S. 
 
 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
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 BX 5199 .M27 M3 v. 2 
 Marsh, Catherine, 1818-1912| 
 The life of the Rev. Williarl 
 Marsh, D.D. [ 
 
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Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2015 
 
 https://archive.org/details/lifeofrevwilliam02mars 
 
THE LIFE 
 
 OF THE 
 
 EV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 BY HIS DAUGHTER, 
 
 THE AL'THOR OF 'MEMORIALS OF CAPTAIN HEDLEY VICARS.' 
 
 ' He had eyes lifted up to heaven, the best of hooks iu his 
 hand, the law of truth was written upon his lips, the world 
 was behind his back. He stood as if he pleaded with men ; 
 and a crown of gold did hang over his head.' 
 
 Pilgrim's Progress. 
 
 VOL. II. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 ROBERT CARTER AND BROTHERS, 
 No. 53 0 BROADWAY. 
 1 S < » 7 . 
 
I 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 ONE HOME AGAIX. 
 
 ' O DAYS of Heaven, and niglits of equal praise, 
 Serene and peaceful as tkose heavenly days 
 "When souls drawn upwards iu communion sweet 
 Enjoy the stillness of some calm retreat, 
 Discourse, as if released and safe at home. 
 Of dangers jiast, and wonders yet to come. 
 And sj)read the sacred treasures of the breast 
 Upon the lap of covenanted rest.' 
 
 COWPEE. 
 
 U 
 
ONE HOME AGAIN. 
 
 Eaely in the spring of 1851, Mr. Clialmers was presented 
 to the living of Beckenham, in Kent. The first letter which 
 he wrote, after accepting it, was to my father, affectionately 
 to urge him to resign a charge too heavy for his advancing 
 years ; and to come and take up his abode at Beckenham 
 Eectory, occupying himself with any share in the services 
 of the Church to which he might feel equal, without the 
 constraint of necessity. My father felt the wisdom of this 
 counsel, and after brief consideration he accepted the pro- 
 posal so lovingly made, recognising it as the answer to the 
 prayer in which he had agreed to unite with my sister. 
 But he delayed his departure from Leamington for a few 
 months, until a judicious and devoted Christian minister, 
 the Eev. Thomas Bromley, was found to succeed him at St. 
 Mary's, ^lien this appointment was made, he prepared 
 with delight to share one home again with his beloved 
 daughter and son-in-law. But his happiness in the pro- 
 spect of this family reunion was not unmixed with tender 
 regrets for the friends and parishioners whom he was about 
 to leave. Within the large circle of his acquaintance in 
 
308 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 Leamington, lie had attached to himself in an especial man- 
 ner, a small knot of friends, who, in addition to their value 
 for his ministry, were bound to him by ties of warm Chris- 
 tian affection. Amongst these may be mentioned Mr. and 
 Mrs. Earle of I^"ewbold Firs, whose agreeable society, with 
 that of their bright young family, he frequently enjoyed 
 at his own house ; the Eev. James Eiddell, who with his 
 devoted wife and daughters were ever ready to assist in 
 works of piety and benevolence. Mrs. Paske, a beloved 
 friend of Colchester days, who, with her daughter, had 
 settled at Leamington, chiefly for the sake of being near 
 their old pastor ; and Mr. and Mrs. O'Halloran, who were 
 linked with all his interests in the place. 
 
 Testimonies to the reverence and affection with which 
 he was regarded, flowed in from all sides. Amongst 
 others, an eminent Nonconformist minister, the Eev. Dr. 
 Octavius Winslow, thus wrote : ' The religious associa- 
 tions in Leamington meet now with depression and a sense 
 of loss. It would be impossible to describe how all of 
 every shade of opinion miss the animated eloquence with 
 holy unction, the youthful ardour and buoyancy with 
 apostolical wisdom and tenderness, so happily blended in 
 Dr. Marsh. We seem to have lost a uniting link. Where- 
 ever he was present, the Dove of Peace (we felt) was 
 brooding overhead.' 
 
 On leaving Leamington, my father and Mrs. Marsh 
 paid a short visit to her beloved sister-in-law, the late 
 Mrs. Lyttleton Powys, and from her house he wrote that 
 he hoped to arrive at Beckenham Eectory on Saturday 
 the 19 th of July, in order to give his children their 
 
OXE HOME AGAIN. 
 
 309 
 
 earnest desire, that he should spend his birthday in his 
 new home. 
 
 Children and grandchildren had been assembled from 
 far and near to welcome his first arrival at Beckenham. 
 The best suite of rooms in that charming rectory had been 
 reserved for him and Mrs. Marsh, by the thoughtful love 
 of its owners. 
 
 My father was expected by five o'clock, but six, and 
 at length seven had struck, and no sign of his arrival was 
 given. In the dulness of ' hope deferred,' the large family 
 party sat down to dinner without his joy-giving presence. 
 
 Suddenly, however, a peal rang out from the belfry of 
 the village church; and scarcely had they all reached the 
 steps in front of the hall-door when the carriage was seen 
 driving in at the gateway. Servants and lingering work- 
 men at that inspiriting call, hastily left their employ- 
 ments to follow the family ; and almost as quickly my 
 sister's little son climbed out of his crib in the nursery, to 
 run down stairs and spring into the arms of his grandsire. 
 
 As he entered the house, the sweet voice of my eldest 
 sister led the old and loved doxology — 
 
 * Praise God, from -wliom all blessings flow, 
 Praise Him, all creatures here below ; 
 Praise Him above, ye heavenly host ; 
 Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost' — 
 
 in which every one heartily joined. 
 
 At the first note of the song of thanksgiving, my father 
 uncovered his venerable head ; and he bowed it in rever- 
 ence, when the last note had died away, as he prayed, 
 ' Peace be to this house, and to all who enter here.' Then, 
 
310 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D, 
 
 with a look of radiant love around, lie exclaimed, ' I dwell 
 among mine own people !' 
 
 Immediately afterwards, he was led by my sister to see 
 his own rooms. As he looked from the windows on the 
 sweet English views of garden and lawn, and fields and 
 wood and stream, his eyes were often lifted up in praise 
 to God ; and he said, ' I shall like to go from this paradise 
 to the Paradise above.' 
 
 From first to last, he thorouglily enjoyed his residence 
 in Beckenham. In addition to its own attractions, and 
 the happiness he found in the large family circle, the easy 
 access to London gave him the opportunity of renewing 
 many of his old friendships, and of taking an active part 
 in several of the religious meetings, as well as of sharing 
 in other ways in the deep and stirring interests of the 
 metropolis. 
 
 It was pleasant to see the welcome which, wherever he 
 went, awaited him. In Exeter Hall, the sight of his silvery 
 head was watched for, and his smile of recognition was 
 sought both by clergy and laity on the platform, and by 
 numbers amongst the audience in the body of the hall. 
 His address was eagerly expected, and received with a 
 general expression of warm interest and reverent affection. 
 
 At the meeting of the Society for Promoting Christianity 
 amongst the Jews, he was peculiarly happy, and especially 
 in his manner of addressing the Hebrew children educated 
 at the Society's school in Bethnal Green, who are present 
 on these occasions. Dearly did he love to listen to the 
 rich melody of the national voice, in the anthems and 
 hymns which they sang before the commencement of the 
 
OXE HOME AGAIN. 
 
 311 
 
 meeting ; and especially to the one with which they 
 usually closed, beginning with this verse — 
 
 ' When His salvation bringing 
 To Zion Jesus came, 
 Tlie children all stood singing 
 Hosanna to His name. 
 Hosanna ! 
 Hosanna to Jesus onr King !' 
 
 Frequently at these meetings might be seen the last of 
 my father's contemporaries and his first fellow-worker in 
 the ministry, ]\Ir. Haldane Stewart. They generally sat 
 side by side, and their * hoary heads' were ' crowns of 
 glory' to those Christian assemblies. 
 
 He regularly attended also the meetings of the Bible, 
 the Church Missionary, the Prayer-book and Homily, and 
 the Soldiers' Friend Societies. The Protestant Associa- 
 tion too had the benefit of his earnest advocacy ; and on 
 its platform he often met, with no slight pleasure. Dr. 
 Hugh M'lSTeile, the friend who from early manhood had 
 been dear to him ; whose warm sympathy had brought 
 him from Liverpool to Birmingham, to speak words of 
 comfort to my father in his deepest bereavement; and 
 whose unwearied work for God, and unflinching courage 
 in the front of the battle for Protestant truth, at all risks 
 of loss of worldly promotion — had made my father con- 
 tinually thank God on his behalf 
 
 Another of his pleasures, perhaps the dearest, in Exeter 
 Hall, and elsewhere, was to meet on every platform where 
 the cause of scriptural religion or philanthropy was advo- 
 cated, — the man known and respected even in the dingy 
 
312 
 
 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MAESH, D.D. 
 
 alleys of St. Giles's, and among the haunts of thieves — the 
 friend of the friendless, the champion of the overtasked, 
 himself working harder than any, to redress the wrongs 
 of the poor and needy — the Earl of Shaftesbury. 
 
 But if meeting with valued friends on these occasions 
 was a delight to him, it would be impossible to describe 
 the happiness which filled his heart as lie listened to the 
 stories of territory after territory reclaimed from waste 
 places of the earth for its lawful King — to whose final 
 crowning, ' with many crowns,' His faithful servant was 
 joyfully looking forward. 
 
 ' PERFECT LOVE CASTETH OUT FEAR.* 
 
 ' De.vr Mr. Gordon, — . . . Oh, if the great day were 
 kept in view, what different Christians we should be ! 
 " How will such a spirit or such a line of conduct appear 
 then?" would be the great question. The more love pre- 
 vails, the less fearful will be that day. " Herein is our 
 love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day 
 of judgment" (1 John iv. 1 7). It may be understood thus — 
 So that we have boldness in (reference to) the day of judg- 
 ment. Because we are partakers of His nature, which is 
 love. Again, " We know that we have passed from death 
 unto life, because we love the brethren." 
 
 ' More humility, and more love, would go far towards 
 healing all divisions in the Church. We must pray for 
 " all who profess and call themselves Christians." 
 
 ' Love to you all. — Yours ever truly, Wm. Marsh.' 
 
ONE HOME AGAIN. 
 
 313 
 
 ' Ah, dear friend, if the Tliracians wept over the cradle 
 but rejoiced over the tomb, under the idea of the miseries 
 of life being ended, how much more may Christians rejoice 
 over the tomb of those who, like the beloved Henry, have 
 entered upon eternal joys. The loss, indeed, must be felt 
 by survivors, and especially by yourself ; but in propor- 
 tion as you can look beyond the grave, — for he is not there, 
 — you will be cheered even in the gloom. His heart was 
 overflowing with love. This arose from having known and 
 believed the love that God had to him. And love is the 
 true meetness for that kingdom which the blessed Ee- 
 deemer, by overcoming the sharpness of death, has opened 
 to all believers. I enclose my little tract on the loss of 
 friends, but you need it not. May the Comforter bring 
 to your recollection every soothing thought, and fill you 
 with the delightful prospect of being ever with those you 
 love, yea, ever with the Lord, the eternal fountain of joy 
 to all His people. — Yours, dear friend, in true sympathy, 
 
 ' Wm. Marsh.' 
 
 on the testimony of some unbelievers to the 
 excellence of christianity. 
 
 ' Will the quotation from Lord Bolingbroke answer any 
 purpose with Mr. ? 
 
 ' Under such impressions as his, w^hat deep research 
 there should be as to the evidences of the Divinity of the 
 Lord Jesus Christ, and what deep silence rather than 
 speaking lightly of it, or inducing others so to speak. 
 
 ' " He that believeth on Him is not condemned : but 
 
3 1 4 MEMOIR OF EEY. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 he that believeth not is condemned already, because 
 he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten 
 Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is 
 come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than 
 light, because their deeds were evil" (John iii. 18, 19). 
 Here He solemnly condemns wilful unbelief But we 
 must despair of none. 
 
 ' That great philosopher. Dr. Mason Good, was an un- 
 believer, but he became convinced that Christianity must be 
 Divine, from the effect it had produced on a person he had 
 attended as a medical adviser. He then read the Scrip- 
 tures with diligence, and prayed God to enlighten him, 
 and became one of the most useful Christians of the day. 
 
 ' Lord Herbert, a freethinker, calls Christianity the best 
 religion, and acknowledges that its doctrines and precepts 
 aim at the establishment of those very articles of belief 
 in which he says all religion consists. Dr. Tindall, a free- 
 thinker, says, that Christianity is a most holy religion. 
 
 ' Lord Bolingbroke asserts, that no religion has ever ap- 
 peared in the world, the natural tendency of which is to 
 promote the purest happiness of mankind, like the Chris- 
 tian faith ; that no system can be more simple and plain. 
 " It is," he adds, " a complete system, adapted to answer 
 all the purposes of religion, natural and revealed." He 
 thinks that it could not be opposed by thinking and 
 rational beings, had it been propagated with the same 
 simplicity with which it was originally taught by Christ. 
 " Supposing Christianity to have been an invention, it 
 had been the most amiable and the most useful invention 
 that was ever imposed on mankind for their good." ' 
 
OXE HOME AGAIN. 
 
 315 
 
 ' My deae Feiexd, — I do not in the least wonder at 
 your desolate feelings. We are not angels, but of the 
 hiunan nature, and sorrow is a part of our portion here. 
 But your desolate feelings are no proofs that God does not 
 love you. I often think of the wisdom of Manoah's wife 
 (Judges xiii. 23). You have not only heard of salvation 
 by Jesus Christ our Lord, but have believed there is no 
 salvation in any other ; and you will find it to be true, 
 and will be enabled to rejoice in Him, notwithstanding 
 the shrinking of nature from the sorrow under which 
 you suffer. I lift up my heart while writing, tha.t, 
 though "walking in darkness," you may yet trust that 
 all shall end well. . . . You say you " would, but cannot 
 give your heart to God." " If there be first a willing 
 mind, it is accepted." " He knoweth whereof we are made, 
 and remembereth that we are dust," and has compassion 
 on our infirmities. One of the Fathers said, " Take my 
 heart, for I cannot give it to Thee. Keep my heart, for I 
 cannot keep it for Thee ; and save me in spite of myself." ' 
 
 ' If Christians woidd take common sense as their 
 guide, they would make such discoveries as to the Di^dne 
 character and the Divine purposes, as would astonish and 
 delight their hearts. But we must be patient towards all 
 men, and not unchristianize any because they cannot see 
 with our eyes. As long as they hold Christ the Head, 
 and derive an influence from Him as members, all will be 
 well. Light increases as I read, yet I have nothing new 
 to advance. It is the old truth, the everlasting truth, 
 that God is light, and God is love.* 
 
316 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MAESH, D.D. 
 
 * If men had studied how time could be misspent, 
 money wasted, temper injured, spiritual duties neglected, 
 and religion be regarded rather as burdensome than as 
 making the happiness of man, they could not have in- 
 vented a better mode than the usual amusements of cards, 
 assemblies, theatres, and such like. 
 
 ' Where the treasure is, there is the heart ; and where 
 the heart, there the happiness ; and where the happiness, 
 there the God.' 
 
 ON THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS SECOND DAUGHTER'S 
 MARRIAGE. 
 
 'Nov. 2^, for 21th, 1853. 
 
 ' Lost, ten years ago, a daughter, named Matilda Har- 
 riett Marsh. Gained, ten years ago, a son, named Frederick 
 Courteney Chalmers. Both redeemed property, belonging 
 to the Eedeemer for ever ; and, through Providence and 
 grace, both, with all theirs, mine for ever. 
 
 ' Text for the day. 
 
 ' "In everything, by prayer and supplication, with 
 thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto 
 God." 
 
 ' " And the peace of God, which passeth all understand- 
 ing, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ 
 Jesus." 
 
 * My Text 
 
 ' The God which hath fed me all my life long unto this 
 
OXE HOME AGAIN'. 
 
 317 
 
 day, the Angel wliicli redeemed me from all e^-il, bless 
 them all W:\r. Maesh.' 
 
 ' Whoever will bring all '■' the property " here before 
 Christmas shall have their carriage paid, and be hand- 
 somely rewarded.' 
 
 By the request of Mr. Chalmers, my father preached once 
 every Smiday in the parish church ; from time to time, also, 
 he assisted some of the neighbom^ing clergy. There was a 
 morning service every Wednesday in Beckenham Church, 
 after which he regularly preached. Several of the clergy 
 and laity from the surrounding parishes felt it to be a 
 pri^alege to attend; gathering ^^usdom from his ripened 
 experience, and deep Scriptural knowledge. Some of these 
 friends would come to the rectory afterwards ; and, whilst 
 partaking of the ever-ready hospitality to be found there, 
 enjoyed finding a place in the genial family cuxle of 
 which he was the centre and the sunshine. 
 
 Children, grandchildren, and in later years, great-grand- 
 children gathered aroimd him, delighting in the varied 
 play of his pleasant wit, his store of anecdotes, told with 
 bre^dty, point, and animation ; his brilliant spirits, and 
 inexhaustible sweetness of temper. 
 
 And none the less were they impressed by the manner 
 in which he held every gift as a trust to be used for his 
 Master; and consecrated every affection of that loviog 
 heart, by setting the Lord always before Him. 
 
