,transcribed from the #ahhd ,kegan      
,paul1 ,trench1  ,co41 edition by ,david
  ,price1 email ccx#jgdpglaf4org        
,,true ,,words ,,for ,,brave ,,men4     
,,by  ,,charles ,,kingsley1    ,,late   
,,rector ,,of ,,eversley2 ,,chaplain    
,,to ,,the ,,queen ,,and ,,to ,,the     
,,prince ,,of  ,,wales4    ,a ,,book    
,,for ,,soldiers' ,,and ,,sailors'      
,,libraries4    ,,eleventh ,,thousand4  
,,london3  ,,kegan ,,paul1 ,,trench1    
,,co41 #a ,,paternoster ,,square4       
#ahhd4    ,the ,rights of ,translation  
and of ,reproduction are ,reserved4     
,dedicated  ,,by ,,kind ,,permission    
,,to  ,,general ,,sir ,,william         
,,codrington1 ,g4,c4,b41  ,,and         
,,admiral ,,wellesley1 ,c4,b41  ,,in    
,,memory ,,of  ,,charles ,,kingsley1    
,,who ,,was ,,proud ,,of ,,their        
,,friendship1  ,,and ,,loved ,,and      
,,honoured ,,them  ,,as ,,he ,,loved    
,,and ,,honoured  ,,all ,,brave         
,,soldiers  ,,and ,,sailors4       ,yet 
was he courteous still to every wight1  

,and loved them that did to armes       
incline4       ,,spenser4               
,,introductory ,,note4      ,this little
 volume is selected from the unpublished
 sermons and addresses  of ,charles     
,kingsley by the request of a ,colonel  
of ,artillery1 and with  the sanction of
 an ,army ,chaplain of long experience1 
who knew the  influence of his writings 
on soldiers1 and who wish that that     
influence  may live1 though he is no    
longer here4  ,the ,lecture on ,cortez  
was given  at ,aldershot ,camp in #aheh1
 and the ,address to ,brave ,soldiers   
and ,sailors  written for and sent out  
to the troops before ,sebastopol in the 
winter of  #ahee1 when ,mr4 ,kingsley's 
own heart1 with that of all ,england1   
was  grieving over the sufferings of our
 noble army in the ,crimea4  ,f4 ,e4 ,k4
          ,i4  ,,the ,,good ,,centurion2
 ,,or1 ,,the ,,man ,,under ,,authority4 
,and when ,jesus was entered into       
,capernaum1 there came unto ,him a      
centurion1 beseeching ,him and saying1  

,lord1 my servant lieth at home1        
sick of the palsy1 grievously tormented4
  ,and ,jesus said unto him1 ,i     will
 come and heal him4  ,the centurion     
answered and said1 ,lord1 ,i am     not 
worthy that ,thou shouldest come under  
my roof3 but speak the word     only1   
and my servant shall be healed4  ,for ,i
 am a man under authority1     having   
soldiers under me1 and ,i say unto this 
man1 ,go1 and he goeth2     and to      
another1 ,come1 and he cometh2 and to my
 servant1 ,do this1 and     he doeth it4
  ,when ,jesus heard it1 he marvelled1  
and said to them that     followed1     
,verily ,i say unto you1 ,i have not    
found such great faith1     no1 not in  
,israel4--,,matt4 viii4 #e-aj4    ,we   
find in ,holy ,scripture1 that of the   
seven heathens who were first  drawn to 
our ,lord ,jesus ,christ and ,his       
gospel1 three were soldiers4    ,the    
first was the ,centurion1 of whom our   
,lord speaks in such high terms  of     
commendation4    ,the next1 the         

,centurion who stood by ,his cross1 and 
said1 ,truly this was  the son of ,god4 
,old legends say that his name was      
,longinus1 and tell  graceful tales of  
his after-life1 which one would fain    
believe1 if there  were any evidence of 
their truth4    ,the third1 of course1  
was ,cornelius1 of whom we read in the  
,acts of the  ,apostles4    ,now these  
three ,centurions--commanding each a    
hundred men--had probably  risen from   
the ranks2 they were not highly educated
 men2 they had seen  endless cruelty and
 immorality2 they may have had1 at      
times1 to do ugly  work themselves1 in  
obedience to orders4  ,they were doing1 
at the time  when they are mentioned in 
,scripture1 almost the worst work which 
a  soldier can do4  ,for they were not  
defending their own country against     
foreign enemies4  ,they were keeping    
down a conquered nation1 by a stern     
military despotism1 in which the        
soldiery acted not merely as police1 but
  as gaolers and executioners4  ,and yet

 three men who had such work as this  to
 do1 are singled out in ,scripture to   
become famous through all time1 as  the 
first-fruits of the heathen2 and of one 
of them our ,lord said1 ,i  have not    
found such great faith1 no1 not in      
,israel4    ,why is this8  ,was there   
anything in these soldiers' profession1 
in these  soldiers' training1 which made
 them more ready than other men to      
acknowledge the ,lord ,jesus ,christ8   
,and if so2 what was it8    ,let us take
 the case of this first ,centurion1 and 
see if it will tell us4  ,we will not   
invent any reasons of our own for his   
great faith4  ,we will  let him give his
 own reasons4  ,we will let him tell his
 own story4  ,we  may trust it2 for our 
blessed ,lord approved of it4  ,our     
,lord plainly  thought that what the    
soldier had spoken1 he had spoken well4 
,and yet it  is somewhat difficult to   
understand what was in his mind4  ,he   
was plainly  no talker2 no orator4      
,like many a good ,english soldier1     

sailor1 yeoman1  man of business1 he had
 very sound instincts in him1 and drew  
very sound  conclusions from them3 but  
he could not put them into words4  ,he  
knew  that he was right1 but he could   
not make a speech about it4  ,better    
that1  than be--as too many are--ready  
to make glib speeches1 which they only  
half believe themselves2 ready to       
deceive themselves with subtle          
arguments and high-flown oratory1 till  
they can give the most  satisfactory    
reasons for doing the most              
unsatisfactory and unreasonable  things4
  ,no1 the good soldier was no orator3  
but he had sound sense under  his clumsy
 words4  ,let us listen to them once    
more4    ,i am a man under authority1   
having soldiers under me4  ,and ,i say  
to this  man1 ,go1 and he goeth2 and to 
another1 ,come1 and he cometh2 and to my
  servant1 ,do this1 and he doeth it4   
,surely the thought which was in his    
mind is to be found in the very words   
which he used--,authority4              

,subordination4  ,discipline4           
,obedience4  ,he was under authority1   
and must  obey his superior officer4    
,he had soldiers under him1 and they    
must obey  him4  ,there must be not only
 no mutiny1 but no neglect1 no arguing1 
no  asking why4  ,if he said ,go1 a man 
must go2 if he said ,come1 a man must   
come2 and make no words about it4       
,otherwise the ,emperor's service would 
go to ruin1 through laziness1 distrust1 
and mutinous talk4  ,by  subordination1 
by discipline1 by mutual trust and      
strict obedience1 that  empire of ,rome 
was conquering the old world2 because   
every ,roman knew his  place1 and every 
,roman did what he was told4    ,but    
what had that to do with our ,lord's    
power1 and with the healing of  the     
child8    ,this4  ,the honest soldier   
had1 ,i think1 in his mind1 that        
subordination  was one of the most      
necessary things in the world2 that     
without it the  world could not go on4  
,then he said to himself1 ,if there must

 be  subordination on earth1 must there 
not be subordination in heaven8  ,if    
he1 a poor officer1 could get his       
commands obeyed1 by merely speaking the 
word2 then how much more could ,god4    
,if ,jesus was--as ,he said--as ,his    
disciples said--the ,lord1 the ,god of  
the ,jews3 then ,he had no need to  come
 and see a sick man2 no need to lay ,his
 hands on him2 to perform  ceremonies or
 say prayers over him4  ,the ,laws of   
,nature1 by which health  and sickness  
come1 would obey ,his word of command   
without rebellion and  without delay4   
,speak the word only1 ,lord1 and my     
servant shall be  healed4    ,but how   
did the ,centurion know--seemingly at   
first sight1 that ,jesus was  the ,lord 
,god8  ,ah1 how indeed8    ,i think it  
was because he had learnt the soldier's 
lesson4  ,he had seen  many a valiant   
officer--,tribunes1 ,prefects1 ,consuls1
 ,emperors1 commanding  men2 and fit to 
command men4  ,there was no lack of such
 men in the ,roman  empire then1 as the 

poor1 foolish1 unruly ,jews found out to
 their cost  within the next forty      
years4  ,and the good ,centurion had    
been accustomed  to look at such men2   
and to look up to them beside1 and say  
not merely--,it  is a duty to obey these
 men1 but--,it is a delight to obey     
them4  ,he had  been accustomed--as it  
is good for every man to be             
accustomed--to meet  men superior to    
himself2 men able to guide and rule him4
  ,and he had  learned--as every good   
soldier ought to learn--when he met such
 a man1  not to envy him1 not to        
backbite him1 not to intrigue against   
him1 not to  try to pull him down3 but  
to accept him for what he was--a man who
 was to  be followed1 if need be1 to the
 death4    ,there was in that good      
,centurion none of the base spirit of   
envy1 which  dreads and therefore hates 
excellence1 hates ability1 hates        
authority2  the mutinous spirit which   
ends1 not--as it dreams--in freedom and 
equality1 but in slavery and tyranny2   

because it transforms a whole  army--a  
whole nation--from what it should be1 a 
pack of staunch and  faithful hounds1   
into a mob of quarrelsome and greedy    
curs4  ,not of that  spirit was the good
 ,centurion3 but of the spirit of       
reverence and  loyalty2 the spirit which
 delights in1 and looks up to1 all that 
is brave  and able1 great and good2 the 
spirit of true independence1 true       
freedom1  and the true self-respect     
which respects its fellow men2 and      
therefore it  was1 that when the        
,centurion came into the divine presence
 of ,christ1 he  knew at once1          
instinctively and by a glance1 into what
 a presence he had  come4  ,christ's    
mere countenance1 ,christ's mere        
bearing1 ,i believe1 told  that good    
soldier who ,he was4  ,he knew of old   
the look of great  commanders3 and now  
he saw a countenance1 in spite of all   
its sweetness1  more commanding than he 
had ever seen before4  ,he knew of old  
the bearing  of ,consuls and of         

,emperors3 and now1 in spite of         
,christ's lowly disguise1  he recognised
 the bearing of an ,emperor of emperors1
 a ,king of kings4  ,he  had learnt of  
old to know a man when he met one2 and  
now1 he felt that he  had met the ,man  
of all men1 the ,son of ,man2 and that  
so ,god-like was ,his  presence1 that   
,he must be likewise the ,son of ,god4  
,and so had this good soldier his       
reward2 his reward for the soldierly    
qualities which he had acquired2 for    
subordination2 for reverence2 for       
admiration of great and able men4  ,and 
what was his reward8  ,not merely  that 
his favourite servant was healed at his 
request3 but that he learnt  to know the
 ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 whom truly to    
know is everlasting life2  whom the     
selfish1 the conceited1 the envious1 the
 slanderous1 the  insolent1 the         
mutinous1 know not1 and never will know2
 for they are not  of ,his ,spirit1     
neither is ,he of theirs4    ,but more3 
,what is the moral which old divines    

have drawn from this story8  ,if you    
wish to govern3 learn first to obey4    
,that is a moral lesson  more valuable  
than even the use of arms4  ,to         
learn--as the good ,centurion           
learnt--that a free man can give up his 
independence without losing it4  ,losing
 it8  ,independence is never more called
 out than by subordination4  ,a man     
never feels himself so much of a free   
man as when he is freely  obeying those 
whom the laws of his country have set   
over him4  ,a man  never feels so able  
as when he is following the lead of an  
abler man than  himself4  ,remember     
this4  ,make it a point of honour to do 
your duty  earnestly1 scrupulously1 and 
to the uttermost2 and you will find that
 the  habits of self-restraint1         
discipline1 and obedience1 which you1 as
  soldiers1 have learned1 will stand you
 in good stead for the rest of your     
lives1 and make you each1 in his place1 
fit to rule1 just because you  have     
learned to obey4    ,but now go on a    

step1 as the good ,centurion went on1   
and say--,if there is  no succeeding in 
earthly things1 whether in soldiering or
 any other  profession1 without         
subordination2 without obeying rules and
 orders  strictly and without question3 
then perhaps there is no succeeding in  
spiritual and heavenly things4  ,for has
 not ,god ,his moral ,laws1 ,his        
spiritual ,laws1 which must be obeyed1  
if you intend to prosper in this  life1 
or in the life to come8    ,thou shalt  
love the ,lord thy ,god with all thy    
heart and soul1 and thy  neighbour as   
thyself4  ,thou shalt honour thy father 
and thy mother4  ,thou shalt not kill1  
steal1 commit adultery1 slander1 or     
covet4  ,so it  is written3 not merely  
on those old tables of stone on ,sinai2 
but in ,the  ,eternal ,will of ,god1 and
 in the very nature of this world1 which
 ,god has  made4  ,there is no escaping 
those ,laws4  ,they fulfil themselves4  
,god  says to them1 ,go1 and they go2   
,come1 and they come2 ,do justice on    

the offender1 and they do it4  ,if we   
are fools and disobey them1 they  will  
grind us to powder4  ,if we are wise and
 obey them1 they will reward  us4  ,for 
in wisdom's right hand is length of     
days1 and in her left hand  riches and  
honour4  ,her ways are ways of          
pleasantness1 and all her paths  are    
peace4  ,she is a tree of life to them  
that lay hold of her1 and  blessed is   
every one that retaineth her2 as ,god   
grant you all will do4    ,but you1 too1
 in time may have soldiers under you4   
,think1 ,i beseech you1  earnestly of   
this1 and for their sake1 as well as for
 your own1 try by  ,god's help to live  
worthy of ,christian ,english men4  ,let
 them see you  going out and coming in1 
whether on duty or by your own          
firesides1 as men  who feel that they   
are ever beneath their great            
taskmaster's eye2 who  have a solemn    
duty to perform1 namely1 the duty of    
living like good men  toward your       
superior officers1 your families1 your  

neighbours1 your  country1 and your     
,god--even towards that ,saviour who so 
loved you that ,he  died for you on the 
cross1 to set you the example of what   
true men should  be2 the example of     
perfect duty1 perfect obedience1 perfect
 courage1  perfect generosity--in one   
word--the example of a perfect ,hero4   
,live such lives1 and then1 will be     
fulfilled to you1 and to your children  
after you1 from generation to           
generation1 the promises which ,god     
made1  ages since1 to the men of ,judea 
of old2 promises which are all true     
still1 and will continue true1 in every 
country of the world1 till the  world's 
end4    ,put thou thy trust in the      
,lord1 and be doing good2 dwell in the  
land1  and verily thou shalt be fed4    
,the ,lord knoweth the doings of the    
righteous2 and their inheritance shall  
endure for ever4    ,they shall not be  
confounded in the perilous time2 and in 
the days of  dearth they shall have     
enough4    ,the ,lord ordereth a good   

man's going2 and maketh his way         
acceptable to  himself4    ,though he   
fall1 he shall not be cast down2 for the
 ,lord upholdeth him  with his hand4    
,i have been young1 and now ,i am old2  
yet saw ,i never the righteous          
forsaken1 nor his seed begging their    
bread4    ,flee from evil1 and do the   
thing that is good2 and dwell for       
evermore4    ,for the ,lord loveth the  
thing that is right2 ,he forsaketh not  
his that  are godly1 but they are       
preserved for ever4  ,amen4             
,,ii4  ,,christ ,,is ,,come4  ,a        
,,christmas ,,sermon4         ,for unto 
us a child is born1 unto us a son is    
given3 and the     government shall be  
upon his shoulder3 and his name shall be
 called     ,wonderful1 ,counsellor1    
,the mighty ,god1 ,the everlasting      
,father1 ,the     ,prince of ,peace4    
,of the increase of his government and  
peace there     shall be no end1 upon   
the throne of ,david1 and upon his      
kingdom1 to     order it1 and to        

establish it with judgment and with     
justice from     henceforth even for    
ever4--,,isaiah ix4 #f1 #g4    ,it is   
now more than three thousand years ago  
that ,god made to ,abraham the  promise1
 ,in thy seed shall all the nations of  
the earth be blessed4  ,again the       
promise was renewed to ,moses when he   
was commanded to tell the  ,jews1 a     
prophet shall the ,lord your ,god raise 
up unto you1 like unto me4  ,hear ye him
 4 4 4  ,in ,david's ,psalms1 again1    
this same strange person  was spoken of 
who was already1 and yet who was to     
come4  ,david calls him  the ,son of    
,god1 the ,king of kings4  ,again1 in   
the ,prophets1 in many  strange and     
mysterious words1 is this same being    
spoken of as a virgin's  child--,behold 
a virgin shall conceive and bear a son1 
and his name shall  be called ,emmanuel1
 ,god with us2 and again1 ,unto us a    
child is born1  unto us a son is given1 
and his name shall be called ,wonderful1
  ,counsellor1 the ,mighty ,god--the    

,everlasting ,father1 the ,prince of    
,peace4  ,and again1 ,there shall come  
forth a rod out of the stem of ,jesse1  
and a  branch shall grow out of his     
roots4  ,and the spirit of the ,lord    
shall  rest upon him1--the spirit of    
wisdom and understanding1 the spirit of 
knowledge and the fear of the ,lord4    
,and with righteousness shall ,he  judge
 the poor1 c4    ,and again1 ,thou      
,bethlehem1 though thou be little among 
the princes of  ,judah1 yet out of thee 
shall come forth ,he that is to be ruler
 in ,israel1  whose goings forth have   
been from everlasting4  ,and ,he shall  
be great  unto the ends of the earth4   
,but time would fail me if ,i tried to  
repeat to you half the passages  wherein
 the old ,jewish prophets foretold ,him 
who was to come1 and in whom  all the   
nations of the earth should be blessed1 
more and more clearly as  the time drew 
nigh4    ,well1 my friends1 surely you  
know of whom ,i have been speaking--of  
whom  ,moses and the prophets spoke--of 

,him who was born of a village maiden1  
laid in a manger1 proclaimed of angels  
to the shepherds1 worshipped with  hymns
 of glory by the heavenly host on the   
first ,christmas day eighteen  hundred  
and seventy-eight years ago1 as we count
 time4  ,aye1 strange as  it may seem1  
,he is come1 and in ,him all the nations
 of the earth are  blessed4  ,he is     
come--the ,conqueror of ,evil--the      
desire of all  nations--the             
,law-giver--the ,lamb which was to      
suffer for our sins--the  ,king of      
kings--the ,light which should lighten  
the heathen--the ,virgin's  child1 of   
wondrous wisdom1 whose name should be   
,god as well as man--whom  all the      
heathens1 amid strange darkness and mad 
confusions1 had still  been fearing and 
looking for4    ,he is come--,he came on
 that first ,christmas-tide4  ,and we   
here on each  ,christmas-tide can thank 
,god for ,his coming1 and say before men
 and  angels1 ,unto us a child is       
born--the ,prince of ,peace is ours--to 

,his  kingdom we belong--,he has borne  
about on ,him a man's body1 a man's soul
  and spirit--,he was born like us--like
 us ,he grew--like us ,he rejoiced and  
sorrowed--tempted in all points like as 
we are1 yet without sin--able to  the   
uttermost to understand and help all who
 come to ,god by ,him4  ,he has  bruised
 the serpent's head--,he has delivered  
us from the power of  darkness1 and     
brought us into ,his kingdom4  ,through 
,his blood we have  redemption and      
forgiveness--yes6 through ,him who1     
though ,he was laid in a  manger1 was   
yet the image of the unseen ,god4  ,and 
by ,him1 and for  ,him--that ,babe of   
,bethlehem--were all things created in  
heaven and  earth--and ,he is before all
 things1 and by ,him all things consist4
  ,all  heaven and earth1 and all the   
powers therein1 are held together by    
,him4  ,for it pleased the ,father that 
in ,him should all fulness dwell2 and   
having made peace through the blood of  
,his cross1 to reconcile by that  child 

all things unto ,himself--all things in 
heaven--all things in  earth4    ,this  
should be our boast--this should be our 
glory--for this do we meet  together    
every ,christmas day4    ,but what is   
all this to us if that ,blessed ,man be 
gone away from us8  ,our  souls want    
more than ,i have told you yet4  ,our   
souls want more than a  beautiful and   
wonderful story about ,christ4  ,they   
want ,christ ,himself4  ,preaching is   
blessed and useful if it speaks of      
,christ4  ,our own thoughts  are blessed
 and useful if we think of ,christ4     
,the ,bible is most blessed  and useful 
containing all things necessary to      
salvation1 for it speaks of  ,christ4   
,our prayers are blessed and useful if  
in them we call and cry  earnestly to   
,christ4  ,but neither preaching1 nor   
thinking1 nor praying  are enough4  ,in 
them we think about ,him and speak to   
,him4  ,but we want  ,him to speak to   
us4  ,we want not merely a man to say1  
your sins may be  forgiven you2 we want 

,christ ,himself to say1 ,your sins are 
forgiven  you4  ,we want not merely a   
wise book to tell us that the good men  
of old  belonged to ,christ's           
kingdom--we want ,christ ,himself to    
tell us that we  belong to ,his kingdom4
  ,we want not merely a book that tells 
us that ,he  promised always to be with 
us--we want ,him ,himself to tell us    
that ,he is  really now with us4  ,we   
want not merely a promise from a prophet
 of old  that in ,him all the nations of
 the earth shall be blessed1 but a sign 
from ,christ ,himself that this nation  
of ,england is really now blest in      
,him4  ,in short1 we want not words1    
however true words1 however fine  words1
 about ,christ4  ,we want ,christ       
,himself to forgive us our sins--to     
give peace and freedom to our hearts--to
 come to us unseen1 and fill us  with   
thoughts and longings such as our fallen
 nature cannot give us--such  thoughts  
and feelings as we cannot explain in    
words1 for they are too  deep and       

blessed to be talked about--but thoughts
 which say to us1 as if  the blessed    
,jesus ,himself spoke to us in the      
depths of our hearts1 ,poor1            
struggling1 sinful brother6 thou art    
mine4  ,for thee ,i was born--for  thee 
,i died--thee ,i will teach--,i will    
guide thee and inform thee with  mine   
eye--,i will never leave thee nor       
forsake thee4    ,well--you want        
,him--and you want a sign of ,him--a    
sign of ,his own  giving that ,he is    
among you this day--a sign of ,his own  
giving that ,he  has taken you into ,his
 kingdom--a sign of ,his own giving that
 ,he died for  you--that ,he will feed  
and strengthen your souls in you with   
,his own life  and ,his own body4       
,then--there is a sign--there is the    
sign which has stood stedfast and  sure 
to you--and to your fathers--and your   
forefathers before them--back  for      
eighteen hundred years1 over half the   
world4  ,there is the bread of  which   
,he said1 ,take1 eat1 this is my body   

which is broken for you4  ,there is the 
wine of which ,he said1 ,this cup is the
 ,new ,covenant in my  blood1 which is  
shed for you1 and for many1 for the     
forgiveness of sins4  ,there is ,his    
sign4  ,don't ask how4  ,don't try to   
explain it away1 and  fancy that you can
 find fitter1 and soberer1 and safer1   
and more gospel-  sounding words than   
,jesus ,christ's own1 by which to speak 
of ,his own  ,sacrament4  ,but say1 with
 the great ,queen ,elizabeth of old1    
when men  tried too curiously to enquire
 into her opinion concerning this       
blessed  mystery--       ,christ made   
the ,word and spake it1     ,he took the
 bread and brake it1     ,and what ,his 
,word did make it1     ,that ,i believe1
 and take it4    ,he said1 ,this bread  
is my body which was broken for you4    
,he said1  ,this cup is the ,new        
,testament in my blood4  ,is it8 or is  
it not8  ,and  if it is1 is not ,christ 
among us now1 indeed8  ,is not that     
something  better than all the preaching

 in the world8  ,jesus ,christ1 the     
,king of  kings--the ,saviour--the      
,deliverer--the ,lamb of ,god--the      
,everlasting  ,son--the ,word--the      
,light--the ,life--is here among us     
ready to feed our  souls in the ,holy   
,sacrament of ,his body and blood1 as   
surely as that  bread and wine will feed
 our bodies--yea--to feed our souls and 
bodies to  everlasting life4  ,ho6 every
 one that thirsteth1 come ye to the     
waters  and drink4  ,come1 buy wine     
without money and without price4        
,,iii4  ,,is1 ,,or ,,is ,,not1 ,,the    
,,bible ,,true8         ,if ,i say the  
truth1 why do ye not believe            
,me8--,,john viii4 #df4    ,is1 or is   
not1 the ,bible true8  ,to this question
 we must all come some  day or other4   
,do you believe that that book which    
lies there1 which we  call the ,bible1  
is a true book1 or a lying book8  ,is it
 true or false8  ,is  it right or wrong8
  ,is it from ,god1 or is it not from   
,god8  ,let us answer  that4  ,if it is 

not from ,god1 let it go2 but if it is  
from ,god1 which  we know it is1 how    
dare we disobey it8    ,that ,god1 the  
maker of heaven and earth1 should speak 
to men--should  set ,his commands down  
in a book and give it to them--and that 
they should  neglect it1 disobey it--it 
is the strangest sight that can be seen 
on  earth6 that ,god in heaven should   
say one thing1 and a human being1 six   
feet high at most1 should dare to do    
another6    ,if the ,bible is from ,god1
 ,i say1 the question is not whether it 
is  better to obey it or not4  ,better8 
there is no better or worse in the      
matter--it is infinitely necessary4  ,to
 obey is infinitely right1 to  disobey  
is infinitely wrong4  ,to obey is       
infinitely wise1 to disobey is  infinite
 folly4  ,there can be no question about
 the matter1 except in the  mind of a   
fool4  ,better to obey ,god's word8     
,better indeed--for to obey  is heaven1 
to disobey is hell4  ,that is the       
difference4  ,and at your  better       

moments does not the voice within you1  
witness to1 and agree with1  the words  
of that book8  ,when it tells you to    
care more for your soul  than your      
body--more for the life to come1 which  
is eternity1 than for  the present life 
which lasts but a few years--does not   
common sense tell  you that8  ,the      
,bible tells you to reverence and love  
,god the giver of all  good--does not   
reason tell you that8  ,the ,bible tells
 you loyally to  obey1 to love1 to      
worship our blessed ,king and ,saviour  
in heaven4  ,does  not common sense tell
 you that8  ,surely if there be such a  
person as  ,jesus ,christ--if ,he is    
sitting now in heaven as ,saviour of    
all1 and one  day to be ,judge of       
all--by all means ,he is to be obeyed1  
,he is to be  pleased1 whoever else we  
may displease4  ,reason1 one would      
think1 would  tell us that--and it is   
just want of reason which makes us      
forget it4    ,what have you to say     
against the pattern of a true and holy  

man as laid  down in the ,bible8  ,the  
,bible would have you pure--can you deny
 that you  ought to be that8  ,it would 
have you peaceable--can you deny that   
you  ought to be that8  ,the ,bible     
would have you forgiving1 honest1       
honourable1 active1 industrious4  ,the  
,bible would have you generous1  loving1
 charitable4  ,can you deny that that is
 right1 however some of you  may dislike
 it8  ,the ,bible would have you ask all
 you want from ,god1 and  ask           
forgiveness of ,god for every offence1  
great and small1 against ,him4  ,can you
 deny that that is right and reasonable8
  ,the ,bible would have you  live in   
continual remembrance that the great eye
 of ,god is on you--in  continual       
thankfulness to the blessed ,saviour who
 died for you and has  redeemed you by  
,his own blood--with daily and hourly   
prayer for ,god's  ,spirit to set your  
heart and your understanding right on   
every point4  ,can  you deny that that  
is all right and good and proper--that  

unless the  ,bible be all a dream1 and  
there be no ,holy and ,almighty ,god1 no
 merciful  ,christ in heaven1 this is   
,,the way and the only way to live8     
,ay1 if there  were no ,god1 no ,christ1
 no hereafter1 it would be better for   
man to live  as the ,bible tells him1   
than to live as too many do4  ,there    
would be  infinitely less misery1 less  
heart-burnings1 less suffering of body  
and  soul1 if men followed ,christ's    
example as told us in the ,bible4  ,even
 if  this life were all1 and there were 
neither punishment nor reward for us    
after death--does not our reason tell us
 that if all men and women were  like   
,christ in gentleness1 wisdom1 and      
purity1 the world as long as it  lasted 
would be a heaven8    ,and do not your  
own hearts echo these thoughts at       
moments when they are  quietest and     
purest and most happy too8  ,have you   
not said to  yourselves--,those ,bible  
words are good words4  ,after all1 if ,i
 were like  that1 ,i should be happier  

than ,i am now4  ,ah6 my friends1 listen
 to  those thoughts when they come into 
your hearts--they are not your own      
thoughts--they are the voice of ,one    
holier than you--wiser than you--,one   
who loves you better than you love      
yourselves--,one pleading with you1     
stirring you up by ,his ,spirit1 if it  
be but for a moment1 to see the  things 
which belong to your peace4    ,but what
 can you say for yourselves1 if having  
once had these thoughts1  having once   
settled in your own minds that the      
,gospel of ,god is right and  you are   
wrong1 if you persist in disobeying that
 gospel--if you agree one  minute with  
the inner voice1 which says1 ,do this   
and live1 do this and  be at peace with 
,god and man1 and your own              
conscience--and then fall  back the next
 moment into the same worldly1 selfish1 
peevish1  sense-bound1 miserable        
life-in-death as ever8    ,the reason1  
my friends1 ,i am afraid1 with most of  
us is1 sheer folly--not  want of cunning

 and cleverness1 but want of heart--want
 of feeling--what  ,solomon calls folly 
7,prov4 i4 #bb-bg71 stupidity of soul1  
when he calls on  the simple souls1 ,how
 long ye simple ones will you love      
simplicity or  silliness1 and the       
scorners delight in their scorning      
7delight in  laughing at what is good71 
and fools hate knowledge--hate to think 
earnestly or steadily about             
anything--the stupidity of the ass1 who 
is  too stubborn and thick-skinned to   
turn out of his way for any one--or the 
stupidity of the swine1 who cares for   
his food and nothing further--or  worse 
than all1 the stupidity of the ape1 who 
cares for nothing but play  and         
curiosity1 and the vain and frivolous   
amusements of the moment4    ,all these 
tempers are common enough1 and they may 
be joined with  cleverness enough4      
,what beast so clever as an ape8 yet    
what beast so  foolish1 so mean1 so     
useless8  ,but this is the fault of     
stupidity--it  blinds our eyes to the   

world of spirits2 it makes us forget    
,god2 it makes  us see first what we can
 lay our hands on1 and nothing more2 it 
makes us  forget that we have souls4    
,our glorious minds and thoughts1 which 
should  be stretching on through all    
eternity1 are cramped down to thinking  
of  nothing further than this little    
hour of earthly life4  ,our glorious    
hearts1 which should be delighting in   
everything which is lovely1 and         
generous1 and pure1 and beautiful1 and  
,god-like--ay1 delighting in ,god       
,himself--are turned in upon themselves1
 and set upon our own gain1 our  own    
ease1 our own credit4  ,in short1 our   
immortal souls1 made in ,god's  image1  
become no use to us by this             
stupidity--they seem for mere salt to   
keep our bodies from decaying4    ,whose
 work is that8  ,the devil's4  ,but     
whose fault is it8  ,do you  suppose    
that the devil has any right in you1 any
 power in you1 who have  been washed in 
the waters of baptism and redeemed by   

,christ from the  service of the devil1 
and signed with ,his ,cross on your     
foreheads1  unless you give him power8  
,not he4  ,men's sins open the door to  
the  devil1 and when he is in1 he will  
soon trample down the good seed that is 
springing up1 and stamp the mellow soil 
as hard as iron1 so that nothing  but   
his own seeds can grow there1 and so    
keep off the dews of ,god's  spirit1 and
 the working of ,god's own gospel from  
making any impression on  that hardened 
stupified soil4    ,alas6 poor soul4    
,and thy misery is double1 because thou 
knowest not that  thou art miserable2   
and thy misery is treble1 because thou  
hast brought  it on thyself6    ,my     
friends--there is an ancient fable of   
the ,jews1 which1 though it is  not     
true1 yet has a deep and holy meaning1  
and teaches an awful lesson4    ,there  
lived1 says an ancient ,jewish ,scribe1 
by the shores of the ,dead  ,sea1 a     
certain tribe of men1 utterly given up  
to pleasure and  covetousness1 the lust 

of the flesh1 the lust of the eye1 and  
the pride  of life4  ,to them the       
prophet ,moses was sent1 and preached to
 them1  warning them of repentance and  
of judgment to come--trying to awaken   
their souls to high and holy thoughts1  
and bring them back to the thought  of  
,god and heaven4  ,and they1 poor fools1
 listened to ,him1 admired his          
preaching1 agreed that it all sounded   
very good--but that he went too         
far--that it was too difficult--that    
their present way of life was very      
pleasant--that they saw no such great   
need of change1 and so on1 one  excuse  
after another1 till they began to be    
tired of ,moses1 and gave him  to       
understand that he was impertinent1     
troublesome--that they could see        
nothing wise in him--nothing great2 how 
could they8  ,so ,moses went his  way1  
and left them to go theirs4  ,and long  
after1 when some travellers  came by1   
says the fable1 they found these foolish
 people were all changed  into dumb     

beasts2 what they had tried to be1 now  
they really were4  ,they  had made no   
use of their souls1 and now they had    
lost them2 they had  given themselves up
 to folly1 and now folly had taken to   
her own2 they  had fancied1 as people do
 every day1 that this world is a great  
play-ground1 wherein every one has to   
amuse himself as he likes best1 or  at  
all events a great shop and             
gambling-house1 where the most cunning  
wins most of his neighbour's money2 and 
now according to their faith it  was to 
them4  ,they had forgotten ,god and     
spiritual things1 and now they  were hid
 from their eyes4  ,and these travellers
 found them sitting1  playing antics1   
quarrelling for the fruits of the       
field--mere  beasts--reaping as they had
 sown1 and filled full with the fruit of
 their  own devices4    ,only every     
,sabbath day1 says the fable1 there came
 over these poor  wretches an awful     
sense of a piercing ,eye watching them  
from above--a dim  feeling that they had

 been something better and nobler       
once--a faint  recollection of heavenly 
things which they once knew when they   
were  little children--a blind dread of 
some awful unseen ruin1 into which      
their miserable empty beast-life was    
swiftly and steadily sweeping them      
down2--and then they tried to think and 
could not--and tried to remember  and   
could not--and so they sat there every  
,sabbath day1 cowering with  fear1      
uneasy and moaning1 and half-remembered 
that they once had souls6    ,my        
friends1 my friends1 are there not too  
many now-a-days like these poor         
dwellers by the ,dead ,sea1 who seem to 
have lost all of ,god's image except    
their bodies8 who all the week dote on  
the business and the pleasures of  this 
life1 going on very comfortably till    
they seem to have quite  hardened their 
own souls2 and now and then on ,sabbath 
days when they come  to church1 and     
pretend to pray and worship1 sit all    
vacant1 stupid1 their  hearts far away1 

or with a sort of passing uneasiness and
 dim feeling  that all is not right--try
 to think and cannot--try to pray and   
cannot--and1 like those dwellers by the 
,dead ,sea1 once a week on ,sabbath  day
 half remember that they once had souls8
    ,so true it is1 that from him that  
hath not1 shall be taken away even that 
which he seemeth to have4  ,so true it  
is1 that the wages of sin is death2     
death to the soul even in this life4    
,so true it is that why men do not      
believe ,christ1 is because they cannot 
hear ,his word4  ,so true it is1  that  
only the pure in heart shall see ,god1  
or love god-like men and god-  like     
words4  ,so true it is1 that he that    
soweth the wind shall reap the          
whirlwind1 and that he who will not hear
 ,christ's words1 shall soon not  be    
able to hear them2 that he who will not 
have ,christ for his master1  must soon 
be content to have the devil for his    
master1 and for his wages1  spiritual   
death4  ,from which sad fate of         

spiritual death may the blessed         
,saviour1 in ,his infinite mercy1       
deliver us4          ,,iv4  ,,the ,,tree
 ,,of ,,knowledge ,,and ,,the ,,tree    
,,of ,,life2 ,,or1 ,,the ,,fall4        
,now the serpent was more subtile than  
any beast of the field which     the    
,lord ,god had made4  ,and he said unto 
the woman1 ,yea1 hath ,god     said1 ,ye
 shall not eat of every tree of the     
garden8  ,and the woman     said unto   
the serpent1 ,we may eat of the fruit of
 the trees of the     garden3 but of the
 fruit of the tree which is in the midst
 of the     garden1 ,god hath said1 ,ye 
shall not eat of it1 neither shall ye   
touch     it1 lest ye die4  ,and the    
serpent said unto the woman1 ,ye shall  
not     surely die4  ,for ,god doth know
 that in the day ye eat thereof1 then   
your eyes shall be opened1 and ye shall 
be as gods1 knowing good and     evil4  
,and when the woman saw that the tree   
was good for food1 and     that it was  
pleasant to the eyes1 and a tree to be  

desired to make one     wise1 she took  
of the fruit thereof1 and did eat1 and  
gave also unto     her husband with her2
 and he did eat4--,,genesis iii4 #a-f4  
,here is a lesson for us all4  ,you and 
,i1 and all men brought into the  world 
with us a nature which fell in ,adam2   
and1 as it fell before we  were born1 it
 is certain enough to fall1 again and   
again1 after we are  born1 in this life2
 ay1 and unless we take care1 to fall   
lower and lower1  every day1 acting     
,adam's sin over again1 until we surely 
die4  ,this is  what ,i mean--,what ,god
 said to ,adam and ,eve1 ,he says to    
every one of us4  ,and what the devil   
said to ,adam and ,eve1 he will say to  
every one of us4    ,first4  ,god says  
to us1 ,of all the trees of the garden  
thou mayest  freely eat3 but of the tree
 of knowledge of good and evil thou     
shalt not  eat1 lest thou die4    ,of   
all the trees of the garden thou mayest 
freely eat4  ,god grudges you  nothing  
good for you4  ,he has put you into this

 good and pleasant world1  where you    
will find pleasures enough1 and comforts
 enough1 to satisfy  you1 if you are    
wise2 but there are things which ,god   
has forbidden you1  not out of any spite
 or arbitrariness1 but because they are 
bad for you2  because they will hurt you
 if you indulge in them1 and sooner or  
later1  kill both body and soul4        
,now1 many of those wrong things look   
pleasant enough1 and reasonable  enough1
 as the forbidden fruit did4  ,pleasant 
to the eyes and good for  food--and to  
be desired to make you wise4  ,as people
 grow up and go out  into life1 they are
 tempted to do many things which their  
parents forbid1  which the ,bible       
forbids1 which the law of the land      
forbids1 and they do  not understand at 
first why they are forbidden any more   
than ,adam and ,eve  understood why they
 were not to eat of the forbidden fruit4
    ,then the devil 7who is always      
trying to slander ,god to us7 whispers  
to  them1 as he did to ,eve1 ,how       

unreasonable6 how hard on you4  ,people 
say  that this is wrong1 and you must   
not do it1 and yet how pleasant it must 
be6  ,how much money you might get by   
it--how much wiser1 and cleverer1  and  
more able to help yourself you would    
become1 if you went your own  way1 and  
did what you like4  ,surely ,god is hard
 on you1 and grudges you  pleasure4     
,never mind--don't be afraid4  ,surely  
you can judge best what  is good for    
you4  ,surely you know your own business
 best4  ,use your own  common sense and 
do what you like1 and what you think    
will profit you4  ,are you to be a slave
 to old rules which your parents or the 
clergyman  taught you8    ,so says the  
devil to every young man as he goes out 
in life4  ,and to  many1 alas6--to many1
 the devil's words sound reasonable     
enough2 they  flatter our fallen nature1
 they flatter our pride and our         
self-will1 and  make us fancy we are    
going up hill1 and becoming very fine   
and manly1 and  independent and knowing4

  ,knowing6  ,how many a young man have 
,i seen  run into sin just that he might
 be knowing2 and say1 ,why should ,i not
  see life for myself8  ,why should ,i  
not know the world1 and try what is     
good1 and how ,i like that1 and what is 
bad too1 and how ,i like that--and  then
 choose for myself like a man1 instead  
of being kept in like a baby8    ,so he 
says exactly what ,adam and ,eve said in
 their hearts--,i will eat of  the tree 
of knowledge of good and evil4  ,he says
 in his heart1 too1 just  what ,solomon 
the wise said1 when he1 too1 determined 
to eat of the fruit  of the tree of     
knowledge4    ,ay1 young people1 who    
love to see the world1 and to choose for
  yourselves1 read that ,book of        
,ecclesiastes1 the saddest book on      
earth1  and get a golden lesson in every
 verse of it4  ,see how ,solomon        
determined  to see life1 from the top to
 the bottom of it4  ,how he gave his    
heart to  know1 seek1 and search out by 
wisdom concerning all things that are   

done  under heaven4  ,i have seen all   
the works that are done under the sun1  
and  behold1 all is vanity and vexation 
of spirit1 7,eccles4 i4 #ac74    ,and   
then1 how he turned round and gave his  
heart to know mirth1 and  madness1 and  
folly1 and see whether that was good for
 him1 and1 ,i said  of laughter1 it is  
mad3 and of mirth1 what doeth it8       
7,eccles4 ii4 #b-bf74  ,and then he gave
 himself to wine and revelling1 and     
after that to riches1  and pomp1 and    
glory1 and music1 and the fine arts1 as 
we call them4  ,i  made me great works2 
,i builded me houses2 ,i planted me     
vineyards3 ,i made  me gardens and      
orchards1 and ,i planted trees in them  
of all kind of  fruits3 ,i made me pools
 of water1 to water therewith the wood  
that  bringeth forth trees3 ,i got me   
servants and maidens1 and had servants  
born in my house2 also ,i had great     
possessions of great and small cattle   
above all that were in ,jerusalem before
 me3 ,i gathered me also silver and     

gold1 and the peculiar treasure of kings
 and of the provinces3 ,i gat me  men   
singers and women singers1 and the      
delights of the sons of men1 as  musical
 instruments1 and that of all sorts4    
,so ,i was great1 and  increased more   
than all that were before me in         
,jerusalem3 also my wisdom  remained    
with me4  ,and what was the end8  ,then 
,i looked on all the  works that my hand
 had done1 and on the labour that ,i had
 laboured to do3  and behold all was    
vanity and vexation of spirit1 and there
 was no profit  under the sun4          
,therefore1 he says1 that he hated all  
the labour he had  taken under the sun1 
because he must leave it to the men who 
came after  him1 and found out at last1 
after years of labour and sorrow1 trying
 to  make himself happy with this and   
that1 and finding no rest with any of   
them1 that the conclusion of the whole  
matter was to ,fear ,god and keep  his  
commandments1 for this is the whole duty
 of man4  ,for ,god shall bring  every  

work into judgment1 with every secret   
thing1 whether it be good or  evil      
7,eccles4 xii4 #ac74    ,so said        
,solomon--and ,god knows1 my dear       
friends1 ,god knows1 he said  truly4    
,ay1 and ,i know it to be true2 and ,i  
entreat you this day1 in  ,god's name1  
to hear the conclusion of the whole     
matter4  ,all this you  will find out by
 eating of the tree of knowledge1 and   
seeing life1  and going your own way1   
and falling into sin1 and smarting for  
it1 for  weary years1 in anxiety and    
perplexity1 and shame1 and sorrow of    
heart4    ,all that you will find out   
thereby--all that ,solomon found out    
thereby1--is just what you know already1
 and nothing more--just what you  have  
been taught ever since you could speak4 
,fear ,god and keep his  commandments1  
for this is the whole duty of man4  ,why
 buy your own  experience dear1 when you
 can get it gratis1 for nothing already8
    ,yes2 a simple1 godly1 industrious  
life1 doing the duty which lies nearest 

you1 avoiding sin as you would an adder1
 because it is sure sooner or  later to 
sting you1 if you touch it1 is the      
straight road1 and the only  road1 to   
happiness1 either in this life1 or in   
the life to come4  ,pleasure  and       
amusement1 drinking and jollity1 will   
not make you happy4  ,money will  not   
make you happy4  ,cleverness1 and       
cunning1 and knowledge of the world     
will not make you happy4  ,scholarship  
and learning will not4  ,but plain1     
simple righteousness1 simply doing      
right1 will4    ,do right then and be   
happy4  ,obey ,god's commandments1 and  
you will find  that ,his commandments   
are ,life1 and in the pathway thereof   
there is no  death4    ,make up your    
minds to do right1 to be right1 to keep 
right by the help of  ,god's ,right and 
,holy ,spirit1 in the right road4  ,make
 up your minds  whether you will go     
through the world in ,god's way1 or your
 own  way--whether you will taste what  
,god has forbidden1 and so destroy      

yourselves1 or obey ,him and live with  
,him in bliss4  ,the longer you  delay1 
the more difficult you will find it4    
,make up your minds now1 and  ask ,god  
to teach you ,his own heavenly wisdom   
which is a ,tree of ,life to  all that  
lay hold on it4          ,v4  ,i ,,am4  
,i ,,am hath sent me into you4--,,exodus
 iii4 #aj4    ,every day ,i find it more
 and more true1 that the ,bible is full 
of good  news from beginning to end4    
,the ,gospel--that is good news--and the
  best of all good news1 is to be found 
in every book of it2 perhaps if we  knew
 how to search the ,scriptures1 in every
 chapter and verse of it1 from          
beginning to end4  ,for from beginning  
to end1 from ,genesis to  ,malachi--from
 the ,gospel of ,st4 ,matthew to the end
 of the ,revelation--what  our ,lord    
said of the ,bible stands true3 ,they   
7the ,scriptures7 are they  which       
testify of ,,me 7,john v4 #ci74  ,the   
whole ,bible testifies1 bears  witness  
of ,him1 the ,one ,unchangeable ,christ1

 who said to ,moses1 ,say unto  the     
people1 ,i ,,am hath sent me unto you4  
,now let us think a while what that text
 means2 for it has not to do with       
,moses only1 but with all ,god's        
prophets1 evangelists1 preachers4       
,david  might have said the same to the 
,jews in his time1 ,i ,,am hath sent me 
unto  you4  ,elijah1 ,isaiah1 ,st4      
,matthew1 ,st4 ,john1 ,st4 ,paul1 might 
have said  the same4  ,and so may ,god's
 ministers now4  ,and ,i1 however       
sinful1 or  ignorant1 or unfaithful to  
my duty ,i may be1 have still a right to
 say1  as ,i do now say solemnly and    
earnestly to you1 ,i ,,am hath sent me  
unto  you this day4    ,but what do ,i  
mean by that8  ,that ought to depend on 
what ,moses meant by  it4  ,moses meant 
what ,god meant1 and unless ,i mean the 
same thing ,i must  mean something      
wrong4  ,and this is what ,i think it   
does mean3    ,first4  ,i ,,am--the     
,lord ,jesus ,christ told ,moses that   
his name was ,i ,,am4  ,now you perhaps 

think that this is but a very common    
place name1 for  every one can say of   
himself--,i am--and it may seem strange 
that ,god  should have chosen for ,his  
own especial name1 words which you and  
,i might  have chosen for ourselves just
 as well4  ,i daresay you think that you
 may  fairly say you are1 and that ,i   
can say fairly that ,i am4    ,and yet  
it is not so4  ,if ,i say ,i am1 ,i say 
what is not true of me4  ,i  must say ,i
 am something--,i am a man1 ,i am bad1  
or ,i am good1 or ,i am an  ,englishman1
 ,i am a soldier1 ,i am a sailor1 ,i am 
a clergyman--and then ,i  shall say what
 is true of me4  ,but ,god alone can say
 ,i ,,am without  saying anything more4 
,and why8  ,because ,god alone is4      
,everybody and everything else in the   
world becomes3 but ,god is4  ,we are all
 becoming something from our  birth to  
our death--changing continually and     
becoming something different  from what 
we were a minute before2 first of all we
 were created and made1  and so became  

men2 and since that we have been every  
moment changing1  becoming older1       
becoming wiser1 or alas6 foolisher2     
becoming stronger or  weaker2 becoming  
better or worse4  ,even our bodies are  
changing and  becoming different day by 
day4    ,but ,god never changes or      
becomes anything different from what ,he
 is now4  ,what ,he is1 that ,he was1   
and ever will be4  ,god does not even   
become  older4  ,this may seem very     
strange1 but it is true3 for ,god made  
,time1  ,god made the years2 and once   
there were no years to count by1 no     
years at  all4  ,remember how long had  
,god ,himself been1 before ,he made     
,time1 when  there was no ,time to pass 
over8  ,remember always that ,god must  
have  created ,time4  ,if ,god did not  
create ,time1 no one else did2 for there
 is1  as the ,athanasian ,creed says1   
,one uncreated and ,one eternal1 even   
,god  who made ,time as well as all     
things else4    ,am ,i puzzling you8    
,what ,i want to do is to make you      

understand that  ,god's life is quite   
utterly different from our life1 or any 
way of living  and being which we can   
fancy or think of2 lest you make to     
yourselves the  likeness of anything in 
heaven above or of the earth beneath1   
and think  that ,god is like that and so
 worship it1 and have other gods beside 
the  true ,god1 and so break the first  
and second commandments1 as thousands do
  who fancy themselves good             
,protestants1 and hate ,popery and      
idolatry1 and  yet worship a very       
different sort of god from the ,i ,,am1 
who sent ,moses  to the children of     
,israel4  ,remember then this at least1 
that ,god was  before all things1 and   
all worlds1 and all ,time2 so that there
 was a time  when there were no worlds1 
and a time when there was no            
,time--nothing but  ,god alone1         
absolute1 eternal1 neither made nor     
created1 the same that ,he  is now and  
will be for ever4    ,when ,i say ,god  
is1 that is a very different thing from 

