David's Dying Prayer
A Sermon
(No. 129)
Delivered on Sabbath Morning, April 26, 1857, by the
REV. C.H. SPURGEON
at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens.
"Let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen."–Psalm
72:10.
THERE was a time when this prayer would have been unnecessary; a
period, in fact, when it could not have been offered, seeing the thing
to be asked for was already in being. A time there was when the word
rebellion had not been uttered against the great magistracy of heaven;
a day there was, when the slime of sin had never been left by the trail
of the serpent, for no serpent then existed, and no evil spirit. There
was a hour, never to be forgotten, when the seraph might have flapped
his wing for aye, and never have found aught of discord, or aught of
rebellion or of anarchy throughout God's universe, when the mighty
angels assembled in the halls of the Most High, and without exception
did reverence to their liege Lord, and paid him homage due; when the
vast creation revolved around its center, the great metropolis, the
throne of God, and paid its daily and hourly homage unto him, when the
harmonies of creation always came to one spot and found their focus
near the throne of God. There was a time when every star was bright;
when all space was filled with loveliness, when holiness, purity, and
happiness, were like a robe which mantled the entire creation. This
world itself was once fair and lovely–so fair and lovely that we who
live in these erring times can scarcely guess its beauty. It was the
house of song, and the dwelling-place of praise. If it had no
pre-eminence among its sister spheres, certainly it was inferior to
none of them, surrounded with beauty, girt with gladness, and having in
it holy and heavenly inhabitants. It was a house to which the angels
themselves loved to resort, where the holy spirits, the morning stars,
delighted to sing together over this beautiful and fair earth of ours.
But now how changed! how different! Now it is our duty devoutly to bend
our knees and pray that the whole earth may yet be filled with his
glory.
In one sense this prayer is still unnecessary, for in a certain sense
the whole earth is filled with God's glory. "All thy works praise thee,
O God," is as true now as it was in paradise. The stars still sing
their Maker's praise; no sin hath stopped their voice, no discord hath
made a jarring note among the harmonies of the spheres. The earth
itself still praiseth its Maker, the exhalations, as they arise with
morn, are still a pure offfering, acceptable to their Maker. The lowing
of the cattle, the singing of the birds, the leaping of the fishes, and
the delights of animal creation, are still acceptable as votive
offerings to the Moat High. The mountains still bring righteousness; on
their hoary summits God's holy feet might tread, for they are yet pure
and spotless. Still do the green valleys, laughing with their verdure
send up their shouts to the Most High. The praise of God is sung by
every wind it is howled forth in dread majesty by the voice of the
tempest, the winds resound it, and the waves, with their thousand
hands, clap, keeping chorus in the great march of God. The whole earth
is still a great orchestra for God's praise, and his creatures still
take up various parts in the eternal song, which, ever swelling and
ever increasing, shall by-and-by mount to its climax in the
consummation of all things. In that sense, therefore, the prayer is
still inappropriate. God, who filleth all in all, and filleth earth and
heaven, needeth not to have more glory, as to the essence of his glory;
for still he is glorified in the whole earth.
But David intended this prayer in another sense. "Let the whole earth
be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen;" not as Creator, but as a
moral Governor, and a Ruler. It is as Governor that we have revolted
from God and done dishonor to him; it is as our Master, our Ruler, our
Judge, that we have done despite to his glory, and have trampled on his
crown. It is, therefore, in this respect that David wished that the
whole earth might be filled with God's glory. He desired that every
idol temple might be cast down–that the name of Jehovah might be sung
by every lip, that he in his person might be loved by every heart, and
be for ever adored as "God over all blessed for ever." A foolish wish,
say you, for it never can be accomplished. Surely the day will never
come when hoary systems of superstition shall die. What! shall colossal
systems of infidelity and of idolatry totter to their fall? They have
resisted the battering-ram for many a year; and yet shall they pass
away, and shall God's kingdom come, and his will be done on earth, even
as it is in heaven? Nay, it is no day dream of a boy, it is no wish of
the enthusiast. Mark who uttered that prayer, and where he was when he
uttered it. It was the prayer of a dying king; it was the prayer of a
holy man of God, whose eyes were just then lighted up with brightness
in view of the celestial city, as he stood on the mighty Pisgah, "and
viewed the landscape o'er "–the prayer of the dying psalmist, when on
the margin of his life he surveyed the ocean–the prayer of a mighty
king, when he saw the scroll of prophecy unfolded before him for the
last time and was about to be ushered into the presence of his Maker.
