Chapter 7

[#] Heb. x. 31.SORROW AND SUFFERING."'Nobody knows but Jesus!'Is it not better so,That no one else but Jesus,My own dear Lord, should know?When the sorrow is a secretBetween my Lord and me,I learn the fuller measureOf His quick sympathy."F. R. Havergal."Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward[#]" is a very true saying. And I suppose there will be few people, if any, of those who read this book, who will not know something about sorrow. Yes, we all feel sorrow, more or less. Some people feel it more acutely than others. To some it is a real burthen. From the little child who cries over its broken toy to the old man who weeps over his lost wealth, all are partakers of sorrow.[#] Job v. 7.Suffering, again, might be "sorrow's own sister," so closely are the two connected here below. For instance, God sends a great and crushing sorrow; say, for instance, the death of a dear friend, or the sickness of one we love; and to us the news of this sorrow brings intense pain, deep suffering. And you may ask, why is this suffering necessary? You tell us it is sent by God, and that all He sends is for our good, what is the need of suffering? I will tell you. A friend of mine who had been in Eastern lands, told me he once saw a shepherd who wanted his flock to cross a stream. The shepherd went into the water himself and called them, but no, they would not follow him into the water. What did he do? Why, he went in among the flock, and lifting a little lamb under each arm, plunged right into the stream, and crossed it without even looking back. When he lifted the lambs, my friend said, the old sheep looked up into his face, and began to bleat for them; but when he plunged into the water, the dams plunged in after him, and then the whole flock followed. When they reached the other side he put down the lambs, and they were quickly joined by their mothers, and there was a happy meeting. My friend told me, too, that he noticed that the pastures on the other side of the stream were much better, and the fields greener, and on this account the shepherd was leading them across. And in like manner does the good Shepherd, even Jesus Christ, having found his oft-repeated call to men to look up to heaven vain, so also does He often take from His flock a little lamb, and crossing with it the stream of death, places it down amid the green pastures and still waters of Paradise. And by this means he often causes the parents to look up to the same place, for right well He knows the truth of His own words, that "Where the treasure is, there will the heart be also.[#]"[#] Matt. vi. 21.And so, perhaps, you begin to see that suffering used by Almighty God has its uses. It very often is the means, in cases where other means have failed, of weaning a soul away from earth, and fixing its hopes on the things of heaven. It very often is the first warning given to the soul of man, that here has he no continuing city, but must seek one to come. Reader, it may be as you have walked along life's troubled way, you have as yet had but little taste of suffering. But it will come one day. It comes to us all; and very often, the best men, and the holiest men are the greatest sufferers, under the chastening hand of God. You remember the case of Job in the Bible, what a sufferer he was! And yet Job was a good man; for when the temptation came to him to curse God and die, he recognised it as the voice of Satan, even though the words were spoken by the one nearest to him on earth.The great thing for us all to recognise in the day of suffering and the time of sorrow alike, is the good hand of our God upon us. To understand that there is such a thing as being "perfect through suffering," and that we, even as the Master Himself did, may learn obedience by the things which we suffer. That a smooth existence without sorrow and without suffering may be a life of mental anguish, while a life of sorrow and suffering may be a life of joy, of hope, and of triumph, are doubtless lessons hard to learn; but for all that we must needs learn them. And if we cannot learn this lesson from the lives of those around us, it may be God's good pleasure to teach it in our own.DEATH."There is a Reaper whose name is Death,And with his sickle keen,He reaps the bearded grain at a breath,And the flowers that grow between."Longfellow.So solemn a subject is that of death, and so near have many of us been brought to it, either in our own homes or in those of others, that we cannot but approach it with a feeling of awe. To the worldly man death can never be a pleasant prospect. At best it means to him the cessation of all hope and of all action. All worldly pleasure is then at an end, and for him there remains no such rest as is the hope and stay of the people of God.Another class there is that looks upon death in another way. These do not really enjoy life here below, still less do they enjoy any hope of life to come. For such persons death is but a leap in the dark; a bridge across the dark valley from the mists of earth into a far more misty future; a passage from the darkness here into the deeper and blacker darkness beyond.But how different all this is in the case of the Christian man. He has been preparing, all his life through, for the world to come. His conversation--his "citizenship--is in Heaven[#];" and in death he recognises the method by which his dear Lord calls him home. There is no sting, no agony, in the Christian's death; Jesus, his Saviour, took that away long ago. There have been death-beds, on which men lay with bodies racked with aching pains, or horribly mutilated, and yet the look on their faces was perfectly happy. The body indeed was suffering agony, but the mind was feasting on visions of a far-off land. and a kindly Saviour ready to receive the redeemed one home. Oh, yes, there is something grand and striking about the Christian's death. The invisible spirits of God ascending and descending, as of old they did to the sleeping Jacob at Bethel, keep bringing stores of comfort to his soul.