Les adieux d'Adolphe Monod : The parting words of Adolphe Monod ...

Front matter

m rLIBRARYOF CONGRESS.5

UNITED STATES OP AMERICA.

THE PARTING WORDS

Preface

fully for his départ ure, if such were the will of God, without, however, either losing the hope of recovery or ceasirig to désire it ; trusting indeed that the Lord might accomplish for him what human art could not venture to hope for. He felt then the need of drawing still closer to God, and when one of his friends — a colleague in the ministry — spoke to him of the Holy Comninnion "as a most powerful and too~much-neglected means of grâce, counselling him to avail himself of it frequently," he gladly accepted his advice, and determined to commune every Snnday, inviting in tnrn ail the friends who might désire to receive with him to do so.

He hoped, indeed to, do still more. Having felt himself able, twice in the space of a few days, to address his family at considérable length, he was so much enconraged, that he conceived the idea of availing himself of the occasion of the weekly communion, to speak a few words to the friends who might be présent. This was the origin of the regnlar Sunday services in his sick-room. The first took place on October 14, 1855, and they were continued without interruption until March 30, 1856.

An opportunity of preaching the Gospel being once again granted him, in embracing it, Monod signally displayed the spirit of Christian liberality and breadth

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of view with which lie was so deeply imbued, and which gave liim prominence not only in his own Church, but in tlie ivhole Chureb of tbe faitbful at large. He looked upon ail as brotbers who sbared bis faith, to whatever particular Christian dénomination tbey migbt belong, and bence tbe pastors of tbe Reformed Church, and the Lutheran, tbe Independent, and Wesleyan, eacb in turn presided at tbe feast of brotherly love, at the bedside of their suffering and dying brotber. He added thus to tbe bappiness of working for the Gospel the joy (to use bis own words) of laboring for " tbat church of the future to which we ail look forward," and with which he wished now to unité bimself in anticipation. 1

The service was celebrated in the bedroom of the sufferer. The bread and the cup were placed upon a table near his bed, and at tbe table stood the officiating pastor. Monod's family with a small number of friends (in ail from thirty to forty persons) occupied seats around him, of which there were always too few, however sparingly the invitations were necessarily is-

1 It may perhaps interest the reader to know the names of the several pastors who in turn performed the service. They were, Messrs. Frederick Monod, William Monod, Meyer, Grandpierre, Gauthey, Vaurigand (of Nantes) Vallette, Armand-Delille, Vermeil, Fisch, John Monod, Edmond de Pressensé, Petit, Paumier, Zipperlen, Hocart, Louis Yernes, Boissonnas, and Vulliet.

PKEFACE.

sued. He made it a point to vary the little congrégation from week to week, and tiras to receive ail in turn, who had requested the privilège of being présent. 1 The services consisted of an invocation, followed by singing a psalm or hymn, a prayer, and the reading of a chapter from the Bible, and then the administration of the Sacrament, after which Monod began his discourse.

Those who had heard him on previous occasions, before"his illness, could form some idea of the peaceful serenity which pervaded his manner and tone ; of his earnest Christian love toward those whom he was addressing ; of his occasional energy and winning, persuasive éloquence : but only those who heard him in thèse his last days, can really feel and appreciate ail that he was.

The service, as we h ave already seen, was the resuit of circumstances, and had been neither premeditated nor prepared in advance. The same may be said. of the words of the pastor. Oftentimes he was not a preacher exhorting his flock, but rather a suffering

1 In the month of March, owing to his failing strength, Monod was able to receive his friends in his bedroom for an hour only, and at the last four services they were obliged to stand round his bed to hear his discourse, retiring afterward into an adjoining room, where the Holy Communion was administered, which was brought to the sufferer by the ofïïciating clergyman.