He uttered this as his last best wish and desire; and when he had
uttered it he sank back in his bed, and said, "The prayers of David the
son of Jesse are ended." It was his last prayer: "Let the whole earth
be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen."
First, this morning, I shall try to explain the prayer, then I shall
labor as God shall enable me, to inflame the hearts of all Christian
men to desire the object of this prayer; then offer a word or two of
counsel as to the pursuit of the object here spoken of; and conclude by
noticing the promise to buoy our hopes up. By-and-by "the earth shall
be filled with his glory."
I. First, then, let me EXPLAIN THE PRAYER. It is a large prayer–a
massive one. A prayer for a city needs a stretch of faith, ay, there
are times when a prayer for one man is enough to stagger our belief;
for we can scarcely think that God will hear us for even that one. But
how great this prayer is, how comprehensive! "Let the whole earth be
filled with his glory, Amen, and Amen." It doth not exempt one single
country, however trodden under the foot of superstition; it doth not
leave out one single nation, however abandoned. For the cannibal as
well as for the civilised, for the man that grasps the tomahawk as well
as for the man who bends his knee in supplication, this prayer is
uttered, "Let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen and Amen."
Let me just very briefly note what I believe the psalmist meant. He
desired that the true religion of God might be sent into every country.
Looking from that point of view, as we utter this prayer, what a
multitude of thoughts rush into our minds! Lo, yonder we see the hoary
systems of ancient superstition; we behold multitudes bowing down
before Budha and Brahma, and paying their adorations to idols that are
no gods: we pray for them, that they may cease to be idolaters, and
that God's name may be known amongst them. Yonder we see the crescent,
gleaming with a pale and sickly light, and we pray that the followers
of Mahomed may bow themselves before the cross, renounce the scimitar,
and return to him that loved them, casting away all the uncleanness and
filthiness of their former religion. We see yonder the scarlet woman on
the seven hills, and we include her in our prayer; we pray that God may
cast down Rome; that he may overturn her deep, hell-rooted foundations,
and may cause her tyranny over the nations to cease, that she may no
more be drunk with the blood of the slain, and no more with her
idolatries and witchcrafts lead the nations astray. We include her in
our supplications. We look on nations that are almost too debased lo be
included in the roll of mankind; we see the Hottentot in his kraal, the
Bushman and the Bechuana, and we put up our prayer for these: "Let the
whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen." Let Africa's
center, once thought to be barren but now discovered to be glorious in
fertility, become fertile also in works of grace; let the regions
whence our black brethren have been driven to slavery become the homes
of blessedness, and the regions of God's praise. We cast our eye to
other regions, where the scalp is still at the Indian's girdle, where
still they wash their hands in blood and delight themselves in murder,
or we look to that huge empire of China, and we see the myriads still
lost in infidelity and a partial idolatry, which is consuming them and
destroying them, and we pray, "Let the whole earth be filled with his
glory; Amen, and Amen." Yes, it is a great prayer, but we mean it. We
are praying against Juggernaut, and against Budha, and against every
form and fashion of false religion. We are crying against anti-Christ,
and we are praying that the day may come when every temple shall be
dismantled, when every shrine shall be left poor as poverty, and when
there shall be no temple but the temple of the Lord God of Hosts, and
when no song shall be sung but the song of Hallelujah; unto him that
loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood."
But we mean more than this. We ask not merely the nominal Christianity
of any country, but the conversion of every family in every country.
"Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen." Is that
wish too great, too high? Are we too sanguine in our expectations? No;
"The knowledge of the Lord" is to "cover the earth, as the waters cover
the sea," and that is entirely. We do not wish to see dry places here
and there, but as the deep foundations of the depths are covered with
the sea, so we wish that every nation may be covered with God's truth.
