Among the different meetings and Bible readings, there was an early prayer meeting at 7.30 on Wednesday mornings, which he never missed whilst it continued, though it was attended by very few others.
I have lately met a lady who was once at a lecture given at Rathmines: she never heard my father before, or after; but his words made a strong impression on her. She said that she had never heard anything like it before. She only saw him once after; but her recollection of him was very vivid.
From time to time there were social gatherings for reading and conversation on Scripture, where he was always welcomed. Friends would sometimes bring questions about disputed or difficult points for him to answer. He had no taste for controversy, or mere intellectual reasoning; but his accuracy and clearness in explaining any passage was ever felt.
To speak to him about Holy Scripture, to get his thoughts on any passage; (and one always felt there was no part he had not thought about), seemed entirely to rest and satisfy the mind. Then his sweet deference to others, as well as his clear grasp of his subject and his bright and loving way of presenting it, gave a charm to all he said.
In a letter written when he was in the North of Ireland for a short time, he told me the subject on which he thought of speaking at a meeting, but at the close of the letter, written after the meeting he says: "We had a crowded room last evening, and I was happy; but my mind was turned to another subject, and you know, I like to be thus in God's hands".
His influence in social life must have been greater than he was at all aware of. At times difficulties arose which his wise counsel and careful allowance for difference of judgment, and above all his loving spirit and gentleness, smoothed over.
He was always anxious to encourage those who might be less favoured than others; and after seeing or hearing of any proof of faith and love in one who might have been under-rated, he would say with fervent pleasure, "The last are first". If anyone passed hasty judgment on another, he would say, "Remember, the law considers everyone innocent until he be proved guilty".
Simplicity of faith, leading to a spirit of constant praise, delighted him; he felt it to be a level of Christian experience higher than his own, and he would mention, with much pleasure, the reply once made to him by a friend, to whom he had said, "What is the character of your communion with God when in prayer? Mine is chiefly confession". With a beaming face, the answer was given, "Oh! mine is praise".
He delighted in the simplicity and naturalness of children, and often referred to those verses which tell of our blessed Lord taking a little child in His arms, a symbol, as he felt, of what the Church and each member of it ought to be "A cypher in the world's account (as a little child is), but in the arms of Christ".
* * * * *
O childhood's innocence! the voice My father never took in a daily paper; but if there were any special public events at any time, and a paper were lent to him, he read it with interest.
I think I used to notice that, whatever turn affairs might be taking in the world at large, it seemed to be just what he, from his prophetic point of view, expected. He did not, perhaps, take prophetic subjects as often as others for his expositions; but at times he clearly expressed his mind concerning prophecy.
All efforts merely to "elevate the masses" he regarded with fear, and used to say, "people do not know what they are doing".
A feature of the last days (as he fully believed these to be), of which he sometimes spoke, was the union of superstition and infidelity. He expected an increase of the former; and when the Pope's temporal power was taken away, he believed it would lead to further increase of spiritual power over the minds of men.
He expected the return of the Lord Jesus at any moment, to take all His redeemed to Himself; and believed that this event was in no wise dependent upon, or necessarily delayed by, anything here, except the gathering in of the people of the Lord.
With a strong feeling that the world is at enmity with the Church, and that the natural path of a Christian through this world is one of suffering like that of his divine Master, he used to say, "Martyrdom is the natural death of a Christian".
With thankfulness he would say that God's ways never end in judgment. In tracing, for instance, in Isaiah different "strains of judgment" he would notice how they all lead up to, and end in, mercy and praise. And so, whatever solemn thought of present evil or future judgment might present itself, he would remember the end, and dwell upon the thought of the world to come.
His strong conviction that "the Church is a heavenly stranger" in the world kept him apart from politics, while he yet carried out to the full the principle of subjection to the powers that be, and was thankful for the protection of our English laws.
The following extract from a letter written after the Crimean war is an index of his mind:
I will end this chapter by giving a few sentences, taken verbatim from lectures of my father, given at different times:
The minute touches of scripture are full of divinity.
Faith links you with God — your necessities with His resources, but if faith be omnipotent, it is also self-renouncing.
Romans 8 is dedicated to us individually, that we may be educated in Christ for a bright eternity.
The refuge of the soul, the object and end of confidence — to go right up to Him as the Home of the heart and conscience.
A believing heart cures the narrowness and coldness that we have. The understanding of Himself must form the link between our souls and Him.
Ephesians 2: 20-22 — Every stone in the Temple, big or little, has the value of Christ upon it.
It was not the Sun of the morning that came after the three hours' darkness; it was the very glory of God breaking out — the full light of His everlasting love.
Faith adopts God's thoughts; it is wisdom and obedience.
Instead of keeping the ear nailed to the door-post of God, we turn to reasonings.
John 14: 27 — The world will give what it can spare, the Lord gives what cost Him everything.
The 1st Epistle of Peter is the epistle of the lamp, the girdle, and the furnace.
Charity is always active — never idle; busy, skilful, unceasing vividness.
If I don't bring my own individual history to God, I come short of eternal alliance with Him.
You must learn Christ by your necessities and His resources.
He manifested forth His glory, and His disciples believed on Himthe glory of Christ is the property of the Church.
Oh that thoughts of God's future for His people may be familiar to our hearts! But even above that, may a simple, believing mind be in us, a mind not so much formed by thinking and watching, as generated naturally and artlessly, and without effort, by believing.
You may lean on the bosom of Divine salvation with eternal confidence.
The Lord at the Paschal Table was the living Christ, presenting to the faith of the sinner a crucified Christ.
The life of the Lord Jesus was the great moral illustration of all Divine glories.
If there is an exquisite thing in the Creation of God, it is the disclosures of the mind of Christ". I have also a few notes which, though not strictly verbatim, are accurate, and give the true sense of my father's words.
'Sanctified by faith that is in Me' (Acts 26: 18) — this is rather separation to God than a progressive work; though sanctification in other places means this. By nature we know separation from God, but in Christ we know separation to Him.
Zechariah 11 may be read as an epitome of Matthew's Gospel. It is only in that Gospel that the quotation is made from this prophet (under the general title of 'Jeremy') and in the striking language of verse 12 the Lord takes the matter into His own Hand, and speaks as if He had sold Himself, — and we know He did give up His life, or it never could have been taken. Thus there is exact coincidence between Prophet and Evangelist, though apparent historical variance.