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brother — a brother on the brink of the grave — giving counsels, and warnings gathered from his own expérience. He spoke with much simplieity, and in the easy, familiar style which will be noticed in the following pages. On the other hand, the sonorous voice of his earlier days often retnrned to him with the earnest, vivid, spontaneous train of thought and manner, and the rapid, convincing accent which distinguished him in former times. Deprived of the ministry to which he had formerly devoted himself, and which indeed was his life, this new ministry became very dear to him, humble and small in comparison though it necessarily was, from the condition of his health and the circnmstances cormected with it. He spoke as his strength would permit, and was always too feeble to exert himself for any length of time. Longpreparatory labor was of course out of his power ; so he conteuted himself at first with a few moments' méditation on the subject upon which he was about to speak. His ideas were either drawn from his own expérience, or suggested by renection in the course of the week ; sometimes he consulted with those about him upon the choice of a subject, and often his own sufferings furnished it, and he delighted then to show forth how a Christian should employ his suffering for the glory of God.

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Soine time later, finding tliat his ]ife was prolongée! beyond his anticipations, and that God was calling him to suffer and to teach from his bed of suffering for a longer time than be bad at first contemplated, be desired to eollect and unité such of bis lectures as would admit of it into groups; bence arose two séries. Tbe first consists mainly of counsels drawn from bis own expérience, under tbe title " Regrets of a Dying Man." In tbe second, he exbibits tbe results 1 (as he calls tbem) to wbicb bis expérience and faitb had led bim. He prepared bimself now witb more care, spending part of Saturday and sometimes of Saturday nigbt in dictating notes at considérable lengtb, wbicb indeed sometimes amounted to tbe lecture itself, and then bad tbese notes read over to bim sbortly before he began to speak. He soon found, however, that this metbod cramped his freedom, for he felt bound to follow exactly tbe plan which be had traced in advance, and this often led him too far, causing him fatigue, for be went beyond tbe limits assigned bim by his strength in order to complète tbe development of bis tbougbts as sketched in the notes. So, after baving prepared four lectures in this manner (those

1 Thèse tîtles are thus given by Monod bimself. The first séries comprises Nos. XHI.-XYIII. ; the second Nos. XIX.-XXIII. To the latter he adds also No. X.

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delivered in the month of February), be abandoned it and retnrned to bis original plan.

It is certainly surprising that, suffering as be was day and nigbt from pain, always acnte and sometimes extrême, Monod sbould bave been able to bear tbe fatigue of a service of an hour's duration every Snnday, in addition to tbe labor of composing and delivering a discourse sometimes several pages in lengtb. We bave seen bow be prepared bimself in tbe few moments of freedom from pain tbat were granted bim, and even during bis suffering and in spite of it. Tbe fatigue occasioned by tbeir delivery was doubtless very great. His organs of speecb had, bowever, preserved an extraordinary vigor, and it was astonisbing to bear so firm and strong a voice from a frame so broken and wasted witb disease. Tbe effort be was forced to make to collect and fix bis tbougbts and clotbe tbem in words — offcen at tbe moment enduring acutest pain — could not fail to react upon bim with increased suffering.

But God voucbsafed bim on eacb Sunday, as indeed on eacb day of tbe week, the necessary measure of relief, or of patience and energy. Sometimes bis pains left bim, or at ail events were alleviated for a sbort time, and sometimes he so far controlled and mastered bis suffering as to be able to speak in spite of it.

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The hours which iinmediately followed tbe service were frequently raost painful, especially at first. He knew it, but resigned himself cheerfully.

" I am suffering very much," lie said one Sunday evening, " but so it nrnst be from Sunday to Monday morning ; it is a sacrifice that I gladly ôffer to God."

On another occasion, in one of bis prayers, be says : " And if eacb week tbe privilège of preacbing Thy word be mine, at tbe cost of redoubled suffering to myself, Tby will and not mine be doue ! "

On Nbvember 25tb (we like to quote Monod's own words, tbat tbe reader may tbe better understand bis feelings in relation to bis new ministry) be says :

" I suffered very mucb tbis morning ; tbere was even reason to fear tbat I migbt not be able to speak ; but God relieved me from pain for an bour, expressly to permit me to glorify Him, and bas given me grâce to fulfil once more tbe duties of tbe humble ministry wbicb is so great a consolation to me."