And so we pray that every family may receive it; yes, we pray that
every household may have its morning and its evening prayer; we pray
that every family may be brought up in the fear of the Lord, that every
child may, on its mother's knee, say, "Our Father," and that the answer
may come to the infant's prayer, "Thy kingdom come." Yes, we ask of God
that every house may be like the tents of Judah, consecrated to God; we
ask that even the kraal of the Hottentot may become a synagogue for
God's praise. Our desire is, that man may become so holy, that every
meal may become a eucharist, and every cup a chalice, and every garment
a priestly vestment, and that all their labors may be consecrated to
the Lord. We are bound to expect it, for it is said, "Even the bells
upon the horses shall be holiness to the Lord, and even the pots in the
Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar."
But, we go further than that. We do not ask merely for household
conversion, but for the individual salvation of every being existing.
"Let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen." Should
there be one heart that doth not beat in God's praise, or one lip that
is dumb in the melody of thanksgiving, then there would be yet a spot
left which would not be filled with God's praise, and that one left
unconverted would blot and blur the whole great work of filling the
earth with God's glory. A missionary once said, and said truly, that if
all the people in the world were converted except one man in Siberia,
it would be worth while for all the Christians in England to make a
pilgrimage to Siberia, if that man's salvation could not be
accomplished in any other way. And so it would. The salvation of one
soul is unutterably precious, and when we offer this prayer we exclude
none. We pray that the atheist, the blasphemer, the hardened rebel, the
prodigate, may each be filled with God's glory; and then we ask for
mercy for the whole earth; we leave not out so much as one, but so hope
and expect the day when all mankind shall bow at the Saviour's feet,
when every hand shall bring tribute, every lip a song, and every eye
shall speak its gladness and its praise. This I believe to be the
psalmist's prayer–that every man might be converted, and that in fact
everywhere, in every heart and conscience, God might reign without a
rival, Lord paramount over the great wide world.
II. Well, now, I am going, in the second place, to try to STIR YOU UP,
my brethren, to desire this great, this wonderful thing for which David
prayed. Oh! for the rough and burning eloquence of the hermit of old,
who stirred the nations of Europe to battle for the cross! I would to
God this morning I could speak as he did when the multitude were
gathered together, or, like that bishop of the church, who followed
him, who addressed the mighty multitudes with such burning words of
fiery eloquence, that at last they heaved to and fro with waves of
excitement, and every man, starting to his feet and grasping his sword
cried, "Deus vult," "The Lord wills it," and rushed forward to battle
and to victory. In a higher and holier sense I preach the crusade
to-day, not as a hermit, but as God's preacher, I come forth to stir
you up, men and brethren, to desire and seek after this great and
highest wish of the faithful, that the whole earth might be filled with
his glory. And how shall I stir you up except by leading you to one or
two contemplations?
First, I beseech you, contemplate the majesty of God; or rather, since
I am unable to help you to do that just now, let me remind you of
seasons when you have in some measure grasped the thought of his
divinity. Have you never at night gazed upon the starry orbs, with the
thought that God was the Maker of them all until your soul was steeped
in reverent adoration, and you bowed your head with wonder and with
praise, and said, "Great God! how infinite art thou?" Have you never,
in looking upon God's pure earth, when you have seen the mountains, and
the clouds, and the rivers, and the floods, said–
"These are thy glorious works, Parent of good,
Almighty! Thine this universal frame,
Thus wondrous fair: Thyself how wondrous then?"
Oh! methinks you must have had some glowing bursts of devotion,
somewhat like that burst of Coleridge in his hymn from the valley of
Chamounix or, like that of Thompson, when he leads the Seasons out to
sing God's praise, or, like that matchless burst of Milton, when he
extolled God, making Adam in the garden praise his Maker. Yes, there
have been moments when we could bow before God, when we felt our own
nothingness, and knew that he was all-in-all. Ah! if you can get such
thoughts as these, my friends, this morning, I know that the next
thought akin to this will be–"Let the whole earth be filled with his
glory; Amen, and Amen." You cannot bow before God yourself and adore
him, without wishing that all the rest of mankind should do the same.
Ah! and the thought has gone further; ye have wished that even
inanimate objects might praise him. Oh! ye mountains, let the shaggy
woods upon your crowns wave in adoration ye that with bald heads lift
up yourselves loftier than those minor hills, let the clouds that gird
you serve like wings of cherubim to veil your faces. But oh! adore him,
adore him, for he is worthy of all adoration; let him ever be extolled.
