Inside The Veil And Outside The Camp

"Charge That to My Account"

and Other Gospel Messages

by Harry A. Ironside

LOIZEAUX BROTHERS NEW YORK, N. Y.

CHAPTER ELEVEN -

INSIDE THE VEIL AND OUTSIDE THE CAMP

"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of JESUS, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having an high priest over the house of GOD; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith" (Hebrews 10:19-22).

"Wherefore JESUS also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach" (Hebrews 13:12, 13).

THE Old Testament is a very wonderful picture book of New Testament truths. No uninspired writer has ever produced a volume of gospel illustrations that compares with the Old Testament in type, shadow, or symbol. All through the sacred pages of the earlier books we have set forth the wonderful truths that have been made known to us by our Lord JESUS CHRIST.

Those of you who are familiar with the Tabernacle will recall the place which the veil had in connection with its furnishings and ordinances. By it the sanctuary was divided into two parts; the first was called the Holy Place, and into that particular room the priests went ministering from day to day. In it there were three pieces of furniture - the golden candlestick, speaking of CHRIST as the light of the world; the golden table of shew bread, speaking of CHRIST as the One who maintains and sustains His people through their wilderness journey; and the altar of incense, which speaks of CHRIST ever living to make intercession for us.

Then there was the inner sanctuary on the other side of the veil, called the Holiest of All. And in this room there was just one piece of furniture: the ark of the covenant, surmounted by the mercy seat. This was the dwelling place of GOD, and the mercy seat on top of the ark was the meeting place of GOD and man.

An uncreated light, the Shekinah glory, shone above the mercy seat between the golden cherubim, whose wings were spread out over it. Into this sacred enclosure, where the presence of GOD was manifested, the ordinary priests were not permitted to enter; only the High Priest, and that just once a year. He went in carrying a golden basin filled with atoning blood, which he sprinkled upon the mercy seat and before it, where he himself took his stand.

This was GOD's figure for the time then present, we are told in the Epistle to the Hebrews, when no man could have immediate access to GOD. There was a priesthood provided through which people drew nigh unto GOD in a ritualistic way, but GOD commanded that the people should stand afar off to worship Him, and the man who drew near was put to death. The only exception was the High Priest once every year.

The Veil of Separation

The veil which hung between the Holy Place and the Most Holy was most significant, for we are told in Hebrews that it represented the flesh of our Lord JESUS CHRIST, that is, it represented Him as a man here on earth. The veil was composed of fine twined linen, ornamented with threads of blue and purple and scarlet, and cherubim were wrought upon it, setting forth the justice and judgment of GOD.

The fine twined linen pictures, as it always does in Scripture, perfect righteousness, the spotless and righteous life of the Lord JESUS CHRIST, the sinless One, in whom is no sin, for He knew no sin. The blue suggested His Heavenly character. He was not a mere man, born as other men are; He was the Son of man from Heaven. The purple spoke of royal dignity. He was the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, the One who came to reign on earth, the righteous King.

The scarlet is most significant. It literally means, "The splendor of a worm." This seems a strange expression to us, but it need not be. In Mexico there is a little insect that feeds on cactus, called the cochineal. It is ground up in a mortar and its blood makes a crimson dye. Also in Palestine, there was a little worm called the tola. When it was crushed, it produced the scarlet dye which was used in making the beautiful garments that clothed the nobility. In Psalm 22:6, the Lord says, "I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people." He took the lowest place, the place of a worm, and was crushed in death that you and I might be clothed with the beautiful garments of righteousness and glory. The scarlet speaks of suffering and of glory. Think, then, how wonderfully that veil sets forth the Lord JESUS CHRIST, the Heavenly One, the kingly One, the suffering One, the righteous One.

The Way into the Holiest

But the unrent veil shut man out from GOD, and the holy spotless life of JESUS was in itself a barrier rather than a means of approach to GOD. The unrent flesh of JESUS only served to shut GOD in and to shut man out. JESUS said, "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:24). Men seem to think that our blessed Lord came to earth as an example to show us what man ought to be or do in order to obtain GOD's favor. The life of our Lord, instead of being an example which unconverted men may follow in order that they might find their way into the presence of GOD, is simply the condemnation of all men everywhere, for in CHRIST we see what man should be, but what no man ever was, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

The unrent flesh of JESUS was a barrier into the presence of GOD. No man is perfect as JESUS was, and therefore no man has a title as He had to enter into the presence of GOD uncondemned. But now the glorious gospel is this, that the holy One, the perfect One, the righteous One, the Heavenly One, the kingly One, went to Calvary's Cross, and there His flesh was rent; there He took the place of guilty sinners; there He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, He, the sinless One, was made sin for us.

"All our iniquities on Him were laid; All our indebtedness by Him was paid."

He took the sinner's place, and bore the sinner's judgment. He drank the cup of wrath that sinners so justly deserve to drink, endured the awful forsaking of GOD, and cried out at last, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Then, having drained that cup to the bitter dregs, having borne the judgment that you and I so richly deserve, He cried in triumph, ere He surrendered His spirit to the Father, "It is finished."

When He died, we read that "the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom"; not from the bottom to the top as though some priest might have torn it asunder, but from the top to the bottom. It was the hand of GOD that rent that veil, in order to declare that now the way into His immediate presence has been opened through the rent flesh of His beloved Son. We read in the New Testament, "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of JESUS, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated (or dedicated) for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh" (Hebrews 10:19, 20).

"The Holiest we enter
In perfect peace with GOD,
Through whom we found our center
In JESUS and His blood.
Though great may be our dullness
In thought and word and deed,
We glory in the fullness
Of Him that meets our need.

"Much incense is ascending
Before the eternal throne;
GOD graciously is bending
To hear each feeble groan.
To all our prayers and praises
CHRIST adds His sweet perfume,
And Love the censer raises
These odors to consume."

And there into the immediate presence of GOD, He who died upon the Cross to put away our sins has entered as our great High Priest. We are told in Hebrews that He is entered within the veil as our forerunner. His place in the Holiest is the pledge that all who believe on Him shall be there. He has gone in as our representative. He has gone in to announce to GOD the Father that through the virtue of His shed blood untold millions shall also be there.

A Pilgrim Path

In the meantime, we are walking, the sands of the desert. We are still down here on earth, and while we are here we have our trials, our sicknesses, our sufferings, and our sorrows to endure, but that loving heart of His feels for everyone of His people in their trials and griefs, and presents the incense of His own constant intercession there in the presence of GOD on our behalf. We may well say:

"O GOD, we come with singing,
Because Thy great High Priest
Our names to Thee is bringing,
Nor e'er forgets the least.

"For us He wears the mitre,
Where 'Holiness' shines bright;
For us His robes are whiter
Than Heaven's unsullied light."

In spirit we are invited, yea, we are urgently commanded, to enter into the Holiest of All as purged worshipers. Where do you worship? If somebody were to ask you this question what would your answer be? Would you say, "In Moody Church?" That is a poor place in which to worship. How could you worship in the Moody Church, or any other church, if the veil were not rent!

Oh, dear Christian, do understand that they who worship the Father "must worship him in spirit and in truth." As we do this, where is the place of our worship? Not in any sanctuary made with hands, no matter how beautiful, how glorious, how grand, but only inside the veil. Your body may occupy a seat in some building, but if in spirit you come to GOD through the rent veil, the death of JESUS, and bow before Him in adoration, in love, in thanksgiving, in the name of His blessed Son, that is worship.

"The veil is rent - our souls draw near
Unto a throne of grace;
The merits of the Lord appear,
They fill the holy place.

"His precious blood has spoken there,
Before and on the throne;
And His own wounds in Heaven declare,
The atoning work is done.

"Tis finished! - here our souls have rest.
His work can never fail:
By Him, our Sacrifice and Priest.
We pass within the veil.

"Within the Holiest of All,
Cleansed by His precious blood,
Before the throne we prostrate fall,
And worship Thee, O GOD!

"Boldly the heart and voice we raise,
His blood, His name, our plea;
Assured our prayers and songs of praise
Ascend, by CHRIST, to Thee."

True Worship

When people talk of worshiping in some building on earth, and think of a ritualistic service as worship, and talk of worshiping GOD in music, it simply shows that they do not understand what is involved in the rending of the veil. The worship that is acceptable to GOD is the music that rises up to Him as His SPIRIT touches the heart-strings of His redeemed people and we bow before Him, the Holiest of All, singing and making melody in our hearts unto the Lord.

It is not merely that on Sunday mornings we press our way inside the veil; no, that is the place where we should be abiding in spirit constantly. Sometimes I go into a meeting where there is a very good atmosphere and some well-meaning brother rises to pray, and says, "O GOD, we thank Thee that this morning we have been sitting together in Heavenly places in CHRIST."

But it is not just when a good meeting is going on, but in every moment of the believer's life, he is sitting in Heavenly places in CHRIST JESUS. The place of our abiding is inside the veil, in the immediate presence of GOD with nothing between. All that once shut GOD in and shut man out has been removed in the death of CHRIST.

Outside the Camp

But we must now consider the other expression, "Outside the camp," for what the old hymn says is true:

"Our Lord is now rejected,
And by the world disowned;
By the many still neglected,
And by the few enthroned."

