,transcribed from the #ahhh ,william    
,rice edition by ,david ,price1 email   
ccx#jgdpglaf4org                        
,memorials                              
,,of                                    
,,francis ,,storr4                      
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,sermons                               
,,by                              ,,rev4
 ,,canon ,,hoare1                       
,,and                                   
,,rev4 ,w4 ,,may1              ,preached
 in ,brenchley ,church1 #bf ,february1  
#ahhh4                                  
,,also                      ,,notes ,,of
 ,,the ,,last ,,sermon ,,preached ,,by  
,,rev4 ,f4 ,,storr1                     
#ab ,february1 #ahhh4                   
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,london3                     ,,william 
,,rice1 #hf ,,fleet ,,street1 ,e4,c4    
99 99 99 99 99          ,in ,memoriam4  
,,francis ,,storr4                      
,from the ,,guardian1 ,feb4 #bith1      
#ahhh4 #c    ,on ,saturday1 ,february   

#beth1 the mortal remains of the ,rev4  
,francis ,storr1  for thirty-four years 
,vicar of the parish1 were buried in the
 beautiful  churchyard of ,brenchley4   
,the snow lay thick upon the ground1 but
 the sun  shone bright in heaven1 and   
the outward scene symbolised and        
reflected  the feelings of the          
mourners--the blank sorrow of a bereaved
 parish1 and  the rejoicing that the    
last prayer of their beloved pastor had 
been  granted1 and that he had been     
summoned home before increasing years   
had  necessitated that resignation of   
his work and ministry which would have  
been to him a living death4    ,his work
 was well described by ,canon ,hoare1   
who preached the funeral  sermon3--8,he 
was a true specimen of a devoted parish 
clergyman4  ,he did  not take much part 
in things outside his parish4  ,most    
thankful should we  have often been if  
we had had more of his help and counsel 
in matters  concerning the diocese and  
the ,church4  ,but the parish was his   

sphere1  the parish was his home1 and   
the parish was the one object for the   
benefit of which he spent his life40    
,the ,bishop of ,dover writes1--8,no one
  could possibly be half-an-hour in his 
company without seeing a  transparently 
,christian character1 the chief features
 of which were  personal humility and   
genial sociability40  ,and the          
,archbishop of  ,canterbury             
writes1--8,my last day in ,brenchley1   
and my walk and talk with  him were one 
of the never-to-be-forgotten days4  ,the
 labour and the love  which turned an   
affliction so great his blindness into a
 gain1 were  indeed in the very spirit  
of ,st4 ,paul and of his ,master40      
,born in #ahjh1 and educated at ,harrow 
and ,queen's ,college1 ,oxford1 he      
entered the ministry in #ahcc as curate 
of ,up-,waltham1 in ,sussex1 where he   
often exchanged pulpits with ,archdeacon
 7now ,cardinal7 ,manning4  ,in #ahcg1  
he was appointed to the rectory of      
,otley in ,suffolk1 through the         

instrumentality of the present ,bishop  
of ,norwich1 who1 with a                
conscientiousness which was in those    
days rarer than now1 refused himself  to
 hold two livings4  ,the parish had     
never before had a resident  incumbent4 
,a dilapidated and empty church was     
speedily restored and  filled4  ,the    
young preacher with his striking        
presence1 clear voice1 and  impassioned 
delivery1 attracted a congregation not  
only from his own  parish1 but from the 
neighbouring villages1 where in those   
days such  preaching was unknown1 so    
that hearers from twenty-three different
  parishes have been counted at one     
,otley service4    ,in #ahdf1 he was    
presented by ,lord ,tollemache1 who as a
 near neighbour had  seen and           
appreciated his work at ,otley1 to the  
living of ,acton1 in  ,cheshire4  ,acton
 is a large and straggling agricultural 
parish1 but with  the help of curates   
and district visitors1 he soon got to   
know each  household almost as          

intimately as in the village of ,otley1 
and any one in  trouble1 whether of mind
 or body1 instinctively turned to the   
,vicarage4  ,acton was one of the first 
parishes1 if not the first parish1 to   
give up  generally the practice of      
,sunday cheese-making4  ,till1 at his   
instigation1 the experiment was tried1  
it had been pronounced by farmers  an   
impossibility4  ,after eight years of   
incessant labour 7he was hardly  absent 
as many ,sundays from his parish71 the  
declining health of his wife  compelled 
him to move southward1 and he was       
appointed to the living of  ,brenchley1 
vacant by the death of the ,rev4 ,r4    
,davies1 ,secretary of the  ,c4,m4,s41  
whose widow some years later became his 
second wife4  ,the special  work of his 
predecessor was carried on by him with  
ever-increasing zeal  and success1 and1 
whereas in #ahdh ,brenchley had scarcely
 heard of the  ,c4,m4,s41 in #ahhg the  
contribution from the parish amounted to
 over #cjj4  ,part of this sum came from

 outside friends who knew that the most 
acceptable birthday present they could  
make to the ,vicar was a  subscription  
to his favourite ,society1 but the      
larger proportion was  given in         
sixpences and coppers4  ,it must not be 
supposed that this  preference made him 
overlook other claims1 or ignore other  
charitable  societies4  ,in particular1 
the ,london ,city ,mission1 the ,flower 
,mission1  and the ,bible ,society were 
very near his heart4  ,as for the wants 
of his  own parishioners1 he not only   
gave profusely himself1 but he was      
indefatigable in urging their claims on 
all who could or would give4  ,he  was1 
,i believe1 the first incumbent in ,kent
 to remit1 without  solicitation1 a     
percentage of the tithe4  ,latterly1 in 
hop-gardens where  no hops were picked1 
the tithe was wholly remitted1 and no   
farmer who was  in real straits was ever
 pressed for payment4  ,for labourers   
out of work1  work was somehow made or  
found4  ,thus1 during the last winter1  

as many as  thirty at a time were       
employed by him in road-making4         
,endless similar  charities might be    
recorded1 and still more were done in   
secret and  unknown2 but these would    
wholly fail to represent 8that best     
portion of a  good man's life1 his      
little nameless unremembered acts of    
kindness and of  love40  ,his utter     
unselfishness and his quick power of    
sympathy endeared  him to an            
ever-widening circle of friends4  ,he   
never lost sight of any he  had known1  
and all1 whether rich or poor1 knew     
that1 if content with  simple fare1 they
 would be welcome visitors at the       
,vicarage4    ,during the last ten years
 of his life1 the greatest of earthly   
privations  was sent him4  ,there was a 
gradual failure of sight1 ending in     
total  blindness4  ,none who knew him   
even slightly can have failed to admire 
the  serenity and cheerfulness with     
which this loss was borne4  ,like       
,milton1  he 8bated not a jot of heart  

or hope1 but still bore up and steered  
right  onward 4 4 4 content1 though     
blind40  ,he never would admit that it  
was to  him a heavy trial1 though to a  
man of his independent character and    
restless energy it must have been a     
daily thorn in the flesh4  ,thanks to   
the guidance of loving hands1 he was    
able to continue to the last his        
pastoral visits1 and would fearlessly   
mount the narrowest and steepest  stairs
 of cottages1 wherever the sick or dying
 needed his ministrations4  ,his sermons
 and lectures seemed almost to gain in  
power by his  concentration of thought  
and abstraction from objects of sense4  
,he would  not rarely take 7,i had      
almost written 8read07 the whole of the 
,morning  ,service1 including the       
,psalms and the ,holy ,communion4  ,even
 in his  eightieth year his memory was  
hardly impaired1 and he would give      
chapter  and verse for text after text  
quoted in his sermons4  ,his knowledge  
of  the ,bible was wonderful2 it was as 

