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 CHEISrS TEiXDERNESS TOWMDS THE FALLEN. 
 
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 PEBACHED IN S. PAUL'S CHUEOH, KNIGHTSBRIDGB, 
 
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 Tuesday, Mat 30, 1865. 
 
 BY 
 
 CHAKLES THOMAS 
 LOED AECHBISHOP OF CANTERBUEY. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRIKTIO BT 
 
 SPOTTISWOOpE & CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE. 
 1865.
 
 John viii. 11. 
 
 * And Jesus said xinto he?', Neither do I condemn thee : go, and sin 
 
 no more.^ 
 
 Holy Scripture is a record, from its beginning to its end, of 
 the goodness of God on the one hand, and of His severity on 
 the otlier. Fruitless attempts have been made, in different 
 ages of the Church, to dissociate those two essential charac- 
 teristics of the Godhead, and to repi*esent the view of that 
 severity exhibited to us in the Bible as incompatible with 
 His attribute of mercy; to deduce from His paternal ten- 
 derness and affection the conclusion that the vehement de- 
 nunciations of wrath therein recorded, and the actual infliction 
 of desolating judgments, are but the outbreaks of human 
 passion, and not the expression of the deliberate will and 
 counsel of the Almighty. This style of criticism has hitherto 
 been confined principally to the manifestation of the Divine 
 attributes as exhibited in the Old Testament history. But if 
 there be any just foundation for such strictures, they will be 
 equally applicable to much of the language familiar to us 
 under that covenant which may be most justly styled the Co- 
 venant of Mercy and of Love. How stern and unrelenting 
 would seem to be the threatening anticipations of future woe 
 and destruction to the doomed inhabitants of the Land of 
 Promise from the lips of the meek and merciful Saviour ! 
 Famine, pestilence, earthquake, are but the beginning of 
 their sorrows ; for upon these scourges was to follow such 
 great tribulation as -was not since the beginning of the world
 
 to that time, no, nor ever shall be — such carnage that, except 
 those days were shortened, no flesh could be saved. It is 
 the loving Saviour — it is the merciful High Priest who fore- 
 warns those that will not part with their cherished sin, that 
 in another world their worm will never die — their fire never be 
 quenched ; that their whole bodj shall be cast into hell, with its 
 everlasting flames. He it was who, though full of compassion 
 for man's infirmity, could, nevertheless, address to the hypo- 
 critical Pharisees the withering question, ' Ye serpents, ye 
 generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of 
 hell?' Such is the tone in which He who was meek and 
 lowly of heart could threaten the impenitent sinner ; such 
 are the terrors with which He would alarm all who harden 
 themselves against His word, and resist the movements of His 
 Holy Spirit. And yet, from those same lips could proceed 
 assurances of the most tender compassion, promises of comfort 
 and support — the offspring of a loving heart — ever ready to 
 welcome the first tokens of contrition and self-abasement, and 
 to pour the balm of consolation on the wounded spirit. Such, 
 then, is the God, and such the Saviour, whom the Word of 
 Inspiration has revealed to us ! — that God, unknown to the 
 most civilised nations of the old world, who were ever seeking 
 if haply they might find Him, but never could find, by the 
 aid of their unenlightened conscience — that God whom mo- 
 dern enlightenment would invite us to picture to oux'selves, 
 from our own conscience, no matter what the portrait may be 
 which the Holy Scripture presents to us of Him, thus throwing 
 us back upon natural religion, and bidding us refuse all such 
 illustrations of His own character as Jehovah Himself has 
 given us in His heaven-sent mission to man. 
 
 It is our privilege this morning, dear brethren, to dwell on 
 the brighter and more engaging aspect of our blessed Lord's 
 character, consistent, nevertheless, as we see it to be, with 
 those solemn and more austere Avarnings of a future judg- 
 
 o
 
 ment, whose consequences will be fraught with endless woe 
 to the impenitent and unbelieving. It is His compassion for 
 the fallen which now invites our admiration and our love. It 
 is His yearning tenderness towards the sinner, in order to 
 draw him by the cords of love to a confession of guilt, and 
 submission to the holy law of God and the gentle yoke of 
 Christ ; it was this which moved iTim to engage m the 
 primaeval covenant with the Father before tlie foundation of 
 the world ; by which He undertook to abase Himself to the 
 rank of a servant, and be obedient unto death, even the death 
 of the cross, as the ground of reconciliation between heaven 
 and earth. This it was that bore Him upwards as He as- 
 cended to take His seat at the riglit hand of God, that thence, 
 by the power of His intercession, and by the strength of His 
 grace. He might rescue perishing souls from the doom to 
 which they were destined. 
 
