*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 67064 ***
Transcribed from the 1822 J. Hatchard and Son edition by David Price.
Many thanks to the British Library for making their copy available.
THE CHARACTER AND HAPPINESS OF
THEM THAT DIE IN THE LORD.
* * * * *
A
SERMON,
PREACHED OCTOBER 13, 1822,
IN
PARK CHAPEL, CHELSEA,
ON OCCASION
Of the Death of the late
REV. JOHN OWEN, M.A.
MINISTER OF PARK CHAPEL, AND ONE OF THE SECRETARIES OF
THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.
* * * * *
BY
WILLIAM DEALTRY, B.D. F.R.S.
RECTOR OF CLAPHAM, SURREY, AND OF WATTON, HERTS; AND
LATE FELLOW OF TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE.
* * * * *
_PUBLISHED BY REQUEST_.
* * * * *
London:
PRINTED FOR J. HATCHARD AND SON,
187, PICCADILLY.
1822.
* * * * *
* * * * *
PRINTED BY J. S. HUGHES, 66, PATERNOSTER, ROW.
* * * * *
TO
THE PRESIDENT,
THE VICE-PRESIDENTS,
AND THE OTHER MEMBERS
OF THE
British and Foreign Bible Society,
THIS SERMON
IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED.
* * * * *
A SERMON.
REVELATIONS xiv. 13.
_And I heard a voice from heaven_, _saying unto me_, _Write_,
_Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth_: _Yea_,
_saith the Spirit_, _that they may rest from their labours_; _and
their works do follow them_.
THE solemnity with which the doctrine contained in this passage is
introduced, and the remarkable way in which it is confirmed, declare
loudly its value and importance.
Amidst the visions of the Apocalypse, St. John had just beheld an
emblematical representation of the Church of Christ, and of its Almighty
Protector: a Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, with a hundred and forty and
four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads: the
faithful followers of their Lord in a corrupt and degenerate age; the
first fruits to God and the Lamb; when his attention was directed to
three angels, charged severally with the high commissions of bearing the
everlasting gospel to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people:
of proclaiming the utter overthrow of the mystic Babylon; and of
denouncing the divine vengeance upon all her adherents. The days thus
prefigured were to be days of hardship and persecution: the gospel, it is
intimated, would not prevail without a conflict, nor would Babylon fall
from her pre-eminence, without a hard struggle to maintain her
ascendancy. _Here_, therefore, as we read, _is the patience of the
saints_; much need will there be to them _that keep the commandments of
God_, _and the faith of Jesus_, to possess their souls in patience, and
to cultivate that meek and enduring spirit, which shone forth in their
crucified Redeemer. In order, then, that under these trying
dispensations, there may be no want of encouragement to maintain
constantly the faith of the gospel; and, if necessary, to resist even
unto blood, striving against sin; the inspired Apostle immediately and
abruptly proclaims, _I heard a voice from heaven_,—a voice therefore of
truth infallible, and of authority not to be controverted,—_Saying unto
me_. _Write_,—leave it as a lasting record for the instruction of all
future generations:—_Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from
henceforth_: _from henceforth_, probably implying, that from the period
of this conflict between light and darkness, the doctrine here announced
should be more generally known and understood:—_Yea_, _saith the Spirit_:
the declaration is sanctioned by HIM, who is the Source of all
inspiration; _yea_, they are blessed: they are removed from this world of
trial, _that they may rest from their labours_, _and their works do
follow them_.
In attempting to explain this passage more at large, I shall consider,
I. The persons described, and,
II. Their happiness.
It will remain for me, then, to offer some remarks, more particularly
belonging to the present afflicting occasion.
* * * * *
I. We are to consider the persons described.
These are the _dead which die in the Lord_.
The occurrence of similar expressions in other parts of the New
Testament, {4} may serve to prove, that the person here designated under
the title of _Lord_, is the Lord Jesus Christ. And wherever this
phraseology is found, we have a decisive testimony, in addition to that
afforded by innumerable other passages, to the transcendent dignity of
our blessed Redeemer. To substitute for the term _Lord_, the name of any
created being, of St. John for example, or St. Paul, would be to render
the clause altogether destitute of rational meaning. It is intelligible
only on the supposition, that He who once suffered on the cross, and who,
in the Isle of Patmos, manifested himself in glory to his beloved
disciple, is, _God over all_, _blessed for evermore_.
Who then are the persons that _die_ in the Lord?
The connexion of this passage with the description of those turbulent
times, to which the vision more immediately refers, would perhaps justify
the application of it, in the first instance, to those who lose their
lives in the cause of the gospel: but the passage is doubtless to be
interpreted in a larger sense; and must apply to multitudes in all ages,
whether dying in the usual course of Divine Providence, or driven from
the earth by the hand of persecution. That such is the view taken of the
matter by our Church, we are continually reminded, when the intelligence
is most seasonable and most impressive. While we are standing around the
grave to discharge the last tribute of regard to those whom we loved in
life, and whom we now seem to have lost for ever, then it is that she
proclaims to us by the mouth of her minister, _Blessed are the dead_,
_which die in the Lord_.
We need, however, look little farther than the expression itself, to be
convinced that it must have a restricted and peculiar application; and
that it can by no means include the whole body of those who are baptized
into the christian faith, or who continue to make a profession of
Christianity. _He that believeth_ on the Son _hath everlasting life_:
{5} when a blessing, therefore, is pronounced upon them that die in the
Lord, it must belong to those who die _in the faith_:—that die in the
cordial belief of the great doctrines of revelation, and under the
influence of their practical and renovating power. Do you ask, What is
the nature of this faith? Our Church will return the answer. _The right
and true christian faith is not only to believe that holy Scripture and
all the_ (_aforesaid_) _Articles of our faith are true_: _but also to
have a sure trust and confidence in God’s merciful promises_, _to be
raised from everlasting damnation by Christ_. {6a} This faith,
therefore, is not a vague or unfounded dependence upon the mercy of God:
it is a TRUE _trust and confidence_, _and a_ STEDFAST _hope of all good
things to be received at God’s hand_. {6b} _This is the true_, _lively_,
_and unfeigned christian faith_: _and is not in the mouth and outward
profession only_, _but it liveth and stirreth inwardly in the heart_.