The Lord had been 'Beauty' and 'Bands' to Israel; but in rejecting Him they lost both.
To whatever He touches He imparts strength and beauty.
Zechariah 12: 12 is a vivid illustration of the separating power of conviction.
Where the presence of God is felt in a soul, everything must stand aside.
Peter, under this power (Luke 5: 8), was separated in spirit from the ship that was ready to sink; apparently he had no fears about it. The presence he was awakened to feel absorbed his whole mind.
Abraham's history was the varied, picturesque exhibition of the life of faith (Heb. 11: 13).
… They were persuaded it was a reality. They gave their heart to it. The way back was not lost to them; but, how beautiful, they were not 'mindful' of it.
Isaac was all to Abraham, but he surrendered all; because he believed in God as a Quickener of the dead.
Jacob and Isaac did not exhibit much of the life of faith; but the small and the great are before Him. They laid hold upon the same object, and ascended the same heavens.
Fill your vision with the glories of Scripture, and all the darts of 'wicked' and 'unreasonable' men will be as so many straws. God has put into His own oracles all the vindication they require.
The more we ponder upon the story (i.e. the gospel history), the more we put an instrument into the hand of the Holy Ghost to seal comfort on our souls.
The Atonement will be our music through the endless ages of eternity. The sight of glory is not so great as the song which celebrates grace. 'Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood'.
The Spirit will give out the shadows of Lev. 16, and the substance of Matt. 27 with all calmness; but you and I ought not to be calm over it.
Mary chose the good part which should remain with her. Let us cultivate the principle of hidden satisfaction in Christ; it is the beginning of eternal communion".
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that preach the gospel of peace. It is God's delight in the gospel that has ordained preachers of the gospel — the joy of God, the gospel of God, and the eternal counsels of God have sent them forth, Can I doubt that 'joy' sends forth the message, since, when it returns full-handed, there is 'joy'? (See Luke 15: 10).
It was not Jacob wrestling, but God wrestling with him. He has plenty to withstand in me, and is it not pleasant that He should withstand it? Faith is able to stand under a Divine rebuke. Did you ever come away from the rebuking presence of God with fresh strength in the manhood of faith? It was heaven to Jacob's spirit.
When the Samaritan leper, instead of going on to the High Priest, turned back and fell down at the feet of the Lord, Jesus owned Himself the Lord of the temple, and His presence the temple of the Lord. 'There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger'.
'Master, where dwellest Thou?' 'Come and see'. As though He had said, 'follow Me, and you shall know; do not lose sight of Me, but follow Me even to the Father's bosom' ".
THOSE who knew my dear father will not need to he reminded what his happy relations were with those who, for longer or shorter periods, were associated with him in ministry or service, as Mr. Mackintosh, Mr. Stoney, Mr. Alexander, and others. He was ever ready to welcome all such, and to esteem them "very highly in love for their work's sake".
I have now to make a few more extracts from letters, and in the first three there are references to the visit of Mr. Andrew Millar to Dublin:
The lines in which these last words occur, my father greatly enjoyed:-
The next extract is from a letter written when he was visiting in Galway and Mayo:
Writing from the neighbourhood of Yeovil, he mentioned his pleasure in visiting some poor cottagers.
Referring to a hymn he had much enjoyed, he wrote:
Perhaps it was because of having first known this hymn about the time that he was reading in "Hope deferred, not lost", about the Patagonian Mission, that my father seemed afterwards always to associate the fourth verse with the experience of Mr. Williams, the surgeon who joined that devoted band of missionaries, and who, while dying of starvation, wrote from day to day in his journal, of the rapture, that filled his heart in the prospect of so soon being with his Saviour.
After the trials I encountered on Saturday, and our knocking about was over, the sleep that followed was, I think, the most refreshing that I ever enjoyed, not so much because it was a balmy restorative to my poor debilitated body, but because if ever the whisperings of Almighty love spoke tranquillity to the soul of man, and breathed a continual flowing of divine consolation into the heart, I felt both that night; I was, so to speak, talking with the Lord.
… Communion heavenly and blessed! earnest of joys to come, of blessings in store, and foretaste of that inheritance undefiled, and that passeth not away, where I shall see Him face to face, yea, behold Him as He is, not even the transparent veil of a divine faith being betwixt Him and me.
* * * * * *
"Asleep or awake, I am happy beyond words and the poor compass of language to tell. My joys are
with Him whose delights have always been with the sons of men".
It was always a happy time when my dear uncle came from Bridgnorth, where he was rector of St. Leonards for thirty-six years.
The following little hymn which my father wrote, may fitly find a place here, for it was composed for a tune which his very dear niece Annie used to play for him during her frequent visits to us (always a happiness to him), with or without her father:
The following letter is addressed to this niece:
In the year 1857, another dear niece was in failing health, and after my father had been visiting her in Devonshire, he wrote the following letter:
The next extracts are again from letters to myself:
In a letter from some place where there had been a large meeting, he wrote:
In another, which refers to the Indian Mutiny, 1857, he says
* * * * * *
In a letter, written during some severe weather, I find the words:
In another letter he speaks of a lecture he had given -
Referring to the happy death of a young friend,
I may close this chapter with a few fragments gathered from lectures on passages in the Old Testament referred to in the New, and two verses written by my father will serve to introduce them.
"The lights of God which sweetly dawn He knew how to impress on each moment its scriptural character:
In the case of Nathaniel (John 1) a silent glance seems to have been in the Lord's mind to Ps. 32, where the secret of having 'no guile' in the spirit is disclosed; confession of all secrets which might try to hide themselves before God, and pardon meeting them. Nathaniel, we might judge, had thus been confessing (the fig-tree always is the symbol of repentance), and the Lord sees him in the light of this Psalm.
The last verse of this chapter may be another instance. Jacob's ladder would seem to have supplied the figure there, the ministry of angels now is taught by it — the word should rather be 'henceforth' than 'hereafter'.
We want to be in company with the Lord Jesus. He had a thousand links formed between His soul and the Scriptures of God. So it should be with us. His references to it were as the glance of an eye familiar with its object.
The glories of the Word and our alliance with it should be our safeguard against the violence that will tamper with it.