 From the time when the Lord had called him, the 
 language of his heart had been — ■ 
 
318 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 ' Become my rejoicing, my stronghold of love, 
 My aim and my end ; 
 My glory on earth, and my glory above, 
 0 Jesus, my Friend ! ' 
 
 And now, in old age, the steadily increasing knowledge 
 of liis Saviour, rooted in ever- deepening humility, had 
 ripened into a conscious and abiding ' fellowship with the 
 Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.' 
 
 He sustained the freshness of his mind by diligent 
 reading. From eight in the morning till twelve at night 
 he was constantly occupied in reading, writing, or con- 
 versation. Works of literature or science, the press of 
 the day, leading reviews, biographies, and writings on 
 prophetical subjects, formed his recreation. But his 
 studies lay amongst the works of the old divines. The 
 writings of the Eeformers, of Archbishop Leighton, and 
 Bishops J ewel, Horne, and Hall were some of his especial 
 favourites. In Owen and Erskine, also, he found much 
 food for thought. Not less was his interest in con- 
 tinuing to hold communion, through their writings, 
 with the fathers of his own early day — Scott, ITewton, 
 Komaine, and other leaders of the evangelical revival of 
 the last century- -men of whom he was wont to say, 
 ' There were giants in those days/ 
 
 But far above all other books, did he read, mark, 
 learn, and inwardly digest, the Word of God. A few 
 years later, he told his children, that besides the constant 
 study of the 'New Testament, he had read the Bible 
 straight through more than fifty times. Eich was the 
 harvest reaped from his meditation day and night in the 
 
OXE HOME AGAIX. 
 
 319 
 
 law of liis God, by those who conversed with him on 
 Scriptural subjects, or who had the privilege of being pre- 
 sent when he conducted family worship. 
 
 It would be vain to attempt, by any fragments pre- 
 ser^'ed, to give an idea of the mingled brightness and 
 wisdom of his conversations. But some of the following 
 thoughts may recal to those who knew him happy hours 
 passed in his society. 
 
 These words were noted down, from time to time, by 
 his eldest daughter, Mrs. Francis Trench, whose mind 
 was in such harmony with her father's that she was 
 peculiarly happy in calling forth his ^iews on scriptm^al 
 subjects. She thus writes : — 
 
 ' One Sunday evening, when he was delighting us by 
 his presence at Islip Eectory, after I had been singing his 
 favourite h}Tnn, — 
 
 " There is a land of pure delight," 
 
 he gave me another rendering of the last verse, which 
 turns it into a pmyer : — 
 
 " Place me, 0 Lord, where Moses stood, 
 The promised land to see ; 
 Not Jordan's stream, nor death's cold flood, 
 Could keep me back from Thee." 
 
 ' Then he added, " Do you know that Moses died of 
 joy? He was not allowed to enter the promised land. 
 There were reasons for this. Moses was typical of the 
 law, and therefore could not enter the land of promise. 
 Also, the Lord would reprove his conduct on one occasion ; 
 but though He could not allow him to enter Canaan, He 
 would let him see it. ' Oh let me see that goodly land 1' 
 
320 
 
 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 So the Lord told him to go up the mount. When Moses 
 was on the top of Pisgah" — (here he stood up and pointed 
 out, in imagination, the various places) — "the Lord told 
 him to look at the land. There is Bethlehem, where 
 Messiah will be born; there is Galilee, where He ^dll 
 frequently teach the people ; there is Jerusalem, where 
 He will reprove the errors of the priests ; there is Geth- 
 semane, where will commence His dreadful agony ; there 
 is Calvary, where He will die a sacrifice for the sins of 
 mankind; there is the grave of Joseph of Arimathea, 
 where His body will be laid. From thence He will rise 
 from the dead, and appear to many of His disciples. 
 From Mount Olivet He will ascend gloriously into heaven. 
 Then His gospel will be preached, and a way will be 
 open to Jew and Gentile to have, through Him, eternal 
 life. But, Moses, your people must pass through a fiery 
 trial. They must be driven from their own land, and 
 trodden under foot of the Gentiles, till the ' times of the 
 Gentiles be fulfilled;' and when the tribulation is ended, 
 they shall see Messiah in yonder clouds. They shall be 
 converted to Him. They shall be more blessed than ever. 
 From that period He will put His fear into them, that 
 they shall never depart from Him. Jerusalem shall be 
 the metropolis of the globe, and the holy of holies ; 
 Judea, the holy place ; and the rest of the world the court 
 of the Gentiles. Thus shall God be glorified in the final 
 glory of your people !" And here he acted Moses fainting 
 and dying — " ' I can bear no more !' He had had such a 
 wonderful view of the whole dispensation, that his heart 
 burst with joy." 
 
OXE HOME AGAIN. 
 
 321 
 
 ' Speaking, afterwards about a testimony on a dying 
 bed as not being needful, but ^^leasard when given, be 
 mentioned that Mr. Cadogan had said, "Don't tell me 
 what his death was, tell me what his life was." 
 
 ' On another occasion, he remarked, " If I were to speak 
 to a wilful infidel, who propagates his unbelief, I should 
 say, You are both unreasonable and uncharitable. What 
 do you mean ? It is not the way of sound reason to take 
 the side of danger. If this Book be true, where are you 
 then? You take the side of danger, therefore you are 
 unreasonable. And you are uncharitable. This Book 
 has been the comfort of many a sorrowing heart in this 
 world. They have drawn their comfort thence. It has 
 given them a hope beyond this world and its trials, beyond 
 death and the grave. If you take this Book from them, 
 what have you to give in its stead ? See how uncharitable 
 you are." 
 
 ' Speaking of views which would, in this day, be called 
 Eitualistic, he said, "They put tradition in the place of 
 Scripture ; the priesthood in the place of Christ ; and the 
 Sacraments in the place of the Holy Spirit." 
 
 ' " There are two things a man should do : Follow his 
 conscience, and endeavour to get his conscience as much 
 enlightened as he can." 
 
 ' One evening he gave us a beautiful commentary on 
 the Eomans ; and, at the last chapter, he said, " Who are 
 
 X 
 
322 
 
 MEMOIR OF KEY. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 those that may help in this work? 'Phoebe, our sister;' 
 ' Tryphena and Tryphosa ; ' and you know the list. 
 Women lent their aid then ; and women, as well as men, 
 may lend their aid now." 
 
 ' Then, speaking of visiting the people at Islip, he gave 
 me the following instructions : " In your visits, I would be 
 short, not to tire the people, nor to take up too much of 
 their time. You might say something like this : ' A soul, 
 a Saviour, and a heaven.* ' Time is short, with all its 
 trials. Eternity will be long, with all its blessings and 
 then a text or two of Scripture. A soul : ' What shall 
 it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his 
 own soul?' A Saviour, who 'came to seek and to save 
 that which was lost.' A heaven : ' In my Father's house 
 are many mansions.' " 
 
 * He told me of an old woman, living by herself in an 
 isolated cottage at Ashampstead, whom he asked one day, 
 " Molly, are you not afraid sometimes of being alone all 
 night ? " to which she replied, 
 
 '* My noonday walks He shall attend, 
 And all my midnight hours defend." 
 
 ' One Sunday morning, he said, " May this Sabbath 
 day be a high day to many souls," and then made the 
 following verse : — 
 
 '* May many troubled souls this day, 
 Like little Samuel, learn to pray, 
 
 ' Speak, for thy servant heareth.' 
 And many souls, oppressed with guilt, 
 Hear of that blood on Calvary spilt, 
 
 Which the believer cheereth." 
 
ONE HOME AGAIN. 
 
 323 
 
 ' Speaking of the passage, Heb, xi. 6, lie said, " Two 
 tilings to believe : His being, and His bounty." 
 
 ' " Faitli, hope, and love are the great privileges of our 
 religion. Let us daily pray that God may give us the 
 increase of faith, hope, and love. 
 
 " Faith, in the first Coming of our Lord ; hope, in 
 His second Coming ; love, to Him who came into our 
 world to save us, — who lived and died, and rose again, 
 and ascended into Heaven, and ever liveth to make inter- 
 cession for us. 
 
 " Hope of the second Coming of our blessed Eedeemer. 
 The Spirit of Christ in all the prophets testified beforehand 
 of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. 
 Xot one book of the New Testament that does not refer 
 to it. In the 1st Epistle to the Tliessalonians, it is men- 
 tioned five times. 
 
 ' " God is love ; and he that dtveUetJi in love dw^elleth 
 in God, and God in him. Hereafter it will be inscribed 
 on the skies of the universe, that ' God is Love.' " 
 
 ' One of my sisters went with me to his sitting-room 
 late one night to persuade him to leave off reading and 
 retire to rest. He was kneelini?, with his back to the door 
 and did not see or hear us (from his deafness). We paused 
 for a moment before noiselessly retreating. His hands 
 were upraised, and we caught the words, " Hasten, Lord, 
 the time when the kingdoms of this world shall become 
 the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ ; when 
 Thou shalt make Jerusalem a praise in the earth ; 
 when all shall sing, ' Salvation to our God and tlie 
 
324 
 
 MEMOm OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 Lamb. Hallelujali ! for the Lord God omnipotent 
 reigneth. Hallelujah !' " 
 
 ' At the close of Easter Day he said, "What an indulgence 
 God has granted me in assembling so large a number of 
 my children and grandchildren for Easter. All mercies 
 come to us through Eedemption. 
 
 * Every blessing, without measure, 
 Flows to us through. Christ the Lord.' " 
 
 ' "An old clergyman once said, 'When I come to die, I shall 
 have my greatest grief and my greatest joy ; my greatest 
 grief that I have done so little for the Lord Jesus, and my 
 greatest joy that the Lord Jesus has done so much for me.' " 
 
 * " For a thrice threefold cord, look to Father, Son, and 
 Holy Ghost, as the objects of faith, hope, and love, and 
 this will enable you to live soberly, righteously, and godly. 
 Yet a little while, and we shall find ourselves in a world 
 where every thing will be to our hearts' content. I wish 
 I could think of it morning, noon, and night, and of Him 
 who became poor that I might be thus rich ; a man of 
 sorrows, that I might be thus joyful." ' 
 
 ' " Waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of 
 the body" (Kom. viii. 23). The idea is from ancient 
 customs. 
 
 ' " A private adoption. A public adoption. The Chris- 
 tian's private adoption (Gal. iv, 6). His public adoption, 
 the Eesurrection." 
 
OXE HOME AGAIX. 
 
 325 
 
 ' Cliristian friendsliip soon begins and never ends." 
 
 "'I am still able to preacli twice a Aveek, but I confess 
 weariness ; it is one of the few things in which we can 
 be apostolic." 
 
 Trne science and true religion are friends, — the God 
 of nature is the God of grace." 
 
 * " No effort m the Lord's service is ever in vain : but 
 trust in the merit of any service is always in vain ; and it 
 is remarkable that those who do most good works are the 
 last persons in the world to trust in them. ' ^Miat hast 
 thou that thou hast not received?' is a text continually 
 before their eyes." 
 
 ' " What would this world be without the sun, and what 
 would our hearts be without the Sun of Eighteousness ?" 
 
 ' " I would not live in this world without a Providence, 
 nor leave it without a Saviour/' 
 
 ' " Let us look to the antitype of the brazen serpent ; to 
 Him who uttered the words, ' It is finished.' Let us look 
 at J oseph of Arimathea's empty tomb ; let us go to the 
 mount of Olives, and behold Him ascending to the Father's 
 right hand. Oh, let us behold Him as ever living to make 
 intercession for us ; as oftering up our poor prayers and 
 praises, perfuming them with His merits, and see that we 
 are accounted righteous in the sight of God for His sake, 
 our sins forgiven, our poor sen^ices accepted. Let us pray 
 
326 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 that all unbelieving doubts and fears may be removed ; 
 regard all discouraging thoughts as coming from beneath, 
 all encouraging thoughts as coming from above. Pray 
 that you may thus overcome the evil one. Men are little 
 aware of his great and mysterious power, but thus you 
 shall not be ignorant of his devices. Look to Jesus to 
 bring you safe to eternal life, and believe that nothing- 
 shall separate you from His love ; * neither death nor life, 
 nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor any other 
 creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, 
 which is in Christ Jesus our Lord and thus you shall 
 have joy in believing." 
 
 ' The following was written in a copy of Mr. Trench's Life 
 of St. John, when presented to a friend by my father : — 
 
 To beheve with St. John, 
 To love with St. John, 
 To serve with St. John ; 
 This is eternal Hfe, 
 This is blessedness, 
 This is usefulness." 
 
 ' " If I were to fall into a river and were just drowning, 
 and some benevolent man jumped in and saved me, I 
 should praise that man for what he had done for me ; but 
 if afterwards I heard that he was a very good and a very 
 benevolent man, and did much good in the world, I should 
 praise him for what he was in himself So have we cause 
 to praise the Lord for what he has done for us, and for 
 what He is in Himself. * Let everything that hath breath 
 praise the Lord.' " 
 
ONE HOME AGAIX. 
 
 327 
 
 ' One evening my husband spoke of a reason why some 
 to whom he had alluded had taken refuge in Eomanism, 
 namely, that they could not hear the thought of re- 
 sponsibility. My father remarked, " Then they choose a 
 fellow- creature to be responsible for them rather than the 
 Almighty Saviour Himself I think," he added, "that 
 reply of Judah to his father Jacob would be true and 
 beautiful if applied to the Saviour, representing Him as 
 saying to the Father touching every soul committed to 
 His care, ' I will be surety for him ; of my hand shalt thou 
 require him : if I bring him not unto thee, and set him 
 before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever.'" 
 
 ' Mr. Trench quoted a saying of old Fid-ler's : — " He that 
 falls into sin is a man ; he that grieves at sin is a saint ; 
 he that boasts of sin is a devil." My father replied, " Only 
 one thing more. He that forgives it is God." 
 
 '"We should endeavour to remember our mercies. We 
 remember our trials, but we are too apt to forget our 
 mercies. Among the greatest is the forgiveness of sins." 
 
 'Speaking of the blessings of salvation by Christ, he 
 said, — 
 
 " K a person is a believer in Christ, what does he gain ? 
 
 " He gains the pardon of all his sins. 
 
 " What more does he gain ? 
 
 " He gains acceptance with God. 
 
 " Anything more ? 
 
 " Yes, the Holy Spirit to sanctify him. 
 
328 
 
 MEMOIR OF KEY. WILLIAM INIAESH, D.D. 
 
 " Anything more ? 
 
 " Yes, all things become blessings. The curse is turned 
 into a blessing. 
 " Anything more ? 
 
 " Yes, all the strength he needs by the way ; and then 
 an entrance into Paradise. 
 " Anything more ? 
 
 " Yes, the resurrection of the body, made like unto 
 Christ's glorious body. 
 " Anything more ? 
 
 " Yes, to sit with Christ on His Throne ; to reign with 
 Him. 
 
 " Anything more ? 
 
 " I will tell you at the end of eternity." 
 
 'In speaking on the subject of introducing rehgious 
 conversation in society, without knowing the character of 
 those present, or how it will be taken, he observed, " We 
 are sometimes too ready to fancy that it will not be well 
 received; but," he added, "it is very difficult at times, 
 specially if there is nobody to support one. "We have in 
 the Proverbs, 'A word spoken in due season, how good 
 is it.' The figure also is very remarkable, ' seasoned with 
 salt.' It must not be too much." 
 
 ' On a visit of my dear father to us at Reading, in May 
 1854, he told us, " I was baptized, confirmed, ordained 
 deacon, and appointed lecturer, all in one parish. Coming 
 here," he added, " reminds me of all the way by which the 
 Lord hath led me. A call for much humility and 
 
ONE HOME AGAIX. 
 
 329 
 
 much gratitude. ' Thou shalt consider iu thine heart, 
 and remember all the way in which the Lord thy God 
 led thee.'" 
 
 'Eeferring to the future state, beyond the millennial 
 period, he said, " The mediatorial work having accom- 
 plished all that was intended, then the Triune God be- 
 comes ' all in all.' " He considered that the inhabitants 
 of our earth in the millennium would be a race of men 
 preparing for a higher state, as Adam in Paradise, suppos- 
 ing he had lived a thousand years there in an unfallen 
 state." Then he added, " It appears to me that the millen- 
 nial world is to be distinct from the ' kings and priests.* 
 Kings have subjects, and priests have services. They are 
 to ' reign with Christ' during the thousand years ; and 
 to ' serve Him/ ' seeing His face.' 
 
 ' " If we can only say Hosanna now, we shall sing 
 Hallelujah then." 
 
 * " That is a fine expression, not only liberty, but 
 * glorious liberty of the children of God.' There are two 
 other things mentioned in that chapter (Eom. viii.), the 
 ' manifestation of the sons of God/ and the ' redemption 
 of the body.' They have not yet been manifested. ' The 
 world knoweth us not / but * when manifested,' they will 
 enjoy their glorious liberty in a redeemed body." 
 
 ' He remarked, " Though the passages are not many, I 
 think they are very decided as to the consciousness of the 
 spirit in the separate state, and quite warrant the beauti- 
 
330 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MAESH, B.D. 
 
 ful expression in onr funeral service, * Witli whom do live 
 the spirits of just men made perfect.' Tlie most clear, I 
 tliink, is ' absent from the body, present with the Lord.' " 
 
 ' Speaking of Eomans v., he said, It is a wonderful 
 chapter. The contrast between the two Adams, the one 
 bringing death, the other life. The one bringing evil, the 
 other good. The whole of blessing, preponderating over 
 the curse, will be 'much more' than we can tell." 
 
