEDNESS.— Ps. Ixxiii. 23-26;
Matt. vi. 10; Eph i. 3 ; ii. 6 ; Phil. i. 21, 23; iii. 20;
212 ILLUSTRATIVE GAIHERINGS.
Col. iii. 1-3; Heb. xi. 10, 14-16; xii. 22-24, 28; 1
John iii. 1-3.
Many persons wish to enjoy heaven at last, but have
no wish to be made heavenly-minded yet.
" Dust, by its own nature^ can rise only so far above
the road, and birds, which fly higher, never have it upon
their wings. So the heart that knows how to fly high
enough, escapes those little cares and vexations which
brood upon the earth, but cannot rise above it into that
purer air." — Beeclier.
" Happy moments there are sometimes in the experience
of the spiritual Christian, when such are his views of the
desirableness of heaven, that he feels as if he should be
glad to break down the prison walls of his spirit, and let
her go forth into the liberty of her eternal felicity. The
celebrated John Howe once had such a view of heaven,
and such a desire to depart, that he said to his wife,
' Though I think I love you as well as it is fit for one
creature to love another, yet if it were put to my choice,
whether to die this moment, or live through this night,
and living this night would secure the continuance of life
for seven years longer, I would choose to die this mo-
ment.'" — J. A. James,
" Let thy hope of heaven moderate thy affections to
earth. 'Be sober and hope^' saith the Apostle. (1 Pet.
i. 13.) You that look for so much in another world may
very well be content with a little in this. Nothing more
unbecomes a heavenly hope than an earthly heart. You
would think it an unseemly thing to see some rich man,
that hath a vast estate, among the poor gleaners in har-
vest time, as busy to pick up the ears of corn that are
left in the field, as the most miserable beggar in the
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 213
company. Oh, how all the world would cry shame of
Buch a sordid-spirited man ! Well, Christian, be not
angry if I tell thee that thou dost a more shameful thing
thyself by far, if thou that pretendest to hope for heaven
beest as eager in the pursuit of this world's trash as the
poor carnal wretch is, who expects no portion but what
God hath left him to pick up in the field of this world.
Certainly, thy hope is either false, or at best but very
little. . . It is Sculteus's observation, that though
there are many blemishes by which the eminent saints
and servants of God, recorded in Scripture, are set forth,
as instances of human frailty, yet not one godly man in
all the Scripture is to be found whose story is blotted
with the charge of covetousness. If that hold true,
which, as yet, I am not able to disprove, we may wonder
how it comes about that it should now-a-days be called
the professor s sin, and become a common charge laid by
the profane upon those that pretend to heaven more than
themselves. Oh, woe to those wretched men who, by
their scandalous practices in this kind, put the coal into
wicked men's hands, with which they now black the names
of all the godly, as if to be covetous were a necessary
consequence of profession." — Crurnall.
Air Balloon. — " I once," said the Rev. C. Simeon,
" saw the ascent of an air balloon ; it was bound to the
earth by eight cords. As the process went on of filling
with gas, it seemed struggling to get free, and striving
to break the bonds which kept it down. At length one
string was cut, and immediately the part at liberty was
lifted from the earth ; the second and third were loosened,
till, the last being snapped asunder, it rose majestically
towards he*iven, showing thereby its high destination
214 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
and evincing the object for which it struggled to get free.
' There, there,' said Mr. Simeon, 'is a picture of the mind
I would fain possess, — a mind whose affections are in
heaven, — a mind filled with the Spirit, — and, in propor-
tion as it is filled, demonstrating its character by its ar-
dent aspiring and earnest longings after its heavenly in-
heritance ; thus, as the cords are cut which bind the soul
to earth, it will rise in heart and afi'ection to the region
where it fain would be.' "
" The Heavenly Henry." — So heavenly-minded and
spiritual was Philip Henry, that the vox popuU fastened
upon him this name, and by it he was known all the
country over. He was remarkable especially, says his
biographer, for three things: — 1. Great piety and devo-
tion, and a mighty savor of godliness in all his converse.
2. Great industry in the pursuit of useful knowledge.
He was particularly observed to be very inquisitive when
he was among the aged and intelligent, hearing them,
and asking them questions; a good example to young
men, especially young ministers. 3. Great self-denial,
self-diffidence, and self-abasement. This eminent humility
put a lustre upon all his other graces.
HEIRS, Christians. — Matt. xxv. 34 ; Acts xx. 32 ;
xxvi. 18; Rom. iv. 13; viii. 14-17; Gal. iii. 29; iv.
1-7 ; Eph. i. 14 ; iii. 6 ; Heb. i. 14 ; vi. 17 ; xi. 8-10 ;
James ii. 5 ; 1 Pet. i. 4 ; iii. 7.
"Christ hath many heirs, but no successors." — Wat-
son.
" A Christian is like a young nobleman who, in go-
ing to receive his estate, is at first enchanted with the
prospect; — though, in course of time, much of this wears
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 215
off, yet a sense of the value of the estate grows daily." —
Newton.
" The heir of a great estate, while a child, thinks
more of a few shillings in his pocket than of his inheri-
tance ; so a Christian is often more elated by some frame
of heart than by his title to glory." — Ibid.
^'NoT UNTO us." — "When the famous King of Eng-
land demanded of his nobles by what title they held
their lands, — ''What title?' At the rash question, a
hundred swords leaped from their sheaths, and the cry
arose, *By these we won, and by these we will keep
them !' How diiferent the scene which heaven presents !
All eyes are fixed on Jesus. Every look is love ; grati
tude glows in every bosom, and swells in every song
Now, with golden harps, they sound the Saviour's praise,
and now, descending from their thrones, to do Him hom-
age, they cast their crowns in one glittering heap at the
feet which were nailed on Calvary. Look there, and
learn in whose name to seek salvation, and through whose
merits to hope for it. For the faith of earth is just a
reflection of the fervors of heaven ; this is the language
of both, ' Not unto us, Lord, not unto us, but unto thy
name, give glory.' " — Dr. Guthrie.
Believers must be fitted for their inheritance. Many
a laboring man has been proved by a cunning or skillful
lawyer, to be the heir to some large estate, and he has
taken possession ; but his sudden riches have proved
sudden misery; the man was out of his element. So
would the sinner be in heaven, were it given him as a
free gift, — were he not first made "meet to be partaker
of i\ie inheritance of the saints in light."
A King's Daughter. — "A poor, but pious v/oman
216 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
called upon two elegant young ladies, who, regardless of
her poverty, received her with Christian affection, and
sat down in the drawing-room to converse with her upon
religious subjects. While thus employed, a brother, a
dashing youth, by chance entered, and appeared aston-
ished to see his sisters thus engaged. One of them in-
stantly started up, and exclaimed, ^Brother, don't be
surprised; this is a king's daughter, though she has not
yet got her fine clothing.' " — Cope.
HELL.— Ps. ix. 17 ; Isa. xxx. 33 ; xxxiii. 14 ; Matt.
iii.l2; x. 28; xiii.42; xxv. 41; Mark ix. 43-49 ; Luke
xvi. 23 ; 2 Pet. ii. 4 ; Jude 6 ; Rev. xiv. 10, 11 ; xx.
10, 15.
" The place where all hate all."
" Truth seen too late." — Cecil.
'' The road to hell is paved with good intentions."
The region of eternal remorse. There needs no more.
"Which way I turn is hell, — myself am hell."
We read of no music in hell, nor of the spirits there
being clothed. There is no light, but the blackness of
darkness for ever.
" Every sin here is an imitation of the devil, and cre-
ates a kind of hell in the heart." — Harvey.
" A CHILD had continued playing in the open air, till
his hands became livid with cold. At length, he rushed
into the house, and holding them to the fire, experienced
acute pain, which is the usual consequence of subjecting
benumbed limbs suddenly to the influence of heat. Gott-
hold pitied the little fellow, and then remarked, ' Many
and bitter are the pains which prey upon the human
body in this world. There are head- aches, tooth-aches,
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 217
tiar-aches, and aches in every limb, more numerous than
can be told. If, however, even in time, and for man's
correction, a righteous God subjects him to sufferings so
great, what must be the case in hell, where He pours upon
the reprobate the full measure of His wrath ? In the
present instance, as we see, the pain proceeds from the
conflict of heat and cold ; even so it will be in hell. The
victims there will burn with everlasting flames, and at
the same time wail and chatter with their teeth. Nor
can there be any comparison between the brief anguish
of this child and the torments which shall endure for
ever. But so intent are children upon their play, that
they neither feel the present cold, nor fear the future
pain. And w^e, who are older, act a similar part. We
pursue the folly of the word, — permit ourselves to be
beguiled by its paltry pleasures, and all too easily forget
the penalties which follow sin, both in time and in eter-
nity. Ah! may God subject me to any amount of suffer-
ing in the present life that may exempt me from the pains
of hell hereafter.' " — GotthoMs JEmblems.
Antonio Guevazi used to say, that heaven would be
filled with such as had done good works (through faith in
Christ), and hell would be filled with such as had intended
to do them.
" ' Mai/ 15. — Day of visiting — rather a happy one —
in Carronshore. Large meeting in the evening. Felt
very happy after it, though mourning for bitter speaking
of the Gospel. Surely, it is a gentle message, and should
be spoken with angelic tenderness, especially by such a
needy sinner.'
" Of this bitterness in preaching, he had little indeed
in after- days; yet, so sensible was he of its being quite
218 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
natural to all of us, that oftentimes he made it the sub-
ject of conversation, and used to grieve over himself if he
had spoken with anything less than solemn compassion.
I remember on one occasion, when we met, he asked
what mj last Sabbath's subject had been. It had been,
' The wicked shall be turned into hell.' On hearing this
awful text, he asked, * Were you able to preach it with
tenderness r Certain it is that the tone of reproaching
and upbraiding is widely different from the voice of
solemn warning. It is not saying hard things that pierces
the consciences of our people ; it is the voice of Divine
love, heard amid the thunder. The sharpest point of the
two-edged sword is not death, but life ; and, against self-
righteous souls, this latter ought to be more used than
the former. For such souls can hear us tell of the open
gates of hell, and the unquenchable fire, far more uncon-
cernedly than of the gates of heaven, wide open for their
immediate return. When we preach that the glad tidings
were intended to impart immediate assurance of life eter-
nal to every sinner that believes them,, we strike deeper
upon the proud enmity of the world to God, than when
we show the eternal curse and the second death." —
M'Cheyne.
Colonel Charteris. — The guilty Colonel Charteris,
when dying, exclaimed, in great remorse, " I would gladly
give ^30,000 to have it proved to my satisfaction that
there is no such place as hell."
Dr. Bellamy, in his last sickness, was much oppressed
with gloom, and was for a time in despair of his own
salvation. "Alas," said he, "that I, who have labored
£or others, should be myself a castaway!" "My dear
brother," said a friend, " if God should send you to hell.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 219
what would you do there ? "What Tvould you do among
the spirits of the lost?" "I would tell them," was the
answer, after a moment's thought, "I would tell them for
ever that Jesus is precious."
HIDING or GOD'S FACE.— Judges xvi. 20 ; Job
xxiii. 8, 9; xxxiv. 29; Ps. xiii. ; xxii. ; xxx. 7; Ixxxix.
46 ; Cant. iii. 1-4 ; v. 6 ; Isa. i. 15 ; viii. 17 ; xl. 27-
31; xlv. 15; 1. 10, 11; Ezek. xxxix. 29; Micah vii. 7
-9 ; Mark vi. 48-51.
Cf. Joseph to his brethren. Gen. xlii. 7, 8.
David to Absalom, 2 Sam. xiv. 24, 28, 32.
" A father's frowns are but the graver countenance
of love." — Qowper.
" It seems to me that while the ministers of the
Church, and elders, have committed to them the keys of
discipline for the correction of open and outward delin-
quencies, the Great Head of the Church himself admin-
isters, directly and immediately, discipline, in the way
of suspending from, not the outward use, but the inward
enjoyment of Gospel ordinances, and thus in awful reality
inflicting the sentence of excommunication for a season,
in the case of those who may have incurred the unseerx
guilt of hardness of heart, stiffness of neck, murmuring,
and other inward spiritual offences." — Hewitson.
Little Sins. — " You need not break the glasses of a
telescope, or coat them over with paint, in order to pre-
vent you from seeing through them. Just breathe upon
th^m, and the dew of your breath will shut out all the
stars. So it does not require great crimes to hide the
light of God's countenance. Little faults can do it just
as well. Tnke a shield, and cast a spear upon it, and it
220 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
will leave in it one great dent ; pick it all over with a
million little needle-shots, and they will take the polish
oiF it far more than the piercing of the spear. So it is
not so much the great sins which take the freshness from
our consciences, as the uumberless petty faults which we
are all the while committing." — BeecJier.
" I BELIEVE that there is a great difference between a
believer's not being able to see Jesus, because of tempo-
rary mists before his eyes, — Jesus all the while being
there, — and his not being able to see Him, because for a
season He has departed and gone. Temporary mists
generally become dispelled in a very short season, but
Christ's withdrawals are more serious, and cause deeper
suffering to the soul. There is no bitterer work than
seeking for a departed Christ — a Christ that has gone
because He has been driven away." — Potver.
" I KNOW, as night and shadow are good for flowers,
and moonlight and dews are better than continual sun,
so is Christ's absence of special use, and it hath some
nourishing virtue in it, and giveth sap to humility, and
putteth an edge on hunger, and furnisheth a fair occasion
for faith to put forth her hand, and lay hold on what she
seeth not." — Rutherford.
^'By God's withdrawing from His people, He pre-
vents His people withdrawing from him ; and so by an
affliction, he prevents sin ; for God to withdraw from me
is but my affliction, but for me to withdraw from God, —
that is my sin ; and, therefore, it were better for me that
God should withdraw a thousand times from me, than
that I should once withdraw from God. (Heb. x. 38,
39.) God, therefore, forsakes us that we may not for-
sake our God. God sometimes hides himself, that we
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 221
may cleave the closer to Him, and hang the faster upon
Him ; as the mother hides herself from the child for a
time, that the child may cleave the closer, and hang the
faster upon her all the day long. God sometimes hid
himself from David ; ' Thou didst hide thy face, and I
was troubled.' (Ps. xxx. 7.) 'I was all but dead.'
Well, and is that all ? No ; ' I cried to Thee, Lord ;
unto the Lord I made my supplication.' (Ver. 8.) Now,
he cries louder, and cleaves closer to God than ever." —
Brooks's '^ Mute Christian.' '
" When a believer is in darkness, and endeavors tc
reason against his unbelief, he will find all his reasoning
but lost labor. There is only one thing he can do to
purpose, and that is, simply to cast anchor on God's
naked promises." — 3fadan.
" God does not always frown, lest we should be cast
into despair. God does not always smile, lest we should
be careless, and presume." — Owen.
Texts for comfort. — Gen. xxviii. 16. (God is some-
times nearer than his people think. Cf. Gen. xxi. 16,
19; Lukexxiv. 16, 31.) Ps. xxxvii. 23, 24; cxii. 4;
Isa. xlix. 14-23 ; liv. 7-17 ; Jer. xxxi. 3, 20 ; Lam. iii.
31, 32 ; Hosea xi. 8 ; Micah vii. 9, 19 : John x. 27-29 ;
xiii. 1 ; Rom. xi. 29 ; Heb. xiii. 5, 6.
HIDING-PLACE. Christ, a.— Ps. xxxii. 7; cxix.
114 ; Isa. xxxii. 2.
" It was once asked of a Mohammedan caliph, ^If the
canopy of heaven were a bow, and the earth the cord
thereof, if calamities were the arrows, and mankind the
marks of them, and if the Almighty and Unerring God
were the Archer ; to whom should the sons of men fly
19 *
222 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
for protection V The caliph answered, * The sons of
men must fly unto the Lord.' "
Isle of Wight. — " Some parts of the coast abound
with caves. In one of these, a short time ago, was found
the body of a poor Frenchman. He had been a prisoner,
and had escaped from prison, and for a long time con-
cealed himself there, probably in the hope of escaping
by some vessel which might pass. Many a weary day
passed, however, and he still remained a prisoner ; till
at last, not venturing to leave his retreat, he perished
from want. So is it with those who seek refuge in in-
sufficient hiding-places. ' They make lies their refuge,
and under falsehood hide themselves.' (Isa. xxviii. 15.)
Alas, how often they find out their mistake when it is
too late !"
HOLINESS.— Ex. xix. 6 ; xx. 8 ; Lev. xix. 2 : xxi.
6 ; xxvii. 14 ; Deut. vii. 6 ; Ps. xxx. 4 ; xciii. 5 ; xcvi.
9 ; xcix. 3, 5, 9 ; ex. 3 ; cxlv. 17 ; Isa. vi. 3 ; xxxv. 8 ;
lii. 11 ; Iviii. 13 ; Ixii. 5, 12 ; Ixiv. 11 ; Jer. ii. 3 ; Obad.
17 ; Mark vi. 20 ; Luke i. 75 ; John xvii. 17 ; Rom. vi.
13, 19, 22 ; vii. 12 ; xii. 1 ; 1 Cor. iii. 17 ; 2 Cor. vi.
17, 18 ; vii. 1 ; Eph. iv. 22-24 ; v. 25-27 ; Col. i. 22 ;
1 Thess. iv. 7; 1 Tim. ii. 8; iv. 12; Titus ii. 3; Heb.
xii. 10, 14 ; 1 Pet. i. 14-16 ; ii. 5 ; 2 Pet. iii. 11 ; Rev.
iv. 8 ; XX. 6 ; xxii. 11.
^Ayco^, holy, from a, neg., and y^, the earth, i. e.,
separated from the earth, unearthly, or from dyo^, a thing
sacred, tynp, holiness, from wip, was hallowed, set apart,
consecrated. " Holy," Angliee, comes from the Saxon,
halig, the same root as whole, all ; the sense being sound,
unimpaired, entire. Thus we may collect the true idea,
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 223
— that which is wholly and entirely set apart, and con-
secrated, — that which is no longer of this world. (Rom.
viii. 5 ; 1 Thess. v. 23.)
The Old Testament was full of types and shadows of
the nature and necessity of holiness, —
Cf. All the sacrifices^ burnt- offerings, &c.
The divers washings of persons and things — water
of purification, &c.
The anointings.
Distinction of meats — clean and unclean.
The laws for cleansing from ceremonial defile-
ment.
Spoils taken in battle, to be purified. (Numb.
xxxi. 21-24.)
The leper s examination — confinement — and
cleansing.
Aaron s mitre, — inscribed with, " Holiness to the
Lord."
The Nazarite. — As the leper was the living type
of sin and death, so the Nazarite was designed
to be, of holiness and life. The word means,
the separate one, and the vow he took was for
separation to the Lord. 1. There was entire
abstinence from wine and strong drink, i. e.,
from whatever would hinder his spiritual em-
ployments. 2. The hair was to be unshorn —
a type of entire subjection to the Law, — as
having no control over his own condition. 3.
He must have no contact with the dead — no
fellowship with whatever so visibly bears the
mark of wreath against sin. 4. When his con-
secration was finished, he must bring the whole
224 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
round of offerings, to show that, after all, he
had nothing to boast of. (Isa. Ixiv. 6; Luke
xvii. 10.)
Also, most of the sudden deaths and awful judg-
ments inflicted:— Nadab and Abihu. (Lev. x.
1-3.) Korah and his company. (Numb, xvi.)
Uzzah. (2 Sam. vi.) The constant and severe
punishments of idolatry, &c., &c.
The History of Holiness. — It is instructive to trace
ft, in connection with man's redemption. It may be
viewed as past, present, and future : —
Past. — Eternal councils of the Trinity — Election —
Creation in God's image — the promise of holiness re-
stored after the Fall — Jewish ordinances (see above) —
Christ's incarnation. . . .
Present. — Spirit of holiness given to the Church —
Spiritual law — holiness the character of the Church. . .
Future. — Isa. Ixii. 5, 12; Zech. xiv. 20 ; Rev. vii. 13,
14 ; xix. 8.
Christianity and Heathenism. — While the heathen
had their gods of wisdom, gods of battle, gods of beauty,
&c., they had no god of holiness, nor are their sacred
laws holy laws.
The image of God, in the creature, is holiness. Power
is his hand and arm ; Omniscience, his eye ; Mercy, his .
bowels ; Eternity, his habitation and resting-place ; but
Holiness is his glorious beauty. This David desired to
see. (Ps. XX vii. 4; xc. 17.) His justice is part of his
holiness, whereby He reduces into order those things
which are out of order. It is the crown of all His at-
tributes, the life of all his decrees, the brightness of all
His actions." — Salter.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. ZZh
" Grace is of a stirring nature. It will show itself
in holiness and good works ; it will walk with you, and
talk with you, in all places and companies ; it will buy
with you, and sell with you, and have a hand in all your
actions. It is a sad thing when believers are off their
guard — when they profess to have been on the Mount,
as Moses really was, and yet, like him, they no sooner
come down, than they turn, and break the command-
ments."
"A Christian should letv us see his graces walking
abroad in his daily conversation ; and if such guests are
in the house, they will often look out of the windows,
and be publicly seen abroad, in all duties and holy ac-
tions." — Gurner.
" Holiness — as I then wrote down some of my con-
templations on it — appeared to me to be of a sweet,
pleasant, charming, serene, calm nature, which brought
an inexpressible purity, brightness, peacefulness, and
ravishment, to the soul ; — in other words, that it made
the soul like a field or garden of God, with all manner
of pleasant flowers and fruits, — all pleasant, delightful,
and undisturbed, — enjoying a sweet calm, and the gentle,
vivifying beams of the sun. The soul of a true Chris-
tian (as I then wrote my meditations) appeared like such
a little, white flower as we see in the spring of the year,
— low and humble on the ground, — opening its bosom to
receive the pleasant beams of the sun's glory ; rejoicing,
as it were, in a calm rapture, difl'using around a sweet
fragrance, standing peacefully and lovingly in the midst
of other flowers round about, all, in like manner, opening
their bosoms to drink in the light of the sun. There
was no part of creature holiness that I had so great a
15
226 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
sense of the loveliness of, as humility, brokenness of
heart, and poverty of spirit; and there was nothing that
I so earnestly longed for. My heart panted after this,
— to be before God, as in the dust ; that I might be as
nothing, and that God might be all; that I might be-
come a little child." — J, Udwards.
'' To Lady Kenmure. — Madam, for your own case, I
love careful, and withal doing complaints of want of
practice ; because I observe many who think it holiness
enough to complain, and set themselves at nothing, as
if to say, 'I am sick,' would cure them ; they think com-
plaints a good charm for guiltiness. I hope you are
wrestling and struggling. I urge upon you. Madam, a
nearer communion with Christ, and a growing commu-
nion. There are depths of love in Christ beyond what
we have seen ; therefore, dig deep, and labor, and take
pains for Him ; and set by so much time in the day for
Him as you can. He will be won with labor." — Ruth-
erford.
"We FIND persons acquainted with the fundamental
doctrines of religion, and we are glad. But a year after-
wards we converse w^ith them again, and find them just
the same. Two years elapse, and we come into contact
with them again, but still no progress can be perceived,
till at length the sight of them reminds us of a piece of
woodwork in the form of a tree, rather than a living
production of nature, for there are no fresh shoots, nor
any new foliage to be seen ; on the contrary, the very
same modes of speech, the very same views and senti-
ments upon every point, and the same limited sphere of
spiritual conception ; no enlarged expansion of the in-
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 227
ward horizon ; not a single addition to the treasury of
Christian knowledge." — Salter.
^' When courtiers come down into the country, the
common home-bred people possibly think their habits
strange ; but they care not for that. ' It is the fashion
at Court.' What need, then, have the godly to be so
tender-foreheaded, to be out of countenance because the
world looks on holiness as a singularity ? It is the only
fashion in the highest Court, — yea, of the King of kings
himself." — Salter,
M'Cheyne. — Few servants of God have ever been
more eminent for the purity and constancy of a holy
character. His biographer says : — " At Jedburgh, the
impression left was chiefly that there had been among
them a man of peculiar holiness. Some felt, not so
much his words, as his presence and holy solemnity, as
if one spoke to them who was standing in the presence
of God; and to others his prayers appeared like the
breathings of one already within the vail After
his death, a note was found, unopened, which had been
sent to him in the course of the following week, when he
lay in the fever.. It ran thus : — 'I hope you will pardon
a stranger for addressing to you a few lines. I heard
you preach last Sabbath evening, and it pleased God to
bless that sermon to my soul. It was not so much what
you said, as your manner of speaking, that struck me.
I saw in you a beauty in holiness that I never saw before.
You also said something in your prayer that struck me
very much. It was, " Thou know^est that we love Thee."
Oh, Sir, what would I give that I could say to my blessed
Lord, " Thou knowest that I love Thee !" ' "
''What is Holiness?" — At one of the Bagged
228 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
schools in Ireland, a clergyman asked the question,
"What is holiness?" After some pause, a poor Irish
convert, in dirty, tattered rags, jumped up, and said,
"Plaise, your Riverence, it's to be clane inside."
Judas. — " Why was Judas chosen to be an apostle ?"
Speaking reverently, was not one reason, that the choice
supplied a powerful and indirect evidence of the purity
and holiness of our Lord's character ? When our Lord
was accused by the Jews, if anything could have been
proved against Him, Judas would have been the witness
to prove it. He had lived with Him, and seen His daily
life. The very fact that he never came forward to give
evidence against the Lord is a clear proof that he could
not. As Anselm says, — " Judas is chosen, that the Lord
might have an enemj'' amongst His domestic attendants ;
for that man is perfect who has no cause to shrink from
the observation of a wicked man conversant with all his
ways."
The Magnet. — "You may shake the magnetic needle
from its position, but it returns again, the moment you
leave it to itself. In like manner, believers may fall into
sin, and deviate from the line of duty, but no sooner
have they leisure for reflection than they endeavor to
amend, and resume a life of godliness." — Grotthold.
HOME.— Luke ix. 57-62. (Home hindrances.)
A modern writer has designated home as " Heaven's
fallen sister," and a delightful truth lies shrouded in the
title. A Christian home should be a heaven begun on
earth ; the happy abode of warm and loving hearts, —
thinking, working, and sorrowing together ; all melted
down by grace, and uniting together in love.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
229
Luke vii. 12-15.
Luke viii. 41, 42, 49-56.
John xi.
The three persons whom
our Lord raised from
the dead, it has been
well observed, were,
an only son, an only
daughter, and an only
brother. Did not the
Saviour intend, in this,
to put a peculiar honor
upon the social rela-
tionships of life ?
" A Lamp," writes M'Cheyne, *' is a very small thing,
and it burns calmly, and without noise, and it giveth
light to all who are within the house," and so there is a
quiet influence, which, like the flame of a scented lamp,
fills many a home with light and fragrance. Such an in-
fluence has been beautifully compared to " a carpet, soft
and deep, which, while it diff'uses a look of ample com-
fort, deadens many a creaking sound. It is a curtain,
which, from many a beloved form wards off" at once the
summer's heat and the winter's wind. It is the pillow
on which sickness lays its head, and forgets its misery."
Its influence falls as the refreshing dew, the invigorating
sunbeam, the fertilizing shower. It shines with the mild
lustre of moonlight, harmonizing, with its pale, soft
tints, many of the discordant hues which the stronger
light of day reveals.
*' Our Duties are like the circle of a whirlpool, and
the innermost circle is home."
" The road to home happiness is over the stepping-
stones which lie above the brook of daily discomforts."
" Two Christians met at a crossing on a Monday
20
230 ILLUSTRATIVE GATIIERmOS.
morning. Both were parents. As was natural, the con-
versation turned upon the services of the preceding day
The first speaker opened by saying, * We had a sermon
from our minister last night on the religious instruction
of children. Why didn't you come and hear it ?' 'Be-
cause,' said the other, '1 was at home doing it!''' —
Christian TreasurT/.
She always made Home Happy." — Epitaph in a
churchyard, inscribed by a husband after sixti/ years of
wedded life.
Home Yearnings. — How natural ! " I long to see
home," says the sailor, from the mast-head, when the
ship rocks to and fro from the violence of the storm.
" I am going home," thinks the shopman, when he bars
his heavy doors, and closes his heavy windows at night,
tired with the labors of the day. " I must hurry home,"
says the mother, whose heart is on her baby in the cradle.
" Oh, how I long to get home I" says the schoolboy, dis-
consolate over the hopeless task. " Don't stop me ; I
am going home," says the bright-eyed girl, skipping
along the foot-path. And " almost home," says the dy-
ing Christian. " I shall soon be home, and then no more
sorrow nor sighing for ever." '' Almost home."
Learning at School, and Unlearning at Home. —
'' It was a source of much trouble to some fish to see a
number of lobsters swimming backwards, instead of for-
wards. They, therefore, called a meeting, and it was
determined to open a class for their instruction, which
was done, and a number of young lobsters came ; for the
fish gravely argued that if they commenced with the
young ones, as they grew up they would learn to swim
aright. At first they did very well, but afterwards, when
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 231
they returned home, and saw their fathers and mothers
swimming in the old way, they soon forgot their lessons.
So, many a child, well-taught at school, is drifted back-
wards by a had home influence.'' — Bible Class Magazine.
HONESTY.— Gen. xliii. 12; Lev. xix. 13; Deut.
xxiv. 14, 15 ; Ps. xv. 4 ; Mai. iii. 5 ; Matt. vii. 12 ; Rom.
xii. 17 ; xiii. 8 ; 2 Cor. viii. 21 ; 1 Tim. ii. 2 ; James ii.
8 ; V. 4.
r. rr- -r rr* ' Thrcc miraclcs to commend
2 Kings VI. 5-7.
}
Matt. xvii. 24-27. i ^''"'''^-
'' ' Honesty is the best policy,' but he who acts upon
this principle is not an honest man." — Archbishop
Whately.
Honesty Rewarded. — A farmer called on the Earl
Eitzwilliam, to represent that his crop of wheat had been
seriously injured in a field adjoining a certain wood,
where his Lordship's hounds had, during the winter, fre-
quently met to hunt. He stated that the young wheat
had been so cut up and destroyed that, in some parts, he
could not hope for any produce. "Well, my friend,"
said his Lordship, " I am aware that we have frequently
met in that field, and that we have done considerable
injury, and if you can procure an estimate of the loss you
have sustained, I will repay you." The farmer replied,
that, anticipating his Lordship's consideration and kind-
ness, he had requested a friend to assist him in estimating
the damage, and they thought that as the crop seemed
quite destroyed, .£50 would not more than repay him.
The Earl immediately gave him the money. As the
harvest, however, approached, the wheat grew, and in
232 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
those parts ol the field which were most trampled, the
corn was strongest and most luxuriant. The farmer went
again to his Lordship, and, being introduced, said, "lam
come, mj Lord, respecting the field of wheat adjoining
such a wood." His Lordship immediately recollected-
the circumstance. •' Well, my friend, did not I allow
you sufficient to remunerate you for your loss ?" "Yes,
my Lord, I find that I have sustained no loss at all, for
where the horses had most cut up the land, the crop is
most promising, and I have, therefore, brought the ^50
back again." "Ah," exclaimed the venerable Earl,
" this is what I like. This is as it should be- between man
and man." He then entered into conversation with the
farmer, asking him some questions about his family, —
how many children he had, &c. — His Lordship then went
into another room, and, returning, presented the farmer
with a cheque for XlOO, saying, " Take care of this, and
when your eldest son is of age, present it to him, and tell
him the occasion that produced it." We know not which
to admire — the benevolence or the wisdom displayed by
this illustrious man, who, while doing a noble act of gen-
erosity, was handing down a lesson of integrity to an-
other generation.
HONOH.— 1 Sam. ii. 30 ; ix. 6 ; 1 Chron. iv. 9 ;
Ps. xlix. 12-20; cxlix. 9; Prov. iii. 16: xv. 33; Mai.
i. 6; John v. 44; 1 Cor. xii. 22-25; 2 Cor. vi. 8 ; 1
Tim. V. 3.
Temple of Honor. — "The only entrance to, in Rome,
was through the Temple of Virtue."
The Shadow. — Honor is like a shadow, because (1),
it flies from those who follow it; (2), it follows those who
ILLUSTIIATIVE GATHERINGS. 233
fly from it (Mark vii. 24) ; (3), it varies in its position, —
sometimes it stalks before us, sometimes it comes by our
side, sometimes it follows behind ; so some obtain honor
before they have earned it, from their wealth, lineage, &c.
The shadow is larger than the body which follows it.
Others are the companions of their own honor, and en-
joy well-merited fame, but only at one side, because there
are always some who delight to pare the edges from the
best deserved reputation ; there are others who march
with unflinching hearts to the altar of virtue, and are
followed by the shadow of a reputation they have well
deserved, but the shadow only becomes visible when envy
expires with their life.
Diogenes was not in the wrong, who, when the great
Alexander, finding him in the charnel-house, asked him
what he was seeking for, answered, " I am seeking for
your father's bones, and those of my slave, but I cannot
find them, because there is no difference between their
dust."
The Rev. H. Martyn, after gaining the highest posi-
tion the University could bestow, writes : — " x obtained
my highest wishes, but was- surprised to find that I had
grasped a shadow."
HOPE.
in life. — Ps. xxii. 9 ; xxxiii. 18 ; xxxix. 7 ; xlii.
5 ; cxix. 43, 49, 81, 116 ; cxxx. 7 ; cxlvi. 5 ; Prov. x.
28; Eccl. ix. 4; Jer. iii. 23; xiv. 8; xvii. 5-8; Lam.
iii. 24-26; Hos. ii. 15; Zech. ix. 12; Rom. iv. 18; v.
4, 5; viii. 24, 25; xii. 12; xv. 4, 13 ; 1 Cor. 0, ^0;
xiii. 7, 13 XV. 19; 2 Cor. i. 7; Gal. v. 5; Col. i. f^
20
234 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
27; 1 Thess. i. 3; ii. 19; Titus i. 2; ii. 13; Heb. iii,
6 ; vi. 11, 18-20 ; 1 Peter i. 3, 13 ; 1 John iii. 3.
in death. — Ps. xvi. 8-11 ; Prov. xiv. 32 ; Luke
ix. 51 ("received up" Jesus, before death, was as one
"looking across the waters," through the grave and
joyful gate of death, to resurrection and ascension, cf.
Ileb. xii. 2) ; Acts xxiv. 15 ; 1 Thess. iv. 13-18.
of the wicked. — Job viii. 13 ; xi. 20 ; xxvii. 8 ;
Prov. x. 28 ; xi. 7 ; Isa. xxviii. 14-20 ; Zech. xi. 5-8 ;
cf. V. 12 ; Eph. ii. 12.
Emblems. — An anchor cast within the vail (Heb. vi.
19) — a helmet (1 Thess. v. 8) —the rainbow of promise
upon the dark cloud of sorrow — spring following winter's
Btorms, and preceding summer's sunshine and autumn's
fruit.
"The night is mother of the day,
And winter of the spring ;
And ever upon old decay,
The greenest mosses cling.
Behind the cloud the starlight lurks;
Through showers the sunbeams fall;
For God, who loved all His works.
Has left us hope with all."
There is no condition so low but may have hope, and
none so high as to be out of the reach of fear.
Hope — " The last thing that dies in man." — Di-
ogenes.
Pandora's Box. — " The poet Hesiod tells us that the
miseries of all mankind were included in a great box, and
that Pandora's husband took off the lid, by which means
all of them came abroad ; but hope remained still at
the bottom. Thus hope is the principal antidote which
keeps our heart from bursting under the pressure of evils,
ILLUSTRATIVE S^ATHERINGS. 235
and is that flattering mirror that gives us a prospect of
some great and alluring good. When all other things
fail, hope stands by us to the last. ' This, as it were,
gives freedom to the captive, health to the sick, victory
to the defeated, and wealth to the beggar." — Wanley.
Beecher. — " There are few men, even among the
most worldly, who do not expect to be converted before
they die; but it is a selfish, mean, sordid conversion they
want — just to escape hell, and to secure heaven. Such
a man says, ' I have had my pleasures, and the flames
have gone out in the fireplaces of my heart. I have
taken all the good on one side ; now I must turn about,
if I would take all the good on the other.' They desire
just experience enough to make a key to turn the lock
of the gate of the celestial city. They wish ' a hope,'
just as men get a title to an estate. No matter whether
they improve the property or not, if they have the title
safe. A ^ hope' is to them like a passport, which one
keeps quietly in his pocket till the time for the journey,
and then produces it ; or like life-preservers, which hang
useless around the vessel until the hour of danger comes,
when the captain calls on every passenger to save him-
self, and then they are taken down, and blown up, and
each man, with his hope under his arm, strikes out for
the land ; and so such men would keep their religious
hope hanging until death comes, and then take it down
and inflate it, that it may buoy them up, and float them
over the dark river to the heavenly shore ; or, as the in-
habitants of Block Island keep their boats hauled high
upon the beach, and only use them now and then, when
they would cross to the mainland ; so such men keep
their hopes high and dry upon the shore of life, only to
236 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
be used when they have to cross the flood that divides
this island of time from the mainland of eternity."
Rutherford. — " Our hope is not hung upon such an
untwisted thread as, 'I imagine so,' or, *It is likely :*
but the cable, the strong rope of our fastened anchor, is
the oath and promise of Him who is eternal verity ; our
salvation is fastened with God's own hand, and Christ's
own strength, to the strong stake of God's unchangeable
nature."
Rev. Thomas Scott. — " Our (spiritual) safety consists
in a due proportion of hope and fear. When devoid of
hope, we resemble a ship without an anchor ; when un-
restrained by fear, we are like the same vessel under full
sail, without ballast. (1 Pet. i. 13-17.) Indiscriminate
censures of all fear as the result of unbelief, and un-
guarded commendations of strong confidence, without
respect to the spirit and conduct of professors, not only
lead to much self-deception, but also tend to make be-
lievers unstable, unwatchful, and even uncomfortable ;
for the humble often cannot attain to that confidence
that is represented almost as essential to faith ; and true
comfort is the eff'ect of watchfulness, diligence, and cir-
cumspection." Few lessons could possibly have been
selected of greater importance, or more worthy of the
Christian's study, than those which Bunyan has most
ingeniously and agreeably introduced in the emblems of
the Interpreter's house. The principal subjects which
faithful ministers enforce publicly and in private, on all
who begin to profess the Gospel, and which every true
disciple of Christ daily seeks to have more clearly dis-
covered to his mind, and more deeply impressed upon
his heart, were there presented before his mind ; and the
ILLUSTRATxVE GATHERINGS. 287
comment of Christian, when the Interpreter asked hira^
•'Hast thou considered all these things ?" was, "Yes;
and they put me in hope and fear."
SoBiESKi. — " In the year 1683, Vienna, the capital
of Austria, was besieged ; a great army of Turks, who
were then making war with the nations of Europe, lay
before it. When it was known that they were near
Vienna, the Emperor of Austria fled from the city, and
the poor people in it were left in sad fear and distress.
The only person they thought likely to save them was
the King of Poland, John Sobieski, and they sent en-
treating him to come to their help. They knew that he
could only come to them over the northern mountains,
and day after day they rose early, and watched for the
first morning light, in the hope of seeing the Polish army
on the mountains. It was anxious waiting, but hope sus-
stained them. The siege began in July ; on the 11th
of September some weary watchers were looking :)ut from
the ramparts to the mountain of the Kalimburg, when —
oh, delightful sight ! — they saw something bright on the
mountain-side, and discerned the lances and armor of the
brave Poles marching to the rescue. That very day
Sobieski fought a bloody battle, defeated the Turks, and
set Vienna free." — Family Treasury.
Hopeful (who joined Christian, from beholding him
and Faithful in their brave behavior in Vanity Fair)
came with Christian to the Black River. Christian be-
gan to sink, and crying out to his good friend Hopeful,
he said, " I sink in deep waters : the billows go over my
head. All his waves go over me."
"Then said the other, 'Be of good cheer, my brother,
I feel the bottom, and it is good/ Then said Christian,
238 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
' Ah, my friend, the sorrows of death have ccrapassed me
about. I shall not see the land that flows with milk and
honey.' And with that a great darkness and horror fell
upon Christian, so that he could not see before him. . .
Hopeful, therefore, here had much ado to keep his bro-
ther's head above water ; yea, sometimes he would be
quite gone down, and then, ere a while, he would rise up
again half dead.
" Hopeful also would endeavor to comfort him, saying,
' Brother, I see the gate, and men standing by to receive
us;' but Christian would answer, 'It is you, it is you
they wait for. You have been hopeful ever since I knew
you.' * And so have you,' said he to Christian. 'Ah,
brother,' said he, ' surely if I was right. He would now
arise to help me ; but for my sins He hath brought me
into the snare, and hath left me.' Then said Hopeful,
' My brother, you have quite forgot the text where it is
said of the wicked, " There are no bands in their death,
but their strength is firm ; they are not troubled as other
men, neither are they plagued like other men." (Ps.
Ixxiii. 4, 5.) These troubles and distresses that you go
through in these waters are no sign that God hath for-
saken you; but are sent to tiy you, whether you will
call to mind that which heretofore you have received of
His goodness, and live upon Him in your distresses.'
"Then I saw in my dream that Christian was in a
muse a while. To whom also Hopeful added these
words, — ' Be of good cheer ; Jesus Christ maketh thee
whole.' And with that Christian broke out with a loud
voice, — ' Oh, I see Him again, and He tells me, " When
thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee ;
and through the rivers, they shall n(t overflow thee."*
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 239
Then they both took courage, and the eneiirj after that
was as still as a stone until they were gone over. Chris-
tian therefore presently found ground to stand upon, and
so it followed that the rest of the river was but shallow ;
but thus they got over
:}: H: :)< H: ^ :|c
" Now, while I was gazing upon all these things, I
turned my head to look back, and saw Ignorance come
up to the river-side ; but he soon got over, and that
without half the difficulty which the other two men met
with. For it happened that there was then in that place
one Yain-Hope, a ferryman, that with his boat helped
him over ; so he, as the other I saw, did ascend the hill
to come up to the gate, only he came alone ; neither did
any man meet him with the least encouragement. When
he was come up to the gate, he looked up to the writing
that was above, and then began to knock, supposing that
entrance should have been quickly administered to -him ;
but he was asked by the man that looked over the top
of the gate, 'Whence come you? And what would you
have V He answered, ' I have ate and drank in the
presence of the king, and he has taught in our streets.*
Then they asked him for his certificate, that they might
go in and show it . to the king. So he fumbled in his
bosom for one, and found none. Then said they, ' You
have none ;' but the man answered never a word. So
they told the king ; but he would not come down to see
him, but commanded the two shining ones, that conducted
Christian and Hopeful to the city, to go out and take
Ignorance, and bind him hand and foot, and have him
away Then they took him up, and carried him through
240 ILLUSTRATIVE GATFTERIXGS.
the air to the d5or that I saw in the side of the hill, and
put him in there. Then I saw that there was a way to
Hell, even from the gates of Heaven, as well as from the
City of Destruction. So I awoke, and behold it was a
dream." — Pilgrim a Progress.
HOSPITALITY.- Gen. xiv. 18 ; xviii. 3-8; Judges
xiii. 15 ; 2 Sam. vi. 19 ; 2 Kings iv. 8-3T ; Neh. v. 17
Matt. X. 42 ; Luke xiv. 12-14 ; Acts xvi. 15 ; xvii. 7
xxviii. 2, 7 ; Rom. xii. 13, 20 ; xvi. 23 ; 1 Tim. iii. 2
v. 10 ; Titus i. 8 ; Heb. xiii. 2 ; 1 Pet. iv. 9 ; 3 John
5, 6.
Christ's Recompense — for Hospitality. "He was
called" to the marriage feast in Cana of Galilee, and
turned the water into wine.
He went to the house of Zaccheus, and that day
did salvation come to that house.
He lodged with Martha and Mary in their calm
retreat at Bethany, and they received their brother from
the dead.
Dr. Payson once, when traveling, having occasion to
call on a lady, when she and some of her friends were
sitting down to tea ; she would have him stay, and
treated him very hospitably. When he left, he said,
" Madam, you have treated me with much kindness and
hospitality, for which I sincerely thank you. Allow me
to ask you one question before we part, — How do you
treat my Master ?" The visit was much sanctified, and
led eventually to the conversion of the lady and her
household.
HOUSES.— Ps. xlviii. 11-14 ; lix. (title).
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 241
Pa. XXX. "A psalm and song at the de(»Gaiion of the
hoase of David." See Deut. xx. 5, and Neh. xii. 27.
Philip Henry writes in his Diary, upon the remov-
ing of his closet from one room of the house to another :
^* This day my new closet, if I may so say, was conse-
crated with this prayer, — that all the prayers that should
ever be made in it according to the will of God, morning,
evening, and at noon-day, ordinary and extraordinary,
might be accepted of God, and obtain a gracious answer.
Amen and Ameny
There are in Great Britain about 3,000,000 houses, at
a rental of ^24,000,000, and value about ^240,000,000 ;
and in Ireland, 1,500,000, at arental of about £9,000,000,
and value about £90,000,000. If each gave a penny a
month to some charitable object, the result would be
£1,575,000.
What a lesson of the vicissitudes of life would the
history of many a house suggest! As, e.^..
The Tower. — Traitor's Gate — Bloody Tower.
FontJdll Ahhey. — Beckford pulled down the house his
father built for £263,000 — built his own magnificent pile
— when it was building, even Royalty was refused admit-
tance — yet when he had run through his princely for-
tune, an entrance was forced by the Sheriff's officers,
and the house was pulled down by the next owner.
Gore House. — Wilberforce — Lady Blessington — Soyer
— School of Design.
Inscriptions on. — It was customary in former times
often to put inscriptions on the front of houses. On
a house still standing between Walsall and Tretsey, in
Cheshire, built in 1636, of thick oak framework filler'
in with brick, was this inscription, over a window in the
21 16
242 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHEilINGS.
tap-room, — " Heres si scires unum tua tempora mensem ;
ridis cum non scis si sit forsitan una dies." (You would
weep if you knew that jour life was limited to one month ;
yet you laugh while you know not but that it may be re-
stricted to a day.)
Tamaiiana. — A New Zealand chief, so called, visited
(England) a few years ago, remarkable for the deep
spirituality of his mind, and his constant delight in the
Word of God. One day he was taken to see a beautiful
mansion, — one of the show places near London. The
gentleman who took him expected to find him greatly
astonished and much charmed with its magnificence and
splendor ; but it seemed, to his surprise, to excite little
or no admiration in his mind. Wondering how this
could be, he began to point out to him its grandeur, the
beauty of the costly furniture — brought from all parts
of the world— the view from the windows, &c. Tamahana
heard all silently ; then, looking round upon the walls,
replied, " Ah ! my Father's house finer than this."
"Your father's house!" thought the gentleman, who
knew his father's home was but a poor mud cottage.
But Tamahana went on, — "My Father's house finer
than this ;" and began to speak, in his own expressive,
touching strain, of the house above, — the house of
"many mansions," the eternal home of the redeemed.
John xiv. 2.
HUMILITY.— Lev. xxvi. 41, 42; Deut. viii. 2; 2
Chron. vii. 14 ; Ps. x. 14-17; cxv. 1 ; cxxxviii. 6; Prov.
xi. 2; XV. 33 ; xvi. 18, 19 ; xxii. 4 ; xxv. 6, 7 ; Isa. Ivii.
15 ; Jer. xlv 5 ; Micah vi. 8 ; Matt. v. 3 ; xviii. 1-4 ;
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 243
XX 20-28; Luke xiv. 7-14; Rom. xii. 3, 16; Phil. ii.
3 ; Col. lii. 12 ; James iv. 6 ; 1 Pet. v. 3-6.
Luke x. 39, ^
John xi. 32, > Mary's posture at Christ's feet.
xii. 3, J
1 Cor. XV. 9, A. D. 59. "Not meet to be called an
apostle.'*
Eph. iii. 8, A. D. 64. " Less than the least of all
saints."
1 Tim. i. 15, A. D. 65. " Sinners of whom I am
chief."
The progress of St. Paul in humility has been thus
beautifully traced, by comparing the above expressions
with the dates of his epistles.
The same may be traced in St. Peter, comparing his
history in the Gospels, the Acts, and his two letters to
the Churches.
*' Thoughtless of beauty, — humility is beauty's self.
" As the lark that soars the highest builds her nest
the lowest ; the nightingale that sings so sweetly, sings
in the shade when all things rest ; the branches that are
most laden with ripe fruit, bend lowest ; the valleys are
fruitful in their lowliness ; and the ship most laden sinks
deepest in the water, — so the holiest Christians are the
humblest.
" True humility consists not so much in thinking
meanly of ourselves, as in not thinking of ourselves
at all.
" Humbleness of mind is gained more by believing in
Christ than by dwelling upon our sins.
" Humility is knowing that we are n >t humble.
244 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
" God would rather see His children humble for sin
than proud of grace.
"Judge thyself with the judgment of sincerity, and
thou wilt judge others with the judgment of charity.
That is true humiliation which, like a harbinger, makes
way for Christ, and throws the soul at His feet." —
Mason.
" Humility does not consist in a plain and singular
dress, nor yet in speaking in mean terms of ourselves, or
in being free and friendly with poor persons, nor yet in
anything outward. These things are sometimes the
effects of true humility ; but they may be without it.
" Real Christian humility is a grace of the spirit, and,
consequently, has its seat in the heart. In Scripture it is
called, in one place, humbleness of mind; in another,
lowliness of heart; and in another, poverty of spirit.
The original word signifies, having a low opinion or
esteem of ourselves in comparison with others. It will
show itself before God by self-abasement on account of
the deep depravity of human nature ; by an entire de-
pendence upon the mercy of God in Christ Jesus ; and
a close walk with God in the use of all the appointed
means. It will manifest itself amongst 7nen by respect
and submission to our superiors, love and friendship to
our equals, and condescension to our inferiors ; together
with a readiness to forgive injuries, and to be candid and
moderate toward all. It will appear, as it respects our-
selves, not only in carefully avoiding everything which
has even the appearance of pride and haughtiness, but
m a modest and meek behavior ; a distrust of our own
strength or abilities, patience in suffering, and content-
ment in our situation of life." — Dr. David Jennings.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 245
" The NETTLE grows high, while the violet is low, and
almost obscured by leaves, and chiefly discovered by its
fragrance. The former is emblematical of a proud per-
son ; but the latter resembles one that is truly humble.''
— 1)7\ Manton,
Pable. — Daedalus and Icarus. — There is a good moral
in the ancient fable : — " Daedalus made himself wings
with feathers and wax, and carefully fitted them to his
body and that of his son Icarus. They took their flight
in the air from Crete ; but the heat of the sun melted
the wax on the wings of Icarus, who would fain fly high,
and he fell into that part of the ocean which from him
has been called the Icarian Sea. The father, whose
flight was more humble, escaped the danger, and arrived
safe at Cumae, where he built a temple to the honor of
Apollo."
*' St. Augustine, being asked, ^ What is the first
thing in religion V replied, ' Humility ;' ' and what the
second?' 'Humility;' 'and what the third?' 'Hu-
mility.' "
" He who has other graces without humility, is like
one who carries a box of precious powder without a cover
on a windy day."
'' A LADY applied to a celebrated philanthropist on be-
half of an orphan child. When he had bidden her draw
on him for any amount, she said, ' As soon as the child
is old enough I will teach him to thank you.' ' Stop,'
said the good man, 'you are mistaken. We do not
thank the clouds for rain : teach the child to look higher,
and to thank Him who gives both the clouds and the
rain.' "
I'UOFESSOR Scholefield. — " His character was, to be
21 *
246 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
useful without parade, and to do things without record-
ing them." — Preface to his Life.
M'Cheyne. — *' I charge you, be clothed with humility,
or you will yet be a wandering star, for whom is reserved
the blackness of darkness for ever. Let Christ increase,
let man decrease. If you lead sinners to yourself and
not to Christ, Immanuel will cast the star out of His
right hand into utter darkness. Remember what I said
of preaching out of the Scriptures. Honor the Word
both in matter and manner. Do not cease to pray for
me Now, remember, ' Moses wist not that
the skin of his face shone.' Looking at our own shin-
ing face is the bane of the spiritual life and of the min-
istry. Oh, for closest communion with God, till soul
and body, head and heart, shine with divine brilliancy !
But, oh, for a holy ignorance of their shining ! Pray
for this, for you need it as well as I." — Letters to Rev.
W. C. Burns.
Rev. Thos. Adam. — " Could I bear to be the author
of a treatise which should be the means of enlightening
and converting thousands, and be without the credit of it,
or see it given to another ? It is cause enough for hu-
mility to know that we are not humble."
" The answer of a devoted clergyman, when ques-
tioned as to his growth in grace, was, ' I trust I am
somewhat poorer than I was.' "
Ex. Abraham, Gen. xviii. 27; Jacob, Gen. xxxii. 10;
Moses, Exod. iii. 11; iv. 10; Joshua, Josh. vii. 6;
Gideon, Judges vi. 15; David, 2 Sam. vii. 18-20; 1
Cliron. xxix. 14; Hezekiah, 2 Chron. xxxii. 26; Josiah,
2 Chron. xxxiv. 27; Job, Job xl. 4; xlii. 6; Isaiah, Tsa.
vi. 5; Jeremiah, Jer. i. 6; John Baptist, Matt. iii. 14;
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 247
John iii. 30 ; Centurion, Matt. viii. 8 ; Woman of Canaan,
Matt. XV. 27; Elizabeth, Luke i. 43; Peter, Luke v. 8;
Paul, Acts XX. 19. (See above.)
HYPOCRISY.— 1 Sam, xvi. 7; Job viii. 13; xiii.
16; XV. 34; xx. 5; xxvii. 8; xxxvi. 13; Ps. xii. 2;
XXXV. 16; Prov. xi. 9; xxx. 12-14; Isa. x. 6; xxix.
14-16; xxx. 9, 10; xxxiii. 14; Ezek. xxxiii. 31-33;
Hosea xi. 12; Matt. vi. 1-8; vii. 5; xv. 8; xxiv. 51;
Luke xii. 1 ; xiii. 15 ; 1 Tim. iv. 2 ; James iii. 17 ; Rev.
ii. 9 ; iii. 1.
Emblems. — ' T^oxpcac^, from bTioxpcvofiac, which seems
properly to denote, "to represent another person by
acting, as the ancient players did, under a mask, to per-
sonate, — q.d., to be thought somebody different from one-
self by being under a mask." — Parhhurst.
Leaven. Luke xii. 1.
Whited sepulchres ; beautiful without, but filthy
and unclean withm. Matt, xxiii. 27.
Spider s weh ; dexterously and closely woven, but
soon broken through or swept away. Job viii.
14 ; Isa. lix. 5, 6.
Hidden graves. Luke xi. 44.
The guest without the wedding garment. Matt.
xxii. 11. (" Then I saw that there was a way
to hell even from the gates of heaven." —
Bunyan.)
Counterfeit diamonds ; glistening, but gaudy ;
bright, but false.
Cray flowers^ but poisonous ; bright weeds, but
deadly.
248 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Base money ; that may pass current for a long
time, but is at length detected and rejected.
Religion is '^ the best armor, but the worst cloak."
" The hypocrite has not a living hope, but a lying
hope, and a dying hope." — Leighton.
The true believer feels the grace he cannot always ex-
press ; the hypocrite expresses what he does not feel.
*' A HYPOCRITE is one who neither is what he seems,
nor seems what he is. A hypocrite is the picture of a
saint; but his paint shall be washed off, and he shall
appear in his own colors. A hypocrite is hated of the
world for seeming to be a Christian, and hated of God
for not being one." — Mason. /
'' It is very suspicious that that person is a hypocrite
that is always in the same frame, let him pretend it to
be never so good." — Traill.
" As A MAN can have very small comfort to be thought
by the world to be rich, because he hath a shop full of
wares and driveth a good trade, when, in the meantime,
he knows, poor man ! that he is worse than nothing, and
oweth much more than he is worth; or because he makes
a counterfeit show of rich wares, when he has nothing
but empty boxes with false inscriptions. So is it with
all those that seem to be religious, — that make a goodly
show of godliness, yet in the meantime are very bank-
rupts in grace ; and, like one of Solomon's fools, that
boast themselves of great riches when they are indeed
exceeding poor. Why do they so ? What get they by
it ? What comfort reap they by it ? None at all ; their
conscience bearing them witness that they are none such
as the world takes them to be." — Salter.
" A TRUE Christian and a hypocrite may both of
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 249
them come to a stand in their course, through temptAtion ;
but there is this difference : — the true Christian is like a
watch that was going right, but some dust clogs its
wheels; directly it is removed the watch will go right
again. The hypocrite is like a watch which is so badly
made that it stands, or goes wrong, from its very nature,
and the only cure is to give it a new inside." — Salter.
Frederick the Third. — "The Emperor Frederick
the Third, when one said unto him he would go and find
some place where no hypocrites inhabited, told him, ' he
must travel then far enough beyond the Sauromatse, or
the Frozen Ocean ; for yet, when he came there, he
should find a hypocrite if he found himself there.' And
it is true that every man is a hypocrite. Hypocrisy is a
lesson that every man readily takes in. It continues
with age, it appears with infancy: the wise and learned
practice it; the duller and more rude attain unto it. All
are not fit for the wars ; learning must have the picked
and choicest wits; arts must have leisure and pains ; but
all sorts are apt enough, and thrive in the mystery of
dissimulation. The whole throng of mankind, the whole
world, is but a shop of counterfeit wares, — a theatre of
hypocritical disguises. Grace is the only antidote." —
Spencer.
The Painter. — "A very capital painter, in London,
exhibited a piece representing a friar habited in his ca-
nonicals. View the painting at a distance, and you
would think the friar to be in a praying attitude. His
hands are clasped together, and held horizontally ,to his
breast; his eyes meekly demissed, like those of the pub-
lican in the gospel ; and the good man appears to be
quite absorbed in humble adoration and devout recollec-
250 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
tion. But take a nearer survey, and the deception varn-
ishes. The book which seemed to be before him is dis-
covered to be a punch-bowl, into which the wretch is all
the while, in reality, only squeezing a lemon. How lively
a representation of a hypocrite!"
Hypocrisy Detected. — The Glance of Truth. — Saul,
"What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine
ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" (1 Sam.
XV. 14.) G-eJiazi. "Went not mine heart with thee
when the man turned again from his chariot to meet
thee?" (2 Kings V. 26.) Judas. " Friend, wherefore
art thou come?" (Matt. xxvi. 50.) "Betrayest thou
the Son of Man with a kiss ?" (Luke xxii. 48.) Ana-
nias. "Why has Satan filled thine heart to lie to the
Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the
land?" (Acts v. 3.) Simon Magus. "Thy money
perish with thee Thou hast neither part nor lot
in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of
God." (Acts viii. 20, 21.)
IDIOTS.
The Three Steps. — The Rev. Rowland Hill was
once talking to a poor, half-foolish man, when he re-
marked, "Why, it's a long way to heaven." " Oh dear
no, Sir, I hope not," said the man, — "long! no; it's
only three steps." "And pray what are they ?" "Why
they're very simple, if only folk would take them, — Out
of self — into Christ — into glory."
Light in Darkness. — " In a village in Buckingham-
shire there lived a poor idiot, whose appearance was so
distressing, and almost disgusting, that some of the in-
habitants wished the clergyman to forbid him coming to
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 251
church, as had been his regular custom. The clergyman
did not grant their request, for he thought it would be
very wrong to hinder any one from coming to God's
house, however loathsome his appearance might be. One
Sunday the minister took this verse for a text, — ' And
an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be
called the way of holiness ; the unclean shall not pass
over it ; but it shall be for those : the wayfaring men,
though fools, shall not err therein.' (Isa. xxxv. 8.) On
hearing this, the poor idiot got up, and regardless of
those around him, clapped his hands, and cried out,
' Then 1 shall be saved ! then 1 shall be saved !' " —
Cope.
'' Seeking and Finding." — See a tract (Christian
Knowledge Society) with an interesting account of the
conversion of a poor idiot boy, in which there were three
steps. He was constantly observed wandering about the
fields, and looking up into the sky ; and on being ques-
tioned, always replied, ^' Mat looking for God." A
minister went after a time one day to visit his grand-
father, with whom he lived, and read the parable. Matt,
xviii. 23-35, and with a view, if possible, to catch poor
Mat's attention, dw^elt on verse 25, *' forasmuch as he
had not to pay." The idea took hold of the boy; and
when he heard of the man being cast into prison, he be-
gan to run about and cry bitterly for some days. In
this state a lady, who had taken notice of him, found
him, and succeeded in showing him that Jesus Christ had
paid the debt. This gave him peace; and, after a time,
he died in apj-arent understanding and real Christian
hope.
ZOZ ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
IDLENESS.— Prov. vi. 6-11; x. 4, 26; xii. 24, 2T,
xviii. 9; xix. 15, 24; xx. 4; xxi. 25; xxii. 13; xxiv.
80-34; xxxi. 27; Eccles. x. 18; Isa. Ivi. 10; Ezek. xvi.
49 ; Matt. xii. 36 ; xx. 3 ; Acts xvii. 21 ; Rom. xii. 11 ;
2 Thess. iii. 8-13; 1 Tim. v. 13; Heb. vi. 12.
" Idleness is the very rust and canker of the soul ; the
devil's cushion, pillow, chief reposal ; his very tide-time
of temptation, as it were, wherein he carries with much
care, and without contradiction, the current of our cor-
rupt affections to any cursed sin." — Bolton,
" The burial of a living man."
" Satan's seed-time. Ground left fallow, will soon
produce plenty of weeds."
"King Clog doesn't like King Jog."
** The idler is a watch that wants both hands,
As useless when it goes as when it stands."
" Idleness is the mother of many wanton children.
They that do nothing are in the ready way to do worse
than nothing. It was not for nothing that we were called
out of nothing." — Mason.
