A Castaway Paul Was Too Eager and Too Practical a Man to Dally with a Bogy Dread
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
A C A S T A W A Y AND O T HE R ADDRE S S E S yv M E R F. B . E Y ” A nth ol' of Li h t on Life 5 Du ties T h e S ec et g . r of Gu ida n ce, etc. FLE M ING H. RE VE LL C O MPA NY K N ew Y O R . C HIC A GO P u bl ish e r : o E v a n el ic a l L ite r a f g tu r e . O O T TA BLE F C N E NTS . F IRS T ADD RE S S : A OA S T AW AT “ S E OO N D AD D R ES S : M A R R ED : S O B E M A D E IT ” A GA IN . T H R D AD D R S : T HE A UR A M A N I ES N T L . F OUR TH AD D R ES S : T HE S UB S TITUTION O F T HE s s C H R I S T LIE E F O R T HE S E LE LIE E . F IFTH AD D R ESS : C H RIS T T HE COMPLEM EN T O F O U R D N EE . S I" TH AD D R ES S : D ELIVE R A NCE FR OM T HE POWER O E S IN ’ N H AD D R D T O M E N S EVE T ES S : GO S W . E IGHTH AD D R ES S : T HE AN OINTIN G WITH T HE H O LY R S PI IT . NINTH AD D R ES S : T HE IN FILLING O F T HE HOLY S R PI IT . T E N H A D s T T D R ES S : H E AR T RE S . FIR ST AD DR ES S A C AST AW AY I invite your attention to a few words found in 1 “ I Cor . Lest that by any means , when have ” I . preached to Others , myself should be a castaway Paul was too eager and too practical a man to dally with a bogy dread . Since then he intimates that it was his daily fear lest , after having preached to others , I he might himself be a castaway , suppose that there were but few hours in his life when this dread did so not haunt him . After he had founded many e so church s , written so many epistles , and exercised wide z s r ea d wa s p an influence , in his quiet moments he perpetually face to face with this awful nightmare , that the day might come when he would be a casta wa y; and the thought drove him almost to madness . wa s ZE ea n When he traveling over the blue g , when wa s he sitting making his tents , when he was engaged h is t in dictating epis les , the thought would come back “ and back upon his heart : I may yet be a casta way . Have you ever feared this ? I am not sure that a man ever reaches his highest development without of I something the element of fear , and ask you now if in your life you know something O f this haunting dread ? May I confess to you that it has become a of ? great dread my own and if many days pass , and n o on e writes to tell me of help derived from : m y 5 6 A CA S TA WA Y n o on e to ou r ministry, and comes join church , and n o on e to or I seems be influenced by my life word , sit myself down and sa y h a s Good God , the time come at last to me when ” f r to ? o some reason I , too , am be a castaway bu t I And reverently, humbly , most searchingly , bea r er n ot ask you , my , whether it may be possible ou that this very moment y are already a castaway . “ ” A CA S TA WA Y —I N W HA T S EN S E ? I s it to be supposed for a moment that the Apostle thought that when once the believer has fled to Christ he can be cast ou t into the outer darkness a of where there is weeping , and w iling , and gnashing teeth ? Is it possible for a limb to be torn from the for to mystical body Of Christ, a jewel be snatched ou t of His for h e to from crown , a s ep be devoured from His flock ? Are there any unfinished pictures ’ in God s gallery , any incomplete statues in His workshop ? Does God begin a work in the soul and leave it incomplete and unperfected ? We cannot believe it . of It is said Rowland Hill , my great predecessor at Christ Church , London , that when an Old man of ei h t s fou r On e g y and just before he died , Sunday night ou t when the lights had been put in Surrey Chapel , the verger in attendance heard him g o to and fro in t the aisle , singing o himself ’ Wh en I a m to die R ec e v e m e — I ll c r , i y, F or " e u h a s ov e m e I c a n n ot te wh s s l d , ll y; B u t th I do fi n d we two a r e so o n e is , j i d , ’ ” H e n ot b e in h ea v en a n d e v e m h n ll l a e b e i d . I of s rd s f you have faith as a grain mu ta eed , if it A CA S TA WA Y 7 is directed toward Christ, a union has been formed between Him and you which neither heaven nor earth nor hell n or time n or eternity can ever break . And yet the Apostle feared he would be a casta ? way . What did he mean I on One day was calling a brother clergyman . He took me ou t into his garden to an ou t a of on e of house , gainst the side which was resting oldz fa sh ion ed I the bicycles with a very tall wheel . said to him : D o you ever ride this ? “ b e : I n ot Said No ; see how rusty it is . have on for I ot n been it many months . have g somethi g better , something that suits my purpose better , pointing to another and a newer bicycle on the other of side the house . “ I : t said to myself Then this is a cas away . ou t I When stylographic pens first came , pur chased on e in the hope that it would serve me per fectl I wa s y. But sadly disappointed . Sometimes I o when attempted t use it , it was unwilling to serve fi n me . At other times it was profuse in inking the F in a ll I ger . y discarded it in hopelessness and pur on e I chased another pen . The now hold serves me I n o f perfectly , and have di ficulty whatever in per forming by its means any writing upon which I ' set I have my heart . But keep the other one . It of I lies in the drawer my bureau , and often when am putting my things together to go upon some journey , I think I hear it saying to itself as it lies there “ is " Ah , he going away without me again There ' was a tl m e when he n ever left h om e with ou t taking 8 A CA S TA W A Y me with him ; he never wrote a letter without me ; he never composed an article but that I first knew its contents ; but for these many days and months I have ” been lying here unused . That disused stylographic pen is my conception of what Paul meant when he said he feared being a castaway . m to You ust know that this man loved save men . It was the passion of his life . Send him to Philippi , and he will not be there a day before he has turned the devil out of the poor demoniac girl . Let him be put in jail , and before midnight he will have bap tized to his jailor . Send him Athens , and though he ’ is all alone , he will gather a congregation upon Mars or o Hill within a week two . Put him alongside f Aquila and Priscilla at the bench , and he will make tents and talk to them in such good wise that they will become Christians . Stand him before his judge , “ and the latter will cry : Almost thou persuadest me ” " h im to to to be a Christian Let go Rome , tied a W l ll on e Roman sentry , and he speak to these men , h after anot er , in such fashion that the whole Pretor ian camp will be infused with the love Of God . His I passion was to save men . do not believe that if he d streetz ca r or were alive to ay , he would be in a , a ra ilwa z c a r or on y , board a steamer without button holing some man and speaking to him about his soul h is of and Savior .