And now for the last part of our Lord’s witness about Himself. To the
poor the gospel is preached. Oh! my friends, is not _that_ coming true
in our days as it never came true before? Look back only fifty years,
and consider the difference between the doctrines which were preached to
the poor and the doctrines which are preached to them now. Look round
you and see how everywhere earnest and godly ministers have sprung up, of
all sects and opinions, as well as of the Church of England, not only to
preach the gospel in the pulpit, but to carry it to the sick bedside of
the lonely cottage, to the prison, and to those fearful sties, worse than
prisons, where in our great cities the heathen poor live crowded
together. Look at the teaching which the poor man can get now, compared
to what he used to—the sermons, the Bibles, the tracts, the lending
libraries, the schools—just consider the hundreds of thousands of pounds
which are subscribed every year to educate the children of the poor, and
then say whether Christ is not working a mighty work among us in these
days. I know that not half as much is done as ought to be done in that
way; not half as much as will be done; and what is done will have to be
done better than it has been done yet; but still, can anyone in this
church who is fifty years old deny that there is a most enormous and
blessed improvement which is growing and spreading every year? Can
anyone deny that the gospel is preached to the poor now in a way that it
never was before within the memory of man?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account