" Prefer diligence before idleness, unless you esteem
rust above brightness." — Plato.
" He is not only idle who does nothing, but he is idle
who might be better employed." — Socrates.
" What a folly is it to dread the thought of throwing
away life at once, and yet have no regard to throwing it
away by parcels and piecemeal V'—Howe.
" Idleness predominates in many lives where it is not
suspected ; for, being a vice which is chiefly personal, it
is not watched like fraud ; it is a silent quality, which
does not raise envy by ostentation, nor hatred by oppo-
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 253
sition, and therefore often remains incurable." — Dr,
Johnson.
" The ruin of most men dates from some vacant hour.
Occupation is the armor of the soul. I remember a sa-
tirical poem, in which the devil is represented as fishing
for men, and fitting his baits to the taste and business of
his prej ; but the idler, he said, gave him no trouble, as
he bit the naked hook." — Child's Paper.
*' Not a Minute to Spare. — " An idle schoolgirl was once
seriously expostulated with about some duties which she had
neglected, and others which she had badly performed. ' I can-
not help it, I am sure I cannot; I can't do any more than I do.
I never have " a minute to spare ;" I am always at work.' This
girl thought she spoke the truth ; but she did not know the
true meaning of the word idle.
" For instance, if she sat at work for an hour, but only did
what she was well able to accomplish in half an hour, she would
have thought it very unjust and unkind had she been accused
of idleness. If she sat with her head resting on her hands, her
elbows on the table, or, what was as often the case, leaning over
the fire, with a book on her lap, looking at it, and lazily learn-
ing from it, and were reproved and counseled to more indus-
try, she would spurn both the reproof and the counsel, however
kindly given, and, perhaps, even hate the reprover. And at
the close of the day she would wonder how it was she had not
time for her duties, whilst her companions got through theirs
with so much ease; but always ended by lulling her conscience
with the idea that tlieir abilities were so much greater than
hers, and that too much was required of her. She could not or
would not see that it is quite possible to be doing something, and
yet to be very idle. For her Bible she had 'not a minute to
spare,' — no time to be neat, no time for her studies, r\o time for
her health, no time to do kind things for others. She was
hardly dealt with. Her Heavenly Father had heaped com-
mands upon her, and given her no time in which to obey them.
Parents and teachers were all unkind, or they would not have
been so unreasonable in their demands. ♦ I am sure I have not
22
254 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
a minute to spare,' was her unvarying reply to all who sought
to do her good." — Not a Minute to Spare.
An Indian cured of Idleness. — '' Seating myself
once upon a log, by the side of an Indian who was rest-
ing there, being at that time actively employed in fenc-
ing in his corn-field, I observed to him that he must be
fond of ^'orking, as I never saw him idling away his time,
as is so common with the Indians. The answer he re-
turned made so great an impression on my mind that I
have remembered it ever since, and I will ivy to relate
it. * My friend,' said he, * the fishes in the water, and
the birds of the air, have taught me to work. By their
examples I have been convinced of the necessity of la-
bor and industry. When I was a young man I loitered
about a good deal, doing nothing, just like the other In-
dians, who say that working is for the whites and ne-
groes ; the Indians have been ordained for other pur-
poses — to hunt the deer, and catch the beaver, otter,
racoon, and such other animals. But one day it so hap-
pened, that while hunting I came to the bank of the
Susquehanna, and, having set myself down near the
water's edge to rest a little, and, casting my eyes on the
water, I was forcibly struck in observing with what in-
dustry the Mecehgallingus (sunfish) heaped small stones
together, to make secure places for their spawn, and all
this labor they did with their mouth and body, without
hands.
'* ' Astonished, as well as diverted, I lighted my pipe,
sat a while smoking and looking on, when presently a
little bird not far from me raised a song which enticed
me to look that way. While I was trying to distinguish
where the songster was, and catch it with my eyes, its
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 255
mate, with as much grass as it could hold in its bill,
passed close by me, flew into a bush, where I perceived
them together, busily employed in building their nest,
and singing as they worked. I entirely forgot my hunt-
ing, in the contemplation of the objects before me. I saw
the birds in the air, and the fishes in the water, work-
ing diligently and cheerfully, and all this without hands.
I thought it strange, and became lost in wonder. I looked
at myself, and saw two long arms provided with hands
and fingers, and with joints that might be opened and
shut at pleasure. I could, when I pleased, take up any-
thing with those hands, and hold it fast, or let it loose,
or carry it along with me. When I walked, I observed,
moreover, that I had a strong body, capable of bearing
fatigue, supported by two stout legs, with which I could
climb to the top of the highest mountain, and descend at
pleasure into the valleys. "And is it possible," said I,
" that a being so wonderfully formed as I am, was created
to live in idleness, while the birds which have no hands,
and nothing but their little bills to help them, work with
cheerfulness, and without being told to do so ? Has,
then, the Creator of man, and of all living creatures,
given me all these limbs for no purpose ? It cannot be;
1 will try to go to work." I did so, and went away to a
spot of good land, where I built a cabin, enclosed ground,
sowed corn, and raised cattle. Ever since that time I
have enjoyed a good appetite and sound sleep ; while the
others spend their nights in dancing, and are suifering
with hunger, I live in plenty. I keep horses, cows, and
fowls. I am happy. See, my friend, the birds and fishes
have brought me to reflection, and taught me to work I' "
256 iLLUSTRATivn: gatherings.
— Rev, J. Ileclcsiv elder s " History of the Manners and
Customs of tJie Indians of Penjisylvania.''
'''He made me out a sinner for doing nothing,'' said a man
who had been convinced of sin from a sermon on the text,
" Woe to them that are at ease in Zion." (Amos vi. 1.)
" Hamburg Workhouse. — "An excellent punishment
for idleness has been put in practice in a workhouse at
Hamburg. Idlers in the morning are suspended above
the dinner-table in a basket, so that they may see and
smell the things provided for those who have been indus-
trious, but do not taste them." — Encye. Britt.
IDOLATRY.— Gen. xxxv. 1-5 ; Ex. xx. 2, 3 ; xxiii.
24; Lev. xxvi. 1; Deut. iv. 15-20; vii. 25; xvii. 2-7;
xxvii. 15 ; xxxi. 19-21 ; Josh, xxiii. 7 ; Judges viii. 27
-35 ; X. 6-9 ; 1 Kings xi. 9-11 ; 2 Kings xvii. 33-35 ;
Ps. xvi. 4 ; xliv. 20, 21 ; Ixxviii. 56-64 ; xcvii. 7 ; cxv.
4-8 ; cxxxv. 15-18 ; Isa. xxvii. 9 ; xl. 19-25 ; xli. 6,
7 ; xliv. 9-20 ; xlvi. 1-7 ; Jer. ii. 11-13 ; viii. 1-3 ; x.
1-18; Ezek. xiv. 1-12; xx. 6-9; xxxvi. 18, 19; Hosea
iv. 12-17 ; viii. 11 ; Jonah ii. 8 ; Zech. xiii. 1, 2 ; Rom.
i. 23-25 ; 1 Cor. viii. 4-6 ; x. 14 ; Eph. v. 5 ; Phil. iii.
19 ; Col. iii. 5 ; 1 John v. 21 ; Rev. xiv. 9, 10 ; xxi. 8 ;
xxii. 15.
Irony.— It is observable in Scripture that one of the
most common figures employed in denouncing idolatry is
that of strong and severe irony. Cf. Judges vi. 31 ; x.
14 ; 1 Kings xviii. 27 ; Ps. cxv. 4-8 ; Isa. xli. 6, 7 ; xliv.
9-20; Jer. x. 1-18; Hosea iv. 17.
"Ye have taken away my gods which I made, . . .
AND WHAT HAVE I MORE ?" (Judges xviii. 24.) A very
common remonstrance of idol-worshipers. Men make
ILLUSTRATIVE GATIIERTXGS. 257
themselves gods, and are "mad upon their idols" (Jer. 1.
88) ; and when they lose their health, or wealth, or
friends, or fame, what have they more? They have sown
the wind, and wdiat can they reap but the whirlwind ?
How true are Ps. xvi. 4, and Jonah ii. 8 !
Dan. — In the sealing of the tribes, in Rev. vii., Dan
is left out. Many suppose the reason of this judgment
to be, that Dan was the first tribe openly to introduce
idolatry in Israel. (Judges xviii.)
What is Idolatry? — ''Any opinion," says Hallam,
"which tends to keep out of sight the living and loving
God, whether it be to substitute for Him an idol, or an
occult agency, or a formal creed, — can be nothing better
than the portentous shadow projected from the slavish
darkness of an ignorant heart."
The PLAGUES of Egypt are a striking manifestation
of the Divine way of punishing and rebuking idolatry.
Nearly all the ten plagues answer to some Egyptian idol
or superstition, and serve to show their utter helplessness
against Jehovah's power. Thus, the Egyptians worshiped
serpents, and God made the rod of Aaron a serpent ;
and when the magicians " did in like manner with their
enchantments," " Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods."
So in all the miracles : —
The Egyptians —
1. The water of the Nile turned 1. "Worshiped the Nile.
into bloojl.
2. Trogs polluting the Nile. 2. Held frogs as sacred.
3. Lice. 3. Allowed no one to approach
their altars, upon whom
any insect of this kind was
found. Hence their priests
wore only liuep.
22 * ;7
258
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHEIlINQjB.
4. Flies.
5. Murrain among cattle.
6. Boils with blains.
7 Hail.
9. Darkness.
8. Locusts.
10. rirstborn slain.
The Egyptians —
4. Kegarded Beelzebub, or, the
god-fly, as able to protect
them from the swarms of
flies which at certain times
were wont to trouble the
land.
5. Worshiped cattle. Of. their
sacred bull, and ram, and
heifer, and goat, and other
brute animals.
6. Sacrificed human beings
(chiefly foreigners), in cer-
tain places, and then sprin-
kled their ashes into the air,
to avert calamity from the
place. Moses was directed
to take ashes from the fur-
nace, and sprinkle them,
in like manner ; so, the
bloody rites of Typhon
became a curse to the idol-
aters.
Worshiped Isis and Osiris,
as the representatives of the
sun and moon.
I]
8. Worshiped Seraph, who was
supposed to protect the
country from locusts.
10. Had cruelly slain the first-
born Hebrew children.
India. — In India there are, it is computed, 30,000,000
of idols.
British Idols. — ^* British Christians ought to recol-
lect that their ancestors were once blind idolaters, serv-
ing them that by nature are no gods. Dr. Plaifere, in
a sermon preached before the University of Cambridge,
m 1573, remarks, 'that before the preaching of the Gos-
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 259
pel of Christ, no Church here existed, but the temple
of an idol ; no priesthood but that of paganism ; no God
but the sun, the moon, or some hideous image. To the
cruel rites of the Druidical worship, succeeded the abom-
inations of the Roman idolatry. In Scotland stood the
temple of Mars ; in Cornwall, the temple of Mercury ;
in Bangor, the temple of Minerva; at Maiden, the tem-
ple of Victoria ; in Bath, the temple of Apollo ; at Lei-
cester, the temple of Janus ; at York, where St. Peter's
now^ stands, the temple of Bellona ; in London, on the
site of St. Paul's Cathedral, the temple of Diana ; and
at Westminster, where the Abbey rears its venerable
pile, a temple of Apollo.' Through the mercy of God
England is now blessed with thousands of Christian
churches, and multitudes of Gospel ministers. The land
is full of Bibles, and British Christians, sensible of their
privileges, are engaged in diffusing the light of Divine
truth among the benighted nations."
Dr. Payson. — "Every person has some object which
he loves supremely, and in every unrenewed man that
object is self. Suppose, for illustration, that you have
an image, which is, in reality, extremely ugly, but which
you think beautiful, and you spend all your time in pol-
ishing and adorning it. At length, however, you begin
to see something of its deformity, but endeavor to con-
ceal it from others, and, if possible, from yourself, by
painting and dressing it. Notwithstanding all your
efforts, it grows more and more ugly, till at last, in de-
spair of amending it yourself, you pray that God would
make it more lovely. It is evident, in this case, thitt
your prayers would not proceed from love to God, but
from love to your idol ; and therefore, there would be no
260 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
goodness in them. Suppose that, during all this time, a
person was entreating you to look at a beautiful diamond
statue, which you refused to do, until, wearied with use-
less efforts to make your image appear more beautiful,
you turn and look at the statue. Immediately you see
your idol in all its native deformity ; you cast it aside,
and begin to admire and extol the statue. This idol re-
presents self, and every unrenewed person admires and
loves it supremely. "When his conscience is awakened
to see something of his sinfulness, he first endeavors to
make himself better, and it is long before he finds that
he cannot change his own heart. When he finds that,
notwithstanding all his endeavors, his heart seems to
grow worse and worse, he prays to God for help. It is
not from love to God, or because God has commanded it,
that he prays ; but because he is unwilling to see himself
so sinful ; so that his prayers arise merely from pride
and selfishness. But if he will only turn and look to
Christ, he sees his sins in a new light, and no longer
loves himself supremely. All his affections are trans-
ferred to Christ. He then prays to be made better, —
not to gratify his pride, but because he sees something
of the beauty of holiness, and longs to resemble his
Divine Master."
The BEST Use of an Idol. — " Dr. Judson, the famous
missionary, was once a captive at Rangoon, the capital
of Burmah, and was most cruelly treated by the hard-
hearted Burraans. His heroic wife contrived to lengthen
his life, by getting food and drink to his cell, until the
English army took the city, and set the poor prisoners
free. Havelock was then a lieutenant in that English
ILLUSTKATIVE GATHERINGS. 261
army, and a 'praying lieutenant, as he was afterwards a
praying general.
"No sooner was the city taken than he sought out a
fit place for a prayer-meeting. Where did he find one?
There was a famous heathen temple in a retired grove,
devoted to the service of Boodh. He secured one of the
chambers in it, a large room filled with images of idol
gods, sitting all around, with their legs crossed, and arms
folded on their laps.
" One day an officer, strolling round the temple, thought
he heard the sound of English singing. He stopped and
hearkened. A strange sound here, he thought ; but it
certainly was the sound of psalm-singing, in good old
English style. What did it mean — how accounted for?
He determined to follow the sound, and behold, it led him
to an upper chamber, where Havelock, with his Bible and
hymn-book before him, surrounded by more than a hun-
dred of his soldiers, was holding a prayer-meeting. The
room was dark, but every idol had a lamp in his lap, shed-
ding more light than any idols had ever done before.
I wonder if he read the 115th Psalm?" — Child's Paper,
IGNORANCE.— Gen. xx. 5 ; (Lev. iv., offering for)
Job xxi. 14; Ps. Ixxix. 6; Isa. xliv. 19; Jer. ix. 3
Hosea iv. 6 ; Matt. xxii. 29 ; Luke xii. 48 ; xix. 42
xxiii. 34 ; John iv. 10 ; viii. 19 ; ix. 39-41 ; xv. 22
xvii. 25 ; Acts xvii. 29, 30 ; Rom. i. 21, 28 ; x. 3 ; 1 Cor
ii. 8 ; Eph. iv. 18 ; 2 Pet. iii. 5-10.
Rom. i. 13
1 Cor. X. 1 ; xii. 1
2 Cor. i. 8
1 Thcss. iv. 13
"We would not have you
ignorant, brethren."
262 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
One of St. Paul's common formulas of expression ; not
without its strong significance.
" Conviction of ignorance is the door-step to the Tem-
ple of Wisdom." — Spurgeon.
" Ignorance of things very near to us, and in which
we are nearly concerned, may be from two causes, —
" 1. From a want of light. Nothing can be perceived
in the dark. If you are in a dark room, though it is
richly adorned and furnished, all is lost to you. If you
stand in a dark night on the top of a hill that commands
a fine prospect, still you are able to see no more than if
you were in a valley. Though you were in a dangerous
place, with pitfalls, and precipices, and thieves, and
murderers all around you, still you might imagine your-
self in safety, if you had no light with you.
"2. It may be from some hindrance or obstruction
between you and the object. Thus your dearest friend,
or greatest enemy, might be within a few yards of you,
and you know nothing of it, if there were a wall between
you.
" These comparisons may in some measure represent
our case by nature. God is near ; ' in Him we live, and
move, and have our being.' Eternity is near; we stand
upon the brink of it. Death is near, advancing toward
us with hasty strides. The truths of God's Word are
most certain in themselves, and of the utmost consequence
to us, but we perceive none of these things ; we are n.*
affected by them, because our understandings are dark,
and because thick walls of ignorance, prejudice, and un-
belief stand before the eyes of our minds, and keep them
from our view. Even those notions of truth which we
sometimes pick up by hearing and reading, are but like
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 263
windows in a dark room ; they are suited to afford an
entrance to the light when it comes, but can give no light
themselves. ' ' — Newton.
" The Pestilence that walketh in Darkness." —
" Modern discoveries have shown that the seeds of
epidemic and miasmatic diseases are generated and exert
their activity during the night, and in places unvisited
by the sun's beams, — a true picture of the cause of men-
tal and moral ignorance."
Moles. — "The men of this world are like moles,
which can see well underground, but when brought un-
expectedly to the light, they are blind. So are the most
cunning and crafty men as regards the things of this
world, blind to those things which require spiritual dis-
cernment. (1 Cor. ii. 14.)"
ILLUMINATION.— Ps. xviii. 28 ; xix. 8 ; cxix. 105,
130 ; Micah vii. 8 ; Luke i. 79 ; John viii. 12 ; Acts
xxvi. 18; 1 Cor. ii. 14-16; 2 Cor. iv. 4; Eph. i. 18-
Phil. iii. 15 ; Heb. x. 32.
The sun can only be seen by his own light.
A man may see every figure upon the dial, but he can-,
not tell how the day goes unless the sun shines. We
may read many truths in the Bible, but we cannot know
them savingly until God shine into our hearts.
" How doth the Holy Spirit reveal unto us anything
spiritual, but especially the truth of the Scripture ? I
answer, — By removing those impediments that hinder,
and bestowing those graces that make us capable of
knowledge : —
" There is in us a twofold impediment ; first, ignorance,
by which our eyes are closed that we cannot see the light.
264 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Secondly, corruption, by which, though we see th fc light
yet we cannot but naturally hate it and turn from it.
The Holy Spirit cures both by a double remedy : first,
of illumination, restoring our understanding to some part
of its primitive perfection ; secondly, of sanctification,
infasing into our desires and affections some degrees of
their primitive holiness and purity." — Pemble.
" I CAN see nothing without the Spirit's eyes, but as
it were in a mist. I am fully persuaded of the truth of
Scripture, and what it tells me of sin, myself, God,
Christ, and eternity ; but with little more effect and true
feeling than what I know and believe of some remote
country in which I have no manner of concern)." —
Adants Private Thoughts.
^' ScRiPTUiiE can only be savingly understood by the
illumination of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel is a picture
of God's free grace to sinners. Now, were we in a room
hung with the finest paintings, and adorned with the most
exquisite statues, we could not see one of them if all light
were excluded ; the Spirit's light is the same to the mind
that outward light is to the bodily eyes. The most correct
and lively description of the sun cannot convey either
the light, the warmth, the cheerfulness, or the fruitful-
ness which the actual shining of that luminary conveys ;
neither can the most labored and accurate dissertation
on grace and spiritual things impart a true idea of them,
without an experience of the work of the Spirit upon the
heart. The Holy Spirit must shine upon your graces,
or you will not be able to see them ; and your w^orks
must shine upon your faith, or your neighbors will not
be able to see it." — To'plady.
" The things which the Holy Ghost discovers to us
ILLUSTRATIVE aATHERINGS. 265
are no other for substance than those very things which
are contained in the written Word, only he affords re-
generate persons clearer light to discern them by than
they had before conversion. Turn a learned man to the
same author which he perused when a young student : he
will find the same author, but see a great deal further
into it, because he hath now got further light and know-
ledge." — Arrowsmith.
The Turnip in the Cellar. — ''Having occasion to
go to the cellar, Gotthold found a turnip, which had been
left by accident, and had vegetated, and sent forth long
and slender shoots. These, how^ever, were unnaturally
of a pale, sickly color, and therefore unfit for use.
' Here,' thought he, ' I have a type of the human under-
standing, from which God withholds his blessing, and
which must, therefore, necessarily miscarry. This plant
wants sunshine and pure air, without which it cannot
thrive, and so it grows in weakness for a time, and then
withers and dies. It is the same with all our acts which
are not irradiated with the grace of God, and fostered
by His blessing, according to the words of our Saviour,
" Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not
planted, shall be rooted up." Matt. xv. 13.' " — Gott-
hold' s ''' Emblems.''
The Cabinet. — Matt. xi. 25. ("Hidden from the
wise and prudent, and revealed unto bs'^tes.") " Suffer
me to offer a familiar illustration of the Lord's wisdom
and justice in this procedure. Let me suppose a person
to have a curious cabinet, which is openeel at his pleasure,
and not exposed to common view. He invites all to come
to see it, and offers to show it to any one who asks him.
It is hid, because he keeps the key ; but none can com-
23
266 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
plain, because he is ready to open it whenever he is de-
sired. Some, perhaps, disdain the offer, and say, ^ Why
is it locked at all V Some think it not worth seeing, or
amuse themselves with guessing at the contents. But
those who are simply desirous for themselves, leave others
disputing, go according to appointment, and are gratified.
These have reason to be thankful for the favor, and the
others have no just cause to find fault. Thus the riches
of Divine grace may be compared to a richly-furnished
cabinet, to which Christ is the door. The Word of God
likewise is a cabinet, generally locked up, but the key of
prayer will open it. The Lord invites all, but he keeps
the dispensation in his own hand. They cannot see these
things, except He shows them ; but then He refuses none
that sincerely ask Him. The wise men of the world can
go no further than the outside of this cabinet ; they may
amuse themselves and surprise others with their ingenious
guesses* at what is within ; but a child that has seen it
opened can give us more satisfaction, without studying
or guessing at all. If men will presume to aim at the
knowledge of God, without the knowledge of Christ, who
is the Way, and the Door ; if they have such a high
opinion of their own wisdom and penetration as to suppose
they can understand the Scriptures without the assistance
of His Spirit ; or if their worldly wisdom teaches them
that those things are not worth their inquiry, what won-
der is it that they should continue to be hid from their
eyes ? They will one day be stripped of all their false
pleas, and condemned out of their own mouths." —
I^ewton.
The Interpreter's House, in the " Pilgrim's Pro-
gress." Cf. the sights shown Christian there; the
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 267
deep insight given him into some of the chief mysteries
of grace.
IMAGE OF GOD.
Christ.— 2 Cor. iv. 4 ; Col. i. 15 ; Heb. i. 3.
Believers.— Gen. i. 26 ; Ps. xvii. 15 ; Rom. viii. 29 ;
1 Cor. xi. 7 ; xv. 49 ; 2 Cor. iii. 18 ; Eph. iv. 24 ; Phil,
iii. 21 ; Col. iii. 10 ; 1 John iii. 2.
By the Fall — defaced, yet not effaced.
" The Heathen had a notion that the gods would not
like the service and sacrifice of any but such as were like
themselves. And therefore to the sacrifice of Hercules
none were to be admitted that were dwarfs ; to the sacri-
fice of Bacchus, a merry god, none that were sad and
pensive, as not suiting their genius. An excellent truth
may be drawn from their folly; — he that would like to
please God must be like God." — Salter.
The Image Sculptured. — •' At present, the believer
is like the marble in the hands of the sculptor; but
though day by day he may give fresh touches, and
work the marble into greater emulation of the original,
the resemblance will be far from complete until death.
Each fresh degree of likeness is a fresh advance toward
perfection. It must then be that when every feature is
moulded into similitude, — when all traces of feebleness
and depravity are swept away for ever, the statue breathes,
and the picture burns with Deity, — it must be that then
we ' shall be filled.' We shall look on the descending
Mediator, and, as though the ardent gaze drew down
celestial fire, we shall seem instantl}?- to pass through the
refiner's furnace, and leaving behind all the dishonour
of the grave, and all the dross of corruptible humanity,
268 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
spring upvard, an ethereal, rapid, glowing thing,^
Christ's image, extracted by Christ's lustre." — Melvill.
"Whose is this Image and Superscription?"—
" When Tamerlane was in his wars, one of his captains
dug up a great pot of gold, and brought it to him.
Tamerlane asked whether it had his father's stamp upon
it ; but when he saw it had the Roman stamp, and not his
father's, he would not own it. So God at last will own no
knowledge, but that which leaves the stamp of Christ,
the image of Christ, upon the heart." — Brooks.
IMAGE WORSHIP.— Ex. xx. 4 ; Deut. xvi. 22.
An Irish boy, when the master of the school w^as one
day teaching his scholars how we are forbidden to wor-
ship any image, interrupted him by saying, "Please, Sir,
there is one image we ought to worship." "Indeed!"
said the master ; " pray what is that ?" The boy replied,
<•' Why, Sir, we are told to worship Christ, who is ' the
image of the invisible God.' " (Col. i. 15.)
IMMUTABILITY, Divine.— Numbers xxiii. 19; 1
Sam. XV. 29 ; Job xxiii. 13 ; Ps. Ixxiii. 26 ; Ixxxix. ; xc.
1, 2; cii. 24-27; Isa. xlvi. 10; liv. 10; Jer. xxxi. 3;
Ezek. xxiv. 14 ; Mai. iii. 6 ; Rom. xi. 29 ; Eph. i. 11 ;
2 Tim. ii. 13, 19 ; Titus i. 2 ; Heb. xiii. 5-8 ; James i. 17.
Gen. xlviii. 21. — " And Israel said unto Joseph, Be-
hold, I die ; but God shall be with you."
"What a contrast between the mutability of tbe creature and
the immutability of the unchanging Creator !
Numb, xxiii. 19. — " God is not a man that He should
lie, neither the son of man, that He should repent. Hach
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 269
He said, and shall He not do it ? or hath He spoken, and
shall He not make it good ?"
*' Eepentance is attributed to God figuratively ; as Numbers
xxiii. 19; Gen. vi. 6. There may be a change in God's work,
but not in His will ; God may will a change, but not change
His will. ' God may change His sentence, but not His decree.'
As suppose a king shall cause a sentence to be passed upon a
malefactor whom he intends to save, notwithstanding this sen-
tence, the king doth not alter his decree; as God threatened
destruction to Nineveh (Jonah iii. 4), but, the people of Nineveh
repenting, God spared them. Here God changed His sentence,
but not His decree. It was what had lain in the womb of His
purpose from eternity." — Watson.
" In commercial crises, manhood is at a greater dis-
count than funds are. Suppose a man had said to me,
last spring, ' If there comes a pinch in your affairs, draw
on me for ten thousand dollars,' — the man said so last
spring, but I should not dare to draw on him this fall.
I should say, ' Times have changed ; he would not abide
by it.' But God's promises are 'from everlasting to ev-
erlasting,' and He always stands up to them. There
never was a run on Heaven that was not promptly met.
No creature in all the world, or in lying, audacious hell,
shall ever say that he drew a draft upon heaven, and
that God dishonored it." — Beeeher,
IMPUTATION.
of sin to others. Adam — Rom. v. 12-21 ;
Achan — Josh. vii. 25; David — 2 Sam. xxiv. 2-15;
Ahab — 1 Kings xxi. 29 ; Jonah i. 12 ; fathers' upon
children — Ex. xx. 5 ; Lev. xx. 5 ; xxvi. 39 ; Numb. xiv.
33; Ps. Ixxix. 8 (margin); Isa. xiv. 20.
of holiness, — Touching the altar, Ex. xxix. 37;
23 *
270 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
— the sacrifices, the scapegoat, Lev. xvi. 21. Cf. Abra«
ham's faith, Rom. iv. 11, 12.
of Christ. Our sins to Him, and His righteous-
ness to us. — Ps. Ixix. 4 ; Isa. liii. 6-12 ; Jer. xxiii. 6 ;
Daniel ix. 26 ; Kom. v. 19 ; 2 Cor. v. 21 ; Gal. iii. 13 ;
Heb. ix. 28; 1 Peter ii. 24; iii. 18; 1 John ii. 1, 2.
" We read in the New Testament that ' the Church
(that is, the people of God,) is Christ's Bride.' We all
know that, according to the law, the wife may have many
debts ; but no sooner is she married than her debts cease
to be hers, and become her husband's at once. So that
if a woman be overwhelmed with debt, that she is in
daily fear of the prison, let her but once stand up and
give her hand to a man, and become his wife, and there
is none in the world can touch her ; the husband is liable
for all, and she says to her creditor, ' Sir, I owe you no-
thing. My husband did not owe you anything. I in-
curred the debt ; but, inasmuch as I have become his
wife, my debts are taken off from me, and become his.'
It is even so with the sinner and Christ. Christ marrieth
the sinner, and putteth forth His hand, and taketh the
Church to be His. She is in debt to God's justice im-
measurably; she owes to God's vengeance an intolerable
weight of wrath and punishment. Christ says, ^ Thou
art my wife ; I have chosen thee, and I will pay thy
debts.* And He has paid them, and got His full dis-
charge. Now, whosoever believeth in Christ Jesus hath
peace with God, because ' He hath made Him to be sin
for us who knew no sin ; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him.' " — Spurgeon,
INABILITY, Man's, to help himself.— Job xiv. 4;
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 271
Ps. xlix. 7, 8 ; Jer. xiii. 23 ; xvii. 9 ; Hosea xiii. 9 ;
John V. 44 ; vi. 44, 63-65 ; viii. 43 ; Rom. vii. 15-25 ;
viii. 7, 8 ; 1 Cor. ii. 14 ; xii. 3.
Matt. xii. 34, inability to speak aright.
John XV. 5, " act "
2 Cor. iii. 5, " think "
Yet means enjoined to be used. Isa. Iv. 6, 7 ; Phil,
ii. 12, 13. (Cf. Acts xxvii. 23-31.)
A humbling hut wholesome doctrine. — " Here is a man
walking along the streets, who is dwelling with great
complacency upon the thought that he is worth a million
of dollars. One steps up to him, and says, ' I under-
stand that you owe Mr. A. B. a thousand dollars, and
he purposes to exact payment. I am very sorry for you,
Sir, and am willing to pay the amount.' * What do you
mean, Sir V replies the millionaire. ' Suppose I owe a
thousand dollars, I can pay my own debts. Reserve
your benevolence for those who need it.' But now, sup-
pose this rich man were a poor man, and suppose, utterly
unable to pay his debts, he were pressed by the sheriff
for a claim of a thousand dollars, and the amount he
must pay, or be imprisoned. Now if, in these circum-
stances, one who was able and willing to relieve him,
should kindly offer to pay the amount. * Oh, Sir,' me-
thinks he would say, ^how could I expect such a favor?'
And, when assured that it was done with great cheerful-
ness, how thankfully would he accept the kind offer, and
say, ' This is kindness indeed ! Oh, Sir, I owe you a
thousand thanks ! I want words to express my sense
of the great obligations I am under to you !' The ap-
plication you understand.
'' But some one may say, ' The doctrine of the sinner's
272 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
helplessness, as stated, destroys all human responsibility.'
Not so. We insist upon it, if he perishes, it is his own
fault. I will explain myself: — You are a master ; you
write a letter, and, handing it to your servant, you direct
him to take it to a person on the other side of the river,
and bring you back an answer. After a while he re-
turns, and you ask him, * Did you take the letter over
the river, as I directed you? 'No, Sir.' *And why?'
* Master, I could not.' ' And why could you not ?'
' Why, master, I went to the river. It was deep and
rapid, and there was no bridge, and I could not swim ;
so I did not go over.' ' Did you call for the ferryman ?'
'No, Sir.' 'Then go immediately back, and take the
letter over, as I commanded you.' Now this, I think, is
a correct illustration. There is something about the
passing of that river, which the servant cannot do, any
more than he can roll a mountain, or heave an ocean,
and yet you do not excuse him. Even so in this matter.
The sinner is utterly unable to come to Christ, or change
his own heart, of himself. There is (so to speak) a broad
and deep river between him and heaven, and the sinner
cannot swim ; but, thank God ! there is — if I may so
express myself — a Heavenly Ferryman on the other side.
Let him call upon that Ferryman, as it is written, ' Seek
ye the Lord, while He may be found; call ye upon Him,
while He is near.' And this reminds me of a remarka-
ble passage in Scripture, 'Let him take hold of my
strength, that he may make peace with Me, and he shall
make peace with Me.' (Isa. xxvii. 5.)" — Dr. Baker,
INCARNATION OF CHRIST.-Gen. iii. 15 ; Isa.
vii. 14 ; ix. 6 ; Matt. i. 16, 21 ; John i. 14 ; Acts iii.
:llustrative gatherings. 273
26 ; xiii. 23 ; Rom. i. 3 ; ix. 5 ; Gal. iv. 4 ; Phil. ii. 7,
8 ; 1 Tim. iii. 16 ; Heb. ii. 11, 14-17 ; x. 5, 20.
Matt. i. 23. — "And they shall call his name Im-
manuel, which, being interpreted, is, God with us."
•' By the light of nature we see God as a God above us ; by
the light of the Law we see Him as a God against us ; but by
the light of the Gospel we see Him as ' Immanuel, God with
us,' in our nature, and, what is more, in our interest." — Matthew
Hmry.
Ends answered by : — 1. To bring the attributes of the
Godhead down to our finite comprehension ; 2. To allure
our affections by so great a display of Infinite Love ; 3.
To exhibit a perfect model of human excellence.
A flaming globe of fire may indeed be magnificent, but
it is dazzling, too dazzling for our naked eyes ; but, when
seen through a pellucid vase of crystal, while this softens
the intensity of its rays, it diminishes in nowise from its
beauty : nay, it enables us to behold it without injury,
which otherwise we could not do. So God, as Divine, is
like the fiery flame — the sun in his full meridian strength;
but God in Christ, " God manifest in the flesh," is, like
the mild rays of the morning sun in spring, — mild,
though mighty — human, yet Divine.
" Christ did not gain one perfection more by becom-
ing man, nor could He lose anything of what He
possessed as God. The almightiness of God now moved
in a human arm ; the infinite love of God now beat in a
human heart ; the unbounded compassion of God to sin-
ners now glistened in a human eye ; God was love before ;
but Christ was now love, covered over with flesh." —
M'Cheyne,
18
274 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
INCONSISTENCY, CHRISTIAN.— Eccl. x. 1;
Zech. xiii. 6 ; Rom. xiv. 16 ; 1 Tim. v. 14 ; Titus ii. 5-8 ;
2 Peter ii. 2. (Cf. Cant. iv. 7 ; Eph. v. 27 ; Phil. ii. 15 ;
iv. 8 ; 1 Thess. iv. 11, 12 ; Heb. xiii. 18.)
Jude 12. — " These are spots in your feasts of charity."
The Greek word seems rather to refer to rocks by the sea,
against which vessels maybe wrecked, or to rocks hidden in the
the sea, on which they may be stranded. (See Barnes.) How
many inquiring, "almost" Christians, have been thus ship-
wrecked, by something they have heard or seen in a member
of the Church !
is not like the error of a pocket watch, which
misleads one person only ; but like the error of a town
clock, which misleads a multitude.
ft is one of Satan's devices, to blind the eyes of
worldly men, by dust from the soiled garments of Chris-
tians.
, no argument against religion. — Shall we never
use money, because some have counterfeited it ; or opi-
ates, because some have poisoned themselves ? If the
sun be eclipsed one day, it attracts more attention than
by its clear shining for many years.
The Christian is the only Bible very frequently the
world will read. How sad that the copy should be so
defaced !
" He is a good man, perhaps, but he is a very hard
man !" A common, but a sad remark !
Lord Byron writes: — "I date my first impressions
against religion, from having witnessed how little its vo-
taries were actuated by true Christian charity."
Brainbrd informs us that when amongst the Amer-
ican Inlians, he stopped at a place where he offered to
ILLUSTEATIVE GATHERINGS. 275
instruct them in Christianity ; he was met by the retort,
'' Why should you desire the Indians to become Chris-
tians, seeing that the Christians are so much worse than
the Indians ? The Christians lie, steal, and drink, worse
than the Indians. They first taught the Indians to be
drunk. They steal to so great a degree that their rulers
are obliged to hang them for it ; and even that is not
enough to deter others from the practice. We will not
consent, therefore, to become Christians, lest we should
be as bad as they. We will live as our fathers lived, and
go where our fathers are, when we die." Notwithstand-
ing all Mr. B. did to explain to them that these were
not Christians in heart, he could not alter their resolu-
tion, but left them, humbled at the thought that the
wickedness of some professing Christians should produce
such prejudices.
An Atheist's Reply. — An atheist being asked by a
Christian professor, "how he could quiet his conscience
in so desperate a state ?" replied, "Just as you do yours.
Did I believe what you profess, I should think no dili-
gence, no care, no zeal enough."
Dr. Gordon, of Hull, who was for a long time ad-
dicted to Infidel principles, when asked, after his conver-
sion, " What was your chief hindrance in embracing the
truth ?" replied, " The inconsistencies of professing
Christians."
Dr. Mason Good, when arguing with a young Infidel
scoffer, well put the old objection of making the faults of
professors the fault of their profession : — "Did you ever
know an uproar made because an Infidel had gone astray
from the paths of morality?" The young man admitted
he had not. " Then you allow Christianity to be a holy re-
276 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
ligion, by expecting its professors to be holy ; and thus,
by your very scoffing, you pay it the highest ctmpliment
in your power."
INDUSTRY.— Gen. ii. 15: Ex. xx. 9; Neh. iii.; iv.
6; Prov. x. 4; xii. 24-27; xiii. 4; xiv. 23; xxi. 5;
xxii. 29; xxxi. 27; Eccl. v. 12; ix. 10; xi. 6; Rom.
xii. 11 ; Eph. iv. 28 ; 1 Thess. iv. 11 ; 2 Thess. iii. 12 ;
1 Tim. V. 10.
Neh. iii.
One of the most cheering chapters in a difficult book. The
notice God takes, and the record God keeps, of all the work we
do. Observe especially the contrast (ver. 3), "The nobles put
not their neck to the work of their Lord ;" and (ver. 12), "Shal-
lum, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem, he and his daugh-
tersy
It was rough work for women, to help to repair the walls ;
but no work is ignoble, done in a noble cause, and with a noble
heart.
, the law of God's universe, — Paradise — earth
fallen — heaven. (Rev. iv. 8.)
"No pains, no gains."
" God reacheth us good things by our own hands ;
diligence is the mother of what the world calls good
luck."
" Work gives a feeling of strength, and in this our
highest pleasure consists." — Mliller.
Calvin. — " He read every week of the year three di-
vinity lectures ; every other week, over and above, he
preached every day ; so that (as Erasmus said of Chry-
sostom) I know not whether more to admire his constancy
or theirs that hoard him. Some have reckoned his yearly
lectures to be 186, and his yearly sermons 286. Every
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 277
Thursday he sat in the Presbytery ; every Friday, when
the ministers met to consult on difficult texts, he made
as good as a lecture. Besides all this, there was scarce
a day that exercised him not in answering, either by word
of mouth or writing, the doubts and questions of the dif-
ferent churches and pastors ; yea, sometimes more at
once ; so that he might say with Paul, ' The care of all
the Churches lieth upon me.' Scarcely a year wherein,
over and above all these former employments, some
great volume in folio or other came not forth." — Biogra-
phica Evangelica^ hy Dr. Iluyle.
Wesley, when he was asked the great secret of the
efficiency of his followers, replied, that " they were all at
it, and always at it; each new adherent was not only set
to work, but kept at work."
Wesley himself was a pattern of labor and industry.
He traveled about 5,000 miles every year ; preached
three times a day ; rose at five in the morning ; and his
published works number nearly two hundred volumes.
Poole's ^'Synopsis." — In compiling this immense
work Poole spent sixteen years, during which time he
rose every morning at five, and never dined out once.
Having at length finished the work, he went out to enjoy
a little rest with a friend, when his wife, in a fit of bad
temper, destroyed the MSS. On his return, grieved as
he was, he simply said, " My dear, thou hast done very
wrong ;" and next morning rose at four to re-commence
his labor, and never relaxed it till the task was finished
the second time.
The Rev. Thos. Scott composed and transcribed the
whole of his large and valuable Commentary in five
years.
24
278 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS'.
The Black Broth. — Dionysius the tyrant being at
an entertainment given to him by the Lacedaemonians,
expressed some disgust at their black broth. " No won-
der," said one of them, " for it wants seasoning."
"What seasoning?" asked the tyrant. "Labour," re-
plied the citizen, "joined with hunger and thirst." —
Cheevers Anecdotes.
Too Active to Freeze. — "I looked to Nature. It
was a clear, cold, bright winter's day. The crisp, un-
trodden snow which covered the landscape sparkled in
the sunlight as if with millions of gems. The little
stream, that in summer was always dancing and singing
by the wayside, was now completely frozen over, silent
and still under its icy covering ; but as we approached
the mill, where a little fall was visible in its channel,
there it was leaping and sparkling as merrily as in the
midst of a summer's day. Cold as it was on every side,
and frost-bound as the stream was above and below, here
it was too active and busy to freeze !
" From Nature I turned to History. It is sunset on
the Alps. A traveler is descending from the summit,
when a storm arises, and the winds blow, and the snow,
filling the air, rapidly buries all traces of his path. He
struggles on till his way is lost, and night sets in with
its horrors, when, bewildered, discouraged, exhausted, he
sinks down to die. The last thought has been given to
home and kindred and friends, and his soul commended
to his Redeemer ; and the numbness is already stealing
on his senses and limbs, when a sound of distress is borne
on the tempest to his ears. It is an appeal to his hu-
manity, that rouses him even from the stupor of death
itself. ' AVith an effort he rises, and follows the sound as
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 279
it is repeated, and soon finds a fellow-traveler like him-
self, benighted and exhausted, and lying down to be
wrapped in the winding-sheet spread by the tempest.
Earnest for his brother s safety, he puts forth every ef-
fort to rouse, and animate, and aid him, and his exer-
tions are crowned with success. His activity has he'pt
himself from freezing, and saved a fellow-being from
death !
" From Nature and History I turn to the Church. A
disciple who has every motive to faithfulness, is getting,
cold, indifferent, unspiritual. He has entered the back-
slider's path, and is making rapid progress in it, when,
by the providence of God, and a word from his pastor,
he is led to become a tract distributor, and a teacher in
the Sabbath-school. Before, he was in danger of freez-
ing — of becoming cold himself, and, like a mass of ice,
diffusing a chilling influence around him. But now he
is too busy to freeze. Activity is giving him a glow.
Motion is developing heat ; and already others are gath-
ering warmth from his example, and led by it to effort in
the cause of Christ and for the souls of men.
" The w^ater, the traveler, the disciple — each has a
voice for us. We must be diligent, devoted, earnest in
our Master's service, if we would be kept from being
cold, and lifeless, and useless. We should aim to be too
active to stagnate, too busy to freeze. We should en-
deavor to be like Cromwell, 'who not only struck while
the iron was hot, but made it hot by striking,' — like the
missionary who said, 'If there be happiness on earth, it
is in laboring in the service of Christ,' — like the blessed
Redeemer, ''whose meat and drivk it was to do the will
of G-od.' The vineyard must be cultivated ; and the
280 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
command is, that we enter it and work. There is work
enough to be done, and the injunction is, that we dj with
our might what our hands find to do. To be healthful,
we must be active ; to be happy, we must be useful ; to
receive the promise, we must have done the will of God.
We must be diligent, active, earnest, if we would make
our calling and election sure, and have at last an open,
an abundant entrance into the kingdom of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ. ' Be thou faithful unto death,
and I will give thee a crown of life.' " — Christian
Treasury.
" She was always busy, and always quiet." — " It
was a beautiful tribute to a most lovely and excellent
character, — husy and quiet. These are both excellent
traits, but rarely combine in the same person. We say
excellent traits ; they were so regarded by the great
apostle, and he exhorted the Christians of Thessalonica
to cultivate them. This was his language, — ' We beseech
you that ye increase more and more; that ye study to
be quiet, and do your own business.' He would not only
have them do these things, but study to do them. Busy
and quiet. Some are busy, very busy, always busy ; but
they are not quiet. There is a clattering noise, a kind
of blustering effort in all they do, which attracts the at-
tention, and which they desire to have attract the atten-
tion of others. They want others to know that they are
busy, and they luill know it, if anywhere in the house or
neighborhood. We have seen some who were busy, al-
ways busy, — their hands, their tongues, their thoughts
seemed never to be idle ; but they were very far indeed
from being quiet.
" So, on the other hand, some are very quiet, but not
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 281
busy. They make no noise, no disturbance. They
sleep, and eat, and sit, and also move about tc some
extent; but it all is done so quietly that you would
hardly know that they were in the land of the living,
had you only the sense of hearing. Such still, quiet
bodies, and idle, inactive withal, you see often in fam-
ilies and circles of your acquaintances. Thus some
are busy hut not quiet, and some are quiet but not
busy; and one of these would answer well for their
epitaph.
" But to be busy and quiet, always busy and always
quiet, like that excellent woman whose character w^as
thus described, is something rare, and worthy of admi-
ration. We hardly know of anything more commendable.
And we cannot help saying that persons of this class are
the persons who are most efficient and active in all our
churches. That office-bearer who does so much to help
his pastor, administer comfort and joy to all around him,
and induce others to go to the sanctuary, is noted for
these two things, — he is busy and quiet. That sister
whom we so tenderly love, who accomplishes so much,
and you hardly know how ; who attracts, wins others ;
who attends to her affairs so well at home ; who visits so
much among the afflicted and poor, has these as the
prominent traits of her character. She is always busy
and always quiet. She reminds one of a perfect machine,
whose parts are so nicely adjusted that it works day and
night without friction and without noise. Would that
we had more of this class in our churches and in the
community. The exigencies of the age demand Chris-
tians of this stamp, — persons that combine in their
24 *
282 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
characters activity and quietness." — Christian Treas
ury.
INFANTS.
*' A child was once watching the rain-drops being dried
up by the sun, when soon a rainbow was seen in the
clouds. His father said, ' See, there are the rain-drops
over which thou didst grieve ; they now shine in splen-
dor in heaven, and no foot can crush them there ; and
remember, my child, if thou dost vanish so soon from
earth, it will be so to shine in heaven.' " — Richter.
" God will take care of Baby." — " A beautiful in-
fant had been taught to say, — and it could say little else,
— * God will take care of baby.' It was seized with a
sickness at a time when both parents were just recover-
ing from a dangerous illness. Every day it grew worse,
and at last was given up to die. Almost agonized, the
mother begged to be carried into the room of her darling
to give it one last embrace. Both parents succeeded in
reaching the apartment just as it was thought the baby
had breathed its last. The mother wept aloud ; when
once more the little creature opened its eyes, looking
lovingly up in her face, smiled, moved its lips, and in a
faint voice said, 'God will take care of baby!' Sweet,
consoling words ! They hardly ceased when the infant
spirit was in heaven." — Christimi Treasury.
** A butterfly basked on a baby's grave,
Where a lily bad chanced to grow;
• "Why art thou here, with a gaudy die,
While she of the bright and sparkli ig eye
Must sleep in the churchyard low ?'
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 283
"Then it lightly soared through the sunny air,
And spoke from its shining track, —
•I was a worm till I won my wings,
And she, whom thou mourn'st, like a seraph sings;
"Wouldst thou call the loved one back?' "
INFIDELITY.
'* Where it arises in one case from men's believing
Christianity to be false, arises in ten cases from their
wishing it to be so."
"The nurse of infidelity is sensuality." — Cecil.
" Infidels have been always the most superstitious of
men." — Dr. Cumming.
Dr. Nelson, in his work on Infidelity, says, that for
many years he had tried to persuade every infidel to read
some work on the evidences of Christianity, and he never
knew but two instances fail of conviction, and in these
he did not know the result from want of opportunity.
"Men are greatly relieved when they have at length
rid themselves of belief in some unwelcome doctrine, —
as if facts could be destroyed as easily as opinions.
" God sees that you are naked and poor, and comes to
^you with a Royal wardrobe and all supplies. Suppose
you succeed in proving that there is no food, or raiment,
you are still poor and naked. What would you think if
there were to be an insurrection in an hospital, and bid?
man should conspire with sick man, and on a certain day
they should rise up and reject the doctors and nurses ?
There they w^ould be, — sickness and disease within, and
all the help without ! Yet what is an hospital compared
to this fever-ridden world, which goes swinging in pain
md anguish through the centuries, where men say, ' We
have got rid of the atonement, and we are rid of the
2<S4 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Bible ?' Yes, and jou have rid yourselves of salvation."
— BeecJier.
Infidel Publications. — " There are now annually
issued, —
Of Infidel publications, . . 12,200,200
Of Atheistic ditto, . . . 624,000
Of Popish ditto, .... 520,000
13,344,200
Besides which, there are of papers and periodicals
openly vicious and immoral, —
Ten stamped papers, . . . 11,702,000
Six unstamped papers, . . 6,240,000
Sixty pernicious periodicals, 10,400,000
Worst class, 520,000
28,862,000
And this in Christian England !
Whereas, adding together the annual issues of Bibles,
Testaments, and religious periodicals of every kind, we
find a total of 24,418,620, leaving a balance on the side
of evil of 4,443,380 V'—JBooJe and its Story.
Missions and Infidelity. — *'The earth is now tra-
versed by self-denying missionaries, who encounter every
hardship to carry Christianity to remote regions. But
where is the infidel who has exiled himself from his coun-
try to civilize savage tribes? Not one is to be found.
They sit at home nursing their pride, and deriding the
virtue which they cannot equal." — Christian Treasury.
Wilmot. — ''Mr. Wilmot, an infidel, when dying, laid
his trembling, emaciated hand upon the Sacred Volume,
and exclaimed solemnly, and with unwonted energy,
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 285
^ The only objection against tins book is, — a bad life.' "
— Cope.
Collins. — "Lord Barrington once isked Collins, the
infidel writer, how it was that, though he seemed to have
very little religion himself, he took so much care that his
servants should attend regularly at church ? He replied,
'To prevent their robbing or murdering me.' To such
a character, how applicable are these words,—' Out of
thine own mouth will I judge thee.' " — Ihid.
VoLNEY, a noted infidel, was once overtaken by a vio-
lent storm at sea, when he began to be in the greatest
distress, and ran about crying, " my God ! my God !
what shall I do?" Afterward the storm abated, and
the infidel who before had been ridiculing and scofiing
at Christianity, was so humbled and ashamed that he
durst not show himself for days.
Paine, in his low and ribald language, once said, " I
have gone up and down through the Christian Garden of
Eden, and with my simple axe I have cut down one after
another of its trees, till I have scarce left a single sap-
ling standing." Yet the proud boaster exclaimed, in
the most genuine remorse and terror before he died, "I
would give worlds, if I had them, that the ' Age of Rea-
son' had never been published."
HoBBES. — See '* Last Words."
Gibbon, Voltaire, and Hume. — " Gibbon, in his
celebrated ' History of the Decline and Fall of the Ro-
man Empire,' has left an imperishable memorial of his
enmity to the Gospel. He resided many years in Switz-
erland, where, with the profits of his works, he purchased
a considerable estate. This property has descended to a
gentleman who, out of its rents, expen Is a large sum
286 ILLUSTRxVTIVE GATHERINGS.
annually in the promulgation of that very Gospel which
his predecessor insidiously- endeavored to undermine, not
having had courage openly to assail it. Voltaire boasted
that with one hand he would overthrow the edifice of
Christianity, which required the hands of twelve apostlea
to build up. At this day, the press which he employed
at Fernay to print his blasphemies, is actually employed
at Geneva in printing the Holy Scriptures. Thus the
self-same engine which he set to work to destroy the
credit of the Bible, is engaged in disseminating its truths.
It is a remarkable circumstance, also, that the first pro-
visional meeting for the re-formation of the Auxiliary
Bible Society at Edinburgh was held in the very room
in which Hume died."
West on the Resurrection. ) ,^ _.„
T T c^ -r^ > Mr. Gilbert West and
Lord Lyttleton on St. Paul, j
Lord Lyttleton, both men of acknowledged talents, had
imbibed the principles of Infidelity from a superficial
view of the Scriptures. Fully persuaded that the Bible
was an imposture, they were determined to expose the
cheat. Mr. West chose the resurrection of Christ, and
Lord Lyttleton the conversion of St. Paul, for the
subject of hostile criticism. Both set down to their re-
spective tasks, full of prejudice and a contempt for Chris-
tianity. The result of their separate attempts was truly
extraordinary. They were both converted by their en-
deavors to overthrow the truth of Christianity. They
came together, not, as they expected, to exult over an
imposture exposed to ridicule, but to lament their own
folly, and to congratulate each other on their joint con-
viction that the Bible was the Word of God. Their able
inquiries have furnished two most valuable treatises in
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 287
favor of revelation ; one entitled, " Observations on the
Conversion of St. Paul," and the other, " Observations
on the Resurrection of Christ."
INFIRMITIES.— Ps. Ixxiii. 26 ; Prov. xviii. 14 ; Isa.
xlii. 2, 3; Matt. viii. 17; xxvi. 40-43; Luke v. 15; vii.
21; viii. 2, 3; xiii. 11-13; John v. 5-9; Rom. vi. 19;
2 Cor. iv. 16-18 ; xi. 30 ; xii. 5, 10 ; Gal. iv. 13 ; 1
Tim. V. 23 ; Heb. iv. 15 ; v. 2 ; vii. 28.
Lev. xiii. 1-6. Every bright spot was not the leprosy, but
it was to be shown to the priest and most carefully examined.
All apparent blemishes aud infirmities are not sins; but they
should be looked to, lest there should be sin.
Ps. Ixxvii. 10. "And I said. This is my infirmity:
but I will remember the years of the right hand of the
most High."
The constant contrast in the Scriptures, — human weakness —
Divine strength. " I am poor and needy ; yet the Lord think-
eth upon me." (Ps. xl. 17.) I am weakness itself, — "My
flesh and my heart faileth ; but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion for ever." (Ps. Ixxiii. 2G.)
Ps. Ixxxviii. " A song or psalm for the sons of Ko-
rah, to the chief musician upon Mahalath Leannoth,
Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite."
In this title, the word " Mahalath" signifies misery, or in-
firmity ; and "Leannoth" to answer. Whatever infirmity or
weakness the writer was suffiering from when he wrote it, we
may observe one thing, There is in the whole psalm only one word
of comfort; but then, consider what that is, — salvation, — "O
Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before
thee." (ver. 1.)
Matt. viii. 17. "Himself took our infirmities and
bare our sickness.
288 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
There are two sorts of infirmities ; such as are sinful without
pain, and such as are painful without sin. The first of thesQ
infirmities Christ did not take upon Him. Sinful infirmities,
—to be covetous or ambitious, — Christ never took them upon
Him. But Christ took upon Him painful infirmities, as hun-
ger, Matt. xxi. 28 ; weariness, John iv. 6 ; sorrow, Matt. xxvi.
38 ; fear, Heb. v. 7.
Rom. XV. 1. "We then that are strong ought to
bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please our-
selves."
"Weak Christians have infirmities, but infirmity supposes
life; and we must not despise them, — Rom. xiv. 3; Zech. iv.
10, — not in heart, word, or carriage. We must rather deny
ourselves than ofix'nd them. Rom. xiv. 21; xv. 1, 2; 1 Cor.
viii. 9, 13. We must support them, — bear them as pillars, — •
bear the house as the shoulders a burden ; as the wall the vine ;
as parents their children ; as the oak the ivy. And this because
they are brethren. Are they not of the same body ? Shall the
hand cut off" the little finger because it is not as large as the
thumb ? Do men throw away their corn because it comes into
their barns with chaff"? They are weak. Bear with them out
of pity. In a family, if one of the little ones be sick, all the
larger children are ready to attend it, which they need not do
if it were well. It should be done, likewise, because Jesus
Christ does so. * Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil
the law of Christ,' — the law of His command, and the law of
His example. He takes special care of His lambs, will not
quench the smoking flax, and is touched with the feeling of our
infirmities. Heb. iv. 15." — Phili'p Henry.
Rom. viii. 26. " Likewise also the Spirit helpeth our
infirmities."
As the gardener, as he walks round his beds, sees what trees
are weak, and gives his vines and other trees the support they
need; or as the Persian father, in teaching his children the use
of the bow, puts his strong hand upon the child's weak hand,
^o shall the Holy Spirit assist our weakness. He takes hold of
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. • 289
\
the burden with us, which we are unable to lift, much less to
carry of ourselves, and makes his strength manifest in our
weakness.
Temper — judgment — passions — mind — and physical
weakness.
*' If I cannot take pleasure in infirmities, I can some-
times feel the profit of them. I can conceive a king to
pardon a rebel and take him into his family, and then
say, * I appoint you for a season to wear a fetter. At a
certain season I will send a messenger to knock it off.
In the meantime, this fetter will serve to remind you of
your state; it may humble you, and restrain you from
rambling.' " — Newton.
The Pipe which conveys water to a thirsty man may
have some flaw in it, so that a few drops may ooze out ;
but would he for this reject it, if he had no better means
of getting water from the fountain ?
" Should a master bid his servant give him a cup of
wine, and he should willingly throw both glass and wine
on the ground, he might expect his master's just dis-
pleasure ; but if through some unsteadiness he should,
notwithstanding all his care, spill some of it in tlie
bringing, an ingenuous master will rather pity hin^ for
his disease than be angry for the wine that is lost; and
did God ever give His servants occasion to think Him a
hard Master? Hath He not promised 'that He will
spare us, as a Father his child that serves him ?' From
whence come all the apologies that He makes for His
people's failings, if not from His merciful heart, interpret-
ing candidly that they proceed rather from their want
of skill, than will, power, or desire ? ' The flesh is weak,
but the spirit is willing" (Matt. xxvi. 41), was His favor-
25 19
290 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
able gloss for His disciples' drowsiness in prayer." —
Salter.
INJURIES, Forgiveness of.— Gen. xlv. 5-11; Ps.
vii. 4 ; Prov. xix. 11 ; Matt. vi. 12, 14, 15 ; xviii. 25-35 ;
Mark xi. 25, 26 ; Luke vi. 31-38 ; xvii. 3, 4 ; xxiii.
34; Eom. xii. 17-21; Eph. iv. 32; Col. iii. 13; James
ii. 13.
He that refuses to forgive an injury, breaks the
bridge he will one day want to cross himself. (Mark
xi. 25.)
He that overcomes evil with good, gains three victo-
ries at once; he overcomes Satan, his enemy, and him-
self.
To have the courage to take no notice of an injury, is
to be even with our enemy ; to forgive it, is to be above
him.
The way to join two bars of iron together, is to melt
them : so are hearts joined, sometimes almost as hard.
A little boy being asked what forgiveness is, gave the
beautiful answer, "It is the odor that flowers breathe
when they are trampled upon."
"The sandal-tree perfumes, when riven,
The axe that laid it low ;
Let him who hopes to be forgiven,
Porgive and bless his foe."
" He who has not forgiven an enemy, has never yet
tasted one of the most sublime enjoyments of life." —
Lavater.
" We should endeavor to forget injuries, and hury them
in love.'' — Dr. Watts.
Piin.rp THE Good. — When some of his courtiers would
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 291
have persuaded him to punish a prelate who had used
him ill, he declined, saying, " It is a fine thing to have
revenge in one's power; but it is a finer thing not to
use it."
Cranmer. — It used to be said of him, If you would
have Cranmer do you a good turn, do him an ill one ; so
sure was he to return evil with good.
BuRKiTT beautifully observes in his journal, that some
persons would never have had a share in his prayers but
for the injuries they had done him.
Simeon. — '^ A man strikes me with a sword, and in-
flicts a wound. Suppose, instead of binding up the
wound, I am showing it to every body, and after it has
been bound up, I am taking off the bandage constantly
and examining the depth of the wound, and making it
fester, is there a person in the world who would not call
me a fool ? However, such a fool is he who, by dwell-
ing upon little injuries or insults, causes them to agitate
and influence his mind. How much better were it, to
put a bandage on the wound and never look to it again !"
Cherokee Indians. — "A few poor Cherokee women,
who had been converted to Christianity, formed them-
selves into a society for the propagation of the Gospel,
which was now become so dear to them. The produce
of the first year was about ten dollars, and the question
was, to what object this should be applied. At length, a
poor woman proposed that it should be given for the
benefit of the Osage nation; 'for,' said she, * the Bible
tells us to do good to our enemies (Matt. v. 44) ; and I
believe the Osages are the greatest enemies the Cherokees
have.' " — Christian Treauivij.
292 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Rap at the Right Door.—" 'He has insulted me be-
yond all endurance, and I will rap him for it.'
"Now, my friend, just consider. I suppose you
would not kill him outright, which you might do were
you to give him a rap of violence. And it is plain, from
your present state of mind, that you would not give him
a good-humored blow ; for that, like patting a dog, would
make him good natured perhaps. Now, on your own
showing, the man has some canine qualities. His abuse
of you is your testimony of this. You are offended and
injured, you say, by the display already made of these
qualities. But you will bring more of them to view by
the course you propose. Rap that surly dog. You
will get an angry growl, perhaps more, for your pains.
You may get something of the kind if you rap that
man.
" ' But I wish to call his attention to his abuse of
me.'
" And so you think a wound in his flesh is the best
mode of appealing to his moral sensibilities. I think if
you rap him he will think more of his skin than he will
of his sin. You will draw his attention to his fleshly
susceptibilities, and away from his guilt. And you wdll
interest him in some w^ay of repaying in kind your inva-
sion of his flesh. Just think, too, you have seen already
that that man has a very bad heart. It is a very fur-
nace of evil principles. You have been burnt already
by a spark. In pity to yourself, then, I pray you let
the volcano sleep if it will. Your revenge will only
awaken it to fresh fury. A burnt-out vinedresser, on
the side of Etna, is poorly employed in opening a new
avenue to the fire.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. .293
"'But I have no design of striking tiim. What I
mean by giving him a rap is just to tell him what a mean
and contemptible character he possesses.'