{6c} Here then is the great point of distinction between those who only
_talk_ about religion, and those who are the subjects of its effective
influence: between those to whom the kingdom of God comes in _word_, and
those who receive it in _power_.
Wherever this sacred principle is found, it is accompanied by the
forgiveness of sins: by faith we are justified: the guilt of our past
transgressions is taken away, and we are accounted righteous in the sight
of God. Thus then we are admitted into a new state, and a new relation
to the Father of mercies. By believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are
brought from that state of alienation and hostility in which we had
previously lived, and through the merits of our Redeemer, are reconciled
to God, and become members of his spiritual household. A person of this
character belongs to the class mentioned in the text: he has come to the
Friend of sinners: he is united to him as the branches are united to the
vine, and dying in this state, he dies _in the Lord_.
Now, as a subject of the practical and renewing influence of faith, such
a man will be reformed in his dispositions and conduct: _if any man be in
Christ_, there is a new creation, _he is a new creature_: they, _that are
in Christ Jesus_, walk, _not after the flesh_, _but after the spirit_.
And this is a most important consideration. The dispositions and conduct
of such a man cannot be derived from the corrupt nature with which he was
born into the world; but are, in some degree, conformable to the spirit
of Christ, and manifest the influence of that spirit upon the heart.
They are to be viewed, not as independent of a lively faith, but as
intimately connected with it, and necessarily growing out of it. _It
doth not lie dead in the heart_, _but is lively and fruitful in
__bringing forth good works_: {8a} and, although distinct from the other
graces and virtues of the christian character, may be considered as the
root of them all. Faith, working by love, is the grand principle of the
renewed nature of man: and thus, living by faith in the Son of God, and
thus keeping his commandments, being justified from his sins by the word
of Christ, and sanctified from his corruptions by the Holy Spirit, he is,
if faithful to his calling, advancing in knowledge, and love, and
holiness, even to the end of his days.
While, therefore, we do not deny that even at the eleventh hour, a sinner
may, for the first time, repent and be forgiven; and that, _by faith
given him of God_, _he may embrace the promise of God’s mercy_, {8b} and
_die in the Lord_; for he possesses that principle which, if his days
were prolonged, would cause him to _walk_, _not after the flesh_, _but
after the spirit_: yet the most satisfactory evidence that the person
dies in the fear of God, and in the faith of Christ, is to be gathered
from the testimony of his _life_: and if we want a stable confidence with
respect to his future state, the question is not so much how he _died_,
as how he had _lived_.
If these views be correct, it is very possible for a man to die an
undisturbed and easy death, and yet not to _die in the Lord_.
Imagine, for instance, the case of a confirmed infidel: why should he be
disturbed at the approaching termination of life? The event was not
unexpected: and, according to his notions, there is nothing to apprehend
beyond it. To betray symptoms of alarm, is virtually to abandon his
principles; and, although he may tremble in his heart, the very _pride_
of infidelity will counsel him to bear up with apparent resolution.
Tranquillity in death may arise from a variety of causes: from
constitutional apathy, from weariness of the world, from gross ignorance
of true religion, from a hard and unfeeling conscience: and, therefore,
taken simply by itself, without any good evidence that it rests upon a
right foundation, it can never be admitted as a proof, that the man who
possesses it, is duly prepared for his change.
Neither can we repose with much confidence in this matter upon
theological knowledge and an orthodox creed.
Their value we mean not to disparage; but they cannot stand in the place
of true religion. So decisive on this subject is the great Apostle of
the Gentiles, as to assure us, that although a man _understood all
mysteries and all knowledge_, and could speak with the tongue of an
angel, these distinctions alone would profit him nothing. It is indeed
to be feared, that all knowledge on religious questions, which is purely
speculative, instead of humbling and improving the mind of him that
possesses it, tends rather to puff it up; and with whatever confidence we
may rest in a dying hour upon the correctness of our views, it is
possible for us to be as far from the kingdom of God and his
righteousness, as the most ignorant of our species.
Neither can we lay much stress in this argument upon vehement and
rapturous transports.
In many cases, they may be traced to the notions and habits of the
particular class of professing christians to which the individuals
concerned had previously attached themselves: and in some other cases,
they are connected with high-wrought feelings or constitutional warmth of
character, both totally independent of the influence of religion. God
forbid that we should be supposed to throw discredit upon that holy and
heavenly joy, which has often cheered the heart of the christian in the
last moments of existence, as if he were already on the verge of heaven.
We are careful only to guard against the delusion, which is satisfied
with frames and feelings: these are not necessarily derived from the
communion of the Holy Ghost: and if it were possible, under such an
excitement, to give in the alleged cause of the gospel our bodies to be
burned, we might still perish for ever.
In various instances, from the diseased state of some parts of the bodily
frame, so fearfully and wonderfully made, it becomes physically
impossible for the most devoted christian to bear his testimony to the
truth on the approach of death: the tongue, which had perhaps announced
to others the glad tidings of the grace of God, may be silent: the eye
may be dim: the intellect, apparently failing with the flesh and the
heart, may have sunk into hopeless lethargy: and yet, with the evidence
before us of his christian life, we are persuaded that such a man dies
_in the Lord_.
