i^-m.. 
 
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 .^;M,.
 
 LIBRA FLY 
 
 OF THL 
 
 U N 1 VE.R51TY 
 
 or 1 LLl NOIS
 
 ADDRESS 
 
 TO A HOUSEHOLD 
 
 ON THE 
 
 §ti\i\\ of ©nc 4 ifs ipicinljijrr). 
 
 January loin, 1871. 
 
 BY 
 
 LORD LYTTELTON. 
 
 rUIVATELY ritlNTKI). 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 DALTON & LUCY, 
 IJoottsrllrrs to tTjc Ourrn,antr j^M.ji}. tfjr I3rinrf of Qlilalfs, 
 
 28, COCKSPUK STREET. 
 
 1871.
 
 ^ UIUC .
 
 Many 3'oars ago, as will be remembered by a 
 few only of those who hear me, I used to read a 
 sermon or make an address^ before evening 
 prayers on Sundays. That was in the days when 
 this parish was spiritually less favoured than it is 
 now; and I have long discontinued it, and do 
 not intend as a rule to resume it, for the simple 
 reason that I would rather encourage the family 
 to "'o to church than to listen to me, and two 
 sermons in the day are as much as it is suitable 
 for ordinary hearers to attend. 
 
 But there may be particular occasions ; and it 
 has been thought that one such may be on this 
 day, when we have to lament the death of a young 
 man of this household. 
 
 A sudden death it was not, either in the simple 
 sense of those words, or, as we trust, in that more 
 important sense in which we pray that it may not 
 be ours, an unprepared death. A rapid death it 
 was, more so than is usual in youth ; so much so 
 that from the time he was seriously ill I was my- 
 self advised not to see him, and did not see him 
 before he died ; an omission which is to me a 
 matter of much concern. 
 
 We ought not to destroy the natural feeling 
 that death in youth has a peculiar sadness, nor 
 suppose that the ancient promise of a long life
 
 lias ceased to bear its simple meaning, or that 
 sucli a life is not in itself a special blessing. Yet 
 let us not forget the other side. Even the Heathen 
 had a mysterious proverb_, that they whom the 
 Gods loved, died young; even the Jew could 
 say, that in death the righteous is taken away 
 from evil, and shall enter into peace ; and for the 
 Christian it should be a mere commonplace that 
 for such a one to depart is to be with Christ, and 
 to die is gain. 
 
 And such we trust was this young man. He 
 came from a neighbourhood connected with us 
 here by manifold and increasing ties, and we had 
 better opportunities than usual of knowing about 
 him. And we believe that not only had he the 
 common virtues, easily and too exclusively appre- 
 ciated even by the worldly, honesty, temperance, 
 diligence, gentleness. He had the more important 
 blessing of pious parents, and a Christian home, 
 and consequently that treasure beyond price, a 
 religious training in childhood, which let no 
 parent ever abandon, whatever public measures 
 about schools may be passed, whatever encourage- 
 ment' — good and right in itself — may be given to 
 the learning and scholarship of this world. 
 
 That training, we believe, had its fruit in a 
 Christian life. Here, as it can be nowhere else — 
 here, as in so many millions of cases, let comfort 
 be 6onght and found by those whom he has left.
 
 And if, before concluding, I add a few words of a 
 somewhat different bearing, my object is not 
 blame of tlie dead, but warning to the living. 
 
 When he came to us, we heard of him that 
 which we are thankful to say is in this country 
 almost, I do not say quite, a sure sign of some 
 measure at least of religious earnestness ; that 
 he was a regular Communicant. Now, I do not 
 say that he altogether ceased from that habit. 
 Again, I wholly repudiate what I look on as 
 unwarranted and uncharitable, the attempt to 
 measure religious sincerity by any given amount 
 of attendance at Holy Communion. But the 
 extreme case of venj rare attendance, especially 
 when that is a change from a more frequent 
 habit, can surely not be looked on without serious 
 misgiving. 
 
 K such was at all the case with this young 
 man, let us reflect if it may not be in some mea- 
 sure accounted for. I learn that on his death- 
 bed the subject was mentioned to him^ and he 
 spoke some such simple words as these: "It is 
 happier along with others. ^^ Truly it is so, as 
 being the greatest act of communion, not only 
 with God, but with man. 
 