 ' " The Law is subservient to the Gospel, by convincing 
 us of our need of a Saviour, and the Gospel, when believed, 
 becomes subservient to the Law, by producing in us the 
 spirit of love." 
 
 ' " Our remedy under the consciousness of sin is to be 
 found in Christ's merits and atonement. Our comfort 
 under trials and temptations is in His sympathy; but 
 we do not want sympathy in sin — for that we have His 
 hlood that * cleanseth from all sin.' " 
 
 '"The 'full assurance of faith' is a bounden duty. I 
 have no right to doubt the Gospel. If I do not believe 
 the record, I make God a liar. The ' full assurance of 
 hope' is in our own perseverance to the end. There are 
 many persons who have the fuU assurance of faith, who 
 think they have no faith at all. They do not doubt the 
 Gospel, but they doubt their own interest in it. You 
 evangelicals," he playfully added, "make faith everything ! 
 — So we do. Believe and live ; believe and hope ; believe 
 and obey; believe and love; believe and suffer; believe 
 and serve; believe and go to heaven. I have only one 
 
ONE HOME AGAIN. 
 
 331 
 
 thing more to say. Tliere is a woDderfiil passage to 
 encourage the lowest degree of faith (Heb. xi. 6) : ' He 
 that Cometh to God' has only to believe two things, the 
 being and the bounty of God, and then he will have a 
 wonderful display of that bounty in tlie Gospel." 
 
 * " There was a serpent in the Paradise of man. There 
 will be no serpent in the Paradise of God. That alone 
 will make a vast difference." 
 
 ' Speaking of Psalm ciii., in an exposition, he said, 
 " David's harp was in beautiful tune when he wrote this, 
 and he earnestly wishes to keep it in tune, and that to 
 the best tune, the tune of praise, so he repeats it, ' Bless 
 the Lord, 0 my soul ; bless tlie Lord, and forget not all 
 His benefits.' The memory is too often far too tenacious 
 of what it ought to forget, and too easily forgets what it 
 ought to remember." 
 
 ' " As to religious reading, T am more than ever delighted 
 with the four Gospels. I like daily to read something 
 that our blessed Saviour said, or did, or suffered w^hilst on 
 earth. There are four things remarkabh' noticeable in 
 His character : Majesty and meekness, power and gentle- 
 ness. The greatest man upon earth is he who is most 
 humble. I remember an old h}^nn, speaking of searching 
 for the Saviour when He w^as upon earth, having this 
 line — 
 
 ' Mark the lowest, that is He.' " 
 
 In the spring of 1852, Mr. Chalmers was requested to 
 preach at Colchester ; and on his return to Beckenham, 
 
332 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 he brought to his father-in-law such an urgent entreaty 
 from his old flock, that, after an absence of twenty-three 
 years, he would once more come amongst them, that his 
 heart felt constrained to comply with it. It was tliere- 
 fore arranged that at the approaching anniversary of the 
 Church Missionary Society, he should preach for it in the 
 pulpit of St. Peter's, by the warm invitation of the vicar ; 
 and spend a few days amidst his old and faithful friends. 
 
 Accordingly, in the month of June, he went thither, 
 accompanied by several members of his family. On 
 arriving at the station, he found a crowd of well-remem- 
 bered faces smiling their welcomes ; whilst on some of the 
 elder ones were tears of joy. Peals rang out from belfry 
 to belfry of the distant churches, sounding softly across 
 the river. On the road from the station to the town, 
 groups of aged women were seen, waiting to catch a 
 glimpse of their beloved old pastor's face. Windows had 
 been engaged, for invalids to see him, in the street along 
 which he was to pass ; whilst a younger generation who 
 had been trained to revere him, and to know his face by 
 the portrait which hung in so many homes, blithely fol- 
 lowed the carriage. 
 
 Opposite the door of the vicarage, a large number of 
 men had assembled, who reverently raised their hats, but 
 suppressed a shout of welcome, because one who had been 
 no less dear to them, and who was by his side when he 
 left that place, was no longer an inhabitant of this world. 
 
 On Sunday morning, St. Peter's was crowded with wor- 
 shippers ; and when the musical tones of that familiar 
 voice, which had not sounded within those walls for so 
 
OXE HOME AGAIX. 
 
 333 
 
 many years, were heard at the commencement of the Com- 
 munion service, a suppressed exclamation of thankfulness 
 was audible in several parts of the church. He preached 
 Christ that day with even more than his usual tender ear- 
 nestness. In the afternoon, he addressed the children 
 and their teachers in the schoolroom ; and, in the evening, 
 again preached at St. Peter's. 
 
 The old beadle returned for the day to an office for 
 which his strength had long been unequal, and followed 
 his former vicar with watchful care, looking more than once 
 into the pulpit to see that he had him safe at last. Seve- 
 ral of the poor came long before the hour for ser^dce, in 
 order to secure places between the vestry and the pulpit, 
 that they might be able to touch his gown as he passed. 
 Every foot of ground in the church was occupied; yet 
 crowds were obliged to retire disappointed of entrance. 
 A clergyman in the neighbourhood, and two Dissenting 
 ministers in the town, had closed their respective places 
 of worship that they might give their congregations the 
 opportunity of attending at St. Peter's that evening, to 
 hear words of ' truth and soberness ' from the lips of one 
 who had so long been ' esteemed very highly in love for 
 his work's sake.' 
 
 Early in the week, my father pleaded the cause of the 
 Church Missionary Society at tlie anniversary meetings. 
 WTierever he went, his appearance was hailed with enthu- 
 siasm ; and every word which fell from his lips was trea- 
 sured by that grateful people. The old tie, never broken, 
 was renewed in fresh strength ; and year after year, from 
 that time, until his health began to fail, he went to Col- 
 
334 
 
 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MAESH, D.D. 
 
 Chester to preach and to speak for the Bible, the Jews, or 
 the Church Missionary Society. 
 
 These visits afforded him the greatest pleasure ; not 
 merely from the gratification of the personal attach- 
 ment of so many in different classes of life, but he had the 
 joy, which an apostle counted unsurpassed, of seeing that 
 his children walked in the Truth. 
 
 His excellent successor, the Eev. Samuel CaiT, ^yho, in 
 his boyhood, had been led to the Saviour by my father's 
 instrumentality, welcomed him with almost filial affection; 
 and when, after his death, a stranger filled his place, it 
 was with no stranger's heart that the Eev. Henry Caddell 
 received the aged pastor. He opened his church and his 
 home to welcome him, with loving respect, as a father in 
 Christ, delighted that his parishioners should benefit by 
 the experience of one so long and deeply taught of God. 
 
 On these occasions, he visited many of the sick, who 
 had been formerly members of his flock. Amongst others 
 the Miss Keymers, who in years of sickness and trial were 
 finding the comfort of the truths they had learnt in early 
 life from his lips. Mrs. Francis, a warm-hearted and 
 consistent Christian, between whose family and his own a 
 steadfast friendship had been kept up, principally by the 
 frequent visits and correspondence of her eldest daughter ; 
 whose gentle and retiring character, blended wdth re- 
 markable unselfishness and benevolence, had w^on his most 
 affectionate regard. Since his latest visit to Colchester, 
 that beloved mother and daughter have both fallen asleep 
 in Jesus. 
 
 On leaving Colchester, my father usually went to 
 
ONE HOME AGAIX. 
 
 335 
 
 Birch Hall, the home of liis long-loved friends, Mr. and 
 Mrs. Charles Gray Eound. It was his delight to attend 
 their annual Church Missionary meeting, held in the 
 spacious hall, where neighbours and tenants, to the num- 
 ber of three hundred, assembled to hear from him and 
 others, stories of the gospel of peace in heathen lands. 
 But he never allowed himself to pleading for a society 
 without remembering his ambassadorship, and its claims ; 
 bearing in mind to beseech those around him, in apostolic 
 language, to ' be reconciled to God.' Xor did he forget to 
 urge upon those who had found the way of peace, to ' press 
 toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God 
 in Christ Jesus.' 
 
 These visits to Birch Hall were always seasons of most 
 refreshing Christian intercourse, not only with Mr. and 
 [Mrs. Eound, in whom he delighted; but also from the 
 enjoyment he found in the society of the rector of Birch 
 (the Eev. AVilliam Harrison), between whom and himself 
 there existed a peculiar sympathy of character and view. 
 
 In the year 1853, my father visited Terling Place, in 
 Essex, the residence of his beloved and valued friend 
 Lord Eayleigh. In former years Lord Eayleigh had been 
 quartered, for a short time, in Colchester, when he had 
 but recently received the message of life and peace. Lord 
 Eayleigh not only made diligent use of his leisure in 
 attending the public ministry at St. Peter's, but also 
 availed himself of every opportunity of gainhig help and 
 strength in private intercourse and friendship wdth my 
 father. 
 
 They met again, after many years, with undiminished 
 
336 MEMOIR OF KEY. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 feelings of attachment ; and Lord Eayleigh's welcome 
 was warmly seconded by his wife, who, though until then 
 a stranger, had ever after her own place in the affections 
 of her husband's old and revered friend. Here also he 
 met, for the first time, one whose manly frankness and 
 noble simplicity of character, combined with his bright 
 and fervent piety, at once gained my father's heart ; and 
 who, on his part, looked up to the aged Christian with 
 a tender veneration, which rapidly ripened into a close 
 communion of spirit rarely seen between two friends of 
 such different ages. The young stranger was Lady Eay- 
 leigh's eldest brother, Captain Hedley Vicars, of the 97th 
 Kegiment, shortly afterwards to become well known as a 
 devoted soldier of the cross and his country. 
 
 On my father's return to Beckenham, after the first of 
 his visits to Colchester, he was deeply interested in a 
 medical man, who had come to stay in the village in a 
 hopeless consumption ; and who was in deep despondency 
 of heart, as well as sceptical in his views of revealed 
 religion. Great was the joy to my father of watching the 
 opening of the fine mind of the sufferer to ' the truth as it 
 is in Jesus ; ' whilst to Mr. Eeeve, the very sight of my 
 father's face seemed to bring thoughts of peace and joy. 
 
 In the summer of 1853, the numbers of workmen as- 
 sembling for the building of the Crystal Palace at Syden- 
 ham, and for the formation of the grounds, brought a 
 great and long-lasting interest to Beckenham Eectory. 
 My father shared in the whole, and in every detail of the 
 work, with even more than his usual animation and won- 
 derful power of sympathy. Althougli age prevented his 
 
OXE HOME AGAIX. 
 
 337 
 
 going much amongst them, yet, whenever they were 
 brought within his reach, his Idndly looks and venerable 
 appearance caused his words of counsel to be listened to 
 with respectful interest. He always addressed them after 
 their tea-parties in the grounds of the rectory ; and not a 
 man amidst those numbers would fail to kneel down 
 when he led them in prayer. 
 
 Few things delighted him more than the mingling of 
 rich and poor in these festivities. His birthday was 
 anticipated in the parish as one of the high days of the 
 year. All the old people were invited to drink tea on the 
 lawn ; and an easy spring-van went to and fro, from one 
 end of the parish to the other, in tlie service of the most 
 infirm. 
 
 On the first of these occasions, two old persons, who 
 had been bedridden for years, found the use of their limbs 
 for the day. In some cases, strenuous efforts were made 
 to prove that the required age had been reached; and 
 even elderly looks were now and then pleaded as a 
 sufi&cient qualification. But with all due allowances for 
 such cases, it was computed that the united ages of the 
 members of the first 'birthday tea-party' amounted to 
 four thousand years. 
 
 Many friends from the neighliourhood, and from Lon- 
 don, besides parishioners, were invited to see and share 
 the enjoyment of the poor and aged. 
 
 After tea was concluded, my father prayed for a bless- 
 ing upon all assembled, before speaking to them in his 
 own winning manner; and then the following hymn was 
 sung : — 
 
 Y 
 
338 
 
 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MAESH, D.D. 
 
 ' There is a land of pure delight 
 Where saints immortal reign ; 
 Infinite day excludes the night, 
 And pleasures banish pain. 
 
 There everlasting spring abides, 
 And never- withering flowers ; 
 
 Death, like a narrow sea, divides 
 That heavenly land from ours. 
 
 Sweet fields, beyond the swelling flood, 
 Stand dressed in living green ; 
 
 So to the Jews fair Canaan stood 
 While Jordan rolled between. 
 
 Bat timorous mortals start and shrink 
 
 To cross that narrow sea, 
 They shivering stand upon the brink, 
 
 And fear to launch away. 
 
 Oh, could we make our doubts remove. 
 Those gloomy doubts that rise. 
 
 And see the Canaan that we love 
 With faith's unclouded eyes : 
 
 Could we but stand where Moses stood, 
 
 And view the landscape o'er, 
 Not Jordan's stream nor death's cold flood 
 
 Should fright us from the shore.' 
 
CHAPTEE XIL 
 
 SHADOW AXD SUNSHINE. 
 
 ' They have ended life's brief story, 
 They have reach'd the Home of Glory, 
 Over death victorious ! 
 
 Are we not upon the river, 
 Sailing fast — to meet for ever 
 On more holy, happy ground ? 
 
 Friends, who there await our lauding, 
 Comrades, round the throne now standiug, 
 We salute you, and we come.' 
 
SHADOW AND SUNSHINE. 
 
 I 
 
 In the midst of the consternation and intense excitement 
 produced throughout the country, by the announcement of 
 the first European war in which England had been en- 
 gaged in the lifetime of this generation, my father took 
 the deepest interest in the British soldiers called out — 
 many of them for the first time — to fight the battles of 
 their country. 
 
 No one could feel a more intense anxiety for British 
 soldiers ordered out on active service than he did. He 
 remembered that which yoimger men could only know 
 from the calm pages of history, — the horrors of a great 
 war. His thoughts, his sympathies, his prayers, were 
 alike occupied with the subject; and he was the first to 
 propose and commence a private subscription for provid- 
 ing every soldier with a pocket Bible or Xew Testament 
 before the transports sailed. 
 
 Although unable personally to take any part in distri- 
 buting them, he felt the warmest interest in having this 
 desire carried out by a member of his family, in the first 
 days of hurried departure of several regiments, and after- 
 wards through the agents of the Soldiers' Eriend Society. 
 
342 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 He had been brought up amidst military associations from 
 his childhood ; not only was his father a gallant soldier, 
 but his grandfather had been an officer in the 1st Life 
 Guards, and many of his ancestors had been distinguished 
 for their courage in the field. These things may have 
 helped to quicken his ready sympathies on behalf of the 
 army ; but, apart from all associations, it would have been 
 enough for him that men were going forth with their lives 
 in their hands, and heroically to endure hardships and 
 sufferings. Every plan of private benevolence for the 
 relief of our brave and patient soldiers, during the terrible 
 winter spent before Sebastopol, was joyfully forwarded by 
 him, as far as lay in his power. At this time, he was the 
 mainspring of the Soldiers' Friend Society, of which he 
 was elected president, and for which he raised considerable 
 sums of money by public and private appeals. He also 
 united with the Duchess of Gordon in supplying funds for 
 sending out, as one of the Scripture-readers to the soldiers, 
 Mr. Duncan Matheson, — a man whose untiring energy 
 and devotedness of spirit made him highly qualified for 
 the work. 
 
 The tidings brought by Lord Eaglan's despatch, on 
 Good Friday, 1855, of Hedley Yicars' gallant death, at the 
 close of his first battle, and in the moment of victory, 
 pierced my father's heart with sorrow ; and, in the depths 
 of his tender sympathy with yet deeper mourners, he 
 told us that he had said, in the language of David when 
 lamenting over his son, ' Would God that I had died for 
 thee !' 
 
 He preached the following Sunday on the subject, with 
 
SHADOW AND SUNSHINE. 
 
 343 
 
 some effort at first ; but Easter Day had as ever brought 
 with it for him a vivid realization of ' that blessed hope/ 
 the earnest of which it commemorates. Already his faith 
 had grasped at the meeting on the resurrection morning ; 
 so that his sermon became almost as much a Te Deum 
 of victory as a lament over the slain. 
 
 One of his hearers was his only surviving brother. He 
 was in failing health at the time ; but his deep and sor- 
 rowful interest in the subject of the sermon led him, at 
 the risk of increased illness, to attend divine service that 
 day (as it proved to be) for the last time on earth. 
 
 He was then, and for the remainder of his life, an 
 inmate of the rectory. After the death of his wife, 
 the beloved companion of fifty-seven years, which had 
 taken place in the previous winter, Mr. Chalmers and my 
 sister had brought him away from his desolate house to 
 their happy home, where his rich and loving nature caused 
 him to make his own the joys and sorrows of those 
 around him. 
 
 He now became gxadually weaker ; and in a short time 
 was only able to rise from his bed for a few hours in the 
 evening. Yet, in the midst of illness and suffering, fre- 
 quent flashes of his gay spirits and irrepressible wit and 
 humour lent a charm to his sick-room. A sitting-room 
 on the ground floor had been thoughtfully given up for 
 his use by my sister ; and from this time, it was arranged 
 for him to sleep there, in order to save him the fatigue of 
 going up-stairs, and as it communicated with the drawing- 
 room he was able, almost every evening, to make one of 
 the family party. 
 
