Humility

I recently heard the story of a young Scottish minister who was asked to be the guest preacher one Sunday morning in a large church in Glasgow. As he prepared to preach, he strode to the pulpit with eyes blazing, head held high, and with a demeanor of clear confidence in what he was doing -- and it bordered on arrogance. He preached and the sermon clearly did not go well. When he was done, he descended the pulpit slowly with his head bowed and tears in his eyes. The church's older and much more experienced pastor was there that morning, and so the young minister asked him what he did wrong. The wise pastor answered, "If you had gone up the pulpit the way you came down, that would have been a good start."

It reminds me of the story of the two covenanter pastors who were standing at the foot of the steps that led to the scaffold for their execution. One turned to the other and said, "I am less fearful to go up these steps than the steps into the pulpit."

J. Hudson Taylor and Martyrdom

J. Hudson Taylor's response to the news of the martyred CIM missionaries:
"Oh, think what it must have been," he said, "to exchange that murderous mob for the rapture of His presence, His bosom, His smile!" He paused, trying to control his voice. "They do not regret it now," he continued. "A crown that fadeth not away. They shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy.'" His mind had gone to the Book of Revelation (3:4).
Later, he penned these words in a letter to one of the families, "We thank God for the grace given to those who have suffered. It is a wonderful honour He has put upon us as a mission to be trusted with so great a trial, and to have among us so many counted worth of a martyr's crown...When the resumption of our work in the interior becomes possible we may find circumstances changed, but the principles we have proved, being founded on His own unchanging Word, will be applicable as ever. May we all individually learn the lessons God would teach, and be prepared by His Spirit for any further service to which He may call us while waiting for the coming of our Lord."

Submitted by JD

Proverbs

For the last year we have been reading through the Book of Proverbs in our Sunday morning worship service. At times, it feels as if we are drinking from a fire hydrant: one grand adage after another. Has this worship exercise really been worth it? I would answer with a resounding yes! Matthew Henry gets at the heart of the issue when he says: "What good use may be made of Proverbs? Those who are young and simple may by them be made wise, and are not excluded from Solomon's school, as they were from Plato's. But is it only for such? No; here is not only milk for babes, but strong meat for strong men. This book will not only make the foolish and bad wise and good, but the wise and good wiser and better."

How to Face Persecution

Broomhall, in his book Martyred Missionaries of China Inland Mission, tells the story of the persecution of missionaries in Shan-Si province, China during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900. He quote a letter written by a missionary to her parents:

"The sufferings and privations we endured cannot be told, and I do not want to dwell upon them. The Master suffered, so must we follow in His footsteps, at least it is reserved for some to do so. May He accept how we bore it for His name's sake. I can truly say -- even for the little ones of the party -- no hatred seemed to be felt. Those of the children who knew a little compared it to how Jesus was treated, and spoke about the naughty soldiers who treated Jesus badly. Mr. and Mrs. Saunders' little Jesse, aged seven, who died on the road, said when they were stoned and beaten, 'They treated Jesus like this, didn't they mother?'"

Henry F. Lyte

In the last two Sunday evenings, Jake Spencer has been teaching us a hymn written by Henry F. Lyte called "Abide with Me; Fast Falls the Eventide" (#402 Trinity Hymnal). Jake also told us the story of the hymn, and I wanted to take a moment to put that history on paper for us as a congregation.

Henry Lyte was born in Scotland on June 1, 1793. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin. And throughout his life he dealt with on-going and threatening health problems. Yet, he was a tireless pastor. For the final twenty-three years of his life, he pastored a small and poor church among fishing people at Lower Brixham, Devonshire, England. While there his health continued to worsen. His last sermon among the people was in 1847, and some recall that he had to crawl to the pulpit, a dying man preaching to his congregation. In his sermon he wanted to "induce you to prepare for the solemn hour which must come to all by a timely appreciation and dependence on the death of Christ." He then traveled to Italy to try and convalesce, but on his way he died in Nice, France and is buried there.

The hymn "Abide with me; Fast Falls the Eventide" was completed by Lyte shortly before his last sermon and his leaving his parishioners. It appears that he knew his time was short. He wrote, "I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless; ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness. Where is death's sting? where, grave, they victory? I triumph still, if thou abide with me."

Answer to Prayer

In 1932, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones was on an extended visit to the United States. He was engaged to speak at the Chautauqua Conference Center. He had not planned on going there, but, at the last minute, one of the speakers got sick. Lloyd-Jones was hurriedly put in his place. This was a week long engagement, starting on Monday and ending on Friday. Over the years the conference had become secularized, but there were a few Christians who continued to pray for better things to come for it. On Monday, July 11 some thirty people came to hear him (although there were thousands at the conference). By Friday, Lloyd-Jones' final service, was moved to the concert hall which held 6,000 people and the place was packed.

A Kindred Spirit

The well known Princeton theologian B.B. Warfield tells the following story about a US army officer:

"He was in a great western city at a time of intense excitement and violent rioting. The streets were overrun daily by a dangerous crowd. One day he observed approaching him a man of singularly combined calmness and firmness of mien, whose very demeanour inspired confidence. So impressed was he with his bearing amid the surrounding uproar that when he had passed he turned to look back at him, only to find that the stranger had done the same. On observing his turning the stranger at once came back to him, and touching his chest with his forefinger, demanded without preface: 'What is the chief end of man?' On receiving the countersign, 'Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him for ever' -- 'Ah,' said he, 'I knew you were a Shorter Catechism boy by your looks!' 'Why, that was just what I was thinking of you,' was the rejoinder."