Just as His place in glory is our place, so His place on earth is our place, as we go through this sinful world. What is His place down here? It is the place of rejection, for "He came unto his own, and his own received him not."

These two expressions, "His own," are not absolutely the same. The first is the neuter; the second is personal, and the passage may be paraphrased: "He came unto his own things and his own people received him not."

Think of it, He came to His own city, Jerusalem, the city of the great King. If there was any place on earth where He might have expected to be received with gladness and acclaim, it was Jerusalem. He came unto His own temple, every whit of it uttered His glory, the very veil spoke of His perfect humanity, and every piece of furniture pictured Him. There was the altar, the laver, the candlestick, the table of shew bread, and everything spoke of Him; but as He came to His own things, the very priests in the temple joined in the cry, "Away with him, away with him, crucify him!" and they led Him outside the gate, the rejected One.

"Our Man's rejected, don't you know
It happened many years ago,
Yea, centuries have passed away
Since it was great election day
In Salem's city, e'en the same,
Where GOD the Lord had set His Name."

There were two candidates that day, CHRIST and Barabbas.

The people chose the murderer and rejected the Saviour.

He accepted the place they gave Him, and with lowly grace allowed them to lead Him outside the city, away from the temple, away from the palace, outside the gates, unto the place called Calvary,

"And there, He died,
A King crucified,
To save a poor sinner like me."

As far as the world is concerned it has never reversed that judgment. He is still the rejected One, and the place the world has given Him should determine the place that you and I will take. He was rejected, not merely by the barbarian world, not merely by those who were living low, degraded lives, but also by the literary world, the cultured world, the religious world. It was the religious leaders of the people who demanded His death, and all the world acquiesced. The world still continues to do so. It has its culture, its refinements, its civilization (often mistaken for Christianity), its religion (one that has no place for the Cross of CHRIST, or the vicarious atonement, or His glorious resurrection), but our blessed Lord is apart from it all, and the Word to us is this, "Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach."

Sharing His Rejection

Do you rejoice in the salvation He purchased on the Cross, but shrink from participating in His rejection? Are you still seeking a place in the world that had no place for Him? Or, does your heart say, "We would not have joy where He had woe; be rich where He was poor"? Inside the veil - that is, the place of privilege; outside the camp - that is, the place of responsibility. A beautiful little hymn puts it this way:

"Through Thy precious body broken
Inside the veil:
O what words to sinners spoken
Inside the veil.
Precious as the blood that bought us;
Perfect as the love that sought us;
Holy as the Lamb that brought US
Inside the veil.

"When we see Thy love unshaken
Outside the camp;
Scorned by man, by GOD forsaken,
Outside the camp.
Thy loved Cross alone can charm us;
Shame need now no more alarm us;
Glad we follow, nought can harm US
Outside the camp.

"Lamb of GOD, through Thee we enter
Inside the veil;
Cleansed by Thee we boldly venture
Inside the veil.
Not a stain; a new creation;
Ours is such a full salvation;
Low we bow in adoration
Inside the veil.

"Unto Thee, the homeless stranger,
Outside the camp;
Forth we hasten, fear no danger,
Outside the camp.
Thy reproach, far richer treasure
Than all Egypt's boasted pleasure;
Drawn by love that knows no measure
Outside the camp.

"Soon Thy saints shalt all be gathered
Inside the veil;
All at home, no more be scattered,
Inside the veil.
Nought from Thee our hearts shalt sever;
We shall see Thee, grieve Thee never;
'Praise the LAMB!' shalt sound forever
Inside the veil."

(Taken from chapter 11 of Charge That To My Account by Harry Ironside)

Hope For Backsliders

Here is a short, but comforting sermon for repentant backsliders, taken from the book of Hosea. First the preacher describes the condition of the backslider in his sin, then he describes God's tender treatment and love shown toward him when he repents and returns to the Lord.

THROUGH NIGHT TO MORNING

by

A. C. Dixon, B.A., D.D.

THE GOSPEL HOUR, INC. Greenville, S.C.

SERMON EIGHT -

HOPE FOR BACKSLIDERS

"I will heal their backsliding" (Hosea 14:4).

THE Book of Hosea is GOD's message to the backslider. Follow the name of Ephraim through the book, and you will see the experience of an impenitent backslider. He is­

1. GOD-FORSAKEN. "Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone" (Hosea 4:17). What can GOD do for a man who will not confess and forsake his sin, except just let him alone? And to be let alone of GOD, while sin works in us its direful results, is a pitiable state.

2. DESOLATE. "Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke" (chap. 5:9). Without GOD the backslider's condition becomes desolate indeed, and loving rebuke, which he resents, increases the desolation.

3. OPPRESSED. "Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment" (chap. 5:11). Desolation becomes oppression. Emptiness becomes burden. The judgments of GOD, if they lead to repentance, will bless us, but if we resent them, they will break us. When we violate law, physical or moral, we do not break the law so much as it breaks us.

4. FALSE. "They commit falsehood" (chap. 7:1). "Ephraim compasseth me about with lies" (11:12). The backslider's life is apt to be a living lie. He tries to appear happy, when he is really miserable. He poses for a good man, when he knows he is bad. Hypocrisy becomes a habit with him.

5. INCONSISTENT. "Ephraim is a cake not turned" (chap. 7:8). He is overdone on one side and underdone on the other. On the side of formal ritualistic observance he is apt to be overdone; on the side of genuine, solid, Christian living he is underdone. The backslider often tries to make up for his lack of piety by excess of religious form. His songs and responses on Sunday may be loud, while his living during the week is low. He "is a cake not turned," burnt on one side and raw on the other.

6. FOOLISH AND COWARDLY. "Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart" (chap. 7:11). The dove is a symbol of gentleness, and the backslider, though he may be gentle, is certain to be silly. He will talk and act foolishly. The language of Zion on his lips sounds silly; it lacks the ring of reality. His prayers are without heart, and when he is asked to do something for CHRIST, he is too cowardly to undertake it.

7. SELFISH. "[Ephraim] is an empty vine; he bringeth forth fruit unto himself" (chap. 10:1). Like the vine that bears no clusters of grapes for others, but keeps all its life of root and branch simply to add to its own length and leaf, the backslider holds his own, and builds up only himself. He seeks his own profit and pleasure. He uses his money in advancing his own interest. He begins to talk against foreign missions, because he cannot see the good of sending men and money to the heathen while there is so much need at home. He is afraid that somebody will get something out of him. He hates collections, because they bring nothing to him, but are an attempt to gather fruit from the empty vine of his stingy soul. Not what can I give, but what can I get? is the question he asks of everything he sees. He begins to be a Dead Sea taking in a Jordan of blessing and holding it without an outlet. The result is emptiness, for not a living thing thrives in the waters of his selfish life.

8. UNSATISFIED. "Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind" (chap. 12:1). The backslider misuses the gifts of GOD. Wind is good as breath, but bad as food. If he would breathe it, he would be invigorated, but his eating fills him with emptiness and distress. So the gifts of GOD received gratefully and used rightly will bless and satisfy us, but received without gratitude and used only upon self, they do not satisfy the soul. And the backslider turns from the solid food of GOD's Word to the wind of light literature; from the satisfying manna of truth to the east wind of fiction.

He ceases to relish the table of the Lord, spread Sunday after Sunday in the sanctuary, while he feeds upon the wind of the theatre during the week. He neglects the strengthening meat of GOD's service, and runs after the east wind of the dance and the card party. If he is not poisoned by the malaria in it, he soon becomes a weak, emaciated invalid, because his soul has been starved by the lack of nourishment. He is a spiritual suicide.

9. VAINGLORIOUS. "When Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself" (chap. 13:1). The backslider has lost the steady accent of faith. His voice trembles with fear. He begins to doubt everything and everybody. The sound of the wind upon which he feeds frightens him. He is restless at church, at the theatre and dance. He fits nowhere. But he must brace up and assert himself. He becomes self-conscious, and soon swells with vanity. He magnifies the self-element in religion. His motto is "that if a man does not esteem himself very highly, no one else will esteem him."

The trembling doubter has developed into a boastful Pharisee. He quits praying, for "Why should a man of so much importance be all the time begging GOD to help him? GOD helps those who help themselves." The inflation of self has at last well nigh excluded GOD from his life. The knowledge that puffs up has banished the love that builds up. He has become a walking, talking capital I.

For such a backslider there is no hope, so long as he is impenitent, but hope dawns the moment he returns to GOD, and confesses his sin. "O, Israel, return unto the Lord thy God, for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously" (14:1-2). After such a full confession, without excuse or palliation, GOD begins to deal with His penitent child in the most gracious and tender manner:

1. HE HEALS. "I will heal their backsliding" (chap. 14:4). There are two kinds of healing. One has to do with wounds, the other with disease. Some soldiers on campaign need the healing of wounds; others of disease; and still others, sick and wounded, need both kinds of healing. Sin treats some as the robbers on the way from Jerusalem to Jericho treated the traveller. It cuts and bruises, leaving them half dead. They are surprised, overtaken in a fault. Almost before they know it they were attacked and hurt. They need the treatment of the good Samaritan, who took the wounded man in hand and cared for him until his wounds were healed. With other backsliders sin is a deep-seated disease, and needs constitutional treatment.