The word of John the Baptist — 'Behold the Lamb of God' — was a reference to the shadows of the law — the morning and evening lamb — the lamb provided for shelter and food in the night of Egypt; and perhaps without undue pressure we might also say the 'ram caught in a thicket' on Mount Moriah. Each pointed to Him who now stood before John in outstanding living personality. The Lord was putting various, all kinds of honour upon Scripture; by using it in temptation; by fulfilling it to the utmost jot or tittle; and as a Teacher He who was Truth, embodied it, used it.
In John 19: 28 at the last moment there was a scripture to be fulfilled, and because of that He said, 'I thirst'.
In the Acts we still find a close and full and intimate interweaving of the parts of the Divine volume.
p>A quotation is a divine seal put upon a thing after it has gone forth, as its first utterance was the announcement of the same Spirit.
We find this wondrous quality in Scripture; it refers behind its proper boundaries, and discloses eternity that is past — it overlaps again its bounds, and goes into eternity before, and thus bespeaks the authorship of the Book. It is a display of multiplied moral wonders; and one Spirit animates it from beginning to end.
Acts 1 and 2. The Holy Ghost was now the Promise of the Father — the Son was no longer promised, but had come. But before the accomplishment of the promise, the Apostles act upon the dictates of Scripture in supplying Judas' vacant place; and they do this by virtue of the intelligence communicated by the opening of their understandings to understand the Scriptures; but still, the power from on high had not yet been given.
The first act of the Holy Ghost, when the time for His descent was fully come, the feast of weeks (when the wave loaves were presented to the Lord) was the contradiction of Babel. God was undoing our ruin — it was the restoration of man to his fellow and to God.
Peter's first use of the prophecy in Joel is an instance similar to the Lord's use of Isa. 61 in Luke 4. There He stopped at, 'to preach the acceptable year of the Lord', the time for the 'day of vengeance' had not come: so here, Peter ends with the words, 'Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved', because this was the end of his ministry.
The closing verses of chap. 2 bear witness to the effect of the Pentecostal power. 'The oil of gladness' that had filled the Head in heaven, now trickled down to the skirts of the garments. (Psalm 133)
Chapter 3: 21 and 24, though not quotations, bear a most confirming testimony to some of the writings of the Old Testament.
From time to time, we gather that all the prophets bare witness to the sufferings of Christ: the present interval of testimony to Him, rejected, glorified, under the title of 'These days', and the future glory or 'Times of refreshing'.
Chapter 3: 25. The promise that all nations should be blessed in his seed was given to Abraham when he received Isaac, as it were from the dead: before this it had been in him they were to be blessed. But this signified Jesus in resurrection, (Isaac was unbound from the altar), hence the suitableness of quoting it here.
We may bring the meridian light of the New Testament to shine upon the Old.
The Apostles in chap. 4: 24-28 in view of the events in Matt. 27 look back to Ps. 2 and find there the foretelling of a certain event which they at once find to be that of Matt. 27. Israel in the latter day will find many passages telling their history.
Stephen's face shining was, according to all Jewish analogies, God giving a pledge of glory when He called into a place of trial. 'The God of glory' appeared to Abraham before he was called out of his country. Moses was 'fair to God' (margin v. 20), before he was called out to suffering testimony.
There is nothing in Stephen's speech, if you take away what the Old Testament supplies. What use does he make of these materials? The very use, that the moment he was occupying suggested. He looked at those who had been separated from their natural circumstances in the world, as he himself now was. The heavenly calling was illustrated in those to whom he glanced back.
Dispensational knowledge is important. How can we deal with God's oracles if we are not in His light?
In Rom. 15: 11, the shortest portion of the Old Testament is honoured by distinct quotation. (Ps. 117)
In 1 Cor. 15 there is an instance of an Old Testament quotation receiving enlarged application, 'He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet'. The Psalm goes no further, but the Holy Ghost in the apostle shows death to be one of the enemies, and promises its doom.
The whole of the Old Testament proceeds upon the principle of that verse (2 Cor. 1: 20), 'The promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him, Amen', fulfilled in Him.
How intimate the intricacies of Scripture one with another! There will often be a tacit reference to an Old Testament passage — without a direct quotation — which is full of beauty.
In the opening of this second epistle (2 Cor.) there are such, as well as plain references. Genesis 1, Exodus 27, and Judges 7, supply material.
In chapter 8: 15, there is a quotation which has a sweet application. An omer, in the days of the manna, regulated the supply of each Israelite. Now the love of the Spirit is to take the place of the omer, and so dispense the properties of the saints that there should be no lack amongst any.
Again, in chap. 11: 2, 3, the allusion to Eve is very significant. Their minds at Corinth were beginning to be corrupted by someone who came with pretensions in the flesh, and just as Eve was not satisfied with what God had made her, but listened to the lie of the Serpent when he offered her to become even as God; so the Corinthians were not satisfied simply with what Christ had made them, but were seeking fleshly wisdom.
In Galatians, Paul is the champion of the faith of God's elect, live they in what age they may. He can call in Abraham and all of them to help, therefore quotations are multiplied.
In the Epistle to the Hebrews we find what we might expect. The Holy Ghost is here dealing immediately with the Jew, and teaching him by his own Scriptures; therefore quotations are abundant. The epistle teems with them.
In chapter 1 the Apostle shows that there was One with God far above the angels, and causes it to vibrate from a thousand echoes in the ear of the Jew.
Psalm after Psalm is brought in to prove this, and he goes on to show that the One who on this earth of ours died for our sins, is exalted to highest glory in heaven. They cannot but look at Him.
Moses was faithful in all his house as a servant for a testimony of those things which should be spoken after, but Christ as a Son over His own house.
Moses was to bring in, to be before, the dispensation of Christ; but He gave place to none.
There are many quotations in the New Testament which are found in little corners of the Old — all equally present to the Holy Ghost".
THE year 1860 was a time of widely spread religious awakening in Ireland. It began in the North, and was felt in all denominations.
My father's interest was quickly called forth. In the short extract which follows it is mentioned:
After some time the influence began to be felt in and around Dublin. The work was deep and real, but attended with less excitement than in other places. Clergymen and others who had longed for such an awakening amongst their people found it brought into their midst, and with more or less energy set themselves to help and teach those who now, perhaps for the first time, began to care for their souls.