,god ,himself  saying1 ,i ,,am4  ,a     
different thing8  ,oh6 my friends1 here 
is the root of  the whole ,gospel1 the  
root of all our hope for this world and 
for the  world to come--for ourselves1  
for our own future1 and the future of   
all  the world4  ,do you not see how8   
,then ,i will try to explain4    ,many  
heathen men have known that there was   
one eternal ,god1 and that ,god  is4    
,but they did not know that ,god        
,himself had said so2 and that made     
them anxious1 puzzled1 almost desperate1
 so that the wiser they were1 the       
unhappier they were4  ,for what use is  
it merely knowing that ,god is8  ,the   
question for poor human creatures is1   
,but what sort of a being is  ,god8  ,is
 ,he far off8  ,millions of miles from  
this earth8  ,does ,he care  nothing    
about us8  ,does ,he let the world go   
its own way right or wrong8  ,is ,he    
proud and careless8  ,a self-glorifying 
,deity whose mercy is not  over all ,his
 works1 or even over any of them8  ,or  

does ,he care for us8  ,does ,he see us8
  ,will ,he speak to us8  ,has ,he ever 
spoken to any one8  ,has  ,he ever told 
any one about ,himself8  ,there is the  
question--the  question of all          
questions4  ,and if a man once begins   
thinking about his  own soul1 and this  
world1 and ,god1--till he gets that     
question answered1  he can have no      
comfort about himself or the world1 or  
anything--till in  fact he knows whether
 ,god has ever spoken to men or not4    
,and the glory of the ,bible1 the power 
of ,god revealed in the ,bible1 is1     
that it answers the question1 and says1 
,god does care for men1 ,god  does see  
men1 ,god is not far off from any one of
 us4  ,ay1 ,god speaks  to men--,god    
spoke to ,moses and said1 not ,god is   
but ,i ,,am4  ,god in  sundry times and 
in divers manners spoke to our fathers  
by the ,prophets  and said ,i ,,am4     
,but more--,moses said1 ,i ,,am hath    
sent me4  ,god does not merely love us1 
and yet leave us to ourselves4  ,he     

sends after us4  ,he sends to us4  ,in  
old times ,he sent prophets and wise men
 one after the other to preach          
repentance and righteousness1 and to    
teach men all that was good for  them2  
and when men would not listen to them1  
but shut their ears to them  and drove  
them out1 killing some and beating some1
 ,god was so determined  to send to men1
 so unwearied1 so patient1 so earnest1  
so loving still1  that ,he said1 ,i will
 send now my own ,son1 surely they will 
hear ,him4    ,yes1 my friends1 this is 
the ,i ,,am4  ,this is ,god--this is our
 ,god--this is  our ,heavenly ,father2  
not a proud and selfish ,being1 who     
looks down  haughtily from afar off on  
all the misery and ignorance of the     
world1 but  as a wise man of old said1  
,a most merciful ,god1 a revealer of    
secrets1  who showeth to man the things 
which he knew not4  ,this is our        
,god--not a  tyrant1 but a              
,deliverer--not a condemning ,god1 but a
 saving ,god1 who  wills that none      

should perish1 who sends to seek and to 
save those who  are lost1 who sends ,his
 sun to shine on the just and the       
unjust1 and is  good to the unthankful  
and the evil4  ,a ,god who so loved the 
world which  ,he had made1 in spite of  
all its sin and follies1 that ,he spared
 not ,his  only begotten ,son1 but      
freely gave ,him for it4  ,a ,god who   
sits on ,his  throne for ever judging   
right1 and ministering true judgment    
among the  people1 who from ,his throne 
beholds all those who dwell upon the    
earth1  and fashions the hearts of them1
 and understandeth all their works4  ,a 
,god who comes out of ,his place to     
visit the wrong done on the earth1 and  
be a refuge for the oppressed1 and a    
help in time of trouble1 to help the    
fatherless and poor unto their right1   
that the men of this world be no  more  
exalted against them4    ,this is our   
,god4  ,this is our ,father--always     
condescending1 always  patient1 always  
loving1 always just4  ,and always       

active1 always working  to do good to   
all his creatures1 like that exact      
pattern and copy of  ,himself1 the ,lord
 ,jesus ,christ1 who said1 ,my ,father  
worketh hitherto1  and ,i work4  7,john 
v4 #ag74    ,but again3 ,i ,,am hath    
sent me unto you4    ,unto whom8  ,who  
was ,moses sent to8  ,to the ,children  
of ,israel in ,egypt4  ,and what sort of
 people were they8  ,were they wise and 
learned8  ,on the  contrary they were   
stupid1 ignorant1 and brutish4  ,were   
they pious and  godly8  ,on the contrary
 they were worshipping the foolish idols
 of the  ,egyptians--so fond of idolatry
 that they must needs make a golden calf
  and worship it4  ,were they           
respectable and cleanly livers8  ,were  
they  teachable and obedient8  ,on the  
contrary1 they were profligate1 stiff-  
necked1 murmurers1 disobedient1         
unwilling to trust ,god's goodness1     
though  ,he had shown them all those    
glorious signs and wonders for their    
sakes1  and brought them out of ,egypt  

with a mighty hand and a stretched-out  
arm4  ,were they high-spirited and      
brave8  ,on the contrary1 they were     
mean-spirited and cowards1 murmuring    
against ,moses and against ,god1 if     
anything went wrong1 for setting them   
free2 ready to go back and be  slaves to
 the ,egyptians rather than face danger 
and fight2 looking back  and longing    
after the flesh-pots of ,egypt1 where   
they eat bread to the  full1 and willing
 to be slaves again and have all their  
men children  drowned in the river1 and 
themselves put to hard labour in the    
brick  kilns1 if they could only fill   
their stomachs4  ,and even at best when 
,moses had brought them to the very edge
 of that rich land of ,canaan1  which   
,god had promised them1 they were afraid
 to go into it1 and win it  for         
themselves2 and ,god had to send them   
back again1 to wander forty  years in   
the wilderness1 till all that cowardly1 
base1 first generation1  who came up out
 of ,egypt was dead1 and a new          

generation had grown up1  made brave and
 hardy by their long training in the    
deserts1 and taught to  trust and obey  
,god from their youth2 and so able and  
willing to conquer  the good land which 
,god had promised them4    ,altogether  
the ,children of ,israel1 to whom ,god  
sent ,moses1 were plainly  an ignorant1 
brutish1 cowardly set of people1 fallen 
lower far than the  negroes of ,south   
,america1 fit to be slaves and nothing  
better4    ,then why did ,god take such 
trouble for them8  ,why did ,god care   
for them1  and help them1 and work      
wonders for them8  ,why8  ,exactly      
because they  were so bad4  ,he that    
hath ears to hear let him hear1 and     
understand by  this example of all      
examples what manner of ,god our ,god   
is4  ,just because  they were so bad1   
,his goodness yearned over them all the 
more1 and longed  to make them good4    
,just because they were so unclean and  
brutish ,his  holiness longed all the   
more to cleanse them4  ,because they    

were so  stupid and ignorant1 ,his      
wisdom longed to make them wise4        
,because they  were so miserable1 ,his  
pity yearned over them1 as a father over
 a child  fallen into danger4  ,because 
they were sick1 they had all the more   
need  of a physician4  ,because they    
were lost1 there was all the more reason
  for seeking and saving them4  ,because
 they were utterly weak1 ,god desired   
all the more to put ,his strength into  
them1 that ,his strength might be  made 
perfect in weakness4    ,true1 ,god's   
goodness seemed of little use to too    
many of them4  ,their  history during   
the next forty years was a very sad one4
  ,with many of  them ,god was not well 
pleased1 the ,bible tells us1 and their 
carcases  fell in the ,wilderness4  ,a  
sad forty years they were for ,moses    
also1 as  he says in that sad and       
glorious ,psalm of his 7,ps4 xc4 #g1    
#h73 ,we consume  away in thy           
displeasure1 and are afraid of thy      
wrathful indignation4  ,thou  hast set  

our misdeeds before us1 our secret sins 
in the light of thy  countenance1 for   
when ,thou art angry our days are gone3 
we bring our  years to an end as a tale 
that is told4    ,but that was all their
 own fault4  ,god never left them for   
all those  forty years4  ,he fed them   
with manna in the wilderness1 and the   
angel of  ,his presence preserved them4 
,and now1 my friends1 remember what ,i  
have said of ,god in this text1 ,i ,,am 
hath sent me unto you1 and see how it   
preaches to you an almighty1            
unchangeable ,father1 whose mercy is    
over all ,his works1 full of love and   
care for all1 longing and labouring for 
ever by ,his ,son ,jesus ,christ to     
raise us from the death of sin 7which is
 the only death we need to be  afraid   
of7 to the life of righteousness--the   
only life worth living here1  the only  
life which we can live beyond the grave6
  ,a just ,god1 a merciful  ,god1 a     
patient ,god1 a generous ,god1 a        
gracious ,god2 a ,god whose glory is  to

 save--a ,god who is utterly worthy of  
our love and respect--a ,god whom  we   
can trust--a ,god whom it is worth while
 to obey--a ,god who deserves  our      
thanks from our cradle to our grave--a  
,god to whom we ought honestly1  and    
from the bottom of our hearts to say1   
now and for ever3    ,we worship ,thee1 
we bless ,thee1 we praise ,thee1 we     
magnify ,thee1 we give  thanks to ,thee 
for ,thy great glory1 oh6 ,lord ,god1   
,heavenly ,king1 ,god the  ,father      
,almighty4          ,,vi4  ,,the        
,,englishman ,,trained ,,by ,,toil4     
,all the commandments which ,i command  
thee this day shall ye observe     to   
do1 that ye may live1 and multiply1 and 
go in and possess the land     which the
 ,lord sware unto your fathers4  ,and   
thou shalt remember all     the way     
which the ,lord thy ,god led thee these 
forty years in the     wilderness1 to   
humble thee1 and to prove thee1 to know 
what was in     thine heart1 whether    
thou wouldest keep his commandments1 or 

no4  ,and     he humbled thee1 and      
suffered thee to hunger1 and fed thee   
with manna1     which thou knewest not1 
neither did thy fathers know2 that he   
might     make thee know that man doth  
not live by bread only1 but by every    
word     that proceedeth out of the     
mouth of the ,lord doth man live4 4 4 4 
,thou     shall also consider in thine  
heart that1 as a man chasteneth his son1
     so the ,lord thy ,god chasteneth   
thee4--,,deut4 viii4 #a1 #b1 #c1 #e4    
,as ,god led the ,jews through the      
wilderness1 so ,he leads us through the 
journey of life4  ,as ,god called on the
 ,jews to rejoice in ,him1 and to  bless
 ,him for going with them1 and teaching 
and training them by dangers  and       
sorrows2 so ,he calls on us to lift up  
our hearts and bless ,him for  teaching 
and training us in the battle of life4  
,but some of you may say1 ,why do you   
ask us to thank ,god for lessons  which 
we have bought by labour and sorrow8    
,are not our sorrows more than  our     

joys8  ,our labour far heavier than our 
rest can be sweet8  ,you tell  us to be 
joyful and thank ,god for ,his mercies2 
but why all this toil8  ,why  must we   
work on1 and on1 and on1 all our days1  
in weariness and anxiety8  ,why must we 
only toil1 toil1 till we die1 and lie   
down1 fairly conquered  and worn out1 on
 that stern mother earth1 from whom we  
have been wringing  our paltry          
livelihood from our boyhood to our      
grave8  ,what is our life  but labour   
and sorrow8    ,are not some of you     
thinking in this way to-day8  ,have ,i  
not guessed the  hearts of some of you  
at least8  ,and is not this a strange   
way of making  you joyful to remind you 
of these thoughts8    ,my friends1 be   
sure ,i only remind you of these sad    
thoughts1 because they  are true        
thoughts1 because ,god meant you to bear
 them and face them  like men2 because  
you must have these thoughts1 and let   
them make you  sad1 and make up your    
minds to face them again and again1     

before even you  can thank ,god really  
like redeemed1 immortal ,christian men  
and women4  ,and  believe me1 ,i would  
not mention these sad thoughts1 if ,i   
had not a remedy  for them4  ,if ,i had 
not a message to you from the living    
,god1 and ,christ  the ,king of the     
earth1 whereby ,i tell you now to       
rejoice and give thanks  to ,him in     
spite of all your labour and sorrow4    
,ay more1 ,i say1 ,rejoice  and give    
thanks on account of all your labour and
 sorrow1 and count it  all joy when ye  
fall into divers tribulations4    ,it is
 true1 my friends1 we are a hard working
 and a somewhat sad race of  men1 we    
,english4  ,the life of the working man 
is labour and sorrow1 and  so is the    
life of the scholar1 and so is the life 
of even many a rich  man4  ,all things  
are full of labour in ,england4  ,man   
cannot utter it1 the  eye is not        
satisfied with seeing1 nor the ear with 
hearing2 we are the  wisest of all      
nations2 and yet as ,solomon says1      

behold in much wisdom is  much grief2   
and in increasing knowledge1 we still   
increase sorrow4    ,truly1 ,i may say  
of us ,englishmen1 as ,paul said of the 
,christians of his  time1 that if       
,christ be not raised from the dead1 and
 if in this life  only we have hope in  
,him1 we are of all nations one of the  
most  unhappy4  ,when we look at all the
 hundreds of thousands pent up in our   
great cities among filth and smoke1     
toiling in factories1 in workshops1  in 
dark mines under ground--when we think  
of the soldier on the march  under the  
sultry sun of ,india1 the sailor on the 
stormy sea--when we  think of this our  
bleak inclement climate1 our five months
 of winter  every year2--no man's food  
and clothing to be gained but by bitter 
toil1  either of himself or of          
others--and then when we compare our lot
 with  that of the dwellers in hot      
countries1 in ,india and in ,africa1 and
 the  islands of the ,south ,seas1 where
 men live with no care1 no labour--where

  clothes and fire are never            
needed--where every tree bears delicious
 food1  and man lives in perpetual      
summer1 in careless health and beauty1  
among  continual mirth and ease1 like   
the birds which know no care--then it   
seems at moments as if ,god had been    
unfair in giving so much more to the    
savage than ,he has to us1 of the       
blessings of this earthly life2 and we  
are led to long that our lot was cast in
 those fruitful and delicious  climates 
of the ,south1 in a continual paradise  
of mirth and plenty1 and  beauty and    
sunshine4    ,but no1 my friends1 we are
 more blest than the careless ,indian   
who never  knows what labour is2 his    
life is but the life of the butterfly1  
which  flutters from flower to flower   
and sports in the sunshine1 and sucks   
sweets for a brief hour1 and then       
perishes without hope4  ,his life is a  
dream1 he sees no heaven before him1 he 
knows no glorious ,god1 with the  sight 
of whom he is to be blest for ever4     

,his body may be in perpetual  ease1 and
 health1 and beauty for a few short     
years1 but what care has he  for his    
undying spirit1 that is blind and dead  
within him8    ,but to bring a man's    
soul to life1 to train and educate a    
man's soul that  it may go on from      
strength to strength1 and glory to glory
 till it  appears in the presence of    
,god--that wants a stern and a severe   
training  of sorrow and labour1 of which
 the poor1 pampered1 luxurious savage   
knows  nothing4  ,this is why ,christ   
brought our forefathers into this bleak1
  cold1 northern land1 and forced them  
to gain their bread by the sweat of     
their brows1 and the sorrows of their   
hearts1 and to keep their land by  many 
wars4    ,now this is the reason of our 
carefulness1 of our many troubles1 that 
,god  is educating and training us      
,english2 that ,he will not have us be  
savages1 but ,christian citizens2 ,he   
will have us not merely happy1 but      
blessed through all eternity4  ,he will 

not have us to be like the poor         
,indians1 slaves to our flesh and our   
appetites--slaves to the pleasant       
things around us2 but ,he will have us  
fill the earth and subdue it2 ,he  will 
have ,england the light of the          
nations--and ,englishmen preach         
freedom1 and wisdom1 and prudence1 and  
the gospel of ,jesus ,christ to all  the
 nations of the earth4  ,therefore      
,christ afflicts us because ,he loves   
us1 because whom ,he loveth ,he         
chasteneth1 and scourgeth every son whom
 ,he  receiveth4  ,because ,he has      
ordained ,england to preach the ,cross1 
therefore ,he will have ,england bear   
the cross4    ,it has often struck me1  
my friends1 as a beautiful and a deep   
sign1 a  blessed ordinance of the great 
and wise ,god1 that the flag of         
,england1  and especially the flag of   
our navy--the flag which is loved and   
reverenced through all the world1 as the
 bringer of free communion  between     
nation and nation1 the bringer of order 

and equal justice and  holy freedom1 and
 the divine majesty of law1 and the     
light of the blessed  gospel wherever it
 goes2 that this flag1 ,i say1 should be
 the red-cross  flag1 the flag of the   
,cross of ,christ--a double sign--a sign
 to all men  that we are a ,christian   
nation1 a gospel people2 and a sign1    
too1 to  ourselves1 that we are meant to
 bear ,christ's cross--to bear the      
afflictions which ,he lays upon us--to  
be made perfect through sufferings1  to 
crucify the flesh with its affections   
and lusts1 that we may be brave  and    
self-denying2 going forth in ,christ's  
strength1 remembering that it  is ,he   
who gives us power to get wealth2 that  
we ought to fight ,his  battles1 that we
 ought to spread ,his name at home and  
abroad2 and rejoice  in every sorrow1   
which teaches us more and more the      
blessed meaning of  ,his saving name1   
and the share which we have in it4    ,i
 have said that we are a melancholy     
people4  ,foreigners all say of us1     

that we are the saddest of all people2  
that when they come to ,england1  they  
are struck with our silence1 and        
gloominess1 and careworn faces1 and  our
 want of merriment and cheerfulness4    
,and yet1 with all this1 we are  the    
greatest of nations at this day--the    
strongest and the most  industrious and 
the wisest4  ,the gospel of ,jesus      
,christ is preached  oftener1 and more  
simply1 and more fully here in ,england 
than in any  nation1 and ,i dare to say 
it1 that in spite of all our sins1 there
 are as  many or more of ,god's true    
saints1 more holy men and women among   
,english  people at this moment1 than   
among any people of the earth4  ,and    
why8  because there are so many among us
 who have hope in ,christ beyond this   
life1 who look for everlasting salvation
 through all eternity to ,his  name4    
,if in this life only we have hope in   
,christ1 truly of all people  we should 
be most miserable2 but ,christ is risen 
from the dead1 and ,he  has ascended up 

on high1 and led captivity captive1 and 
received gifts  for men4  ,he sits even 
now at ,god's right hand praying for us4
  ,to ,him  all power is given in heaven
 and earth1 and ,he is our covenant ,god
 and  ,saviour1 ,he is our ,king4  ,he  
is ours2 and ,he will have us put on    
,his  likeness1 and with ,him be made   
perfect through sufferings--through     
sufferings1 for sorrow is the gate of   
life4  ,through much tribulation we     
enter into the kingdom of ,god2 without 
weary pain none of us is born into  the 
world2 without weary labour not a       
harvest in ,england is grown and        
reaped2 without weary thought1 and      
teaching1 and correction1 not a child   
among us is educated to be a man2       
without weary thought and weary labour1 
not one of us can do his duty in that   
station of life to which ,christ has    
called him4  ,not without weary         
struggles and arguings and contentions1 
by  martyrdoms1 by desperate wars1 our  
forefathers won for us our religion1    

our freedom and our laws1 which make    
,england the wonder of the world4  ,this
 is the great law of our life--to be    
made perfect through sufferings1  as our
 ,lord and ,master was before us4  ,he  
has dealt with us1 as my text  tells you
 ,he dealt with the ,jews1 ,his chosen  
people of old1 as ,he deals  with every 
soul of man on whom ,he sets ,his love4 
,all the commandments  which ,i command 
thee this day shall ye observe to do1   
that ye may live1  and multiply1 and go 
in and possess the land which the ,lord 
sware unto  your fathers4  ,and thou    
shalt remember all the way which the    
,lord thy ,god  led thee these forty    
years in the wilderness1 to humble thee1
 and to  prove thee1 to know what was in
 thine heart1 whether thou wouldest keep
  ,his commandments1 or no4  ,and ,he   
humbled thee1 and suffered thee to      
hunger1 and fed thee with manna1 which  
thou knewest not1 neither did thy       
fathers know2 that ,he might make thee  
know that man doth not live by  bread   

only1 but by every word that proceedeth 
out of the mouth of the  ,lord doth man 
live 4 4 4 ,thou shalt also consider in 
thine heart1 that1  as a man chasteneth 
his son1 so the ,lord thy ,god          
chasteneth thee4    ,for1 believe me1 my
 friends1 whatever nation or whatever   
man ,christ  chooses to be ,his own1 and
 to be holy and noble and glorious with 
,him1 ,he  makes them perfect through   
suffering4  ,first1 ,he stirs up in them
 strange  longings after what is great  
and good4  ,he makes them hunger and    
thirst  after righteousness1 and then   
,he lets them see how nothing on this   
earth1  nothing beautiful or nothing    
pleasant which they can get or invent   
for  themselves will satisfy2 and so ,he
 teaches them to look to ,him1 to look  
for peace and salvation from heaven and 
not from earth4  ,then ,he leads  them1 
as ,he led the ,jews of old1 through the
 wilderness and through the  sea1       
through strange afflictions1 through    
poverty1 and war1 and labour1  that they

 may learn to know that ,he is leading  
them and not themselves2  that they may 
learn to trust not in themselves1 but in
 ,him2 not in their  own strength3 but  
in the bread which cometh down from     
heaven2 not in  their own courage1 but  
in ,him2 and just when all seems most   
hopeless1 ,he  makes one of them chase a
 thousand1 and by strange and unexpected
  providences1 and the courage which a  
just cause inspires1 brings ,his  people
 triumphant through temptation and      
danger1 and puts to flight the  armies  
of the heathen1 and the inventions of   
the evil fiend1 and  glorifies ,his name
 in ,his chosen people4    ,so ,he calls
 out in the heart of men and of the     
heart of nations1 the two  great twin   
virtues1 which always go hand in        
hand--,faith in ,god1 and ,faith  in    
themselves4  ,he lets them feel         
themselves foolish that they may learn  
how to be wise in ,his wisdom4  ,he lets
 them find themselves weak that  they   
may learn how to be strong in ,his      

strength4  ,then sometimes ,he lets     
them follow their own devices and be    
filled with the fruits of their own     
inventions4  ,he lets their sinful      
hearts have free course down into the   
depths of idolatry and covetousness1 and
 filthy pleasure and mad self-  conceit1
 that they may learn to know the bitter 
fruit that springs from  the accursed   
root of sin1 and come back to ,him in   
shame and repentance1  entreating ,him  
to inform their thoughts1 and guide     
their wills1 and  gather them to ,him as
 a hen gathereth her chickens under her 
wing1 that  they may never more wander  
from ,him1 their life1 their light1 and 
their  ,saviour4  ,then1 sometimes1 if  
,his children forsake ,his laws and     
break ,his  covenant1 ,he visits their  
offences with the rod1 and their sin    
with the  stripes of the children of    
men4  ,that is1 ,he punishes them as ,he
 punishes  the heathen1 if they sin as  
the heathen sin4  ,he lets loose upon   
them ,his  wrath1 war1 disease1 or      

scarcity1 that ,he may drive them back  
to ,him4    ,and all the while ,he will 
have them labour4  ,he will make them   
try  their strength1 and use their      
strength1 and improve their strength of 
soul and body4  ,by making them labour1 
,christ teaches ,his people  industry1  
order1 self-command1 self-denial1       
patience1 courage1 endurance1           
foresight1 thoughtfulness1 earnestness4 
,all these blessed virtues come  out of 
holy labour2 by working in welldoing we 
learn lessons which the  savage among   
his delicious fruits and flowers1 in his
 life of golden  ease1 and luxurious    
laziness1 can never learn4    ,and all  
this ,christ teaches us because ,he     
loves us1 because ,he would have  us    
perfect4  ,his love is unchangeable4    
,as ,he swore by ,himself that ,he      
would never fail ,david1 so ,he has     
sworn that ,he will never fail any one  
of ,his ,churches1 or any one of us4    
,lo1 said ,he1 ,i am with you always1   
even to the end of the world4  ,nothing 

shall separate us from the love of      
,christ2 neither battle nor famine1 nor 
anything else in heaven or earth4  ,all 
,he wants is to educate us1 because ,he 
loves us4  ,he doth not afflict         
willingly nor grieve the children of    
men4  ,and because ,he is a ,god of     
love1 ,he proves ,his love to us every  
now and then by blessing us1 as well  as
 by correcting us2 else our spirits     
would fail before ,him1 and the  souls  
which ,he has made4  ,when ,he sees our 
adversity1 ,he hears our  complaint1 ,he
 thinks upon ,his covenant and pities   
us1 according to the  multitude of ,his 
mercies4  ,a fruitful land maketh ,he   
barren for the  wickedness of them that 
dwell therein1 yet when they cry unto   
the ,lord in  their trouble1 ,he        
delivereth them out of their distress4  
,he maketh the  wilderness standing     
water1 and water springs of dry ground1 
and there ,he  setteth the hungry that  
they may build them a city1 that they   
may sow  their lands and plant          

vineyards1 to yield them fruits of      
increase4  ,he  blesseth them1 so that  
they multiply exceedingly1 and suffereth
 not their  cattle to decrease2 and     
again1 when they are diminished or      
brought low  through affliction1 through
 any plague or trouble1 though ,he      
suffer them  to be evil entreated by    
tyrants1 and let them wander out of the 
way in  the wilderness2 yet helpeth ,he 
the poor out of misery1 and maketh them 
households like a flock of sheep4 7,ps4 
cvii47    ,o my friends1 have not these 
words ever been wonderfully fulfilled to
  some of you6  ,then see how true it is
 that ,god will not always be  chiding1 
neither keepeth ,he ,his anger for ever2
 but ,he knoweth our frame1  ,he        
remembereth that we are but dust1 and   
like as a father pitieth his  children1 
so does ,he pity those who fear ,him2   
and oftentimes1 too1 in ,his  great     
condescension1 those who fear ,him not4 
,my friends1 ,i have been trying in this
 sermon to make you feel that you  are  

under ,god's guidance1 that ,his        
providence is trying to train and       
educate you4  ,i have told you that     
there is a blessed use and meaning in   
your very sorrows1 and in this life of  
continual toil which ,god has  appointed
 for you2 ,i have told you that you     
ought to thank ,god for those  sorrows3 
how much more then ought you to thank   
,him for your joys4  ,if you  should    
thank ,him for want1 surely you should  
thank ,him for plenty4  ,o  thank ,him  
earnestly--not only with your lips1 but 
in your lives4  ,if you  believe that   
,he has redeemed you with ,his precious 
blood1 show your  thankfulness by living
 as redeemed men1 holy to ,god--who are 
not your  own1 but bought with a price2 
therefore show forth ,god's glory1 the  
power  of ,his grace in your bodies and 
your spirits which are ,his4  ,if you   
feel  that it is a noble thing to be an 
,englishman--especially an ,english     
soldier or an ,english sailor--a noble  
and honourable privilege to be  allowed 

to do your duty in the noblest nation   
and the noblest church  which the world 
ever saw--then live as ,englishmen in   
covenant with ,god2  faithful to ,him   
who has redeemed you and washed you from
 your sins in ,his  own blood4  ,do you 
be faithful and obedient to ,christ's   
,spirit1 and ,he  will be faithful to   
those promises of ,his4  ,though a      
thousand fall at thy  right hand1 yet   
the evil shall not come nigh thee4      
,blessed are all they  that fear the    
,lord and walk in ,his ways4  ,for thou 
shalt eat the labours  of thine hand4   
,o well art thou and happy shalt thou   
be4  ,the ,lord out of  heaven shall so 
bless thee1 that thou shalt see ,england
 in prosperity all  thy life long4      
,yea1 thou shalt see thy children's     
children1 and peace  upon thy native    
land4    ,oh1 remember how ,god         
fulfilled that promise to ,england      
seventy years ago1  when the ,french    
swept in fire and slaughter1 and horrors
 worse than  either1 over almost every  

nation in ,europe1 while ,england       
remained safe  in peace and plenty1 and 
an enemy never set foot on ,god's chosen
 ,english  soil4  ,remember the ,french 
war1 and our salvation in it1 and then  
believe  and take comfort4  ,trust in   
the ,lord and be doing good2 dwell in   
the  land1 and verily thou shalt be fed4
          ,,vii4  ,,higher ,,or ,,lower3
 ,,which ,,shall ,,win8                 
,therefore1 brethren1 we are debtors1   
not to the flesh1 to live after     the 
flesh4  ,for if ye live after the flesh1
 ye shall die3 but if ye     through the
 spirit do mortify the deeds of the     
body1 ye shall live4     ,for as many as
 are led by the spirit of ,god1 they are
 the sons of ,god4     ,for ye have not 
received the spirit of bondage again to 
fear2 but ye     have received the      
,spirit of adoption1 whereby we cry1    
,abba1     ,father4--,,romans viii4     
#ab-ae4    ,let us try to understand    
these words4  ,they are of quite        
infinite  importance to us all4    ,we  

shall all agree1 all of us at least who 
have thought at all about  right and    
wrong1 and tried to do right and avoid  
wrong--that there goes  on in us1 at    
times1 a strange struggle4  ,we wish to 
do a right thing1 and  at the very same 
time long to do a wrong one4  ,we are   
pulled1 as it were1  two different ways 
by two different feelings1 feel as if we
 were two men  at once1 a better man and
 a worse man struggling for the mastery4
  ,one  may conquer1 or the other4  ,we 
may be like the confirmed drunkard who  
cannot help draining off his liquor1    
though he knows that it is going to     
kill him2 or we may be like the man who 
conquers his love for drink1 and  puts  
the liquor away1 because he knows that  
he ought not to take it4    ,we know too
 well1 many of us1 how painful this     
inward struggle is1  between our better 
selves1 and our worse selves4  ,how     
discontented with  ourselves it makes   
us1 how ashamed of ourselves1 how angry 
with  ourselves4  ,we all understand too

 well--or ought to understand1 ,st4     
,paul's words3 ,how often the good which
 he wished to do1 he did not do1  but   
the evil which he did not wish to do1 he
 did4  ,how he delighted in  the law of 
,god in his inward man2 but he found    
another law in him1 in his  body1       
warring against the law of his          
mind--that is his conscience and        
reason1 and making a slave of him till  
he was ready at times to cry1 ,oh       
wretched man that ,i am1 who shall      
deliver me from the body of this  death8
    ,we can understand too1 surely the  
famous parable of ,plato1 the greatest  
of heathen philosophers1 who says1 that 
the soul of man is like a  chariot1     
guided by a man's will1 but drawn by two
 horses4  ,the one horse  he says is    
white1 beautiful and noble1 well-broken 
and winged1 too1  always trying to rise 
and fly upward with the chariot toward  
heaven4  ,but  the other horse is black1
 evil1 and unmanageable1 always trying  
to rush  downward1 and drag the chariot 

and the driver into hell4    ,ah my     
friends1 that is but too true a picture 
of most of us1 and ,god  grant that in  
our souls the better horse may win1 that
 our nobler and  purer desires may lift 
us up1 and leave behind those lower and 
fouler  desires which try to drag us    
down4  ,but to drag us down whither8    
,to hell  at last1 says ,plato the      
heathen4  ,to destruction and death in  
the  meanwhile1 says ,st4 ,paul4    ,now
 in the text ,st4 ,paul explains this   
struggle--this continual war which  goes
 on within us4  ,he says that there are 
two parts in us--the flesh and  the     
spirit--and that the flesh lusts1 that  
is1 longs and struggles to  have its own
 way against the spirit1 and the spirit 
against the flesh4  ,first1 there is a  
flesh in us--that is1 a carnal animal   
nature4  ,of that  there can be no      
doubt3 we are animals1 we come into the 
world as animals  do--eat1 drink1 sleep 
as they do--have the same passions as   
they have--and  our carnal mortal bodies

 die at last1 exactly as the animals    
die4    ,but are we nothing more8  ,god 
forbid4  ,st4 ,paul tells us that we are
  something more--and our own conscience
 and reason tell us that we are         
something more4  ,we know that to be a  
man1 we must be something more than  an 
animal--a mere brute--for when we call  
any one a brute1 what do we  mean8      
,that he has lost his humanity1 his     
sense of justice1 mercy1 and  decency1  
and given himself up to his flesh--his  
animal nature1 till the  man in him is  
dead1 and only the brute remains4       
,mind1 ,i do not say  that we are right 
in calling any human being a brute1 for 
no one1 ,i  believe1 is sunk so low1 but
 there is some spark of humanity1 some  
spark  of what ,st4 ,paul calls the     
spirit1 left in him1 which may be fanned
  into a flame and conquer1 and raise   
and save the man at last--unless he  be 
a mere idiot--or that most unhappy and  
brutal of all beings1 a  confirmed      
drunkard4    ,but our giving way to the 

same selfish shameless passions1 which  
we see  in the lower animals1 is letting
 the brute in us conquer1 is giving way 
to the works of the flesh4  ,the        
shameless and profligate person gives   
way  to the brute within him--the man   
who beats his wife--or ill-treats his   
children--or in any wise tyrannises over
 those who are weaker than  himself1 he 
too gives way to the brute within him4  
,he who grudges1  envies1 tries to      
aggrandise himself at his neighbour's   
expense--he too  gives way to the brute 
within him1 and puts on the likeness of 
the dog  which snatches and snarls over 
his bone4  ,he who spends his life in   
cunning plots and mean tricks1 stealthy1
 crafty1 silent1 false1 he gives  way to
 the brute in him1 just as much as the  
fox or ferret4  ,and those1  let me say1
 who without giving way to those grosser
 vices1 let their  minds be swallowed up
 with vanity1 love of admiration1 always
 longing to  be seen and looked at1 and 
wondering what folks will say of them1  

they  too give way to the flesh1 and    
lower themselves to the likeness of     
animals4  ,as vain as a peacock1 says   
the old proverb4  ,and shame it is to   
any human being so far to forget his    
true humanity1 as to have that said  of 
him4  ,and what shall we say of them who
 like the swine live only for  eating   
and drinking1 and enjoyment8  ,or what  
of those who like the  butterflies spend
 all their time in frivolous amusement1 
fluttering in  the sunshine1 silly and  
helpless1 without a sense of duty or    
usefulness1  without forethought for the
 coming frosts of winter1 against which 
their  gay feathers would be no         
protection8  ,do not all these in some  
way or  other give way to the animal    
within them1 and live after the flesh8  
,and  do they not1 all of them1 of the  
flesh1 reap corruption1 and fulfil ,st4 
,paul's words1 ,if ye live after the    
flesh ye shall die8    ,but some one    
will say--,die8--of course we shall all 
die--good and bad  alike4  ,is it so1 my

 friends8  ,then why does our ,lord say1
 ,he that  liveth and believeth in me   
shall never die8  ,and why does ,st4    
,paul say1  ,if ye through the spirit do
 mortify1 that is crush1 and as it were 
kill1 the deeds of the body1 all those  
low animal passions and vices1  ye shall
 live4    ,let us look at the text      
again4  ,if ye live after the flesh ye  
shall  die4  ,if you give way to those  
animal passions and vices--low and      
cruel--or even merely selfish and       
frivolous1 you shall die2 not merely    
your bodies--they will die in any       
case--the animals do--for animals they  
are1 and as animals die they must4  ,but
 over and above that--you  yourselves   
shall die--your character will die1 your
 manhood or your  womanhood will die1   
your immortal soul will die4  ,the      
likeness of ,god in  you will die4  ,oh1
 my friends1 there is a second death to 
which that  first death of the body is a
 mere trivial and harmless accident--the
  death of sin which kills the true man 

and true woman within you4  ,and  that  
second death may begin in this life1 and
 if it be not stopped and  cured in     
time1 may go on for ever4  ,the black   
horse of which ,i spoke just  now1 may  
get the mastery and drag us down1 down1 
into bogs out of which  we can never    
rise--over cliffs which we can never    
climb again--down lower  and lower--more
 and more foolish1 more and more        
reckless1 more and more  base1 more and 
more wretched4  ,and then there will be 
no more use in  saying1 ,the ,lord have 
mercy on my soul1 for we shall have no  
soul left  to have mercy on4    ,this is
 the dark side of the matter--a very    
dark one3 but it has to be  spoken of1  
because it is true2 and what is more1 it
 comes true only too  often in this     
world4  ,god grant1 my dear friends1    
that it may not come  true of any of    
you4    ,but there is also a bright side
 to the matter--and on that ,i will     
speak  now1 in order that this sermon   
may end1 as such gospel sermons surely  

should end1 not with threats and fear1  
but with hope and comfort4    ,if ye    
through the spirit do mortify the deeds 
of the body1 ye shall  live4  ,if you   
will be true to your better selves1 if  
you will listen to1  and obey the spirit
 of ,god1 when ,he puts into your hearts
 good desires1  and makes you long to be
 just and true1 pure and sober1 kind and
 useful4  ,if you will cast away and    
trample under foot animal passions1 low 
vices1  you shall live4  ,you shall     
live4  ,your very soul and self shall   
live1  and live for ever4  ,your        
humanity1 your human nature shall live4 
,all  that is humane in you shall live4 
,all that is merciful and kind in you1  
all that is pure and graceful1 all that 
is noble and generous1 all that  is     
useful4  ,all in you that is pleasant to
 yourselves shall live4  ,all in  you   
that is pleasant to your neighbours4    
,all in you that is pleasant to  ,god   
shall live4  ,in one word1 all in you   
that is like ,christ--all in you  that  

is like ,god--all in you that is spirit 
and not flesh1 shall live1  and live for
 ever4  ,so it must be1 for what says   
,st4 ,paul8  ,as many as  are led by the
 spirit of ,god1 they are the sons of   
,god4  ,those who let  the spirit of    
,god lead them upward instead of letting
 their own animal  nature drag them     
downward1 they are the sons of ,god4    
,and how can a son  of ,god perish8     
,how can that which is like ,god and    
like ,christ perish8  ,how can he       
perish1 who like ,christ is full of the 
fruits of the spirit8  of love1 joy1    
peace1 long-suffering1 gentleness1      
goodness1 faith1  meekness1 temperance8 
,the world did not give them to him1 and
 the world  cannot take them from him4  
,they were not bestowed on him at his   
bodily  birth--neither shall they be    
taken from him at his bodily death--for 
those blessed fruits of the spirit      
belong neither to the flesh nor to the  
world1 but to ,christ's spirit1 and to  
heaven--to that heaven in which  they   

dwell before the throne of ,god--yea1   
rather in the mind of ,god  ,himself1   
the eternal forms of the truth1 the     
beauty1 the goodness--which  were before
 all worlds--and shall be after all     
worlds have passed away4    ,oh6 choose 
my friends1 especially you who are young
 and entering into  life4  ,remember the
 parable of the old heathen1 about the  
two horses who  draw your soul4  ,choose
 in time whether the better horse shall 
win1 or  the worse2 whether your better 
self1 or your worse1 the ,spirit of ,god
 or  your own flesh1 shall be your      
master--whether you will rise step by   
step  to heaven1 or sink step by step to
 death and hell8  ,and let no one tell  
you4  ,that is not the question4  ,that 
is not what we care about4  ,we know  we
 shall do a great many wrong things     
before we die4  ,every one does  that2  
but we hope we shall be able to make our
 peace with ,god before we  die1 and so 
be forgiven at last4    ,my dear        
friends1 that kind of religion has done 

more harm than most kinds  of           
irreligion4  ,it tells you to take your 
chance of beginning at the  end--that is
 just before you die4  ,common sense    
tells you that the only  way to get to  
the end1 is by beginning at the         
beginning1 which is now4  ,now is the   
accepted time4  ,now is the day of      
salvation1 and you are  accepted now1   
already1 long ago4    ,what do you or   
any man want with making your peace with
 ,god8  ,you are at  peace with ,god    
already4  ,he has made ,his peace with  
you4  ,an infinitely  better peace than 
any priest or preacher can make for you4
  ,you are  ,god's child4  ,he looks    
down on you with boundless love4  ,the  
great heart  of ,christ1 your ,king1    
your ,redeemer1 your elder brother1     
yearns over you  with boundless longing 
to draw you up to ,him1 that you may be 
noble as ,he  is noble1 pure as ,he is  
pure1 loving as ,he is loving1 just as  
,he is just4  ,try to be that4  ,god    
will at the last day take you as ,he    

finds you4  ,let  ,him find you such as 
that--walking not after the flesh1 but  
after the  ,spirit2 and then1 and then  
only1 there will be no condemnation for 
you1  for you will be in ,christ ,jesus4
  ,do not--do not talk about making your
  peace with ,god some day--like a      
naughty child playing truant till the   
last moment1 and hoping that the        
schoolmaster may forget to punish it4   
,no1 ,i trust you have received the     
,spirit4  ,if you have1 then look facts 
in the face4  ,i trust that none of you 
have received the ,spirit of  bondage1  
which is slavery again unto fear4  ,if  
you have ,god's ,spirit you  will see   
who you are1 and where you are1 and act 
accordingly--you will  see that you are 
,god's children1 who are meant to be    
educated by the  ,son of ,god1 and led  
by the ,spirit of ,god1 and raised day  
by day1 year by  year1 from the death of
 sin1 to the life of righteousness1 from
 the  likeness of the brute animal1 to  
the likeness of ,christ1 the ,son of    

,man6          ,,viii4  ,,st4 ,,peter2  
,,or1 ,,true ,,courage4         ,now    
when they saw the boldness of ,peter and
 ,john1 and perceived that     they were
 unlearned and ignorant men1 they       
marvelled2 and they took     knowledge  
of them1 that they had been with ,jesus4
  ,and they called     them1 and        
commanded them not to speak at all nor  
teach in the name of     ,jesus4  ,but  
,peter and ,john answered and said unto 
them1 ,whether it be     right in the   
sight of ,god to hearken unto you more  
than unto ,god1     judge ye4--,,acts   
iv4 #ac1 #ah1 #ai4    ,i think that the 
quality1 the grace of ,god1 which ,st4  
,peter's character  and story specially 
forces on our notice is courage--the    
true courage  which comes by faith4     
,the courage which comes by faith1 ,i   
say4  ,there is  a courage which does   
not come by faith4  ,there is a brute   
courage which  comes from hardness of   
heart2 from obstinacy1 or anger1 or     
stupidity1  which does not see danger1  

or does not feel pain4  ,that is the    
courage of  the brute4  ,one does not   
blame it or call it wrong4  ,it is good 
in its  place1 as all natural things are
 which ,god has made4  ,it is good      
enough  for the brute2 but it is not    
good enough for man4  ,you cannot trust 
it in  man4  ,and the more a man is what
 a man should be1 the less he can trust 
it4  ,the more mind and understanding a 
man has1 so as to be able to  foresee   
danger and measure it1 the more chance  
there is of his brute  courage giving   
way4  ,the more feeling a man has1 the  
more keen he is to  feel pain of body1  
or pain of mind1 such as shame1         
loneliness1 the  dislike of ridicule1   
and the contempt of his fellow-men2 in a
 word1 the  more of a man he is1 the    
more chance there is of his brute       
courage  breaking down1 just when he    
wants it more to keep him up1 and       
leaving him  to play the coward and come
 to shame4    ,yes2 to go through with a
 difficult or dangerous undertaking a   

man wants  more than brute courage4  ,he
 wants spiritual courage1 the courage   
which  comes by faith4  ,he needs to    
have faith in what he is doing to be    
certain  that he is doing his duty--to  
be certain that he is in the right4  ,to
  give one example4  ,look at the class 
of men who in all ,england in times  of 
peace undergo the most fearful dangers2 
who know not at what hour of  any night 
they may not be called up to the most   
serious and hard labour  and            
responsibility1 with the chance of a    
horrible and torturing death4  ,i  mean 
the firemen of our great cities1 than   
whom there are no steadier1  braver1    
nobler-hearted men4  ,not a week passes 
without one or more of  those firemen1  
in trying to save life and property1    
doing things which  are altogether      
heroic4  ,what do you fancy keeps them  
up to their work8  ,high pay8  ,the     
amusement and excitement of the fires8  
,the vanity of  being praised for their 
courage8  ,my friends1 those would be   

but weak and  paltry motives1 which     
would not keep a man's heart calm and   
his head  clear under such              
responsibility and danger as theirs4    
,no2 it is the sense of duty4  ,the     
knowledge that they are doing a good    
and a noble work in saving the lives of 
human beings and the wealth of  the     
nation--the knowledge that they are in  
,god's hands1 and that no evil  can     
happen to him who is doing right--that  
to him even death at his post  is not a 
loss1 but a gain4  ,in short1 faith in  
,god1 more or less clear1  is what gives
 those men their strong and quiet       
courage4  ,god grant that  you and ,i1  
if ever we have dangerous work to do1   
may get true courage  from the same     
fountain of ghostly strength4    ,yes2  
it is the courage which comes by faith  
which makes truly brave men1  men like  
,st4 ,peter and ,st4 ,john1 who can say1
 ,if ,i am right1 ,god is on  my side1  
,i will not fear what men can do unto   
me4  ,i will not fear1  said ,david1    

though the earth be moved1 and the      
mountains carried into  the midst of the
 sea4  ,the just man who holds firm to  
his duty will not1  says a wise old     
writer1 be shaken from his solid mind by
 the rage of the  mob bidding him do    
base things1 or the frown of the tyrant 
who persecutes  him4  ,though the world 
were to crumble to pieces round him1 its
 ruins  would strike him without making 
him tremble4    ,such courage has made  
men1 shut up in prison for long weary   
years for  doing what was right1 endure 
manfully for the sake of some great     
cause1  and say--       ,stone walls do 
not a prison make1        ,nor iron bars
 a cage1     ,minds innocent and quiet  
take        ,that for an hermitage4     
,if ,i have freedom in my thought1      
,and in my soul am free1     ,angels    
alone that soar above        ,enjoy such
 liberty4    ,yes2 settle it in your    
hearts1 all of you4  ,there is but one  
thing you  have to fear in heaven or    
earth--being untrue to your better      

selves1 and  therefore untrue to ,god4  
,if you will not do the thing you know  
to be  right1 and say the thing you know
 to be true1 then indeed you are weak4  
,you are a coward1 and sin against ,god4
  ,and you will suffer the penalty  of  
your cowardice4  ,you desert ,god1 and  
therefore you cannot expect ,him  to    
stand by you4  ,but who will harm you if
 you be followers of that which  is     
right8    ,what does ,david say3--,lord1
 who shall abide in thy tabernacle8 who 
shall  dwell in thy holy hill8  ,he that
 walketh uprightly1 and worketh         
righteousness1 and speaketh the truth in
 his heart4  ,he that backbiteth  not   
with his tongue1 nor doeth evil to his  
neighbour1 nor taketh up a  reproach    
against his neighbour4  ,in whose eyes a
 vile person is  contemned2 but he      
honoureth them that fear the ,lord4  ,he
 that sweareth to  his own hurt1 and    
changeth not4  ,he that putteth not out 
his money to  usury1 nor taketh reward  
against the innocent4  ,he that doeth   

these  things shall never be            
moved4--,psalm xv4 #a-e4  ,yes1 my      
friends1 there is  a tabernacle of ,god 
in which1 even in this life1 ,he will   
hide us from  strife4  ,there is a hill 
of ,god in which1 even in the midst of  
danger1  and labour1 and anxiety1 we may
 rest both day and night--even ,jesus   
,christ1 the ,rock of ,ages--,he who is 
the righteousness itself1 the truth     
itself4  ,and whosoever does            
righteousness and speaks truth1 dwells  
in  ,christ in this life1 as well as in 
the life to come4  ,and ,christ will    
give him courage to strengthen him by   
,his ,holy ,spirit1 to stand in the     
evil day1 the day of danger1 if it shall
 come--and having done all to  stand4   
,pray you then for the ,spirit of ,faith
 to believe really in ,god1 and for  the
 spirit of ghostly strength to obey ,god
 honestly4  ,no man ever asked  honestly
 for that ,spirit but what he gained it 
at last4  ,and no man ever  gained it   
but what he found the truth of ,st4     

,peter's own words--,who will  harm you1
 if you be followers of what is good8   
,,ix4  ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,joseph4     
,i fear ,god4  ,,genesis xlii4 #ah4     
,did it ever seem remarkable to you1 as 
it has seemed to me1 how many  chapters 
of the ,bible are taken up with the     
history of ,joseph--a young  man who1 on
 the most memorable occasion in his     
life1 said ,i fear ,god1  and had no    
other argument to use8    ,thirteen     
chapters of the book of ,genesis are    
mainly devoted to the tale  of this one 
young man4  ,doubtless his father       
,jacob's going down into  ,egypt1 was   
one of the most important events in the 
history of the ,jews3  we might expect1 
therefore1 to hear much about it4  ,but 
what need was  there to spend four      
chapters at least in detailing ,joseph's
 meeting with  his brethren1 even to    
minute accounts of the speeches on both 
sides8    ,those who will may suppose   
that this is the effect of mere chance4 
,let  us have no such fancy4  ,if we    

believe that a ,divine ,providence      
watched  over the composition of those  
old ,scriptures2 if we believe that they
  were meant to teach1 not only the     
,jews but all mankind2 if we believe    
that they reveal1 not merely some       
special ,god in whom the ,jews believed1
  but the true and only ,god1 ,maker of 
heaven and earth2 if we believe1 with   
,st4 ,paul1 that every book of the ,old 
,testament is inspired by ,god1 and     
profitable for doctrine1 for reproof1   
for correction1 for instruction in      
righteousness1 that the man of ,god may 
be perfect1 thoroughly furnished  unto  
all good works--if we believe this1 ,i  
say1 it must be worth our  while to look
 carefully and reverently at a story    
which takes up so large  a part of the  
,bible1 and expect to find in it        
something which may help to  make us    
perfect1 and thoroughly furnish us unto 
all good works4    ,now1 surely when we 
look at this history of ,joseph1 we     
ought to see at  the first glance that  

it is not merely a story about a young  
man1 but  about the common human        
relations--the ties which bind any and  
every man  to other human beings round  
him4  ,for is it not a story about a    
brother  and brothers8 about a son and a
 father1 about a master and a servant8  
about a husband and a wife8 about a     
subject and a sovereign8 and how they   
all behaved to each other--some well and
 some ill--in these relations8          
,surely it is so1 and surely this is why
 the story of ,joseph has been  always  
so popular among innocent children and  
plain honest folk of all  kinds2 because
 it is so simply human and humane2 and  
therefore it taught  them far more than 
they could learn from many a lofty1 or  
seemingly  lofty1 book of devotion1 when
 it spoke to them of the very duties    
they  had to fulfil1 and the very       
temptations they had to fight against1  
as  members of a family or as members of
 society4  ,one touch of ,nature 7says  
the poet7 makes the whole world kin2 and

 the touches of nature in this  story of
 ,joseph make us feel that he and his   
brethren1 and all with whom  he had to  
do1 are indeed kin to us2 that their    
duty is our duty too--their  temptations
 ours--that where they fell1 we may     
fall--where they conquered  we may      
conquer4    ,for what is the story8  ,a 
young lad is thrown into every          
temptation  possible for him4  ,joseph  
is very handsome4  ,the ,bible says so  
expressly2  so we may believe it4  ,he  
has every gift of body and mind4  ,he   
is1 as his  story proves plainly1 a very
 clever person1 with a strange power of 
making every one whom he deals with love
 him and obey him--a terrible           
temptation1 as all ,god's gifts are1 if 
abused by a man's vanity1 or            
covetousness or ambition4  ,he is an    
injured man too4  ,he has been basely   
betrayed by his brothers2 he is under a 
terrible temptation1 to which           
ninety-nine men out of one hundred would
 have yielded--do yield1 alas6 to  this 

day1 to revenge himself if he ever has  
an opportunity4  ,he is an  injured man 
in ,egypt1 for he is a slave to a       
foreigner who has no legal  or moral    
right over him4  ,if ever there was a   
man who might be excused  for cherishing
 a burning indignation against his      
oppressors1 for brooding  over his own  
wrongs1 for despairing of ,god's        
providence1 it is ,joseph in  ,egypt4   
,what could we do but pity him if he had
 said to himself1 as  thousands in his  
place have said since1 ,there is no     
,god1 or if there is1  ,he does not care
 for me--,he does not care what men do4 
,he looks on  unmoved at wrong and      
cruelty1 and lets man do even as he     
will4  ,then why  should not ,i do as ,i
 will8  ,what are these laws of ,god of 
which men  talk8  ,what are these sacred
 bonds of family and society8  ,every   
one for  himself is the rule of the     
world1 and it shall be my rule4  ,every 
man's  hand has been against me2 why    
should not my hand be against every man8