We should not hesitate to come to the same conclusion in many cases,
where, while the senses are still comparatively perfect, and the mind is
still capable of expressing its feelings, there is little manifestation
of inward joy. It is doubtless refreshing to stand by the bed of a dying
man, who can declare, “I am at peace with all men, and God is at peace
with me: and from this blessed assurance, I feel that inward joy, which
the world can neither give nor take from me:” {12a} but who shall presume
to dictate to the Spirit of God in what manner the faith of his servants
shall be tried, or how they shall be made ready for their change? It is
recorded of one of the most eminent divines of the last century, that, as
the time of his departure drew nigh, whenever any questions were directly
put to him concerning his prospects of eternity, his answer usually was,
“I cannot say much.” “I rely,” he observed, “on the promises for
strength in time of need. There was a time when I should have been very
unhappy to have had so little of sensible comfort; but I have seen reason
to believe, that one of the most acceptable exercises of true christian
faith consists in patiently waiting God’s time, and in relying
confidently on the written word. For many years, I have been
endeavouring to live from day to day, as a pensioner on God’s bounty: I
learn to trust him, and he sends the manna without fail.” {12b} And why
should we not hope favourably of many others, who are tried even by
strong doubts and fears concerning their spiritual state? Is it not
affirmed concerning our compassionate Saviour, that a _bruised reed he
will not break_, and the _smoking flax he will not quench_? Has he given
the invitation of mercy to all that are weary and heavy laden, and
assured us, _him that cometh unto me_, _I will in no wise cast out_?
Where there is a truly broken and contrite heart, these promises will
undoubtedly be fulfilled. Let us have the evidence of poverty of spirit,
of hungering and thirsting after righteousness, of earnest and unremitted
appeals to the Saviour of sinners for that mercy which he offers to all
that ask it; and we will indulge the persuasion, that this contrite
spirit shall not be despised, that this humble penitent dies _in the
Lord_.
From these observations concerning the description of persons mentioned
in the text, I proceed,
* * * * *
II. To consider their happiness.
This is represented to consist in two particulars.
1. They rest from their labours.
2. Their works do follow them.
1. _They rest from their labours_.
The word _labours_ may include all the harassing occupations and
afflictions of the world. Man, by the condition of his birth, is _of few
days and full of trouble_: every rank in society, and every period of
life, have their several trials; and we shall not be released from them
till we find a shelter in the tomb. To all the ordinary afflictions of
mortality, the servants of Christ are as fully exposed as the rest of
mankind: and we know that they have likewise troubles peculiar to
themselves. For, look into the New Testament; examine the representation
there given of the nature of the christian calling; consider the
exhortations, precepts, promises, so abundantly scattered through the
sacred pages, to stimulate and encourage us to fight the good fight of
faith: observe yet further in what manner the Apostles prosecuted the
work of their salvation; with what zeal, vigilance, self-denial,
perseverance, they encountered the hostility of the world, the evil
propensities of their own nature, and the spiritual adversaries of their
peace: with what energy they pursued their race, with what armour they
were girt for the christian conflict; and then judge how arduous are the
labours which belong to that heavenly calling! We grant, that in many
respects, those were days of singular hardship; but the spiritual
enemies, and the spiritual trials of the child of God, are in all ages
essentially the same; and with regard to the world, according to the
scriptural use of that term, while the great springs of human action
remain unchanged, and so long as there is a visible distinction between
the children of this world and the children of light, the christian will
always find himself in a hostile land; and will prove, in his own person,
that through much tribulation he must enter into the kingdom of God.
For, observe any individual of exemplary piety; how stands the world
affected to him? Does it favour his principles? Does it follow his
example? Does it rejoice in his light? Only let him be as heartily in
earnest on matters of religion, as sober reason must itself admit that he
ought to be: only let him _abound_ in the work of the Lord with a
spiritual as well as with a temporal object in view: only let him
seriously and conscientiously endeavour to walk worthy of his vocation,
and sooner than he shall be exempt from troubles, his foes shall start
up, as it were, from his own household; he will find enemies among those
with whom he might hope to take sweet counsel, and walk to the house of
God as friends.
But it is the happiness of them which die in the Lord, that they _rest_
from their labours.
There is an important sense, in which rest may be attained, even during
this present life; it is the promise of Christ to all that take upon them
his yoke and learn of him; and that promise is fulfilled in our
reconciliation with God, in peace of conscience, and in that meekness,
patience, and contentedness of mind, which are among the fruits and
evidences of Christ’s religion.
But the rest, of which the Spirit in this place assures us, commences at
the hour of death. And how beautiful is the image! To the man wearied
with labour, what prospect is so pleasing as that of repose? What sound
so sweet as the promise of rest? Observe, then, the disciple of Jesus
Christ; tossed amidst the waves of this troublesome world: harassed, not
merely by the common afflictions of mortality, but by troubles
exclusively his own: conscious, moreover, that while he remains on this
stage of being, his vigilance never must be relaxed, and his warfare
never can cease: how welcome to him must be the end of his probation! A
deliverance from sin, and care, and temptation, and pain! An escape into
that peaceful abode, where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary
are at rest!
Let it not be inferred from these statements, that life and its labours
are regarded by the Christian as a grievance hard to be borne; and that
there is in his mind an impatient eagerness to be released from them.
Although, in this earthly tabernacle, he may groan being burthened, and
earnestly long to be dissolved, yet are these feelings and desires kept
within the bounds of christian resignation. Convinced that all his
trials are permitted by infinite wisdom and infinite goodness, he learns
to be content with his state, to run with patience the race set before
him, and cheerfully to commit himself to the divine disposal. Still,
however, he cannot but be painfully sensible of the perils and troubles
of his earthly pilgrimage; and we may imagine with what holy pleasure he
will look back, when landed in a better world, upon that dark and
tempestuous ocean which he so lately traversed! With what inexpressible
joy he will turn from the scene of his afflictions, to the rest which
remaineth for the people of God! Where is the reasonable man among us
who would not devoutly pray, according to the language of our Church,
that when he shall depart this life, he may rest in Jesus? Happy to each
of us will be the day which shall release us from our earthly troubles,
and call us to a state unmixed with pain, and undisturbed by
apprehensions of evil!