if he had it photographed on his  heart4
  ,the last sermon1 preached only nine  
days before his death1 was  clear1      
stirring1 and energetic1 and bore no    
trace of flagging powers4    ,his life  
was one of the many golden threads that 
run through the  variegated warp of     
,england's ,church history1 and show the
 continuity of  her ministry4  ,though  
severed by five centuries1 he is the    
direct lineal  descendant of ,chaucer's 
8poure ,persoun of a toun10 and there is
 scarce a  word in that marvellous      
portraiture that might not have been    
written of  ,francis ,storr1 for        
8,christes lore1 and his apostles       
twelve1      ,he taughte1 but first he  
folwede it himselve40          ,in      
,memoriam4  ,,francis ,,storr4          
,from the ,,record1 ,march #bnd1 #ahhh4 
,among the deaths of last week our      
readers will have seen the name of the  
,rev4 ,francis ,storr1 ,vicar of        
,brenchley1 ,kent4  ,the news reached us
 only  in time to record the bare fact1 

but we cannot pass over in silence a    
life1 uneventful indeed1 but none the   
less noteworthy4  ,mr4 ,storr was one   
of the oldest1 if not the oldest1 of a  
remarkable band of men1 linked  together
 by common views and doctrines1 but     
still more closely united by  the       
apostolic zeal and devotedness to       
,christ's service which animated one    
and all4  ,he was the brother-in-law and
 intimate ally of ,dean ,champneys  and 
,bishop ,utterton1 and the life-long    
friend of the ,bishop of ,norwich  and  
the ,bishop of ,liverpool4    ,born in  
#ahjh1 he graduated at ,oxford in #ahcc 
7the year of the first  appearance of   
,tracts for the ,times71 being awarded  
an honorary ,fourth  ,class4  ,with the 
,tractarian movement he felt no         
sympathy1 and1 though on  terms of      
friendship with some of the leaders of  
that movement1 from the  very first he  
threw in his lot with the ,evangelical  
party1 never swerving  in his allegiance
 to the end1 though ripening years      

taught him more and  more to see good in
 everything and to attach less          
importance to party  distinctions4  ,in 
the same year he was ordained by the    
,bishop of  ,chichester to the curacy of
 ,up-,waltham1 and two years after he   
took the  curacy of ,beckenham1 ,kent4  
,here he married his first wife1        
,caroline1  daughter of ,colonel        
,holland of ,langley ,farm1 ,beckenham1 
a true and  constant helpmate during the
 twenty years that she was spared to    
share  his labours4  ,in #ahcg he was   
presented to the living of ,otley1 in   
,suffolk1 and in this small but         
neglected parish his energies found for 
a  time full scope4  ,when he came1     
there was no parsonage 7no previous     
,rector had ever lived in the parish71  
the church was dilapidated1 and the     
churchyard a neglected waste4  ,a       
parsonage was built1 the church         
restored1 and the churchyard reclaimed4 
,but the spiritual change wrought  by   
his means in the parish was even more   

striking4  ,the voice of one  crying1   
not in a dissenting chapel1 but from a  
,church of ,england pulpit1  8,repent   
ye10 and appealing with all the fervour 
and some of the eloquence  of a         
,whitfield1 to the individual conscience
 was a strange sound in that  sleepy    
hollow4  ,those who had never before set
 foot in a church came1  first from     
curiosity1 then from genuine interest1  
and then carried the  good news to their
 neighbours1 so that the little church  
could sometimes  not contain the hearers
 who came from twenty parishes round4   
,his sermons  were wholly extempore2 he 
never took a note with him into the     
pulpit4  ,in  the most literal sense of 
the words1 8he preached unto them the   
,scriptures10 for having studied the    
text of the ,bible as few clergymen  are
 now wont in these days of multiplied   
expositions and commentaries1  and being
 gifted with a strong memory1 he would  
pour forth verse after  verse in support
 of any point he was urging1 giving in  

each case the  exact reference4  ,but it
 was even more by house-to-house        
visitation than  in the pulpit that he  
made his influence felt4  ,by his       
absolute  unselfishness1 his            
large-hearted sympathy1 his deep        
personal humility1  and his genial      
humour1 he found his way sooner or later
 to every heart1  and ,dissenters who   
would denounce him in public as part and
 parcel of the  hated and apostate      
,establishment1 welcomed him in private 
as their truest  counsellor and friend4 
,over children he exercised almost a    
fascination2  they would follow him     
along the village street like the ,pied 
,piper1 and  for each child he would    
have his sportive nickname or little    
private  joke4    ,leaving ,otley for   
,acton was one of the greatest trials to
 his singularly  affectionate nature1   
and to the end of his life ,otley and   
its people were  very dear to his heart4
  ,but1 much as he loved his first      
parish1 he felt  that he could not      

resist the call to a wider sphere of    
duty4  ,of his work  at ,acton1 his     
successful crusade against ,sunday      
cheese-making1 and his  unflagging work 
and labour1 both spiritual and sanitary1
 in the fatal  cholera year1 we have    
left ourselves no space to speak4  ,we  
must pass to  the last and longest      
chapter of his life at ,brenchley1 of   
which for  thirty-four years he was the 
,vicar4  ,succeeding the ,rev4 ,richard 
,davies1  the faithful and devoted      
,secretary of the ,c4,m4,s41 he accepted
 as a sacred  legacy the furtherance of 
the claims of that ,society4  ,how      
successfully  he pleaded its cause is   
shown by the fact that in #ahhf         
,brenchley1 a rural  parish with no     
resident squire1 sent up a larger       
contribution than the  whole of         
,scotland4  ,the chief proportion of    
this came from the coppers of           
missionary boxes1 and the proceeds of a 
missionary basket to which an old       
servant of the family was 8told off40   

,during his incumbency the growing      
district of ,paddock ,wood1 and the     
off-lying hamlet of ,matfield1 were made
  into separate parishes4  ,if all      
parishes had had an ,incumbent like the 
,vicar of ,brenchley1 we may confidently
 say that the question of  extraordinary
 tithe would never have arisen4  ,each  
defaulter was treated  by him as a      
tenant in arrears with his rent would be
 treated by an  indulgent landlord1 and 
in bad years some remission of tithe was
 freely  granted at a time when such    
indulgence was unknown1 at least in     
,kent4  ,nor were the labourers less    
cared for than the farmers4  ,no man or 
woman  who could show a plausible case  
of distress was ever sent empty away    
from  the ,vicarage1 and relief was     
always1 if possible1 given in kind or by
  providing employment4  ,for the       
hop-pickers who swarmed each autumn from
  the slums of ,london one or more      
,scripture-readers from the ,london     
,city  ,mission were always retained2   

field meetings1 magic-lantern           
entertainments1 c41 were got up2        
pressure was brought to bear on the     
farmers to supply more decent sleeping  
accommodation--in a word1 they were     
treated for the time as members of the  
flock1 and1 as far as time and          
opportunity permitted1 ,christianised4  
,of his private life this is not  the   
place to speak1 but this much we may    
venture to state--no man since  ,dr4    
,primrose numbered so many poor         
relations1 for the plea of poverty or   
distress was at once admitted by him as 
a claim of kinship4  ,and he never  lost
 sight of a friend4  ,curates who had   
worked with him forty years ago  would  
still write to seek his counsel and help
 in any difficulty4    ,for the last ten
 years of his life it pleased ,god to   
afflict him with the  hardest of human  
trials--the total loss of sight4  ,yet  
he found a way to  turn his loss to     
gain1 and his noble example of cheerful 
and almost  joyous resignation to the   

will of his ,father more than           
compensated for  any diminution of his  
energy as a pastor4  ,not indeed that he
 relaxed or  slackened his work to the  
very end4  ,in his eightieth year it was
 his  habit to take the ,communion      
,service and ,sermon in the ,morning1   
and to  read ,prayers in the ,afternoon2
 and1 though he had necessarily to      
depend  more on others for seeking      
information and carrying out his        
behests1 no  household in the parish was
 unknown or uncared for4    ,his last   
prayer1    1 was granted him1 and he    
died in  harness1 quietly1 almost       
painlessly1 and with consciousness to   
the last4  ,one minute only before he   
was taken1 he asked one of his sons on  
what  text he had preached the previous 
,sunday1 and on being told1 8,our       
,father1  which art in heaven10 he      
whispered1 8,our ,father--in those two  
words1  rightly understood1 lies the    
whole of the ,gospel40          ,i4     
,,sermon  ,,by  ,,rev4 ,,canon ,,hoare1 

