Transcribed from the [1879] Hatchards edition ,
A SERMON,
PREACHED IN
ST. PETER’S, SOUTHBOROUGH,
ON OCCASION OF THE DEATH OF THE
REV. STEPHEN LANGSTON,
Late Vicar of that Parish,
BY THE
REV. CANON HOARE,
Vicar of Trinity, Tunbridge Wells.
LONDON:
HATCHARDS, PICCADILLY.
TUNBRIDGE WELLS:
HENRY S. COLBRAN, 9, CALVERLEYROAD,
NEAR THE TOWN HALL.
“Well done, good and faithful servant; thouhast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler overmany things; enter thou into the joy of thyLord.”—Matthew xxv.23.
There is something very solemn inthe death of any one, but peculiarly solemn in the death of aminister of God; for when he dies he resigns not his life only,but his ministry. He gives back the ministerial trustcommitted to him. So our revered, and honoured friend, hasnot merely fallen asleep in the Lord Jesus; but he has, as itwere, handed back to Him who gave it the sacred stewardship ofGod’s ministry committed to him by God.
Thus this text seems very appropriate, for it contains thewords of a master who had been faithfully served, to two servantswho had faithfully served him. When they met him face toface, and resigned the trusts committed to their care, the mastersaid to each of them, “Well done thou good and faithfulservant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will makethee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thylord.” And it is no unwarranted stretch of theimagination to believe that a similar welcome was given to ourhonoured friend when he breathed forth his spirit, and yielded uphis ministry to Him who had called him by His grace, andcommissioned him for his service.
p. 4I takethe words therefore as addressed to him at the end of his course,and we may consider them at expressing the master’sverdict, and the master’s welcome.
May God be with us in the study, and may He grant that when weare gathered into his presence, the same words may be addressedto ourselves!
I. The Master’sVerdict. “Thou hast been faithful.”
It does not say, “Thou hast been rich,” or“great,” or “powerful,” or“brilliant,” but “faithful.” And itis remarkable that the master said exactly the same words to theservant who had the two talents, as he did to the one that hadthe five. They were not equally gifted, but both weredeclared to be faithful. This is a great encouragement forthose who are conscious that they have not the same gifts as ourvenerable father. We may not have his powerful, andmelodious, voice; his intimate acquaintance with our greatEnglish divines; or his marvellous power of exhibitingtruth. We may have only two talents, or perhaps only one,when he had five; but God may give us grace to be faithful, andwe may faithfully use that one talent to his glory. Godsaid to Moses, “What is that in thine hand?” And, though there was nothing there but a common, rough,shepherd’s rod, God used it for the performance of thegreatest miracles in Israel’s history. So he says toeach of us, “What is that in thine hand?” Andwhatever it is, however humble, he gives us the sacred privilegeof using it faithfully in his service.
BU KİTABI OKUMAK İÇİN ÜYE OLUN VEYA GİRİŞ YAPIN!
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