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 "THE PEACE OF GODS CHILDREN." 
 
 A SERMON 
 
 PREACHED 
 
 IN HAGLEY CHURCH 
 BY THE RECTOR, 
 
 ON OCCASION OF TWO DEATHS. 
 
 [SAMPSON LLOYD, late of Wassell Grove, Hagley, and of Areley House, 
 Stourport, and PETER BULLOCK, Station Master at Hagley, both 
 "departed this life with the seal of faith," on September 26th, 1874.] 
 
 PRINTED BY PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. 
 
 gfourbribge : 
 T. MARK, HYDRAULIC PRINTER, HIGH STREET.
 
 Job xxii. 21 — " Acquaint thyself ivith God, and be at 
 peace; thereby good shall come unto thee''' 
 
 These words are very applicable, as I hope to shew, 
 to thoughts that must be occupying many of our hearts 
 just now, with reference to some souls lately taken from 
 us. 
 
 But first let us look into their original meaning as they 
 occur in the book of Job. 
 
 They are not the words of Job himself, but of Eliphaz 
 the Temanite : one of those friends of his, of whom the 
 voice of God, at the end of the book, says that they did 
 not speak truth about God. 
 
 These friends always maintained against Job that all 
 suffering and misfortune in the world comes upon men 
 only on account of their own wickedness. And hence 
 they said that if Job had been as righteous as other men, 
 he would not have suffered more than they. 
 
 Now this was directly contrary to the truth. For Job 
 is plainly declared by the voice of God Himself, at the 
 beginning of the book, to have been a very righteous and 
 holy man in God's sight. And the reasons for which the 
 Almighty was pleased to allow all these terrible calamities 
 to come upon him are distinctly declared to be, no special 
 wickedness of his own, but others of a different nature. 
 One of His objects is declared to be to shew to other men, 
 and to the slanderous Evil Spirit himself, the strength of 
 Job's righteousness and faith in God. Thus it was to be
 
 proved, by actual trial, that Job's faith would stand firm, 
 not only, as Satan said, in easy times, but even under the 
 most terrible difficulties ; not only when God seemed to 
 be just, but even when he seemed unjust ; not only when 
 Job was not looking at the difficulties and mysteries of 
 Providence, but even when they were pressing upon him 
 in all their terrors and utmost greatness. 
 
 Il is true that under these very awful circumstances 
 Job did at first complain with great bitterness of God's 
 dealings with him. He did not, you must ever bear in 
 mind, know clearly, as we do, that there is a future life. 
 And yet, without knowing it, he had to look straight at 
 all the mighty terrors of the world's state, — at the pros- 
 perity and success of the wicked — at the many suffer- 
 ings and miseries of the righteous. And he saw too 
 that the arrows of God's irresistible and most fearful judge- 
 ments were being discharged from all sides against 
 himself, though he was not conscious of deserving it, 
 and though he knew that he was, and had been through 
 life, more righteous than many about him whom he 
 saw unvisited by any such calamities. Thus, to an 
 honest and clear-sighted man like him, everything 
 seemed very terrible, and full of great and awful 
 mystery. No wonder then that he complained and 
 poured :mt his griefs even in passionate words of re- 
 monstrance with God, — some of them undoubtedly far 
 stronger than was right. 
 
 And yet we may observe that in all these somewhat 
 questionable words at the beginning of the book, which 
 were uttered by Job under the first pressure of the awful 
 mysteries that surrounded him, he never really charged 
 God with injustice. He only says out to God Himself, 
 
 fu»u(
 
 with great strength, in his prayers and reasonings, that 5 
 things looked as if He was unjust, — though it was im- 
 possible that He should be so really. 
 
