THE GIFT OF WILLIAM G. KERCKHOFF TO THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES THE LIBRARY OF FRIEDRICH KLUGE O^WVHfiSITY of CALlFOKNi^ AT LOS ANGELES T.TRP A TJV from emoviam: Rev. JOHN WILSON, M.A„ PeD., UNITED PEESBYTERIAN CHURCH, SANDYFORD, GLASGOW. EDITED BV HI:< !iOX-I}i-LA\\\ J. A. R U D D. "3^ lobcv of -Scsus Christ." EDINBURGH: A X D R E W ELLIOT, IT P R I X C E S STREET. 1S95. 135523 The Editor desires to acknowledge most gratefully the very valiialjle assislauee rendered him by the Rev. Jas. JKii-KEY, M.A., of PoUokshiclds, in the preparation of the work. CONTENTS. Fkontispiece — Portrait of Dr Wilsou. BiOGiiAPHicAL Sketch by the Rev. James Jeffrey, M.A., - 5 Sermons — 1. Sing ye to the Lord, - - . - . 31 2. Thine eyes shall see the Kii>g in His beauty, - - 43 3. He hath sent nie to heal the broken hearted, - - 53 i. "Without faith it is impossible to please Him, - - 63 0. And sitting down they watched Him there, • - 75 6. I am a stranger in the earth, - - - - 85 7. In my Father's house, ----- 99 Literary Selections — New Year's Hymns, . . - - . 111^ War-Song: from the Greek of Xyrtreus, - - - 114 Paper on tlie Greek Drama, - - - - 117 With metrical translations liom '" Iphigcuia in Tauris." Life of Schiller, ------ 143 " The Bell," by Schiller — translated into English verse, - 155 BiotjrapIMcal Skctcb. Rev. JAMES JEFFREY, M, A. In the work of the Christian Church one or two, by their pre-eminent gifts, occupy commanding positions and acquire a wide influence. These, however, are the exceptions. The pulpits of our churches are filled by men of good abilities, earnest spirit, and devoted work. They have no ambition to stand in the front rank, or to be leaders in church courts. The Master has given them a ministry to fulfil, of instruction, consolation, help and counsel, and to that they devote their whole strength and time, finding their highest reward in the consciousness of doing their duty, and enjoying the approval of their great Master. Such an one was the subject of this brief sketch, of whom we may say that he did with all his might whatsoever his hand found to do. John Wilson belonged to Edinburgh, and was born 27th May, 1832. He was sprung from what we call the middlj classes, his father being a merchant and burgess oi the city. Like all who are natives of Edin- € BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. burgh, his heart ever turned to the Scottish Capital, and he loved its beauty and traditions. There is much in the old town to captivate the fancy of a boy, and there are traces in his early papers of the influence of his birth-place on his patriotic and re- ligious feeling. Even the place of his education strengthened 'these feelings. For several years he attended the Free Normal School, which occupies one of the most picturesque and historical of the old Edinburgh buildings, the Moray House, in the Canon- gate, round which gather memories of the great Argyle, whose wedding took place there on the very day that his princely rival Montrose was led to his doom. After passing through the Normal School, Mr Wilson in- tended to pursue a business career, and was actually engaged for some time in business, but was so deeply impressed by a sermon preached by the late Rev. G. Marshall Middleton, then of Kinross, that he resolved to study for the ministry, and, after some private tuition in classics, he proceeded to the University, studying Latin and Greek under Pillans and Dunbar, receiving from them a taste for classical learning, which he continued to cultivate all through life. The deep interest he manifested in philosophical studies was first kindled by Sir William Hamilton; but the class in which he took the greatest pleasure was that of Rhetoric and Belles Lettres, under the teaching of the late William Edminston Aytoun. There he ap- pears to have formed his style, so chaste, and crisp, and clear, and to have begun to " lisp in numbers," for his fine ear led him instinctively to choose the most musical word to express his thought. At the close of BIOGKAPHICAL SKETCH, 7 this curriculum, Wilson took the degree of Master of Arts. A more powerful influence in forming young Wilson's mind and religious opinions was the ministry under which he was trained. His father was an elder in Nicolson Street United Presbyterian Church, then under the ministry of the Rev. Dr George Johnston, Dr Johnston was a man of no ordinary gifts. To a .someAvhat stately appearance, and slightly affected tone, was united a most tender heart. Of scholarly tastes himself, he took the deepest interest in the young men of his church, and especially in all students connected with the congregation, encouraging them in their studies. For some years Mr Wilson taught a class in the Sabbath school, a work for which he was peculiarly well adapted. In his later years he found great delight in his Bible class, and also in his young men's literary society. There is nothino- to in- dicate at what time Mr Wilson came under divine im- pressions. He himself was always very reticent on the subject, but he joined the church at eighteen. The sincerity of his faith it was impossible to doubt ; his life proclaimed it, and it made itself felt through the whole of his preaching and teaching. Most probably he was one of those who, growing up under relio-ious training, have no consciousness of any distinct chano-e but only of a growing trust in the Saviour, and a warmer love to His person. It may be that such Christians are not so emotional in their experience as others, but it will often be found that the current of the spiritual life flows deep, and quiet, and strorj«i-, under an apparently undisturbed surface. 