,m4,a4  ,sunday ,morning1 ,february     
#bfth1 #ahhh4          ,ezekiel xxxiii4 
#cc3 8,and when this cometh to pass 7lo1
 it will      come71 then shall they    
know that a prophet hath been among     
them40    ,,you can see at a glance the 
application of these words to the solemn
  occasion that has brought us together 
this day4  ,they were spoken to         
,ezekiel4  ,he was a very popular and   
attractive preacher4  ,the people sat   
before him1 and his words were unto them
 8as a very lovely song of one  that    
hath a pleasant voice1 and can play well
 on an instrument40  ,but  they produced
 no effect2 for the people heard his    
words1 but they did  them not4  ,these  
words were therefore spoken to warn them
 that when  certain predicted troubles  
should arise1 they would learn the truth
 of  ,ezekiel's ministry4  ,those       
troubles are described in verses #bg1   
#bh2 and  these words were added to warn
 the people that when all this should   
come  to pass--which it most surely     

would do--they would then learn the     
awful  fact that there had been a       
terrible reality in the message of the  
prophet1 and be taught by too late      
experience that1 although they had      
regarded him not1 they had had a prophet
 among them4    ,now1 the word 8prophet0
 is not applied only to those persons   
who were  moved by the ,spirit to       
predict the future1 such as ,isaiah1    
,jeremiah1 and  ,ezekiel4  ,it means one
 who speaks forth the ,word of ,god1 and
 proclaims  the message of ,god in the  
,lord's name4  ,it is a term therefore  
that1 in  this its wider sense1 may well
 be applied to your late beloved pastor1
  our dear and honoured brother now     
taken from us1 of whom it may be said   
with the most perfect truth that for    
thirty-four years he went in and out  a 
true prophet among you4    ,he was a    
prophet in the true meaning of the word1
 for he spent his life  in publishing or
 speaking forth amongst you the hidden  
mysteries of the  salvation of ,god4    

,we quite acknowledge that he was not a 
prophet like  ,ezekiel1 carried away in 
lofty flights of inspired ecstasy2 nor  
like ,john  the ,baptist1 feeding on    
locusts and wild honey2 but he was one  
who was in  his own quiet1 devoted life 
a true prophet1 and who for fifty-five  
years  laboured for souls and faithfully
 preached ,christ ,jesus his ,saviour4  
,i have no words to express my profound 
reverence for such a man4  ,he was  a   
true specimen of that most honourable   
class1 the country clergymen of  the    
,church of ,england4  ,he did not take  
much part in things outside the  parish4
  ,most thankful should we often have   
been if we had had more of  his valuable
 help and counsel in matters concerning 
the ,diocese and the  ,church4  ,but the
 parish was his sphere1 the parish was  
his home1 and the  parish was the great 
object for which he spent his life4     
,remember him1 then1 in his ,pastoral   
work4  ,for thirty-four years 7the  best
 part of his ministry7 you have enjoyed 

this privilege4  ,i am  speaking1 ,i    
know1 to a bereaved flock2 and ,i want  
you to look back on  your past          
privileges4  ,he went in his pastoral   
work into the homes of his  people4     
,think of him3 how kind1 how faithful1  
how full of sympathy1 how  diligent in  
visiting1 even in his blindness4  ,was  
he not in very truth a  true friend to  
you all8  ,i am sure every heart must   
answer1 8,he was40    ,think of him     
among the ,young4  ,the majority of you 
must have grown up  under his care1 and 
you know what an interest he took in    
you2 how he  watched over you in the    
schools1 cared for you in your          
confirmation1 and  welcomed you when you
 became communicants at the ,table of   
the ,lord4    ,in my position at        
,tunbridge ,wells1 ,i see young people  
from all the  surrounding villages1 and 
by the candidates which ,i have for     
confirmation  ,i can form some estimate 
of what is going on in the different    
parishes4  ,now ,i always have a good   

hope when ,i have to do with young      
people who  have been brought up at     
,brenchley4  ,i find them1 as a general 
rule1 well  trained in the ,gospel4  ,i 
cannot say that they all love it1 but   
they have  been taught it1 and all that 
the pastor can do has been done for them
 in  their early training4  ,how many   
are there in this church at this present
  time who can look back with profound  
thanksgiving to lessons taught them  in 
early life by that venerable man6       
,think of him in his ,missionary work4  
,i do not mean in parochial  missions1  
such as you have just been having--,i   
mean in his warm love for  that grand   
institution1 the ,church ,missionary    
,society4  ,were there ever  known such 
,bible and ,missionary meetings as those
 in his schoolroom8  ,what a holy       
enthusiasm did he kindle amongst us6    
,what a glow there was  all around him6 
,the dullest hearts could not fail to   
catch his fire4  ,how he knew the       
history of each box6  ,he could not see 

the records  because of his blindness1  
but he knew all about the boxes and     
their  possessors2 and it was impossible
 to be apathetic in his presence4  ,and 
what was the secret of it all8  ,how was
 it brought about8  ,how was this  fire 
kindled--this enthusiasm8  ,was it not  
that he was a man of prayer8  ,i        
remember the last meeting ,i was at in  
,brenchley4  ,just before we left the   
,vicarage we knelt together in his      
study1 and there he poured out his      
whole soul before ,god1 and pleaded for 
that blessing which he found  awaiting  
him when we reached the schoolroom4     
,there was the secret of his  power1 and
 there it was that he learned that even 
in his loss of eyesight  ,god's grace   
was sufficient for his need4    ,then   
think of him in the ,church4  ,what a   
wonderful thing to have seen  that man1 
totally blind1 standing at the          
,communion ,table only last ,ash        
,wednesday1 and going through the       
service with the ,epistle and ,gospel as

  well as those who have their full     
vision4  ,it was a grand thing to see   
the blind man not reading the prayers   
but repeating them4  ,he had loved      
those prayers throughout his ministry2  
he had prayed them all through the  days
 of his eyesight1 and they had become so
 completely a part of himself  that1    
when his eyesight was gone1 the prayers 
remained written both on  his memory and
 soul2 so that instead of sight he had  
memory1 and instead  of his prayer-book 
he made use of the fleshy tables of the 
heart4  ,that  is the way to pray4      
,and then follow him to the ,pulpit4    
,how often has he stood in this pulpit  
to plead with you6  ,he must have       
preached in this church between three   
and four thousand sermons6 and who can  
measure the value of such a  ministry8  
,here he stood as the ambassador for    
,christ1 8warning every man  and        
teaching every man in all wisdom that he
 might present every man  perfect in    
,christ ,jesus10 c4  ,here he stood to  

warn the wicked1 to  awaken the         
careless1 to carry hope to the          
convicted1 to proclaim pardon  to the   
repentant1 help to the weak1 comfort to 
the afflicted1 and to give  food to     
those hungering and thirsting after     
righteousness4  ,to sum up1 he  preached
 the ,gospel of ,god through the power  
of the ,holy ,ghost4  ,and how          
earnestly did he do it1 and how         
prayerfully6 how faithfully and yet how 
tenderly6  ,how did his heart yearn for 
souls6  ,how did he first plead  with   
,god for sinners in his own home1 and   
then come here to plead with  sinners   
for ,god6  ,it is to such preaching as  
this that for the last  thirty-four     
years you have listened habitually1 and 
who shall venture to  say that there has
 not been a prophet among you8    ,once 
more1 look at him on his ,death-bed4    
,for a long time it had been his        
constant prayer that it would please    
,god to take him home before he had  to 
give up his work1 and so when the answer