 At the end of the book, however, when God Himself 
 has spoken directly to him out of the whirlwind, and made 
 him see all the mighty wonders of His wisdom, and the 
 immeasurable greatness of His works in Nature, and re- 
 vealed to him how, because God is so infinitely greater 
 than man, and His schemes so far too vast for his compre- 
 hension, man is utterly unfit to sit in judgement upon 
 Him, or upon His ways, Job altogether submits. He 
 says then, from the depths of his heart, that he is now 
 perfectly convinced that all that God does must be right, 
 however, at particular times, things may seem, to man's 
 dark sight and imperfect comprehension, inconsistent 
 with that belief. 
 
 Thus was God's purpose in manifesting Job's faith and 
 piety against Satan's base and malicious slander, and 
 characteristic detraction ( — the word " Devil" properly 
 means " Slanderer; " it is his characteristic work to impute 
 base motives even to noble actions, and to disbelieve in 
 the goodness of good men) fulfilled ; and Job was proved 
 by the severest tests to have such a faith in God, that 
 not even such overwhelming visitations as these could 
 overcome it. And the insincere, uncandid, and as we 
 must call them canting and dishonest sayings of his 
 friends — their "pious lies," by which they thought to 
 defend God's justice — are condemned, and convicted of 
 falsehood. 
 
 Now, I am not sure that, in the words of my text, 
 Eliphaz is not .guilty of one^of these unreal sayings. 
 " Acquaint thyself with God and be at peace " he says,
 
 c< thereby good shall come to thee." : — the words have a 
 noble sound, and will bear a right and most true sense, 
 as I hope to shew. But if you study the whole chapter 
 in which they occur, and other words of Eliphaz, you 
 will probably be led to the opinion held by some ° o* 
 those who have most carefully studied this book, that it 
 was not in this high and true sense that he intended 
 them. What Eliphaz probably meant was, that if Job 
 followed such a course, prosperity of a temporal sort on 
 Earth would certainly come to him. And il he meant 
 that, it was a delusion and a falsehood. He could only 
 believe it by falling into a common sin of religious men, 
 — shutting his eyes to innumerable plain facts ; since 
 it is by no means always the case, as popular stories 
 are so apt to say it is, that right conduct brings pros- 
 perity on Earth. The knowledge of God, and faithful 
 obedience to Him, will not always bring "peace," or 
 what the world calls "good." On the contrary it is often 
 the case, that " whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and 
 scour geth every son whom He receivetli 1 j" ; the truest 
 Saints have sometimes been the greatest sufferers, after 
 the likeness of the great King of Saints and of Martyrs, 
 — -that is of those who have suffered and even died for 
 their goodness — Christ Himself. For His crown on 
 earth was a crown of thorns ; He suffered, unjustly, from 
 the wickedness of men ; and His reward, on earth, was 
 the agony, the Cross, and grave. 
 
 But yet as I have said, in another and higher sense, 
 it is true, that the knowledge of God, and faithful 
 obedience to Him does bring peace, and that as my 
 text says, " thereby good comes to man." • 
 
 * See notes in the Speaker's Commentary. f Heb. xii. 6.
 
 For a real knowledge of God and of His mind towards 
 us makes a man sure — yes, in the end, absolutely and 
 calmly sure, — that all that He does is, and must be 
 right, let the world say what it will ; and that though 
 for us with our limited sight on Earth, " clouds and 
 darkness are round about Him," yet " righteousness and 
 judgement are the habitation of His seat."* Hence such 
 men, having reached to this true and blessed "knowledge 
 of God," arrive at being able to say, with Job, " Though 
 He slay me, yet loill I trust in Him"\ or like David, 
 " Though I pass through the valfay of the shadow of death, 
 I will fear no evil ; for Thou art with me,"§ and with 
 Habakkuk, " Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither 
 shall fruit be in the vines ; the labour of the olive shall 
 jail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut 
 off jrom the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls : 
 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my 
 salvation." \ 
 
