When Sir Walter Scott was dying, in suffering and agony he turned to
Lockhart and said, "Read to me; I am in such agony." He said, "What
book, Sir Walter?" "What book? There is but one book for a dying man;
it is the story of the One that passed this way before me, of Jesus the
Saviour." I stood the other day by the death-bed of one who, when I
first met him was a savage warrior. He looked up in my face and said,
"The Great Spirit has called me. I am going on the last journey. I am
not afraid, for Jesus is going with me and I shan't be lonesome on the
road." Brothers, it is to tell this story that you have banded
yourselves together in the service of Him who redeemed you with His
precious blood. Your motto must be the words of that sainted apostle
whose honored name you bear: "We have found Christ." For it is only
when we have reached out our hand to grasp the hand of Jesus, that,
because we cannot help it, we reach out the other hand to help some one
else. We cannot from the heart say, "Our Father," and not remember
wandering brothers whom we may lead to the Lamb of God that taketh away
the sins of the world. The story is not for wage-workers alone, not for
the poor in the attic and the cellar alone; it is for the man who lives
in the marble house, it is for the trafficker in the market, it is for
every one away from home and heaven and God. We must find the way to
speak as one tempted man has the right to speak to a brother that is
battling with temptation. It is not done by assailing sinners as you
would besiege a city. We have tried hard words and the have answered us
with a curse. It does no good to tell the poor wretch in the ditch, "It
is your fault." We have led men to Mount Sinai, and their hearts would
break if we led them to Mount Calvary. It is this that makes the life
of an earnest minister of Christ the happiest life that God ever gave to
man. I am not here to-day to tell you what to do, but to tell you your
Master's secret, "If you give Him the will, He will find for you the
way." Although you might be the veriest stammerer, if Christ speaks out
in all your life, you will be the best talker in the world. We must
believe in our work; we cannot make others believe until we first
believe ourselves. Our feet must be upon the rock; there is no question
of success or failure there. It may be Athanasius against the world,
but the Athanasius and the faith of Christ will conquer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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