1862 - Ward, R. Lectures from New Zealand - LECTURE II. LIFE A REALITY.

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LECTURE II.

THERE is a significancy attached to the word life in our day, which did not always belong to it. But little was known till lately of the globe we inhabit, though so many generations have acted their part on it and passed away. Its great natural divisions had not been ascertained, its structure was a sealed book, and its component parts were unknown. Science was contracted and mind was chained. A few persons struggled manfully to break this chain, and cast off the trammels which indolence and superstition had imposed. But it was left for modern times to witness the interpretation of the heavens above and the earth beneath, and to prepare an offering of thanksgiving from every part of the earth, and lay it upon the altar of God.

Some may deem the motto of this lecture inappropriate, and the remarks just made may seem to sanction such an objection; but in our view, there is much room to guard against the unreal in life. A large proportion

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of books likely to find their way into the hands of young men are of this kind. Many are professedly fiction, and are too evanescent fitly to represent this matter-of-fact world. Much which occupies the minds of thousands is worthy of no better name than reverie, imaginings which have no solid foundations, and can result in nothing valuable. Our nature, depraved in all its inclinations, is mismanaged; confusion and every evil work is the consequence. Our present object is to contribute something towards disabusing the human mind, and stirring up an earnest desire to make the test of life.

The line of thought which we wish to pursue leads us to ask your attention in the first place to the materials for thought and action which life supplies.

Among these the changes through which man passes claim our attention. The first portion of our life may be denominated Physical Development; being in every respect preparatory, it is important chiefly on account of its consequences. The next stage is characterized by Elementary Discipline, during which the body becomes acquainted with toil, and the mind receives the rudiments of knowledge. The next may be called the Formative Period, which may generally begin at the age of fifteen or sixteen years; the seven years which follow often determine the place which the man fills in society, the morality of his course, and his eternal destiny. Maturity follows closely after youth. Manhood, when shewn in an honourable type, is the source of considerable influence, and is an object of attraction to the young. The man whose judgment is formed and

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whose principles are fixed, in whom there is a blending of majesty and meekness, zeal with prudence, ease with firmness, love with candour, wisdom with knowledge, and whose heart has been sanctified by the Holy Spirit, is best prepared to grapple with the realities of life. Were this class of men suddenly removed, society would receive a shock from which it could not easily recover, and the great affairs of the world would almost stand still. Yet, all who now compose this class are passing away, and others are preparing to fill their place. "Man that is in honour continueth not. He dieth and wasteth away; yea he giveth up the ghost, and where is he?"

The character and capabilities of man show him to be a singular being. In some persons the marks of a high destiny are associated with habits lower than those of beasts, and wretchedness which no pen can describe. To ascertain what man is, and what he may become, is an important object. Moral philosophy must have laboured in vain had not God spoken from heaven. The Bible is a revelation of human nature, pointing out the steps by which it fell from honour and holiness, and the steps of love and grace by which it may rise to glory and eternal life. The difference between a well-educated Briton and a wild man of Australia is great; but the difference between a really Christian man and one who is earthly, sensual, and devilish, is far greater. Compare an unlettered, unobserving, indolent man, with one of cultivation, industry and piety, and decide your course. Let us not only seek for the religion which can raise and sanctify ourselves,

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but let us endeavour to apply the lever of religion and knowledge in an attempt to raise others.

The globe we inhabit presents an extensive view of the materials on which our life is employed. The earth, swung in the vast expanse upon invisible strings, has been the scene of the most stirring events of which we have any conception. The history of the earth as the residence of man has been written, but what was its previous history? What was the chaos, void and without form? and the darkness which covered the face of the deep? Geology has tried to answer some of these questions; by its labours the forms of strange animals have been exhibited in the solid rock, and evidences of different climates have been discovered while examining the strata exposed by a deep shaft. Minerals are interlaced with various strata. Subterraneous fires, large reservoirs of water and gases, and chemical combinations and repulsions, invite our attention. The surface of the earth displays a tissue of wonders, among which may be mentioned its different soils and impenetrable forests, its various flowers and delicious fruits, its wide prairies and mountain chains, its frozen seas and burning sands. Rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans, present their claims. The atmosphere, where storms are permitted to rage, is a part of our study; there, every particle of vapour exhaled from the earth, is rigidly examined in a great laboratory, the different gases are purified, and are prepared for the sustenance of plants and animals. How glorious are the bespangled skies! To call the stars by their names, to trace the circuits of the planets, to describe the ec-

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centric orbits of the comets, and to understand the influences of the sun and moon, are among the things belonging to the present life.