My father wrote a short pamphlet at this time, entitled, "A few words on the Present Revival," some paragraphs of which I quote here. In it he refers to the "physical effects" which in some cases attended this remarkable movement.
It was about this time that my father wrote the following hymns, and they, with the long sacred poem to be given later, are the only ones he ever wrote, with the exception of those already mentioned, and some additional verses to another short one.
The breaking morn in cheerful ray "THE BELIEVING MIND".
Oh, the believing mind! There was a hymn, which I think he heard for the first time at Mr. D. Smith's services, which he enjoyed, and to which he wrote two additional verses. It begins
Additional verses -
"Voice of Archangel and Trumpet of God Crowns may encircle our radiant brow, Another hymn which became first known to us at this time, beginning -
suggested the following verses -
"Oh when shall I rise to Jesus, My father also wrote the following hymn, as an answer to the well-known one
* * * * *
"'T'is good to be here, was the word He also added the following verses to the children's hymn, beginning
* * * * *
'T'is a bright and happy place, My father was not specially fond of poetry, though he could at times enjoy it. He seldom read it aloud, and the hymns he most liked were remarkable rather for their simplicity than for their beauty of language. Some of Watts' hymns he much enjoyed, such as -
The dramatic poem, "The Martyrdom of Ignatius," by Gambold, he greatly admired, and among many favourite passages in it he frequently repeated the following:
On reading some of his own verses, thrown off from his pen, without effort, as they all were, one can understand my father so often saying that he liked "hymns about heaven".
THE state of my dear mother's health had from time to time made us anxious, but during the summer of 1863 she was not more feeble than usual, and was able to enjoy the prospect of a visit from my uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Richey. The very day they arrived, however, she had a fall, but as such an accident had often happened before without any serious consequences, we were not made unusually anxious.
I have one or two letters from him, written about this time, to my uncle and aunt in Devonshire:
In the spring of 1864 my father twice went to visit some of the Brethren in the country parts of Ireland, though he had been suffering from a slight attack on his chest. He went to Mr. Waller at Prior Park, to Mr. W. H. Darby [JND's older brother] and to other friends at Nenagh, Clonmel, Mount Mellick, Tullamore, Moate, and Buttevant.
From Tullamore he wrote:
The mention of dear Aunt Alice in these notes leads me to speak more particularly of her.
She used often to tell me little things about her early days, and was filled with thankfulness for the gracious care that had watched over her in youth; for, being early left an orphan, she was under the care of guardians who did not trouble themselves much about her.
On one occasion I was much struck by her telling me of the great enjoyment she had had one Sunday morning. She had not been able to attend the meeting which was always such a pleasure to her; but she told me what a happy time she had had alone. I cannot recall her words; but the impression on my mind was that it had been a very blessed experience of the presence and nearness of God, and also of His love. She was then past eighty.
She had great delight in hymns; and when her sight failed so that she could scarcely read, she would walk up and down the room repeating one after another with great enjoyment. This continued almost to the last. She liked those best that were most full of praise, and longed for more expression of it in the generality of hymns.*
"THE LOVE OF GOD".
"Could I with ink the ocean fill, I think Aunt Alice was appreciated by all our friends, to whom she was always ready to give a hearty welcome. Her quaint little figure, in old-fashioned dress may still be remembered by some.
Two or three years before her death she had a sharp attack of illness, from which we did not think she could recover. She was in a very happy state of mind. One day when Robert, our old Roman Catholic servant, who had lived with my grandfather at North Lodge, came up to see her, we were surprised by the earnest way in which she spoke to him of her Saviour.
Aunt Alice had for years been free from any great sorrow until my dear mother was taken from us; and, truly as she felt this, I think her great age, perhaps, made the grief less acute.
Once she spoke of her father with tears, her remembrance of more than 80 years was so vivid: he died when she was about ten years old.
The end came sooner than we expected. One night after a painful gasping for breath she began to repeat her favourite hymn, "Oh, for a heart to praise my God", and laid, as she always did, special emphasis on the line, "So freely shed for me".
Some little time after we had left her, as we thought, comfortably settled for the night, in the care of the faithful servant, who had slept in her room for thirty years, we were summoned, and saw at once that a change had taken place. She soon became unconscious, and, after breathing quietly for a few moments, she was taken from us.
During my dear father's second visit to the country, he complained of not feeling well. In a note from Clonmel he wrote -
This "taking care" was the beginning of that service of love rendered by Mr. Cavenagh during the months that followed, especially during the time of greatest weakness, which called forth my own deep gratitude, and can never be forgotten.
My father did not leave home again, except when we went together to stay for a short time with our kind friends in the County of Wicklow. Nothing could exceed the thoughtful care and love shown him by Mr. and Mrs. Truell at Clonmannon, and by Mr. and Mrs. Synge at Glanmore. He sweetly appreciated it all, but his strength was gradually failing.
I cannot tell exactly when it was that our kind friend, Dr. Walter, began to feel my dear father's illness was becoming serious. In its early stages it took the form of pneumonia; and he was never quite free from cough; but there was more general weakness than any distinct disease.
The last passage on which he gave a short lecture was 2 Cor. 12.
Before writing some details of the weeks that followed, I wish to give some remembered words of my dear father's, uttered from day to day, the last few weeks of his life.
Most of the following sentences, which were put down at the time, were spoken as if he were thinking aloud, or were utterances of prayer and praise, as though none were present but his Lord:
When I think of His mercies, I'm hurried away to Himself.
If I had not His cross for my sins and His person for my portion.
Lord, I have spoken of Thee to others; I have loved Thee; I desire to be with Thee; but I can't say I'm ready to suffer for Thee.
Patience is God's hero". Speaking at one time of how indefinitely we speak of that which lies beyond death, and saying that Scripture had not been so "indefinite," he added:-
He has been here to tell us what He is; and there is not a single feature that ought not to be a band of love between our hearts and Him.
Accustom your mind to think of the Jesus of Nazareth who walked through the cities and villages of the land, as the One who is to receive you to His glory.
Do I fear Thee, Lord Jesus? — Let every passage of Thy life give the answer.
Have I any service to make me acceptable? — Let every passage of my poor life give the answer.