 came all was ready4  ,there  was no    
alarm1 no hurry1 no confusion4  ,he     
could still think of his  beloved people
 whom he was about to leave1 mentioning 
by name some of the  sick and aged whom 
he was habitually visiting4  ,he could  
say1 as ,mr4  ,standfast in 8,pilgrim's 
,progress0 did1 8,i see myself now at   
the end of my  journey2 my toilsome days
 are ended4  ,i have formerly lived by  
faith1 but  now ,i go where ,i shall    
live by sight1 and shall be with ,him in
 whose  company ,i delight myself40     
,and so in the peaceful calm of an      
assured faith1 with his blessed ,saviour
  full in view1 and his beloved people1 
like the names on ,aaron's  breastplate1
 borne still on his heart1 he could step
 across the  border-line to receive from
 his ,lord1 whom he had so faithfully   
served  and so truly loved1 the blessed 
welcome1 8,well done1 good and faithful 
servant1 enter thou into the joy of thy 
,lord40    ,and now1 what was the secret
 of the whole character and the whole   

work8  ,what was it that made him what  
he was in the home1 in the parish1      
amongst  the young1 in the mission work1
 in the church1 and on his death-bed8   
,what was it that was the very essence  
of his life8    ,there was one thing1   
and one only4  ,and what was that8  ,i  
appeal to all  who knew him4  ,am ,i not
 right in saying that it was nothing    
else than the  glorious old ,gospel of  
the ,grace of ,god in ,christ ,jesus1   
his blessed  ,saviour8  ,on that he     
lived1 on that he laboured1 on that he  
died2 and  that was the one secret of   
his peace and power4  ,he was not       
ashamed of  the ,gospel of ,christ2 he  
knew it as the power of ,god unto       
salvation in  his own soul1 and he did  
not want to attempt to improve it by any
  new-fangled notions of the nineteenth 
century4  ,he believed in what have     
been called the three ,r's--,ruin1      
,redemption1 and ,regeneration4  ,he was
 one  of what people call the           
old-fashioned ,evangelical school--and a

 very good  fashion too1 for what       
foundation so good as one that has been 
tried8  ,he  believed in the utter ruin 
of human nature2 in the satisfaction of 
the  ,law through the propitiatory      
sacrifice of the ,son of ,god2 in the   
free  pardon through the ,blood of the  
,lamb1 and justification through faith  
alone2 in the perfection of imputed     
righteousness2 in the new birth by  the 
,holy ,ghost2 in ,his sanctifying power 
in the souls of believers4  ,he         
believed that the ,lord ,jesus ,christ  
would come again1 and would keep ,his   
people safe to the end2 and with a      
happy1 peaceful1 bright expectation1  he
 could live 8looking for that blessed   
hope and the glorious appearing  of our 
,great ,god and ,saviour ,jesus         
,christ40  ,these were the great        
principles of his life2 and by them was 
his whole character governed4  ,these   
were the truths on which he lived       
himself1 and which he taught in  his    
ministry2 and these were the principles 

which ,i trust he has left  indelibly   
written on the hearts and understandings
 of all of you1 who for  these many     
years have enjoyed the privilege of     
being members of his  flock4    ,we are 
all agreed1 then1 that there has been a 
true prophet among you2  and now the    
question is1 ,what has been the result  
of his prophecy8  ,his  labour is over1 
he is gone to his rest1 and we may apply
 to him the  words1 8,blessed are the   
dead which die in the ,lord from        
henceforth2 ,yea1  saith the ,spirit1   
that they may rest from their labours1  
and their works  do follow them0 7,rev4 
xiv4 #ac74  ,and now we have to consider
 what works  there are to follow him4   
,in the case of ,ezekiel there was great
  disappointment4  ,he was an inspired  
man1 and a most attractive preacher4    
,he was one that was heard with         
admiration2 but there was no result1 for
  the people did not act on his words4  
,now ,i fear we must believe that it has
 been the same with some at  ,brenchley1

 for we have no reason to expect that   
the results of our  ministry will be    
different to that of the ministry of    
,st4 ,paul1 of which  it is said1 8,same
 believed the things which were spoken1 
and some  believed not0 7,acts xxviii4  
#bd74  ,in all probability1 therefore1  
there  are in this parish some who have 
been familiar with the venerable man    
labouring amongst them1 and who have    
often heard his earnest words1 but  have
 never yet been touched in heart by the 
grace of ,god4  ,the hard heart  has    
never yet been broken1 the self-will has
 never yet submitted1 and  they are     
still as far from ,god as if there had  
never been a prophet among  them4  ,now1
 if there be such here1 remember4  ,you 
will never hear that  voice again2 you  
will no more listen to his earnest      
pleadings with you  for your souls4     
,but those appeals may still tell on    
you4  ,it is said of  ,abel1 8,he1 being
 dead1 yet speaketh40  ,now you know his
 character1 you  know how true and      

consistent he was2 you have heard how   
peacefully he  could depart to be with  
,christ2 and may not his death reach    
your heart  even if his life has failed 
to do so8  ,what do you think he would  
say to  you now if he could speak from  
heaven8  ,he might speak possibly with  
more  persuasive earnestness1 but ,i do 
not believe there would be the slightest
  change in his message4  ,i firmly     
believe that it would be nothing but the
  same old1 old story--,christ ,jesus   
for the sinner1 and the sinner for      
,christ ,jesus4  ,think1 then1 of all   
you can remember of his ministry4  ,you 
will never hear it again1 so gather up  
the fragments that remain that  nothing 
be lost4  ,in some cases there may be   
but very little1 for ,satan  carried    
most of it away before you left the     
church2 but let that little  tell4  ,if 
you remember nothing more1 remember1 at 
all events1 his  earnestness for your   
souls' salvation2 remember how he       
watched for your  souls as one that must

 give account2 and if you pained and    
grieved him by  your carelessness when  
here1 remember that you may possibly be 
able to  gladden him even now1 for are  
we not told that 8there is joy in heaven
  over one sinner that repenteth10 c48  
,so let his heart be gladdened even  in 
heaven2 let the angels carry up the     
blessed tidings that the lost  sheep is 
found1 and do you listen to those words 
of ,st4 ,peter1 which ,i am  sure would 
be the words of the saint before the    
throne3 8,repent and be  converted every
 one of you1 that your sins may be      
blotted out40    ,but it is not to all  
that ,i would repeat those words1 for ,i
 cannot doubt  for one moment that the  
ministry of my dear friend was not in   
vain in the  ,lord4  ,there cannot be   
the slightest doubt that ,god has richly
 blessed  that ministry to the salvation
 of very many souls4  ,who can doubt    
that  there are at this present moment  
very many with himself before the       
,throne  of ,god1 who owe their place   

there to ,god's blessing on his work in 
this  parish8  ,what a loving welcome   
must they have given him last           
,wednesday6  ,and how many are there    
amongst the living2 how many in this    
church this  morning2 how many of you   
who are now before me1 have reason to   
bless ,god  for all eternity for that   
knowledge of ,christ ,jesus your        
,saviour which  you learned through the 
instrumentality of him who will now     
speak to you  no more8  ,may it not be  
said of this church1 8,this and that man
 was born  here08  ,has not ,god the    
,holy ,ghost brought life to your souls 
in ,christ  ,jesus1 that life which is  
in the knowledge of ,him8 and have you  
not  reason most profoundly to thank    
,god for him whom ,he sent to be to you 
the  messenger of mercy8    ,and now he 
is gone1 and what are you to do8  ,the  
prophet is gone1 and  what remains8     
,that is a good verse for such an       
occasion in ,phil4 ii4 #ab1  for it is  
the voice of the absent pastor1 and it  

teaches that the flock  when bereaved   
must be thrown on their own personal    
union with ,god  himself--8,wherefore1  
my beloved1 as ye have always obeyed1   
not as in my  presence only1 but now    
much more in my absence1 work out your  
own  ,salvation with fear and trembling1
 for it is ,god which worketh in you    
both to will and to do of his good      
pleasure40  ,so now remember that the   
,lord ,jesus ,christ is not taken from  
you4  ,though your beloved ,vicar is    
gone1 your ,saviour remains4  ,you may  
draw as near to ,him this day as you    
did when that beloved voice led you in  
prayer4  ,so keep fast to ,him1 and  in 
,him to each other4  ,whenever there is 
a change in the ministry there  is a    
tendency to unsettlement1 but let there 
be no unsettlement here4  ,do  not begin
 to wander because he is gone2 but walk 
in the steps in which he  sought to lead
 you1 as consistent ,churchmen abiding  
in the old paths1 and  as humble        
believers so keeping close to the ,lord 