We derive considerable advantage from the labours of those who have been before us. The great field of nature has been to some extent surveyed, and its divisions classified. Rocks are described in their different orders. Botany claims and names the out-growth of our soils. Living creatures with forms innumerable are reduced to their genera and species. Man himself is known according to his variety of race, habits, colour, and language.

Many of the objects which claim our attention undergo great changes and are hastening to destruction. The chemistry of the seasons, telling us of forms of beauty begun, matured, and withered, is an interesting study. The underground stirrings, of which spring is witness, are followed by a display of summer glories; these give place to autumnal fruitfulness; and this to the cold hand of winter, by which vegetation is dissolved and stricken. Change passes over all. The waters wear the stones. The sea changes its boundaries. One generation passeth, and another cometh. The work belonging to us, next to the salvation of our souls, is to improve our time by both obtaining and diffusing good, in whatever position the providence of God may appoint. He who does so has not lived in vain.

Another field of observation and effort belongs to the present life. A moral world opens before us with its requirements and supports, its difficulties and its dangers. If God has left the impress of His hands in all

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His works of matter, the tokens of His presence are no less evident in the conscience and in the heart. To ascertain our position in the moral world is of the utmost importance. God has commanded all men everywhere to repent and believe the Gospel. When this command is obeyed, the heart is converted, and the Christian life is commenced. Then, leaving the first principles of the doctrines of Christ, we are to go on unto perfection; "giving all diligence that we may add to our faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly-kindness, and to brotherly-kindness charity." Led by the Holy Ghost into the secret place of the Most High, we shall commune with the Father of spirits, and live, having the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, shed abroad in our hearts, and being filled with all the fulness of God. Under the influence of this grace, we shall view the purposes of God in Christ Jesus towards a world lying in wickedness in the light of a grand enterprise, before which impediments must be removed, heathen darkness dissipated, and wickedness come to an end. Then shall crime of every name and place be supplanted by virtue. Wretchedness, as the consequence of a hard heart and of a mind estranged from God, shall give place to joy, when that heart submits to Him whose right it is to reign.

As our life is so short, and the enterprise in which we are engaged is so great, not an hour should be lost, not an effort wasted. Under the constraining influence of the grace of God, benevolence should gush forth in

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a thousand streams; the souls of Christians should be characterized by a noble daring; to rescue man under the most forbidding and dangerous circumstances, to plant the tree of life in every land, and cover the earth with moral glory, should be the aim of the Church of Christ. Let us, therefore, prophesy to the dry bones, and cry, "Come from the four winds, O breath! and breathe on these slain, that they may live."

The instrumentality by which the business of life is carried on now claims our attention.

The first thing we will mention is learning, or a knowledge of letters and figures. By these means we appropriate to our use the best thoughts of the mighty dead, and are enabled to record our own conclusions on any subject, and the steps by which we arrived at them. The effort of writing down our thoughts is, in numerous instances, the best way to fix them in our memory. Reading supplies means of constant enjoyment and instruction, but in order to this it must be of the right kind. Writing is of great importance, not only as being the means of intercourse between distant friends, but towards the disciplining of the mind, for we often think with more precision, and arrive at more intelligent conclusions, through the use of the pen. So important are reading and writing, that a young man of good natural abilities and of indomitable energy and perseverance may, through their instrumentality, accomplish any literary object on which his heart is set.