[#] Phil. iii. 20.Among the many grand and noble deaths which history records, I know of none grander in its simplicity or more precious in its lessons, than that of Commodore Goodenough in our own day. He had gone ashore with a boat's crew, on one of the South Sea Islands; when he was surrounded, and attacked by the natives, who were exasperated at the cursed man-stealing trade which has brought discredit on the English name. The Commodore was wounded by an arrow, which chanced to be poisoned; but this he did not know. Nor was it till his ship was nearing Adelaide, that he discovered that his wound was mortal. And then beneath the open sky, far from his English home, on the deck of his vessel in which he had sailed over those summer seas, he called his men around him; and as the rough seamen, one after another, gathered quickly round their dying chief, he looked upon them, with the films of death already settling on his glazing eyes, and said, "My men, I want you to serve God." These were the last words he ever spoke to them, and then his spirit passed away to join the vast multitude before the throne of that God he had loved and served so well.The death of a Christian is indeed precious from the lessons we learn from it. But in order to die a Christian's death, remember you must live a Christian's life, and then you may say with Balaam--"Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his[#]."[#] Num. xxiii. 10.LAST WORDS."On what has now been sownThy blessing, Lord, bestow;The power is Thine aloneTo make it spring and grow."Newton.We have now reached the last chapter of these readings, and the last words must be spoken.We have thought together upon life and death; upon humility and self-denial, those "two graces peculiarly Christian." I have spoken of our duties to our parents and to our children respectively; of work of various kinds on earth, and of rest in our Father's kingdom. And now, reader, that it is almost time for us to part, let us "gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost[#]."[#] S. John vi. 12.Have you learnt anything, do you think, that you didn't know before, from the words of this book? Are you any nearer to your Father's house than you were when first you opened it? Has the Bible seemed in any degree more precious to you, or has it in any way increased your regard for the things of the Spirit, and the peace that passeth understanding? If these, or any of them, have been attained, I have gained my object. If this book has in any way put before you the old, old story in a new light, then my purpose has been accomplished, my work is done. But if there is any one who rises from reading this book, feeling still careless about God, or holiness; if there be any who, like Felix of old, intends to put off repentance to a more convenient season, which season may never come, let me earnestly beg of him in these last words to repent, ere it is too late.The present time is yours--the future is God's. And remember that you must give up sinentirelyif you would be a follower of Christ. Don't rest content, as I well know too many do, with being no worse than others. Don't go with the multitude to do evil. Christ wants you to try and be better than others, and not as good or bad as they.Set a high standard before you, even the standard of the God-man Himself. Rise higher than the low standard aimed at by those around you. "Rise higher--learn from Christ, Who was lifted up, how to draw all men unto you, learn to think for them, to feel for them, to work for them, to suffer for them." And oh! don't think such occupations as these will make you a gloomy man, or a dull companion. "Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment[#]."[#] Eccles. xi. 9.Arise then, young men, in the strength which your God has given you. Go forth and shew the world and your fellows what true manliness and self-control will do for a man; enjoy life, but use it and don't abuse it, and so "be faithful unto death," and you too shall receive "a crown of life[#]."[#] Rev. ii. 10.There in the heavenly home your sins will never be mentioned again. Jesus Christ waits to bear them for you. The angels wait to welcome you. The Holy Ghost waits to take possession of your heart, and make His dwelling there. And will you disappoint all these? Take your Bible, and turn to the beautiful story of the lost sheep in the fifteenth chapter of St. Luke, and there read how "there is joy in the presence of the angels of God, overonesinner that repenteth." As one has beautifully put it--"And all through the mountains thunder-riven,And up from the rocky steep,There arose a cry to the gate of Heaven--'Rejoice, I have found My sheep.'And the angels echoed around the throneRejoice! for the Lord brings back His own."Go to Him just as you are, poor and wretched and sinful, and He will wash you from your sins, and clothe you in His own righteousness. And when you have found Him, tell others about Him too. Philip was not satisfied to follow Christ alone, but he went and told Nathanael. The woman of Samaria was not content to stand and listen to the Saviour's gracious message, but she went and called her friends and her neighbours, saying, "Come, see a man which told me all that ever I did." And so it will be with you. "When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren." Speak to them often privately about the love of Jesus, as you have opportunity, and neither in this world, nor in the world to come, shall you in any wise lose your reward.One word more. Don't be down-hearted. If you find the devil strong, if you find the flesh weak, don't be down-hearted. Those conversions are seldom lasting which are the work of a single day. You will have much sorrow and much trouble as long as you are in the world, but be of good courage, for Christ has "overcome the world[#]."[#] S. John xvi. 33.Young men stand up for Christ, and He will stand up for you, when you most need His help. Don't be ashamed ofbeing calledChristians, or ofbeingChristians. Be moretrulymanly, and you will be more truly humble; be more independent of men, of their praise or blame; and then you will be more dependent upon God. In a word, don't mind sharing your Master's shame here, if you wish to share His glory hereafter.And my last word of farewell advice to all who may read this book, is this--"Be not thou ashamed of the testimony of our Lord[#]."[#] 2 Tim. i. 8.THE ENDPrinted at the University Press, OxfordByHORACE HART,Printer to the University* * * * * * * *Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.PUBLICATIONS ONTHE CHRISTIAN EVIDENCE.BOOKS.Christianity Judged by its Fruits.By the Rev. C. CROSLEGH, D.D.The Great Passion-Prophecy Vindicated.By the Rev. BROWNLOW MAITLAND, M.A.Natural Theology of Natural Beauty (The).By the Rev. R. ST. JOHN TYRWHITT, M.A.Steps to Faith.Addresses on some points in the Controversy with Unbelief.By the Rev. BROWNLOW MAITLAND, M.A.Scepticism and Faith.By the Rev. BROWNLOW MAITLAND, M.A.Theism or Agnosticism.An Essay on the grounds of Belief in God. By theRev. BROWNLOW MAITLAND, M.A.Argument from Prophecy (The).By the Rev. 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[#] Heb. x. 31.