,jesus ,christ that1  through the power 
of the ,holy ,ghost given in ,him1 you  
may be enabled  through ,his great grace
 to glorify ,his name4          ,,ii4   
,,sermon  ,,by  ,,rev4 ,w4 ,may1 ,m4,a4 
,sunday ,afternoon1 ,february #bfth1    
#ahhh4          #b ,kings ii4 #e3       
8,knowest thou that the ,lord will take 
away thy master      from thy head      
to-day8 and he answered1 ,yea1 ,i know  
it1 hold      ye your peace40    ,,would
 not an empty pulpit to-day have been   
the most effective sermon8  ,the voice  
which for thirty-four years has spoken  
to you from this place1  so faithfully1 
so fervently1 so wisely1 and with the   
eloquence always of  love--that voice is
 silent4  ,there was once 8silence in   
heaven about the  space of              
half-an-hour20 and a still silence might
 be a speaking testimony  here1 to him  
who on ,wednesday week was ministering  
in this church1 and  the ,wednesday     
after was called home--a testimony to   
the life which he led1  to the truths   

which he taught1 and the precious       
fragrance of loving words  and deeds    
which he has left behind4  ,it seems as 
if ,god ,himself were  dealing with us1 
too closely almost for human            
intervention2 dealing with  our         
consciences1 our memories1 our hearts4  
,the ,lord has taken away our  master   
from our head to-day4  ,should we not   
hold our peace8  ,ought we not  to be   
dumb and open not our mouth1 because ,he
 is acting8  ,should we not  in thought 
and imagination go in and stand before  
our ,master1 judging  ourselves that we 
be not judged of the ,lord1 accounting  
to ,him for the  way we have dealt with 
,his servant1 and then1 convicted every 
one of  us--as well we may be1 the      
preacher first--by our own conscience1  
go out  one by one1 saying1 8,how       
dreadful is this place3 this is none    
other but  the ,house of ,god1 and this 
is the gate of heaven40  ,for a gate of 
heaven  truly it is4  ,it has been the  
gate of heaven for twenty-five years to 

the  speaker1 and but for words spoken  
at this gate1 ,god only knows whether he
  would be able to-day to subscribe with
 his hand unto the ,lord and say1 8,i   
am ,his40  ,sermons reckoned by the     
thousand1 full of sacred truth1 full of 
sanctified common sense1 full of marked 
originality1 full of 8power and  love   
and of a sound mind0--these have to be  
accounted for4    ,and his prayers1     
public and private--prayers put up for  
us on every  possible                   
occasion--effectual fervent prayers of a
 righteous man standing  ever in thought
 and feeling in the presence of ,god1   
and in the sweet1  bracing1 healthful   
atmosphere of unfeigned love to man1    
these are  responsibilities which none  
can evade4    ,what a true pastor he    
was6 what a faithful friend6 what a     
saintly  servant6 what a large-hearted  
man6  ,which of us but has had proof1   
nay1  countless proofs of his           
loving-kindness8  ,which of us could    
ever have  succeeded1 even if we had    

wished1 in making that man our enemy8   
,oh6  brethren1 tears may well be in our
 hearts to-day--well may we weep for    
ourselves and for our children1 weep    
because he is gone1 weep because not    
one of us appreciated him enough1 prayed
 for him enough1 loved him  enough1     
while he was still here4  ,oh6 but he   
was a pastor who pressed his  dear      
people to his heart1 and then bore them 
up on that large heart of  his before   
his divine ,master1--every one of us1   
and our needs were  continually in his  
mind4  ,and now the ,master has need of 
him1 and has  come and called him away2 
and1 after a short and comparatively    
easy  passage1 he has forded the river1 
and gone up the shining path1 and we    
stand alone and cry1 8,my father1 my    
father1 the chariot of ,israel and the  
horsemen thereof10 and we see him no    
more4    ,and yet he would not have us  
silent to-day4  ,he would bid us        
encourage  ourselves1 encourage one     
another in the ,lord4  ,he would exhort 

us to  preach the ,word4  ,he would     
remind us that the time is short1 and   
beseech  us to buy up the opportunity4  
,let us do it1 checking our tears4  ,did
 not  we hear only yesterday that word  
of ,christ1 8,whosoever liveth and      
believeth in me shall never die08  ,is  
there then loss to-day of any man's     
life amongst us1 or only of the ship8   
8,not lost1 but gone before10 is  that  
life1 if the word of ,christ be true4   
,our pastor 8is not dead1 but           
sleepeth40  ,the ship is broken by the  
violence of the waves1 but all the  life
 is 8safe to land40  ,the casket is     
shattered1 but the precious  jewel is in
 the hand1 nay1 in the very bosom of the
 ,saviour4  8,he is not  dead1 but      
sleepeth40  ,dead four days8  ,nay1 but 
alive1 with a life  far brighter and    
keener and more joyous than he ever had 
on earth6  ,he  sleeps well1 and        
presently the ,lord of life will say1   
8,i go that ,i may  awake him out of    
sleep40  ,and how near that day-dawn1   

that awaking time  may be1 the morning  
of the resurrection1 when the dead in   
,christ shall  rise first4  ,meanwhile1 
the voice that speaks to us from that   
farther  shore1 aye1 and will speak     
8till thought and memory flee0--that    
voice  saith in death1 when it cannot be
 silent1 what it would have hesitated in
  its humility to say in life3 8,be ye  
followers of me1 even as ,i am of       
,christ40  ,and so we call upon the     
,holy ,ghost1 the ,spirit of the ,living
  ,god and of ,jesus1 and offer this    
prayer--        8,refining fire1 go     
through my heart1         ,illuminate my
 soul2      ,scatter ,thy life through  
every part1         ,and sanctify the   
whole4        8,my steadfast soul from  
falling free1         ,shall then no    
longer move1      ,and ,christ be all in
 all to me1         ,and all my heart be
 love40    ,turn we now from our dear   
master who has been taken away to that  
,master1  still more dear1 that perfect 
,master1 8chiefest among ten thousand1  

and  altogether lovely10 who remains4   
,they fail1 but ,thou remainest4  ,human
 friends1 comforters1 pastors forsake   
us1 but ,thou1 ,o ,christ1 art  with us 
all the days even unto the end4  ,even  
an ,elijah1 that chief of  the prophets1
 had to go up and stand before his      
,master4  ,but we1 beloved1  have a     
kingdom which cannot be moved1 and a    
kingly ,master who cannot die4  ,he1    
8the same yesterday1 and to-day1 and for
 ever1 is able to keep us  from falling4
  ,he shall preserve us blameless1 and  
present us faultless  before the        
presence of ,his glory with exceeding   
joy40                                   
99 99 99 99 99    ,earth and heaven are 
not very far apart4  ,when we stand at  
the foot of  the ladder with the        
ascending and descending angels1 when we
 sit at the  feet of ,jesus1 some down  
here1 some up there1 but all1 all for   
ever at  ,his feet1 and all1 all for    
ever in ,his hand1 and every one of us  
receiving of ,his words--when this is   