344 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 It was the delight of the two aged brothers to recall to- 
 gether the scenes and friends of their childhood, some 
 seventy years before ; and many a hearty laugh might be 
 heard ringing from voices which never lost the melody of 
 youth. Very lovely was it to the eyes of children and 
 grandchildren, evening after evening, to look upon the 
 living illustration of a hymn which their uncle had so 
 often sung — 
 
 ' How blest the sight, the joy how sweet, 
 When brothers joined with brothers meet, 
 In bands of mutnal love. ' 
 
 It has been mentioned in an earlier chapter, that there 
 was a difference in their religious views. Never had the 
 elder brother ceased to pray for the younger with a faith 
 which refused to be discouraged ; nor, as opportunity offered, 
 to seek to remove his doubts and difficulties; and to guide 
 him to that Saviour of whom Moses in the law, and the 
 prophets, did write, Jesus, the Son of David, — ]36rfect in 
 humanity, and ' God over all, blessed for ever.' 
 
 It remained for the last few months of the younger 
 brother's life to unfold a union with his elder brother 
 which would endure throughout eternity. 
 
 It would be difficult to say in what manner faith stole 
 into a heart so long sealed, until it took possession of his 
 whole being, and opened a hitherto veiled heaven to his 
 view. He could only tell us, that it arose through an in- 
 ward conviction that those around him had found a happi- 
 ness in the service of God, which he had never known in 
 all his years of stirring interests connected with the things 
 of this world. Long had his brother's holy life spoken to 
 
SHADOW AND SUXSHIXE. 
 
 345 
 
 liim like a message from heaven ; yet it had been but 
 ' as the lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice/ 
 touchino- his feelinos for the moment, and then the im- 
 pression vanishing away. 
 
 But now the Holy Spirit had begun to convince him of 
 sin, in a hfe which to the world seemed almost blameless, 
 and the need of a Saviour became the craving of his soul. 
 ' Old things had passed away ; all things had become new.' 
 He clearly traced this work of a Divine hand in his own 
 mind. 
 
 ' I see things in a different light now,' he said ; ' all 
 things are vanity, apart from God. What a life your 
 father has led ; how different from mine I Though I have 
 not been what the world calls a wicked man, I have lived 
 to please man, and not to please God.' 
 
 It was suggested to him by my sister, who was tenderly 
 nursing him, that he had come to Christ now, and wished 
 to please God through Him ; and that our Saviour has 
 said, ' Him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast 
 out;' and that God speaks to those who come to Him 
 through His Son, as ' accepted in the Beloved.' 
 
 ' Yes,' he replied, ' I say, God be merciful to me a sin- 
 ner !' adding, with fervent emphasis, ' for Jesus Christ's 
 
 SAKE.' 
 
 That doctrine of the Atonement through Christ's suffer- 
 ings and death was once a great stumbling-block to him ; 
 but now he was led to rejoice in it, as a drowning man 
 would in a rock on which he had suddenly found a firm 
 footing. ' I have no other hope,' he said, and then asked 
 for this verse to be repeated to him — 
 
346 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MAESH, D.D. 
 
 ' Other refuge have I none, 
 
 Hangs my helpless soul on Thee ; 
 Leave, oh leave me not alone, 
 Still support and comfort me.' 
 
 At another time lie said, ' Tell your dear father how I 
 thank God for such a brother. He seems to me never to 
 have had a fault — horn beautiful within and without ; I 
 love him better every time I see him.' Just then his 
 brother came in ; and my uncle said, ' All my trials have 
 been for the best, William ; I have been brought into a 
 different state, and to see things in a new light. I am a 
 brand plucked from the burning.' 
 
 His brother clasped him tenderly in his arms, and my 
 uncle kissed his hand asjain and ac^ain. 
 
 Frequently he alluded to the goodness of the Providence 
 which had brought him to Beckenham Eectory for his last 
 illness ; and then would sing the refrain of a favourite 
 psalm of his — 
 
 * For His mercies far extend, 
 And His bounty knows no end.' 
 
 The society of his young grand-nieces had a great charm 
 for him. He loved to look upon their faces, and to listen 
 by the hour to hymns which they repeated by his side. 
 But he enjoyed the attention and affection of every crea- 
 ture who cared for him ; and said, * The family love me, 
 the friends love me, the servants love me, even the dogs 
 and cats are all amiable and friendly here.' 
 
 Communication, whether personally or by letter, with 
 friends of his former days, was, to the last, a source of 
 
SHADOW A^'D SUXSHIXE. 
 
 347 
 
 delight to liim. His heart never grew old. Throughout 
 his illness he was cheered from time to time by the 
 thoufjhtful kindness of Mr. Walter of Bearwood, whose 
 father and mother had been amongst his dearest friends ; 
 and he said, it had been one of the pleasures provided 
 for his last illness to find the friendship which he had 
 lamented at the death of the parents renewed by the son. 
 
 The last evening save one before his death, he was heard 
 saying to himself, ' If I may but be a doorkeeper in the 
 house of my God.' My sister saw that tears were filling 
 his eyes, and said to cheer him, ' And a very pleasant 
 place it would be, dearest uncle, to stand at that open 
 door, and to say, " Come in," to every one.' 
 
 He caught the fancy with his usual brightness, and 
 conversed about the happiness of seeing the beloved ones 
 left behind coming across the river, ' through the flood, 
 on foot,' to the celestial city. And then they spoke to- 
 gether of Him who has conquered death, and brought life 
 and immortality to light. 
 
 This promise of the Saviour was quoted to him at part- 
 ing, ' I will not leave you comfortless ; I will come unto 
 you.' 
 
 His faithful ser\^ant, who spent the night in his room, 
 and nm'sed him with devoted attention, said that he heard 
 him repeating to himself afterwards, ' Comfort, comfort ! 
 That is comfort !' " / will come unto you." " Behold the 
 Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." 
 
 On the last night of his life, one who sat beside him 
 heard the failing voice saying, ' In my Father's house are 
 many mansions ; if it were not so, I would have told you. 
 
348 
 
 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a 
 place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto My- 
 self.' How delightful ! ' Come quickly. Lord Jesus !' 
 
 At half-past twelve, he asked the hour, then closed his 
 eyes with his own hand, as one might for another in the 
 hour of death. But a gentle sleep followed, from which, 
 without a sigh, his spirit passed, we doubt not, into the 
 presence of his Saviour. 
 
 My father had seen the answer to the prayers of a life- 
 time, and amidst the keenness of his natural grief, ' was 
 comforted concerning his brother.' 
 
 Mr. Chalmers' former connexion with the army, and 
 the near neighbourhood of Woolwich, brought frequent 
 and welcome visitors to Beckenham from amongst the 
 numerous Christian officers quartered there. Foremost 
 amongst these was the late revered and beloved General 
 Anderson, of whose almost parental care of the young 
 officers in ' the regiment,' together with his earnest interest 
 in the welfare of the soldiers, my father never tired of 
 hearing. And when he was able, from time to time, to 
 spend a few hours at Beckenham Kectory, their conversa- 
 tion was almost exclusively concerning the increase of 
 the Lord's kingdom on earth, and the joy of His presence 
 in their hearts. 
 
 In one of his visits. General Anderson interested my 
 father much in an account which he gave of his young 
 friend Captain Vandeleur, then in the Crimea. 
 
 In the early part of the summer of 1355, Captain 
 Vandeleur returned to England, and paid his first visit to 
 
SHADOW AND SUXSHI^'E. 
 
 349 
 
 Beckenliam Eectory. He came a personal stranger, but 
 in heart a friend ; one strong bond of mutual sympathy 
 having drawn him to us — he had known and loved 
 Hedley Yiears. A stronger tie still made the friendship 
 there begun, one which will endure for ever— the know- 
 ledge and love of our Lord and Saviour J esus Christ. 
 
 Captain Yandeleur accompanied my father and his family 
 on a visit to Terling, not long after the great sorrow of Hed- 
 ley Vicars' death ; and it was comforting to the mourners 
 to listen to one wlio had so recently delighted in personal 
 intercourse with the beloved one now taken from them, 
 and to hear another testimony to his life of holiness and 
 self-devotion. 
 
 Captain Vandeleur's frequent visits to Beckenham, from 
 this time, were a source of ever-increasing pleasure to my 
 father, as he marked the deepening work of grace in that 
 noble young soldier ; and heard his simple yet animated 
 accounts of the door of usefulness opened to himself and 
 his brother ofi&cer, Captain Orr, amongst the men and 
 boys at the arsenal, and of the Bible societies^ and Bible 
 classes which they had established amongst them. Cap- 
 tain Orr continued the boys' class after Captain Yandeleur 
 
 ^ This refers to a plan set on foot by these two young oflBcers for 
 inducing the arsenal workmen, who were in receipt of good wages, 
 to become subscribers, by small weekly instalments, for M'Phun's 
 valuable large-print Familj^ Bibles, which they further encouraged by 
 adding a small sum to each deposit. "When a certain number of men 
 had paid up their subscriptions, a tea-party was given ; at which the 
 copies were presented, and addresses delivered upon the blessing of a 
 diligent study of Holy Scripture. It was found that many were thus 
 led to search the Scriptures, and to begin the practice of reading them 
 in their families. 
 
350 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 had left the arsenal ; and many received a blessing there 
 which will be thankfully remembered in eternity. 
 
 In the spring of the following year, a young ofl&cer in 
 the Grenadier Guards asked permission to bring with him, 
 on one of his frequent visits to Beckenham Eectory, a 
 friend of his, who had gone out (in the civil service) to 
 the East at the same time with himseK, and had been 
 distinguished there for his gallantry in saving many lives 
 at tlie risk of his own. From this time it would have 
 been difficult to say which was the more welcome guest. 
 My father delighted in watching the deepening decision of 
 purpose in his two young friends to be wholly on the 
 Lord's side, and their desire to be employed in His 
 service ; whilst they delighted in listening to his lucid 
 explanations of Scripture, and to the words of wise and 
 fatherly counsel which fell from his lips ; and also in 
 seeing his vivid pleasure and hearty sympathy in their 
 young, ardent efforts in the ser\dce in which he had 
 grown grey. The one was occupying himself in giving 
 scriptural instruction to the men of his regiment ; the 
 other in hospitals, and in a Bible-reading for livery stable- 
 men and domestic servants. 
 
 Not long after these two friends had believed and 
 obeyed the words, 'Let him that heareth say. Come!' 
 another interest connected with the army arose amongst 
 the cadets at Addiscombe College. The work of the grace 
 of God amongst these youths was at first gradual. A few 
 began to desire to live in earnest as Christians ; and then 
 receiving, in its fulness, the message of eternal life by 
 faith upon the Son of God, they were enabled, ahke by 
 
SHADOW AXD SUXSHIXE. 
 
 351 
 
 their conduct and com^ersation, to recommend the faith 
 which filled their hearts with joy, and spread a holy glad- 
 ness over their young faces. 
 
 They were invited, by the hospitality and kindness of 
 Mr. Chalmers, to spend their Sundays in the happy family 
 circle at Beckenham Eectory. But as the numbers grew 
 by degrees to nearly one-third of the whole college, it 
 became necessary to divide ; parties of eight or ten coming 
 each Sunday. Beautiful was the sight of this gathering 
 of young soldiers around the patriarch's arm-chair, listen- 
 ings to his animated illustrations and sacred anecdotes, 
 singing with him his favourite hymns, and commended 
 by him in prayer to God for His help and grace during 
 the week's work and the week's warfare. 
 
 He was often as much surprised as gratified by the 
 thoughtfulness of their questions on scriptural subjects, 
 and on reli2;ious matters concerniuo- the Church and the 
 country. And the cadets were no less delighted with the 
 manner in which he brought forth for their benefit, from 
 the treasury of his memory, 'things new and old,' than 
 with the sparkling freshness which eclipsed the mere 
 youthfulness of years. 
 
 ' What is the good of being young,' said one of them, as 
 he lingered at the door for another smile and parting word 
 from him, ' when one sees a man of eighty in better spirits 
 than the j oiliest of us ?' 
 
 So quickly fled the happy hours of those evenings, that 
 when the lime anived for the cadets to leave, it always 
 took them by surprise ; but so anxious was my father that 
 military discipline should be preserved, and no encroach- 
 
352 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 ment made upon the kindness of Sir Frederick Abbott, 
 the Lieutenant-Governor of Addiscombe (who gladly for- 
 warded their intercourse with Beckenhara), that he used 
 to hold up his watch as it indicated the unwelcome hour, 
 with a gesture of playful threatening, saying, ' Now I must 
 turn you all out, or the gates will be closed/ 
 
 He was greatly interested in hearing of their meetings 
 amongst themselves for reading the Scriptures, with prayer; 
 and when they asked permission to come over to Becken - 
 ham Kectory from time to time, during the hours occa- 
 sionally given them on a week-day for recreation, for a 
 Bible-reading there, he delighted in coming in to conclude 
 it with prayer. 
 
 After his earthly race was finished, they poured in their 
 testimonies from the different provinces of India, to the 
 blessing they had derived from his counsel and friendship, 
 and beyond all, from the indelible impression left on their 
 memories by the holiness and happiness of his life, and by the 
 atmosphere of love which he seemed to diffuse around him. 
 
 The winter of the year 1856 brought dangerous and 
 protracted illness, during which his severe sufferings were 
 borne not only with patience but with perfect acquies- 
 cence in all the will of God, whilst every alleviation called 
 forth his praises. No medicine was taken or refreshment 
 received, without thanks being rendered. One of his chil- 
 dren remembers well how with trembling hand the cup 
 of cold water was held, whilst his faint voice said, ' Thanks 
 for cold and refreshing water ; and for the Water of Life 
 — praise, praise be to Thee.' 
 
SHADOW AXD SUXSHIXE. 
 
 353 
 
 His memory for the things learnt in his boyhood sur- 
 prised us. He would quote long passages from Milton, 
 Young, and Shakspeare, always contriving, by the spiri- 
 tual alchemy of his mind, to give a sacred turn of thought 
 to each quotation. When almost insensible to outward 
 objects, from extreme suffering in his head, we heard him 
 repeat Pope's lines, — 
 
 ' Xot bubbling waters to the thirsty swain, 
 Not rest to weary labourers, faint with pain, 
 Not showers to larks, not sunshine to the bee, 
 Are half so precious as thy love to me — ' 
 
 ' My SA\^OTJR ! ' 
 
 Thus, the verse learnt in youth as an expression of natural 
 affection, was consecrated in age to the Object of highest 
 adoration and love. 
 
 During one night, when it was scarcely expected that 
 he would survive till morning, his spirit seemed to be 
 almost in heaven. We heard him picturing its blessed- 
 ness and glory in glowing language ; and amongst other 
 things, which he gently murmured to himself, we caught 
 the following verse : — 
 
 ' Awhile they range the heavenly plains, 
 Or sing His love in melting strains, 
 Or, overcome with raptures sweet, 
 Fall down adoring at His feet ! ' 
 
 Wliilst his mind grasped the breadth of the promise, 
 ' At His right hand there are pleasures for evermore,' and 
 believed in their inexhaustible variety and extent, his 
 heart was satisfied only with the words, ' In His presence 
 is fulness of joy for it was the thought of the personal 
 
 z 
 
354 
 
 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 presence of his Saviour which gave the light, the bliss, the 
 glory to all his visions of heaven. 
 
 He quoted at one time, with a voice full of emotion, the 
 story of a little dying child, who had said with joy, that 
 she was going to heaven to be with the Lord Jesus, and 
 who, on being asked, ' What would you do if He were to 
 go out of heaven V replied, ' I would go out with Him.' 
 
 ' You and I could claim His own promise,' he added, ' to 
 be of that company ; for the Lord has said, " Where I am, 
 there ye may be also." There is a whole heaven in the pro- 
 mise, " I will come agam, and receive you unto Myself." 
 
 Prayer was made for him, during this illness, not only 
 in many families, and social gatherings, but also in many 
 churches, in places where he was known and loved. 
 
 Those prayers were heard. Our father was lent to us 
 for nearly eight years longer. 
 
 TO REV. W. KNOX MARSHALL, ON THE DEATH OF HIS SISTER, 
 LADY LAWRENCE. 
 
 ' Beckenham Rectoey, March 2, 1854. 
 
 ' My DEAR Marshall, — I have just heard the melan- 
 choly news. I do greatly sympathize with you. I knew 
 what it was to love an only sister. All we can say is, 
 " It is the Lord." And He says, " It is I, be not afraid." 
 No fear need be entertained for the dear departed. She 
 knew and trusted in her Saviour. He who says, " Be 
 not afraid," will also take care of survivors, and yet the 
 
SHADOW .AJN'D SUXSHIXE. 
 
 355 
 
 loss must be grievously felt. Christians are no stoics ; 
 neither are they murmurers. The good Lord bring every 
 alleviating thought to your mind, and to Sir Henry and 
 the children. 
 
 ' Yet a little while, and death shall be no more. ^lay 
 this enlivening hope relieve the gloom of the valley of 
 the shadow of death, in which we are still, while some 
 have reached its termination. 
 
 ' Love to the dear children. Dear Agnes, Kennie, and 
 I, and little Tom Thumb, are good pla}Tnates. — Ever most 
 affectionately yours, Wm. Marsh.' 
 
 ' Deae Mrs. Gordon, — . . . You and Mr. Gordon have 
 constantly prayed for your children. 
 