 Yes, there is a peace given to the true children of God, 
 that passeth the natural understanding ; one which can 
 stand firm and serene, even under the world's most 
 terrible troubles — even in the face of agony, torture and 
 death : — which can cry unto God, " Father," even from a 
 cross of agony and shame ; and which will, as God is 
 true, obtain its rewards, outward as well as inward, in 
 the world of perfect retribution. But this peace, this 
 hope of the righteous, is founded in, and sustained by 
 faith — not sight. It does not shrink from, but faces and 
 conquers, the world's greatest darkness. It is the lamp 
 of God burning bright even in Earth's darkest night, and 
 in its gloomiest dungeons. It was this faith that enabled 
 
 * Psalm xcvii. 2. f Job xiii 15. § Psalm xxiii. 4. { Hab. iii. 17.
 
 8 
 
 Isaiah and Habakkuk even when the whole Earth about 
 them was lull of wickedness, unbelief, and sin, to lift 
 up a mighty voice of absolute certainty saying, u tlie Earth 
 shall be filled with the kyiotoledge of the Lord as the waters 
 cover the sea":° which made Paul and Silas sing hymns of 
 joy at midnight in the prison at Philippi ; which enabled 
 St. Paul, while daily expecting, locked in the depths of 
 a Roman prison, the order for his cruel and unjust 
 execution, to write that wonderful Epistle of heroic 
 Christian joy and triumph, the second to Timothy; the 
 faith to which Christ our Lord Himself appealed, as 
 He stood, surrounded by weeping mourners, before the 
 cave in which His friend Lazarus lay buried, in the 
 words of power " Said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest 
 believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God ? "j" 
 
 Yes, " this is the victory that overcometh the world, even 
 our faith, — " the substance of things hoped for, the evidence 
 of things not seen."\ 
 
 And you see it sometimes now. 
 
 The minds of many, who hear me will, I aoubt not, 
 have been turning, as I have been speaking, to some 
 instances which have been seen here amongst us of 
 late, of such Faith, and Hope, and Peace in God. 
 
 One death has taken place within the last ten days, 
 which may seem to our short sight untimely, and present 
 difficulties to faith in the wisdom and goodness that 
 governs all. Men are ever ready to speak of such events 
 as " mysteries" ; and, no doubt, like thousands of other 
 things, they are, more or less, mysterious. But, it is 
 hardly possible to listen to the tone in which this is 
 often said, without gathering a painful impression that those 
 
 * Isaiah xi. 9. ; Uab. ii 14. f st - Jonn **• ^O. *«» % I John v. 4 ; Heb. xi. 1.
 
 9 
 
 who say it do not use that expression quite sincerely, — 
 that in their heart of hearts, they allow themselves in the 
 feeling that such cases are not " mysteries " at all ; but 
 are manifest acts of injustice in the Divine Providence 
 that governs the world. 
 
 But there are, thanks be to God, others amongst us, 
 and not, I trust, a few only, whose faith is of a robuster 
 and deeper nature ; who do, with all their hearts, believe, 
 even when they cannot, in the least, see. 
 
 It is of two remarkable and blessed cases of such true 
 faith in God which have been seen amongst us here that 
 I think it my duty ami privilege now to speak. 
 
 It is not often, my brethren, that I think it well to 
 speak from this sacred place of particular persons. This 
 should, in my judgement, be done only when it happens, 
 either that the cases are generally known to us all and 
 that the thought of them is occupying the minds of most 
 of us ; or are of so special a nature that we may believe 
 that God is teaching us lessons through them, in a way 
 that He does not by ordinary events. 
 
 But the cases I am now about to speak of, have these 
 characteristics, and they illustrate in a remarkable 
 manner, the lessons I have been drawing from my text. 
 
 One of the two is, I doubt not, in the minds of us all 
 this day. The other is that of a great sufferer whom 
 we have, for some months past., been praying for, by 
 name ; and who has now at last been released from his 
 terrible pains, and called to his rest. Both were cases 
 of men who had in the deepest and truest sense of 
 the words " acquainted themselves with God," and 
 gained thereby a peace which nothing could shake.
 
