Though father and mother be torn from us, though we be snatcht from our homes, from our friends, though our friends themselves forsake us and turn away from us, still it behoves us to hold fast to love. Though the enemy should rend our heart with anguish and woe, let him not poison it, let him not harden it. Even if his arm is uplifted against us, even if it be uplifted against those who are dearer to us than ourselves, let us remember that he may not be utterly reprobate, that he may be under some kind of delusion; and let him not so triumph over us as to despoil us of our Christian candour and charity. Nay, even if, as some forebode, that magnificent and holy temple, which God has erected for Himself in our land, is to be assailed by profane hands, even if we see it tottering, which may God in His mercy avert! - even if we behold it falling, still let nothing tempt us to defend it with the arms of the flesh, with fraud and malice and evilspeaking and uncharitableness. Let us always keep in mind on what the Church of Christ is founded. It is founded on truth, and was reared by love, by that love which poureth forth its life. Meekness, gentleness, humility, patience, forbearance, longsuffering, fortitude, perseverance, are the pillars which adorn and uphold it and its cement is blood, the blood of its Founder, the blood of its martyrs and confessors. Never let us believe the evil spirit, when he whispers to us, that the Church of Christ needs to be cemented anew with the blood of its enemies. This delusion indeed has too often prevailed: but the times when it has prevailed the most, have been when the Church of Christ seemed about to become the Church of Belial. O may such a terrible curse never fall upon this land! May God, in His infinite grace, if it seemeth good to Him, preserve this His favoured Kingdom, and this His chosen Church! But may He never allow us to be drawn into sinning against the Holy Ghost, even though it seem to be for the preservation of this His Kingdom and Church ! 315 SERMON X: CHRIST'S PROMISE, THE STRENGTH OF THE CHURCH : PREACHT AT HASTINGS, AT THE ARCHDEACON'S VISITATION, Matthew xxviii. 20. Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Two friends of the Church of England, who take any interest in her welfare, can hardly talk together in these days, but their conversation is sure to fall before long on the dangers that threaten her. That such is the fact, the experience of almost everybody present will bear me witness. All of you, my brethren, must have heard many such conversations within the last year: most of you will have taken part in them. Indeed a month seldom goes by, but the sound as of some fresh crack in the walls of our Church seems to pass from one end of England to the other. This is not a fit place for discussing the outward signs of the times. Thus much however may be taken for granted,―no one, I conceive, will be disposed to deny it,— that we have many and powerful enemies, who are marshaled against us by divers spirits, and not a few of whom are eager and alert to seize every opportunity of harming What then! Have we any reason to fear them? us. None.. on account of any strength, or any craft, or any bitterness of theirs . . . none . . unless it is to be found in ... If the walls of sound be more some deficiency or infirmity of our own. our Church are indeed cracking,—if the than an illusion,—they must have been already in decay. It must have slipt off, at least in part, from the foundation on which it was originally built, and so long as it stood on which no earthquake had any power over it. That we should be aware of the enemies who are ready to assail us, that we should remind each other of them, may be inevitable: and, if our chief aim in doing so be to stir ourselves and each other to greater vigilance and activity, we are only discharging the part of loyal and watchful soldiers. Too often however the voice heard is rather that of lamentation and querulousness and despondency: and such a voice is of evil boding in every army, nor less so in the army of the Lord of hosts. If our lamentations be over anything but our own sins, our complaints of anything but. our own want of godliness, they are too likely to prove the first notes of our dirge. The history of all ages teaches us, that, when a nation's heart has begun to fail, even those who were physically the strongest, have become as reeds shaken by the wind: whereas, when hearts have been stout and hopeful, and resolute to do and bear the utmost, a small knot of men has not seldom discomfited the proudest and most numerous foes. When we Thus has it been even in human warfare. cast our eyes over the map of the world, many a bright name shines out from spots where it has been made manifest, that on this earth itself there is something stronger than the strength of the arm, and that, where the love of country and freedom bears a righteous sway in the heart, it can triumph both over iron and gold. But if even the spirit that is in man can achieve such victories, what need have we to be daunted, albeit the children of Anak should be found among our enemies? If in our own sight indeed we are as grasshoppers, we shall be so likewise in their sight. But if we give ear to the words of Joshua,—if we bear in mind that, so far as our enemies are the enemies of the Church of Christ, their defense is departed from them, that, provided we are zealous in the cause of that Church, the Lord is with us, we shall then feel a sure trust that the Lord, who delivered us out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear,-who upheld and preserved His faith, when the Roman empire would have crusht it, and when the Romish hierarchy would have smothered it,will also deliver it out of the hand of the infidel Philistine. When we look solely at human means, I acknowledge, it is no way unnatural that we should be cast down. When we are counting heads, or swords, those who are against us may easily seem to be mightier than those who are for us. The restraints of our profession, which almost preclude us from direct political action, would of themselves weigh down our spirits. For hope cannot breathe except in the air of free activity: inertness always breeds despondency. But if we can lift our hearts heavenward with the firm faith that the Lord is with us, then, no matter who or how many are in the hostile array, we shall feel assured that He who is with us is mightier than they who are against It was with a view of endeavouring with God's blessing to draw forth this conviction, and to shew on what grounds it must rest, and how it behoves us to strengthen it, that, having been appointed to preach on this day before you, from several of whom I should far fitlier and gladlier us. |