 And I fear those words truly pointed to what 
 we cannot but observe with pain, if it be so : and 
 for myself I cannot doubt that the attendance at 
 Holy Communion among this household is on the
 
 6 
 
 wliole less tlian it used to be, — less than was 
 good in the way of example to a new-comer 
 among us. 
 
 It is not wliat I like to interfere with, or would 
 mention except on a special occasion ; for fear 
 any should be induced to communicate from that 
 worse than worthless motive in such a matter, the 
 desire to please me, or to please any one — or any 
 motive whatever but an humble and loving obe- 
 dience to the words of their dying Saviour. But 
 I do not believe there has been any sufficient cause 
 for such a falling off. Nothing should keep any one 
 from Communion but wilful sin. The wilful and 
 conscious sinnercertainly should not come; though, 
 to speak plainly, it matters very little, as long as 
 he is so, whether he comes or not. And this much 
 I will venture with some confidence to say, (and 
 I am looking back with personal knowledge over 
 about forty years), that from many at least of the 
 more serious forms of sin and vice — forms too 
 common in large establishments — this household 
 has ever been very nearly, perhaps altogether free. 
 As I believe, it is but an instance of tliat deep- 
 rooted error among many classes of English 
 society, that the universal ordinance of the Lord^s 
 Supper is not, and was not meant to be, universal 
 among Christians — that it was meant for certain 
 classes, or conditions of life, or age, or advance- 
 ments in holiness. I have known a sharp sorrow
 
 bring permanently to the Holy Table, some who 
 before were much less there — snrely a blessed 
 result m itself, but unreasonable if that were the 
 only ground. We are to communicate not because 
 we are in grief, or in leisure, or in sickness, or in 
 old age, or in danger, or because we see, or do not 
 see, certain perceptible effects from the ordinance 
 or its absence in others — but because of the words 
 of Christ. What were those words? " Drink ye all 
 of this." What was the teaching of the Apostle ? 
 '^ We are all partakers of that one Bread." What 
 was the jDractice of the early Christians? ^^ All 
 continuing with one accord, brake bread from 
 house to house." 
 
 Of the excuses commonly made, as I should 
 guess, chiefly one may apply to us here. It is 
 probable that many may stay away because they 
 have so much to do. It must be said of this, as 
 of the rest, that a stranger delusion never pre- 
 vailed among men. It is the precise reverse of 
 the truth. It is precisely hecaiise we have so 
 much to do ; hecaiise we are bound by our plainest 
 duty to give so much time to absorbing occupa- 
 tions — to things of earth which are good and 
 right in themselves, but will not continue so unless 
 sanctified by the " continual dew " of God^s grace 
 — hrcaiise we have so little time in the week, that 
 we should value and frequent those ordinances of 
 the Lord^s Day, which above other things convey
 
 8 
 
 to us that grace. The Holy Communion is for 
 all but the wilful sinner; for the laborious, the 
 unlearned, the slow, the struggling, the ever- 
 tempted, the often-falling Christian, no less than 
 for the highest saint. But reason and argument 
 have, in such matters, but little force against 
 custom and prejudice. An accidental or inferior 
 motive may sometimes be of use, and prepare 
 the way for better things, when the proper motive 
 fails. And if it should be the case, that the 
 absence of example on the part of any here should 
 have slackened the course of piety in one who 
 was to be called from us in the morning of life, 
 it may perhaps touch their hearts, and lead them 
 to consider their ways. 
 
 But, as I said, I would speak, not of the dead, 
 
 but of the living. Of the departed, I would 
 
 conclude in no words but those of comfort and 
 
 hope. May it be no unfounded trust, that he is 
 
 gone from a life begun and meant to be continued 
 
 in human service, to that directly heavenly service, 
 
 which is even here, in rudiment and promise, what 
 
 it will hereafter be in fulfilment, ^^perfect freedom;^' 
 
 and that, as we are told in one of those texts 
 
 which are surely precious in proportion to their 
 
 fewness, that men hereafter shall be "as the 
 
 angels,'^ he too may find a place among those 
 
 " ministering spirits sent forth to minister to 
 
 those who sliall be heirs of salvation. ^^
 
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