When I think of the corruption, the vanity of my ministry, to think that in the day of my weakness Thou should'st come and thus show Thyself to me! 'Tis wonderful!
Oh that volume! That precious volume! To think that a man should question its truth!
Lord Jesus! it is a precious casket, an infinitely precious casket that encloses Thee.
Looking beyond the river, 't is Thee, Lord Jesus, that I see.
Trust Him for the hour of weakness, come it in what shape it may.
We shall meet where Jesus will be everything to everyone.
(To Mr. Cavenagh). Oh, Francis, tell sinners, tell them boldly while you convict them deeply, of the folly of not believing Him.
For years my soul has never conversed with any evidence but the moral glories of the Word, and the perfection of that wondrous scheme revealed from beginning to end.
Oh, to have the association of the heart with the Lord of the heavenly country! " One time he spoke of the gentle way in which he was dealt with — he had often wished, and (he supposed) prayed for it, but added,
One would surely be surprised that in these utterances he never spoke of meeting with those gone before, but for the vivid remembrance that the thought of meeting his Lord absorbed every desire, and, as he said, "filled the whole vision" of his soul.
Some one spoke to him once about meeting my dear mother. He referred to this after, and we understood that he knew this would be in the resurrection, but the One presence was all that he looked for now.
His heart has spoken for itself in the letters written during my brother's illness, and his devoted love for my mother had shown itself every moment in the life of every day, yet neither of these "gone before" seemed to mingle with his heavenly longings.
During all those weeks I was continually reminded of the reaping that follows the spiritual sowing; for if there were one thing more than another that he seemed ever to desire, or that his ministry sought to lead others to enjoy, or that his prayers longed after,
EARLY in September my dear uncle proposed coming to us. His visit was eagerly looked forward to, and on his arrival, my dear father threw his arms round his neck, and they kissed each other as if they had been boys again.
One day before my uncle came my father was able to drive out and transact some business. On reaching Mr. B'.s office, the clerk kindly came to him, and saved him the fatigue of going in. He said that he was sorry to see my dear father looking so ill.
By degrees the weakness increased, until he could only move from his own room to the drawing-room, but he had very little suffering. He wished to see everyone that called, and it was graciously ordered that all who loved him in Dublin were able to see and hear him once more. It was very seldom that he was unable to see any friend.
For many of his sweet and happy words, as well as the circumstances of the last month, I must refer to a journal kept from day to day, and to some letters sent home by my uncle, and shown to me afterwards:
Every evening, Mr. Cavenagh came, with unfailing kindness, and remained to sit up for the night if my uncle were away or needed rest, and one morning my dear father said, "Francis talks of the possibility of my returning to the Brethren. How can he talk so? So to have looked at my Lord, and then to be withdrawn from seeing Him!"
"Sept. 13th. While he was resting today, Mr. Denham Smith called, but we thought it not well to bring him up. He begged just to come and look at him. While Mr. S. was there he awoke, and held out his hand. He said that they had met in a different scene (referring to the revival services), but not a happier one, and then spoke of how the Lord had been blessing his soul the last two months, and urged Mr. Smith to preach Christ personally".
He would sometimes beckon my uncle or me to come and sit near his easy chair, and he would rest his dear head on our shoulder.
"Sept. 15th. When feeling very weary, he said, 'Oh for a rest on my brother's shoulder!' He frequently calls uncle G., 'Georgie', the dear old name of childhood. I thought, as I looked at them thus together just now of the picture — taken of them when they were boys of about eight and nine, with their faces close together.
"Sept. 12th. Uncle G. watched him tenderly, and reported a bad night. He saw different people through the day, amongst them young F. Cavenagh, who was entirely overcome when leaving.
"Sept. 16th. He called me to him when he first came into the drawing-room and folded me in his arms, and said, 'With what certainty I look at the Lord!'"
About this time I received a letter from Dr. Cronin, from which I quote his words about my dear father:
On September 18th he arrived. My dear father bore the meeting better than I feared. He spoke to Dr. Cronin about his unpublished MSS., as quietly as if he were packing up for a journey.*
"Sept. 19th. He talked a good deal to Dr. C., spoke of 'Brethren's Principles' and of the 'Social Character of the Day' hindering the apprehension of what he firmly believes to be required by the Word of God. He mentioned two or three persons whom they both knew, and sketched their characters.
"Sept. 20th. Mr. S- came to see him, and sobbed like a child before he came in, and after he left the room.
"Sept. 21. Dr. Cronin came home from an evening prayer-meeting just in time to draw his wheel-chair (which had been my mother's) into his room. He first asked about some one who had been a cause of trouble, and on hearing that he was 'softened' immediately said, 'Now push me in', as if he wanted nothing more.
"Sept. 22. He bore the parting with dear Dr. Cronin well, but it seemed after to make him feel poorly".
The book entitled, A Short Meditation on the Moral Glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, was the last written by my father; and he entrusted it to Sir E. Denny, who afterwards had it printed.
He was always able to have a short reading and prayer morning and evening; and sometimes spoke a little about the verses we read, and in prayer his words were as ever, the same simple and appropriate ones.
He would sometimes mention suitable portions of scripture to those who came to see him; and one day I said that he had not given one to me. He answered sweetly, "All my words are for you;" and after a short pause named Luke 12.
All books were by degrees laid aside, and at last even his Bible. It seemed strange to see the companion of every day and all day lying on the table unopened, and yet not strange when he was so near the actual presence of Him of whom it had so deeply taught him.
I have now to give some extracts from letters written to my dear aunt, Mrs. Bellett, whose love and sympathy were ever with us, and who afterwards showed me my uncle's letters:
This morning he called me to him and said, 'The Doctor has made me hear music'. I thought his mind was wandering a little, though he has shown nothing of the sort, but I soon found it was not so, but that he had a special meaning in what he said, for he added, 'he tells me, the heart is failing daily'.
"'Have I not,' said he, 'something better in prospect than pleasant fields to look upon!'
"He thus uttered his heart in prayer
A few weeks before this my dear father had written his last letter to Mr. Darby — in it he expressed the deep thankfulness he felt for ever having known him, and also his firm and ever-deepening conviction of the truth of Brethren's principles.