 The passage in our blessed Lord's history to which the 
 words of my text point, is a touching illustration of this cha- 
 racteristic of His life. The inveterate malice of the Scribes 
 and Pharisees prompted them to lay a snare for Him, by 
 inviting His condemnation of a guilty woman, in the hope of 
 being able to represent Him, if He took a merciful view of 
 the offender's case, as an abettor of sin and a protector of 
 offenders ; wdiereas His purpose tlien, as ever, was to prove 
 Himself a friend of sinners, though an enemy to sin ; bent 
 upon saving souls from the snares of the devil, while He 
 destroyed the works of the devil and crushed the serpent's 
 head. 
 
 From the marked contrast which we thus observe between 
 the mode of dealing with this offender against the holy law 
 of God, by the Pharisees on the one hand, and by the gentle- 
 ness and forbearance of the Saviour on the other, we may 
 draw a very profitable lesson as to our own conduct in like 
 cases. We sometimes see instances of an impetuous zeal, like
 
 that of Jehu, who flattered himself with the notion that his was 
 a true zeal for the Lord ; or that of the Sons of Thunder, who 
 would have called down fire from heaven to destroy those who 
 would not receive Jesus: each of them actuated by a spirit 
 which savoured more of human passion than of the mind which 
 was in Christ Jesus. To these, and to all such as are not care- 
 ful to discriminate between the impulses of their natural temper 
 and the movements of the Holy Spirit within them, the rebuke , 
 of the Lord may be most justly applied — ' Ye know not what 
 manner of spirit ye are of.' They have much need to sit at the 
 feet of Jesus, and learn those lessons of meekness, patience, 
 and forbearance which His example so forcibly teach us. We 
 fear that by many in the present day that most necessary 
 work of progressive sanctification is not looked upon as of 
 that grave import which really attaches to it. They rest 
 satisfied with the consciousness that their justification is ac- 
 complished (and a blessed conviction this is), without being 
 careful to enquire whether they are gradually growing in 
 grace and increasing in holiness. This is the very error 
 which St. Paul combats when he bids the Hebrew converts 
 leave the principles of the doctrine of Christ — the elements of 
 Gospel religion, such as repentance from dead works and 
 faith towards God — and to go on unto perfection ; that is to 
 say, farther advancement in the Christian life : a duty en- 
 forced in different language by St. Peter, in his Epistle, to 
 those who had obtained the like precious faith with himself, 
 but whom he, nevertheless, bids to give all diligence to add 
 to that faith virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godli- 
 ness, and charity : thus leading us to believe that it is possible 
 to have faith without a fully enlightened knowledge — a zeal 
 as yet untempered by patience — a belief too little savouring 
 either of godliness or charity. And these imperfections, 
 permitted to exist without earnest and persevering efi'orts to 
 remedy them, are the result of an error which not unfre-
 
 quently tends to sully the brightness of the Christian charac- 
 ter. There is a not unnatural eagerness on the part of those 
 who have realised the peace which a living faith imparts, 
 through thankfulness for this unspeakable blessing, to rush 
 with the fervour of the novice into the all-absorbino- encao-e- 
 ments of active charity, leaving themselves little time for the 
 cultivation of the inward life, and for fosterinfj those nascent 
 graces which will be stunted in the never-ending round of 
 busy and bustling occupation. The one ought to be done, 
 while the other is not left undone. We should never forget 
 that our Heavenly Father has a twofold object in commending 
 works of mercy to us — not only that their object may be 
 benefited thereby, but also, and perhaps principally, that 
 they may help us in our approach towards the measure of 
 the stature of the fulness of Christ. As regards the inner 
 life of the Christian, faith should not be deemed an end, but a 
 means towards further ends. A faith which does not produce 
 as its fruits love, joy, and peace, the graces of longsufFering, 
 gentleness, and goodness, together with meekness and mode- 
 ration in all things, is but a very imperfect and lacking faith. 
 A faith which does not lead gradually onwards to a more 
 complete conformity with the mind and spirit that was in 
 Christ Jesus, surely is not duly discharging one, at least, of 
 its most important functions. Faith is not exclusively exer- 
 cised in an implicit reliance on the willingness of Christ to 
 pardon the guilt of sin through His atoning merits, but also 
 in trusting to His power, in concert with our own earnest 
 efforts, to control the workings of sin within ; to impregnate 
 the soul with holiness ; to restore the lost image of God, and 
 make us partakers of the Divine nature ; while it inspires us 
 with the desire to seek, by earnest prayer, for the fulfilment 
 of these ends. 
 