  ,i have been betrayed2 why should not 
,i betray8  ,i have been  opprest2 why  
should not ,i oppress8  ,i have a lucky 
chance1 too1 of  enjoying and revenging 
myself at the same time2 why should ,i  
not take my  good luck1 and listen to   
the words of the tempter8    ,my dear   
friends1 this is the way in which       
thousands have talked1 in which         
thousands talk to this day4  ,this is   
the spirit which ends in breaking up    
society1 as happened in ,france eighty  
years ago1 in the inward corruption  of 
a nation1 and at last1 in outward       
revolution and anarchy1 from which  may 
,god in ,his mercy deliver us and our   
fellow-countrymen1 and the  generations 
yet to come4  ,but any nation or any    
man1 will only be  delivered from it1 as
 ,joseph was delivered from it1 by      
saying1 ,i fear  ,god4  ,no doubt it is 
most natural for a man who is injured   
and opprest  to think in that way4      
,most natural--just as it is most       
natural for the  trapped dog to struggle

 vainly1 and1 in his blind rage1 bite at
  everything around him1 even at his own
 master's hand when it offers to  set   
him free4  ,and if men are to be mere   
children of nature1 like the  animals1  
and not children of grace and sons of   
,god1 like ,joseph1 and like  one       
greater than ,joseph1 then ,i suppose   
they must needs tear each other  to     
pieces in envy and revenge1 for there is
 nought better to be done4  ,but  if    
they wish to escape from the misery and 
ruin which envy and revenge  bring with 
them1 then they had better recollect    
that they are not  children of nature1  
but children of ,god--they had best     
follow ,joseph's  example1 and say1 ,i  
fear ,god4    ,for this poor1 betrayed1 
enslaved lad had got into his heart     
something  above ,nature--something     
which ,nature cannot give1 but only the 
inspiration of the ,spirit of ,god      
gives4  ,he had got into his heart the  
belief that ,god's laws were sacred     
things and must not be broken1 and  that

 whatever befel him he must fear ,god4  
,however unjust and lawless the  world  
looked1 ,god's laws were still in it1   
and over it1 and would avenge           
themselves1 and he must obey them at all
 risks4  ,and what were ,god's laws  in 
,joseph's opinion8    ,these--the common
 relations of humanity between master to
 servant1 and  servant to master2       
between parent to child1 and child to   
parent2 brother  to brother and sister  
to sister1 and between the man who is   
trusted and  the man who trusts him4    
,these laws were sacred2 and if all the 
rest of  the world broke them1 he       
7,joseph7 must not4  ,he was bound to   
his master1  not only by any law of man1
 but by the ,law of ,god4  ,his master  
trusted  him1 and left all that he had  
in his hand1 and to ,joseph the law of  
honour was the law of ,god4  ,then he   
must be justly faithful to his  master4 
,a sacred trust was laid on him1 and to 
be true to it was to fear  ,god4        
,after a while his master's wife tempts 

him4  ,he refuses2 not merely out  of   
honour to his master1 but from fear of  
,god4  ,how can ,i do this great        
wickedness1 says ,joseph1 and sin       
against ,god8  ,his master and his      
mistress are heathen1 but their marriage
 is of ,god nevertheless2 the vow  is   
sacred1 and he must deny himself        
anything1 endure anything1 dare any     
danger of a dreadful death1 and a prison
 almost as horrible probably as  death  
itself1 rather than break it4    ,so    
again1 in the prison4  ,if ever man had 
excuse for despairing of ,god's         
providence1 for believing that          
right-doing did not pay1 it was poor    
,joseph in that prison4  ,but no4  ,god 
is with him still4  ,he believes  still 
in the justice of ,god1 the providence  
of ,god1 and therefore he is  cheerful1 
active--he can make the best even of a  
dungeon4  ,he can find a  duty to do    
even there2 he can make himself useful1 
helpful1 till the  keeper of the prison 
too leaves everything in his hand4      

,what a gallant man6 you say4  ,yes1 my 
friends1 but what makes him  gallant8   
,that which ,st4 ,paul says 7in ,hebrews
 xi47 made all the old  ,jewish heroes  
gallant--faith in ,god2 real and living 
belief that ,god  is--and that ,he is   
the rewarder of them that diligently    
seek ,him4    ,at last ,joseph's triumph
 comes4  ,he has his reward4  ,god helps
  him--because he will help himself4    
,he is made a great officer of state1   
married to a woman of high rank1        
probably a princess1 and he sees his    
brothers who betrayed him at his mercy4 
,their lives are in his hand at  last4  
,what will he do8  ,will he be a bad    
brother because they were bad8  ,or will
 he keep to his old watchword1 ,i fear  
,god8  ,if he is tempted to  revenge    
himself1 he crushes the temptation down4
  ,he will bring his  brothers to       
repentance4  ,he will touch their inward
 witness1 and make  them feel that they 
have been wicked men4  ,that is for     
their good4  ,and  strangely1 but most  

naturally1 their guilty consciences go  
back to the  great sin of their         
lives--to ,joseph's wrong1 though they  
have no notion  that ,joseph is alive1  
much less near them4  ,did ,i not tell  
you1 says  ,reuben1 sin not against the 
lad1 and ye would not hearken8          
,therefore is  this distress come upon  
us4    ,joseph punishes ,simeon by      
imprisonment4  ,it may be that he had   
reasons  for it which we are not told4  
,but when his brothers have endured the 
trial1 and he finds that ,benjamin is   
safe1 he has nothing left but           
forgiveness4  ,they are his brethren    
still--his own flesh and blood4  ,and   
he fears ,god4  ,he dare not do anything
 but forgive them4  ,he forgives  them  
utterly1 and welcomes them with an agony
 of happy tears4  ,he will  even put out
 of their minds the very memory of their
 baseness4  ,now1  therefore1 be not    
grieved nor angry with yourselves that  
ye sold me  hither1 he says2 for ,god   
sent me before you1 to save your lives  

with a  great deliverance4    ,is not   
that ,divine8  ,is not that the ,spirit 
of ,god and of ,christ8  ,i say  it is4 
,for what is it but the likeness of     
,christ1 who says for ever1 out  of     
heaven1 to all mankind1 ,be not grieved 
nor angry with yourselves that  ye      
crucified me4  ,for ,god1 my ,father1   
sent me to save your souls by a  great  
salvation4    ,my friends1 learn from   
this story of ,joseph1 and the prominent
 place in  the ,bible which it          
occupies--learn1 ,i say1 how hateful to 
,god are family  quarrels2 how pleasant 
to ,god are family unity and peace1 and 
mutual  trust1 and duty1 and            
helpfulness4  ,and if you think that ,i 
speak too  strongly on this point1      
recollect that ,i do no more than ,st4  
,paul does1  when he sums up the most   
lofty and mystical of all his ,epistles1
 the  ,epistle to the ,ephesians1 by    
simple commands to husbands and wives1  
parents and children1 masters and       
servants1 as if he should say1--,you    

wish to be holy8 you wish to be         
spiritual8  ,then fulfil these plain    
family duties1 for they1 too1 are sacred
 and divine1 and he who despises  them1 
despises the ordinances of ,god4  ,and  
if you despise the laws of  ,god1 they  
will surely avenge themselves on you4   
,if you are bad husbands  or bad wives1 
bad parents or bad children1 bad        
brothers or sisters1 bad  masters or    
servants1 you will smart for it1        
according to the eternal laws  of ,god1 
which are at work around you all day    
long1 making the sinner  punish himself 
whether he likes or not4    ,examine    
yourselves--ask yourselves1 each of you1
 ,have ,i been a good  brother8 have ,i 
been a good son8 have ,i been a good    
husband8 have ,i been  a good father8   
have ,i been a good servant8  ,if not1  
all professions of  religion will avail 
me nothing4  ,if not1 let me confess my 
sins to ,god1  and repent and amend at  
once1 whatever it may cost me4  ,the    
fulfilling  these plain duties is the   

true test of my faith1 the true sign and
 test  whether ,i really believe in ,god
 and in ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4  ,do  
,i  believe that the world is ,christ's 
making8 and that ,christ is governing   
it8  ,do ,i believe that these plain    
family relationships are ,christ's      
sacred appointments8  ,do ,i believe    
that our ,lord ,jesus was made very man 
of the substance of ,his mother1 to     
sanctify these family relationships1    
and claim them as the ordinances of ,god
 ,his ,father8    ,in one word--copy    
,joseph2 and when you are tempted say   
with ,joseph1 ,can  ,i do this great    
wickedness1 and sin--not against this   
man or this woman1  but against--,god4  
,take home these plain1 practical words4
  ,take them home1 and fear ,god at     
your own firesides4  ,for at the last   
day1 the ,bible tells us1 the ,lord     
,jesus ,christ will not reward you and  
me according to the opinions we held    
while in this mortal body1 whether they 
were quite right or quite wrong1  but   

according to the deeds which we did in  
the body1 whether they were  good or    
bad4          ,x4  ,,slaves ,,of ,,free8
         ,fear ye not1 stand still1 and 
see the salvation of the ,lord1 which he
     will show to you to-day3 for the   
,egyptians whom ye have seen to day1    
ye shall see them again no more for     
ever4  ,the ,lord shall fight for       
you1 and ye shall hold your             
peace4--,,exodus xiv4 #ac1 #ad4    ,why 
did ,god bring the ,jews out of ,egypt8 
,god ,himself told them why4  ,to       
fulfil the promise which ,he made to    
,abraham1 their forefather1 that of  his
 children ,he would make a great nation4
    ,now the ,jews in ,egypt were not a 
nation at all4  ,a nation is free1      
governed by its own laws1 one body of   
people1 held together by one fellow     
feeling1 one language1 one blood1 one   
religion2 as we ,english are4  ,we  are 
a nation4  ,the ,jews were none in      
,egypt1 no more than ,negro slaves in   
,america were a nation4  ,they served a 

people of a different blood1 as the     
,jews did in ,egypt4  ,they had no laws 
of their own2 they had no fellow-       
feeling with each other1 which enabled  
them to make common cause  together1 and
 help each other1 and free each other4  
,selfishness and cowardice make some men
 slaves4  ,above all1 ungodliness  makes
 men slaves4  ,for when men do not fear 
and obey ,god1 they are sure  to obey   
their own lusts and passions1 and become
 slaves to them4  ,they  become ready to
 sell themselves soul and body for      
money1 or pleasure1 or  food4  ,and     
their fleshly lusts1 their animal       
appetites1 keep them down1  selfish1    
divided1 greedy1 and needy1 at the mercy
 of those who are  stronger and         
cunninger than themselves1 just as the  
,jews were kept down  by the strong and 
cunning ,egyptians4    ,they had slavish
 hearts in them1 and as long as they    
had1 ,god could not  make them into a   
nation4  ,the ,jews had slaves' hearts  
in them4  ,they  were glad enough to get

 free out of ,egypt1 to escape from     
their heavy  labour in brick and mortar1
 from being oppressed1 beaten1 killed at
 the  will and fancy of the ,egyptians1 
from having their male children thrown  
into the river as soon as they were     
born1 to keep them from becoming too    
numerous4  ,they were glad enough1 poor 
wretches1 to escape from all their      
misery and oppression of which we read  
in the first three chapters of  ,exodus4
  ,but if they could do that1 that was  
all they cared for4  ,they  did not want
 to be made wise1 righteous1 strong1    
free-hearted--they did  not care about  
being made into a nation4  ,we read that
 when by the ,red  ,sea shore 7,exodus  
xiv471 they saw themselves in great     
danger1 the army of  ,pharaoh1 ,king of 
,egypt1 following close upon them to    
attack them1 they  lost heart at once1  
and were sore afraid1 and cried unto    
,moses1 ,is not  this the word which we 
did tell thee in ,egypt1 saying1 ,let us
 alone that  we may serve the           

,egyptians8  ,for it had been better for
 us to serve the  ,egyptians than to die
 in the wilderness4    ,cowards and     
slaves6  ,the thing they feared above   
all1 you see1 was death4  ,if they could
 but keep the miserable life in their   
miserable bodies1 they  cared for       
nothing beyond4  ,they were willing to  
see their children taken  from them and 
murdered1 willing to be beaten1 worked  
like dumb beasts for  other men's       
profit1 willing to be idolaters1        
heathens1 worshipping the  false gods of
 ,egypt1 dumb beasts and stocks and     
stones1 willing to be  despised1        
wretched1 helpless slaves--if they could
 but keep the dear life  in them4  ,god 
knows there are plenty like them        
now-a-days--plenty who do  not care how 
mean1 helpless1 wicked1 contemptible    
they are1 if they can  but get their    
living by their meanness4    ,but a man 
must live1 says some one4  ,how often   
one hears that made  the excuse for all 
sorts of meanness1 dishonesty1 grasping 

tyranny4  ,a  man must live6  ,who told 
you that8  ,it is better to die like a  
man than  to live like a slave1 and a   
wretch1 and a sinner4  ,who told you    
that1 ,i  ask again8  ,not ,god's       
,bible1 surely4  ,not the example of    
great and good  men4  ,if ,moses had    
thought that1 do you think he would have
 gone back  from ,midian1 when he was in
 safety and comfort1 with a wife and    
home1 and  children at his knee1 and    
leave all he had on earth to face       
,pharaoh and  the ,egyptians1 to face   
danger1 perhaps a cruel death in shame  
and  torture1 and all to deliver his    
countrymen out of ,egypt8  ,moses would 
sooner die like a man helping his       
countrymen1 than live on the fat of the 
land while they were slaves4  ,and forty
 years before he had shown the  same    
spirit too1 when though he was rich and 
prosperous1 and high in the  world1 the 
adopted son of ,king ,pharaoh's daughter
 7,exodus ii4 #aa71 he  disdained to be 
a slave and to see his countrymen slaves

 round him4  ,we  read how he killed an 
,egyptian1 who was ill-treating one of  
his brothers1  the ,jews--and how he    
then fled out of ,egypt into ,midian1   
houseless and  friendless1 esteeming as 
,st4 ,paul says1 the reproach of        
,christ--that is  the affliction and    
ill-will which came on him for doing    
right1 better  than all the treasures of
 ,egypt 7,heb xi4 #bd-bg74    ,a man    
must live8  ,the valiant ,tyrolese of   
old did not say that 7more  than seventy
 years ago71 when they fought to the    
last drop of their blood  to defend     
their country against the ,french       
invaders4  ,they were not  afraid to die
 for liberty2 and therefore they won    
honour from all  honourable men1 praise 
from all whose praise is worth having   
for ever4    ,a man must live8  ,the old
 ,greeks and ,romans1 heathens though   
they were1  were above so mean a speech 
as that4  ,they used to say1 it was the 
noblest thing that can befall a man to  
die--not to live in clover1 eating  and 

drinking at his ease--to die among the  
foremost1 fighting for wife  and child  
and home4    ,a man must live8  ,the    
martyrs of old did not say that1 when   
they  endured the prison and the        
scourge1 the sword and the fire1 and    
chose  rather to die in torments        
unspeakable than deny the ,lord ,jesus  
who bought  them with ,his blood1 rather
 than do what they knew to be wrong4    
7,hebrews xi47  ,they were not afraid of
 torture and death2 but of doing  wrong 
they were unspeakably afraid4  ,they    
were free1 those holy men of  old1 truly
 free--free from their own love of ease 
and cowardice and  selfishness1 and all 
that drags a man down and makes a slave 
of him4  ,they  knew that life is more  
than meat1 and the body more than       
raiment4  ,what  matter if a man gain   
the whole world and lose his own soul8  
,their souls  were free whatever        
happened to their bodies--the tormentor 
could not  touch them1 because they     
believed in ,god1 because they did not  

fear  those who could kill the body1 and
 after that had no more that they could 
do4    ,and do you not see that a coward
 can never be free1 never be godly1     
never  be like ,christ8  ,for by a      
coward ,i mean not merely a man who is  
afraid of  pain and trouble4  ,every one
 is that more or less4  ,jesus ,himself 
was  afraid when ,he cried in agony1    
,father1 if thou be willing1 remove this
  cup from me3 nevertheless not my will1
 but thine1 be done4 7,luke xxii4  #db47
  ,but a coward is a man who is so much 
afraid that to escape pain and  danger1 
he will do what he ought not--do what he
 is ashamed of doing--do  what lowers   
him2 and therefore our ,lord ,jesus had 
perfect courage when ,he  tasted death  
for all men1 and endured the very agony 
from which ,he  shrank1 and while ,he   
said1 ,father1 if it be possible1 let   
this cup  pass1 said also1 ,nevertheless
 not my will1 but ,thine1 be done4      
,the ,jews were cowards when they cried1
 ,let us alone that we may serve  the   

,egyptians4  ,while a man is in that    
pitiful mood he cannot rise1 he  cannot 
serve ,god--for he must remain the slave
 of his own body1 of which  he is so    
mightily careful1 the slave of his own  
fears1 the slave of his  own love of    
bodily comfort4  ,such a man does not   
dare serve ,god4  ,he  dare not obey    
,god1 when obeying ,god is dangerous and
 unpleasant4  ,he dare  not claim his   
heavenly birthright1 his share in ,god's
 ,spirit1 his share  in ,christ's       
kingdom1 because that would bring       
discomfort on him1 because  he will have
 to give up the sins he loves1 because  
he will have to endure  the insults and 
ill-will of wicked men4  ,thus cowards  
can never be free1  for it is only where
 the ,spirit of ,god is that there is   
liberty4    ,but the ,jews were not yet 
fit to be made soldiers of4  ,god would 
not  teach them at once not to be afraid
 of men4  ,he did not command them to   
turn again and fight these ,egyptians1  
neither did ,he lead them into the  land

 of ,canaan the strait and short road1  
through the country of the              
,philistines1 lest they should be       
discouraged when they saw war4    ,now  
what was ,god's plan for raising the    
,jews out of this cowardly1  slavish    
state8  ,first1 and above all1 to make  
them trust in ,him4  ,while  they were  
fearing the ,egyptians1 they could never
 fear ,him4  ,while they  were fearing  
the ,egyptians1 they were ready to do   
every base thing1 to  keep their masters
 in good humour with them4  ,god        
determined to teach  them to fear ,him  
more than they feared the ,egyptians4   
,god taught them  that ,he was stronger 
than the ,egyptians1 for all their      
civilisation and  learning and armies1  
chariots and horsemen1 swords and       
spears4  ,he would  not let the ,jews   
fight the ,egyptians4  ,he told them by 
the mouth of  ,moses1 ,stand you still1 
and the ,lord shall fight for you1 and  
he  commanded ,moses to stretch out his 
rod over the sea4 7,exodus xiv47  ,the  

,egyptians were stronger than the       
,jews--they would have cut them to      
pieces  if they had come to a battle4   
,for free civilised men like the        
,egyptians  are always stronger than    
slaves1 like the ,jews2 they respect    
themselves  more1 they hold together    
better1 they have order and discipline1 
and  obedience to their generals1 which 
slaves have not4  ,god intended to      
teach the ,jews that also in ,his good  
time4  ,but not yet4  ,they were not    
fit yet to be made soldiers4  ,they were
 not even men yet1 but miserable        
slaves4  ,a man is only a true man when 
he trusts in ,god1 and none but         
,god--when he fears ,god and nothing but
 ,god4  ,and that was the lesson  which 
,god had to teach them4  ,that was the  
lesson which ,he taught them by         
bringing them up out of ,egypt by signs 
and wonders1 that ,god was the  ,lord1  
,god was their deliverer1 ,god was their
 ,king--that let them  be as weak as    
they might1 ,he was strong--that if they

 could not fight  the ,egyptians ,god   
could overwhelm them--that if they could
 not cross the  sea1 ,god could open the
 sea to let them pass through4  ,if they
 dreaded  the waste howling wilderness  
of sand1 with its pillars of cloud and  
fire1  its stifling winds which burn the
 life out of man and beast1 ,god could  
make the sand storms and the fire       
pillars and the deadly east wind of the 
desert work for their deliverance4  ,and
 so ,he taught them to fear  ,himself1  
to trust in ,him1 to look up to ,him as 
their deliverer whose  strength was     
shown most gloriously when they were    
weakest and most  despairing4    ,this  
was the great lesson which ,god meant to
 teach the children of  ,israel1 that   
the root and ground of all other        
lessons1 is that this earth  belongs to 
the ,lord alone4  ,that had been what   
,god had been teaching them  already1 by
 the plagues of ,egypt4  ,the ,egyptians
 worshipped their great  river ,nile1   
and thought it was a god1 and the ,lord 

turned the ,nile water  into blood1 and 
showed that ,he could do what ,he liked 
with it4  ,the  ,egyptians worshipped   
dumb beasts and insects1 and fancied in 
their folly  that they were gods4  ,the 
,lord sent plagues of frogs and flies   
and  locusts1 and took them away again  
when ,he liked1 to show them that the   
beasts and creeping things were ,his    
also4    ,the ,egyptians worshipped     
false gods who as they fancied managed  
the  seasons and the weather4  ,god sent
 them thunder and hail when it pleased  
,him1 and showed the ,jews that ,he1 not
 these false gods of ,egypt1 ruled  the 
heavens4  ,the ,egyptians and many other
 heathen nations of the earth  used to  
offer their children to false gods4  ,i 
do not mean by killing  them in         
sacrifice1 but by naming them after some
 idol1 and then expecting  that the idol
 would ever afterwards prosper and      
strengthen them4  ,thus  the kings were 
called after the sun4  ,pharaoh means   
the ,sun-king2 for  they fancied that   

the sun was a god1 and protected their  
kings one after  the other4  ,and ,god  
slew all the first-born of ,egypt1 even 
the first-born  of ,king ,pharaoh on his
 throne4  ,the ,sun-god could not help  
him4  ,the  idols of ,egypt could not   
take care of their worshippers--only the
  children of the ,jews escaped4        
7,exodus xii47  ,what a lesson for the  
,jews6  ,and they needed it2 for during 
the four hundred years that they had    
been  in ,egypt they had almost         
forgotten the one true ,god1 the ,god of
 their  forefathers1 ,abraham1 ,isaac   
and ,jacob2 at least they thought ,him  
no  better than the false gods of       
,egypt4  ,after all these wondrous      
proofs of  ,god's almighty power1 and   
,his jealousy for ,his own name1 they   
fell away  to idols again and again4    
,they worshipped a golden calf in ,horeb
 7,exodus  xxxii472 they turned aside to
 worship the idols of the nations whom  
they  passed through on their way to    
,canaan4  ,idolatry had been rooted in  

their  hearts1 and it took many years of
 severe training and teaching on ,god's 
part to drive it out of them--to make   
them feel that the one ,god1 who  made  
heaven and earth1 had delivered         
them--that they belonged to ,him1  that 
they had a share in ,him--to make them  
join with one heart and voice  in the   
glorious song of ,moses3    ,i will sing
 unto the ,lord1 for he hath triumphed  
gloriously3 the horse  and his rider    
hath he thrown into the sea4  ,the ,lord
 is my strength and  song and he is     
become my salvation3 he is my ,god and  
,i will prepare him  an habitation2 my  
father's ,god1 and ,i will exalt him4   
,the ,lord is a man  of war3 the ,lord  
is his name4  ,pharaoh's chariots and   
his host hath he  cast into the sea3 his
 chosen captains also are drowned in the
 ,red ,sea4  ,the depths have covered   
them3 they sank into the bottom as a    
stone4  ,thy  right hand1 ,o ,lord1 is  
become glorious in power3 thy right     
hand1 ,o ,lord1  hath dashed in pieces  

the enemy4  ,and in the greatness of    
thine  excellency thou hast overthrown  
them that rose up against thee3 thou    
sentest forth thy wrath1 which consumed 
them as stubble4  ,and with the  blast  
of thy nostrils the waters were gathered
 together1 the floods stood  upright as 
an heap1 and the depths were congealed  
in the heart of the  sea4  ,the enemy   
said1 ,i will pursue1 ,i will overtake1 
,i will divide the  spoil2 my lust shall
 be satisfied upon them2 ,i will draw my
 sword1 my  hand shall deliver them4    
,thou didst blow with thy wind1 the sea 
covered  them3 they sank as lead in the 
mighty waters4  ,who is like unto thee1 
,o  ,lord1 among the gods8 who is like  
thee1 glorious in holiness1 fearful in  
praises1 doing wonders8  ,thou          
stretchedst out thy right hand1 the     
earth  swallowed them4  ,thou in thy    
mercy hast led forth the people which   
thou  hast redeemed3 thou hast guided   
them in thy strength unto thy holy      
habitation4  ,the people shall hear1 and

 be afraid3 sorrow shall take hold  on  
the inhabitants of ,palestina4  ,then   
the dukes of ,edom shall be amazed2  the
 mighty men of ,moab1 trembling shall   
take hold upon them2 all the            
inhabitants of ,canaan shall melt away4 
,fear and dread shall fall upon  them2  
by the greatness of thine arm they shall
 be as still as a stone2  till thy      
people pass over1 ,o ,lord1 till the    
people pass over1 which thou  hast      
purchased4  ,thou shalt bring them in   
and plant them in the mountain  of thine
 inheritance1 in the place1 ,o ,lord1   
which thou hast made for thee  to dwell 
in1 in the ,sanctuary1 ,o ,lord1 which  
thy hands have established4  ,the ,lord 
shall reign for ever and ever4  ,for the
 horse of ,pharaoh went in  with his    
chariots and with his horsemen into the 
sea1 and the ,lord  brought again the   
waters of the sea upon them2 but the    
children of ,israel  went on dry land in
 the midst of the sea4 7,exodus xv4     
#a-ai47    ,this was ,god's first lesson

 to the ,jews2 the first step towards   
making  them a free nation4  ,for       
believe me1 my friends1 the only thought
 which  can make men feel free and      
strong1 the only thought which can keep 
them  from being afraid of each other1  
afraid of the seasons1 and the elements1
  and the chances and changes of this   
mortal life1 the only thought which  can
 teach them that they are brothers1     
bound together to help and love  each   
other1 in short the only thought which  
can make men citizens--is the  thought  
that the one ,god is their ,father1 and 
that they are all ,his  children--that  
they have one ,god1 one religion1 one   
baptism1 one ,lord and  ,saviour1 who   
has delivered them1 and will deliver    
them again and again  from all their    
sins and miseries2 one ,god and ,father 
of all1 who is in  all1 and for all1 and
 over all1 to whom they all owe equal   
duty1 in whom  they all have an equal   
share4    ,that lesson ,god began to    
teach the ,jews by the ,red ,sea4  ,that

 lesson ,god  has taught our ,english   
forefathers again and again2 and that   
lesson ,he  will teach us1 their        
children1 as often as we forget it1 by  
signs and  wonders1 by chastisements and
 by mercies1 till we all learn to trust 
in  ,him and ,him only1 and know that   
there is none other name under heaven by
  which we can be saved from evil in    
this life or in the life to come1 but   
the name of ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of 
,god1 the ,angel of the ,covenant1 who  
led the ,jews up out of the land of     
,egypt4          ,,xi4  ,,dangers--,,and
 ,,the ,,litany4         ,then they     
cried unto the ,lord in their trouble1  
and he delivered them     out of their  
distresses4  ,and he led them forth by  
the right way1 that     they might go to
 a city of habitation4  ,oh that men    
would praise the     ,lord for his      
goodness1 and for his wonderful works to
 the children of     men4--,,psalm cvii4
 #f-h4    ,this #ajgth ,psalm is a noble
 psalm--a psalm which has given comfort 

to  thousands in suffering and in       
danger1 even in the sorrows which they  
have  brought on themselves by their own
 folly4  ,for it tells them of a ,lord  
who hears them when they cry to ,him in 
their trouble1 and who delivers  them   
from their distress4    ,it was written 
on a special occasion1 as all the most  
important words of  the ,bible are      
written--written seemingly1 after some  
band of ,jews  struggling across the    
desert1 on their return from the        
captivity in  ,babylon1 had been in     
great danger of death4  ,they went      
astray in the  wilderness out of their  
way1 and found no city to rest in2      
hungry and  thirsty their soul fainted  
in them1 so they cried unto the ,lord in
 their  trouble1 and ,he delivered them 
from their distress4  ,he led them forth
 by  the right way1 that they might go  
to the city where they dwelt4  ,that was
  the plain fact1 on which the psalmist 
built up this noble psalm4    ,in the   
blazing sandy desert1 without water1    

food1 or shade1 they had lost  their    
path1 and were at their wit's end4  ,and
 they cried unto the ,lord  their ,god  
for guidance1 for they could not guide  
themselves4  ,and the  ,lord answered   
their prayer and guided them4  ,we do   
not read that ,god  worked a miracle for
 them1 or sent an angel to lead them4   
,simply1  somehow or other1 they found  
their way after all1 and got safe out of
 the  desert2 and they believed that it 
was ,god who enabled them to find their 
way1 and praised the ,lord for ,his     
goodness2 and for ,his goodness not only
  to them1 but to the children of       
men--to all men who had the sense to    
call  on ,him in trouble1 and to put    
themselves in their right place as      
men--,god's children1 calling for help  
to their ,father in heaven4             
,therefore the psalmist goes on to speak
 of the cases of ,god's goodness1  which
 he seems to have seen1 or at least     
heard of4  ,of wretched  prisoners1     
bound fast in misery and iron1 and that 

through their own  fault and folly1 who 
had cried unto the ,lord in their       
trouble1 and been  delivered by ,him    
from the darkness of the dungeon4  ,of  
foolish men who  had ruined their       
health1 or at least their prospects in  
life1 by their  own sin and folly1 till 
their soul abhorred all manner of meat1 
and they  were hard at death's door4    
,but of them1 too1 he says1 when they   
cried  unto the ,lord in their trouble1 
,he delivered them from their distress4 
,he  sent ,his word--what we now        
foolishly call the laws of ,nature1 but 
which  the ,psalmist knew to be the     
ever-working power and providence of    
,god--and  healed them1 and they were   
saved from their destruction4    ,then  
he goes on to speak of the dangers of   
the sea which were especially  strange  
and terrible to him--a ,jew4  ,for the  
,jews were no sailors2 and if  they went
 to sea1 would go as merchants1 or      
supercargoes in ships manned  by        
heathens2 and the danger was really     

great4  ,the ships were clumsy2         
navigation was ill-understood2 the      
storms of the ,mediterranean sea were   
then as now1 sudden and furious2 and    
when one came on1 the heathen  sailors  
would1 ,i doubt not1 be at their wit's  
end1 their courage melting  away because
 of the trouble1 and call on all their  
gods and idols to help  them2 but the   
men of whom the ,psalmist speaks1 though
 they were no  seamen1 knew on whom to  
call4  ,it was by the word of the ,lord 
that the  stormy wind arose which lifted
 up the billows4  ,he could quell the   
storm  if ,he would1 and when ,he would2
 and to ,him they cried and not in vain4
  ,and ,he made the storm to cease so   
that the waves thereof were still4      
,then were they glad1 because they were 
at rest1 and so ,he brought them to  the
 haven where they would be4    ,my      
friends1 this was the simple faith of   
the old ,jews4  ,and this was the       
simple faith of our forefathers by land 
and sea4  ,and this faith1 as ,i        

believe1 made ,england great4  ,the     
faith that there was a living ,god1 a   
living ,lord1 who would hear the cry of 
poor creatures in their trouble1  even  
when they had brought their trouble on  
themselves4  ,our forefathers  were not 
mere landsmen like the ,jews1 but the   
finest seamen the world has  ever seen4 
,and yet they were not ashamed in storm 
and danger to cry like  the ,jews unto  
the ,lord1 that ,he might make the storm
 to cease1 and bring  them to the haven 
where they would be4  ,yes6 faith in    
,god did not make  them the less brave1 
skilful1 cautious1 scientific2 and it   
need not make  us so4  ,skill and       
science need not take away our faith in 
,god4  ,i trust  it will not take it    
away1 and ,i believe it will not take it
 away1 as long  as we can hear what ,i  
once heard1 on board of one of the      
finest men of  war #hj;a in the ,british
 ,navy--the ship in which and from      
which1 all  ,british sailors may learn  
their duty--when ,i saw some six or     

eight  hundred men mustered on the deck 
for daily morning prayer1 and heard the 
noble old prayer1 which our forefathers 
have handed down to us1 to be  said     
every day in ,her ,majesty's navy3 #hj;b
    ,o eternal ,god who alone spreadest 
out the heavens1 and rulest the raging  
of the sea2 who hast compassed the      
waters with bounds1 until day and  night
 come to an end2 be pleased to receive  
into ,thy ,almighty and most  gracious  
protection1 the persons of us ,thy      
servants1 and the fleet in  which we    
serve4  ,preserve us from the dangers of
 the sea1 and from the  violence of the 
enemy1 that we may be a safeguard unto  
our most gracious  ,sovereign ,lady     
,queen ,victoria and her dominions1 and 
a security for such  as pass on the seas
 upon their lawful occasions2 that the  
inhabitants of  our island may in peace 
and quietness serve ,thee our ,god1 and 
that we may  return in safety to enjoy  
the blessings of the land1 with the     
fruits of  our labours1 and with a      

thankful remembrance of ,thy mercies1 to
 praise  and glorify ,thy holy name2    
through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4       
,amen4    ,then1 as ,i stood upon that  
deck1 and heard that solemn appeal to   
,god1  before each man went about his   
appointed duty for the day1 said ,i to  
myself1 ,the ancient spirit is not dead4
  ,it may be that it is sleeping  in    
these prosperous times4  ,but it is not 
dead1 as long as this nation by  those  
prayers confesses that we ought at least
 to believe in a ,god who  hears our    
prayers1 by land and sea4  ,those grand 
words were perhaps  nothing but a form  
to most of the men who heard them4  ,but
 they were a  form which bore witness to
 a truth which was true1 even if they   
forgot  it--a truth which they might    
need some day1 and feel the need of1 and
  cling to1 as the sailors of old time  
clung to it4  ,those words would  surely
 sink into the men's ears1 and some day1
 it might be1 bear fruit in  their      
hearts4  ,in storm1 in wreck1 in battle1

 and in the hour of death1  and in the  
day of judgment1 these words would      
surely rise in many a brave  fellow's   
memory1 and help him to do his duty like
 a man1 because there  was a living     
,lord and ,god above him who knew his   
weakness and would hear  his prayers4   
,and we1 my friends1 here safe on land1 
we have a national prayer1 or  rather a 
series of prayers1 to ,christ as ,god1  
which ought to remind us of  that noble 
truth which the #ajgth ,psalm is meant  
to teach4  ,you hear it  all of you     
every ,sunday morning4  ,i mean the     
,litany4  ,that noble  composition1     
which seems to me more wise as a work of
 theology1 more  beautiful as a work of 
art1 the oftener ,i use it--,that       
,litany1 ,i say1 is  modelled on the    
#ajgth ,psalm2 and it expresses the very
 heart and spirit  of our forefathers   
three hundred years ago4  ,it bids us   
pray to be  delivered from every        
conceivable harm1 to ,father1 ,son1 and 
,holy ,spirit4  ,and then it prays for  

every conceivable blessing1 not only for
 each of us  separately1 but for this   
whole nation of ,england1 ,great        
,britain1 and  ,ireland1 and for all the
 nations on earth1 and for the heathen  
and the  savage4    ,of course1 just    
because it is a ,national prayer1 and   
meant for all  ,englishmen alike1 all of
 it does not suit each and every one of 
us at the  same time4  ,each heart knows
 its own bitterness4  ,each soul has its
 own  special mercy to ask4  ,but there 
is a word in the ,litany here1 and      
another there1 which will fit each of us
 in turn1 if we will but follow  it4    
,one may have to pray to be delivered   
from pride1 vain-glory1 and             
hypocrisy--another to be delivered from 
foul living and deadly  sin--another to 
be delivered1 or to have those whom he  
loves delivered1  from battle1 murder1  
and sudden death4  ,another to be       
delivered from the  dangers of          
affliction and tribulation2 another from
 the far worse danger  of wrath2 but all

 have to pray to be delivered from      
something4  ,and all  have to pray to   
the same deliverer--,christ1 who was    
born a ,man1 died a  man1 and rose again
 a man1 that ,he might know what was in 
man1 and be  able to succour those who  
are tempted1 seeing that ,he was tempted
 in all  things like as we are1 yet     
without sin4    ,but there is a         
part--the latter part--of that ,litany  
which1 ,i think1 many  do not understand
 or feel4  ,perhaps they have reason to 
thank ,god that  they do not understand 
or feel it2 yet1 the day may come--a day
 of  sadness1 fear1 perplexity1 sorrow1 
when they will understand it1 and  thank
 ,god that their forefathers placed it  
in the prayer-book1 for them  to fall   
back upon1 as comfort and hope in the   
day of trouble2 putting  words into     
their mouths and thoughts into their    
hearts1 which they1  perhaps1 never     
would have found out for themselves4    
,i mean that latter part of the ,litany 
which talks of the evils which the      

craft and subtilty of the devil or men  
work against us1 that they may be       
brought to nought1 and by the providence
 of ,god's goodness be dispersed1  that 
we may be hurt by no persecutions--which
 calls on ,christ to arise  and deliver 
us1 for ,his name's sake and ,his       
honour1 which pleads before  ,god the   
noble works which ,he did in the days of
 our forefathers2 and  which continues  
with short prayers1 almost cries1 which 
have something in  them of terror1      
almost of agony4  ,what have such words 
to do with us8  ,why  are they put into 
the mouths of us ,english1 safe1        
comfortable1  prosperous1 above almost  
all the nations upon earth8    ,ah6 my  
friends1 those prayers1 when they were  
first put into our prayer-  book1 were  
spoken for the hearts of ,englishmen4   
,they were not prayers  for one         
afflicted person here1 and another      
there1--they1 too1 were  ,national      
prayers4  ,they were the cries of the   
,english nation in agony--in  the time  

when1 three hundred years ago1 the      
mightiest nations and powers  of        
,europe1 temporal and spiritual1 were   
set against this little isle of         
,england1 and we expected not merely to 
be invaded and conquered1 but  destroyed
 utterly and horribly with sword and    
fire1 by the fleets and  armies of the  
,king of ,spain4  ,in that great danger 
and war our  forefathers cried to ,god2 
and they cried all the more earnestly1  
because  they felt that their hands were
 not clean2 that they had plenty and too
  many sins to be mercifully forgiven1  
and that at best they could but  ask    
,god mercifully to look upon their      
infirmities1 and1 for the glory  of ,his
 name1 turn from them those evils which 
they most righteously had  deserved4    
,but nevertheless they cried unto ,god  
in their great agony1  because they had 
the spirit of the old ,psalmist1 who    
said1 ,they cried  unto the ,lord in    
their trouble1 and ,he delivered them   
out of their  distress4    ,and what    

answer ,god made to their prayers all   
the world knows1 or should  know4  ,for 
if ,he had not answered their prayer1 we
 should not be here  this day1 a great1 
and strong1 and prosperous nation1 with 
a pure ,church  and a free ,gospel1 and 
the ,holy ,bible if he wills1 in the    
hands of the  poorest child4  ,unless   
prayer be a dream1 and there be no ,god 
in heaven  worth calling a ,god--then   
did ,god answer the prayers of our      
forefathers  three hundred years ago1   
when they cried unto ,him as one nation 
in their  utter need4    ,but some will 
say--this may be all very true and very 
fine1 but we are in  no such utter need 
now4  ,why should we use those prayers8 
,my dear friends1 let me say1 if you are
 not now in utter need1 in terror1      
anxiety1 danger1 if you have no need to 
cry to ,christ1 ,graciously look  upon  
our afflictions2 pitifully behold the   
sorrows of our hearts1 how do  you know 
that there is not some one in any and   
every congregation who is8  ,and you and

 ,i1 if we have said the ,litany in     
spirit and in truth1 have  been praying 
for them4  ,the ,litany bids us speak as
 members of a ,church1  as citizens of a
 nation1 bound together by the ties of  
blood and of laws1  as well as          
self-interest4  ,the ,litany bids us    
say1 not selfishly and  apart1          
,graciously look on my afflictions1 but 
on our afflictions--the  afflictions of 
every ,english man1 and woman1 and      
child1 who is in  trouble1 or ever will 
be in trouble hereafter4  ,oh1 remember 
this last  word4  ,generations long     
since dead and buried have prayed for   
you1 and  ,god has heard their prayers2 
and now you have been praying for your  
children1 and your children's children1 
and generations yet unborn1 that1  if   
ever a dark day should come over        
,england1 a time of want and danger  and
 perplexity and misery1 ,god would      
deliver them in their turn out of  their
 distress4  ,and more2 you have been    
teaching your children1 that  they may  

teach their children in turn1 and pray  
and cry to ,god in their  trouble2 and  
thus this grand old ,litany is to us1   
and to those we shall  leave behind us a
 precious ,national heir-loom1 teaching 
us and them the  lesson of the #ajgth   
,psalm--that there is a ,lord in heaven 
who hears the  prayers of men1 the      
sinful as well as the sorrowful1 that   
when they cry  unto the ,lord in their  
trouble1 ,he delivers them out of their 
distress1  and that men should therefore
 praise the ,lord for ,his goodness1 and
  declare the wonders which ,he doeth   
for the children of men4          ,,xii4
  ,,wild ,,times1 ,,or ,,david',s       
,,faith ,,in ,a ,,living ,,god4         
,david therefore departed thence1 and   
escaped to the cave ,adullam3 and       
when his brethren and all his father's  
house heard it1 they went down          
thither to him4  ,and every one that was
 in distress1 and every one     that was
 in debt1 and every one that was        
discontented1 gathered     themselves   

unto him2 and he became a captain over  
them3 and there were     with him about 
four hundred men4--#a ,,sam4 xxii4 #a1  
#b4    ,in every country1 at some time  
or other1 there have been evil          
days--days  of violence1 tyranny1       
misrule1 war1 invasion1 when men are too
 apt1 for  want of settled law1 to take 
the law into their own hands2 and the   
land  is full of robbers1 outlaws1 bands
 of partizans and irregular             
soldiers--wild times1 in which wild     
things are done4    ,of such times we   
here in ,england have had no experience1
 and we forget  how common they are2 we 
forget that many great nations have been
 in this  state again and again4  ,we   
forget that almost all ,europe was in   
that wild  and lawless state in our     
fathers' times1 and therefore we forget 
that the  ,bible1 which tells man his   
whole duty1 must needs tell men about   
such  times as those1 and how a man may 
do his duty1 and save his soul therein4 
,for the ,bible is every man's book1 and

 has its lesson for every man4  ,it  is 
meant not merely for comfortable        
,english folk1 who sit at home at  ease1
 under just laws and a good government4 
,it is meant just as much  for the      
opprest1 for the persecuted1 for the man
 who is fighting for his  country1 for  
the man who has been found fighting in  
vain1 and is simply  waiting for ,god's 
help1 and crying1 ,lord1 how long8 how  
long ere ,thou  avenge the blood that is
 shed8  ,it is meant as much for such as
 for you  and me2 that every man1 in    
whatever fearful times he may live1 and 
whatever fearful trials he may go       
through1 and whatever fearful things he 
may be tempted to do1 and1 indeed1 may  
have to do1 in self-defence1 may  still 
be able to go to the ,bible1 there to   
find light for his feet1 and a  lantern 
for his path1 and so that he may steer  
through the worst of times  by ,faith in
 the ,living ,god4    ,again1 such      
lawless times are certain to raise up   
bold and adventurous  men1 more or less 

like ,david4  ,men of blood--who are yet
 not altogether  bad men--who are forced
 to take the law into their own hands1  
to try and  keep their countrymen       
together1 to put down tyrants and       
robbers1 and to  drive out invaders4    
,and men1 too1 suffering from deep and  
cruel wrongs1  who are forced for their 
lives' sake1 and their honour's sake1 to
  escape--to flee to the mountains and  
the forests1 and to foreign lands1  and 
there live as they can till times shall 
be better4  ,there have been  such men  
in all wild times--outlaws1 chiefs of   
armed bands1 like our  ,robin ,hood1    
whose name was honoured in ,england for 
hundreds of years as  the protector of  
the poor and the opprest1 and the       
punisher of the ,norman  tyrants3 a man 
made up of much good and much evil1 whom
 we must not  judge1 but when we think  
of him1 only thank ,god that we do not  
live in  such times now1 when no man's  
life or property1 or the honour of his  
family was safe4    ,such men1 too1 in  

our fathers' days1 were the ,tyrolese   
heroes1 ,hofer and  the ,good ,monk who 
left1 the one his farm and the other his
 cloister1 to  lead their countrymen    
against the invading ,french2 men of    
blood1 who were  none the less men of   
,god4  ,and such is1 in our own days1   
that famous  ,garibaldi1 whose portrait 
hangs in many an ,english cottage1 for a
 proof  that though we1 thank ,god1 do  
not need such men in peaceful ,england1 
our  hearts bid us to love and honour   
them wherever they be4  ,there have been
  such men in all bad times1 and there  
will be till the world's end1 and  they 
will do great deeds1 and their names    
will be famous1 and often  honoured and 
adored by men4    ,now1 what does the   
,bible say of such men8  ,does it give  
any rule by which  we may judge them8   
any rule which they ought to obey8  ,can
 ,god's blessing  be on them8  ,can they
 obey ,god in that wild and dark and    
dangerous  station to which ,he seems to
 have called them--to which ,god        

certainly  called ,hofer and the ,good  
,monk8    ,i think if the ,bible did not
 answer that question it would not be a 
complete book--if it spoke only of      
peaceful folk1 and peaceful times2      
when1 alas6 from the beginning of the   
world1 the earth has been but too  full 
of violence and misrule1 war and        
desolation4  ,but the ,bible does       
answer that question4  ,a large portion 
of one whole book is actually  taken up 
with the history of a young outlaw--of  
,david1 the shepherd boy1  who rises    
through strange temptations and dangers 
to be a great king1 the  first man who1 
since ,moses1 formed the ,jews into one 
strong united  nation4  ,it does not    
hide his faults1 even his fearful sins1 
but it shows  us that he had a right    
road to follow1 though he often turned  
aside  from it4  ,it shows us that he   
could be a good man if he chose1 though 
he  was an outlaw at the head of a band 
of ruffians2 and it shows us the  secret
 of his power and of his success--,faith

 in the ,living ,god4    ,therefore it  
is that after the ,bible has shown us   
7in the ,book of ,ruth7  worthy ,boaz   
standing among his reapers in the barley
 field1 it goes on to  show us ,boaz's  
great-grandson1 ,david1 a worthy man    
likewise1 but of a  very different life1
 marked out by ,god from his youth for  
strange and  desperate deeds2 killing1  
as a mere boy1 a lion and a bear1       
overthrowing  the ,philistine giant with
 a sling and a stone1 captain of a band 
of  outlaws in the wilderness1 fighting 
battles upon battles2 and at last a     
king1 storming the mountain fortress of 
,jerusalem1 and setting up upon  ,mount 
,zion1 which shall never be removed1 the
 ,throne of ,david4  ,a strange  man1   
and born into a strange time4  ,you all 
know the first part of  ,david's        
history--how ,samuel secretly anoints   
,david king over ,israel1 and  how the  
,spirit of the ,lord comes from that day
 forward upon the young lad  7#a ,samuel
 xvi4 #ab74  ,how king ,saul meanwhile  

fell into dark and bad  humours4  ,how  
the ,spirit of the ,lord--of goodness   
and peace of mind--goes  from him1 and  
an evil spirit from the ,lord troubles  
him4  ,then how young  ,david is sent   
for to play to him on his harp 7#a      
,samuel xvi471 and soothe  his          
distempered mind4  ,already we hear of  
,david as a remarkable person2  we hear 
of his extraordinary beauty1 his skill  
in music2 we hear1 too1  how he is      
already a man of war1 and a mighty      
valiant man1 and prudent in  matters1   
and the ,lord is with him4    ,then     
follows the famous story of his killing 
,goliath the ,philistine 7#a  ,samuel   
xvii474  ,poor1 distempered ,saul1 it   
seems1 had forgotten him1  though ,david
 had cured his melancholy with his      
harp-playing1 and had  actually been for
 a while his armour-bearer1 for when he 
comes back with  the giant's head1 ,saul
 has to ask ,abner who he is2 but after 
that he will  let him go no more home to
 his father4    ,then follows the       

beautiful story of ,jonathan1 ,saul's   
gallant son 7#a  ,samuel xviii471 and   
his love for ,david4  ,then of ,saul's  
envy of ,david1  and how1 in a sudden   
fit of hatred1 he casts his javelin at  
him4  ,then  how he grows afraid of him1
 and makes him captain of a thousand    
men1 and  gives him his daughter1 on    
condition of ,david's killing him two   
hundred  ,philistines4  ,and how he goes
 on1 capriciously1 honouring ,david one 
day  and trying to kill him the next4   
,while ,david rises always1 and all     
,israel and ,judah love him1 and he     
behaves himself more wisely than all    
the servants of ,saul4  ,at last comes  
the open rupture4  ,saul1 after  trying 
to murder ,david1 sends assassins to his
 house1 and ,david flees for  his life  
once and for all4  ,he has served his   
master ,saul loyally and  faithfully4   
,there is no word of his having opposed 
,saul1 set himself up  against him1     
boasted of himself1 or in any way       
brought his anger down  upon him4  ,saul

 is his king1 and ,david has been loyal 
and true to him4  ,but ,saul's envy has 
grown to hatred1 and that to murder4    
,he murders the  priests1 with all their
 wives and children1 for having given   
bread and  shelter to ,david4  ,and now 
,david must flee into the wilderness and
 set up  for himself1 and he flees to   
the cave of ,adullam 7#a ,samuel xxii472
 and  there you see the ,bible does not 
try to hide what ,david's position was1 
and what sort of men he had about       
him--his brethren and his father's      
house1 who were afraid that ,saul would 
kill them instead of him1 after  the    
barbarous ,eastern fashion1 and among   
them the three sons of ,zeruiah1  his   
sister2 and everyone who was            
discontented1 and everyone who was in   
debt1 all the most desperate and        
needy--one can conceive what sort of men
  they must have been4  ,the ,bible     
tells us afterwards of the wicked men   
and  men of ,belial who were among      
them--wild men1 with weapons in their   

hands1  and nothing to prevent their    
becoming a band of brutal robbers1 if   
they  had not had over them a man in    
whom1 in spite of all his faults1 was   
the  ,spirit of ,god4    ,we must       
remember1 meanwhile1 that ,david had his
 temptations4  ,he had been  grievously 
wronged4  ,saul had returned him evil   
for good4  ,all ,david's  services and  
loyalty to ,saul had been repaid with   
ingratitude and  accusations of         
conspiracy against him4  ,what terrible 
struggles of rage  and indignation must 
have passed through ,david's heart6     
,what a longing  to revenge himself6    
,he knew1 too1 for ,samuel the prophet  
had told him1  that he should be king   
one day4  ,what a temptation1 then1 to  
make himself  king at once6  ,it was no 
secret either4  ,the people knew of it4 
,jonathan1  ,saul's son1 knew of it1    
and1 in his noble1 self-sacrificing way1
 makes no  secret of it 7#a ,samuel     
xx474  ,what a temptation to follow the 
fashion  which is too common in the     