On Marcb 2d, a month before bis deatb, be says : "We have reacbed another Sunday, and God bas permitted me to say a few words to my little flock, in spite of tbe increasing weakness to wbich my failing voice bears witness. May He deign to support me even unto tbe end, and if it be possible (for far be it from me to prescribe to Him), may He grant me tbe

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gracious favor that I may not cease to proclaim His name until I cease to live ! "

God did support him unto the end, and granted him the last favor for which he prayed. Dating from October 14th, the service was celebrated every Sunday during nearly six months. On Easter-day, March 23d, he was able to deliver his last lecture, upon the Eesurrection of Jésus Christ, but it was only after long uncertainty as to whether he were strong enough, and with so much difficult effort, that he appeared to faint as he uttered the last words.

On March 30th, although his weakness had been for several days so rapidly increasing that he was almost unable to take nourishment, and could only speak with extrême difficulty, " hardly knowing if he could make him self heard, he summoned up ail his little remaining strength to glorify the eternal and infinité love of God," and by an act of thanksgiving and prayer terminated his ministry upon earth.

From March 30th to April 6th, he sunk still more rapidly, and had no longer strength to speak even to members of his family ; so that it became necessary to countermand the meeting appointed for the latter date. God, however, called His servant to Himself on that same day before the hour of assembling had arrived. Thus was his prayer, so often repeated, granted him :

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" May my life terminate only with my ministry, and my ministry only with my life ! "

It only remains for us to offer some explanation upon the subject of the discourses contained in this volume. It will be asked how they bave been preserved and reproduced ; for we bave seen tbat not one of tbem was ever written out by tbeir autbor.

From the very beginning, M. Monod's cbildren unclertook to take bis words down from bis lips, and wrote tbem out afterward from memory, witb the belp of tbeir copious notes. Tbese often comprised every word of tbe lecture, wbicb was tben reproduced witb great fidelity, and more and more so as tbe cbildren became more accustomed to tbeir task. Tbis was, at first, even without Monod's knowledge, and always witbout any aid on bis part. Tbe only lecture revised by bimself is tbe twentietb, " Tbe Holy Scriptures." He bad it read to bim twice, and corrected it witb considérable care, making important altérations. "We may add tbat be was surprised to find bis words so accurately taken down.

Tbe task of compilation was tberefore little more tban mere writing, it being only necessary to copy tbe notes taken by tbe différent persons, comparing and completing tbem, eacb from tbe otber, aided by tbeir memory.

PEEFACE.

The last lectures were reproduced in tkis way, and almost exactly as they were spoken. The earlier ones also are given with great h'delity. The first is the only one which was written out from memory alone. Those, however, who heard it delivered will fînd nothing in our version that they will not remember, and will, besides, recognize the manner of the author ; and throughout the entire volume, if we have perhaps not given ail Monod's words, we have, at least, given only his words and none other ; even if we have noticed any slight carelessness of language, or have thought that here and there some words or phrases might be wanting to complète or nnite a train of ideas, or better elucidate them, we have preferred to leave any such slight defect uncorrected, rather than attribute any thing to the author which is not his own.

A few passages have seemed to require some very trifling change to make their meaning more clear, but, nevertheless, very little altération or correction of any sort has been made, and the text, though never penned by its author's hand, is very nearly an exact répétition of his spoken words.

Only two or three of the titles of the discourses were design ated by Monod himself. The Script are texts at the beginning of many of them were, for the most part (especially in the case of the later discourses),

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selected by biro, and read aloud at bis request before be began to speak.

¥e bave given, also, at tbe conclusion of several lectures, prayers, or parts of prayers, wbicb be uttered at tbe time.