 Studying, then, the instructive pattern of a holy life which 
 the Son of Man hath set us, we should endeavour, like Him,
 
 to combine the active with the contemplative life, that so, 
 while we are about our Father's business, in striving to relieve 
 every form of distress to which our flesh is heir, we may still 
 find time to sit at the feet of our Divine Master — may listen 
 to His heavenly teaching, and, contemplating the beauty and 
 perfection of His character, may become more and more con- 
 formed to His image, and more deeply penetrated with His 
 spirit. This is our twofold mission ; but that branch of it 
 with which we are chiefly concerned this day is that which 
 relates to the exercise of the spirit of benevolence in outward 
 works of mercy. And has not each of us, dear brethren, some 
 such Christian mission to fulfil^ some work of mercy to 
 accomplish, independent of the worldly calling in which we 
 may be engaged, or the family and social ties which bind us 
 together? Only let us look within, and see what are our own 
 capabilities and opportunities, too much, perhaps, neglected 
 hitherto ; only let us look without, and see the vast amount 
 of suffering, of body or of mind, there is abroad ; and then 
 consider how large a portion of our mission may be destined 
 to consist in adapting our special faculties and our means to 
 the relief of the sufferers, and in mitigating the severity of 
 their condition. We cannot all do what the first friend of 
 the prisoner in modern times did. We cannot all, like him, 
 journey to distant lands, ' fathom the dungeon's depths, brave 
 the most fatal forms of infection, to assuage, with a brother's 
 love, the sorrows of the captive.' We cannot all leave home 
 and kindred, and the comforts and charities of domestic life, 
 content to watch by the bedside of the sick, the wounded, 
 and the dying soldier ; minister, with a sister's tenderness, to 
 their wants, and soothe their agonising pains. Such high 
 enterprises as these are reserved for a gifted few. But we 
 may each of us, in our own sphere (albeit a narrower and more 
 humble walk) — we may each of us study and try to emulate 
 that holy Pattern which set them to work in their career of
 
 love. Christ does not measure our efforts by the magnitude 
 of the undertaking, but the spirit that actuates it. The cup 
 of cold water given in His name and for His sake — if that 
 be the extent of our ability — is as precious in His sight as 
 the most costly sacrifices of the wealthy. We shall each of 
 us seek to cultivate in ourselves a spirit of active benevolence, 
 which not only feels for the sufferers, but works for them ; 
 which does not only weep with them that weep, but also 
 ministers to their sorrows and sufferings in every way in 
 which God has given us the ability so to do ; a benevolence 
 welling out of the depths of a heart that is ever overflowing 
 Avith a stream of loving-kindness and mercy, in memory of 
 the mercy it has itself received. 
 
 Now, in the support of the Church Penitentiary Associa- 
 tion, whose cause I have been requested to advocate this 
 morning, there is a work of Christian love, in the following 
 out of which we cannot doubt but that we are treading in 
 the footsteps of the holy Jesus, because He has given us so 
 signal and decisive a proof of His tenderness to the fallen. 
 As He bade her whom we may believe to have been the 
 conscience-stricken penitent, ' Go, and sin no more,' so may 
 we surely find ways enough of helping to convey the like 
 charge, in the Saviour's name, to her companions in sin, who 
 would fain kneel at the feet of the Saviour, and, as wanderers 
 from the fold, return to the Shepherd and Bishop of their souls. 
 
 The aim and object of the Church Penitentiary Association, 
 in whose cause I am most anxious to enlist your lasting sym- 
 pathy, is to promote the establishment and maintenance of 
 Penitentiaries and Reformatories throughout the country ; to 
 aid them by its counsel, and support tliem by pecuniary grants 
 at the time of their foundation. An impulse and encourage- 
 ment is thus given to such efforts, without which, perhaps, 
 the first movement towards their establishment might have 
 flagged, and failed of any profitable issue. It is a subject of
 
 10 
 
 much gratitude to God that new Houses of Refuge are year 
 by year received into union with the Association ; and at the 
 close of the thirteenth year of its existence, its fi-iends and 
 supporters have great reason to thank Him that the principles 
 on which it was founded have ' indeed taken deep root in the 
 land, and are already bearing a rich harvest to the glory of 
 God and the good of His holy Church.' For there are now 
 17 Penitentiaries and 12 Houses of Refuge in union with the 
 Association ; and there is at the present time accommodation 
 for 634 Penitents — a number exceeding by 63 that of the 
 previous year. The reports from the various Houses are of 
 a very cheering character, as far, at least, as regards the 
 discipline and conduct of the Penitents ; but there are many 
 wards, empty for lack of funds to support fresh inmates ; and 
 it appears there are nearly 400 unhappy applicants who 
 have been rejected for want of means. 
 