" Well, this is better than to smite him ; as it may be
said, it is better a man should be bitten by an adder,
than stung by a scorpion. But I think still you rap at
the wrong door. The right one is conscience. I will tell
you how to knock at that door, and then how much you
will accomplish by it.
" 1. Take no notice of the man's abuse. Show him a
placid countenance ; a serene, quiet, peaceful, uncom-
plaining spirit. You will smite him by so doing. He
will feel it. The peacefulness of your spirit, as seen in
the contrast with the tumultuous passions of his own
bosom, will pierce him. There is keen and cutting
rebuke to the injuries in the quiet patience of the in-
jured.
" 2. But you can knock still louder. Let benevolent
pity for your reviler prompt you to every act of kindness
in your power. Do him good, even at the expense of
self-denial. Show him an exact contrast of his treat-
ment of you. Compel him to see there is a palpable
difference of character, and in whose favor the differ-
ence is. He cannot long stand this. I do not believe
there is a heart this side of perdition which can long
abide such an appeal unmoved 'If thine enemy
hunger, feei him ; if he thirst, give him drink ; for in so
doing, thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.' Now,
if you are hot for vengeance, just think of these 'burn-
ing coals!' And if you can be satisfied only with a
plentiful recompense, you can hea'p them; and if you
25 *
294 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
must reach a vital part, you can heap them on his head^
— Cottage 3Iagazine.
Ex. Joseph, Gen. 1. 20, 21 ; David, 1 Sam. xxiv. 7,
2 Sam. xviii. 5, xix. 23; Solomon, 1 Kings i. 53; Ste-
phen, Acts vii. 60 ; Paul, 2 Tim. iv. 16 ; Christ, Luke
xxiii. 34.
INTENTIONS.— Judges xvii. 3; Matt. xxi. 28-31;
Luke ix. 54-62 ; xviii. 18-30.
" Many good purposes lie in the churchyard." — Philip
Henry.
" If religion might be judged of, according to men's
intentions, there would scarcely be any idolatry in the
world." — Bishop Hall.
Blossoms in Spring. — "What an illustration have
we of too many good intentions in the blossoms of
spring ! The trees in our gardens bear far more blossom
than they can ever ripen into fruit. This shows in them
an inward and natural disposition to pay liberally for the
ground they occupy ; but afterward they are more or
less hindered by outward circumstances from carrying it
into effect. Thus it is with good men. Scarcely a tithe
of the blossom comes to fruit ; but as men take pleasure
in beholding it upon the tree, so God takes delight in a
heart overflowing with fervor and holy resolutions, and
in the fruits and works of righteousness, though these
are not first, and may be comparatively few." — Gott-
hold.
Dr. Chalmers, when he was preparing the plan of
building schools for St. John's parish, Glasgow, a site
was selected, which belonged to the College of which Dr.
Taylor was head. Dr. C. called on him, and expressed
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 295
liis hope that it might he obtained reasonably. Dr.
Taylor replied, " The project is not a new one. We have
talked of building schools in Glasgow twenty years."
''Yes, Sir," said the Doctor, "and how long would you
go on talking ? We want to be doing I"
INTEHCESSION of Christ.— Isa. liii. 12; Jer. xxx.
21; Luke xxii. 31, 32; xxiii. 34; John xvi. 23, 24;
xvii. 9-24; Eom. viii. 34; Heb. iv. 14, 15; vii. 25; ix.
24 ; 1 John ii. 1, 2 ; Rev. viii. 3, 4.
typified by the High Priest entering within the
vail, with the censer of burning coals from off the altar,
and sweet incense to present before the Lord ; and hav-
ing the names of the twelve tribes upon the breastplate.
Lev. xvi. 12-14 ; Ex. xxviii. 29.
Cf. Num. xvi. 4T.
is free — feeling — efficacious.
consists, — 1. In presenting himself before the
Father in our name and upon our account, Heb. ix. 24,
pleading His merits and atonement. Heb» xii. 24. 2.
Presenting the prayers of the Church perfumed with the
merits. Rev. viii. 3, 4.
" We need not climb up into the firmament to see if
the sun be there, we may see the beauty of it upon the
earth; so we need not go up into heaven to see if Christ
be there interceding for us; let us look into our own
hearts, if they are quickened and inflamed in prayers,
and can cry Abba, Father. By the interceding of the
Spirit within us, we may know Christ is interceding
above for us." — Watson.
Amintas and ^chylus. — "A rare illustration c/f the
efficacious intercession of Christ in heaven we have in
296 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
that famous story of Araintas, who appeared as an advo-
cate for his brother ^chylus, who was strongly accused,
and very likely to be condemned to die. Now Amintas
having performed great services, and merited highly of
the Commonwealth, in whose service one of his hands
was cut off in the field ; he comes into the Court, in his
brother's behalf, and said nothing, but only lifted up his
arm and showed them an arm without a hand, which so
moved them, that without a word speaking, they freed
his brother immediately. And thus if you look into
Rev. V. 6, you shall see in what posture Christ is repre-
sented, visionally there, as standing between God and
us : ' And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne
and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders,
stood a Lamb as it had been slain;' that is, bearing in
His glorified body the marks of death and sacrifice.
Those wounds He received for our sins on earth are, as
it were, still fresh bleeding in heaven ; a moving and
prevailing argument it is with the Father to give us the
mercies He pleads for." — Flafvel.
" Suppose a king's son should get out of a besieged
prison and leave his wife and children behind, whom he
loves as his own soul; would the prince, when arrived at
his father's palace, please and delight himself with the
splendor of the court, and forget his family in distress ?
No ; but having their cries and groans always in his ears,
he should come post to his father, and entreat him, as
ever he loved him, that he would send all the forces of
his kingdom and raise the siege, and save his dear rela-
tions from perishing ; nor will Christ, though gon ? up
from the wjrld and ascended into His glory, forget His
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 297
children for a moment that are left behind Him." —
Gurnall.
" I OUGHT to study Christ as an intercessor. He
prayed most for Peter, who was most to be tempted. I
am on His breastplate." — M^Clieyne.
Intercession of Saints. — 1 Sam. xii. 19, 23 ; Ps
cii. 16, 17; cxxii. 6; cxxvi. 5, 6; Isa. Ixii. 1, 6, 7 ;
Ixiv. 7 ; Jer. xxix. 7 ; Ezek. ix. 4 ; Matt. v. 44 ; xviii.
19; Rom. xv. 30; 2 Cor. i. 11; Eph. i. IG; vi. 18;
Phil. i. 19; Col. iv. 3 ; 1 Thess. v. 25 ; 2 Thess. iii. 1 ;
1 Tim. ii. 1 ; Phile. 22 ; Heb. xiii. 18 ; Jas. v. 14-16 ;
1 John V. 16.
'-'- Carrying our neighbor's pitcher, as well as our own,
to the great well."
The fuller the concert, the sweeter the harmony ;
the more cord, the easier draught; if twenty pull at the
rope, there is more force than if there be two: so is it
with the power of united interceding prayer.
Believers must be emptying the measure of Divine
judgment with their prayers, which others are filling with
their sins.
Our prayers are often heard and granted, though we
may not be permitted to see it. A father sends out his
ship, and dies before the ship returns home ; but his son
is still living, and he receives the benefit.
Somebody is Praying for Me. — Yes, anxious Pastor,
you may be assured of that. You may think you are
forgotten, but it is not so really. The whirl of business,
or the love of pleasure, may have swept your work from
the minds of many of yotir hearers; but, cheer up.
That poor widow — that obscure saint — that young be-
liever — that sick and bed-ridden invali.^, — these, and
298 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
many more, are all holding up your hands. And still
more, yea, infinitely more, if every earthly friend forget
you, there is One above who would still be pleading on,
"who ever liveth to make intercession" "for the saints
according to the will of God;" and the Father of mer-
cies cannot and will not reject His prayers.
Harlan Page. — Aim at individuals. — The great
secret of his success was, that he always aimed at the
conversion of some individual, — wrestling in prayer with
God, and in affectionate entreaty with the sinner, till he
saw his wishes realized. By following this plan, though
he w\is in humble life, active work, and often in deep
poverty, he lived to see more than a hundred brought to
God as the fruit of his zeal and intercessions.
Ex. Abraham, Gen. xviii. 23-32 ; xx. 7, 17 ; Abra-
ham's servant, Gen. xxiv. 12-14; Moses, Exod. viii.
12; xxxii. 11-13; Numb. xi. 2; xii. 11-13; xiv. 13;
Deut. ix. 20 ; Samuel, 1 Sam. vii. 5, xii. 23 ; David, 2
Sam. xxiv. 17 ; Solomon, 1 Kings viii. 30-36 ; Elisha,
2 Kings iv. 33 ; Hezekiah, 2 Chron. xxx. 18 ; Isaiah,
2 Chron. xxxii. 20 ; Nehemiah, Neh. i. 4-11 ; Job, Job
xlii. 8-10; Ezekiel, Ezek. ix. 8; Daniel, Dan. ix.
3-19 ; Stephen, Acts vii. 60 ; Peter and John, Acts
viii. 15 ; Church at Jerusalem, Acts xii. 5 ; Paul, Col. i.
9-12, 2 Thess. i. 11; Epaphras, Coh iv. 12; Philemon,
Phile. 12.
JOY.— Deut. xxvi. 11; Job xv. 11; 1 Chron. xi. 38
^40; Esther viii. 15-17; Ps. ii. 11; iv. 7; v. 11; xvi.
11; xix. 8; xxxiii. 1, 21; xxxvii. 4; xl. 16; xlii. 4 ;
xliii. 4; Ixviii. 3; Ixxxv. 6; xcii. 4; xciv. 19; cxviii.
15, 24 ; cxix. 14 ; cxxii. 1 ; cxxvi. 5 ; cxxxviii. 5 ;
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 299
Prov. XV. 13 ; xvii. 22 ; Eccl. ix. 7-9 ; Cant. i. 4 ; Isa.
ix. 3 ; xii. 3 ; xxix. 19, 20 ; xxxv. 1 ; li. 11 ; Ivi. 7 ;
Ixv. 14 ; Jer. xv. 16 ; Hab. iii. 17, 18 ; Matt. v. 11, 12;
Luke X. 20 ; John xv. 11 ; xvi. 20 ; xvii. 13 ; Acts xi.
23 ; Rom. v. 2, 11 ; xii. 12 ; xiv. 17 ; xv. 13 ; 2 Cor.
vi. 10; Gal. V. 22; Phil. iii. 1; iv. 4; 1 Thess. v. 16;
Jas. i. 2 ; 1 Pet. i. 6-8 ; Heb. xii. 2.
Neh.-viii. 10. — " The joy of the Lord is your strength."
The definition and uiility of holy }oj. "The joy. of the Lord.''^
1. /Vom Him. (Gal. v. 22.) True joy is one of the sweet "com-
forts" of "the Comforter." (Ps. xciv. 19.) 2, In Him. (Rom.
V. 11; Phil. iii. 1.) 3. In living for Him. For what joy so
pure as the life for God. (Ps. xxi. 1 ; 1 Thess. ii. 19, 20 ; iii. 9.)
Ps. xcvii. 11. — " Light is sown for the righteous, and
gladness for the upright in heart."
Light-seed is sown in the vale of fogs ; though often hidden,
seed-like, for a time under the dark clouds of sorrow, it is only
taking root in the chastened heart; soon it will appear, and
bring forth the fragrant flower and mellow fruit, and bloom
and grow sweetly and usefully in the garden of God.
Matt. XXV. 21. *' Well done, thou good and faithful
servant : enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."
Heaven is the region of calm, consummate, and unruflled
joy; the joy of rest, of communion, of reward. Here, indeed,
we have "strong consolation" (Heb. vi. 14); but the sun often
goes down before noon ; the joys of heaven are as perfect as
eternal, as satisfying as they are certain.
1 John i. 4. — " These things write I unto you, that
your joy may be full."
2 John 12. — "I trust to come unto you, and speak
face to face, that our joy may be full."
3 John 4. — " I have no greater joy than to hear that
my children walk in truth."
300 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
The discipline of love dwelt much in joy. There is a clo?o
connection between the two. As peace is love refreshing, love
on the green pasture, and beside the still waters ; joy is love ex-
ulting, — love on the mountain of spices, climbing to higher and
still higher regions of holy delight.
** True joy is a serious thing." — Bonar.
sometimes the forerunner of sorrow and trial.
(Matt. iii. 16, 17 ; iv. 1.)
" I have had such a season of unusual joy lately, '
was the remark of an experienced minister, "that I am
expecting some unusual trial soon, for which God is now
preparing me."
Mrs. Eletcher writes in her journal : —
*■• ' Certainly I have now scarce any cross. Thou bast made
my cup to run over; yea, thou hast made me to forget all my
sorrows. There is not a comfort I can wish for which I have
not ; but. Lord, I want more grace.' The next entry begins, —
* When I wrote last, I was arrived at the summit of earthly fe-
licity. But, oh ! how shall I write it! On the 14th of August
the dreadful moment came. The sun of my earthlj' joys for
ever set, find the cloud arose which cast the sable on all my fu-
ture life. At half-past ten that Sabbath night, I closed the
eyes of my beloved.' But from another passage it appears that
just before the attack which ended his earthly course, Mr.
Fletcher and herself had been led to a very express devoting
of themselves to God; and the consequence was, that her star-
tled spirit soon found its quiet rest again." — Emblems of Eden.
" sometimes succeeds the believer's trials. What
is spring but winter melted ? what is the sap which now
gushes vital in these branches but the snow which lately
covered them with its frosty load ? and what is vigorous
piety but temptation vanquished? What is experience
but tribulation that worketh patience ? And what is
heaven itself but ' light affliction' transformed to exceed-
ing glory?" — Ihid.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERIKGS. 301
should not be judged of always by the outward
expression — " a man will laugh more at a jest than he
would at the news of a pardon." — Philip Henry.
Lightning and Light represent aptly the natures of
carnal joy and spiritual. Carnal joy, like lightning, is
short, lurid, transient, and scorching. Sunlight is last-
ing, healthful, and healing.
"Carnal joy is, a flash and away; leaves the mind in more
extreme and deeper darkness ; blasts the heart and affec-
tions with all spiritual deadness and desolations, with many
boiling distempers, much raging wildfire, and unquenchable
thirst after sensuality and earthlinoss ; and, first or last, it is
ever certainly followed with renting of the spirit, spiritual ter-
rors, thunders, darkness, ^nd damnation. But godly joy is like
the light of the sun, which, though it may for a time be over-
cast with clouds of temptations, mists of troubles, persecutions,
and darkness of melancholy, yet it ordinarily breaks out again
with more sweetness and splendor when the storm is over ; but
howsoever, it hath ever the Sun of Righteousness and fountain
of all comfort, so resident and rooted in the heart, that not all
the darkness and gates of hell shall ever be able to displant or
distain >it, no more than a mortal man can pull the sun out of
his sphere, or put out his glorious eye." — Bolton.
Sunshine. — It suggests some pleasing thoughts of the
believer's joys — the diiferent kinds of sunshine we ex-
perience. There is the clear sharp sunshine of the crisp
March morning ; such is the sunny day when some nar-
row-hearted Christian is for a moment thawed, and his
heart and hand are open to receive and cast abroad true
joy and gladness. Then there is the hot summer sun-
shine of July, beaming with its vertical heat, when the
most grateful retreat is shade. This may remind us of
uninterrupted prosperity, and the need we have of the
shade and harbor of retirement and even trial ; and tliere
2C
302 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
is the grave and sombre sunshine of October, which
speaks of the decline of life, and its falling leaves. What
lessons do they suggest of departed pleasure, and of
coming storms and pinching cold ! But hope whispers
as they rustle beneath our feet upon the path. The tree
may cast off its leaves for winter, but they shall appear
ngain in spring ; so shall the man, whose heart is fixed
on God, find joy as they depart, depart only to rise again
in beauty. The creatures around us remind us of a
changing world, but the Creator above remains the same.
Lights at Sea. — " Christians ! It is your duty not
only to be good, but to shine ; and of all the lights which
you kindle on the face, joy will reach furthest out to sea,
where troubled mariners are seeking the shore. Even in
your deepest griefs, rejoice in God. As waves phospho-
resce, let joys flash from the swing of the sorrows of your
souls. ' ' — Beeeher.
The Harp. — *' It is not so much by the symmetry of
what we attain in this life that we are to be made happy,
as by the enlivening hope of what we shall reach in the
world to come. While a man is stringing a harp, he
tries the strino;s, not for music, but for construction.
When it is finished it shall be played for melodies. God
is fashioning the human heart for future joy. He only
sounds a string here and there to see how far His work
has progressed." — Ibid.
" There are joys which long to be ours. God sends
ten thousand truths, which come about us like birds seek-
ing inlet ; but we are shut up to them, and so they bring
us nothing, but sit and sing a while upon the roof, and
then fly away." — Ibid.
The Rev. J. H, Stewart. — " I begin to see that re-
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 303
llgion consists not so much in joyful feelings as in a con-
stant exercise of devotedness to God, and in laying our-
ourselves out for the good of others."
Ex. Hannah — 1 Sam. ii. 1. David — 1 Chron. xxix.
9. Wise men — Matt. ii. 10. Virgin Mary — Luke i.
49. Zaccheus — Luke xix. 6 ; Converts — Acts ii. 46 :
xiii. 52. Peter — Acts xv. 41. Samaritan — Acts viii.
8. Jailer — Acts xvi. 32.
JOURNEYS.— Gen. xxiv. 21 ; Numb. ix. 10 ; x. 20 ;
Judges iv. 9 ; 2 Sam. xvii. 27-29 ; 1 Kings xix. 7 ;
Matt. X. 7-16 ; Luke xv. 13 ; Rom. i. 10 ; 2 Cor. xi. 26.
Gen. xlvi. 1. — " And Israel took his journey, with all
that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices
unto the God of his father Isaac."
Like Abraham, who, wherever he pitched his tent, theie
built an altar ; the first thing Israel did after his journey was
to acknowledge God's goodness in it.
Ps. cxxi., commonly called "the Traveler % Psalm."
" Just then his brother arrived ; and during the delay which
followed before the train started, we read the 121st Psalm in
the waiting-room. I remember the deep well of quiet confi-
dence in his eye, as the words were repeated to him, ' The Lord
is thy Keeper.' There was something in the tone of his voice
that day, which struck like a distant knell upon our hearts. It
was a foreboding tone. However strongly hope may have
sprung up afterwards, we felt at that moment that it was our
lust partini^." — Life of Hedley Vicars.
Matt. X. 7. — "And as ye go, preach."
Christ's charge to Christian travelers.
Luke X. 31. — " And by chance there came a certain
priest that way, . . . and likewise a Levite. . . . Bus
804 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was,
and when he saw him, he had compassion on him."
Here are many thoughts for travelers. 1. The different char-
acters of the passengers on the same road. Such a road is life,
and so varied are those who are traveling in its broad highway.
2. Things are often said to happen " by chance." The scrip-
tural idea of chance is unerring Providence. (Kuth ii. 3.) How
instructive is it for Christian travelers to mark their journeying
providences! 3. Traveling shows character. *' Three days of
uninterrupted traveling in a vehicle will make you better ac-
quainted with a man than one hour's conversation with him
every day for many years." — (Lavater.) Our journeys, there-
fore, suggest subjects for self-examination, — temper — unselfish-
ness — Christian zeal, judgment. 4. How much good a benevo-
lent heart may find and do unexpectedly ! The Good Samaritan
had no expectation at starting of finding an object of compas-
sion ; yet, when he came to it, his heart opened immediately,
and filled with pity, and his name stands engraven on the Sa-
cred Page as an example of one whose heart prompted his hand,
and who rose above the petty prejudices of "Jew and Samari-
tan."
Litany. — " That it may please thee to preserve all
that travel by land or by water."
"The fool wanders; the wise man travels."
The NUMBER of travelers by railway in England
in 1849 was 33,271,000. Besides these, there are, it is
reckoned, about 50,000 persons generally traveling upon
the wide ocean ; and a vast number in steamboats,
coaches, and other conveyances. Is it not a mournful
proof of the depravity of the human heart that so little
gratitude is felt, so little praise offered, for that Provi-
dence which watches over the traveler, and directs the
course and events of his journey !
Not PREPARED FOR HIS jfouRNEY. — " Gotthold and
some friends were in the act of startiiig on a journey,
ILLUSTRATIVE GATTTERING?. 305
^vllich was to occupy several dajs. All was ready, and
the carriage at the door, but one of the party did not
make his appearance, and, on being sent for, it was found
that he had not packed up his clothes, or made the other
necessary preparations. He arrived at last, however,
and they drove off, w^hen Gfotthold began : ' We must nut
allow you to escape with impunity for having now delayed
and detained us a whole hour ; and your punishment shall
be to listen to a good and salutary admonition, and bear
it about constantly in your mind. Do you know, then,
whom you have this day been imitating ? The children
of the world. For these find, or make for themselves,
so much to do with the world's vanities that they never
are in a state of readiness for departing out of it. They
do not think of death, and so postpone to the last hour
the collecting of their traveling-gear, by which I mean,
exercising repentance, faith, confession, prayer, and holy
living. Never till then do they set their house in order,
make their will, or attempt to disengage themselves from
the world, which has often, however, taken so strong a
hold of them that they quit it only with reluctance and
secret or open mourning. There are not many (says a
wise Dutchman) who finish their lives before they die.
Very few go, most are dragged, to the grave ; and in-
stead of leaving the world, they are hunted out of it.
Preparation for death seems to me of vast moment, and
the neglect or postponing of it good for neither living
nor dying.' "
Archbishop Leighton is said to have often expressed
in his lifetime this singular wish as to the place of his
death: — "If I had th^ power to choose a place to die
in, it should be an inn Do any ask me why ? Bcc:.use
26 * 20
306 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
tills looks like a pilgrim's going home, to whom tht whole
world is but like a large and noisy inn, and he, a way-
farer, tarrying in it as short a time as possible, and then
hastening onwards to his Father's house." The desire
of the good old man was granted. He died at the Bell
Inn, in Warwick-lane, London, in true Christian peace
and hope ; and now no longer a pilgrim in the earthly
wilderness, he is resting in the holy land, where angels
carried him, and there are many mansions prepared for
the elect of God.
Colonel Gardiner, ^ It is recorded of these
Rev. Spencer Thornton, > and many other holy
General Havelock, J Christian men,
that they would never let their hours of morning devotion
be abridged by any circumstances it was in their power
to prevent. Of Spencer Thornton it is stated, in his
"Life," that when in Switzerland, having one morning
to start upon a journey at four, he rose for devotion at
two.
Robert Haldane. — It would probably be hard to find
the record of any journey more eminently blessed for
good than that taken by Robert Haldane to Geneva.
When he left home in 1816, he had no definite plan of
action, and when asked how long he should be absent,
replied, "Possibly six weeks.' His way, however,
turned from France to Geneva and Montauban, quite
unexpectedly, and there he pitched his tent ; and to his
stay there maybe traced, directly or indirectly, the conver-
sion of that noble band of devoted Christians, M. Galland,
Felix Neff, Henri Pyt, M. Gaussen, Charles Rieu, Caesar
Malan, Merle d'Aubign^, and many others. Besides
which, must be added, the well-knov.n works which have
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERIISGS. 307
been given to the Church ; as Mr. Haldane's own " Ex-
position of tlie Romans," and D'Aubign^'s "History of
the Reformation."
James Haldanb, the excellent brother of the above,
was similarly blessed in a visit spent in the same year,
at Gilsland, in Cumberland, where he w^ent in the hope
of recruiting his wife's health. The account is fully re-
lated in "The lives of the Haldanes," of his meeting
there Dr. Everard, a well-known Roman Catholic Arch-
bishop of Cashel. By degrees the two became ac-
quainted, and the acquaintance was one of deep interest
on both sides.
" A few days before he left Gilsland, Dr. Everard con-
fined himself to his room, and did not appear in public.
He afterwards sought a parting interview with his Pro-
testant friend ; it was at once solemn and affecting. The
Archbishop told Mr. J. Haldane that the conversations
he had enjoyed with him, and particularly his appeals to
the Bible, had shaken him more than anything he had
ever before heard, and that it had made him very uneasy,
— that he had, therefore, determined, with fasting and
prayer, once more to seek counsel of God, in order that
his error, if he were in error, might be shown him. . . .
They parted with mutual expressions of regard, and Dr.
Everard died a few years afterward at Cashel, where
there were whispers in the neighborhood which intimated
that his dying room was carefully watched to prevent the
intrusion of those whose presence was not desired, and
that the mystery which was kept up as to his illness arose
from suspicions that he did not continue steadfast in the
Romish Faith."
Providence evidenced in journeys. — Abraham's servant
308 ILLUSTRATIVP] G ITHERINGS.
going foi a wife for Isaac, Gen. xxiv. The pillar of
cloud and fire, Exod. xl. 36, 37. Saul's journey di-
rected by God, 1 Sam. xv. 18. Christ's meeting with
the Samaritan woman by the well, John iv. The Ethi-
opian eunuch, met by Philip on his journey, Acts viii.
Saul, "as he journeyed," met by Christ, Acts ix.
(The worst journey he ever planned, but the best he
ever took.)
JUDGMENT, A Sound.— 1 Chron. xii. 32: Ps. cxii.
5 ; cxix. 66, 80 ; Prov. ii. 7 ; xiv. 8, 18 ; xvi. 21-23
Eccl. viii. 5 ; X. 2 ; Isa. xi. 13 ; lii. 13 ; Matt. x. 16
Luke xii. 56 ; Rom. xvi. 19 ; 1 Cor. xiv. 20 ; Phil. i. 9
Col. iv. 4, 5 ; 2 Tim. i. 7.
*' Mettle is dangerous in a blind horse."
— Depends chiefly upon the discerning of right
proportions and analogies.
GoTTijOLD. — " While reading a newly-bound book,
Gotthold, in passing from one page to another, found
that the connection of the sense was broken, and, on
closer examination, discovered that the binder had by
negligent folding misplaced some of the leaves. 'Well,'
said he, * all is correct and beautiful both upon this page
and that ; but as they do not follow in proper order, an
incongruity arises which offends the mind.' The same
may frequently be observed in the suggestions and re-
marks of many a man with whom we converse. In them-
selves they may be just and true ; but as the speaker
does not understand how to introduce them at the proper
time, they are distasteful to hear, as this book is to read."
^GotthoMs "JSmhlems."
Ex. Jacob, Gen. xxxii. 3-23. Joseph, Gen. xii. 38-40.
Jethro, Exod. xviii. 17-26. Gideon, Judges viii. 1-3.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATIIERLNUS. 809
David, 1 Sam. xvi. 18. Aged counselors of Rehoboam,
1 Kings xii. 7. Solomon, 2 Chron. ii. 12; 1 Kings iii.
6-28. Sergius Paulus, Acts xiii. 7. Paul, Acts xxiii.
6; 1 Cor. ix. 19-28; x. 23; Gal. ii. 2, &c.
JUDGMENTS, DIVmE.— Deut. xxxii. 35-43 ; 1
Kings viii. 31-53; Ps. ix. 16 ; xxxvi. 6; Iviii. 11; Ixxvii.
19 ; xcvii. 1, 2 ; cxliii. 2 ; Eccles. viii. 11 ; xi. 9 ; Isa.
xxvi. 8-11, 20, 21; Jer. v. 4, 29; viii. 7; Ezek. xxix.
21, 22 ; Joel ii. ; Amos iii. 6 ; iv. 6-12 ; Micah vi. 9 ;
Hab. i. 12; Luke xviii. 2-8; Acts xxiv. 25; Rom. ii. 2;
2 Pet. ii. 3 ; Rev. vi. 9, 10 ; xi. 16-18 ; xv. 3, 4 ; xvi.
5, 10, 11; xix. 1, 2.
Emblems. — A plumb-line, Isa. xxviii. 17 ; Amos vii. 7,
8 : Great deep, Ps. xxxvi. 6 ; Smoldering like smoking
fire, and couching like a beast of prey, ready to spring
upon its victim, Deut. xxix. 20 ; (Heb.) Burden, Isa.
xiii. 1. A cup of intoxicating wine, Ps. xi. 6 ; Ixxv. 8 ;
Jer. XXV. 17; Ezek. xxiii. 32-34; Rev. xiv. 9, 10.
Thn Plagues of Egypt furnish a striking example of Divine
judgments. 1. They were not sent without previous warning.
2, They were gradually increased in severity. 3. They were
such as to rebuke the idolatry of the land (see Idolatry). 4.
In several of them, things the most contemptible and loath-
some were the instruments employed. 5. There was a distinc-
tion made between the Lord's people and the Egyptians. 6.
They show how little judgments alone can soften the sinner's
heart. After each plague Pharaoh's heart became harder, till
at last the measure of his iniquity was full.
The TWO Rabbis. — A little while after the city of Je-
rusalem was destroyed, two Jewish Rabbis were walking
over the ruins. Both seemed affected at the mournful
Eight ; but one wept, the other smiled. The one who
310 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
wept was naturally surprised to see his companion smile,
and asked him, " How can you smile now, when you see
our holy city laid low in ruins?" *'Nay," said the
Kabbi, "let me rather ask you, Why do you weep?"
*'I weep," answered the first, "because I behold around
me the fearful judgments of the Almighty. Our beauti-
ful city is no more — our holy temple is laid waste — our
brethren, where are they now?" "All that," said the
other, " is the reason why I smile. I see, like you, how
sure God's judgments are ; but I can learn how true
must be His promises. God hath said, ' I will destroy
Jerusalem.' I see He has. But He has also said,
* I will rebuild Jerusalem.' Shall I not believe His
word ?"
" The Roman Magistrates.— It is observable that
the Roman magistrates, when they gave sentence upon
any one to be scourged, had a bundle of rods, tied
hard with many knots, laid before them. The reason
was this, — that, whilst the beadle or flagellizer was un-
tying the knots, which he was to do by order, and not
in any other hasty or sudden way, the magistrate might
see the deportment and carriage of the delinquent,
whether he was sorry for his fault, and showed any hope
of amendment, that then he might recall his sentence,
or mitigate his punishment ; otherAvise he was corrected
so much the more severely. Thus God, in the punish-
ment of sinners, how patient is He ! how loath to strike !
how slow to anger ! If there be but any hopes of re-
covery, how many knots doth He untie ! how many rubs
doth He make in His way to justice ! He doth no| try
us by martial law, but pleads the case with us, — * Why
will ye die, house of Isniel ?' and all this to see
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 311
whether the poor sinner will throw himself down at His
feet ; whether He will come in and make his composition
and be saved." — Spencer.
JUSTICE, DIVINE.— Gen. xviii. 21, 25, Deut.
xxxii. 4 ; Neh. ix. 33 ; Job viii. 3 ; xxxiv. 23 ; xxxvii.
23; Ps. li. 4; Ixxxix. 14; xcii. 15; xcvii. 2; cxlv. 17;
Isa. xxviii. 17 ; xlv. 21 ; Dan. ix. 7 ; Rom. iii. 3-6, 19,
26 ; ix. 14-16 ; Heb. vi. 10 ; Rev. xv. 3.
1 John i. 9. "If w^e confess our sins, He is faithful
diwdijust to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrijihteousness. ' '
o
"ISTot only merciful but just. Why just? Because He hath
promised to forgive such. Prov, xxviii. 13. If thy heart hath
been broken for and from sin, thou mayest not only plead God's
mercy, but His justice for the pardoning of thy sin. Show
Him His hand and seal, He cannot deny Himself." — Watson.
" Take a straight stick and put it into the water, then
it w^ill &eem crooked. Why ? Because we look at it
through two mediums, air and water. There lies the
deception ; thence it is that we cannot discern aright.
Thus the proceedings of God in His justice, which in
themselves are straight without the least obliquity, seem
unto us crooked : that wicked men should prosper, and
good men be afflicted ; that the Israelites should make
the bricks, and the Egyptians dwell in the houses ; that
servants should ride on horseback, and princes go on
foot. These are things that make the best Christians
Btagger in their judgment ; and why but because they
look upon God's proceedings through a double medium
of flesh and spirit, that so nil things seem to go cross,
though, indeed, they go right enough ; and hence it is
312 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
that God's proceedings in His justice are not so well Jis-
cerned, the eyes of man alone not being competent judges
thereof." — Spencer.
JUSTIFICATION.— Isa. xIy. 8; 1. 8, 9 ; liii. 6, 11
Ixi. 10; Jer. xxiii. 6; xxxiii. 16; Hab. ii. 4; Zech. iii
3-5 ; Luke xviii. 13, 14 ; Acts xiii. 39 ; Rom. i. 17
lii. 20-26 ; iv. ; v. ; viii. 30, 33, 34 ; x. 3-13 ; 1 Cor
i. 30; vi. 11 ; 2 Cor. v. 21; Gal. ii. 16-21; iii. 5-14
V. 4 ; Phil. iii. 9, 10.
" The article of a standing or falling Church." —
Luther.
See Art. xi., xii., xiii.
Homily on Salvation.
*' Self-justification is the attempt of one overtaken by
a storm to run for shelter into an old house without a
roof."
is, — 1. Originally from the grace of God. 2.
Meritoriously from th« person and work of Christ. '3.
Instrumen tally by faith. 4. Evidentially by works.
" Q. What is justification ?"
" A. It is an act of God's free grace, whereby He
pardoneth all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in His
sight, only for the righteousness of Christ, imputed to
us, and received by faith." — Watson.
" As Christ was made sin for us by imputation, and
not by infusion of sin in Him, so we are made righteous
in God's sight by the imputation of Christ's righteous-
ness. There are two things in justification : remission
of sin from Christ's passive obedience, and imputation
of righteousness from His active obedience. Faith itself,
as a grace, justifies not, because a man is nut justified
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 313
for faith but by it as an instrument only, and it is said
to justify, because of all graces it is principally used for
that purpose. Justification finds us ungodly, but does
not leave us so ; true faith cannot be without good works,
for these may be said to justify faith as that does (instru-
mentally) the believer ; though we distinguish between
justification and sanctification, yet we do not separate
and divide them, as they always go together in the same
person, like unto light and heat in the sun." — G-rew on
Justification.
'' Works can have no share in our justification, be-
cause they are done from improper motives, or done in
an imperfect manner, and therefore cannot recommend
themselves, much less the sinful doers of them to infinite
purity ; nay, if God should enter into strict justice, I
fear our very best works would deserve punishment; and
to think that those works which deserve punishment can
merit either in whole or in part is surely a great mis-
take ; it seems to be as safe as to fancy that the addition
of some dross will enhance the value or increase the
lustre of gold. Were I possessed of all the righteous
acts that have made saints and martyrs famous in all
generations, I would renounce them all in point of justi-
fication before God, and would depend alone upon the
atonement and righteousness of Christ, and ascribe all
my salvation to his free unmerited grace." — Ilervey.
Before God enlightened me into the righteousness of
Christ and justification by it, I used to wonder how it
was, that seeing Christ lived upwards of thirty-three
years upon earth, only His death, or at most the last
week of His life, should be of any avail for the salvation
of sinners ; but, blessed be God, I have long seen that
314 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Christ was all that time working out a perfect obedience
for my acceptance with the Father. ' By the obedience
of one shall many be made righteous,' is a text that am-
ply accounts for His having spent thirty-three years
below, previous to His crucifixion, and this obedience,
together with His sufferings received by faith, completely
justify a penitent sinner." — Romaine.
'' Christ's righteousness, imputed to us by fiiith
justifies us, and this is the believer's title to heaven ;
from sanctification arises our meetness for it. A king's
son is heir apparent to his father's crown ; now we will
suppose the young prince to be educated with all the
advantages, and to be possessor of all the attainments
that are necessary to constitute a complete monarch, his
accomplishments however do not entitle him to the king-
dom, they only qualify him for it ; so the holiness and
obedience of the saints are no part of that right on
which their claim to heaven is founded, but only a part
of that spiritual education whereby they are made meet
to inherit the kingdom of heaven ; thus we may see
plainly the difference between justification and sanctifi-
cation." — Madan.
*' Some harbors have bars of sand which lie across
the entrance and prohibit the access of ships at low
water. There is a bar, not of sand, but of adamantine
rock, the bar of Divine justice, which lies between a
sinner and heaven. Christ's righteousness is the high
water that carries a believing sinner over this bar, and
transmits him safe to the land of eternal rest. Our own
righteousness is the low water which will fail us in our
greatest need, and will ever leave us short of t!ie heavenly
Canaan. ' ' — Salte^\
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERIJ^ iS. 315
"And I SAW in my dream that jnst as Christian came
up with the Cross, his burden loosened from oif his
shouklers, and fell from off his back, and began to tum-
ble, and so continued to do, till it came to the mouth of
the sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more.
" Then was Christian glad and lightsome, and said with
a merry heart, ' He has given me rest by sorrow, and
life by His death.' Then he stood awhile to look and
wonder ; for it was very surprising to him that the sight
of the cross should thus ease him of his burden. He
looked, therefore, and looked again, even till the springs
that were in his head sent the w^ater down his cheeks.
Now as he stood looking and weeping, behold three
shining ones came to him, and saluted him with ' Peace
be to thee ;' so the first said to him, ' Thy sins be for-
given thee;' the second stripped him of his rags, and
clothed him with change of raiment ; the third also set
a mark on his forehead, and gave him a roll with a seal
on it, which he bid him look on as he ran, and that he
should give it in at the celestial gate ; so they went their
w ay . " — Pilg rim ' s Pi' ogress .
JUSTIFICATION AND SANCTIFICATION.—
Prov. xvi. 6 ; 1 Cor. i. 30 ; vi. 11.
Cf. The work of Christ and of the Spirit as set forth
in^ —
1. The tabernacle — first the altar, then the laver.
2. Waters of separation. Numb. xix. 7.
3. Ordinance of the leper ; first sprinkled with blood,
then anointed with oil.
" It is a nice distinction to allow that a man is saved
not by ^ood Vvorks, and yet to deny that works contri-
316 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
bute to his justification ; yet it is scriptural. Man's
condition, as without the satisfaction of Christ, may be
illustrated by the case of Peter in the prison. When he
was sleeping between two soldiers, w^ell guarded, an an-
gel came and raised him ; broke oif his chains and set
him free. In all this Peter had no part ; he did nothing.
Just as it is with* the Lord our righteousness,' who
awakens us from the sleep of sin, and breaks off our
chains. But when Peter was awakened, he gave proof
of the liberty he had received by hastening to the house
of Mary, and joining himself to the disciples. So man,
being delivered from the condemnation and bondage of
sin, is sealed by the Spirit, and walks before God in
righteousness and holiness." — Br. Sumner^ Archbishop
of Canterbury:
" Justification regards something done /or us ; sanc-
tification, something done in us. The one is a change in
our state, the other in our nature. The one is perfect,
the other gradual. The one is derived from the obedi-
ence of the Saviour, the other from His Spirit. The
one gives us a title to heaven, the other a meetness for
it. Suppose you had a son ; you forbade him to enter a
place of contagion on pain of losing all you could leave
him. He goes, and is seized with the infection. He is
guilty, for he has transgressed your command, but he is
also diseased. Do you not perceive that your forgiving
him does not heal him? He w^ants not only the father's
pardon, but the physician's aid. In vain is he freed from
the forfeiture of his estate, if he be left under the force
of the disorder." — Jay,
'* Inherent righteousness "Imputed righteousness
1. Sanctifies. 1. Justifies.
ILLUSTRATIVE OATIIERINGS.
17
2. Makes us shine before
men.
8. Pleases God.
4. Discharges from hypo-
crisy.
5. Makes us pray.
6. Is our sincerity.
7. Respects the law.
8. Is the evidence of our
salvation.
9. Is our joy.
10. Is to be loved.
11. Is imperfect.
12. Is our qualification for
heaven."
2. Makes us shine before
God.
8. Appeases him.
4. Discharges from guilt.
5. Makes our prayers pre-
vail.
6. Is our perfection.
7. Answers the law.
8. Is the foundation of it.
9. Is our glory, Isa. xlv.
25.
10. Is to be trusted.
11. Is perfect.
12. Is our title to it."
Mason
KINDNESS.— Gen. 1. 21; Lev. xix. 18; Ruth ii.
iii. ; Job xxix. 25; Prov. xvii. 17; xviii. 24; xix. 22
xxxi. 26 ; Mark ii. 3 ; Rom. xii. 10 ; xv. 1-8 ; 1 Cor
xiii. 4 ; 2 Cor. vi. 6 ; x. 1 ; Eph. iv. 32 ; Col. iii. 12 ;
1 Pet. iii. 8 ; 2 Pet. i. 7.
OF God. — 2 Sam. ii. 6; Neh. ix. 17 ; Ps. xviii.
85; xxxvi. 7, 10; xlii. 8; xlviii. 9; Ixiii. 3; Ixxxix.
38,49; xcii. 2; ciii. 4; cvii. 48 ; cxix. 88; cxliii. 8;
Isa. liv. 8-10 ; Ixiii. 7 ; Jer. xxxi. 8 ; Hos. ii. 19 ; Joel
ii. 18; Luke vi. 35; Tit. iii. 4.
The very word kindness comes from the cognate word
kinned, i. e., one of the same kin or race; acknowledg-
ing and reminding us of the fact that all men are brethren
— all of the same blood — and therefore they should aU
27 *
oiQ ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
act as brethren. All who are of the same kindred should
be kind. The same analogy is found in the word humane
from human.
Politeness (which is only one species of kindness)
has been well defined as " lighting our neighbor's candle
by our own," by which we lose nothing and impart some-
thing.
" Good words do more than hard speeches, as the
sunbeams without any noise will make the traveler cast
off his cloak, which all the blustering winds could not do,
but only make him bind it closer to him." — Leighton.
'' The power of gentleness is irresistible." — H. Mariyn.
" The kindness of many is too much like an echo ; it
returns exactly the counterpart of what it receives, and
neither more nor less." — Matt. vi. 46, 47.
Little Kindnesses. — Life afi'ords but few opportuni-
ties of doing great services for others ; but there is
scarcely an hour of the day that does not aiford us an
opportunity of performing some little, it may be unno-
ticed kindness.
Rowland Hill used quaintly to say, " I would give
nothing for that man's religion whose very dog and cat
are not the better for it."
The Rev. H. Venn. — On one occasion when passing
through the West of England, whilst sitting at the win-
dow of an inn, he observed the waiter endeavoring to
assist a man who was driving some pigs on the road,
while the rest of the servants amused themselves only
with the difficulties which the man experienced from their
frowardness. This b(5nevolent trait in the waiter's cha-
racter induced Mr. Venn to call him in, and to express
to him the pleasure which he felt in seeing him perform
ILLUSIRATIVE GATHERINGS. 319
this act of kindness. After showing him how pleasing
to the Almighty every instance of good will to our fel-
low-creatures was, he expatiated on the love of God in
sending His Son from the purest benevolence to save
mankind. He exhorted him to seek for that salvation
which God, in His infinite mercy, had given as the most
inestimable gift to man. He promised to send him a
copy of His own work, "The Complete Duty of Man."
Many years after this, a friend going to see him, stayed
on Saturday night at an inn, and the next day asked the
servants whether any of them went to a place of worship
on a Sunday ; to his surprise, he found the master of
the house a godly man, having family prayers in his
house, and requiring his servants to attend a place of
worship at least once every Sabbath. On inquiring fur-
ther, he was told that some years ago a gentleman had
sent him a book, which had been greatly blessed to him,
and on desiring to see the book, he found it to be " The
Complete Duty of Man." Thus was the promise fulfilled,
"Blessed are they that sow beside all waters." " Cast
'thy bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after
many days."
"The Man that Killed his Neighbor." — A well-
known and excellent tract, No. 65 on the Tract Society's
list.
KINGS, . Christians. — Ex. xix. 6 ; Isa. xlix. 23 ;
Matt. XXV. 34 ; Luke vi. 20 ; vii. 28 ; xii. 32 ; xxii. 29 ;
2 Tim. iv. 8 ; Heb. xii. 28 ; Jas. ii. 5 ; 1 Pet. ii. 9 ; Rev.
i. 9; V. 10; xx. 6.
Eternal Cro^vn. — " A Romish priest put the ques-
tion to an aged convert on his dying bed, 'Now, Bourke,
320 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
is it not true that you left the Church of Rome for lu-
cre's sake ?' The answer was a remarkable one. Rais-
ing his voice as high as his declining strength would ad-
mit of, he exclaimed, ' True for you, Sir, I did leave it
for lucre's sake, but it was for the lucre of everlasting
life that I left it.'
" Another priest, addressing a convert, said, ' Confess
what you get for leaving the true Church, and I'll give
you more for turning back.' * Neither more then, since
you must know it, than a crown each, and every one of
us," was the reply. 'A crown, Paddy Connor! only a
crown !' said the priest; ^ you shall have that, and more
too.' ' Oh, but,' said Paddy, ' the crown we are looking
for is a crown of glory, reserved in heaven for us by the
only Intercessor between God and man.' " — Sunday at
Home.
"You'll be a Duke, but I shall be a King." —
" A consumptive disease seized the eldest son and heir
of the Duke of Hamilton, which ended in his death. A
little before his departure from the world, he lay ill at
the family seat near Glasgow. Two ministers came to
see him, one of them at his request prayed with him.
After the minister had prayed, the dying youth put his
hand back, and took his Bible from under his pillow, and
opened it at the passage, ' I have fought a good fight, I
have finished my course, I have kept the faith ; hence-
forth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord,' the righteous judge, shall give me at
that day ; and not to me onl}^, but unto all them also
that love His appearing.' 'This, Sirs,' said he, 'is all
my comfort.' As he was lying one day on the sofa, his
tutor was conversing with him on some astronomical sul>
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 321
ject, and about the nature of the fixed stars. ' Ah,'
said he, ' in a little while I shall know more of this than
all of you together.' When his death approached, he
called his brother to his bedside, and addressing hin:
with the greatest affection and seriousness, he closed
with these remarkable words, ' And now, Douglas, in a
little time you'll be a duke, but I shall be a king.' " —
Cheever,
t
KNOWLEDGE.— Gen. ii. 9, 17; iii. 1-19; Exod.
V. 2 ; viii. 10 ; 2 Chron. i. 12 ; Job xxi. 14 ; Ps. ix. 10 ;
Ixxix. 6; Ixxxii. 5; xci. 14; cxix. %^', Prov. i. 7, 22,
X. 14; xiv. 8, 18; xviii. 1; xix. 2: xx. 12; Isa. i. 3;
V. 13; xxxili. 6; xlvii. 10; liv. 13; Jer. iv. 22; ix. 6,
23, 24 ; xxiv. 7 ; xxxi. 34 ; Dan. ii. 21 ; xi. 32 ; Hos.
iv. 6 ; vi. 3-6 ; Hab. ii. 14 ; Mai. ii. 7 ; Matt. xi. 25 ;
xiii. 11 ; Luke xii. 6 ; xix. 42, 44; John xiii. 7 ; xvii.
3, 25 ; Rom. i. 28 ; ii. 20 ; x. 2 ; 1 Cor. viii. 1, 3 ; xiii.
8-12 ; XV. 34 ; Phil. i. 9 ; Col. iii. 10 ; Jas. iii. 13 ; 2
Pet. i. 3-e ; ii. 20 ; iii. 18.
like light of the sun, candle, &c.
torch or lantern by night.
eye of the body. (Matt. vi. 22, 23.)
compass^ the mariner's companion on the
pathless ocean.
guide post, where many roads meet.
lighthouse on a dangerous coast.
, if unsanctified, is no more availing than a painted
fire on a cold day.
The knowledge of too many Christians is light without
heat ; clear, but cold, like a January morning.
21
322 ILLUSTRATIVE UATHEIIINGS.
Divine Knowledge is not the light of the moon fof
us to sleep by, but the light of the sun to walk by.
" Knowledge IS Power." — "It is not a couch to
rest a searching and restless spirit, nor a terrace for a
wandering and variable mind to walk up and down upon ;
nor a tower of state for a proud mind to raise itself
upon ; nor a commanding fort for strife and contention ;
nor yet a shop for profit and sale ; but a rich storehouse
for the glory of the Redeemer, and the relief of man's
estate. ' ' — Bacon.
'-'- Knoivledge is power for good or bad, as it is applied.
A horse under restraint is of use in carrying loads and
bearing burdens, &c. But if not restrained, he breaks
his bridle, throws his rider, and dashes the carriage in
pieces. The water of a large pond, conducted by
trenches, or directed by a mill, is of use ; but if it breaks
its banks, it sweeps everything before it, and destroys,
where otherwise it would be a blessing. When the ship
is steered right, the sails help forward her onward course ;
but if steered wrong, the more sail she carries the worse."
LAST WORDS.
It would be a striking history were the departing
sayings of eminent men always recorded ! Take a few
examples from the men of this world, and from those
who lived and died in Jesus."
Charles IX. (who gave the order for the massacre on
St. Bartholomew's Day, 1575) expired bathed in his own
blood, which burst from his veins whilst he exclaimed,
" What blood — what murders — I know not where I am —
how will all this end ? What shall I do ? I am lost for
ever — I know it !"
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 323
Francis Spira, an Italian apostate, died in the most
awful despair. On his death-bed he exclaimed, " My
sin is greater than the mercy of God. I have denied
Christ voluntarily ; I feel that He hardens me, and al-
lows me no hope."
HoBBES, the infidel, before death, — "I am taking a
fearful leap into the dark."
Goethe. — His dying exclamation was mournfully sig-
nificant: — "Open the shutter and let in more light."
Contrast the words of the Rev. T. Scott, the Commen-
tator, when standing upon the confines of the grave,
" This is heaven begun ; I have done with darkness for
ever ; nothing remains but light and joy."
Nelson, wounded mortally by a bullet : — "0 victory,
victory, how you do distress my poor head ! Doctor, I
have not been a great sinner. Thank God, I have done
my duty."
Wolfe.—" They run ! they run !" " Who ?" " The
French." " Then I die happy."
William Pitt, who could never clearly apprehend
what experimental Christianity meant, on his death-bed
said to the Bishop of Lincoln : — " I have, like many
other men, neglected prayer too much to have any ground
of hope that it can be efficacious on a death-bed. But I
throw myself on the mercy of God through the merits
of Christ !"
Lord Byron, a short time before death: — "Shall
I sue for mercy ?" After a long pause, he added, " Come,
come, no weakness ; let's be a man to the last."
George IV. — " Oh, my God, this is dea^h !"
Contrast the last k^pes and experience of departing
saints : —
824 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHEKINGS.
Luther. — " Our God is the God from vvhoia cometh
salvation ; God is the Lord, by whom we escape death."
Calvin. — " Thou, Lord, bruisest me ; but I am abun-
dantly satisfied, since it is from thy hand."
Knox. — " Live in Christ, live in Christ, and the flesh
need not fear death.
Bellarmine, the eminent Roman Catholic apologist
and preacher : — " It is safest to trust in Jesus."
Sir Isaac Newton, a little before death : — " I do not
know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I
seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-
shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a
smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, while
the great ocean of truth lies all undiscovered before me."
Richard Baxter.—'' Oh ! I thank Him, I thank Him ;
the Lord teach you how to die." " I have pain — there
is no arguing against sense ; but I have peace, I have
peace."
Latimer. — "Be of good courage. Master Ridley, and
play the man ; we shall this day light such a candle in
England, as by God's grace shall never be put out."
Bilney. — "Jesus! I believe."
Robert Bruce. — The moment before he died, having
eaten an egg at breakfast, said to his daughter, " I think
I am yet hungry, you may bring me another egg ;" but
having mused awhile, he said, " Hold, daughter, hold,
my Master calls me," with these words his sight failed
him ; on which he called for the Bible, and said, " Turn
to the eighth chapter of the Romans, and set my finger
on the words, ' I am persuaded that neither death nor
life,' " &c. ; when this was done, he said, "Now, is my
finger upon them ?" Being told that it was, he added,
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 325
*^ Now God be with yon, my dear children ; I have break-
fasted with you, and shall sup with my Lord Jesus Christ
this night," and then expired.
Dr. Preston. — " Blessed be God ! though I change
my place, I shall not change my company ; for I have
walked with God while living, and now I go to rest with
God."
Matthew Henry. — "You have been used to take
notice of the sayings of dying men, this is mine, — that
a life spent in the service of God, and communion with
Him, is the most comfortable life that any one can lead
in this present world."
Rutherford. — " If he should slay me ten thousand
times ten thousand times, I'll trust." " I feel, I feel, I
believe in joy, and rejoice ; I feed on manna." " Oh, for
arms to embrace Him ! Oh, for a well-tuned harp !"
Rev. James Hervey. — " You tell me that I have but
a few moments to live. Oh, let me spend them in ador-
ing our great Redeemer ! Oh, welcome death ;
thou mayest well be reckoned among the treasures of the
Christian." His last words, — '' The great conflict is
over; all is done." {^qq Nativity of Christ.']
Halyburton, to his aged elder, — " Jamie, ye are an
auld man, and I am dying ; yet the child shall die an
hundred years old. I am like a shock of corn fully ripe.
I have ripened fast under the bright Sun of Righteous-
ness; and we have had brave showers." Just before
death, — " I am thinking on the pleasant spot that I may
get to lie in, close beside Mr. Rutherford and Principal
Anderson. I will come in as a little one among them,
and I will get my little George in my hand ; and, oh, we
will be a group of bonnie dust." During the last six
28
326 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHEKINGS.
hours his voice failed him. But his angelic face was
eloquent ; and when he could not speak, he gently clapped
his hands in triumph.
Rev. John Brown. — "My Christ! my Christ!"
Lambert at the stake. — '' None but Christ ! None
but Christ!" Cecil, when he died, exclaimed, "None
but Christ! None but Christ! — so said dying Lambert
at the stake ; and so, under all circumstances, and with
all his heart, says Richard Cecil."
Eliot. — When he could no longer leave his dwelling,
through weakness and infirmity, the ruling passion still
prevailed, and he had a young Indian to dwell with him,
whom he taught to read several passages of Scripture.
He lived till near ninety. One of his last sayings was,
" The evening clouds are passed away ; the Lord Jesus,
whom I have served, like Polycarp, for eighty years, will
not forsake me now. Oh, come in glory ! I have long
waited for Thy coming. Let no dark cloud rest on the
work of the Indians ; let it live when I am dead." Here
his voice failed, and his last words were, "Welcome
joy!"
President Edwards, after bidding good-by to all his
children, looked about, and said, " Now, where is Jesus
of Nazareth, my never-failing Friend ?" And so he fell
asleep, and went to the Lord he loved.
Rev. John Wesley. — "The best of all is, God is
with us."
Rev. Charles Wesley. — " I shall be satisfied with
thy likeness ; — satisfied — satisfied !"
Charles of Bala. — " There is a Refuge."
Rev. Thomas Jones, when dying, — "A sinner saved*
a sinner saved !"
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 327
Rev. Pliny Fisk, to his brethren. — "Live near to
God, dwell in love, and wear out in the service of
Christ."
Rev. John Janeway. — " More praise still. Oh, help
me to praise Him ! I have nothing else to do ; I have
done with prayer and other ordinances."
Dr. Payson. — " The battle's fought,— the battle's
fought ; and the victory is won, — the victory is won, for
ever ! I am going to bathe in an ocean of purity, and
benevolence, and happiness, to all eternity." "Faith
and patience, hold out."
Dr. Nettleton. — His parting counsel. — "While ye
have the light, walk in the light."
J. J. Gurney. — "I think I feel a little joyful;" from
which he dropped into a sweet sleep, and woke before
the Throne.
Rev. J. H. Stewart. — " I have not got beyond ' God
be merciful to me a sinner.' "
A Dying Saint. — "Valley — shadow — home — Jesus
— peace," were the last words of a dying saint.
LAW, The.— Deut. xxvii. 26 ; Isa. xlii. 21 ; Ezek.
XX. 11, 13, 21 ; Matt. v. 17-48 ; xxii. 36-40 ; Luke x.
28 ; John i. 17 ; Acts xiii. 39 ; xv. 24 ; Rom. ii. 12-29 ;
lii. ; viii. ; x. 4 ; 1 Cor. xv. 56 ; Gal. ii. 16-21 ; iii ; iv.;
Eph. ii. 15; Phil. iii. 9; Col. ii. 14; 1 Tim. i. 9; Heb.
vii. ; James ii. 8-12 ; 1 John iii. 4.
Matt. V. 17. " Think not that I am come to destroy
the law, or the prophets : I am not come to destroy, but
to fulfill.
" The blessed ' Author and Finisher of our faith' has said,
* ThinK not that I am come to destroy the law, or the pro-
328 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
phets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.' destroy the
law? Yes, just as much as the infant is destroyed when he at.
tains to perfect stature and to manly strength. Destroy the law ?
Yes, as much as the instrument is destroyed, because it wakes
to. sweeter melody or bolder tones. Destroy the law ? Yes, as
the vineyard is destroyed, when *a blessing' being in its com-
paratively scant vintage, * the vats now are filled, and the
presses overflow,' \vith its gathered produce, in the sweetest,
choicest wine. Destroy the law ? Yes, as the morning light is
lost, or can be destroyed, when all its mountain mists are
scattered, and all its lingering shadows fled, and the once twi-
light dawn has traveled onward to a bright and perfect day." — '
Spencer.
James ii. 10. " For whosoever shall keep the whole
law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."
Mr. Leupolt, in illustrating this, employed the followrng
figure: — "Suppose a boat on the Ganges, full of people; the
day is dismal — the wind roars — the thunder peals — the waters
are swollen — and the current rapid ; no boat can live long in
such a storm. But see, there is a boat full of people ! You
hear their shrieks between the thunder-peals ! They fear the
rocks before them, — how can they be saved ? Oh, if they could
but be drawn into this narrow creek, they would be safe ! Now,
suppose the people on shore throw out to them a chain ; they
catch it, and already rejoice in the prospect of deliverance,
when, alas ! suddenly, as both they and the people on shore be-
gin to pull, one link of the chain breaks, — -.not ten links, but
one, — what can they then do ? ' Overboard with the chain, or
it will sink us sooner,' cries one man from the boat. What
shall they do then ! 'Cast themselves on the mercy of God,'
says another. Yes, and so say I to the sinner; for if one com-
mandment be broken, — one link of the chain, — all is broken"
like a ''"shadow,'" or outline— a shadowing forth,
(Heb. X. 1.)
a " schoolraaster" (Gal. iii. 24), or peda-
gogue.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 329
-a beautiful vase, of which, if ore small
piece be chipped, the whole is spoilt.
- a dreary rock. The soul of man is the
Andromeda chained to the rock ; Satan
is the monster ready to devour; the
Gospel is the Perseus, which, by the
sword of the Spirit, slays the monster's
power, breaks the legal chain, and sets
the soul at liberty.
Moses' vail. (2 Cor. iii. 13-16.)
" The law is the accuser, marshal, jailer, and recorder
of every sinner. It is his accuser, ' the adversary who
delivers us to the officer,' and makes out the charge
against us. It is the marshal. It attaches him of hio-h
treason against the majesty of Heaven, and arrests him,
in the name of God. It is his jailer. It shuts him up
((TuusxXsi(T£Vj Greek, Gal. iii. 22) under sin (under the
charge and in the consciousness of guilt) ; it locks him
up, and turns the key, and draws the bolts on him. It
records the sentence of death against him, for there is
* death recorded' against every soul of man ; the holiest
saint is legally ?in attainted traitor and a reprieved felon;
and there it leaves the man, ' dead,' dead in law, for he
who goes out of court sentenced to die is, in the eye of
the law, a dead man. So the sinner is dead. If he
looks to the law, he sees only death before him. He,
therefore, must not look to it, for, as he suffered in Christ
(for Christ died /or his people), he has once suiFered for
sin, ' and he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased fi om
sin.' *• He that is de^^d is justified from sin.' One death
is enough. And so now the believer must only look to
Christ, to His perfect obedience as his righteousness, to
28 *
330 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. ^
His precious death as his punisliment, to His resurrection
as his discharge, to His ascension as the assurance of
his own being raised to His right hand in heavenly
places, and to His Spirit, as the only source of his
strength." — Champneys.
" For us sinners to expect to be saved by the law is
just as if a man under sentence of death should attempt
to sue out his pardon on the footing of that very law
which has convicted him." — Madan.
" Let it be observed that Christ's active obedience to
the law for us, and in our room and stead, does not ex-
empt us from personal obedience to it, any more than
His sufferings and death exempt us from a corporeal
death, or suffering for His sake. It is true, indeed, that
we don't suffer and die in the sense He did, to satisfy
justice, and atone for sin ; so neither do we yield obe-
dience to the law, in order to obtain eternal life by it.
By Christ's obedience for us we are exempted from obedi-
ence to it in this sense, but not from obedience to it as a
rule of walk and conversation, by which we may glorify
God, and express our thankfulness for His abundant
mercies." — Dr. Gill.
LAW AND GOSPEL.— Rom. vii. ; x. 3-10 ; 2 Cor.
iii. ; Heb. xii. 18-29.
Difference between
LAW. GOSPEL.
1. Almost wholly nega- 1. Positive. " Thou shalt
tive. Cf. the Ten
love the Lord thy
Commandments.
God with all thy
"Thou shalt not,"
heart," &c.
&c.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 331
Difference between
LAW. GOSPEL.
2. Like the strong wind, 2. " The still small v. }^e."
earthquake, fire. (1 (1 Kings xix. 12.)
Kings xix. 11, 12.)
8. Moses' first miracle, — 3. Christ's first miracle,
turning water into — turning water into
blood. wine.
4. Like the hammer — 4. Like the dew — soften-
breaking. ing.
