CONCLUSION.
Rest of the saints above,
Jerusalem of God,
Who in thy palaces of love,
Thy golden streets have trod?
There in effulgence bright,
Savior and Guide, with Thee
I'll walk, and in Thy heavenly light
Whiter my robe shall be.
God and the Lamb shall there
The light and temple be,
And radiant hosts forever share
The unveiled mystery.
J. N. Darby.
AND now my loving, yet most sorrowful, task is almost done. The body of our beloved brother was taken to London on Thursday and buried in Charlton Cemetery on Saturday, March 31st, at 3 p.m.
The following account of the funeral is part of an extract from the Kentish Mercury of April 6th.
“The funeral took place at Charlton Cemetery on Saturday, between 500 and 600 persons being present. In accordance with deceased's strong aversion to anything like display, the ceremony was of a very quiet and unostentatious character. At the graveside the hymns 'Forever with the Lord' and ‘Savior, before Thy face we fall’ were sung, and appropriate portions of Scripture were read. Addresses were given by Dr. Heyman Wreford, of Exeter (at whose house Mr. Kelly died), and Mr. T. Moore, of Bournemouth, the latter saying that a fortnight before his death Mr. Kelly remarked that there were three things that were real, the cross of Christ, hatred of the world, and the love of God.”
Who can tell the sorrow that filled the hearts of the hundreds who stood around his grave. Many eyes were overflowing with tears, and every heart was filled with grief. There was the coffin, telling of our loss, there was the open grave to hold the body of this faithful servant of our Lord, his "pathetic dust." While the strains of the hymn "Forever with the Lord" were rising from our hearts, our thoughts went back to the days of the early Church—and the words uttered by the servant of Christ in the first century seemed marvelously applicable to the one we mourned in the twentieth. What moved hearts and shadowed lives in apostolic times, moved our hearts to-day.
We seemed to hear the words of farewell, spoken so long ago, again sounding in our ears "Ye know, from the first day I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons; serving the Lord with all humility of mind... and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you and have taught you publickly and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews and to the Greeks repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Yes, we knew, we knew full well, the manner of his life. He lived in these Western Isles for God and Christ, and served Him here, as did Paul in those Eastern lands. Christians wept over Paul departing to his death, we weep over one gone to his rest. We have his testimony with us now. Taught of God, he imparted to us by His Spirit the marvelous truths given to the great Apostle. The unfolding of Scripture, and the ministry of the word, had been the great object of his life.
“And now behold I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the Kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.”
No more. The earthly work is done. The laborer rests with Christ. We shall never see his face on earth again, but, as our hearts sorrow for his loss, we shall remember those sixty years and more of patient work for Christ. Many of us can say, "all our lives he has been with us." We shall think of his service, recall his admonitions, dwell upon his words, and memory's constant aid will recall seasons of blessed fellowship with the one whom God has taken.
This is the human side; but again the great Apostle speaks to us in those blessed words: "I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. WHEREFORE COMFORT ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS.”
This is the divine side.
Small comfort should we find by looking at the grave; small comfort in the human sorrow that will find its place within us. We may fear for ourselves and others now that that loved voice is stilled; but our faith and hope look upward.
Thank God the truth remains—the Lord is still the stay and comfort of His people.
The will of God has brought us to this gate of sorrow. The path beyond may seem dark to many—but the Lord Himself is the Light.
In a day of weakness the tried heart can find comfort hour by hour in the promises of God. One well may be dried up, but He can cause rivers of blessing to flow in a thirsty land.
We may feel how dependent we have been on a human presence and an earthly voice—but God, even our God, shall bless us and give us to feel that the "everlasting arms" are around us, and that "in His presence there is fullness of joy." Waves of sorrow and a sense of loss may beat upon our hearts in almost overwhelming power, but He still treads the waters of affliction, and beneath His feet the storm is stayed, and furious winds of trouble and raging waves of fear all sink to rest when He says "Peace, be still." He comes in the watches of the night, and we hear Him say "It is I, be not afraid." We sorrow, but "not as others that have no hope," for the foundation of our hope is in Him Who has said, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." The future we can and must leave with Him.
Sorrowfully the "blessed dead" is left behind us. The great crowd disappears, and each believer who stood around the grave of God's honored servant, and our beloved friend and brother, has to face for himself the responsibilities of Christian life.
Let the deep words of Apostolic benediction sound like heavenly music in our ears, and find a real and an abiding place in all our hearts: "And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you; to the end He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints."—1 Thess. 3:12, 1312And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: 13To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. (1 Thessalonians 3:12‑13).
Farewell! awhile, dear servant of our Lord.
Thy work on earth is done;
The Master calls thee home—His blest award.
Thy faithful heart has won.
Thy pathway to the skies was rough and long:
Reproach for Christ was thine.
But lo! at eventide God gave the song -
And light—His light divine.
His mercy, and His truth, sustained thee where
Thy fields of service lay,
And up the shining heights of faith and prayer,
To rest, and endless day.
H.W.