When the first anniversary of my dear mother's death came, we rather dreaded lest he should be too much affected by it. He only alluded to it once, but we found that he had thought that he might be called away on that day
"Sept. 24th. When Robert brought up his dinner, he held out his hand to him, and said, 'Thankfully wearing out'. Soon after, he looked up, and added, 'My Lord, am I moving towards Thee?' and then spoke of the ground of his hope.
"Sept. 26th. He was anxious to see our very dear and long-valued friends, Mrs. Leader and Miss Herrick, though he had been having frequent visits from them all through his illness, and I found afterwards that his desire was to commit me specially to their loving care.
Never, surely, was a trust fulfilled with more thoughtful love.*
The sofa in the drawing-room was now made into a bed for him by day, and to the last he was helped, or wheeled in my mother's chair, from his own room, which was on the same floor.
"Sept. 27th. His face has got back much of its old look, his colour is almost natural, and he speaks sometimes with his own sweet smile. We look at him with surprise. There is no distress, and he is able to lie with ease on his side, which he has not been able to do for some time.
"Sept. 29th. For a few moments he spoke in a way quite like himself, expressing his mind, with beauty and accuracy, about 'the different worlds' — that of business and self-seeking; that of domestic affection that of letters; and then turned to the thought of 'the world to come', where his blessed Lord would be all".
"Oct. 1st. While Robert was waiting to help him into his room at night he said, 'I am on my way to the Lord, and I long to reach Him'.
"Oct. 3rd. Mr. Cavenagh came early (Uncle G. is away for two days), and remained all day, generally sitting beside him holding his hand. Dr. Walter watched him through the night, which was disturbed by the cough".
When my uncle returned my dear father seemed too much overpowered to notice him, except by squeezing his hand.
On one occasion my dear father asked my uncle to tell him truly if he were "impatient", and this is referred to in the following extract from another letter.
Another time he said, "I fear I am impatient with the Lord", and explained that he had turned for rest to lie on his side, though knowing it would make him cough, and he asked if that were "rebellion".
One evening he called Mary Perrott, and expressed sorrow for having spoken crossly to her, and then he asked if we all forgave him. He said that he had been impatient with us all, and owned subjection to be his duty, but added that it did not make him afraid to meet the Lord. My dear uncle said, "Terror is not in Him. You know this better than we do". He raised his eyes and said, "My blessed, disobeyed Lord". To Dr. Walter and Mr. Cavenagh he also owned impatience, and in his little prayer after I noticed the petition that "submission" might be our "thanksgiving".
I must here say that no trace of this impatience which he seemed to feel remains in my memory; except, indeed, it may have been at times when he had a remarkable intuition (quite unlike him at other times) of how things ought to be done for an invalid which we did not exactly understand.
"Oct. 5th he said, 'I like to have you all near me today'. He repeated one or two verses of Hart's hymn, beginning, 'A Man there is, a real Man', and said, with tears, how he must have been overcome when writing it.
"This evening he called us to him, and said he would not have us deceived, or think more of the desire he had so often expressed to depart than was strictly true. It would be swords and daggers to him for us to be deceived; and then he said that the fear of suffering, and the desire to escape from present weariness, were with him, as well as a longing to be with the Lord".
A few days before this my dear father spoke to Dr. Walter as follows. I quote from another letter of my uncle's.
Journal, "Oct. 6th. He has been anxious all the morning about sending off the box,* and told us to fill it up with biscuits, and was pleased, and looked on with his own sweet smile while we packed it with cakes for the children. He wished also to have two or three little books put in.
At one time, lifting his finger and calling us all to hear, he said that the exultations of feeling he had expressed were not hypocrisy, but frames and feelings were little, and though he could say that his desire was to be with the Lord, he would not have us think him so 'heavenly-minded or spiritual' as not to be desiring rest from the suffering and weariness.
"Oct. 7. When I went into his room this morning, after he had held me in his arms for a few moments, he said, 'Wondrous has been the thrust of Satan at me this night, and blessed the victory given, but it is as sure as you are my Letty'. I asked what he referred to; but he said he could not tell me then.
Immediately after, he called my uncle and me to either side of the sofa-bed, and gave us the following account of what he had experienced:-
"Oct. 7. Evening. He asked for the servants to come up, as he wanted to pay what would shortly be due to them himself. As he gave each little parcel of money, he said that they had been 'faithful,' and asked if he had been 'kind'. While Uncle G. sat beside him, he spoke of a fall he once had from a pony in early days, and reminded him of a battle he had once fought for him at school, saying that 'he was a cowardly fellow'.
I have now come to the last entry in the little journal.
Of the days that followed, I need not write. Each day brought fresh proofs of what the sorrow was to many hearts.
One and another came, and asked to see him once more; and each one saw the face they had loved, with its sweetest expression of happiness and rest.
Of all his friends in Dublin, none were willingly absent, and some came from a distance, when he was taken to his last resting-place in Harolds-Cross Cemetery, and there, by the hands of those only who loved him, he was laid by the side of my dear mother and Aunt Alice. The whole inscription on the headstone is given below, the beautiful verses which immediately follow my dear, father's name being suggested by my uncle:
The love which my dear father was so ready to give, secured to him the love of others; but I think he was quite unconscious of the influence it gave him, as well as of the reverent affection with which so many regarded him. A few extracts from letters much prized by me shall close this little record. The first was written to my uncle by Rev. J. Hogan, whose visit on Oct. 3rd has been mentioned.
The following is from Mr. Alexander, dated "1st November, 1864.
From Mr. S — : "18th October, 1864.
Another friend wrote:
From Dr. Cronin:
From Sir E. Denny: "13th December, 1864.
The next extracts are from later letters written by the friend whom I quoted in chapter two. He was never in connection with the Brethren. He is a clergyman of "moderate High-Church views"; and never heard my dear father in public further than by attending some Bible readings in early days. The impression, so deep and lasting, was made by himself and his writings, which were indeed the transcript of his mind.
Again, in a letter of sympathy on the death of my dear uncle, he writes:
And once again, in answer to my request to print these extracts:
From Mr. C.:
From another friend:
The poem referred to already is as follows: (In 'the Evangelists' volume.)