 * Prayer is always answered, but not always in the exact 
 time and manner we expect. Believing parents have 
 great promises. " The promise is unto you and to your 
 children." " I will be a God unto thee, and to thy seed 
 after thee." 
 
 ' But what concern have we in promises to Abraham ? 
 St. Paul answers the question (Gal. iii. 14, 26, 29). I differ 
 from that divine of the last century, who said, " It would 
 have been well for the Church if St. Paul had never 
 written his Epistles !" But I quite agree with a more 
 ancient divine, Luther, who considered the Epistle to the 
 Galatians to be a mine of immense wealth to the Church. 
 Salmasius said, " If I could have my time over again, I 
 would spend more of it in reading David's Psalms and 
 
353 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D, 
 
 Paul's Epistles." Alas ! for many of the modern German 
 divines. They think the Psalms to be only a book of 
 prayers and praises, and not of prophecy ; while the 
 second psalm opens with a plain prediction of " the suf- 
 ferings of Christ and of the glory which should follow." 
 
 ' I fear nothing will convince a certain class of minds 
 but the actual appearing of the Lord; nothing short of 
 it could convince Saul of Tarsus. 
 
 ' Pray tell Mr. Gordon that the cultivation of Palestine 
 is commencing. You see I must bring in the Jews, 
 whatever be my subject. 
 
 ' What does Mr. S. think of the intended Convocation ? 
 Are we to have another 1767 ? ]3rie3ts against bishops, and 
 bishops against priests, and the people (who are the Church) 
 against both. It appears to me to be perilous ; but all 
 will end well for the true Church, of which may all dear 
 to us be living and lively members.' 
 
 *Beckenham, Nov. 23. 
 
 ' My dear Friend, — . . . The property men have is not 
 their own, but the Lord's. They are but stewards. I am 
 quite aware that the text you quote may mean that the 
 Lord can provide silver and gold for the building of His 
 temple ; but I make a second application of the words. 
 
 ' I doubt whether we who hold and maintain the doc- 
 trine of a perfectly free justification (the justification of the 
 ungodly) through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 
 have made sufficient use of the reivardahhness of good 
 works (2 Cor. ix. 6). How wonderful that it should be a 
 part of the plan of mercy ! 
 
SHADOAV AND SUXSHIXE. 
 
 357 
 
 'Justified freely, adopted graciously, endued with the 
 Spirit, and yet rewarded according to talents improved, 
 services rendered, and sufferings endured ; indeed, " Thou, 
 Lord, art merciful for though it is the fruit of Thine 
 own grace, yet " Thou rewardest every man according to 
 his work" (Ps. Ixii. 8). 
 
 ' See how legal I become in my old age ! yet my hope 
 for salvation is only in the riches of Divine grace in Christ ; 
 not alone to blot out all sin, but also to bear the iniquity 
 even of our holy things. W. M.' 
 
 ' Beckenham, Dec. 6. 
 
 ' My dear Mr. Gordox, — I am glad you give yom^self a 
 little more rest. The priests under the law might retire 
 at fifty years of age ; and under the Gospel, " Do thyself 
 no harm" is a Christian rule. 
 
 ' As to the profitable employment of leisure, something 
 like a plan is desirable. 
 
 ' 1. A certain time for the Bible and prayer. 
 
 * 2. A certain time for religious works. 
 
 * 3. A certain time for correspondence, etc. 
 
 ' 4. A certain time for history, biography, philosophy, 
 or lighter reading, such as reviews, poetry, travels, etc. 
 
 ' The human mind is singularly assisted by variety. I 
 have been tired after reading one book for a long time. 
 But I could take another directly, and feel as fresh as ever 
 for reading. 
 
 ' I must not omit a certain time for air and exercise : 
 and the family circle must have their portion. 
 
 ' But oh how blessed will be the eternity, when (accord- 
 
358 MEMom or eev. william marsh, d.d. 
 
 ing to my text on Friday, Ps. xviL, last verse) we shall 
 be without weariness, without imperfection! The works 
 of God, and the ways of God, as displaying the perfection 
 of God, will be our delight, with redemption as the sun- 
 shine %qwn all! 
 
 TO THE REV. ROBERT KEMP. 
 
 ' Beckenham, May 22, 1854. 
 
 ' My DEAR Mr. Kemp,— . . . We live in ominous times, 
 yet may hope that Old England will continue to be em- 
 ployed in making known the glad tidings to " Jews, Turks, 
 infidels, and heretics." The prophets of 1829 are now 
 proved to be true. Members of Parliament of the Eoman 
 Catholic persuasion must obey their priests, and will allow 
 nothing to pass that appears to be opposed to their Church. 
 We must grieve for them and pray for them, and faith- 
 fully tell them, as opportunity offers, that Popery is strong 
 delusion. Great is the mercy which has instructed us by 
 the only infallible standard, the Word of God. Grace and 
 peace be multiplied to you and yours. — Ever affectionately 
 yours, Wm. Marsh.' 
 
 To the Same. 
 
 ' Beckenham, iVoy. 16, 1854. 
 ' My dear Mr. Kemp, — . . . You are immortal till your 
 work is done, and therefore have found yourself safe in 
 the midst of danger. Yet a little while, and there can be 
 " no evil occurrent." We shall be like Him, for we shall 
 see Him as He is," and that will be Heaven. How bright 
 and wonderful the prospect ! To be wise without error. 
 To be holy without sin. To be happy without alloy, and 
 
SHADOW AND SUNSHINE. 
 
 359 
 
 that for ever and ever. We shall then begin to feel some- 
 thing of our obligation, and sing aloud, " Salvation to God, 
 who sitteth upon the Throne, and to the Lamb, for ever 
 and ever." 
 
 ' We live in an age of agitation. But our path is plain. 
 To preach the truth of God, to protest against error, and 
 to endeavour by persuasion, example, and prayer, and by 
 co-operation with the great institutions of the age, to 
 bring our fellow-sinners to the all-sufficient Saviour. 
 Eemember me to Mrs. Kemp, and believe me, yours 
 affectionately, Wm. Marsh.' 
 
 TO his second daughter. 
 
 ' January 
 
 ' Time how short — eternity how long ! " I paint for 
 eternity," said a celebrated artist ; but how much more 
 truly may a preacher say, " I preach for eternity." May 
 none of your words fall to the ground ! ]\Iany happy and 
 blessed returns of your birthday. It would be an Irish 
 saying, but true, to say to you, " Very pleasant hast thou 
 been to me, my hrother Jonathan 1" 
 
 ' I give you the last four verses of the 90th Psalm. Love 
 to dearest Frederick. — Your most loving father, W. M.' 
 
 TO another daughter. 
 
 ' Terling Place, June 19, 1855. 
 ' . . . " Many of the disciples went back, and walked 
 no more with Him." " The servant is not above his lord." 
 Let not sorrow overwhelm thee, if now and then a bud is 
 nipped. There are those that will live, and bear fruit in 
 the Paradise of God. 
 
360 
 
 MEMOIE OF EEV. WILLIAM MAESH, D.D. 
 
 ' Yet it is very paioful to see that which was promising 
 come to nought. But even in these cases the disappoint- 
 ment may be only temporary. " Eeturn, 0 backshding 
 children, — I will heal your backslidings/' is one of the 
 many gracious sayings that proceed out of His mouth. 
 Those poor fellows are exposed to great temptations ; but 
 there is grace enough, and to spare, to enable them to 
 stand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. "We 
 are glad that you stay till they sail,-^ thougli we long for 
 your return. 
 
 ' A large number besides the household were assembled 
 by dear Lord and Lady Kayleigh for family worship last 
 evening. I spoke from Luke xi. 13, and told them the 
 story of " Praying Tom." 
 
 ' Dear Mrs. Vicars looks back with Christian thank- 
 fulness, bears her present loss with Christian resignation, 
 and looks forward with Christian faith. 
 
 ' I will write to Mr. Matheson. He is doing wonders, 
 by the help of God ; but his soul is vexed within him, 
 and no wonder, seeing the awful thoughtlessness of men 
 on the verge of eternity. Yet there are many blessed 
 exceptions. 
 
 ' Shall I give you this morning's exposition ? " As in 
 Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 
 We lost a human righteousness in Adam ; we gain a Diviyie 
 righteousness in Christ. We lost human power in Adam ; 
 we gain Divine power in Christ. We lost the paradise of 
 man in Adam ; we gain the Paradise of God in Christ. 
 We were driven out of Paradise in Adam ; we shall go no 
 more out in Christ." 
 
 ^ A detachment of the Army Works Corps. 
 
SHADOW AND SUXSHINE. 
 
 361 
 
 ' Give our love to Diana and little Margaret Lawford, 
 and great love to dear Uncle Hal. I am so glad that lie 
 is a little better ; and I pray he may still improve, and 
 be happy now in the tlionght of a Saviour, and of a heaven 
 to come. 
 
 ' Give om- best wishes to dear Mina Holland and her 
 husband. May they be happy in each other, and in the 
 faith and service of the Lord. 
 
 ' Take care of yourself, dear darKng child, for the sake 
 of us all, and of our soldiers, sailors, and navvies. Chris- 
 tians should pray for our army and navy, for our allies and 
 our enemies, and, above all, for the final victory of truth, 
 when men shall love war no more, nor be deceived by 
 Satan, nor led captive by sin any more. — Thy loving 
 father, Wm. Marsh. 
 
 ' The eternal love of the Father — the redeeming love 
 of the Son — the renewing love of the Spirit — subjects for 
 meditation this week, and for eternity.' 
 
 To the Same. 
 ' Short Praises. 
 
 ' I THAXK God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, for as 
 dear a child as ever father had.' 
 
 ' Short Prayers. 
 
 ' I PEAY she may be kept humble, zealous, active, useful, 
 all the days of her life.' — This for September 15. 
 
 ' The Lord grant all her petitions. Prosperity can only 
 be given to the work by devout prayers to that eternal 
 Spirit, who can enrich with all utterance and knowledge, 
 
362 
 
 MEI^IOIE OF EEV. WILLIAM MAESII, D.D. 
 
 and send out the hallo\Yed fire to purify the lips of whom 
 He pleases, and kindle faith, hope, and love in the im- 
 mortal souls addressed.' 
 
 « 
 
 TO A GRANDCHILD. 
 
 ' Beckenham, Sejyt. 20, 1856. 
 
 ' Darling Child, — . . . We have had a pleasant little 
 tour to Fredville, Chilham, and Tunbridge Wells. You have 
 had a delightful tour among the Trossachs and Western 
 Highlands. A quick perception of the beauties of nature is 
 a blessed gift. Mr. Yorke says, in a wonderful book he has 
 just published, Researches in the Works of God, that it acts 
 like Elisha's minstrel — it soothes and elevates. It trans- 
 j)lants us from a world of care to a world of grandeur, free- 
 dom, and peace. Ah ! but that alone w^ould not do ; and no 
 one more willing to acknowledge it than good Mr. Yorke. 
 For repose, as sinners, we must look to tlie Saviour ; for 
 help against over- anxiety we must look to paternal love 
 in God (John xiv. 1 ; Phil. iv. 6). Trials must come ; com- 
 forts will come. When patience has had its perfect work, 
 great is the reward of grace (James i. 3, 4 ; v. 8). There 
 is a Coming in providence and grace as well as in glory.' 
 
 TO MISS EMMA LEYCESTER. 
 
 'Beckenham, Oct. 6, 1856. 
 ' My dear Cousin, — I write by this post to Mr. Clay. 
 ' He has had very lately a convert from the Church of 
 Piome, who read his recantation in Mr. C.'s chapel. 
 
SHADOWY AND SUNSHINE. 
 
 3G3 
 
 ' I rejoice over these cases. As to the perverts from 
 our own Church to Eome, I quite agree with Dr. Hook, 
 who says, " They expose their souls to peril." I desire 
 their salvation, but there is no salvation hj the Churcli 
 of Eome, though we hope and beheve there is salvation in 
 the Church of Eome for those w^io have had no better 
 teaching, and after all trust in their Saviour alone. Ho^^^ 
 thankful we should be who are taught better, and how 
 zealous that others should love the truth. 
 
 mat is truth ? 
 
 ' We answer, — God and His glorious attributes ; Christ 
 and His great salvation ; the Holy Spirit and His heavenly 
 grace ; the Bible in its revelations — the principles, the pri- 
 vileges, and the duties of a Cliristian ; and the ample and 
 glorious realities of a future state. 
 
 ' I send you and your friends my usual wish : May you 
 be happy in a Saviour's love, and useful in a Saviour's 
 service.— Your ever affectionate Wm. Marsh.' 
 
 TO HIS eldest grandchild. 
 
 ' Beckenham, Feb. 12, 1857. 
 
 ' Darling Louie, — Our precious " Marny" left us on 
 [Monday. I sighed deeply when she was gone. !N"o man 
 wdll allow that he cried ! And yet I was exceedingly glad, 
 for her sake, as it would be a time of at least comparative 
 rest. Neither the army, nor the navy, nor the working- 
 men's corps, could call upon her at Cannes ! I rejoiced 
 also in the anticipation of your and darling Lucy's joy in 
 seeing her dear face again. I am sure, likewise, it wiU be 
 a happy time for all with the good Duchesses of Gordon 
 
364 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 and Manchester. If I could put myself upon the wives 
 of the electric telegraph, I do think I should look in also. 
 
 ' And now, dearest child, I am reminded that to-morrow 
 is your birthday. Many happy and useful years to you. 
 It is true that this is a world of sin and sorrow. But it 
 is as true that we have an Almighty and ever present 
 Friend, that we may enjoy His love in our many comforts, 
 and know that He can sympathize with us in any trial. 
 It is also the only world in which we can have the honour 
 of serving Him, in the midst of difficulties ; and the privi- 
 lege of telling others what a Saviour we have found. 
 
 ' Oh, to have been brought to some knowledge of Him, 
 and to have any opportunity of serving Him, is worth 
 being born into this world. 
 
 ' We hope to see our Eobert to-morrow. He is count- 
 ing the days till the Cannes party returns. — Darling 
 Louie's loving Grandfather.' 
 
 TO HIS SECOND DAUGHTER. 
 * IsLip Rectory, near Oxford, June 12, 1857. 
 ' My first look up to heaven this morning was in 
 thanksgiving, before prayer, for the marvellous blessings 
 I have had in my children. I may be allowed to feel 
 anxiously for their health, yet I know that infinite wisdom 
 and love consult our eternal interests, even in what is 
 contrary to our present feelings and wishes. But pray 
 I may, and must, for their ease and health, as well as 
 Christian peace and usefulness. The latter God has 
 graciously given in no small degree. Yesterday I walked 
 with dearest Mary to see the village. I am much pleased, 
 
SHADOW AXD SUXSHIXE. 
 
 365 
 
 for I expected only a flat witli stone walls, but tliere are 
 some very pretty points and even rising grounds. I asked 
 (you know my satirical spirit), whether a hill in the 
 distance was not as Lebanon to the " goodly land/' and 
 whether the snow was upon it all the year round ? 
 
 ' I do not know any house where yon could have been 
 happier than at Birch Hall. Certainly, love to its owners 
 would be an easy test of love to the brethren. 
 
 ' My love to all. I have a sweet line from Frederick. 
 — Ever vour most lovino- and deli(?hted father, 
 
 * Wm. Maesh.' 
 
• 
 
CHAPTEE XIII. 
 
 MORE SOULS TO WIN. 
 
 ' I ask no heaven till earth be Thine, 
 Xor glory- crown, while work of mine 
 Remaineth here. When earth shall shine 
 Amongst the stars . . . 
 Her sins wiped out, her captives free, 
 For crown — new work give Thou to me. 
 Lord, here am I.' 
 
* 
 
MORE SOULS TO WIN. 
 
 No sooner had my father recovered a measure of health 
 after the illness mentioned in the last chapter, than he 
 was anxious again to be employed in his jMaster's work. 
 As he was still forbidden by his medical attendants to 
 leave the house, he established a Saturday evening meet- 
 ing at the rectory, with the hearty concurrence of the 
 rector, for exposition of the Scripture and prayer, which 
 the villagers were invited to attend. 
 
 After the opening of a railway station at Beckenham, 
 several villas were built in the neighbourhood of the 
 rectory ; and some of the new parishioners thankfully 
 availed themselves of the invitation to join the little 
 band of those who had found the advantage of such a 
 preparation for the day of rest. 
 
 The station-master, the sergeant of police, the school- 
 master and his ' staff,' and others in the parish who 
 deeply valued his ripened ministry, were scarcely ever 
 absent from their accustomed places on these occasions ; 
 and, besides the parishioners, old friends of my father's, 
 and others from a distance, frequently came to hear his 
 
 2 A 
 
370 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 words, and to unite in prayer. Nor on that day of the 
 week alone was ' open house' kept at the rectory. Friends 
 before unknown, but ever after to be pleasantly remem - 
 bered, came from America, France, Eussia, Germany, and 
 other countries, always meeting with a hospitable reception 
 from the rector and his wife ; and each carried away some 
 instructive thought or wise counsel from the lips of the 
 aged saint, sometimes written on the fly-leaf of some little 
 book, often one of his own writing, which he kept by him 
 in large supplies for such gifts. On more than one occasion 
 the venerable Bishop of Ohio took part in these meet- 
 ings, — speaking and praying with the fervour of a piety 
 which had been devoted from early youth, but was glow- 
 ing afresh with the warmth of that great work of God in 
 America in the year 1857. Deeply were his hearers 
 interested in his accounts of that time of blessing. ' Half 
 a million,' he said, ' might probably be under the mark,' in 
 speaking of the number of those who had been brought 
 from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto 
 God, in the course of a few months. He bore a delightful, 
 testimony, from his personal knowledge, as to the stead- 
 fastness of the religious character of many of these con- 
 verts ; and also of numbers of whom he had heard the 
 same good report from the clergy of his diocese, and other 
 reliable sources. 
 