Blessed fact it is that JESUS CHRIST is surgeon for the wounded, and physician for the diseased. His blood is equally good for wound and disease. We need not stop to discuss the different methods of treatment. The fact that healing is possible is the thing which interests us now, and we can safely leave the methods to the physician into whose hands we have placed our case.

2. HE LOVES. "I will love them freely." The word "freely" means that He loves of Himself, not because He sees traits of character that call forth His love, but just because He cannot help it. It is His nature. The backslider is apt to be discouraged by the thought that GOD does not love him, because by his sins he has made himself so unlovely.

It is true that a backslider is an unlovely character, but, take heart, GOD does not love you because you are lovely, but because He is loving. The spring of love is not in you, but in Himself. He is a fountain of love, and fountains, you know, do not have to be induced to flow. The water is sent forth by an inner force. When the water must be drawn, it has ceased to be a fountain. Backsliding brother, bring the empty vessel of your penitent soul beneath the overflowing fountain of GOD's infinite love, and be filled with His fulness.

3. HE DRAWS NEAR. "I will be as the dew unto Israel" (chap. 14:5). The dew does its work by gentle contact, and it is quiet in its working. There is no sound of saw or hammer. GOD is as the lion against those who refuse to repent. He is as the dew unto every penitent soul, reviving weak and struggling life. "But," says the backslider, "I am in the dark, I have no comfort." Yes, but remember, the dew does its work in the dark. It distils in the night. In the night of your penitent grief let GOD deal with you in gentleness and love. This gentle dealing in the dark will prepare you for His coming as the morning, when your soul will be filled with the light of the sun of righteousness.

4. HE GIVES GROWTH. "He shall grow as the lily." The lily grows rapidly. And when a backslider has truly repented, he may grow in grace with great rapidity. While living in sin he has not grown a particle. He has been stunted and withered. But with a consciousness of being healed, and loved freely, and now enveloped in GOD's care as the plant is enveloped in the refreshing dew, he cannot help growing like the lily.

5. HE GIVES STABILITY. "He shall... cast forth his roots like Lebanon." The lily is frail. You can break it or uproot it with your finger. But not so with the cedar of Lebanon. Its roots go deep into the earth, and wrap themselves around the rocks. It can stand in the face of the storm, and defy its fury. So the penitent backslider, while he grows rapidly like the lily, will become stable like the cedar. He fell because he lacked stability, but his sad experience has taught him not to rely at all upon his own strength, while he leans with all his weight upon the strength of GOD. Peter, by his unhappy fall at the trial of CHRIST, was cured of all boasting; he never fell again. He has now become truly a rock in his resistance of evil. David's fall was shameful, but his recovery was complete, and he never fell again. He grew like the lily, and was as strong as a cedar in Lebanon.

6. HE MAKES HIM BEAUTIFUL. "His beauty shall be as the olive tree" (chap. 14:6). The beauty of the lily is in its delicate texture and colouring. A touch or blot will mar it, and once marred it can never be restored.

The backslider need not expect to recover the virgin beauty of the lily which he had before sin blurred and bruised him. The scars of sin will remain even after the wound has been healed.

The olive tree, on the other hand, may not be in itself beautiful. It is often gnarled and crooked. Its beauty is chiefly in its fruitfulness. When the tree is full of olives you forget the unsightliness of its trunk and branches, while you gaze at the beauty of its fruit. So the penitent backslider, while he mourns the loss of the lily's beauty, may rejoice in the beauty of the olive's fruitfulness.

As Peter thought of his shameful backsliding, he doubtless strove to be more fruitful. He may have preached better at Pentecost as he thought of his swearing at the trial of JESUS, because he wished to make amends for the harm he had done. David, after his broken-hearted penitence, bore the fruit of the Fifty-first Psalm.

May GOD help us to make up for the loss of lily beauty by the beauty of olive fruitfulness.

Taken from Through Night to Morning - by A.C. Dixon

William Carey - The Cobbler Who Turned Discoverer

Giants of the Missionary Trail

William Carey
The Cobbler Who Turned Discoverer
(1761-1834)

by Eugene Myers Harrison

It was a Sunday morning in the month of December, 1829. The missionary's prayer-time, preparatory to the preaching service, was interrupted by the arrival of an official messenger from Lord Bentinck, of Calcutta, bearing a document of stupendous import, namely, the banishment by legal enactment of the practice of Sati -- one of the most horrible of all the depravities associated with heathenism in any land. For more than 35 years the missionary had raised his voice in fervent protest against the monstrous cruelties involved in the custom of burning Indian widows in order that they might go into the spirit land to continue to serve their husbands -- a practice resulting each year in the burning of unknown thousands of widows. Most appropriately, the one who exerted the greatest influence in stirring up the Christian conscience against suttee (Sati), both in India and England, was asked to translate into Bengali the decree embodying its abolishment.

Quickly arranging with another to lead the service and preach, the overjoyed missionary took the official document and turned again to his prayer-closet. Opening his Bible at his favorite passage, Isaiah 54, he mingled Scripture reading and prayer in an ecstasy of thanksgiving. Turning to the task at hand, he spent the rest of the day making a careful translation of the historic document. Again, at sun down, he turned to Isaiah 54 and to prayer. After reading aloud from verse five, "Thy Redeemer ... The God of the whole earth shall He be called," and then verses eleven and thirteen, he prayed: "I thank Thee, Father, for this surpassingly sweet promise which Thou didst vouchsafe to me long ago, with its assurance of the ultimate banishment of all heathen devices and abominations, and of the ultimate winning of all hearts to Thy allegiance. Use even Thine unworthy servant to speed the day of fulfillment, the day when all the benighted sons of men shall become Thy people and all the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of Thy dear Son."

This man, with continents and empires upon his brain, was William Carey, a maker of shoes and a maker of history with a history-making text embedded in his soul: "Thy Redeemer ... The God of the whole earth shall He be called."

Who? "Thy REDEEMER."

Whose Redeemer? "THY Redeemer."

Is the promise assured? "Thy Redeemer ... SHALL HE BE CALLED."

Is the promise limited? "... THE WHOLE EARTH."

What is the promise? "Thy Redeemer ... The God of the whole earth shall He be called."

Historians are agreed that this man was one of the giants of Christian history.

George Adam Smith asserts, "It is no exaggeration to call Carey one of the greatest of God's Englishmen."

A. T. Pierson says of Carey, "With little teaching, he became learned. Poor himself, he made millions rich. By birth obscure, he rose to unsought eminence. And seeking only to follow the Lord's leading, he led forward the Lord's hosts."

"The Christian Church," according to J. D. Freeman, "owes more to William Carey and his mission than to any other man or movement since the days of Paul. He gave her a new horizon, kindled within her a new life and soul. Upon the trellis of the Mission Enterprise, the Church's vine has run over the wall. It has given her a southern exposure, through which she has felt at her heart the thrill of a new vitality, while bearing on her outmost branches a burden of precious fruit for the vintage of the skies."

William Carey was born in Paulers Pury, England, August 17, 1761. He early evidenced a singular interest in natural history. He made frequent excursions into the woods and across the fields, always on the alert to discover and identify a new bird or animal or plant. He was thrilled by tales of adventure, especially those associated with the magic name of the man who, sailing West, discovered a vast new world in 1492, which accounts for the fact that his companions nicknamed him "Columbus." Little did they imagine that he would become greater than Columbus, a discoverer of worlds which seem to have eluded the famous Italian, an adventurer who crossed the seas, not seeking to dispossess others of their gold, but to distribute as lavishly as possible "the unsearchable riches of Christ."

I. The Cobbler Discovers the Redeemer

The first words of Carey's great text are, "Thy Redeemer." Until he had met the Redeemer face to face and found out the merits of His grace, these words could have no reference to him. No discovery of consequence is possible until this discovery has first been made.

Approaching the age of 17 and realizing that it was high time to choose a trade, Carey turned to shoemaking. His father was not able to provide the accustomed payment for a seven years' apprenticeship. He sought, therefore, for a man who would give him work for his support while learning the trade. This led to the selection of Clarke Nichols of Piddington, this particular gentleman having the additional qualification of being a reputable and strict churchman. This was an important factor in the eyes of Carey's father. Although young Carey learned much about the shoemaking business, his new employer's influence was far from wholesome. The young apprentice was actually driven away from Christ and the Church by his association with Clarke Nichols, chiefly because of his fiery temper, his profane tongue and his Saturday night drinking sprees.

Carey's co-apprentice was John Warr, a devout young Dissenter or Non-conformist; that is, one who dissented from, and refused to conform to, the practices of the state church, the Church of England. Dissenters were often penalized and persecuted because of their refusal to attend the established church and their insistence upon having churches of their own wherein they might worship according to their understanding of God's Word and of God's will. John Warr's soul was exercised for the salvation of his fellow apprentice. "He became importunate with me," says Carey, "lending me books and engaging in conversation with me whenever possible." But Carey's heart was both hard and proud. He said later, "I had pride sufficient for a thousand times my knowledge. I always scorned to have the worst in discussion and the last word was assuredly mine. But I was often afterward convinced that my fellow-apprentice had the better of the argument, and I felt a growing uneasiness, but had no idea that nothing but a complete change of heart could do me any good."

His experience was similar to that of David Brainerd and Martin Luther, who, under conviction, saw that the root of their trouble lay in the heart.

"I had a very good outside but my heart was exceedingly sinful," said Brainerd.

