Possibly, dear friends, some of you who think you have
had slender success may have had a great deal more than
you know of. Others there may be whose want of success
should suggest to them to try somewhere else, or else
to try some other method. If we cannot do good in one
way we must do it in another. Bring the matter before
God in prayer. Cry mightily to him, for he will help
you yet to do it, and his shall be the glory. When he
has laid you low, when he has taught you how
inefficient you are, when he has driven you in despair
to rely implicitly upon himself, then it may be that he
will give you more trophies and triumphs than you ever
dreamed of. Anyhow, whether I prosper in life or not is
not my question. To bring souls to Christ is my main
endeavour, but it is not the ultimate proof of my
ministry. My business is to live for God, to lay aside
self, and give myself up wholly to him, and if I do
that I shall be accepted whatever else may happen. I
wish we had the spirit of that brave old man who was
condemned to the stake. They were going to burn him. He
knew that the sentence was to be carried out the next
morning, but with a soul full of courage, and with a
merry heart, he sat the last thing at night talking
with his friends-faggots and fire to face in the
morning, recollect-and he said to one of them, “I am an
old tree in my Master’s orchard. When I was young I
bore a little fruit by his grace. It was unripe and
sour, but he bore with it: and I have grown mellow in
my older days and brought forth some fruit for him by
his grace. Now the tree has grown so old that my Master
is going to cut it down and burn the old log. Well, it
will warm the hearts of some of his family while I am
burning”; and he even smiled for joy to think that he
might be put to so good a purpose. I want you to have
that spirit, and to say, “I will live for Christ while
I am young: I will die for him, and warm the hearts of
my brethren. You know that the persecutions of those
martyr days begat such heroism and gallantry among
disciples as prudent people in peaceful times can
scarcely credit. It is said of the old Baptist church
over in the City that the members went to Smithfield
early one morning to see their pastor burnt, and when
some one asked the young people what they went there
for, they said that they went to learn the way. That is
splendid! They went to learn the way. Oh, go to the
Master’s cross to learn the way to live and die! See
how he spent himself for you, and then sally forth and
spend yourselves for him. “Though Israel be not
gathered, yet shall ye be glorious in the sight of the
Lord.” Though you may think that you do not succeed,
your whole-hearted consecration shall be your honour in
the day of the Lord. By your hallowed life, and your
humble service, you shall bring glory to his name. O
Lord, set us in our charges, and encourage us in the
service of thy house! “Let the beauty of the Lord our
God be upon us; establish thou the work of our hands:
yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.” May the
blessing of our covenant God rest upon you, my
brethren, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
“This article originally appeared here at Bible Bulletin Board.”