 10 
 
 I will say a few words upon each of these. 
 
 The first I have mentioned was as well known to us all 
 as any one, unless it is we ourselves, your ministers. His 
 well known figure was as regularly seen, attending this 
 House of God, and coming also to the Lord's Table, during 
 the years he lived here, as that of any one. Never, scarcely, 
 while at home was he absent, though he lived at some 
 distance, and though the great and ceaseless activity of 
 his week-day life would . have been pleaded by many, 
 as an excuse for staying away, and for taking more ab- 
 solute rest, on God's Day of Rest. But our dear friend 
 was one of those to whom Religion, in the truest and 
 deepest sense of that word, was, not only the great 
 concern, . but also the great comfort, and delight of life. 
 It was no bare or cold sense of mere duty that brought 
 him here ; it was the deepest feelings and the strongest 
 impulses of his truly Christian heart. So it was that he 
 never, we might almost say, unless actually prevented 
 by illness, or by some unavoidable cause, missed an 
 opportunity of joining with those who could say " I 
 was glad when they said unto me, We will go into the House 
 of the Lord." And from, I cannot doubt, precisely the 
 same motives, of pure and simple and warm love of God, 
 leading to a rare singleness of purpose in doing any and 
 every good work that God put in his way, he made 
 himself, notwithstanding the unusual pressure upon 
 him of very much secular work with which he was 
 always occupied, the willing official servant of the 
 Church. He was one of those who felt the Church to 
 be really the Church of God, not of man ; he was not 
 the man to look at these things as worldly men do, — 
 
 * Psalm cxxii. 1.
 
 11 
 
 they were deep heart-matters to him. And hence 
 it was from these motives — (had it indeed been other- 
 wise, — had he done such works only from lower motives, 
 we could not have attributed this worth to them) — that 
 he fulfilled these and other duties, in a manner that won 
 for him, and that could not but win for him, the warm 
 affection, regard and respect of us all. So it came to 
 pass that he was known, more or less, to our whole 
 population ; and I may add with perfect truth that the 
 more intimately he was known, the more he was loved, 
 as well as respected ; and the more clearly did men see 
 that the real, ever working main-spring of his whole 
 life was religion, of the deepest and most Christian 
 kind, — the true love of God, and of man, in God and 
 for God, and the deep feeling of his inmost heart that 
 Christ had saved him, and died for him. In the last 
 letter that I had the happiness to receive from him 
 — only a month ago, — there occur words which I think 
 I may lawfully mention to you, and which expressed 
 the habitual state of his mind towards God. " I have 
 had," he says, "a sad illness, and why it has occurred 
 I know not. One thing is very certain : — I was very 
 near exchanging Time for Eternity. Well ! I trust I am 
 prepared. I have one faith, one hope, — life in Time, life 
 in Eternity, in Christ Jesus." Such words were not, in 
 his mouth, as they are in some, mere words ; they ex- 
 pressed, as all who knew him well feel absolutely 
 certain, the deepest and strongest feeling in him.* 
 
 And it was because it was so, — because the ruling 
 power and true mainspring of his life was the love of 
 Christ as his Saviour and his heart's true Lord, that he 
 
 * See note at the end.
 
 12 
 
 was, in all his life, the truly just, and kind, and consistent 
 man we all saw him to be. A man whom all could 
 trust ; whom all could feel to be their friend and brother ; 
 the loss of whom is great indeed in every place to which 
 he belonged. 
 
 Under these circumstances, then, I may, I trust, rightly, 
 endeavour very briefly here to point out what appear 
 to me to have been some of the principal characteristics 
 of that goodness with which God had adorned him, and 
 which distinguished him among men. 
 