" The best way to shut men up to the Gospel is to shut
them out from the law." — Luke xviii. 21-24.
" It was the admirable advice which Mr. Wesley re-
cords as having been given to a preacher by an old
woman. 'Preach,' said she, 'the law first — then the
Gospel — then the law again.' " — Life of Br, A. Clarke,
" Though the New Testament is not to be interpreted
by the Old, but rather the Old Testament by the New,
yet when the light of the latter dispensation is thrown
upon the elder one, it is often reflected back as in a
mirror, so as to cast additional lustre upon itself. Like
that secret writing, which is invisible to the reader, till,
held before the flame, it gives forth the precious truth
for which the soul was longing ; so are there myriads of
bright and holy thoughts within that volume, which con-
ceal themselves from such as are cold in their affections
towards its Author, but which are brought out by the
warmth of heavenly desires, giving sweet assurances of
mercy and rich promises of blessing, when held before a
glowing and a grateful heart." — Rev, J. F. Stainforth,
" By the law is the knowledge of sin ; by the Gospel
is the knowledge of Christ."
332 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
*' God hath written a law and a Gospel ; the law to
humble us, and the Gospel to comfort us ; the law to cast
us down, and the Gospel to raise us up ; the law to con-
vince us of our misery, and the Gospel to convince us of
His mercy ; the law to discover sin, and the Gospel to
discover grace and Christ." — Mason.
" You never saw a woman sew^ing without a needle !
She would come but poor speed, if she only sewed wi'
the thread. So, I think, when we're dealing wi' sin-
ners, we maun aye put in the needle o' the law first ; for
the fact is, they're sleepin' sound, and they need to be
awakened up wi' something sharp. But when we've got
the needle o' the law fairly in, we may draw as lang a
thread as you like o' Gospel consolation after it." —
Flochhart.
LETTERS.
One great means of usefulness. Do Christians suffi-
ciently think of it ?
The Rev. John Newton says : — "I rather reckoned
on doing more good by some of my other works than by
my letters, which I rather wrote without study or with-
out design." Yet his letters were the great treasure he
left behind. It is stated in the life of Mr. Jay, of Bath,
that he used to have one read to him every Sunday eve-
ning.
Rutherford's letters were written more than two
centuries ago, yet the smell of the myrrh has not yet
departed. Most eminently have they been blessed.
They are not historical letters. They contain neither
politics nor biography. They are not argumentative,
like Pascal's, noi descriptive, like Walpole's. They are
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 333
fure devotion^ — a Christian heart's love letters^ — the out-
flow of a sweet fountain that sent forth healing waters.
Cecil used to call Rutherford "one of his classics."
Baxter said, *' Hold off the Bible, and such a book the
world never saw." One of his golden sentences gives
us the secret of his unusual unction, — " The cross gives
much to sat/."
LIFE.— Gen. ii. 7, 17; xlvii. 9; Deut. xxx. 20;
xxxii. 29 ; 1 Sam. ii. 6 ; xii. 2 ; xx. 3 ; 1 Chron. xxix.
> 15 ; Job vii. ; xiv. ; xvi. 22 ; xvii. 13 ; xxxiv. 14, 15 ;
' Ps. xvii. 14; xxxvi. 5; xxxix. ; $Jhi*.20 ; Ixiii. 3 ; Ixvi.
^^ 9; Ixxxix. 48; xc. ; civ. 27-30; Prov. iv. 10; Eccles.
i. 4; iii. 2; ix. 10; Isa. xxxviii. 18, 19; Dan. v. 23;
Matt. X. 39 ; Luke viii. 14; xii. 15 ; xxi. 34 ; Acts xvii.
28 ; xviii. 10 ; xx. 24 ; Rom. xiv. 7-9 ; 1 Cor. iii. 22 ;
2 Cor. v. 6 ; Phil. i. 21 ; 1 Tim. iv. 8 ; vi. 7 ; 1 Pet. i.
17-19.
Gen. XXV. A chapter of life in a changing world. Abra-
ham's marriage — Abraham's death — Family dissensions — Isaac
and Ishmael — Isaac's children — The two seeds — Esau and
Jacob.
Ps. xxxi. 15. "My times are in thy hand."
Life is the ordinance of God. Nothing more shows Divine
Sovereignty than the time and place of our birth, the duration
of our life, and the circumstances of our death.
1 Cor. vii. 29. " But this I say, brethren, the time is
short."
The word translated "short," is commonly applied to the act
of furling in sail, i. e., reducing it into a narrow compass ; and
is then applied to any thing that is reduced within narrow
limits.
334 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
One of tlie most ingenious tortures of the Hohenslaufen
family, in the height of their despotic control, was that of a
cell, which, at the prisoner's first entrance, presented an air of
comfort and ease ; so that it was not till he had been a few days
confined that he observed the dimensions of his chamber begin-
ning to contract. But the discovery once made, the fact became
more appalling every day. Slowly, but terribly, the sides drew
closer, and the unhappy victim at last was crushed to death.
What an emblem does this suggest of the sinner's contracting
day of grace ! Oh, what would the poor victim in such a cell
have given to see the door open, and hear a voice, — " Escape
for thy life!" Would he have lingered for one moment, think
you ? Would that sinners would escape as eagerly by the doo»
of grace !
Emblems: — A dream; an eagle hasting to the prey;
a flower; grass; handbreadth; a pilgrimage; a shadow;
a shepherd's tent ; sleep ; a swift ship ; a swift post ; a
tale told ; a thread cut by the weaver ; a vapor ; water
spilt on the ground; a weaver's shuttle; wind.
It is calculated that, —
1 person dies every 1 second.
60 persons die every 1 minute.
300 " 5 minutes.
3,600 « hour.
86,400 " day.
31,566,227 " year.
946,986,810 " generation of 30
years.
The Chinese apply to diiferent ages certain terms.
The age of 10 is called the opening degree; 20, youth
expired ; 30, strength and marriage ; 40, officially apt ;
50, error-knowing ; 60, cycle-closing ; 70, rare bird of
age; 80, rusty- visaged ; 90, delayed; 100, age's ex-
tremity. — Sir J, Boivring,
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 835
" Change is written upon all the lintels cf the numer-
ous door-posts of human life, — change of the most con-
tradictory and surprising nature, and of which we have
at present some impressive, and even mournful instances.
The man born in poverty dies in possession of the fields
upon which in early life he earned his bread by the sweat
of his brow. The hereditary owner of vast estates lives
to see them, like dissolving views, fading before his eyes ;
and he expatriates himself, perhaps, to draw his latest
sigh in the shambles of continental debauchery. The
diligent and successful merchant, who contemplated an
evening of life placid and clear, sees the fortune of his
industry fall to pieces before some commercial tornado ;
and instead of enjoying the fruit of his labors, must end
his days in contributing, perhaps, to enrich those by
whom he has been ruined. The father of a hopeful
family, upon whom he has expended time, and labor, and
money, — who he expected, in his vanity, might be the
founders of an illustrious house, and transmit to distant
generations the names and the virtues of ancestral anti-
quity, lives to carry every one of them to the grave, and
dies, leaving his all to one not born in his house, and who
only acts the part of a chief mourner out of deference
to public decency. Such are some of the illustrations
of life's vicissitudes upon what may be called the medium
scale."
" But, Christians, your canopy is not the starry firma-
ment, else you too might lament the absence of the sun
and moon. Yours is the bright blue arch of paradise,
where the Sun of Righteousness ever shines ; where the
bright and Morning Star ever twinkles ; and where no
336 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
clouds obscure, nor tempests roar. Act, then, your part
accordingly." — M'-Farlane.
LIGHT, Divine. — Ps. iv. 6 : xxvii. 1 ; xxxvi. 9 ; xliii.
3; Isa. ix. 1, 2; xlii. 6 ; Ix. 1. 3 ; Mai. iv. 2; Matt.
iv. 16 ; Luke ii. 32 ; John i. 4, 5, 9 ; iii. 19 ; viii. 12 ;
ix. 5 ; xii. 35, 36 ; 1 Tim. vi. 16 ; 1 John i. 5 ; Rev.
xxi. 23.
Christians. — " Lights," and "' enlightened,"
receiving and reflecting. 2 Sam. xxii. 29 ; Ps. xxxiv.
5; xxxvi. 9; Prov. iv. 18; Dan. xii. 3 ; Matt. v. 14-16 ;
xiii. 43 ; Luke xii. 35 ; John viii. 12 ; Acts xxvi. 18 ;
Rom. xiii. 12 ; 2 Cor. vi. 14 ; Eph. v. 8 ; Col. i. 12 ; 1
Thess. V. 5 ; 1 Pet. ii. 9 ; 1 John i. 7.
*' 'God is Light,' in three senses (says Bishop Hall),
1. Of absolute clearness, in His infinite wisdom and
knowledge. 2. Of exact purity, in the perfect rectitude
of His will. 3. Of gracious diffusion, in the communi-
cation of Himself to His creatures, and to the Church
especially."
There are three great lights, — of nature, grace, and
glory. What the light of nature cannot make manifest,
that of grace can ; and what grace cannot, glory will.
Divine light is not the light of the moon, to sleep by,
but the light of the sun, to walk by.
" What is Light ? — Is it not a combination of differ-
ent rays, — the red, the orange, the yellow, the green, the
blue^ the indigo, and the violet? Some would think,
perhaps, that they could make better light if they had
the brilliant rays alone ; but so think not I. I would
have the due proportion of the sombre with the bright,
and all in simultaneous motion; and then I think I
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. ' 337
should more resemble both the created and the uncreated
light. At all events, this is my one ambition, — to live
with one Mary at my Saviour's feet, listening to His
•words (whilst others are cumbered about the world); and
to die with the other Mary, washing His feet with my
tears, and wiping them with the hairs of my head." —
Simeon.
Lighthouses. — Phil. ii. 15.— "Among whom ye shine
as lights in the world."
" The image here is not improbably taken from light-
houses on a sea-coast. As those lighthouses are placed
on a dangerous coast to apprize vessels of their peril, and
to save them from shipwreck, so the light of Christian
piety shines on a dark world, and on the dangers of the
voyage which we are making." — Barnes.
A traveler once visiting the lighthouse at Calais, said to the
keeper, " But what if one of your lights should go out at night ?"
"Never — impossible!" he cried. " Sir, yonder are ships sail-
ing to all parts of the world. If to-night one of my burners
were out, in six months I should hear from America, or India,
saying that on such a night the lights at Calais lighthouse gave
no warning, and some vessel had been wrecked. Ah, Sir !
sometimes I feel, when I look upon my lights, as if the eyes of
the whole world were fixed upon me. Go out ! burn dim I
Never! impossible!"
With how much dignity can enthusiasm invest the humblest
occupation ! Yet, what a lesson to the Christian ! It is no ro-
mance which makes the Christian a spiritual lighthouse for the
world, with the eyes of the whole world upon him. Let, then,
his light be full, and bright, and clear. The moment he ne-
glects it, and leaves his lamps untrimmed, some poor soul, strug-
gling amid the waves of temptation, for lack 2i it, may be
dashed upon the rocks of destruction.
Eddystone Lighthouse Inscription. — " To give light
and save life."
29 22
338 , ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Goshen. -If a man whose body was radiant and
bright as the sun, were walking through a land of Egyp-
tian darkness, all who followed him Avould actually walk
in the light, and the closer they kept to him, the clearer
their light would be and the safer their road. He who
follows Christ, follows one from whom light streams upon
the road we are to go — an illuminated man — laying bare
its hidden pitfalls — discovering its stumbling stones —
showing all its turnings and windings, and enabling us
to walk safely, surely, and cheerfully on our way. (John
viii. 12.)
LITTLE THINGS.— Ex. xxiii. 30 ; 2 Sam. xii. 3 ;
Ps. Ixviii. 27 ; Isa. xxii. 23-25 ; Matt. v. 19 ; xiii. 31,
32 ; XXV. 21 : Luke xvi. 10 ; xix. 17.
Deut. xxii. 6, 7. — " If a bird's nest chance to be be-
fore thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whe-
ther they be young ones or eggs, and the dam sitting
upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take
the dam with the young ; but thou shalt in any wise let
the dam go, and take the young to thee : that it may be
well with thee, and that thou may est prolong thy days."
The Jews call this the least command of the law, and so it
might seem. Yet observe the promise added, and the motive
urged — the same as to the Fifth Commandment, " the first Com-
mandment with promise!" Is not this designed by the great
Lawgiver to show the importance of every commandment of the
law ? (Matt. V. 19.) A farthing is as truly a coin of the realm
as a sovereign, because it has the king's image upon it.
Isa. xl. 15. — ^'Behold, the nations are to him as a
drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of
the balance.'
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 339
What a magnificent idea of the awful and infinite greatness
of JehoTahl " A drop of a bucket," the loss of which no man
would notice, and "the small dust of the balance," the small
particles of dust that remain after the balances have been wiped
and adjusted, so small that their united mass makes no appreci-
able difference in the weight, and the eye can scarcely see
them. What mind but that which is infinite could employ so
bold a figure, to represent the nations of the earth, teeming with
their thousands and tens of thousands of immortal souls I
"A straw will show the state of the wind."
" Small leaks sink great ships."
"Little strokes fell great oaks."
A grain of sand is a little thing, but let it get into a
watch, or in our eye, and we leajn not to despise the
power of little things.
" The small creeks, bays, and little inlets will tell as
surely whether the tide is up or not, as the great ocean
spread out before you and pouring its full tide upon the
shore. ' ' — Champneys.
Coral Islands. — The stupendous work of little in-
sects is a proof of the power of littles. It would require
a larger grave, it has been said, to hold all the coral in-
sects in the world, than all the elephants.
" A Single Snow-flake. — Who cares for it ? But a
whole day of snow-flakes, obliterating the landmarks,
drifting over the doors, gathering upon the mountains to
crash in avalanches, — who does not care for that ?" —
Beeeher.
Weeping Willows.— The origin of our weeping wil-
lows is, that Lady Suffolk received a present from Spain,
and when the parcel was opened out, a few bits of
branches were enclosed, which Mr. Pope seeing, pro-
posed to plant in the garden. This was the first weep-
340 ILLUSTRATIVE GATnERINGS.
ing willow introduced into England, from which all the
others in the island have been propagated. It was cut
down in 1801.
Electricity. — The commencement of the modern dis-
coveries in electricity was what most would regard as a
simple accident. Dr. Galvani's wife was struck one day
in 1791, by the convulsions of some frogs she was pre-
paring for her husband's dinner, when they were touched
by an electric conductor. This led to the Doctor's ex-
periments ; which, between 1793 and 1808, were carried
still further by the Italian Yolta. Since then the science
has been unfolded every year, and now we see the fruits
in the common and submarine telegraph, the greatest
wonder of the world.
Remember the Power of Littles. — " A star seems
a little thing, yet it is perhaps a world. A word — how
quickly spoken — how soon forgotten ! Yet there may
be life or death eternal in it ! A blow of the hand — how
like a flash it may be, yet may it lead to ignominy, to
exile, or even a scaffold. Moses was little when he lay
in his ark of bulrushes, yet he lived to be the plague
of a king, and the means of delivering some millions of
slaves. Napoleon Bonaparte was once little, yet what
an Apollyon he became at last. There is, in truth,
nothing little which can be connected with eternity and
God. The decision of an hour may influence us for ever ;
and though he was wise who said concerning man, ' A
little sheet will wind him, a little grave will hold him, a
little worm will eat hin^' he was not loss wise who wrote,
' It is but the littleness of man that sees no greatness in
a trifle.' Life is made up of little incidents, not of bril-
liant achievements, and upon the little the eternal hangs.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS, 341
But all that might be said upon this maxim might be
summed up in the lines whose truth apologizes for their
quaintness : —
" ' Little drops of water, little grains of sand,
Make the boundless ocean, and the beauteous land;
And the little moments, humble though they be,
Make the mighty ages of eternity.^
Little deeds of kindness, little words of love,
Make the earth an Eden, like the heaven above •
Little deeds of mercy, done by infant hands,
Grow to bless the nations far oflf in heathen lands.'
Or farther : philanthropy has seized on this maxim, and
employed it to improve and elevate mankind, whose
happiness rarely depends on the great or glaring. 'The
accumulation of your littles,' it has been said to the peo-
ple, 'will form into a mightier sum than all the united
gifts that the rich have yet thrown into the treasury.
What ! do you not know that a penny a-week from each
householder in Britain amounts to half-a-million of pounds
sterling in the year ?'.... Now this is turning arith-
metic into morality, it is God-like, for it achieves grand
results by little agencies, and as the Almighty bounds
the ocean by sand grains, or fills it by drops, when man
learns to imitate Him, he has caught the inspiration of
that wisdom which comes from above ; he is a fellow-
worker with the Mighty One, who is glorified alike
by the microscope and by the telescope." — Christian
Treasury.
LITTLE SINS.— Cant. ii. 15 ; Matt. v. 19.
'' What they want in magnitude they make up in
number. A. ship may have a heavy cargo cf sand, as
29 *
342 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
well as a cargo of millstones, and may as soon sink with
them. ' ' — Hopkins.
li the sin is little, then the more guilt in offer.ding
your best friend for a little cause.
It is not the greatness of the coin, but the image of
the king upon it that authorizes it and makes it current ;
the man that steals a farthing is, therefore, as truly a
thief as he that steals a sovereign.
'' There are two ways of coming down from the top
of a church steeple : one is to jump down, and the other
is to come down by the steps ; but both will lead you to
the bottom. So also there are two ways of going to
hell one is to walk into it with your eyes open, — few
people do that, — the other is to go down by the steps of
little sins ; and that way, I fear, is only too common.
Put up with a few little sins, and you will soon want a
few more ; — even a heathen could say, ' Who ever was
content with only one sin ?' — and then your course will
be regularly worse and worse every year. Well did
Jeremy Taylor describe the progress of sin in a man :
* First, it startles him, then it becomes pleasing, then
easy, then delightful, then frequent, then habitual, then
confirmed ! Then the man is impenitent, then obstinate,
and then he is damned.' Reader, the devil only wants
to get the wedge of a little allowed sin into your hearts,
and you will soon be all his own. Never play with fire.
Never trifle with little sins." — Ryle.
Matches. — If we were to see a woodman felling eight
large trees in a forest every week, or four hundred every
year, we should some of us say, " What a pity !" yet in
one large steam sawing-mill, visited by Mr. Mayhew,
that was just the number employed to make lucifer
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 343
matches, 1,123,200,000 matches were made in one year
out of the above 400 trees ! This may remind one of
the remark of Howe, " What a folly it is to dread the
thought of throwing away one's life at once, and yet to
have no regard for throwing it away by parcels and
piecemeal I"
LOVE DIVINE.-Deut. vii. 7, 8 ; x. 15 ; Psalm
Ixxviii. 68 ; Prov. viii. 17 ; Cant. ii. 4 ; Isaiah xliii. 4 ;
Ixiii. 9 ; Jer. xxxi. 3 ; Hosea xi. 4 ; Zeph. iii. 17 ; Mai.
i. 2 ; John iii. 16 ; xiii. 1, 34 ; xiv. 21 ; xv. 10-17 ; xvii.
2G ; Rom. v. 5-8 ; viii. 35-39 ; 2 Cor. xiii. 11, 14 ; Eph.
ii. 4, 5 ; iii. 19 ; v. 25 ; 2 Thess. ii. 16 ; Titus iii. 4 ; 1
John iii. 1, 16 ; iv. 7-19 ; Rev. i. 5 ; iii. 19.
Christian. — Deut. vi. 5 ; xiii. 3 ; Judges v. 31
Psalms V. 11 ; xxxi. 23 ; xci. 14 ; xcvii. 10 ; cxvi. 1
Cant. i. 7 ; ii. 5 ; iii. 2 ; v. 8 ; viii. 6, 7 ; Isa. xxvi. 8, 9
Ivi. 6, 7 ; Matt. X. 37 ; xxii. 37-40 ; Mark xii. 33 ; Luke
vii. 47 ; x. 25-37 ; xi. 42 ; John v. 42 ; xiv. 15, 21, 23,
24 ; xxi. 15-17 ; 1 Cor. viii. 3 ; 2 Cor. v. 14 ; Gal. v.
22 ; Eph. vi. 24; Phil. i. 9 ; 2 Thess. iii. 5 ; 2 Tim. iv.
8 ; Heb. vi. 10 ; James i. 12 ; 1 Pet. i. 8 ; 1 John ii. 5,
15 ; iii. 17 ; iv. 7-21 ; v. 3 ; Jude 21 ; Rev. ii. 4 ; xii. 11.
Love, as 2^. principle. — Gen. xxix. 20 ; Judges xvi. 15 ;
Ruth i. 16, 17 ; 1 Sam. xx. 17 ; 2 Sam. i. 23-26 ; Cant,
viii. 6, 7 ; John xv. 13.
Love is like the diamond — pure white.
Other graces shine like the precious stones of nature, each
with its own hue of brilliance ; the diamond uniting all colors
in one beautiful and simple white. Love, uniting all graces,
is, ''the fulfilling of the law," the beauty of holiness, "the
image of God."
844' ILLUSTRATIVE GATIIEIlINflS.
"is in this world like a seed from the tropics,
" Planted where the winter comes too soon ; and it cannot
spread itself in flower-clusters, and wide-twining vines, so that
the whole air is filled with the perfume. But there is to be
another summer for it yet. Care for the root now, and God will
take care for the top by-and-by." — Beecher.
is like trees in summer,
Full of leaf, with the birds singing in the waving branches.
Conscience — Veneration — Fear, are the same trees in winter
— bleak, barren — cheerless.
the centripetal force,
Which keeps all the celestial bodies in harmonious motion
each in its appointed orbit. "What would ensue, could we
imagine the force to be withdrawn ?
firs,
Assimilating everything it can take hold of to its own nature,
or consuming; it.
the fivot,
On which the rest of the commandments turn. Matt
xxii. 40.
the armor of light.
The unseen panoply which the redeemed soldiers wear, —
encased in which, they walk unhurt through the horrors alid
dangers of the night's thick darkness. Eom. xiii. 12.
" Some persons would make religion to consist of
little else than a self-denjing course of the practice of
.virtue and obedience. They make it a kind of house-of-
correction work. But no ! I love the service of my
God ; like the bird I fly at liberty on the wings of
obedience to His holy will." — Br. Chalmers.
The Hidden Picture. — " A man's strength is often
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERIN 36. 345
greater from some single word remembered and cherished,
than in arms or armor. Looking over the dead on a
field of battle, it was easy to see why that young man,
and he a recruit, fought so valiantly. Hidden under his
vest was a sweet face, done up in gold ; and so, through
love's heroism, he fought with double strokes and danger,
mounting higher, till he found honor in death. So, if
you carry the talisman of Christ in your heart, it will
give you strength and courage in every conflict, and at
death open to you the gates of glory." — Beecher,
LUST.— Numb. xi. 34 ; Psalms Ixxviii. 18, 27-37 ;
Ixxxi. 8-12 ; Prov. vi. 24, 25 ; Matt. v. 27, 28 ; Rom.
vi. 12 ; vii. 7 ; xiii. 14 ; Gal. v. 16, 17, 24 ; Eph. ii. 3 ;
iv. 22 ; 1 Thess. iv. 3-5 ; 1 Tim. vi. 9 ; 2 Tim. ii. 22 ;
iii. 6; iv. 3 ; Titus ii. 12; James i. 14, 15; iv. 1-3;
1 Pet. i. 14 ; ii. 11 ; iv. 2, 3.
" may be in the heart, though it be not seen by
others ; as guests may be in the house, though they look
not out at the windows."
Our luots are cords by which Satan binds us; our
" fiery trials" are God's messengers sent to loose their
bands.
" Lusts are like agues ; the fit is not always on, and
yet the man is not rid of his disease ; and some men's
lusts, like some agues, have not such quick returns as
others." — Spencer.
LUXURY.— Deut. xxviii. b(S ; Neh. iii. 5 ; Amos iii.
15 ; vi. 1-6 ; Hag. i. ; Luke vii. 25 ; xxi. 34 ; 1 Tim. v.
6 ; Rev. xviii. 3-5.
*' Plants which grow only by the sides of streams are
346 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
sure to flourish, whilst it is well known that those which
grow in water are watery and coarse in texture, and at
times possess acrid and pernicious qualities."
The Delicate Plain, called Ease. — "Then Chris-
tian and Hopeful outwent them again, and went till they
came to a delicate plain, called Ease, where they went
with mucK content ; but that plain was but narrow, so
they were quickly got over it.
*'Now, at the farther side of that plain was a little hill,
called Lucre, and in that hill a silver mine, which some
of them that had formerly gone that way, because of the
rarity of it, had turned aside to see, but going too near
the brim of the pit, the ground being deceitful under
them, broke, and they were slain ; some also had been
maimed there, and could not to their dying day be their
own men again.
" Then I saw in my dream, that a little oif the road,
over against the silver mine, stood Demas (gentleman-
like) to call passengers to come and see, who said to
Christian and his fellow, ' IIo ! turn aside hither, and I
will show you a thing.'
" Chrutian. — ' What thing so deserving as to turn us
out of the way to see it ?'
" Demas. — ' Here is a silver mine, and some digging
in it for treasure ; if you will come, with a little pains,
you may richly provide for yourselves.'
" Then said Hopeful, 'Let us go see.
" * Not 1,' said Christian. 'I have heard of this place
before now, and how many there have been slain ; and
besides, that treasure is a snare to those that seek it, for
it hindereth them in their pilgrimage.'
** Then Christian called to Demas, saying, ' Is not the
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS, rt^- 347
place dangerous ? Hath it not hindered ixiany in their
pilgrimage ?' . .
''*' Demas. — 'Not very dangerous, except to those that
are careless.' But withal he blushed as he spake.*' —
Pilgrim ' s Progress.
LYING.— Lev. xix. 11; Ps. vii. 14; lii. 3; Iviii. 3 ;
Ixii. 4 ; Ixiii. 11 ; ci. 7 ; cxix. 29, 30, 163 ; Proverbs
vi. 16-19 ; xii. 17-22 ; xiii. 5 ; xix. 22 ; xxi. 6 ; xxvi.
24-28; Isa. Ivii. 4; lix. 3, 4; Ixiii. 8; Hosea xi. 12;
John viii. 44 ; Acts v. 3 ; Eph. iv. 25 ; Col. iii. 9 ; 2
Thess. ii. 9 ; 1 Tim. iv. 2 ; Rev. xxi. 27 ; xxii. 15.
*' The essence of a lie is the intention to deceive."
" One lie must be thatched over with another, or it
will soon rain through." — Owen.
"People never tell more lies than in their jora?/ers." —
Adam.
Clasp Knives. — " A lie always needs a truth for a
handle to it, else the hand would cut itself which sought
to drive it home upon another. The worst lies, there-
fore, are those whose blade is false, but whose handle is
true." — Beecher.
Die Rather than Lie. — Jerome writes of a brave
woman, who, being upon the rack, bade her persecutors
do their worst, for she was resolved to die rather than
lie. A noble example for all God's children to follow !
M. — The Countess of Huntingdon used to say, she
thanked God for the letter " M " in the promise, " Not
many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not
many noble, are called," &c. (1 Cor. i. 26-29); that
though it was '' not many,'' it was not any.
MARRIAGE.— Gen. ii. 18, 23, 24; Deut. vii. 3, 4;
348 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Josh xxiii. 12, 13; Neh. xiii. 23-31; Ps. cxxvii. ;
cxxviii. ; Prov. v. 15-19 ; xii. 4 ; xviii. 22 ; xix. 14 ;
xxxi. 10-31 ; Matt. xix. 3-12 ; Luke xiv. 20 ; xx. 35 ;
1 Cor. vii. ; 2 Cor. vi. 14-18 ; Eph. x. 22-33 ; Col. iii.
18, 19; 1 Tim. ii. 12: iv. 1-3; v. 11-15; Titus ii. 4,
5; Heb. xiii. 4; 1 Pet. iii. 1-7.
Type of the Church. — Isa. Ixii. 4, 5 ; Jer. iii. 14 ;
xxxi. 32 ; Hosea ii. 19, 20 ; Eph. v. 23-32 ; Rev. xix.
7 ; xxi. 2.
Gen. xxiv. — Abraham seeking a wife for Isaac.
A picture of " the father of the faithful," and the holy prin-
ciples on which faith acts. Observe (1), the Patriarch's pa-
tience; — much as he had wished to see the child of promise
settled, he calmly waited till he was near forty ; (2), the Pa-
triarch's faith, ver. 7; (3), the Patriarch's charge, — the qualifi-
cations sought — not riches, nor beauty, but Isaac's wife must be
one of the holy seed ; (4), the three marks of fitness the servant
of the Patriarch looked to ; —one of his master's kindred —
activity and industry — kindness and hospitality. We may
compare with this. Lev. xxi. 7, 13, 14, the careful directions
made by the law for the marriage of the priests.
Philip Henry. — When he was settled at Worthen-
bury, he sought the hand of the only daughter and
heiress of Mr. Matthews, of Broad Oak. The father
demurred, saying, that though Mr. Henry was an excel-
lent preacher and a gentleman, yet he did not know from
whence he came. "True," said the daughter; "but I
know where he is going, and I should like to go with
him."
Mr. Henry records in his diary long after, the
happiness of the union, which was soon after consum-
mated : —
" April 26, 1680.— This day we have been married
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 349
twenty years, in which time we have received of the Lord
twenty thousand mercies, — to God be glory !"
Sometimes he writes, " We have been so long married,
and never reconciled, ^. ^., there never was any occasion
for it."
His advice to his children, with respect to their mar-
riage, was, — "Please God, and please yourselves, and
you will please me ;" and his usual compliment to his
newly-married friends, " Others wish you all happiness.
I wish you all holiness, and then there is no doubt but
you will have all happiness."
MEALS, Grace at. — 1 Sam. ix. 13; Psalm cxi.-
cxviii. [The great Hallel ; according to Lightfoot,
Psalm cxi. and cxiv. were sung at the second cup, and
cxv.-cxviii. after the fourth : thus answering the same
purpose as our grace at meals.] Matt. xv. 36 ; Luke
xxii. 19 ; John vi. 11 ; Rom. xiv. 6 ; 1 Tim. iv. 3, 4.
Acts xxvii. 35. — "And when he had thus spoken, he
took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them
all ; and when he had broken it, he began to eat."
Obs. St. Paul's usual custom was not now hindered (as would
have been the case with many Christians) by — 1. The confusion
they were in. 2. The sense of danger, which often distracts
the mind. 3. The fear of man, though there was scarce one
of the 273 on board who sympathized with him. "What a no-
ble example of calm self-possession, and Christian courage
carrying out Christian principle !
" This day I had some measure of spiritual light ;
particularly I had a glimpse of the Divine Majesty when
giving thanks after breakfast at J. R.'s." — Dr. Love.
Who gives anything fDod or clothing, to a beggar,
30
850 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
and does not expect thanks ? Yet "how many, who re-
ceive God's daily bounties, and ask every morning for
God's daily bread, forget to give God thanks !
An Irish Bishop, having lost his way, once called at
the cottage of a poor woman for direction, when he found
her just finishing her dinner of cold water and a crust
of dry bread ; but in the height of thankfulness praising
God, as if in the midst of unbounded mercies, as she
said, "What, have all this and Christ besides!"
MEDIATOR, Christ the.— The God-Man reconcil-
ing God and Man. — Num. xvii. 12, 13 ; 1 Sam. ii. 25 ;
Job ix. 33; Ps. xl. 6-8; Ixxxix. 19; cvi. 23; cxlii. 4,
5 ; Isa. xxvi. 12 ; xxvii. 5 ; xlii. 6, 7 ; xlviii. 16 ; xlix.
8; liii. 6; lix. 16-18; Ezek. xiii. 5; xxii. 30; MaL iii.
1 ; Matt. iii. 17 ; John x. 7-9 ; xiv. 6 ; xvi. 23 ; xvii.
9 ; Acts ii. 36 ; x. 36 ; Rom. viii. 34 ; Gal. iii. 20; Eph.
ii. 13-18; 1 Tim. ii. 5; Heb. viii. 6; ix. 15 ; x. 5; xii.
24 ; 1 John ii. 1.
Typified by Moses.— Exod. xx. 19 ; xxiv. 6-8, 12-18;
Deut. V. 5; Ps. cvi. 23; Gal. iii. 19; — Aaron, Numb,
xvi. 48. Cf. Joab, 2 Sam. xiv. Blastus, Acts xii. 20
(" a friend at court"). Jacob's Ladder. — Gen. xxviii.
and John i. 51. 1. The connecting link between earth
and heaven. 2. The exhibition of God's care over indi-
viduals. 3. One ladder. (1 Tim. ii. 5.)
Stopping the Gap. — " Christ's being a mediator of
reconciliation, implies the ardent love and large pity that
filled His heart toward poor sinners. For He doth not
only mediate by way of entreaty, going betwixt both,
and persuading and begging peace, but He mediates in
the capacity of a surety by putting Himself under an
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 351
obligation to satisfy our debts. Oh how compassionately
did Christ's heart work toward us ! Our Mediator, like
Jonah His type, seeing the stormy sea of God's wrath
working tempestuously, and ready to swallow us up, cast
in Himself to appease the storm. I remember how much
that noble act of Marcus Curtius is celebrated in the
Eoman history, who being informed by the oracle that
the great breach made by the earthquake could not be
closed except something of worth were cast into it,
heated with love to the Commonwealth, he went and
cast in himself. This was looked upon as a bold and
brave adventure. But what was this to Christ's offer-
MEDITATIOK— Gen. xxiv. 63 ; Josh. i. 8 ; Ps. i. 2
xix. 14; xxxix. 3; xl. 8; xlix. 3; Ixii. 1; Ixiii. 6
Ixxvii. 12; civ. 34; cxix. 15, 97, 148; Luke ii. 19,51
xxi. 14 ; 1 Tim. iv. 15.
To "mark, learn, and inwardly digest."
" The tuning of the instrument before prayer or
praise."
"Meditation is prayer's handmaid, to wait on it,
both before and after the performance. It is as the
plough before the sower, to prepare the heart for the
duty of prayer, and the harrow to cover the seed, when
'tis sown. As the hopper feeds the mill with grist, so
does meditation supply the heart with matter for
prayer." — Gurnall.
" A garment that is double dyed, dipped again and
again, will retain the color a great while ; so a truth
which is the subject of meditation." "Get the heart
filled with love by the things of God. I never yet saw a
oDli ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
covetous old man forget where his money lay." — PJdlip
Henry.
The Inverted Lamp. — " Too much reading and too
much meditation may produce the effect of a lamp in-
verted, which is extinguished by the excess of the oil,
whose office it is to feed it."
*' Meditation will give strength to our purposes.
Reason is the strongest w^hen it is most in action. Now,
meditation stirs up reason into action. Before, it was a
standing water, which moves nothing else, when itself
moves not ; but now it is as the speedy stream which
bears down all before it. Before, it was as the still and
silent air, but now it is as the powerful motion of the
wind ; and overpowers the opposition of the flesh and of
the devil. Before, it was as the stone, which lies still
in the brook ; but now, when meditation sets us to work,
it is as the stone out of David's sling, which smites down
the Goliath of unbelief. That may be accomplished by a
weaker motion continued, which will not by a stronger ^
at the first attempt. To run a few steps will not get a
man heat, but walking an hour may. So, though a sud-
den occasional thought will not raise our affections to
any spiritual heat, yet meditation can continue our
thoughts, and lengthen our walk till our hearts grow
warm." — Salter.
MEEKNESS.— Ps. xxii. 26; xxv. 9; xxxvii. 12;
xxxviii. 9-14 ; Ixxvi. 6-9 ; cix. 4 ; cxlvii. 6 ; cxlix. 4 ;
Prov. XV. 1 ; xx. 22 ; xxiv. 29 ; xxv. 21, 22 ; Isa. xi.
4; xxix. 18, 19; Ixi. 1; Zeph. ii. 3; Matt. vi. 14, 15;
xi. 29; xxi. 5; 1 Cor. iv. 11-13; 2 Cor. x. 1; Gal. v.
23; vi. 1; Eph. iv. 2; Col. iii. 12; 1 Tim. vi. 11; 2
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 353
Tim. ii. 24, 25 ; Titus iii. 2 ; James i. 21 ; iii. 13 ; v. 9 ;
1 Pet. ii. 23 ; iii. 4, 15.
Matt. V. 5. — "Blessed are the meek."
A missionary in Jamaica once asked the question of a black
boy, when examining the school upon this verse, "Who are
the meek ?" The boy answered, "Those who give soft answers
to rough questions."
Rom. xii. 20. — " Therefore, if thine enemy hunger,
feed him ; if he thirst, give him drink ; for in so doing
thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head."
The word refers to the tender and cheerful feeding of their
young by parent birds, or of children by kind nurses. " Feed
him,'''' says Wesley, " with your own hand ; if it be needful, even
put bread into his mouth." Heap coals of fire upon his head, —
that part which is most sensible.
*' So artists melt the sullen ore of lead.
By heaping coals of fire upon its head ;
On the kind warmth the metal learns to flow.
And, pure from dross, the silver runs below."
"A meek man enjoys almost a perpetual Sahhath.
The anger of a meek man is like fire struck out of steel,'
hard to be got out, and when got out, soon gone. Meek-
ness not only gives great peace of mind, but often adds
a lustre to the countenance. We only read of three in
Scripture whose faces shone remarkably, viz., Christ,
Moses, and Stephen, and they were eminent for meek-
ness." — Henri/.
Ex. Moses, Num. xii. 2. David, 2 Sam. xvi. 9-12.
Jeremiah, Jer. xxvi. 14. Stephen, Acts vii. 56-60.
Paul, 1 Cor. iv. 11-13. Jesus, Ps. xlv. 4 ; liii, T ; 1
Pet. ii. 21-23.
30 * 23
354 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
MEMORY.
John iv. 54. — " This is again the second miracle that
Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee."
God numbers His mercies, and keeps an account of them, if
we do not.
Burning the Bushel. — A poor woman, who had what
is called "a bad memory," went one day to church and
heard a sermon upon dishonesty. A short time after,
being questioned about the text, she complained that her
memory was too treacherous to recall it; "but," she
added, " I remember that when I came bome I burnt
my bushel." " Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers
only."
Bishop Beveridge. — When on his death-bed his
memory so completely failed, that he did not know any
of his connections or friends. A minister, with whom
he had been intimately acquainted, visited him, and
asked, "Bishop Beveridge, do you know me?" "Who
are you?" was the answer. Another friend accosted
him in a similar manner, but the Bishop could not re-
member either of them. His own wife then came to his
bedside, and asked, "Do you know me?" "Who are
you?" he asked again. Being told she was his wife, he
said he did not know her. "Well," said one of them,
" Bishop Beveridge, do you know Jesus Christ ? " Je-
sus Christ !" replied he, reviving, as if the name had
acted upon him like a charm. " Oh, yes, I have known
hira these forty years ; precious Saviour, He is my only
hope!"
John Newton. — It was the pious remark of John
Newton, when his memory had almost completely gone,
that he could never forget two things : — 1. That he was
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 855
a great sinner ; 2. That Jesus Christ was a great and
mighty Saviour.
"A Family with Short Memories. — * Sir,' said a
man, addressing a minister going home from church one
Sabbath afternoon, ' did you meet a boy on the road
driving a cart with rakes and pitchforks in it?"
" * I think I did,' answered the minister; ' a boy with
a short memory, wasn't he ?'
" ' What made you think he had a short memory, Sir V
asked the man, looking much surprised.
" * I think he had,' answered the minister, * and I
think he must belong to a family that have short memo-
ries.'
" ' What in the world makes you think so ?' asked the
man, greatly puzzled.
" ' Because,' said the minister, in a serious tone, * the
great God has proclaimed from Mount Sinai, " Remember
the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy," and that boy has for-
gotten all about it.' " — Christian Treasury.
MERCY, Divine.— Ex. xxxiv. 6, 7 ; 1 Kings viii. 23;
Neh. xiii. 22 ; Psa. v. 7 ; xxv. 6, 10 ; xxxiii. 5 (marg.) ;
xxxvi. 5 ; li. 1 ; Ivii. 3 ; lix. 10 ; Ixii. 12 ; Ixvi. 20 ;
Ixxxvi. 15 ; Ixxxix. 14, 28 ; c. 5 ; ci. 1 ; ciii. 4, 8, 17 ;
cxix. 156 ; cxxx. 7 ; Isa. xxx. 18 ; xlix. 10 ; liv. 7-10 ;
Iv. 3, 7 ; Lam. iii. 22, 23, 32 ; Dan. ix. 9 ; Hos. xiv. 3 ;
Joel ii. 13 ; Jonah iv. 2 ; Micah vii. 18 ; Hab. iii. 2 ;
Matt. V. 7 ; Luke i. 78 ; Rom. ix. 15, 16 ; 2 Cor. i. 3 ;
iv. 1; Eph. ii. 4; 1 Tim. i. 5, 16 ; 2 Tim. i. 16-18;
Titus iii. 5 ; Heb. iv. 16 ; James ii. 13 ; iii. 17 ; 1 Pet. ii.
3 ; iii. 10.
356 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Rom. iii. 25. — " Whom God hath set forth to be a
propitiation through faith in His blood."
"'Propitiation,' or, mercy-seat, (the same word as inHeb. ix.
5). If we would have mercy, it must be through Christ ; out
of Christ no mercy is to be had. We read in the old law, —
First, none might come into the holy of holies, where the
mercy-seat stood, but the High Priest ; signifying, we have no-
thing to do withi mercy, but through Christ our High Priest;
secondly, the High Priest might not come near the mercy-seat
without blood (Lev. xvi. 14) ; to show that we have no right to
mercy, but through the expiatory sacrifice of Christ's blood ;
thirdly, the High Priest might not, upon pain of death, come
near the mercy-seat without incense. (Lev. xvi. 13.) No
mercy from God, without the incense of Christ's intercession;
so that, if we would have mercy, we must get a part in Christ.
Mercy swims to us through Christ's blood." — Watson.
2 Sam. ix. 1. — " And David said, Is there yet any
that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him
kindness for Jonathan's sake ?"
** David, after his victory over the Philistines, calls Ziba
before him, and asks him whether there were not yet any man
left of the house of Saul, that he might do him a kindness for
Jonathan's sake ; whereupon they presented unto him Mephi-
bosheth, a poor, lame, impotent man, who no sooner sees the
King but falls upon his face, and looks upon himself as a dead
dog, far below the King's favor. * No matter,' says the King,
' fear not, for I will show thee kindness for Jonathan's sake,*
&c. And thus, if there be any forlorn Joseph, that has fallen
into the pit of despair, let him but cast up his eyes to the hills*
from whence coraeth his salvation, and God will show him
mercy, for Jesus Christ's sake. If there be any lame, impotent
Mephibosheth — any wounded spirit — any of the household of
faith that is distressed, — God will inquire after them, and do
them good, for Christ Jesus' sake." — Spencer.
Luke xviii. 13. — " God be merciful to me a sinner."
When the plague raged in London, in 1666, it became the
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 357
practice to write upon the doors of all infected houses, " Lord,
have mercy upon us." Were we to do so now, in every house
where sin's plague has entered, where would the inscription not
be found ? Yet, no event has ever shown more, perhaps, how
little judgments alone can soften the heart, than this fearful
visitation. The records of profanity, during its ravages, aro
fearful in the extreme.
Mercy hath but its name from misery, and is no other
thing than to lay another's misery to heart." — Binning.
" The depths of our misery can never fall below the
depths of mercy." — Sihhes.
" The plaster is as wide as the wound." — Henry,
In all mercies think not so much of them, as of
Christ's love that sweetens them. By some stroke or
another, God will take away the mercy that is not im-
proved.
God often bestows His richest mercies upon us, when
we have been most sinning against Him, as if to manifest
the more His grace. Thus Jacob was favored with the
vision of the ladder, after his deceit had made him an
exile from his father's house, — the Israelites were fed
with manna, in return for their ungrateful murmurings
against the Lord ; and at the very time that Aaron was
framing the golden calf — in sinful compliance with a
sinful people — a God of grace was conferring upon him
the priesthood, and giving the commission to Moses in
the Mount.
If the mercies of God be not loadstones to draw us to
heaven, they will be millstones to sink us to perdition.
" The mercy of God is the first article of every man's
creed ; but the different manner of understanding and
applying it makes an essential, infinite difi'erence in the
358 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
characters of men and constitutes either religion or
atheism." — Adam.
" So MANY are God's kindnesses to us, that, as drops
of water, they run together ; and it is not until we are
borne up by the multitude of them, as by streams in deep
channels, that we recognize them as coming from Him."
"—Beecher.
'* As THE Dead Sea drinks in the Jordan, and is never
the sweeter, and the ocean all other rivers, and is never
the fresher ; so we are apt to receive daily mercies from
God, and yet remain insensible of them and unthankful
for them." — Bishop Reynolds.
God's character, like the pure light of day, is one
uniform and unbroken mass of light. But when we take
the prism, and divide the rays, we are surprised with
their variety and brilliance, and wonder how they should
all thus harmoniously unite. By revelation we see how
God's justice and mercy, His holiness and truth, are
each distinct attributes of the godhead ; by redemption
we behold, and wonder at, their gracious union.
Thomas Hooker.— When dying, one said to him,
" Brother, you are going to receive the reward of your
labors." He humbly replied, " Brother, I am going to
receive mercy.'*
MINISTERS.-Ex. iii. 10-12 ; iv. 10-17 ; xxviii. ;
xxix. ; Lev. iv. 3, 13, 14 (the offering for the priest, the
same as that for the whole congregation) ; Deut. xvii. 8-
13 ; 1 Sam. ii. 35 ; Job xxxiii. 23 ; Ps. cxxxii. 16 ; Prov.
XXV. 13 ; Eccl. xi. 1-6 ; Isa. vi. ; xlix. 2-5 ; Iii. 7, 11 ;
liii. 1 ; Ixi. 1-3 ; Jer. i. ; iii. 15 ; vi. 14, 27 ; x. 21 ;
Ezek. ii. ; iii. 17-27 ; xxxiii. ; xxxiv. ; Joel ii. 17 ; Mai.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 359
ii. 7 ; Matt. ix. 38 ; x. ; xxiii. 3 ; xxviii. 18-20 ; John
xxi. 15-17 ; Acts viii. 5-8 ; xvi. 17 ; Rom. xii. 6-8
1 Cor. iv. 1-4 ; xvi. 8-11 ; 2 Cor. i. 4-6 ; ii. 14-17 ; iv
1 ; V. 11 ; vi. ; Eph. iv. 11, 12 ; vi. 18-20 ; 1 Thess. ii.
V. 12, 13 ; 1 Tim. ; 2 Tim. ; Titus i. ; Heb. xiii. 17, 18 ;
1 Peter iv. 11 ; v. 1-3.
Unfaithful.— Isa. Ivi. 10-12; Jer. vi. 14; x. 21;
xxiii. ; Ezek. xiii. 10-16, 22 ; xxxiii. 6-11 ; xxxiv. ;
John X. 5-13.
1 Tim. i. 2. " Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith:
Grace, mercy ^ and peace."
It has been well observed, that whilst St. Paul begins nearly
all his Epistles with the salutation of " Grace be with you'and
peace" (Kom. i. 7 ; 1 Cor. i. 3 ; 2 Cor. i. 2 ; Gal. i. 3; Eph. i. 2 ;
Phil. i. 2 ; Col. i. 2 ; 1 Thess. i. 1 ; 2 Thess. i. 2 ; Philemon 3 ;)
he begins his Epistles to Timothy and Titus, the ministers of
the church, with "Grace, mercy, and peace." (1 Tim. i. 2;
2 Tim. i. 2 ; Titus i. 4.) May we infer that ministers need
especial mercy ?
The work and character of, described. —
Ezra. — Ezra vii. 6-10 ; Nehemiah viii.
Levi. — Mai. ii. 5-7 ; Deut. xxxiii. 8-11.
Isaiah vi. ; xl. 1-8; lii. 7-11 ; Iviii. 1 ; ixi. 1-3.
Jeremiah i. ; ix. 1 ; xv. 15-21 ; xx. 7-13.
Ezekiel i. to xxiv.
John the Baptist.— Luke i. 13-17, 76-80; Matt. iii. 1-15;
John V. 35.
Paul.— Acts ix. 15, 16; xvi. 17; xx. 17-38; xxvi. 18 ; Eom.
i. 1 ; 1 Cor. i. 17-29 ; ii. ; iii. ; iv. ; ix. ; 2 Cor. i. ; iii. 1-6 ; iv. ;
vi. ; X. ; xi. ; xii. ; xiii. ; Eph. iii. 8 ; 1 Thess. ii. ; 1 Tim.
i. 12-16.
Barnabas. — Acts xi. 22-24.
Stephen. — Acts vi. 5.
Epaphroditus.— Phil. ii. 25-30.
Timothy.— Phil. ii. 19-23; 1 Cor. iv. 17; xvi. 10, 11.
860 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
JE8U8.— Matt. i. 21 ; Luke i. 31-35 ; iv. 16-22 ; Mark i. 14,
15 ; xii. 87 ; John vii. 46 ; Acts x. 36-38.
Figures. — An Ambassador ; Angels ; Apostles ; Evan-
gelists ; Fathers ; Fishers of men ; Lights ; Messenger ;
Nurse ; Overseer ; Pastor ; Prophet ; Servant ; Shepherd ;
Stars ; Stewards ; Teachers ; Watchmen ; Witness.
like the 'pole^ whose glory was to exhibit the
Brazen Serpent. 1 Cor. iii. 5 ; 2 Cor. It.
5,7.
fountains — ever flowing, so that the passer-by
may always find a running stream, whenever
he may come to draw. Mai. ii. 7 ; 2 Tim. iv.
2 ; Acts xxviii. 30, 31.
one standing hy running water. The argu-
ment pleaded by an Indian chief, more than a
century ago, in inviting a missionary to settle
in his tribe, — " Come and abide with us, and
you shall be as one that stands by a running
water, filling many vessels." Isaiah xxii.
20-25.
" The good news-man.'' — The title given to mission-
aries in some once heathen countries. — (Prov. xxv. 13 ;
Isa. Iii. 7.)
A Minister who sees his principles clearly, and holds
them firmly, is like an adult among children, or a physi-
cian among patients.
Luther used to say, there are three things required
to make a minister, — prayer — meditation — and tempta-
tion.
Cecil.-^ " The spirit and manner of a minister often
afi*ects more than the matter."
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 361
M'Cheyne. — *'Many are fond of ministers, who are
not fond of Christ."
BuNYAN well describes a faithful minister. In the
House of the Interpreter Christian saw the picture of a
very grave person hung up against the wall, and this
was the fashion of it, — " It had eyes lifted up to heaven,
the best of books in his hand, the law of truth was writ-
ten upon his lips, the world was behind his back ; he
stood as if he pleaded with men, and a crown of gold
did hang over his head.
Baxter had probably as deep and solemn impressions
of the vastness and responsibility of ministerial work as
any man. In one of his works he says to ministers, —
"Oh what a world of work you have to do ! Had you but
one ignorant man or woman to teach, what an arduous
task it would be, even though they should be willing to
learn. But if they are as unwilling as they are igno-
rant, how much more difficult will it prove ! But to
have such a multitude of ignorant persons, as most of us
have, what work will it find us ! What a pitiful life it is
to have to reason with them that have lost the use of
reason, and to argue with them that neither understand
themselves nor you ! Oh, brethren, what a world of
wickedness have we to contend against in one soul, and
what a number of these souls !" And yet Baxter's own
eminent success shows what encouragement is held out
to the faithfuj, prayerful, zealous minister.
Requisites for ministerial efiiciency. The Rev. J. T.
Nottidge, in one of his admirable letters, specifies three
qualities, which, though in a minor sense, are very im-
portant helps to ministerial efiiciency, and which every
minister should seek to possess — self-possession — activity
31
862 ILLUSTRATIVE aATHERINGS.
of intellect (or promptness of thoup;ht) — gentleness, and
cheerfulness.
Pray erf ulness. — "A ministry of prayer must be a
ministry of power." ''If you did not plough in the
closet," it was said to a holy man of God, "you would
not reap in the pulpit." Cf. Ps. cix. 4. — "For my love
they are my adversaries : but I give myself unto prayer."
Heb. But I prayer — i. e., I am all over prayer — always
ready for prayer — at all seasons — one who prays with-
out ceasing. This must be the character of a successful
minister.
Independence of Character. — " The best clock in the
world will be spoiled if you are always moving the hands
backward and forward, and altering it, in order to keep
time with a variety of other clocks ; a minister, who
shapes and accommodates his sentiments and discourses
to the tastes and humors of other people, will never be
happy, respected, or useful."
Tenderness^ the result of a devotional^ loving spirit. —
" To affect feeling is nauseous, and soon detected ; but
to feel, is the readiest way to the heart of others." —
Cecil.
With this, the experience of all real, successful minis-
ters agrees. "We may talk," says Nettleton, "of the
best means of doing good, but, after all, the greatest
difficulty lies in doing it in a proper spirit. * Speaking
the truth in love,' 'in meekness, instructing those that
oppose themselves,' with 'the meekness and gentleness
of Christ.' I have known anxious sinners drop the sub-
ject of religion in consequence of a preacher addressing
them in an angry tone." " I never was fit," says Pay-
SON, " to say a word to a sinner except when I had a
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. dbd
broken heart myself, when I was subdued and melted
into tenderness, and felt as though I had just received
pardon to my own soul, and when my heart was full of
tenderness and pity." See the lives of H. Martyn,
M'Cheyne, Hewitson, and many others, for the touchingX
exhibition of this "gentleness" which maketh "great."
(Psalm xviii. 35.)
Faithfulness, — " Our first concern must be to be plain
and studiously faithful in our exhibition of truth. Un-
faithfulness is to undo our own souls as well as our peo-
ple's." — [Bridges.) — Silence is treachery. "It is pro-
bable that many who are called Gospel ministers are
more chargeable with concealing truths than affirming
direct error ; with neglecting some part of their duty,
than actually committing crimes ; with not properly
building the house, than willfully pulling it down." — Dr.
Witherspoon.
Aiming at Conversions. — "If souls are not saved,
whatever other designs are acccomplished, the great
purpose of the ministry is defeated."
Eev. J. A. James. — "This," says he, "I have made the
great end of my ministry, and I have had my reward."
Eev. R. Knill. — His speciality as a preacher seems to have
been the directness of his aim at the conversion of souls: and,
besides multitudinous instances of individual success, it is noted
in his life (by Mr. Birrel) that " there was reason to believe
he had been the instrument of converting 100 persons who, in
one way or another, became preachers of the Gospel "
Dr. Bacchus, of America, used to give this singular
advice to students, that in their ministrations they should
give especial attention to the young under twenty, and
364 ILIUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
the aged above sixty. Upon this plan he had himself
acted, and his ministry had be«n eminently blessed.
It was said of
Rev. J. H. Forsyth. — " He did what thousands do,
but he did it not as one in a thousand does."
Whitfield. — So close was his communion with God
before preaching, that it was said he used to come down
to the people ''as if there was a rainbow about his
head."
Rev. J. H. Stewart. — " He was a precious box of
ointment in a wounding world."
MOTHERS.— Gen. iii. 20 ; Exod. xx. 12 ; Lev. xix.
3; Ps. cxiii. 9; Prov. i. 8-9; x. 1; xv. 20; xix. 26;
xxiii. 22 ; xxx. 11 ; Isa. xlix. 15, 23 ; Ixvi. 13 ; Ezek.
xvi. 44; Matt. x. 35; xii. 46-50; xiv. 8, 11; xx. 20;
Mark x. 30 ; Luke ii. 51 ; vii. 12 ; John ii. 1 ; Acts xii.
12; Gal. iv. 26 (cf. Rev. xvii. 3-5); Eph. vi. 1-3.
"The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom." —
Beecher.
Some time ago, several students, who were preparing
for the ministry, were conversing about the influence of
pious mothers upon their children ; and on investigating
their own histories, it was found that out of 120 present,
upward of 100 had been thus blessed by God.
Napoleon. — When he once asked Madame Campan,
"What is the great want of the French nation?" her
reply was comprised in one word, — " 3fofhers.'*
" Tell the Mothers to trust in God," was the dying
charge of one who had herself been "a mother in Israel,"
and had trained up her family in the service of the Re-
deemer.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 365
A Wesleyan Sunday-school Teacher, speaking one day
to his children upon the depravity of the human heart,
asked his children if they knew any one who was
always good ; one of the class, prompted by simple and
child-like affection, instantly replied, " Yes, Sir, I know
one, — my mother."
The Bishop of Calcutta (Dr. Wilson) mentions in
his account of his interviews with Bellingham, the famous
assassin, that nothing he could say appeared to make any
impression, until he spoke of his mother ; and then the
prisoner burst into a flood of tears.
Abbot, in his Mother at Home, relates a story of a
gentleman in America, who was going to a seaman's
meeting in a mariner's chapel. Seeing a weather-beaten
sailor at the door of a boarding-house, puffing a cigar,
and with arms folded, he walked up to him, and said,
*' Well, my friend, will you go with us to the Meeting?"
" No," said the sailor bluntly. The gentleman, who,
from the appearance of the man, was prepared for a re-
pulse, mildly replied, "You look, my friend, as if you
had seen hard days; have you a mother?" The sailor
raised his head, looked earnestly in the gentleman's face,
and made no reply. The gentleman, however, continued,
" Suppose your mother were here now, what advice would
she give you ?" The tears rushed for a moment into
the sailor's eyes ; he tried in vain to conceal them ; has-
tily brushing them away with the back of his rough
hand, he rose and said, with a voice almost inarticulate
with emotion, " I'll go to the Meeting." He crossed the
street, entered the chapel- door, and took his seat with
the assembled congregation.
A Mother's Prayers Heard. — During the last ill-
31 *
366 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
ness of a pious mother, when she was near death, her
only remaining child, the subject of many agonizing and
believing prayers, who had been roving on the sea, re-
turned to pay his parent a visit.
After a very aifecting meeting, " You are near port,
mother," said the hardy-looking sailor, "and I hope you
will have an abundant entrance." "Yes, my child, the
fair haven is in sight, and soon, very soon, I shall be
landed
*' < On that peaceful shore,
Where pilgrims meet to part no more.' "
" You have weathered many a storm in your passage,
mother; but now God is dealing very graciously with
you by causing the winds to cease, and by giving you a
calm at the end of your voyage."
" God has always dealt graciously with me, my son,
but this last expression of His kindness, in permitting me
to see you before I die, is so unexpected that it is like a
miracle WTought in answer to prayer."
" Oh, mother !" replied the sailor, weeping as he
spoke, " your prayers have been the means of my salva-
tion, and I am thankful that your life has been spared
till I could tell you of it."
She listened with devout composure to the account of
his conversion, and at last, taking his hand, she pressed
it to her dying lips and said, " Yes, thou art a faithful
God, and as it has pleased thee to bring back my long-
lost child and adopt him into thy family, I will say,
' Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace ; for mine
eyes have seen thy salvation.' " — Qheever.
Pious Mothers. — What a long and interesting list
would the records of the Church present !
ILLUSTRATIVE GATIIERIXG.^. 367
The Mothers of Scripture. — Sarah ; Rebekah ; Joche-
bed; mother of Samson; Hannah; the Shunammite;
Elizabeth ; Mary, mother of Jesus ; Mary, mother of
John, Mark ; Lois, -and Eunice, &c.
The Mothers of the Early Church. — Monica, the emi-
nent mother of Augustine. Never did mother struggle
more earnestly than she. From her son's nineteenth to
the twenty-eighth year of his age, while he was rolling
in the filth of sin, did she, in vigorous hope, persist in
earnest prayer. In his twenty-ninth year we find her
still praying ; he left her and went to Rome ; bitterly
she felt the separation, yet she returned to her former
employment of prayer. From Rome he w^ent to Milan,
and there we find the praying mother again. At length
the long looked-for, prayed-for, time arrived. The teach-
ing of Ambrose was blessed to her son's conversion, and
the mother's happiness was completed. Her example
still cries, "Christian mothers, continue in prayer."
NoNNA. — Gregory of Nazianzen, ascribed his conver-
sion to his sainted mother, as also his brother Caesarias,
and their sister Gorgonia, who besides was instrumental
in converting her husband, and training her children and
her nephews in the ways of piety.
Theodoret, Basil the Great, Emmilia, Chrysostom,
and many others, were proofs of the power of a mother's
prayers.
The Mothers of Later Times. — Bishop Hall,
Schwartz, (dedicated from infancy by Ids. mother on her
death-bed to the service of Christ,) Philip Henry, and
his son Matthew, Hooker, Zinzendorf, President
Edwards, Dr. Dwight, Payson, Doddridge, Wesley,
868 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Felix Neff, Legh Richmond, and the missionaries
Knill, Moffatt, &c., all had pious mothers.
John Newton learned to pray at his mother's knees.
She was taken to heaven before he was eight years old.
At sea, in the midst of many dangers, his agonizing
prayer was often, " My mother's God, the God of mercy,
have mercy on me." The prayer was heard, and he be-
came '* a burning and a shining light." Through him
Scott the Commentator was led to Christ, and Wilber-
force, the champion of African freedom, and the author
of that *' Practical View of Christianity" which brought
Legh Richmond into the ministry of Christ. An encour-
aging lesson to mothers to persevere : for nearly twenty
years the seed lay apparently dead in Newton's heart,
but then it sprung up and bore fruit sixty, yea, an hun-
dred fold.
Cecil, when he had adopted infidel sentiments in his
youth, and thought himself proud of his arguments,
said, long afterwards, " There was one argument I
could never get over, — the influence and life of a holy
mother."
