Part 10 (1/2)

I was delighted to read in the paper yesterday of your election to a fellows.h.i.+p. . . . The life will be a harder one than that of an ordinary parish clergyman; it will be easier to lose sight of ideals.

But the importance of the work is in proportion to its difficulty.

Blessed is the man who finds his work, and does it; and you will be blessed. . . .

You should read St. Patrick's 'Confession,' a genuine work of my distinguished countryman. It is full of humility and zeal. I give you a quotation: 'After I had come to Ireland I used daily to feed cattle, and I often prayed during the day. More and more did the love of G.o.d and the fear of Him increase, and faith became stronger and the spirit was moved; so that in one day I said as many as a hundred prayers, and in the night nearly the same. . . . And there was no sluggishness in me, as I now see there is, for at that time the spirit was fervent within me.' Pathetic--that last part. He might have been living at Cambridge! But I hope better things for you.

{127}

_To C. T. W._

Thirlmere: September 1900.

My thoughts are with you now--and my prayers. 'He had seven stars--in His right hand,' was the thought which comforted me at my own ordination, when I felt, as seldom before, my own hollowness and incapacity. We can shed light--we are safe--because we are 'in His right hand.' 'The eternal G.o.d is our refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.' We can never go beyond His love and care. In moments of perplexity and uncertainty, although we cannot feel His presence, He is there. 'In His right hand.' 'They that turn many to righteousness shall s.h.i.+ne as the stars for ever and ever.'

May G.o.d give you the power to love and the power to pray! Much prayer and much love are needed for a successful ministry. Good-bye, and G.o.d bless you and make you a true and faithful pastor! Remember St. Paul's words: _he dunamis en astheneia teleitai. edista oun mallon kauchesomai en tais astheneiais, hina episkenose ep eme he dunamis tou Christou; hotan gar artheno, tote dunatos eimi_.

[Transcriber's note: The Greek phrases above were transliterated as follows: _he_--(rough breathing mark) eta; _dunamis_--delta, upsilon, nu, alpha, mu, iota, final sigma; _en_--epsilon, nu; _astheneia_--alpha, sigma, theta, epsilon, nu, epsilon, iota, alpha; _teleitai_--tau, epsilon, lambda, epsilon, iota, tau, alpha, iota; _edista_--eta, delta, iota, sigma, tau, alpha; _oun_--omicron, upsilon, nu; _mallon_--mu, alpha, lambda, lambda, omicron, nu; _kauchesomai_--kappa, alpha, upsilon, chi, eta, sigma, omicron, mu, alpha, iota; _en_--epsilon, nu; _tais_--tau, alpha, iota, final sigma; _astheneiais_--alpha, sigma, theta, epsilon, nu, epsilon, iota, alpha, iota, final sigma; _hina_--(rough breathing mark) iota, nu, alpha; _episkenose_--epsilon, pi, iota, sigma, kappa, eta, nu, omega, sigma, eta; _ep_--epsilon, pi; _eme_--epsilon, mu, epsilon; _he_--(rough breathing mark) eta; _dunamis_--delta, upsilon, nu, alpha, mu, iota, final sigma; _tou_--tau, omicron, upsilon; _Christou_--Chi, rho, iota, sigma, tau, omicron, upsilon; _hotan_--(rough breathing mark) omicron, tau, alpha, nu; _gar_--gamma, alpha, rho; _artheno_--alpha, rho, theta, epsilon, nu, omega; _tote_--tau, omicron, tau, epsilon; _dunatos_--delta, upsilon, nu, alpha, tau, omicron, final sigma; _eimi_--epsilon, iota, mu, iota]

_To W. D. H._

Dale Head Post Office, Thirlmere, September 20, 1900.

My thoughts and my prayers are with you at this time. I remember how at my own ordination, when I felt as never before my own utter weakness and incapacity, the thoughts in the first chapter of the Revelation, of Christian ministers as 'stars in His {128} right hand' comforted and supported me. In His right hand--with His power we can do all things.

As the lesson for to-day says, _he dunamis en astheneia teleitai_, strength is perfected in weakness. _hotan astheno tote dunatos eimi_.

[Transcriber's note: The Greek phrases above were transliterated as follows: _he_--(rough breathing mark) eta; _dunamis_--delta, upsilon, nu, alpha, mu, iota, final sigma; _en_--epsilon, nu; _astheneia_--alpha, sigma, theta, epsilon, nu, epsilon, iota, alpha; _teleitai_--tau, epsilon, lambda, epsilon, iota, tau, alpha, iota; _hotan_--(rough breathing mark) omicron, tau, alpha, nu; _astheno_--alpha, sigma, theta, epsilon, nu, omega; _tote_--tau, omicron, tau, epsilon; _dunatos_--delta, upsilon, nu, alpha, tau, omicron, final sigma; _eimi_--epsilon, iota, mu, iota]

You will feel more, as years go on, the greatness of the task which you are undertaking--the overwhelming responsibility--the dread lest through any carelessness on your part one of the least of the sheep may be lost. But you will also feel more and more that you are 'in His right hand.' And if the eternal G.o.d is your refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms, you need not fear what the devil or man can do unto you. I pray that G.o.d may be with you and give you the spirit of prayer and the spirit of love. Your ministry will only be effective if you pray much and love much. And if you make mistakes, yet if you love much your sins will be forgiven.

_To his brother, a doctor in South Africa._

September 1900.

When I feel what the grace of G.o.d has done for my life, what it is doing, what it will do, I can despair of no one else. I am filled with wonder and amazement and thanksgivings and hopes. I am sometimes so thankful that I still live, that in a world of light and dark shadows I can show my faith in G.o.d, before the other world dawns with its full day and unclouded brightness--and most of all that I can here and now pray for those whom He has taught me to love. I cannot conceive this world without prayer. It is {129} worth while making any efforts, however desperate, to learn to pray. When the Day dawns, how wonderful it will be to look back and trace the path through which He has led us in the Twilight!

_To F. J. C._

Christ's College, Cambridge: 1900.

The more He tries you by His silence, the greater to my mind is the proof that He believes in you. He knows you will come through. He has great work for you to do, and therefore you need a strong perfected faith, and He is trying to give you it.

I am so sorry at what you tell me about prayer. But do go on. When things are at their darkest light comes. After all G.o.d knows how much you can bear, and He will not, if you will only persevere, allow you to be utterly confounded. Don't be in the least discouraged at your inability to concentrate your attention. Even a man who had lived in the presence of G.o.d for years has told us that

The world that looks so dull all day Glows bright on me at prayer, And plans that ask no thought but these, Wake up and meet me there.

My very flesh has restless fits; My changeful limbs conspire With all these phantoms of the mind My inner self to tire.