 First I would put simplicity. There are some good 
 men who, being good, seem always conscious that they 
 are so. Perhaps indeed they are themselves aware of 
 this fault, and, striving against it in the fear of God, 
 partly keep it under. But still, as a fact, there it is. 
 Though they try, they do not fully succeed in the effort, 
 to become altogether free from this unhappy selfcon- 
 sciousness, this tendency to self-righteousness. In 
 doing good there seems ever in their mind something of 
 a backward glance at their own goodness and merit 
 in doing it. They do indeed sincerely wish to make of 
 their acts^wre and unmixed acts of love, not in any degree 
 of selfishness, or vanity, but they do not completely suc- 
 ceed, — they cannot suppress some little of self-praise and 
 self-worship, some slight taint of personal pride, of inward 
 claim upon the praise of spectators, or of that slight 
 unwillingness which comes from a want of entire lohole- 
 heartedness in wishing to do the good, and that only. 
 But without saying that there was no taint of any such 
 feeling in the acts of our dear friend, which can hardly 
 be said of any man, we should all, I think, say that there 
 was as little of any such self-regard in him, as in any
 
 13 
 
 one we have known. His acts, — his unceasing acts, — 
 of Christian benevolence and good will, were done, and 
 were ever felt to be done, out of kindness and nothing 
 else. According to the Divine words, in doing such 
 acts " his left hand knew not zohat his right hand did"® — 
 they were done simply ; he thought of one thing only 
 as he did them, — the satisfaction of his own warm love 
 of God and of man by effecting some real good, in the 
 Name, and for the sake of Christ, " Whose he was, and 
 Whom he served." 
 
 Next, I think we should all mention as characteristic 
 of him, a singular and beautiful cheerfulness, an habitual 
 brightness and serenity of spirit : that peculiar and 
 attractive Christian joyfulness, and ever radiant "sun- 
 shine of the heart," whose unfailing source, and ever- 
 flowing spring, is love — the true love of God and of man. 
 
 Thus in their best and highest sense, the words of my 
 text were fulfilled in him — " Acquaint thyself ivith God, and 
 be at peace" 
 
 And so his departure from among us is a real loss of 
 light to all who ever used to see him ; a loss too as of a 
 warm fire, to which all who were at any time feeling the 
 coldness, the want of friendliness, the bitternesses, of the 
 common world, might ever confidently turn to revive 
 their charity and their hope. He would always have 
 helped us all to take fair and generous, rather than bitter 
 or unfair views of any human being and his sayings and 
 doings. 
 
 In short were I to be asked to say in a few words 
 what was the direction in which, consistently with that 
 infirmity which besets human nature, his character 
 
 * St. Matthew vi. 3.
 
 14 
 
 grew, I believe I might not unfairly say it was in that 
 of those beauteous Christian graces which St. Paul 
 enumerates as fruits of the Spirit of Christ, — " love, 
 Joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meek- 
 ness, temperance." °- These, together with much of brave 
 manliness and firmness of purpose in doing good, were 
 characteristic of him. 
 
 One more grace which marked him I will mention, — . 
 unworldliness. Under no circumstances of success, or 
 of worldly promotion, would there have been seen in him 
 any of that littleness and vulgarity of soul, which takes 
 the form of pride of place, pride of purse, pride of rank. 
 Such feelings were foreign to the pure simplicity and true 
 brotherliness to all mankind which so strongly marked the 
 character of our loved friend and neighbour. The 
 poorest and simplest would be as sure of receiving true 
 Christian courtesy and respect from him, as the richest 
 and greatest ; and, equally, he would ever have met the 
 greatest of the world with that perfect simplicity which 
 gives true dignity without the least mixture of pride. 
 
 The last words of his last letter to me were characteristic. 
 At the time he wrote it, there seemed good ground of 
 hope that God would see fit to grant him recovery from 
 his great illness ; and, speaking of this, he wrote, " I think 
 I shall now soon be better, and I trust able to do some 
 good for a little time in this very comfortable home." 
 Observe he does not say, "able to get some good" but 
 "to do some good." That was very like the man. So in 
 life, as in death, the words were fulfilled, in this true son 
 of God, " Acquaint thyself with God and be at peace." 
 