You cannot, I repeat, have great thoughts of God yourselves, without
spontaneously rising up and saying, "Let the whole earth be filled with
his glory. Amen, and Amen."
But, my brethren, turn your eyes yonder. What see you there? You see
the Son of God stepping from the place of his glory, casting aside the
garments of his majesty, and robing himself in garments of clay. Do you
see him yonder? He is nailed to a cross. Oh! can ye behold him, as his
head hangs meekly on his breast? Can ye catch the accents of his lips,
when he says, "Father, forgive them?" Do you see him with the
thorn-crown still about his brow, with bleeding head, and hands, and
feet? And doth not your soul burst with adoration, when ye see him
giving himself for your sins? What! can ye look upon this miracle of
miracles, the death of the Son of God, without feeling reverence
stirred within your bosom–a marvellous adoration that language never
can express? No, I am sure you cannot. You bow yourself before that
cross, you close your eyes that are already filled with tears, and as
you bend your head upon the mount of Calvary I hear you say, "Jesus,
have mercy upon me." And when you feel the blood applied to your
conscience, and know that he has blotted out your sins, you are not a
man unless you start from your knees and cry, "Let the whole earth be
filled with his glory, Amen, and Amen." What! did he bend his awful
head down to the shades of death? What! did he hang upon a cross and
bleed, and shall not earth praise him? O ye dumb, sure this might loose
your tongues. O ye silent ones, ye might begin to speak; and if ye do
not, sure the very stones will speak, and the rocks that rent once at
his death will rend again, and open a wide mouth to let their
hallelujahs ascend to heaven. Ah! the cross makes us praise him. Lovers
of Jesus, can you love him without desiring that his kingdom may come?
What! can ye bow before him, and yet not wish to see your Monarch
master of the world? Out on ye, men, if ye can pretend to love your
Master, and yet not desire to see him the conqueror. I give you not a
doit for your piety, unless it leads you to wish that the same mercy
which has been extended to you might reach to others, and unless it
prompts you to pray this prayer, "Let the whole earth be filled with
his glory, Amen, and Amen."
But gaze a moment longer. The man that died for sinners sleeps within a
grave; a little while he sleeps, until the angel rolls away the stone
and gives him liberty. Do you behold him, as he wakes up from his
slumber, and radiant with majesty, and glorious with light, affrights
his guard, and stands a risen man? Do you see him, as he climbs to
heaven, as he ascends to the paradise of God, sitting at the right hand
of his Father till his enemies are made his footstool? Do you see him,
as principalities and powers bow before him, as cherubim and seraphim
cast their crowns at his feet? Do you hear him? Do you hear him
intercede, and do you hear also the music of the glorified spirits,
ever chanting perpetual lays before his throne? And do you not wish
that we might
"Prepare new honors for his name,
And songs before unknown?"
Oh! it is impossible to see the glorified Christ with the eye of faith,
without exclaiming afterwards, "Let the whole earth be filled with his
glory; Amen, and Amen.
But now one other thought. Common humanity urges us to pray this
prayer. Did you never walk through a village full of drunkenness and
profanity? Did you never see at every ale-house poor wretched bloated
carcases that once were men standing, or rather leaning against the
posts staggering with drunkenness! Have you never looked into the
houses of the people, and beheld them as dens of iniquity, at which
your soul did turn aghast? Have you never walked through that village
and seen the poverty, and degradation, and misery of the inhabitants,
and sighed over it? Yes, you have. But was it ever your privilege to
walk through that village in after years, when the gospel has been
preached there? It has been mine. Once it was my delight to labor in a
village where sin and iniquity had once been rampant, and I can say
with joy and happiness, that almost from one end of the village to the
other, at the hour of eventide, you would have heard the voice of song
coming from every roof-tree, echoing from every heart. Oh! what a
pleasant thing to walk through the village, when drunkenness hath
almost ceased, when debauchery is dead, and when men and women go forth
to labor with joyful hearts, singing as they go the praises of the
ever-living God, and when at sunset the humble cottager calls his
children together, and reads them some portion from the book of truth,
and then together they bend their knees–oh! happy, happy households!