* * * * *
2. The second ground of happiness to them that die in the Lord is this,
that _their works do follow them_.
Faith, working by love, as we have already remarked, is the
characteristic distinction of the children of God; and it is here
expressly assumed, that they adorn their profession by the performance of
good works.
The phrase, _their works_, must be understood of that entire course of
conduct, which has its foundation in christian principles; of well-doing,
whether it respects the duty which we owe to God, to our neighbour, or to
ourselves; of obedience to the commandments; of the exercise of all
christian dispositions, and especially of that love and of those works of
mercy, which our Saviour has so strikingly inculcated, both by his
precept and example.
These _works_, it is said, _do follow them_. All that the world calls
great, or pursues with avidity, we are doomed, at the hour of death, to
leave behind us. Our wealth will not follow us; our dignities and
honours will not follow us. In this sense we brought nothing into the
world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out; but if we die in
the Lord, the works which we have done for his name’s sake, will go as
witnesses on our behalf, to testify the grace of God which was in us, and
the manner in which we dedicated our talents to his honour and praise.
The meaning of the expression is, that although we are justified “freely,
by God’s mercy, without our deserts, through true and lively faith,” {19}
yet shall we receive, at the last day, a gracious recompense according to
our works. To this purport, many passages might be cited from the sacred
writings; and these, not merely of a general nature, but referring to
particular instances of piety, both in doing and suffering according to
the will of God. Do men, for example, revile and persecute us, and say
all manner of evil of us falsely for Christ’s sake? _Rejoice_, saith our
Lord, _and be exceeding glad_, _for great is your reward in heaven_. Do
we _sow plenteously_? We _shall reap_ also _plenteously_. Are we
diligent in the work and labour of love? _God is not unrighteous_ to
forget it. Do we _turn many to righteousness_? We shall _shine as the
stars for ever and ever_. We may state it as the fair inference from
these, and a variety of other considerations, that the more faithfully we
improve the talents committed to our trust, by employing them to the end
for which they were given, the more patiently we endure tribulation, and
the more zealously and perseveringly we devote ourselves, in the spirit
of christian love, to the glory of God, and the good of our
fellow-creatures, the greater, in some mysterious sense, shall be our
reward at the resurrection of the just.
* * * * *
Among the individuals who have been raised up in these latter days, for
the benefit and consolation of mankind, few can be mentioned who have
either been engaged in works more important, or who have brought to the
task abilities more remarkable, integrity more perfect, and devotedness
more entire and unremitted, than your lamented Minister. In speaking of
him to his own congregation, to those who, besides being acquainted with
his public labours, enjoyed the advantage of his personal ministry, and
beheld him amidst the charities of private life, I may be supposed to
address myself to a partial audience; but the very circumstance of the
following observations being delivered in the place where he was best
known, and where his character could be most fairly appreciated, will be
some pledge, at least, for their general truth and correctness.
My first recollections of your late Pastor carry me back to the early
period of my residence in the University of Cambridge. At that time, I
had no personal acquaintance with him; but it was impossible even then to
listen to his sermons without being impressed with the persuasion that he
was a man of no common abilities, and of no ordinary character. {21} The
history of many following years in which he discharged the various and
important duties of a parochial Minister, warrants the assertion, that
had he continued in such a situation with competent leisure, he could not
have failed to stand in the first rank among his brethren. So long as
the opportunity was afforded him, his parochial labours were
indefatigable; and there are many individuals still living who can bear
witness to his success.
But he was called to appear chiefly in a different character: and, by a
course of circumstances, which it is here unnecessary to detail, his name
has, for the last eighteen years, been associated with some of the most
extensive operations of christian benevolence. In ceasing to be the
minister of a parish, he became more entirely the servant of the public.
When his ardent and charitable mind first interested itself in the cause
of the British and Foreign Bible Society, he little anticipated, I
believe, either the formidable nature of the service which he undertook,
or the continually growing demand which it would urge upon his time and
attention. Happily, however, if it required extraordinary endowments, it
found in him a person suited to the task, and willing to spend and be
spent in the promotion of its christian object. I know of no
qualification demanded by that Institution of its Secretary, which he did
not remarkably possess; nor of any emergency that befel it, in which he
did not rise to the level of the occasion: and when to this it is added,
that the progress of the Society afforded ample scope for his various
powers, and that, perhaps, in no other situation could they have been so
fully called forth, or employed so beneficially to mankind; it seems
reasonable to conclude, that Providence smiled upon his undertaking, and
sanctioned the prosecution of it.
The conviction, indeed, that there exists a directing providence,
over-ruling for its own high purposes the pursuits and occupations of
men, when they, perhaps, little suspect it, might lead us to observe,
with some interest, the way in which he had previously become qualified
for this particular appointment. It is of great importance to the
welfare of the Society, that its Secretary should be well acquainted with
modern languages. Your deceased Minister had not only a singular
facility in acquiring this knowledge, but it so happened, that in his
early travels, he had cultivated that talent, and had made himself
familiar with the manners, and habits, and modes of thinking, which
prevail in different parts of the Continent. Little did he anticipate,
when engaged in these pursuits, to what account they would be turned!
And little would any one have imagined, while looking at the youthful
traveller, that he was thus training, however unconsciously, to be the
effective agent of a Society, which should, ere long, arise to embrace,
within the sphere of its benevolence, _every nation_, _and kindred_, _and
tongue_, _and people_: and that in the very countries which he now
visited to gratify a laudable curiosity, he should hereafter appear as
its accredited representative.
Those who may hereafter furnish us with a complete description of his
character and talents, will have much to tell, which, in this brief
sketch, I can scarcely notice. They will speak of the fertility of his
imagination; of the quickness of his perception; of his lively and
innocent wit; of the soundness of his judgment; of his almost intuitive
knowledge of character; of his extemporaneous and commanding eloquence;
of the facility with which he could turn his mind to any subject proposed
to him; of his unwearied diligence and unconquerable resolution: and,
particularly, of that cheerfulness of disposition, and that frankness,
candour, and urbanity, which seemed to be interwoven with his nature.