,east to this day1 and strike down his  
tyrant  at one blow1 as many a man has  
done since1 and to proclaim himself king
  of the ,jews4  ,yes1 ,david had heavy 
temptations--temptations which he  could
 only conquer by faith in the ,living   
,god4  ,and1 because he masters         
himself1 and remains patient and loyal  
to his king under every insult and      
wrong1 he is able to master that wild   
and desperate band of men1 and set  them
 an example of patience and chivalry1   
loyalty and justice2 to train  them to  
be1 not a terror and a scourge to the   
yeomen and peasants round1  but a       
protection and a guard against the      
,philistines and ,amalekites1 and1  in  
due time1 his trusty bodyguard of       
warriors--men who have grown grey       
beside him through a hundred battles1   
who are to be the foundation of his     
national army1 and help him to make the 
,jews one strong and united  prosperous 
kingdom4    ,all this the shepherd lad  
has to do1 and he does it1 by faith in  

the  ,living ,god1 and so makes himself 
for all ages to come the pattern of     
perfect loyalty4  ,and now1 let us take 
home this one lesson--,that the  secret 
of ,david's success is not his beauty1  
his courage1 his eloquence1  his genius2
 other men have had gifts from ,god as  
great as ,david's1 and  have misused    
them to their own ruin1 and to the      
misery of their fellow-  men4  ,no2 the 
secret of ,david's success is his faith 
in the ,living ,god2  and that will be  
the secret of our success4  ,without    
faith in ,god1 the  most splendid       
talents may lead a man to be a curse to 
himself and to his  neighbours4  ,with  
faith in ,god1 a very common-place      
person1 without any  special cleverness1
 may do great things1 and make himself  
useful and  honoured in his generation4 
,,xiii4  ,,david ,,and ,,nabal1 ,,or    
,,self-,,control4         ,and ,david   
said to ,abigail1 ,blessed be the ,lord 
,god of ,israel1 which     sent thee    
this day to meet me3 ,and blessed be thy

 advice1 and blessed     be thou1 which 
hast kept me this day from coming to    
shed blood1 and     from avenging myself
 with mine own hand4--#a ,,samuel xxv4  
#cb1 #cc4    ,the story of ,david and   
,nabal needs no explanation4  ,it tells 
us of part  of ,david's education--of a 
great lesson which he learnt--of a great
  lesson which we may learn4  ,it is    
told with a dignity and a simplicity1   
with a grace and liveliness which makes 
itself understood at once1 and  carries 
its own lesson to any one who has a     
human heart in him4    ,and there was a 
man in ,maon1 whose possessions were in 
,carmel--the park  grass upland with    
timber trees--not the northern ,carmel  
where ,elijah slew  the prophets of     
,baal1 but the southern one on the edge 
of the desert4  ,and the man was very   
great1 and he had three thousand sheep1 
and a  thousand goats3 and he was       
shearing his sheep in ,carmel4  ,now the
 name of  the man was ,nabal2 and the   
name of his wife ,abigail3 and she was a

 woman  of good understanding1 and of a 
beautiful countenance3 but the man was  
churlish and evil in his doings2 and he 
was of the house of ,caleb4  ,caleb  was
 ,joshua's friend1 who had conquered all
 that land in ,joshua's time4  ,nabal1  
therefore1 had all the pride of a man of
 most ancient and noble  family--and no 
shame to him if he had had a noble1     
courteous1 and  generous heart          
therewith1 instead of being1 as he was1 
a stupid and  brutal person4    ,and    
,david heard in the wilderness that     
,nabal did shear his sheep4  ,and       
,david sent out ten young men1 and      
,david said unto the young men1 ,get you
  up to ,carmel1 and go to ,nabal1 and  
greet him in my name3 ,and thus shall   
ye say unto him that liveth in          
prosperity1 ,peace be to thee1 and peace
 be  to thine house1 and peace be to all
 that thou hast4  ,and now ,i have heard
  that thou hast shearers3 now thy      
shepherds which were with us1 we hurt   
them not1 neither was there ought       

missing unto them1 all the while they   
were in ,carmel4  ,ask the young men1   
and they will show thee4  ,wherefore    
let the young men find favour in thine  
eyes3 for we come in a good day3  give1 
,i pray thee1 whatsoever cometh to thine
 hand unto thy servants1 and  unto thy  
son ,david4  ,and when ,david's young   
men came1 they spake to  ,nabal1        
according to all thee words of ,david1  
and ceased4    ,nabal refuses2 and in a 
way that shows1 as his wife says of him1
 how well  his name fits him--a fool is 
his name1 and folly is with him4        
,insolently  and brutally he refuses1 as
 fools are wont to do4  ,and ,nabal     
answered  ,david's servants1 and said1  
,who is ,david8 and who is the son of   
,jesse8  there be many servants         
now-a-days that break away every man    
from his  master4  ,shall ,i then take  
my bread1 and my water1 and my flesh    
that ,i  have killed for my shearers1   
and give it unto men whom ,i know not   
whence  they be8    ,as slaves break    

away from their master4  ,this was an   
intolerable  insult4  ,to taunt a       
free-born man1 as ,david was1 with      
having been a slave  and a runaway4  ,it
 is hard to conceive how ,nabal dared to
 say such a  thing of a fierce chieftain
 like ,david1 with six hundred armed men
 at his  back2 but there is no saying   
what a fool will not do when the spirit 
of  the ,lord is gone from him1 and his 
own fancy and passions lead him         
captive4    ,so ,david's young men came 
and told ,david4  ,and ,david said to   
his men1  ,gird every man on his sword4 
,and they girded on every man his sword2
 and  ,david also girded on his sword3  
and there went up after ,david about    
four  hundred men2 and two hundred abode
 by the stuff4    ,that is a grand      
passage--grand1 because it is true to   
human nature1 true  to the determined1  
prompt1 kingly character of ,david4  ,he
 does not  complain1 bluster1 curse over
 the insult as a weak man might have    
done4  ,he has been deeply hurt1 and he 

is too high-minded to talk about it4    
,he  will do1 and not talk4  ,a dark    
purpose settles itself instantly in his 
mind4  ,perhaps he is ashamed of it1 and
 dare not speak of it1 even to  himself4
  ,but what it was he confessed         
afterwards to ,abigail1 that he         
purposed utterly to kill ,nabal and all 
his people4  ,david was wrong of        
course4  ,but the ,bible makes no secret
 of the wrong-doings of its heroes4  ,it
 does not tell us that they were        
infallible and perfect4  ,it tells us   
that they were men of like passions with
 ourselves1 in order that by  seeing how
 they conquered their passions we may   
conquer ours4    ,meanwhile1 ,nabal's   
young men1 his servants and slaves1 see 
the danger1  and go to ,abigail4  ,one  
of the young men told ,abigail1 saying1 
,behold1  ,david sent messengers out of 
the wilderness to salute our master2 and
 he  railed on them4  ,but the men were 
very good unto us1 and we were not      
hurt1 neither missed we any thing1 as   

long as we were conversant with  them1  
when we were in the fields3 ,they were a
 wall unto us both by night  and day1   
all the while we were with them keeping 
the sheep4  ,now  therefore know and    
consider what thou wilt do2 for evil is 
determined  against our master1 and     
against all his household3 for he is    
such a son  of ,belial1 that a man      
cannot speak to him4  ,then ,abigail    
made haste1 and  took two hundred       
loaves1 and two bottles of wine1 and    
five sheep ready  dressed1 and five     
measures of parched corn1 and an hundred
 clusters of  raisins1 and two hundred  
cakes of figs1 and laid them on asses4  
,and she  said unto her servants1 ,go on
 before me2 behold1 ,i come after you4  
,but  she told not her husband ,nabal4  
,and then follows the beautiful scene   
which has been the subject of many a    
noble picture4  ,the fair lady kneeling 
before the terrible outlaw in the       
mountain woods1 as she came down by the 
covert of the hill1 and softening  his  

fierce heart with her beauty and her    
eloquence and her prayers1 and  bringing
 him back to his true self--to          
forgiveness1 generosity1 and            
righteousness4    ,and when ,abigail saw
 ,david1 she hasted1 and lighted off the
 ass1 and  fell before ,david on her    
face1 and bowed herself to the ground1  
and fell  at his feet1 and said1 ,upon  
me1 my lord1 let this iniquity be3 and  
let  thine handmaid1 ,i pray thee1 speak
 in thine audience1 and hear the words  
of thine handmaid4  ,let not my lord1 ,i
 pray thee1 regard this man of  ,belial1
 even ,nabal3 for as his name is1 so is 
he2 ,nabal is his name1 and  folly is   
with him2 but ,i1 thine handmaid1 saw   
not the young men of my  lord1 whom thou
 didst send4  ,now therefore1 my lord1  
as the ,lord liveth1  and as thy soul   
liveth1 seeing the ,lord hath withholden
 thee from coming  to shed blood1 and   
from avenging thyself with thine own    
hand1 now let  thine enemies1 and they  
that seek evil to my lord1 be as ,nabal4

 4 4 4 ,i  pray thee forgive the        
trespass of thine handmaid3 for the     
,lord will  certainly make my lord a    
sure house2 because my lord fighteth the
 battles  of the ,lord1 and evil hath   
not been found in thee all thy days4    
,and she conquers4  ,the dark shadow    
passes off ,david's soul1 and he is     
again the true1 chivalrous1 ,god-fearing
 ,david1 who has never drawn sword  yet 
in his own private quarrel1 but has     
committed his cause to ,god who  judgeth
 righteously1 and will1 if a man abide  
patiently in ,him1 make his             
righteousness as clear as the light1 and
 his just-dealing as the noonday4       
,frankly he confesses his fault4        
,blessed be thy advice1 and blessed be  
thou which has kept me this day from    
coming to shed blood1 and from  avenging
 myself with mine own hand4  ,for in    
very deed1 as the ,lord ,god of  ,israel
 liveth1 which has kept me back from    
hurting thee1 except thou  hadst hasted 
and come to meet me1 surely there had   

not a man been left  unto ,nabal by the 
morning light4  ,then follows the end4  
,abigail goes  back to ,nabal4  ,then   
the bully shows himself a coward4  ,the 
very thought  of the danger which he has
 escaped is too much for him4  ,his     
heart died  within him4  ,and ,abigail  
came to ,nabal2 and behold1 he held a   
feast in  his house like the feast of a 
king2 and ,nabal's heart was merry      
within  him1 for he was very drunken3   
wherefore she told him nothing less or  
more  until the morning light4  ,but it 
came to pass in the morning1 when the   
wine was gone out of ,nabal1 and his    
wife had told him these things1 that    
his heart died within him1 and he became
 as a stone4  ,and it came to  pass1    
about ten days after1 that the ,lord    
smote ,nabal1 that he died4  ,one  can  
imagine the picture for oneself4  ,the  
rich churl sitting there in the  midst  
of all his slaves and his wealth as one 
thunderstruck1 helpless and  speechless1
 till one of those mysterious attacks1  

which we still rightly  call a stroke1  
and a visitation of ,god1 ends him      
miserably4  ,and when he  is dead1      
,abigail becomes the wife of ,david1 and
 shares his fortunes and  his dangers in
 the wilderness4    ,now1 what may we   
learn from this story8  ,surely what    
,david learnt--the  unlawfulness of     
revenge4  ,david was to be trained to be
 a perfect king by  learning            
self-control1 and therefore he has to   
learn that he must not  punish in his   
own quarrel4  ,if he must not lift up   
his hand against ,saul1  on the ground  
of loyalty1 neither must he lift up his 
hand against ,nabal1  on the deeper     
ground of justice and humanity4    ,but 
from whom did ,david learn this8  ,from 
himself4  ,from his own heart  and      
conscience1 enlightened by the ,spirit  
of ,god4  ,abigail gave him no          
commandment from ,god1 in the common    
sense of the word4  ,she only put       
,david in mind of what he knew already4 
,she appeals to his known  nobleness of 

mind1 and takes for granted that he will
 hear reason--takes  for granted that he
 will do right--and so brought him to   
himself again4  ,the ,lord was          
withholding him1 she says1 from coming  
to shed blood1 and  avenging himself    
with his own hand4  ,but that would have
 been of no avail  had there not been   
something in ,david's own heart which   
answered to her  words4  ,for the       
,spirit of ,god had not left ,david2 and
 it was the ,spirit  of ,god which gave 
him nobleness of heart--the ,spirit of  
,god which made  him answer1 ,blessed be
 the ,lord ,god of ,israel who sent thee
 this day to  meet me2 and blessed be   
thy advice1 and blessed be thou which   
hast kept  me this day from shedding of 
blood4    ,though ,abigail did not      
pretend to bring a message from ,god1   
,david felt  that she had brought one4  
,and she was in his eyes not merely a   
suppliant  pleading for mercy1 but a    
prophetess declaring to him a divine law
 which  he dare not resist4  ,it has    

been said by them of old time1 our      
blessed  ,lord tells us1 an eye for an  
eye1 and a tooth for a tooth2 thou shalt
  love thy neighbour and hate thine     
enemy4  ,this is the first natural law  
which a savage lays down for himself4   
,there is a rude sense of justice  in   
it1 mixed up with the same brute        
instinct of revenge which makes the     
wild beast turn in rage upon the hunter 
who wounds him4  ,but our ,lord  ,jesus 
,christ brings in a higher and more     
spiritual law4  ,punishment is to  be   
left to the magistrate1 who punishes in 
,god's name4  ,and where the law  cannot
 touch the wrongdoer1 ,god1 who is the  
author of law1 can and will  punish4    
,vengeance is mine1 ,i will repay1 saith
 the ,lord4  ,yes6 if  punishment must  
be1 then let ,god punish4  ,let man     
forgive4  ,i say unto  you1 said our    
,lord1 ,love your enemies4  ,do good to 
them that hate  you--bless them that    
curse you--pray for them that           
despitefully use you  and persecute you1

 that you may be the children of your   
,father which is  in heaven1 for ,he    
maketh ,his sun to shine upon the evil  
and the good1 and  sendeth rain on the  
just and the unjust4    ,it is a hard   
lesson4  ,but we must learn it4  ,and we
 shall learn it1 just  as far as we are 
guided by the ,spirit of ,god1 who forms
 in us the  likeness of ,christ4  ,and  
men are learning it more and more in    
,christian  lands4  ,wherever ,christ's 
gospel is truly and faithfully preached1
 the  fashion1 of revenge is dying out4 
,there are countries still in           
,christendom in which men think nothing 
every day of stabbing and shooting  the 
man who has injured them2 and far1 very 
far1 from ,christ and ,his  ,spirit must
 they be still4  ,but we may have hope  
for them2 for if we look  at home1 it   
was not so very many years ago that any 
,englishman1 who  considered himself a  
gentleman1 was bound by public opinion  
to fight a  duel for any slight insult4 
,it was not so many years ago that among

  labouring men brutal quarrels and open
 fights were common1 and almost  daily  
occurrences4  ,but now men are learning 
more and more to control  their tempers 
and their tongues1 and find it more and 
more easy1 and more  pleasant and more  
profitable1 as our ,lord forewarned them
 when ,he said1  ,take my yoke upon you 
and learn of me1 for ,i am meek and     
lowly in heart1  and ye shall find rest 
unto your souls1 for my yoke is easy1   
and my  burden is light4  ,and ,christ's
 easy yoke is the yoke of self-control1 
by  which we bridle the passions which  
torment us4  ,christ's light burden is  
the burden and obligation laid on every 
one of us1 to forgive others1  even as  
,god for ,christ's sake has forgiven us4
  ,and the rest which shall  come to our
 souls is the rest which ,david found1  
when he listened to the  voice of ,god  
speaking by the lips of ,abigail2 the   
true and divine rest of  heart and peace
 of mind--rest and peace from the inward
 storm of  fretfulness1 suspicion1      

jealousy1 pride1 wrath1 revenge1 which  
blackens  the light of heaven to a man1 
and turns to gall and wormwood every    
blessing which ,god sends4    ,ah6 my   
friends1 if ever that angry storm rises 
in our hearts1 if ever we  be tempted to
 avenge ourselves1 and cast off the     
likeness of ,god for that  of the       
savage1 and return evil for evil1--may  
,god send to us in that day  some angel 
of ,his own1 as ,he sent ,abigail to    
,david--an angel1 though  clothed in    
human flesh and blood1 with a message of
 peace and wisdom4  ,and  if any such   
should speak to us words of peace and   
wisdom1 soothing us and  rebuking us at 
once1 and appealing to those feelings in
 us which are  really the most noble1   
just because they are the most gentle1  
then let us  not turn away in pride1 and
 wrap ourselves up in our own anger1 but
 let  us receive these words as the     
message of ,god--whether they come from 
the  lips of a woman1 or of a servant1  
or even of a little child1 for if we    

resist them we surely resist ,god--who  
has also given to us ,his ,holy  ,spirit
 for that very purpose1 that we may hear
 ,his message when ,he  speaks4  ,it was
 the ,spirit of ,god in ,david which    
made him feel that  ,abigail's message  
was divine4  ,the ,spirit of ,god1      
hidden for a while  behind his dark     
passions1 like the sun by clouds1 shone 
out clear again1  and filled all his    
soul with light1 showing him his duty1  
and giving back  peace and brightness to
 his mind4    ,god grant that whenever  
we are tried like ,david we may find    
that that  ,holy ,spirit has not left   
us1 but that even if a first storm of   
anger  shall burst1 it shall pass over  
quickly1 and the day star arise in our  
hearts1 and the ,lord lift up the light 
of ,his countenance upon us1 and  give  
us peace4          ,,xiv4  ,,david',s   
,,loyalty2 ,,or1 ,,temptation           
,,resisted4         ,so ,david and      
,abishai came to the people by night3   
and1 behold1 ,saul     lay sleeping     

within the trench1 and his spear stuck  
in the ground at     his bolster2 but   
,abner and the people lay round about   
him4  ,then said     ,abishai to ,david1
 ,god hath delivered thine enemy into   
thine hand this     day3 now therefore  
let me smite him1 ,i pray thee1 with the
 spear even     to the earth at once1   
and ,i will not smite him the second    
time4  ,and     ,david said to ,abishai1
 ,destroy him not3 for who can stretch  
forth his     hand against the ,lord's  
anointed1 and be guiltless8  ,david said
     furthermore1 ,as the ,lord liveth1 
the ,lord shall smite him2 or his day   
shall come to die2 or he shall descend  
into battle1 and perish4  ,the     ,lord
 forbid that ,i should stretch forth    
mine hand against the ,lord's           
anointed2 but1 ,i pray thee1 take thou  
now the spear that is at his            
bolster1 and the cruise of water1 and   
let us go4--#a ,,sam4 xxvi4 #g-aa4      
,david stands for all times as the      
pattern of true loyalty--loyalty under  

the most extreme temptation4  ,knowing  
that he is to be king himself           
hereafter1 he yet remains loyal to his  
king though unjustly persecuted to  the 
death4  ,loyal he is to the end1 because
 he has faith and  obedience4  ,faith   
tells him that if king he is to be1 king
 he will be1  in ,god's good time4  ,if 
,god had promised1 ,god will perform4   
,he must not  make himself king4  ,he   
must not take the matter into his own   
hand4  ,obedience tells him that ,saul  
is still his master1 and he is bound to 
him4  ,if ,saul be a bad master1 that   
does not give him leave to be a bad     
servant4  ,the sacred bond still        
remains1 and he must not break it4  ,but
  ,saul is more4  ,he is king--the      
,lord's anointed1 the general of the    
armies  of the living ,god4  ,his office
 is sacred2 his person is sacred4  ,he  
is a  public personage1 and ,david must 
not lift up his hand against him in a   
private quarrel4    ,twice ,david's     
faith and obedience are tried fearfully4

  ,twice ,saul is in  his power4  ,twice
 the temptation to murder him comes     
before him4  ,the  first time ,david and
 his men are in one of the great        
branching caves of  ,engaddi1 the       
desolate limestone cliffs1 two thousand 
feet high1 which  overhang the ,dead    
,sea--and ,saul is hunting him1 as he   
says1 as a  partridge on the mountains4 
,and it came to pass when ,saul had     
returned  from following the            
,philistines1 that it was told him      
saying1 ,behold ,david  is in the cave  
of ,engedi4  ,and ,saul took three      
thousand chosen men out of  all ,israel1
 and went to seek ,david and his men    
upon the rocks of the wild  goats4  ,and
 he came to the sheepcotes1 and by the  
way there was a cave2  and ,saul went   
in1 and ,david and his men remained in  
the sides of the  cave4  ,and the men of
 ,david said unto him1 ,behold the day  
of which the  ,lord said unto thee1     
,behold ,i will deliver thine enemy into
 thy hand1 and  thou mayest do to him as

 seemeth good unto thee4  ,then ,david  
arose1 and  cut off the skirt of ,saul's
 robe privily4  ,and it came to pass    
afterwards1 that ,david's heart smote   
him1 because he had cut off ,saul's     
skirt4  ,and he said unto his men1 ,the 
,lord forbid that ,i should do this     
thing unto my master1 the ,lord's       
anointed1 to stretch forth mine hand    
against him1 seeing he is the anointed  
of the ,lord4  ,so ,david stayed his    
servants4  ,and afterwards ,saul rose   
up1 not knowing what had happened1  and 
,david followed him4  ,and when ,saul   
looked back1 ,david stooped down  with  
his face to the earth and bowed himself 
before ,saul1 and spoke many  noble     
words to his king 7#a ,sam4 xxiv4 #a-h74
    ,and ,david's nobleness has its     
reward4  ,it brings out nobleness in    
return to ,saul himself4  ,it melts his 
heart for a time4  ,and it came to  pass
 that when ,david had made an end of    
speaking1 that ,saul said1 ,is this  thy
 voice1 my son ,david8  ,and ,saul      

lifted up his voice1 and wept4  ,and he 
said to ,david1 ',thou art more         
righteous than ,i--for thou hast        
rewarded me  good1 whereas ,i have      
rewarded thee evil4  ,and thou hast     
shewed me this  day how thou hast dealt 
with me2 for as much as when the ,lord  
delivered  me into thine hand1 thou     
killedst me not4  ,for if a man find his
 enemy1  will he let him go well away8  
,wherefore the ,lord reward thee good   
for  that thou hast done unto me this   
day4  ,and now1 behold1 ,i know well    
that  thou shalt surely be king1 and    
that the kingdom of ,israel shall be    
established in thine hand4'    ,and so  
it will be with you1 my friends4  ,if   
thine enemy hunger1 feed  him2 if he    
thirst1 give him drink1 for so thou     
shalt heap coals of fire  on his head4  
,thou shalt melt the hardness of his    
heart4  ,thou shalt  warm the coldness  
of his heart4  ,nobleness in thee shall 
bring out in  answer nobleness in him1  
and if not1 thou hast done thy duty1 and

 the  ,lord judge between him and thee4 
,but ,saul's repentance does not last4  
,soon after we find him again  hunting  
,david in the wilderness1 seemingly from
 mere caprice1 and without  any fresh   
cause of offence4  ,the                 
,ziphites--dwellers in the forests of   
the  south of ,judea--came to ,saul and 
said1 ,doth not ,david hide himself in  
the hill of ,hachilah4  ,then ,saul     
arose and went down to the wilderness1  
having three thousand chosen men of     
,israel with him1 to seek ,david in the 
wilderness of ,ziph4  ,and ,saul pitched
 in the hill of ,hachilah4  ,but ,david 
abode in the wilderness1 and he saw that
 ,saul came after him into the          
wilderness4  ,again ,saul lies down to  
sleep--in an entrenched camp1 and       
,david and ,abishai1 his nephew1 go down
 to the camp at night as spies4  ,then  
comes the story of my text--how ,abishai
 would have slain ,saul1 and  ,david    
forbade him to lift his hand against the
 ,lord's anointed1 and left  ,saul to   

the judgment of ,god1 which he knew must
 come sooner or later--and  merely took 
the spear from his bolster and the cruse
 of water to show he  had been there4   
,once again ,saul's heart gives way at  
,david's nobleness3 for when ,david  and
 ,abishai got away while ,saul and his  
guards all slept1 ,david calls to       
,abner 7verse #ad-be71 and rebukes him  
for not having guarded his king  better4
  ,art not thou a valiant man8          
,wherefore1 then1 hast thou not  kept   
thy lord the king8  ,the thing is not   
good that thou hast done3 ,as  the ,lord
 liveth1 ye are worthy to die1 because  
you have not kept your  master1 the     
,lord's anointed4  ,and now see where   
the king's spear is1 and  the cruse of  
water that was at his bolster4  ,and    
,saul knew ,david's voice1  and said1   
,is this thy voice1 my son ,david8  ,and
 ,david said1 ,it is my  voice1 my lord1
 ,o king4  ,wherefore does my lord then 
thus pursue after  his servant8 for what
 have ,i done8  ,now therefore1 let not 

my blood fall  to the earth1 for the    
king of ,israel is come out to seek a   
flea1 as when  one doth hunt a          
partridge4  ,then said ,saul1 ,i have   
sinned3 return1 my son  ,david1 for ,i  
will no more do thee harm1 because my   
soul was precious in  thine eyes4       
,behold1 ,i have played the fool1 and   
have erred exceedingly4    ,but ,david  
can trust him no longer4  ,weak1        
violent1 and capricious1 ,saul's        
repentance is real for the time1 but it 
does not last4  ,he means what he  says 
at the moment2 but when some fresh base 
suspicion crosses his mind1  his        
promises and his repentance are all     
forgotten4  ,a terrible trial it  is to 
,david1 to have his noble forgiveness   
and forbearance again and  again bring  
forth no fruit--to have to do with a man
 whom he cannot  trust4  ,there are few 
sorer trials than that for living man4  
,few which  tempt him more to throw away
 faith and patience1 and say1 ,i cannot 
submit to this misconduct over and over 

again4  ,it must end1 and ,i will  end  
it1 by some desperate action1 right or  
wrong4    ,and1 in fact1 it does seem as
 if ,david was very near yielding to    
temptation1 the last and worst          
temptation which befalls men in his     
situation--to turn traitor and renegade1
 to go over to the enemies of his       
country and fight with them against     
,saul4  ,that has happened too often to 
men in ,david's place2 who have so ended
 a glorious career in shame and         
confusion4  ,and we find that ,david    
does at last very nearly fall into it4  
,it creeps on him1 little by little1 as 
it has on other men in his place1  but  
it does creep on4  ,he loses patience   
and hope4  ,he says1 ,i shall  perish   
one day by the hand of ,saul1 and he    
goes down into the low  country1 to the 
,philistines1 whose champion1 ,goliath1 
he had killed1 and  makes friends with  
them4  ,and ,achish1 king of ,gath1     
gives him a town  called ,ziklag1 to    
live in1 he and his men4  ,from it he   

goes out and  attacks the wild ,arabs1  
the ,amalekites4  ,and then he tells    
lies to  ,achish1 saying1 that he has   
been attacking his own countrymen1 the  
,jews4  ,and by that lie he brings      
himself into a very great strait--as all
 men  who tell lies are sure to do4     
,when ,achish and his ,philistines go   
next to fight against the ,jews1 ,achish
  asks ,david and his men to go with him
 and his army4  ,and then begins a  very
 dark story4  ,what ,david meant to do  
we are not told2 but one thing  is      
clear1 that whatever he did1 he must    
have disgraced himself for ever1  if    
,god had not had mercy on him4  ,he is  
forced to go4  ,for he can give no      
reason why he should not4  ,so he goes2 
and in the rear with the  ,philistine   
king1 in the post of honour1 as his     
bodyguard4  ,what is he to  do8  ,if he 
fights against his own people1 he covers
 himself with eternal  shame1 and loses 
his chance of ever being king4  ,if he  
turns against  ,achish and his          

,philistines in the battle he covers    
himself with eternal  shame likewise1   
for they had helped him in his distress1
 and given him a  home4    ,but ,god has
 mercy on him4  ,the lords of the       
,philistines take offence at  his being 
there1 and say that he will play traitor
 to them in the battle  7which was but  
too likely71 and force king ,achish to  
send him home to  ,ziklag1 and so ,god  
delivers him out of the trap which he   
has set for  himself1 by lying4    ,but 
,god punishes him on the spot4  ,when he
 comes back to his town1 it is  burnt   
with fire1 utterly desolate1 a heap of  
blackened ruins1 without a  living soul 
therein4  ,and now the end is coming1   
though ,david thinks not  of it4  ,he   
had committed his cause to ,god4  ,he   
had said1 when ,saul lay  sleeping at   
his feet1 and ,abishai would have       
smitten him through1 ,who  can stretch  
forth his hand against the ,lord's      
anointed4  ,as the ,lord  liveth1 the   
,lord shall smite him1 or he shall come 

to die1 or he shall go  down into battle
 and perish4    ,and on the third day a 
man--a heathen ,amalekite--comes to     
,ziklag to ,david  with his clothes     
rent1 and earth upon his head4  ,israel 
has been defeated  in ,mount ,gilboa    
with a great slaughter4  ,the people far
 and wide have  fled from ,hermon across
 the plain1 and the ,philistines have   
taken  possession1 cutting the land of  
,israel in two4  ,and ,saul and         
,jonathan1  his son1 are dead4  ,the    
,amalekite has proof of it4  ,there is  
the crown  which was on ,saul's head1   
and the bracelet that was on his arm4   
,he has  brought them to ,david to curry
 favour with him4  ,saul1 he says1 was  
wounded1 and asked him to kill him 7#b  
,sam4 i4 #f-aj74  ,it is a lie4  ,saul  
had killed himself1 falling on his own  
sword1 to escape torture and  insult    
from the ,philistines1 and the          
,amalekite is caught in his own trap4   
,out of his own mouth will ,david judge 
him4  ,how dare he stretch forth his    

hand against the ,lord's anointed8  ,let
 one of the young men fall on him1  and 
kill him4  ,and so the wretch dies4     
,and then bursts forth all the nobleness
 of ,david's heart4  ,he thinks of      
,saul no longer as the tyrant who has   
hunted him for years1 who has put on    
him the last and worst insult of taking 
away his wife1 and giving her to        
another man4  ,he thinks of him only as 
his master1 his king1 the grand  and    
terrible warrior1 the terror of         
,ammonites1 ,amalekites1 and            
,philistines1 the deliverer of his      
country in many a bloody fight1 and he  
bursts out into that fine old           
lamentation over ,saul and ,jonathan1   
sentences of which have been proverbs in
 the mouths of men to this day4  ,how   
are the mighty fallen6  ,tell it not in 
,gath1 publish it not in the  streets of
 ,askelon2 lest the daughters of the    
,philistines rejoice1 lest  the         
daughters of the uncircumcised triumph4 
,ye mountains of ,gilboa1 let  there be 

no dew1 neither let there be rain1 upon 
you1 nor fields of  offerings3 for there
 the shield of the mighty is vilely cast
 away1 the  shield of ,saul1 as though  
he had not been anointed with oil4      
,from the  blood of the slain1 from the 
fat of the mighty1 the bow of ,jonathan 
turned not back1 and the sword of ,saul 
returned not empty4  ,saul and          
,jonathan were lovely and pleasant in   
their lives1 and in their death they    
were not divided3 they were swifter than
 eagles1 they were stronger than  lions4
  ,ye daughters of ,israel1 weep over   
,saul1 who clothed you in  scarlet1 with
 other delights1 who put on ornaments of
 gold upon your  apparel4  ,how are the 
mighty fallen in the midst of the       
battle6  ,o  ,jonathan1 thou wast slain 
in thine high places4  ,i am distressed 
for  thee1 my brother ,jonathan3 very   
pleasant hast thou been unto me3 thy    
love  to me was wonderful1 passing the  
love of woman4  ,how are the mighty     
fallen1 and the weapons of war perished6

 7#b ,sam4 i4 #ai-bg74    ,let each and 
every one of us1 my friends1 imitate    
,david's loyalty1 and be  true to our   
duty1 true to our masters1 true to our  
country and true to  our queen1 through 
whatever trials and temptations4  ,above
 all1 let us  learn from ,david to obey2
 and remember that to obey we need not  
become  cringing and slavish1 or give up
 independence and high spirit4  ,david  
did  neither4  ,unless you learn to     
obey1 as ,david did1 you will never     
learn to  rule4  ,imitate ,david--and so
 you will imitate ,david's greater son1 
even  our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4  ,for   
herein ,david is a type of ,christ4     
,one might say truly that ,david's      
spirit was in ,christ--if the very      
opposite was not the fact1 that the     
spirit of ,christ was in ,david1 even   
the spirit of loyalty and obedience1    
toward ,god and man4  ,the spirit  which
 made our ,lord fulfil the whole law of 
,moses--though quite  unnecessary1 of   
course1 for him--simply because ,he had 

chosen to be born  a ,jew1 under ,moses'
 law2 the spirit which made ,him        
obedient to the  ordinance of the       
country in which ,he was born1 made ,him
 even pay tribute  to ,caesar1 the      
heathen conqueror1 because the powers   
that ruled1 were  ordained of ,god4     
,and yet that same spirit kept ,him     
lofty and  independent1 high-minded and 
pure-minded4  ,he could tell the people 
to  observe and to do all that the      
scribes and ,pharisees told them to do1 
because they sat in ,moses' seat1 and   
yet ,he could call those very scribes   
and ,pharisees hypocrites1 who made the 
law of no effect1 and were  bringing on 
themselves utter destruction4    ,that  
spirit1 too1 made ,him loyal and        
obedient to ,god ,his ,father in        
heaven4  ,doing not ,his own will1 but  
the will of the ,father who sent ,him4  
,of ,him it is written1 that though ,he 
were a ,son1 yet learned ,he  obedience 
by the things which ,he suffered2 and   
that ,he received the  perfect reward of

 perfect loyalty1 because ,he had       
humbled and emptied  ,himself1 and      
became obedient unto death even the     
death of the cross4  ,therefore ,god    
highly exalted ,him1 and gave ,him a    
name which is above  every name1 that at
 the name of ,jesus every knee should   
bow1 of things in  heaven1 of things in 
the earth1 and things under the earth1  
and every  tongue confess that ,he is   
,lord and ,god1 to the glory of ,god the
 ,father4    ,this is a great mystery6  
,how can we understand it8  ,how can we 
understand the ,divine and eternal bond 
between ,father and ,son8  ,but this  at
 least we can understand1 that loyalty  
and obedience are ,divine  virtues1 part
 of the likeness of ,jesus ,christ1 the 
eternal ,son of ,god1  and therefore    
divine graces1 the gift of ,god's holy  
,spirit4    ,may ,god pour out upon us  
that ,spirit1 as ,he poured it out on   
,david1 and  make us loyal and obedient 
to our queen1 and to all whom ,he has   
set over  us2 and loyal and obedient    

above all to ,christ our heavenly king1 
and to  ,god the ,father1 in whom we    
live1 and move1 and have our being4     
,,xv4  ,,david',s ,,death ,,song4       
,and ,david spake unto the ,lord the    
words of this song in the day that      
the ,lord had delivered him out of the  
hand of all his enemies1 and out     of 
the hand of ,saul3 ,and he said1 ,the   
,lord is my rock1 and my fortress       
and my deliverer2 the ,god of my rock2  
in him will ,i trust3 he is my          
shield1 and the horn of my salvation1 my
 high tower1 and my refuge1 my          
saviour2 thou savest me from            
violence4--#b ,,sam4 xxii4 #a-c4        
,this is the death song of ,david2 the  
last words of the great man--warrior1   
statesman1 king1 poet1 prophet4  ,a man 
of many joys and many sorrows1  many    
virtues1 and many crimes2 but through   
them all1 every inch a man4  ,a         
man--heaped by ,god with every gift of  
body1 and mind1 and heart1 and          
especially with strong and deep intense 

feeling4  ,right or wrong1 he is  never 
hard1 never shallow1 never light-minded4
  ,he is in earnest4  ,whatever happens 
to him1 for good or evil1 goes to his   
heart1 and fills  his whole soul1 till  
it comes out again in song4    ,this it 
is which makes ,david the ,psalmist4    
,this it is which makes the  ,psalter a 
text book still for every soldier or    
sailor1 for all men who  have human     
hearts in them4  ,this it is which will 
make his psalms live  for ever4         
,because they are full of humanity1 of  
the spirit of man1  awakened and        
enlightened1 and ennobled1 by the       
,spirit of ,god4    ,looking through    
these psalms of ,david1 one is struck   
with astonishment at  their variety4    
,at what is called the versatility of   
his mind1 that is1  his ability to turn 
himself to every kind of subject1 as it 
comes before  him1 and to sing of it--as
 man has never sung since4  ,and one is 
the more  astonished1 when one remembers
 that many of the most beautiful of     

these  ,psalms must have been written   
while ,david was still a very young man4
  ,though we have them1 of course1 only 
in a translation--though many of the    
words and phrases in them are difficult1
 sometimes impossible to  understand1   
though they were written in a kind of   
verse which would give  our ,english    
ears no pleasure1 and were set to a     
music so utterly  different from our    
own1 that it would not sound like music 
to us4  ,yet1  with all these           
disadvantages1 they are beautiful as    
they stand1 they sink  into the ear1 and
 into the heart1 as what they are1 the  
words of one  inspired by ,god1 who     
found beauty in every sight which he    
beheld1 in  every event which happened1 
even in every sorrow and every struggle 
in  his own soul1 and could sing of each
 and all of them in words and  thoughts 
fresh from ,god1 the fountain of all    
beauty and all truth4    ,but the       
peculiarity of ,david's psalms1 after   
all1 is from his intense  faith in ,god4

  ,god is in all his thoughts4  ,god is 
near him1 guiding him1  trying him1     
educating him1 punishing him1 sometimes 
he thinks for a  moment1 deserting him4 
,but even then his mind is still full of
 ,god4  ,it  is ,god he wants1 and the  
light of ,god's countenance1 without    
which he  cannot live1 and leaving him  
in misery1 and shame1 and darkness1 and 
out  of the darkness he cries--,my ,god1
 my ,god1 why hast thou forsaken me8    
,and1  therefore1 everything which      
happens to him shapes itself not into   
mere  poetry1 but into a prayer1 or a   
hymn4    ,it is this which has made     
,david for ,christians now1 as well as  
for ,jews  of old1 the great master and 
teacher of heart religion4  ,in the     
early  church1 in the middle ages1 as   
now1 ,catholic alike and ,protestant1   
whosoever has feared ,god and sought    
after righteousness2 whosoever has      
known and sorrowed over the sinfulness  
and weakness of his own heart2          
whosoever has believed that the ,lord   

,god was dealing with him as with a     
son1 educating him1 chastening him1     
purifying him and teaching him1 by  the 
chances and changes of his mortal life2 
whosoever1 ,i say1 has had any  real    
taste of vital experimental religion--to
 ,david's ,psalms he has gone1  as to a 
treasure house1 to find there his own   
feelings1 his own doubts1  his own joys1
 his own thoughts of ,god and ,his      
providence--reflected as in  a glass2   
everything which he would say1 said for 
him already1 in words  which will never 
be equalled on earth4    ,there are     
psalms among them of bitter agony1 cries
 as of a lost child1  like that #fth    
psalm--,oh ,lord1 rebuke me not in      
,thine anger1 neither  chasten me in    
,thy hot displeasure1 c4  ,and yet      
ending like that1 with a  sudden flash  
of faith1 and hope1 and joy1 which is a 
peculiar mark of  ,david's character1   
faith in ,god triumphing over all the   
chances and  changes of mortal life4    
,the ,lord hath heard the voice of my   

weeping4  ,the ,lord will receive my    
prayer1 all mine enemies shall be       
confounded and  sore vexed4  ,they shall
 be turned back and put to shame4       
,there are psalms again which are       
prayers for guidance and teaching like  
the #eth ,psalm--,lead me1 ,o ,lord1 in 
thy righteousness because of mine       
enemies3 make thy way plain before my   
face4    ,there are psalms1 again1 of   
,natural ,religion1 such as the #hth and
 the  #aith and the #bith1 the words of 
a man who had watched and studied nature
  by day and night1 as he kept his sheep
 upon the mountains1 and wandered  in   
the desert with his men4  ,i will       
consider thy heavens1 the works of  thy 
hand1 the moon and the stars which thou 
hast ordained 4 4 4 the fowls  of the   
air and the fishes of the sea 4 4 4     
7,ps4 viii4 #c-h74  ,the  heavens       
declare the glory of ,god3 and the      
firmament sheweth his handi-  work 7,ps4
 xix4 #a-f74  ,it is the ,lord that     
commandeth the water3 it is  the        

glorious ,god that maketh the thunder3  
it is the ,lord that ruleth the  sea3   
the voice of the ,lord breaketh the     
cedar trees3 the voice of the  ,lord    
divideth the flames of fire3 the voice  
of the ,lord shaketh the  wilderness3   
the ,lord sitteth above the water flood1
 c4 7,ps4 xxix474    ,there are psalms  
of deep religious experience like the   
#cb;d4--,blessed is  he whose           
unrighteousness is forgiven1 and whose  
sin is covered 4 4 4 ,thou  art a place 
to hide me in4 4 4 4 ,thy hand is heavy 
upon me day and night  4 4 4 ,i will    
acknowledge my sin unto ,thee4    ,there
 are psalms1 and these are almost the   
most important of all1 such as  the     
#ith1 the #bdth and #cfth ,psalms1 which
 declare the providence and the  kingdom
 of the ,living ,god1 with that great   
and prophetic #b;d ,psalm 7ver4 #a-     
#e73 ,why do the heathen so furiously   
rage together1 and the people  imagine  
vain things4  ,the kings of the earth   
stand up1 and the rulers  take counsel  

together against the ,lord1 and against 
his anointed1 c4    ,there are psalms of
 deep repentance1 of the broken and the 
contrite  heart1 like that famous #east 
,psalm1 which is used in all ,christian 
churches to this day1 as the expression 
of all true repentance1 and  which1 even
 in our translation1 by its awful       
simplicity1 its slow  sadness1 expresses
 in its very sound the utterly crushed  
and broken  heart4  ,have mercy upon me1
 ,o ,god1 after thy great goodness1     
according  to the multitude of thy      
mercies do away mine offences4 4 4 4    
,behold1 ,i  was shapen in iniquity1 and
 in sin did my mother conceive4 4 4 4   
,the  sacrifice of ,god is a troubled   
spirit1 a broken and a contrite heart1  
,o  ,god1 thou wilt not despise4 4 4 4  
,then there are psalms1 like the #bfth1 
of a manful and stately confidence4     
,the words of one who is determined  to 
do right1 who feels that on the whole he
 is doing it1 and is not  ashamed to say
 so4  ,be thou my judge1 for ,i have    

walked innocently4 4 4 4  ,examine and  
prove me3 try out my reins and my heart4
  ,i have not dwelt  with vain persons1 
neither will ,i have fellowship with the
 deceitful4 4 4 4  ,i have hated the    
congregation of the wicked4  ,i have    
loved the  habitation of thy house4     
,there are political psalms1 full of    
weighty  advice1 to his sons after him1 
like the #aaeth ,psalm4    ,there are   
psalms of the most exquisite tenderness1
 like the #bc;d ,psalm1  written perhaps
 while he himself was still a shepherd  
boy1 and he looked  upon his flocks     
feeding on the downs of ,bethlehem1 and 
sang1 ,the ,lord is  my shepherd1 ,i    
shall not want1 c4  ,and lastly1 though 
,i should not say  lastly1 for the      
variety of this wonderful man's psalms  
is past counting1  there are psalms of  
triumph and thanksgiving1 which are     
miracles of  beauty and grandeur4       
,take1 for instance1 the #cdth1 one of  
the earliest1  when ,david was not more 
than twenty-five years old1 when        

,abimelech drove  him away1 and he      
departed and sang1 ,i will bless the    
,lord at all times4  4 4 4 ,my soul     
shall make her boast in the ,lord4 4 4 4
 ,i sought the ,lord1  and he heard me1 
and delivered me out of all my fear4    
,lo the poor man  crieth and the ,lord  
heareth him4 4 4 4 ,the angel of the    
,lord tarrieth  round about them that   
fear him1 and delivereth them4  ,and1 as
 the  grandest of all1 as1 indeed1 it   
was meant to be1 that wonderful #ahth   
,psalm which ,david1 the servant of the 
,lord1 spake to the ,lord in the day    
when the ,lord delivered him out of the 
hand of all his enemies4  ,i will  love 
thee1 ,o ,lord1 my strength4  ,the ,lord
 is my strong rock and defence3  my     
,saviour1 my ,god1 and my might1 in whom
 ,i will trust1 my buckler1 the  horn   
also of my salvation1 and my refuge4    
,this is1 indeed1 ,david's  masterpiece4
  ,the only one which comes near it is  
the #addth4  ,the  loftiest piece of    
poetry1 taken as mere poetry1 though it 

is more1 much  more1 in the whole world4
  ,even in our translation1 it rushes on
 with a  force and a swiftness1 which   
are indeed divine4  ,thought follows    
thought1  image image1 verse verse1     
before the breath of the ,spirit of     
,god1 as wave  leaps after wave before a
 mighty wind4  ,even now1 to read that  
psalm  rightly1 should stir the heart   
like a trumpet4  ,what must it have been
  like when sung by ,david himself8  ,no
 wonder that those brave old ,jews  hung
 upon the lips of their warrior-poet and
 felt that the man who could  sing to   
them of such thoughts1 and not only sing
 them1 but feel them  likewise1 was     
indeed a king and a prophet sent to them
 by ,god4  ,a  prophet1 ,i say4  ,they  
loved his songs not merely on account of
 the beauty  of their poetry4  ,indeed1 
one hardly likes to talk of ,david's    
psalms as  beautiful poetry4  ,it seems 
unfair to them4  ,for though they are   
beautiful poetry1 they are far more1    
they are prophecy and preaching         

concerning ,god4  ,they preach and      
declare to the ,jews the ,living ,god4  
,they  are the speech of a man whose    
thoughts and works were begun1          
continued1  and ended in ,god4  ,a man  
who knew that ,god was about his path1  
and about  his bed1 and spying out all  
his ways4  ,a man whose one fixed idea  
was1  that ,god was leading and guiding 
him through life4  ,that idea1 ,the     
,lord  leads me1 is the key-note of     
,david's psalms1 and makes them what    
they  are1 an inspired revelation of    
,almighty ,god4    ,but is that idea    
true8  ,of course1 you answer1 it is    
true1 because it is  in the ,bible4     
,but that is not the question4  ,that is
 rather putting the  question aside1    
which is1 ,do we believe it to be true1 
and find it to  be true8  ,we believe   
that ,god was leading ,david because we 
read it in the  ,bible4  ,but do we     
believe that ,god is leading us8  ,if   
not1 what is the  use of our reading    
,david's psalms1 either in private or   

publicly in  church every ,sunday8  ,you
 all know how largely we use them1 but  
why8  ,if  we are not in the same case  
as ,david was1 what right have we to    
take  ,david's words into our mouths8   
,we do not fancy that there is any      
magical  virtue in repeating the same   
words1 as foolish people used to repeat 
charms and spells4  ,our only right1 our
 only excuse for saying or singing      
,david's psalms in public or in private1
 must be1 that as ,david was1 so  are we
 in this world1 under the continual     
guidance of ,god4    ,and therefore it  
is that the ,church bids us to use these
 psalms in our  devotions1 day by day1  
all the year round--that we may know    
that our ,god  is ,david's ,god1 our    
temptations ,david's temptations1 our   
fears ,david's  fears1 our hopes        
,david's hopes1 our struggles and       
triumphs over what is  wrong in our     
hearts and in the world around us1 are  
the same as ,david's4  ,that we are not 
to fancy1 because ,david was an inspired

 prophet1 that  therefore he was in a   
different case from us1 of different    
passions from  ours1 or that his words  
are too sacred and holy for us to use4  
,not so1  we are to believe the very    
contrary4  ,we are to believe that no   
prophecy  of ,scripture is of any       
private interpretation--that is--has not
 merely to  do with the man who spoke it
 first--but that because ,david spoke by
 the  ,spirit of ,god1 who is no        
respecter of persons1 therefore his     
words apply  to you1 and to me1 and to  
every human being--that ,david is       
revealing to  us the everlasting laws of
 ,god's ,spirit1 and of ,god's          
providence1 whereby  ,he works alike in 
every ,christian soul1 and then1        
therefore1 whatever our  sin may be1    
whatever our sorrows may be1 whatever   
our station in life may  be1 we have a  
right to offer up to ,god our           
repentance1 our doubts1 our  fears1 our 
hopes1 our thanksgivings1 in the very   
words which ,david used  two thousand   

years and more ago1 certain that they   
are the right words1  better words than 
we can find for ourselves1 exactly      
fitting our own  souls1 and fitting too 
the mind and will of ,almighty ,god1    
because they  are inspired by the same  
,spirit of ,god who descended on us1    
when we were  baptized unto ,christ's   
,church4    ,and for that1 my friends1  
we have an example--as we have for      
everything  else--in our ,lord ,jesus   
,christ ,himself4  ,for ,he1 in the hour
 of ,his  darkest agony1 when ,he hung  
upon the cross for our sins1 and the sin
 of  all mankind1 and when 7worse than  
all other agony1 or shame71 there came  
over ,him the deepest horror of all--the
 feeling1 but for a moment1 that  ,god  
had forsaken ,him--even then1 ,he who   
spake as never man spake1 did not       
disdain to use the words of ,david1 and 
cry1 in the opening verse of that  #bb;d
 psalm1 every line of which applies so  
strangely to ,him himself1 ,my  ,god1 my
 ,god1 why hast ,thou forsaken me8  ,so 

did our ,lord bequeath1 as it  were1    
with ,his dying breath1 to all          
,christians for ever1 as the fit and    
true expression of all that they should 
ever experience1 the psalms of  ,his    
great earthly ancestor1 ,david1 the     
sweet singer of ,israel4    ,my friends1
 neglect not that precious bequest of   
your dying ,lord4  ,read  those psalms1 
study them1 tune your hearts and minds  
to them more and  more2 and you will    
find in them an inexhaustible treasury  
of wisdom1 and  comfort1 and of the     
knowledge of ,god1 wherein standeth your
 eternal life4          ,,xvi4  ,,ahab  
,,and ,,micaiah--,,the ,,christian      
,,dead ,,alive ,,foe ,,evermore4        
,and the ,king of ,israel said to       
,jehosaphat1 ,there is yet one man1     
,micaiah the son of ,imlah1 by whom we  
may enquire of the ,lord3 but ,i        
hate him2 for he doth not prophesy good 
concerning me1 but evil4 4 4     4--#a  
,,kings xxii4 #h4    ,if you read the   
story of ,micaiah the ,prophet1 and     