Yes, we have seen some such places, and when our hearts have been
gladdened by the sight, we have said, "tot the whole earth be filled
with his glory; Amen and Amen." It has been our delight sometimes to
tabernacle amongst the lowly for a little season. We have had our seat
given us in the chimney corner for awhile, and by-and-by as the time to
retire drew nigh, the good man of the house has said to the prophet's
servant, "Now, sir, will you read for us to-night, as you are here?"
And we have noticed the faces of the little group around us, as we have
read some portion like this–"Truly God is good to Israel, even to such
as are of a clean heart." And then we have said, "No, we will not pray
to-night, you must be priest in your own house, and pray yourself." And
then the good man has prayed for his children, and when we have seen
them rise up and kiss their parent for the night we have thought,
"Well, if this is the kind of family that religion makes, let the whole
earth be filled with his glory. For the blessedness and for the
happiness of man, let God's kingdom come, and let his will be done."
Contrast that, my brethren, with the murderous rites of the Hindoo;
contrast it with the savagery and barbarism of heathen lands. If I
could bring some barbarian to stand before you this morning, he might
himself be a better preacher than I can be, as with his almost
unintelligible utterances and clicks he would begin to tell you the few
ideas he had, which ideas began and ended with himself, and with the
miserable prey on which he lived. You would say, "What!-there such a
miserable race as this?" Let us at once kneel down and utter this
prayer, and then rise up and labor to fulfill it–"Let the whole earth
be filled with his glory." I feel that I cannot stir you this morning
as I wished. (If I were a Welshman I think I could move your hearts
they have such a knack of waking persons up by what they say.) Oh! my
soul longs for that day, it sigheth for that blessed period. Would God
that all sighed and longed for it too, and were prepared to work and
labor, watch and pray, until we should indeed sing with truth,
"Hallelujah! Christ the Lord
God Omnipotent shall reign;
Hallelujah! Christ in God,
God in Christ is all-in-all."
May such a day come, as it certainly will!
III. And now I am to give you A FEW COUNSELS IN THE PURSUIT OF THIS
OBJECT.
First, you cannot pray this prayer unless you seek in your own life to
remove every impediment to the spread of Christ's kingdom. You cannot
pray it, sir; you cannot say, "Let the whole earth be filled with his
glory; Amen, and Amen,"–you who cursed God yesterday. How can the same
lip that cursed God say, "Let the whole earth be filled with his glory;
Amen, and Amen." You cannot say it, sir,–you who break his
commandments, and violate his laws, and run riot against his
government. If you said it you would be a vile hypocrite. Is there
anything in our character and conduct which has a tendency to prevent
the spread of the gospel? Oh! we say it with pain, there are many
members of the churches everywhere whose characters are such that if
they remain what they are, Christ's gospel never can fill the whole
earth, for it cannot fill their hearts. You know the men. They call
themselves God's dear people, and they would be dear if they were given
away; certainly nobody would buy them at the lowest price in the world.
They say that they are his precious ones, and they must be very
precious, or else he never would have any thoughts of mercy towards
such a set as they are. And they will sometimes say, "Ah! we are the
Lord's elect," and they live in sin. They say there are very few of
their sort, and we reply, "What a mercy!" If there were we should need
many of our public buildings to be turned at once into gaols, to lock
up such people. No, we do not believe in the characters of men who make
a profession of religion and yet do not live up to it. Do not tell us
about such profession, just be quiet altogether. Do not call yourselves
religious, and yet act as others do. I do prefer a man that is a right
down blustering sinner when he is at it. Do not let him go into sin,
and then mask and cover it all up. There is no use in it. The man is
not honest. I do think there is some hope of a man who is a down-right,
thorough-bred sinner, that goes at it and is not ashamed of it, but a
rascally, canting hypocrite, that comes crawling into our church, and
yet lives in sin all the while–such a man–God Almighty may save him,
but it is very seldom that he does save such people. He lets them go
on, and reap the fruit of their own ways; he lets them find out, after
all, that hypocrisy is a sure road to hell, and never can lead to
heaven. We must look well to ourselves, by God's Spirit, or else we
must not pray this prayer: "Let the whole earth be filled with his
glory; Amen, and Amen."