But upon these and similar topics I have no leisure to dwell. The great
excellence in his character to which I would most particularly advert, is
the consecration which he made of all his talents to the best and noblest
objects.
In early life he had shown no disinclination to lend himself to pursuits
unconnected with religion: and it is said, that, like many of his young
contemporaries, he took a strong interest in political questions. But
from the period of which I now speak, and for some years previous to it,
he had ceased, in any sense of the word, to be a party man. To the king
he was a loyal subject, and the radical and blasphemous spirit of the day
he beheld with feelings of serious concern: but on questions purely
political, I know not that I ever heard him deliver an opinion: he was
occupied by higher things: he determined to have nothing else in view
than the glory of God, and the benefit of mankind.
For this object he lived; and it is not too much to say, that for this
object he died. Nor can we be surprised, that his strength eventually
proved unequal to the abundance of his labours.
When I consider how deeply his mind was often affected by a sense of the
responsibility connected with his official situation; when I reflect upon
the many important discussions, both private and official, in which the
concerns of the Society necessarily engaged him: when I look at his
numerous journies, on its behalf, into all parts of the kingdom; at the
multitude of crowded meetings in which he poured forth the treasures of
his powerful mind; and at the extensive correspondence which he
maintained with the agents and friends of the Institution in every
quarter of the world; not to mention the valuable publications, which,
during that interval, he found leisure to compose, and his weekly
ministrations in this sacred place; it is to me matter of surprise, not
that he finally sunk under his exertions, but that, for a period of
eighteen years, he could bear up under those incessant and overwhelming
occupations.
In stating that he consecrated his talents to the glory of God, and the
benefit of his fellow-creatures, I tacitly assume that he was influenced
by christian motives. It is, indeed, difficult to conceive by what other
motives he could possibly be influenced. By becoming a gratuitous
Secretary to the British and Foreign Bible Society, all worldly views he
seems deliberately to have renounced. Had he thought it right to employ
his great abilities with a view to secular interests, there can be little
doubt that he would have been eminently successful: but he had a higher
and a nobler aim; and the motives by which he was guided were, as I am
well persuaded,—and I know that I speak the sentiments of those who were
most intimately conversant with him,—among the best and purest that can
enter into a human bosom. The principle which carried him on in his
laborious career, through evil report and good report, till his frame was
worn out and exhausted, was the divine principle of love to God and love
to man. This principle, and this alone, could have sustained him under
his manifold difficulties, and have kept him stedfast and immoveable in
the work. And did he ever express any concern that he embarked in this
cause? Was it a source of regret to him, that he had left out of sight
his worldly interests, and on account of his devotedness to the Society
had exposed himself to discomforts and disquietudes, which assailed him
even to the last? Every person who was acquainted with him will bear
witness to the contrary; and a short record of his own, subjoined to some
notes concerning the progress of the Institution, and written apparently
within the last few months, will, by most persons, be deemed conclusive
as to the same fact. The sentence runs thus:—
“How sweet to have toiled in this work! And, if wasted with labours
more abundant, he is compelled to withdraw —. _I have done_.”
The last words occurring at a short distance from the other: as if, after
a pause for reflection, he had felt himself convinced that his strength
was already worn out, and that in this great cause he should labour no
more.
The situation which he so long held in the Society required a man of a
large and liberal mind; and such he was in the best sense of the word.
His was not that spurious liberality which looks upon all creeds with
equal indifference, and regards all as equally unimportant; his own views
were clear and decided: he was in heart, as well as by profession,
cordially attached to the doctrines and discipline of that Church, of
which he had the honour to be a Minister. But upon matters of inferior
moment he loved not to dwell: his delight was, without compromising any
of his principles, to contemplate the points upon which Christians can
agree, rather than to provoke debate on those in which they may differ:
and instead of indulging a spirit of harshness, even towards those whose
sentiments he totally disapproved, his conduct was uniformly that of
candour, and kindness, and benignity.
I have hinted at certain painful circumstances, which, in addition to the
weight of his ordinary labours, very frequently came upon him from some
hostile quarters. This is not the place in which I could persuade myself
to enlarge upon such a subject; and were not the fact too notorious to be
entirely overlooked, I should have passed it over in silence. It is
consoling, however, to observe, that the hostility which your valued
Minister was called to sustain, arose entirely from his attachment to the
important work in which he was so assiduously engaged, and from the
diligence and success with which he pursued it: and if he had a personal
enemy, that enemy had most assuredly a friend in him: in his mind no
feeling of harshness could ever remain.
“I have witnessed with no little pleasure,” observes a common friend,
“his conduct and demeanour when he was provoked into,—I should rather
say, for it is _that_ I mean, when he bore, with unperturbed and
inexhaustible good humour, what would have provoked almost any other man;
and when he suffered to remain in the quiver arrows which he could have
sent forth with unerring aim and vigour.” I have, myself, seen him on
many such occasions, and a harsh or unbecoming word never, in my
presence, fell from his lips. The only feeling, I am persuaded, that he
ever entertained towards his most determined opponents, might be
expressed in the words of our Liturgy;—“That it may please thee to
forgive our enemies, persecutors, and slanderers, and to turn their
hearts: We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.”