8 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. That which exercised the most powerful influence over young Mr Wilson, at this stage of his life, was a young men's society, known as the Noetic Society, meeting in the hall of Nicolson Street Church, but not confined to members or adherents of that church. It included amongst its numbers not a few divinity students, and formed a common meeting ground for kindred spirits. Mr Wilson early became a member of this society, and on more than one occasion oocupied the president's chair. From the first he proved himself "a cultured and thoughtful essayist," possessed of a free style, over which he seemed to have perfect com- mand, and writing on a wide rangs of subjects. One of the features of the Noetic was a manuscript maga- zine, circulated amongst the members. Of this magazine Mr Wilson was for some time the editor, and I have had the pleasure of perusing several of the numbers. A volume lies before me, beautifully lithographed from the neat copy, most of which is in the penmanship of Dr Wilson, he, as er^tor, having written out in his own hand almost all the articles of one or two numbers for the lithographer. His own papers are singularly free from the crudity of thought and fauks of style often found in young writers. They indicate careful attention to the sub- jects treated, close and connected thought, and a clear and forcible style. His subjects are varied : — " The Causes of Human Progression," " The Desire of Approbation," " Requisites of Prevailing Prayer," " Cosmical Reilections on a Sabbath Eve,'' " Mutual Influence," " Christian Ambition," " The Study of the Sacred Scriptures," all are treated with the ease of an BIOGRAPHIC A.L SKETCH. 9 experienced writer. I have no means of knowing when Mr Wilson first began to court the poetic muse. In later clays he appeared to find in verse the fittest ■expression of his thought. In this volume, however, are two or three pieces worthy of being preserved as a specimen of Mr Wilson's work in his student days. One is evidently sug^^ested by the song, " 0, Gin I was a Baron's Heir." It is named " Lassie, gin ye lo'ed me,' and is set to music : — Now gladsome spring, wi' sunny sliow'rs, Krinf,fs back the green leaf to the bow'rs, And decks the earth wi' fairest flowers, Lassie, will ye lo'e me. Hae sweetly sing the tuneful Ihrang In merry uota the blythe day lang. But sweeter far to me their sang, Lassie, gin ye lo'ed n:e. For, O, gin ye were a' my ain, Nae thocht I'd gie to joy or pain ; Bat to my heart I'd tak' ye fain, Lassie, gin ye lo'td me. And aye when I cam' liame at e'en An' saw the housie neat and clean, An' met thee wi' thy smiling een. Lassie, I wad lo'e thee. And far 'boon a' on earth or sea I'd prize the kind blink o' thine e'e ; The joy of life thou'dst be to me. Lassie, gin ye lo'ed me. And when we tottered doon the brae, Still love would cheer our closing day ; Nae clouds should ever dark the way, Lassie, gin ye lo'ed me. 10 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. There is a martial rin^ about the next piece — the heart's utterance of a Scottish patriot: — THE (;RAVE of BRUCE. (Suggested l>y the exhumation of his body at Dunfermline Alibey^ 18th February, 1818.) Hark ! the music softly swelling Round the Abbey's ruined walls — •Spirits of departed heroes, Singing in their airy halls. Spirits they of warlike chieftains, And the bravest of the brave ; They who, 'neath a Scottish banner, Rled and found a warrior's grave. Round the cherished spot they hover, AVhere their nol>le leader lies ; Guard his bones with veneration, While his soul is in the skies. List ! they sing of all his mighty Deeds of valour, deeds of fame ; Do I see them ? Is it fancy ? Do I hear the Rruce's name ? All unseen, these loving spirits Haunt the spot to them so dear ; Falls their music, soft as snow flakes, Only on the poet's ear. For though Scotland's sons have never Lost remembrance of their king, O'er his resting place oblivion Hath stretched out her raven wing. Gone the pomji that once attended To the tomb — the hero dead ; Gone the hearts that bled with sorrow ; Gone the tears that once were slied. Crumbled now to dust the Abbey- Priest and worshippers are gone ; Gone the altar, and the tablet Where the Rrucc's name once shone. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 11 Hushed the anthem once Ijreathed upward, Borne aloft on angel's wing, Long have joined their king in heaven, Who his requiem did sing. Like an idle dream of fancy All these now are passed away ; Scarce a stone remains to tell ns Where the Scottish monarch lay. Still, beneath, there lies a treasure, Long from mortal eye concealed ; And the secret hid for ages, Now at length shall be revealed. Where the grass had long been growing, Green, and wild, and rank, and high, There a vault is now laid open To the blue-eyed, smiling sky. Fly, as night before the morning, Five long centuries of gloom ; Sport like fairies now the sunbeams In the new- discovered tomb. Now they light upon the monarch — Welcome as a friend the dead — ■ Wreathe a halo for his temples, Fain to g.ld his crown of lead. * Haply visions fair in dreamland Has the sleeping hero seen ; Witnessed there his country's struggles. Seen its triumjjhs, too, I ween : Warriors bold as ever followed 'Neath the banner which he waved. And with breasts as patriotic, Have their foes, like lions, braved. Maidens blooming, fair and modest, As e'er waved their snowy hand. Like pure gowans on our hill-sides. Still adorned his native land. Minstrel songs as sweet as ever Fell upon a Scottish ear, * The allns'on here is to the cliaplet of lead which encircled th& Bruce's head when his body was discovered. 