"My austerities did not change my heart," said Luther.

"My heart was hard and proud," said Carey. "Nothing but a change of heart could do me any good."

Impressed not only by Warr's concern on his behalf but also by the spiritual beauty of his life, Carey agreed to attend some of the services at the Dissenters Church, where the Word of God was preached with the warmth and demonstration of the Spirit. Eventually he was brought under deep conviction and, at the age of 17, was ready to exchange the pharisee's self-righteousness for the publican's penitence and submission. Like Pilgrim, he entered the wicket Gate and set out for the Heavenly City. When John Warr led this lad to Christ, he had no idea that he was winning one who would sound the call of God to a sleeping church and add the jewel of India to the diadem of Christ.

Carey had experienced the inexpressible wonders of the New Birth. The Redeemer of "the whole earth" was now his Redeemer. The lad nicknamed "Columbus" had made a discovery of greater present and eternal import than the discovery of a new continent or an unknown sea. And having made this discovery, there would be no end to the discoveries that would break, with sunrise glory, upon his redeemed and adventuresome spirit.

The eminent scientist and inventor, Lord Kelvin, was once asked, "What is the greatest discovery you ever made?" His reply was, "The discovery of Jesus Christ as my Saviour and Lord." When another was asked the same question, he replied, "My greatest discovery was to find out how great a sinner I am and how great a Saviour is Christ." William Carey, the cobbler who turned discoverer, was of very much the same mind.

II. The Cobbler Discovers the Joy of Joining the Redeemer in Quest of Souls

In his beloved Isaiah, Carey found many references to "joy" and "singing." Two such references are to be found in the first verse of his favorite chapter, Isaiah 54. The thought is: "You are no longer estranged from God. Your heart is no longer desolate and barren. Therefore, sing!" The joy of knowing the Redeemer melts into the joy of sharing the Redeemer's passion and purpose, as set forth in the verses that follow.

Having tasted the sweetness and wonder of redeeming grace, Carey became concerned for his master and others whose lives gave such evidence of the need of regeneration and of new life in Christ. At first Clarke Nichols was obdurate; then he became ill, smitten down with a fatal malady. John Warr and William Carey found him at last humble and willing to listen as they read from God's Word, "He that heareth ... and believeth ... is passed from death unto life." Thus his death-chamber was transformed into the birthplace of his immortal soul, and Carey entered the radiant ranks of those whose preeminent joy is "to seek and to save that which was lost."

Have a good look at the scene in Clarke Nichols' death-chamber.

The bed speaks of death!

The Book speaks of life!

"He that believeth... is passed from death unto life."

At the age of 19, Carey fell in love with Dorothy Plackett and they were married June 10, 1781. She was a faithful and devoted wife, though she fell far behind Carey in spiritual discernment and never shared his great missionary passion.

Immediately upon his conversion, Carey became an ardent student of the Scriptures. Eager to know exactly and fully what the Scriptures taught, he began an earnest study of the original languages of Scripture, Hebrew and Greek. His aptness and earnestness in discourse soon became known, and he was asked at various times and places to expound the Word. Having transferred his residence to Moulton, where he opened a school, he was asked by the small company of Baptists to be their pastor. The salary was about $50.00 a year. His chief support for his family came from his earnings as a cobbler and as a school teacher. Several years later (1789) he moved to Leicester, to serve as pastor of the Harvey Lane Baptist Church. He found the church in a state of disunion, dishonor and spiritual impotence, due largely to worldliness and resultant evils among the members. He prayed and preached most fervently, but conversions were impossible in such an atmosphere and the pastor was heartbroken. Eventually, in September of 1790, he determined upon a bold course of procedure -- one that many churches in the twentieth century could doubtless follow to great advantage. He proposed that the church membership be dissolved, that a solemn covenant embodying New Testament faith, life and discipline be prepared, and that only those accepting this covenant be accepted as members of the newly-constituted church. This was done, the church was revived, worldly nettles gave place to the fruitage of the Spirit, and, in response to the preaching from the pulpit and witnessing in the homes, there were many blessed conversions. He led his own sisters, then his wife, and many others into the sublime experience of redemption. In his zeal for souls, he frequently made preaching trips to surrounding villages and laid the foundations of a number of churches.

Carey was now a radiantly happy man. He had entered into the joy of the Good Shepherd in bringing home the lost sheep. His heart was vibrant with the ecstasy which causes all heaven to rejoice "over one sinner that repenteth." He could "sing" and "break forth into singing" (Isaiah 54:1) in the celestial joy of sharing with others the mystic merit of the Redeemer's love.

III. The Cobbler Discovers That the Redeemer's Concern and the Church's Responsibility Are World-Wide

It was early morning and the cattle in the quiet Northamptonshire pasture were disturbed by the sound of footsteps in the lane. Turning their gaze in the direction from which the sounds came, the cattle saw a familiar figure and continued their grazing. He was the village cobbler, carrying a load of new-made shoes to market. He was oblivious of the cattle and even of the loveliness of nature in her summer gown. His thoughts were far, far away. As he walked, he said to himself, "Surely God means what He says. Surely He means for us who know Him to carry the message of redemption to all men everywhere."

Without a doubt, God means what He says!

When He says "GO," He means "GO!"

When He says "Go YE," He means "Go YE!"

When He says "INTO ALL THE WORLD," He means "INTO ALL THE WORLD!"

When He says "PREACH THE GOSPEL," He means "PREACH THE GOSPEL!"

When He says "Go ... TO EVERY CREATURE," He means "TO EVERY CREATURE!"

Surely God means what He says!

With love for Christ burning in his soul, Carey kept reading and rereading Isaiah 54:5, "Thy Redeemer ... The God of the whole earth shall He be called." He also read in the New Testament of Christ's compassion for the lost sheep of all nations and of His command to preach the gospel to all the world. At a ministers' meeting he proposed that they consider "whether the command given to the Apostles to evangelize all nations is not binding on all succeeding ministers to the end of the world, seeing that the accompanying promise is of equal extent."

The command is, "Go... and teach all nations."

The promise is, "Lo, I am with you."

Has anyone the right to play leap-frog with the command and then hug the promise?

J. C. Ryland was merely expressing the universal attitude of the Church when he impatiently interrupted Carey and exclaimed, "Sit down, young man, sit down and be still. When God wants to convert the heathen, He will do it without consulting either you or me." Carey sat down, but a vision of far-away lands and of multitudes in darkness haunted his soul, and he could not be still. In season and out of season, in conversation and in sermon, he dealt with one all-absorbing theme, namely, the responsibility of the Church to launch out upon its long neglected, world-wide mission. For eight years he devoted his spare time to making maps of heathen lands, gathering data as to their location, size, population and religions, and to a studied presentation of the arguments supporting the view that the missionary enterprise is the Church's highest and holiest endeavor. The results of these years of research and thought he incorporated in a lengthy pamphlet entitled THE ENQUIRY. After picturing the desperate condition of the world where Christ was not known and enthroned, he put the trumpet of God to his lips and sounded the divine call to action. He closed with an appeal for persistent prayer, bold planning and sacrificial giving. Citing his three beloved heroes, he stated,

What a treasure, what a harvest must await such as Paul and Eliot and Brainerd, who have given themselves wholly to God's work! What a heaven to see the myriads of the heathen who by their labours have been brought into the knowledge of God! Surely it is worth while to lay ourselves out with all our might in promoting Christ's Kingdom!

The next episode in Carey's missionary crusade was his deathless sermon at Nottingham, May 31, 1792. The occasion was the annual meeting of the Baptist churches of that district. Carey was to preach the opening sermon. As he rose to speak that historic morning, the woe and misery of an anguished world were surging through the channels of a single heart. He turned the searchlight upon two mighty truths of Scripture, particularly as enunciated in Isaiah 54. First, the Redeemer's saving concern is as wide as humanity. "Thy Redeemer ... The God of the whole earth shall He be called." Second, the Redeemer's concern and the Church's responsibility are co-extensive. When God says "Thy Redeemer," He is speaking to the Church and, therefore, to every individual Christian. Spending most of his time on this second point, the cobbler-preacher rang out the challenge of God found in verses 2 and 3 of Isaiah 54: "Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: ... lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy stakes ... thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited." Carey was convinced that God was saying to the Church: "Rouse up from your complacency. Find larger canvas, stouter and taller tent poles, stronger tent pegs. Catch wider visions. Dare bolder programs. Rouse up and go forth to conquer for Christ even the uttermost parts and the isles of the sea."

Carey's soul was captivated by an epochal discovery. In consequence he was dreaming of continents and empires to be brought under the sway of Christ. He was thinking not just of England or of Europe, but of the world. How the familiar scriptural expression burned in his soul!

"God so loved the world!"

"Go ye into all the world!"

"Christ, the Saviour of the world!"

"God... in Christ, reconciling the world!"

"The propitiation... for the sins of the whole world!"

"Thy Redeemer ... the God of the whole earth!"

All the passion of the inspired preacher's heart was poured out in two stupendous exhortations:

"Expect great things from God!"

"Attempt great things for God!"

Concerning the message, Dr. Ryland said,

"If all the people had lifted up their voices and wept, as the Children of Israel did at Bochim, I should not have wondered at the effect; it would only have seemed proportionate to the cause, so clearly did Mr. Carey prove the criminality of our supineness in the cause of God!"