 And now I must say a few words of another bright 
 
 * Gal. v. 22, 23.
 
 15 
 
 example of invincible faith in G-od's goodness, and in the 
 reality of His saving and life-giving presence, under 
 terrible and long continued sufferings and trials, which 
 we have seen amongst us during several months past. 
 You miss now one name which was mentioned week after 
 week through many a month among those for whom our 
 prayers were asked. And never, scarcely, could human 
 being have suffered more than this good man and gentle- 
 hearted Christian was called to do, under circumstances 
 of great and peculiar and continual discomfort. Every 
 week for months he expected, and even, with submission 
 to the Divine Will, prayed for death ; but it came not. But 
 through all he maintained such steady and sure faith in 
 the goodness and faithfulness of God to him, as made him — 
 wonderful, and even miraculous as it seemed to those who 
 saw him, — even rejoice in God, and in the absolutely sure 
 hope of Heaven, as the free gift of God to him in Christ. 
 One part of Scripture which he specially asked me to 
 read to him, was that Psalm which most strongly expresses 
 praise and thanksgiving, the 103rd, beginning with the 
 words " Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His 
 benefits ; loho forgiveth all thy sin and healeth all thine 
 infirmities." As it was read to him, his face, as he lay 
 apon that bed of weary and distressing pain, glowed with 
 a real and enthusiastic joy, as if he was actually seeing 
 the glory of God, and feeling, — as no doubt he was, — the 
 beginning of Heaven within him. Never did I hear a word 
 of murmur escape his lips. He submitted, absolutely 
 and totally, to the Divine Will. He forbade our praying 
 that he might recover ; knowing, he said, that that was 
 impossible, or manifestly not God's will ; but only that 
 his soul might be released, as soon as might be, and
 
 16 
 
 meantime, be kept peaceful in faith. Often did he 
 say that without religion, he could not have borne 
 his existence, but that with it all was well ; that he did 
 not look forward beyond each day as it passed, but 
 rested peacefully in God's present power, leaving the 
 future to Him. Here, then, in a deeper sense than Eliphaz 
 probably meant, was a case of one who had indeed 
 " acquainted himself with God," and reached peace, — 
 not by becoming free from suffering, but by bearing it 
 with Christ, and in Christ, by the might of His Spirit. 
 Surely therefore may we trust to see that heroic Christian 
 soul among those who shall stand, with the palm branches 
 of victory in their hands, around the Central Throne, of 
 whom it will be said " TJiese are they that came out of 
 great tribulation and have washed their robes, and made 
 them white in the Blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they 
 before the Throne of God, and serve Him day and night in 
 His temple : and He that sitteth on the Throne shall dioell 
 among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any 
 more ; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For 
 the Lamb, which is in the midst of the Throne, shall feed 
 them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of water : and 
 God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." ° 
 
 Finally, my brethren, if these true servants and 
 children of God, are taken from us, it is for us to 
 remember that we have so much the more to do to keep 
 up in the world, if so it may be, that spirit which it was 
 given to them to shew forth ; and to carry on their work 
 for God and for man. If there is one less amongst us to 
 witness for God and for all kindness to men, so much the 
 more should we pray for grace to act in the same spirit, 
 
 * Rev. vii. 14-17.
 
 17 
 
 and to take up the torch which has fallen from his dying 
 hand. And if ever you are called to suffer in long weary 
 nights of sickness, or under anv of the more terrible and 
 crushing pains of this world of trial, try to bear in mind 
 the beautiful example we have seen, as a true light from 
 Heaven in the darkness of life, of patience, of hope, and 
 of that unconquered faith and charity, which the Spirit 
 of Christ, and that only, can create and maintain in us. 
 