12 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. Still, like incense, rose to heaven, Music fit for heaven to hear. Glad, methinks, would ba his bosom, "When he saw dread battles cease, And the foes, so long at variance, Jjined in everlasting peace. Such his dreams. But hark ! the music Filling all the air again ; Now it changes into voices. Chanting thus in meaning strain — " Scotland, let thy heart ba joyful For thy greatest king is found ; Come, approach his long-hid chamber, Softly, for 'tis holy ground. Sons of Scotland, pay him homage, For your fathers loved him well ; Ye who nestle in her mountains, Ye who in her valleys dwell, Shed one parting tear of sorrow Ere you leave the sacred scene. Take one farewell look, for never Will again his like be seen." On the completion of his University course, jVlr Wilson entered the Divinity Hall, in August, 1853. It was in the days when the curriculum included five sessions of two months' attendance at the professor's lectures, and bi-monthly examinations by the Pres- byteries. The professors were all men of mark in their day. Dr John Brown, facile jprinceps, as an exegetical expositor of the word of God, a man of venerable look, saintly character, and Manning in- fluence over the minds and hearts of men ; Dr James Harper, with his keen incisive mind, whose criticisms of the students' discourses, if sometimes severe, were always just; Dr Lindsay, a profound scholar, a sagacious adviser; and Dr M'Michael, with his clear BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH, 13 intellect, his polished style, and his f^enial manner. These were the teachers under whom Mr Wilson studied, and no student entered with greater earnest- ness and diligence into the study of the Scriptures, in the orio;inal language, than he did. To the end of his life he made it a practice to read the Scriptures in Greek and Hebrew every day; and, during the last few years of his life, in order to fit himself to master the questions of the higher criticism, he attended the <;lass of Professor Robertson, in Glasgow Uuiversity> for the study of Hebrew and the cognate oriental languages. Not many of his fellow students are now left. Some of them have won for themselves a good v Robert Johnstone, now Professor ; Dr Hutchison, then of Renfrew ; Dr Whitelaw ; Mr Buchanan, then of Grey- friars ; ]\[r Roberts, then of Dennistoun ; Mr H. E, Fraser, of Langside Road ; Dr Wilson and myself. Amongst those who joined after that were Mr Young, of Parkhead ; Mr Henderson, of Bearsden ; Mr Ruther- ford, of Kelvingrove; Mr M'Conchie, late of Mearns; and Mr Law, now of Kilmarnock ; while one or two others occasionally joined its ranks. As may be imagined, during these years, a considerable amount of Greek literature was read, and many interesting questions discussed. In these meetings Dr Wilson took the liveliest interest, and when the reading included the great Greek dramatists, he frequently delighted us by turning the whole of the evening's readings into verse. In this way he translated the whole of the " Iphigenia in Tauris," part of the " Antigone," the twenty-second and twenty-third books of the " Odyssey." Once, during the last year, he amused us by rendering the tirst thirty lines of the eighteenth book of the Odyssey into broad Scotch. It is the scene where the beggar Irus insults Ulysses, and provokes a tight : — BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 19 There cam' a commoa be;j;o;ar loun, Wha used to beg through a' the toon ; He cow'd a' for a greedy kyte, Could eat and drink frae morn to night ; Yet naet o' power or pith had he, Though braw and buirdly to the e'e. Arnauis was his richtfu' name, His mother gied 'm't, worthy dame, E'en frae the day she brocht him hame ; Bat Irus all the birkies ca'd him, For gau'n their errands when they bade him. Sae up he comes, fu' big and crouse, To drive Ulysses frae's ain house ; He railed at liira wi' jibe and jeer, Loot tiee his words for a' to hear. " Get out the gate, auld ne'erdoweel ! Quick ! or they'll hurl you by the heel ; See they're a' winkin' me to do't ! Though I'd be shamed to drag you out. Up wi' ye then, or faith we'll soon Ha'e words or blows or a' is done. ' Ulysses, that long headed wight, Gi'ed ae deep scowl as dark as night, Then said, " my frien', nae haet o' wi-ang I do to you by deed or tongue ; Nor do I grudge the gifts that ony Be-tow on you, though tliej'^ are mony : This threshold braid can baud us twain. Ye needua grudge what's no' your ain ; Ye seem a gangrel like mysel' — 'Tis God dispenses wae or weal. Tak tent ye press me no' o'er sair To try my strength in fisty war, For, aiblins, ye may stir my bile. And auld's I am I miu'ht befile, Wi' sore, your lips and brawny breast ; Neist day would bring me greater rest, For second visit, I jalouse, Ne'er will ye mak' to Ulysses' house. " 20 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. Then wrathful spak' the vagrant loan — " Losh ! how the glutton's tongue rins on Like slatterin', chatterin' kitchen crone : I'm thinking I'll gi'e hira a fright When ni}' twa neives sal on him light ; I'll howk the teeth a' oot his mou'. As frae a crap-devourin' soo. Tighten your waist then ! let them a' Liok on to judge atween us twa ; Bat how can ye stand up to fecht A younger carl, aud twice your weight ? " In such studies, Dr Wilson found recreation in the- midst of a ministry of incessant toil. Of a restless and nervous temperament, he could not bear idleness ; and if unable to visit the Continent, enriching and enlarg- ing his mhid with its art treasures, he preferred to remain at home reading and studying. Some ministers' idea of a summer holiday is to lounge about giving mind and body a complete rest ; but, somehow, Dr Wilson could not do that, and after a day or two at the coast he would slip away back to his study and his books. Painting, too, was for a time a favourite amusement, and with a true artistic taste, and an open eye for the beautiful, he gave evidence that, had he received earlier training, he might have been a success- ful artist. Nothing, however, seemed to yield him more pleasure and benefit than his occasional visits to the Continent. His familiarity with the Continental languages, and early acquaintance with Continental scenes in his college days, made travelling a great enjoyment. In 1869 he visited " the Land of Luther," and the scenes^ associated with the great reformer; and on various BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 21 occasions he found his way across the Channel — in- teresting his own people by lively sketches of these holiday runs, with which he favoured them on his^ return. The longest of these holiday travels was necessitated by a serious breakdown in 1878 and 1879. In con- sequence of a bronchial affection, his medical man advised a voyage to the Mediterranean in the spring of 1878. The voyage not having the desired effect, he was compelled, in February of the following year, to avoid the cold winds of spring, and find rest and recovered health in the Island of Capri. He was never tired of recalling Capri. The wonderful colour- ing of sky, sand, sea, and rock ; the picturesque views at every turn ; the interesting associations connected with Tiberius, whose favourite summer residence it was, all combined to afford endless delight to an artistic and cultured student like Dr Wilson. Dr Wilson's home life was very happy. He was married on 6th August, 18G1, to Miss Henderson, who mourns his loss. He was the friend as well as the father of his large family, interesting himself in all their concerns, and has left a very loving memory of his deep an 1 tender affection for each. Only on two occasions did the angel of death cross his door, taking away one of his boys in infancy, and again removing, in 1892, his second son, James, a very promising youth in his eighteenth year. Trials like these, while leaving their scars, tended to mellow and soften the gentle spirit of the father, whose kindness and charity to all became a more marked feature of his character. The passing years brought other changes into the 22 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. brio'ht home. Two of the daughters left for homes of their own, followed by their father's loving thoughts, and giving him new happiness in their joy ; while his eldest son left to enter on the practice of medicine in the south-west of England. He never forgot the birth-days in the home. These were made the occasions of some little gift, often accompanied with a few lines of verse containing his good wishes. The two pieces that follow were written on the birth-days of two of his daughters. The family was staying at Dollar when the first of them was written : — Dollar glen is glad to-day, Even the shadowy nooks are gay ; Myriad singing voices say, Welcome happy Nora ! Down the laughing cascades spring, Rippling wavelets dance and sing, Blythe the birds are on the wing, Wishing well to Nora ! Through the leaves the golden rays Sweetly harp a song of praise — Song of love and happy days, Happy days to Nora ! Hark ! the music louder swells ; Fairies from the neighbouring dells, Over moors and over fells, Come to welcome Nora ! Through the ferns and o'er the grass March they on, a merry mass. Blue-bells ringing, as they pass, Merry chimes for Nora ! BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 23 Then in bannered troops they cross Over to the velvet moss ; Round their sceptred queen they stand, Listening to her sweet command : "Sisters fair, one fair as you, Though of mortal flesh and hue, Loves the fairy sisterhood — Loves the beautiful and good. Nora is her name on earth, We shall call her artless mirth ; 'Tis our will to grace this day With a gift to last for aye. Weave a wreath of wisdom's pearls For her brow beneath the curls ; Then, with cuuniag goldsmith's art, Form a locket for her heart. Make it of the fairest mould. Girt with faultless virj^iu gold, Set with all the sparkling gems Worn in fadeless diadems. Put the ring upon her hand. Wearing which she shall command All the wealth of fairyland. These are our commands, obey ! But, before you haste away, Raise your bugles, firm and fast Blow once more a silver blast — Long live sister Nora ! " In the lines that follow, he alludes to the recent marriage of the daughter whose birth-day he eoin- Diemorates: — Heaven's music led the dawn which saw thj' birth, Nature, responsive, sang to heaven's high dome, When angels brought ihue to our waiting home ; Binding us closer to this beauteous earth. 