William Henry Lyttelton

“ It is the few whose whole heart really wishes above all things to learn His will from His written Word, the laws of His Church, and the voice of an enlightened conscience, and then to live by it. And it will, I fear, always be the few in the world, not the many, who have any deep dissatisfaction with their present state,—any restless wish to become better, and to draw nearer to God, than now they are,—any real "hunger and thirst after" a higher righteousness than they have yet reached. ”

“ But to other men, public worship, and all worship, is a delight and a refreshment in the midst of the toils and the sorrows of this world. Yes, there are some to whom this world, as it is, is a place of banishment from that which they love best. ”

“ Every one who has lived an earnest, Christian life, knows how he has grown in the knowledge of God and goodness. Is it not true that, when you become acquainted with holy and good men, they teach you to see things in a higher and purer light, to feel many things to be wrong, of which once you thought little? ”

“ Every day of our pilgrimage it is a joy to think of our great home above, that changes not. And so we shall be able to understand David's enthusiastic song,—"O, how amiable are Thy dwellings, Thou Lord of Hosts! my soul hath a desire and longing to enter into the courts of the Lord." For all these are shadows of the true joys of eternity, the actual presence of God, the satisfying of all desires, the joy of a victory won once for all.
All these thoughts show the pleasure of public worship ”

“ I am as helpless against the spiritual enemies of my soul, as these sheep are against the lions and the bears; I am as blind to the way to those true pastures in which to feed my soul, as these dumb animals are to find their way about the lonely wilderness ”

“ Religion, as I have said, is to such persons a matter altogether of principle, not of pleasure or impulse. Now, of course, to them, not only my text and the Psalm from which it is taken, but also all other warm expressions of piety, must seem utterly strange. It is not only public worship, but all worship, which is to such persons a weariness;—a duty to be got through, but not a well-spring of refreshment ”

“ Learn some of that noble dissatisfaction with this world, because of its sin, and misery, and defilement, and with your own spiritual state, which makes a man long for a better and purer world. Learn the pleasure of worshipping God with His people, and then you will see how the very regularity and monotony, as some might think it, of Daily Service, has a blessed meaning. The bread of life is the same always. ”

“ Will any one of us say that he is wiser in the ways of godliness than inspired Apostles, and those first disciples of the Lord, who had learned the ways of God by inspiration from Himself? As I have before said, it is a peculiarly English prejudice, not existing to anything like the same extent in other countries, which leads any one to suppose that Christians ought to gather together for public worship only on Sundays. ”

“ Look away from man who perishes, to God who perishes not, and unto Whom, and by Whom, all live. Sing songs that do not relate to this world, but to one greater, nobler, higher. Praise the bulwarks, not of any city or nation, or community, which is of merely human origin, but of that "city which hath foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God." ”

“ And I earnestly hope and believe that there will be found to be many truehearted Christians, and many loyal members of our Church—such as feel a great deference for the singular wisdom of our Reformers in interpreting the Word of God—who, if they can once be led to consider the subject of Daily Service in the light of Holy Scripture, and in so doing, perceive the strength of the argument for this godly practice, would be willing to give up their prejudices against it, and learn the value of it, as, by God's mercy, I have, myself, long since done. ”

“ There are men, we know, who are satisfied with this world, and its business and pleasures; and desire nothing more. Such persons may, it is true, attend public worship, and go through religious practices, but it is as a matter of principle, done by rule, because they think it is their duty; it is not in them the fruit of any inward longing after closer communion with God, or any pleasure or refreshment which they feel in the thought of a better and a holier world than this. ”

“ When the light of God breaks in, even the holiest and wisest of un-inspired men sees that, in many things, God's law is more strict and holy than he had imagined by nature.
It is very important that we should all learn to distrust our own natural judgment of right and wrong, and that of the world, and to come before God to be judged. ”

“ Now of course we cannot expect that ungodly persons, or those who are in the habit of judging for themselves as to what is right and good, merely by the light of their own reason, and what is called "common sense," or the ordinary judgment of the world, will attend much to any arguments drawn from the Word of God, so as to change their opinions or practice in such matters. There are, I fear, very many professing Christians who seldom come before God deliberately saying, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" ”

“ Certainly the Apostles thought so, for they were "daily in the Temple;" and even amid the fires of terrible persecution, and in the face of danger of death itself, they yet would not "forsake the assembling of themselves together as the manner of some was."
We must trust, then, that the Spirit of God will move many to feel the duty and the blessing of more frequent attendance upon the daily services of our Church. It may not be many who could or even who would find it profitable to them to attend always; but very many could, if they wished it, attend often. ”

“ But men may not all see why good and holy men feel such pleasure in public worship, or find it even such a necessity for their souls. If they are men of reverent and teachable minds, willing to sit at the feet of the Apostles, they will allow at once that daily public worship must be good, since the Apostles practised it, and, above all, since our Lord Jesus Christ Himself did so; but they may think it difficult to feel the blessing of such frequent attendance at the "House of Prayer." ”

“ This earth is but as "a land of banishment" after all. We are not yet in our true home, where we can be safe. We are wanderers in a strange land. We do not yet "see the King in His beauty, and the land that is very far off." ”