Tbe portrait at tbe beginning of tbe volume is by a clever artist, frorn a daguerréotype taken in January, 1856. Ail wbo saw and beard M. Monod at tbese Sunday services will appreciate its excellence, and see bim tbere precisely as tbey saw bim delivering bis lectures.

"We trust tbat tbis volume may contribute to tbe glory of God, and to tbe bastening of His kingdom. In tbe beautiful words of St. Paul to tbe Hebrews^ " By it be being dead yet speaketb."

Wbile contemplating a man wbo bas furnisbed us witb so strong a testimony to tbe power of Faitb, may tbe reader lift bis eyes to ïïim frorn wbom ail grâce, excellence, and ail good and perfect works do proceed !

" Let us not forget," said Monod, on tbe evening of Sunday, Marcb 2d, "to water witb our prayers wbat we bave now planted in tbe name of tbe Lord ; and let us pray Him tbat no barren curiosity and no merely buman affection may take tbe place of a single désire to glorify God, eitber in bim wbo speaks or in tbose wbo listen."

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In the like spirit, we offer this volume to the people of God. May they receive it in the same, with the jealous désire that to Him be ail the glory, who is the giver of ail good !

It must be further permitted to us, in presenting this book to the public, to glorify the goodness of the God of truth, as exhibited in it.

It is nearly a year since the Church first took alarm for the life of Monod, and began to pray to God for him, although He had already apparently sealed him for eternal life. He was taken away after eight months of prayer for him and eight months of suffering. And what suffering it was ! But, as he said himself, " it was not in vain that he felt himself borne upon the hearts and in the pray ers of God's people."

In taking away his health, his ability to preach, and at last his life, God granted his prayers, and those of his brethren for him, though in another way. It was to exhibit him as an example to ail His people. Monod's preaching required the stamp given to it by this final and cruel illness. Those who heard him, both in his strength and in his weakness, can say whether, in ail the vigor of his body and mind, the words of the preacher were more efficacious or spoke more to the heart, than those of the sick and dying Christian man. During his long illness, when God

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caused the power of Faith to shine forth so brilliantly in him, He permitted him still to speak in His name every Sunday. He granted it to him even until the last day of his life, and has made this little book to spring from his long and bitter suffering, as an humble but éloquent testimony to the Gospel. It is perhaps a single instance, in the whole history of the Church, that a man, at the point of death, expecting, but not daring to wish for it, should proclaim, week after week, with ever-increasing firmness, patience, peace, and joy, the same Gospel doctrines which he had held "and preached, and in which he had lived, during the twentyfive years of his active ministry.

To God be ail the glory !

In a sermon preached on Christmas-day, 1854, from the text, "And a sword shall pierce thy own soul also," Monod used a few words which we quote h ère to show how entirely God verified in the preacher himself the words which He put into his lips. He had been showing that the crucified life is the true life of the Christian, and in particular of the minister of God's Word, and closed his remarks with thèse words :

" And if, among the crosses which He gives you to bear, there be one which seems to you — I will not say more burdensome than others — but apparently de-

PREFACE.

structive of tlie usefulness of your ministry, forever ruinous, seemingly, to ail hope of success in your holy mission ; if temptation from without be added to temptation within ; if the blow appears to fall on body, soul, and spirit ; if, in fine, ail seems hopelessly lost— well, shall I say accept this cross, or rather, thèse many crosses ? "Welcome tliem ! welcome tbem with an especial spirit of snbmission, of liope, and of fortitnde, as afflictions in which, and ont of wliich, the Lord will disclose to yon a new mission. "Welcome them, as the starting-point of a ministry in bodily weakness and bit ter suffering which He has reserved for you as your last and best, and which He will make to abonnd in fruits unto life, as never did your earlier ministry, in the days of your strength and joy gone by ! "

CONTENT S.