24 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. And ever on tbat bright returning day, One of the seraph choir, who see God's face, Came, gazed on thine with eyes of radiant grace, Fain to have borne thee back his heaven-ward way. But the Wise Will had service for thee here By lavish gift of sweet harmonious sound, Until another joyous day came round Which drew thee to thy mate— one home to cheer. Peace be within, and angels guard that home ! Far distant be the hour when they shall whisper — "Come. On the anniversary of his marriage, he writes these lines to his wife : — MEMORY. Fragrance of summer flowers ; a brilliant room, Gay with the festal robes of friend and guest, Greeting each other from the east and west ; A maiden veiled, and crowned with orange bloom, Softly approaching by her father's side : Sweet silence, while there fall the words benign Of prayer and counsel from the Book Divine : Then laid her hand in mine, my own young bride. COXGRATULATIOX. Not twenty-one till four days more ran clear, When many a kind wish winged its upward ray, Which heaven has answered. Many a gladsome day And gift of love has come her home to cheer ; As vines in sunny lands rich clusters bear, Grateful to God and man, even so has spread Her life its tendrils and sweet perfume shed. And now one wish her gathered children share — Long be her days, and every good betide, And so says he who calls her still his bride. Thus, happy in his home and devoted to his work, Dr Wilson passed quietly through life. There was a rare modesty and reserve about his character, a dislike of all excitement and show, that scarcely did justice BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 25 to his many gifts. He never sought popularity. He served his Master with the talents entrusted to him, knowing that He was faithful who had called him. Perhaps it was best for him. For Dr Wilson was not -a strong man. He had a slender and delicate frame, often taxed beyond its strength ; and yet, with the •exception of the breakdown in 1878 and 1879, he was able for the full discharge of his duties almost to the enrl. In the beginning of the year 1895, he was in his usual health and spirits, and read at the last meet- ing of the Greek Club, at which he was present, the translation of the fight between Ulysses and Irus already referred to. A slight cold was hanging about him, to which no importance was attached. On Sabbath, February 10th, he was only able to preach in the forenoon ; but during the week he had gone out on a very cold and raw evening to attend a meeting of trustees. He returned home exhausted, and was finable for duty on the 17th ; still no one thought of danger. It was, however, his last illness. Serious symptoms manifested themselves, and in spite of all that medical skill could do, he quietly passed away on the early morning of Thursday, the 21st February, 1895, in the sixty-third year of his age, and the thirty- fifth of his ministry. His work was done ; he entered into rest. The news of his death came as a great shock to his friends and to his sorrowing congregation, with regard to whom he could say, in the words of the Apostle, " Ye are in our heart to die and live with you." They filled the church, the scene of his de- voted labours, and followed him to his burial in the Necropolis, on the 25th of February. The funeral 26 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. services were conducted, for the most part, by the members of the Greek Club, who had so long been associated with Dr Wilson. On the following Sabbath, Mr Dobbie, of Lansdowne^ addressed the sorrowing congregation, in the forenoon, from the words, " Because I live, ye shall live also"" (John xiv. 19), and paid a warm tribute to the many excellencies of his departed friend ; and the writer addressed them from the words of Eliphaz in Job xv. 11,^ " Are the consolations of God small with thee ? " clos- ing with a sketch of his much loved friend, with whom he enjoyed pleasant fellowship for more than twenty years. Kindly testimony was borne by many of Dr Wilson's brethren in the Presbytery to his personal worth and his ministerial devotion ; and the follow- ing minute, prepared by the Rev. P. Rutherford, of Kelvingrove Church, was placed on the Presbytery's Record : — " The Presbytery records with deep regret the loss- it has sustained in the removal by death of the Rev, Dr Wilson, of Sandyford Church. " Dr Wilson was one of the most devoted of ministersr as he was one of the most cultured. From the early years of his ministry— a ministry extending over nearly thirty-five years — to its close, he was, in the truest sense, a student and a scholar. He was diligent and painstaking in his preparation for the pulpit, assiduous in his pastoral duties, faithful to both, even to spending himself beyond measure. " He was a man of strong religious convictions, pro- foundly impressed with the greatness and majesty of God, and with the reverence due to His name ; no less BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 27 SO with the love of the Father, by the exhibition of which his preaching was distinguished, and by which, shed abroad in his own heart, he lived. To his faith in, and love to, the Lord Jesus Christ, his whole life in every relation bore witness; how holily, justly, and unblameably he behaved himself! " While regretting the removal from its roll of Dr Wilson's honoured name, the