The pain arising from this unremitted hostility was doubtless much
alleviated by the kindness of his numerous friends. There was, indeed,
something in his character and deportment peculiarly suited to gain the
affections of all that approached him; and seldom has any man, within the
circle of his acquaintance,—a circle, which included some of the most
distinguished individuals both in Church and State,—been more highly
esteemed, or more generally beloved. The regard entertained for him on
those parts of the Continent, which he visited a few years ago, and from
which he transmitted to this country so much interesting and important
religious intelligence, is well known to many of my hearers: and there is
reason to believe, that the friends of the Bible Society abroad will feel
his removal, in common with ourselves, not merely as a public loss, but
as the loss of a friend and a brother. {30}
But the great source of his consolation, and the crown of his rejoicing,
was the wonderful progress of his beloved Institution. Was every
successive year charged with new troubles and additional anxieties? But
the great work was also steadily advancing. Were there many adversaries?
But a great door and effectual was opened; kindred Societies, both in the
Eastern and Western world, were not only rising in rapid succession, but
were effectually communicating their own spirit to many subordinate
Associations, within the sphere of their respective influence: and
testimonies were continually pouring in, from all quarters, of the moral
and religious effects consequent upon this increased diffusion of the
Holy Scriptures. These things abundantly compensated him for all his
anxieties; and he dwelt with especial delight upon the prospect now
apparently opening before the face of all people, of life and immortality
brought to light by the gospel.
Does any person then demand where are the works that shall follow him?
The appropriate answer would be, Where are they not? They are to be
found in every region of the globe: wherever the word of God has run, and
been glorified through the agency of this Institution, or of the
Societies to which it has given birth: and into whatever lands the gospel
of Christ shall, by these means, be extended, there will be recognized
the effect of that mighty influence, to which, under the divine blessing,
he so largely contributed.
Let it not be supposed, that in connecting his name and exertions so
intimately with the progress of that great work, which is now carrying on
throughout the earth, I detract from the honour which is due to other
labourers in the same ample field; they also will have their reward: and
there are none who would join more heartily in every sentiment which I
have here ventured to express, than those who have toiled with him in the
same service, and borne, in common with himself, the burden and heat of
the day. Were I merely to transcribe their own recorded declarations,
transmitted to me within the last few days, they would confirm the
strongest statements which have hitherto been made of his important
services.
We are often reminded, that, amidst the bustle and tumult of public
occupations, there is great danger lest personal religion should be
forgotten, and lest, even while endeavouring to promote the salvation of
others, we should be tempted to neglect our own.
In admitting the propriety of this remark, I cannot allow that it is
applicable in the instance before us. I might refer to the unaffected
humility of the deceased as often manifested in his ready deference to
others: “I have seen him yield,” says a near observer, “with the
simplicity of a child, to persons inferior to himself in understanding
and knowledge.” I might advert to his unshaken trust and confidence in
God. When difficulties were more than usually formidable, he was
frequently heard to repeat, “If God be for us, who can be against us?”
This was not, as repeated by him, merely a well-sounding quotation; he
acted upon the principle; he staked upon it his ease, his prospects, his
reputation, and his life.—I might appeal to the impression of his friends
concerning the habitual seriousness of his character, and the pleasure
which he took in conversing with them upon sacred things. Christian
conversation was at all times delightful to him; and by him was always
conducted in a becoming spirit. Whatever, indeed, might be his vivacity
upon other subjects, and however unrestrained within the limits of
innocent mirth the course of conversation, if any observations were
introduced of a religious tendency, he instantly checked his imagination,
and restrained the sallies of his wit. This circumstance is more
particularly worthy of remark, because he possessed, naturally, a
cheerfulness and liveliness of disposition, which, in his early days,
might seem almost to border on volatility: and, till disease had weakened
his frame, he continued through life to have such a flow of animal
spirits, that it must have required no ordinary check to keep them within
regular bounds. But on serious subjects he was always serious. I speak,
here, of the whole period within which I was honoured by his
acquaintance. Of late years, this feature in his character appears to
have been particularly remarked. “Ever since his severe and tedious
illness in 1818,” says a correspondent, “I observed in the whole of his
conversation and deportment increased gravity and seriousness. He seemed
to have death and eternity most deeply impressed upon his mind; and, on
many public occasions, he repeated with great emphasis those striking
words; _Work while it is day_; _the night cometh_, _when no man can
work_!”
It must be acknowledged, that even the most judicious friends may form an
incorrect estimate of the religious character and christian virtues of
those who stand high in their affectionate regard. To see the interior
of a person’s mind, we should follow him into retirement; and by doing
so, as far as it is possible in this case, we shall, I think, discover
much evidence of a mind devoted to God.
Among the papers of our late valued friend, I find one which he kept for
some years suspended in his study, containing a few verses of Scripture,
calculated to give him courage and confidence when in great hazard of
being tempted to unfaithfulness in his ministerial duty. {35a} In
another paper are several passages, from which, as it is stated in his
own hand-writing, he was “accustomed to derive the greatest relief,
support, and direction.” {35b} What an instructive lesson would it have
afforded to behold him, in his many afflictions, thus casting himself
upon the goodness of God, and reposing in the comfort of his exceeding
great and precious promises!
On one occasion, when much depressed by very painful intelligence, he
writes; “I sought comfort from meditation on the word of God;
particularly, I was much relieved by reflecting on the passage; _In the
multitude of sorrows that I had in my heart_, _thy comforts refresh my
soul_. Oh, for faith in the divine promises, and the faculty of applying
them wisely and effectually to my own condition!” At another time, being
greatly afflicted, and finding that a friend was yet more troubled than
himself; “The comparison of situations,” he observes, “threw me upon my
knees, and made me bless God for the kind proportion in which he had
measured out my chastisements.”
Of a somewhat similar description are the following extracts:—
“April 23. Humbled myself before God many times this day, having
been astonished to find such powerful corruptions within me. I
betrayed a great hastiness of spirit yesterday evening; this is a
sign that the grace of God has not been improved as it ought to have
been. I will, by God’s assistance, watch against this propensity.
And, oh, that I may never again offend him, or wound my conscience by
falling into that snare of the devil! _Let every one of you be slow
to wrath_.