In closing these recollections, and feeling how very imperfect they are, I can but humbly hope that time, recalling my dear father's words and ways, may lead both myself and those who may read these pages to seek to know more fully the Blessed Lord, of whom he loved to speak and whom he sought to follow in humility and love.
"His purpose and His course He takes,
Treads all my reasonings down,
Commands me out of nature's depths,
And hides me in His own"."CHILDHOOD.
Dear soul, could'st thou become a child
While yet on earth, meek, undefil'd, —
Then God Himself were alway near,
And Paradise around thee here.
A child cares not for gold or treasure,
Nor fame nor glory yield him pleasure
In perfect trust he asketh not
If rich or poor shall he his lot.
'No questions dark his spirit vex,
No faithless doubts his soul perplex
Simply from day to day he lives,
Content with what the present gives.
He will not stay to pause or choose,
His father's guidance e'er refuse,
Thinks not of danger, fears no harm,
Wrapt in obedience, holy, calm.
Of thy deep wisdom be my choice
Who hath thy lore is truly wise,
And precious in our Father's eyes.
Spirit of childhood! loved of God
By Jesus' Spirit now bestow'd,
How often have I longed for thee?
O Jesus! form Thyself in me.
And help me to become a child
While yet on earth — meek, undefil'd;
That I may find God alway near,
And Paradise around me here!""The more morally we read scripture the safer; because it keeps us in company with our own conscience and delivers us from our speculations.
"There is blessed consolation in knowing that it is in my sinner character I come to Christ. The convicting light of the Gospel is as severe as the law; and there would be no comfort without the Lord exposed the very dregs of our nature, because it tells that He has taken us up knowing the very worst of us. He tells us that we have destroyed ourselves — but He lays the sentence of death in us that we may trust in Him that raiseth the dead.
4. LETTERS — THOUGHTS ON PASSAGES
OF HOLY SCRIPTURE"Dig channels for the streams of love
Where they may broadly run;
For love has ever-flowing streams
To fill them everyone.
For we must share if we would keep
This good thing from above;
Ceasing to give, we cease to have;
This is the law of love".[* Dr. Payson, a dissenting minister in America, whose life my father read with much interest.]
[* She was an old person who had been a Roman Catholic.]
[* I have since seen this little story in a tract.]
[* One of his dear nieces in Devonshire.]
"How beautiful the path
Of those who fear the Lord,
Who hear what God their Saviour saith,
In His most holy Word.
They hear and they obey,
And in His footsteps tread
They love to follow, day by day,
Where His blest feet have led.
"What though He lead them through
A dark and thorny road;
He will their fainting strength renew,
And bear their heaviest load.
From Him their rich supplies
Of heavenly comfort flow,
None but the saints can ever rise
To such delights below.
Like as the sun's fair light
Shines on to perfect day,
Each step shall be more clear, more bright,
Along their heavenly way.
Till at the last 'twill end
In everlasting rest,
Oh what a blissful day to spend
With Jesus' presence blest"."None but the saints can ever rise
To such delights below"."… Should anything prevent my ever adding to this, let all my beloved ones at home rest assured that I was happy beyond all expression the night I wrote these lines, and I would not have changed situations with anyone living. Let them also be assured that Heaven, and love, and Christ, which mean one and the same Divine thing, were in my heart, and that the hope of glory, the hope laid up for me in Heaven, filled my whole heart with joy and gladness, and that to me to live is Christ, to die gain.
"Much more I could add, but my fingers are aching with cold, and I must wrap them up in the clothes, but my heart is warm, warm with praise, thanksgiving and love to God my Father, and love to God my Redeemer".
"Shepherd, tell! Shepherd, tell
Where Thy flock feed,
With them there, pastures fair,
Me gently lead.
'Neath Thy shade gently laid
There let me rest —
With Thine own, with Thine own,
Happy and blest.
Through the veil little while,
Smile Thou on me,
Then in light, cloudless bright,
Ever with Thee.
O'er me spread, o'er me spread
Banners of love,
Then I'll taste angel's feast
Fresh from above.
"Let me hear, soft and clear,
Thy voice that speaks,
'Winter's o'er, night no more,
Morning now breaks!
O'er the hills, o'er the hills
Speed Thou Thy way,
Then I'll rise! cloudless skies!
Reigning in day"."'What in Thy love possess I not?
My star by night, my still by day:
My spring of life when parch'd with drought,
My wine to cheer, my bread to stay;
My strength, my shield, my safe abode,
My robe before the throne of God'.[* Miss Locke was an invalid belonging to the section of the Brethren that my father had left; but this did not hinder his visits to her; and he was often cheered by her happy spirit, witnessed by a bright face, even though confined to her wheel chair, and often suffering.]
"In vetere Testamento novum latet,
In novo Testamento vetus patet".
In earliest books divine,
As morning hours to noonday lead,
Along the volume shine.
"'Tis but the same though brightening sun
Which clearer, warmer grows;
The clouds which veil'd his rising beam
Fly ere the evening close".
"There are 'silent glances', references, from one part of Scripture to another, that are deeper even than quotations. Instances of these are found in the Lord's ministry, as though His soul were so impregnated with the Word that He had tacit, quiet alliance with the breathing of God in the Old Testament.
5. INTEREST IN THE "REVIVAL" — HYMNS
"FAITH'S MORNING, NOON, AND EVENING".
With many a promise opes the day,
Setting the sun upon his way
To tread his radiant journey.
So faith's fair spring-time opens Heaven,
When clouds and doubts are backward driven,
Revealing Christ, to sinners given
Their morning pledge of glory.
Then, as in robes of glittering dye
The Ruler of the mid-day sky
With fruitful ardours from on high,
Blesses the world before him -
So Christ, in risen virtues strong,
In freedom leads our souls along
To serve and to adore Him.
And then at eve, with 'farewell sweet',
The day retires, so soon to greet
Regions which wait his smile to meet,
Its varied beauties blending;
So faith, in hopeful, evening hour,
Calm in the Saviour's chasten'd power,
Anchors beside earth's parting shore
In hope of joys unending".
Which sets Thee, Lord, above
The failures of my heart and hand
In constancy of love.
Impart it, Lord, to me -
Each moment let it reign
In all its calm and brightness there,
My spirit's realm within.
Should busy mem'ry wake
The slumbers of the past,
And o'er a present cloudless day
Some gloomy shadows cast, -
Then let believing thoughts
Assert for Thee the place
Fill the whole vision of my soul
With glories of Thy grace.