But alas! the people did not weep! They did not even pause to pray! To them it was just another sermon, nice to listen to, but not to be taken too seriously. When Carey saw the people rising to leave as usual, he seized Andrew Fuller's hand and exclaimed in an agony of distress, "Are we not going to do anything? Oh, Fuller, call them back and let's do something in answer to God's call!"

That was a portentous moment in the history of Christ's redemptive purpose. Deep called unto deep. Fuller, too, heard "God's sigh in the heart of the world" and joined with Carey in demanding action. Before the meetings closed, a motion was passed to this effect: "Resolved, that a plan be prepared against the next Ministers' Meeting at Kettering, for forming a Baptist Society for propagating the gospel among the heathen."

Expecting great things from God, William Carey inspired others to join him in attempting great things for God.

This marks the birth of the modern missionary movement, which, during the succeeding century and a half, has sent many tens of thousands of consecrated heralds of the cross "into all the world" with a message of redemption and of social transformation through Christ.

IV. The Cobbler Discovers That the Redeemer Is Calling Him to Foreign Service

Several months after the Nottingham meetings, the proposed missionary society was formed, subscriptions amounting to about $65.00 were taken, and the group of subscribers looked around for missionaries, as well as for additional donors. They had also to decide in what field they would commence their missionary efforts. Their attention was forcibly directed toward India by contact with a Mr. Thomas who had returned to England after spending several years in India as a surgeon. He had also put forth considerable effort to spread the gospel and he had a stirring story to tell of conditions and missionary opportunities in India.

In the light of developing events, Carey kept asking the question, "What is now my part in this expanding enterprise?" With a wife and three children to support, should he not continue to shepherd the church now thriving at Leicester and to stir up missionary concern throughout England? Or did God desire him to become the leader of the overseas mission which he had so urged upon his brethren? Turning again to Isaiah 54, he discovered six startling words which immediately followed - indeed, were a part of - his great text. These six words which stood out in letters of fire were these: "For the LORD hath called thee." The Holy Spirit confirmed in his soul that these words did constitute the divine call to him to cross the seas as a witness of the Redeemer's concern for a lost world. The Cobbler Who Turned Discoverer had made some phenomenal discoveries. None was more magnificent than this. "Columbus" was now highly resolved to sail the seas and to discover and claim for his Lord a vast new world of infinitely precious souls.

When Andrew Fuller, Secretary of the newly-formed Missionary Society, read the account given by Mr. Thomas of conditions and gospel opportunities in India, he remarked that there was a gold mine in India, but it seemed almost as deep as the center of the earth. "Who will venture to explore it?" he asked. Carey was quick to reply, "I will venture to go down, but remember that you -- you who remain at home -- must hold the ropes." And by "holding the ropes" he was referring to the support of prayer and heart-concern, even more than of money. His offer was gladly and enthusiastically accepted by the Society. He and Thomas were appointed. But when his wife heard of it, she refused to accompany him. Carey was very devoted to his family, but his supreme devotion was to Him who said, "[If any man love] father or mother [or wife] more than me, [he] is not worthy of me." He made suitable arrangements for the support of his family, preached to his sorrowing congregation a farewell message on the Great Commission, and he and Thomas set out to raise funds and secure passage to India. There were many disappointments and protracted delays. Meanwhile, Mrs. Carey gave birth to her fifth child. One child having died, she now had four living children under nine years of age. Definite sailing arrangements were finally made and Carey, accompanied by Thomas, hurried home to make a final plea to his wife to accompany him. Let it be stated as "[an everlasting] memorial of her" that, on a single day's notice and with a baby not yet a month old, she consented to go on condition that her sister, Kitty, should go along as companion and helper. Thus, when Carey finally embarked for India, his wife and children, also Kitty and Thomas, were on board with him.

William Carey was a missionary trail-blazer. As his holy enthusiasm spread, other missionary societies were formed in rapid succession. Besides those on the continent and in America, by 1834 there were 14 societies in Britain, the Baptist being the first. As Greenough has stated:

"The light, which Carey kindled, spread from hill to hill like beaconfires, till every Christian church in turn recognized the signal and responded to the call." The consecrated cobbler was indeed "the Father of Modern Missions."

Carey deserves to rank among the noblest and best of England's immortal great, not only because of the incalculable boon to India and the world of the missionary movement which he launched, but also because that movement saved England's own soul. Englishmen first went to India as merchants to gain wealth, then as soldiers and adventurers to gain land, but with the coming of Carey and the emergence of a missionary passion, England began to feel that her true greatness was to be realized, not in economic or military conquest, but in giving to India "a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

What shall it profit a nation if it gains a vast empire and yet loses its own soul?

What shall it profit a people if they send their ships of commerce to the seven seas and yet suffer the shipwreck of their faith?

The missionary movement saved England's own soul!

V. The Cobbler Discovers That the Redeemer's Blessing Is Upon His Faithful Witnesses

After a tempestuous journey of five months, during which Carey made a diligent study of Bengali, the party reached Calcutta November 11, 1793. His first impressions served only to accentuate his heart's distress over India's need. Like Paul at Athens, he was moved by the people's deep-seated religious nature as expressed by the innumerable shrines, the offerings of food and flowers, and the incredible sufferings they readily endured in their quest for spiritual peace. With anguished soul he saw Indian devotees lying on beds of spikes, walking on spiked shoes, swinging themselves on flesh-hooks, gazing at the sun until they lost their sight, and in manifold ways inflicting torture upon their bodies. Most terrible of all was the practice of suttee or widow-burning. Against this barbaric custom he threw the weight of his utmost energy, until, as related earlier, it was finally abolished by legal action in 1829.

Carey's expectations of success in the mission were at first very sanguine. He felt assured that just as soon as he could converse freely in the vernacular, he would be able to lead large numbers "out of darkness into His marvelous light." But months lengthened into years without a single convert. This failure led frequently to tears and bitter self-reproach. Carey did not attempt to satisfy his qualms of conscience by imagining that his physical presence in a foreign land made him a missionary. He had come to India to win lost, wretched souls to Christ and nothing could compensate for failure in this endeavor. At times his faith became faint, but it always rallied through the recurrence of "the blessed hour of prayer." Several times his eager hopes were crushed by the dismal failure and lapse into idolatry on the part of some for whose conversion he had long labored. In the hour of midnight discouragement, he turned to his treasured Isaiah 54. As he read, "Thou shalt not be ashamed ... Thy Redeemer ... The God of the whole earth shall He be called," he discovered the note of certitude, and, leaning heavily on the divine faithfulness, he kept on "expecting great things."

How abounding was his joy when, after seven long years of travail of soul, he and Thomas found a convert ready to endure afflictions and to be publicly baptized. This was Krishna Pal, whose devotion to Christ found expression in these tender lines, which later became part of a frequently-used hymn:

O thou, my soul, forget no more,
The Friend who all thy sorrows bore.
Let every idol be forgot.
But, O my soul, forget Him not.

Carey's cup of joy filled up and overflowed that blessed Sunday, December 28, 1800, when he was privileged to baptize his own son, Felix, and then Krishna Pal. Poor Thomas was so overwhelmed with joy that historic morning -- "Sing, soul, sing!" he exclaimed. "Sing aloud! Unutterable is my gladness!" -- that his mind was temporarily deranged and he was unable to attend the baptismal service.

Christ set them in the ecstasy
Of His great jubilee;
He gave them dancing heart and shining face,
And lips filled full of grace
And pleasure, as the rivers and the sea.

After all, Krishna Pal was only one. Why so great exultation?

Krishna Pal was only one, but was not one lost sheep esteemed of great value by the shepherd?

Krishna Pal was only one, but how diligently the shepherd sought the one lost sheep and how joyously he brought it home!

Krishna Pal was only one, but the angels in heaven took note and rejoiced together around the throne!

Krishna Pal was only one, but a continent was coming after him!

Prior to this signal event, Carey's heart had been tremendously encouraged by the coming of consecrated helpers, notably Marshman and Ward, and the mission had been moved to Serampore, which was in the territory held by the Danes and where they had greater protection and freedom of activity than in the confines of the East India Company.

There were for Carey many joys, many sorrows. Among the latter was the death of his five-year-old son, Peter. His heaviest cross was the condition of his wife, who became deranged in mind and continued in this state until her death in December, 1807. The following year he was married to a Danish lady, Charlotte Rumohr, who had been baptized in 1801 -- the first European lady to bear this witness in India -- and had shown exceptional zeal for the evangelization of the Indians. Despite her frailty of health, she was a true helpmate for Carey. Her spirituality, her intimate knowledge of Danish, Italian, and French, and her delight in the study of Scripture in these three versions, made her his invaluable companion in biblical translation-work. She had "a soul of fire in a shell of pearl." She passed away in 1821 and in 1823 Carey married Grace Hughes, who proved to be a devoted helpmate.

It was for Carey a severe sorrow when his son, Felix, turned from missionary labors to become a special government agent in Burma. Writing to England he sadly stated: "My son has chosen to be an ambassador of the King of England when he might have risen to the status of being an ambassador of the King of Kings."