Should any one object to this statement as being too strong, we would reply, that much as we wish sobriety

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to be attached to our character, we will venture all on the general correctness of the statement just made; and will also assure any young man who cannot now use his pen with ease, that he may do so after a few months' practice. A knowledge of figures may easily be acquired, and the whole treatise on arithmetic may become as familiar to him as the tools in his workshop. Nor need he stop here, for different branches of knowledge are within his reach if he will persevere.

Skilled labour forms another part of the instrumentality by which the duties of life are performed. Much which distinguishes a refined nation from barbarous tribes is owing to well directed labour. Without it the earth would not give up her stores. Labour under the guidance of wisdom bores through mountains, makes causeways through deep valleys, spans rivers, drains morasses, and changes the face of countries. By it, raw materials are wrought into beautiful forms and colours, in imitation of the choicest productions of nature. Every part of the earth, from the dust of Africa to the moss of Greenland, from rocks of granite to the rich soil of the Nile, present an offering to labour. Flowers yield their essence, and leaves, seeds, and roots supply food and medicine. Trees of the forest are wrought into ships and houses, and into caskets and toys. The cedars of Lebanon and the hyssop, which grows upon the wall, submit to the commands of labour. The bones and flesh, the skin, hair, and feathers of animals, administer to our comfort. Skilled labour kindles fierce fires, and controls them for special purposes, bringing the most deadly antagonistic materials into contact, and

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holding them as the muzzled bear is held. Invisible and ferocious gases are caught, tamed, and made subservient to our use. The thunder cloud is not beyond its reach, but the lightning flash is conducted by its wires safely to the ground.

The policy of government holds a distinguished place among the instruments of the present life. And in heaven there are thrones and principalities and powers; Cherubim and Seraphim fill their proper places; the spirits of just men made perfect are orderly in their worship; and all are obedient to the King of Glory. Government is a necessity of our social being, the nearer we approach to heaven in the holiness of our character as a race, the more perfect and satisfactory will be our political relations. But in its present state it protects our property and our lives; without it, confusion and every evil work would prevail. It is to be regretted that while some form of government obtains among all nations, yet a large proportion of our race lies under the withering influences of tyranny. Sunny skies and fertile plains cannot rouse men to industry, where the mental and moral powers are paralysed by the tyrant. Among such a people metals lie undisturbed in their ores, trade does not flourish, and commerce is a tiny thing. National liberty demands that every man be free, unless he has forfeited his liberty by a crime against the state; that mind be free to follow whatever course of thought may be determined on; that the press be free to publish whatever man has the temerity to write; that invention be free to improve what has already been made a blessing to multitudes;

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and that conscience be free to worship God according to its own dictates.

Much is said about the rapid strides with which the Anglo-saxon race is marching to the moral conquest of the world, introducing our laws, language, and literature into the most influential parts of the earth. If we mistake not, the government under which the Anglo-saxon race lives, contributes largely to its diffusion and influence. The policy of Great Britain has already won glorious triumphs in distant lands; melting the chain of the slave, and quenching the fires of the suttee. Industry has been planted on shores where it had never been known, and barbarous tribes have been raised to the privileges of British subjects. The career of Great Britain is a proof that a limited monarchy is compatible with great power; and that while the throne is obedient to law, it may successfully govern the ends of the earth. Without giving the time which ought to be employed on other subjects to the study of politics, some attention to the principles of government should be given by any one who wishes to fill his place in society with most advantage to himself and to his fellow men.

Commerce must not be forgotten. Without it a large portion of the works of God, and of His goodness in supplying a rich variety to meet our wants, would be unknown; as the productions of each climate would be shut up to the use of its own inhabitants. The intermixture of distant nations would be prevented; consequently, there would be but few opportunities to spread useful arts and knowledge, and but few facilities would be found to send the Gospel to heathen nations. Com-

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merce has aroused the mind to invent machinery, by whose means the luxuries which the higher classes could scarcely procure a few ages ago, are now brought within the reach of every industrious household. It feeds the hungry, and clothes the naked, by supplying them with employment, and so offers comfort and competency to the indigent and unfortunate. The ships of commerce float on every sea, her caravans traverse sandy deserts, her divers fetch pearls from the bed of the ocean, trains of carriages laden with the fruits of her industry are propelled by steam engines, she ransacks the globe, and places the good things of every land at our feet.