Presbytery would record its gratitude to the great Head of the Church for his faithful, conscientious ministry, and for the example of his constant Christian walk and conversation." Sermons, Considerable difficulty has been experienced in making a selection of sermons for publication from the work of thirty-five years, Dr Wilson seldom used a sermon more than once, re- writing when he did so, and left little oi' no indication which he considered his best efforts. The choice of the following has been made principally from the recollections of his hearers. For several years Dr Wilson had written his sermons largely in shorthand, and if inaccuracies have crept in they must be attributed to the difficulties of translation. Sermon. " Sing ik to the Lord, for He hath triumphed oloriouslt: THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER HATH He THROWN INTO THE SEA." — Exoclut XV. 21. If ever an event deserved to be celebrated in song, it vs^as that wonderful deliverance of the Israelites from the tyranny and vengeance of their enemies ; and if ever a song was worthy of the occasion that called it forth, it is that song which swelled forth from the ransomed nation by the shore of the Red Sea. They had passed through a wonderful experience. They had witnessed mercy and judgment in the most signal manner. The waves that opened for them, closed in upon and overwhelmed their pursuers. They entered the sea as bondmen fleeing from their taskmasters ; they passed out of it a nation of free men. Not one of their number was missing as they mustered I y their tribes and families that morning. It would indeed have been strange had they not given vent to their feelings in music and song. This is nature's universal language ; and when the heart is glad, the words almost naturally assume a rhythmical form, and the voice a melodious cadence. Moses evidently composed this song. It was so constructed that all the people could take part in it. S2 SEKMONS. The opening words seem to have been also the refrain, '* Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath triumphed glori- ously: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea." I shall not attempt to comment upon the song, or to analyse it. The simple reading of it is enough to impress one with its sublimity and grandeur. You will observe that it is a true Te Deum, praise to God. All the glory of the deliverance is ascribed to Jehovah. It is His right hand that has dashed in pieces the enemy. It is with the blast of His nostrils that the waters were gathered together in a heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. It is His mercy that has led His people forth, whom He had already redeemed. The poet not only thus sings of the event ; he re- gards it as a token of ultimate victory. The surround- ing nations will be panic stricken, and God shall bring His chosen people into their own land. And the Lord shall reign for ever and ever. There was evidently a strict orderly arrangement in the rendering of the song. The women by themselves took part in it. Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, led them. Accompanying the words was the inspiriting sound of the timbrel, and they gave ad- ditional effect to the melody by the graceful movements of the body. It has been remarked that this is the oldest song on record. But its antiquity is not its chief interest. It is a sacred song, composed for and sung by the ancient xjhurch at the time of her redemption and institution. And so it bears a typical character. The whole cir- SING YE TO THE LORD. 33^ cumstances are indeed full of significance. The pas- sage of the Red Sea is an emblem of that transition by which God's people pass from a state of nature to a state of grace. You find in the New Testament this event alluded to in connection with baptism. Paul says the children of Israel were baptised into Moses in the sea and in the cloud. They became a new people, as it were, under the guidance of Moses. They had done now with Egypt, its degradation and its bondage, and in their new-born freedom they gave vent to their joy in praise to God. The service of song was thus earlier than the ceremonial law, and therefore has continued in every age of the Church. It is the divinely-appointed means of expressing her united joy and gratitude. A church without praise would seem to be an anomaly. The bond of her existence is the consciousness of her freedom, the memory of her deliverance, gratitude to her Redeemer, faith in His guidance, and the assured hope of an entrance into the promised rest. A common salvation, one faith, one Lord, one glorious hope — these are what unite God's people as a church. And as they cannot meet without praying together, so praise must ever be the natural and necessary expression of their religious feelings. It is evident, then, that the praise of the sanctuary is nothing worth unless it be the utterance of grateful, loving hearts. The first con- dition of acceptable praise is that it be rendered with the spirit and with the understanding also. This newly redeemed church in the wilderness swell- ing forth her jubilant praise by the Red Sea is a type of Christ's church in every age, and points us forward also to that other scene depicted in the Apocalypse, 34 SERMONS. where the Church triumphant, which had gotten the victory over the beast, stands upon a sea of glass mingled with fire ; and they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying^ "Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, Lord, and glorify thy name ? for thou only art holy; for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest." The service of the Church in heaven is one of con- tinual praise. Not so that of earth. It would almost seem that the Israelites lingered by the scene of their deliverance, as if unwilling to leave it. So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea. They had march- ings before them, and something else to do than enjoy their triumph. He led them into the wilderness of Shur. The whole of this district was well known to Moses. For forty years he had dwelt in the land of Midian. It was at Mount Horeb that the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush, and there he received the commission to go down to Egypt. Along with the commission "it was indicated that the Israelites after their deliver- ance should render homage to God in that very spot." It was in this direction, therefore, he now leads them. They travelled for three days, and then they began to experience the dreadful sufferings of thirst. No doubt they had taken water with them in their leathern bottles, but as yet they had come to no place where they might get a fresh supply, and now all the water they had was exhausted. We can with difficulty realise SING YE TO THE LORD. 35 the greatness of their sufferings, we who live in a moist climate and scarcely know what thirst is. They were travelling in the hot, sandy w^aste, with a burning sun ■over their heads — men, women, and children — mostly on foot. Then it is to be remembered that they had been accustomed to drink, without stint, of the finest water in the world — the water of the river Nile. At last, at the end of three da,ys, relief seems at hand. Signs of water appear in the distance in the form of trees and bushes clothed in refreshinsf green With quickened steps they move forward, and we can well fancy what a rush there would be to the water. But what a bitter disappointment. Agonised with thirst as they were, yet they could not drink of it, it was so bitter and loathesome. And they murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink ? Thus was their joy so soon turned to sorrow, and their song of triumph to the wail of despondency. We sometimes meet with a similar experience, severe trial following seasons of great joy. Even the Christian life is not without its painful thirst and bitter waters. Things that promise happiness and comfort are found to be disappointing. The reed on which we lean breaks under us. The more we trust for satisfaction and comfort in the things of time and sense, the truer we shall find this to be. For God means us to find our satisfaction and rest in Himself. He leads us throuixh the hot desert waste of this world that we may come to feel it. Many good things He gives, to minister to our gladness and gratitude. But it is not meant that we should find in them the food of our souls. Wealth and honour, and wisdom and love, and gratified am- 36 SERMONS. bition, and successful purpose, and whatsoever other good things a man may gather about him and achieve, he may have them all, and yet beyond them all there shall be a great aching, longing vacuity in his soul. His true and inmost being will be groping through the darkness like a plant growing in a cellar for the light which alone can tinge its pale petals, and swell its shrivelling blossoms to ripeness and fruit." Would that we could all learn this in time, that the thirst in man's soul cannot be quenched by the waters of this world. They may seem to be the very thing we want — the very water we are panting for. But the appearance is delusive. It is only of the living water, the water of life which wells out of God's love, and which the Son of God has to give, that it can be said, he that drinketh of it shall never thirst. Though the people murmured, yet the Lord dealt very tenderly with them. No doubt their complaint was sinful, for they should have trusted in God, who had so recently delivered them from a greater danger, and whose guiding presence in the pillar of cloud had brought them to that very place. Instead of murmur- ing against Moses, they should have prayed to their divine protector to supply their wants, as He was well able to do. Yet in consideration of their sufferings God did not, on this occasion, as at other times, reprove them. When Moses cried for help He at once heard and answered, and rendered the waters sweet and pleasant. But here again, as usual. He wrought by means. He showed Moses a tree which, when cast into the spring, took all the bitterness from the waters. The SIXG YE TO THE LORD. 37 miracle was thus made the more impressive. The people were taught to feel more directly the almighty and gracious hand of Jehovah. Travellers have sousfht for some tree in the neiofh- bourhood possessing this healing or sweetening pro- perty. It ha,s been, of course, a vain search. The whole thing was miraculous. " As well might they have searched in the neighbourhood of Jericho for the kind of salt with which Elisha healed the bad waters of the fountain there." There is a tradition among the Jews that this tree was itself bitter, yet it cured the bitter- ness of ^larah's fountain. And in this tradition there is wrapt up another and more significant reference. There is a tree that can take away the bitterness of this world's evils. That tree is the Cross of Christ. God has shown it to us. He points out to you and me, my