And there is my friend Mr. Save-all. I am sure he cannot pray this
prayer, at least I think I hear him in his soul say, "O Lord, let the
whole earth be filled with thy glory." A contribution is requested to
assist the cause in so doing. Oh! no not at all. Like the old negro
woman we have all heard of, who sang, "Fly abroad, thou mighty gospel,"
and put her eye up in such a devout frame, that her brother negro who
was passing the plate that day could not get her to pay any attention
to him, till he jogged her elbow, and said, "Yes, sissy, it is well
enough to sing, Fly abroad, thou mighty gospel;' if you would give it
wings then it might, but you are just singing this and doing nothing at
all." Now, what is the good of a man singing, "Fly abroad, thou mighty
gospel," and praying this prayer, "Let the whole earth be filled with
his glory," if he has got six thousand a year coming in for doing
nothing at all? It is no use for a man to put on a pair of lawn sleeves
and say, "Oh, it is my devout desire that the whole earth may be filled
with his glory," and then leave the world to stare at him and consider
what good he is. It is no use for a man simply to have a curacy or
something of that sort, buy his manuscripts cheap, come up and read off
two sermons twenty minutes long, go home with a good conscience that he
has done duty twice, and then say, "Let the whole earth be filled with
his glory." Why, my friends, there is no chance of it if that is the
way it is to be done, not the slightest in the world; to cry, "Let the
whole earth be filled with his glory," and then stand still and do
nothing at all; or merely do some nominal well-paid work, and feel it
is all over. We want something in the ministry a little different
before even ministers can pray this prayer in sincerity. I am not
finding fault with any of my brethren, but I would recommend them to
preach thirteen times a week, and then they can pray this prayer a
little better. Three times a week would not do for me. It would hurt my
constitution; preaching thirteen times a week is good healthy exercise.
But you shut yourself up in your study, or what is ten times worse, you
do nothing at all, but just take it easy all the week till the Sunday
comes, and then borrow a sermon out of an old magazine, or buy one of
the helps for ministers, or take down one of Charles Simeon's skeletons
and preach it. My good man, you cannot pray in that fashion. The
poorest Sabbath-school teacher has a better right to pray that prayer
than you have. You go to a fire that is raging vehemently, and say,
"Oh, let it be put out!" and stand with your hands in your pockets,
while a little boy that is standing there and passing the bucket may
pray that prayer sincerely, but you cannot. No, my brethren, you must
be up and doing for your blaster, or else you cannot pray this prayer.
You say, "I am doing my duty;" but my friend, that is not much use, you
must do a little more than that, doing your duty, as you think, is
often doing but a very small part of your duty. What is a man's duty?
"Why, as much as he is paid for, Sir." Oh, no, I think not; a man's
duty is to do whatsoever his hand findeth to do, with all his might;
and until he does that he cannot with any sincerity offer this prayer,
"Let the whole world be filled with his glory "Amen, and Amen." Ah,
there are some here that I could mention, who by their unparalleled
philanthropy, by their unique and unrivalled love of their
fellow-creatures, have done much to fill the earth with God's glory;
for they have let the world see what Christian men and Christian women
are able to do when God's love has touched their hearts. There are to
be found some who by devoting themselves to the service of their
Master, and spending and being spent for him, have done much to
heighten the opinion of the world towards Christianity, and make them
think better of the Christian church than they would have done if it
had not been for these few rare, mighty heroes in the midst of us. "Let
the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen." But it
cannot be, speaking after the manner of men, unless we each of us labor
and endeavor as God shall help us, to extend the kingdom of our Master.
And now, my friends, have I been urging you to an impossible toil Have
I been telling Christian men to pray for that which never can be
granted? Ah! no, blessed be God, we are taught to pray for nothing but
that which God has been pleased to give. He has told us to pray that
his kingdom may come, and his kingdom will come, and come most
assuredly, too. Hark! hark! hark! I hear mustering for the battle;
yonder in the dim distance I see the armies gathering; yes, I can dimly
see their ensign, and behold the flag that waves before them! Who are
these that come? Who are these? These are nobler and better men than
we! These are warriors of Christ, as yet, perhaps, unborn. These are
the mighty men, the rear-guard, these are the imperial guard of heaven,
who have been fighting long. The enemy hath sometimes fled, but
hitherto we have achieved but little, the phalanx of the foe standeth
still fast and firm, and we have blunted our blades against the shields
of the mighty. As yet the victory is not complete; the Master standeth
on the hill with his reserve. Lo! I see them–they are coming, they are
coming. Some of us shall live to see them–men those tongues are made
of fire, whose hearts are full of flame, who speak like angels and
preach like cherubim! The men are coming, and happy shall the man be
that marks the triumph; each tramp of theirs shall be the tramp of
victory, each blast of theirs shall level walls of spiritual Jerichos,
each blow of their horn shall clear an acre of valiant foemen, each
stroke from their sword shall cleave a dragon, and every blow from
their arm shall be mighty to overturn thrones and scepters and kings!