“Sunday, April 24. Have humbled myself before God, this morning; and
do resolve to watch and pray that I enter not into temptation. May
the Lord pardon all my sins, and secure me, by his grace, from
falling into them again! Amen.”
It ought to be recollected, that the writer was a man of remarkably fine
temper.
My next extracts respect his ministerial duties:—
“August 9. Endeavoured to put Dr. A.’s advice into execution, to
bear the people to whom I was about to preach, fervently to the
throne of grace.
“April 22. This day I performed a very interesting service in
baptizing two adults, (young ladies) * * * * * I pray God, that the
beneficial memory of it may continue with me, and with them, till the
day of our death.”
At a somewhat later period, he again expresses the affectionate interest
which he took in their welfare, and the hope which he entertained of
their progress in true religion.
Most, if not all of these passages, were written many years ago.—What, it
may be asked, was the state of his mind as he approached the termination
of life?
Just before he was taken ill, his family read to him, by his own desire,
the Book of Job, with Scott’s Observations; and being placed at that time
under certain outward circumstances of discomfort, he was in the habit of
applying what was read to his own case. The progress of disease
presently incapacitated him, either for reading much himself, or of
giving his attention to others. But I learn, from different friends, who
had sometimes the opportunity of speaking to him, that his mind was
always most awake to subjects of religion; and that, whenever he could be
roused to mental exertion, these were the subjects which recalled, for a
time, his decaying energies. The Sunday-week after his seizure, when one
of his daughters was sitting with him, he laid his hand upon a book on
the table, and asked what it was. Being informed that it was the Life of
Hooker, he immediately began to repeat, in the words of that excellent
man; “I have lived to see this world is made up of perturbations; and I
have long been preparing to leave it; and gathering comfort for the
dreadful hour of making my account with God,—and though I have, by his
grace, loved him in my youth, and feared him in mine age; and laboured to
have a conscience void of offence to Him and to all men; yet, if thou, O
Lord, be extreme to mark what I have done amiss, who can abide it? And
therefore, where I have failed, Lord, shew mercy to me; for I plead not
my righteousness, but the forgiveness of my unrighteousness, for his
merits who died to purchase a pardon for penitent sinners! And, since I
owe thee a death, Lord, let it not be terrible, and then take thine own
time; I submit to it: let not mine, O Lord, but thy will, be done!” This
passage, it seems, he was much in the habit of repeating, doubtless from
its expressing the views and feelings which he habitually entertained.
In one of his last letters to the same daughter, he writes in these
terms; “My frame has been so shattered, that I must not expect it to be
_speedily_, perhaps, never thoroughly repaired. There is nothing I wish
to live for, but the service of my Divine Master; and if I may but be
favoured with the testimony of having pleased him, and possessing an
interest in his love, I shall be willing to live or to die, as to him may
appear best. Oh, my dear daughter, this should be our first, our last,
our invariable object; we cannot dispense with its consolations in
sickness, or its support in death.”
The only remaining paper to which I shall refer, was written when he was
deprived by sickness of the privilege of public worship. {40}
“What a mercy it is,” he observes, “that, as well from the nature of
God, as from his condescension, and the tenor of his promises, we can
have access to him in privacy and solitude, when precluded, by
sickness or other impediments, from worshipping him in public, and
with the congregation of his saints. Of this mercy, I, who during
many months have been confined to my bed, my chamber, or my house,
desire to be deeply sensible, and to make it the subject of my most
devout and grateful thanksgiving:—_Pray to thy Father which is in
secret_:—_ask_,—_seek_,—_knock_,—_draw nigh unto God_; and every
other direction of a similar tendency are of unlimited application;
and the promises annexed to them may be depended on, as engaged to be
made good as often as the direction is spiritually complied with, and
faithfully performed.
“_Private_ worship, which consists in acts and offerings of prayer
and praise, is the peculiar and spiritual duty of the invalid; and
the privileges annexed to it are peculiarly his property. In this
worship he ought to abound; he cannot perform it too frequently, and
in proportion as he abounds and perseveres in the performance of it,
may he expect the promised blessing. He may confess his sins, and
supplicate the mercy of God in Christ, as frequently as he feels the
guilt of the former, and his need of the latter;—he cannot confess or
supplicate too often, he cannot ask too much, or with too great
importunity; if he apply for spiritual things, and apply in faith,
God’s ear is _ever_ open to his cry; he will hear those that call
upon him; he giveth liberally; and on those who ask abundantly, he
will bestow abundantly, that their joy may be full.
“Nor is the invalid tied down to any particular form of words or mode
of service. Having only God and himself to consider, he has no other
concern than to make known his wants, and give expression to his
feelings in such terms as are best adapted to lay open his heart to
that God, who, he knows, seeth in secret, and who requireth to be
worshipped in spirit and in truth. He may, therefore, consider
himself at full liberty to contemplate the mercy of a reconciled God,
in all the variety of its boundless dimensions; the privileges of
acceptance, justification, and adoption, the unsearchable riches of
Christ, and the immeasurable consolation of the Spirit, as a property
of which he is invited freely to partake: he may come boldly to the
throne of grace, he may obtain mercy and grace to help him in every
time of need, and look up continually with unfeigned hope and
increasing confidence to that God who, over and above the future
inheritance of the saints in light, will _here_ supply all our need,
according to his riches in glory, by Christ Jesus.” {42}
In contemplating a man of this character, of piety so scriptural, and of
talents, which, for variety and power, are rarely to be found; we might
perhaps have expected, that he would long be spared to assist in carrying
on that work of mercy, which, through the divine goodness, had already
prospered so wonderfully in his hands; but,—God’s thoughts are not our
thoughts, nor His ways our ways:—he has been taken away in the midst of
his usefulness. We might have expected, that in his last hours he would
have been permitted to testify of that Saviour whom he served, and of the
power of that gospel which he had laboured to spread throughout the
world. But, such was the mysterious appointment of Providence, his
vigorous mind seemed to sink under the weight of the disorder which was
fatal to the body. Would it not have been better, we are ready to ask,
that he should be called away by a sudden death? No; for to God it
seemed otherwise: and, although he was for several weeks previous to his
dissolution able to say little, and although it was difficult, towards
the close of life, to excite in him any sensible apprehension; yet since,
if ever he was roused to any portion of his former energy, it was when
the chord of religion was touched; since there was something within which
answered to that sound, when all besides was silent, the testimony thus
given was neither unsatisfactory nor unimportant. How strong in his mind
must have been the influence of that heavenly principle, which, amidst
the wreck of his mental, as well as bodily powers, could still survive,
and still give proof of its existence!