SORROW AND SUFFERING.

"'Nobody knows but Jesus!'Is it not better so,That no one else but Jesus,My own dear Lord, should know?When the sorrow is a secretBetween my Lord and me,I learn the fuller measureOf His quick sympathy."F. R. Havergal.

"'Nobody knows but Jesus!'Is it not better so,That no one else but Jesus,My own dear Lord, should know?

"'Nobody knows but Jesus!'

Is it not better so,

That no one else but Jesus,

My own dear Lord, should know?

When the sorrow is a secretBetween my Lord and me,I learn the fuller measureOf His quick sympathy."F. R. Havergal.

When the sorrow is a secret

Between my Lord and me,

I learn the fuller measure

Of His quick sympathy."F. R. Havergal.

Of His quick sympathy."

F. R. Havergal.

"Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward[#]" is a very true saying. And I suppose there will be few people, if any, of those who read this book, who will not know something about sorrow. Yes, we all feel sorrow, more or less. Some people feel it more acutely than others. To some it is a real burthen. From the little child who cries over its broken toy to the old man who weeps over his lost wealth, all are partakers of sorrow.

[#] Job v. 7.

Suffering, again, might be "sorrow's own sister," so closely are the two connected here below. For instance, God sends a great and crushing sorrow; say, for instance, the death of a dear friend, or the sickness of one we love; and to us the news of this sorrow brings intense pain, deep suffering. And you may ask, why is this suffering necessary? You tell us it is sent by God, and that all He sends is for our good, what is the need of suffering? I will tell you. A friend of mine who had been in Eastern lands, told me he once saw a shepherd who wanted his flock to cross a stream. The shepherd went into the water himself and called them, but no, they would not follow him into the water. What did he do? Why, he went in among the flock, and lifting a little lamb under each arm, plunged right into the stream, and crossed it without even looking back. When he lifted the lambs, my friend said, the old sheep looked up into his face, and began to bleat for them; but when he plunged into the water, the dams plunged in after him, and then the whole flock followed. When they reached the other side he put down the lambs, and they were quickly joined by their mothers, and there was a happy meeting. My friend told me, too, that he noticed that the pastures on the other side of the stream were much better, and the fields greener, and on this account the shepherd was leading them across. And in like manner does the good Shepherd, even Jesus Christ, having found his oft-repeated call to men to look up to heaven vain, so also does He often take from His flock a little lamb, and crossing with it the stream of death, places it down amid the green pastures and still waters of Paradise. And by this means he often causes the parents to look up to the same place, for right well He knows the truth of His own words, that "Where the treasure is, there will the heart be also.[#]"

[#] Matt. vi. 21.