Carey had exceptional linguistic gifts. With assiduity and remarkable success, he devoted himself to the study of Sanskrit, Bengali, Hindustani, and other native tongues. His excellence in this field made it possible for him to become Professor of Sanskrit and Bengali in Fort William College, Calcutta, at a salary of 500 rupees a month. It is an evidence of his selflessness that he devoted his entire salary to the work of spreading the gospel, keeping only a small portion for necessary expenses. As Carey stated, "We might have had large possessions, but we have given all to the Mission."

For 41 years Carey was the recognized leader of the growing Indian mission. Never in Christian history has there appeared a man with greater versatility of gifts or consecration more complete. He was India's pioneer in agriculture, horticulture, and in the promotion of vernacular education. He was the moving spirit of the Serampore Trio who set up and operated the first steam engine in India, introduced the large scale manufacture of paper, inaugurated the printing industry by the establishment of the great Mission Press, and built a college which still stands to train Christian leaders to engage in the conquest of India for Christ. He was interested in social reform as an expression of the Christian spirit and used his influence against suttee and the practice of casting babies into the Ganges as a sacrifice to the gods. It was Carey who founded the Christian Church in India, and, incredible as it seems, it was this same erstwhile cobbler who, with the help of associates, translated and printed the Word of God, either the whole or the most precious parts thereof, into 34 different tongues. In the book of Revelation, John tells of seeing an angel who gained authority over the nations, not by the might of armies, navies, and fleets of airplanes, but by the power of a Book that was "open in [his] hand." It was the privilege of Carey and his associates to put this incomparable Book into the hands of India's millions and to open its matchless message to their wondering hearts.

VI. The Secret of the Cobbler's Success

Where shall we turn to find the secret of a life so remarkable? What are the causes adequate to explain such stupendous achievements? The basic answer is to be found in the recognition that Carey was a veritable "Columbus." What he was and what he did are to be computed, not in terms of achievements but as discoveries. He did not achieve his salvation; he discovered it, as a pearl of great price, a treasure of the field. His so-called achievements were but the out-working of the fragrance and power of the indwelling Redeemer. His virtues and qualities of greatness were but the fruitage of "constantly abiding" in the Vine. Just as the branch might say of the cluster of grapes that hangs thereon, "It is not of me!" so the Christian says of success, "It is not of me! It is the vintage of abiding in my abounding Lord."

Much in Carey's career finds its explanation in his unconquerable persistence. His sister, Mary, said: "Whatever he begins, he finishes." This trait is illustrated by an incident of his youth, related with accustomed felicity by Dr. Boreham. In his eager quest for knowledge of wild life of every sort, young Carey climbed a tall chestnut tree in search of a coveted bird's nest. Before reaching it, he slipped and fell. Again he tried and failed. On the third attempt he fell and broke his leg. A few weeks later, the limb still bandaged, he slipped away and returned with the nest.

"You don't mean to tell me that you climbed that tree again!" exclaimed his mother.

"I couldn't help it, mother," he replied. "Really, I couldn't. When I begin a thing, I must go through with it!"

Carey himself said that whatever success attended his efforts in India was due to the fact that he was a plodder. Having begun a great work for God, having put his hand to the plow, nothing could cause him to let go or look back.

Carey was a man of amazing faith. He did not expect financial support beyond passage money to India. Whatever came, either from the homeland or from his stipend as professor, was turned into the general funds of the Mission. He believed implicitly that the Lord who sent him would supply him. By faith he set out for "a place which he should after receive for an inheritance," being responsible for the support of seven souls. By faith he turned his face away from the homeland, never to return, and "[sojourned] in a strange land" for 40 years. By faith he overcame a multitude of adversaries and presented unto God "a more excellent sacrifice" whereby "he being dead yet speaketh." By faith he foresaw the day when the gospel of Christ would relegate Krishna, Kali and Siva to the oblivion into which it had swept Jupiter and Venus and Isis long ago.

Nothing was more characteristic of Carey than his consuming concern for souls. This zeal constantly manifested itself while he was still in England. When a neighbor remonstrated with him for spending so much time preaching, to the neglect of his shoe business, he replied, "My real business is to preach the gospel and win lost souls. I cobble shoes to pay expenses." More than once the pupils in his school saw their teacher burst into tears, as during a geography lesson he pointed to a map of the world, or to a globe he had made with odd pieces of leather, and exclaimed, "The people living in these areas are pagans! They are lost, hundreds of millions of them, not knowing the blessed Saviour!" Whether in England or India, Carey had a hot heart for souls. His heart was hot with gladness over the converted and hot with compassion over the unreached.

A hot heart for souls!

The surest expression of a redeemed spirit!

The indispensable qualification of a missionary!

The transcendent attribute of those whom heaven calls great!

His humility and the sweetness of his devotion to Christ stand out in Carey's life from the time of his conversion until his coronation. In a letter to Dr. Ryland, January 30, 1823, he writes, "I have long made the language of Psalm 51 my own -- 'Have mercy upon me, O God ... according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.' Should you outlive me, and have any influence to prevent it, I earnestly request that no epithets of praise may ever accompany my name. All such expressions would convey a falsehood. To me belong shame and confusion of face. I can only say, 'Hangs my helpless soul on Thee.'"

During his last illness, Carey said to Alexander Duff, "Mr. Duff, you have been saying much about Dr. Carey and his work. After I am gone, please speak not of Dr. Carey, but rather of my wonderful Saviour."

By Carey's explicit instruction his grave marker was to contain nothing more than his name, the date of his birth and of his death, and two lines from Isaac Watts, his favorite hymn writer:

A wretched, poor and helpless worm,
On Thy kind arms I fall.

His soul was set for its final voyage and its last great discovery. At sunrise June 9, 1834, William Carey discovered the unimagined and inexpressible glories which the Redeemer has in store for His own. He entered into "the heritage of the servants of the LORD" and into the fulfillment of the promise of Isaiah 54:8, "With everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer."

While honoring the memory of the consecrated cobbler who was so mightily used of God, let it be remembered that Christ is still in urgent need of heralds of His redemptive passion and that it is the incomparable privilege of every saved and surrendered soul to be a discoverer of new worlds to be won in the Redeemer's name.

2. James Chalmers - The Greatheart of New Guinea

For more chapters of these inspiring missionary stories:

Giants of the Missionary Trail - by Eugene Myers Harrison

Giants of the Missionary Trail

The Life Stories of Eight Men
Who Defied Death and Demons

by Eugene Myers Harrison

Originally published by Scripture Press, Book Division, [1954].
This book is now in the Public Domain.

Preface - Of Dragons and Giants

History and literature have much to say about the depredations of dragons, the tyranny of giants and of the heroism of brave men who, defying danger and death, conquered these monsters; of Siegfried who, when the dragon reared to spring upon him, "drove the immortal sword straight into its heart" and went singing on his way to deliver Brundhilde; of St. George who fought valiantly till, on the third day of combat, "the monster fell like a huge rock shattered by a storm"; of Ulysses and his feat of blinding the one-eyed giant, Polyphemus, the monster who gorged himself upon human victims. But the real heroes of history are the spiritual giants, who, not in the fanciful pages of mythology or legend, but in actual life, defied death and demons, overcame powerful adversaries, "stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight" and died as conquerors.

The Scriptures, telling of Samson's conquest of a fierce lion, are careful to emphasize the fact that "he had nothing in his hand." It was then, and only then, that "the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent [the lion] as he would have rent a kid."

Samson's condition: "He had nothing in his hand."

Samson's enduement: "The Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him."

Samson's triumph: "He rent [the lion] as he would have rent a kid."

Wherein lies the difference between ordinary Christians and extraordinary Christians, between spiritual pygmies and spiritual giants? Simply stated, it is the difference between before Pentecost and after Pentecost. Even after Easter morning, but before Pentecost, the disciples were floundering in a morass of spiritual impotence and cowardice. Between Easter and Pentecost there is not one recorded instance of the disciples making any attempt to preach the Gospel and point lost souls to the Lamb of God. Instead, it is repeatedly stated that they were behind closed doors! They were hiding, not witnessing! But when they paid the cost of Pentecost through the ten days of prayer and contrition in the upper room, and the mighty fullness of the Holy Spirit came upon them and into them, their cowardice vanished, they threw open the doors and entered upon a campaign of missionary conquest which is still the glory of the Christian Church.

This book tells how God wrote history through the lives of eight men who, like the early disciples, were Giants of the Missionary Trail because they were possessed, filled, controlled and energized by the Holy Spirit of God. This great truth is evidenced in the marvelous ministry of Jonathan Goforth, "The Holy Spirit's Man in China," and all the others portrayed in these pages.

As in several earlier volumes of missionary biography, I have endeavored to give a faithful account of the conversion, spiritual development, conflicts, trials and triumphs of each missionary, to discover the hidings of power and to weave all the pertinent data into a pattern of unity and beauty around each character's great life text. It is believed that the questions, topics for study and additional reading suggestions to be found at the end of each chapter, will prove of great value to individuals making use of them and especially to mission classes or other groups using this as a course of study. (Editor's Note: I have chosen not to include these questions and topics, as I am posting this book just for the biographies and not to make it available as a course. Also, the reading suggestions are not included, as many of them are no longer available or easily accessible.)

A young missionary candidate once said to Mr. Hoste of the China Inland Mission: "Please pray for me. I want to be nothing." Mr. Hoste replied: Young man, just take it on faith - you are nothing."