 So may the world, and each one of us be the better for 
 these blessed examples. 
 
 To these surely among other blessed Spirits now gone 
 from us to the perfect world where the light of God's 
 countenance shines upon them continually, we may 
 apply the glorious words of Divine inspiration, " 1 heard 
 a voice from heaven saying unto me, Blessed are the dead 
 which die in the Lord : even so saith the Spirit, for they rest 
 from their labours, and their works do follow them." * 
 
 * Rev xiv.13. 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. — Since writing the above, the following additional facts respecting 
 our dear friend, Sampson Lloyd, have been communicated to me by his faithful, 
 his loved, and deeply valued companion in life. It may be well, it is thought, to 
 make them public, that we may, all of us, the more clearly see what was that 
 hidden spring whence the lovely fruits of his truly Christian goodness derived 
 their beautiful and invincible life. 
 
 " There is one remark which, if you permit, might be added, respecting my 
 dearest husband's knowledge and study of his Bible. Daily rising at 6-30 a.m., and 
 even lately, when the night's sleep has been sorely disturbed (more or less) these 
 two years, by excessive pain, he still pursued the same course ; and many a time have 
 I found him on his knees with the open Bible before him. The " Book of Common 
 Prayer" with other books of devotion were never removed from his writing table ; 
 and their well-worn aspect assures one of the sanctifying use they had even in his
 
 18 
 
 usual daily avocations. It appears to me that the statement of this peculiarly marked 
 feature in the life of so busy and active a man would redound to God's honour. 
 
 B. L. Lloyd." 
 
 In another letter mention is made of many beautiful proofs, from his words during 
 his last illness, of his habitual entire submission to his Heavenly Father's will. This 
 was shewn strikingly when he had to undergo the heavy trial of learning that, even 
 if his life were spared, he must be an invalid ; and so could not enjoy that which it 
 seems had even from his youth been an object of pleasant hope to him, — life in 
 freedom in that fair and peaceful earthly home, which he at last reached. But he 
 uttered, we are told, no complaints ; but shewed, then too, an entire submission to 
 the Blessed Will of God. And at the end, " she who went with him hand in hand 
 (most literally) to Jordan's brink can testify that this humble hope" (expressed in 
 the letter quoted in the sermon) " was more than realized in the calm unmurmuring 
 repose with which he accepted the Lord's Will respecting him." 
 
 So may we with great thankfulness and joy follow him up to the very border 
 of the unseen state, and see him then still holding on to, and supported by the hand 
 of gracious Divine Power and Mercy that had so long guided his steps through this 
 earthly scene. Confidently then, though humbly, may we use respecting this 
 " Israelite indeed in whom was no guile," the beautiful words spoken by Bishop Heber 
 of another, which apply also to the other true child of God of whom mention is 
 made in the above sermon : — 
 
 " Thou art gone to the grave ; but we will not deplore thee, 
 Though sorrows and darkness encompass the tomb ; 
 Thy Saviour has passed through its portals before thee, 
 And the lamp of His love was thy Light through the gloom. 
 
 Thou art gone to the grave ; we no longer behold thee, 
 Nor tread the rough paths of the world by thy side ; 
 
 But the wide arms of mercy were spread to enfold thee, 
 And sinners may hope since the Sinless has died. 
 
 Thou art gone to the grave, and its mansion forsaking, 
 
 Perchance thy tried spirit in fear linger'd long ; 
 But the Sunshine of Heaven beamed bright on thy waking, 
 
 And the sound which thou heard' st was the Cherubim's song ! 
 
 Thou art gone to the grave, but we will not deplore thee, 
 Whose God was thy Bansom, thy Saviour and Guide ; 
 
 He gave thee, He took thee, and He will restore thee, 
 And death has no sting since the Saviour has died." 
 
 T. MARK, HYDEAULIC PRINTER, STOURBRIDGE.