“ If we tell them that the inspired Apostles and early Christians attended the public service of God continually, it will have little or no effect upon them; they do not alter their own habits in consequence. They think private prayer sufficient. I hope there will be an increasing number amongst us of a different mind; many, who, if they are once really convinced that the Bible commands, or promises a special blessing to the use of public worship, will at once determine that they will make a principle of attending it when they can. ”

“ Does not your soul feel sometimes in this steadfastness of our ancient services—the same from generation to generation, whatever may be the changes of the world about us—an echo and representation of the great truth that "The Lord is King, be the people never so impatient. ”

“ The difficulties and excuses alleged at other times are overcome, because men are in earnest. In this, as in other matters, it holds good, that those who are in earnest find means; those who are not so, find excuses. If men really value Church services, they contrive to attend. And if they do so with all their heart, because they love God, and seek His blessing, they will find the blessing of it. ”

“ Doubtless, even in your usual employments you can be glorifying your Saviour: you can be thinking of Him; you can be thinking of those who are met together in worship; you can be following in your heart, as far as may be, the prayers they offer. Doubtless; only try to realise to yourself that continual prayer and praise, of which the Bible speaks, is a privilege; only feel, in good earnest, what somehow the mass of Christians, after all, do not receive; that 'It is good for us to be here;' [38] feel as those early Christians felt, when persecution prevented them from meeting ”

“ And our Lord Himself, speaking to the Pharisees, says: "Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; hut God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men, is abomination in the sight of God." [4] Practices and tempers, which the world may altogether justify and call harmless, may be so far from harmless, that they may even be actual abomination in the sight of God. The judgment of the world on right and wrong is always changing, and is very untrustworthy. ”

“ Archbishop Whately has said that readers of the Bible "may be divided into two classes—those who wish to be on the side of the Bible, and those who wish to have the Bible on their side." Many men come to the study of the Bible with opinions already immovably made up; they have not the habit of giving way to Scripture, or yielding to the wisdom contained in it because it is Divine. ”

“ It is not that there are not many pleasures, in every way lawful, in it—much intercourse with friends, many occupations which furnish great and deep satisfaction—for such there are. But nevertheless they have a feeling that, with all this, this world is not the true or satisfying home of their spirits. ”

“ In the work of self-examination it is not only necessary for us to compare our lives with what we at present think is right, and in accordance with the Will of God, but also to consider whether our views of duty are true and Scriptural. A man may think himself right, when he is wrong ”

“ But if they learn to feel the pleasure and the joy of frequent common worship, and even, as the early Christians seem to have done, the coldness of any day of their pilgrimage here on earth in which they do not come into the blessed presence of God with their brethren, they will attend when they can. ”

“ And certainly this I say, that there are many women, many servants, many persons of various kinds, who, if they had more faith in God's Word—more of that love of God which makes a man delight in all that helps him to hold communion with God and with His people, having and departed— (for surely, as God is true, we have fellowship with Saints in Paradise, in the public assemblies of His Church Militant) —I say there are many persons, who, if they had more of living faith and love, would attend church frequently on week-days ”

“ Even the noblest pursuits, the study of good books, the contemplation of God's mighty works of nature—all high and great things, yet are not free from the feeling of transitoriness. We know that they must all, at least in their present forms, pass away. ”

“ But I trust there are many of us, who do come into the House of God as learners, wishing to be led to change their opinions and ways of thinking, the moment they see that the Word of God teaches something different from what they have hitherto thought. ”

“ When there is any special reason that makes men wish to come to Church—as, for instance, a marriage to be witnessed, or some other unusual sight to be seen—we may sometimes see the Church overflowing, even on a weekday. ”

“ We are, in very deed, as the saints said of old, strangers and pilgrims on the earth," [30] who "have here no continuing city. [31] And besides this, all around is sin and wickedness. We can see the meaning of the passionate words of ancient Saints speaking of the wickedness of the world; as, for instance, where one says, "All the earth is full of darkness and cruel habitations." [32] We may often see wickedness rampant; violent men oppressing the righteous; the world, which God made beautiful, all overgrown with weeds; many sorrows on all sides of us ”

“ I do not say that God cannot make it up to you; doubtless, He will bless every one who continues in the path of duty. He blessed Peter in prison, and Paul on the sea, as well as the mother of Mark, and the daughters of Philip. ”

“ And this rich collection of religious treasures is what many Christians call 'only the Prayers.'
"But, 2 (and this is the most important) , these words are unchristian. Why do we object to go to Church when there is a plain service, 'only the Prayers?' Because we want to hear a sermon from a man, a divinely-commissioned man indeed, but still a man; or because we like to hear beautiful music. Now these things are very good and proper accompaniments of our Service, but not the chief purpose for which we ought to go to church. ”

“ There are, of course, very many men, especially Englishmen, whom one could never hope to move from their old habits, or old opinions, on any such matter. There is an obstinacy in the English character which makes it exceedingly difficult to introduce any new custom, or new ways of thinking and feeling, among them. ”

“ Under these circumstances, how ready would men of our time have been to dispense with public assemblies altogether! They would have said, "What is the importance of our meeting together? Will it not do as well if we Bay our prayers in private? Why expose ourselves to danger, merely for the sake of public worship, when private prayers will answer every purpose?" So, perhaps, some might think. But against all such notions the Spirit of God warns them. "Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is ”

“ I know that many do not feel anything of this kind. There are many who will never submit themselves as learners to others; who have too much of the spirit of those who said, "We are they that ought to speak ”