friends, the only remedy that will sweeten our waters of affliction — a remedy which has never failed, and never will. We have, all of us, ills to bear. The Cross does not take them away; but it can and does give them a new character, a new property. When once we see and bear them in the light of the Cross they become transfigured. From being bitter waters they become sweet. It is a very precious truth, the power of faith in a crucified Saviour to neutralise the bitterness of trouble and affliction. The secret of that power lies in this, that such faith unites a man to God in the bond of sonship, all sin being cancelled, and a Father's love in- dwelling and surrounding him. The believer in Christ knows that his condition is one of security. Being freed from condemnation, whatever afflictions he may 135523 38 SERMONS. have to endure have not this element of bitterness. He knows that they are not the infliction of God's anger. They may be the outcome and fruit of his own sins, and so be the discipHne or chastisement from his divine Father ; but he knows that they are neither the result of accident nor the judgments of an angry God. He still feels the endearing relation- ship subsisting. He can still cry, " Father, my Father," and lay hold of the Father's loving hand even while his heart is sorrowing. He can use such words as these, rejoicing in tribulation, and singing through his tears — My song shall be of judgment, All- wise and holy CJod ; Thou makest all Thy children To pass beneath Thy rod. Thou scourgest whom Thou lovest, And, oh ! my soul shall tell That in Thy heaviest dealings Thou doest all things well. Such a conviction as that must remove the }>itterness of affliction. Remove the bitterness! More than that; must sweeten affliction. Else the experience of the Apostle Paul and of millions of Christians is a de- lusion when they could glory in tribulation, assured that all things work together for good to them that love God. Yes, there is but one thing that can sweeten the waters of Marah — reconciliation and union to God through the cross of His Son. This alone can bring comfort amid all the troubles of life, and peace to the soul when life is closing. To return to the narrative. At the waters of Marah, SING YE TO THE LORD. 39 with their hearts impressed with the Lord's goodness ■God made for them a statute and an ordinance,and there He proved them. He put them on their trial. And the terms of the engagement were these: — "If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy Ood, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee which I have brought upon the Egyptians. For I am the Lord that healeth thee." We see from the song which they had lately sung that Moses expected they should enter Canaan imme- diately. He represents the inhabitants as seized with alarm and melting away, and the ransomed of the Lord passing over in easy triumph. And so it would have been, doubtless, had they listened attentively and obeyed with diligence the divine commands. But we know how soon and how grievously they failed, and how their disobedience brought down on them the evils that were threatened. One or two things are worthy of notice in this transaction; I mean the statute or ordinance by which they were to be proved. Consider it as a means of education. The Israelites were taught that it was sin, disobedience to God's commands, that occasioned all the plagues and disasters which befel the Egyptians ; that God is no respecter of persons, the same disobedi- ence will be followed by similar evils to them. They were not to think that because God had chosen them He would tolerate their sin. They were not to think that God hated the Egyptians because they were Egyp- tians, or destroyed them because they were Egyptians. 40 SERMONS, They were not to suppose that God had saved them be- cause of their own excellence. Nor must they suppose that because they have been freed from slavery they are their own masters, and may do as they please. The service of Pharaoh is to be exchanged for the service of God. They are reminded of the reasonableness of that service. God had proved Himself to be their God. All this is implied in the language before us. But look at the language itself, for it expresses the obliga- tion under which every one of us is to the God of our Salvation: — "If thou wilt hearken diligently to the voice of the Lord thy God." Notice the attitude. The whole being is on the alert. The eyes are up- ward, the head forward to catch the faintest sound. " And do that which is right in His sight." Not- what is right in your own eyes, not what you please, not what your fellow-men may approve, but what is right in God's sij^-ht. "And give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes;" not some of the commandments and statutes only, but all. He that offendeth in one point is guilty of all. Universal obedience, — that is what is required of us. But it is not required as the taskmasters in Egypt demanded the tale of bricks. God requires our obedience, not because He needs it, but because we need it. The commandments of God are not grievous;, they are all the expression of a loving, as of a righteous,. Father. Not more our duty than our privilege. Obe- dience to God is our life, not in the sense that we shall be rewarded for it, but it is the very happiness and satis- faction and peace of the soul. Obedience is the soul's health — "I am the Lord that healeth thee." The ffreat SING YE TO THE LORD. 41