 Bishop M'llvaine's visits to his old friend were delight- 
 ful to the whole family circle, whilst the charm of his 
 conversation, his perfect sympathy on doctrinal points, 
 and above all the spirituality of his mind, made his society 
 peculiarly attractive to my father. 
 
MORE SOULS TO WIX. 
 
 371 
 
 Each united with a strong attachment to the Articles 
 and Liturgy of our Church, a large -heartedness and ab- 
 sence of all bigotry and formality, which caused them to 
 rejoice in the spread of the kingdom of Christ in any part 
 of the world, and by any instrumentality. 
 
 On the last of these visits the Bishop gave an address 
 in the barn at Beckenham, set apart for Scripture readings, 
 with a simplicity and power which refreshed the hearts of 
 his hearers. 
 
 Amongst several other visitors, from both the Northern 
 and Southern States of America, was Colonel Henderson 
 Smith, the head of the Military College of Lexington, Vir- 
 ginia. ^A'hilst staying at the rector}- he visited Addis- 
 combe, and joined the cadets in their Bible -reading with 
 lively interest and sympathy, having himself been engaged 
 in fostering a similar awakening into spiritual life in his 
 own college, where more than a hundred youths gave 
 evidence of conversion. 
 
 The near neio-hbourhood of Beckenham to Addino^ton 
 Park, brought my father into frequent contact with his 
 old and valued friend the late Archbishop Sumner. 
 Between these aged servants of God there was an in- 
 describable sympathy ; their guilelessness of heart, their 
 cheerful piety, and unfailing charity, causing them each 
 to delight in the other's society. 
 
 Well remembered still in Beckenham, is the beautiful 
 sight of these two venerable men, standing side by side 
 within the chancel-rails of the old church, at the marriage 
 of my father's eldest grandchild, on the 29th of July 1857. 
 
372 
 
 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MAESH, D.D, 
 
 Wlien the service was ended, and the guests returned 
 to the rectory, they found the school-children and many 
 of the villagers assembled on the lawn, ready to show 
 their sympathy in the happy occasion, and to welcome the 
 young bride and bridegroom by singing a hymn of praise 
 to the gracious Father, ' who giveth us richly all things to 
 enjoy/ Many were the bright faces seen on that wedding- 
 day ; but none were more bright than those of the revered 
 archbishop and the beloved grandfather ; who, with hearts 
 which never outlived their first freshness, rejoiced with 
 them that did rejoice. 
 
 Later in the day, my father gave a short address to all 
 present; and commended in prayer to God those who 
 were just setting out together on the journey of life. 
 
 The months of August and September of the same year 
 were spent at Malvern. In the midst of the enjoyment of 
 that golden summer, so rich in foliage, fruits and flowers, 
 like a black thunder- cloud came the terrible tidings of the 
 Indian Mutiny. Deeply and painfully did my father 
 share in the general distress occasioned by those dreadful 
 despatches, which filled Ihe press of the day with horrors 
 — and hearts and homes with misery. 
 
 In common with so many others, my father had ties 
 both of friendship and of relationship in India; and amongst 
 the former, the great and good Sir Henry Lawrence stood 
 foremost. Personally they were strangers, but Sir Henry's 
 marriage with the sister of the Rev. William Knox Mar- 
 shall had brought them into occasional connexion by 
 correspondence, and more frequent letters to a member of 
 his family, on the state of religion and general affairs in 
 
MORE SOULS TO 
 
 373 
 
 India, liad so deeply interested liim in Sir Henry's mind 
 and character, that when a telegTam brought the fatal 
 news of the death, at Lucknow, of that gallant chief, my 
 father mourned for him as for a dear and personal friend, 
 as well as for the blow to British India, in the loss of one 
 of her noblest and most gifted sons. 
 
 The subject of the state of India entered frequently at 
 this crisis into his sermons and addresses ; as it was his 
 habit to interweave present and public interests with his 
 teaching. And gladly, both at Malvern, and at Becken- 
 ham on his return there, he promoted and joined in 
 prayer-meetings on behalf of the English in India. 
 
 In tlie autumn of the same 3'ear, large numbers of rail- 
 way men were assembled, in and near Beckenham, to 
 construct the lines there. My father was not a little in- 
 terested in hearing of their eager s}'TQpathy with the 
 details of the war. He marked several passages to be 
 read to them from the newspapers, narrating anecdotes of 
 chivabous courage and generosity, not alone of our officers 
 and soldiers in the East, but also amongst civilians, 
 missionaries, women, children, and the native Christians. 
 
 Xo story of brave readiness for self-sacrifice charmed 
 him more than that of a clergyman, the son and gTandson 
 of two dear old friends of his own; who, after winning 
 the highest honours at Oxford, had volunteered to go to 
 India as a missionary in connexion with the Church ]\Iis- 
 sionaiy Society, and who had, after a time, undertaken 
 the presidency of then- college at Agra, for training native 
 missionaries. When the fort of that city was closed, in 
 immediate expectation of a siege by the mutineers, five 
 
374 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 hundred native Christians, many of whom were members 
 of his own congregation, came beneath its walls, entreating 
 to be permitted to take refuge there. 
 
 The governor feared that the supply of provisions would 
 prove totally inadequate to meet the wants of the num- 
 bers already within the walls ; and thought it was his 
 duty to refuse admission. 
 
 ' Then,' said the faithful pastor, ' I will go out and 
 perish with them. They shall not be left as sheep with- 
 out a shepherd, in their hour of peril.' 
 
 But before he could fulfil the word, the eloquence of 
 the intended self-sacrifice had prevailed, and the governor 
 ordered the gates to be thrown open, saying, ' Mr. French 
 has saved the native Christians.' 
 
 It had been arranged by the Society for promoting 
 Christianity amongst the Jews that there should be a 
 jubilee celebration of its fiftieth year in 1858, and an 
 earnest request had been forwarded to my father — the last 
 survivor of the founders of the association — that he would 
 preach at the church of the Society's Home Mission Sta- 
 tion, Palestine Place, Bethnal Green, on the occasion. 
 
 Although he was suffering from an attack of inflamma- 
 tion in the eyes, he joyfully consented to render his ser - 
 vices on a day which called forth some of the warmest 
 thanksgivings of his heart ; for, in his devotion to the 
 welfare of the Jewish nation, he might almost have said, 
 with the royal Psalmist, ' If I do not remember thee, let 
 my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth ; if I prefer 
 not Jerusalem above my chief joy.' 
 
MORE SOULS TO WIN. 
 
 375 
 
 The day appointed for the jubilee service proved to be 
 bitterly cold, and we all felt anxious about the risk he 
 was incurring for his eyes, in their suffering condition. 
 But he never knew fear when in the path of duty ; and 
 about this duty, for him, there was all the glow of pleasure. 
 
 His text was taken from Eomans xi. 33, ' 0 the depth 
 of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! 
 How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past 
 finding out !' After a brief but powerful summary of 
 God's dealings wuth His ancient people, and of the pro- 
 phecies of their future glory at the return of the Lord, he 
 besought his hearers to devote themselves to 'Jesus of 
 Nazareth, the King of the Jews describing the character 
 of our Lord, in His human nature, as a man might speak 
 of the friend he most intimately knows and most devotedly 
 loves, combined with the reverence of the creature for the 
 Creator, and the gratitude of the sinner towards his 
 Saviour. 
 
 As no serious increase of suffering resulted from this 
 effort, he began to cherish the hope of being present once 
 more at the May meetings in Exeter Hall. His long illness 
 in the winter of 1856-57 had left him too much weakened 
 to be able to attempt the exertion in the succeeding season. 
 But now his spirits rose with a fresh spring, when he 
 received the pressing invitations of the Church Missionary 
 and Jews' Societies again to plead their cause. And 
 cheering was the greeting which echoed throughout the 
 Hall to welcome him, as once again he joined that vast 
 assembly. 
 
 Never had he looked moi'e radiant, or commanded the 
 
376 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM IHARSH, D.D. 
 
 attention and the feelings of the audience with greater 
 power. But it was for the last time that his presence was 
 to shed its mellowed light upon that platform. Standing 
 on the brink of his eighty- third year, the last of the 
 fathers left from that band of evangelical clergy — born of 
 the Eevival of the last century — who had nurtured, and 
 worked, and preached, and pleaded for these Societies, 
 had now taken his farewell of them, leaving them as a 
 sacred legacy to the next generation. 
 
 In the course of the same spring, my father had the 
 pleasure of welcoming a friend whom he had scarcely seen 
 since the days when he and his brother, Mr. Lambart of 
 Beau Pare, had been received in their early youth, almost 
 as sons, into his family circle at Edgbaston. The Kev. 
 Charles Lambart came to bring his only boy for my 
 fathers blessing, before sending him on a voyage round 
 the world ; and, at the same time, to tell his aged friend 
 how deep was his own debt of gratitude for the spiritual 
 benefit he had received from him in his youth. 
 
 A young friend, who spent some time at Beckenham 
 Kectory in this year, wrote of him as follows : — 
 
 ' ... I AM writing to pay a last grateful tribute to the 
 memory of Dr. Marsh. I do not know whether you will 
 remember the first visit I paid at Beckenham. I was about 
 seventeen ; and when the happy time had come to an end, 
 you said I might go up stairs into dear Dr. Marsh's sitting- 
 room, to say good-bye to him. I explained that I was 
 just going, and had come to take leave. " I am sorry you 
 are going, my dear," was the reply of one who never spoke 
 
MOEE SOULS TO WIX. 
 
 377 
 
 but in kindness, " bnt you know there must be partings 
 here. I have a little book for you" — (giving me the 
 ^Memorials of Archdeacon Brown's Son). " And now, never 
 forget three words, — a Soul, a Saviour, and a Heaven." 
 
 ' I shall always remember the impression of those words, 
 with the beaming look of love yearning over a human 
 soul. I felt as if God had told him to say it to me. I 
 left Dr. Marsh to go and pray to the Saviour for the first 
 time, that I might spend my life in His service. And 
 now, may I be one of the hundreds who through a bright 
 eternity will thank God they ever knew Dr. Marsh ! That 
 smile has often shone upon me as sunshine since. I can- 
 not recal it without tears ; and it will still be the same until 
 I see him where all is sunshine. I have often tried to 
 summon courage to tell him the blessing he had been to 
 me, but shyness prevented me. Now it is a tribute 
 which I owe to his sacred and lovely memory ; and may 
 many of his beautiful thoughts, repeated to others, by 
 God's mercy, lead them to the feet of Christ. I shall 
 never see any one else like him for his delicacy of kind- 
 ness and goodness. I have watched him when any one 
 happened to be sitting apart, perhaps, as it may have 
 seemed, unnoticed, contrive to say a pleasant word, and 
 bring him at once within the circle, without ever letting 
 him feel that he did it for his sake. Time can never 
 give again the joys he shed about him, and eternity only 
 will show how broadcast were the blessings he scattered/ 
 
 This summer brought a new gladness to my father's 
 heart, in the birth of his first great-grandson, and he 
 
378 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 expressed liis wish tliat his own birthday should be kept 
 on the day of the babe's christening. 
 
 Accordingly, the usual festivity was postponed until the 
 young mother and her infant son were able to come to 
 Beckenham. But in order that he might have some part 
 of his usual enjoyment on his birthday, the school- 
 children were invited to see him at the rectory; and, 
 after hearing from him a few words of loving counsel, to 
 receive plum-buns from his own hand. And not a little 
 did. they enjoy hearing from my sister a story of her 
 having found her father feeding some swans on a piece 
 of water in Leamington, on the afternoon of a snowy New 
 Year's Day. He was returning from the town, wearied 
 with his day's work, when the hungry birds swam towards 
 him, and his benevolent heart could not resist the mute 
 appeal. So, tired as he was, he had turned back again 
 into the town, that he might get a bag of buns for them. 
 
 'Not children only, but many a grown-up guest, will 
 recall the regularity of his application for crumbs and 
 broken bread all round the breakfast- table, morning by 
 morning, that he might feed the birds, who soon began to 
 know him as their friend, and took no alarm at sight of 
 his face at the window. When he left home at any time, 
 this office was always given into the hands of some one 
 whom he could trust not to forget to care for his little 
 feathered flock. 
 
 ' When the day came for the baptism of little Ealph 
 William Anstruther, the great-grandsire's heart over- 
 flowed with prayer and praise. As Captain Anstruther's 
 family had always belonged to the Church of Scotland, 
 
MORE SOULS TO WIN. 
 
 379 
 
 the child was baptized according to the form of that 
 Church, by Dr. Cnmming, in the drawing-room of Becken- 
 ham Eectory. After Dr. Gumming had given an earnest 
 and beautiful address to the parents upon their new 
 duties, my father took in his arms the infant already so 
 dear to him for his mother's sake, and afterwards to be 
 for his own, and adding a few tender and solemn words, 
 concluded with prayer/ 
 
 Then followed the usual birthday gathering of the aged 
 poor, whom he addressed on the subject of four great gifts 
 of God to man : — His Son ; His Spirit ; His Scriptures ; 
 His Sabbath. 
 
 There were three appointed seasons of joyful family 
 gatherings at Beckenham Eectory— Christmas, Easter, and 
 the 20th of July. But every reasonable excuse, such as a 
 weddinfj or a christening;, which could be made an occasion 
 for adding to the number of these happy reunions in this 
 patriarchal home, was eagerly responded to by children 
 and grandchildren. ISTone more delighted in these cheer- 
 ful seasons than my father; and at other times not the 
 least of his pleasures was to see around him orphan or 
 motherless boys, or children whose parents were in India, 
 brought to the rectory by his son-in-law and daughter, to 
 spend, amidst the cheerfulness of that happy home, the 
 holiday time which would otherwise have been passed at 
 school. Every school-boy sought his presence as the pro- 
 per place for enjoyment, reposing his confidences in him 
 
 ^ Several years afterwards Dr. Cumming wrote, ' Well do I remember 
 the noble and loving Simeon who blessed the child that day.' 
 
380 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 concerning new riddles, small purchases (generally the 
 outlay of a gift from him), and plans for boyish pleasure, 
 as naturally as, in fitting seasons, he listened to the tender 
 counsels and pithy sayings, full of common-sense and 
 heavenly wisdom, which fell from the lips of the aged 
 saint. 
 
 Amongst the guests at Beckenham Eectory, in the 
 summer of 1858, was one whose frequent visits during 
 the past nineteen years had been almost as welcome to my 
 father as were those of his own absent children. Henry 
 S — was the son of a valued friend, who had lived for 
 the glory of his Divine Master, and died rejoicing in the 
 assurance of His everlasting love ; and he had been 
 beloved for his father's sake, as well as for his own. He 
 was a man of rare quality of mind, whose ready wit was 
 ever softened by a tender consideration for the feelings 
 of others, and whose high poetic gift was balanced by 
 sound judgment and remarkable common sense. The ideal 
 of a true and genuine Englishman, the very sight of his 
 face, and the ring of his laugh, spread an irresistible cheer- 
 fulness throughout the house, whilst the shyest child, won 
 by his bright smile, sought shelter in his strong arms. 
 But one thing was wanting to give stability to his cha- 
 racter and force to his purpose, — the union of his soul to 
 his Saviour through the power of living faith. For years 
 he had been pleaded for in prayer, yet prayer seemed still 
 unanswered ; but now the time was come to prove that 
 it had not been unheard. 
 
 During the week he spent at the rectory he had many 
 
MORE SOULS TO WIX. 
 
 381 
 
 conversations witli my father on scriptural subjects, and 
 there was a softened tone about his manner of speaking 
 of these things ; and, as the days went on, it was evident 
 to those who anxiously obsen^ed him, that the impression, 
 which seemed deepening hour by hour, was no mere 
 passing matter of impulse. On Sunday evening it had 
 been arranged that the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper 
 should be administered at the rectory to an invalid guest, 
 the young widow of my father's beloved friend the late 
 Duke of Manchester, who had expressed her wish to par- 
 take of that blessed feast. Several members of the family 
 wished to join in the communion, and those who knew 
 Henry S — felt that it would be a testing time with 
 him, and that if he felt assured of the sincerity and truth 
 of his present desire for a change of heart and intent to 
 lead a new life, he would decide to join the little band 
 about to commemorate their Saviour's dying love, and 
 thus make an open profession of his faith in that Saviour. 
 Throughout the day my father had been earnest in prayer 
 for the son of his old friend, and when all were assembled, 
 and the service was about to commence, I saw a look of 
 heavenly joy in his face as his glance fell on Henry S — , 
 kneeling amongst the number, his head bowed in earnest 
 prayer. 
 
 That night was the turning point of our friend's history. 
 The voice of God had spoken to his heart, and he pre- 
 sented himself as a living sacrifice to the Saviour who had 
 loved him and given Himself for him. By the power of 
 the Holy Ghost working in him, he escaped from the 
 bands of sin, and through depths of penitence for talents 
 
382 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM xMARSH, D.D. 
 
 wasted and time misspent, he rose up at length to walk in 
 the light of his Saviour's countenance. 
 