PAGE i. all scripture is ideal, namely, its standard is

neyer less than perfection, 23

II. — Happy in Life and Happy in Death, . . .30

III. — On Fréquent Communion, .... 34

IV. — The Pastor suffering for the Good of the Flock, . 41 V. — A Few Words on reading the Bible, . 46

VI. — GOD GLORIFIED IN SUFFERING, . . . .50

VII. — The Loye of God manifested in His People, . 55

IX. — Jésus Christ our Ex ample in Suffering, . . 66

XI. — The Cross reyealing to us the Loye of God, . 81 XII. — The Invisible Things of God, . . . .89 XILT. — The Man of Sorrows and Men of Sorrows, . 96

XIV. — The Eegrets of a Dying Man : ...

1. The Secret of A Holy, Active, and Peaceful Life, 106

XV. — The Eegrets of a Dying Man :

2. The Study of the Word of God, . . .118

Contents

PAGB

XVI. — The Eegrets of a Dying Man :

3. On the Employaient of Time, . . .124

I

ALL IN SCRIPTURE IS IDEAL, NAMELY, ITS STANDARD IS NEYER LESS THAN PER- FECTION.

I am so happy and so grateful, dear friends, beloved brethren and sisters, that I am able to partake with you of the body and blood of crar Savionr. That flesh is meat indeed, and that blood is drink indeed, to those who receive it in faith, by tbe aid of the Holy Spirit.

There is one feature of the Holy Scriptures which is of itself snfficient to prove them to be the "Word of God : I mean that every thing found there is idéal. They contain nothing but the absolute and the perfect.

Holy Scripture never calls ns to a certain measure of holiness by a certain measure of faith, for degree or measure of any sort is contrary to the instinct of the Bible, because contrary to God.

ALL IN SCRIPTURE IS IDEAL.

The idéal of Scripture is not like the idéal of the poet, who raises things of earth into the highest heaven, but precisely the reverse ; for it regards visible things as types only of the invisible — the alone real — and sees ail things from the stand-point whence God sees them.

This thought struck me this morning, as I was reflecting, before God, upon what I should say to you of the Holy Communion, and of the cross of Jésus Christ, where alone we can find remission of sin.

Scripture invariably présents to us sin as idéal. JSTone of us can form the faintest idea of the horrible sinfulness of sin in the sight of God. "We have always lived in an atmosphère so saturated with sin, upon this earth which drinks in iniquity like water, and devours it like bread, that we are no longer able to see the sin that surrounds us in ail directions.

I will tell you in few words, of my own expérience. We find in the Bible thèse words : " For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another."

For a long while, it seemed impossible for me to accept this assertion, for it appeared to me to bear marks of manifest exaggeration. I confess that, even after it had pleased God, on the day appointed by

ALL IN SCKIPTTTRE IS IDEAL.

Him from ail eternity, to turn my heart to Him, it was still a long while before I could bring mjself to believe it entirely ; and still further, I confess that since then, even now this day, I am not able to comprebend it in its fulness, tbougb quite convinced tbat it is perfectly true, and that, if I cannot realize it in my own expérience, tbe fault is in mjself. Hence I baye been brought to see tbe necessitj of a testimony préexistent to ourselves, beyond us and above us.

I accept tbe assertion, therefore, as coming from God, because I fmd it in His Word, and I pray Him to reveal its meaning to me by His Holy Spirit. A slow change of feeling has corne over me, not noticeable from year to year — not nearly so rapid, but only after a séries of years — and I am now, by the grâce of God, able to see this doctrine more clearly, and to feel its truth more and more deeply in my own heart. I am sure that when this veil of flesh shall be laid aside, I shall see and recognize that the words in question présent the most faithful delineation, the most truthful portrait of my own heart — I mean of my natural heart.

Let us pray to God to reveal to us our state of sinfulness, without, however, urging Him too far, for He knows full well that if we were to advance in this. knowledge faster than in the knowledge of His mercy, we must fall into despair. 2

ALL IN SCRIPTURE IS IDEAL.