And so, perhaps, you begin to see that suffering used by Almighty God has its uses. It very often is the means, in cases where other means have failed, of weaning a soul away from earth, and fixing its hopes on the things of heaven. It very often is the first warning given to the soul of man, that here has he no continuing city, but must seek one to come. Reader, it may be as you have walked along life's troubled way, you have as yet had but little taste of suffering. But it will come one day. It comes to us all; and very often, the best men, and the holiest men are the greatest sufferers, under the chastening hand of God. You remember the case of Job in the Bible, what a sufferer he was! And yet Job was a good man; for when the temptation came to him to curse God and die, he recognised it as the voice of Satan, even though the words were spoken by the one nearest to him on earth.

The great thing for us all to recognise in the day of suffering and the time of sorrow alike, is the good hand of our God upon us. To understand that there is such a thing as being "perfect through suffering," and that we, even as the Master Himself did, may learn obedience by the things which we suffer. That a smooth existence without sorrow and without suffering may be a life of mental anguish, while a life of sorrow and suffering may be a life of joy, of hope, and of triumph, are doubtless lessons hard to learn; but for all that we must needs learn them. And if we cannot learn this lesson from the lives of those around us, it may be God's good pleasure to teach it in our own.

DEATH.

"There is a Reaper whose name is Death,And with his sickle keen,He reaps the bearded grain at a breath,And the flowers that grow between."Longfellow.

"There is a Reaper whose name is Death,

And with his sickle keen,

He reaps the bearded grain at a breath,

And the flowers that grow between."Longfellow.

And the flowers that grow between."

Longfellow.

So solemn a subject is that of death, and so near have many of us been brought to it, either in our own homes or in those of others, that we cannot but approach it with a feeling of awe. To the worldly man death can never be a pleasant prospect. At best it means to him the cessation of all hope and of all action. All worldly pleasure is then at an end, and for him there remains no such rest as is the hope and stay of the people of God.

Another class there is that looks upon death in another way. These do not really enjoy life here below, still less do they enjoy any hope of life to come. For such persons death is but a leap in the dark; a bridge across the dark valley from the mists of earth into a far more misty future; a passage from the darkness here into the deeper and blacker darkness beyond.

But how different all this is in the case of the Christian man. He has been preparing, all his life through, for the world to come. His conversation--his "citizenship--is in Heaven[#];" and in death he recognises the method by which his dear Lord calls him home. There is no sting, no agony, in the Christian's death; Jesus, his Saviour, took that away long ago. There have been death-beds, on which men lay with bodies racked with aching pains, or horribly mutilated, and yet the look on their faces was perfectly happy. The body indeed was suffering agony, but the mind was feasting on visions of a far-off land. and a kindly Saviour ready to receive the redeemed one home. Oh, yes, there is something grand and striking about the Christian's death. The invisible spirits of God ascending and descending, as of old they did to the sleeping Jacob at Bethel, keep bringing stores of comfort to his soul.

[#] Phil. iii. 20.

Among the many grand and noble deaths which history records, I know of none grander in its simplicity or more precious in its lessons, than that of Commodore Goodenough in our own day. He had gone ashore with a boat's crew, on one of the South Sea Islands; when he was surrounded, and attacked by the natives, who were exasperated at the cursed man-stealing trade which has brought discredit on the English name. The Commodore was wounded by an arrow, which chanced to be poisoned; but this he did not know. Nor was it till his ship was nearing Adelaide, that he discovered that his wound was mortal. And then beneath the open sky, far from his English home, on the deck of his vessel in which he had sailed over those summer seas, he called his men around him; and as the rough seamen, one after another, gathered quickly round their dying chief, he looked upon them, with the films of death already settling on his glazing eyes, and said, "My men, I want you to serve God." These were the last words he ever spoke to them, and then his spirit passed away to join the vast multitude before the throne of that God he had loved and served so well.

The death of a Christian is indeed precious from the lessons we learn from it. But in order to die a Christian's death, remember you must live a Christian's life, and then you may say with Balaam--"Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his[#]."

[#] Num. xxiii. 10.

LAST WORDS.