so1 beloved1 heaven draws very near  to 
earth1 and earth to heaven2 and when the
 gate opens to receive some  loved one  
in1 we can almost hear the music and the
 singing4  ,there is  just this         
difference and distinction3 here on     
earth we are labouring to  enter into   
rest2 there they are resting in the     
midst of joyful labour1  being so close 
to their ,king4  ,we might be closer    
than we are1 and thus  have more 8days  
of heaven upon earth40                  
99 99 99 99 99    ,and now1 feeling sure
 on this occasion of your forbearance   
and sympathy1  ,i add a few things which
 may interest you concerning our earthly
 master1  father1 teacher1 friend1 taken
 from our head to-day by the ,lord4     
,his knowledge of ,scripture was        
wonderful1 was it not8 and his memory   
for  quotation--not the words only1 but 
chapter and verse--up to the very last1 
after ten years of total blindness4     
,his knowledge too of that piece of     
intricate and1 alas6 disordered         

mechanism1 the human heart1 was         
remarkable4  ,how his sermons turned us 
inside out1 so to speak1 but all loving1
 wise1 and persuasive1 leading us  to   
,christ and to comfort4    ,the wondrous
 mixture in his disposition and         
character of thorough  humanity and     
great spirituality--of manliness1 vigour
 and cheerfulness1  with a very tender1 
sympathising heart6  ,how he could turn 
at once1 and  without causing any jar to
 our feelings1 or any sense of          
discrepancy in  his action1 from the    
brightest play of mirth and humour to   
fervent1  pleading prayer4  ,how real   
and transparent he was1 both as a man   
and a  ,christian6    ,there is another 
thing ,i desire to mention4  8,when the 
messengers of ,john  were departed1     
,jesus began to speak unto the people   
concerning ,john3 ,what  went ye out    
into the wilderness to see1 a reed      
shaken with the wind8 4 4 4  a man      
clothed in soft raiment8 4 4 4 a        
prophet80  ,you remember that  that1 on 

,sunday week1 was the text your dear    
pastor last preached from2  and what    
reply can we give to that question as   
regards himself8  ,was he a  fickle1    
changeable man1 8a reed shaken with the 
wind08  ,was he a man  living           
delicately1 surrounding himself with    
luxury1 and not rather a man  given to  
self-denial1 rising very early in the   
morning1 winter and  summer1 and        
depriving himself of comforts1 almost of
 necessaries1 for the  sake of his      
beloved poor8    8,but what went ye out 
for to see1 a prophet80  ,yea1 and a    
true prophet  concerning the things of  
,god4  ,if you know not now1 the day is 
coming  when 8ye shall know that there  
has been a prophet among you40  ,for    
myself1 ,i desire this once publicly to 
testify that ,i have never heard a      
sermon from his lips 7and ,i have heard 
many7 or spent half-an-hour in his      
company 7and ,i have spent many71       
without gaining conscious benefit to my 
soul4    ,can any of you who heard it1  

forget that last sermon of his on       
,sunday  week8  ,did you mark the look  
of holy joy in his dear face1 as he     
portrayed the eager readiness of the    
,baptist for martyrdom1 a martyrdom     
which would solve his last doubt1       
deliver him from his last sin1 free him 
from his last infirmity1 and place      
before his opened eyes the face of the  
,king8  ,yes1 on ,wednesday morning his 
eyes looked upon ,jesus1 who for  long  
years had looked on no man4  8,he has   
received his sight1 and  followed ,jesus
 in the way40    ,but are you aware that
 he had proposed to return to the       
subject of ,john  the ,baptist8 that    
very shortly before his translation 7for
 it was  translation rather than death71
 that verse was constantly in his       
thoughts3 8,john did no miracle1 but all
 things that ,john spake of this  man   
were true0 7,john x4 #da74  ,well1 all  
,i can say is of our beloved  friend and
 pastor1 if he did no miracle1 ,god did 
many miracles by  him4  ,who shall      

reckon up the number of precious souls  
saved1 cheered1  taught1 strengthened1  
made meet for the ,master's use by means
 of him who  now rests from his labours1
 but whose works do1 yea1 and shall     
follow  him4  ,one thing1 ,i believe1   
eternity will show--not that your       
minister was  a perfect minister or a   
perfect man2 he had his faults1 his     
mistakes1 his  sins--but this is what   
eternity will show1 and oh6 the weight  
of  responsibility it lays on all of us3
 8,the things which ,francis ,storr     
spake of ,jesus ,christ were true40     
,yet once more4  ,with special prayer   
and consideration1 he drew up for  this 
winter a ,course of ,wednesday ,evening 
,lectures4  ,two only1 out of the       
twelve1 were delivered4  ,the subject of
 the third was announced1 as  usual1 in 
church for the following ,wednesday1 but
 the address was not  given4  ,and what 
was the subject8  8,by it1 he being     
dead1 yet  speaketh20 8and when he had  
said this1 he fell asleep40  ,what does 

that  word it refer to--8by it1 he being
 dead1 yet speaketh08  ,abel's          
sacrifice1 type of ,christ's1 which     
,abel looked at and ,god accepted4  ,to 
the worth of that atoning sacrifice     
,abel testified1 your pastor  testified1
 in life1 unto death1 and for ever4     
,the lecture was not  delivered4  ,his  
death1 not his living voice1 was to     
declare it1 for we  had the text1 and   
the text only1 8and when he had said    
this1 he fell  asleep40    ,do you      
remember1 brethren1 the last time we all
 met--he1 and you1 and ,i1  for prayer  
and praise and conference at the opening
 of the year1 in that  well-loved       
school-room--do you remember that the   
speaker was led to quote  these lines8--
        8,the great and terrible        
wilderness of famine and of drought     
,lies in the shadow behind me1 for the  
,lord hath brought me out2      ,the    
great and terrible river1 though        
shrouded still from view1      ,lies in 
the shadow before me1 but the ,lord will

 bring me through40    ,now he has      
reached that river1 and crossed it1     
,christ and he--the ,master  and his    
beloved disciple4  8,they two went on20 
8they two went over40        8,so they  
passed over quickly towards the goal1   
,but the wistful1 loving gaze of the    
parting soul      ,grew only more rapt  
and joyful as he held his ,master's     
hand2      ,methinks or ever he was     
aware1 they were come to the ,holy      
,land40    ,and so his favourite        
oft-repeated text1 8,or ever ,i was     
aware1 my soul  made me like the        
chariots of ,ammi-nadib0 7,song ,sol4   
vi4 #ab71 was  fulfilled4  ,literally1  
the words are1 8,or ever ,i was aware1  
my soul set  me on the chariots of my   
willing people40  ,ah6 these were 8the  
chariots  of ,israel and the horsemen   
thereof10 which raised his spirits and  
lifted  him heavenward1 while he was    
still down here1 his people 8made       
willing  in the day of ,god's power40   
,beloved1 we may raise him higher yet6  

we  may gladden his heart still6 we may 
cause his reward to grow exceedingly1   
we may yet give him souls for his hire1 
seals to his ministry6  ,shall we  not  
hear him to-day1 dead yet speaking1     
beseeching us on this his first         
,sabbath in heaven1 to carry on and     
carry out the work ,god permitted him   
to do among us8  8,if there is therefore
 any comfort in ,christ1 if any         
consolation of love1 if any fellowship  
of the ,spirit1 if any tender  mercies  
and compassions1 fulfil ye my joy60     
7,phil4 ii4 #a1 ,r4 ,v474    ,that we   
may do it1 let us give earnest heed to  
the prayer of our master's  ,christ1 for
 the answer is not doubtful3 8,while ,i 
was with them in the  world1 ,i kept    
them in ,thy name4 4 4 4 and now come ,i
 to ,thee1 and these  things ,i speak4 4
 4 4 that they might have my joy        
fulfilled in  themselves10 7,john xvii4 
#ab1 #ac74          ,,iii4  ,,notes ,,of
 ,,the ,,last ,,sermon  ,,preached ,,by 
,,rev4 ,f4 ,,storr1 ,m4,a41  ,february  