MURMURING.— Ex. v. 22, 23 ; xiv. 11, 12 ; xvi. 7 ;
xvii. 2, 3 ; Num. xiv. 1-12 ; xvi. 3 : xvii. 5 ; xxi. 5 ;
Prov. xix. 3; Job iii. ; Ps. xxxvii. 1-8; Isa. xxix. 24;
Jer. XX. 14-18 ; Lam. iii. 39 ; Jonah iv. 8, 9 ; Mai. iii.
14 ; Matt. xx. 11 ; Mark xiv. 5 ; Luke v. 30 ; xv. 2,
29, 30; xix. 7;. John vi. 41-43, 60-69; vii. 32; Acts
vi. 1 ; Rom. ix. 20 ; 1 Cor. x. 10 ; Phil. ii. 14 ; James
V. 9 ; Jude 16.
" Heartless complaints which end in nothing, are
among our greatest sins." — J. H. Evans.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 369
*' Christ is never more * wounded in the house of His
friends,' than when they murmur ; nothing seemed so
much to overcome His forbearance with the Israelites."
— Lady Powerscourt.
The Murmurer reminds us of the creaking wheel
that wants oil ; it may still go on its accustomed round,
but with a jarring discord.
We are too apt to bite the rod that hurts us, and not
mind the hand that sent it.
" Consider that murmuring is a mercy-embittering
sin, a mercy-souring sin. As the sweetest things put
into a sour vessel sours them, or put into a bitter vessel
embitters them, so murmuring puts gall and wormwood
into every cup of mercy that God gives into our hands.
The murmurer writes 'Marah,' that is bitterness, upon
all his mercies, and he reads and tastes bitterness in them
all. As ^ to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet,'
so to the murmuring soul every sweet thing is bitter." —
Brook's Mute Christian.
" I Mourn but do not Murmur," was the chastened
expression of a Christian lady in the midst of deep dis-
tress and painful bereavement.
Punishment of. — It is calculated that not less than
one million of the children of Israel died in the wilder-
ness by God's judgment for their murmurings ; and this
only in forty years !
NATIVITY OF CHRIST.— Isa. vii. 14; ix. 7;
Micah V. 2 ; Luke ii. 1-14 ; Gal. iv. 4.
Ps. Ixxxv. 10. — '^ Mercy and truth are met together,
and righteousness and peace have kissed each other."
T\iQ first great Christmas meeting. How many festive meetings
24
370 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
are there at the festive time of Christmas ; this was the first. It
was a meeting (1) arranged and settled long before it took place.
Our meetings are often casual, or if arranged, are often inter-
rupted, but not so this — pre-determined in the eternal counsels
of the unchanging God. It was a meeting (2) after long and
painful separation. •* Mercy and peace," &c. These divine
perfections had met in harmony in paradise, but when man fell
the union was broken. Each took their separate path apart.
But around the manger cradle of Bethlehem there was a meet-
ing (3) of happy harmony and sweet reunion, — the breach was
healed, and all met in delightful and abiding fellowship. Then
did truth " spring out of the earth" (John xiv. 6), and ♦' right-
eousness looked down from heaven," as if missing some bright
jewel it had lost ; or rather, as if looking down in wonder that
now, after long and earnest search, the "pearl of great price"
was found. ♦* Righteousness looked down," yea, righteousness
itself came down.
The birth of Christ displays : —
1. The Truth of God's Word. — It was prophesied
that He should be born of woman, Gen. iii. 15 ; Isa. vii.
14 ; of the family of Abraham, Gen. xxii. 18 ; John viii.
b^ ; of the tribe of Judah, Gen. xlix. 10 ; of the royal
house of David, Psalm cxxxii. 11 ; at Bethlehem Ephra-
tah, Mic. V. 2.
Bethlehem, i.e., the house of bread ; Ephratah, i.e.., fruitful.
Thus was Bethlehem honoured — little but fruitful — from the
little village came forth He who should be "ruler." In its
manger was born "the infant of days," " whose goings forth
have been from of old, from everlasting," "the root and off-
spring of'David."
2. The Working of God's Providence. — Making the
pride of Augustus the means of bringing Joseph and
Mary sixty miles (from Nazareth to Bethlehem), just
before the birth of Christ, and so unwittingly helping to
fulfil God's prophecy. Luke ii. 1-6.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 371
j5. The Condescension of God's Love. — That Christ
should take upon Him our nature, John i. 14 ; be born
of a poor woman, 2 Cor. viii. 9 ; be laid in a manger,
Luke ii. T ; be announced to poor shepherds, Luke ii.
10, 11 ; and be persecuted even in infancy, Matt. ii. 13.
Oh let us love Him, who hath so freely and wondrously
loved us !
'' By how much the lower He was made for me, by so
much the dearer may He be to me." — Bernard.
Natal. — The colony of Natal was discovered 360
years ago, and was so named because the Portuguese
navigators first saw it on Christmas. day, 1499. The
change which has taken place, and is taking place,
through the influence of Christianity, would form a
profitable Christmas theme for meditation.
Sir Matthew Hale died on Christmas-day, having
had a remarkable presentiment a month before of it,
and having told his servants on November 25 that he
should die in just a month, and so it proved. He was
one of the most eminent judges England has ever known.
He began his career by giving sixteen hours a day to
study ; and, notwithstanding all his numerous occupa-
tions, always maintained the sanctity of the Sabbath
most inviolably.
The Rev. James Hervey died on Christmas-day,
Dec. 25, 1758. When dying he thanked the physicians
for their visits, and with great solemnity and sweetness
in his countenance exclaimed, " Lord, now lettest thou
thy servant depart in peace according to thy most holy
and comfortable word, for mine eyes have seen thy
precious salvation. Here, doctor, is my cordial ! what
are all the cordials given to support the dying, in com-
372 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
parison of that which arises from the promises of salva*
tion by Christ! This, this, now supports me." About
three o'clock he said, " The great conflict is over — now
all is done ;" after which he scarcely spake any other
word intelligibly, except twice or thrice '''"Precious sal-
vation!" and then leaning his head against the side of
his chair, he shut his eyes and sang his Christmas carol
before the Throne.
NEGLECT.
Heb. ii. 3. ''How shall we escape if we neglect so
great salvation ?"
^^ Neglect is enough to ruin a man. A man who is in busi-
ness need not commit forgery or robbery to ruin himself; he
has only to neglect his business, and his ruin is certain. A man
who is lying on a bed of sickness need not cut his throat to de-
stroy himself; he has only to neglect the means of restoration,
and he will be ruined. A man floating in a skifl" above Niag-
ara need not move an oar, or make an effort to destroy himself;
he has only to neglect using the oar at the proper time, and he
will certainly be carried over the cataract. Most of the calam-
ities of life are caused by simple neglect. Let no one infer,
therefore, that because he is not a drunkard, or an adulterer,
or a murderer, that therefore he will be saved. Such an infer-
ence would be as irrational as it would be for a man to infer
that, because he is not a murderer, his farm will produce
a harvest ; or that, because he is not an adulterer, therefore his
merchandise will take care of itself." — Barnes.
The Life Preserver. — " Commencing a long journey
upon one of our western lakes and rivers, I took the
precaution to provide myself with a life preserver of the
best construction. This was always my practice in
traveling. My custom was, every night before retiring
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 373
to sleep, to examine it, and see that it was where I could
place my hand upon it in an instant.
" Soon after entering the Mississippi river, we were
not a little agitated by an accident which befell the boat.
The night was dark and tempestuous, and the ' father of
waters' angry and frightful. The passengers sprang
from their berths, and rushed together into the main
saloon. The accident proved to be of small consequence,
and the alarm very soon subsided.
" Returning to my state room, I fell into a sort of
waking dream. I thought I was on one of our inland
seas in a violent tempest. Our vessel, dismasted and
disabled, was rapidly driving on a lee shore. The pas-
sengers were evidently making ready for the last strug-
gle. And I observed, for the first time, that some seemed
perfectly calm and composed. On looking again, I saw
that they were provided with life preservers, which they
had already attached to their persons ; and feeling the
utmost confidence in this means of preservation, they
were quietly waiting the issue.
" But how shall I describe the terror and dismay of
the other passengers, as they passed to and fro before
my eyes !
" ' "What a fool I was,' said one, * that I did not buy
a life preserver before I left home ; I always meant to
do it ; they were exposed for sale right before my eyes
every day. My friends entreated me to procure one,
and I promised that I would. I thought I could obtain
one at any time, so 1 put it off, and noiv it is too late.'
'' ' I dnl not believe that there was any danger,' said
another. ' 1 have passed over there lakes many times,
82
374 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
and never saw such a storm before ; so I concluded tc
run the risk again.'
" Another I observed hastening to his trunk, and re-
turning instantly with the case of a life preserver in his
hand, but an expression of blank despair on his coun-
tenance. The article had once been good ; but he had
not taken care of it. He had thrown it loosely amongst
his effects, and it had been punctured by a pin. It was
now a mockery of his woe. He tried to mend it, but
this was impossible. There was no time for this.
" Another produced with great joy what seemed to be
an excellent life preserver ; but when he proceeded to
adjust it, he found that he had been cheated. It was a
counterfeit article. He did not procure it at the right
place. It would retain its shape and buoyancy for a
while and for a few moments in smooth water ; but would
not bear the pressure of a man's whole weight. He had
never examined it before, and now, in the hour of need,
found it utterly worthless.
^' At length my eye was arrested by a young man who
had been notorious throughout the voyage for his gayety
and frivolity. On one occasion, during a pleasant day,
he had made sport of those who had wisely prepared for
the time of peril. And now I saw him addressing a
gentleman whom he had previously ridiculed, inquiring
whether his life preserver could not save them both. ' No,*
was the answer ; ' it was only made for one. '
" Reader, there is hope which is an anchor of the
soul, sure and steadfast ; the time is coming when you
will certainly need it. Life may now be like a smooth
and sunny sea ; but very soon you will be amid ' the
iiwellings of Jordan.' Be sure you get this certain hope.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. d75
Be careful that your hope is of the right kind ; examine
it well. * Olirist in you,' says St. Paul, ' is the hope of
glory.' Is this your hope ? Take care of it ; keep it
with all diligence, and it will stand you in good stead in
the time of danger ; for He who rules the waves and
waters saith, *Fear not.' When thou passest through the
waters, I will be with thee ; and through the rivers, they
shall not overflow thee.' Isa. xliii. 2." — Abridged from
an American T^^aet.
NEW YE AR.— Gen. xxvi. 12 ; xlvii. 8, 9 ; Exod. xii.
2 ; xiii. 3, 4 ; Lev. xvi. 84 ; Deut. xi. 12 ; 1 Sam. vii. 12 ;
XX. 6 ; Job xvi. 22 ; xxxii. 7 ; Ps. Ixv. 11 ; Ixxvii. 5-11 ;
xc. ; cii. 24-27 ; Eccles. xii. 1 ; Isa. xxix. 1 ; Matt. vi.
33 ; Luke xiii. 8 ; Acts xi. 26.
Exod. xl. 2, 17. " On the first day of the first month
shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the con-
gregation."
A divinely-appointed example of beginning a new year well.
So in Hezekiah's days they began to sanctify the temple at the
same time. 2 Chron. xxix. 17. Can we begin the year better
than by thus honoring God in His temple openly, and sanctify-
ing anew the altar in our tents ?
Lev. xxiii. 23, 24. " And the Lord spake unto Moses,
saying. Speak unto the children of Israel, saying. In the
seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye
have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an
holy convocation."
The first day of the Jewish civil year, the memorial, as it
was thought, of the creation of the world. The blowing of
trumpets was an appropriate act, designed (1) to remind them
of the trumpet of Mount Sinai, when the law was given, which
we may set before us at the beginning of the new year ; or (2),
376 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
to call the Jews, by an emblem, to shake off their spiritua.
drowsiness, to search their ways and amend them, and to
prepare for the Day of Atonement, which followed nine days
afterwards.
Two Statesmen. — Contrast the experience of two
statesmen, each eminent in their way, but differing in
their principles. Lord Dundas, when one wished that
great statesman a happy new year, replied, " It had need
be happier than the last, for I never knew one happy
day in it." The testimony of Wilberforce, the year
before his death was, " This last year has been the hap-
piest of my life." Ps. xxxvii. 37.
Romaine's wish for his people was, one new-year's
day, — " God grant that this may be a year famous for
helieving.'"
A. L. Newton. — " The character of God is my grand
subject this year. I have got it in fifty-two points, with
six texts on each ; and it is such a rock to rest upon, —
to see what God is, and that He really is."
Mr. Hardcastle (once a noble-minded merchant, and
long the Treasurer of the London Missionary Society).
" When he was dying, it was one of his memorable say-
ings. ' My last act of faith I wish to be, to take the
blood of Jesus, as the High Priest did, when he entered
behind the Vail ; and when I have passed the Vail, I
would appear with it before the Throne.' So, in mak-
ing the transit from one year to another, this is our
most appropriate exercise. We see much sin in the
retrospect ; we see many a broken purpose, many a mis-
spent hour, many a ^ash and unadvised word ; we see
much pride, and anger, and worldliness, and unbelief;
we see a long track of inconsistency. There is nothing
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 377
for US but the great atonement. With that atonement
let us, like believing Israel, end and begin anew. Bear-
ing its precious blood, let us pass within the vail of a
solemn and eventful future. Let a visit to the Fountain
be the last act of the closing year, and let a new year
still find us there." — Dr. James Hamilton.
NOVELS.
As a general rule, novels weaken the passive emotions,
without strengthening the active principle.
Lord Byron's works, it may be, have their sublimi-
ties ; so has Vesuvius ; but those who venture Pliny-
like, must expect Pliny's fate.
Goldsmith, who had himself written a novel, in writ-
ing to his brother, respecting the education of his son,
gave his opinion of such works in this strong language, — ■
*' Above all things never let your son touch a novel or
romance."
Sir Walter Scott. — Very striking and touching
were the last scenes of his life, when he called for a book
to be read to him, and being asked what book he wished,
replied, '' There is but one Booh.'' and asked for the
Bible.
NOVELTY.—" The mass of men are fond of novelty
in matters of recreation ; in fashions of furniture, dress,
scenery, sports, or amusements, &c. ; but in respect of
their course of life, they are wedded to their established
customs and usages, even when they have nothing but
custom to recommend them." — Archbishop Whately. — ■
[Thus copying the example of nature in a tree, of which
378 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
the main part — the trunk — remains unchanged, but the
leaves and flowers are mutable and perishing.]
A DESIRE to say something which no man ever said,
makes people say things which no man ever ought tc
say.
What we want in religion is not new lights but new
sight ; not new paths, but new zeal to walk in old paths.
OBEDIENCE.— Exod. v. 2 ; xxiii. 20, 21 ; Deut. v.
27-33 ; xxviii. ; Josh. v. 6 ; 1 Sam. xv. 22 ; 1 Kings
xiii. ; Ps. cxix. 4-6, 32, 106, 112 ; Prov. xxviii. 9
Eccl. xii. 13 ; Isa. xlviii. 18 ; Jer. vii. 23, 24 ; xi. 3-5
xxvi. 13 ; XXXV. ; xxxviii. 20 ; Ezek. xxxvi. 27 ; Dan
ix. 10 ; Matt. vii. 21, 24 ; xii. 50 ; xxviii. 20 ; Luke vi
46 ; xi. 27, 28 ; John viii. 51 ; xiii. 17 ; xiv. 15, 21
Rom. ii. 6-10 ; x. 16, 17 ; 2 Cor. x. 5 ; Jas. iv. 17 :
1 Pet. i. 2, 14, 15, 22 ; 1 John ii. 3-6 ; iii. 22 ; v. 2, 3 :
Rev. xxii. 14.
should be
From the heart. — Ps. xl. 8, spoken of Christ (cf. the
two tables of the law in the ark), but true of all be-
lievers ; Deut. xi. 13-15 ; 1 Sam. vii. 3 ; Ps. cxix. 35 ;
John iv. 34 ; Rom. i. 9 ; vi. 16-19 ; vii. 22-25. Hence
Matt. V. 20. Cf. the feigned obedience of the ungodly.
Ps. xviii. 44 ; Ixvi. 3 ; Ixxxi. 15 (margins.)
" The obedience of faiths — Rom. xvi. 26 ; Acts vi. 7 ;
Heb. xi. 6; Luke xvii. 12-16. "Go show yourselves
unto the priests," i. e., before they were cleansed.
Matt. xii. 13. — "Stretch forth thine hand." What,
when it was withered I Yes ; obedience says, " Trust,
where ye cannot trace."
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. ' 379
"Quicquid decorum est ex fide proficiscitur." — Aug. "A
crab-tree may bear fruit fair to the eye, but it is sour, because
it doth not come from a good root. A moral person may give
God outward obedience, and to the eyes of others it seems glori-
ous; but this obedience is sour, because it comes not from the
sweet and pleasant root of faith. A child of God gives Him
the obedience of faith, and that meliorates and sweetens hia
services, and makes them come off with a better relish. Heb.
xi. 4. ^ By faith Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain.'' " — Watson.
Cheerful— V^. xviii. 44 ; c. 2, 3 ; cxix. 32, 35, 60,
143 ; Isa. i. 19. 20.
" As when a general commands his army to march, if then
the soldiers should stand upon terms, and refuse to go, except
they have better clothes, their pay in hand, or the like, and
then they will march ; this would not show them an obedient,
disciplined army ; but if, at the reading of their orders, they
presently break up their quarters and set forth, though it be
midnight when the command come, and they without money
or clothes on their backs, leaving the whole care of themselves
for these things to their general, and they only attend how they
may best fulfil his commands, these ma}^ be said to march in
obedience." — Salter.
Universal. — Deut. xxviii. 14; Ps. cxix. 6, 34, 128.
So mark the characters of Caleb and Joshua, Num. xiv.
24 ; xxxii. 12. David, Acts xiii. 22. Zacharias and
Elizabeth, Luke i. 6. Cornelius, Acts x. 33.
"A soul sincerely obedient, will not pick and choose what
commands to obey, and what to reject, as hypocrites do. An
obedient soul is like a crystal glass with a light in the midst,
which shines forth through every part thereof. A man sin-
cerely obedient lays such a charge upon his whole man, as
Mary, the mother of Christ, did upon all the servants at the
feast. (John ii. 5.) 'Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.'
Eyes, ears, hands, heart, lips, legs, body, and soul, do you all
seriously and affectionately observe whaiover Jtisns Christ says
unto you, and do it " — B'-ooks.
880 ILLUSTRAin-E GATHERINGS.
Uniform. — Ps. xliv. 17-19 ; cvi. 3 ; cxix. 112 ; Luke
xxiii. 56 ; Phil. ii. 12. Cf. Job xxvii. 10 (the hypocrite's
service).
** To obey GoJ in some things of religion, and not in others,
shows an unsound heart ; like Esau who obeyed his father in
bringing him venison, but not in a greater matter, viz., the
choice of his wife. Childlike obedience moves toward every
command of God, as the needle points that way which the load-
stone draws. If God calls to duties which are cross to flesh
and blood ; if we are children, we obey our Father." — Watson,
OBSCURE DISCIPLES.— Judges vii. 13, 14 (cf. v.
7) ; Ps. viii. 2 ; cxix. 141 ; Prov. xix. 1 ; Isa. xxii. 24 ;
Ix. 22 ; Zeph. iii. 12 ; Matt. xi. 25, 26 ; xiii. 31-33 ;
Luke vi. 20 ; Acts iv. 13 ; 1 Cor. i. 26-31 ; 2 Cor.
iv. 7. ; X. 7.
Ps. Ixxxiii. 3. "Thy hidden ones."
1. The safety of God's people. We often hide to preserve,
Matt. xiii. 44 (where the aim is not to conceal, but to secure).
Thus Noah was hid in the ark, and the waters of destruction
could not reach him ; and thus the promise, Ps. xxxii. 5 ; xxxi.
20 ; and the charge, Isa. xxvi. 20.
2. Their concealment. This is not absolute, but has various
degrees and different causes, It is true of our spiritual life.
Col. iii. 3; Kev, ii. 17, and true of its outward manifestation.
Some are concealed by persecution ; some by slander ; some by
disposition ; some by infirmity, yet all are known to God,—
" The Lord knoweth them that are his." 2 Tim. ii. 19.
How many true heroes and saints do we meet with in
Scripture, of whom we have no record but their noble
deeds ; as, e. g.,
Jael, Judges v. 24 ; Gideon, Judges vi. 15, 16. The widow
of Zarephath, 1 Kings xvii. 9-16. Obadiah, 1 Kings xviii. 3,
4, 12, 13. The seven thousand hidden ones, 1 Kings xix. 18.
The little maid, 2 Kings v. 2-4. The poor wise man, Eccl. ix
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 381
14-16. Many eminent examples of fsiith and devotion in our
Lord's ministry :— The leper, Matt. viii. 1. The woman who
said, "If I may but touch his garments, I shall be whole,"
Matt. ix. 21. Lazarus, the beggar, Luke xvi, 20. Tho
"daughters of Jerusalem," Luke xxiii. 27, 28. His own apos-
tles, &c. Saints of the early Church, Rom. xvi. "Antipas,
the faithful martyr," Rev. ii. 13. The *' few names" in Sardis,
Rev. iii. 4.
Excuses often made by obscure disciples, why they
don't do more for Christ : —
1. "7 live in retirement, and am little known." Well,
your Lord loved retirement, " who went about doing
good." Retired Christians have fewer hindrances to
communion with God, and the cultivation of a heavenly
mind. Cecil used to say, *' Solitude is my great ordi-
nance."
2. " I am so obscure ; people do not much regard what
1 say or do.'' But that depends upon your character.
If you walk with God in holy love and zeal, you w^ill
have the power of holiness, and your influence will speak
a language that cannot be gains ay ed.
3. "J am no scholar.'' Never mind; if you know
the two great truths, — that you are a great sinner, and
Christ a great Saviour, — this is knowing more than mil-
lions.
4. " I am very poor, and cannot give much." Sq was
the widow, who was richer than many rich. Isa. Iv. 8 ;
2 Cor. viii. 12.
Brother Martin. — In the Reformation records we
read of Brother Martin, a poor monk of Basle, who re-
*ied for salvation upon Jesus only, before Luther roused
the sleeping Church. Having written his Confession, he
placed it in a wooden box, and hid it in a hole in the
382 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
wall of his cell, where it was never found until last cen
tury.
OBSERVATION.— " Eyes and no Eyes." (See an
excellent story in Miss Edgeworth's " Evenings at
Home.")
" Fools learn nothing from wise men, but wise men
learn much from fools.'*
The Blank Book. — " A great and enlightened states-
man being asked by a young gentleman, what treatise on
the art of government he could recommend as the best,
he replied, 'A hook of white paper. Take such a book,
journey with it through the world, carefully attend to
every matter, whether political or not, which appears to
you remarkable, note it for the information of yourself
and others, and in this way you will make an excellent
work, from which you will learn much.' The sagacious
man, it appeared, preferred experience and observation
to all other books, and why should I not entertain the
same opinion on spiritual matters ?" — GottJiold's Emblems.
(See under " Hearing" and " Providence" how Philip
Henry and Dr. Doddridge followed out this plan.)
OLD AGE.— Lev. xix. 32 ; 1 Sam. ii. 31 ; Ps. Ixxi.
(Psalm for the aged); xc. 10; xcii. 14; cxlviii. 12;
Prov. xvi. 31 ; xvii. 6 ; xx. 29 ; xxiii, 22 ; Eccles. xii. ;
Isa. xlvi. 4 : Ixv. 20 ; Joel ii. 28 ; 1 Tim. v. 1, 2 ; Tit.
'iiT'r ^
Gen. xlvii. 8. — " How old art thou?"
A question once put by a Persian Emperor to an old man,
whose hairs were white with the snows of many winters. "Just
about four years," was the answer, the old man counting only
the years since his spiritual birth.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 383
Num. viii. 25, 26.
The Levites were to cease working after fifty, (Mai-., to
** return from the warfare of the service,") yet they were not
discharged from all service as useless and wholly disabled, but
rather were to be of use in helping and directing their younger
brethren, and supplying with their experience what they could
no longer render with their hands.
Rev. iii. 20. — "Behold, I stand at the door and
knock ; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I
will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with
me."
*' 5'Mjt?" —the last meal — mercy and grace provided to the
aged. Some are called, and many are eminently enriched with
grace in the evening of life.
" Naturally improves the understanding more than it
does the affections or the will."
PoLYCARP. — '' Eighty-and-six years," was his well-
known answer, when required to deny the truth, " have
I served my Saviour, and He hath never done me any
harm, and shall I deny him now ?"
Contrast Wolsey's lamentation : " Had I served my
God as well as I have served my King, He would not
have left me now." (Isa. iii. 10, 11.)
John Eliot (the Apostle to the Indians), on the day
of his death, in his eighty-sixth year, was found teaching
the Indian Alphabet to a child by his bedside. " Why
not rest from your labors now ?" said one. "I have
prayed to God," was the answer, " to render me useful
in my sphere, and now that I can no longer preach, He
leaves me strength to teach this poor child." (Ps. xcii. 14,)
WiLBERFORCE oncc remarked ; " I can scarcely under-
stand why my life is spared so long, except it be to show
384 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
that a man can be as happy without a fortune as with
one.*" And soon after, when his only surviving daughter
died, he writes, " I have often heard, that sailors on a
voyage will drink, 'Friends astern!' till they are half
way over, then 'Friends ahead!' With me it has been
'Friends ahead !' this long time."
Luke Short. — Mr. Flavel, the well-known Puritan,
was one day preaching upon 1 Cor. xvi. 22, " If any man
love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema
Maran-atha." The discourse was unusually solemn, par-
ticularly the explanation of the words, '•^Anathema Ma-
ran-atha' — "cursed with a curse, cursed of God with a
bitter and grievous curse." At the conclusion of the
service, when Mr. Flavel rose to pronounce the benedic-
tion, he paused, and said, " How shall I bless this whole
assembly, when every person in it who loveth not the
Lord Jesus Christ is 'Anathema Maran-atha?' '' In
the congregation was a lad named Luke Short, then
about fifteen years old, who shortly after sailed to
America, where he passed the rest of his life. Mr.
Short's life was lengthened much beyond the usual term.
When an hundred years old, he had sufficient strength to
work on his farm, and his mental faculties were very little
impaired ; but hitherto he had lived a sinner. One day,
as he sat in his field, he thought upon his past life. Re-
curring to the events of his youth, Mr. Flavel's discourse
came to his mind — the preacher's solemn warning, and
the important truth he delivered. God's Spirit strove
with the aged sinner, conviction was followed by repent-
ance, and he became one who loved the Lord Jesus Christ
in sincerity and truth.
Eighty-five years passed after the seed was sown
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 385
before it sprung up and brought forth fruit. Let minis-
ters take encouragement : " In due season ye shall reap,
if ye faint not."
The Wrong Side of Fifty. — Mr. Venn, in one of his
excursions to preach for the Countess of Huntingdon,
while riding on the road, fell into company with a person
who had the appearance of a clergyman. After riding
together for some time, conversing on different subjects,
the stranger, looking in his face, said, " Sir, I think you
are on the wrong side of fifty?" "On the wrong side
of fifty!" answered Mr. Venn. "No, Sir, I am on the
right side of fifty." "Surely," the clergyman replied,
"you must be turned fifty?" "Yes, Sir," added Mr.
Venn, " but I am on the right side of fifty, for every
year I live I am nearer my crown of glory."
A Christian Six Months Old.— In the revival in
Ireland in 1853, an aged convert in Achill, a poor man,
104 years old, walked ten miles to make a public profes-
sion of his faith, at a confirmation held by the Protestant
Bishop of Tuam. Mr. E. had a most interesting con-
versation with this aged man. He said, " I lived ene
hundred and three years and six months in total dark-
ness, knowing nothing of the way to heaven — blind and
ignorant." "And now," said Mr. E., "what is your
hope?" "My hope, Sir, is in the Lamb of GoD, who
taketh away the sins of the world. Oh ! to think that I
should have gone on one hundred and three years and
six months caring not for my soul, and then that this
blessed truth should have burst upon me ! How can I
praise Him enough for his wondrous love towards such a
poor old sinner !"
Herod. — What a miserable picture does he present
33 25
38b ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
when slaying all the poor infants at Bethlehem ! An
aged sinner of seventy so alarmed at hearing of a child
not two years old !
OMNISCIENCE DIVINE.— Gen. xvi. 13 ; Lev. xix.
14; 1 Sam. ii. 3; xvi. 7 ; 1 Kings viii. 39; 1 Chron.
xxviii. 9 ; Job x. 4 ; xxviii. 10, 24 ; xlii. 2 ; Ps. xi. 4 ;
Ixxiii. 11 ; cxxxix. ; Prov. v. 21 ; xv. 3, 11 ; Jer. xvii.
10 ; xxxii. 19 ; Amos ix. 9 ; Acts i. 24 ; xv. 18 ; Heb.
iv. 13.
of good men and actions. — Gen. xx. 6 ; Exod.
iii. 7 ; Judges xi. 11 ; 1 Kings xiv. 13 ; 2 Chron. xvi. 9
Psa. xvii. 3; xxxiv. 15 ; xxxviii. 9; Ivi. 8; Jer. xii. 3
xxiv. 6 ; Matt. vi. 4, 6 ; John xxi. 17 ; Acts xv. 8
2 Tim. ii. 19 ; 1 John iii. 20. Hence Psa. xxxviii. 9
Isa. xxxvii. 14 ; John xxi. 15.
of the evil. — Job xxii. 13, 14 ; xxxiv. 21, '22 ;
Ps. X. 11-14 ; xliv. 20, 21 ; xciv. 7-11 ; Isa. xxix. 15,
16 ; Jer. vii. 8-11 ; xvi. 17 ; xxiii. 23, 24 ; Ezek. viii.
5-12 ; Amos v. 12 ; ix. 2-4, 8 ; Obad. 3-5 ; Matt. xxii.
11 ; John ii. 23-25.
Figures. — Lights 1 John i. 5 (all pervading) ; — Flame
of fire ^ Rev. i. 14 (penetrating and searching) ; — Sceptre
full of eyes^ the Egyptian representation of the deity ;
— the stone laid before Joshua with seven eyes^ Zech. iii.
9 ; the Lamb with seven horns and seven eyes, Rev. v. 6.
How often do we trace God's omniscience exemplified
in the detection of sin which the sinner thought con-
cealed, the approbation of modest virtue, and the notice
of secret sorrow !
Take a few examples from Scripture, —
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
887
THE EVIL.
Ad im.—'' Where art thou?"
(Gen, iii. 9.) What a question
was that, which reached the sin-
ner in his hiding-place !
Cain. — "Where is Abel thy
brother ?" (Gen. iv. 9.) The cry
of blood went up to heaven.
Joseph's brethren. — "God hath
found out the iniquities of thy
servants," (Gen. xliv. 16.) Yes ;
though twenty-two years had
Achan. — (Josh, vii.) The tribe
— the family —the household — the
man — the tent — the place in the
tent — there was the accursed trea-
sure. God knew it all the while.
Gehazi. — "Went not mine
heart with thee ?" (2 Kings v.
26.) — The unseen eye that tracks
the sinner and informs the heart.
Jeroboam's wife. — " Come in,
thou wife of Jeroboam." 1
Kings liv. 6.) Cannot He who
seeth through the thick clouds
see through sin's flimsy cover-
ings ?
Ananias and Sapphira. — "Why
hath Satan filled thine heart to
lie to the Holy Ghost ?" (Acts
V. 3.) There is no darkness nor
shadow of death where the work-
ers of iniquity may hide them-
selves." (Job xxxiv. 22.)
THE GOOD.
Abimelech. — "I know that thou
didst this in the integrity of thy
heart." (Gen. xx. 6; 1 Sam.
xvi. 9.) •
Abraham. — (Gen. xxii. 12.)
Omniscience saw the keen trial
borne with such unmurmuring
patience, and turned the extrem-
ity of faith into the opportunity
of favour.
Children of Israel. — " I know
their sorrows." (Exod. iii. 7.)
God has a book for the wants,
and a bottle for the tears, nf his
believing people — every sorrow
of every sorrower.
Nathanael.-'''' Before that Philip
called thee, when thou wast un-
der the fig-tree, I saw thee.'*
(John i. 48.)
The Seven Churches. — The epistle
to each begins with the consola-
tory preface, "I know t.hy
works." (Kev. ii. 2-9.)
' A candle wakes some men as well as a noise ; the
eye of the Lord works upon a good soul as well as His
hand ; and a godly man is as much afflicted with the con-
388 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
sideration, ' Thou God seest me,' as with ^ The Lord
strikes me.' " — Donne.
God needs no chains nor prison to keep the sinner
sure ; His eye is enough ; the sinner entangles himself
too surely to escape.
" In a sheet almanac a man may at one view see
all the months in the year, both past and to come ; but
in a book almanac, as he turneth to one month so he
turneth from another, and can but look only at the
present. This is the true difference betwixt the know-
ledge of God and man ; — He looketh in an instant of
time to things past, present and future ; but the know-
ledge of man reacheth only to a few things past and
present, but knoweth nothing at all of things that are to
come ; that is God's peculiar so to do, and a piece of
learning too high for any mortal man to attain unto." —
Spencer,
The Thief.— Looking up. — "A man who was in the
habit of going to a neighbor's corn-field to steal the
grain, one day took his son with him, a boy of about
eight years of age. The father told him to hold the bag
while he looked if any one were near to see him. After
standing upon the fence, and peeping through all the
corn-rows, he returned to take the bag from the child,
and began his sinful work. ' Father,' said the boy, *you
forgot to look somewhere else.' The man dropped the
bag in a fright, and said, ' Which way, child ? ' * You
forgot to look up to the sky, to see if God were noticing
you.* The father felt this reproof of the child so much,
that he left the corn, — returned home, and never again
ventured to steal." — Cheever.
"We shall have a Reporter there." — So re-
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 389
marked a young friend thoughtlessly, as he was about
to leave home to attend a social ball given in a country
town. My heart responded with deep and solemn
interest to his assertion, as I thought of the immortal
souls who would gather there, thus to employ the fleeting
moments in mercy allotted them to prepare for eternity.
A reporter wa% there. A report was written which is
now before the Great Judge. A report of what ? Of
every thought, word, and deed, — of violated vows to live
for Christ, and not for the world — of parental vows
solemnly made, and now forgotten, as parents with their
children measure oft* time, precious time, to the " sound
of the viol."
Where is the report written? On memory, to be
traced by conscience as it shall wake from its slumbers,
and recall wasted opportunities, abused mercies, slighted
admonitions, loud warnings, when death is at the door.
Where will the report be read ? At the bar of God.
Reader, ponder and think over the solemn truth.
ORIGINAL SIN.-Gen. i. 26; v. 3; viii. 21; Lev.
xii. (the woman who had borne a child, unclean for seven
days, as having borne a sinner into the world) ; Job xiv.
3 ; XV. 14-16 ; xxv. 4 ; Ps. 11. 5 ; Iviii. 3 ; Prov. xxii.
15 ; xxix. 15 ; John iii. 6 ; Rom. v. 12 ; viii. 8, 9 ; Eph.
ii. 3.
" The simple inherit folly" (Prov. xiv. 18), and unlike
any earthly inheritance, they cannot renounce it if they
would.
" Sin is born in a child as surely as fire is in the
flint ; it only waits to be brought out, and manifested."
rr-Br, Booh,
33 *
390 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
" ORiGirAL sin acted as an extinguisher, and there-
fore the soul is born in darkness and cannot see, until
enlightened by the Spirit of God." — Toplady.
" Though goodness may be repaired in ourselves, yet
it cannot be propagated to ours ; even the cleanest grain
sends forth that chaff from which it was fanned ere the
sowing." — Bishop Hall.
" Our striving against nature is like holding a
w^eathercock with one's hand ; as soon as the force is
taken off, it veers again with the wind." — Adam.
ORIGIN OF EYIL.
John Newton. — " Pray, Mr. Newton," once asked a
young man, "what do you think of the entrance of sin
into the world?" "Sir," said Mr. N., "I never tUnh
of it ; I know there is such a thing as sin in the world,
and I know there is a remedy, and there my knowledge
begins, and there it ends.
OPPORTUNITY.-Ps. xxxii. 6 ; Prov. x. 5 ; Isa. Iv.
6; Jer. viii. 20; Matt. xx. 1-6; xxi. 28; xxiii. 37-39;
Mark x. 46, 47 (Jesus passing by ; it may be " now or
never!") Luke v. 17; xiii. 8, 9; xix. 41-44; John v.
4-9 ; xii. 35 ; Acts xiv. 27 ; 1 Cor. xvi. 9 ; 2 Cor. ii.
12; Col. iv. 3 (literally, "buying up the opportunity");
Heb. iii. 7-15.
is like a narrow passage in the Arctic Seas.
Sometimes in these Northern regions, ships get enclosed
in a narrow space between ice-islands. The floating rocks
glide nearer the ship on every side, and the dismayed
Beamen behold their only chance of escape from the fatal
crash lies in a narrow channel, that every moment grows
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 391
Still narrower. How hurriedly they press their vessel
through that strip to reach the safety of the open ocean !
Even so must we press along the narrow way that leads
to eternal life, for who knows how soon that narrow way
may be closed against him ?
is like Q, favoring breeze, springing up around a
sailing vessel. If the sails be all set, the ship is wafted
onward to its port. If the sailors are asleep, or ashore,
the breeze may die again, and when they would go on
they cannot; their vessel stands as idle as a painted ship
upon a painted ocean.
is like a string of stepping-stones across a ford.
The traveler, coming up to them, may find the river so
swollen with the rains that the stones are all but covered.
If he delay, though his home be on the opposite bank,
and full in sight, it may be too late to cross, and he may
have a journey of several miles to reach his home.
is like a strip of sand, which stretches around a
seaside cove. The greedy tide is lapping up the sand.
The narrow strip will quickly become impassable ; and
then how sad the fate of the thoughtless children, who
are now playing and gathering shells and sea-weed inside
the cove ! — Union Magazine.
Opportunities are importunities. They are like
flowers that fade at night ; seize them, therefore, while
they last.
"The mill can't grind with the water that is lost."
Dr. Payson observes that " those who have once en-
tertained serious impressions, and lost them, are much
less likely to have their attention again arrested, than
those who have always been thoughtless and unconcerned.
However, we may flatter and deceive ourselves with the
S92 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
idea that we shall find more favorable opportunities than
our age affords, it is certain, if we believe all who have
gone before us, that we now have fewer temptations and
fewer difficulties of all kinds to struggle with, than we
shall have at any future period of our lives, even suppos-
ing that life may be prolonged to us."
Herod — those who offered to follow Christ (Luke ix.
57-62,) — Felix — Agrippa — Simon Magus, &c., &c. ; —
how many characters seem to float before our eyes in
Scripture, as having been visited with convictions and
opportunities of grace, but only, it has been said, " like
ships, which, when night is spread over the sea, emerge
for a moment from the darkness, as they cross the path-
way of the moonbeams, and then are lost again in utter
gloom." — Bishop of Oxford.
PARDON OF SIN.— 1 Kings viii. 46-52 ; 2 Chron.
vi. 36-39 ; vii. 14 ; xxx. 18-20 ; Psa. Penitential (vi. ;
xxxii. ; xxxviii. ; li. ; cii. ; cxxx. ; cxliii.) ; xxv. 11, 18;
Ixxxvi. 5 ; Prov. xxviii. 13 ; Isa. i. 18 ; xxxiii. 24 ; xl.
1, 2 ; xliii. 25 ; Iv. 7 ; Jer. v. 1, 7 ; xxxi. 20, 34 ; xxxiii.
6, 8 ; 1. 20 ; Dan. ix. 9 ; Hosea xiv. 4 ; Matt. vi. 13 ;
Mark ii. 7 ; Luke i. 77 ; vii. 47 ; xxiii. 34 ; xxiv. 4, 7 :
John i. 29 ; Acts iii. 19 ; v. 31 ; viii. 22 ; x. 43 ; xiii
38, 39 ; xxvi. 18 ; Rom. iii. 25, 26 ; v. 20 ; Eph. i. 7 ;
Heb. viii. 12 ; ix. 13, 14, 22 ; James v. 15 ; 1 John i.
7-9 ; iii. 5.
Figures. — Washing out stains or impurities. Ps. li. 2 ;
Isa. i. 18 ; Zech. xiii. 1 ; Rev. vii. 14. — Purging. Ps.
li. 7. Healing. Ps. vi. 2. — Passing hy. Micah vii. 18.
— Blotting out, as a canceled debt, or accusation. Isa.
xliii. 25 ; Matt. vi. 13 ; Col. ii. 14. — Scattering a cloud
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 393
that hides the sun. Isa. xliv. 22. — Covering (as the
mercj-seat, sprinkled with blood, covered the Law, within
the Ark, that condemned the sinner.) Ps. xxxii. 1;
Ixxxv. 2; Rom. iii. 25. — Lifting off a. burden. Job vii.
21 (Heb. — Removing), as far as the east from the west
(Ps. ciii. 12); casting behind the back (Isa. xxxviii.17);
into the depths of the sea (Micah vii. 18). — Making sin
to meet on Jesus, as on the head of the scape-goat. Isa.
liii. 6.
1 John i. 9. — " If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness."
A German prince, traveling through France, visited the Ar-
senal at Toulon, where the galleys were kept. The comman-
dant, as a compliment to his rank, offered to set at liberty any
slave whom he selected. The prince went the round of the
prison, therefore, and conversed with the prisoners. He in-
quired into the reason of their confinement, and met only with
universal complaints of injustice, oppression, and false accusa-
tion. At last he came to one man, who admitted his imprison-
ment to be just. "My Lord," said he, "I have no reason to
complain. I have been a wicked, desperate wretch. I have
often deserved to be broken upon the wheel, and it is a mercy
that I am here." The prince fixed his eyes upon the man, and,
without hesitation, selected him, saying, "This is the man
whom I wish released."
"I BELIEVE IN THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS." — The
article of the Creed which brought peace to Luther's
troubled mind, when seeking the way of salvation. " Oh,
my sins! my sins !" was his cry, almost of despair, from
which, however, he was greatly relieved by the good
counsel and comforting advice of Staupitz. But the
work was not yet finished. One day, all his fears and
terrors had returned, when an old monk entered his cell,
394 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
and Luther opened his heart to him. The venerable old
man was unable to follow his soul in all its doubts as
Staupitz had done, but he knew his Credo, and found
much consolation in it for his own heart, so he re-
peated to Luther the cheering article, "i believe in
the forgiveness of sins.'' These simple words, pronounced
with much sincerity in the decisive moment, diiFused
great consolation in Luther's mind. From that moment
light sprang up in his rejoicing heart.
Grace. — "It is remarkable that the words in all
European languages which express forgiveness, or par-
don, all imiply free gift.'" — Archbishop Whately.
" Lord, forgive my sins, and suffer me to keep them.
Is this the meaning of my prayers ? Christ has removed
the burden of sin from my conscience a thousand times ;
and as often as He takes it off I lay it on again." —
Adam's Private Thoughts.
" I am sometimes downright staggered at the exceed-
ing richness of His grace. How Christ can go on
pardoning day after day, and hour after hour ! some-
times I feel almost afraid to ask, for shame." — A. L.
Newton.
" I feel more sure than ever that the right thing is to
take each sin, the moment the conscience feels it, to the
blood of Jesus, and there, having once purged it, to re-
member it no more. I don't think of one scriptural
example of a sin once forgiven ever being charged upon
the conscience again ; and I suppose the yearly sins were
never expected to be again brought to mind, after the
scape-goat had borne them into the land of forgetfulness.
Oh, for grace to plunge into the ocean of Divine forgive-
ness !" — Ibid,
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 395
PARENTS.— Exod. x. 2; xx. 12; Deut. vi. 7(marg.);
1 Sam. iii. 13 ; Job i. 5 ; Ps. Ixxviii. 5 ; ciii. 13 ; Prov.
X. 1 ; xiii. 24 ; xvii. 25 ; xix. 18 ; xxii. 6, 15 ; xxxi.
28 ; Isa. xliv. 3 ; Ixv. 23 ; Jer. xxxv. 18, 19 ; Lam. v.
7; Matt. XV. 4; Luke ii. 43-51; xviii. 29, 30; xxi.
16 ; John ix. 2, 3 ; Acts ii. 17, 39 ; Eom. i. 30 ; Eph.
vi. 1-4 ; Col. iii. 20, 21 ; 1 Tim. v. 4 ; 2 Tim. i. 5 ; iii.
2 ; Titus ii. 4.
Exod. XX. 12. — " Honor thy father and thy mother."
" An old schoolmaster said one day to a clergyman who camo
to examine his school, * I believe the children know the Cate-
chism word for word.' ' But do they understand it? that is the
question,' said the clergyman.
"The schoolmaster only bowed respectfully, and the exami-
nation began. A little boy had repeated the fifth command-
ment — ' Honor thy father and thy mother,' and he was desired
to explain it. Instead of trying to do so, the little fellow, with
his face covered with blushes, said, almost in a whisper, ' Yes-
terday, Sir, I showed some strange gentlemen over the moun-
tain. The sharp stones cut my feet, and the gentlemen saw
them bleeding, and they gave me some money to buy me shoes.
I gave it to my mother, for she had no shoes either ; and I
thought I could go barefoot better than she.'
'« The clergyman then looked very much pleased; and the
old schoolmaster only quietly remarked, ' God gives us His
grace and His blessing.' " — Christian Treasury.
" The brightest smiles and bitterest tears spring from
parents' hearts."
Absalom's Pillar (2 Sam. xviii. 18) is still standing,
according to Sandys ; and the Turks, whenever they
pa.ss, throw a stone at it, in token of their horror at Ab-
salom's unnatural conduct
"If parents were really faithful to their children,
there would be very few unconverted adults." — Baxter.
396 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
A CASE, ALAS ! TOO COMMON. — " Some time since a
fine, tall young man was convicted of wilful murder, and
lay under sentence of death. When his mother visited
him in his cell, he turned round, and said to her, 'If it
had not been for you^ I should never have been here.'
She replied, ' Fm sure 1 never told you to do any harm.'
With awful emphasis he rejoined, ' J'm sure you never
told me to do any good.' " — Cottage Magazine,
PATIENCE, Divine.— Gen. vi. 3 ("God's patience
is lasting, but it is not everlasting"); 2 Chron. xxxvi.
14-16 ; Exod. xxxiv. 6 ; Ps. Ixxviii. 38 ; Ixxxvi. 15 ;
Eccles. viii. 11; Isa. xxx. 18; xlviii. 9; liii. 7 ; Joel ii.
13 ; Luke xiii. 7-9 ; xviii. 7 ; Kom. ii. 4 ; ix. 22 ; xv. 5 ;
1 Pet. iii. 20; 2 Pet. iii. 9, 15; Rev. i. 9.
*'Thg HEAVIER the cannon, with the more difficulty
are they drawn ; but when arrived, they recompense the
slowness of their march by the fierceness of their bat-
tery. The longer the stone is in falling, the more it will
bruise and grind to powder. There is a great treasure
of wrath laid up by the abuse of patience." — Charnock.
" HoA\ LONG Jesus seeks ! How long a night rain
wets His looks and hair ! How long a night it is He
stands at the church-door knocking ! There be many
hours in this night since He was preached in paradise ;
and yet He stands to this day. How fain would He come,
and how glad would he be of lodging ! The arm that
hath knocked five thousand years aches not yet. Be-
hold, He stands and knocks ; and will not give over till
all be His, and till the tribes, in ones and twos, be over
Jordan, and up with Him in the good land." — Ruther-
ford,
TLLtSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 397
Christian. — Ruth iii. 18; 1 Sam. xxvi. 10;
Ps. xxxvii. 1-7 ; xl. 1 ; Prov. xiv. 29 ; Eccles. vii. 8 ;
Isa. XXX. 15 ; Lam. iii. 26 ; Matt, xviii. 26 ; Luke xxi.
19; xxiii. 56; Rom. v. 3, 4; viii. 25; xii. 12; Col. i.
11 ; 1 Thess. v. 14 ; 1 Tim. vi. 11 ; Titus ii. 2 ; Heb.
vi. 12 ; x. 36 ; xii. 1 ; James i. 4 ; v. 7 ; 2 Pet. i. 6 ; Rev.
ii. 2, 3 ; iii. 10.
"An anodyne of God's own preparation." — Cowper.
The vessel must be held still that is to be filled.
" Be Patient. — Christ went to heaven with many a
wrong ; His visage and countenance was all marred more
than the sons of men. You may not be above your
Master. ' ' — Rutherford.
"Pray and STAY are two blessed monosyllables." —
Donne.
" Never think that God's delays are God's denials.
Hold on — hold fast — hold out."
" The Five P's. — Patience — perseverance — punctu-
ality — prayer and preparation, — five requisites for every
good Sunday-school teacher."
" What is Patience ? — A beautiful answer was given
by a little Scotch girl. When her class at school was
examined, she replied, ' Wait a wee, and dinna weary.' "
Mrs. Wesley. — "I remember once asking her," said
one, "how she could have patience to teach the same
thing twenty times over to one of her children ?"
"Why," said she, "if I had said it only nineteen times,
and given over, I should have lost all my labour. It was
the twentieth time that fixed it."
Church Missionary Society. — No Institution, pro-
bably, has ever aiForded more noble examples of the ex-
ercise of Christian patience. During the first fifteen
34
398 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
years of its operations the missionaries could not report
one communicant; and the whole income of the Society
had only reached $15,000.
The whole history of missions, indeed, teaches the
same lesson. In Western Africa, it was fourteen years
before one convert was received into the Church ; in
East Africa, ten ; in New Zealand, nine years before
there was one baptism, two more before a second, and
five years more before one communicant. In Burmah,
Dr. Judson labored seven years before he had one ; and
in Tahiti it was sixteen. Yet it is remarkable that, in
most of those Missions where the faith of the Church was
peculiarly tried at the commencement, the success has
been most rich and abundant afterward.
Passion and Patience. — " I saw, moreover, in my
dream, that the Interpreter took him by the hand, and
had him into a little room, where sat two little children,
each one in his chair. The name of the eldest was Pas-
sion, and of the other Patience. Passion seemed to be
much discontented ; but Patience was very quiet. Then
Christian asked, ' What is the reason of the discontent
of Passion?' The Interpreter answered, ' The governor
of them would have him stay for his best things till the
beginning of the next year, but he will have them all
now; but Patience is willing to wait.'
'^ Then I saw that one came to Passion and brought
him a bag of treasure, and poured it down at his feet ;
the which he took up and rejoiced therein, and, withal,
laughed Patience to scorn. But I beheld but a while
and he had lavished all away, and had nothing left him
but rags.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. S99
" Then said Christian to the Interpreter, ' Expound
this matter more fully to me.'
" So he said, ' These two lads are figures : Passion,
of the men of this world, and Patience, of the men of
that which is to come ; for, as here thou seest, Passion
will have all now, this year, that is to say, in this world.
So are the men of this world ; they must have all their
good things now. They cannot stay till next year, that
is, until the next world, for their portion of good. That
proverb, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,"
is of more authority with them than all the Divine testi-
monies of the good of the world to come. But as thou
sawest that he had quickly lavished all aw^ay, and had
presently left him nothing but rags, so it will be with
all such men at the end of this world/ " — Pilgyinia
Progress.
PEACE.
Num. vi. 26 ; xxv. 12 ; Deut. xxix. 19 ; Judges vi. 24 ; 2
Kings ix. 17-22 ; Ps. v. 5 (cf. Title) ; xxxiv. 14 ; xxxvii. 11, 37 ;
Ixxii. 7; Ixxxv. 8, 10 ; cxix. 165 ; exxii. 6; cxxv. 5 : Prov. i.
33 ; Isa. ix. 6 ; xxvi. 3, 12 ; xxxii. 17 ; xlv. 7 ; xlviii. 18, 22 ;
lii. 7; liii. 5; liv. 10-13; Ivii. 19-21; Jer. vi. 14: xxiii. 17;
xxxiii. 6 ; Ezek. xiii. 10-16 ; Micah v. 5 ; Zech. vi. 13 ; ix. 10 ;
Matt. X. 13, 34; Mark ix. 50 ; Luke i. 79 ; ii. 14 ; xix. 38, 42 ;
John xiv. 27 ; xvi. 33 ; Acts x. 36 ; Kom. v. 1 ; viii. 6 ; xiv. 17 ;
XV. 13; xvi. 20; Gal. v. 22; vi. 16; Eph. ii. 14, 17; iv. 3;
vi. 15 ; Phil, iv. 6, 7 ; 1 Thess. v. 23 ; 2 Thess. iii. 16 ; Heb.
xiii. 20 ; Jas. iii. 18.
Ps. xxix. 11. — '' The Lord will give strength unto his
people ; the Lord will bless his people with peace."
"Peace'* after a storm; and when is peace so welcome?
M'Cheyne, when in Palestine, pointed out the course *f the
400 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
storm described in this Psalm, — arising in the Mediterranean
(v. 3), traveling by Lebanon (v. 5), down to the Temple porch,
where the people fly for shelter (v. 9). Then, when the tem-
pest's force is spent, comes the calm. It is well thus to mark
the course of storms, as well in the moral as in the physical
world (Jas. iv. 1) ; and happy is it when the storm and tempest
drive us to seek shelter under the protecting pavilion of the God
of storms.
Isa. xxxiii. 21. — " But there the glorious Lord will be
unto us a place of broad rivers and streams ; wherein
shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship
pass thereby."
Like a beautiful city at rest, calmly sleeping upon the waters!
such is the Christian's peace.
Isa. xxvi. 3. — " Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on thee ; because he trusteth in
thee."
*• A ship's compass is so adjusted as to keep its level amidst
all the heavings of the sea. Though forming part of a struc-
ture, that feels every motion of the restless waves, it has an ar-
rangement of its own that keeps it always in place, and in
working order. Look at it when you will, it is pointing —
trembling, perhaps, but truly — to the pole. So each soul in
this life needs an adjustment of its own, that amid the fluctua-
tions of the ' earthen vessel ' it may be kept ever in a position
to feel the power of its great attraction in the skies." — Chris-
tian Treasury.
" The still music of a holy soul."
The calm sunset of a summer's Sabbath.
The olive branch, — the sign of judgment abating.
The deep, majestic flow of the waves of the sea, (Isa.
xlviii. 18.)
Jerusalem, — i. e., the vision of peace.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 401
MelcMsedee, King of Salem, the King of righteous-
ness, the King of peace.
The ruler over contending passions. (Col. iii. 15.)
Love reposing. — "If joy be love exulting, peace is joy
reposing. It is love in the green pastures and beside
the still waters." — Dr, Hamilton.
Dwelling in the middle of Mount Tabor. — Some
Christians (though they are few) dwell constantly on the
summit of Mount Tabor, and are always in joy, ecstatic,
rapturous joy ; and others dwell almost solely at the base
of the holy mountain, living a lower life, where there is
strife and trouble. Those who dwell most in the middle
region are, perhaps, the happiest ; those who dwell in
calm and tranquil peace. Peace is more durable than
rapture, and more useful than ecstasy.
It is a great mercy to have the Gospel of peace, but
it is far greater to have the peace of the Gospel.
January. — Numa Pompilius, to recommend peace,
altered the beginning of the Roman year. It formerly
commenced with the month of March (which Romulua
had appointed because he loved Mars, the God of war),
but Pompilius changed it to January, from Janus, which,
in the original meaning, refers to husbandry and peace.
V..--
*^ PECULIAR PEOPLE.— Believers.— Exod. xix. 5,
6 ; xxxiii. 16 ; Num. xv. 39 ; Deut. iv. 32-34 ; vii. 6-9 ;
xxvi. 16-19 ; Ps. iv. 3; cxxxv. 4; cxlvii. 20 ; Amos. iii.
2 ; Zeph. iii. 12 ; Zech. iii. 8 (m) ; Mai. iii. 17 ; Matt. x.
16 ; Rora. xii. 2 ; 2 Cor. vi. 17, 18 ; Tit. ii. 14 ; 1
Pet. ii. 9.
Like November roses, blooming in the midst of winter's
bleakness.
34 * 26
402 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Like greeM oases in the sandy desert.
the " sealed " ones. Rev. vii. 1-8 ; Ezek. ix.
the great gulf stream, which flows from the
western to the eastern world, — through the ocean, yet
distinct from it in color, warmth, and other points.
So have the Jews ever been as a nation ; and so should
all Christians be ; — in the world, but not of it.
Goshen and Egypt.—" They saw not one another,
neither rose any man from his place for three days, but
all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.''
Ex. X. 23 ; viii. 22 ; xi. 6, 7 ; xii. 13.
PERFECTION.— Gen. xvii. 1; Deut. xviii. 13; Ps
xviii. 32 ; xxxvii. 37 ; cxxxviii. 8 ; Prov. iv. 18 ; Luke
vi. 40 ; John xvii. 23 ; 2 Cor. vii. 1 ; Eph. iv. 12 ; Phil,
iii. 12-15; Col. i. 28; ii. 10; iii. 14; iv. 12; 2 Tim.
iii. 16 ; Heb. vi. 1 ; xiii.- 21 ; Jas. i. 4 ; iii. 2 ; 1 Pet.
V. 10.
Matt. V. 48.—" Be ye therefore perfect, even as your
Father which is in heaven is perfect."
Christians are like children at school, learning to write, by
having a copy set before them. It is through much imperfec-
tion and failure, and by trial after trial, that they begin to im-
prove, till they are able to write with ease and rapidity. They
may never be able to write with the same exact perfection as
the engraving; yet if they do the best they can and continue
daily to improve, the master is pleased ; so we must be ever
copying the Lord Jesus, and the truest Scriptural perfection
is to be always aiming at perfection.
" Perfection is ripeness, and therefore not possible on
earth. Time is not a summer long enough to ripen the
soul. Heaven is the summer of the soul." — Beeeher.
Dwarf Trees. — The perfection of the schools is a
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 403
kind of mandarin perfection, like that of a Chinese gar-
den filled with dwarfed plants and trees, with oaks two
feet high. Scriptural perfection is like the oak of the
forest, gigantic and unstunted in its growth, filling up its
native and noble proportions, not stunted and dwarfed by
•ihe rules of art.
PERSEYERANCE.~Judg. viii. 4 ; Job xvii. 9 ; Ps.
xxxvii. 24, 28, 31 ; xciv. 18 ; cxix. 165 ; cxxxviii. 8 ;
Prov. iv. 18 ; Jer. xxxii. 40 ; Matt. x. 22 ; xxiv. 13 ;
Luke xxii. 31, 32 ; John viii. 31, 32 ; x. 27, 28 ; xvii.
11, 12 ; Acts xiv. 22 ; Rom. viii. 29, 30, 35-39 ; Gal. vi.
9 ; Col. i. 23 ; 2 Thess. iii. 13 ; 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8 ; Heb. iii.
6, 14 ; vi. 11 ; Jas. i. 25 ; 1 Pet. i. 5 ; 1 John ii. 19 ; iii.
9; Jude 24; Rev. ii. 10, 26.
" No grace, no, not the most sparkling and shining
grace, can bring a man to heaven of itself without per-
severance ; not faith, which is the champion of grace, if
it be faint and fail ; nor love, which is the nurse of grace,
if it decline and wax cold ; nor humility, which is the
adorner and beautifier of grace, if it continue not to the
end ; not obedience, not repentance, not patience, no, nor
any other grace, except they have their perfect work. It
is not enough to begin well, except we end well. Ma-
nasseh and Paul began ill, but ended well ; Judas and
Demas began well, but ended ill." — Brooks,
" Then I saw in my dream that the Interpreter took
Christian by the hand, and led him into a place where
was a fire burning against a wall, and one standing by
it, always casting much water upon it, to quench it ; yet
did the fire burn higher and hotter.
" Then said Christian, ' What means this ? '
404 ILLUSTRATIVE GxVTHERINGS.
" The Interpreter answered, ^ This fire is the work of
grace that is wrought in the heart ; he that casts water
upon it, to extinguish and put it out, is the devil ; but in
that thou seest the fire, notwithstanding, burns higher
and hotter, thou shalt also see the reason of that.' So
he had him about to the back side of the wall, where he
saw a man with a vessel of oil in his hand, of which he
did also continually cast, but secretly, into the fire.
" Then said Christian, * What means this ?'
" The Interpreter answered, ' This is Christ, who con-
tinually, with the oil of His grace, maintains the work
already begun in the heart ; by means of which, notwith-
standing what the devil can do, the souls of His people
prove gracious still. And in that thou sawest that the
man stood behind the wall to maintain the fire ; this is
to teach thee that it is hard for the tempted to see how
this work of grace is maintained in the soul.' " —
Pilgrim s Progress.
Joan of Arc. — It is related of her that when on her
trial, she was asked, " Do you believe that you may fall
from grace?" She replied, with much humility, " If I
am not in a state of grace, I pray that God may bring
me in it ; and if I am, I pray that He may keep me in
it."
PLEASURE.— Deut. xxxii. 15 ; Esther i. 10-12 ;
Prov. iii. 17; v. 11; xxi. 17; xxiii. 21; Eccl. ii. ; vii.
2-6 ; xi. 7-10 ; xii. 1 ; Isa. v. 11, 12 ; xlvii. 8, 9 ; Iviii.
3 ; Ezek. xvi. 49, 50 ; Hos. xiii. 6 ; Amos iii. 15 ; v.
11 ; vi. 3-6 ; Luke viii. 14 ; xvi. 20, 26 ; xxi. 34 ;
Rom. xiii. 13, U; xv. 3; Eph. iv. 19; Phil. iii. 19;
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 405
1 Tim. V. 6 ; 2 Tim. iii. 4 ; Heb. xi. 25 ; Jas. v. 5 ;
2 Pet. ii. 13.
James v. 5. — '* Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth,
and been wanton."