They come, they come; and till they come what shall we do?–Why fight
on and hold our posts. But lo! they come. Let us be cheered with the
thought that victory is certain. The hour cometh when this mighty band
of heroes shall sweep the earth with the banner of victory. And when in
years to come, you and I shall look upon the plain of battle, we shall
see there an idol broken, there a colossal system of wickedness dashed
in pieces, there a false prophet slain, there a deluder cast away. Oh!
glorious shall be that day when victory shall be complete; when the
horse and the rider shall be overthrown; when the battle that is
without blood and without smoke, without rolling of garments of
warriors, shall be completed by the shout of victory through him that
hath loved us.
Beloved, we will wait awhile. We will still continue on this side with
our Master; for though we are fighters now, we shall be winners
by-and-by. Yes, man, woman, ye who are unknown, unnoted, but are
striving for your Master, by prayer, and praise, and labor, the day is
coming when everyone of you shall have a crown of victory! The hour is
coming when your heart shall beat high, for you shall share the
conquest, those men who are coming, without whom we cannot be made
perfect, shall not have all the honor. We who have borne the brunt of
the fight shall have a share of the glory; the victors shall divide the
spoil, and we shall divide the spoil with them. Thou, tried, afflicted,
forgotten and unknown, thou shalt soon have the palm-branch in thy
hand, and thou shalt ride in triumph through the streets of earth and
heaven, when thy Master shall make show of principalities and powers
openly, in the day of his victory! Only still continue, only wrestle
on, and thou shalt be crowned.
But I have got one word to say, and then Amen. You know, in Roman
warfare there were special rewards given for special works. There was
the mural crown for the man that first scaled the rampart and stood
upon the wall. I am looking on this great congregation with a thought
in my mind which agitates my spirit. Young men! young men! is there not
one among you that can win a mural crown? Have I not one true Christian
heart here that is set for work and labor? Have not I one man that will
devote himself for God and for his truth? Henry Martyn! thou art dead;
and is thy mantle buried with thee? Brainerd, thou sleepest with thy
fathers; and is thy spirit dead too, and shall there never be another
Brainerd? Knibb, thou hast ascended to thy God; and is there nowhere
another Knibb? Williams, thy martyred blood still crieth from the
ground; and is there nowhere another Williams? What! not among this
dense mass of young and burning spirits? Is there not one that can say
in his heart, "Here am I, send me?" "Lo, this hour, by God's grace
being saved, I give myself up to him, to go wherever he shall please to
send me, to testify his gospel in foreign lands?" What! are there no
Pauls now? Have we none who will be apostles for the Lord of hosts? I
think I see one who, putting his lips together, makes this silent
resolve–"By God's grace I this day devote myself to him; through
trouble and through trial I will be his, if he will help me; for
missionary work or for aught else I give up my all to God, and if I may
die as Williams did, and wear the blood-red crown of martyrdom, I will
be proud; and if I may live to serve my Master, like a Brainerd, and
die at last worn out here I am, do but have me, Master, give me the
honor of leading the forlorn hope of leading the vanguard of
Christianity; here I am, send me." O Lord, accept that young man! Lo, I
consecrate him this day in thy name for that service, these
outstretched hands this morning give a benediction to you, young hero
of the cross! Your brother's heart beats with you; go, and go to
victory; and if it must be mine to stay here to labor in a more easy
and pleasant part of the vineyard, which I dare not leave, still I will
envy you, that you have the honor of going to far distant lands, and I
will pray for you, that your success may be great, and that through you
the kingdoms of this world may be brought to Christ, and the knowledge
of the Lord cover the earth. But we will all pray this prayer in our
houses alone–"Let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and
Amen."
You that are enemies to God, beware, beware, beware! It will be a hard
thing to be found on the side of the enemy in the great battle of
right.