"On what has now been sownThy blessing, Lord, bestow;The power is Thine aloneTo make it spring and grow."Newton.

"On what has now been sown

Thy blessing, Lord, bestow;

The power is Thine alone

To make it spring and grow."Newton.

To make it spring and grow."

Newton.

We have now reached the last chapter of these readings, and the last words must be spoken.

We have thought together upon life and death; upon humility and self-denial, those "two graces peculiarly Christian." I have spoken of our duties to our parents and to our children respectively; of work of various kinds on earth, and of rest in our Father's kingdom. And now, reader, that it is almost time for us to part, let us "gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost[#]."

[#] S. John vi. 12.

Have you learnt anything, do you think, that you didn't know before, from the words of this book? Are you any nearer to your Father's house than you were when first you opened it? Has the Bible seemed in any degree more precious to you, or has it in any way increased your regard for the things of the Spirit, and the peace that passeth understanding? If these, or any of them, have been attained, I have gained my object. If this book has in any way put before you the old, old story in a new light, then my purpose has been accomplished, my work is done. But if there is any one who rises from reading this book, feeling still careless about God, or holiness; if there be any who, like Felix of old, intends to put off repentance to a more convenient season, which season may never come, let me earnestly beg of him in these last words to repent, ere it is too late.

The present time is yours--the future is God's. And remember that you must give up sinentirelyif you would be a follower of Christ. Don't rest content, as I well know too many do, with being no worse than others. Don't go with the multitude to do evil. Christ wants you to try and be better than others, and not as good or bad as they.

Set a high standard before you, even the standard of the God-man Himself. Rise higher than the low standard aimed at by those around you. "Rise higher--learn from Christ, Who was lifted up, how to draw all men unto you, learn to think for them, to feel for them, to work for them, to suffer for them." And oh! don't think such occupations as these will make you a gloomy man, or a dull companion. "Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment[#]."

[#] Eccles. xi. 9.

Arise then, young men, in the strength which your God has given you. Go forth and shew the world and your fellows what true manliness and self-control will do for a man; enjoy life, but use it and don't abuse it, and so "be faithful unto death," and you too shall receive "a crown of life[#]."

[#] Rev. ii. 10.

There in the heavenly home your sins will never be mentioned again. Jesus Christ waits to bear them for you. The angels wait to welcome you. The Holy Ghost waits to take possession of your heart, and make His dwelling there. And will you disappoint all these? Take your Bible, and turn to the beautiful story of the lost sheep in the fifteenth chapter of St. Luke, and there read how "there is joy in the presence of the angels of God, overonesinner that repenteth." As one has beautifully put it--

"And all through the mountains thunder-riven,And up from the rocky steep,There arose a cry to the gate of Heaven--'Rejoice, I have found My sheep.'And the angels echoed around the throneRejoice! for the Lord brings back His own."

"And all through the mountains thunder-riven,

And up from the rocky steep,

There arose a cry to the gate of Heaven--

'Rejoice, I have found My sheep.'

And the angels echoed around the throne

Rejoice! for the Lord brings back His own."

Go to Him just as you are, poor and wretched and sinful, and He will wash you from your sins, and clothe you in His own righteousness. And when you have found Him, tell others about Him too. Philip was not satisfied to follow Christ alone, but he went and told Nathanael. The woman of Samaria was not content to stand and listen to the Saviour's gracious message, but she went and called her friends and her neighbours, saying, "Come, see a man which told me all that ever I did." And so it will be with you. "When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren." Speak to them often privately about the love of Jesus, as you have opportunity, and neither in this world, nor in the world to come, shall you in any wise lose your reward.

One word more. Don't be down-hearted. If you find the devil strong, if you find the flesh weak, don't be down-hearted. Those conversions are seldom lasting which are the work of a single day. You will have much sorrow and much trouble as long as you are in the world, but be of good courage, for Christ has "overcome the world[#]."

[#] S. John xvi. 33.

Young men stand up for Christ, and He will stand up for you, when you most need His help. Don't be ashamed ofbeing calledChristians, or ofbeingChristians. Be moretrulymanly, and you will be more truly humble; be more independent of men, of their praise or blame; and then you will be more dependent upon God. In a word, don't mind sharing your Master's shame here, if you wish to share His glory hereafter.

And my last word of farewell advice to all who may read this book, is this--"Be not thou ashamed of the testimony of our Lord[#]."

[#] 2 Tim. i. 8.

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