£(77raraXn(Tar£ from (nraraXacx), which according to Parkhurst is
derived from (maddo), which properly signifies to insert more
threads into the warp in weaving, by moving the cnraOri, a part
of the weaving-loom contrived for this purpose ; and thence to
spend extravagantly or luxuriously. Oh ! how the men of this
world try to crowd still more and more pleasure into life's short
web. Xerxes offered a reward to the man who would invent a
new pleasure.
*'He buys honey too dear who licks it from thorns."
The pleasures of the world are not like the waters of
the Nile, which leave, when they are gone, the germs of
beauty and fertility, to bud and blossom and cheer the
heart of man ; on the contrary, they are are like those
streams polluted by the washings of poisonous minerals,
depositing the seeds of death and disease to all who
drink of them.
" Pleasure is but like a wooden frame set under an
arch, till it be strong enough of its own weight to stand
alone. So when by any means the devil hath a man
sure, he takes no longer care to cozen him with plea-
sures, but is content that he should begin an early hell,
and be tormented before the time." — Bishop Jeremy
Taylor.
"I HAVE often seen a little child following his parent
in the fields, and stooping now and then to gather a few
flowers. He looks up and sees him at a distance ; the
little creature runs and gets up to him again, afraid he
should be led far away. Thus the Christian, while
gathering a few flowers from the world, suffers his God
406 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
to be often at a distance from him, but the n,oment he
perceives that he is alone he runs to reach again his
father, friend, and best protector." — Rowland Hill.
John Howard's Wife. — It is related in the life of
the great Philanthropist, that having settled his accounts
at the end of a particular year, he found a balance in his
favour, and therefore proposed to his wife to spend it on
a journey to London, or on whatever else she chose.
After due deliberation she fixed upon a plan. " What a
nice cottage it would build for some poor family ! Sup-
pose it be spent on that?" It is needless to add the
husband at once agreed to the act of self-denial, and the
cottage, soon built and tenanted, afi*orded the happiness
known only to self-denying kindness.
POOR.— Deut. XV. 7-11 ; Judges vi. 15 ; Ruth i. 21 ;
1 Sam. ii. 7, 8 ; xviii. 23 ; 2 Sam. xii. 1-6 ; 1 Kings
xvii. 12 ; 2 Kings iv. 2-7 ; Esth. ix. 22 ; Job i. 21 ;
xxix. 12 -16 ; Ps. ix. 18 ; x. ; xxxiv. 6 ; xl. 17 ; xli.
1-3 ; Ixviii. 10; Ixxii. 3 ; Ixxiv. 19 ; cxii. 9 ; cxxxii. 15 ;
cxl. 12 ; Prov. x. 4 ; xiii. 7 ; xiv. 21, 31 ; xvii. 1, 5 ;
xix. 1, 7 ; xxi. 13, 17 ; xxii. 2 ; xxviii. 19, 27 ; xxix. 7;
XXX. 7-9 ; Eccles. ix. 14-16 ; Isa. xxix. 19 ; xli. 17 ;
Jer. xxxix. 10; Ezek. xvi. 49 ; Dan. iv. 27 ; Hab. iii. 17,
18 ; Zeph. iii. 12 ; Zech. xi. 7, 11 ; Matt. v. 3 ; xi. 5 (cf.
Mark xii. 37) ; Mark xii. 41-44 ; Luke ix. 58 ; xiv. 13 ;
Acts ix. 36, 39 ; Rom. xv. 26 (cf. Acts xx. 35) ; 1 Cor.
i. 26-29 ; xiii. 3 ; 2 Cor. vi. 10 ; viii. ; Gal. ii. 10 ; Hob.
xi. 37 ; Jas. ii. 5, 6 ; Rev. ii. 9.
Jer. ii. 31. — " generation, see ye the word of the
Lord : Have I been a wilderness unto Israel ? a land
of darkness ?"
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 407
*< Note. — None of those who have had any dealings with God
ever had reason to complain of Him as a wilderness, or a land of
darkness. He has blessed us with the fruits of the earth, and
therefore we cannot say that He has been a wilderness to us, a
dry and barren land, that (as Mr- Gataker expresses it) He has
held us to hard meat, as cattle fed upon the common so his
sheep have been led into green pastures. He has also blessed us
with the lights of heaven, and has not withheld them, so that we
cannot say He has been to us a land of darkness. He has caused
His sun to shine, as well as His rain to fall, upon the unthankful
and evil, as well as upon the good and grateful." — Matthew
Henry.
James i. 9. — " Let the brother of low degree rejoice
in that he is exalted." " Glori/ in his sublimity,'' —
(Manton.)
" He saith of low degree, and yet brother. Meanness doth not
take away Church relations. Christian respects are not to be
measured by these outward things. A Christian life is full of
mysteries ; poor, and yet rich ; base, and yet exalted ; shut out
of the world, and yet admitted into the company of saints and
angels ; the world's dirt, and God's jewels." — Manton.
Under the law there were many provisions made,
especially for the poor, "that the poor may eat."
Exod. xxiii. 10, 11. — The Sabbatical year. Cf. Deut. xv.
12-15.
Lev, xix. 9, 10, — The gleanings in harvest.
Lev. ii., &c — The same minute directions are given as to the
sacrifices of the poor as of the rich.
Exod. XXX. 12-16, the half shekel atonement exhibited the
equality of the poor and rich in God's sight.
The shell may be coarse which encloses the pearl. An
iron safe may hold treasures of gold. A broken frame
may contain the most beautiful picture. Poor Chris-
tians may be rich Christians.
"Poor but loyal." — The inscription on one of the
408 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
banners carried by the workhouse children of Hull, on
the occasion of the Queen's visit to that port.
" Be contented with a mean condition. This is not
the time for the manifestation of the sons of God. Though
others that are wicked may have a larger portion and
allowance than you, yet God doth not misplace His hands
(as Joseph thought his father did, Gen. xlviii.), but puts
them upon the right head, and assigns temporal blessings
to the right persons. Ephraim is not preferred before
Manasseh without reason." — Manton.
"The Lord's poor are the Lord's care.'* It was the
advice of a bishop to a candidate for ordination, " Take
care of the poor, and the Lord will take care of you."
The history of that clergyman (who is still living) has
most remarkably justified the wisdom of the counsel, and
verified the truth of the prediction.
" If an angel were sent from heaven to find the most
perfect man, he would probably not find him composing
a body of divinity, but perhaps a cripple in a poor- house,
whom the parish wish dead, and humbled before God
with far lower thoughts of himself than others think of
him." — Newton.
Luther said once, " I thank thee, God, that thou
hast made me a poor man on the earth." When the
Elector sent him a valuable present, he wrote back that
he could not refuse what h;Mi been given by his Prince,
but begged his Highness to send no more, and not to
give ear to those who said he was in need of anything,
for he was not ; that somebody else had sent him sixty
florms (about six pounds), and he began to be afraid that
he should be n limbered among those whose portion is in
this world !
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 409
Calvin, when a gentleman died in his house, and left
2,000 crowns, wishing to place it in his hands, refused.
*' My death," he said, "will prove what they will not
believe of me in my life." And so it did. He died as
poor as he had lived. At his death there was not more
that $200 of his property left.
The Rare Jewel of Contentment. — Mr. Cecil re-
lates an instance of a member of his church, a man of
extraordinary piety, who had long been clerk in an opu-
lent mercantile house in London. Often the partners
had proposed to him, and at length urgently, to enter
the firm. He had firmly declined. At last they applied
to Mr. Cecil to use his influence with him, saying, " We
are really ashamed that a man of his ability and high
character should occupy a subordinate position in our
house." Mr. Cecil spoke to his friend on the subject.
He replied, " My dear Sir, I find the power of the world
so great, and so hard to be contended with in the Divine
life, that I dare not consent to have it increased."
Eminent Men who have risen from poverty : —
Barbers. — Sir Kichard Arkwright (the inventor of the Spin-
ning Jenny), a barber till he was thirty years old. Jeremy
Taylor (Bishop and Divine), son of a barber. Lord Tenterden,
Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench, ditto.
Bricklayers. — Ben Jonson ; Thomas Croker (Martyr of Glou-
cester) ; Dr. Kitto.
Shoemakers. — Kobert Bloomfield. (Author of the " Farmer's
Boy"). GifFord (Editor of the Quarterly Keview). It is nar-
rated of him, that when a youth, he used to work out his pro-
blems on a smooth piece of leather with a blunted awl. Lack-
ington (the eminent bookseller). George Fox (the chief founder
in England of the Quaker Society). Dr. Morrison (the
missionary to China, and translator of the Scriptures). Hunt-
ingd<r'. (minister of the chapel in Gray's-inn-road). Bochman,
410 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Dr. Carey (Professor of Sanscrit at Calcutta, and a devoted
missionary.)
Carpenters. — Bramah (inventor of the press called by his name).
Dr. Hunter (after^vards the eminent surgeon). Opie (President
of Royal Academy). Haydn (musician). Dr. Samuel Leo
(Hebrew and Arabic Professor).
* * * * *
Prom such cases we may gather for all, and especially for
those in humble circumstances, many lessons of encouragement
to (1) industry; (2) perseverance, <fec. Let none say, "I am
too low to rise." Remember how many have risen.
" A COMMON device of Satan is, to present the poverty
and affliction of those who walk in the ways of God.
But remember, —
"1. Though they are outwardly poor, they are in-
wardly rich. (Ps. xlv. 13 ; Rev. ii. 9 ; Luke xii. 32.)
Though saints have little in hand, they have much iij
hope.
"2. In all ages God has had some who have been
great, rich, wise, and honorable ; though not many wise
men, yet some wise men. (See M., p. 347.)
" 3. The spiritual riches of the poorest saints infinitely
transcend the temporal riches of all the wicked men in
the world. (John iv. 13, 14.)
" 4. It will be but as a day before these poor, despised
saints, who are God's jewels, will shine brighter than the
sun in his glory ; and in that day, oh, how will the great
and the rich, the learned and the noble, wish that they
had lived and spent their days, with these few poor, con-
temptible creatures, in the service of the Lord !
" 5. The time shall come, even in this life, when the re-
proach and contempt that is now cast upon the ways of
God, by reason of the poverty, &c., of those that walk
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 411
therein, shall be quite taken away ; by His making them
the head who have days without number been the tail ;
and by His raising them up to much outward riches,
prosperity, and glory, who have been as outcasts because
of their poverty and small number. Jer. xxxi. 12 ; Isa.
XXX. 23 ; Ixii. 8, 9 ; Joel ii. 23, 24 ; Micah iv. 6 ; Amos
ix. 13, 14; Zech. viii. 12; Isa. xli. 18, 19; Iv. 13 ; Ixi.
4, 10 ; Ixv. 21, 22 ; Ezek. xxxvi. 10. Only remember,
that in these times, (1) The saints' chiefest comforts will
consist in their more clear, full, and constant enjoy-
ment of God. (2) That they shall have such abundant
measure of the Spirit poured out upon them, that their
riches and outward glory shall not be snares to them, but
golden steps to a richer living in God." — Brooks,
PRAISE.— Gen. xxix. 35 (marg.) ; Exod. xv. 2, 11 ;
Deut. X. 21 ; 1 Chron. xvi. 36 ; Ezra iii. 11 ; Neh. ix.
5; Ps. ix. 14; xxi. 13; xxii. 23, 25; xxx. 1; xxxiii.
1 ; xxxiv. 1 ; xxxv. 28 ; xlii. 5 ; 1. 23 ; Ivii. 7 ; Ixv. 1 ;
xcv. 1; xcvi. 1; ciii. ; cvii. ; cxi. ; cxv. 1; cxvi. 12-14;
cxviii. ; cxix. 171; cxxxvi. ; cxxxviii. ; cxlv-cl. ; Isa.
xliii. 21; Ix. 18; Ixi. 3; Hab. iii. 3; Matt. xxi. 16;
John xii. 13, 43; Acts ii. 46, 47; Rom. i. 21; Heb.
xiii. 15; 1 Pet. ii. 9 ; iv. 11; Rev. xix. 1-7.
Should be offered through Christ, Heb. xiii. 15 ;
1 Pet. ii. 5.
" The peace-ofFering was laid upon the burnt-offering, Lev.
iii. 5. It is not the breath poured into the open air, but pass-
ing through the trumpet or some other instrument, that makes
it pleasing music." — Gurnall.
Constant.
J^et not thy praises be transient — a fit of music, and then
412 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
the instrument hung by the wall t.U another gaudy day of some
remarkable providence makes thee take it down. God comes
not guest-wise to his saints' house, but to dwell with them. Ps.
xxii. 8. David took this up for a lifework, — * As long as I live
I will praise Thee.' " — Ihid.
Real.
** Let thy praises be real. Words, we say, pay no debts.
There goes more to thankfulness than a few empty praises,
which pass away with the sound they make. ♦ The Lord is my
strength and song, and I will prepare him a habitation.' Exod.
XV. 2. Ay, here it sticks, — building is chargeable j thankful-
ness is a costly work. ' Shall I offer to God that which cost me
nothing ?' saith David to Araunah. Cheap praises are easily
obtained; but when it comes to charges, then many grow sick
of the work." — Ibid.
Obediential,
"God accounts those mercies forgotten which are not written
with legible characters in our lives. That of Joshua is observa-
ble (chap. viii. 32). Upon their victory over the city of Ai,
an altar is built, as a monument of that signal mercy. Now
mark. What does God command to be writ or engraved upon
the stones thereof? One would have thought the history of
that day's work should have been the sculpture : but it is the
copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the
children of Israel (ver. 32) ; whereby he plainly showed the
best way of remembering the mercy was not to forget the law."
-^Ibid.
Fruitfuh
" Then they are real praises when they end in acts of mercy.
Very observable is that place (Heb. xiii. 15), — ' By him let us
offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit
of our lips, giving thanks to his rame.' Now, mark the very
next words, 'But to do good and to communicate forget not;
for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.' " — Ibid.
" Thf word rendered upraise primarily signifies the
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 413
Irradiation of a luminous body. The high ambition of
a penitent soul is that of becoming a reflector, from
which the glories of the Sun of Righteousness may be
more widely diffused on the world of men and angels." — ■
Salter.
What is praise ? The rent we owe to God ; and the
larger the farm, the greater the rent.
The Music-book. — The whole course and series of
Divine Providence toward the saints is like a music-
book, in every leaf whereof there is a song ready pricked
for them, to learn and sing to the praise of their God ;
no passage /f their life of which they can say, ''In this
I receive no mercy for which I should bless God." —
Gurnall.
JuDAH. — It is not without significance, that, in the
armies of Israel, Judah (which means praise) went first.
Have not bright, praising Christians commonly led the
Church's van ? Do they not recommend the service
most, and cheer their fellow-soldiers by their chastened
cheerfulness ?
The Psalms. — It has been well remarked that there
is no book of devotion in the New Testament correspond-
ing to the Psalms in the Old, — doubtless, one reason of
which is, that none was needed. The Psalms express
the feelings of the Church in all ages, and may at once
be adapted to the experience of all God's children always.
Now, there are four things observable iil the Psalms.
1. How praise abounds. Scarce a single Psalm can bo
found without some note of joy and thankfulness inter-
woven. In some these words may be few ; like Psalm
Ixxxviii., in which we find scarce one word of hope or
comfort ; yet there is one which makes up for all,—
35 *
414 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
salvation (ver. 1.) 2. How praise succeeds prayer.
How many Psalms begin with prayer, and end with
praise ! 3. How praise succeeds sorrow. We find first,
sighing, then singing ; weeping in the evening, and joy
in the morning. (Ps. xxx. 5, marg.) " I do so like the
ups and downs in the Psalms" (said Adelaide Newton).
4. Praise is a song that gains strength as it proceeds ;
the last Psalms (which were probably written latest)
abounding most.
" Praise is the believer's helper in his trials, and his
companion after trial. Jehoshaphafs army sang praises
before the battle; *And when they began to sing and
praise, the Lord fought for Israel.' David sang praises
in the cave. (Ps. Ivii. 7.) Daniel, when the trap was
set for his life, prayed and gave thanks three times a
day, as usual ; and Jesus, when He would raise Lazarus,
first lift up His heart in thanks to the Father (John xi.
41) ; and before He went to supper, first sang an hymn.
(Matt. xxvi. 30.) So is praise also our solace after trial.
* Music is sweetest when heard over rivers, where the
echo thereof is best rebounded by the waters ; and praise
for pensiveness, thanks for tears, blessing God over the
floods of affliction, makes the sweetest music in the ears
of heaven.' " — Fuller.
Prayer and Praise. — " Great blessings that are won
with prayer, are worn with thankfulness. Prayer and
thanks are like the double motion of the lungs : the air
that is sucked in by prayer, is breathed forth again by
thanks. Eph. v. 20 ; Heb. xiii. 15 ; Ps. 1. 14. ^Good-
win.
Rising and Falling. — " By an ingenious contrivance
near some of the collieries, and in other places where the
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 415
ground allows of it, the full and empty carriages, or
vessels, being connected together, those which have been
emptied are from time to time raised up an ascent by
the descending of those that have been filled. In this
way let the descent of God's mercies, and the gifts be-
stowed out of His fullness, raise your empty vessels to
receive again and again from His inexhaustible treasury,
all that you need. ' Because He hath inclined his ear
unto me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I
live.' " — Bickersteth.
Hallelujah. — " Mothers, listen ! Two dear children
were one day seen very ill in the same room ; the older
of the two was heard frequently attempting to teach the
younger one to pronounce the word ' Hallelujah !' but
without success, — the dear little one died before he could
repeat it. When his brother was told of his death, he
was silent for a moment, and then, looking up at his mo-
ther, said, 'Johnny can say " Hallelujah" now, mother!'
In a few hours the two little brothers were united in
heaven, singing 'Hallelujah' together. Mothers! many
of your little ones could not sing the praises of their Re-
deemer whilp resting in your arms, but they have been
taught the music of the Upper Temple now, and they
sing among the celestial choristers!" — Qhristian Treas-
ury,
PRAYER,
Job xxxiii. 23-26 ; Ps, v. 3 ; x. 14, 17 ; xvii. 1 ; xlii. 8 : Ixi.
2; Ixvi. 18; Ixxxviii. 2; cix. 4; cxix. 147 ; cxxvi. 5; cxli. 1,
2; cxlv. 18; Prov. xv. 8, 29; Isa. Iv. 6; Ezek. xxxvi. 37;
Zech. vii. 2 ; viii. 21 ; xii. 10; Matt. vi. 5-13; vii. 7-11 ; xviii
19, 20; xxi. 22; xxvi. 41 ; Luko xviii. 1-14; xxi. 36; Kora
viii. 2G: x. 12 ; xii. 12 ; 1 Cor. xiv. 15 ; Ephes. vi. 18 ; Phil iv
416 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
(5; CoL iv. 2; 1 Thoss. v. 17; 1 Tim. ii. 8 ; v. 5 ; Hob. xi. G;
1 Pet. iii. 7; iv. 7 ; James i. 5, 6 ; v. 13, 16 ; Jude 20.
Encouragement to prayer, 2 Chron, vii. 14 ; Ps. iii. 4 ; xxxiv.
4, 15, 17 ; xxxii. 7 ; L 15 ; Iv. 22 ; Ixv. 2; xci. 16 ; cii. 17 ; Isa.
xxxvi. 19 ; Ixv. 24 ; Jer. xxix. 13 ; xxxi, 9 ; xxxiii. 8 ; Zech. xiii.
9; Matt. vii. 11; xxi. 22 ; Mark xi. 24, 25; Luke xi. 1-13;
John xiv. 13; xv. 7 ; Heb. iv. 16; James i. 5-7; iv. 8; v. 15-
18; 1 John iii. 22; v. 14-16.
of the hypocrite and ungodly. — Job xxi. 14, 15 ; xxxv.
13; xxxvi. 13; Ps. x. 4; 1.16, 17; Ixxviii. 34-37; Prov. i.
28; XV. 8 xxviii. 9 ; Isa. i. 15 ; xliii. 22 ; lix. 1, 2 ; Jer. xi.
11, 14 ; Ezek. xxxiii. 31; Dan. ix. 13, 14 ; Hosea vii. 14; Mai.
iii. 14; Matt. vi. 5; xv. 8, 9; xxiii. 14; James iv. 2, 3.
Luke ix. 29. — " And as he prayed, the fashion of his
countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and
glistering."
The times and seasons of our Lord's especial prayers are well
worthy to be noticed. Christ prayed before (1) a sacred ordi-
nance, Luke iii. 21, and sacred ordinances are best sanctified by
prayer ; (2) any unusually important business. Matt. ix. 38, and
Luke vi. 12, 13 ; so do all true saints. Num. x. 35, Ezra viii. 22,
23 ; (3) any peculiar honor or enjoyment, Luke ix. 28. Be-
lievers may delight to receive especial mercies, but unless they
receive them with prayer, and enjoy them with prayer, they
need not wonder if they are soon embittered to them j (4) any
time of peculiar danger, for ourselves or our friends, Ps. cix. 1
-4, Luke xxii. 31, 32 ; (5) approaching trouble or danger. Matt,
xxvi. 36, Luke xxii. 39-44 ; (6) His death, Luke xxiii. 34, 46.
Now, in all these things remember — (1) Christ has left us an
example to follow, Phil. ii. 5 ; (2) Christ was heard in his
prayers, Heb. v. 7, John xi. 41, 42. But how ? Matt. xxvi.
42 ; (3) Christ is praying still, Eora. viii. 34.
Mark v. 1-20. — The miracle of the devils and the
herd of swine.
A lesson on prayer. Here are three prayers: — 1. The prayer
oi i\iQ devils, "Send us into the swine," and this was granted;
2. The prayer of the Gadarenes, to "depart" out of their coasts.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 417
and this was granted : 3. The prayer of the healed demoniac, to
remain with Jesus, and this was denied. How strange, yet in-
structive ! Hence learn that prayers are often answered in judg-
ment and denied in mercy: yet Jesus will hear all right j)rayers
in kind or in kindness.
Luke xviii. 9-14. — " Two men went up into the tem-
ple to pray. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with
himself."
What is the chief thing remarkable in the Pharise-^'s
** prayer?" Is it not that it was not a prayer? Prayer is a
petition, asking for something, yet he asked for nothing, and
therefore never prayed. True, he went to pray, and probably
thought he had prayed, and prayed well. So also do thousands
still. Yet, though ho said much about himself, he said nothing
of God : though he told what he did, he said nothing of what
he wanted, and as no blessing was asked, none was received !
We may well compare with this Luke i. 13: " Fear not,
Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard ;" and James v. 17, " Elias
prayed earnestly that it might not rain," and his prayer was
heard. Yet we have no record in either case of any prayer being
offered !
Truly, "The Lord seeth not as man seeth ; for man looketh
on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."
(1 Sam. xvi. 7.)
1 Thess. V. 17. — "Pray without ceasing."
We know that the Infinite God cannot be moved or actually?
drawn nearer to us by prayer, but prayer draws the Christian
nearer to God. If a boat be attached to a large vessel by a rope,
the person in the former does not bring the ship nearer to him
by pulling the rope, but he brings the boat and himself in it
nearer to the ship. So the more frequently we pray, the nearer
we bring ourselves to the Lord Most High. The Christian is,
therefore, enjoined to "pray without ceasing :*' not that he can
be always engaged in the positive act, but he ought to have a
holy aptitude of prayer. The bird is not always on the wing, but
is ready to fly in an instant ; the believer is not always on the
wing of prayer, but he has such a gracious aptitude for this ser-
27
418 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
vice, that he is prepared in an instant, when in danger or neod
to fly for refuge to God.
Heb. iv. 16. — " Let us therefore come boldly unto tho
throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find
grace to help in time of need."
A holy boldness, a chastened familiarity, is the true spirit of
right prayer. It is said of Luther, that when he prayed it was
with as much reverence as if he were praying to an Infinite
God, and with as much familiarity as if he were speaking to
his nearest friend. It was the good advice of McCheyne —
" Study your prayers," "A great part of my time," he writes,
"is occupied in getting my heart into tune for prayer." Few
Christians " study their prayers" sufficiently, hence so often
arise their coldness and lifelessness, " 'Tis harder," says
Gurnall, " to get the great bell up than to ring it when raised ;
and so it is with our hearts : harder work we shall find it to
prepare them for duty, than to perform it when they are got
into some order."
Emblems. — Incense.
In which remember — 1. The cens&r — the renewed heart of a
true believer ; 2. The incense. Incense was composed of many
ingredients, beaten small, burnt with fire, offered morning and
evening — not to be profaned by or used for any common or
worldly purpose. Prayer is the compound harmony of repent-
ance, faith, contrition, desire, and other graces ; each " beaten
small," proceeding from the "broken heart," offered daily, and
inspired by the Spirit, confined to such things as are according
to the will and for the glory of God. 3. The fragrance. Prayer,
when the unburdening of a contrite heart, is no intruder, but
a welcome guest before the Eternal Throne, perfumed, as it is,
with the sweet incense of the Saviour's merits. (Kev. viii.
3, 4.)
, a hoiv drawn by the hand o{ faith.
" Prayer is the bow, the promise is the arrow, faith is the
liand which draws the bo^, and sends the arrq^ with the heart's
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 419
message to heaven. The bow without the arrow is of no use.
and the arrow without the bow is of little worth, and both
without the strength of the hand to no purpose. Neither the
promise without prayer, nor prayer without the promise, nor
both without faith, avail the Christian anything. What was
said of the Israelites, ' They could not enter in, because of un-
belief,* the same may be said of many of our prayers, they can-
not enter heaven because they are not put up in faith." — Salter.
, the air by which we live.
Which fills all space, and diffuses itself as the quickening, in-
vigorating principle of life. Such is the spirit of prayer, inter-
fused with all our work, like a pleasure ever present — never
impeding, but sweetly animating the spiritual life of the child
of God.
, the little pitcher which fetches the water from
the brook.
Break the pitcher, and the herbs will soon hang down their
heads and wither.
, the barometer of the soul.
Whatever storms be rising, whatever winds may howl and
rage, if the barometer of prayer be rising, we may look ere
long for calm and summer weather.
, the tuning of an instrument.
There are few musicians that can take down their lute or
viol, and play presently upon it, without some time to tune it.
"A great part of my time," says M'Cheyne, •' is spent in get-
ting my heart in tune for prayer.'* (See above.)
, the link that connects earth with heaven.
The impotence of man with the omnipotence of God.
, " the gift of the knees,' — the Yoruba Christians*
phrase for prayer.
420 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
, the letter, sent from the child on earth to his
*' Father in heaven."
Scriptural Figures. — Beseeching— Calling — Crying
(aloud, mighty) — Drawing near — Laboring (Col. iv. 12,
marg., striving) — Looking up — Lifting up the soul —
Pouring forth the heart — Seeking — Wrestling.
Cf. the words. Litany, Liturgy, Rogation Days, ex-
pressive of earnestness.
"None of God's children are born dumb." — Leigh-
ton.
" Generalities are the death of prayer." — J. H.
Evans.
"When God pours out His spirit upon man, then man
will pour out his heart before God. The breath of prayer
comes from the life of faith." — Mason.
The Israelites derived their joint names from the
two chief parts of religion : Israelites, from Israel, whose
prayer was his "strength" (Hosea xii. 3), and Jews,
from Judah, whose name means " praise."
" Can I pray before beginning it ? " is a good test of
doubtful actions.
" Do not come to me to tell me, ' you are fit to join
the Church, because you love to pray morning and night. '
Tell me what your praying has done for you, and then
call your neighbors, and let me hear what they think it
has done for you." — Beecher.
Eliot. — "Prayer and pains can do anything,' was
the favorite motto of the venerable Eliot.
A Ministry of prayer must be a ministry of power.
A LITTLE child, a short time ago, when he had finished
his evening prayer, rose quietly, and turned to his father,
a godless man, with the unexpected question, "Now,
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 421
father, I've said my prayers. Have you said yours ?
Are you too hig to pray? " Ah, how many are there
who think in their hearts, " I am too big to pray ! "
Praying Machines. — The Rev. R. Clark, in his
"Journal of a Missionary Tour in North India," de-
scribes the Buddhist praying-machines. The whole
road to some of the temples is lined with these machines,
not only the small ones turned by the hand, called skurries,
but great ones, a foot and more in height. But even
this mode of contracting for prayer seems too much
trouble, and they have, therefore, placed a large number
of these machines in a small house, where they are turned
round and kept in motion by a water-mill. He after-
wards found whole rows of these praying machines turned
by the wind, like windmills. . . . Another missionary,
who saw them in Thibet, found a number of persons sit-
ting round them, that the wind of the wheel might blow
upon them, and fan their faces, which would, they con-
sidered, bring down a blessing with it.
Steeping the Seed. — There was a farmer, who used
always to sow good seed, yet never had good crops.
Often he wondered why. One day a neighbour to whom
he told his troubles, asked, "• But do you steep your seed
before you sow it ?" "No," said the man, " I never
heard that it should be steeped." " Yes," said his friend,
"but it should, and I'll tell you how — in prayer."
The Frozen Channel. — " Scores of richly-laden
vessels are now lying in the river, a few miles below our
city, anxiously waiting to reach our wharves. Why this
delay ? Because the channel is closed hy the ice. Thus
it is with the * exceeding great and precious pro-
mises' of God. Not only is He willing, but waiting, to
36
422 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
bestow them upon us. Why does He not bestow them ?
Alas ! our prayers are the appointed channel through
which the blessing flows, but the channel is not open, by
which for God to communicate, or for us to receive. It
is because we restrain prayer that ^ the things which re-
main are ready to die.' " — H. Groves.
Examples. — During the persecutions of Scotland the
Presbyterians were distinguished for their fervency in
prayer ; of David Dickens, it is said, he used, after
others had spent whole nights in prayer, to continue two
hours still. Luther used to say, in some of his busiest
seasons, " I have so much to do, that I cannot get on
without three hours a-day of praying." It was the
praying which made him so great a doer. Sir M. Hale
observed, " If I omit praying and reading a portion of
God's blessed Word in the morning, nothing goes well
the whole day." John Welsh spent sometimes even
seven or eight hours a-day in the closet, and used to keep
a plaid upon his bed, that he might rise at night. Some-
times his wife found him on the ground weeping, and, on
asking the cause, he would reply, "I have 3,000 souls
to take care of, and how do I know how many of them
are prospering ?" Colonel Gardiner, Havelock, &c.,
used to set apart two hours for devotion every morning.
If they had to march at six, they would rise at four,
sooner than lose the privilege. Dr. Payson — A lawyer,
who had long and intimately known him, attributed his
remarkable ministerial success as much to his preva-
lence in prayer as to the faithfulness and pungepcy of
his preaching. Spencer Thornton — It is stated in his
'■' Life" that it was his custom to pray with nearly every
person who visited him in his study, and that his prayers
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 423
were remarkable for being so full of Scripture. Sir
FowELL Buxton attributed much of his success, and
happiness, and usefulness, both in public and private, to
prajer. It was his practice often to write his prayers
for family devotion beforehand, and to make his public
speeches the subject of special previous prayer.
What lessons do such examples teach (and the list
might be amplified almost indefinitely), of the value of
prayer, and the deep, earnest prayerfulness of those who
have been the most useful Christians ! Alas, how do
they shame too many ! May their recollection stimulate
some to follow those who followed Christ !
PREACHESra.— Neh. viii. 8; Isa. xxviii. 10; 1. 4;
Iviii. 1 ; Jer. xxiii. 28 ; Ezek. ii. 7 ; iii. 17-21 ; Jonah
iii. 2 ; Micah iii. 8 ; Mai. ii. 5-7 ; Matt. x. 7, 16 ; xi.
5; xii. 41; xiii. 52; xxviii. 18-20; Luke ix. 10; xxiv.
47 ; John xxi. 15-17 ; Acts v. 41, 42 ; vi. 4 ; viii. 5-8 ;
X..36; xiv. 15; xvi. 13, 17, 32; xvii. 2, 3; xxviii. 24;
Rom. X. 15, 16 ; 1 Cor. i. 17-24 ; ix. 16, 27 ; xiv. 3 ;
2 Cor. ii. 12-17; iv.: v. 19, 20; xi. 4; Gal. i. 8; Eph.
ii. 17 ; iii. 8 ; vi. 20 ; Phil. i. 12-18 ; Col. i. 28 ; 1
Thess. ii. ; 2 Tim. ii. 15, 25 ; iv. 1-5 ; Titus ii. ; 1 Pet.
iv. 11 ; Heb. iv. 2.
of Christ.— Ps. xl. 9 ; Isa. xlii. 1-3 ; Ixi. 1-3 ,
Matt. iv. 17, 23, 24; ix. 35; Mark i. 14; Luke iv.
14-32.
should be —
Serious and solemn.
"It must be serious preaching that makes men serious." —
Baxter.
Set forth Christ crucified as the centre of all truth and
life.
424 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
"'])on't you know, young man,' said a "Welsh minister,
'that from every town, and every village, and every little
hamlet in England, wherever it may be, there is a road to Lon-
don V * Yes.' ' Ah !' said the old divine, ' and so from every
text in Scripture there is a road to the metropolis of the Scrip-
tures, that is, Christ. And, my dear brother, your business is,
when you get to a text, to say, *♦ Now, what is the road to
Christ ?" and then preach a sermon, running along the road to
the great metropolis — Christ. And,' said he, ' I have never
yet found a text that had not a road to Christ in it, and if
I ever do find one that has not, I will make one. I will go
over a hedge and ditch, but I will get at my Master, for the
sermon cannot do any good unless there is a savor of Christ in
it.' " — C. H. Spur g eon.
• dear and convinein
" When I first began to preach," said an old man, who had
had much experience, "I thought the great plan was to thun-
der at the people ; but when I became wiser, I learnt that it
was the lightning that rent the oak : so I determined to thun-
der less and lighten more !"
■ methodical.
" There is the same difference between a methodical sermon
and a loose one, as between a chess-board and a picture. In vain
may the frame of the chess-board be perfectly beautiful ; in vain
may each square be ornamented with a different little picture ;
you would praise the skill and industry of the workman, but if
any one told you that he relied upon your memory to retain the
arrangement and subject of these various designs, would you
not be considerably astonished ? Would you not say that the
very regularity of the plan, by preventing your fixing your
eye upon any one square more than another, rendered it im-
possible for you to carry a distinct and settled idea of each ?
The workman himself would probably not without difficulty
accomplish that which he required of you." — Bungtner's " Thi
Preacher and the King.''''
affectionate.
*' I would have every minister of the Gospel address his audi-
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHEjxINGS. 425
ence with the zeal of a friend, with the generous energy of a
father, and with the exuberant affection of a mother." — Fenelon.
"I never seemed fit to say a word to a sinner except when I
had a broken heart myself." — Pay son.
plain.
♦*It takes all our learning to make things plain." — Usher
" Let your preaching be plain. Painted glass is most curious,
plain glass is most perspicuous. Be a good crucifix to your peo-
ple. Preach a crucified Saviour in a crucified style. Paul
taught so plainly that the Corinthians thought him a dunce.
Let your matter be substantial, wholesome food ; God and
Christ, and the Gospel, faith, repentance, regeneration. Aim
purely at God's glory and the salvation of souls. Study as if
there were no Christ; preach as if there had been no study.
Preach plainly, yet with novelty ; preach powerfully as Micah
— as Paul in intention of spirit, not retention of voice. To
this end get your sermon into your own souls. It is best from
the heart to the heart. Preach prudentially as stewards, to give
each their portion. Get your sermons memoriter. How can
you expect your people should remember, and repeat, if you
read? Yet use caution. Our memories are not of brass, they
are cracked, in all, by the fall. Beware of giving occasion to
say, I may stay at home in the afternoon, I shall hear only the
same song.*' — Philip Henry^s Life.
profitable, rather than pleasing.
" Do not preach so much to please as to profit. That is tho
best looking-glass, not which has the most gilded frame, but
which shows the truest face." — Watson. "Flowers of rhetoric
are like the blue and red flowers in corn-fields ; pleasing to
those who come for amusement, but prejudicial to those who
would reap the profit."
the result of experience.
" A father of the Church one day preached a sermon on
Christian experience. After it was over one of the hearers
asked him, 'Pray, how long has that sermon taken you in pre
paring? 'About twenty years,' was the suggestive answer."
36 *
t2G ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
loving.
" "We want men of hot hearts," said a converted Chinese
Christian, " to come and tell us of the love of Christ."
Remarks on Preaching: —
Augustine. —
"Though in many conduits one be in the shape of an angel,
and one of a beast, the water refreshes, as it is water, and not
as it comes from such a conduit."
Luther.—
Luther was particularly severe against all preachers that
aimed " at sublimity, difficulty, and eloquence, and who, ne-
glecting the souls of the poor, seek their own praise and honor,
and to please one or two persons of consequence." " When a man
comes into the pulpit for the first time," says he, " he is much
perplexed at the number of heads that are before him. "When
I stand in the pulpit, I see no heads, but imagine those who are
before me to be all blocks. When I preach I sink myself deeply
down, I regard neither doctors nor masters, of which there are
in the church above forty. But I have an eye to the multitude
of young people, children, and servants, of which there are
more than two thousand. I preach to them, and direct my dis-
course to those that have need of it. A preacher should be a
logician and a rhetorician ; that is, he must be able to teach
and to admonish. When he preaches upon any article, he must
first distinguish it, then define, describe, and s]3ow what it is;
thirdly, he must produce sentences from the Scripture to prove
and strengthen it; fourthly, he must explain it by examples;
fifthly, he must adorn it with similitudes ; and, lastly, he must
rouse and admonish the indolent, correct the disobedient, and
reprove the authors of false doctrine."
Baxter. —
The amount of his labors, and the success which attended
them, form of themselves a most interesting study for every
minister. The well-known lines, associated with his name,
were abundantly exemplified in his practice,
ILLUSTKATIVE GATHERINGS. 427
' I'd preach as though I ne'er shoulc^ preach again,
And as a dying man to dying men."
Toward the end of his days a man followed him into the i jlpit
to prevent his falling backward, and to support him, if need-
ful, in the pulpit. It was feared, the hist time he preached, he
would have died preaching. Yet such was his humility, that
when reminded of his labors on his death -bed, he replied, '• I
was but a pen in God's hand, and what praise is due to a
pen ?"
Philip Henry. — Amongst other things recorded in
hw life is the full union there was in his preaching of
doctrine and practice.
** He was very large and particular in pressing second table
duties as essential to Christianity. ' "We have known those,'
saith he, » that have called preaching on such subjects good
moral preaching ; but, let them call it as they will, I am sure
it is necessary, and as much now as ever.' How earnestly
would he press upon the people the necessity of righteousness
and honesty in their whole conversation ! ♦ A good Christian, '\
he used to say, 'will be a go©d husband, a good father, and a
good master, and a good subject, and a good neighbor, and so
in other relations.' So truly did he esteem the pulpit as his
throne, that he used to say, ' he would rather go about and beg
all the week, if only he might be allowed to preach on the Sun-
day.' "
Whitfield. — How remarkable was he for the dili-
gence as well as for the fervor of his ministry !
From a memorandum-book he kept it would seem that, from
the commencement of his ordination to his death (thirty-four
years), he preached upwards of 18,000 sermons. He often used
to say, at the close of his sermon, " This sermon I got when
most of you were asleep." He was seldom known to preach a
sermon without weeping; and his were manifestly tears of
sincerity.
Shepherd. —
"I never preached a sermon which did not cost me prayer
428 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
and strong crying and tears in the composing of it. I rever
preached a sermon of which I had not first got some good to
my own soul. I always sought to pass into the pulpit as if I
were going to give up my account to God directly after."
Brown of Haddington, —
Though a man of considerable theological learning, said of
himself, — " God hath made me generally to preach as if I had
never read another book but the Bible. I have essayed to
preach scriptural truth in scriptural language." Of other
preachers, he remarked, "So far as I have observed the deal-
ings of God with my own soul, the flights of preachers some-
times entertained me ; but it was Scripture expressions which
did penetrate my heart, and that in a way peculiar to them-
selves."
Mason (Dr. John) gives four excellent rules for the
preparation of sermons : —
" 1. Go to the bottom of the subject, and think of all that
should be said upon it.
" 2. Don't torture the subject by saying all that can be
said.
"3. Don't crowd your thoughts too thick. If you pour water
too fast into the funnel, it will run over.
" 4. Don't make your sermon too long."
John Newton. —
When past eighty, many of his friends wished him to relax
his labors. His reply as to preaching was, — " What ! shall the
old African blasphemer stop while he can speak ?"
Jay, of Bath, —
Used to recommend two simple rules: — " Seek for such things
as would be likely to strike and stick."
Dr. Bellamy.—
" The successor of Dr. Bellamy was the Kev. Dr. Backus,
held in high repute^ whose sermons, pervaded with striking
thought, c>arly, concif^ely expressed, never failed to secure close
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 429
and earnest attention. Soon after his settlement, riding one
evening, he overtook a colored man, a member of his Church,
who had long sat under the preaching of Dr. Bellamy. Con-
versation commenced. Perceiving he was not recognized on
account of the darkness, Mr. Backus ventured to ask how he
liked the new minister. * Pretty well,' was the answer : ' but
not so well as I did Massa Bellamy.' 'Why ? What is the
difference?' 'He no make God look so big as Massa Bellamy
did. Massa Bellamy he make God so great.' A most accurate
and expressive comment, affording a useful hint to the young
minister. Said one, who often listened to his eloquent voice,
* ©f all the preachers I ever heard. Dr. Bellamy was the most
successful in making God appear great, — great in His character,
— great in His government.' "
M'Chetne.— The whole of his life is full of hints for
ministers. The following fragments are selected : —
(1.) Much of his sermons were the drawings out of what he
had carried to the people in visiting during the week. (2.) It
was his custom to keep up the remembrance of his ordination
to St. Peter's, Dundee, by always preaching on the anniversary
on the same text. (3.) The heads of his sermons were not mile-
stones, to remind you how near you are to the journey's end,
but nails, which fixed and fastened all he said. Divisions are
often dry, but not so his ; they were so textual, and so feeling,
and brought out so clearly the spirit of the Scriptures. (4.)
He aimed to arrive nearer at the primitive mode of expound-
ing Scripture, which is too little thought of now. (5.) He
would generally visit some one or two of his dying parishioners
on the Saturday, with a view of being more stirred up for the
Sunday's work, to preach as dying to dying men. (6.) Ho
would often spend several hours in visiting from house to house,
and then collect the people, and preach to them in the evening
in some one of the houses. (7.) The cry of Kowland Hill is
often found at the end of his sermon-notes, — " Master, help !"
What wonder if such a ministry of prayer was a
ministry of power ! His preaching was described by
one who heard him, " as if it were a blast of the great
430 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
trumpet that shall awake the dead." And another said,
" He appeared as if he were dying almost to have ye
converted."
Chalmers, Dr. —
It is said of his sermons, by Dr. Hamilton, that they seem to
*' hold the Bible in solution."
Canon Stowell. —
" I have always felt that it is one of the chief points of wis-
dom, in the ministry of the Word, that we give a due propor-
tion to every part of Divine teaching. Hence, in the earlier
days of my ministry, I hung up in my study a large board,
with ruled lines, and with headings, 'Doctrinal,' * Experimen-
tal,' * Preceptive,' * Promissory,' and so on ; and I entered the
texts each Sunday, each under its proper head, so that at a
glance I could see whether I was giving a due proportion to
every part of God's truth ; and when I found any part deficient,
I immediately added to that, feeling that I was best honoring
God's Word in honoring all God's Word. When we speak of
preaching the Gospel, we do not mean reiterating certain truths
to the exclusion of all others ; our duty is to present, as in a
great historical picture, the whole of God's Word, every figure
in its place and proportion ; ever bearing in mind that the
great centre figure of the whole group, on which the whole de-
pends, is the Lord Jesus Christ."
Button-makers. — " In divinity, as in other profes-
sions, there are the little artists. A man may be able
to execute the button of a statue very neatly ; but I
could not call him an able artist. There is an air, there
is a taste, to which his narrow capacity cannot reach.
Now, in the Church there are your dexterous button-
makers." — Newton.
*' Sir, we would see Jesus." — A minister, whose
congregation had long deplored the cold and dry style
of his preaching, found one Sunday morning, on enter-
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 431
ing tlie pulpit, a slip of paper on the cushioii, Avith
written on it, ''John xii. 21" ("Sir, we would see
Jesus"). His own conscience supplied the application
of the text, and after much thought and self-examination,
he resolved, bj God's help, to preach Christ more
clearly; and the Sunday after took for his text John
XX. 20, " Then were the disciples glad when they saw
the Lord."
TiiE Three Sermons.— A convert at one of our Mis-
sion stations, when at the point of death, was visited by
a missionary, who inquired, " What had been the means
of his conversion ?" "Master missionary," said the dy-
ing man, " do you remember a sermon you preached here
upon the glories of heaven?" "I remember it well,"
said the minister. " Master missionary, do you remem-
ber," he added, "a sermon you preached upon the ter-
rors of hell ?" "I remember it well," said the minister.
"Master missionary, do you remember, once more,"
asked the expiring saint, " a sermon you preached upon
the words of Jesus, 'I am the Way?' " "I remember
it well," said the minister. "And so do I," said the
heir of glory ; " and that which you said was the means
of my conversion." A blessed testimony to Gospel
preaching.
PRE JUDICE.— Jer. vi. 10 ; Matt. xiii. 55 ; Luke ix.
53 ; John i. 46.
John vii. 27 — "Howbeit we know this man whence he is," and
therefore they rejected Him, because He was "the carpenter's
son !"
John ix. 29. — " We know that God spake unto Moses ; as for
this fellow, we \noiv not from whence he is," and therefore th^y
rejected Him on this ground. So that in either case, "H» ^t*<*
432 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
despised and rejected of men." "What a strange proof of in
veterate prejudice!
Trade-winds. — '^ Blind prepossessions and one-sided
prejudices are like the trade-winds, which, holding out in
one course, make compass and helm alike useless."
When prejudice puts its hand before the eyes, that
hand, small as it is in itself, will hide the sun. Men
may have eyes, and see not.
John Newton says : " Dr. Taylor, of Norwich, once
said to me, * Sir, I have collated every word in the He-
brew Scriptures seventeen times, and it is very strange
if the doctrine of the Atonement you hold should not
have been found by me.' I am not surprised at this; I
once went to light my candle with the extinguisher on
it. Now, prejudice from education, learning, &c., often
proves an extinguisher. It is not enough that you bring
the candle, — you must remove the extinguisher."
PREPARATION FOR DEATH.
The Nobleman's Fool. — A certain nobleman had a
fool, who one day so amused him with his wit, that he
gave him his cane, and told him whenever he could find
a greater fool than himself to bring it back to him. In
process of time the nobleman came to die, and, sending
for his attendant, bid him farewell. "Where is your
Lordship going?" asked the fool. "I am going to an-
other world," was the reply. " And when shall you re-
turn ?" " Oh, I am never to return." " No !" said the
man ; " then has your Lordship made any preparation
for the journey ?" " Alas ! I have not." " Then take
back your cane," said the man, "for never could there
be folly so great as that !" — Bishop Hall.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 433
C^SAR BCRGIA. — It is said of him, that in his last
moments he exclaimed, " I have provided in the course
of my life for everything except death ; and now, alas !
I am to die, although entirely unprepared."
Andrew Fuller. — " I have such a hope that with it
I can plunge into eternity."
PRESUMPTION.— Gen. xi. 4 ; Ex. xxi. 14 ; Num.
xiv. 40-44; xv. 30; xvi. ; Deut. xvii. 12, 13; xviii. 20
-22 ; 1 Sam. iv. 3 ; vi. 19 ; 2 Sam. vi. 6 ; 1 Kings xiii
4 ; XX. 11 ; 2 Chron. xxvi. 16 ; xxxii. 13 ; Ps. xix. 13
cxxxi. ; Prov. xii. 15; Isa. xlviii. 2-4; Jer. vii. 4-15
Micah iii. 11 ; Zeph. iii. 11 ; Luke iii. 8 ; xii. 18 ; Acts
xix. 13, 14 ; Rom. ii. 17-24 ; xi. 20 ; 2 Thess. ii. 4
Heb. X. 26 ; James iv. 13 ; 2 Pet. ii. 10 ; 3 John 9 ; Rev.
xviii. 7-24.
The Captain who would go without a Pilot
THROUGH the NARROW CHANNEL.
" Shall you anchor off Point, Captain ?"
asked a passenger.
" I mean to be in the dock with the morning tide,"
was the Captain's brief reply.
•* I thought, perhaps, you would telegraph for a pilot,"
returned the passenger.
"I am ray own pilot. Sir;" and the captain whistled
contemptuously.
" He's in one of his daring humors, and I'll bet any-
thing you like that he takes the narrow channel," quietly
remarked a sailor, as he passed to execute some order.
"Is it dangerous?" asked the same passenger un-
easily.
" Very, in a gale, — and there's one coming on, or I'm
37 '28
434 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHEKINGS.
no sailor," replied tlie man ; " but if any man can do it,
it's himself. Only he might boast once too often, you
know."
Evening came, and the gale was becoming what the
sailors call '* pretty stiff," when the mate touched my
arm, arousing me from a pleasant reverie, in which, smil-
ing welcome home held a prominent place.
*' We are going in by the narrow channel. Sir," said
he, " and, with the wind increasing, we may be dashed
to pieces on the sand-bank. It is foolhardiness, to say
the least. Cannot you passengers compel him to take
the safer course?"
I felt alarmed, and hastily communicated with two or
three gentlemen ; and proceeding together to the captain,
we respectfully urged our wishes, and promised to repre-
sent any delay caused by the alteration of his course, as
a condescension to our anxious apprehensions. But, as
I anticipated, he was immovable.
"We shall be in dock to-morrow morning, gentle-
men," said he. " There is no danger whatever. Go to
sleep as usual, and I'll engage to wake you with a land
salute."
Then he laughed at our cowardice, took offence at oui
presumption, and finally swore that he would do as he
chose — that his life was as valuable as ours, and he
would not be dictated to by a set of cowardly landsmen.
We retired, but not to rest ; and in half an hour the
mate again approached, saying, " We are in for it now ;
and if the gale increases, we shall have work to do that
we did not expect."
Night advanced, cold and cheerless. The few who
were apprehensive of danger, remained on deck, holding
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 435
on by the ropes, to keep ourselves from being washed
overboard. The captain came up equipped for night
duty, and his hoarse shout in the issue of commands was
with difficulty heard in the wild confusion of the ele-
ments ; but he stood calm and self-possessed, sometimes
sneering at our folly, and apparently enjoying himself
extremely, surrounded by flapping sails, groaning tim-
bers, and the ceaseless roar of wind and wave. We
wished we were able to sympathize in such amusement,
^but we supposed it must be peculiar to himself, and en-
deavored to take courage from his fearless demeanor.
But presently there arose a cry of " Breakers ahead T''
The captain flew to the wheel — the sails were struck ;
but the wind had the mastery now, and the captain found
a will that could defy his own.
*' Boats, make ready /" was the next hurried cry ; but,
as too often occurs in the moment of danger, the ropes
and chains were so entangled, that some delay followed
the attempt to lower them, — and, in the meantime, we
were hurrying on to destruction. The passengers from
below came hurrying on the deck in terror, amidst crash-
ing masts and entangled rigging. Then came the thrill-
ing shock which gave warning that we had touched the
bank, and the next was the fatal plunge that struck the
foreship deep into the sand, and left us to be shattered
there, at the wild waves' pleasure 1
It is needless to dwell upon the terrors of that fear-
ful night. I was among the few who contrived to man-
age the only boat which survived ; and scarcely had I
landed with the morning light, surrounded by bodies of
the dead and fragments of the wreck borne in by the
436 ILLUSTRATIVE GAniEKINGS.
rising tide, ere I recognized the lifeless body of our wil-
ful, self-confident, presumptuous captain.
He was like one of those who, on the voyage of life,
refuse counsel and despise instruction ; who practically
recognize no will but their own ; who are wise in their
own conceits, satisfied with their own judgment, and
trust in their own hearts ; and if left to be filled with
their own ways, must make frightful shipwreck just where
they suppose themselves sure of port. And as the mis-
taken man was accompanied into eternity by those whose
lives he had endangered and destroyed, so no man lives
or dies unto himself, but bears with him, when all self-
deception ends, the aggravated guilt of others* ruin,
through the influence of his evil precept and example. —
Tract Magazine.
PRIDE.— Exod. xviii. 11 ; Lev. xxvi. 19 ; 1 Sam. ii.
3 ; 2 Kings xx. 13 ; 2 Chron. xxxii. 26 ; Job ix. 13 ;
Ps. x. ; xxxi. 20, 23 ; Ixxiii. 6 ; ci. 5 ; cxxiii. 4 ; cxxxi. ;
Prov. xi. 2 ; xiii. 10 ; xiv. 3 ; xvi. 5, 18, 19 ; xxi. 4 ;
xxix. 23 ; Eccl. vii. 8 ; Isa. ii. 12 ; xvi. 6-14 ; xxiii. 9 ;
XXV. 11 ; Jer. xiii. 9, 17 ; xlix. 16 ; Ezek. xvi. 49 ; Dan.
iv. 37 ; V. 20 ; Hosea v. 5 ; vii. 10 ; Zeph. ii. 9, 10 ;
Mai. iii. 15 ; iv. 1 ; Mark vii. 21, 22 ; Luke i. 51 ; xviii.
9-14 ; Rom. i. 30 ; 1 Cor. viii. 1 ; 1 Tim. iii. 6 ; vi. 4 ;
2 Tim. iii. 2 ; James iv. 6 ; 1 Peter v. 5 ; 1 John ii. 16.
" Pride takes for its motto. Great I and little you.*'
••' A proud heart and a lofty mountain are never
fruitful. ' ' — Gurnall.
" As the first step heavenward, is humility, so the
first step hellward, is pride. Pride counts the Gospel
foolishness, but the Gospel always shows pride to be so.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 437
Shall the sinner he proud who is going to hell ? Shall
the saint be proud who is newlj saved from it ? God
had rather His people fared poorly than live proadly."
— Mason.
" Of all troubles, the trouble of a proud heart is the
greatest. And therefore it is good to bear the yoke in
our youth ; it is better to be taken down in youth, than
to be broken down by great crosses in age." — Brooks.
As man fell by pride, he rises again by humility.
That which overcame him at the first, is commonly the
last thing he overcomes.
Ex. Eve, Babel-builders, Pharaoh, Samson, Ahitho-
phel, Hezekiah, Haman, Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar,
Herod, Laodiceans, Moab, Edom, Tyre, Babylon.
PROCRASTINATION. -Gen. xix. 15-22; Lev. xix.
13 ; Deut. xxiv. 15 ; Prov. iii. 27, 28 ; vi. 1-5 ; Eccl.
viii. 11; Jer. viii. 20; Ezek. xii. 21-28; Hag. i. 2;
Matt, xviii. 26 ; xxii. 5 ; xxv. 1-13 ; Luke xiii. 7, 8 ;
xvii. 26-32 ; Acts xvii. 32 ; xxiv. 25 ; James iv. 13, 14.
Cf. Ps. cxix. 59, 60 ; Isa. Iv. 6 ; Luke xix. 6 ; 2 Cor.
vi. 2 ; Heb. iii. 7, 8 ; Rev. ii. 21-23.
Excuses, frequent, but futile — for delaying attention
to serious thought.
1. "I am too young. I would sow my wild oats a little
longer." But read Eccl. xi. 9, 10; xii. 1. Think, are you too
young to die ? and how would it be with you if you were to dio
as you are ? Besides, why give the world and sin the flower
of your days, and offer the dregs to God ? Mai. i. 6-9.
2. " I am too busy" Too busy to attend to the principal
business? No one believes it, not even yourself! Matt. xvi.
2G ; Hab. ii 6.
B. ''1 cav.not giveup this sin just yet." Then the sin must
M7 *
438 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
save you, if you perish in it. If you are shipwrecls fd upon the
barren rock, you must not murmur if you perish for want!
Ahis ! Jonah ii. 8; Isa. xxviii. 17-20; xxx. 1-3.
4. " God is rmrciful." True. And He is righteous. Divino
patience is lasting, but it is not everlasting. Luke xix. 40, 41 ;
xiii. 7-9 ; Kev. ii. 21, 22. Matt, xviii. 26, " Have patienco
with me, and I will pay thee all." Ah I can you ?
Truly, there is need of God's mercy, even to the righteous.
Gen. xix. 18, ** And Lot said, •' Oh, not so, my Lord." Not so
far, not so fast, not so soon. But " the Lord being merciful
unto him," *' the men laid hold upon his hand, and brought
them forth abroad," and said, " Escape for thy life" It was
long-suffering mercy that spared " righteous Lot !" ** If the
righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the
sinner appear ?" (1 Peter iv. 18.)
Augustine, before his conversion, used, he confessed
m after-life, to pray, '' Lord, give me chastity and con-
tinenc J, but not 1/et."
Alexander, on the contrary, when one asked of him
how he had conquered the world, gave the answer — " By'
not delaying." The same was eminently true of Caesar,
Napoleon, and other great warriors.
'' Time and tide wait for no man," — but how many
are amusing themselves with gathering shells and peb-
bles on the shore, even within the hearing of the signal
bell ! What wonder if such are left behind ?
A Swiss Village.—" A Swiss traveler," says a
writer in the " Edinburgh Review," " describes a village,
situated in the slope of a great mountain, of which the
strata shelve in the direction of the place. Huge crags
directly overhanging the village, and massy enough to
sweep the whole of it into the torrent below, have be-
come separated from the main body of the mountain in
the course of ages by great fissures, and now scarce
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 439
adhere to it. When they give way, the village must
perish ; it is only a question of time, and the catastrophe
may happen any day. For years past engineers have
been sent to measure the width of the fissures, and re-
port them constantly increasing. The villagers, for
more than one generation, have been aware of their
danger ; subscriptions have been once or twice opened to
enable them to remove ; yet they live on in their doomed
dwellings, from year to year, fortified against the ulti-
mate certainty and daily probability of destruction by the
common sentiment, ' Things may last their time and
lono^er.' " What a mournful illustration does such dis-
o
regard of' danger furnish of the blindness of impenitent
sinners !
Rev. a. Paterson, the Missionary of Kilmany. —
Amongst the persons he visited was a female comfort-
able in circumstances, but with no time, as she thought,
to spare for her soul. When visiting the district in
which she lived, he always called, but neyer got admit-
tance. One day, after he had spoken to her very
solemnly at the door, warning her of the danger of
dying without Christ, he was going upstairs to visit
another family, when she came out and cried after him,
•' Oh ! be sure and not be long in coming back again, for
I do wish to see you." In a few days he called. '' I'm
sorry," she said, the moment she opened the door, " I
have no time to receive you to-day ; I've a friend come
from London, and I've to go out with him."
" Well, you will have time to die, whether you're pre-
pared or not. So you've no time just now?" "No,
not to-day."
"Well, let me say this to you, in case you and I
440 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
never meet again, ' Behold, now is the accepted time,
noiv is the day of salvation. To-day^ if ye "will hear his
voice, harden not your heart.' ' Turn at my reproof,
and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and make
known my words unto you;' but observe what follows :
— ' But because I called, and ye refused ; I have stretched
out my hand, and no man regarded ; ye would none of
my counsels, and despised all my reproofs ; I will also
laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear
Cometh.' Oh I think of these things, lest I never see
you again." She thanked him, and he went away.
That night she and her brother went to the theatre,
she " took ill" while she was in it. She came home,
grew worse, and was in eternity by five o'clock the next
morning.
" The thing," said Mr. Paterson, " so impressed me
that I resolved, if God spared me, to labor by His grace
more diligently than ever."
" Can a Sinner Eighty Years Old be Saved ?" —
" In January 1825, Mr. H , of S , New York,"
says a clergyman, " came to me, and said, ' Sir, can a
sinner of eighty years old be forgiven?' " The old man
who made the inquiry wept much while he spoke, and on
the minister inquiring into his history, gave this account
of himself: — " Sir, when I was twenty one, I was awak-
ened to know that I was a sinner, but I got with some
young men who tried to persuade me to give it up.' Af-
ter a while I resolved I would put it ofi" for ten years.
I did. At the end of that time, my promise came to my
mind, but I felt no great concern, and I resolved to put
it off ten years more. I did ; and since then the reso-
lution has become weaker and weaker, and now I am
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHLRIKaS. 441
lost !" After talking to him kindly, the minister prayed
with him, but he said, " It will do no good. I have
sinned away my day of grace ;" and in this state he soon
after died.
Every Year less Likely. — An accurate examination
into the periods of life in which those whose life of god-
liness gave evidence of true religion, first began to be
followers of Christ, furnishes an amazing demonstration
of the folly and danger of delay. The probability of
conversion diminishes rapidly as every year rolls on.
"Take a congregation of 1,000 Christians; divide
them into five classes, according to the ages at which
they became Christians. Of these 1,000 Christians there
would be probably, — hopefully converted, —
Under 20 years of age . . . 548
Between 20 and 30 years of age . . 337
" 30 and 40 "... 96
" 40 and 50 "... 15
" 50 and 60 "... 3
Here are your five classes. But you complain of me.
You ask, 'Why stop at sixty years old?' Ah, well,
then, if you will have a sixth class, —
Converted between 60 and 70 years of age . 1
" I once made an actual examination of this sort, in
respect of 253 hopeful converts to Christ, who came
under my observation at d. particular period. Of these
there were converted, —
Under 20 years of age . . . 138
Between 20 and 30 years of age . . 85
" 30 and 40 " . . .22
" 40 and 50 "... 4
442 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Between 50 and 60 years of age . . 8
" 60 and 70 "... 1
" What an appeal this is to the unconverted of every
age !" — Dr, Spencer,
PROFESSION, WITHOUT Practice.— Num. xxii. 18;
Jer. xii. 1, 2; Ezek. xxxiii. 31, 32; Matt. xv. 7-9 (cf.