,king ,ahab in the #bb;d  chapter of the
 #ast ,book of ,kings1 you will1 ,i     
think1 agree that ,ahab  showed himself 
as foolish as he was wicked4  ,he hated 
,micaiah for telling  him the truth4    
,and when he heard the truth and was    
warned of his coming  end1 he went      
stupidly to meet it1 and died as the    
fool dies4  ,foolishness  and wickedness
 often go hand in hand4  ,certainly they
 did in that  miserable king's case4    
,but now1 my friends1 while we find     
fault with wretched ,ahab1 let us take  
care that we are not finding fault with 
ourselves also4  ,if we do what  ,ahab  
did1 we have no right to despise him for
 doing what we do4  ,with  what judgment
 we judge we shall be judged1 and the   
same measure which we  measure out to   
,ahab1 ,god will measure out to us4     
,all these things are  written for our  
example1 that we may see our faults in  
other men1 as in a  glass1 and seeing   
how ugly sin and folly is1 and to what  
misery it leads1  may learn to avoid it1

 and look at home1 and see that we are  
not treading  the same path4  ,else what
 use in reading these stories of good   
men and  bad men of old times8  ,the    
very use of them is to make us remember 
that  they were men of like passions    
with ourselves1 and learn from their    
example2 as we may do easily enough from
 that of ,ahab4    ,there remaineth yet 
one prophet--but ,i hate him4  ,how     
often have we  said that in our hearts6 
,do you think not8  ,let me show you    
then4    ,how often when we are in      
trouble or anxiety do we go everywhere  
to get  comfort1 before we go to ,god's 
word8  ,when a young lad falls into wild
  ways1 and gets into trouble by his own
 folly1 then to whom does he go for     
comfort8  ,too often1 to other wild lads
 like himself1 or to foolish and  wicked
 women1 who will flatter him1 and try to
 make him easy in his sins1  and say to 
him as the false prophets said to ,ahab1
 ,go on and prosper--why  be afraid8    
,why should you not enjoy yourself8     

,never mind what your  father and mother
 say1 never mind what the parson says4  
,you will do well  enough4  ,all will   
come right somehow4  ,come and drink1   
and drive away  sorrow4    ,and all the 
while the poor lad gets no comfort from 
these false friends4  ,he likes to      
listen to them1 because they flatter him
 up in his sins2 but  all the while his 
heart is heavy4  ,like ,ahab1 he has a  
secret fear that  all will not come     
right2 he feels that he will not do well
 enough2  and he knows that there       
remaineth yet a prophet of the ,lord1   
who will not  prophesy good of him but  
evil--and that is the ,bible1 and the   
prayer-book1 and the sermon he hears at 
church--and therefore he hates  them4   
,and so1 many a time he will not go to  
church for fear of hearing  there that  
he is wrong1 perhaps something in the   
sermon1 which hits him  hard1 and makes 
him ashamed of himself1 and angry with  
the preacher4  ,so  for fear of hearing 
the truth1 and having his sins set      

before his face1  he stays away from    
church1 and passes his ,sundays like a  
heathen1 because  he has no mind to     
repent and mend1 and be a good          
,christian4    ,foolish fellow6  ,as if 
he could escape ,god's judgment by      
shutting his  ears to it4  ,as well try 
to stop the thunder from rolling in the 
sky1 by  stopping his ears to that6     
,the thunder is there1 whether he choose
 to  hear it or not4  ,and whether he   
comes to church or not1 ,god's law      
stands  sure1 that the wages of sin is  
death4  ,does the man fancy that ,god's 
law  is shut up within the church walls1
 and that so he can keep clear of it  by
 staying away from church8  ,my friends1
 ,god's law is over the whole  country1 
and over every cottage and field in     
it--about our path and about  our bed1  
and spying out all our ways4  ,the      
darkness is no darkness to  ,god4       
,god's judgments are in all the earth2  
and whether or not we choose  to find   
them out1 they will find us out just the

 same1 as they found out  ,ahab1 when   
his cup was full1 and his time was come4
    ,how many a poor lad1 too1 who has  
got into trouble1 thinks he shall       
escape ,god's judgments by going across 
the sea2 but he finds himself  mistaken6
  ,he finds that the wages of sin are   
misery and shame and ruin1  in          
,australia just as much as in ,england1 
and that all the gold in the  diggings  
cannot redeem his soul1 or prevent his  
being an unhappy self-  condemned man if
 he does wrong4    ,how many a poor lad1
 too1 who has got into trouble1 has     
fancied that he  could escape ,god's    
judgments by going for a soldier1 and   
has found out  that he too was mistaken6
  ,perhaps ,god's judgment has found him
 out1 as  it found out ,ahab1 on the    
field of battle1 and a chance shot has  
taught  him1 as it taught ,ahab1 that   
there is no hiding-place from the ,lord 
who  made him4  ,or perhaps ,god's      
judgments have come in fever1 and       
hunger1 and  cold1 and weariness1 and   

miserable lonely labour2 and with that  
hunger of  body has come a hunger of his
 soul--a hunger after the bread of life1
 and  the word of ,god6  ,ah6 how many a
 poor fellow in his pain and misery has 
longed for the crumbs which used to fall
 from ,god's table1 when he was a  boy  
at home6 for a word of good advice1     
though it were never so sharp and  plain
 spoken--or a lesson such as he used to 
hear at school1 or a tract1  or a bit of
 a book1 or anybody or anything which   
will put his poor  wandering soul in the
 right way4  ,he used to hate such      
things when he was  at home1 because    
they warned him of his bad ways2 but now
 he feels a  strange longing for that   
very good talk which he hated once1 and 
so like  ,david of old1 out of the deep 
he cries unto the ,lord4  ,and when that
 cry  comes up out of a sinful          
conscience-stricken1 self-condemned     
heart1 be  sure it does not come up in  
vain4  ,the ,lord hears it1 and the     
,lord  answers it4  ,yes1 ,i know it for

 certain2 for many a sad and yet        
pleasant  story ,i have heard1 how brave
 men who went out from ,england1 full of
  strength and health1 and full of sin  
and folly too1--and there in that       
blood-stained ,crimea1 when their       
strength and their health had faded1 and
  there was nothing round them or before
 them but wounds1 and misery1 and       
death2 how there at last they found     
,christ1 or rather were found by ,him1  
and opened their eyes at last to see    
,god's judgments for their sins1 and    
confessed their own sin and ,god's      
justice1 and received ,his precious     
promises of pardon1 even in the agonies 
of death2 and found amid the rage  and  
noise of war1 the peace of ,god1 which  
this world's pleasures never  gave them1
 and which this world's wounds1 and     
fever1 and battle1 and  sudden death    
cannot take away4    ,and after that1 it
 matters little for a man what happens  
to him4  ,for if  he lives1 he lives    
unto the ,lord2 and if he dies1 he dies 

unto the ,lord4  ,he may come home1 well
 and strong1 once more to do his duty1  
where ,god  has put him1 a sadder man   
perhaps1 but at least a soberer and a   
wiser  man1 who has learnt to endure    
hardship1 not merely as a soldier of the
  ,queen1 but as a good soldier of      
,jesus ,christ too1 ready to fight      
against  sin and wrong-doing in himself 
and in his neighbours4    ,or he may    
come home a cripple1 to be honoured and 
to be kept too 7as he  deserves to be7  
at his country's expense4  ,but if he be
 a wise man he  will not regret even the
 loss of a limb4  ,that is a cheap price
 to pay  for having gained what is worth
 all the limbs in a man's body1 a clear 
conscience and a right life4  ,if thy   
hand offend thee cut it off4  ,better to
 enter into life halt and maimed1 as    
many a gallant man has done  in war     
time1 than having two hands and two feet
 to be cast out4    ,or perhaps his     
grave is left behind there1 upon those  
lonely ,crimean  downs1 and his comrades

 are returning without him1 and all whom
 he knew1  and all whom he loved1 are   
looking for him at home4  ,there his    
grave is1  and must be2 and the foe and 
the stranger will tread on his head1 and
  they far away on the billow4    ,but  
at least he has not died like ,ahab--a  
shameful and pitiable death4  ,he  has  
done his work and conquered4  ,he has   
died like a man1 whom men  honour4      
,even so it is well4  ,and if he have   
died in the ,lord1 a penitent           
,christian man1 he is not dead at all4  
,he does not lie in that grave  in a    
foreign land4  ,all of him that         
strangers' feet can tread upon is but   
what we called his body2 and yet which  
was not even his body1 but the  mere    
husk and shell of him1 the flesh and    
bones with which his body was  clothed  
in this life2 while he1 he himself1 is  
nearer ,god than ever1 and  nearer1 too1
 than ever to his comrades who seem to  
have left him1 and to  the parents and  
the friends who are weeping for him at  

home4  ,ay1 nearer  to them1 more able1 
,i firmly believe1 to help and comfort  
them1 now that  he is alive for ever1 in
 the heaven of ,god1 than he would if he
 were only  alive here on the earth of  
,god--more able perhaps to help them now
 by his  prayers than he ever would have
 been by the labour of his hands4  ,be  
that  as it may1 ,blessed are the dead  
who die in the ,lord1 for they rest from
  their labours1 and their works do     
follow them4  ,a fearful labour is the  
soldier's1 and an ugly work2 and he has 
done it2 and doubt not it has  followed 
him1 and is recorded for him in the book
 of ,god for ever6          ,,xvii4     
,,what ,,is ,,chance8         ,by one   
man sin entered into the world1 and     
death by sin2 and so death     passed   
upon all men1 because all have          
sinned4--,,romans v4 #ab4    ,all death 
is a solemn and fearful thing4  ,when it
 comes to an old person1  one cannot    
help feeling it often a release1 and    
saying1 ,he has done his  work--he has  

sorrowed out his sorrows1 he has        
struggled his last  struggle1 and wept  
his last tear3 let him go to his rest   
and be peaceful  at last4    ,but when  
death comes suddenly to people in the   
prime of life1 who but  yesterday were  
as busy and as lively as any of us1 and 
we are face to  face with death1 and see
 the same face we knew in life--not     
wasted1 not  worn1 young and lusty as   
ever1 seemingly asleep1--something at   
our heart  as well as in our eyes1 tells
 us that there is more than sleep in    
that  strange1 sharp1 quiet smile--and  
we know in spite of ourselves that the  
man is dead4  ,and then strange         
questions rise in us1 ,is that he whom  
we  knew8 that still piece of clay1     
waiting only a few days before it       
returns  to its dust8  ,it is the face  
of him1 the shape of him1 it is what we 
knew  him by4  ,it is the very same body
 of which when we met it on the road we 
said1 ,he is coming4  ,and yet is it he8
  ,where is he himself8  ,can  he hear  

us8  ,can he see us8  ,does he remember 
us as we remember  him8  ,surely he     
must4  ,he cannot be gone away--there he
 lies still on  that bed before us6     
,and then we are ready to say to        
ourselves1 ,it must be a mistake1 a     
dream4  ,he cannot be dead4  ,he will   
wake4  ,we shall meet him to-morrow in  
his old place1 about his old work4  ,he 
dead8  ,impossible6  ,impossible  to    
believe that we shall never see him     
again--never any more till we too  die6 
,and then when such thoughts come over  
us1 we cannot help going on to say1     
,what is this death8 this horrible thing
 which takes husbands from their  wives1
 and children from their parents1 and   
those who love from those who  love     
them8  ,what is it8  ,how came this same
 death loose in the world8  ,what right 
has it here1 under the bright sun1 among
 the pleasant fields1  this cruel1      
pitiless death1 destroying ,god's       
handi-work1 ,god's likeness1  just as it
 is growing to its prime of beauty and  

usefulness8    ,and then--there--by the 
bedside of the young at least1 we do    
feel that  death must be ,god's         
enemy--that it is a hateful1 cruel1 evil
  thing--accursed in the sight of a     
loving1 life-giving ,god1 as much as it 
is hated by poor mortal man4    ,and    
then1 we feel1 there must be something  
wrong between man and ,god4  ,man  must 
be fallen and corrupt1 must be out of   
his right place and state in  some way  
or other1 or this horrible death would  
not have got power over  us6  ,what     
right has death in the world1 if man has
 not sinned or fallen8    ,and then we  
cannot help going further and saying1   
,this cruel death6 it  may come to me1  
young1 strong1 and healthy as ,i am4    
,it may come  to-morrow2 it may come    
this minute2 it may come by a hundred   
diseases1 by  a hundred accidents1 which
 ,i cannot foresee or escape1 and carry 
me off  to-morrow1 away from all ,i know
 and all ,i love1 and all ,i like to see
 and  to do4  ,and where would it take  

me to1 if it did take me8  ,what should 
,i  be8  ,what should ,i see8  ,what    
should ,i know1 after they had put this 
body  of mine into that narrow house in 
the church-yard1 and covered it out of  
sight till the judgment day8  ,oh1 my   
friends1 what a thought for you1  and   
me1 and every human being6  ,we might   
die to-night1 even as those whom  we    
know of died6    ,but perhaps some of   
you young people are saying to          
yourselves1 ,you are  trying to frighten
 us1 but you shall not frighten us4  ,we
 know very well  that it is not a common
 thing for a young person to die--not   
one in a  hundred 7except in a war time7
 dies in the prime of his years2 and    
therefore the chances are that we shall 
not die young either4  ,the  chances are
 that we shall live to be old men and   
women1 and we are not  going to be      
frightened about dying forty years      
before our death4  ,so in  the meanwhile
 we will go our own way and enjoy       
ourselves4  ,it will be  time enough to 

think of death when death draws near4   
,well then1 if you have these thoughts1 
,i will ask you1 what do you mean  by   
chance8  ,you say1 the chances are      
against your dying young4  ,pray  what  
are these wonderful things called       
chances1 which are to keep you  alive   
for thirty or forty or fifty years more8
  ,did you ever hear a  chance1 or see a
 chance8  ,or did you ever meet with any
 one who had8  ,did any one ever see a  
great angel called ,chance flying about 
keeping  people from dying8  ,what is   
chance on which you depend as you say   
for  your life8  ,what is chance which  
you fancy so much stronger than ,god8   
,for as long as the chance is against   
your dying1 you are not afraid of       
neglecting ,god and disobeying ,god1 and
 therefore you must suppose that  chance
 is stronger than ,god1 and quite able  
to keep ,god's anger off  from you for  
thirty or forty years1 till you choose  
to repent and amend4  ,what sort of     
thing is this wonderful chance1 which is

 going to keep you  alive8    ,perhaps  
you will say1 ,all we meant when we said
 that the chances were  against our     
dying was that ,god's will was against  
our dying4    ,did you only mean that8  
,then why put the thought of ,god away  
by foolish  words about chance8  ,for   
you know that it is ,god and ,god only  
who keeps  you alive4  ,you must look at
 that1 you must face that4  ,if you are 
alive  now1 ,god keeps you so4  ,if you 
live forty years more1 ,god will make   
you  live that time4  ,and ,he who can  
make you live1 can also let you not     
live2 and then you will die4  ,god can  
withdraw the breath of life from  you or
 me or any one at any moment4  ,and then
 where would our chances  of not dying  
be8  ,we should die here and now1 and   
know that ,god is the  ,lord and not    
chance 4 4 4    ,but think again4  ,if  
,god makes you alive ,he must have some 
reason for  making you alive4  ,for     
mind--it is not as you fancy1 that when 
,god leaves  you alone you live1 and    

when ,he puts forth ,his power and      
visits you1 you  die4  ,not that1 but   
the very opposite4  ,for in ,adam all   
die4  ,our  bodies are dead by reason of
 sin1 and in the midst of life we are in
  death4  ,there is a seed of death in  
you and me and every little child4      
,while we are eating and drinking and   
going about our business1 fancying  that
 we cannot help living1 we carry the    
seeds of disease in our own  bodies1    
which will surely kill us some day1 even
 if we are not cut off  before by some  
sudden accident4  ,that is true1        
physicians know that it is  true4  ,our 
bodies carry in them from the very      
cradle the seeds of death2  and         
therefore it is not because ,god leaves 
us alone that we live4  ,we  live       
because ,god1 our merciful heavenly     
,father1 does not leave us  alone1 but  
keeps down those seeds of disease and   
death by ,his ,spirit1 who  is the ,lord
 and ,giver of ,life4    ,god's ,spirit 
of ,life is fighting against death in   

our bodies from the  moment we are born4
  ,and then1 as ,moses says1 when ,he   
withdraws that  ,spirit of ,his1 then it
 is that we die and are turned again to 
our dust4  ,so that our living a long   
time or a short time1 does not depend on
  ,,chance1 or on our own health or     
constitution1 but entirely on how long  
,god may choose to keep down the death  
which is lying in us1 ready to kill  us 
at any moment1 and certain to kill us   
sooner or later4    ,and yet people     
fancy that they live because they cannot
 help living1  unless ,god interferes   
with them and makes them die4  ,they    
fancy1  thoughtless and ignorant as they
 are1 that when they are in health1 ,god
  leaves them alone1 and that therefore 
when they are in health they may  leave 
,god alone4    ,my friends1 ,i tell you 
that it is ,god1 and not our            
constitution or chance  either which    
keeps you alive2 as you will surely find
 out the moment  after the last breath  
has left your body4  ,and therefore ,i  

ask you  solemnly the plain question1   
,for what does ,god keep you alive8     
,for  what8  ,will a man keep plants in 
his garden which bear neither fruit nor 
flowers8  ,will a man keep stock on his 
farm which will only eat and never  make
 profit2 or a servant in his house who  
will not work8  ,much more1  will a man 
keep a servant who will not only be idle
 himself1 but quarrel  with his fellow  
servants1 lead them into sin and shame1 
and teach them to  disobey their master8
  ,what man in his senses would keep    
such plants1  such stock1 such servants8
  ,and yet ,god keeps hundreds and      
thousands in  ,his garden and in ,his   
house for years and years1 while they   
are doing no  good to ,him1 and doing   
harm to those around them4    ,how many 
are there who never yet did one thing to
 make their companions  better1 and yet 
have done many a thing to make their    
companions worse6  ,then why are they   
alive still8  ,why does not ,god rid    
,himself of them at  once and let them  

die1 instead of cumbering the ground8   
,i know but one  reason4  ,if they were 
only ,god's plants1 or ,his stock1 or   
,his servants1  ,he might rid ,himself  
of them4  ,but they are something far   
nearer and  dearer to ,him than that4   
,they are ,his children1 and therefore  
,he has  mercy on them4  ,they are      
redeemed by the blood of the ,lord      
,jesus ,christ1  the ,lamb slain before 
the foundation of the world2 and        
therefore for the  sake of the ,lord    
,jesus ,christ1 ,god looks on them with 
long-suffering and  tender              
loving-kindness4  ,man was made in      
,god's likeness at first1 and was  the  
son of ,god4  ,and therefore howsoever  
fallen and corrupt man's nature  is now1
 yet ,god loves him still1 even though  
he be a heathen or an  infidel4  ,how   
much more for you1 my friends1 who know 
that you are ,god's  children1 who have 
been declared to be ,his children by    
,holy ,baptism1 and  grafted into       
,christ's church4  ,you at least are    

bound to believe that ,god  preserves   
you from death1 because ,he loves you4  
,he protects you every  day and every   
hour1 as a father takes care of ,his    
children1 and keeps  them out of dangers
 which they cannot see or understand4   
,yes6 this is plain truth--your heavenly
 ,father is keeping you alive6  ,oh1  do
 not make that truth an excuse for      
forgetting and disobeying your  heavenly
 ,father6    ,why does ,he keep you     
alive8  ,surely because ,he expects     
something of you4  ,and what does ,he   
expect of you8  ,what does any good     
father expect of his  children8  ,why   
does he help and protect them8  ,not    
from mere brute  instinct1 as beasts    
take care of their young when they are  
little1 and  then as soon as they are   
grown up cast them off and forget them4 
,no4  ,he  takes care of his children   
because he wishes them to grow up like  
himself1 to be a comfort and a help and 
a pride to him4    ,and ,god takes care 
of you and keeps you from death1 for the

 very same  reason4  ,god desires that  
you should grow up like ,himself1 godly 
and  pure1 leading lives like ,his ,son 
,jesus ,christ4  ,god desires that you  
should grow up to the stature of perfect
 men and women1 which is the  likeness  
of ,jesus ,christ your ,lord4    ,but if
 you turn ,god's grace in keeping you   
alive into a cloak for  licentiousness  
and an excuse for sinning--if1 when ,god
 keeps you alive  that you may lead good
 lives1 you take advantage of ,his      
fatherly love  to lead bad lives--if you
 go on returning ,god evil for good1 and
  ungratefully and basely presume on    
,his patience and love to do the things 
which ,he hates1 what must you expect8  
,god loves you1 and you make that  an   
excuse for not loving ,him2 ,god does   
everything for you1 and you make  that  
an excuse for doing nothing for ,god2   
,god gives you health and  strength1 and
 you make that an excuse for using your 
health and strength  just in the way ,he
 has forbidden4  ,what can be more      

ungrateful8  ,what can  be more foolish8
  ,oh1 my friends1 if one of our        
children behaved to us in  return for   
our care and love a hundredth part as   
shamefully as most of us  behave to ,god
 our ,father1 what should we think of   
them8  ,what should we  say of them8    
,oh1 beware1 beware6  ,god is a         
righteous ,god1 strong and patient1 and 
,god  is provoked every day1 and bears  
it according to ,his boundless love and 
patience4  ,but if a man will not turn1 
says the same text1 ,he will  whet ,his 
sword4  ,and then--woe to the careless  
and ungrateful sinner4  ,god will cut   
him down and bring him low4  ,god will  
take from him his  health1 or his money1
 or his blind peace of mind2 and by     
affliction after  affliction1 and shame 
after shame1 and disappointment after   
disappointment1 teach him that his      
youth1 and his health1 and his money1   
and all that he has1 are his ,father's  
gifts and not his own property--and     
that ,his ,father will take them away   

from him1 till he feels his own         
weakness1 till he sees that he is really
 not his own but ,god's property1  body 
and soul1 and goes back to his heavenly 
,father and cries1 ,father1 ,i  have    
sinned against heaven and before ,thee1 
and am no more worthy to be  called ,thy
 son4  ,i have taken ,thy gifts and gone
 away with them from ,thy  house unto   
the far country of sin1 and wasted them 
in riotous living1  till ,i have had to 
fill my belly with the husks which the  
swine did eat4  ,i have had no profit   
out of all my sins1 of which ,i am now  
ashamed4  ,i  have robbed ,thee and     
abused ,thy gifts and ,thy love4        
,father1 take me  back1 for ,i have     
sinned1 and am not worthy to be called  
,thy child4          ,,xviii4  ,,earthly
 ,,and ,,heavenly ,,wisdom2 ,,or1       
,,stoop ,,to ,,conquer4         ,the    
,lord by wisdom hath founded the earth2 
by understanding hath he     established
 the heavens4--,,prov4 iii4 #ai4    ,did
 it ever strike you as a very remarkable

 and important thing1 that  after saying
 in ,proverbs iii4 that ,wisdom is this 
precious treasure1 and  bidding his son 
seek for her because 7verse #af7 ,length
 of days is in her  right hand1 and in  
her left hand riches and honour3 ,her   
ways are ways of  pleasantness1 and all 
her paths are peace1--,solomon goes on  
immediately  to say 7verses #ai1 #bj71  
,the ,lord by ,wisdom hath founded the  
earth1 and  established the heavens8    
,by ,wisdom3 by the very same ,wisdom1  
,solomon says1 which is to give men     
length of days1 and riches1 and honour4 
,is not this curious at least8  ,that   
there is but one wisdom for ,god and    
man8  ,that man's true wisdom is  a     
pattern of ,god's wisdom8  ,that a man  
to prosper in the world must get  the   
very same wisdom by which ,god made and 
rules the world8  ,curious4  ,but  most 
blessed news1 my friends1 if we will    
think over what it means4  ,i  will try 
to explain it to you3 first1 as to this 
world which we see2  next1 as to the    

heavenly world of spirits which we do   
not see4    ,you have1 many of you1     
heard the word ,science4  ,many of you  
of course  know what it means4  ,that it
 means wisdom and learning about this   
earth  and all things in it4  ,many more
 of you of course know that in the last 
hundred years science has improved in a 
most wonderful way1 and is  improving   
every day2 that we have now gas-lights1 
steam-engines1 cotton-  mills1          
railroads1 electric telegraphs1 iron    
ships1 and a hundred curious  and useful
 machines and manufactures of which our 
great-grandfathers  never dreamed2 that 
our knowledge of different countries1 of
 medicines1  of the laws of health and  
disease1 and of all in short which has  
to do  with man's bodily life1 is       
increasing day by day2 and that all     
these  discoveries are very great       
blessings2 they give employment and food
 to  millions who would otherwise have  
had nothing to do2 they bring vast      
wealth into this country1 and all the   

countries which trade with us4  ,they   
enable this land of ,england to support 
four times as many human beings as  it  
did two hundred years ago2 they make    
many of the necessaries of life         
cheaper1 so that in many cases a poor   
man may now have comforts which his     
grandfather never heard of4    ,i know  
that there is a dark side to this       
picture2 that with all this  increase of
 wisdom1 there has come conceit1 and    
trust in deceitful  riches1 and want of 
trust in ,god1 and obedience to ,his    
law4  ,i know that  in some things we   
are not better1 but worse than our      
forefathers2 ,god  forgive us for it6   
,but the good came from ,god2 and that  
man is very  unwise and unthankful too1 
who despises ,god's great gift of       
science1  because fallen man has defiled
 ,his gift as it passed through his     
unclean  hands4    ,look only at this   
one thing1 as ,i said just now1 that by 
all these  wonderful discoveries and    
improvements1 ,england is able to       

support four  times as many ,englishmen 
as it used of old1 and that1 if we      
feared ,god1  and sought ,his kingdom   
better1 ,i believe1 ,england would      
support many more  people yet--and see  
if that be not a thing to thank         
,almighty ,god for  every day of our    
lives4    ,now how did this wonderful   
change and improvement take             
place--suddenly1  and1 as it were1 in   
the course of the last hundred years8   
,simply by  mankind understanding the   
text 7,prov4 iii4 #ai71 and by obeying  
it4  ,i  tell you a real truth1 my      
friends1 and it happened thus4    ,for  
more than sixteen hundred years after   
our ,lord's time1 mankind seem  to have 
become hardly any wiser about earthly   
things1 nay1 even to have  gone back4   
,the land was no better tilled2 goods   
were no more easily  made2 diseases were
 no better cured1 than they had been    
sixteen hundred  years before4  ,and if 
any learned men longed to become very   
wise and  cunning1 and to get power over

 this world and the things in it1 they  
flew  off to witchcraft1 charms1 and    
magic1 deceived by the devil's old lie1 
that the kingdom and the power and the  
glory of this world belonged to  him and
 not to ,god4    ,but about two hundred 
and fifty years ago1 it pleased ,god to 
open the  eyes of one of the wisest men 
who ever lived1 who was called ,francis 
,bacon1 ,lord ,verulam1 ,lord           
,chancellor of ,england1 and to show him
 the real  and right way of learning by 
which men can fulfil ,god's command to  
replenish the earth and subdue it4  ,and
 ,francis ,bacon told all the  learned  
men boldly that they had all been wrong 
together1 and that their  wisdom was no 
better than a sort of madness1 as it is 
written1 ,the  wisdom of man is         
foolishness with ,god2 that the only way
 for man to be  wise was to get ,god's  
wisdom1 the wisdom with which ,he had   
founded the  earth1 and find out ,god's 
laws by which ,he had made this world4  
,and then1 he said1 if you can do that1 

you will be able to imitate ,god  in    
your own small way4  ,if you learn the  
laws by which ,god made all  things1 you
 will be able to invent new things for  
yourselves4  ,for you  can only subdue  
nature by obeying her4  ,that was one of
 his greatest  sayings1 and by it he    
meant1 that you can only subdue a thing 
and make it  useful to you1 by finding  
out the rules by which ,god made that   
thing1 and  by obeying them4    ,for    
instance1 you cannot subdue and till a  
barren field1 and make it  useful1      
without knowing and obeying the laws and
 rules of that soil2 and  then you can  
subdue and conquer that field1 and      
change and train it1 as ,i  may say1 to 
grow what you like4  ,you cannot conquer
 diseases without  knowing and obeying  
the laws by which ,god has made man's   
body1 and the  laws by which fever and  
cholera and other plagues come4    ,let 
me give you another instance4  ,you all 
have seen lightning  conductors1 which  
prevent tall chimneys and steeples from 

being struck by  storms1 so that the    
lightning runs harmless downward4  ,now 
we can all see  how this is conquering  
the force of lightning in a wonderful   
and  beautiful way4  ,but before you can
 conquer the lightning by a conductor1  
you must obey the lightning and its laws
 most carefully4  ,if you make the      
conductor out of your own head and      
fancy1 it will be of no use4  ,you must 
observe and follow humbly the laws which
 ,god has given to the lightning4  ,you 
must make the conductor of metal wire1  
or it will be useless4  ,you  must make 
it run through glazed rings1 or it will 
be only more dangerous  than no         
conductor at all2 for ,god who made the 
lightning chose that it  should be so1  
and you must obey if you wish to        
conquer4    ,man could not conquer      
steam1 and make it drive his engines and
 carry his  ships across the seas1 till 
he found out and obeyed the laws which  
,god  had given to steam2 and so without
 breaking the laws1 man turned them to  

his own use1 and set the force of steam 
to turn his machines1 instead of        
rushing idly out into the empty air4    
,so it is with all things1 whether in   
heaven or earth4  ,if you want to  rule1
 you must obey4  ,if you want to rise to
 be a master1 you must stoop  to be a   
servant4  ,if you want to be master of  
anything in earth or  heaven1 you must1 
as that great ,lord ,verulam used to    
say1 obey ,god's will  revealed in that 
thing2 and the man who will go his own  
way1 and follow  his own fancy1 will    
understand nothing1 and master nothing1 
and get  comfort out of nothing in earth
 or heaven4    ,well--when ,lord        
,verulam told men his new wisdom1 they  
laughed and  scoffed1 as fools always   
will at anything new4  ,but one by one1 
wise men  tried his plan1 and found him 
right1 and went on2 and from that time  
those who followed ,lord ,verulam began 
discovering wonders of which they  had  
never dreamed1 and those who did not1   
but kept to the old way of  witchcraft  

and magic1 found out nothing1 and made  
themselves a laughing  stock4  ,and     
after a while witchcraft vanished out of
 all civilised  countries1 and in its   
place came all the wonderful comforts   
and  discoveries which we have now1 and 
which under ,god1 we owe to the wisdom  
of the great ,lord ,verulam4  ,cotton   
mills1 steam engines1 railroads1        
electric telegraphs1 sanitary reforms1  
cheap books1 penny postage1 good        
medicine and surgery1 and a thousand    
blessings more4  ,that great ,lord      
,chancellor has been the father of them 
all4    ,and a noble thought it is for  
us ,church people1 and a glorious       
testimony  to the good training which   
the ,church of ,england gives1 that the 
three  men1 who more than any others    
laid the foundation of all our wonderful
  discoveries1 ,i mean ,lord ,verulam1  
,mr4 ,boyle1 and ,sir ,isaac ,newton1   
were  all of them heart and soul members
 of the ,church of ,england4    ,i said 
just now that the man who will not obey1

 will never rule2 that the  man who will
 not stoop to be a servant1 will never  
rise to be a master2  that the man who  
neglects ,god's will and mind about     
things1 and will  follow his own will   
and fancy1 will understand nothing1 and 
master  nothing1 and get comfort out of 
nothing1 either in earth or heaven4     
,either in earth or heaven1 ,i say4     
,for the same rule which holds good in  
this earthly world1 which we do see1    
holds good in the heavenly world  which 
we do not see4  ,solomon does not part  
the two worlds1 and ,i cannot4  ,solomon
 says the same rules which hold good    
about men's bodies1 hold good  about    
their souls4  ,the great ,lord ,verulam 
used always to say the same1  and we    
must believe the same4  ,for see1       
,solomon says1 that this same  wisdom by
 which ,god made the worlds1 will help  
our souls as well as our  bodies2 that  
it is not merely the earthly wisdom     
which brings a man  length of life and  
riches1 but heavenly wisdom1 which is a 

tree of life  to every one who lays hold
 of her 7,prov4 iii4 #ah74  ,the        
heavenly wisdom  which begins in        
trusting in the ,lord with all our      
heart1 the heavenly  wisdom which is    
learnt by chastenings and afflictions1  
and teaches us  that we are the sons of 
,god1 is the very same wisdom by which  
,god founded  the earth1 and makes the  
clouds drop down dew6  ,strange at first
 sight2  but not strange if we remember 
the ,athanasian creed1 and believe that 
,god  is one ,god1 who has no parts or  
passions1 and therefore cannot change or
  be divided4    ,yes1 my friends1      
,god's wisdom is one--unchangeable1     
everlasting1 and  always like itself2   
and by the same wisdom by which ,he made
 the earth and  the heavens1 by the same
 wisdom by which ,he made our bodies1   
has ,he made  our souls2 and therefore  
we can1 and are bound to1 glorify ,him  
alike in  our bodies and our spirits1   
for both are ,his4    ,it may not seem  
easy to understand this2 but ,i will    

explain what ,i mean  by an example4  ,i
 just told you1 that in earthly matters 
we must stoop to  conquer2 we must obey 
the laws which ,god has given to        
anything1 before we  can master and use 
that thing4  ,and in matters about our  
own soul--about  our behaviour to       
,god--about our behaviour to our        
fellow-men1 believe me  there is no rule
 like the golden one of ,lord           
,verulam's--stoop to  conquer--obey if  
you wish to rule4  ,for see now4  ,what 
is there more  common than this8  ,it   
happens to each of us every day4  ,we   
meet a fellow-  man our equal1 neither  
better nor worse than ourselves1 and we 
want to  make him do something4  ,now   
there are two ways in which we may set  
about  that4  ,we may drive our man1 or 
we may lead him4  ,you know well enough 
which of those two ways is likely to    
succeed best4  ,if you try to drive  the
 man1 you say to yourself1 ,i know ,i am
 right4  ,i see the thing in  this      
light1 and he is a fool if he does not  

see it in the same light4  ,i  choose to
 have the thing done1 and done it shall 
be1 and if he is stupid  enough not to  
take my view of it1 ,i will let him know
 who ,i am1 and we  will see which of us
 is the stronger6  ,so says many a man  
in his heart4  ,but what comes of it8   
,nothing4  ,for the other man gets      
angry1 and  determines to have his way  
in his turn4  ,there is a quarrel and a 
great  deal of noise2 and most probably 
the thing is not done4  ,instead of the 
man getting what he wants1 he has a     
fresh quarrel on his hands1 and  nothing
 more4  ,so his blustering is no sign   
that he is really strong4  ,for  the    
strong man is the man who can get what  
he wants done4  ,is he not8  ,surely we 
shall all agree to that4  ,and the      
proud1 hot1 positive1  dictatorial1     
self-willed man is just the man1 in a   
free country like  this1 who does not   
get what he wants done4  ,he will not   
stoop--therefore  he will not conquer4  
,but suppose we take another plan4      

,suppose instead of trying to drive1 we 
try to lead4  ,suppose if we want a man 
to do anything1 we begin by  obeying    
him1 and serving him1 that we may       
afterwards lead him1 and  afterwards    
make use of him4  ,there is a base1 mean
 way of doing that1 by  flattering1 and 
fawning1 and cringing1 which are        
certainly the devil's  works4  ,for the 
devil can put on the form of an angel of
 light2 but we  need not do that4  ,we  
may serve and obey a man honestly and   
honourably1  in order to get him to do  
what he ought to do4  ,i will tell you  
what ,i  mean4    ,suppose when we have 
dealings with any man1 we begin with    
him1 as ,i was  saying we ought to begin
 with earthly things--with a field for  
instance--we should say1 before ,i begin
 to make this field bear the crop  ,i   
want ,i must look it through and        
understand it4  ,i must see what state  
it is in--what its soil is--what has    
been taken off it already--what the     
weather is--what state of drainage it is

 in1 and so forth2 and ,i must  obey the
 rules of all these things1 or my crop  
will come to nothing4  ,so  with this   
man4  ,first of all1 before ,i get      
anything out of the man1 ,i  must       
understand the man4  ,i must find out   
what sort of temper and  character he   
has1 what his opinions are1 how he has  
been brought up1 how  he has been       
accustomed to look at things--so as to  
be able to make  allowance for all1 else
 ,i shall never be able to understand   
how he looks  at this one matter1 or to 
make him understand my way of looking at
 it4  ,and to do that--to understand the
 man1 or make him understand me1 ,i must
  begin by making a friend of him4      
,there1 my friends--there is one of the 
blessed laws of the kingdom of  ,heaven1
 that in a free country 7as this1 thank 
,god1 is7 the only sure way  to get     
power and influence over people1 is by  
making friends of them1  by behaving    
like ,christians to them1 making them   
trust you and love you1  by pleasing    

them1 giving way to them1 making        
yourself of service to them1  doing what
 they like whenever you can1 in order   
that they may do to you1  as you have   
done to them1 and measure back to you   
7as the ,lord ,jesus  promises they     
will71 with the same measure with which 
you have measured  to them4  ,in short1 
serving men1 that you may rule them1 and
 stooping  before them that you may     
conquer them4    ,and if any of you are 
too proud to try this plan1 and think it
 fairer to  drive men than to lead them1
 ,i can tell you of two persons who were
 not  as proud as you are1 and were not 
ashamed to do what you are ashamed to   
do--and yet they are two persons1 before
 the least of whom you would hang  your 
head1 and feel1 as ,i am sure ,i should1
 a very small1 and mean1 and  pitiful   
person if ,i met them in the road4      
,for the first1 and by far the least of 
the two1 is ,st4 ,paul4  ,now ,st4      
,paul says this was the very plan by    
which he got influence over men1 and    

persuaded and converted them1 and       
brought them home to ,god1 by being     
himself a servant to all men1 and       
pleasing all men1 being a ,jew to the   
,jews1 and a ,greek to the ,greeks1 and 
all things to all men1 if by any  means 
he might save some4  ,giving up1 giving 
way1 taking trouble1 putting  himself   
out of the way1 as we say here1 all day 
long1 to win people to  love him1 and   
trust him1 and see that he really cared 
for them1 and  therefore to be ready to 
listen to him4  ,from what one can see  
of ,st4  ,paul's manners1 from his own  
,epistles1 he must have been the most   
perfect  gentleman2 a gentle man1 civil1
 obliging1 delicate minded1 careful to  
hurt no one's feelings2 and when he had 
7as he had often7 to say rough  things  
and deal with rough men1 doing it as    
tenderly and carefully as he  could1    
like his ,master the ,lord ,jesus       
,christ1 lest he should break the       
bruised reed1 or quench the smoking     
flax4  ,which of us can read the        

,epistle to ,philemon 7which to my mind 
is the most civil1 pleasant1  kindly1   
gentlemanlike speech which ,i know on   
earth71 without saying to  ourselves1   
,ah1 if we had but ,st4 ,paul's manners1
 ,st4 ,paul's temper1 ,st4  ,paul's way 
of managing people1 how few quarrels    
there would be in this  noisy           
troublesome world4    ,but ,i said that 
there was one greater than ,st4 ,paul   
who was not ashamed  to behave in the   
very same way1 stooping to all1         
conciliating all4  ,and  so there       
is--,one whose shoes ,st4 ,paul was not 
worthy to stoop down and  unloose--and  
that is1 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ       
,himself--who ate and drank  with       
publicans and sinners1 who went out into
 the highways and hedges1 to  bring home
 into ,god's kingdom poor wretches whom 
men despised and cast  off4  ,it was ,he
 who taught ,st4 ,paul to behave in the 
same way4  ,may ,he  teach us to behave 
in the same way also6  ,st4 ,paul learnt
 to discern  men's spirits1 and feel for

 them1 and understand them1 and help    
them1 and  comfort them1 and at last to 
turn and change them whichever way he   
chose1  simply because he was full of   
the ,spirit of ,christ1 who is the      
,spirit of  ,god1 proceeding both from  
the ,father and the ,son4    ,for ,st4  
,paul says positively1 that his reason  
for not pleasing himself1  but taking so
 much trouble to please other people1   
was because ,christ  also pleased not   
,himself4  ,we that are strong1 he says1
 ought to bear  the infirmities of the  
weak1 and not to please ourselves4  ,let
 every man  please his neighbour for his
 good unto edification1 for even ,christ
  pleased not ,himself1 7,rom4 xv4      
#a-c47  ,and again1 ,we have a ,high    
,priest  who can be touched with the    
feeling of our infirmities1 7,heb4 iv4  
#ae74  ,so it was by stooping to men1   
that ,christ learned to understand men1 
and  by understanding men ,he was able  
to save men4  ,and again1 ,st4 ,paul    
says1  ,let this mind be in you which   

was also in ,christ ,jesus1 who being in
 the  form of ,god1 and equal with ,god1
 yet--made ,himself of no reputation1   
but took upon ,him the form of a slave1 
and was made in the likeness of  man1   
and being found in fashion as a man1    
humbled ,himself1 and became  obedient  
unto death1 even the death of the cross1
 7,phil4 ii4 #e1 #i1  #aj74    ,there1  
my friends--there was the perfect       
fulfilment of the great  law--,stoop to 
conquer4  ,there was the reward of      
,christ's not pleasing  ,himself4       
,christ stooped lower than any man1 and 
therefore ,he rose again  higher than   
all men4  ,he did more to please men    
than any man2 and  therefore ,god was   
better pleased with ,him than with all  
men1 and a voice  came from ,heaven1    
saying--,this ,person who stoops to the 
lowest depths  that ,he may understand  
and help those who were in the lowest   
deep--this  outcast who has not where to
 lay ,his head1 slandered1 blasphemed1  
spit  on1 scourged1 crucified1 because  

,he will help all1 and feel for all1 and
  preach to all2 this is my beloved     
,son1 in whom ,i am well pleased1       
7,matt4 iii4 #ag74  ,the brightness of  
my glory1--the express image of my      
person1 7,heb4 i4 #c74    ,my friends1  
this may seem to you a strange sermon1  
which began by talking  of railroads and
 steamships1 and ends by talking of the 
death and the  glory of the ,lord ,jesus
 ,christ2 and you may ask what has the  
end of it to  do with the beginning8    
,if you want to know1 recollect that ,i 
began by saying that there was but  ,one
 wisdom for earth or heaven1 for man and
 for ,god2 and that is the  wisdom which
 lies in stooping to conquer1 as the    
,lord ,jesus ,christ did4  ,think over  
that1 and behave accordingly2 and be    
sure1 meanwhile1 that  whenever you feel
 proud1 and self-willed1 and            
dictatorial1 and inclined  to drive men 
instead of leading them1 and to quarrel 
with them1 instead  of trying to        
understand them and love them1 and bring

 them round gently1  by appealing to    
their reason and good feeling1 not to   
their fear of  you--then you are going  
not ,god's way1 no1 nor man's way       
either1 but the  devil's way4  ,you are 
going1 not the way by which the ,lord   
,jesus ,christ  rose to ,heaven1 but the
 way by which the devil fell from       
,heaven1 as  all self-willed proud men  
will fall4  ,proud and self-willed men  
will not  get done the things they want 
to be done2 while the meek1 those who   
are  gentle1 and tender1 and try to draw
 men as ,god does with the cords of a   
man and the bands of love1 will prosper 
in this world and in the next2  they    
will see their heart's desire2 they will
 inherit the land1 and be  refreshed in 
the multitude of peace4          ,,xix4 
,,it ,,is ,,good ,,for ,,the ,,young    
,,to ,,rejoice4         ,rejoice1 ,o    
young man1 in thy youth2 and let thy    
heart cheer thee in     the days of thy 
youth1 and walk in the ways of thine    
heart1 and in the     sight of thine    

eyes3 but know thou1 that for all these 
things ,god will     bring thee into    
judgment4--,,ecclesiastes xi4 #i4       
,some people fancy that in this text    
,god forbids young people to enjoy      
themselves4  ,they think that the words 
are spoken ironically1 and with a       
sneer1 as if to say1    ,yes4  ,enjoy   
yourself if you will4  ,go your own way 
if you wish4  ,make a  fool of yourself 
if you are determined to do so4  ,you   
will repent it at  last4  ,you will be  
caught at last1 and punished at last4   
,now1 ,i cannot think that there would  
be in ,scripture or in any word of  ,god
 a sneer so cruel and so unjust as that4
  ,for surely it would be  unjust of    
,god1 if after giving young people the  
power to be happy1 ,he  then punished   
them for being happy1 for using the very
 powers which ,he  had given them1      
obeying the very feelings which ,he had 
implanted in them1  enjoying the very   
pleasures which ,he had put in their    
way4  ,god cannot be  a tempter1 my     

friends4  ,he does not surely send us   
into a world full of  traps and snares1 
and then punish us for being caught in  
the very snares  which ,he had set4     
,god forbid4  ,let us never fancy such  
things of ,god the  heavenly ,father1   
from whom comes every good and perfect  
gift4  ,let us  leave such fancies for  
soured and hard-hearted persons1 who    
make a god in  their own likeness--a god
 of darkness and not of light--a grudger
 and not  a giver4  ,and let us take    
this text literally and plainly as it   
stands1  and see whether we cannot learn
 from it a really wholesome lesson4     
,rejoice6 oh1 young man1 in thy youth4  
,the ,bible tells you to rejoice1       
therefore do so without fear4  ,god has 
given you health1 strength1 spirits1    
hope1 the power of enjoyment4  ,and     
why1 save but that you may enjoy them1  
and rejoice in your youth8  ,he has     
given you more health1 more strength1   
more spirits1 than you need  to earn    
your daily bread1 or to learn your daily

 task4  ,and why8  ,to  enable you to   
grow in body and in soul4  ,and that you
 will only do if  you are happy4  ,the  
human soul1 says a wise man1 is like a  
plant1 and  requires sunshine to make it
 grow and ripen4  ,and the heavenly     
,father  has given you sunshine in your 
hearts that you may grow into hearty1   
healthy-minded men4  ,if young people   
have not sunshine enough1 if they  are  
kept down and crushed in youth by       
sorrow1 by anxiety1 by fear1 by         
over-hard work1 by too much study1 by   
strict and cruel masters1 by dark  and  
superstitious notions about ,god's      
anger1 by over-scrupulousness about     
this and that thing being sinful1 then  
their souls and minds do not grow2  they
 become more or less stunted1 unhealthy1
 unhappy1 slavish1 and mean  people in  
after-life1 because they have not       
rejoiced in their youth as  ,god        
intended them to do4    ,remember this1 
you parents1 and be sure that all       
harshness and cruelty to  your children1

 all terrifying of them1 all            
over-working of them1 body or  mind1 all
 making them unhappy by requiring of    
them more than the plain  law of ,god   
requires2 or by teaching them to dread1 
not to love1 their  ,father in          
heaven--,all these will stunt and hurt  
their characters in after-  life2 and   
all are1 therefore1 sins against their  
heavenly ,father1 who  willeth not that 
one little one should perish1 and who   
will require a  strict account of each  
of us how we have brought up the        
children whom ,he  has committed to our 
charge4  ,let their hearts cheer them in
 the days of  their youth4  ,they will  
have trouble enough1 anxiety enough     
hereafter4  ,do  not you forestall the  
evil days for them4  ,the more cheerful 
their growth  is the more heart and     
spirit they will have to face the trials
 and  sorrows of life when they come4   
,but further1 the text says to the young
 man1 ,walk in the ways of thy  heart4  
,that is ,god's permission to free men1 

in a free country4  ,you are  not slaves
 either to man or to ,god2 and ,god does
 not treat you as slaves1  but as       
children whom ,he can trust4  ,he says1 
,walk in the ways of thine  own heart4  
,do what you will1 provided it be not   
wrong4  ,choose your own  path in life4 
,exert yourselves boldly to better      
yourselves in any path  you choose1     
which is not a path of dishonesty and   
sin4    ,again1 says the text1 ,walk in 
the sight of thine eyes4  ,as your      
bodies  are free1 let your minds be free
 likewise4  ,see for yourselves1 judge  
for  yourselves4  ,god has given you    
eyes1 brains1 understanding2 use them4  
,get  knowledge for yourselves1 get     
experience for yourselves4  ,educate and
  cultivate your own minds4  ,live1 as  
far as you can1 a free1 reasonable1     
cheerful1 happy life1 enjoying this     
world1 if you feel able to enjoy it4    
,but know thou1 that for all these      
things1 ,god will bring thee into       
judgment4    ,ah6 say some1 there is the

 sting4  ,how can we enjoy ourselves if 
we are  to be brought into judgment     
after all8    ,my friends1 before ,i    
answer that question1 let me ask one4   
,do you look  on ,god as a taskmaster1  
requiring of you1 as the ,egyptians did 
of the  ,jews1 to make bricks all day   
without straw1 and noting down secretly 
every moment that you take your eyes off
 your work1 that ,he may punish  you for
 it years hence when you have forgotten 
it--extreme to mark what  is done amiss8
    ,or do you look on ,god as a ,father
 who rejoices in the happiness of ,his  
children8--,who sets them no work to do 
but what is good for them1 and  requires
 them to do nothing without giving them 
first the power and the  means to do    
it8--,a ,father who knows our           
necessities before we ask for  help and 
a ,saviour who is able and willing to   
give us help8  ,if you think  of ,god in
 that former way as a stern taskmaster1 
,i can tell you nothing  about ,him4  ,i
 know ,him not2 ,i find ,him neither in 

the ,bible1 in the  world1 nor in my own
 conscience and reason4  ,he is not the 
,god of the  ,bible1 the ,god of the    
,gospel whom ,i am commanded to preach  
to you4    ,but if you think of ,god as 
a ,father1 as your ,father in heaven1   
who  chastens you in ,his love that you 
may partake of ,his holiness1 and of    
,his  ,son ,jesus ,christ as your       
,saviour1 your ,lord1 who loves you1 and
 desires  your salvation1 body and      
soul--of ,him ,i can speak2 for ,he is  
the ,true and  only ,god1 revealed by   
,his ,son ,jesus ,christ our ,lord2 and 
in ,his light ,i  can tell you to       
rejoice and take comfort1 ever though   
,he brings you into  judgment2 for being
 your ,father in heaven1 ,he can mean   
nothing but your  good1 and ,he would   
not bring you into judgment if that too 
was not good  for you4    ,now1 you must
 remember that the judgment of which    
,solomon speaks here is  a judgment in  
this life4  ,the whole ,book of         
,ecclesiastes1 from which  the text is  

taken1 is about this life4  ,solomon    
says so specially1 and  carefully4  ,he 
is giving here advice to his son2 and   
his doctrine all  through is1 that a    
man's happiness or misery in this life1 
his good or  bad fortune in this life1  
depend almost entirely on his own       
conduct2  and1 above all1 on his conduct
 in youth4  ,as a man sows he shall     
reap1 is  his doctrine4    ,therefore1  
he says1 in this very chapter1 ,do what 
if right1 just because  it is right4    
,it is sure to pay you in the long run1 
somehow1 somewhere1  somewhen4  ,cast   
thy bread on the waters--that is1 do a  
generous thing  whenever you have an    
opportunity--and thou shalt find it     
after many days4  ,give a portion to    
seven1 and also to eight1 for thou      
knowest not what  evil shall be on the  
earth4  ,every action of yours will bear
 fruit4  ,every  thing you do1 and every
 word you say1 will ,god bring into     
judgment1  sooner or later4  ,it will   
rise up against you1 years afterwards1  

to  punish you1 or it will rise up for  
you1 years afterwards1 to reward you4   
,it must be so1 says ,solomon2 that is  
the necessary1 eternal1 moral law of    
,god's world4  ,as you do1 so will you  
be rewarded4  ,if the clouds be full  of
 rain1 they must empty themselves on the
 earth4  ,where the tree falls1  there  
it will lie4  ,as we say in ,england1 as
 you make your bed1 so you  will lie on 
it4  ,that does not 7as people are too  
apt to think7 speak of  what is to      
happen to us after we die4  ,it speaks  
expressly and only of  what will happen 
before we die4  ,it is the same as our  
,english proverb4    ,therefore1 he     
says1 do not look too far forward4  ,do 
not be  double-minded1 doing things with
 a mean and interested after-thought1   
plotting1 planning1 asking1 will this   
right thing pay me or not8  ,he that    
observeth the wind1 and is too curious  
and anxious about the weather1  will not
 sow2 and he that regardeth the clouds  
shall not reap4  ,no2 just  do the right

 thing which lies nearest you1 and trust
 to ,god to prosper  it4  ,in the       
morning sow thy seed1 and in the evening
 withhold not thine  hand2 for thou     
knowest not which shall prosper1 this or
 that1 or whether  they shall both be   
alike good4  ,thou knowest not1 he says1
 the works of  ,god1 who maketh all4    
,all thou knowest is1 that the one only 
chance of  success in life is to fear   
,god and keep ,his commandments1 for    
this is the  whole duty of man4  ,for   
,god shall bring every work into        
judgment1 with  every secret thing1     
whether it be good1 or whether it be    
evil4    ,whether it be good1 or whether
 it be evil4    ,he does not say only   
that ,god will bring your evil deeds    
into judgment4  ,but that ,he will bring
 your good ones also1 and your happiness
 and good  fortune in this life will be1
 on the whole1 made up of the sum-total 
of  the good and harm you have done1 of 
the wisdom or the folly which you  have 
thought and carried out4  ,it is so4    

