The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-24 00:00:00

FUNERAL SERMON ON THE LATE

JAI 1 iiiTGOMERY.

The Rev. Mr. Muir, of Sheffield, in the presence of
a large concourse of persons, preached a funeral sermon
at Netherby Chapel, Sheffield, on Tuesday evening, the
16th inst. The following is the portraiture of the dis-
tinguished poet and eminent Christian, which the rev.
gentleman drew towards the close of his able dis-

course :

Not often, indeed, has he appeared at our missionary
meetings ; but he did occasionally ; and who that has
ever seen and heard the venerable man at the missionary
breakfast in Queen-street school-room, but must have
been affected by the scene ; his standing up to speak,
especially inviting the people to join in the hymn, the
one touching hymn which he always selected ; his read-
ing the hymn ; the deep emotions that filled his mind in
the course of the reading ; his own singing when the
time came, with his quivering lips, but always with a
full heart ; all was a picture on which no eyes could
look without being moved. I hear him now attempting
to read the last verse of the hymn—
" 0, that with yonder sacred throng,
We at his feet may fall."
It took him some struggling to get through this much ;
and then he seemed to rise again in strength, and still
more in pathos, as if he had proposed in his mind what
he should do when brought to that part, as he says—

-
" There join the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all."
And now that purpose has begun—that work of bles-
sedness has commenced—crowned himself, he crowns in
undying song the Lamb that was slain. On a harp of
gold, such as angels strike, and on a lyre such as the
spirit fingers of the ransomed sweep, he makes„melody
before the Throne. No more to say " farewell, but. for
ever to be with the Lord ! And this, my brethren, is a
sketch of the way in which the departed worked out his
principles of integrity as a man, as a citizen of the world,
and as a firm believer in the religion of the cross. It
will not be necessary for me to say much upon the other
portion of the text. The words of the prophet are these,
"He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds,
each one walking in his integrity." You will perceive
that a change is introduced in the case of the latter of
these pronouns—that one is singular, the other is
plural. After showing that this change in the case
arose from the construction of preceding verses, Mr.
Muir went on to say :—ln the first place then,
"He shall enter into peace." Has he not done
that? "He shall enter into peace." Is not the thought a
most beautiful one ? The body dies, but whither is it
that the spirit goes ? It enters into peace. But what
kind of peace, and under what latitude or longitude is
the region of peace ? This world may have been a region
of peace, but sure I am that it is not so now. The storm
that broke over Paradise so terribly. so like a whirlwind
blast, was such that man was glad to escape from it.
Since then, my brethren, this world has been a scene of
toil rather than of rest. The elements of disorder seem
everlastingly to be playing. It is a place of strife—a
strife from which even the Church is not exempt—a
place of confusion and evil work. Yet for the believer
there remains a place of rest in the bright heavens, pre-
pared by the Redeemer for his disciples. Into that rest
have entered the spirits of Bennett, Roberts, Smith, and
others, who, while on earth enjoyed sweet and profitable
intercourse with James Montgomery. They antici-
pated Montgomery in the rest which he longed and
panted for. " They shall rest in their beds." Brethren,
it is something to know that there is always a bed for
the dead. There is a bed for the soldier, whose life-
blood is quenched amidst the ranks of strife ; and a bed
for the sailor, whose winding-sheet is the trackless bil-
low, and the foam of the ocean the grass of his grave.
There is a hymn for the dead, which Montgomery wrote
and sung too :
" There is a calm for those that weep
A rest for weary pilgrims found
They softly lie and sweetly sleep,
Low in the ground."
And now mother earth has taken home her child. His
work was accomplished, and he has gone down to the
grave covered with glory. He died as one that slept—
gentle as the sleep of infancy ; and, above all, he fell
asleep in Jesus. We have seen him laid in his grave,
and there may he repose undisturbed till the last trump
of the archangel calls him to newness of life. Oh, that
was a sight for angels to gaze at ! We saw that, and a
more moving sight we never saw. It has often been
my lot to stand upon the ship's deck and watch the
coming tempest. From that same deck I have stood
and looked with gladness on the signs of the coming
calm. But I have witnessed nothing like the calm,
peaceful end of Montgomery. But that which interested
me most—which absorbed me most was, the exodus of
the spirit of James Montgomery. As I saw his remains
taken from their temporary abode, it presented to me a
perfect picture of the words of the prophet, " He shall
rest in his bed, having walked in his integrity." Rest
thou in thy bed. Thou believer in the doctrines of the
resurrection of the dead, and the day of thy Redeemer :
rest thou there until the appearing of Him who has en-
gaged to perform all things. Rest thou there, even
though a thousand men should ask—" How are the
dead raised up, and with what body do they come ?"
Rest thou there. Death is not an eternal sleep, nor
is the grave the end of our history. Another morn-
ing is to break upon us refulgent in the tints of re-
surrection glory. The end of all things is coming,
when he shall deliver up the kingdom unto God, even
the Father ; when that which is sown in corruption
shall be raised in incorruption ; when that which is sown
in dishonour, shall be raised in glory ; when that which
is sown in weakness, shall be raised in power ; when
that which is sown a natural body, shall be raised a
spiritual body ; for there is a natural body and there is
a spiritual body. Green be the turf above thy head ;
gentle the foot that treads upon it. And though winter
should come, the blasts sweep across thy grave, the trees
be torn up, and the foliage scattered, rest thou there. It
is not yet thy time for getting up. It may not be for a
thousand years to come. Rest thou there ; for with the
Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years
is as one day. Rest thou there. Thy spirit, meanwhile,
shall drink from the rivers of the waters of life, clear as
crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the
Lamb. My brethren, what, in conclusion, is the lesson
here given to us—given -to us from the mount—given to
us from the cemetery ? It is this :—" Mark the perfect
man, and behold the upright ; for the end of that man is
peace." What should be the response of each one ex-
cept this : Let me die the death of the righteous, and
let my last end be like his."