John i. 47) ; xxi. 28-31 ; Luke ix. 57, 58, 61, 62 ; Acts
viii. 21.
Emblems. — Blighted buds — failing fountains — tinsel
toys— shells which contain no kernels — lilies, fair in show,
but foul in scent — Scribes and Pharisees, Matt. vi. 1-
7 ; xxiii. 2-7 ; — tares among wheat. Matt. xiii. 24-30 ;
— foolish virgins, Matt. xxv. 1-13 ; — the man without
the wedding garment. Matt. xxii. 11 ; the mirage.
" The CRUSADERS of old used to bear a painted cross
upon their shoulders. It is to be feared that many
amongst ourselves take up crosses which sit just as
lightly, — things of ornament, passports to respectability,
a cheap substitute for a struggle we never made, and a
crown we never strove for." — D. Moore.
" Profession is a swimming down the stream. Con-
fession is a swimming against the stream. Many may
do the first, like dead fish, that cannot swim against the
stream with living fish."
• The profession of many is like
The Snowdrift, when it has leveled the churchyard
mounds, and, glistening in the cold winter sun, lies so
pure, and white, and fair, above the dead that fester and
rot below. A plausible profession may wear the look of
innocence, and conceal from human eyes the foulest
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHEivINUS. 443
heart's corruption. The grass grows green upon the
sides of the mountain that hides the volcano in its bowels.
Behind the rosy cheek and lustrous eye of beauty, how
often lurks the insidious disease that eats away the life
within !
PROMISES, The.— Numb, xxiii. 19 ; Dent. vii. 9 ;
J )shua xxiii. 14 ; 1 Kings viii. 56 ; Ps. Ixxvii. 8 ; cv. 42;
Isa.lv. 10, 11 ; Luke i. 45 ; Acts ii. 39 ; xxvii. 23-25;
Rom. i. 2 ; iv. 13, 20, 21 ; 2 Cor. i. 10, 20 ; vii. 1 ; Gal.
iii. 21 ; Eph. ii. 12 ; vi. 2 ; 1 Tim. iv. 8 ; 2 Tim. i. 1 ;
ii. 13; Titus i. 2; Heb. iv. 1; vi. 12-28; viii. 6; ix.
15; X. 23, 36; xi. 9, 11, 13, 33; James i. 12 ; 2 Peter
i. 4 ; iii. 9 ; 1 John ii. 25.
Emblems. — The staff for the hand of faith to grasp.
" Every promise is a staif— able, if we have faith to lean upon
it, to bear our whole weight of sin, and care, and trouble." —
Eev. C. Bridges.
— The bond given us by God, under His own hand
and seal.
— The cordial to cheer our fainting hearts.
— Letters. God's letters to His beloved children.
Observe both the direction and the writing. All the promises
are marked for certain persons ; as, e.g., ''They that wait upon
the Lord shall renew their strength," (Isa. xl. 31) ; "All things
work together for good to them that love God,^^ &c. (Rom. viii.
28.) Let Christians observe these marks, to see if the promises
are addressed to them.
— The steps in the Slough of Despond, which Chris-
tians often miss, until " Help" comes to point them out.
— The key that opened every door in Doubting Castle.
(See ''Pilgrim's Progress.")
444 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
" Every promise is happiness couched in a single sen-
tence." — Hopkins.
" A CHILD of God may fall very low, but he can never
fall below the promises."
People often err in trying to hasten the promises,
confounding precepts with promises, — breaking the pre-
cept to fulfil the promise.
" God may sometimes delay His promise, but He will
not deny it. He may sometimes change it, but He will
not break it." — Watson,
Tjie promises often lose their sweetness because we
have been eating the grapes of Sodom. Our taste is at
fault. The promises are sweet and rich as ever.
"Every promise is built upon four pillars. God's
justice and holiness, which will not suffer Him to de-
ceive ; His grace or goodness, which will not suffer Him
to forget ; His truth, which will not suffer Him to change ;
His power, which makes Him able to accomplish." —
iSalter.
" When I first amused myself with going out to sea,
when the winds arose, and the waves became a little
rough, I found a difficulty to keep my legs on the deck,
but I tumbled and tossed about like a porpoise on the
water ; at last I caught hold of a rope that was floating
about, and then I was enabled to stand upright. So
when in prayer, a multitude of troublous thoughts invade
your peace, or when the winds and waves of temptations
arise, look out for the rope, lay hold of it, and stay your-
self on the faithfulness of God in His covenant with His
people, and in His promises. Hold fast by that rope,
and you shall stand." — Salter.
" God's promises were never meant to ferry our lazi-
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 445
ness. Like a boat, they are to be rowed by i.tir oars;
but many men entering forget the oar, and drift down
more helpless in the boat than if they had stayed on
shore. There is not an experience in life by whose side
God has not fixed a promise. There is not a trouble so
deep and swift running, that we may not cross safely over
if we have courage to steer, and strength to pull." —
Beecher.
"• God's promises are dated, but with a mysterious
character ; and for want of skill in God's chronology, we
are prone to think God forgets us, when, indeed, we for-
get ourselves in being so bold to set God a time of our
own, and in being angry that He comes not just then to
us." — Gurnall.
Dr. Judson. — Few saints have been more remarkable
for their firm belief in the Divine word ; it never ap-
peared to him possible, for a moment, that it could fail.
During his visit to Boston, the late venerable James
Loring asked him, " Do you think the prospect bright
of the speedy conversion of the heathen ?" "As bright,'*
he replied, " as the promises of God."
T and P. — A clergyman visiting a poor Christian wo-
man found her Bible marked here and there wjth the
letters T and P. Wondering what the letters stood for,
he inquired of her their meaning. " Oh," said she,
*' those are the promises in my precious Bible. There
are many of them, you see, I have tried, so I marked
them T ; and many I've proved, and I know that they
are true, so I marked them P."
PROSPERITY.— Gen. xxiv. 40, 56 ; Num. xiv. 41 ;
Deut. vi. 10, 12 ; viii. ; xxviii. ; xxxii. 15 ; Joshua i. 7 ;
38
446 ILLUSTRATIVE aATHERINQS.
Job viii. 16-19 ; Ps. i. 3 ; x. ; xvii. 8-15 ; xxxv. 27 ,
xxxvii. 1, 7, 8 ; Ixxiii. ; xc. 17 ; xcii. 7, 12 ; Prov. i.
32 ; xxviii. 13 ; xxx. 8 ; Eccl. vii. 14 ; Jer. v. 28 ; xiL
1 ; xxxiii. 9 ; Hosea x. 1 ; xiii. 6 ; Zech. i. 17 ; Matt.
V. 45 ; Luke vi. 20, 24 ; xii. 16-21 : xvi. 19-30.
Ps. xxx. 6, 7. — " And in my prosperity I said, T shall
never be moved. Lord, by thy favor thou hast made
my mountain to stand strong."
*' He does not look upon it as his heaven (as worldly people
» do, who make their prosperity their felicity), only h.\s, mountain ;
it is earth still, only raised a little higher than the common
level." — Matthew Henry.
" It is the bright day that brings out the adder."
"Too much sail is dangerous."
" Too much sunshine weakens the nerves ; a degree
of seasonable opposition, like a fine dry frost, strengthens
and invigorates aud braces."
A coat too richly embroidered, only encumbers the
wearer.
" No SOONER does the warm aspect of good fortune
shine, than all the plans of virtue, raised like a beautiful
frost-work in the winter season of adversity, thaw and
disappear." — Warhu7'ton.
" It is one of the worst effects of prosperity to make
a man a vortex instead of a fountain ; so that instead
of throwing out, he learns only to draw in." — Beecher.
" Prosperity (says Lord Bacon) is the blessing of
the Old Testament." How many eminent saints, from
being poor grew rich, as Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, David,
Daniel ! " Adversity is the blessing of the New;" as
we see in the Apostles Peter, James, John, Paul, &c.
The Railway Lamp. — " When the traveler starts by
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 447
the railway, on a bright summer day, his attention is
drawn to the friends who stand to bid him good-by ; and
as the train moves on more and more rapidly, the mile,
and half, and quarter-mile posts seem racing past him,
and the objects in the far distance appear rapidly to
change their places, and to move off the scene almost as
soon as they have been observed upon it. Now the long
train, like some vast serpent, hissing as it moves swiftly
along, plunges under ground. The bright sun is sud-
denly lost, but the traveler's eye observes, for the first
time, perhaps, the railway carriage lamp ; and though it
was there all the while, yet, because the sun made its
light needless, it was not observed.
" God's promises are like that railway light. The
Christian traveler has them with him always, though
when the sun is shining, and prosperity beaming upon
him, he does not remark them. But let trouble come,
let his course lie through the darkness of sorrow or trial,
and the blessed promise shines out, like the railway lamp,
to cheer him, and shed its gentle and welcome light
most brightly when the gloom is thickest, and the sun-
shine most entirely left behind." — Qhampneys Floating
Lights.
" What shall I come to, Father !" said a young
man, "if I go on prospering in this way?" "To the
grave,'' replied the father.
PROVIDENCE.— 1 Sam. ii. 6-10 ; Job i. 21 ; Ps. x.
12-18 ; xxiii. ; xxxi. ; xxxvi. 6 ; xxxvii. ; Ivii. 2
Ixxiii. ; Ixxv. 6, 7 ; Ixxxix. 14 ; xcvii. 1, 2 ; cxxvii.
cxlv. ; Prov. iii. 5, 6 ; xvi. 1-4, 9 ; xx. 24 ; xxi. 30, 31
Eccles. V. ^, 14; Isa. xxvii. 3 ; Ivii. 18 ; Hos. ii. 8, 9
448 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
Amos iii. 6 ; Dan. iv. 25, 35 ; v. 23 ; Matt. vi. 25-34 ;
X. 29-31; Luke xxi. 18; xxii. 35; Rom. viii. 28;
xi. 33.
Like Jacob'' s ladder, connecting earth with heaven, on
which the angels ascended and descended.
the pillar of cloud and fire in the wilderness.
the wheels in Ezekiel's vision.
speckled horses in Zech. i. 8-11.
cup mixed by a Father's hand.
'path marked out by Divine Omniscience.
the loom in which a skillful weaver employs cross
threads.
the rudder by which the pilot guides the ship.
The Church is the apple of God's eye, and the eye-
lids of His providence continually defend it.
" The CHARIOT of God's providence runneth not upon
broken wheels." — Rutherford.
The SMITH often uses crooked tools.
Believers only can decipher the short-hand of God's
providence.
Duties are ours ; events are God's.
" We should follow providence, and not attempt to
force it, for that often proves best for us which was least
our own doing." — Henry.
" There are three ways that Satan takes to bring dis-
tress upon the minds of believers — 1. By obscure Scrip-
tures ; 2. By nice questions of experience ; 3. By dark
providences." — Gurnall.
" God draws straight lines, but we think and call them
crook ed/ ' — Arrowsmith.
One MINUTE sooner than God's time would not be His
people's mercy.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 449
May be viewed as guiding — preserving — overruling.
Guiding. — Nations, Churches, Individuals, (see Guid-
ance). — Gen. xxiv. 27; 1 Sam. vi. ; ix. ; 2 Kings v. 2-4;
Ps. xxii. 28 ; xxxii. 8 ; cvii. 7 ; cxliii. 8 ; Prov. viii. 15,
16 ; Ezek. xxvi. 3 ; Acts xvi. 6-10 ; Rev. ii. 26 (cf. the
pillar of cloud. Num. ix. 16-23 ; wheels, Ezek. i. 15-21 ;
a father, his children ; a shepherd, his flock ; a pilot, the
ship).
Preserving. — 1 Sam. xxiii. 26 ; Ps. xci. ; civ. ; 24-
28; cxxvii. 1, 2; cxl. 7; cxlv. 20; Prov. xxi. 31;
Matt. X. 29, 30 ; Acts xxiii. 16. Of. the burning bush,
Exod. iii. 1-5 ; father bearing his son, Deut. i. 31 ;
eagle caring for her young, Deut. xxxii. 11, 12; father
of the fatherless, and judge of the widow, Ps. Ixviii. 5 ;
a shield, Ps. Ixxxiv. 11 ; birds hovering over their young,
Isa. xxxi. 5 ; wall of fire, Zech. ii. 5 ; apple of the eye,
Zech. ii. 8.
The history of the Church in all ages abounds with
examples of a preserving Providence.
In Scripture — the histories of Abraham, Jacob, Joseph,
Moses, Job, Ruth, Jeremiah, Daniel, the three Hebrew
children, Mordecai, David, Elijah, Esther, Peter, Paul.
The Church in the wilderness.
Manna. — It is calculated that there was wanted 94.460
bushels every day, or 1,370,002,600 bushels in the whole 40
years of the children of Israel's sojourn in the wilderness. Yet
when did the supply fail one single day ?
In later times —
Luther was one day walking- with his brother, when a vio-
lent storm of thunder and h^htning; overtook them. His bro-
ther was struck dead upon the spot, and the future lieformer
spared. — Bunyan enlisted as a soldier, but when the time to
leave home came, ho got some pi^-son to go ^uv him as his sub-
38 * 29
i50 ILLUSTRATINTE GATHERINGS.
stitute. The man was shot, and Bunyan spared ! — Doddrtdgk
when born was so weakly an infant, that it was thought he was
dead ; but a nurse, standing by, fancied she saw some symptoms
of life, and the feeble spark was saved from being extinguished.
— Wesley when a child, was only just preserved from fire.
Almost the moment after he was rescued, the roof of the house
fell in. Philip Henry had a similar escape — Dr. Adam
Clarke was narrowly recovered from being drowned when a
boy. — Charles of Bala put his saddle-bags into a wrong boat,
as he thought, but the boat in which he intended to go was lost,
and every hand drowned. The originator of the Bible Society
was preserved.
" A CONVERTED INDIAN was One day attacked by a sav-
age, who presented a gun to his head, exclaiming, ' Now,
I'll shoot you, for you speak of nothing but Jesus !*
The man replied, ' If Jesus does not permit it, you can-
not shoot me.' The savage was struck with the answer,
dropped his gun, and went home in silence." — Cope.
Overruling. — Gen. 1. 10 ; Exod. xv. 9-11 ; 1 Sam.
XXV. 32, 33 ; 1 Kings xxi. 34 ; Ps. xciii. ; Rom. viii. 28
('' work together" — like the warp and woof in the same
web, or the different ingredients in the same mixed cup) ;
Phil. i. 12.
The Wells of Scripture illustrate God's overruling
providence.
Isaac, Jacob, and Moses found wives there ; the woman of
Samaria found Jesus there.
The Prisoners of the Church, how often have they
been like palaces of the saints —
Joseph, Jeremiah, John the Baptist ; the Apostles, Acts v. ;
Peter, Acts xii. ; Paul and Silas, Acts xvi.
Luther was violently carried off and confined in Wartburg
Castle, and there he translated the Scriptures, and wrote upon
the Galatians, &c., and preached every Sunday in the Castle.
JSanyan was twelve years in Bedford Jail, and wrote the " Pil-
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 451
grim's Progress." Rutherford in Aberdeen Castle wrote his
beautiful *' Letters.'* John Welsh in Blackness Castle — Madame
Guion in the Bastile, where she remained for ten years, and
wrote some of her sweetest poetry — the prisons of the Inquisi-
tion, — "the day" only can reveal their silent sorrows and pa-
tient courage. The inscriptions on the walls alone are a glorious
witness! The Tower of London^ &c., &c.
Journeys. — Books. (See under these heads.)
Casual Circumstances. —
BuNYAN, when, in the midst of his convictions, his mind
had been greatly awakened, but was still dark, overheard three
pious women talk in the street one day about regeneration, and
beginning to frequent their company, such an entire change
took place in his sentiments and feelings that he could scarce
keep his thoughts on his secular work.
ToPLADY, when a lad of sixteen, strolled into a barn, where
an illiterate layman was preaching reconciliation by the death
of his Lord. Toplady's attention was excited, and from that
time his thoughts began to flow in a new and a deeper chan-
nel.
Hewitson at Leamington met one day with a young man at
the mineral spring, whose appearance attracted him. He fol-
lowed him down the hill, and entered into conversation, and
discovered that he was sitting at the feet of one who could teach
him more of the truth than ever he had learned before. Tho
student was stricken by the arrow of God, and adored the provi-
dence which thus led the blind by a way that he had not
known.
Thus is the glorious truth confirmed, " the Lord
reigneth." In the storm and the tempest every drop of
water is as obedient to the laws of nature as if it were
laying calmly in the bosom of the tranquil lake ; and in
the world of mind, "man proposes, God disposes." The
plan adopted by Dr. Doddridge as regards his own per-
sonal history, is one strongly to be recommended to all
God's childien, to keep a register of the most remark-
452 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERI!^ R5.
able providences in our life, and often to review it, to
kindle a sense of gratitude and praise to the God and
Lord of providence for His guiding, preserving, and
overruling mercies.
PUNISHMENT of SIN.— Gen. iv. 13 ; Lev. xxvi. ;
Num. xxxii. 23 ; Deut. xxviii. ; xxxii. 35-43 ; Ezra ix.
13-15; Neh. ix. 33: Job iv. 8; xi. 6; xiv. 17; xv. 20
-35 ; xxi. 17, 18 ; xxxiv. 21-23 ; xxxvi. 18, 19 ; Ps.
ix. 16, 17 ; 1. 21, 22 ; Ixiv. 7-9 ; Prov. v. 11, 22 ; xi.
21 ; xiii. 21 ; xxii. 8 ; Eccles. viii. 11 ; Isa. iii. 11 ; xxviii.
17; xlvii. 3; Jer. ii. 17-19, 26; iv. 18; vi. 19; Lam.
iii. 39 ; Dan. ix. 14 ; Hosea x. 13 ; Haggai i. 2-11 ;
Matt. vii. 22, 23 ; xxv. 46 ; Mark ix. 42-50 ; Luke xii.
45-48; Acts v. 1-11 ; Rom. ii. 5, 8, 9 ; vi. 21-24 ; Gal.
vi. 7, 8; Heb. x. 26-32; 2 Pet. ii. 9; Rev. xvi. 5; xxi.
8; xxii. 11.
Figures : — Dashing in pieces like a potter's vessel ; treading
down (as the mire of the streets, as ashes, or as straw for flhe
dunghill); grinding to powder; shooting at suddenly and un-
expectedly ; consuming as smoke ; melting as a snail ; breaking
off as a decayed tree, Job xxiv. 20 ; burning as a furnace, or
oven, stubble, or chaff; cutting through as easily and as often
as the swimmer cuts through the waters ; hell (darkness, un-
quenchable fire, never-dying worm, gnashing of teeth, shame,
destruction, eternal death.)
If no sin were punished here below, there would be
no providence ; if all sin were punished, where would
be the need of future judgment ?
" Punishment is the recoil of crime, and the strength
♦f the back-stroke is in proportion to the original blow."
^ Trench.
'' It was an ancient proverb, " The feet of the avenging
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 453
deit'ns are bhod with wool." Punishment is lame, but
it will come in the end, though it be long on the way.
Delayed. — How many examples have we in Scripture
of punishment delayed long after the sin committed?
Cf. Reuben's incest forty-three years after it was com-
mitted, Gen. XXXV. 22, and xlix. 3,4 (b. c. 1732-1689);
Joseph's brethren, twenty-two years. Gen. xxxvii., xlv.
(b. c. 1729-1707) ; Amalek, for waylaying Israel in the
way, 411 years, Exod. xvii. and 1 Sam. xv. (b. c. 1491-
1079) ; Saul slaying the Gibeonites, 2 Sam. xxi. 1 ; sup-
posed to be forty-one years after 1 Sam. xxii. 18, 19;
Joab for killing Abner, thirty-four years, and for killing
Amasa, nine years, 2 Sam. iii. 29, 30 ; xx. 9, and 1
Kings ii. 28-34 (b. c. 1048 and 1023-1014) ; Jeroboam
for burning incense upon the altar at Bethel, 351 years,
1 Kings xiii. 1, 2 ; 2 Kings xxiii. 15, 16 (b. c. 975-
624).
QUARRELING.— Gen. xiii.; xxvi. 20; xxxi. 36-
55; Exod. ii. 11-15; 2 Sam. xix. 41 ; 2 Kings v. 7;
Prov. iii. 30; xv. 1; xvi. 28; xvii. 1, 14; xviii. 19;
xxiii. 29, 30; xxvi. 17-28; Acts xv. 36-41; Rom. xii.
18-24 ; 1 Cor. iii. 3 ; Gal. v. 20 ; Col. iii. 13 ; Jas. iii.
16 ; iv. 1 ; 1 Pet. ii. 1, 2.
" The quarrels of professors are often the reproach of
their profession." — Henry.
" I NEVER love those salamanders that are never well
but when they are in the fire of contentions. I will
rather suiFer a thousand wrongs than oifer one. I have
always found that to strive with a superior, is injurious ;
with an equal, doubtful ; with an inferior, sordid and
base ; with any, full of unquietness." — Bishop EalL
454 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
" I THINK I have generally observed that the quarrels
of friends in the latter part of life are never fully recon-
ciled. A wound in the friendship of young persons, like
a wound in the bark of young trees, may be grown over,
and it leaves no scar. The case is different with old
persons and old trees ; the reason of which may be ac-
counted for from the decline of the usual patience, and
the prevalence of spleen, suspicion, and rancor, toward
the latter part of life." — Shenstone.
RAINBOW.— Gen. ix.; Ezek. i. 18; Rev. iv. 3;
X. 1.
A sign of the covenant of mercy.
(1) God gave no promise of no more rain, but of no
more flood. (2) A bow without an arrow. (3) A bow
pointed against heaven, not earth. (4) A sign only to
be seen by day — looked for in vain at night, and requir-
ing two joint causes to produce it, the cloud and the
sun, and the sun shining upon the cloud ; so is it spirit-
ually.
REGENERATION.— Deut. x. 16 : xxx. 6 ; Ps. li.
10 ; Isa. xliii. 19-21 ; Jer. iii. 19 ; iv. 4, 14 ; Ezek.
xviii. 30-32 ; John i. 13 ; iii. 3-8 ; Rom. ii. 28, 29 ; 1
Cor. iv. 15; 2 Cor. v. 17; Gal. v. 6; vi. 15; Col. ii.
11 ; iii. 9, 10 ; Tit. iii. 5 ; Jas. i. 18 ; 1 Pet. i. 3, 23.
1 John iii. 14. — " We know that we have passed from
death unto life."
How ? Here and in otlier parts of this Epistle St. John gives
us the most clear and decisive tests of true regeneration, or be-
ing born again. One who is born of God, he tells us — (1) Does
not commit sin, i.e., habitually, willingly, willfully, ch. iii. 9;
V. 18 ; cf. i. 8, and John viii. 34. (2) Believes that Jesus is the
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 455
Christ, the true and only Saviour, ch. v. 1. (3) Doth right-
eousness, i.e., brings forth the fruits of righteousness, ch. ii. 29 ;
V. 3. (4) Overcomes the world, the fear of the world, and the
love of the world, ch. v. 1. (5) Keepeth himself, ch. v. 18, is
very careful of his own soul, feareth always, Prov. xxviii. 14.
(6) Loves the brethren, ch. iii. 14; v. 1, 2.
Eeader, are these marks in you ?
Figures. — A new creation, 2 Cor. v. 17; a resurrec-
ti'<yn — life from the dead, John v. 25 ; Kom. vi. 13 ; Eph.
ii, 1 ; awaking from sleep, Eph. v. 14 ; a transformation,
Rom. xii. 2 ; putting oiF the old man, and putting on the
new, Eph. iv. 22-24 ; passing from darkness to light,
and from the power of Satan to God, Acts xxvi. 18 ; re-
ceiving a new heart, Ezek. xi. 19 ; a heart of flesh, Ezek.
xxxvi. 26 ; a circumcised heart, Deut. xxx. 6 ; washing
and being made clean, Ps. Ii. 2, 7, 10 (cf. " the water
of separation," Numb, xix.)
Like the re-tuning of an instrument, (See Flavel, p.
201.
clothing the hody^ when washed, with new gar-
ments.
" The early Christians have told us that in the first ages of
the Gospel, when an adult came to be baptized, he put off his
old clothes before he went into the water, and put on new and
clean raiment when he came out of it; to signify that he had
put off his old and corrupt nature, and his former bad princi-
ples and corrupt practices, and become a new man. Have I
*put off the old man V Alas ! I lament that there is so little of
the spirit of the virtues of Christ about me. It shall not be al-
ways thus. Though we have lien among the pots, we shall ap-
pear as doves whose wings are covered with silver, and their
feathers with yellow gold." — Salter.
grafting a tree, through which its nature is
changed and improved, and the old s^^^ock is made to bear
good fruit.
4t56 ' ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
metal figures cast in a mould. R,in. vi. 17,
" That form of doctrine into which ye are delivered,"
(marg.), — alluding to melted metal poured into a mould,
and thereby being put to a new use, and taking a new
form. So the " vessels of wrath" are formed into "ves-
sels of mercv."
" A CHILD, as soon as born (having all its limbs), is a
perfect man as to parts, though they are not yet at their
full growth and size ; so the new man, or gracious prin-
ciple, infused in regeneration, is a perfect new man as to
parts, though, as yet, not arrived to the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ." — Br. Gill.
A MINER, who had lived in " a deep mine in Hungary,
never having seen the light of the sun, may have received
accounts of prospects, and, by the help of a candle, may
have examined a few engravings of them ; but let him be
brought out of the mine and set on the mountain, what a
difference appears !" — Newton.
is not baptism. " Do thy beloved sins still
lodge with thee, and keep possession of thy heart?
Then art thou still a stranger to Christ and an enemy to
God. The word and seals of life are dead to thee, and
thou art still dead in the use of them all. Know you not
that many have made shipwreck on the very rock of sal-
vation ? — that many who were baptized as well as you,
and as constant attendants on all the worship and ordi-
nances of God as you, yet have remained without Christ,
and have died in their sins, and are now past recovery ?
Oh, that you would be warned ! There are still multi-
tudes running headlong that same course, tending to de-
struction, through the midst of all the means of salvation !
the saddest of all to it, through words and sacraments,
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 457
and all heavenly ordinances, to be walking hellwards !
Christians, and yet no Chrislians ; baptized, and yet un-
baptized. As the prophet takes in the profane multitude
of God's own people with the nations 'Egypt and Edom,
all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of
Israel are uncircumcised in heart;' thus, thus, the most
of us are unbaptized in heart." — Leighton.
is not reformation. A man may be reformed in
his habits, and yet not be transformed in his heart.
When the icicles are hanging in winter from the eaves of
a cottage, will it suffice that the inhabitant should take
his axe and hew them down one by one till the fragments
are scattered in powdery ruin upon the pavement be-
neath ? Will the work so done be done effectually?
Surely a few hours' warm shining of the sun would do it
in a far better and much shorter way. It is not by the
habits being changed, but by the heart being changed,
that we are born again. If a watch have a magnetized
or defective mainspring, we may keep altering the regu-
lator day by day, but it never can be made to keep true
time.
" If it were possible for those who have been for ages
in hell to return to the earth (and not to be regenerated),
I firmly believe that, notwithstanding all they have suf-
fered for sin, they would still love it, and return to the
practice of it." — Ryland.
" Mere reformation differs as much from regenera-
tion, as whitewashing an old rotten house differs from
taking it down and building a new one in its room." —
Toplady.
The last Cardinal ever seen in England. — Bishop
Hall says, when a skilful astrologer pretended to tell him
39
458 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
about the future, from the calculation of his nativity, he
returned the wise answer, ''Such, perhaps, I was born;
but since then I have been born again, and my second
nativity has crossed my first."
REMNANT, God's people a.— Gen. xlv. 7 (marg.) ,
1 Kings xviii. 22 ; xix. 10, 14 ; xx. 27 ; 2 Chron. xiv.
11; Ezraix. 8; Neh. i. 3; Isa. vi. 13; x. 20-22; xi.
11, 16 ; xli. 14 (marg.), 15 ; Jer. xxxi. 7 ; 1. 45 ; Ezek.
vi. 8-10 ; ix. 8 ; xii. 16 ; xiv. 22 ; Joel ii. 32 ; Micah
ii. 5 ; Hag. i. 14 ; Rom. ix. 27 ; xi. 4, 5 ; 1 Cor. ix. 24.
Figures of the paucity and poverty of God's people. —
A remnant, Jer. xxiii. 3 ; a cottage in a vineyard (a frail
tent — soon blown down), Isa. i. 8 ; a handful, Ps. Ixxii.
16 ; a tithe, Isa. vi. 13 ; the gleaning of the vintage,
Jer. vi. 9 ; jewels, rare as they are costly, Mai. iii. 17 ;
a little flock, Luke xii. 32.
The History of the Church. — The Scripture re-
cords that in every age God has had " a remnant accord-
ing to the election of grace." The Church has always
been, as yet, a "light flock."
In the days of '
Noah, eight only were saved in the ark : and of
these afterwards. Ham was cursed.
Abraham, one family only was called out of Ur.
Jjot, not ten righteous persons could be found in five
cities ; four only escaped destruction ; and of
these, one looked back, and suff'ered immediate
judgment. The other two so sinned that their
posterity were cut ofi" from the true people of the
Lord.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 450
The Church in the wilderness^ — of all that left Egypt,
two entereciCanaan.
The tribes of Israel, the Levites were the smallest
in number. When the people were numbered in
the wilderness, Levi numbered 22,300 ; whilst
the tribe of Judah numbered 74,600. (Num. iii.
39 ; ii. 4.)
David^ " the faithful were minished." (Ps. xii. 1 ;
liii. 1.)
Ahah, " the children of Israel were like two little
flocks of kids ; but the Syrians filled the country."
(2 Kings XX. 27.)
Isaiah^ " the daughter of Zion was left as a cottage
in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucum-
bers, as a besieged city.'* (Isa. i. 8.)
Jeremiah, scarce one could be found who walked up-
rightly. (Jer. V. 1.)
Ezekiel, a few hairs saved out of many. (Ezek. v.)
Micah, no cluster left, only a few poor gleanings of
the summer fruit. (Micah vii. 1.)
Jesus himself, a little flock (Luke xii. 32), one-
fourth of the seed sown bringing forth good fruit.
(Matt, xiii.)
Apostles, "a remnant" saved (Rom. xi. 5); '-'-^few
names in Sardis." (Rev. iii. 4.)
So it is now (Matt. vii. 14 ; xx. 16 ; Rom. xi. 5) ; and
80 it will be when the Master comes. (Luke xviii. 8.)
Yet, nevertheless, —
Small and despised as the Lord's people may be, they
are still, —
1. " The remnant according to the election of
grace." (Rom. xi. 5.)
4:60 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
2. If few in number, noble and miglity ; " the
precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold"
(Lam. iv. 2) ; despised by the world, they are tho
Lord's "-jewels."
3. If weak in themselves, mighty in the strength of
Jehovah. The barley-cake of Gideon overthrew
the tent. (Cf. 1 Sam. xiv. 6.)
4. If humble now, yet soon they shall be exalted,
and become part of the "great multitude" (Rev.
vii. 7), which shall be as the stars of heaven, and
the sands of the sea, and the dew of the morning.
God will yet bring " many sons to glory." (Heb.
ii. 9 ; Rev. xiv. 1.)
REPENTANCE.— Lev. xxvi. 40-42; Deut. xxx. 1-
3, 6 ; 2 Sam. xii. 1-14 ; 1 Kings xxi. 27-29 ; Job xlii.
6, 6 ; Ps. xxxii. ; li. ; Prov. xxviii. 13 ; Isa. xxvii. 9 ;
Iv. 6, 7 ; Jer. iii. 12-14 ; viii. 6 ; xxxi. 18-20 ; Ezek.
xiv. 6 ; xviii. 30-32 ; Dan. iv. 27 ; ix. ; Joel ii. 12-18 ;
Jonah iii. ; Zech. xii. 10-14 ; Matt. iii. 2, 8 ; iv. 17 ; xi.
20-24 ; Mark i. 14, 15 ; Luke v. 8 ; xiii. 1-5 ; xvi. 30^
31 ; xxiv. 47 ; Acts ii. 38 ; iii. 19, 26 ; v. 31 ; viii. 22 ;
xvii. 30; xx. 21; xxvi. 18, 20; Rom. ii. 4; 2 Cor. vii.;
Rev. ii. 5, 21 ; iii. 3, 19 ; ix. 20, 21 ; xvi. 9.
, " the TEAR dropped from the eye of faith."
" consists in attrition (as when a rock is broken
in pieces), and contrition (as when ice is melted into
water). The former is the work of the Law, the latter,
af the Gospel ; the one is like a hammer, the other like dew.
. . The Greek word for repentance signifies after-
wisdom^ the Hebrew word {Nicham) to take comfort.
(John xvi. 21.) ' — Watson.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 461
" I BELIEVE it will be found that the repentance of
most men is not so much sorrow for sin as sin, or real
hatred of it, as sullen sorrow that they are not allowed
to sin." — Adaffi's Private Thoughts.
Broken, but not Melted. — There is many a wounded
conscience that is wounded like a sheet of ice shivered
on the pavement, which yet is stiff and cold. But let the
sun shine forth, and the ice is melted, and melted com-
pletely ; so is it with legal and evangelical repentance.
Heart-work must be God's work. The great heart-
maker alone can be the great heart-breaker.
True and False Repentance : the difference between
" is as great as that between the running of water in the
paths after a violent shower, and the streams which flow
from a living fountain." — Venn.
Late repentance should be carefully distinguished from
delayed repentance. ''True repentance is never too
late, but late repentance is seldom true." The penitent
thief's was late repentance, but we have no evidence that
it was deferred repentance.
" Many persons who appear to repent are like sailors,
who throw their goods overboard in a storm, and wish for
them again in a calm." — Mead.
Augustine. — It is recorded of him that he had Psalm
li. 17 (" The sacrifices of God are a broken and contrite
spirit," &c.) written over his bed in large letters, that
he might have it before his eyes, and meditate often
upon it.
Repent NOW.-^Rabbi Eliezer said to his disciples,
" Turn to God one day before your death." "But how
can a man," replied they, *' know the day of his death ?"
"True," said Eliezer; "therefore you should turn to
39 *
462 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
God to-day ; perhaps you may die to-morrow. Thus
every day will be employed in returning."
The nails are gone^ hut the marJcs are left. "A lit-
tle boy, whose father desired to see him a good child,
was told one day that a nail would be driven into a post
whenever he should do an act that was wrong, and when
he should do a good deed, he might pull one out. The
little fellow tried to be good; and though there were a
number of nails driven into the post, after a little while
not one remained. How happy must ' Benny' have been
when he saw the last nail disappear from the post ! His
father was greatly pleased, and was congratulating his
son, when he was surprised to see that he was weeping.
And very touching was the remark he made, ' Ah, the
nails are all gone, but the marks are there still.' " Was
not this contrition ?
RESIGNATION.— Numbers ix. 17-23; Job xi. 6
xviii. 4 ; xxxiv. 29-33 ; Psalms xxxvii. ; xxxix. ; xlii.
xlvi. 10; Iv. 22; Ixxvii. ; xciii. xcvii. 1,2; Prov. xix. 3
Isa. viii. 17 ; Lam. iii. 22-41 ; Amos iii. 6 ; Micah vii
9 ; Matt. xi. 27 ; John xiii. 7 ; xviii. 11 ; Acts xi. 17
Heb. xii. 4-13; 1 Pet. iv. 12, 13; v. 7.
Ps. xxxix. 9, '' I was dumb, and opened not my mouth ;
because thou didst it."
1. It is our duti/ to be resigned. Murmuring and rebellion are
the marks of the ungodly. (Cf. Isa. li. 20.) Believers honor
God and benefit themselves by calm acquiescence in the Divine
will. 2. It is OUT happiness. What can we get by fretting?
Prov. xix. 3. 3. It was the habit of Christ, Ps. xxxviii. 11-14;
Isa. 1.6; liii. 7; Matt. xxvi. 39, 42; John xii. 27; xviii. 11.
4. "The Lord reigneth" has comforted God's saints in all ages.
(Cf. Job— Aaron— Eli— David— Hezekiah— Paul, &c.)
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERING^. 463
Matt. vi. 10, " Thy will be done on earth, as it is in
heaven."
A Sabbath-school teacher, questioning his children upon the
Lord's prayer, asked them as to this verse, — " My dear children,
what is to be done?" "The will of God." "And where?''
"On earth." "And how?" "As it is in heaven." "And
horw," said he, '• do you think the angek and the happy spirits
do the will of God in heaven, as they are to be our pattern?"
The^rst child answered, " Immediately." The second, " They
do it diligently." The third, " They do it always." The fourth,
" They do it with all their heart." The fifth, " They do it al-
together." Here a pause ensued, and no other of the children
appeared to have any further answer. But after some time a
little girl arose, and said, " Why, Sir, they do it without asking
any questions.^*
P. Henry. — " Fit us to leave or be left," was one of
his constant prayers.
Taylor. — "I thank God that every blessing of
worldly comfort that I prayed for, the longer He has
kept it from me, and the more I prayed for it, I found
it the greater comfort in the end."
John Brown, of Haddington. — "No doubt I have
met with trials, like others ; but yet, so kind has God
been to me, that I think, if God were to give me as
many years as I have lived in the world, I would not
desire one single circumstance in my lot changed, except
that I wish there had been less sin. It might be written
on my coffin, ' There lies one of the cares of Providence,
who early lost both father and mother, and yet never
wanted for the care of either.' "
Dr. Arnold's sister, during twenty years of con-
tinued sickness, made it a point never to allude to her
Bufferings to others.
464 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
True Submission. — There was a good woman, who,
when she was ill, being asked whether she was willing to
live or die, replied, "Which God pleaseth." "But,"
said some one standing by, " if God were to refer it to
you, which would you choose ?" " Truly," said she, "if
God were to refer it to me, I would even refer it to Him
again."
A Scotch Minister, when asked if he thought him-
self dying, gave the calm and submissive answer — " Re-
ally, friend, I care not whether I am or not ; for if I
die, I shall be with God ; and if I live, God will be with
me."
Ex. Jacob, Gen. xliii. 11-14 ; Aaron, Lev. x. 3 ; Job,
Job i. 21; ii. 10; Eli, 1 Sam. iii. 18; David, 2 Sam.
xii. 23 ; xv. 26 ; xvi. 10 ; Shunammite, 2 Kings iv. 26 ;
Hezekiah, 2 Kings xx. 19 ; John the Baptist, John iii.
26-30 ; Stephen, Acts vii. 59 ; Paul, Acts xxi. 13 ;
Jesus, Isa. 1. 6 ; liii. 7 ; Matt. xxvi. 39, 42 ; John xii.
27; xviii. 11.
RESPONSIBILITY.— Ex. xviii. 23-26 ; Lev. iv. 4,
14 (the sin-offering for the high priest was the same as
for the whole congregation) ; Deut. xxvii. 14-26 1.) ;
Ezek. ii. 5 ; xxxiii. 33 ; Luke x. 10-16 ; xii. 47, 48 ;
xix. 13 ; John ix. 41 ; xv. 22-24 ; Rom. ii. 27 ; iii. 12 ;
Gal. vi. 5 ; James iv. 17.
1 Cor. vi. 19, 20, " Ye are not your own, for ye are
bought with a price : therefore glorify God in your body,
dnd in your spirit, which are God's."
A man of wealth and worldliness was walking at leisure, and
thinking within himself, "I am a happy man: with a large
fortune, all of which I have acquired myself, so that I am de-
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHEPaNGS. 465
pendent on no one. It is all my own." Just then a thunder-
storm drove him for shelter into the open door of a church. As
he entered, the preacher was announcing his text, "Ye are not
your own : ye are bought with a price." At the sound of words
so opportune the rich man started ; and as he listened, he saw
his folly, and became henceforward, taught by the Spirit, a
wiser and humbler man.
RESURRECTION.— Job xix. 25-27 ; Ps. xlix. 14,
15 ; Isa. XXV. 8 ; xxvi. 19 ; Ezek. xxxvii. 1-14 ; Dan.
xii. 2; Matt. xxii. 23-33; Luke xiv. 14; xx. 36; John
V. 25-29 ; vi. 39, 40, 44 ; xii. 24 ; Acts iv. 2 ; xvii. 18,
82 ; xxiv. 15 ; xxvi. 8 ; Rom. vi. 5 ; viii. 11, 23 ; 1
Cor. XV. ; 2 Cor. iv. 14 ; Phil. iii. 10, 11, 21 ; Col. iii.
3, 4 ; 1 Thess. iv. 13-16 ; 2 Tim. ii. 18 ; Heb. vi. 1, 2 ;
xL 35 ; Rev. xx. 5-13.
Acts iv. 2, " They taught the people, and preached
through Jesus the resurrection from the dead."
Mr. Moffiitt was once preaching upon the resurrection, when
a chief, Macaba, notorious for being the terror of his enemies,
was present. *' What!" said he, starting with surprise, "what
are those words about the dead? The dead arise?" "Yes,"
said the missionary, " all the dead shall arise." " Will my
father arise ?" "Yes,' answered the missionary. "Will all
the slain in battle arise?" "Yes," answered the missionary.
"Will all that have been killed and eaten by lions, tigers, and
crocodiles arise ?" " Yes, and come to judgment." " Hark !"
shouted the chief, turning to the warriors, "ye wise men, did
your ears ever hear such strange and unhfeard-of news? —
did you ever hear such news as this ?" turning to an old man,
the wise man of his tribe. " Never !" answered the old man.
The chief then turned to the missionary, and said, " Father, I
love you much, but the words of a resurrection are too great
for me. I do not wish to hear about the dead rising again. The
dead cannot rise; the dead shall not rise !"
" Tell me, my friend, why not ?" said the missionary, " I
have slain my thousands: shall they arise?" The thouglij
com pi tely overwhelmed him.
30
4G6 ILLUSTOATIVS GATIIERINGS.
It is a great and terrible thought, that we must meet again
all whom we have neglected, injured, or destroyed
Figures : Awaking out of sleep, Isa. xxvi. 19 ; morn-
ing after night, Ps. xlix. 14, 15; a tree cut down, and
sprouting again, Job xiv. 7-14; corn of wheat rising
through death, John xii. 24 ; transformation of insects ;
old, broken, and battered silver, melted and moulded
into a new and glorious pattern ; spring bursting out of
winter ; Israel's deliverance through the Red Sea,
Exod. xii.
" We are not so sure to rise out of our beds, as we
are out of our graves."
The Papee-mill. — A visit to a paper-mill suggested
the following thoughts : — " And so paper, that article so
useful in human life, that repository of all arts and
sciences, that minister of all Governments, that broker
in all trade and commerce, that second memory of the
human mind — takes its origin from vile rags. The rag
dealer trudges on foot, or drives his cart through towns
and villages, and his arrival is the signal for searching
every corner and gathering every old and useless shred ;
these he takes to the mill, and there they are picked,
washed, mashed, shaped, and sized, in short, formed into
a fabric beautiful enough to venture, unabashed, into the
presence of monarchs and princes. This reminds me of
the resurrection of the body. When deserted by the
soul, I know not what better the body is than a worn and
rejected rag. Accordingly it is buried in the earth, and
there gnawed by worms, reduced to dust and ashes. If,
however, man's art and device can produce so pure and
white a fabric as paper from filthy rags, what should
binder God, by His mighty power, to raise from the
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 467
dead this vile body of mine, and fashion and refine it
like the glorious body of the Lord Jesus Christ?" —
Gotthold.
RESURRECTION of CHRST— Foretold.~Ps. ii.
7; xvi. 10; Isa. xxvi. 19; Hosea vi. 2 ; Matt. xvi. 21 ;
xvii. 23; xx. 18, 19; Mark viii. 31; ix. 9, 10; John ii.
19-22; X. 17, 18.
Matt, xxvii. 63-66 ; xxviii. ; Mark xvi. ; Luke xxiv. ;
John XX. 21 ; Acts ii. 24-32 ; xiii. 30-37 ; xvii. 31 ;
Rom. i. 4 ; iv. 25 ; vi. 4-11 ; viii. 11, 34 ; 1 Cor. xv. ;
2 Cor. V. 15 ; Phil. iii. 11 ; Col. iii. 1-4 ; 2 Tim. ii. 8 ;
Heb. xiii. 20; 1 Pet. i. 3, 21; iii. 18-21.
Cf. Isaac received back from the dead. Heb. xi. 19.
Joseph raised from the prison to the throne. Gen.
xli. 41-44.
Firstfruits offered the day after the Passover Sabbath,
as the pledge of the whole harvest. Lev. xxiii. 9-14. —
" The very first employment of Israel in Canaan was
preparing the type of the Saviour's resurrection, and
their first religious act was holding up that type of a
risen Saviour." — Bonar,
The hird set loose after the cleansing of the leper.
Lev. xiv. 53.
Jonah^ three days and three nights in the whale's
belly. Matt. xii. 40.
RETRIBUTIOK-1 Sam. ii. 30; Ps. ix. 15; xviii.
20-26 ; Ivii. 6 ; Iviii. 10, 11 ; xciv. 23 ; Prov. i. 31-33 ;
V. 22 ; xi. 5, 8 ; xiii. 6, 7 ; xxvi. 27 ; Isa. xxxiii. 1 ;
Mai. ii. 9 ; (marg.) ; Matt. vii. 2 ; Gal. vi. 7 ; Rev.
xiii. 10.
468 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
" He that rolls the stone of reproach upon others, lei
him expect that it will roll back upon himself." ('*Ashes
flj back in the face of him who throws them."j
Examples, —
Jacob deceived his father, and was in turn deceived by his
own sons. The Egyptiana\d\\edL the Hebrew male children, and
God smote the first-btn'n of Egypt. Sisera, who thought to de-
stroy Israel with his iron chariots, was himself killed with an
iron nail, stuck through his temples. Adoni-bezek, Judges i. 5-7.
Gideon slew forty elders of Succoth, and his sons were murdered
by Abimelech. Abimelech slew seventy sons of Gideon upon
one stone, and his own head was broken by a piece of millstone
thrown by a woman. Samson fell by the " lust of the eye," and
before death the Philistines put out his eyes. Agag, 1 Sam. xv.
33. Saul slew the Gibeonites, and seven of his sons were hung
up before the Lord, 2 Sam. xxi. 1-9. David, 2 Sam. xii. 10-14.
Ahab, after coveting Naboth's vineyard, 1 Kings xxi. 19, ful-
filled, 2 Kings ix. 24-26. Jeroboam, the same hand that was
stretched forth against the altar was withered, 1 Kings xiii. 1-
6. Joab having killed Abner, Amasa, and Absalom, was put
to death by Solomon. DanieVs accusers thrown into the lions'
den meant for Daniel. Haman hung upon the gallows designed
for Mordecai. Judas purchased the field of blood ; and then
went and hanged himself.
So in the history of later days, Bajazet was carried about by
Tamerlane in an iron cage, as he intended to have carried Tam-
erlane. Mazentius built a bridge to entrap Constantino, and was
overthrown himself on that very spot. Alexander VI. was poi-
soned by the wine he had prepared for another. Charles IX.
made the streets of Paris to stream with Protestant blood, and
soon after blood streamed from all parts of his body in a bloody
sweat. Cardinal Beaton condemned George Wishart to death,
and presently died a violent death himself; he was murdered
in bed, and his body was laid out in the same window from
which he had looked upon Wishart's execution.
RICHES.— Gen. xiii. ; Deut. viii. 7--20 ; 1 Sam. ii.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 469
7 ; 1 Kings iii. 5-15 ; 1 Chron. xxix. 12, 28 ; 2 Chron.
xvii. 5, 6 ; xviii. 1 ; Job i. ; xxvii. 13-23 ; xxxi. 24-28,
xxxvi. 18, 19 ; xlii. 10-17 ; Ps. xvii. 14 ; xxxvii. 16 ;
xxxix. 6 ; Hi. 7; Ixii. 10 ; Ixxiii. ; cxii. 3; Prov. iii. 16;
X. 15, 22 ; xi. 4 ; xiii. 7, 22 ; xiv. 20, 24 ; xv. 6, 27 ;
xxii. 2, 4 ; xxiii. 4, 5 ; xxvii. 24 ; xxx. 7-9 ; Eccles. ii. ;
iv. 6; V. 10-13; vii. 14; Jer. ix. 23, 24; xvii. 11;
Hos. ii. 8; Hab. ii. 6, 13; Matt. vi. 19-21; xiii. 22;
xvi. 26 ; xix. 21-26 ; xxvii. 57, 58 ; Mark x. 24 ; xii.
41-44; Luke i. 53; vi. 24; xii. 16-34; xiv. 12-14;
xvi. ; xviii. 18-30 ; xix. 2, 3 ; 1 Tim. vi. 6-10, 17-19 ;
James i. 9-11 ; ii. 1-7 ; v. 1-6 ; 1 John iii. 17 ; Rev. ii.
9 ; iii. 18 ; vi. 15-17 ; xviii.
Figures of the vanity of, a burden (the Hebrew has
the same word for riches and weight, "golden weights
draw rich men down"); wages put in a bag with holes,
Hag. i. 6 ; the eagle disturbed and flying from her nest,
Prov. xxiii. 5 ; garments laid up to be moth-eaten, and
gold and silver cankered, Jas. v. 1-3 ; a snare, ship-
wreck, piercing through, 1 Tim. vi. 9, 10 ; thorns chok-
ing the good seed, Matt. xiii. 22 ; food vomited. Job xx.
15 ; the flower of the grass fair, but soon fading or cut
down. Jam. i. 10; (many times the flower is gone while
the stalk remaineth ; so man seeth all that he hath been
gathering long, cut off", and he remains a withered stalk,
cf. Job xxiv. 24 ;) as one lading himself with thick clay,
Hab. ii. 5, 6 ; a spider's web, spun from its own bowels
with the utmost skill and industry, yet how soon and
suddenly blown away or swept away in an unlooked-for
moment !
" In this world it is not what we take up, but what we
give up, that nnkes us rich." — -Beeclicr.
40
470 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS
" Vi?RY few men acquire wealth in sucli a manner as
to receive pleasure from it. Just as long as there is the
enthusiasm of the chase they enjoy it; but when they
begin to look around, and think of settling down, they
find that that part by which joy enters is dead in them.
They have spent their lives in heaping up colossal piles
of treasure, which stand, at the end, like the pyramids
in the desert sands, holding only the dust of kings."
-Ihid.
True riches consist in wanting no necessaries, and
desiring no superfluities.
"" We see what a man Jias^ and therefore we envy him ;
did we see how little he enjoys, we should often pity
him." — Seed.
*' If riches have been your idol hoarded up in your
coffers, or lavished out upon yourselves, they will, when
the day of reckoning comes, be like the garment of pitch
and brimstone, which is put on the criminal condemned
to the flames." — Hervey.
" ' How MUCH is he WORTH V — A common question
which generally receives a wrong answer. A man is
worth precisely just so much as he has capacity and in-
clination to be useful with. He is to be estimated by the
good he attempts or accomplishes. Not the tax-gatherer,
but the Word of God can decide his true value. Neither
polished marble nor lying epitaph can preserve the
memory, or ennoble the life of him, who, dying, leaves
behind no monument of mercy, and no remembrance of
generous and benevolent worthiness." — Christian Intel-
ligencer.
"He LEFT a very Large Property."— The closing
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 471
sentence of a recent obituary. How many reflections it
suggests !
What a pity he was ohliged to leave it! He had taken
great delight in collecting it. It was well and fairly
earned, it was all the fruit of his own energy, industry,
and good judgment, yet he had to leave it, and went out
of the world as poor as he came in.
He might have taken it with him, — rather he might
have sent it forward in advance of him. Every dollar
that he had given in humble faith to assist in carrying
the glad tidings of salvation to the ends of the earth,
every cup of cold water given to a disciple, every tear
of pious sympathy for the suffering, every gift of kindly
charity to the needy, would have added to the store of
durable riches.
How much more blessed is it to go to, than to leave a
large property ! The man who is poor in this world's
goods, but rich in faith, closes his eyes on this life, and
goes to take possession of a large property. He owned
not a foot of land on earth, but for him,
*' Sweet fields beyond the swelling flood,
Stand drest in living green."
His food here was scarce and scanty, but there he will
eat freely from the "tree of life." His garments here
were poor and plain, but there he shall be " clothed in
white robes," fair and clean. He associates here with
those who are despised of men, but there his companions
will be "an innumerable company of angels," and
the " Church of the Firstborn, which are written m
heaven."
Golden Weights. — " When the Washington steamer
472 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
was burlit, one of the passengers, on the firsL alarm of
fire, ran to his trunk, and took from it a large amount
of gold and silver coin, and loading his pockets, ran to
the deck, and jumped overboard. As a necessary con-
sequence, he went down immediately. His treasure was
his ruin." Was his an uncommon case?
Baxter. — "I never knew how it was," said he, "but
I always seem to have the most come in, when I gave the
most away."
Cecil. — "I had been known," says one, "as an occa-
sional hearer at St. John's, and by asking his advice
when commencing master of a family ; but some years
had passed since I enjoyed the pleasure of speaking to
him, when he called at my house, and desired to see me.
After the usual salutations, he addressed me thus : ' I
understand that you are very dangerously situated !' He
then paused. I replied that I was not aware of it. He
answered, ' I thought it was probable you were not, and
therefore I called on you. I hear you are getting rich.
Take care, for it is the road by which the devil leads
thousands to destruction.' This was spoken with such
solemnity and earnestness that the impression will remain
for ever on my memory."
ROCK, God a. — Exod. xxxiii. 21 ; Deut. xxxii. 4,
81 ; Ps. xviii. 31 ; xxxi. 2, 3 ; xlii. 9 ; Ixi. 2 ; Ixii. 2 ;
ixxviii. 35 ; 1 Pet. ii. 8 ; 1 Cor. x. 4.
" Men who stand on any other foundation than the
Rock Christ Jesus, are like birds who build their nests
in trees by the side of rivers. The bird sings in the
branches, and the river sings below, but all the while the
waters are undermining the soil about the roots, till, in
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 473
some unsuspected hour, the tree falls with a trash into
the stream, and then the nest is sunk, the home is gone,
and the bird is a wanderer. But birds that hide their
young in the clefts of the rocks are undisturbed, and
after every winter, coming again they find their nests
awaiting them, and all their life long brood in the same
places, undisturbed by stream or storm." — Beecher.
SABBATH, THE.— Gen. ii. 3; Exod. xx. 8-11;
xxxi. 12-17 ; Lev. xix. 3, 30 ; xxiii. 32 ; xxv. 1-22 ;
xxvi. 34, 35; Num. xv. 32-36; Deut. v. 12-15; 2
Chron. xxxvi. 21; Neh. x. 28-31; xiii. 15-22; Ps. xcii.
(title); cxviii. 24; Isa. i. 13; Ivi. 2-7; Iviii. 13, 14
Ixvi. 23 ; Jer, xvii. 19-27 ; Lara. i. 7 ; ii. 6 ; Ezek. xx.
xxii. 26 ; Hos. ii. 11 ; Amos viii. 5 ; Matt. xii. 1-13
xxviii. 1 ; Mark ii. 23-28 ; Luke iv. 16 ; xiii. 10-17
xxiii. 54 ; John v. 10-18 ; vii. 23 ; xx. 19, 26 ; Acts
XX. 7 ; 1 Cor. xvi. 2 ; Heb. iv. 9 ; Rev. i. 10.
Figures : — The Lord's day ; the day of rest ; the pearl
of days. God's enclosure, " as if a segment of the eter-
nal Sabbath had been inserted in the days of earth, and
men wondered at their own happiness." — Hamilton.
Called by the Jews, the day of light ; by the Africans,
ossa-day, the day of silence ; by the Creek Indians, the
praying day ; by the early Christians, the queen of days.
Sin keeps no Sabbaths.
Years of Sabbaths. — In every forty years of a man's
life he has spent nearly six years of Sabbaths ; in every
seventy years, ten. How little do we consider our so-
lemn, vast responsibility !
Wet Sundays. — " It was ascertained by a wpather
table, nccurately kept for a period often years, that the
40 *
474 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
average of rainy days for that space of time in each
year was fifty-seven ; to which may be added the days
on which it snowed, and the average will be at least
seventy. The average number of days in the year, in
which either rain or snow, or both fell, is found to be 69 J,
and seventy may be regarded as the average number.
Now, as we know not that the Sabbaths are more exempt
than other days, there will be at least ten stormy Sab-
baths in each year. It may, therefore, be expected that
at least every fifth Sabbath will be of this description.
And if any one make it a practice to neglect the worship
of God whenever it rains or snows, he will lose in five
years fifty Sabbaths, or about a whole year of Sabbaths ;
and in forty years eight whole years of public worship."
— Cottage Magazine.
Champs-Elysees. — The Sabbath, it has often been
said, is the simplest and most palpable type we have of
heaven ; and one of the best ways of spending the Sab-
bath well, is to try and realize the eternal heavenly rest ;
as, vice versa, one of the ways of realizing heaven is the
pure enjoyment of a well-spent earthly Sabbath. But
what a Sabbath is that of the lover of pleasure ! " There
is a place in Paris," wrote M'Cheyne, when in France,
" called the Champs-Elysdes, or the plain of heaven, a
beautiful public walk, with trees and gardens. It is the
chief scene of their Sabbath desecration, and an awful
scene it is ! Oh, thought I, if this be the heaven the
Parisian loves, he will never enjoy the pure heaven that
is above."
Philip Henry used to say of a well-spent Sabbath,
*' If this be not the way to heaven, I know not what is."
WlLBEJiFOiiCE. — "Oh, what a ble:>sing is Sundav, 'U-
ILLUSTRATrVli: GATHERINGS. 475
terposed between the waves of worldly business like the
divine path of the Israelites through Jordan. There is
nothing in which I would advise jou to be more strictly
conscientious than in keeping the Sabbath holy. I can
truly declare that to rae the Sabbath has been invalu-
able,"
It wa? to his unvarying observing of the clay of rest, that ho
ascribed his continued ability to attend to business so h)ng.
Once (in 1800), when Parliament was fixed to meet on Monday,
January 16, as soon as he heard of it, he immediately wrote a
protest to Mr. Percival, remonstrating against the Sunday trav-
eling which would thus be occasioned, and the day was inmn;-
diately altered, through his intervention, to Thursday, the I'Jth.
Coleridge once said to a friend on Sunday morninor,
*' I feel as if God had, by giving the Sabbath, given fif-
ty-two springs in every year."
First Sabbath of the Pilgrim Fathers. — " The
spot of all places in North or South America to my mind
the most hallowed, is the island where the fatigued, de-
solate, almost perished pilgrims spent their first Sabbath.
Within half an hour's sail of the coast — nay, within ten
minutes' sail, if the wind and tide favored — of the place
where they were to abide all the rest of their pilgrimage,
they moored at the island, and would not again set a
sail that day, or take an OQ.r in hand, or do aught of
worldly work, because it was the Lord's day. And there,
upon that desolate island, frost-bound, habitationless, be-
neath a snowy sky, or what was worse, a freezing sleet,
they dedicated the hours of the Sabbath to the worship
of God. There is no spot in all the scene, on which the
vision rests with so solemn and thrilling an interest ;is
that." — Dr. Cheever.
xIaron and Hur Societies. — "I have been endow-
476 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
oring," Dr. Pajson writes to his mother, "to establish
among us what are called Aaron and Hur Societies: z.e.,
little collections of four or five, or more persons, who
meet before service on Sabbath morning, to spend an
hour in prayer for a blessing on the minister and the or-
dinances. They began on New Year's Day, and we
seemed to have an immediate answer, for the Meeting
was unusually solemn, and we have reason to hope that
the Word was not preached in vain."
SCOFFING.— Gen. xxi. 9 ; 2 Kings ii. 23, 24 ; Neh.
iv. 1-9 ; Ps. i. 1 ; Ixix. 7 ; cxxiii. 4 ; Prov. iii. 34 ; ix.
7, 8 ; xiii. 1 ; xv. 1, 12 ; xxix. 8 ; Isa. v. 18, 19 ; liii.
3 ; Jer. xvii. 15 ; Lam. i. 7 ; iii. 14, 61-63 ; iv. 2 ; Matt.
V. 10-12; ix. 24; xxvii. 28-31, 39-44; Luke xvi. 14;
xxii. 63, 64 ; xxiii. 11 ; Acts ii. 13 ; xvii. 32 ; 2 Pet. iii.
3, 4 ; Jude 18.
Luke xiii. 3 : " Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise
perish."
In the days of Whitfield, Thorpe, one of his most violent
opponents, and three others, laid a wager who could best imi-
tate and ridicule Whitfield's preaching. Each was to open the
Bible at random, and preach an extempore sermon from the
first verse that presented itself. Thorpe's three competitors each
went through the game, with impious buffoonery. Then, step-
ping upon the table, Thorpe exclaimed, <' I shall beat you all."
They gave him the Bible, and by God's inscrutable providence
his eye fell first upon this verse, " Except ye repent, ye shall all
likewise perish." He read the words, but the sword of the Spirit
went through his soul in a moment, and he preached as one
who scarce knew what he said. The hand of God laid hold
upon him, and intending to mock, he could only fear and trem-
ble. When he descended from the table, a profound silence
reigned in the company, and not one word was said concerning
the wager. Thorpe instantly withdrew, and after a season of
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 477
the deopost distress, passed into the full light of .he Gcspel, and
became a most successful preacher of its grace.
" The Lord sent it, if the Devil brought it." —
Old Granny Bender was a poor widow, full of prayers
and faith. One night, as two young lads were returning
from the town with a couple of baker's loaves, said one,
" Tom, suppose we have a little fun with Granny Ben-
der?" "Agreed," *aid Tom. They went up to her
cottage to reconno''^re, and, listening at the door, found
old Granny praying for food. The thought struck them
to throw their two loaves down the chimney ; so up they
clambered, and down the loaves tumbled.