 For such success, however, as it has pleased God to vouch- 
 safe to the efforts of His people in behalf of the fallen, let us 
 offer to Him the expression of our deep and devout thankful- 
 ness ; and the deeper and more devout will it be, when we 
 reflect upon the interests that are involved in the successful 
 prosecution of these works. There are the temporal and 
 eternal interests of the fallen herself. Beguiled to forsake 
 the paths of innocence and purity, she stifles for a while the 
 importunate voice of a reproaching conscience, and dreams 
 that happiness may be enjoyed apart from God and away 
 from Christ ; until at length, by His great mercy, the veil is 
 drawn from her eyes, she sees the gulph which is yawning at 
 her feet, hears the terrors of the law, remembers the blessed 
 privileges she has forfeited, and sighs for the peace once 
 enjoyed in the bosom of a family where the sunshine of 
 happiness had not yet been clouded by the memory of the 
 dark stain with which she had blotted its fair fame. There 
 is a gleam of hope that her sins are not past forgiveness ; for
 
 11 
 
 she remembers there is a Saviour whose blood can cleanse 
 from all sin ; and to Him who invites the weary and heavy- 
 laden to come and find rest under His sheltering protection, 
 she resolves to turn. But whither shall she fly to escape 
 from that labyrinth of evil in which she is entangled ? Where 
 shall she find the hand of mercy to drag her from the depths 
 into which she is plunged ? Who is there within reach that 
 cares for her soul ? Where is the messenger of peace to speak 
 the word of comfort to her wounded spirit, to place her 
 beyond the reach of temptation, and bid her go, in a spirit of 
 true penitence and living faith, and sin no more? In vain, 
 perhaps, does she look for this longed-for succour; and 
 meanwhile the smoking flax is quenched, the bruised spirit 
 is broken. These rising emotions for good are stifled by the 
 cry of despair ; for though, thanks be to God, these Homes 
 and Houses of Refuge for the destitute Penitent have mar- 
 vellously multiplied during the present generation, yet we 
 fear has the demand for them multiplied in a still greater 
 degree. At any rate it is certain, that from several of 
 these Asylums and Refuges the cry is, that the work is 
 starved for want of funds : and what this really means we 
 too well know. It means that those who, in their agony, 
 are struggling for deliverance, can find no avenue to the 
 shelter for which their souls are longing, and must be left 
 
 CD iD^ 
 
 to perish in their sins : it means that there are those who 
 loathe a life of sin, and yet find not the way to leave it : 
 it means that the cry of misery is rife throughout the cities 
 and towns of our land, but that too many of those who 
 should lend a willing ear are heedless of this call upon their 
 sympathy and effectual aid. What, then, is the one thing 
 needful in the present instance ? Is it not ' the mind that was 
 in Christ Jesus?' If that love for souls which was fervent 
 in His holy breast, moving Him to endure the cross and 
 despise the shame, reigned in the bosom of all those who call
 
 12 
 
 themselves Christians, this great work of Christian charity 
 could never languish for want of means. If every one Avho 
 was in easy circumstances would devote one-tenth of their 
 yearly income to acts of piety, for the relief of the temporal 
 or spiritual necessities of their fellow-men, how different 
 would be the aspect of our country ! How few could there 
 then be who would say, * There is no one who cares for our 
 souls — none who feel for our straits and necessities ! ' And 
 yet, this proportion of their annual revenue was the very 
 least amount which Jewish charity allowed to be enough to 
 satisfy such calls. If those who stint the measure of their 
 benevolence, with the view of amassing a fortune, and accu- 
 mulating wealth to aggrandise their family, could but feel 
 what a drag this weight of wealth, thus gotten, must prove 
 to their heavenward ascent — in the path of godliness here, as 
 well as in the path to glory hereafter — they would be fain, 
 before it was too late, to lay up their treasure in heaven, and 
 to make themselves an everlasting Friend, by a righteous 
 use of the mammon of unrighteousness. But there is another 
 sacrifice besides that many may offer, and which many, we 
 rejoice to know, are willing to offer — and that is, the chas- 
 tening influence, and the fostering care of sisterly love, which 
 may cherish the good seed implanted in the penitent heart, so 
 that it shall bring forth fruit unto everlasting life. May sucli 
 gentle and winning guidance ever be found to conspire with 
 the movements of the Holy Spirit from above, in enabling 
 the returning wanderer to be steadfast and unmovable in her 
 Christian profession ; that, having escaped from the sore 
 bondage of sin, she may rejoice evermore in that liberty 
 which is the privilege of the children of God, and may be 
 amonor those who shall chaunt the new hymn of praise to 
 Him who hath redeemed us by His blood ! 
 
 SPOITISWOODE AND CO., PRIJJTEKS, NBW-S-TKEEX SQUAEE, LONDO.V.
 
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