The secret and the cost of spiritual power are found in these words copied from the fly leaf of Billy Graham's** Bible:

"O that I may be foolish enough to depend upon Him for wisdom; weak enough to be empowered with His strength; base enough to have no honor but God's honor; despised enough to be kept in the dust at His feet; nothing enough for God to be everything."

May all who read these pages be led to a deeper devotion to Christ and His world-wide program of evangelization, and may some be caused to recognize their nothingness, to make an utter and irrevocable surrender to Christ, to pay the cost of Pentecost, to receive the fulness of the Spirit, to go forth in His might to take Christ, at whatever cost, to souls sinking into eternal darkness, and, without even being aware of it, to qualify for enrollment among the Giants of the Missionary Trail.

Eugene M. Harrison
Wheaton, Illinois

**Editor's Note: This ministry does not endorse Billy Graham in any way, but I am including these words as found in the actual book.

Table Of Contents:

1. William Carey - The Cobbler Who Turned Discoverer

2. James Chalmers - The Greatheart of New Guinea

3. Jonathan Goforth - The Holy Spirit's Man in China

4. George Grenfell - A Light in Congo Darkness

5. Adoniram Judson - Apostle of the Love of Christ in Burma

6. David Livingstone - The Pathfinder of Africa

7. Samuel Marsden - Bearer of Good Tidings in New Zealand and New South Wales

8. Henry Nott - Herald of the Love of God in Tahiti

Jerry's Note: This book is in the public domain. I have taken the liberty of proofreading each chapter of this book and making sure that all Bible quotations were conformed to the King James Bible. Enjoy!

Mysterious Visits

Till He Come
Communion Meditations And Addresses
By C. H. Spurgeon
(Not published in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit.)
First Published 1896.

Chapter 1.
Mysterious Visits.

ADDRESS TO A LITTLE COMPANY AT THE
COMMUNION TABLE AT MENTONE.

"Thou hast visited me in the night." Psalm 17:3.

It is a theme for wonder that the glorious God should visit sinful man. "What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him?" A divine visit is a joy to be treasured whenever we are favoured with it. David speaks of it with great solemnity. The Psalmist was not content barely to speak of it; but he wrote it down in plain terms, that it might be known throughout all generations: "Thou hast visited me in the night." Beloved, if God has ever visited you, you also will marvel at it, will carry it in your memory, will speak of it to your friends, and will record it in your diary as one of the notable events of your life. Above all, you will speak of it to God Himself, and say with adoring gratitude, "Thou hast visited me in the night." It should be a solemn part of worship to remember and make known the condescension of the Lord, and say, both in lowly prayer and in joyful psalm, "Thou hast visited me."

To you, beloved friends, who gather with me about this communion table, I will speak of my own experience, nothing doubting that it is also yours. If our God has ever visited any of us, personally, by His Spirit, two results have attended the visit: it has been sharply searching, and it has been sweetly solacing.

When first of all the Lord draws nigh to the heart, the trembling soul perceives clearly the searching character of His visit. Remember how Job answered the Lord: "I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee, wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." We can read of God, and hear of God, and be little moved; but when we feel His presence, it is another matter. I thought my house was good enough for kings; but when the King of kings came to it, I saw that it was a hovel quite unfit for His abode. I had never known sin to be so "exceeding sinful" if I had not known God to be so perfectly holy. I had never understood the depravity of my own nature if I had not known the holiness of God's nature. When we see Jesus, we fall at His feet as dead; till then, we are alive with vainglorious life. If letters of light traced by a mysterious hand upon the wall caused the joints of Belshazzar's loins to be loosed, what awe overcomes our spirits when we see the Lord Himself! In the presence of so much light our spots and wrinkles are revealed, and we are utterly ashamed. We are like Daniel, who said, "I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption." It is when the Lord visits us that we see our nothingness, and ask, "Lord, what is man?"

I do remember well when God first visited me; and assuredly it was the night of nature, of ignorance, of sin. His visit had the same effect upon me that it had upon Saul of Tarsus when the Lord spake to him out of heaven. He brought me down from the high horse, and caused me to fall to the ground; by the brightness of the light of His Spirit He made me grope in conscious blindness; and in the brokenness of my heart I cried, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" I felt that I had been rebelling against the Lord, kicking against the pricks, and doing evil even as I could; and my soul was filled with anguish at the discovery. Very searching was the glance of the eye of Jesus, for it revealed my sin, and caused me to go out and weep bitterly. As when the Lord visited Adam, and called him to stand naked before Him, so was I stripped of all my righteousness before the face of the Most High. Yet the visit ended not there; for as the Lord God clothed our first parents in coats of skins, so did He cover me with the righteousness of the great sacrifice, and He gave me songs in the night. It was night, but the visit was no dream: in fact, I there and then ceased to dream, and began to deal with the reality of things.

I think you will remember that, when the Lord first visited you in the night, it was with you as with Peter when Jesus came to him. He had been toiling with his net all the night, and nothing had come of it; but when the Lord Jesus came into his boat, and bade him launch out into the deep, and let down his net for a draught, he caught such a great multitude of fishes that the boat began to sink. See! the boat goes down, down, till the water threatens to engulf it, and Peter, and the fish, and all. Then Peter fell down at Jesus knees, and cried, "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" The presence of Jesus was too much for him: his sense of unworthiness made him sink like his boat, and shrink away from the Divine Lord. I remember that sensation well; for I was half inclined to cry with the demoniac of Gadara, "What have I to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God most high?" That first discovery of His injured love was overpowering; its very hopefulness increased my anguish; for then I saw that I had slain the Lord who had come to save me. I saw that mine was the hand which made the hammer fall, and drove the nails that fastened the Redeemer's hands and feet to the cruel tree.

"My conscience felt and own'd the guilt,
And plunged me in despair;
I saw my sins His blood had spilt,
And help'd to nail Him there."

"This is the sight which breeds repentance: "They shall look upon Him whom they have pierced, and mourn for Him." When the Lord visits us, He humbles us, removes all hardness from our hearts, and leads us to the Saviour's feet.

When the Lord first visited us in the night it was very much with us as with John, when the Lord visited him in the isle that is called Patmos. He tells us, "And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead." Yes, even when we begin to see that He has put away our sin, and removed our guilt by His death, we feel as if we could never look up again, because we have been so cruel to our best Friend. It is no wonder if we then say, "It is true that He has forgiven me; but I never can forgive myself. He makes me live, and I live in Him; but at the thought of His goodness I fall at His feet as dead. Boasting is dead, self is dead, and all desire for anything beyond my Lord is dead also." Well does Cowper sing of

"That dear hour, that brought me to His foot,
And cut up all my follies by the root."

The process of destroying follies is more hopefully performed at Jesus' feet than anywhere else. Oh, that the Lord would come again to us as at the first, and like a consuming fire discover and destroy the dross which now alloys our gold! The word visit brings to us who travel the remembrance of the government officer who searches our baggage; thus doth the Lord seek out our secret things. But it also reminds us of the visits of the physician, who not only finds out our maladies, but also removes them. Thus did the Lord Jesus visit us at the first.

Since those early days, I hope that you and I have had many visits from our Lord. Those first visits were, as I said, sharply searching; but the later ones have been sweetly solacing. Some of us have had them, especially in the night, when we have been compelled to count the sleepless hours. "Heaven's gate opens when this world's is shut." The night is still; everybody is away; work is done; care is forgotten, and then the Lord Himself draws near. Possibly there may be pain to be endured, the head may be aching, and the heart may be throbbing; but if Jesus comes to visit us, our bed of languishing becomes a throne of glory. Though it is true "He giveth His beloved sleep," yet at such times He gives them something better than sleep, namely; His own presence, and the fulness of joy which comes with it. By night upon our bed we have seen the unseen. I have tried sometimes not to sleep under an excess of joy, when the company of Christ has been sweetly mine.

"Thou hast visited me in the night." Believe me, there are such things as personal visits from Jesus to His people. He has not left us utterly. Though He be not seen with the bodily eye by bush or brook, nor on the mount, nor by the sea, yet doth He come and go, observed only by the spirit, felt only by the heart. Still He standeth behind our wall, He showeth Himself through the lattices.

"Jesus, these eyes have never seen
That radiant form of Thine!
The veil of sense hangs dark between
Thy blessed face and mine!

"I see Thee not, I hear Thee not,
Yet art Thou oft with me,
And earth hath ne'er so dear a spot
As where I meet with Thee.

"Like some bright dream that comes unsought,
When slumbers o'er me roll,
Thine image ever fills my thought,
And charms my ravish'd soul.

"Yet though I have not seen, and still
Must rest in faith alone;
I love Thee, dearest Lord! and will,
Unseen, but not unknown."

Do you ask me to describe these manifestations of the Lord? It were hard to tell you in words: you must know them for yourselves. If you had never tasted sweetness, no man living could give you an idea of honey. Yet if the honey be there, you can "taste and see." To a man born blind, sight must be a thing past imagination; and to one who has never known the Lord, His visits are quite as much beyond conception.

For our Lord to visit us is something more than for us to have the assurance of our salvation, though that is very delightful, and none of us should rest satisfied unless we possess it. To know that Jesus loves me, is one thing; but to be visited by Him in love, is more.