 In the following month of October he became seriously 
 ill ; and during a temporary improvement he thus wrote : — 
 
 * I am afraid, even if it please God I should be cured, I 
 shall never be strong again : but knowing my own miser- 
 able instability, I cannot pray to be led into the temp- 
 tation of health and strength any more. ]\Iy strongest 
 wish as to earth is that I may be spared a little longer to 
 tend the declining years of my mother, and in a very 
 subordinate way do some work for God. I have done 
 plenty for the devil. 
 
 ' Continue to pray for me, that my sins, which are 
 many, may be forgiven, and that I may therefore love 
 much. If I am sincere now, as I sometimes hope, I could 
 not stand a moment without the Spirit's continual help, 
 
 * I often think (with an earnest desire to follow in the 
 same path, however far behind) of the simple, self-forget- 
 ting, yet fearless, way in which Hedley Vicars always 
 went about with the name of Jesus on his lips, and His 
 love in his heart ; so that all who met w^ith him " took 
 knowledge of him that he had been with Jesus." 
 
 ' The zeal and activity of dear Blackwood, too, so early 
 in his Christian course, reprove the backwardness one 
 feels when a word might be said in season. 
 
 * Your father, my father, and Joseph John Gurney, 
 w^ere remarkable for somehow always, whatever the con- 
 versation was, gradually drawing it towards their ruling 
 subject. 
 
3irOEE SOULS TO WIN. 
 
 383 
 
 ' I hope, if I live to see you again, we shall be able to 
 commune freely about the way of peace, and of Him who 
 " is our peace." I never could before. Xow, from down 
 in the depths, I look up to Him who bore our sins in His 
 own body on the tree, and I dare not dovM His power nor 
 His will to pardon even me. 
 
 ' Write to me as often as you can. Your letters are a 
 great help and comfort. And dear Marianne Acklom 
 writes me sisterly letters of Christian counsel, which I 
 value highly. 
 
 ' I must ever thank God for that last visit to Becken- 
 ham. ... It is a beloved home ; and your dear honoured 
 father's presence sheds a halo around it.' 
 
 Within three short weeks after that letter was written, 
 on the 26th of Xovember, Henry S — died. 
 
 The following lines were found in a desk by his side, 
 and were evidently written only a few days before his 
 death : — 
 
 ' A still small voice said unto me, 
 " Thou art so full of misery, 
 Wnt thou not now to Jesus flee?" 
 
 I am ashamed, my heart replied, 
 To flee to Him I have denied, 
 Yea, have betray'd and crucified. 
 
 " Yet," urged the voice, " thou art undone, 
 And other refuge there is none 
 But in the blood of God's dear Son. 
 
 Thy soul in its pollution lies, 
 Hideous and loathsome to the eyes ; 
 There is but One that purifies. 
 
384 
 
 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 In sadder plight thou could'st not be ; 
 Thy Maker's face thou may'st not see, — 
 Thou hast no robe to cover thee." 
 
 Then did my troubled spirit groan, — 
 All that thou say'st T long have known ; 
 My vileness and my need I own. 
 
 I know that in Love's sea I might 
 Cast my pollutions out of sight, 
 . Nor stain those waters pure and bright ; 
 
 T know the Spirit's quickening breath 
 Could raise my soul from sin and death ; 
 But one dark shadow hindereth. 
 
 How can I hope to be sincere, 
 Should I, in trouble and in fear, 
 To the Redeemer's cross draw near? 
 
 Bemembering the day of woe. 
 When to that Fount I seem'd to go. 
 Whose healing waters overflow. 
 
 Pardon and peace I seem'd to implore, 
 But soon, that sheltering sickness o'er. 
 Sin was triumphant as before. 
 
 Should mercy now the stroke remove, 
 Will not a heart so faithless prove 
 A double traitor to His love ? 
 
 Once more that still small voice did say, — 
 " If thou from Grace didst fall away, 
 Haply thou didst not watch and pray : 
 
 But thy forgetfulness and pride 
 
 On something else than Grace relied, — 
 
 Leaned on some reed that pierced thy side. 
 
 Or, if thou never cam'st before. 
 
 All doors are closed but Mercy's door, 
 
 Thou shouldst come now, and sin no more." 
 
 [Then) "Just as I am, without one plea. 
 
 But that Thy blood was shed for me, 
 And that Thou bidst me come to Thee — 
 0 Lamb of God, I come," ' 
 
MORE SOULS TO WIN. 
 
 385 
 
 ' The following letters were written by my father in the 
 course of the same year : — 
 
 TO CAPTAIX ANSTRUTHER, GRENADIER GUARDS. 
 
 'Becke^tham, 1858. 
 
 ' My dearest Egbert, — Your handwiting is very plea- 
 sant to ns, as well as darling Louie's. We rejoice that 
 you have had such a pleasant time in the north, but we 
 long to see you again in the south. 
 
 ' Thank God, wherever you are, you have entered upon 
 the narrow path, which not only leads to life, but honours 
 the Eedeemer by the way. If at any time any sacrifice 
 be made in that path, there will be a proportionate, and 
 more than proportionate reward. But, in the present day, 
 few are called, as our forefathers were, to a conformity to 
 their Lord in His sufferings. Yet I can remember, in my 
 time, when a determined profession of religion, and conse- 
 quent departure from former modes of life, gave great 
 offence. My poor dear father (though one of the kindest 
 of men) said at first of me, " I will cut him off with a 
 shilling but he lived to say, out of the generosity of his 
 heart, " He is the saviour of the family." !N"either saying 
 was right, but it shows what a change can take place in 
 favour of the conscience of another. I did, thank God, 
 live to see my dear mother and sister very decidedly on 
 the Lord's side. You are privileged in having parents 
 who know and love the truth. May you ever " walk in 
 the truth;" and may you be happy in a Saviour's love, 
 and useful in a Saviour's service ! 
 
 ' I can conceive no greater honour, and no greater hap- 
 
 2 B 
 
386 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 piness on earth, especially when those we love think the 
 same. 
 
 ' Mrs. Marsh begs me to give her love to you and 
 Louie, and kind regards to Sir Ealph and Lady Anstruther, 
 in which I heartily join. 
 
 ' Bless you both, my darlings, Wm. Marsh.' 
 
 ' Beckenham, Kent, S.E., July 14, 1858. 
 
 * My dear Eobert, — What a treat you have sent me in 
 the letter of M. A. S. 
 
 ' I call that " ancient Christianity we want more of it 
 in modern times. It is ivliole-liearted. May you and 
 darling Louie ever with purpose of heart cleave to the 
 Lord. 
 
 * I shall be pleased to have my name linked with the 
 name of Ealph. 
 
 ' I shall like much to be present with Dr. Gumming. 
 You know my views of different churches. Every man 
 has a right to a spirit of preference. N"o man has a right 
 to a spirit of exclusion. Leave that to unhappy Eome. 
 
 ' The accounts you send are very cheering. " Giving 
 thanks always for all things" is our rule ; a good man, 
 Dr. Eing, used to say, " thanksliving is the best thanks- 
 giving." But we must add, both are best ! He also one 
 day recommended a specific against murmuring. " I will 
 bless the Lord at all times : His praise shall continually 
 be in my mouth." 
 
 ' Tell my darling " Marny" to rest as much as she can, 
 that her strength may be renewed for future work. 
 
 ' My best love to darling Louie, and my respectful 
 
MOEE SOULS TO WIN. 
 
 387 
 
 compliments to "The Stranger!" — Your most affectionate 
 " Grandsire," Wm. Ma.rsh.' 
 
 * P.S. — You have answered my riddle in the five letters 
 of a certain little lady's name quite correctly. Xow I will 
 send you my answer in verse : — 
 
 A Christian wife is cheering as the sun, 
 
 Her smiles all innocence, all guilelessuess her fun ; 
 
 Her speech like honey ; shining as the light 
 
 Her life, warm as the day, and pure as moonbeams bright ; 
 
 Soars like the lark, her soul ; her form as slight, 
 
 And step as soft, as fairy's hid from sight ; 
 
 Wise as the serpent, harmless as the dove, 
 
 Because she loves her God, and lives in holy love.' 
 
 TO HIS YOUNGEST DAUGHTER. 
 
 ' IsLTP Rectory, near Oxford, 
 Aug. 13, 1858. 
 
 ' I HOPE you have received a line I enclosed to dearest 
 Matilda, informing you of our prosperous journey, and of 
 my blowing the trumpet on Sunday afternoon. The blast 
 was on Eev. xxii. 12. 
 
 ' To-day my memory is repeating a verse or two of a 
 hymn I learned sixty years ago. 
 
 " In this world of sin and sorrow. 
 
 Compassed round with many a care, 
 From Eternity we borrow 
 
 Hope, which will exclude despair. 
 
 Thee, triumphant God and Saviour, 
 
 Darkly through a glass we see ; 
 Oh I assist each faint endeavour ; 
 
 Raise our earth-bora souls to Tbee." 
 
388 
 
 MEMOIR OF- EEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 ' Xothing will go quite right, on a general scale, till the 
 Kjing returns ; till He takes to Himself His great power, 
 and reigns. Nevertheless, we may yet expect great 
 things. Tlie wonderful awakening in America shows us 
 this. And " open thy mouth wide" encourages this. 
 You know it by happy experience. " Cast not away your 
 confidence, which hath great recompense of reward." 
 
 ' ]\Irs. ;Marsh sends her love to you. What a delightful 
 letter from Lady Maria Forester. How gi'eatly God has 
 blessed some of the members of that family ! Dear Lord 
 Eoden will not come under the " Woe unto you when all 
 men speak well of you." Yet those who attacked him 
 must have felt in their consciences that he was right, and 
 now they allow his light to be a true light. The disciple 
 of Christ may well wait patiently.' 
 
 ' Love from all here, to all at Chilham. — Ever 3-our 
 most loving father, Wm. Marsh.' 
 
 To the Same. 
 
 * 35 Marina, St. Leo>*ards-on-the-Sea, 
 Septemher 17, 1858. 
 
 ' As idle man has no time to write a Utter. I am an 
 idle man here, but I will sign my name to this bit of 
 paper, and just say we have received your delightful letter. 
 " Attempt great things ; expect great things." 
 
 ' I do not much wonder at that Christian lady meet- 
 ing with opposition ; for Satan is not yet bound. But it 
 was certainly extraordinary in her case. It will be over- 
 ruled. The enemy overshoots his mark. I trust she will 
 not be discouraged. 
 
MORE SOULS TO WIX. 
 
 389 
 
 ' Send me a copy of the forthcoming Letters, especially 
 the one to the prisoners; lest I should do something 
 ^\Tong to be sent to jail in order to get one. 
 
 ' Dear little Katie Marshall is with us, adding to our 
 fun. 
 
 ' Great blessings attend all your words. 
 
 ' We had a very pleasant visit at Bearwood. It is a 
 charming place ; and ^Ir. AValter is a most kind and 
 agreeable host. The clergyman is author of an interesting 
 biography of Jeremy Taylor. In reading it, I discovered 
 a new relation. My great-grandfather^ married Jeremy 
 Taylor's third daughter. 
 
 ' But I hope we are all related much farther back, even 
 to Abraham (Gal. iii. 7). 
 
 ' Dear William and Eose, and sweet little fair Eosa- 
 mond, are well. St. Leonards seems to suit them, and is 
 a fine field for work. 
 
 ' China opened to the gospel, as well as to merchandise ! 
 We live in wonderful times. The crisis is approaching. 
 In the meantime, may there be a great outpouring of 
 the Spirit of God, to " accomplish the number of His elect, 
 and to hasten His kingdom." I like the marginal trans- 
 lation of 2 Pet. iii. 12, 'Hasting the coming.' It should 
 excite disciples to much prayer and great labour. For 
 the elect's sake the days may be shortened : even the days 
 of delusion and lukewarmness. 
 
 * . . . How great is the mercy that has brought us to 
 abide by the evident meaning of Scripture, especially on 
 the vital subject of the atonement — Death, that we might 
 
 ^ Arclibishop of Dublin. 
 
390 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 have Life, i^one can so forcibly feel the obligation to live 
 to Him. as the soul that knows it has been " bought with 
 a price." 
 
 * Writing by owl-liglit, and almost as blind as a bat. — 
 Ever thy most loving father, W. Marsh.' 
 
 In the month of October of the same year, my father 
 visited his eldest daughter and Mr. Trench at Islip Eec - 
 tory. He was delighted with all that he saw of their 
 plans for the good of the villagers, who seemed to have 
 learnt from his daughter's devoted and reverent affection 
 for him to hail his visits as if they could not fail to bring 
 a blessing. The society of his little grand- daughters was 
 a great additional charm to him, for he never felt a home 
 to be complete without a child in it. 
 
 In company with Mr. and Mrs. Trench, he went to 
 Sandford Park, to visit his friend Dr. Guest, Master of 
 Caius College, Cambridge, whose sisters had in former 
 years derived great benefit from his ministry; and on 
 leaving Islip, he spent a few days with Mr. Walter, 
 at Bearwood, preaching on the Sunday in the village 
 church. He next went to St. Leonards, to remain a fort- 
 night with his son and daughter-in-law. Their only 
 child, a lovely little girl of six years old, was then, and 
 for the remainder of her brief life, a great delight to him. 
 My father preached twice in his son's church during this 
 visit, and spoke at a missionary meeting in the public 
 hall ; taking even more than his usual hearty interest in 
 every plan for the benefit of the parish. 
 
 On his return to Beckenham, he shared with Mr. 
 
MORE SOULS TO WIX. 
 
 391 
 
 Chalmers and my sister the happiness of welcoming their 
 eldest son, then in the Eifle Brigade, back from India, 
 after an eighteen months' campaign, during the suppres- 
 sion of the mutiny ; and with a true old soldier's heart 
 rejoiced in the high character for courage and steadfast- 
 ness which he had won in twenty- seven engagements. 
 
 With his old delight in pastoral work, he cared for each 
 of the various plans for doing good in the parish, con- 
 tinuing himself to preach and to give expositions of Scrip- 
 ture ; with his heart, at the same time, going out to all 
 the o]d world-wide interests connected with the spread of 
 the kingdom of Christ. 
 
 It was towards the close of the same year that a last 
 visit was paid to my father by his old acquaintance Mr. 
 FuUer Maitland ; at whose beautiful residence, Park 
 Place, my father and his family had often, for many years 
 past, enjoyed the Christian society and warm friendship 
 of ^frs. Maitland and her gifted children. 
 
 The two aged men were comparing the number of their 
 years, when Mr. ^Maitland said earnestly, ' I am not your 
 equal in years ; but I wish I were in wisdom and goodness.' 
 
 ' We are both poor sinners,' replied my father ; * but 
 both, I trust, looking to our Saviour, who hath said for 
 each, " Look unto me, and he ye saved!' ' 
 
 ' I wish I were as sure of it as you,' was the rejoinder. 
 
 My father then spoke out of the abundance of his heart 
 of the freeness and fulness of the offer of salvation through 
 Jesus Christ to every sinner upon the face of God's re- 
 deemed earth, who will accept it. He quoted the words, 
 * Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters,' 
 
392 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 adding, ' that call is to one wandering away, as you would 
 call to a man at a distance, who, with his face set towards 
 the opposite direction, does not perceive you. And how 
 free the invitation, " Yea, come, buy wine and milk, with- 
 out money and without price." " The Spirit and the Bride 
 say, Come ; and let him that heareth, say. Come. And let 
 him that is athirst come ; and tvhosoever luill, let him take 
 of the water of life, freely." We sliould come, just as we 
 are, without a moment's delay, for it is a Divine command ; 
 without a moment's hesitation, for it is a most loving 
 entreaty/ 
 
 He then quoted Dr. Valpy's lines : — 
 
 ' In peace let me resign my breath, 
 And Thy salvation see ; 
 My sins deserve eternal death, 
 But Jesus died for me. ' 
 
 Mr. Maitland said, ' I must learn that;* so my father 
 wrote down the verse for him : as he received it, he said, 
 ' I shall wear it near my heart.' It was found there after 
 his death. 
 
 TO HIS YOUNGEST DAUGHTER. 
 
 'Beckeniiam, Jan. 14, 1859. 
 "... I HAVE just finished Arthur's Tongue of Fire. It 
 is a wonderful hook. Some passages may be objected to, 
 still he guards against being misunderstood. May it set 
 many on fire, and raise up a bright flame amidst smould- 
 ering ashes. 
 
 * And shall we, Lord, for ever live, 
 At this poor dying rate ! ' 
 
MOEE SOULS TO WIN. 
 
 303 
 
 ' I have a vain wish. I want to live my life over again. 
 
 ' However, there is a fountain that washes away self- 
 seekings and shortcomings, and all other blots. 
 
 ' Our regularly returning comet, called Mar}-, has left 
 our sphere again. She is brighter than ever. 
 
 ' I prayed to-day for dearest Robert and Louie, that 
 health may be granted, as well as their Christian labours 
 be blessed ; and courage and steadfastness ever be given 
 them in serving our Lord and Saviour, that they may 
 never be ashamed to confess Him before men, nor grow 
 weary in well-doing. 
 
 ' My kindest regards to all at Bearwood, from its hospi- 
 table owner to his youngest child. 
 