,you know it is so4  ,when you  look    
round on other men1 you see that on the 
whole men prosper very much  as they    
deserve4  ,there are exceptions1 ,i     
know4  ,solomon knew that well4  ,such  
strange and frightful exceptions1 that  
one must believe that those  who have   
been so much wronged in this life will  
be righted in the life to  come4        
,children suffer for the sins of their  
parents4  ,innocent people  suffer with 
the guilty4  ,but these are the         
exceptions1 not the rule4  ,and  these  
exceptions are much more rare than we   
choose to confess4  ,when a  man        
complains to you that he has been       
unfortunate1 that the world has  been   
unjust to him1 that he has not had fair 
play in life1 and so forth1  in three   
cases out of four you will find that it 
is more or less the  man's own fault2   
that he has deserved his losses1 that   
is1 earned them  for himself4  ,i do not
 mean that the man need have been a     
wicked man--not  in the least4  ,but he 

has been imprudent1 perhaps weak1 hasty1
 stupid1 or  something else2 and his    
faults1 perhaps some one fault1 has     
hampered him1  thrown him back1 and ,god
 has brought him to judgment for it1 and
 made it  punish him4  ,and why8        
,surely that he may see his fault and   
repent of it1  and mend it for the time 
to come4    ,i say1 ,god may bring a    
man's fault into judgment1 and let it   
punish him1  without the man being a bad
 man4  ,and you1 young people1 will find
 in  after-life that you will have      
earned1 deserved1 merited1 and worked   
out  for yourselves a great deal of your
 own happiness and misery4    ,i know   
this seems a hard doctrine4  ,people are
 always ready to lay their  misfortunes 
on ,god1 on the world1 on any and every 
one1 rather than on  themselves4    ,a  
bad education1 for instance--a weakly   
constitution which some bring  into the 
world1 with or without any fault of     
their own1 are terrible  drawbacks and  
sore afflictions4  ,the death of those  

near and dear to us1  of which we cannot
 always say1 ,i have earned this1 ,i    
have brought it on  myself4  ,it is the 
,lord4  ,let ,him do what seemeth ,him  
good4    ,but because misfortunes may   
come upon us without our own fault1 that
 is  no reason why we should not provide
 against the misfortunes which will be  
our own fault4  ,nay1 is it not all the 
stronger reason for providing  against  
them1 that there are other sorrows      
against which we cannot  provide8       
,alas6 is there not misery horrible     
enough hanging over our  heads daily in 
this mortal life without our making more
 for ourselves by  our own folly8  ,we  
shall have grief enough before we die   
without adding  to that grief the far   
bitterer torment of remorse6    ,oh1    
young people1 young people1 listen to   
what ,i say6  ,you can be1 you  will be1
 you must be1 the builders of your own  
good or bad fortunes4  ,on  you it      
depends whether your lives shall be     
honourable and happy1 or  dishonourable 

and sad4  ,there is no such thing as    
luck or fortune in this  world4  ,what  
is called ,fortune is nothing else than 
the orderly and  loving providence of   
the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who orders all
 things in  heaven and earth1 and who   
will1 sooner or later1 reward every man 
according to his works4  ,just in       
proportion as you do the will of your   
,father in heaven1 just so far will     
doing ,his will bring its own blessing  
and its own reward4    ,instead of      
hoping for good fortune which may never 
come1 or fearing bad  fortune which may 
never come either1 pray1 each of you1   
for the ,holy  ,spirit of ,god1 the     
,spirit of right-doing1 which is good   
fortune in  itself2 good fortune in this
 world2 and in the world to come1       
everlasting  life4  ,fear ,god and keep 
,his commandments1 and all will be well4
  ,for who  is the man who is master of 
his own luck8  ,the ,psalmist tells us1 
in  ,psalm xv41 ,he that leadeth an     
uncorrupt life1 and doeth the thing     

which  is right1 and speaketh the truth 
from his heart4  ,he that backbiteth    
not with his tongue1 nor doeth evil to  
his neighbour1 nor taketh up a  reproach
 against his neighbour4  ,in whose eyes 
a vile person is  contemned2 but he     
honoureth them that fear the ,lord3 he  
that sweareth to  his own hurt1 and     
changeth not4  ,he that putteth not out 
his money to  usury1 nor taketh reward  
against the innocent4    ,whoso doeth   
these things shall never fall4  ,and as 
long as you are  doing those things1 you
 may rejoice freely and heartily in your
 youth1  believing that the smile of    
,god1 who gave you the power of being   
happy1  is on your happiness2 and that  
your heavenly ,father no more grudges   
harmless pleasure to you1 than ,he      
grudges it to the gnat which dances in  
the sunbeam1 or the bird which sings    
upon the bough4  ,for ,he is ,the       
,father1--and what greater delight to a 
father than to see his children  happy1 
if only1 while they are happy1 they are 

good8          ,,xx4  ,,god',s          
,,beautiful ,,world4--,a ,,spring       
,,sermon4         ,bless the ,lord1 ,o  
my soul4  ,o ,lord my ,god1 thou art    
very great3 thou     art clothed with   
honour and majesty4  ,who coverest      
thyself with light     as with a        
garment3 who stretchest out the heavens 
like a curtain3 who     layeth the beams
 of his chambers in the waters3 who     
maketh the clouds     his chariot3 who  
walketh upon the wings of the           
wind4--,ps4 civ4 #a-c4    ,at this      
delicious season of the year1 when      
spring time is fast ripening  into      
summer1 and every hedge1 and field1 and 
garden is full of life and  growth1 full
 of beauty and fruitfulness2 and we look
 back on the long  winter1 and the      
boughs which stood bare so drearily for 
six months1 as if  in a dream2 the      
blessed spring with its green leaves1   
and gay flowers1  and bright suns has   
put the winter's frosts out of our      
thoughts1 and we  seem to take          

instinctively to the warmth1 as if it   
were our natural  element--as if we were
 intended1 like the bees and            
butterflies1 to live  and work only in  
the summer days1 and not to pass1 as we 
do in this  climate1 one-third of the   
year1 one-third of our whole lives1 in  
mist1  cold1 and gloom4  ,now1 there is 
a meaning in all this--in our love of   
bright1 warm weather1 a very deep and   
blessed meaning in it4  ,it is a  sign  
to us where we come from--where ,god    
would have us go4  ,a sign that  we came
 from ,god's heaven of light and beauty1
 that ,god's heaven of light  and beauty
 is meant for us hereafter4  ,that love 
which we have for  spring1 is a sign1   
that we are children of the everlasting 
,spring1  children of the light and of  
the day1 in body and in soul2 if we     
would  but claim our birthright6    ,for
 you must remember that mankind came    
from a warm country--a country  all of  
sunshine and joy4  ,adam in the garden  
of ,eden was in no cold or  severe      

climate1 he had no need of clothes1 not 
even of the trouble of  tilling the     
ground4  ,the bountiful earth gave him  
all he wanted4  ,the  trees over his    
head stretched out the luscious fruits  
to him--the shady  glades were his only 
house1 the mossy banks his only bed4    
,he was bred up  the child of sunshine  
and joy4  ,but he was not meant to stay 
there4  ,god  who brings good out of    
evil1 gave man a real blessing when ,he 
drove him  out of the garden of ,eden4  
,men were meant to fill the earth and to
  conquer it1 as they are doing at this 
day4  ,they were meant to become  hardy 
and industrious--to be forced to use    
their hands and their heads to  the     
utmost stretch1 to call out into        
practice all the powers which lay  ready
 in them4  ,they were meant1 in short1  
according to the great law of  ,god's   
world1 to be made perfect through       
sufferings1 and therefore it was  ,god's
 kindness1 and not cruelty1 to our      
forefathers1 when ,he sent them  out    

into the world2 and that ,he did not    
send them into any exceedingly  hot     
country1 where they would have become   
utterly lazy and profligate1  like the  
negroes and the ,south ,sea islanders1  
who have no need to work1  because the  
perpetual summer gives them their bread 
ready-made to their  hands4  ,and it was
 a kindness1 too1 that ,god did not send
 our forefathers  out into any          
exceedingly cold country1 like the      
,greenlanders and the  ,esquimaux1 where
 the perpetual winter would have made   
them greedy1 and  stunted1 and stupid2  
but that ,he sent us into this temperate
 climate1  where there is a continual   
change and variety of seasons4  ,here   
first1  stern and wholesome winter1 then
 bright1 cheerful summer1 each bringing 
a  message and a lesson from our loving 
,father in heaven4  ,first comes        
winter1 to make us hardy and daring1 and
 industrious1 and strips the  trees1 and
 bares the fields1 and takes away all   
food from the earth1 and  cries to us   

with the voice of its storms1 ,he that  
will not work1  neither shall he eat4   
,go to the ant1 thou sluggard2 consider 
her ways1  and be wise3 who layeth up   
her meat in the summer1 and provideth   
her food  against the time of frosts4   
,and then comes summer1 with her flowers
 and  her fruits1 and brings us her     
message from ,god1 and says to us poor1 
slaving1 hard-worn children of men1 ,you
 are not meant to freeze1 and  toil1 and
 ache for ever4  ,god loves to see you  
happy2 ,god is willing to  feed your    
eyes with fair sights1 your bodies with 
pleasant food1 to cheer  your hearts    
with warmth and sunshine as much as is  
good for you4  ,he does  not grieve     
willingly1 nor afflict the children of  
men4  ,see the very bees  and gnats1 how
 they dance and bask in the sunbeams6   
,see the very  sparrows1 how they choose
 their mates and build their nests1 and 
enjoy  themselves as if they were       
children of the spring6  ,and are not ye
 of  more value than many sparrows8 you 

who can understand and enjoy the        
spring1 you men and women who can       
understand and enjoy ,god's fair earth  
ten thousand times more than those dumb 
creatures can4  ,it is for you  ,god has
 made the spring4  ,it is for your sakes
 that ,christ1 the ruler  of the earth1 
sends light and fruitfulness1 and beauty
 over the world  year by year4  ,and    
why8  ,not merely to warm and feed your 
bodies1 but to  stir up your hearts with
 grateful love to ,him1 the ,blessed    
,one1 and to  teach you what you are to 
expect from ,him hereafter4    ,ay1 my  
friends1 this is the message the spring 
and summer bring with  them--they are   
signs and sacraments from ,god1 earnests
 of the everlasting  spring--the world  
of unfading beauty and perpetual        
happiness which is the  proper home of  
man1 which ,god has prepared for those  
that love ,him--the  world wherein there
 shall be no more curse1 neither sorrow 
nor sighing1  but the ,lord ,god and the
 ,lamb shall be the light thereof2 and  

the rivers  of that world shall be      
waters of life1 and the trees of that   
world shall  be for the healing of the  
nations2 and the children of the ,lord  
,god shall  see ,him face to face1 and  
be kings and priests to ,him for ever   
and ever4  ,therefore1 ,i say1 rejoice  
in spring time1 and in the sights1 and  
sounds1  and scents which spring time1  
as a rule1 brings2 and remember1 once   
for  all1 never lose an opportunity of  
seeing anything beautiful4  ,beauty is  
,god's hand-writing--,god's image4  ,it 
is a wayside sacrament1 a cup of        
blessing2 welcome it in every fair      
landscape1 every fair face1 every fair  
flower1 and drink it in with all your   
eyes1 and thank ,christ for it1 who  is 
,himself the well-spring of all beauty1 
who giveth all things richly to  enjoy4 
,i think1 this #ajdth ,psalm is a fit   
and proper psalm to preach on in this   
sweet spring time2 for it speaks1 from  
beginning to end1 of ,god's earth1  and 
of ,his glory1 and love1 and wisdom     

which shines forth on this earth4  ,and 
though1 at first sight1 it may not seem 
to have much to do with  ,christianity1 
and with the great mystery of our       
redemption1 yet1 ,i  believe and know   
that it has at bottom all and everything
 to do with it2  that this #ajdth ,psalm
 is as full of comfort and instruction  
for ,christian  men as any other ,psalm 
in the whole ,bible4  ,i believe that   
without  feeling rightly and healthily  
about this ,psalm1 we shall not feel    
rightly  or healthily about any other   
part of the ,bible1 either ,old or ,new 
,testament4  ,at all events ,god's      
inspired psalmist was not ashamed to    
write this psalm4  ,god's ,spirit       
thought it worth while to teach him to  
write this psalm4  ,god's providence    
thought it worth while to preserve  this
 psalm for us in ,his holy ,bible1 and  
therefore ,i think it must be  worth    
while for us to understand this psalm1  
unless we pretend to be  wiser than     
,god4  ,i have no fancy for picking and 

choosing out of the holy  ,bible2 all   
,scripture is given by inspiration of   
,god--all ,scripture is  profitable for 
doctrine1 for reproof1 for correction1  
for instruction in  righteousness1 and  
therefore this #ajdth ,psalm is         
profitable as well as  the rest2 and    
especially profitable to be explained in
 a few sermons as ,i  said before1 at   
this season when1 if we have any eyes to
 see with1 or  hearts to feel with1 we  
ought to be wondering at and admiring   
,god's  glorious earth1 and saying1 with
 the old prophet in my text1 ,praise the
  ,lord1 ,o my soul4  ,o ,lord my ,god1 
thou art very great2 thou art clothed   
with honour and majesty4  ,who coverest 
thyself with light as with a  garment3  
who stretchest out the heavens as with a
 curtain3 who layeth the  beams of his  
chambers in the waters3 who maketh the  
clouds his chariot3  who walketh upon   
the wings of the wind 4 4 4 ,o ,lord1   
how manifold are thy  works6 in wisdom  
hast thou made them all3 the earth is   

full of thy  riches 7,ps4 civ4 #a1 #b1  
#c1 #bd74    ,first1 then1 consider     
those wonderful words of the text1 how  
,god covers  ,himself with light as it  
were with a garment4  ,truly there is   
something  most divine in light2 it     
seems an especial pattern and likeness  
of ,god4  ,the ,bible uses it so        
continually4  ,light is a pattern of    
,god's wisdom2  for light sees into     
everything1 searches through everything1
 and light is  a pattern of ,god's      
revelation1 for light shows us          
everything2 without  light our eyes     
would be useless--and so without ,god   
our soul's eyes would  be useless4  ,it 
is ,god who teaches us all we know4  ,it
 is ,god who makes  us understand all we
 understand4  ,he opens the meaning of  
everything to  us1 just as the light    
shews everything to us2 and as in the   
sunlight only  we see the brightness and
 beauty of the earth1 so it is written1 
,in thy  light1 ,o ,god1 we shall see   
light4  ,thus light is ,god's garment4  

,it  shows ,him to us1 and yet it hides 
,him from us4  ,who could dare or bear  
to  look on ,god if we saw ,him as ,he  
is face to face8  ,our souls would be   
dazzled blind1 as our eyes are by the   
sun at noonday4  ,but now1 light is  a  
pattern to us of ,god's glory2 and      
therefore it is written1 that light  is 
,god's garment1 that ,god dwells in the 
light which no man can  approach unto4  
,as a wise old heathen nobly said1      
,light is the shadow of  ,god2 and so1  
as the text says1 ,he stretches out     
those glorious blue  heavens above us as
 a curtain and shield1 to hide our eyes 
from ,his  unutterable splendour1 and   
yet to lift our souls up to ,him4  ,the 
vastness  and the beauty of those       
heavens1 with all their countless stars1
 each one  a sun or a world in itself1  
should teach us how small we are1 how   
great  is our ,father who made all      
these4    ,when we see a curtain1 and   
know that it bides something beautiful  
behind  it1 our curiosity and wonder is 

awakened1 and we long all the more to   
see  what is behind that curtain4  ,so  
the glory of those skies ought to make  
us wonder and long all the more to see  
the ,god who made the skies4    ,but    
again1 the ,psalmist says that ,god lays
 the beams of ,his chambers in  the     
waters1 and makes the clouds ,his       
chariot1 and walks upon the wings of    
the wind6 that ,he makes ,his angels the
 storms1 and ,his ministers a  flaming  
fire4  ,you must not suppose that the   
psalmist had such a poor  notion of the 
great infinite ,god1 as to fancy that   
,he could be in any one  place4  ,god   
wants no chambers--even though they were
 built of the  clouds1 arched with      
rainbows1 as wide as the whole vault of 
heaven4  ,he  wants no wind to carry    
,him--,he carries all things and moves  
all things4  ,in ,him they live1 and    
move1 and have their being4  ,yet       
,him--the heaven1  and the heaven of    
heavens cannot contain ,him6  ,he is    
everywhere and no  where--for ,he is a  

,spirit2 ,he is in all things1 and yet  
,he is no  thing--for ,he was before all
 things1 and in ,him all things consist4
  ,he  is the ,absolute1 the ,uncreated1
 the ,infinite1 the ,one and the ,all4  
,and  the old ,psalmist knew that as    
well as we do1 perhaps better4  ,what1  
then1  did he mean by these two last    
verses8  ,he meant1 that in all those   
things  ,god was present--that the world
 was not like a machine1 a watch1 which 
,god had wound up at the creation1 and  
started off to go of itself2 but  that  
,his ,spirit1 ,his providence1 were     
guiding everything1 even as at the      
first4  ,that those mists and rain came 
from ,him1 and went where ,he sent      
them2 that those clouds carried ,his    
blessings to mankind2 that when the     
thunder shower bursts on one parish1 and
 leaves the next one dry1 it is  because
 ,god will have it so2 that ,he brings  
the blessed purifying winds  out of ,his
 treasures1 to sweeten and fatten the   
earth with the fresh  breath of life1   

which they have drunk up from the great 
,atlantic seas1  and from the rich      
forests of ,america--that they blow     
whither ,he thinks  best2 that clouds   
and rain1 wind and lightning1 are ,his  
fruitful  messengers and ,his wholesome 
ministers1 fulfilling ,his word1 each   
according to their own laws1 but also   
each according to ,his especial         
providence1 who has given the whole     
earth to the children of men4  ,this  is
 the meaning of the ,psalmist1 that the 
weather is not a dead machine1  but a   
living1 wonderful work of the ,spirit of
 ,god1 the ,lord and giver of  life4    
,therefore we may dare to pray for fair 
and seasonable weather2 we  may dare to 
pray against blight and tempest--humbly1
 because we know not  what is altogether
 good for us1--but boldly and freely1   
because we know  that there is a living1
 loving ,god1 governing the weather1 who
 does know  what is good for us2 who has
 given us ,his only begotten ,son1 and  
will  with ,him also give us all things4

    ,and so ends my first sermon on the 
#ajdth ,psalm4          ,,xxi4          
,,wonders ,,of ,,the ,,sea2 ,,or ,,daily
 ,,miracles4         ,thou coverest the 
earth with the deep sea as with a       
garment4--,,psalm     civ4 #f4    ,when 
we look at a map of the world1 one of   
the first things that strikes  us as    
curious is1 how little dry land there   
is1 and how much sea4  ,more  than half 
the world covered with deep1 wild1      
raging1 waste salt water6  ,it  seems   
very strange4  ,of what use to man can  
all that sea be8  ,and yet the          
,scripture says that the whole earth has
 ,god given to the children of men4     
,and therefore ,he has given to us the  
sea which is part of the earth4  ,but   
of what use is the sea to us8    ,we are
 ready to say at first sight1 ,how much 
better if the world had  been all dry   
land8  ,there would have been so much   
more space for men to  spread on--so    
much more land to grow corn on4  ,what  
is the use of all  that sea8  ,but when 

we look into the matter1 we shall find1 
that every  word of ,god stands true1 in
 every jot and tittle of it--that we    
ought to  thank ,god for the sea as much
 as for the land--that ,david spoke     
truly  when he said1 in this ,psalm     
civ41 that the great and wide sea also  
is  full of ,god's riches4    ,for in   
the first place--,what should we do     
without water8  ,not only to  drink1 but
 to feed all trees1 and crops which     
grow4  ,those who live in a  dry parish 
know well the need of water for the     
crops4  ,in fact1 strange  as it may    
seem1 out of water is made wood4  ,you  
know1 perhaps1 that  plants are made out
 of the salts in the soil--but not only 
out of  salts--they are made also out of
 water4  ,every leaf and flower is made 
up  only of those two things--salts from
 the soil1 and water from the sky4      
,most wonderful6  ,but so it is4  ,water
 is made up of several very  different  
things4  ,the leaves and flowers1 when  
they drink up water1 keep  certain parts

 of water1 and turn them into wood2 and 
the part of the  water which they do not
 want1 is just the part which we do     
want1  namely1 fresh air1 for water is  
full of fresh air4  ,and therefore the  
plants breathe out the fresh air through
 their leaves1 that we may  breathe it  
into our lungs4  ,more and more wonders1
 you see1 as we go on6    ,but where    
does all the rain water and spring water
 come from8  ,from the  clouds4  ,and   
where do the clouds come from8  ,from   
the ,sea4  ,the sea  water is drawn up  
by the sun's heat1 evaporated1 as we    
call it1 into the  air1 and makes mist1 
and that mist grows together into       
clouds4  ,and these  clouds empty their 
blessed life-giving treasures on the    
land--to feed  man1 and beast1 and herb4
    ,but what is it which governs these 
clouds1 and makes them do their         
appointed work8  ,the ,psalmist tells   
us1 ,at ,thy rebuke they flee2 at the   
voice of ,thy thunder they are afraid4  
,he gives the same account of it  which 

wise men now-a-days give4  ,it is ,god1 
he says1 and the ,providence  of ,god1  
which raises the clouds1 and makes them 
water the earth4  ,and the  means which 
,he employs is thunder4  ,now this is   
strictly true4  ,we all  know that      
thunder gathers the clouds together1 and
 brings rain3 but we do  not all know   
that the power which makes the thunder1 
which we call  electricity1 is working  
all around us everywhere4  ,it is only  
when it  bursts out1 in flame and noise1
 which we call lightning and thunder1   
that  we perceive it--but it is still   
there1 this wonderful thing called      
electricity1 for ever at work--giving   
the clouds their shape1 making them  fly
 with vast weights of water through the 
sky1 and then making them pour  down    
that water in rain4    ,but there is    
another deep meaning in those words of  
the ,psalmist's about  thunder4  ,he    
tells us that at the voice of ,god's    
thunder the waters are  afraid--that ,he
 has set them their bounds which they   

shall not pass1 nor  turn again to cover
 the earth4  ,and it is true4  ,also    
that it is this  same thunder power     
which makes dry land--for there is      
thunder beneath us1  and lightning too1 
in the bowels of the earth4  ,those who 
live near  burning mountains know this  
well4  ,they see not only flames1 but   
real  lightning1 real thunder playing   
about the burning mouths of the fiery   
mountains--they hear the roaring1 the   
thundering of the fire-kingdom  miles   
beneath their feet1 under the solid     
crust of the earth4  ,and they  see1    
too1 whole hills1 ay1 whole counties1   
sometimes1 heaved up many feet  in a    
single night1 by this thunder under     
ground--and islands thrown up in  the   
midst of the sea--so that where there   
was once deep water is now dry  land4   
,now1 in this very way1 strange as it   
may seem1 almost all dry land is  made4 
,this whole country of ,england once lay
 at the bottom of the sea4  ,you may now
 see shells and sea fishes bedded in    

high rocks and hill tops4  ,but it was  
all heaved up by the thunder which works
 under ground4  ,there  are places in   
,england where ,i have seen the marks of
 the fire on the  rocks2 and the solid  
stone crushed1 and twisted1 and melted  
by the vast  force of the fire which    
thrust up the land from beneath--and    
thus the  land was heaved up from under 
the waters1 and the sea fled away and   
left  its old bed dry--firm land and    
high cliffs--and as the ,psalmist says1 
,at  the voice of ,god's thunder the    
waters were afraid4  ,thou hast set them
  their bounds which they shall not     
pass1 neither turn again to cover the   
earth4    ,wonderful as all this may    
seem1 all learned men know that it is   
true4  ,and  this one thing at least it 
ought to teach us1 what a wonderful and 
,almighty ,god we have to deal with1    
whose hand made all these things--and   
what a loving and merciful ,god1 who    
makes not only the wind and the sea1    
and the thunder and the fire kingdoms   

obey ,him1 but makes their violence     
bring blessings to mankind4  ,the fire  
kingdom heaves up dry land for men  to  
dwell on--the thunder brings mellow     
rains--the winds sweep the air  clean1  
and freshen all our breath--and feed the
 plants with rich air  drawn from far   
forests in ,america1 and from the wild  
raging seas--the sea  sends up its      
continual treasures of rain--everywhere 
are harmony and  fitness1 beauty and use
 in all ,god's works4  ,he has made     
nothing in vain4  ,all ,his works praise
 ,him1 and surely1 also1 ,his saints    
should give thanks  to ,him6  ,oh6 my   
friends--every thunder shower--every    
fresh south-west  breeze1 is a miracle  
of ,god's mercy1 if we could but see    
thoroughly into  it4    ,consider1      
again1 another wonderful proof of ,god's
 goodness in what we  call the ,tides of
 the sea4  ,god has made the waters so1 
that they can  never stand still--the   
sea is always moving4  ,twice a day it  
rises1 and  twice a day it sinks and    

ebbs again all along the shore4  ,it    
would take  too long to explain why this
 is--but it is enough to say1 that it   
must be  so1 from the way in which ,god 
has made the earth and the water4  ,so  
that  it did not come from accident4    
,god planned and intended it all when   
,he  made the sea at first4  ,his       
all-foreseeing love settled it all4     
,now of  what use are these tides8      
,they keep the sea from rotting1 by     
keeping it  in a perpetual stir4  ,and  
the sea1 as it ebbs and flows1 draws the
 air  after it1 and so keeps the air    
continually moving and blowing1         
therefore  continually fresh1 and       
continually carrying in it rich food for
 plants  from one country to another4   
,there are other reasons why the winds  
blow1  which ,i have not time to mention
 now2 but they all go to prove the same 
thing4--,how wisely and well the        
,psalmist said1 ,praise the ,lord upon  
earth ye rivers and all deeps4  ,fire   
and hail1 snow and vapour1 wind and     

storm1 fulfilling ,his word 7,ps4       
cxlviii474    ,another use of the sea1  
again1 is the vast quantity of food     
which it  gives4  ,labouring men who    
live inland have no notion of the       
wonderful  fruitfulness of those        
seemingly barren wastes of water1 or how
 many  millions of human beings live    
mostly on fish4  ,when we consider those
  great banks of ,newfoundland1 where   
fish enough perhaps to feed all         
,england are caught every season1 and   
sent over the whole world2 our own      
herring fisheries1 where thousands of   
millions of fish are caught  yearly--and
 all the treasures of food and the      
creeping things  innumerable1 both small
 and great beasts1 of which the         
,psalmist speaks2  when we consider all 
this1 we shall begin to bless ,god for  
the sea1 as  much as for the land4      
,there go the ships1 too1 says the      
,psalmist1 in this #ajdth ,psalm1 and   
there goeth that leviathan1 whom ,thou  
hast made to take his pastime  therein4 

,this leviathan is no doubt the         
whale--the largest of all  living       
things--often a hundred feet long1 and  
as thick as a house4  ,and  yet even of 
him1 the monster of all monsters1 does  
,god's ,word stand true1  that ,he has  
put all things under man's feet1 that   
all things are in  subjection to        
man--the fish of the sea1 and whatsoever
 walketh through  the paths of the sea4 
,for even the great whale cannot stand  
before the  cunning of man--,god has    
taught man the means of killing even it1
 and  turning it to his own use4  ,the  
whalebone which we use1 the oil which we
  burn in lamps1 comes from the bodies  
of those enormous creatures which       
wander in the far seas like floating    
houses1 ten thousand miles away4    ,but
 again1 it is promised in the ,bible1   
that in the new heavens and new  earth  
there shall be no more sea4  ,when the  
sea has done its work1 ,god  will have  
done with it--and then there will be no 
more division between  nation and       

nation--no more long dangerous voyages  
from one country to  another4    ,and   
strange to say--the sea is even now at  
work bringing about this very           
thing--destroying itself--filling itself
 up4  ,day by day the sea eats  away its
 own shore1 and banks1 and carries down 
their remains to make its  own bed      
shallower and shallower1 till shoals and
 new lands arise where  there was deep  
sea before4  ,so that if the world lasts
 long enough1 the  sea by its own laws  
will be filled up1 and dry land appear  
everywhere4    ,the bottom of the sea is
 full1 too1 of countless millions of    
strange  insects--and yet even in these 
strange insects there is use2 for not   
only  do they give food to countless    
millions of fishes1 but after a time    
they  turn into stone1 and form fruitful
 soil4  ,there are now in many parts of 
the world great beds of rock and earth1 
many feet thick1 and miles long1  made  
up entirely out of the skeletons and    
shells of little insects which  lived at

 the bottom of the sea thousands of     
years ago4    ,are not these things     
wonderful8  ,well1 then1 remember who   
made these  wonders8 who keeps them     
working8  ,your ,father--and the ,son of
 ,god1 and  the ,spirit of ,god4  ,the  
,son of ,god--ay1 think of ,him--,he by 
whom all  things were made--,he by whom 
all things consist--,he to whom all     
power is  given in heaven and earth4    
,he came down and died on the cross for 
you4  ,he calls to you to come and serve
 ,him loyally and gratefully--dare you  
refuse ,him--,the ,maker and ,king of   
this glorious world8  ,he died for you4 
,he loves you4  ,he condescends to      
beseech you to come to ,him that you may
  have life4  ,alas6 what can you expect
 if you will not come to ,him8  ,how    
will you escape if you turn your back on
 your ,maker1 and despise your own      
,creator when ,he stoops to entreat you8
  ,oh folly--,oh madness--,oh utter     
shame and ruin6    ,there are some      
people who do not like science and      

philosophy1 because  they say1 ,if you  
try to explain to people1 and make them 
understand the  wonderful things around 
them1 they will stop thinking them      
wonderful1 and  so you will spoil their 
reverence1 and familiarity will breed   
contempt4  ,now1 no doubt a little      
learning is a dangerous thing1 when it  
makes some  shallow conceited fellow    
fancy he knows all about everything4    
,but ,i can  truly say1 that the more   
you really do know about this earth1 the
 more  your astonishment at it will     
grow--for the more you understand about 
trees and animals1 clouds and seas1 the 
less you will find you  understand about
 them4  ,the more you read about them   
and watch them1 the  more infinitely and
 inexpressibly wonderful you find them1 
and the more  you get humbled and       
awestruck at the boundless wisdom and   
love of ,our  ,father in ,heaven1 and   
,christ the ,word of ,god who planned   
and made this  wondrous world1 and the  
,holy ,spirit of ,god who is working    

this wondrous  world4  ,i tell you1 my  
friends1 that as ,st4 ,paul says1 ,if a 
man will be  wise1 let him become a fool
 that he may be wise4  ,let him go about
  feeling how short-sighted1 and stupid1
 and ignorant he is--and how  infinitely
 wise ,christ the ,word of ,god is1 by  
whom all things were made1  to whom all 
belong4  ,let him go about wondering day
 and night1 always  astonished more and 
more1 as everything he sees gives him   
some fresh  proof of the glory of ,god2 
till he falls down on his knees and     
cries out  with the ,psalmist1 ,lord1   
what is man that ,thou art mindful of   
him1 or  the son of man1 that ,thou so  
regardest him8  ,when ,i consider ,thy  
,heavens1 even the work of ,thine hands1
 ,i say1 ,what is man8 and yet ,thou    
madest man to have dominion over the    
works of ,thine hands1 and hast put  all
 things in subjection under his         
feet--the fowl of the air and the       
fishes of the sea1 and whatsoever       
walketh through the paths of the seas4  

,o ,lord1 our ,governor1 how excellent  
is ,thy name in all the world4  ,in     
comparison of ,thee what is man's       
wisdom8  ,what is man's power8  ,thou   
alone art glorious1 for by ,thee are all
 things1 and for ,thee they were  made1 
and are created1 that ,thou mightest    
rejoice in the works of ,thy own  hands1
 and bless the creatures which ,thy love
 has made6          ,,xxii4  ,,the      
,,sailor',s ,,god4  ,,preached ,,to     
,,sailors ,,at ,a ,,little ,,fishing    
,,village  ,,in ,,cornwall1 #ahdc4      
,they that go down to the sea in ships1 
and occupy their business in     great  
waters2 these men see the works of the  
,lord1 and his wonders in     the       
deep4--,ps4 cvii4 #bc1 #bd4    ,my      
brothers--for though ,i do not know most
 of you even by name1 yet you  are still
 my brothers1 for ,his sake in whose    
name you were baptized--my  brothers1 it
 has been often said that seamen and    
fishermen ought to be  the most         
religious men in the country4  ,and why8

  ,because they1 more than  any set of  
men1 see the works of the ,lord1 and    
,his wonders in the deep4    ,the       
cotton-spinner1 who is shut up in a     
factory all day long1 with  nothing     
before his eyes but his loom1 and       
nothing to look at beyond his  own house
 but dingy streets and smoking furnace  
chimneys--he1 poor man1  sees very      
little of the works of the ,lord4  ,man 
made the world of  streets and shops and
 machinery in which that poor workman   
lives and  dies4  ,what wonder is it if 
he forgets the ,god who made him--the   
,god who  made the round world1 and set 
it so fast that it should not be moved1 
and  has given the sea its bounds that  
it should not overflow them at any      
time8  ,how much better off are you     
seamen than such a man as that6    ,and 
you are better off too1 even1 than most 
field labourers and farmers4  ,they are 
not shut up in towns1 it is true2 they  
have ,god's beautiful  earth to till and
 keep3 but they are too safe on shore6  

,yes2 it may  seem a strange thing to   
say2 but you ought to thank ,god that   
your trade  is a dangerous one--you have
 more to put you in mind of ,god than   
the  labouring man6    ,and why8  ,in   
the first place1 as ,i said1 fishermen  
and sailors see more  of the wonderful  
works of ,god than any other set of men4
  ,man may cut and  change the          
earth--mining and quarrying and         
building--till it hardly looks  like    
,god's earth1 but he cannot change the  
sea6  ,there it is1 just as ,god  made  
it at first4  ,millions of rivers have  
run into it1 yet it is not  over full2  
cliffs have been wearing away and       
falling into it for six  thousand years1
 yet is it not filled up4  ,millions of 
vessels have been  sailing over it1 yet 
they have left no mark upon it2 it seems
  unchangeable1 like ,god who made it4  
,what is the use of my praising the  sea
 to you8  ,do you not all know it1 and  
fear it1 and love it too8 and  does it  
not put you in mind of ,god who made it8

 who made that mighty  water for the use
 of men1 and filled it with thousands of
 different kinds  of fishes1 and weeds1 
and wonderful things for your use and   
comfort2 and  who has made it so strong 
that it shall keep you always in awe and
 fear  and watchfulness1 looking to ,god
 to save you--and yet so gentle and calm
  that you can sail upon its bosom1 and 
there find food for your families4      
,which of you1 who has any godly heart  
in him1 can help feeling1 sometimes  at 
least when at sea1 that he is seeing the
 wonderful works of ,god6    ,i said    
that you ought to thank ,god that your  
trade was a dangerous one1  and ,i said 
that the sea should always keep you in  
fear and watchfulness1  and looking to  
,god to preserve you4  ,now1 do you not 
see how these two  sayings go together1 
and make each other plain4  ,you seamen 
and fishermen  are in continual danger2 
your lives are in your hands every      
moment--the  belaying of a sheet1 the   
strength of a bit of canvas1 the        

toughness of a  deal board1 may settle  
your fate in a moment1 and make all the 
difference  between life and death4  ,if
 they are sound1 you may go back to a   
happy  home1 and see wife and children  
coming to meet you when you run on shore
  at morning from your honest labour2   
and if they fail--if that weak  cordage1
 and these planks1 and thinner canvas1  
on which your lives  depend1 do but give
 way1 what is left for you the next     
moment8 what but a  grave in the deep1  
deep sea1 and your wives widows and your
 children  orphans1 and your bodies     
devoured by ugly creeping things1 and   
your souls  gone--gone where8  ,my good 
men--you who sit around me now so strong
 and  full of life and skill and        
happiness--where would your souls be if 
you  were drowned at sea to-morrow8     
,what a question6  ,oh1 ask it          
yourselves honestly6  ,i have been out  
in  gales myself1 and ,i cannot         
understand how you can go out1 in thirty
 feet  of timber1 upon that mighty sea1 

with the wind howling over your heads   
like a death-bell1 and the great hungry 
waves chasing you for miles1 each  one  
able and willing to swallow you up into 
the deep1 and the gulls  screaming over 
you as if they were waiting to feed upon
 your floating  carcases1 and you alone1
 in a tiny boat1 upon that waste1       
howling  wilderness of waters6--,i      
cannot understand1 ,i say1 how1 when a  
man is in  such a case as that1 day     
after day1 year after year1 he can      
forget his  ,god1 the only friend who   
can save him from the sea6 the only     
friend who  can send him safe out to his
 work in the evening1 and bring him home
 safe  to his wife at morning4  ,one    
would think that when you went down to  
the  shore in the morning1 you would    
say1 ,oh1 ,god6 without whose help ,i am
 no  stronger than a piece of sea-weed  
floating up and down1 take care of me6  
,take care of my wife and my children2  
and forgive me my sins1 and do not      
punish me by calling me away this night 

to answer for them all6  ,and  when you 
come home at night1 you would say1 ,oh1 
,god6 who hast kept me  safe all this   
day1 what can ,i do to show how thankful
 ,i am to ,thee6  ,ay6  what can you do 
to show how thankful you are to ,god for
 ,his care8  ,what  ought you to do to  
show your thankfulness to ,him8  ,what  
must you do  to show your thankfulness  
to ,him8  ,he has told you4  ,if you    
love me1 ,he  says1 keep my             
commandments4  ,do justly1 love mercy1  
and walk humbly with  thy ,god4         
,these1 my friends1 are the holy and    
thankful thoughts which ought to be  in 
your hearts every day and hour4  ,this  
is the thought which ,god meant  to put 
into your hearts when ,he made sailors  
of you1 and brought you into  the world1
 by the sea-side1 to take up your       
business in great waters4  ,you  might  
have been born in ,bristol or ,liverpool
 or ,london1 and never seen  anything   
but streets and houses1 and man's clumsy
 work4  ,but ,god has been  very good to

 you4  ,he has brought you up here1 in  
this happy ,west  country1 where you may
 see ,his wonderful works day and night2
 where you  ought never to forget that  
you have a ,father in heaven who made   
the sea1  and who keeps you safe at sea 
by night and day4  ,god has given you a 
great deal4  ,he has given you two books
 to read--the book of ,god's ,word1  the
 ,bible1 and the book of ,god's earth1  
the sky and sea and land1 which  is     
above you and below you and around you  
day and night4  ,if you can read  and   
understand them properly1 you will find 
in them everything which you  want2 you 
may learn from them to be holy in this  
world and happy in the  next4  ,god has 
given you1 too1 fathers1 mothers1 wives1
 children1 a  comfortable home1 a holy  
trade--the same which the apostles      
followed4  ,god  has given you ,england 
for your country1 and the ,west         
country--the best  place in ,england for
 your home4  ,god has given you a good  
,queen1 and good  magistrates and       

landlords4  ,god has given you health   
and strength1 and  seamanship1 and clear
 heads and stout hearts4  ,and ,god has 
made you  seamen and fishermen1 and     
given you a business in which you can   
see ,god's  mighty power and wisdom day 
and night1 and feel ,him taking care of 
you  when you cannot take care of       
yourselves4    ,therefore you ought to  
thank ,god that yours is a dangerous    
business1  because it teaches you to    
trust in ,god alone for safety4  ,and   
what are  you to give ,him in return8   
,what does ,god require of you8  ,you   
cannot pay  ,him back again for all ,his
 mercies1 for they are past counting1   
but you  must pay ,him back all you can4
  ,and what must you pay ,him back8     
,first1  you must trust in ,god2 for he 
who comes to ,god and wishes to walk    
with  ,god through life1 as a good man  
should1 must believe that there is a    
,god1  and that ,he will reward those   
who look to ,him4    ,i never heard of a
 sailor who did not believe in ,god2 for

 how can a man  look at the sea1 and not
 say to himself1 ,god made the sea6     
,but ,i have  seen a great many sailors 
who did not trust in ,god4  ,as long as 
it is  fine weather1 and everything goes
 right1 they will forget ,god1 and fancy
  that it is their own seamanship1 and  
not ,god alone1 which keeps their  boats
 afloat1 and their own skill in fishing1
 and not ,god alone1 which  sends the   
shoals of fish into their nets2 and so  
they are truly  fine-weather            
sailors--men who are only fit for calm  
seas and light  breezes1 when they can  
take care of themselves without ,god's  
help2 but  when a squall comes their    
hearts change1 by ,god's mercy4  ,for   
when a man  has done all he can to save 
himself1 and all he can do is no use1   
and his  nets are adrift1 and his boat  
on her beam ends1 and the foaming rocks 
are  on his lee1 then he comes to his   
senses at last1 and prays4  ,why did he 
not pray before8  ,why did he not save  
himself from all that misery and        

trouble and danger by thanking ,god for 
taking care of him1 and praying to  ,god
 to take care of him still4  ,foolish   
men are plagued for their  offences1 and
 because of their wickedness4  ,they    
that go down to the sea  in ships1 and  
occupy their business on great waters2  
these men see the  works of the ,lord1  
and ,his wonders in the deep2 for at    
,his word the  stormy wind ariseth which
 lifteth up the waves thereof2 they are 
carried  up to heaven1 and down again   
into the deep2 their soul melteth away  
because of the trouble2 they reel to and
 fro1 and stagger like a drunken  man1  
and are at their wit's end4  ,and justly
 they are punished for  forgetting ,god4
  ,god made the calm as well as the     
storm4  ,could they not  remember that8 
,but look at ,god's mercy2 for when they
 cry unto the ,lord  in their trouble1  
,he delivers them out of all their      
distress4  ,for ,he  makes the storm to 
cease1 so that the waves are still2 then
 are they glad  because they are at     

rest1 and so ,god brings them to the    
harbour where  they would be4    ,is    
there an old man sitting here who has   
not had this happen to him8  ,and  what 
did you do1 my friend1 when ,god had    
saved you out of that danger8  ,it is   
easy to tell what you ought to have     
done2 you ought to have gone  home and  
fallen on your knees1 and prayed to     
,god2 you ought to have said1  ,oh1     
,lord1 ,i am a miserable1 foolish       
sinner1 who can only remember ,thee     
when ,thou art angry2 an ungrateful son1
 who only thinks of his father  when he 
beats him6  ,oh1 ,god1 forgive me1 ,i   
ought to have trusted in ,thee  before6 
,i deserved all my danger and punishment
 and more4  ,i did not  deserve to be   
pardoned and saved from it6  ,i deserve 
to be at the bottom  of the sea at this 
moment4  ,but forgive me1 forgive me1   
loving and  merciful ,father1 for the   
sake of ,thy dear ,son ,jesus ,christ1  
who died on  the cross that ,i might be 
saved from death6    ,and when you had  

prayed thus1 the next thing you ought to
 have asked  yourself was--,what does   
,god require of me8 how can ,i try to   
pay ,him  back--how can ,i show that ,i 
am thankful8  ,my good friends1 what    
does ,god  require of you8  ,to do      
justly1 and to love mercy1 and to walk  
humbly  with your ,god4  ,i told you ,he
 required of you first to trust in ,him 
at  all hours1 in all weathers4  ,this  
is the next thing which ,he requires of 
you--,to do justly1 to cheat no man1 not
 in the price of a pilchard2 to  love   
mercy2 to love your neighbours1 as      
,christ loved you2 to help your         
neighbours1 as ,christ helped you and   
all mankind1 by dying to save you2  and 
as ,christ has helped you1 night after  
night1 when you might have been  buried 
in the waves1 if ,christ had not prayed 
for you that you might have  time to    
repent1 and bring forth fruits fit for  
repentance4  ,to love  mercy2 to forgive
 every man who hurts you1 for they are  
all ,christian men  and your brothers4  