#ab1 #ahhh4          ,matthew xi4 #i1   
#aj3 8,but what went ye out for to see8 
,a prophet8      ,yea1 ,i say unto you1 
and more than a prophet4  ,for this is  
he      of whom it is written1 ,behold1 
,i send my messenger before thy         
face1 which shall prepare thy way before
 thee40    ,i ,,propose to you for your 
own reading and meditation and          
self-examination  during the season of  
,lent the life and history of ,john the 
,baptist4  ,seek  out all the special   
passages which allude to him1 and pass  
them not  lightly over1 and see and mark
 the great reformer1 still more the     
great  forerunner4  ,that which may be  
done at any time is too often not done  
at  all2 thus our ,church has wisely set
 before us certain seasons for          
meditation on certain subjects4         
99 99 99 99 99    ,some do not approve  
of services in unconsecrated buildings4 
,i confess it  seems to me that such are
 not very assiduous in their attendance 
in  consecrated buildings6  ,no1 we want

 a heart for these services2 we want    
the ,holy ,spirit to make us know that  
we are dying creatures--that we must    
all stand before the ,judgment-seat of  
,christ4  8,it is high time to awake    
out of sleep0 7,rom4 xiii4 #aa74        
,glance at the leading features of      
,john's life3--    #a4                  
,self-discipline4    #b4  ,the ,witness4
    #c4  ,the closing scene of his life4
    #a4  ,if you notice particularly    
,matt1 iii41 ,luke i41 ,john iii4       
7towards  the end of the chapter71 ,luke
 iii41 ,mark vi41 you will have before  
you  the comprehensive features of ,john
 the ,baptist's life4  ,let me direct   
you  to his credentials4  ,this is the  
man who was prophesied of seven         
centuries before the coming of the      
,lord1 not in ,isaiah xl4 only1 but in  
,malachi iv4 #e4  ,he went into the     
wilderness1 the less inhabited country4 
,he probably had tried ,jerusalem2 it is
 not unlikely that he had consorted     
with the learned ,jews4  ,he found      

little encouragement1 it may be4  ,then 
he cast himself on the ,lord--,,he never
 disappoints4  ,we shall ever and anon  
7,god grant always7 cast ourselves on   
,him--there is no disappointment  there4
  ,the world disappoints1 friends       
disappoint1 there is very much          
disappointment in our own hearts4  ,god 
never disappoints4    ,men would        
consider it a great waste of time1 those
 three years in the  desert--so much for
 him to do1 so much misery and          
wickedness and sin4  ,there he was in   
the desert1 assuredly not doing nothing 
for men1 but in  the wilderness1 holding
 little intercourse with men4  ,rely    
upon it1 the  greatest things done for  
,god are done in secret4  ,religion does
 not come  forth full-blown4  ,god sows 
the seed2 the roots strike downward1    
unseen4  ,self-examination1             
self-discipline1 communion with         
,god1--these fit men for  great         
enterprises1 for conflict in daily life1
 and for the trustful and  rejoicing    

walk with ,god4  ,self-examination--very
 mild and charitable  towards others1   
very strict and exacting towards        
ourselves4  ,converse  with ,god3 there 
is no one you can tell everything to1   
but ,god4  ,away with  the idea of      
confession to our fellow-man--casting   
our burden upon the  priest1 as though  
he could take it to ,god for us4  ,that 
is not the way of  the saints of ,god4  
,no1 we want much converse with ,god1   
much searching of  ,his ,word1 and what 
that ,word saith to us individually1    
whenever we hear  ,his voice speaking to
 us1 do it4  ,george ,mller1 at the age 
of twenty1  made this ,book 8the man of 
his counsels40  ,mller's life is one of 
the  most wonderful miracles of         
,providence that ever was performed2    
that man1  without ever asking for one  
farthing from anyone1 committed his way 
to  the ,lord1 walked with ,god1 and in 
fifty years a million of money has      
passed through his hands2 ,i forget how 
many orphans he has clothed and  fed4   

,it is just as much a miracle as when   
the ravens fed ,elijah1 brought  him    
bread and flesh every morning and       
evening4    ,now1 the season of ,lent   
reminds us of self-examination1 of      
self-judgment2  and surely if           
self-judgment1 it will be               
self-condemnation4  ,it bids us  take   
everything to ,god3 thus shall we be    
blessed in the ,lord1 and in the  power 
of the ,holy ,ghost we shall have ,his  
peace pervading our hearts4  ,now let us
 proceed to--    #b4  ,the ,witness4    
,it was in 8the fulness of time0 that   
our ,lord came4  ,they had often been   
asking1 ,where are the signs of ,his    
coming8  ,it is of no use for man's     
clock to strike before ,god's4  ,if ,i  
may say so with reverence1 ,god's  clock
 struck1 and then ,john the ,baptist    
came--six months before the ,lord4      
,long predicted and anticipated1 at     
length he came4  ,he was of good        
parentage4  ,there is a great deal in   
being of good parentage4  8,the seed  of

 the blessed of the ,lord0 7,isa4 lxv4  
#bc74  ,the real thing--that is what  we
 want2 not gilding or veneer1 but the   
good heart of oak4  8,they were  both   
righteous before ,god10 etc4 7,luke i4  
#f74  ,that is the good  parentage4     
,children are apt to follow parents     
really walking 8in the  ways of the     
,lord40    ,his witness was             
uncompromising4  ,it was no time for    
mincing words4  8,the  axe is laid unto 
the root of the tree10 etc4 7,matt4 iii4
 #aj74  ,he went  straight to the mark4 
,his witness was general4  ,observe     
this1 when you hear men say1 8,the      
,gospel is not to be preached to all2 it
 is only for the elect40  ,god has  ,his
 elect2 ,god forbid that we should deny 
it4  ,but how shall we know  them8      
,it was a good answer of ,john ,newton's
 7too familiar it may have been7  when  
one was finding fault with him for      
preaching the ,gospel to all men1  he   
said1 8,you chalk the elect1 and then ,i
 will preach to them apart40  ,though   

the words are too familiar1 they strike 
the right note4  ,john  preached the    
,gospel to all1 8,repent ye1 for the    
kingdom of heaven is at  hand40  ,mark  
you1 the same word his blessed ,master  
preached 7,matt4 iv4  #ag74  8,repent   
ye10--change your mind2 go straight to  
,christ1 to ,god4  ,cease to do evil by 
the power of the ,holy ,ghost4          
,though the ,gospel has been preached   
from this place forty to fifty years1   
there are those who sit there1 year     
after year1 just as they were4  ,how    
will they be found in the ,day of the   
,lord8    ,as his witness was wholly    
uncompromising and general1 so was it   
practical4  ,he went direct to the mark4
  ,the soldiers1 the publicans1  the    
people1 all came to him2 even the       
,pharisees stripped off1 or rather      
covered over1 their phylacteries4  ,the 
,spirit of the ,living ,god to  convince
 of sin and quicken the conscience of   
each sinner--that is what we  want4     
,unless we speak in the ,holy ,ghost and

 in power1 we might as well1  and far   
better1 never speak at all4    ,the     
soldiers were coming into very great    
power at that time2 he told  them1 8,do 
no violence10 etc41 8and be content with
 your wages40  ,then the  tax-gatherers 
7who were utterly different from ours7  
had great  opportunities of             
over-reaching2 and some did not fail to 
take advantage  of the power4  ,sad     
advantage for them4  ,he told them1     
8,exact no more than  that which is     
appointed you40  8,he that hath two     
garments1 let him impart  to him that   
hath none40  ,if you can do good to any 
one1 do it2 if you  have small means1   
use them2 if you have great1 use them4  
,john used very  plain language1 8,o    
generation of vipers1 who hath warned   
you to flee from  the wrath to come80   
,yes1 beloved1 ,john could hardly have  
moved in polite  society1 for he        
ventured to speak of hell1 of 8the      
unquenchable fire10 of  8the wrath to   
come40  ,he told them to flee1 not to   