Nor is it simply a close contemplation of Christ; for we can picture Him as exceedingly fair and majestic, and yet not have Him consciously near us. Delightful and instructive as it is to behold the likeness of Christ by meditation, yet the enjoyment of His actual presence is something more. I may wear my friend's portrait about my person, and yet may not be able to say, "Thou hast visited me."

It is the actual, though spiritual, coming of Christ which we so much desire. The Romish church says much about the real presence; meaning thereby, the corporeal presence of the Lord Jesus. The priest who celebrates mass tells us that he believes in the real presence, but we reply, "Nay, you believe in knowing Christ after the flesh, and in that sense the only real presence is in heaven; but we firmly believe in the real presence of Christ which is spiritual, and yet certain." By spiritual we do not mean unreal; in fact, the spiritual takes the lead in real-ness to spiritual men. I believe in the true and real presence of Jesus with His people: such presence has been real to my spirit. Lord Jesus, Thou Thyself hast visited me. As surely as the Lord Jesus came really as to His flesh to Bethlehem and Calvary, so surely does He come really by His Spirit to His people in the hours of their communion with Him. We are as conscious of that presence as of our own existence.

When the Lord visits us in the night, what is the effect upon us? When hearts meet hearts in fellowship of love, communion brings first peace, then rest, and then joy of soul. I am speaking of no emotional excitement rising into fanatical rapture; but I speak of sober fact, when I say that the Lord's great heart touches ours, and our heart rises into sympathy with Him.

First, we experience peace. All war is over, and a blessed peace is proclaimed; the peace of God keeps our heart and mind by Christ Jesus.

"Peace! perfect peace! in this dark world of sin?
The blood of Jesus whispers peace within.

"Peace! perfect peace! with sorrows surging round?
On Jesus' bosom nought but calm is found."

At such a time there is a delightful sense of rest; we have no ambitions, no desires. A divine serenity and security envelop us. We have no thought of foes, or fears, or afflictions, or doubts. There is a joyous laying aside of our own will. We are nothing, and we will nothing: Christ is everything, and His will is the pulse of our soul. We are perfectly content either to be ill or to be well, to be rich or to be poor, to be slandered or to be honoured, so that we may but abide in the love of Christ. Jesus fills the horizon of our being.

At such a time a flood of great joy will fill our minds. We shall half wish that the morning may never break again, for fear its light should banish the superior light of Christ's presence. We shall wish that we could glide away with our Beloved to the place where He feedeth among the lilies. We long to hear the voices of the white-robed armies, that we may follow their glorious Leader whithersoever He goeth. I am persuaded that there is no great actual distance between earth and heaven: the distance lies in our dull minds. When the Beloved visits us in the night, He makes our chambers to be the vestibule of His palace-halls. Earth rises to heaven when heaven comes down to earth.

Now, beloved friends, you may be saying to yourselves, "We have not enjoyed such visits as these." You may do so. If the Father loves you even as He loves His Son, then you are on visiting terms with Him. If, then, He has not called upon you, you will be wise to call on Him. Breathe a sigh to Him, and say,

"When wilt Thou come unto me, Lord?
Oh come, my Lord most dear!
Come near, come nearer, nearer still,
I'm blest when Thou art near.

"When wilt Thou come unto me, Lord?
I languish for the sight;
Ten thousand suns when Thou art hid,
Are shades instead of light.

"When wilt Thou come unto me, Lord?
Until Thou dost appear,
I count each moment for a day,
Each minute for a year."

"As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God!" If you long for Him, He much more longs for you. Never was there a sinner that was half so eager for Christ as Christ is eager for the sinner; nor a saint one-tenth so anxious to behold his Lord as his Lord is to behold him. If thou art running to Christ, He is already near thee. If thou dost sigh for His presence, that sigh is the evidence that He is with thee. He is with thee now: therefore be calmly glad.

Go forth, beloved, and talk with Jesus on the beach, for He oft resorted to the sea-shore. Commune with Him amid the olive-groves so dear to Him in many a night of wrestling prayer. If ever there was a country in which men should see traces of Jesus, next to the Holy Land, this Riviera is the favoured spot. It is a land of vines, and figs, and olives, and palms; I have called it "Thy land, O Immanuel." While in this Mentone, I often fancy that I am looking out upon the Lake of Gennesaret, or walking at the foot of the Mount of Olives, or peering into the mysterious gloom of the Garden of Gethsemane. The narrow streets of the old town are such as Jesus traversed, these villages are such as He inhabited. Have your hearts right with Him, and He will visit you often, until every day you shall walk with God, as Enoch did, and so turn week-days into Sabbaths, meals into sacraments, homes into temples, and earth into heaven. So be it with us! Amen.

For more chapters of this wonderful book:

Chapter Two - Under His Shadow

Till He Come - by Charles Spurgeon

Till He Come

Communion Meditations And Addresses
By C. H. Spurgeon
(Not published in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit.)
First Published 1896.

PREFATORY NOTE.

For many years, whether at home or abroad, it was Mr. Spurgeon's constant custom to observe the ordinance of the Lord's supper every Sabbath-day, unless illness prevented. This he believed to be in accordance with apostolic precedent; and it was his oft-repeated testimony that the more frequently he obeyed his Lord's command, "This do in remembrance of Me," the more precious did his Saviour become to him, while the memorial celebration itself proved increasingly helpful and instructive as the years rolled by.

Several of the discourses here published were delivered to thousands of communicants in the Metropolitan Tabernacle, while others were addressed to the little companies of Christians, of different denominations, and of various nationalities, who gathered around the communion table in Mr. Spurgeon's sitting-room at Mentone. The addresses cover a wide range of subjects; but all of them speak more or less fully of the great atoning sacrifice of which the broken bread and the filled cup are the simple yet significant symbols.

Mr. Spurgeon had intended to publish a selection of his Communion Addresses; so this volume may be regarded as another of the precious literary legacies bequeathed by him to his brethren and sisters in Christ who have yet to tarry a while here below. It is hoped that these sermonettes will be the means of deepening the spiritual life of many believers, and that they will suggest suitable themes for meditation and discourse to those who have the privilege and responsibility of presiding at the ordinance.

CONTENTS:

1. Mysterious Visits.

"Thou hast visited me in the night." Psalm 17:3.


2. "Under His Shadow."

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Psalm 91:1.

"The shadow of a great rock in a weary land." Isa. 32:2.

"As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my Beloved among the sons. I sat down under His shadow with great delight, and His fruit was sweet to my taste:" Solomon's Song 2:3.

"Because Thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice." Psalm 63:7.

"And He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand hath He hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in His quiver hath He hid me." Isa. 49:2.


3. Under the Apple Tree.

"I sat down under His shadow with great delight, and His fruit was sweet to my taste." Solomon's Song 2:3.


4. Over the Mountains.

"My Beloved is mine, and I am His: He feedeth among the lilies. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my Beloved, and be Thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether." Solomon's Song 2:16-17.


5. Fragrant Spices from the Mountains of Myrrh.

"Thou art all fair, My love; there is no spot in thee." Solomon's Song 4:7.


6. The Well-beloved.

"Yea, He is altogether lovely." Solomon's Song 5:16.


7. The Spiced Wine of my Pomegranate.

"I would cause Thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate." Solomon's Song 8:2.

"And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace," John 1:16.


8. The Well-beloved's Vineyard.

"My Well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill." Isaiah 5:1.


9. Redeemed Souls Freed from Fear.

"Fear not: for I have redeemed thee." Isaiah 43:1.


10. Jesus, the Great Object of Astonishment.

"Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently, He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonied at Thee; His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men: so shall He sprinkle many nations, the kings shall shut their mouths at Him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider." Isaiah 52:13-15.


11. Bands of Love; or, Union to Christ.

"I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them." Hosea 11:4.


12. "I Will Give you Rest."

"I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28.


13. The Memorable Hymn.

"And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives." Matthew 26:30.


14. Jesus Asleep on a Pillow.

"And He was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake Him, and say unto Him, Master, carest Thou not that we perish? And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm." Mark 4:38-39.


15. Real Contact with Jesus.

"And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched Me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of Me." Luke 8:46.


16. Christ and His Table-companions.

"And when the hour was come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him." Luke 22:14.


17. A Word from the Beloved's Own Mouth.

"And ye are clean." John 13:10.


18. The Believer Not an Orphan.

"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." John 14:18.


19. Communion with Christ and His People.

"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread." 1 Cor. 10:16-17.


20. The Sin-Bearer.

"Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." 1 Peter 2:24-25.


21. Swooning and Reviving at Christ's Feet.

"And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen: and have the keys of hell and of death." Revelation 1:17-18.

C. H. Spurgeon's Communion Hymn.


Jerry's Note: I highly recommend reading Till He Come by Charles Spurgeon, especially if you love reading and studying the Song of Solomon. Spurgeon's book of communion meditations really opens up some of the symbolism in the Song of Solomon, and is sure to kindle and strengthen your devotion to the Lord. Lord willing, I will post all the chapters of this book periodically in this blog. You can click here to read the rest of the book ahead of time, if you so desire. Till He Come was taken from the following link: Till He Come (I do not endorse MOST of the material on that site, though there are several solid books that can be downloaded from there. Feel free to contact me about which ones I would recommend out of them all.) See also Spurgeon Gems, where many of Spurgeon's sermons and other books are all freely available online.