,christ loved every one6  ,why should   
not you8  ,if your  wife or friend loved
 anything1 you would be kind to it for  
their sakes2  and so1 if you really love
 ,god1 and are thankful to ,him for all 
,his mercy  and kindness1 you will love 
every man you meet1 for ,god's sake1 who
 loved  them and gave ,his ,son for     
them4    ,to walk humbly with your ,god4
  ,that is the beginning and end of     
all--you  must be humble2 you must      
confess that you are foolish1 and ,god  
alone is  wise2 that you are weak1 and  
,god alone is strong2 that you are poor 
fishermen1 whom any squall may drown1   
and that ,god is the ,great1 ,loving1   
,almighty ,god1 who made heaven and     
earth1 and the sea and all that is      
therein1 and who helps all those who put
 their trust in ,him4  ,this is  what   
,god asks you to do in return for all   
,he has done for you6  ,to pray  to     
,him1 to praise ,him1 to put your trust 
in ,him1 to keep ,his commandments  like
 thankful1 humble1 obedient1 loving     

children4  ,they who do these  things1  
and only they1 shall never fail4  ,by   
night and day1 in summer and  winter1 in
 storm and calm1 in health and sickness1
 in richness and  poverty1 ,god will be 
with them4  ,christ will be with them4  
,he sat in a  fisherman's boat once1 on 
the sea of ,tiberias1 and ,he will sit  
in your  boats if you will but ask ,him4
  ,he will steer you1 ,he will save you1
 ,he  will take care of your wives and  
children when you are far away1 and ,he 
will bring you through the troublesome  
waves of this mortal life1 so  that1    
having faith for your anchor1 and hope  
for your sail1 and charity  for your    
crew1 you may at last land on the happy 
shore of everlasting  life1 there to    
live with ,god1 world without end4  ,god
 grant it may be so6    ,my good        
brothers--for ,i am a ,christian like   
you1 and an ,englishman like  you1 and a
 west countryman like you--,i thank our 
,father in heaven that ,he  has brought 
me from the other end of ,england1 and  

put this message into  my mouth1 to     
remind you of who you are--that you are 
the men who see  the works of the ,lord1
 and ,his wonders in the deep2 and that 
,god will say  to every one of you at   
the day of judgment1--,i taught you all 
this1 ,i  gave you all this1 ,i did all 
this for you1 what have you done for ,me
  in return8    ,go home--read over     
these verses in #ajgth ,psalm1 and think
 over what ,i  have said4  ,do it       
to-night1 for the weather has broken    
up--there are  gales coming4  ,which of 
you can say that he will be alive next  
,sunday8          ,,xxiii4  ,,the ,,good
 ,,soldier ,,of ,,jesus ,,christ4       
,thou therefore endure hardship as a    
good soldier of ,jesus ,christ4--#b     
,,timothy ii4 #c4    ,suppose a young   
man went of his own will for a soldier2 
was regularly  sworn in to serve the    
,queen2 took his bounty2 wore the       
,queen's uniform2  ate her bread2 learnt
 his drill2 and all that a soldier need 
learn1 as  long as peace lasted4  ,but  

suppose that1 as soon as war came1 and  
his  regiment was ordered on active     
service1 he deserted at once1 and went  
off  and hid himself4  ,what should you 
call such a man8  ,you would call him a 
base and ungrateful coward1 and you     
would have no pity on him1 if he was    
taken and justly punished4    ,but      
suppose that he did a worse thing still4
  ,suppose that the enemy1 the          
,russians say1 invaded ,england1 and the
 army was called out to fight them2  and
 suppose this man of whom ,i speak1 be  
he soldier or sailor1 instead of        
fighting the enemy1 deserted over to    
them1 and fought on their side  against 
his own country1 and his own comrades1  
and his own father and  brothers1 what  
would you call that man8  ,no name would
 be bad enough for  him4  ,if he was    
taken1 he would be hanged without mercy1
 as not only a  deserter but a traitor4 
,and who would pity him or say that he  
had not  got his just deserts8    ,now1 
for ,god's sake and your own sakes      

consider4  ,are not all young  people1  
when they are old enough to choose      
between right and wrong1 if  they choose
 what is wrong and live bad lives       
instead of good ones1 very  like this   
same deserter and traitor8    ,for are  
you not all ,christ's soldiers1 every   
one of you8  ,did not ,christ  enlist   
every one of you into ,his army1 that1  
as the baptism service says1  you might 
fight manfully under ,his banner against
 sin1 the world1 and the  devil1--in one
 word1 against all that is wrong and    
bad8  ,and now when you  are old enough 
to know that you are ,christ's soldiers1
 what will you  deserve to be called1 if
 instead of fighting on ,christ's side  
against  what is good1 you forget you   
are in ,his service8  ,what are you but 
deserters from ,christ's banner and     
army1 traitors to ,christ's cause8      
,but some may say1 ,my case is not like 
that soldier's4  ,i did not enter       
,christ's service of my own free will4  
,my parents put me into it when ,i  was 

an infant1 without asking my leave4  ,i 
was not christened of my own  will4  ,my
 parents had me christened before ,i    
knew any thing about it6  ,i  had no    
choice6    ,is it so8  ,do you know what
 your words mean8  ,if they mean        
anything1 they  mean that you had rather
 not have been christened1 because you  
are now  expected to behave as a        
christened man should4  ,now is there   
any one of  you who dare say1 ,i wish ,i
 had not been christened8    ,not one6  
,then if you dare not say that2 if you  
are content to have been  christened1   
why are you not content to do what      
christened people should8  ,if you are  
content to have been christened1 you are
 christened people now  of your own free
 will1 and are bound to act accordingly4
    ,but why were you christened8 not   
merely because your parents chose1 but  
because it was their duty4  ,every child
 ought to be christened1 because  every 
child belongs to ,christ4  ,every child 
is in debt to ,christ1--every  child is 

bound to serve ,christ4    ,in debt to  
,christ1 you say8  ,certainly1 from the 
moment you are born1 and  before that   
too4  ,you are in debt to ,him since you
 were born1 for every  good thought and 
feeling which ever came into your hearts
 and minds1 for  ,he put them there4    
,and will any of you answer1 ,then ,i   
wish ,he had not  put them there1 if    
they are to bring me into debt to ,him1 
and force me to  serve ,him4  ,i don't  
wish1 of course1 that ,i had been bad2  
but ,i wish that  ,i had been neither   
good nor bad4  ,i wish ,i had had no    
immortal soul1  which is bound to serve 
,christ4    ,now does any man of you    
wish that really8  ,dare any of you wish
 that you  were like the beasts1 without
 conscience1 without honour1 without    
shame1  without knowing right from      
wrong1 without any life after death1    
without  being able even to talk--for   
mind1 without immortal souls men could  
not  speak4  ,the beasts cannot talk to 
each other2 reasonable speech belongs   

to our souls1 not to our bodies4  ,then 
if you are glad that you have  souls1   
and are better than the dumb beasts1 you
 confess that you feel in  debt to      
,christ1 and are bound to serve ,him4   
,for who gave you your souls  but       
,christ8    ,but even if you had had no 
souls1 you would have been in debt to   
,christ1  and bound to serve ,him4      
,what for8 you ask4  ,why1 for life     
itself4  ,how  did you come here8  ,who 
gave you life8  ,who brought you into   
the world8  ,who but ,christ1 by whom   
all things were made1 and you among the 
rest8  ,who  gave you food8  ,who made  
every atom of food grow which you ate   
since you  were born8  ,who made the air
 you breathe1 the water which you drink1
 the  wool and cotton which clothes you8
  ,who but ,christ8  ,do you not know   
that  you cannot even breathe a breath  
of air1 unless ,christ first makes the  
air1 and then gives your lungs life to  
breathe the air8 and yet you  cannot    
understand that you are in debt to      

,christ1 and have been eating  ,his     
bread and living on ,his bounty ever    
since you were born8    ,and mind1 all  
this while ,i have not said one word    
about the greatest debt  of all which   
you owe to the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1    
even ,his own life1 which  ,he gave for 
you6  ,only think but once that for your
 sakes the ,lord was  crucified--for    
your sakes ,he died the most horrible1  
painful1 shameful  death4  ,and then    
say1 ,are you not in debt to ,him8      
,greater love has no  man than this1    
that he lay down his life for his       
friends4  ,if any mere  man had died for
 your sake1 would you not love          
him--would you not feel  yourself in    
debt to him1 a deeper debt than you can 
ever repay8  ,then  ,christ died for    
you--how can you be more deeply in debt 
to any one than  to ,him8    ,you have  
now no right to choose between ,christ  
and the devil1 because  ,christ has     
chosen you already--no right to choose  
between good and bad1  because ,god1 the

 good ,god ,himself1 has chosen you     
already1 and has been  taking care of   
you1 and heaping you with blessings ever
 since you were  born4    ,and why did  
,christ choose you8  ,as ,i have told   
you1 that you may fight  with ,him      
against all that is bad4  ,jesus        
,christ's work at which ,he works  for  
ever in heaven and in earth1 is to root 
out all that is bad1 all sin1  all      
misery2 and ,he will reign1 and ,he will
 fight till all ,his enemies1  even     
,death itself1 are put under ,his feet  
and destroyed4  ,and ,christ  expects   
you and me to help ,him4  ,he has chosen
 you and me1 and all  ,christian people1
 to fight against what is bad1 and to   
put it down and  root it out as far as  
we can wherever we find it2 and         
therefore1 first1  to root it out of our
 own hearts and lives2 for while we are 
bad  ourselves we cannot make others    
good4  ,but if we go on doing bad and   
wrong things1 are we fighting on        
,christ's side8  ,no1 we are fighting on

  the devil's side1 and helping the     
devil against ,god4    ,do you fancy    
that ,i am saying too much8  ,i suspect 
some do4  ,i suspect  some say in their 
hearts1 ,he is too hard on us4  ,we are 
not like that  traitorous soldier4  ,if 
an ,english soldier went over to the    
enemy1 and  fought against the ,english1
 and killed ,englishmen1 that of course 
would  be too bad2 but we do not wish to
 harm any one1 much less our neighbours4
  ,if we do wrong1 it is ourselves at   
most that we harm4  ,if we do wrong1 it 
is only we that shall suffer for it4    
,why does he talk as if we were  robbers
 or murderers1 or had a spite against   
our neighbours8  ,we do not  wish to    
hurt any one1 we do not want to help the
 devil4    ,now1 my friends1 if any of  
you say that1 do you not say first what 
is not  true8 and next do you not know  
that it is not true8    ,first1 ,it is  
not true that by doing wrong you hurt no
 one but yourself4  ,every wrong thing  
which any man does1 every wrong way into

 which he runs1  is certain sooner or   
later to hurt his neighbours4  ,the     
worse man a man  is1 the worse for those
 who have to do with him4  ,you know it 
is your own  case4  ,you know that bad  
people hurt you1 and make you unhappy2  
and that  good people do you good and   
make you happy4  ,you know that bad     
example  does you harm and good example 
does you good4  ,think for              
yourselves--use  your own common sense4 
,recollect what you know1 what has      
happened to you  again and again4  ,you 
know that if any one uses bad language  
before you1  you are tempted to use bad 
language too4  ,if any one quarrels with
 you1  you are tempted to quarrel with  
him4  ,you know that if parents do wrong
  things before their children1 the     
children learn to copy them4  ,it is    
nonsense to talk of a man keeping his   
sins to himself4  ,no man does1 and  no 
man can4  ,out of the abundance of a    
man's heart his mouth speaks2 and  a bad
 tree will bring forth bad fruit4  ,if  

there are bad thoughts in your  head1   
they will come out in bad words4  ,if   
there are bad tempers in your  heart1   
they will come out in bad and unkind and
 dishonest actions4  ,you  may as well  
try to keep in fire1 as to keep in sin4 
,it will break out1  and it will burn   
whatever it touches4  ,and if you1 or   
,i1 or any one does  wrong in any thing1
 we shall surely hurt some one or other 
by it4  ,if  you1 or ,i1 or any one is  
worse than he ought to be1 we shall make
 the  parish we live in worse than it   
ought to be4  ,you know that it is so4  
,who  made you different from the rest  
of the world8  ,if any body else's sins 
are harmful1 who will make your sins    
harmless8  ,not the devil1 for he       
wishes to see as much harm done as      
possible4  ,and not ,god1 for ,he will  
not be so cruel as to let your sin      
prosper and go unpunished1 as it would  
if it did not make people hate it1 by   
feeling the bad effects of it4    ,my   
good friends1 if you by doing wrong hurt

 other people1 and make other  people   
unhappy1 are you doing ,christ's work or
 the devil's8  ,are you  fighting for   
,christ1 who wishes to make all good1 or
 for the devil1 who  wishes to make all 
bad8  ,are you ,christ's faithful       
soldier and servant1  or are you a      
traitor to ,christ who has gone over to 
the devil's side1 and  is helping the   
devil to make this poor world 7which is 
bad enough  already7 worse than it is8  
,oh1 think of this now1 while you have  
time before you4  ,remember all that    
,christ has done for you1 and remember  
that all ,he asks of you in return  is  
to do for ,him nothing but good1 which  
is good for you as well as for  your    
neighbours4  ,the devil's wages now are 
shame1 discontent1  unhappiness1 perhaps
 poverty1 perhaps sickness1 certainly   
punishment as  traitors to ,christ after
 we die4  ,christ's wages are love1 joy1
 peace1  the answer of a good           
conscience1 the respect and love of all 
good men1 as  long as we live1 and after

 death1 life everlasting4  ,choose2 will
 you be  traitors or deserters1 and     
serve the worst of all masters1 the     
,king of  ,hell1 or be honest1          
honourable1 and brave men1 and serve the
 best of all  masters1 the ,king of     
,heaven1 the ,lord of ,life1 and love1  
and goodness  without bound1 whose ways 
are ways of pleasantness1 and all ,his  
paths are  peace8          ,,xxiv4      
,,holy ,,communion2 ,,christ ,,and ,,the
 ,,sinner4         ,have mercy upon1 me1
 ,o ,god1 according to thy              
loving-kindness2     according unto the 
multitude of thy tender mercies blot out
 my     transgressions4  ,wash me       
thoroughly from mine iniquity1 and      
cleanse me     from my sin4  ,for ,i    
acknowledge my transgressions3 and my   
sin is ever     before me4  ,the        
sacrifices of ,god are a broken spirit3 
a broken and a     contrite heart1 ,o   
,god1 thou wilt not despise4--,,psalm   
li4 #a1 #b1 #c1 #ag4    ,this ,psalm was
 written by ,david when he was sorrowing

 for sin1 and if  there are any such    
among you1 my dear friends1 let me speak
 a few words  to you4  ,would to ,god   
that ,i had the tongue of ,st4 ,paul to 
speak to you  with--though even when he 
preached some mocked1 as it will be to  
the end4  ,but if to one of you ,god has
 brought home ,his truth1 then to that  
one  conscience-stricken sinner ,i will 
say1 ,you confess with ,david that all  
your sorrows are your own fault4  ,thank
 ,god that ,he has taught you so  much4 
,but what will you do to be saved from  
your sins8  ,i cannot wait1 you  say in 
your heart1 to go home and begin leading
 a new life4  ,i will do  that1 please  
,god1 but ,i want to know at once that  
,i am forgiven4  ,i want  to be saved4  
,i cannot save myself4  ,i cannot save  
myself from hell  hereafter1 or from    
this miserable sinful life1 nearly as   
bad as hell  here4  ,oh6 wretched being 
that ,i am1 who shall deliver me from   
the body  of this death8    ,friend1    
dost thou not know it is written1       

,believe in the ,lord ,jesus  ,christ1  
and thou shalt be saved4    ,ah yes6    
says the sinner1 ,i have been hearing   
that all my life1  and much good it has 
done me6  ,look at me1 ,i want something
 more  than those words about ,christ1  
,i want ,christ ,himself to save me if  
,he  can4    ,ah1 my brother6--poor     
sinner6 thou hast never believed in     
,christ1 thou  hast only believed about 
,christ4  ,there was the fault4  ,but   
,christ  ,himself will save thee1 though
 thou hast been the worst of reprobates1
 ,he  will save thee4  ,only one thing1 
,he will have thee answer first4  ,dost 
thou wish to be saved from the          
punishment of thy sins1 or from the sins
  themselves8    ,from my sins--from my 
sins1 says the man who truly repents4   
,they  are what ,i hate1 even while ,i  
commit them4  ,i hate and despise       
myself1 ,i dare look neither ,god nor   
man in the face1 and yet ,i go on  doing
 the very things ,i loathe the next     
minute4  ,oh1 for some one to  save me  

from my own ill-temper1 my own bitter   
tongue1 my own  laziness1 my own canting
 habits1 my own dishonesty1 my own      
lustfulness4  ,but who will save me from
 them8 who will change me and  make a   
new creature of me8  ,oh1 for a sign    
from heaven that ,i can get  rid of     
these bad habits6  ,i hate them1 and yet
 ,i love them4  ,i long  to give them   
up1 and yet1 if some one stronger than  
me does not have  mercy on me1 ,i shall 
go and do them again to-morrow4  ,i am  
longing to  do wrong now1 and yet ,i    
long not to do wrong4  ,oh1 for a sign  
from  heaven6    ,poor sinner6--,my     
brother6 there is a sign from heaven for
 thee6  ,on  that table it stands4  ,a  
sign that ,christ's blood was shed to   
wash out  thy sins1 a sign that         
,christ's blood will feed thee1 and give
 thy spirit  strength to cast away and  
hate thy sins4  ,come to ,holy          
,communion and  claim thy share in      
,christ's pardon for the past1 in       
,christ's strength for  the future4     

,what6 says the sinner1 ,i come to the  
,sacrament6  ,i of all men the  most    
unfit6  ,i who but yesterday committed  
such and such sins6    ,friend1 as to   
the sin you committed yesterday1 confess
 that to ,god1 not  me4  ,and if you    
confess it to ,him1 ,he is faithful and 
just to forgive it4  ,but just because  
you think yourself the most unfit person
 to come to the  ,holy ,sacrament1 for  
that very reason ,i suspect you to be   
fit4    ,how then6 says he in his heart1
 ,i have but this moment repented of  my
 sins6  ,i have but this moment1 for the
 first time felt that ,god's  wrath is  
revealed against me1 that hell is open  
for me6    ,for that very reason1 come  
to the ,holy ,sacrament1 and thou shalt 
hear  there that not hell at all1 but   
heaven is open for thee4    ,what1 with 
all this guilty conscience1 this load of
 sins against  myself1 my neighbours1 my
 children1 my masters1 my servants1 on  
my back6    ,yes1 bring them all1 and   
say in the words of the ,communion      

,service3 ,i do  earnestly repent1 and  
am heartily sorry for these1 my         
misdoings2 the  remembrance of them is  
grievous unto me2 the burden of them is 
intolerable4  ,why1 for whom were these 
words written1 but for you who  feel    
that the burden of your sins is         
intolerable4  ,they are there1 not  for 
those who feel no burden of sin1 but for
 you--for you1 and for those  like you  
who feel the burden of your sins        
unbearable4    ,but how shall ,i dare to
 come to the ,lord's table before ,i am 
sure that  my sins are forgiven8        
,come and you will hear your minister   
pray ,god to pardon and deliver you     
from all for ,christ's sake4  ,you will 
hear him read ,god's promises of  free  
grace and mercy through ,jesus ,christ  
to all who truly repent4    ,but ,i     
cannot trust your prayers or words1 or  
any man's4  ,i want a  sign that ,i have
 a share in ,christ's death and merits4 
,then1 that bread and wine is a sign4   
,jesus ,himself ordained them for a     

sign4  ,he ,himself1 with ,his dying    
voice declared that that bread was ,his 
body1 that cup the new covenant in ,his 
blood4  ,st4 ,paul declares that it  is 
the communion1 the sharing of ,christ's 
body1 that cup the sharing of  ,his     
blood4  ,what more sign do you want8    
,come and claim your share in  ,christ1 
and see if ,he disappoints you4    ,ah6 
,i believe1 says the poor man1 ,i       
believe1 but ,i am  afraid1 afraid of   
partaking unworthily1 and so provoking  
,god1 as  the ,prayer-book says to      
plague me with divers diseases and      
sundry kinds  of death4    ,my ,friend1 
if ,god was the devil1 you might be     
afraid indeed4  ,but ,he is  the loving1
 righteous ,father1 who knows your      
weakness1 and remembers that  you are   
but dust4  ,can you not trust ,him to   
pardon your mistakes about  the         
,sacrament1 which you do not wilfully   
intend to commit1 when ,he has  borne   
with1 and pardoned all the sins from    
your youth up until now1 which  you have

 wilfully committed8  ,surely1 you may  
trust ,him in such a thing  as          
this1--,he who has had long-suffering   
enough to keep you alive1 with a  chance
 of salvation all this time8 and as for 
sundry diseases1 have you  avoided them8
  ,you have certainly not avoided them1 
at least1 by staying  away from the     
,sacrament1 and breaking ,christ's      
command to take it8  ,if  you are so    
afraid of ,god's anger1 are you more    
likely to provoke ,him by  disobeying   
,his strict commands1 or by obeying     
them8  ,it needs no  philosopher1 my    
friend1 to find out that4    ,but ,i    
shall have to make good resolutions1    
says the sinner1 and ,i  am afraid of   
breaking them4    ,well1 if you break   
them1 you can but make them again4  ,you
 would call him  a fool who determined  
never to walk1 because he was afraid of 
falling4  ,but you are to claim in that 
,sacrament your share of ,christ's      
,spirit1  ,christ's life1 and ,christ's 
strength1 which is just what you want to

  enable you to keep your good          
resolutions4  ,you will be no stronger1 
no  more righteous of yourself after the
 ,sacrament than before4  ,your spirit  
will still be a poor weak sinful spirit1
 but you will have claimed your  share  
in ,god's strength1 ,god's              
righteousness1 ,god's ,spirit1 and they 
will make you love the good you hated1  
and hate the evil you loved4  ,they     
will make you strong to do ,god's will  
whatever it may cost you4  ,oh  believe 
the good news1 and show that you believe
 by coming to ,christ4  ,he1  the       
,blessed ,one1 died for you4  ,for you  
,he was born and walked this  earth1 a  
poor suffering1 tempted1 sorrow-stricken
 man4  ,for you ,he hung  upon the      
shameful cross4  ,for you ,he ascended  
up on high4  ,for you ,he  sent down    
,his ,spirit4  ,for you ,he sits at the 
right hand of ,god1 praying  for you at 
this moment4  ,for you ,he gave the     
signs of ,his body and ,his  blood1 that
 you might believe1 and fall on your    

knees and cry1 ,in spite  of all1 ,i am 
forgiven4  ,in spite of all1 ,god cares 
for me4  ,in spite of  all1 ,i have a   
,father and a ,saviour who will never   
leave me1 nor forsake  me1 wretch as ,i 
have been1 till they make a man of me   
again1 in this  world1 and for ever6    
,oh6 come1 my dear1 dear friends4  ,i   
would give my  right hand this moment1  
if ,i could but see each and every one  
of you  shewing the truth of your       
repentance by coming to ,holy           
,communion4  ,let  this be a day of     
repentance1 and shew it thus1 and say1  
,we do not come  to this1 ,thy table1 ,o
 ,lord1 trusting in our own             
righteousness1 but in ,thy  manifold and
 great mercy4  ,we are not worthy to    
gather up the crumbs  under ,thy table1 
but ,thou art the same ,lord whose      
property is always to  have mercy4      
,let this be a day of thanksgiving1 too1
 and shew your thankfulness by  coming  
to ,holy ,communion1 and lifting up your
 voices1 once for all1 at  that table1  

and saying3--    ,we bless ,thee1 we    
praise ,thee1 we glorify ,thee1 we give 
thanks to ,thee  for ,thy great glory4  
,these are the words for you this day4  
,oh6 do not  turn away4  ,all your      
distress1 all your sorrows have come    
from your not  having faith in ,god4    
,break at once the accursed charm with  
which the  devil has enchanted you4     
,have faith enough to come to ,god's    
holy table1  and see if ,god does not   
reward you by giving you faith enough to
 conquer  yourselves1 and lead new lives
 like redeemed men in the sunshine of   
,his  smile1 henceforth and forever6    
,my friends1 what more can ,i say1      
except once and again1 ,come ye who     
labour and are heavy laden1 and ,christ 
will give you rest6    ,ay1 and ,he     
will4  ,i speak only what ,i know--what 
,i have felt4  ,but before  ,he will    
give you rest1 be you rich or poor1     
young or old1 you must learn  to say    
those simple words 7they are the best   
and only preparation for  it71 ,god be  

merciful to me a sinner4  ,say them then
 from your heart1  and so come to the   
,lord's ,supper4      ,a ,,prayer4      
,o ,god and ,saviour1 ,thou hast blest  
me1 and ,i have cursed myself4  ,thou   
didst die to deliver me from the curse  
of sin1 and ,i have brought it back  on 
myself by my own folly4  ,thou livest   
for ever to make me good1 and  ,i1      
ungrateful and foolish1 have made myself
 bad4  ,in spite of my  ingratitude1 in 
spite of my folly1 take me back into    
,thy service4  ,i  trust utterly in ,thy
 unchangeable goodness and mercy4  ,i   
trust that ,thy  blood will still wash  
away the past1 that ,thy spirit will    
still give me a  clean heart and a right
 spirit4  ,i believe that though ,i have
 cursed  myself1 yet ,thou wilt still   
bless me2 for ,thou wiliest nought but  
the  good of every creature ,thou hast  
made4  ,god be merciful to me a sinner6 
,amen4          ,,part ,,ii4      ,i4   
,,brave ,,words ,,for ,,brave ,,soldiers
 ,,and ,,sailors4 #aii      ,my         

friends1--,i speak to you simply as     
brave men4  ,i speak alike to ,roman    
,catholic and ,protestant4  ,i speak    
alike to godly men and ungodly4  ,i     
speak alike to soldiers and sailors4 4 4
 4 ,if you are brave1 read these  words4
  ,i call these brave words4  ,they are 
not my own words1 or my  own message1   
but the message to you of the bravest   
man who ever lived1 or  who ever will   
live1 and if you will read them and     
think over them1 ,he  will not make you 
brave 7for that1 thank ,god1 you are    
already71 but  keep you brave1 come     
victory or defeat4  ,i speak to the     
brave men who  have now fought three    
bloody battles1 and fought them like    
heroes4  ,all  ,england has blessed you1
 and admired you2 all ,england has felt 
for you in  a way that would do your    
hearts good to see4  ,for you know as   
well as ,i1  that nothing is so         
comforting1 nothing so endearing1 as    
sympathy1 as to  know that people feel  
for one4  ,if one knows that1 one can   

dare and do  anything4  ,if one feels   
that nobody cares for one's suffering or
 one's  success1 one is ready to lie    
down and die4  ,it is so with a horse or
 a  dog even4  ,if there is any noble   
spirit in them1 a word of encouragement 
will make them go till they drop4  ,how 
much more will the spirit of a  man8  ,i
 can well believe that the ,queen's     
beautiful letter put more  heart into   
you1 than the hope of all the prize     
money in the world would  have done2 and
 that with the words of that letter     
ringing in your ears1  you will prove   
true to the last1 to the words of the   
grand old song--       ,hearts of oak   
are our ships1 hearts of oak are our    
men1     ,and we'll fight1 and we'll    
conquer again1 and again4    ,but1 my   
friends1 you know as well as ,i1 that   
there are times when neither  that      
letter1 nor the feeling of duty1 nor of 
honour1 nor of glory1 can  keep your    
hearts from sinking4  ,not in battle6   
,no4  ,only cowards' hearts  fail them  

there2 and there are no cowards among   
you4  ,but even a brave  man's heart may
 fail him at whiles1 when1 instead of   
the enemy's balls  and bayonets1 he has 
to face delay1 and disappointment1 and  
fatigue1 and  sickness1 and hunger1 and 
cold1 and nakedness2 as you have1 my    
brave  brothers1 and faced them as well 
as man ever did on earth4  ,ah6 it must 
be fearful work to sit still1 and shiver
 and starve in a foreign land1  and to  
think of those who are in comfort and   
plenty at home2 and worse1  to think of 
those1 who1 even if they are in plenty1 
cannot be in comfort1  because their    
hearts are breaking for your sake2 to   
think of brother and  sister1 wife and  
child1 while you are pacing up and down 
those dreary  trenches1 waiting for your
 turn of sickness1 perhaps of death4    
,it must  be bitter and disheartening at
 times2 you would not be men1 if it was 
not4  ,one minute1 perhaps1 you remember
 that those whom you have left at  home1
 love you and pray for you2 and that    

cheers you2 then you remember  that all 
,england loves you1 and prays for you in
 every church throughout  the land2 and 
that cheers you2 but even that is not   
enough1 you feel  ready to say1 ,what is
 the use of my going through all this   
misery8  ,why  am ,i not at home        
ploughing the ground1 or keeping a shop1
 anything rather  than throwing away my 
life by inches thus4  ,my people at home
 feel for  me1 but they cannot know1    
they never will know1 the half of what  
,i have  gone through4  ,the nation will
 provide for me if ,i am crippled1 but  
they  cannot make up to me for losing   
the best years of my life in such work  
as  this2 and1 if ,i am killed1 can they
 make up to me for that8  ,who can make 
up to me for my life8    ,have you not  
had such thoughts1 my friends1 and      
sadder thoughts still  lately8  ,you    
need not be ashamed of them if you have4
  ,for hard work you  have had1 and it  
must have told at times on your spirits 
as heavily as it  has on your bodies4   

,but1 my friends1 there is an answer for
 these sad thoughts4  ,there are  brave 
words for you1 and a noble message from 
,god1 which will cheer you  when nothing
 else can cheer you4  ,if your own      
people cannot know all that  you go     
through1 there is ,one who can and does2
 if your own wives and  mothers cannot  
feel enough for you1 there is ,one above
 who does1 and ,he  is the ,lord ,jesus 
,christ4  ,you have hungered2 so has    
,he4  ,you have been  weary2 so has ,he4
  ,you have felt cold and nakedness2 so 
has ,he4  ,you have  been houseless and 
sleepless1 so has ,he4  ,while the foxes
 had holes1 and  the birds of the air   
had nests1 ,he1 the maker of them all1  
had not where  to lay ,his head4  ,you  
have felt the misery of loneliness and  
desolation2  but never so much as did   
,he1 when not only every earthly friend 
forsook  ,him and fled1 but ,he cried   
out in ,his very death pangs1 ,my ,god1 
my ,god1  why hast ,thou forsaken me8   
,above all1 you have felt how difficult 

it was to die1 not fighting sword  in   
hand1 but slowly and idly1 and          
helplessly1 by cholera or fever1 hunger 
or cold4  ,terrible it is2 but the ,lord
 ,jesus ,christ has felt that too4  ,for
 three years ,he looked death in the    
face--a death of shame and misery  such 
as you can never die--and faced it1 and 
gave ,himself up to it of ,his  own free
 will2 and though ,he had the most      
horrible fear of it to the very  last1  
,he determined to submit to it1 in spite
 of ,his own fear of it2 and  ,he did   
submit to it1 and died1 and so showed1  
even in ,his very fear1  the most       
perfect and glorious courage4  ,so if   
any one of you has ever  felt for a     
single moment afraid2 even in that1 the 
,lord ,jesus ,christ  can feel for you2 
for ,he1 too1 has gone through the agony
 of fear1 when  ,his sweat was as great 
drops of blood falling to the ground1   
that ,he  might be able to help you1 and
 every man that is tempted1 because ,he 
can  be touched with the feeling of your

 infirmities1 having gone through  every
 temptation which flesh is heir to1 and 
conquered them all4    ,this1 then1 is  
one half 7and only one half7 of my good 
news2 that you  have a ,friend in heaven
 who feels for every trouble of yours1  
better than  your own mothers can feel  
for you1 because ,he has been through it
 all  already2 you have a ,friend in    
heaven who is praying for you day and   
night1 more earnestly1 lovingly1 wisely1
 than your own wives and children  are  
praying for you4  ,but that is not all4 
,god forbid6  ,you have a  ,friend in   
heaven1 for whose sake ,god will forgive
 you all your sins and  weaknesses1 as  
often as you heartily confess them to   
,him1 and trust in  ,him for a full and 
free pardon4  ,you have a ,friend in    
heaven who will  help you day by day1   
where you most need help1 in your hearts
 and  spirits2 who will give you1 if you
 ask ,him1 ,his ,spirit1 the same spirit
  of duty1 courage1 endurance1 love1    
self-sacrifice1 which made ,him brave   

to endure ten thousand times more than  
any soldier or sailor can endure1  for  
the sake of doing ,his ,father's will1  
and saving a ruined world4    ,oh6 open 
your hearts to ,him1 my brave men1 in   
your lonely  night-watches--on your sick
 beds2 ay1 in the very roar of battle   
itself1  ask ,him to make you true and  
good1 patient1 calm1 prudent1           
honourable1  obedient1 gentle1 even in  
the hottest of the fight4  ,commit to   
,him your  own lives and fortunes1 and  
the lives and fortunes of those who have
 been  left at home1 and be sure that   
,he1 your ,unseen ,friend of friends1 is
 able  and willing to help to the       
uttermost all that you put into ,his    
charge4    ,but1 again1 my men1 if the  
nation cannot reward you for sacrificing
 your  life in a just war1 there is ,one
 above who can1 and who will1 too2 for  
,he  is as just as ,he is loving1 and as
 loving as ,he is just1 and that is the 
same of whom ,i have spoken already1 the
 ,lord ,jesus ,christ4    ,i think some 

of you will fancy this almost too good  
news to be true1 and  yet the very news 
which you want to hear4  ,i think some  
of you have been  saying as you read    
this1 ,all this is blessed and          
comforting news for  poor fellows lying 
wounded in a hospital1 or fretting their
 souls away  about the wives and        
children they have left behind2 blessed 
and  comforting news2 but we want       
something more than that even4  ,we have
 to  fight and to kill2 we want to be   
sure that ,god's blessing is on our     
fighting and our killing2 we have to go 
into battle2 and we want to know  that  
there1 too1 we are doing ,god's work1   
and to be sure that ,god is on  our     
side4    ,well1 my brave men1 ,be sure  
of it then6  ,be sure that ,god's       
blessing is  as much upon you2 be sure  
that you are doing ,god's work1 as much 
when you  are handling a musket or      
laying a gun in your country's battles1 
as when  you are bearing frost and      
hunger in the trenches1 and pain and    

weakness  on a sick bed4    ,for the    
,lord ,jesus ,christ is not only the    
,prince of ,peace2 ,he is the  ,prince  
of ,war too4  ,he is the ,lord of       
,hosts1 the ,god of armies2 and         
whosoever fights in a just war1 against 
tyrants and oppressors1 he is  fighting 
on ,christ's side1 and ,christ is       
fighting on his side2 ,christ is  his   
,captain and his ,leader1 and he can be 
in no better service4  ,be sure  of it2 
for the ,bible tells you so4  ,the old  
wars of ,abraham against the            
robber-kings2 of ,joshua against the    
,canaanites2 of ,david against the      
,philistines2 of ,hezekiah against the  
,assyrians2 of the ,maccabees against   
the ,greeks--all tell the soldier the   
same brave news1 that he is doing       
,god's work1 and that ,god's blessing is
 on him1 when he fights in a just       
cause4  ,and you are fighting in a just 
cause1 if you are fighting for  freedom 
and law4  ,if to you ,god gives the     
noble work of fighting for the  liberty 

of ,europe1 ,god will reward you        
according as you do that work like  men4
  ,you will be fighting in that         
everlasting war which is in heaven2 in  
,god's everlasting war against all      
injustice and wrong1 the ,captain and   
,leader whereof is the ,lord ,jesus     
,christ ,himself4  ,believe that--for   
the  ,bible tells it you4  ,you must    
think of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 not  
merely  as a sufferer1 but as a warrior2
 not merely as the ,man of ,sorrows     
7blessed as that thought is71 but as the
 ,lord of ,hosts--the ,god of           
armies--the ,king who executes justice  
and judgment in the earth1 who has      
sworn vengeance against all             
unrighteousness and wrong1 and will     
destroy  the wicked with the breath of  
,his mouth4  ,you must think of ,him as 
the  ,god of the fatherless and the     
widow2 but you must think of ,him1 too1 
as  the ,god of the sailor and the      
soldier1 the ,god of duty1 the ,god of  
justice1 the ,god of vengeance1 the ,god

 to whom your colours were  solemnly    
offered1 and ,his blessing on them      
prayed for1 when they were  given to    
your regiment4    ,i know that you would
 follow those colours into the mouth of 
the pit1  that you would die twice over 
sooner than let them be taken4  ,good6  
but  remember1 too1 that those colours  
are a sign to you that ,christ is with  
you1 ready to give you courage1         
coolness1 and right judgment1 in the    
charge and in the death grapple1 just as
 much as ,he is with those  ministering 
angels who will nurse and tend your     
wounds in hospital4  ,god's  blessing is
 on them2 but do you never forget that  
your colours are a sign  to you that    
,christ's blessing is on you4  ,if they 
do not mean that to  you1 what was the  
use of blessing them with prayer8  ,it  
must have been a  lie and a sham4  ,but 
it is no lie1 brave men1 and no sham2 it
 is a  glorious truth1 of which those   
noble rags1 inscribed with noble names  
of  victory1 should remind you every day

 and every hour1 that he who fights  for
 ,queen and country in a just cause1 is 
fighting not only in the  ,queen's army1
 but in ,christ's army1 and that he     
shall in no wise lose his  reward4      
,are not these brave words for brave    
soldiers8  ,well3 they are not mine2    
they are the ,bible's4  ,the book of    
,revelation tells us how ,st4 ,john saw 
a  vision of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1  
and of ,his everlasting war against     
wrong1 of which ,i spoke just now4  ,and
 what did the ,lord appear like8    ,and
 ,i saw heaven opened1 and behold a     
white horse2 and he that sat  upon him  
is called ,faithful and ,true1 and in   
righteousness ,he doth  judge and make  
war4  ,and ,his eyes were as a flame of 
fire2 and ,he was  clothed in a garment 
dipped in blood2 and ,his name is called
 the ,word  of ,god4  ,and the armies in
 heaven followed ,him1 riding upon white
  horses1 clothed in fine linen1 white  
and clean4  ,and out of ,his  mouth     
goeth a sharp sword1 that ,he should    

smite the nations2 and ,he  shall rule  
them with a rod of iron2 and ,he        
treadeth the winepress of  the          
fierceness and of the wrath of almighty 
,god 7,rev4 xix4 #aa74    ,are not these
 brave words1 my friends8  ,are not     
these soldier-like words8  ,is not this 
a general worth following8  ,is not this
 a charge of cavalry  worth sharing in8 
,then believe that that general1 the    
,lord ,jesus ,christ1  is your general4 
,believe that you are sharing in that   
everlasting  charge1 to which the       
glorious charge of ,balaclava was as    
nothing2 the  everlasting war which the 
,lord ,jesus wages against all sin1 and 
cruelty1  and wrong--in which ,he will  
never draw bridle-rein1 or sheath ,his  
sword1  till ,he has put all enemies    
under ,his feet1 and swept all          
oppression1  injustice1 and wickedness  
off the face of the earth which ,god has
 given  ,him4    ,therefore ,i can say  
to you other brave words1 my friends    
7and not my own1  but the words of the  

same ,lord ,jesus ,christ73--,fear not  
them that can  kill the body1 and after 
that have no more that they can do4     
,but ,i will  forewarn you whom you     
shall fear2 fear him who after he has   
killed has  power to destroy both body  
and soul in hell4    ,now all ,england  
knows already that you do not fear those
 who can kill the  body2 but ,i         
sometimes fear that some of you are not 
enough afraid of that  enemy worst of   
all1 who can kill the soul too4  ,and   
who is that8  ,st4  ,paul tells us4  ,he
 is the devil1 who has the power of     
death1 who lies  in ambuscade to destroy
 your body and soul in hell2 and will   
and can do  it2 but only if you let him4
  ,now who is the devil8  ,it is worth  
your  while to know2 for many a man may 
be1 as you are1 in the ranks of ,god's  
army1 and yet doing the devil's work all
 the while4  ,many a man may fancy      
himself a good soldier1 and forget that 
a soldier is a man1 and something  more2
 and that therefore1 before you can be a

 good soldier1 you must  first be more  
or less of a good man4  ,do you think   
not8  ,look then1 and  see whether the  
most upright and god-fearing men in your
 ranks are not in  the long run the best
 soldiers4  ,i don't mean merely the    
best  fighters--the bravest men in      
battle4  ,there goes more than mere     
bull-  dog pluck to the making of a     
soldier2 and to make a good soldier1 ,i 
hold  that a man1 though he be afraid of
 nothing else1 must be horribly afraid  
of the devil1 and that the better and   
braver soldier he is1 the more  afraid  
of the devil he will be4    ,of course  
that depends upon who the devil is4  ,i 
will tell you4  ,he is  what his name   
means1 the accuser and the divider--the 
evil spirit who  sets men against each  
other--men against officers1 and        
officers against  men2 who sets men     
grumbling1 puts hard suspicious thoughts
 into their  minds2 makes them selfish  
and forgetful of their duty1 tempts them
 to  care only for themselves1 and help 

themselves4  ,you must see that if      
those tempers once got head in an army1 
there would be an end of all            
discipline--of all obedience2 and what  
is more1 of all courage2 for if  the    
devil could completely persuade every   
man to care only for himself1  the plain
 thing for every man to do1 would be to 
turn round and run for  his life4  ,that
 you will never do2 but you may give way
 to the devil in  lesser matters1 and so
 do ,god's work ill1 and lose your own  
reward from  ,god4  ,all grumbling1 and 
hard speeches1 and tale-bearing is doing
 the  devil's work4  ,all disorder and  
laziness is doing the devil's work4     
,all  cruelty and brutality is doing the
 devil's work4    ,now as to cruelty and
 brutality1 some soldiers fancy when    
towns are taken  in war1 that they may  
do things for which 7to speak the truth7
 they  ought to be hanged4  ,i mean in  
plain ,english1 ravishing the women1 and
  ill-treating unarmed men1 to make them
 give up their money4  ,whosoever  does 

these things1 ,god's curse is on him1   
and his sin will surely find  him out4  
,no excuse of being in hot blood will   
avail him4  ,no excuse of  having fought
 well beforehand will avail him4  ,such 
cant will no more  excuse him with ,god 
than it will with truly noble-minded    
men4  ,he may  have been brave enough   
before1 but he is doing a coward's deed 
then2 he  is doing the devil's work1 and
 the devil1 and not ,god1 will pay him  
his wages1 to the uttermost farthing4   
,but though ,i tell you to fear  the    
devil1 it is only to fear his getting   
the command over you4  ,the  devil is a 
liar1 and a liar is always a coward4    
,be brave in ,god's  service4  ,resist  
the devil and he will flee from you4    
,one word more4  ,if any of you are     
maddened by hearing of the enemy        
murdering some of your                  
wounded--recollect that revenge is one  
of the  devil's works1 of which the     
brave men cannot be too much afraid4    
,god  forbid that you should ever be    

maddened into imitating such cruelty4   
,fight the enemy in ,god's name--and    
strike home2 but never have on your     
conscience the thought that you struck  
an unnecessary blow4  ,you are  to kill 
for the sake of victory1 but never to   
kill for the sake of  killing4  ,you    
know who it was who prayed for and      
excused ,his own  murderers as ,he hung 
upon the cross4  ,father1 forgive them1 
for they  know not what they do4  ,that 
was the same ,lord ,jesus who1 as ,i    
told you1  is the great ,warrior against
 all wrong4  ,if ,he was not ashamed to 
forgive1 do you not be ashamed either4  
,you cannot be more brave than ,he  is2 
try1 at least1 to be merciful like ,him4
  ,overcome evil with good2 by          
returning good for evil you will not    
only help ,england's cause by  softening
 the hearts of your enemies1 but you    
will preach ,christ's gospel  to        
them--and in nowise lose your reward4   
,remember then1 always1 our ,lord ,jesus
 ,christ is the pattern of a perfect    

warrior1 whether by land or sea2 and if 
you be like ,him1 and fighting  not only
 on ,his side1 but as ,he likes to see  
you fight1 that is1  righteously and    
mercifully against the tyrants of the   
earth--what harm  can happen to you8    
,be sure that whether you live1 you will
 live to ,him2  or whether you die1 you 
die to ,him2 that living or dying you   
will be ,his2  and that ,he is merciful 
7the ,bible says7 in this1 that ,he     
rewards every  man according to his     
work4  ,do you your work like men1 and  
be sure that  the ,lord ,jesus ,christ  
will see that you are right well paid1  
if not in  this life1 still in that life
 to come1 to which may ,he bring you and
 all  brave men1 who will strive to do  
their duty in that station of life to   
which ,god has called them4        ,,ii4
  ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,cortez2 ,,or     
,,pluck ,,in ,,the ,,sixteenth          
,,century4  ,a ,,lecture  ,,delivered   
,,at ,,aldershot ,,camp1 ,,nov4 #aheh4  
,it seemed to me that1 having to speak  

to-night to soldiers1 that ,i ought  to 
speak about soldiers4  ,some story1 ,i  
thought1 about your own  profession     
would please you most and teach you     
most4  ,some story1 ,i say1  for it is  
not my business to tell you what        
soldiers ought to be like4  ,that1 ,i   
daresay1 you know a great deal better   
than ,i2 and ,i only hope ,i  may do my 
duty as a parson half as well as        
,british soldiers do their  duty1 and   
will always do it4    ,so ,i thought of 
telling you to-night some sort of a     
story--a true one1 of  course1 about    
wars and battles--some story about the  
,british army2 but  then ,i thought     
there are plenty of officers who can do 
that far better  than ,i1--so ,i will   
take some story of foreign armies1 and  
one of old  times too4  ,and though no  
soldier myself1 but only a scholar1 and 
reader  of queer old books1 ,i may make 
my scholarship of some use to you who   
have  to drill and fight1 and die too1  
for us comfortable folks who sit at home

  and read our books by our fireside4   
,then ,i thought of the story of ,cortez
 the ,spaniard1 and how he conquered    
the great empire of ,mexico with a      
handful of brave men4  ,that1 ,i        
thought1  would be an example to you of 
what men can do who have stout hearts   
and  good weapons1 and who have faith   
too in ,god1 and believe that if they do
  their duty ,god will prosper them4    
,and ,i thought ,i could do it all the  
better1 because ,i like the story1 and  
enjoy reading it again and again2  for  
,i know no such dashing and desperate   
deed of courage in history1  except     
,havelock's advance upon ,lucknow4      
,so now ,i will begin my story1 telling 
you first where ,mexico is1 and what  it
 was like when ,cortez landed in it1    
more than three hundred years ago4      
,you1 all of you1 have heard of the     
,west ,india station--some of you have  
been there4  ,beyond those ,west ,india 
,islands lies the great ,gulf of        
,mexico1 and beyond that the mainland of

 ,north ,america1 and ,mexico itself4   
,it is now thinly peopled by ,spaniards1
 the descendants of settlers who  came  
over after ,cortez's time2 and a very   
lazy1 cowardly set most of them         
are1--very different from the old       
heroes1 their forefathers4  ,our ,yankee
  cousins can lick them now1 one to     
five1 and will end1 ,i believe1 in      
conquering the whole country4  ,but in  
,cortez's time1 the place was very      
different4  ,it was full of vast numbers
 of heathens1 brownish coloured  people1
 something like the ,red ,indians you   
see in ,canada1 but a fairer1           
handsomer1 stouter1 heavier-bodied race2
 and much more civilised also4  ,they   
had great cities and idol temples1      
aqueducts for water1 and all  sorts of  
noble buildings1 all of most curiously  
carved stone2 which is  all the more    
wonderful and creditable to them1 when  
we remember that they  had no iron--not 
a knife--not a nail of iron among them4 
,but they had  found out how to make    

bronze by mixing tin and copper1 and    
with it could  work the hardest stones1 
as well as we can with iron4  ,they had 
another  stuff which was curious enough1
 of which they made knives1 razors1     
arrow  heads1 and saw-edged swords as   
keen as razors--and that was glass4     
,they  did not make the glass--they     
found it about the burning mountains1 of
  which ,mexico is full2 itztli they    
called it2 we call it obsidian4  ,it is 
tougher than our glass1 and chips to a  
fine razor edge4  ,i have seen  arrows  
of it1 which ,i am certain would go     
clean through a man1 and knives  which  
would take his arm off1 bone and all4   
,i want you to remember these  glass    
weapons1 for ,cortez's ,spaniards had   
cause enough to remember them  when they
 came to fight4  ,gunpowder1 of course1 
they knew nothing of1 nor  of horses or 
cattle either4  ,they had no beasts of  
draught2 and all the  stones and timber 
for their magnificent buildings were    
carried by hand4  ,but they were        

first-rate farmers2 and for handicraft  
work1 such as  pottery1 weaving1 and    
making all kinds of ornaments1 ,i can   
answer for it1  for ,i have seen a good 
deal of their work--they had not then   
their equals  in the world4  ,they made 
the most beautiful dresses out of the   
feathers  of birds--parrots1 humming    
birds1 and such like1 which fill the    
forests  in hot countries4  ,and what   
was more1 their country abounded in gold
 and  jewels1 and they knew how to work 
them1 just as well as we do4  ,they     
could work gold into the likeness of    
flowers1 of birds with every feather    
like life1 and into a thousand trinkets4
  ,their soil was most fruitful of  all 
that man can want--there was enough of  
the best for all to eat2 and  altogether
 there never was a richer1 and need     
never have been a happier  people1 if   
they had but been good4  ,but that was  
just what they were not4  ,a bad lot    
they were1 cruel and blood-thirsty1     
continually at war with  each other2 and

 as for cruelty1 just take this one     
story4  ,at the opening  of a great     
temple to one of their idols in #adhf1  
about thirty years  before the          
,spaniards came1 they sacrificed to the 
idol seventy-thousand  human beings6    
,this offering in sacrifice of human    
beings to their idols was their  regular
 practice4  ,they got these poor        
creatures by conquering all the  nations
 round1 and carrying back their         
prisoners to sacrifice2 and if  they    
failed1 they took poor people of their  
own1 for blood they and their  false    
gods must have4  ,men1 and sometimes    
women and children1 were  murdered by   
them in their temples1 often with the   
most horrible tortures1  to the number1 
,i am afraid there is no doubt of it1 of
 many thousands  every year2 and their  
flesh afterwards cooked delicately1 was 
eaten as a  luxury by people who1 as far
 as outward show went1 were just as fine
  gentlemen and ladies as there are now4
    ,when the ,spaniards got into       