Pardon is also représentée! to us everywhere in Scripture as idéal. If onlj a part of onr sins were pardoned, if out of a thousand or a million (were it possible to nurnber our sins) a single one were unforgiven, our pardon would avail us nothing. But our pardon is complète. The passage which has just been read to you (2 Cor. V. 21) is one of my favorite verses. Jésus Christ has not only expiated some of our sins, but has expiated sin in its entirety. He has not been regarded as a sinner, but has been made sin itself, and — mystery of mysteries — the curse of God in its full force has fallen upon His innocent and holy head.

In like manner, we are not only just in Him, but made Justice itself; so that when God looks upon us in Jésus Christ, He sees us even like unto His beloved Son Himself, and finds us altogether pleasing and attractive in His sight. We who believe, have been given by God to Christ as the priée of His sacrifice. He can no more break his word to us, than to Jésus Himself. He has pledged Himself to us so strongly, by ail His glorious excellencies and perfections, that this gift of infinité mercy becomes a right in virtue of our perfect justice in Jésus Christ.

The same words of Scripture which show us what sin is in the eyes of God, show us at the same time how completely and entirely He has obliterated it.

ALL IN SCRIPTURE IS IDEAL.

He has " cast our sins behind His back," as if afraid of seeing them again. He lias " cast them into the depths of the sea ; " " blotted tbem out like a thick cloud ; " " scattered tbem like the morning cloud." Thus we see what God meant by forgetting sin. He is represented as making an effort to forget, and does not only forget, but utterly oblitérâtes and annihilâtes it.

Lastly, Holy Scripture is idéal in what it teaches us of sanctification. "We do not form any adéquate idea of what Scripture requires of us, nor of the degree of holiness to which we can and ought to attain. What fulness in thèse words : " And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly ; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jésus Christ ; " and to prove to us that this is not a mère wish on the part of the apostle, he adds immediately : " Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it." It is no more possible for Him to refuse us this grâce than it is to conceive of His breaking His word.

And how are we to attain to this holiness ? In what respect did those saints of old excel, whose examples the Bible holds out to us ? Kot in knowledge, not in natural gifts, but in faith. Look at St. James. To show us the power of faith and of prayer, he sélects

ALL IN SCRIPTURE IS IDEAL.

tlie most wonderful man perhaps of Holy Writ, in the most miraculous of His miracles. He sets before us tiie boldness of the prayer of Elias as the simplest thing in the world, and proposes it as an example to the humblest and most insignificant of us, to show us what can be effected by persevering, earnest prayer, " the fervent prayer of the righteous man " (literally, the energumenic or fanatical prayer).

Oh ! if we could feel in our hearts, each one of us, from this day forth, the enormity of sin, the fulness and completeness of its pardon, and the power of the holiness to which we ought to attain, what a change would corne over our lives, and what salutary influence might we exercise upon the whole Church !

PRAYER.

O God ! Thou who knowest ail the misery and suffering that sin has brought upon this misérable world and its wretched inhabitants ; Thou who seest ail the cruel sufferiug endured at this moment, 1 the sight of which we could not bear, we commend to Thee ail the atnicted and distressed, that Thou wouldest be pleased to pour out upon them the treasures of Thy grâce and consolation. We cannot name them

1 Referring to the war then raging in the Crimea.

ALL IN SCRIPTUKE IS IDEAL.

ail to Thee, but Thou canst name them to Thyself. ¥e commend to Thee ail victims of war, ail families in sorrow and mourning, and ail others now living in anxiety and distress. We commend to Thee ail the oppressed and persecuted for righteousness' sake. We commend to Thee ail slaves. Look npon the thousands and millions of slaves under the yoke of men who profess Thy name„ " servants of Christ " who are not servants. We commend the poor to Thee — ah ! the poor ! — and the sick, especially the poor sick. "We commend to Thee ail who know Thee, that it may please Thee to support them, and send down upon them Thy peace and Thy comfort. And we commend also to Thy grâce those who do not know Thee, that it may please Thee to reveal Thyself to them, for, if they have not Thee, they have no alternative than despair.