Science affords its assistance. Its use is acknowledged in the survey of a new country, and in the improvements of an old one. It contributes many things to our enjoyment. To it the arts are indebted for the combination of materials, the fixing of colours, and the construction of machinery. The navigation of our ships and the preservation of our health owe much to science. The earth assumes a new aspect before a well-instructed mind; every portion of it being a subject for enquiry, and the heavens, mapped out by the Divine hand, present an orderly array of indescribable splendour.

The most important instrument used in the management of our world is religion. Its influences were the earliest felt; even Cain was induced to present an offering to the Lord. The patriarchs bowed to the demands of religion. Moses became a lawgiver to the world because of his near approach to God; and, through

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its influence, Elijah swayed the kingdom of Israel at the foot of Carmel. The genius of religion strung the harp of David. The fire of prophecy was kindled with a coal from the altar of God. Led into the presence of God manifested in the flesh, we see a few persons selected to commence a work which is to change the character of the world. How they laboured, and with what success, the churches of Antioch and Philippi, Colosse and Thessalonica, Corinth, Ephesus and Rome, have declared. The voices from the catacombs, the martyrs of many ages, the organizations of Christianity, and the state and prospects of many countries, tell how true religion has been opposed, and how it has moulded the most distorted features of humanity into the likeness of Christ, and prepared the means whereby virtue, honour, and glory may spread their influences among all the nations of the earth.

The agent to whom the business of this world is intrusted is man, God being the great proprietor. This office was kept in view in the constitution of our being. The Creator said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and in the history of this event it is recorded that God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him. His faculties are according to his high vocation. The charter of his office runs thus: "Have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over everything that moveth upon the earth." Accordingly, we capture the leviathan in his native deeps, and entrap the lion and the elephant in the wilderness. A moulding influence is felt in all grades of society; the man of resolute

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will and sturdy perseverance contributes much to the formation of the character of those around him. We should all remember that no man liveth to himself.

A heavy responsibility rests upon us in reference to future generations. To our fathers of the last three centuries we owe a debt of gratitude. They protested against the errors of their times, and suffered for it; their goods were confiscated, their persons were imprisoned, their lives were sacrificed, but their principles live. We, as colonists, are laying the foundation of a structure which will cast its shadow over many generations; while we are building cities, and turning the wilderness into fruitful fields and smiling homesteads, we must hold fast sound principles, and maintain an honourable conduct, that posterity may glorify God in us. We are responsible also to God, to whom we must give an account of every word and act, of every thought and feeling. We cultivate His earth, and are commissioned to carry out His purposes. At every step of our way we feel that life is a reality, sternly demanding its rights, and, through the mercy of God, supplying us with opportunities to meet them, to the approval of the Judge of all the earth.

We will now ask you to consider the proper objects of life.

Though our time is short, we should endeavour to stamp such an impression on it as will bear examination at the day of judgment. To go through life without a well defined object is to live like the beasts which perish; to follow an improper object may lead us into sin and sorrow in this world, and into everlasting

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punishment in the world which is to come. "It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps;" he should inquire of the Lord for the good and the right way. While we follow the leadings of Divine Providence, our natural inclinations should not be lost sight of, when we are trying to ascertain the line of future action. For when we are strongly interested in an object, labour is delight, and difficulties are less felt. The particular capabilities of the mind should be studied, and as far as possible should be improved. History is full of illustrations of the fact, that neither obscurity, poverty, nor toil, can always prevent a man from gaining a noble object. Many have risen from the lowest places to the pinnacle of fame. Some, intent on discovering the causes of things, have studied the rocks by day and the stars by night. Others, attracted by mechanical powers, have become public benefactors, lessening our labour and increasing our comforts. Of these there is a long roll of names, speaking earnestly to the men of this generation, to work while it is called day.