And shall we be sorry, as men, without hope, for them that sleep in
Jesus? _I heard a voice from heaven_, _saying unto me_, _Write_,
_Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth_;—_Yea_,
_saith the Spirit_, _that they may rest from their labours_, _and their
works do follow them_. It becomes us to be thankful, in the behalf of
our brother, that he now rests from all his anxieties; that the cares,
and conflicts, and vexations of life, can disturb him no more. Some of
these trials were deeply painful; but if we could ask what now are his
thoughts of them, and what are his present sentiments of the course which
he pursued, would he tell us, think you, that he repents of his
devotedness to the cause of piety and truth? That, if his days could be
recalled, he would be less active, less zealous, less persevering? Does
he wish that he had listened more to the voice of man, and less to that
of conscience? That instead of consecrating his talents to the highest
purposes, he had employed them to secure worldly distinctions and worldly
emoluments? Did he, while yet struggling with the evils of mortality,
record, in the very midst of his trials, how sweet it was to have toiled
in this work? And does he repent of his exertions, and his sacrifices,
now that he rests from his labours, and his works do follow him? If it
were no subject of regret to him in _this_ world, is it such in the world
to which he is gone? Oh, if we could at present perceive, as we shall
know hereafter, the vanity and emptiness of all earthly things, when
contrasted with those which are spiritual and eternal; how earnestly
should we seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness! And how
trifling would all other objects appear, when compared with that great
object of promoting the glory of God!
To him, whom we now bear in our affectionate recollection, we are well
persuaded that to die was gain. Ours is the loss: and how deeply it is
felt, this present assembly can witness. But shall we mourn then for the
great cause to which his labours were devoted? And especially for that
Institution, which is now deprived of his services? Did the success of
it depend upon human talent or human energy, the loss might indeed be
irreparable: but whatever becomes of the agents of the Society, if it
have the sanction of God, it cannot fail to prosper. Whatever be the
fate of the Society itself, the work which it has so successfully
laboured to promote, will eventually triumph. The ways of God will, ere
long, be known throughout the earth, his _saving health among all
nations_. _For_, _from the rising of the sun_, _even to the going down
of the same_, _my name shall be great among the Gentiles_: _and in every
place incense shall be offered unto my name_, _and a pure offering_; _for
my name shall be great among the heathen_, _saith the Lord of Hosts_.
Already, as we may venture to hope, has an impulse been given, which
shall not be destroyed till it has reached the farthest nations of the
globe. Amidst all the conflicts and disappointments of the world, Divine
Providence is still steadily accomplishing its plans of mercy and
benevolence, and in due season they shall all be fulfilled. In
expressing our gratitude for having been permitted to see the progressive
advancement of the kingdom of Christ in our own days, and to share in the
privilege of making known more extensively the glad tidings of salvation,
let us recognise our duty and zealously discharge it. Let the death of
those that have toiled in this service, stimulate the industry of them
that survive: let every event of this kind be felt as a call to increased
energy and activity in all good works: that when this world of strife and
perturbations shall close upon us, we too may _die in the Lord_: and,
finally, with all his faithful people, may have our perfect consummation
and bliss, both in body and soul, in his eternal and everlasting glory.
* * * * *
* * * * *
THE END.
* * * * *
* * * * *
FOOTNOTES.
{4} See, particularly, 1 Corinthians xv. 18. 1 Thessalonians iv. 14,
16.
{5} John vi. 47.
{6a} Homily on Salvation.
{6b} Homily on Faith.
{6c} Ibid.
{8a} Homily on Faith.
{8b} Homily on Salvation.
{12a} Life of Hooker.
{12b} Life of the Rev. Joseph Milner.
{19} Homily on Salvation.
{21} It was about this time that the report of his remarkable
qualifications as a minister attracted the attention of the late
excellent Bishop Porteus, under whose patronage he accepted the curacy of
Fulham, and to whose unalterable kindness, during all the remaining days
of that venerable Prelate, he ever professed himself to be deeply
indebted.
{30} A premature report of Mr. Owen’s death having been spread upon the
Continent, letters have already arrived, expressing the deepest concern
and sympathy at the distressing intelligence.
{35a} For instance:
“There is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel, against the
Lord.” Proverbs xxi. 30.
“The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed
after him.”
“_No_ weapon that is formed against thee _shall prosper_: and every
tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.”
Isaiah liv. 17.
“I, even I am he that comforteth you: Who art thou, that thou
shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man,
that shall be made as grass?” &c.
{35b} Such as:
“Nevertheless, though I am sometime afraid, yet put I my trust in
THEE.” Psalms lvi. 3. Prayer Book version.
“Or, what time I am afraid, I will trust in THEE.”
“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him: and he shall bring
it to pass.” Psalm xxxvii. 5.
“My soul, wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from _Him_.”
Psalm lxii. 5.
“Trust in him _at all times_: ye people, _pour out your heart before
Him_.” Psalm ii. 8.
“Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me:
and _he shall make peace with me_.” Isaiah xxvii. 5.
{40} Probably in 1818.
{42} I cite the above passages, under the conviction that they express
the genuine feelings of the writer. In some cases, I should be disposed
to consider extracts from journals, &c. when taken alone, as of rather
questionable authority.
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