When they reached the window, they found the old
woman still on her knees, thanking God for having an-
swered her prayers.
" Well, really ; is the old w^oman so simple as to be-
lieve that the Lord answered her prayer, and sent her
two loaves of bread down the chimney ?"
"No doubt of it."
" Hallo, Granny !" said I, " is it possible that you be-
lieve that bread came down from heaven ? Why, I threw
it down the chimney."
The old woman's face was turned fully toward me,
and I could see the tears of thankfulness as I felt her
keen rebuke, while she said, " Well, all I know is, the
Lord sent it, if the devil brought it."
You may be sure I vanished instantly.
A Poor Man, w^ho had heard the preaching of the
Gospel, and to whom it had been greatly blessed, was
the subject of much profane jesting and ridicule among
his fellow-workmen and neighbors. On being asked if
these daily persecutions did not sometimes make him
478 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
ready to give up his profession of attachment to Divine
truth, he replied, " No ! I recollect our good minister
ouce said in his sermon, that if we were so foolish as to
permit such people to laugh us out of religion, till at last
we dropped into hell, they could not laugh us out again."
SCRIPTURES.— Deut. vi. 6-9; xvii. 18-20; xxx.
11-14 ; Josh. i. 8 ; Neh. viii. ; Job xxxiii. 12 ; Ps. i. 2 ;
xii. 6 ; xvii. 4 ; xix. 7-11 ; xxxvii. 31 ; cxix. ; Prov. vi.
23 ; xxx. 5 ; Isa. viii. 20 ; xxxiv. 16 ; xl. 8 ; Jer. xv.
16; xxxvi.; Dan. ix. 2; x. 21 ; Matt. iv. 4; xxi. 42;
xxii. 29 ; Mark vii. 9-13 ; Luke xxiv. 27, 45 ; John ii.
22 ; V. 39 ; x. 35 ; xii. 48 ; xvii. 17 ; xx. 30, 31 ; Acts
xvii. 11, 12; xviii. 24; xxiv. 14; Rom. iii. 2; xv. 4 ;
xvi. 26 ; 1 Cor. ii. 13 ; 2 Cor. ii. 17 ; Gal. iii. 22 ; Col.
iii. 16 ; 2 Tim. i. 13 ; iii. 14-17 ; Heb. iv. 12 ; James i.
18, 21-25 ; 1 Peter i. 23 ; ii. 2, 8 ; iv. 11 ; 2 Peter i.
19, 21 ; iii. 16 ; Rev. xxii. 18, 19.
Ps. xix. 1 : — " Moreover by them is thy servant
warned."
" A certain Jew had formed a design to poison Luther, but
was disappointed by a faithful friend, who sent Luther a por-
trait of the man, with a warning against him. By this, Luther
knew the murderer, and escaped his hands. Thus the Word
of God, Christian, shows thee the face of those lusts, which
Satan employs to destroy thy comforts and poison thy soul !"
John V. 39. — " Search the Scriptures."
It is recorded of M'Cheyne, — "His family devotions were
full of life, full of gladness, tc the end. Indeed, his very man-
ner of reading the chapter reninded you of a man poring into
the sands for pieces of fine gold, and from time to time holding
up to you what h^ delighted to have found. *One gem,' said
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 479
he ono», ' from that ocean is worth all the pebbles from earthly
streams.' "
Eph. vi. 17. — " The sword of the Spirit, which is the
Word of God."
It is reported of a great person, that being desirous to see the
sword wherewith Scanderbeg had done so great exploits, when
he saw it, he said that he saw no such great matter in that
more than any other sword. " It is truth," said one standing
by, " you see the sword, but not the arm that wielded it." So,
when we look upon the Scriptures, we find them the same as
other writings, but when we remember the arm that wields the
sword, — when we look upon the operation of God's Spirit
working thereby, — we no longer wonder at the mighty efi'ects.
are a letter from the " Father of mercies" to His
children at school.
a banquet, where all are bidden " come and
welcome."
a hook in ci'pher, which none but believers can
decipher.
a 'prism, which only glistens when held to
the light.
Q, portrait, from which the eye of some dear,
entreating friend seems to follow us which-
ever way we turn.
a stone of the mountain covered with moss.
Put it under the microscope, and what
wonders are revealed !
the magazine and storehouse of the Christian
soldier, wherefrom he must gather all his
weapons.
— — — the spiritual barometer to discern the heart a
true state.
480 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
the telescope^ revealing the glories of the
upper world.
the map and chart of the celestial city.
The Price of a Bible in the time of Edward I. was
.£37. The hire of a laborer then was three-halfpence a
day ; so that it would have taken such a person the earn-
ings of 4,800 days, or thirteen years and fifty-five days
to obtain one ; or, excluding the Sundays, more than fif-
teen years and three months of constant labor.
Contrast with this the Bible in the present day : —
The British and Foreign Bible Society alone havo
spread directly or indirectly, during the last fifty years,*
no less than 46,000,000 copies of the Word of Life, of
which the greatest part have been circulated among
English readers ; and from their press six copies are now
issued every minute of the day (of ten hours), or 3,600
daily ; and this at a price so low, that the poorest may
afford it.
Illuminated Bibles. — Before the art of printing, old
monks used to take immense pains in illuminating Bibles,
tracing the letters in silver, and gold, and brilliant co-
lors. It has been suggested that a Bible might be printed
in a similar manner, if every Christian reader could
make bright those passages which have stirred or strength-
ened him. How many illuminated Bibles would the
Church possess ! Take a few who would mark the texts
which first brought them to the feet of Jesus : —
The Irovside Soldier, m whose Bible the bullet stopped at
Eccles. xi. 9, 10. There would be his brightest illuminated
text.
Augustine. — Rom. xiii. 13. — There was his.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATIIERINQS. 481
Earl of Rochester, "the wit, the sinner, and the penitent." —
Isa. liii.
The martyr Bilney — 1 Tim. i. 15.
Alexander Henderson — John x. 1 (page 62.)
Jonathan Edwards — 1 Tim. 1. 17.
Kev. Thos. Adam (author of " Private Thoughts") — Kom. i.
Cowper — Eom. iii. 26.
D'AuUgnl — Eph. iii. 20 ; read at an inn at Kiel.
Hfi if. i(. i(i ie- i(i
•if. if. if. -if. i(i if.
Keader, what texts would stand brightest in your Bible, if il-
luminated thus ?
Expanded Texts. — *• The boy holds his ball of twine
in his hand, and thinks it is not much, he can clasp it so
easily ; but when he begins to unroll it, and his wind-
borne kite mounts higher and higher, till at length that
which, on the ground was taller than he, is now no bigger
than his hand, he is astonished to see how long it is. So
there are little texts, which look small in your palm, but,
when caught up upon some experience, they unfold them-
selves, and stretch out until there is no measuring their
length." — BeecTier.
Cromwell's Soldiers' Bible. — By the especial com-
mand of Cromwell, every man in his army carried a
" Soldiers' Pocket Bible" with him, wearing it generally
near his heart. It was a single sheet, of sixteen pages,
containing selections from Scripture, in eighteen chap
ters, each with an appropriate heading; as, e,g.^ —
A soldier must not doe wickedly.
A soldier must pray before he goe to fight.
A soldier must love his enemies, as they are his enemies ; and
hate them, as they are God's enemies. Matt. v. 44 ; 2 Chron.
xix. 2 ; Ps. cxxxix. 21, 22.
It is certainly remarkable that the success of Crom
41 81
482 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
well's army commenced immediately after the publicatiun
of " The Pocket Bible ;" and, after they began to use
it, they never lost a single battle.
The Road-book.—" The Bible the religion of Prote-
-jtants." This was well illustrated by an Irish peasant,
v/hom a Romish priest was trying to persuade to give up
fi"^ Bible. "Supposing," said the priest, "you w^ere
going to Dublin, and came to that spot where four roads
meet, and did not know the way ; and one person told
you to go to the right, and a thousand to take the left ;
which would you listen to ? In other words, — should
you mind what Luther, a single heretic says, or what the
Pope, and the Cardinals, and all the doctors of the
Catholic Church teach you?" "Why," answered the
poor man, " if I had a road-book in my pocket I would
not mind any of them. Now (producing his Bible), I
have such a book here, and I must follow it, God helping
me, in spite of the Pope, and Cardinals, and doctors."
The priest soon left the man, in manifest self-confusion.
"What wareant have you to read the Bible for your-
self?" was the demand of another priest of a new con-
vert to the true faith. " Och !" was the answer, "IVe
a sareh warrant." John v. 39.
The History of a Text-book. — A few years ago, a
little boy had a small text-book given him by his grand-
mother ; it was bound in red leather, and had his name
written in it. One day he went to Lynn mart, however,
and lost it, to his no small regret.
About a year afterwards, the Rev. R C , the
clergyman of W (a parish about eight miles from
Lynn), was sent for to see the wife of- a man well known
as a notoriously bad character , the medical man, who
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 483
brought the message, adding, " You will find the lion
become a lamb."
What had been the cause ? The woman's child had
picked up the text-book, and carried it home. Curiosity,
or rather the Spirit's guiding power, led her to read it ;
and her understanding was opened, and she received the
truth. She died soon after, full of joy and hope. Isa.
Iv. 11.
Dr. Harris, in all his wills, renewed this legacy : —
" Item, I bequeath to my children, and to my children's
children, each of them a copy of the Bible, with this in-
scription upon it, 'None hut Christ.' (Col. iii. 16.)"
A Fitting Resolve. — " At a Missionary Meeting in
Mangaia, after the whole Bible had been received in
their own language, an aged disciple rose up to exhort
the people to read the whole Bible through. Lifting his
own new Bible before the congregation, he exclaimed,
" My brethren and sisters, this is my resolve : the dust
shall never cover my new Bible, the moths shall never
eat it, the mildew shall never rot it ! My light, my
joy!"
Neglected Treasure. — A traveler one day called at
a cottage to ask for a draught of water. Entering, he
found the parents cursing and quarreling, the children
trembling, crouched in a corner ; and wherever he looked
he saw only marks of degradation and poverty. Greet-
ing the inmates, he asked them, " Dear friends, why do
you make your house like hell ?"
"Ah, Sir," said the man, "you don't know the life
and trials of a poor man, when, do what you can, every-
thing goes wrong."
The stranger drank the water, and then said softly, (as
484 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
he noticed in a dark and dusty corner a Bible), " Dear
friends, I know what would help you, if you could find
it. There is a treasure concealed in your house. Search
for it."
And so he left them.
At first the cottagers thought it a jest, but, after a
while they began to reflect. When the woman went out,
therefore, to gather sticks, the man began to search, and
even to dig, that he might find the treasure. When the
man was away, the woman did the same. Still they
found nothing ; — increasing poverty brought only more
quarrels, discontent, and strife.
One day, as the woman was left alone, she was think-
ing upon the stranger's word, when her eye fell on the
old Bible. It had been a gift from her mother, but since
her death had been long unheeded and unused.
A strange foreboding seized her mind. Could it be
this the stranger meant ? She took it from the shelf,
opened it, and found the verse inscribed on the title-page,
in her mother's handwriting. '' The law of thy mouth
is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver." It
cut her to the heart. "Ah!" thought she, "this is the
treasure, then, we have been seeking." How her tears
fell fast upon the leaves !
From that time she read the Bible every day, and
prayed, and taught the children to pray; but without
her husband's knowledge. One day he came home, as
usual, quarreling, and in a rage. Instead of meeting
his angry words with angry replies, she spoke to him
kindly and with gentleness. " Husband," said she, " we
have sinned grievously. We have ourselves to blame for
all our misery, and we must now lead a different life."
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 485
He looked amazed. "What dost thou say?'* was his
exclamation. She brought the old Bible, and, sobbing,
cried, " There is the treasure. See, I have found it !"
The husband's heart was moved. She read to him of
the Lord Jesus, and of His love. Next day she read,
and again and again ; she sat with the children round
her, thoughtful and attentive.
Some time went on.
It was after a year that the stranger returned that
way. Seeing the cottage, he remembered the circum-
stances of his visit, and thought he would call and see
his old friends again. He did so, but he would scarcely
have known the place ; it was so clean, so neat, so well
ordered. He opened the door, and at first thought he
was mistaken, for the inmates came to meet him so
kimlly, with the peace of God beaming upon their faces.
" How are you, my good people?" said he. Then they
knew the stranger, and for some time they could not
speak. " Thanks, thanks, dear Sir ; we have found
your treasure. Now dwells the blessing of God in our
house, — His peace in our hearts !" So said they, and
their entire condition, and the happy faces of their chil-
dren, declared the same more plainly.
SELF-EXAMINATION.— Neh. iii. 10, 23, 30 ; Ps.
iv. 4 ; Ixxvii. 6 ; cxix. 59 : cxxxix. 23, 24 ; Lam. iii.
40 ; Haggai i. 6 ; 1 Cor. xi. 28, 31 ; 2 Cor. xiii. 5 ; Gal.
vi. 3-5.
First examine how you examine yourself. When a
tradesman is about to weigh his goods, he must first of
all adjust the scales.
41 *
486 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
" For one look at self, take ten looks at Christ." —
M'Cheyne,
At Munich the custom is said to prevail that every
child found begging in the streets is arrested, and carried
to a charitable establishment. The moment he enters,
and before he is cleaned, and gets the new clothes in-
tended for him, his portrait is painted in his ragged
dress, and precisely as he was found begging. When
his education is finished, this portrait is given to him,
and he promises by an oath to keep it all his life, that
he may be reminded of the abject condition from which
he has been rescued, and of the gratitude he owes the
establishment which raised him from misery, and taught
him how to avoid it for the future. Let the Christian
often compare thus his former condition, as a sinner un-
saved, with his state as a renewed believer, that his love
and gratitude may be excited, and his affections drawn
to Him who has wrought the change.
SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS.— Deut, ix. 4 ; 2 Kings
V. 12 ; Prov. xx. 6 ; xxi. 2 ; xxx. 12, 13 ; Isa. xxliii.
20; xxx. 1; Ivii. 12; lix. 6; Ixiv. 6; Ixv. 5; Her. h^^_
82-37; iii. 23; vii. 3-15; ix. 25, 26; Hosea xii. 8;
Micah iii. 11; Matt. v. 20; vi. 1-8; ix. 11-13; Luke
X. 29 ; xi. 39 ; xvi. 14, 15 ; xviii. 9-14 ; John ix. 39-
41; Rom. ii. 17-24; iii. 27; ix. 30-33; x. 3, 4; Phil,
iii. 4-9.
Phidias, the great sculptor, was employed by the
Athenians to make a statue of the Goddess Diana, and
he succeeded so well as to produce a chef d'oeuvre. But
the artist became enamored of his own work, and was so
anxious that his name should go down to posterity that
ILLUSTilATiVE CAriiERINGS. 487
he secretly engraved his name in one of the folds of the
drapery ; which, when the Athenians discovered, they
indignantly banished the man who had polluted the
sanctity of their goddess. So would self-righteous sin-
ners act with the pure spotless robe of Him who knew
no sin ! Let them beware !
SIN. — Gen. vi. 5; xxxix. 9; Numb. xvi. 38; xxxii.
23; 1 Sam. ii. 25 ; 1 Kings viii. 46 ; Job i. 5, 22; vii. 20;
ix. 30, 31 ; xiii. 23 ; xv. 11, 14-16 ; xxv. ; xxxiii. 27 ;
Ps. iv. 4 ; xix. 12 ; Ixxviii. 17 ; xcvii. 10 ; cxix. 11, 53,
136, 158 ; cxxxix. 23, 24 ; Prov. xiii. 21 ; xx. 9 ; Eccl.
vii. 20 ; Isa. i. 18 ; v. 18 ; xxx. 1 ; lix. 1, 2 ; Jer. ii.
13, 22-35 ; v. 25 ; xvii. 1-15 ; Ezek. xviii. 20, 30-32 ;
Hab. ii. 10 ; John i. 29 ; viii. 7, 34 ; xvi. 8, 9 ; Acts
vii. 60 ; Rom. i.-viii. ; 1 Cor. xv. 56 ; 2 Cor. v. 21 ; vii.
8-12 ; Gal. iii. 22 ; 1 Thess. v. 22 ; 2 Tim. ii. 19 ; Heb.
iii. 13 ; iv. 15 ; xi. 25 ; xii. 4 ; James i. 13-15 ; ii. 10 ;
V. 20; 1 Pet. iv. 18; 1 John i. 8-10; iii. 4, 5; Rev.
xxii. 11.
What is Sm ? Cf. 1 John iii. 4 ; Rom. xiv. 23 ;
James iv. 17 ; Prov. xxiv. 9.
Figures : —
Sin is like a burden. Ps. xxxviii. 9.
a debt of ten thousand talents (Matt, xviii.
24 ; vi. 12) ; more than a poor bankrupt
sinner can ever hope to pay.
scarlet dyed stain. Isa. i. 18.
. Ze/?r{)8?/,— defiling, loathsome, separating,
infectious, incurable.
a dream^ — and oh, how many awake too
late!
488 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
the wound of a poisoned arrow. The only
cure for sin's deep-festering wound is to
extract the poison ; but men shrink, and
would rather conceal it than have it probed
and healed.
an inclined 'plane.
Sin is commonly gradual ; cf. 2 Kings xvi. 10-16; Ahaz (1)
first 5aw an idolatrous altar at Damascus; (2), he ac^mirerf it ;
(3), he copied it ; (4), he worshiped on it ; (5), he commanded the
people to do the same ; (6), he removed God's altar.
a vampire, sucking the life-blood of the
victim it has fanned to sleep.
a volcano, silent at times, yet boiling within.
There are green vineyards and white cot-
tages on the sides of Vesuvius, and men
inhabit them without fear !
• a rope. Sin, in its beginnings, is like a
silken thread, but it thickens every day,
till it becomes a mighty catjle. Isa.
V. 18. \ J
apples of Sodom, — beautiful and ruddy, but,
when opened, full of acrid and bitter
dust.
a potsherd covered with silver. Prov. xxvi.
23.
Fossil Rain. — The great stone-book of nature re-
veals many strange records of the past. In the red
Bandstone, there are found in some places marks which
are clearly the impressions of showers of rain, and these
so perfect that it can even be determined in which direc-
tion the shower inclined, and from what quarter it pro-
ceeded ; and .his, ages ago ! So sin leaves its track
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 489
behind it, and God keeps a faithful record of all our
sins.
*' There is no sin we can be tempted to commit, but
we shall find a greater satisfaction in resisting than in
Dmmitting. ' ' — Mason.
There are three things a true Christian desires with
respect to sin : 1st, Justification, that it may not con-
demn. 2d, Sanctification, that it may not reign. 3d,
Glorification, that it may not be.
Our own. — A missionary, addressing a school, ob-
served that there is nothing that we can properly call our
own, and put the question, " Can you think of anything
that you can call your own ?" " Yes, Sir," said one of the
heathen girls ; " there is, I think, one thing, is there
not? our sins are our own!"
SPIRIT, HOLY, The.— Gen. vi. 3 ; Ex. xxxi. 3 ;
Num. xi. 17, 26 ; xxiv. 2 ; xxvii. 18 ; Judges xiii. 25 ;
1 Sam. x. 10 ; xi. 6 ; xix. 23 ; 1 Chronicles xii. 18 ; 2
Kings ii. 9; 2 Chron. xv. 1 ; Ps. cxxxix. 7; cxliii. 10;
Cant. iv. 16 ; Isa. xlviii. 16 ; lix. 19 ; Ixiii. 10 ; Ezek.
1. 20 ; xi. 24 ; Dan. iv. 8 ; Micah iii. 8 ; Zech. iv. 6, 7 ;
Matt. xii. 31, 32 ; xxviii. 19 ; Luke i. 15, 16 ; ii. 26,
27 ; xi. 13 ; John iii. 5 ; iv. 23 ; xiv. 16 ; xx. 22 ; Acts
ii. ; V. 3, 32 ; vii. 51 ; Rom. v. 5 ; viii. ; xv. 13 ; 1 Cor.
n. 14; vi. 19 ; xii. 3-13; 2 Cor. iii. 3, 17, 18; Gal. v.
16-25 ; vi. 8 ; Eph. ii. 18 ; iv. 30 ; v. 9 ; vi. 17 ; Phil,
i. 19 ; 1 Thess. v. 19 ; Jude 19 ; Rev. i. 10 ; xxii. 17.
J J
Operations of, creation, Gen. i. 3; Job xxvi. 13; Ps. civ.
30 \— honoring Christ, Isa. xlviii. 16 ; Ixi/l ; Matt. J><<16 ; iv.
I ; Luke i. 35 ; iv. 14 ; Joli^ii. 34 ; Kom. vJM^l ; 1 Pet. iii.
II — inspiring the Word, Acts i. 16; xxviii. 25; Eph. vi. 17,
490 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGi.
2 Pet. i. 21 ; — convincing of sin, John xvi. 7-14 ; — regenerating^
John iii. 5 ; — guiding, Ezek. iii. 22-27 ; John xvi. 13 ; Acts viii.
29; X. 19; xi. 28, xiii. 2; xvi. 7; xxi. 4; — teaching, ISTeh. ix.
20; John xiv. 26; xvi. 14, 26; 1 Cor. ii. 10-16; xii. 8 ;—
sealing, John vi. 27 ; Rom. iv. 30 ; 2 Cor. i. 22 ; Eph. i. 13 ; iv,
30 ; — anointing, Ps. xlv. 7 ; Acts x. 38 ; 1 John ii. 20, 27 ; —
witnessing, John xv. 26 ; Rom. viii. 16 ; Heb. x. 15; —comforting^
John xiv. 16, 17, 26; xv. 26; Acts ix. 31; Gal. v. 22 ',—sancti.
fying, Kom. xv. 16 ; 1 Cor. vi. 11 ; 1 Pet. i. 2, 22; — indwelling,
John xiv. 16, 17; 1 Cor. iii. 16; Eph. v. 18; — quickening, Ps.
cxliii. 10, 11; John vi. 63; Rom. viii. 11; — helping in prayer ,
Zech. xii. 10; Rom. viii. 26, 27; Eph. vi. 18; Jude 20 -,— bap-
tizing the Church, Prov. i. 23; Isa. xxxii. 15; xliv. 3; Ezek.
xxxvi. 26; xxxvii. 9, 14 ; Joel ii. 28, 29 ; Zech. xii. 10 ; Matt,
iii. 11 ; Luke xxiv. 49 ; Acts i. 5 ; ii. 39 ; viii. 17 ; xi. 16 ; xix.
1-6.
Titles.— Gen. i. 2; Neh. ix. 20; Ps. Ii. 11, 12: cxliii. 10;
Isa. iv. 4 ; xi. 2 ; Ixi: 1 ; Zech. xii. 10 ; Matt. x. 20 : Luke i.
35; John iii. 6 ; xiv. 16, 17, 26 ; Acts i. 4; Rom. i. 4; viii. 2,
9-16; Gill. iv. 6; Eph. i. 13, 17; iv. 30; Heb. ix. 14; 1 Pet.
iv. 14; Rev. i. 4; xix. 10.
Emblems : — Water ^ John vii. 38, 39 ; Fire, Matt. iii.
11 ; 1 Thess. v. 19 ; Wind, John iii. 8 ; Cant. iv. 16 ;
Oil, Heb. i. 9 ; Isa. Ixi. 1 ; Rain and Dew, Hos. xiv. 5 ;
Joel ii. 23; A dove, Matt. iii. 16; A seal, Eph. i. 13 ;
John vi. 27 ; Eph. iv. 30 ; A guide, John xvi. 13 ; An
earnest of our inheritance, Eph. i. 13 ; The heart of the
Church. [" Though Christ be the Head, yet is the Holy
Ghost the heart of the Church, from whence the vital
spirits of grace and holiness are issued out unto the
quickening of the body mystical." — Heylin.']
Cf. the many expressions in Scripture, — " praying in the H^ly
Ghost," "the comfort of the Holy Ghost," "the power of th<»
Holy Ghost," "the communion of the Holy Ghost," "the lovo
of the Spirit," ''filled with the Spirit," (applied by Zecharias,
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 491
John the Baptist, Peter, Stephen, Barnabas, Paul, &c.), ^'■pour-
ing out of the Spirit," &c., &c.
Cf. the types ; the altar and the laver before the tab-
ernacle, the divers washings^ the anointings, of the tab-
ernacle, Exod. xl. 9-11 ; of the priests, Exod. xl. 13-15;
of kings, 1 Sam. x. 1; xvi. 13, &c.
Weldinvj Cold Iron. — Suppose a blacksmith were
sent for to mend a number of old broken iron vessels,
and told that he must do it without fire, what would he
say to the proposal ? Yet sinners' hearts are as hard
and cold! and just as foolish are they who think that all
that is needed is to begin and go on hammering at them,
and that will convert them. No ! heat the iron, and it
may be mended and remoulded. Melt the soul with the
spirit of burning, or we are without hope of seeing any
saving change.
On FOR THE Baptism of Fire.— ^' Suppose we saw an
army sitting down before a granite fortress, and they
told us that they intended to batter it down. We might
ask them, how ? They point us to a cannon-ball. Well,
but there is no power in that ! It is heavy, but not
more than a hundredweight, or half a hundredweight.
If all the men in the army were to throw it, thai; would
make no impression. They say, No, but look at the
cannon. Well, but there is no power in that ; it is a
machine, and nothing more. But look at the powder !
Well, there is no power in that ; a child may spill it, a
sparrow may pick it up. Yet this powerless powder, and
this powerless ball, are put into this powerless cannon ;
one spark of fire enters it, and then, in the twinkling of
an eye, that powder is a flash of lightning, and that
cannon-ball is a thunder-bolt, which smites as if it h.id
41)2 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
been sent from heaven. So is it with our church ma-
chinery of the present day. We have our instruments
for pulling down the strongholds, but oh ! for the baptism
of fire.'' — Bev. W. Arthur.
TEMPER.— Gen. iv. 6-8; xxxi. 1 ; Num. xi. 10-15;
XX. 10 ; Judges xii. 1-6 ; 1 Sam. xviii. 6-12 ; xxv. 10-
17 ; 1 Kings xxi. 4 ; 2 Kings v. 11, 12 ; 2 Chron. xvi.
10; Esther V. 9-14; Ps. xxxvii. 8; cxli. 3; Prov. vi.
84 ; xiv. 16, 29 ; xvi. 18, 32 ; xix. 3 ; xxv. 28 ; Cant,
viii. 6; Jer. xx. 14-18; Dan. iii. 19; Jonah iv. ; Mark
vil. 21-23 ; Rom. xii. 21 ; Eph. iv. 26.
" If religion has done nothing for your temper, it has
done nothing for your soul." — Clayton.
"Many Christians," says Newton truly, *' who bore
the loss of a dear child, or of all their property, with the
most heroic Christian fortitude, are entirely vanquished
by the breaking of a dish, or the blunders of a servant."
Wilberforce. — "A friend once found him in the
greatest agitation, looking for a despatch he had mislaid,
for which one of the Royal Family was waiting. At
the moment, as if to make it still more trying to his tem-
per, a disturbance was heard in the nursery overhead.
'Now,' thought the friend, 'surely for once his temper
will give way.' The thought had hardly passed through
his mind, when Wilberforce turned to him, and said,
' What a blessing it is to hear those dear children! only
think what a relief, among other hurries, to hear their
voices, and to know they are well." — Christian Keep-
sake^ 1836.
TEMPTATION.— Gen. iii.; xxii.; xxxix. 7-9; Josh,
vii. 21 ; Num. xxii. 17 ; 2 Sam. xi. ; xii. ; 1 Chron. xxi.
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 493
1 : 2 Chron. xxxii. 31 ; Job i. ; Ps. xvii. 4, 5 ; Prov. i.
10; iv. 14, 15; xvi. 29; Dan. vi. ; xii. 10; Zech. xia.
9 ; Matt. iv. 1-11 ; vi. 13 ; xxvi. 41 ; Mark xiv. 66-72 ;
Luke viii. 13 ; xxii. 28-32 ; John xiv. 30 ; xvii. 15 ;
Acts XX. 19 ; Rom. xvi. 20 ; 1 Cor. x. 13; 2 Cor. ii. 11;
xi. 14 ; xii. 1-10 ; Eph. vi. 16 ; 1 Thess. iii. 5 ; 1 Tim.
vi. 9, 10 ; Heb. ii. 18 ; iv. 15 ; James i. 2-4, 12-15 ; 1
Pet. i. 6, 7; iv. 12, 13 ; v. 8, 9 ; 2 Pet. ii. 9 ; 1 John
V. 18 ; Rev. iii. 10.
Is said to be from Satan ; but, alas ! we some-
times tempt Satan almost as much as he tempts us.
" Temptations are instructions. He is over wise that
goes out of God's way to escape a cross. A Christian
who lives here among his enemies, should never stir
abroad without his guard. If you follow Satan, you will
find the tempter prove a tormenter ; if you follow the
Spirit, you will find the Counselor prove a Comforter."
— Mason.
Oh, such BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS, /^^s^ witMn the railings !
A theme for children at school to write upon.
"Every good farmer will take care of his fences,''
else his own cattle would wander out, and his neighbor's
wander in.
Set double guard upon that point to-night, was
an officer's command, when an attack was expected.
THIEVES.— Jer. ii. 26 ; Joel ii. 9 ; Luke xii. 33 ;
John X. 1, 10.
Providence. — Ps. Ixxvi. 10. The Rev. Thos. Brad-
bury was once engaged at family prayers, when the ser-
vants, in their haste, had forgotten to shut the area door.
Some men passing, one of them entered the house and
42
494 ILLUSTRATIVE G &.TTIERINGS.
crept up stairs, intending to rob the house. To his sur-
prise he heard a gentleman praying, at the very instant,
that God would protect them from thieves ; and so thun-
derstruck did he feel at the sin he was intending to en-
gage in, that he soon after went and told Mr. B. the cir-
cumstance, and became an attendant on his ministry.
TRUST IN GOD.— 1 Sam. xvii. 38, 39 ; Job xiii. 15 ;
Ps. XX. 7 ; xxxii. 10 ; xxxvi. 7 ; Ixii. 8 ; Ixv. 5 ; Ixxi.
5; xci. 4; cxii. 7 ; cxxv. 1; Prov. iii. 5; xiv. 26; xvi.
20 ; Isa. xxvi. 3, 4 ; 1. 10 ; Jer. xvii. 7, 8 ; Dan. iii. 28 ;
Nahum i. 7; Zeph, iii. 12; 2 Cor. i. 9, 10; Eph. i. 12;
1 Tim. iv. 10.
not in man. — Ps. xliv. 6 ; Isa. ii. 22 ; xxx. 1, 2;
xxxvi. 6, 15; Jer. ii. 36, 37; xvii. 5, 6; Dan. iv. 12;
Hosea v. 13 ; Micah vii. 5.
" Angels know the happiness of power ; we the hap-
piness of weakness." — Lady Powerscourt.
Abelard, Duke of Wurtemberg. — " Several German
princes were once extolling the glory of their realms.
One boasted of his excellent vineyards ; another of his
hunting-grounds ; another of his mines ; at last he took
up the subject, and said, ' I own that I am a poor prince,
and can vie with none of these things ; nevertheless, I
too possess a noble jewel in my dominion ; for, were
I to be without attendants, either in the open country or
wild forests, I could ask the first of my subjects whom I
met to stretch himself upon the ground, and confidently
place my head upon his bosom, and fall asleep without
the slightest apprehension of injury.' Was not this a
precious jewel for a prince ? I, however, have something
better ; for I can rest my head and heart in the lap of
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 495
God's providence, and upon the bosom of Jesus Christ
my Lord, with a perfect assurance that neither man nor
devil can touch me there." — Gotthold's Emblems.
USEFULNESS.— Gen. iv. 9; xviii. 19; Neh. ii. 10;
iii.; Ps. li. 7-13; Prov. x. 21; xi. 30; Eccles. xi. 1,
6 ; Isa. xxxii. 20 ; Dan. xii. 3 ; Matt. v. 13-16 ; x. 7,
32 ; Mark xiv. 8 ; John i. 40, 42 ; iv. 29, 36 ; Acts viii.
4 ; X. 38 ; xiii. 36 ; xxvii. 24 ; Rom. xiv. 7, 8 ; xvi. 2,
12 ; 1 Cor. ix. 19 ; 2 Cor. viii. 5, 12 ; Gal. vi. 20 ; Phil,
ii. 4, 15, 16; James i. 27; v. 19, 20; 1 Pet. ii. 9.
The vertical power of religion in the heart is the truest
measure of its horizontal power in the world.
" He who waits to do a great deal at once, will never
do anything." — Dr. Johnson.
Our power to benefit others will just be in proportion
to our personal holiness. " Speak for eternity," says
M'Cheyne, "but, above all, cultivate your own spirit.
A word spoken by you, when your conscience is clear,
and your heart full of God's Spirit, is worth ten thousand
words spoken in unbelief and sin. This was my great
fault in the ministry. Remember it is not man, but God,
that must have the glory. It is not so much speaking as
faith that is needed."
Lessons of Usefulness. — How they abound in the
Church's records ! We may well consider.
What many in humble life have done :
Thomas Cranfield, the tailor, laboring among the bricklayers,
in Sunday and Infant schools, and other good works. John
Pounds, the cobbler, the founder of Kagged-schools. Harlan
Page, the joiner; one of whose chief rules was to aim at doing
good to individuals. Out of 125 of his Sabbath scholars at Cov-
entry, 84 gave evidence of true piety, and six became preachers
496 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
of the Gospel; of 100 young women employed in the Tract
and Bible houses, 60 were brought to Christ. Many sheets of
the Word of God and tracts, as they were folded and stitched,
were moistened with the tears from broken hearts : besides many
others he heard of brought to God through his instrumentality.
Sarah Martin, the dressmaker at Yarmouth, visiting first in the
workhouses and afterward in the jail. Thomas DaJcin, the
Greenwich pensioner and tract distributor : for nearly twenty
years he frequently distributed 150,000 a year, which were gra-
tuitously furnished by the Tract Society : he was called to leave
the world at last without a moment's warning, when a conside-
rable number of the handbills, *' Are you prepared to Die ?"
were found in his pockets. His happy and useful life supplied
the answer.
What many in active life have done: —
Luther and Calvin the Keformers. Wesley and Whitfield. John
Howard, the philanthropist, upon whose grave in Kussia was
engraved the motto, " He lived for others." Clarkson, Wilher-
force, and Buxton, the Statesmen. The Thorntons, merchants.
Mrs. Fry, the merchant's wife. Robert Raikes, the founder of
Sunday-schools. David Nasmith, a clerk in Glasgow, the foun.
der of City Missions in Glasgow, Ireland, America, Paris, Lon-
don ; and also the originator of the Monthly Tract Society,
Female Mission, and other benevolent institutions. Nettleton,
the preacher, under whose ministry, during a revival in
America, it is believed, directly and indirectly, 30,000 persons
were brought to Christ. James Crabbe, the missionary among
the gipsies.
What many in affliction and solitude have done : —
Sarah Price, the invalid of Hammersmith, who was reduced
by' rheumatism to such helplessness as to be unable to raise her-
self from her couch. Conveyed to Percy Chapel, where the
late Kev. J. H. Stewart ministered, her heart was stirred up to
circulate his tracts. She formed a plan of sending a copy to
seventy clergymen on New Year's Day. 700 were sent. The
work grew, and in less than a fortnight 14,000 were circulated.
Thousands more of his tracts were issued, though nearly the
ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS. 497
whole of her share was done in bed, and her limbs were so con-
tracted that she could scarcely feed herself. Yet through her
instrumentality, almost all ministers in the three kingdoms,
missionaries abroad, and students at home, received a message
and tract on the importance of seeking the Holy Ghost. Harriet
Stoneman, a poor invalid, who for thirty-nine years was tried
with a disease which literally consumed her bones, during which
time her allowance was three shillings a week, of which ono
was required for rent and washing. Yet for twenty-eight years
she contributed a penny a week for the missionary cause, and
wrote letters and spoke loving words for Christ's cause, and
was enabled, in the midst of all her pains, to "rejoice in the
Lord." Adelaide Newton, who, when laid aside from action,
turned her whole mind to live on and in the Scriptures, and
whose words and works and letters, so deeply imbued with their
spirit, have been as life to many a carnal soul.
WORLD, The, and WORLDLINESS.— Ps. xvii. 14;
xxiv. 1; cvi. 35; Matt. iv. 8-10; v. 14; vi. 24-34;
xiii. 22, 38 ; xvi. 26 ; Luke xiv. 31-33 ; xvi. 8 ; John
i. 10, 29; viii. 12, 23; xvi. 33; xvii. 15; Rom. xii. 2 ;
1 Cor. iii. 19; vii. 31; 2 Cor. vi. 17; Gal. vi. 14; Eph.
ii. 2 ; 1 Tim. vi. 7 ; 2 Tim. iv. 10 ; Tit. ii. 2 ; Heb. i.
11. (" Our word * world,' is simply a contraction of
*wear old.' " — Dr, A. Clark.) James i. 27 ; iv. 4 ; 1
Pet. i. 14; 1 John ii. 15-17; iv. 5; v. 4, 19; Rev.
xii. 1.
Figures. — A wilderness^ bleak and barren, but the ap-
pointed road to Canaan,
, a show where the scenes are ever changing
1 Cor. vii. 31.
, the ocean^ under whose smiling and deceitful
surface are concealed the rocks and quick-
sands, on which the unskillful mariner
strikes an(} is lost.
n* 32
498 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
the mirage^ gorgeous but anreal, alluring but
disappointing.
a row of ci'phers^ valuable or worthless as a
unit is or is not before them.
Vanity Fair. See "Pilgrim's Progress."
" The world promises comforts, and pays sorrows. Be
not proud of riches, but afraid of them, lest they be as
silver bars to cross the way to heaven. We must answer
for our riches, but our riches cannot answer for us." —
Mason.
The PUREST Silver will soon tarnish, or a scent-bottle
lose its pungency, if left exposed to the air. Few Chris-
tians can keep the fire within alive if the sun of worldly
prosperity be constantly shining upon it.
The Reckoning. — "A selfish and fraudulent inn-
keeper speaks his guests fair, draws and serves his liquor
fresh, places dice and cards upon the table, and invites
the company to amuse themselves, and meanwhile says
nothing of the reckoning ; but it is not forgotten ; and
when at last it is laid before them, it makes them stare.
The devil does the sam.e with the world." — Grotthold.
The Counterfeit Note. — Martha Browning, a young
woman, aged twenty-four, was executed many years ago
for murder. The fatal deed was committed to obtain
possession of a <£5 note, but when the glittering bait
was at last really possessed, it proved to be not a note
of the Bank of England, but a flash note of the Bank
of Elegance ! What a mournful moral did her case sug-
gest ! To run such a fearful risk, and then to receive
such bitter wages ! Are the world's wages better ?
Only Pearls. — An Arab once lost his way in the
desert, and wa^ in danger of dying from hunger, A.t
TLLUSTRATIVE GArHERINGS. 499
last he found one of the cisterns out of which the camels
drink, and a little leather bag near it. " God be
thanked I" exclaimed he. "Ah! here are some dates
or nuts, — let me refresh myself." He opened the bag,
but only to turn away in disappointment. Alas ! they
were only pearls ! What value were they to one who
was, like Esau, " at the point to die ?"
The Foolish Heir. — It was an ancient custom, when
an heir was impleaded as an idiot, to put before him an
apple or a counter, with a piece of gold, and try which
he would take ; if he took the apple or the counter and
not the gold, he was cast for a fool, as unable to discern
the true worth of things. This is the way, however,
with all wicked men, who prefer toys to treasure, trifles
to realities, present troubles to eternal joys
'' Love not the World." — An eagle, flying over
some ice valleys, saw a dead body lying, which had been
frozen. The bird descended from its lofty flight, and
was so long time feasting upon the carcass, that when it
thought to mount again, it could not, for its wings had
become frozen to the ice on which it rested !
Finally, the World passeth away. — " Soon the
world will be burnt up, or we must leave it, — why, then,
should night-dreams, day-shadows, water-froth, and com-
mon wild flowers, run away with our heart in the mean-
time ? When a real believer comes to the water-side of
the river Jordan, and sets his feet, as it were, in the
boat, which is to convey him over to Canaan, he will
wonder at the folly of himself and others in loving the
things of the world." — Rutherford.
"A world so polluted, how can it give rest?
'Tis false to my Saviour to lean on its breast."
— Canon Stowell.
500 ILLUSTRATIVE GATHERINGS.
ZEAL, Holy. — Num. xxv. 11-13; Deut. xxxiii. 9;
1 Kings xviii. 21, 22 ; 2 Kings xxiii. 1-25 ; Neh. i. 10;
xiii. 14, 22 ; Ps. Ixix. 9 ; cxix. 139 ; Isa. ix. 7 ; lix. 17 ;
Ixiii. 15 ; Jer. xx. 9 ; Luke ii. 49 ; John ii. 17 ; iv. 34 ;
V. 35 ; Acts xvii. 16 ; xviii. 5, 25 ; Rom. xii. 11 ; 1 Cor.
xiv. 12; 2 Cor. vii. 11; ix. 2; Gal. iv. 18; Col. iv. 12,
13; Tit. ii. 14 ; Jude 3; Rev. iii. 16, 19.
, False or Mistaken. — 2 Sam. vi. 6, 7; xxi. 2;
2 Kings X. 16 ; Matt. xvi. 22 ; xxiii. 15 ; Luke ix. 54,
55 ; xxi. 20 ; John xviii. 10, 11 ; Acts xxii. 3, 4 ; Rom
X. 2 ; Gal. i. 14 ; iv. 17 ; Phil. iii. 6.
There are four kinds of zeal to be condemned : — 1.
Blind zeal, Rom. x. 2 ; 2. Bitter zeal, James iii. 14 ; 3.
Proud zeal, 2 Kings x. 16 ; 4. Partial zeal, Matt, xxiii.
23.— P. Jlenr^.
The zeal to be commended is guided by judgment
and tempered with meekness. A zealous person with-
out meekness is like a ship in full sail without a rudder ;
a meek person without zeal is like a ship becalmed.
" Discretion," says Bernard, "without zeal is slow-paced;
and zeal without discretion is strong-headed ; let, there-
fore, zeal spur on discretion, and discretion rein in
zeal."
The Plough or the Altar. — On the seal of the
Baptist Missionary Union is the figure of an ox stand-
ing patiently, with a plough on one side and an altar on
the other, and the inscription beneath, ''Ready for
either !'' No fitter illustration could be given of fervent,
humble zeal. May it be exemplified and exhibited by
many who read this book !
INDEX.
Where the articles ars printed in Italics, the reader is desired to refer tc .hem
in the Index ; otherwise, the reference is to the body of the work.
AbidiuR in Christ, 9. Communion with
God.
Acce.ss to God. 19, 102. (" Doctor," &c.)
AckiioAvledginp: God, 10, 162. Grace.
Activity, 55. Industry.
Afflictions. 12. Bereavements, Hiding
of God's face, Joy, Murmuring, Re-
signation, Embossed Truth, (36), Use-
fulness.
All in All, Christ, 26.
Almanac, 388.
Ambition, 17, 175. (J. Fletcher), Honor,
Houses. Humility, Pride.
Anatbema-Maranatha, 384.
Anger, 20. Forgiveness of Injuries, Meek-
ness, Temper.
Arnold, Dr., 20, 36, 188.
Atonement, 432.
Balloon, 213.
Baxter, 47, 52, 210, 324, 361, 426, 472.
Bellamy, Dr., 218, 428.
Bereavement, 29, 300. Death, Resigna-
tion.
Beveridge, Bishop, 354.
Bible Society, 29, 286, 480.
Bigotry, 34. Prejudice.
Blindness. 36, 143.
B.)ldness, 39, 117, 142. 347.
Books, 41, 284, 308, 318, (ReT. H. Venn),
382. Novels.
Bruce, 324.
Burdens, 49, 60.
Business, 44, 87 (an Infidel), 111, 437.
Haste, Industry, Responsibility,
Riches.
Bunyan, 210, 449, 450.
Caesar, 18, 20. 42.
Calvin, 47, 276, 324, 409. Decrees.
Cares, 47, 212. Cheerfulness, Forebod-
ings, Happiness.
Cecil, Rev. R., 326, 300, 368, 409, 472.
Cents, 54.
Chalmers. Dr., 294, 344, 430.
Charity, 51. Houses, (H. Stoneman).
Cheerfulness, 55. 53, 75, 379. Happiness,
Home, Joy, Praise.
Children, 56, 32, 52, 142, 204, 230, 402,405,
415, 456. Infants, answers of, 127,
290, 353, 365, 388, 395. 397, 420.
Christ, 58, 107, 161, 220, 2^8, 329, 350,
353, 354, 375, 394, 396. 411, 416, 42.3,
4.30, 431. Incarnation, Nativity,
Death, Burial, Resurrection, Ascen-
sion, Intercession, Abiding, Atone-
ment, Door, Foundation, Hiding-
place, Image of God, Imputation. Jus-
tification, Last Words, Mediator,
Mercy, Rock.
Church, 67, 26, 270, 279, 348, 407, 418, 446,
492. Remnant.
City Mission, 29, 496.
Commentaries, 114.
Communion with God, 69, 162. (" Doctor,"
&c.), 226, 246. (McCheyne), 326. Abid-
ing in Christ, Foretastes, Heaven,
Heavenly-mindedness, Joy.
Compass, 321, 400.
Confession, 73, 393, 442. Pardon, Repent-
ance.
Contentment. 75, 145, 408, 409. Ambi-
tion, Happiness, Poor.
Conversation, 78, 214. Company, 451
(Bunvan, Hewitson).
Conversion. 80. 24, 41, 55, 56. 80, 116, 120,
159, 177. 204. 306. 318, 363, .383, 431.
Conversation, Idiots, Procra.stination,
Providence, Regeneration, Scripture,
Thieves.
Conviction, 82, 159, 255. Conscience, Con-
version.
Cruelty, 22.
Darkness, 151, 216, 250. 262, 323. Hiding
of God's face, Ignorance, Light.
501
502
INDEX.
l)'Aubi£;ii6. Dr., 107, 306, 481.
Day of Grace, 85, 334 (the contracting
cell). Opportunity.
Day of Judgment, 86, "305, 309, 388 (Re-
porteri. Preparation for death.
Death. 88, 64, 108, 267, 447, (Dr. Everard>,
300. fMr. Fletcher). 63 (Indian), 320
(Duke of Hamilton), 371 (Sir M.Hale),
371 (Rev. J. Hervey), 376 (Mr. Hard-
castle), 431 fcfmverted heathe»n), 237
(Hopeful). (Dakin). Death of Christ,
Early Deaths, Foretastes, Last Words,
Old Age.
Deceit, 98. Hypocrisy, Lying.
Decrees, Divine, 99.
Dedication to God, 99, 128. Acknowledging
God.
Delays, 100. Patience, Procrastination,
Punishment of Sin.
Depravity, 101. 142. Heart. Hypocrisy,
Inability. Original Sin, Sin.
Dftspair, .323, 440. Hardness of Heart.
Difficulties, 102, 201. Forebodings.
Diving Bell,
Doctrine. 104. Calvinism, Decrees.
Doddridsre, Dr., '41, 52, 114. 450, 451.
Door. Christ, 105, 431. Access to God,
Conversion.
Doubts, 105,81 ("Just as I am"), 127,
218, 220.
Duties, 111, 154, 229, 323.
Ease, the Plain, 346.
Edwards, President, 326, 367.
Egyptian Hieroglyphic, 52, Plagues, 257,
.309. 402.
Elliot, Rev. John, 32, 72, 326, 383, 420.
Erskine. Rev. E., 199.
Eternity, 85, 117.
Example, 119. Inconsistency.
Excuses. 120. Charity, Nea;lect, Obscure
Disciples, Procrastination.
Fair, Stationer at. 61.
Faith, 124, 376 (Romaine), 378, 418, 103
_ ("Can you climb?"), 1.39 (Sailors').
196. 495. Assurance, Doubts, Feel-
ings, Justification,
Pall. Depravity.
Family, 1.32, 121, 483. Home, Mothers,
Parents.
Family Worship, 136, 478.
Farmer, a, Christian, 192.
Farthings, 54.
Faults, 139, 161.
Fear, 140. 236, 285 (Volney).
Feelings, 144, 189.
Fenelon, 120.
Flavel. Rev. John, 155, 384.
Fogs. 103
Fools. 382, 432. Idiots.
Forebodings, 148. Cares, Doubts, Feel-
ings, Hope. Trust.
Foretastes, 151. 94. 135 (Halybnrton).
Heaven (206-215). IIop«, Last Words.
Forgiveness of Injuries. 128. Meekness.
Formalists. 1.57. Self-righteousness.
Foundation, Christ, 168. Rock.
Fretfulness. Censorious Spirit, Content*
ment. Forebodings.
Friday, Good, 97.
Friendship, 159, 87 (the Three Friends),
Communion, Christian.
Gardiner, Colonel, 306, 422.
Gentleness, 217, 362, 424. Kindness.
Glass. 74, 102.
God, 164, 117 (Inn), 224, 287, 317, 339,
357, 375, 429. Access, Acknowledg-
ing, Communion with. Father, For-
getfulness of. Hiding of his Face,
Image of. Immutability, Justice (311,
314), Light, Love, Omniscience, Pa-
tience.
Goshen, 338, 402.
Gospel, 167, 56, 263, 330, 431. Idiots,
Law.
Grace, 170, 60, 225. Beginning of. Day
of, Gifts, Growth of. Heirs. Imputa-
tion. Justification, Mercy, Pardon.
Growth in Grace, 176, 486.
Guidance, 182, 449.
Haldanes, the, 306. 307.
Hale. Sir M., 52, 371, 422.
Halyburton, 92, 135, 325.
Happiness, 186, 19, 49, 51, 55, 63, 76, 279.
Home. Joy.
Hardness of Heart, 188, 82, 323 (Spira).
Hardest. 190. 34.
Havel ock. 52, 260. 306, 422.
Hearing, 196, 56, 230. Criticising, Gospel,
Preaching.
Heart, 200, 60, 124, 143, 204, 309, 378, 490,
495. Depravity. Hardness.
Heathen, 52, 206, 224, 267.
Heaven, 206, 57. 76, 242, 324—327. 397,
431, 463. Foretastes, Heirs, Hope.
Heirs, 214, 314, 499.
Hell, 216,431, 456.
Henry, Philip. 36, 137, 197, 214, 241, 348,
367, 425, 427, 450. 463. 474, 500.
Hewitson, Rev. W. H., 70. 101, 451.
Hill, Rev. Rowland, 51, 95. 318.
Holiness, 222, 173, 269, 495.
Home, 228, 483. Family, Hospitality,
Houses.
Honesty. 2.31, 123.
Hope. 233, 45 (" A Merchant," Ac), 94,
132, 212. 302. 433.
Humility, 242, 37, 180, 214, 324 (Sir Isaac
Newton).
Huntingdon. Countess of. 65. 80, 347.
Hypocrisy, 247, 416. Formalists.
Idleness, 252, 121. Industry.
Idolatry, 256,268.
Ignorance, 261, 121 (Simple. Sloth, Pre-
sumption), 239. Knowledge, Dark-
ness.
Illumination, 263, 74 (Lightning), 480,
Li'iiht.
Image of God. 267, 224.
Image-Worship, 268, 40 (Palis.sy).
Imputation, 269, 81 ("Just as I am"),
312.
INDEX.
503
Inability, human, 282, 81 ("Just as I
am"), Grace, Illumination, Ignor-
ance.
Inconsistency, 274, 111 (Judson), 121, 135
(" I have been in his family"). Faults.
Industry, 276. Business, Cheerfulness,
Idleness.
Infidelity, 283, 87, 275, 323, 368 (Cecil).
Influence, 50. Company, Example, Fa-
mily, Home.
Intentions. 294, 216, 373.
Intercession, 297, 291 (Burkitt), 476 (Aaron
and Hur Societies). Prayer.
.Tames, Rev. J. A., 120. 363.
.T.inuary, 401.
.lay, llev. -W., 35, 332. 428.
Jews, 52, 402. 420.
Journeys, 303, 240, 117, (an Inn), 432.
Joy, 298, 327 (J. J. Gurney), Feelings,
Foretastes. Happiness, Peace.
Jud^iments, I^OQ, 306. Day of Judgment,
Hiding-place, Punishment of ^^iu, Re-
tributive Justice.
Just as I am. 81.
Justification, 312, 489. Pardon.
Kindness, 317, 356.
Knili. Rev. R., 363, 368.
Kings, Christians, 319. Heirs.
Knov^ledge, 321, 388 (Almanac), Illumina-
tion.
Last Words, 322, 60, 154,171, 218,320, 371.
(Ilervey.i
Law, 327, 388, 427 (P. Henry), 460.
Letters. 332, 451. 479.
jAfe, 333, 118, 139, 449. 464. Death, Houses.
Life Preserver, the. 372
Light. 336, 166, 250, 263, 299. 301, 327, 344,
358, 378. Darkness, Illumination.
Lighthouses, 57, 321, 337.
Little Things, 338, 309, 318 (Little Kind-
nesses). Beginnings.
Loadstone, the, 102. 357.
Love, 343. 12, 99 (the grapes), 132. 140, 209,
290, 300, 350. (Stopping the Gap.)
Luxury, 345. Frugality, Pleasure.
M., 347.
M'Cheyne, 13, 29, 36, 83, 84, 88, 113, 117,
159, 227, 246, 273, 297, 361, 399, 418,
429, 474, 478, 495.
Manna. 75. 449.
Market Crosses, 44.
Marriage, 347, 20, 91.
Marshall, lOG.
Matches. Lucifer, 342.
Mediator, Christ, the, 350. Incarnation,
Intercession.
MeditHtion, .351, 360.
MeeUne.ss, 352. Injuries, 290.
Melancholy, 121, 188 (J*uushine). Cheer-
fulness, Forebodings. ^**^
Memory. 354, 388 (A Reporter).
Mercy, 355. 171. 310, 323, 328, 359, 369,
370. 438. Justifii-ati.ni. Rainbow.
Mii.isters, 358, 297, 363, 39 and 117 (Bold-
ness), 40 (Earnestness), 84 (Criticising
Spirit), 422, 423 (Prayer), Preaching.
Moles, 263.
Moon, 26.
Mothers, 364, 30, 395.
Mourning, color of, 91.
Murmuring. 368. Bereavement, Cheer-
fulness, Forebodings, Resignation.
Nasmith, David, 29, 496,
Natal. 371.
Nativity of Christ, 369. Christ, Incarna*
tion, Mediator.
Nature, 21, 254.
Nazarite, 223.
Neff. Feli.^c. 36, 116, 306, 368.
Nettleton, Dr., 496.
Newton, Sir Isaac. 324.
Newton, Rev. John, 37, 47, 49, 106, 137,
332, 354, 368, 390, 408, 428, 430, 432,
492.
Night, 37.
Obedience. 378. 143 (Reynolds).21 4,344.412.
Old Age, 382, 114. 190, 325 (Ilalvburton),
326 (Eliot), 428 (Newton), 440, 454.
Omniscience, Divine, 386, 51 (the Trea-
sury). 79 (Latimer), 250 (the Glance
of Truth.)
Opportunity, 390, 334 (the Cell). Day of
Grace.
Original Sin, 389. Depravity, Grace, Heart,
Origin of Evil.
Page, Harlan, 298, 495.
Paper, 466,
Pardon, 392, 10, 60 (1 John i. 7), 106 (Mar-
shall,) Atonement, Grace, Imputa-
tion, Justification, Mercy.
Parents, 395, 57, 84. 139, 420. Mothers.
Patience, Divine, 396, 58, 289. Christian,
397, 277 (I'oole). Meekness.
Payson. Dr., 19. 49, 69, 107, 147, 209, 240,
259, 362, 367. 391. 422.
Peace, 399, 324 (Baxter), 327 (Dying Saint),
370.
Peculiar People, 401, 227 (Courtiers.)
Perfection, 402, 408 (Newton).
Perseverance, 403, 277 (Poole).
Pilgrim Fathers, 475.
Pleasure, 404, 474. Happiness, Joy.
Politeness, 318.
Poor, 406, 215 (King's Daughter), Content-
ment, Remnant, Usefulness.
Praise, 411. 10, 32 (Guy.«e), 245, 327 (Jane-
way) Grace at Meals.
Prayer, 415. 55, 77, 347, 351, 360, 362, 413,
414. Mothers.
Preaching, 423, «1 (the Plank). 218. 227
(M'Cheyne),.324 (Calvin and Wesley),
331, 384 (L. Short), 491. Doctrine,
Election, lle.iriug.
Prejudice, 431. Bigotry.
Preparation for Death, 432. 78. .304 Death.
Foretastes. Kings, 496 (Dakin.)
Presumption, 433, 24. 160, 121. Boastinjr.
Humility.
Price, sarah, 49G.
504
INDEX.
Prjde, 436. Humilty, Presumption.
Prisons, 450.
?rocrHstiiiation. 437, 235 (Beecher), 334
(Contractiug Cell). 373, 461.
Profession. 442, 117 (M'Cheyne). Formal-
ists, Inconsistency.
Promises, 443, 269. 310.
Prosperity, 445. 160 (Bees). 301.
Providence, 447, 69, 98, 286. 370, 493. Ac-
knowledging God, Cares. Content-
ment, Co7iversion, Guidance, Jour-
neys, Scoffing, Trust.
Psalms, 413.
Punctuality, 196, 198.
Punishment of Sin, 452, 257, Despair,
Judgments, Last Words (322), lletri-
bution, Sin.
Quarreling, 453, 483.
Quicksilver, 68.
Quietness, 280.
Rain, 473, 488.
Bainbow, 454.
Reading, 352.
Reason, 128, 143, 165.
Begeceration, 454, 36, 128. Conversion,
Grace, Heart, Justification.
Repentance, 460, 127. 476. Confession.
Reproof, 140, 161. (Beecher).
Resignation. 462. Affliction, Bereavement,
Cares, Circumstances, Contentment,
Murmuring. Trust, Zeal, (496).
Responsibility, 464, 271.
Resurrection, 465, 286. Easter.
Retribution, 467, 98, 465. (Heathen Chief).
Revenge, Injuries, Meekness.
Riches, 468, 75, 87. (Three Friends).
Acknowledging God, Frugality, Poor
Responsibility.
Richmond, Rev. L., 41, 104, 368,
Ridicule. Fear of Man.
Righteousness, 312 — 317.
Rose, 43, 109, 152.
Rutherford, 15, 30, 69, 61, 325, 332, 499.
Sabbath, 473, 33, 36, 88, 157, 191, 355.
Hearing.
Sanctification, 313—316, 208, 489. Holi-
ness.
Sanctuary, Formalists, Hearing, Sabbath,
Satan, 123, 410, 477.
Scoffing, 476. 204 Fear of Man.
Scriptures, 478, 56, 68, 122, 284, 286, 423,
428, 430. Illumination, Promises.
Security, False, 38 (Slater), Presumption,
438 (Swiss Village.)
Seed. 151, 299, 421.
Self-denial, 214. 344, 406. Industry, Pa-
tience, Usefulness.
Self-examination, 485, CO. Confession.
Self-righteousness. 486, 82, 174, 201 (Lu-
ther). Formalists. Justification.
Simeon, Rev. C, 40, 114, 116, 178, 9.91, 337.
Simplicity, 109.
Sin, 487, 28, 256, Beginnings, Besetting
Sins, Confession, Depravity, Faults,
Heart, Imputation, Inconsistency, In-
firmities, Little Sins, Original Sin,
Pardon, Punishment.
Snow, 186, 339.
Spirit. Holy, 489, 123, 196, 214, 288, 479.
Drawing, Illumination.
Sun, 26, 68, 139, 155, 164, 188, 301, 413.
Taproot, 33.
Temper, 492, 70, (Leighton) Anger, Censo-
riousness. Cheerfulness, Envy, Feel-
ings, Passion (398), Quarreling.
Temptation, 492. 149. 249, 3(50. 410.
Tenderness, 217, 218, 362. Kindness, Love,
Thornton, Rev. Spencer, 80, 138, 306, 422.
Time, 253. Eternity, Industry, Life.
Toplady, Rev. A.. 451.
Treasure, 16, 483—485.
Tru.st, 494, 58 (Brown), 324, (B»llarmine),
306. Faith.
Truth, 36, 117, 324 (Newton). Honesty,
Hypocrisy, Lying.
Turnip in the Cellar, 265.
Umbrella, the Large, 131.
Unbelief, Cares, Doubts, Faith, Forebod-
ings.
Union, Bigotry, Church Communion,
Christian.
Usefulness, 495, 302 (Stewart). Begin-
nings. Company. Conversation, Ex-
ample, Family Worship, Journeys,
Letters, Mothers.
Vanity, Ambition, Honour, Houses.
Venn, Rev. H., 318.
Wagner, Rev. G.. 36, 97.
Walking by Faith, 130.
Watches. 29, 249, 274, 362r-
Welsh, Rev. John, 422.
Wesley, Rev. John, 114, 277, 326, 867,
450.
Charles, 326,
Mrs. 397.
Whitfield, Rev. G., 204, 364, 427.
Will. Wanted a, 123.
Wllberforce, 41, 79, 209, 368, 376, 383, 474,
496.
Works, Good. Assurance, Grace, Holi-
ness, Justification.
World, 497, 40, 263 (Moles), 398 (Pas-
sion). Heavenly-mindedness, Luxu-
ry, Riches.
Worm in the Circle, 66.
Years, 473. New Year (375, 476> Life.
Zeal, 500, Love.
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