,mexico1 they found the walls of the    
temples  crusted inches thick in blood1 
the altars of the idols heaped with     
smoking human hearts1 and whole houses  
full of skulls4  ,they counted in  one  
house one hundred and thirty-six        
thousand skulls4  ,it was high time  to 
get rid of those ,mexicans off the face 
of the earth2 and in ,god's good  time a
 man was found to rid the earth of them1
 and that man was ,hernando  ,cortez4   
,and who was ,cortez8  ,he was a poor   
young ,spanish gentleman1 son of an     
infantry captain1 who1 in his youth1 was
 sickly and weakly2 and his  father     
tried to make a lawyer of him1 and would
 have done it1 but young  ,cortez kicked
 over the traces1 as we say1 right and  
left1 and turned out  such a wild       
fellow1 that he would not stay at       
college2 and after getting  into plenty 
of scrapes1 started as a soldier to the 
,west ,indies when he  was only         
nineteen4  ,little did people think what
 stuff there was in that  wild1 sickly  

lad6    ,how he got on in the ,spanish  
,west ,indies would be a long story4  ,i
 will  only tell you that he turned out 
a thoroughly good soldier1 and a very   
dashing smart fellow1 a first-rate rider
 and fencer1 a great dandy in his       
dress2 but also--and if you go to hot   
climates1 keep this in mind--a          
particularly sober and temperate man1   
who drank nothing1 and could eat        
anything4  ,and he had1 it is said1 the 
most extraordinary power of  managing   
his men4  ,he was always cool and       
determined2 and what he said  had to be 
done1 and they knew it2 but his way with
 them was so frank and  kind1 and he was
 so ready to be the foremost in daring  
and enduring1  living worse often than  
his own men1 while he was doing every   
thing for  their comfort1 that there was
 nothing they would not do for him1 as  
the  event proved--for if those soldiers
 had not trusted him for life and       
death1 ,i should not have this grand    
story to tell4    ,at last he married a 

very pretty woman1 and got an estate in 
the ,west  ,indies1 and settled down    
there2 and the chances were ten to one  
that no  one ever heard of him4         
,however1 dim reports came to the ,west 
,indies of  this great empire of        
,mexico1 and of all its wonders and     
wealth1 and that  stirred up ,cortez's  
blood2 and nothing would serve him but  
that leaving  wife and estate1 he must  
start out again to seek his fortune4    
,he got a commission from the ,governor1
 such as it was1 for they were  lawless 
places those ,spanish ,west ,indies     
then2 and everybody fulfilled a  certain
 ,irishman's notion of true liberty--for
 he did what was right in  the sight of 
his own eyes1 and what was wrong        
too--and ,cortez's  commission was to go
 and discover this country1 and trade   
with the  people1 and make ,christians  
of them--that is1 if he could4    ,so he
 got together a little army1 and sailed 
away with it for the unknown  land4  ,he
 had about one hundred sailors1 five    

hundred and fifty soldiers  armed with  
sword and pike1 and among them          
thirty-two cross-bow men1 and  thirteen 
musketeers4  ,above all1 he had sixteen 
horses1 ten heavy guns--or  what may be 
called heavy guns in those times--about 
#i-pounders1 ,i  suppose1 and four      
smaller guns2 and with that he set out  
to conquer a new  world2 and he         
conquered it6    ,he did not know       
whither he was going4  ,all he knew was1
 that this  wonderful country of ,mexico
 was somewhere1 and treasures           
inestimable in  it4  ,and one other     
thing he knew1 that if mortal man could 
get there1  he would4    ,he landed at  
,tabasco--where ,vera ,cruz city stands 
now--fought with the  ,indians1 who ran 
away at the sight of the horses and     
noise of the cannon2  and then made     
friends with them4  ,from them he got   
presents1 and among  others1 a present  
which was worth more than its weight in 
gold to him1  namely1 a young slave     
girl1 who had been born near ,mexico1   

and knew the  language4  ,she was very  
clever1 and very beautiful2 and soon    
learnt to  speak ,spanish4  ,she had    
been a princess in her own country1 and 
was sold  as a slave by her cruel       
stepmother4  ,they made a ,christian of 
her1 and  called her ,dona ,marina1--her
 ,indian name was ,malinche1--and she   
became  ,cortez's interpreter to the    
,indians1 and his secretary4  ,and she  
loved  him and served him as faithfully 
as true woman ever loved man1 and saved 
him and his from a hundred dangers4     
,and the ,spaniards reverence her name  
still2 and call a mighty snow mountain  
after her1 ,malinche1 to this day4      
,after that he marched inland1 hearing  
more and more of the wonders of         
,mexico1 till he came at last1 after    
many adventures1 to a country called    
,tlascala1 up among high mountains4     
,the men who lived there seem to have   
been rough honest fellows2 and brave    
enough they showed themselves4  ,the    
,mexicans who lived in the plains  below

 never could conquer them1 though they  
had been fighting with them  for full   
two hundred years4  ,these ,tlascalans  
turned out like men1 and  fought        
,cortez--one hundred ,indians to one    
,spaniard they fought for four  mortal  
hours2 but horses and cannon were too   
much for them1 and by  evening they were
 beaten off4  ,they attempted to        
surprise him the same  night1 and were  
beaten off again with great slaughter4  
,whereon a strange  thing happened4     
,cortez1 through ,dona ,marina1 his     
interpreter1 sent them in fair terms4   
,if  they would make peace he would     
forget and forgive all2 if not1 he would
  kill every man of them1 and level     
their city to the ground4  ,whereon1    
after more fighting1 the ,tlascalans    
behaved like wise and brave men4  ,they 
understood at last that ,cortez's point 
was not ,tlascala1 but ,mexico2 and  the
 ,mexicans were their bitterest enemies2
 and they had the good sense to  shake  
hands with the ,spaniards1 and make all 

up4  ,and faithful friends  they were1  
and bravely they fought side by side    
during all the terrible  campaign that  
followed4  ,meanwhile1 ,cortez's own men
 began to lose heart4  ,they had had    
terrible fighting already1 and no       
plunder4  ,as for getting  to ,mexico1  
it was all a dream4  ,but ,cortez and   
,dona ,marina1 this  wonderful ,indian  
girl1 kept them up4  ,no doubt they were
 in awful  danger--a handful of         
strangers walking blindfold in a vast   
empire1 not  one foot of ground of which
 they knew3 but ,cortez knew the further
 they  went the further they must go1   
for it was impossible to go back4  ,so  
on  and on they went2 and as they went  
they met ambassadors from ,montezuma1   
the great ,emperor of ,mexico4  ,the    
very sight of these men confirmed all   
that they had heard of the riches of    
that great empire1 for these ,indian    
lords came blazing with gold and jewels1
 and the most magnificent  dresses2 and 
of their power1 for at one city which   

had let ,cortez in  peaceably without   
asking the ,emperor's leave1 they       
demanded as a fine  five and twenty     
,indian young men and forty girls to be 
offered in  sacrifice to their idols4   
,cortez answered that by clapping them  
in  irons1 and then sending them back to
 the ,emperor1 with a message that      
whether he liked or not1 he was coming  
to ,mexico4    ,you may call that       
desperate rashness2 but like a good deal
 of rashness1  it paid4  ,this great    
,emperor ,montezuma was utterly         
panic-stricken4  ,there  were old       
prophecies that white gods should come  
over the sea and destroy  him and his   
empire2 and he took it into his head    
that these ,spaniards  were the white   
gods1 and that there was no use         
resisting them4  ,he had  been a brave  
man in his youth1 and a great warrior2  
but he utterly lost  his head now4  ,he 
sent magnificent presents to the        
,spaniards to buy them  off2 but that   
only made them the more keen to come on2

 and come they did1  till they saw      
underneath them the city of ,mexico1    
which must have been  then one of the   
wonders of the world4    ,it lay in the 
midst of a great salt lake1 and could   
only be reached from  shore by long     
causeways1 beautifully built of stone4  
,on this lake were  many islands2 and   
what was most curious of all1 floating  
gardens1 covered  with all sorts of     
vegetables and flowers4    ,how big the 
city was no one will ever know now2 but 
the old ruins of it  show how           
magnificent its buildings must have     
been1 full of palaces and  temples of   
every kind of carved stone1 surrounded  
by flower gardens1  while the whole city
 was full of fountains1 supplied with   
pure water  brought in pipes from the   
mountains round4  ,i suppose so         
beautiful a  sight as that city of      
,mexico has never been seen since on    
earth4  ,only  one ugly feature there   
was in it--great pyramids of stone1     
hundreds of  them1 with idol temples on 

the top1 on each of which was kept up a 
perpetual fire1 fed with the fat of     
human beings4    ,to their surprise the 
,emperor received them peaceably1 came  
out to meet  them1 gave them such       
presents1 that the common soldiers were 
covered with  chains of gold2 invited   
them into the city1 and gave them a     
magnificent  palace to live in1 and     
endless slaves to wait upon them4  ,it  
sounds all  like a fairy tale2 but it is
 as true as that you and ,i are here4   
,but the cunning emperor had been       
plotting against them all the while2 and
  no great blame to him2 and at last one
 of those plots came to light2 and      
,cortez made up his mind to take the    
,emperor prisoner4  ,and he did it4     
,right or wrong1 we can hardly say now4 
,this ,montezuma was a bad1 false  man1 
a tyrant and a cannibal2 but still it   
looks ugly to seize a man who  is acting
 as your friend4  ,however1 ,cortez had 
courage1 in the midst of  that great    
city1 with hundreds of thousands of     

,indians round him1 to go  and tell the 
,emperor that he must come with him4    
,and--so strong is a man  when he       
chooses to be strong--the ,emperor      
actually went with ,cortez a  prisoner4 
,cortez--and that was an unworthy       
action--put him in irons for an hour1 to
  show him that he was master2 and then 
took off his irons1 and treated him     
like a king4  ,the poor ,emperor had all
 he wanted--all his wives1 and  slaves1 
and finery1 and eatables1 and           
drinkables2 but he was a mere  puppet in
 the ,spaniard's hands2 and knew it4    
,and strangely enough1 not  being able  
to get out of his mind the fancy that   
these ,spaniards were  gods1 or at      
least1 the children of the gods1 he     
treated them so  generously and kindly1 
that they all loved him2 he obeyed them 
in  everything2 took up a great         
friendship with several2 and ended      
actually  by giving them all his        
treasures of gold to melt down and part 
among  themselves4  ,as ,i say1 it      

sounds all like a fairy tale1 but it    
happened  in this very month of         
,november #aeai4    ,but ,cortez had    
been too prosperous not to meet with a  
mishap4  ,every  great man must be tried
 by trouble2 and so was ,cortez4  ,news 
came to him  that a fresh army of       
,spaniards had landed1 as he thought at 
first1 to  help him4  ,they had nine    
hundred men1 eighty of whom were horse  
soldiers1  eighty musqueteers1 one      
hundred and fifty cross-bow men1 a good 
train of  heavy guns1 ammunition1 c4    
,what was ,cortez's disgust when he     
found that  the treacherous ,governor of
 ,cuba had sent them1 not to help him1  
but to  take him prisoner as a rebel8   
,it was a villainous business got up out
 of  envy of ,cortez's success1 and     
covetousness of his booty4  ,but in the 
,spanish colonies in those days1 so far 
from home1 there was very little  law2  
and the governors and adventurers were  
always quarrelling and  fighting with   
each other4    ,what did ,cortez do8    

made up his mind as usual to do the     
desperate thing1  and marched against   
,narvaez with only seventy men1 no guns1
 and hardly  any muskets--seventy       
against nine hundred4  ,it was fearful  
odds2 but he  was forced to leave the   
rest to keep ,mexico down4  ,and he     
armed his men  with very long lances1   
tipped at both ends with copper--for he 
had no  iron2 with them he hoped to face
 ,narvaez's cavalry4    ,and he did it4 
,happily on his road he met an old      
friend with one hundred  and twenty     
soldiers1 who had been sent off to form 
a colony on the coast4  ,they were as   
true as steel to him4  ,and with that   
one hundred and ninety  he surprised and
 defeated by night ,narvaez's splendid  
little army4  ,and  what is more1 after 
beating them1 made such friends with    
them1 that he  engaged them all next    
morning to march with him wherever he   
wanted4  ,the  man was like a           
spider--whoever fell into his net1      
friend or foe1 never  came out again    

till he had sucked him dry4    ,now he  
hurried back to ,mexico1 and terribly   
good reason he had2 for  ,alvarado whom 
he had left in garrison had quarrelled  
with the ,mexicans1  and set upon them  
at one of their idol feasts1 and        
massacred great  numbers of their       
leading men4  ,it was a bloody black    
business1 and  bitterly the ,spaniards  
paid for it4  ,cortez when he heard it  
actually  lost his temper for once1 and 
called his lieutenant-general a madman  
and  a traitor2 but he could not afford 
to cashier him1 for after all he was    
the best and bravest man he had4  ,but  
the mischief was done4  ,the whole  city
 of ,mexico1 the whole country round1   
had risen in fury1 had driven  the      
,spanish garrison into the great palace2
 and worst of all1 had burnt  the boats1
 which ,cortez had left to get off by1  
if the bridges were burst  down4  ,so   
there was ,alvarado shut up1 exactly    
like the ,english at  ,lucknow1 with    
this difference1 that the ,spaniards    

deserved what they got1  and the        
,english1 ,god knows1 did not4  ,and    
there was ,cortez like another          
,havelock or ,colin ,campbell marching  
to deliver them4  ,but he met a very    
different reception4  ,these crafty     
,mexicans never struck a blow4  ,all was
  as still as the grave4  ,as they came 
over the long causeways and bridges1    
there was not a canoe upon the lake1 not
 an ,indian in the floating  gardens4   
,as they marched through the streets of 
the glorious city1 the  streets were as 
empty as a desert4  ,and the ,spaniard  
knew that he was  walking into a trap1  
out of which none of them might come out
 alive2 but  their hearts never failed  
them1 and they marched on to the sound  
of their  bugles1 and were answered by  
joyful salutes of cannon from the       
relieved  garrison4    ,the ,mexicans   
had shut up the markets1 and no food was
 to be got4  ,cortez  sent to open them4
  ,he sent another messenger off to the 
coast to say all  was safe1 and that he 

should soon conquer the rebels4  ,but   
here1 a  cleverer man than ,i must tell 
the story4    ,but scarcely had his     
messenger been gone half an hour1 when  
he returned  breathless with terror and 
covered with wounds4  ',the city1' he   
said1  'was all in arms6 the drawbridges
 were raised1 and the enemy would soon  
be upon them6  ,he spoke truth4  ,it was
 not long before a hoarse sullen  sound 
became audible1 like that of the roaring
 of distant waters4  ,it  grew louder   
and louder1 till from the parapet       
surrounding the enclosure1  the great   
avenues which led to it might be seen   
dark with the masses of  warriors1 who  
came rolling on in a confused tide      
towards the fortress4  ,at  the same    
time the terraces and flat roofs in the 
neighbourhood were  thronged with       
combatants1 brandishing their missiles1 
who seemed to have  risen up as if by   
magic6  ,it was a spectacle to appall   
the stoutest4  ,the  ,spanish forces    
were crowded into a small compact mass  

in the palace1 and  the whole army could
 be assembled at a moment's notice4  ,no
 sooner1  therefore1 did the trumpet    
call to arms1 than every soldier was at 
his  post--the cavalry mounted1 the     
artillerymen at their guns1 and the     
archers and arquebusiers stationed so as
 to give the assailants a warm          
reception4  ,on they came1 with the     
companies1 or irregular masses1 into    
which the multitude was divided1 rushing
 forward each in its own dense  column1 
with many a gay banner displayed1 and   
many a bright gleam of  light reflected 
from helmet1 arrow1 and spear head1 as  
they were tossed  about in their        
disorderly array4  ,as they drew near1  
the ,aztecs set up a  hideous yell1     
which rose far above the sound of shell 
and atabat1 and  their other rude       
instruments of warlike melody4  ,they   
followed this by a  tempest of          
missiles--stones1 darts1 arrows--which  
fell thick as rain on  the besieged4    
,the ,spaniards waited till the foremost

 column had arrived1  when a general    
discharge of artillery and arquebusses  
swept the ranks of  the assailants1 and 
mowed them down by hundreds4 #bbb 4 4 4 
,so the fight raged on with fury for two
 days1 while the ,aztecs1 ,indians  who 
only fought by day1 howled out to the   
wretched ,spaniards every night4  ,on   
the third day ,cortez brought out the   
,emperor ,montezuma1 and commanded  him 
to quiet the ,indians4  ,the unhappy man
 obeyed him4  ,he had made up  his mind 
that these ,spaniards were the white    
gods1 who were to take his  kingdom from
 him1 and he submitted to them like a   
sheep to the butcher4  ,he went up to a 
tower in all his royal robes and jewels4
  ,at the sight  the ,indians who filled
 the great square below were all        
hushed--thousands  threw themselves on  
their faces2 and to their utter         
astonishment1 he  asked them what they  
meant by rebelling4  ,he was no         
prisoner1 he said1  but the ,spaniard's 
guest and friend4  ,the ,spaniards would

 go peaceably1  if they would let them4 
,in any case he was the ,spaniard's     
friend4    ,the ,indians answered him by
 a yell of fury and contempt4  ,he was a
 dog--a  woman--fit only to weave and   
spin2 and a volley of stones and arrows 
flew  at him4  ,one struck him on the   
head and dropped him senseless4  ,the   
,indians set up a howl of terror2 and   
frightened at what they had done1  fled 
away ashamed4    ,the wretched ,emperor 
refused comfort1 food1 help1 tore the   
bandages from  his wounds1 and died in  
two days4  ,he had been a bad man1 a    
cannibal1 and  a butcher1 blood-thirsty 
and covetous1 a ravisher of virgins1 and
 a  tyrant to his people4  ,but the     
,spaniards had got to love him in spite 
of  all2 for a true friend he had been  
to them1 and a fearful loss to them     
just now4  ,the battle went on worse    
than ever4  ,the great idol temple      
commanded the palace1 and was covered   
with ,mexican warriors4  ,and next  day 
,cortez sent a party to storm it4  ,they

 tried to get up the winding  stairs1   
and were driven back three times with   
fearful loss4  ,cortez1  though he had  
but one hand to fight with1 sallied out 
and cleared the  pyramid himself1 after 
a fearful hand-to-hand fight of three   
hours1 up  the winding stairs1 along the
 platforms1 and at last upon the great  
square on the top1 an acre in breadth4  
,every ,mexican was either killed1  or  
hurled down the sides4  ,the idol1 the  
war god1 with its gold disc of  bleeding
 hearts smoking before it1 was hurled   
down and the whole accursed  place set  
on fire and destroyed4  ,three hundred  
houses round were also  burnt that      
night2 but of what use8    ,the         
,spaniards were starving1 hemmed in by  
hundreds of thousands4  ,they  were like
 a single wasp inside a bee-hive4  ,let 
him kill the bees by  hundreds1 he must 
be killed himself at last4  ,he made up 
his mind to  evacuate the city1 to leave
 all his conquests behind him4  ,it was 
a  terrible disappointment1 but it had  

to be done4    ,they marched out by     
night in good order1 with all their guns
 and  ammunition1 and with immense      
plunder2 as much of poor ,montezuma's   
treasures as they could carry4  ,the old
 hands took very little2 they knew  what
 they were about4  ,the fresh ones from 
,narvaez's army loaded  themselves with 
gold and jewels1 and had to pay dear for
 them4  ,cortez1 ,i  ought to tell you1 
took good care of ,dona ,marina4  ,he   
sent her forward  under a strong guard  
of ,tlascalans1 with all the other      
women4  ,the great  street was crossed  
by many canals4  ,then the causeway     
across the lake1  two miles long1 was   
crossed by more canals1 and at every one
 of these the  ,indians had taken away  
the bridges4  ,cortez knew that1 and had
 made a  movable bridge2 but he had only
 time to make one1 and that of course   
had  to be taken up at the rear1 and    
carried forward to the front every time 
they crossed a dyke2 and that made      
endless delay4  ,as long as they were   

in the city1 however1 all went well2 but
 the moment they came out upon  the lake
 causeway1 out thundered the            
serpent-skin drums from the top of      
every temple1 the conch shells blew1 and
 out swarmed the whole hive of  bees1   
against the one brave wasp who was      
struggling4  ,the ,spaniards  cleared   
the dyke by cavalry and artillery1 and  
got to the first canal1  laid down the  
bridge1 and over slowly but safely1 amid
 a storm of stones  and arrows4  ,they  
got to the second canal1 fifteen or     
twenty feet broad4  ,why1 in ,god's     
name1 was not the bridge brought on8    
,instead of the bridge  came news from  
the rear4  ,the weight of the artillery 
had been too great  for the bridge1 and 
it was jammed fast4  ,and there they    
were on a narrow  dyke fifty feet broad1
 in the midst of the lake1 in the dark  
midnight1  with countless thousands of  
,indians1 around1 before1 behind1 and   
the lord  have mercy on them6    ,what  
followed you may guess--though some of  

the brave men who fought  there1 and who
 wrote the story themselves--which ,i   
have read--hardly  knew4    ,the cavalry
 tried to swim their horses over4  ,some
 got safe1 others  rolled into the lake4
  ,the infantry followed pell mell1 cut 
down like  sheep by arrows and stones1  
by the terrible glass swords of the     
,indians1  who crowded round their      
canoes4  ,the waggons prest on the men1 
the guns  on them1 the rear on them     
again1 till in a few minutes the canal  
was  choked with writhing bodies of men 
and horses1 cannon1 gold and treasure   
inestimable1 over which the survivors   
scrambled to the further bank4  ,cortez1
 who was helping the rear forded the gap
 on horseback1 and hurried  on to find a
 third and larger canal which no one    
dare cross4  ,but the  ,indians were not
 so thick here1 and plunging into the   
water they got  through as they could4  
,and woe that night to the soldier who  
had laden  himself with ,indian         
treasure4  ,dragged to the bottom by the

 weight of  their plunder1 hundreds died
 there drowned by that very gold to find
  which they had crossed the seas1 and  
fought so many a bloody battle4    ,what
 is the use of making a sad story long8 
,they reached the shore1 and  sat down  
like men desperate and foredone in a    
great idol temple4  ,several  of their  
finest officers1 three-fourths of their 
men1 were killed and  missing1          
three-fourths too of their horses--all  
,cortez's papers1 all  their cannon1 all
 their treasure4  ,they had not even a  
musket left4  ,nothing to face the      
,indians with but twenty-three crippled 
horses1 a few  damaged crossbows1 and   
their good old swords4  ,cortez's first 
question  was for poor ,dona ,marima1   
and strange to say she was safe4  ,the  
trusty  ,tlascalan ,indians had brought 
her through it all4  ,alvarado the      
lieutenant was safe too4  ,if he had    
been the cause of all that misery1 he   
did his best to make up for it4  ,he    
stayed behind fighting at the last      

canal till all were over1 and the       
,indians closing round him4  ,then he   
set  his long lance in the water1 and to
 the astonishment of both armies1  leapt
 the canal clean1 while the ,indians    
shouted1 ,this is indeed the  ,tonatiah1
 the child of the ,sun4  ,the gap is    
shown now1 and it is called  to this    
day1 ,alvarado's ,leap4  ,god forgive   
him6 for if he was a cruel  man1 he was 
at least a brave one6    ,cortez sat    
down1 a ruined man1 and as he looked    
round for his old  comrades1 and missed 
one face after another1 he covered his  
face with his  hands and cried like a   
child4    ,and was he a ruined man8     
,never less4  ,no man is ruined till his
 pluck is  gone4  ,he got his starving  
and shivering men together1 and away for
 the  mountains to get back to the      
friendly people of ,tlascala4  ,the     
people  followed them along the hills   
shouting1 ,go on6 you will soon find    
yourselves where you cannot escape4     
,but he went on--till he saw what  they 

meant4    ,waiting for him in a pass was
 an army of ,indians--two hundred       
thousand1  some writers say--all fresh  
and fully armed4  ,what could he do8    
,to  surrender1 was to be sacrificed    
every man to the idols2 so he marched   
on4  ,he had still twenty horses1 and he
 put ten on each flank4  ,he bade his   
men not strike with their sword but give
 the point4  ,he made a speech to  his  
men4  ,they had beaten the ,indians1 he 
said1 many a time at just as  fearful   
odds4  ,god had brought them through so 
far1 ,god would not desert  them1 for   
they were fighting on ,his side against 
the heathen2 and so he  went straight at
 the vast army of ,indians4  ,they were 
surrounded1  swallowed up by them for a 
few minutes4  ,in the course of an hour 
the  ,spaniards had routed them utterly 
with immense slaughter4    ,of all the  
battles ,i ever read of1 this battle of 
,otumba is one of the  most miraculous4 
,some say that ,cortez conquered ,mexico
 by gunpowder3 he  had none then1       

neither cannon nor musket4  ,the sword  
and lance did it  all1 and they in the  
hands of men worn out with famine1 cold1
 and  fatigue1 and ,i had said          
broken-hearted into the bargain4  ,but  
there was  no breaking those men's      
hearts--what won that battle1 what won  
,mexico1  was the indomitable pluck of  
the white man1 before which the ,indian1
  whether ,american or ,hindoo1 never   
has stood1 and never will stand to the  
world's end4  ,the ,spaniards proved it 
in ,america of old1 though they were    
better armed than the ,indian4  ,but    
there are those who have proved it  upon
 ,indians as well armed as themselves4  
,ay1 my friends1 ,i should be no        
,englishman1 if while ,i told this      
story1 ,i could help thinking all the   
while of our brave comrades in ,india1  
who have conquered as ,cortez           
conquered1 and against just as fearful  
odds2 whose enemies were armed1  not    
with copper arrows and glass knives1 but
 with ,european muskets1  ,european     

cannon1 and most dangerous of all1      
,european discipline4  ,i say  ,cortez  
did wonders in his time2 but ,i say too 
that our ,indian heroes have  done more1
 and done it in a better cause4    ,and 
that is the history of the conquest of  
,mexico4  ,what1 you may ask1 is  that  
the end8  ,when we are leaving the      
,spaniards a worn-out and starving      
handful struggling back for refuge to   
,tlascala1 without anything but  their  
old swords2 do you call that a conquest8
    ,yes1 ,i do2 just as ,i call the    
getting back to ,cawnpore1 after the    
relief  of ,lucknow1 the conquest of    
,india4  ,it showed which was the better
 man1  ,englishman or sepoy1 just as the
 retreat from ,mexico showed which was  
the  better man1 ,spaniard or ,indian4  
,the sepoys were cowed from that day1   
just as the ,mexicans were cowed after  
,otumba4  ,they had fought with all     
possible odds on their side1 and been   
licked2 and when men are once  cowed1   
all the rest is merely a work of time4  

,so it was with ,cortez4  ,he went back 
to ,tlascala4  ,he got by mere          
accident1 as we say1 a reinforcement of 
,spaniards4  ,he stirred up all the     
,indian nations round1 who were weary of
 the cruel tyranny of the  ,mexicans2 he
 made large boats to navigate the lake1 
and he marched back  upon ,mexico the   
next year with about six hundred        
,spaniards and nine  cannon--about half 
the force which he had had before2 but  
with a hundred  thousand ,indian allies1
 who1 like the sturdy ,tlascalans1      
proved as true  to him as steel4        
,truly1 if he was not a great general1  
who is8    ,he marched back1 taking city
 after city as he went1 and besieged    
,mexico4  ,it was a long and weary      
siege4  ,the ,indians fought like       
fiends4  ,the  causeways had to be taken
 yard by yard2 but ,cortez1 wise by sad 
experience1 put his cannon into the     
boats and swept them from the water4    
,then the city had to be taken house by 
house4  ,the ,indians drove him back    

again and again1 till they were starved 
to skeletons1 and those who used  to eat
 their enemies were driven to eat each  
other4  ,still they would not  give in4 
,at last1 after many weeks of fighting1 
it was all over4  ,the  glorious        
,mexican empire was crumbled to dust4   
,those proud nobles1 who  used to fat   
themselves upon the bodies of all the   
nations round1 were  reduced to a       
handful of starving beggars4  ,the cross
 of ,christ was set  up1 where the      
hearts of human creatures were offered  
to foul idols1 and  ,mexico has been    
ever since the property of the          
,spaniards1 a ,christian  land4    ,and 
what became of ,cortez8  ,he died sadly 
and in disgrace4  ,he sowed1 and  other 
men reaped4  ,if he was cruel and       
covetous1 he was punished for it  in    
this world heavily enough4  ,he had many
 noble qualities though4  ,he  was a    
better man than those around him2 and   
one good thing he did1 which  was to    
sweep off the face of the earth as      

devilish a set of tyrants as  ever      
defiled the face of the earth4  ,give   
him all due honour for it1 and  let him 
rest in peace4  ,god shall judge him and
 not we4    ,but take home with you1    
soldiers all1 one lesson from this      
strange story1  that while a man can    
keep his courage and his temper1 he is  
not only  never really beaten1 but no   
man can tell what great things he may   
not do4        ,,iii4  ,,picture        
,,galleries4      ,picture-galleries    
should be the working-man's paradise1   
#bcj a garden of  pleasure1 to which he 
goes to refresh his eyes and heart with 
beautiful  shapes and sweet colouring1  
when they are wearied with dull bricks  
and  mortar1 and the ugly colourless    
things which fill the town1 the workshop
  and the factory4  ,for1 believe me1   
there is many a road into our hearts    
besides our ears and brains2 many a     
sight1 and sound1 and scent1 even1 of   
which we have never thought at all1     
sinks into our memory1 and helps to     

shape our characters2 and thus children 
brought up among beautiful sights  and  
sweet sounds will most likely show the  
fruits of their nursing1 by             
thoughtfulness and affection1 and       
nobleness of mind1 even by the          
expression of the countenance4  ,the    
poet ,wordsworth1 talking of training   
up a beautiful country girl1 says3--    
,the floating clouds their state shall  
lend     ,to her--for her the willow    
bend2     ,nor shall she fail to see1   
,even in the motions of the storm1      
,grace which shall mould the maiden's   
form1     ,by silent sympathy4     99 99
 99 99 99     ,and she shall bend her   
ear     ,in many a secret place         
,where rivulets dance their wayward     
round1     ,and beauty1 born of         
murmuring sound1     ,shall pass into   
her face4    ,those who live in towns   
should carefully remember this1 for     
their own  sakes1 for their wives'      
sakes1 for their children's sakes4      
,never lose  an opportunity of seeing   

anything beautiful4  ,beauty is ,god's  
handwriting--a wayside sacrament2       
welcome it in every fair face1 every    
fair sky1 every fair flower1 and thank  
,him for it1 who is the fountain  of all
 loveliness1 and drink it in1 simply and
 earnestly1 with all your  eyes2 it is a
 charmed draught1 a cup of blessing4    
,therefore ,i said that                 
picture-galleries should be the         
townsman's paradise  of refreshment4    
,of course1 if he can get the real air1 
the real trees1  even for an hour1 let  
him take it1 in ,god's name2 but how    
many a man who  cannot spare time for a 
daily country walk1 may well slip into  
the  ,national ,gallery in ,trafalgar   
,square 7or the ,south ,kensington      
,museum71 or  any other collection of   
pictures1 for ten minutes4  ,that       
garden1 at  least1 flowers as gaily in  
winter as in summer4  ,those noble faces
 on the  wall are never disfigured by   
grief or passion4  ,there1 in the space 
of a  single room1 the townsman may take

 his country walk--a walk beneath       
mountain peaks1 blushing sunsets1 with  
broad woodlands spreading out  below it2
 a walk through green meadows1 under    
cool mellow shades1 and  overhanging    
rocks1 by rushing brooks1 where he      
watches and watches till  he seems to   
hear the foam whisper1 and to see the   
fishes leap2 and  his hard worn heart   
wanders out free1 beyond the grim       
city-world of stone  and iron1 smoky    
chimneys1 and roaring wheels1 into the  
world of beautiful  things--the world   
which shall be hereafter--ay1 which     
shall be6  ,believe  it1 toil-worn      
worker1 in spite of thy foul alley1 thy 
crowded lodging1  thy grimed clothing1  
thy ill-fed children1 thy thin1 pale    
wife--believe  it1 thou too and thine1  
will some day have your share of beauty4
  ,god  made you love beautiful things  
only because ,he intends hereafter to   
give  you your fill of them4  ,that     
pictured face on the wall is lovely1 but
  lovelier still may the wife of thy    

bosom be when she meets thee on the     
resurrection morn6  ,those baby cherubs 
in the old ,italian painting--how       
gracefully they flutter and sport among 
the soft clouds1 full of rich  young    
life and baby joy6  ,yes1 beautiful     
indeed1 but just such a one at  this    
very moment is that once pining1        
deformed child of thine1 over whose     
death-cradle thou wast weeping a month  
ago2 now a child-angel1 whom thou  shalt
 meet again never to part6  ,those      
landscapes1 too1 painted by  loving1    
wise old ,claude1 two hundred years ago1
 are still as fresh as  ever4  ,how     
still the meadows are6 how pure and free
 that vault of deep  blue sky6  ,no     
wonder that thy worn heart1 as thou     
lookest1 sighs aloud1  ,oh that ,i had  
wings as a dove1 then would ,i flee away
 and be at rest4  ,ah1 but gayer meadows
 and bluer skies await thee in the world
 to  come--that fairy-land made         
real--the new heavens and the new earth1
  which ,god has prepared for the pure  

and the loving1 the just and the  brave1
 who have conquered in this sore fight  
of life6    ,these thoughts may seem all
 too far-fetched to spring up in a man's
 head  from merely looking at pictures2 
but it is not so in practice4  ,see1    
now1  such thoughts have sprung up in my
 head2 how else did ,i write them down  
here8  ,and why should not they1 and    
better ones1 too1 spring up in your     
heads1 friends8  ,it is delightful to   
watch in a picture-gallery some         
street-boy enjoying himself2 how first  
wonder creeps over his rough face1  and 
then a sweeter1 more earnest1 awestruck 
look1 till his countenance  seems to    
grow handsomer and nobler on the spot1  
and drink in and reflect  unknowingly1  
the beauty of the picture he is         
studying4  ,see how some  soldier's face
 will light up before the painting which
 tells him a noble  story of bye-gone   
days4  ,and why8  ,because he feels as  
if he himself had  a share in the story 
at which he looks4  ,they may be noble  

and glorious  men who are painted there2
 but they are still men of like passions
 with  himself1 and his man's heart     
understands them and glories in them2   
and he  begins1 and rightly1 to respect 
himself the more when he finds that he1 
too1 has a fellow-feeling with noble men
 and noble deeds4    ,i say1 pictures   
raise blessed thoughts in me--why not in
 you1 my  brothers8  ,your hearts are   
fresh1 thoughtful1 kindly2 you only want
 to  have these pictures explained to   
you1 that you may know why and how  they
 are beautiful1 and what feelings they  
ought to stir in your minds4  ,look at  
the portraits on the walls1 and let me  
explain one or two4  ,often  the        
portraits are simpler than large        
pictures1 and they speak of real men    
and women who once lived on this earth  
of ours--generally of remarkable  and   
noble men--and man should be always     
interesting to man4        ,,iv4  ,a    
,,portrait ,,in ,,the ,,national        
,,gallery4      ,any one who goes to the

 ,national ,gallery in ,trafalgar       
,square1 may see  two large and         
beautiful pictures--the nearer of the   
two labelled  ',titian1' representing   
,bacchus leaping from a car drawn by    
leopards4  ,the  other1 labelled        
',francia1' representing the ,holy      
,family seated on a sort  of throne1    
with several figures arranged below--one
 of them a man pierced  with arrows4    
,between these two1 low down1 hangs a   
small picture1 about  two feet square1  
containing only the portrait of an old  
man1 in a white  cap and robe1 and      
labelled on the picture itself1         
',joannes ,bellinus4'  ,now this old man
 is a very ancient friend of mine1 and  
has comforted my  heart1 and preached me
 a sharp sermon1 too1 many a time4  ,i  
never enter  that gallery without having
 five minutes' converse with him2 and   
yet he  has been dead at least three    
hundred years1 and1 what is more1 ,i    
don't  even know his name4  ,but what   
more do ,i know of a man by knowing his 

name8  ,whether the man's name be       
,brown1 or whether he has as many names 
and titles as a ,spanish grandee1 what  
does that tell me about the  man8--the  
spirit and character of the man--what   
the man will say when  he is asked--what
 the man will do when he is stirred up  
to action8  ,the  man's name is part of 
his clothes2 his shell2 his husk4       
,change his name  and all his titles1   
you don't change him--'a man's a man for
 a' that1'  as ,burns says2 and a goose 
a goose4  ,other men gave him his name2 
but his  heart and his spirit--his love 
and his hatred--his wisdom and his      
folly--his power to do well and ill2    
those ,god and himself gave him4  ,i    
must know those1 and then ,i know the   
man4  ,let us see what we can make  out 
from the picture itself about the man   
whom it represents4  ,in the  first     
place1 we may see by his dress that he  
was in his day the ,doge 7or  chief     
magistrate7 of ,venice--the island city1
 the queen of the seas4  ,so  we may    

guess that he had many a stirring time  
of it1 and many a delicate  game to play
 among those tyrannous and covetous old 
merchant-princes who  had elected him2  
who were keeping up their own power at  
the expense of  everyone's liberty1 by  
spies and nameless accusers1 and secret 
councils1  tortures1 and prisons1 whose 
horrors no one ever returned to         
describe4  ,nay1 we may guess just the  
very men with whom he had to deal--the  
very  battles he may have seen fought4  
,but all these are circumstances--things
 which stand round the man  7as the word
 means71 and not the whole man          
himself--not the character and  heart of
 the man3 that we must get from the     
portrait2 and if the portrait  is a     
truly noble portrait we shall get it4   
,if it is a merely vulgar  picture1 we  
shall get the man's dress and shape of  
his face1 but little  or no expression3 
if it is a pathetic portrait1 or picture
 of passion1  we shall get one          
particular temporary expression of his  

face--perhaps  joy1 sorrow1 anger1      
disgust--but still one which may have   
passed any  moment1 and left his face   
quite different2 but if the picture is  
one of  the noblest kind1 we shall read 
the man's whole character there2 just   
all  his strength and weakness1 his     
kindliness or his sternness1 his        
thoughtfulness or his carelessness1     
written there once and for ever2--what  
he would be1 though all the world passed
 away2 what his immortal and  eternal   
soul will be1 unless ,god or the devil  
changed his heart1 to all  eternity4    
,we may see at once that this man has   
been very handsome2 but it is a         
peculiar sort of beauty4  ,how delicate 
and graceful all the lines in his  face 
are6--he is a gentleman of ,god's own   
making1 and not of the tailor's  making4
  ,he is such a gentleman as ,i have    
seen among working men and nine-        
shilling-a-week labourers1 often and    
often2 his nobleness is in his          
heart--it is ,god's gift1 therefore it  

shows in his noble looking face4  ,no   
matter whether he were poor or rich2 all
 the rags in the world1 all the  finery 
in the world1 could not have made him   
look like a snob or a swell4  ,he was a 
thoughtful man1 too2 no one with such a 
forehead could have been  a trifler3 a  
kindly man1 too1 and honest--one that   
may have played  merrily enough with his
 grandchildren1 and put his hand in his 
purse for  many a widow and orphan4     
,look what a bright1 clear1             
straightforward1  gentle look he has1   
almost a smile2 but he has gone through 
too many sad  hours to smile much3 he is
 a man of many sorrows1 like all true   
and noble  rulers2 and1 like a high     
mountain-side1 his face bears the       
furrows of  many storms4  ,he has had a 
stern life of it1 with the cares of a   
great  nation on his shoulders4  ,he has
 seen that in this world there is no    
rest  for those who live like true men3 
you may see it by the wrinkles in his   
brow1 and the sharp-cut furrows in his  

cheeks1 and those firm-set1  determined 
lips4  ,his eyes almost show the marks  
of many noble  tears1--tears such as    
good men shed over their nation's sins2 
but that1  too1 is past now4  ,he has   
found out his path1 and he will keep it2
 and he  has no misgiving now about what
 ,god would have him do1 or about the   
reward which ,god has laid up for the   
brave and just2 and that is what  makes 
his forehead so clear and bright1 while 
his very teeth are clenched  with calm  
determination4  ,and by the look of     
those high cheek bones1 and  that large 
square jaw1 he is a strong-willed man   
enough1 and not one to  be easily turned
 aside from his purpose by any man      
alive1 or by any woman  either1 or by   
his own passions and tempers4  ,one     
fault of character1 ,i  think1 he may   
perhaps have had much trouble with--,i  
mean bitterness and  contemptuousness4  
,his lips are very thin2 he may have    
sneered many a  time1 when he was       
younger1 at the follies of the world    

which that great1  lofty1 thoughtful    
brain and clear eye of his told him were
 follies2 but  he seems to have got past
 that too4  ,such is the man's          
character3 a  noble1 simple1 commanding 
old man1 who has conquered many hard    
things1  and1 hardest of all1 has       
conquered himself1 and now is waiting   
calm for  his everlasting rest4  ,god   
send us all the same4    ,now consider  
the deep insight of old ,john ,bellini1 
who could see all  this1 and put it down
 there for us with pencil and paint4    
,no doubt there  was something in       
,bellini's own character which made him 
especially best  able to paint such a   
man2 for we always understand those who 
are most  like ourselves2 and therefore 
you may tell pretty nearly a painter's  
own  character by seeing what sort of   
subjects he paints1 and what his style  
of painting is4  ,and a noble1 simple1  
brave1 godly man was old ,john          
,bellini1 who never lost his head1      
though princes were flattering him and  

snobs following him with shouts and     
blessings for his noble pictures of  the
 ,venetian victories1 as if he had been 
a man sent from ,god ,himself1 as       
indeed he was--all great painters are2  
for who but ,god makes beauty8  ,who    
gives the loving heart1 and the clear   
eye1 and the graceful taste to see      
beauty and to copy it1 and to set forth 
on canvas1 or in stone1 the noble  deeds
 of patriots dying for their country8   
,to paint truly patriotic  pictures     
well1 a man must have his heart in his  
work--he must be a true  patriot        
himself1 as ,john ,bellini was 7if ,i   
mistake not1 he had fought for  his     
country himself in more than one shrewd 
fight74  ,and what makes men  patriots1 
or artists1 or anything noble at all1   
but the spirit of the  living ,god8     
,those great pictures of ,bellini's are 
no more2 they were  burnt a few years   
afterwards1 with the magnificent        
national hall in which  they hung2 but  
the spirit of them is not passed away4  

,even now1 ,venice1  ,bellini's beloved 
mother-land1 is rising1 new-born1 from  
long weary years  of ,austrian slavery1 
and trying to be free and great once    
more2 and young  ,italian hearts are    
lighting up with the thoughts of her old
 fleets and  her old victories1 her     
merchants and her statesmen1 whom ,john 
,bellini  drew4  ,venice sinned1 and    
fell2 and sorely has she paid for her   
sins1  through two hundred years of     
shame1 and profligacy1 and slavery4     
,and she  has broken the oppressor's    
yoke4  ,god send her a new life6  ,may  
she learn  by her ancient sins6  ,may   
she learn by her ancient glories6       
,you will forgive me for forgetting my  
picture to talk of such things4  ,but we
 must return4  ,look back at what ,i    
said about the old portrait--the  clear1
 calm1 victorious character of the old  
man's face1 and see how all  the rest of
 the picture agrees with it1 in a       
complete harmony4  ,the  dress1 the     
scenery1 the light and shade1 the       

general 'tone' of colour  should all    
agree with the character of the         
face--all help to bring our  minds into 
that state in which we may best feel and
 sympathise with the  human beings      
painted4  ,now here1 because the face is
 calm and grand1 the  colour and the    
outlines are quiet and grand likewise4  
,how different  these colours are from  
that glorious ',holy ,family' of        
,francia's1 next to  it on the right2 or
 from that equally glorious ',bacchus   
and ,ariadne' of  ,titian's1 on the     
left6  ,yet all three are right1 each   
for its own  subject4  ,here you have no
 brilliant reds1 no rich warm browns2 no
  luscious greens4  ,the white robe and 
cap give us the thought of purity  and  
simplicity2 the very golden embroidery  
on them1 which marks his rank1  is      
carefully kept back from being too      
gaudy4  ,everything is sober here2  and 
the lines of the dress1 how simple they 
all are--no rich curves1 no  fluttering 
drapery4  ,they would be quite stiff if 

it were not for that  waving line of    
round tassels in front1 which break the 
extreme  straightness and heaviness of  
the splendid robe2 and all pointing     
upwards  towards that solemn1 thin1 calm
 face1 with its high white cap1 rising  
like the peak of a snow mountain against
 the dark1 deep1 boundless blue  sky    
beyond4  ,that is a grand thought of    
,bellini's4  ,you do not see the  man's 
hands2 he does not want them now1 his   
work is done4  ,you see no  landscape   
behind--no buildings4  ,all earth's ways
 and sights are nothing  to him now2    
there is nothing but the old man and the
 sky--nothing between  him and the      
heaven now1 and he knows it and is glad4
  ,a few months more1  and those        
way-worn features shall have crumbled to
 their dust1 and that  strong1 meek     
spirit shall be in the abyss of         
eternity1 before the ,god  from whence  
it came4    ,so says ,john ,bellini1    
with art more cunning than words4  ,and 
if this  paper shall make one of you    

look at that little picture with fresh  
interest1 and raise one strong and      
solemn longing in you to die the death  
of the righteous1 and let your last end 
be like his who is painted  there--then 
,i shall rejoice in the only payment ,i 
desire to get1 for this  my afternoon's 
writing4        ,v4  ,,the ,,british    
,,museum4      ,nature is infinitely    
more wonderful than the highest art2 and
 in the  commonest hedgeside leaf lies a
 mystery and beauty greater than that of
  the greatest picture1 the noblest     
statue--as infinitely greater as ,god's 
work is infinitely greater than man's4  
,but to those who have no leisure  to   
study nature in the green fields 7and   
there are now-a-days too many  such1    
though the time may come when all will  
have that blessing71 to such  ,i say1 go
 to the ,british ,museum1 ,bloomsbury   
,square2 there at least1 if  you cannot 
go to nature's wonders1 some of nature's
 wonders are brought  to you4    ,the   
,british ,museum is my glory and joy2   

because it is one of the only  places   
which is free to ,english citizens as   
such--where the poor and the  rich may  
meet together1 and before those works of
 ,god's ,spirit1 who is  no respecter of
 persons1 feel that the ,lord is the    
maker of them all4  ,in the ,british    
,museum and the ,national ,gallery1 the 
,englishman may say1  ,whatever my coat 
or my purse1 ,i am an ,englishman1 and  
therefore ,i have a  right here4  ,i can
 glory in these noble halls1 as if they 
were my own  house4    ,english         
commerce1 the joint enterprise and      
industry of the poor sailor as  well as 
the rich merchant1 brought home these   
treasures from foreign  lands2 and those
 glorious statues--though it was the    
wealth and taste of  ,english noblemen  
and gentlemen 7who in that proved       
themselves truly noble  and gentle7 who 
placed them here1 yet it was the genius 
of ,english  artists--men at once above 
and below all ranks--men who have worked
 their  way up1 not by money or birth1  

but by worth and genius1 which taught   
the  noble and wealthy the value of     
those antiques1 and which proclaimed    
their  beauty to the world4  ,the       
,british ,museum is a truly equalising  
place1 in  the deepest and most         
spiritual sense4  ,and it gives the lie1
 too1 to that  common slander1 that the 
,english are not worthy of free         
admission to  valuable and curious      
collections1 because they have such a   
trick of  seeing with their fingers2    
such a trick of scribbling their names1 
of  defiling and disfiguring works of   
art4  ,on the ,continent it may do1 but 
you cannot trust the ,english4    ,this 
has been1 like many other untruths1 so  
often repeated1 that people  now take it
 for granted2 but ,i believe that it is 
utterly groundless1 and  ,i say so on   
the experience of the ,british ,museum  
and the ,national  ,gallery4  ,in the   
only two cases1 ,i believe1 in which    
injury has been done  to anything in    
either place1 the destroyers were       

neither working-men1 nor  even poor     
reckless heathen street-boys1 but       
persons who had received what  is too   
often miscalled a liberal education4    
,but national property  will always be  
respected1 because all will be content1 
while they feel  that they have their   
rights1 and all will be careful while   
they feel that  they have a share in the
 treasure4    ,go to the ,british       
,museum in ,easter week1 and see there  
hundreds of  thousands1 of every rank   
and age1 wandering past sculptures and  
paintings1 which would be ruined by a   
blow--past jewels and curiosities1  any 
one of which would buy many a poor soul 
there a month's food and  lodging--only 
protected by a pane of glass1 if by     
that2 and then see not  a thing         
disfigured--much less stolen4           
,everywhere order1 care1 attention1     
honest pride in their country's wealth  
and science2 earnest reverence for  the 
mighty works of ,god1 and of the        
,god-inspired4  ,i say1 the people of   

,england prove themselves worthy of free
 admission to all works of art1  and it 
is therefore the duty of those who can  
to help them to that free  admission4   
,what a noble1 and righteous1 and truly 
brotherly plan it would be1 if all      
classes would join to form a free       
,national ,gallery of ,art and ,science1
  which might combine the advantages of 
the present ,polytechnic1 ,society of   
,arts1 and ,british ,institution1       
gratis4 #bdc  ,manufacturers and men of 
science might send thither specimens of 
their new inventions4  ,the rich  might 
send1 for a few months in the year--as  
they do now to the ,british             
,institution--ancient and modern        
pictures1 and not only pictures1 but all
  sorts of curious works of art and     
nature1 which are now hidden in their   
drawing-rooms and libraries4  ,there    
might be free liberty to copy any       
object1 on the copyist's name and       
residence being registered4  ,and surely
  artists and men of science might be   

found1 with enough of the spirit of     
patriotism and love1 to explain         
gratuitously to all comers1 whatever    
their rank or class1 the wonders of the 
,museum4  ,i really believe that if     
once the spirit of brotherhood got      
abroad among us2 if men once saw  that  
here was a vast means of educating1 and 
softening and uniting those  who have no
 leisure for study1 and few means of    
enjoyment1 except the gin-  shop and    
,cremorne ,gardens2 if they could but   
once feel that here was a  project1     
equally blessed for rich and poor1 the  
money for it would be at  once          
forthcoming from many a rich man1 who is
 longing to do good1 if he  could only  
be shown the way2 and from many a poor  
journeyman1 who would  gladly contribute
 his mite to a truly national museum4   
,all that is  wanted is the spirit of   
self-sacrifice1 patriotism and brotherly
  love--which ,god alone can give--which
 ,i believe ,he is giving more and  more
 in these very days4    ,i never felt   

this more strongly than one day1 as ,i  
was looking in at the  windows of a     
splendid curiosity-shop in ,oxford      
,street1 at a case of  humming-birds4   
,i was gloating over the beauty of those
 feathered jewels1  and then wondering  
what was the meaning1 what was the use  
of it all8 why  those exquisite little  
creatures should have been hidden for   
ages1 in all  their splendours of ruby1 
and emerald1 and gold in the ,south     
,american  forests1 breeding and        
fluttering and dying1 that some dozen   
out of all  those millions might be     
brought over here to astonish the eyes  
of men4  ,and as ,i asked myself1 why   
were all these boundless varieties1     
these  treasures of unseen beauty1      
created8 my brain grew dizzy between    
pleasure  and thought2 and1 as always   
happens when one is most innocently     
delighted1 ,i turned to share the joy1  
as ,wordsworth says2 and next to  me    
stood a huge1 brawny coal-heaver1 in his
 shovel hat1 and white  stockings and   

high-lows1 gazing at the humming-birds  
as earnestly as  myself4  ,as ,i turned 
he turned1 and ,i saw a bright manly    
face1 with a  broad1 soot-grimmed       
forehead1 from under which a pair of    
keen flashing  eyes gleamed wondering1  
smiling sympathy into mine4  ,in that   
moment we  felt ourselves friends4  ,if 
we had been ,frenchmen1 we should1 ,i   
suppose1  have rushed into each other's 
arms and fraternised upon the spot4  ,as
  we were a pair of dumb1 awkward       
,englishmen1 we only gazed a            
half-minute1  staring into each other's 
eyes1 with a delightful feeling of      
understanding each other1 and then burst
 out both at once with1 ,isn't  that    
beautiful8  ,well1 that is6  ,and then  
both turned back again1 to  stare at our
 humming-birds4    ,i never felt more   
thoroughly than at that minute 7though1 
thank ,god1 ,i  had often felt it       
before7 that all men were brothers2 that
 this was not  a mere political         
doctrine1 but a blessed ,god-ordained   

fact2 that the  party-walls of rank and 
fashion and money were but a paper      
prison of our  own making1 which we     
might break through any moment by a     
single hearty  and kindly feeling2 that 
the one spirit of ,god was given without
 respect  of persons2 that the beautiful
 things were beautiful alike to the     
coal-  heaver and the parson2 and that  
before the wondrous works of ,god and of
  ,god's inspired genius1 the rich and  
the poor might meet together1 and  feel 
that whatever the coat or the creed may 
be1 ,a man's a man for a'  that1 and one
 ,lord the maker of them all4    ,for1  
believe me1 my friends1 rich and        
poor--and ,i beseech you to think       
deeply over this great truth--that men  
will never be joined in true            
brotherhood by mere plans to give them a
 self-interest in common1 as the        
,socialists have tried to do4  ,no3 to  
feel for each other1 they must  first   
feel with each other4  ,to have their   
sympathies in common1 they  must have   

not one object of gain1 but an object of
 admiration in common2  to know that    
they are brothers1 they must feel that  
they have one ,father2  and one way to  
feel that they have one common ,father1 
is to see each  other wondering1 side by
 side1 at ,his glorious works6          
,footnotes3      #hj;a  ,h4,m4,s4 the   
,duke of ,wellington4    #hj;b  ,form of
 prayer to be used at sea4    #aii      
,this was written and sent out to the   
army before ,sebastopol in the  winter  
of #ahee4    #bbb  ,prescott's ,history 
of the ,conquest of ,mexico4  ,see ,book
 v41 ch4  #a4    #bcj  ,mr4 ,kingsley   
wrote these papers for ,london          
working-men1 but his  words apply just  
as much to soldiers in ,london barracks1
 as to artizans4  ,he thought much of   
the good of pictures1 and all beautiful 
things for  hard-worked men who could   
see such things in public galleries1    
though  they could not afford to have   
them in their own homes4    #bdc  ,since
 this paper was written in #ahdh many   

such institutions have  been opened1 at 
,south ,kensington1 and in several great
 towns4