None must suppose that it is too late to be virtuous and good, to be useful and eminent. Instead of all the places of honour and usefulness being filled up, there were never so many objects of attraction to the aspiring youth as there are now. Our field of vision is constantly enlarging; astronomy has recently added new stars to the lists of the heavenly bodies, the earth is speaking more intelligently than she has done before concerning her ancient history; cities, entombed for thousands of years, invite our attention to their statements, confirming the history of the Book of God. The

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pathway of the ocean is well-defined and fearlessly traversed; lands, till lately inhabited only by uncivilised men, are studded with villages and cities; minerals, and animal and vegetable substances were never made into so many useful and elegant articles as they are at the present day; in a word, nature seems to open her page of wonders, and lay her materials at the feet of man, while nations are trying to excel each other in the researches of their mind, and in the labour of their hands. Enterprise is the motto of the present age; and a prudent attention to its call will be followed by showers of blessings.

The spirit of the age is seen in its estimate of religion. Good men are not often shut up in prison, nor are their books hidden from the light of day for fear of the oppressor. The Bible is acknowledged to be "the pillar of society, the safeguard of nations, the parent of social order, which alone has power to curb the fury of the passions, and secure to every one his rights; to the laborious the reward of their industry, to the rich the enjoyment of their wealth, to nobles the preservation of their honours, and to princes the stability of their thrones." The truths of the Christian religion cannot always be confined; like the sunlight and the air they may be excluded for a time, but let the obstruction be removed, they will fill the world with their glory. God has been removing these obstructions within the last few years by terrible things in righteousness.

Ancient dynasties have been shaken, prejudice has given way, and the gates of the world have been thrown

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open to admit the Bible and the missionary. The languages of hundreds of millions, which a century ago did not contain the name of Jesus, now relate the history of redemption; and multitudes bred up in heathenism have experienced the forgiveness of sins and the hope of the world to come.

In this stirring age decision of character and purpose is urged upon us on every side, nothing good or great can be effected without it. Faculties of the noblest order, the most helpful circumstances, and influences however stimulating, will be followed by no satisfactory results without decision. An object should be placed before us, towards which all our energies should be steadily turned; the object should be such, that to reach it will secure to us a blessing in the life that now is, and a reward in that which is to come.

The question for us to consider is, not merely, What have I done? but, What have I yet to do? In view of the work which lies before us, let us press every event into service, improve fractions of time, especially morning hours which will yield precious fruit, let useless reading be exchanged for earnest study, and evil habits be broken up at once; and, especially, let us follow after holiness, without which no man can see the Lord.

You may reckon upon hindrances, for certainly they will come; some of them you may prepare to meet, others will come unexpected and unforeseen. Many who have risen to eminence have forced their way through a host of opposers, the very opposition has been a means of arousing them to greater effort, than

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they would have put forth without it. The decided man will deal with difficulties as the mariner does with contrary winds; he will hold on his course if possible, and be ready to improve the first opportunity of a fresh breeze.

In order to propel the mind in pursuit of a noble object, some great principles must be fixed in the heart. Among these benevolence holds a high place, to which the beautiful language of Job may be applied, "When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me: because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy." In every age benevolence has opened fountains of joy in hearts long accustomed to sorrow. It searches the abodes of wretchedness that it may relieve the inmates of their misery, the felons' cell is a witness of its power to bless, and the sick bed and the dying pillow are softened by its presence.

Another principle which is necessary to make the best of life is industry. Labour subdues all things. The habit of industry is so valuable that no pains are too great to secure it. It will prevent ennui, and a nervous haste. Many are the evils which flow from idleness, and the benefits which flow from industry.

The strongest principle, of the heart, and that which secures the noblest results, is religion. In its defence, martyrs have been tortured and slain: to spread it, hazardous enterprises have been entered upon; under its ennobling influences, many have found new abilities,

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and performed deeds which have astonished the world.

Life is a reality; grasp it, for it is fleeting; stamp something on it worthy of the age in which you live. Let personal religion be the groundwork of your character. Let your motto be, "Looking unto Jesus;" and like your Master go about doing good. Live near the throne of grace. Watch with a jealous care against every thing which might grieve the Holy Spirit. And the God of peace be with you.