creep1 not to walk1  8from the wrath to 
come40  ,he urged--his ,master rather   
urged--8,repent ye10  etc4  ,he spoke to
 the conscience4  ,oh1 that the ,lord in
 my few remaining  days1 if any more    
days are given me1 oh1 that ,he would   
make my words more  plain4  ,i have     
striven to be plain1 brethren4    ,john 
was the uncompromising1 the faithful1   
the affectionate witness4  ,we  want a  
practical religion4  ,if not practical1 
we had better throw it  behind our      
backs2 it will not profit us in the last
 day4  ,what is the use  of our religion
 if it is not to influence our life1 if 
it is not to make  you1 dear children1  
better children1 more obedient children1
 keeping your  tongues from evil words1 
making you kind and gentle1 your        
father's joy  and your mother's darling1
 because they can trust you8  ,as a dear
 little  grandchild of mine said1 8,i   
don't know what papa would do without   
me2 ,i'm  his right hand1 he says10 and 
she added1 8,oh1 ,i don't know what ,i  

should  do without him60  ,yes1 we want 
practical religion4  ,if we are not     
honest-hearted1 faithful to our trust1  
if we do not to others as we would  they
 should do to us1 when we get to the    
gate of heaven and begin then  to look  
for our religion1 to hunt for our       
certificate1 it will not be  found4     
,the man without the wedding garment was
 speechless4    ,i remember an account  
of a ship that struck on rocks2 they    
rose sheer and  precipitous--not a      
chance of escape4  ,all at once a ladder
 was let down  from the top of the rock1
 and the poor sailors1 who had given up 
hope1  escaped all safe to land4    ,you
 are on the edge of the sea of eternity4
  ,the tide is coming in1 the  waves    
rolling up one after another2 but there 
is a ,rock4  ,you must reach  it1 you   
must cling to it4  ,how are you going to
 do it8  ,you are not  flies1 children1 
that you can walk up a perpendicular    
wall4  ,we have got  something far more 
difficult to do--to live to ,god1 to    

glorify ,god in our  daily walk and     
conversation4  ,in other words1 you want
 8a ladder set up0  7,gen4 xxviii4 #ab74
    ,what is that ,ladder8  ,john the   
,baptist preached holiness1 practice4   
,he  was a practical man1 because he did
 not teach men to make bricks without   
straw--he pointed them to ,christ4      
,standing by the river ,jordan1 and     
seeing ,jesus coming1 he directed all   
the people to ,him with the words1      
8,behold the ,lamb of ,god which taketh 
away the sin of the world40  ,that  was 
his ladder4  ,there is no godliness     
without ,christ3 8,without ,me ye can   
do nothing40  ,the man who seeks safety 
on any other raft--lifeboat he may  call
 it--is venturing on the ocean of       
,eternity in an unseaworthy craft4  ,we 
must rest simply and wholly on ,him1 the
 ,lamb of ,god1 the ,alpha and          
,omega--trust and know and love1 as well
 as serve1 the ,lord ,jesus4  ,now1     
time fails me1 brethren1 and ,i want    
very much to speak to you about the     

closing scene4  ,i must do so as briefly
 as ,i can4    #c4  ,the closing scene  
of his life4    ,a great deal is made of
 the closing scene of a man's life4     
,take1 for  instance1 one who has lived 
to himself all through life2 he is on   
his  death-bed1 we strain our ears to   
hear if we can1 any word to give a      
glimmer of hope4  ,he may have lived as 
he listed1 and then at the close  of    
life1 when he is at the last gasp1 and  
,death has him in his grip1  friends    
lean over the pillow and question1 8,are
 you trusting in ,christ80  and if the  
whispered answer should be 8,yes10 they 
are satisfied6  ,poor  dying man6 what  
else is left for him to do8  ,is such an
 act1 at such a  moment1 real faith8    
,if a house is on fire1 and a man leaps 
from the  second storey window1 you do  
not say he is a good leaper4  ,what else
  could he do8  ,i do not mean to say   
that there may not be such a thing as  a
 death-bed repentance1 but a death-bed  
repentance can scarcely be called       

satisfactory4  ,tell me what a man's    
life has been--has it been spent in     
,christ's service and to the glory of   
,god8--and ,i care not that whether  he 
has any last words on his death-bed or  
not4    ,look at ,john the ,baptist's   
end4  ,you do not find the account of   
many  deathbeds in ,scripture--the fact 
is1 the great thing is how a man lives4 
,is ,christ his life8  ,is holiness the 
result8  ,then will he lift up his  head
 in joy whether in life or death4       
,look at that last scene in the life of 
,john the ,baptist4  ,he had had a      
great and strong struggle4  ,read his   
life1 my children4  ,you like           
story-books2 you will find this ,book   
far more entertaining than you think    
for1 as1 for example1 the story of the  
three children in the fire1 ,daniel  in 
the lion's den1 and the story of the    
earthquake and shipwreck as told  in the
 life of ,st4 ,paul4  ,john was in      
prison1 imprisoned by the king--7,i     
pass over his uncompromising witness    

against sin74  ,it is difficult to      
speak before the great2 it is           
comparatively an easy thing for me to   
stand  up here and say1 ,my fellow      
sinner1 thou art going to hell6  8,come 
with us  and we will do thee good40     
99 99 99 99 99    ,a cloud had come over
 ,john the ,baptist's mind2 the faith   
which had  hitherto borne him up1 is now
 sharply exercised4  ,he sent his       
disciples  to ,jesus4  ,i do not think  
that he had the disciples' good only in 
view4  ,our blessed ,lord 8in that same 
hour cured many10 etc4  7,luke vii4 #ba1
  #bb71 and answered them1 8,go your    
way10 etc4 7ver4 #bb72 and ,he added    
this  7,oh1 ,i thank ,god for that      
addition71 8,and blessed is he whosoever
 shall  not be offended in me40  ,have  
you ever had prayers so answered--,i    
hope you  have had many--that you       
almost1 as they say1 leapt out of your  
skin1 you  have been so astounded8  ,you
 will have many more if you 8come boldly
 to  the ,throne of ,grace40  ,i believe

 then1 when the ,lord sent this message 
to  ,his faithful servant1 ,he answered 
the very want and questioning of his    
heart1 and that word satisfied the      
yearning of his heart4  ,john the       
,baptist must have said1 8,why1 ,he     
knows my very thoughts1 my very doubts1 
my failings1 my fears60  ,may ,i not    
thus interpret8  ,i do not add to the   
,word of ,god4    ,all clouds           
disappeared2 the ,sun of ,righteousness 
shines out with healing  in ,his wings4 
,by-and-by there is the glimmer of a    
light1 the sound of  the key in the     
lock4  8,ah6 my lord0 7so the jailor    
would probably have  called the         
prophet71 8,i bring you heavy           
tidings--the king has sent his          
executioner40  8,heavy tidings8  ,nay1  
joyous tidings6 blessed tidings6        
glorious tidings6  ,lord ,jesus1 ,i     
thank ,thee6  ,where is he8  ,do not    
keep  me one moment from heaven and     
glory60  ,down he laid his head on the  
block  joyfully1 and another saint was  

in glory6  ,oh1 my brethren1 think what 
that will be--8,for ever with the       
,lord06                                 
99 99 99 99 99                          
99 99 99 99 99               ,c4 ,f4    
,,hodgson ,,and ,,son1 ,,printers1      
,,gough ,,square1 ,e4,c4                
,,footnotes4      #c ,some printers'    
errors have been corrected1 and a few   
sentences  omitted by the ,editor       
re-inserted4