If now my slumbering heart
Should meet Thy searching Word,
And conscience waken but to seal
Thy holy judgments, Lord, -
May faith be witness then
That I am seen of Thee
In light of everlasting love,
Unclouded, changeless, free.
Should fear, with fruitful skill,
Image my days to come,
And bear my trembling footsteps on
Through danger, snares, and gloom,
Let faith then eye the bow
That spans the darkest cloud,
And pledges safety to the end,
Though tempests rage around.
May faith, with clear, calm light,
Thus measure all my days;
Keep my whole soul in constant peace,
And give it thoughts of praise.
In converse, Lord, with Thee,
My Saviour, Guardian, Friend,
While onward still to glory's home
My guided footsteps tend"."Joyfully, joyfully, onward we move,
Bound to the land of bright spirits above".
Joyfully summon the quick and the dead;
Bright in His glory shall Jesus appear,
Upward in clouds shall we meet Him in air.
Partings all over, and sorrows all gone,
Blest in His presence, eternally one;
Like Him and with Him for ever to be,
Joyfully, joyfully, welcome the day.
Joyful we'll cast them before Him, and bow;
Harps of the harpers shall gladden the throne,
Joyful to tell He is worthy alone.
Angels in chorus their anthems shall raise,
Only to give Him all honour and praise,
And ev'ry creature around and above
Joyfully, joyfully, rest in His love!""Oh when shall I see Jesus,
And dwell with Him above,
And from that flowing fountain
Drink everlasting love?
And find myself but one
Among the countless thousands,
That shine round Him alone!
When shall I wear my raiment
Through Him made white and clean,
No darkening cloud around me,
No hateful spot within!
When shall I hear the music,
Skill'd in this art alone,
To sound the name of Jesus
Before the Father's throne?
When shall I see the Glory,
My Saviour's presence sheds,
And know no other pleasure
Than what that Presence yields?"'We talk of the land of the blest,
That country so bright and so fair,
And oft are its glories confest,
But what must it be to be there!
Once heard from that country so fair,
In glory beholding the Lord,
'T'is this, it is this to be there (Matt. 17: 4)
The glories and joys of that land
The traveller could not declare,
His rapture and silence alone,
Must tell what it is to be there (2 Cor. 12: 4)
In sight of that City on high,
'Its walls decked with jewels so rare,
He fell, overwhelm'd with the joy,
This tells what it is to be there. (Rev. 22: 8)
With Thee, Lord, for ever to be
Is the hope Thou hast left with us here,
'T'is enough, Lord, for ever with Thee,
'T'is this, it is this to be there!" (1 Thess. 4: 17)Oh, they've reached the sunny shore,
Over there".
Over there!
'T'is a bright and happy place,
There they see the Saviour's face,
Fresh in joy they sing His praise,
Over there.
All in light and joy appear,
Over there!
All in light and joy appear,
Not the half was told them here
Of the things their spirits cheer,
Over there!
Oh, they've reached the shore in peace,
Over there!
*Stormy winds and wonders cease,
He hath brought them through the seas,
For His goodness Him they praise,
Over there!" *Ps. 107: 24-25, 30."Earth has detained me prisoner long,
And I'm grown weary now;
My heart, my hand, my ear, my tongue,
There's nothing here for you"."There has one object been disclosed on earth
That might commend the place; but now 'tis gone:
Jesus is with the Father, and demands
His members to be there".6. LOOSENING OF EARTHLY TIES
[* He had attended my mother.]
[* Aunt Alice had been ill.]
[* Miss Elliott, the authoress of "Just as I am", hearing of her desire, wrote a short hymn of praise especially for her, which pleased her much.]
Were the wide world a parchment made,
Were every stick on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God most high
Would drain the mighty ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll
Contain the whole,
Though it were stretch'd from pole to pole"."Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God,
He to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood".[* I have not before spoken of my father's feelings on this subject. It was to him a feast of joyful thanksgiving each returning Sunday, of looking "back to the cross and onward to the glory". But he felt very strongly that it was not for the sick chamber, but for the congregation on the "first day of the week".]
"Lord, how perfect are all Thy ways! How delightful it is to look at Thee! So unlike any other object.
"It had defined it simply, accurately, and in holy detail. It first informs us that the moment death has done its business with the old creation, body, the Lord receives the new creation, spirit, and the simple commentary it passes upon that is, ''tis far better'. Is that indefinite? Death introduces the spirit to the solitary presence of Christ, but afterwards it is as if He said, 'My presence is not the only source of satisfaction (dear, unjealous Lord!), you must enjoy your brethren and your Father's house'. We shall meet our brethren in the air to be with them, as well as with Him, and then the Father's house will be entered.
7. CLOSING DAYS
[* Most of them were afterwards printed in the Bible Treasury.]
One to whom for years he has been strongly attached, called; he gave many words of spiritual counsel; and then, in reference to himself, spoke as follows:[* One of our faithful servants.]
[* Sir E. Denny.]
"'Oh, the joy of meeting an unrebuking gaze!'"'Lord, I do not love Thee so as to suffer martyrdom in Thy service, — not as one who said, "Lord, I am ready to go with Thee, both into prison, and to death" — but I would be glad to go to Thee along this path of feebleness, for it is, and has been for some time now, the ruling thought of my heart; how happy a thing it must be to be with Thee, Lord Jesus'.
"After a little pause, he pursued his meditations thus"'What He was here, that He is there, and what He is there, that was He here, the same for ever'.
[* About the same time he said to Mary Perrott, "Mary, never leave my child".]
OF UPPER PEMBROKE STRFET, DUBLIN.
SEPTEMBER 23RD, 1863.
AGED 67.
ALICE DYER,
OF UPPER PEMBROKE STREET.
MAY 19TH, 1864.
"WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD".
JOHN GIFFORD BELLETT,
UPPER PEMBROKE STREET, DUBLIN.
OCT. 10TH, 1864.
"THOU SHALT MAKE ME FULL OF JOY WITH THY COUNTENANCE.
THOU HAST GIVEN HIM HIS HEART'S DESIRE.""O happy saints for ever blest!
At Jesu's feet, how safe your rest,'"