 ' As much love, and more than words can express, to 
 you and darling Lucy. 
 
 ' I have just given dearest Kennie a wish, which I 
 will give to children and grandchildren : A useful life ; 
 a peaceful death ; a happy eternity. All come through 
 faith in our Lord Jesus Christ — His Life, His Death, 
 His Eternity.' 
 
 To the Same. 
 
 ' IsLip Rectory, Juhj 7, 1859. 
 
 * I SEND you a letter for you to forward to dear Leila. I 
 might add to the subject by referring to the four daughters 
 of Philip who did " prophesy." That word is used in the 
 New Testament in the sense of preaching. 
 
 ' I also send you a manuscript to read and comment upon. 
 Try to do so impartially. He is no reviewer who cannot 
 find fault. Yet we hope to be reviewed, and no fault 
 
394 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D, 
 
 found ; not by the recording angel dropping a tear, and so 
 blotting out a passage, but by the blood — inestimably 
 precious blood — of tlie Angel of the covenant, which 
 cleanseth from all sin. 
 
 ' Dear William Marshall and Lizzy are here. She is a 
 cheerful, pleasant creature. I have a heap of letters to 
 write to-day, and can only therefore enclose in this the 
 most weighty of all things — Love. Yet the law allows 
 it to go for a penny.' 
 
 TO MISS WILDMAN. 
 
 * December 1, 1858. 
 
 ^ ' My dear Leila,- — . . . I will now give you my views 
 / of 1 Cor. ii. It is taken for granted that a woman might 
 / pray or prophesy ; and the decent and becoming manner 
 1 of so doing is pointed out (1 Cor. xi. 5-10). It would 
 ! appear as if some women, professing to be inspired, inter- 
 fered with the appointed services of the minister (1 Cor. 
 j xiv. 34). A woman was not to conduct the regular public 
 services, as if she were the minister. But this does not 
 forbid Christian women from exhorting or pra3dng, where 
 persons might be assembled for a religious exercise. It 
 would not come under the idea of a church. It is right 
 that men only should be employed in the ruling of a 
 church. Women were not to be in that office. 'Nov were 
 I they permitted to interrupt public worship by asking 
 questions in the church. 
 
 ' There have been some remarkable instances in which 
 women have been employed by the Holy Spirit, — Miriam, 
 \ Hannah, Huldah, etc., under the Old Testament dispensa- 
 
* MORE SOULS TO WIX. 
 
 395 
 
 tion ; and there is a long list in Eomans xvi., under 
 the Kew Testament. When God gives seals to exhorta- 
 tion, who shall say nay ? In our country, in modern 
 times, we have had remarkable instances of this gift, — in 
 Mrs. Fletcher of Madeley, Mrs. Stevens of Knaresborough, 
 among members of the Church of England ; and ^Irs. Fry 
 in the Society of Friends. Mrs. Stevens addressed any 
 who attended her school-room in the afternoon, when the 
 church was closed, and Dr. M'^N'eile was one of the fruits. 
 Our best love to you all. — Your ever affectionate friend, 
 
 'Wm. Maesii.' 
 
 His views of the Divine order concerning the agency of 
 women in the work of the Lord, were further expanded in 
 the following letter : — 
 
 ' ... Ox the subject of your letter I will answer you 
 scripturally with the sayings of a prophet and two 
 apostles. Joel speaks of the outpouring of the Holy 
 Spirit, and foretells that it would be upon daughters and 
 handmaids, Qi^ well as upon sons and servants (Joel ii. 28,29). 
 St. Peter concludes the primary fulfilment of this pro- 
 phecy to have been at Pentecost. Women were there, and 
 doubtless partook of it. In Acts i. 14, 15, we find the 
 company consisted of the eleven apostles, the wom.en, 
 the mother of Jesus, and His brethren, and other dis- 
 ciples ; the number of the names together were about a 
 hundred and twenty. 
 
 * In Acts ii. 2 we find these were " alV with one accord 
 in one place. They had been uniting in 2^rayer and sup- 
 
396 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 plication for the promised blessing, and the tongue of fire 
 j descended alike upon the men and the wom^en ; for the 
 ; text is emphatic, — " It sat upon each of them, and they 
 ^ were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began" — {not the 
 men alone to speak, and the women to keep silence) but 
 all began — "to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit 
 \ gave them utterance." This is additionally proved by St. 
 i Peter's reference to that prophecy of Joel. 
 I ' If some of the men among the disciples had interfered 
 l' with the utterances of the Spirit through Mary, or any of 
 j the other women, and had questioned their right to speak 
 ' in the assembly, asserting that it was unseemly, and out 
 of the sphere of woman to proclaim a risen Saviour, in 
 view of the fact that there were men mingling in the 
 . crowd of listeners. He who gave woman her commission 
 on the morning of the resurrection, saying, "Go tell my 
 brethren," would surely have disapproved of such an 
 interference. 
 
 * An eminent commentator, in reviewing this text, " Go 
 tell my brethren," says — " Behold what honour God puts 
 on those who persevere in truth, and continue to honour 
 Him before men. Thus these faithful women proclaim 
 the gospel of a risen Saviour to those who were afterwards 
 ! to be tlie teachers of the whole human race." 
 
 ' St. Paul, knowing that women partook of the gift, was 
 anxious that it should be exercised with discretion (1 Cor. 
 ■ xiv. 34, 35). It is plain that the speaking" here referred 
 j ito was asking questions, which might better be answered 
 i 'by their husbands at home. The word "women" here 
 . evidently means wives. This may tend to harmonize other 
 
MORE SOULS TO WIN. 
 
 397 
 
 passages in these epistles. In the Jewish synagogues it i 
 was a common occurrence for persons to interrupt the ( 
 speaker with questions Avhich frequently resulted in angry i 
 altercations. This practice, we have reason to infer, had j 
 been introduced into the Corinthian Church ; and some ; 
 women, doubtless devoid of spirituality, were disposed to j 
 take part in these debates. This unseemly practice St. I 
 Paul reproves, and says, " Let your women keep silence ' 
 in the churches/' 
 
 ' With respect to prophesying (or preaching) as it is ; 
 alluded to in 1 Cor. xiv., you will find its nature defined 
 in the 3d verse. It was directed to be for edification, ' 
 exhortation, and comfort ;" and St. Paul evidently admits 
 of this prophesying of women in public assemblies, for 
 he gives special directions respecting their conduct and 
 appearance while engaged in this sacred duty, — the man 
 praying or prophesying was to have his head uncovered, 
 the woman to have her head covered. Again, this Apostle 
 says, " I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather 
 that ye prophesied." The word " all" must comprehend i 
 every member, both men and women. I 
 
 'Another passage, which is sometimes considered a 
 difficulty, is 1 Tim. ii., from 11th verse to the end. But 
 there again the command seems to apply to the relations 
 between husband and wife. 
 
 'If its meaning were not to teach at all, no woman | 
 could teach in an adult school, or write instructive ! 
 books. Some say, " It only means teaching face to 
 face but St. Paul implies the contrary, by the directions 
 he gives as to the mode of prophesying. / 
 
398 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 ' Priscilla expounded the word to ApoUos, and it would 
 be difficult to prove that expounding was not teaching. 
 
 ' " Aged women," says St. Paul, " should be teachers of 
 all good things." 
 
 ' With a few more examples from Scripture, some in 
 the Old Testament dispensation, when women were in a 
 far more subject position than they are now, I will close 
 this letter. 
 
 ' Miriam, who was joined with Moses and Aaron in 
 leading Israel from Egypt to Canaan, — I brought thee 
 up out of the land of Eg^^t, and sent before thee Moses 
 and Aaron and ]\Iiriam.' 
 
 ' Deborah, who not only judged all Israel, but also led 
 their armies to victory. 
 
 ' Abigail, who counselled David, the Lord's prophet and 
 the anointed king, and that in the hearing of all his fol- 
 lowers, and David said, " Blessed be the Lord God of 
 Israel who hath sent thee this day to meet me, and 
 blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou." 
 
 * Huldah, to whom Josiah the king sent Hilkiah the 
 priest, and others for advice in a time of much anxiety, 
 when they feared the vTath of the Lord. 
 
 * Psalm Ixviii. 11, reads in the original thus: — " The 
 Lord gave the word, great was the company of women- 
 publishers." 
 
 ' Anna, the prophetess, spoke of Jesus to all them that 
 looked for redemption in Jerusalem. 
 
 * The woman of Samaria preached Jesus to the people 
 of her city, and many believed on Him for the saying of 
 the woman. 
 
MORE SOULS TO WIX. 
 
 399 
 
 ' Trypliena and Trypliosa laboured in the Lord. The 
 beloved Persis laboured much in the Lord. And women 
 " whose names are in the Book of Life" laboured with 
 Paul in the gospel (Phil. iv. 3). 
 
 * From these passages the scriptural yiew of the subject 
 seems so clear to my mind that I have not a doubt about 
 it left, — provided " all things be done decently and in 
 order."- — Your affectionate friend, Wm. Maesh.' 
 
 TO THE EEV. CHAELES BRIDGES. 
 
 ' Beckexh.oi, August 9, 1859. 
 
 ' My dear Bridges, — . . . I am glad that a new edition 
 of the Commentary on the Proverhs is forthcoming. You 
 know to whom to ascribe the glory, and therefore I do not 
 mind telling you, that I know of no book better calculated 
 to be useful to young men in particular. May your life yet 
 be spared for continued usefulness. But, as litera scripta 
 manet, great is the mercy that has employed your pen. 
 Perhaps St. Paul, though careful of the "parchments," 
 little thought that his letter to Philemon would be read 
 nearly two thousand years afterwards, and especiallv on 
 that island of pagans, which probably he ^dsited only 
 for a very short time. Colquhoun's Life in Olden Times 
 represents Florence as the great and flourishing city ; 
 London not worth looking at. There were no Barinos or 
 Eothschilds to enrich it in those days ; nor Bibles to 
 bless it. — Yours ever affectionately, 
 
 ' \Vm. Marsh.' 
 
400 
 
 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIxVM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 'Beckenham, Nov. 2, 1859. 
 
 ' . . . Prayer-meetings are lield in London for a shower 
 of Living Water to descend there : we have them here 
 also, that there may be a general outpouring. God honours 
 united, fervent, persevering prayer. It may be that He is 
 " accomplishing the number of His elect, and hastening 
 His kingdom." ... I am in wonderful health, considering 
 my age. Let us look upward continually for all the grace 
 we need ; and forward to the rest which will never be dis- 
 turbed in the land of light and love.' 
 
 On the 5th of August, he baptized his first great-grand- 
 daughter, Mary Evelyn Anstruther, in Beckenham Church. 
 As usual, friends flocked from far and near to hear him read 
 a service of the Church in public, as well as to listen to 
 his heaven-tauglit thoughts, with regard to it, in private. 
 So correct was his taste in reading, and so earnest his 
 spirit, that a friend who was no mean judge, who was 
 present on more than one of these occasions, remarked, 
 ' It is a rare enjoyment to hear a service thus read. Dr. 
 Marsh has a soul in tune with our stately Liturgy, and the 
 simplicity and fervour of his devotion could never offend 
 the most critical taste.' 
 
 Towards the end of August he spent some weeks at 
 Broadstairs ; and whilst there, preached occasionally for 
 the incumbent, the Eev. Frederick Newell, who was the 
 son of one of his friends and churchwardens at Colchester, 
 and who had himself, as a boy, been instructed by my 
 father in his catechetical lectures for the children of the 
 upper classes in that town. 
 
MORE SOULS TO WIN. 
 
 401 
 
 XoNv, as always, he doubled his pleasures by sharing 
 them, and so assembled around him not only his children, 
 grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, but also some of 
 those cadets from Addiscombe who were prevented by 
 distance from going to their parents for a summer holiday. 
 To ^rather the vouns^ around him, to throw himself into 
 their interests, and to plan for their pleasures, was as 
 natural to him, as it was to sympathize with their trials 
 and difficulties, and to persuade them to seek ever closer 
 and closer union with their God and Saviour. 
 
 Whilst he was in this neighbourhood he met again 
 ^Ir. and Mrs. Warre of Westcliff, who had been dear and 
 early friends of his late wife. Lady Louisa Marsh, and 
 whom they had visited together in the spring of 1840. 
 The renewal of this friendship was a source of much 
 pleasure both to himself and his family, who were 
 welcomed with him to that lovely sea-side home with 
 unbounded kindness and hospitality. Here also he met 
 Archdeacon Davis, whom he had known and valued for 
 years, and found refreshment in attending his ministry at 
 Eamsgate. 
 
 TO HIS YOUXGEST DAUGHTER. 
 
 ' Beckexha^i Rectory, Xov. 17, 1859. 
 ' Dear Darling, — You cannot think how well imagina- 
 tion has behaved since I gave it a stern reproof for its 
 pictures of danger. Xow it tells me of the kind American 
 Consul ; the good Captain of the vessel ; the ease and 
 safety of getting on board ; the considerate conduct of the 
 
 2 C 
 
402 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 authorities ; the silence of the audience ; the tears trick- 
 ling down some cheeks ; the resolution formed in many 
 hearts to think of and seek a Saviour. 
 
 ' Just as imagination told me the above, I perceived a 
 little hoarseness at the end of the tale ; speaking in the 
 open air at this season is trying to throats, so the sailors 
 must be invited under some roof. 
 
 ' Mrs. Eio and darlingr Matilda are visiting the sick. I 
 am trying to preserve my wits, as I am asked to write 
 prefaces to three different works at one time. In one of 
 them I intend to justify women in doing all they can to 
 save souls. Oh, what a blessed work it is ! But all 
 the blessing in it cannot be known till " the Day shall 
 declare it." 
 
 * My heart is just beginning to dance on learning that 
 darling Lucy is a little better. 
 
 ' I thank God for the report respecting our dear Charlie. 
 He is a pleasant, affectionate youth. May the Lord stablish, 
 strengthen, settle him. Our beloved Louisa's children have 
 been greatly blessed, and not a little by your motherly 
 love to them. ... I pray your present efforts may be a 
 blessing. You will raise the serpent on the pole. The 
 sick will look and be healed. One look at the Cross, 
 said Dr. Buchanan, is sufficient. But then he was dying. 
 We who are living must be looking every day. 
 
 ' We serve the best of masters. As sinners, He receives 
 us graciously ; as servants, He rewards us generously ; as 
 friends, He will make us partakers of His joys. . . . 
 
 * My love to dear Mr. and Mrs. Warre, with hearty thanks 
 for all their kind care of my property. — Ever thy most 
 loving father, W. Marsh.' 
 
MORE SOULS TO WIX. 
 
 403 
 
 The following brief remembrances of some of my father's 
 conversations are taken from notes written down at the 
 time by his eldest daughter, during her visit to him at 
 Easter, 1860 : — 
 
 ' On Easter eve, after speaking of the marvellous 
 change from the Cross to Paradise, he said, " What a day 
 this must have been for the penitent thief! . . . When 
 ^Ir. Simeon was preaching on his prayer, he suddenly ex- 
 claimed, ' Heaven for asking for ! Heaven for asking for !' " 
 
 ' On Easter Day he spoke of the Saviour's tenderness in 
 mentioning Peter by name, to reassure him of His love ; 
 " Go, tell my disciples, and Peter'' (and the tears came to 
 his eyes while thinking of the love of the Lord Jesus, the 
 " overflowing of love," as he expressed it). " How he loved 
 this earth, delaying his ascension forty days after His 
 resurrection, and appearing frequently to His disciples." 
 
 ' In talking with liis medical adviser, Mr. Williams, on 
 Heb. xi., he described the true translation of ver. 1 to be, 
 " Now faith is the certain expectation of things hoped for." 
 Mr. Williams quoted Luther's translation as being " the 
 sure and certain confidence." " We all like to be trusted," 
 my father rejoined, and so (pointing upwards) " HE loves 
 to be trusted." 
 
 * At another time he spoke of the Epistles to the Eomans 
 and the Hebrews ; " What wonderful epistles ! The one 
 exhibiting Christian doctrine, the other showing Chris- 
 tianity as the substance of the Levitical dispensation of 
 shadows ;" adding, "What a wonderful book the Bible is ! 
 what a variety is contained in it ! History, prophecy, 
 biography, poetry, doctrines, precepts, promises !" Alluding 
 
404 
 
 MEMOIR OF EEY. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 to Burke's habit of reading a chapter in Isaiah before going 
 to speak in the House of Commons, and to the Speaker's 
 comment on his remarkable speech at AVarren Hastings' 
 trial, recommending the House to adjourn that it might dis- 
 tinguish between the blaze of eloquence and the light of 
 truth, he remarked, that " Isaiah possessed both the blaze 
 of eloquence and the light of truth." 
 
 ' He afterwards related one or two anecdotes of the Eev. 
 Charles Simeon. He was told, that before he was ap- 
 pointed to his fellowship he must receive the sacrament. 
 He felt he was unfit, and asked some one to lend him a 
 book on the subject. Bishop Wilson's was lent to him, in 
 which the type of the scape- goat is dwelt upon. He 
 received the truth of the transfer of sin, and never after- 
 wards lost it. 
 
 ' He next told us Mr. Simeon's mode of describing a 
 Christian's death. " Wlio are you ?" (looking back) — 
 "Sorrow." "And who are you?" — "Sighing." Then 
 stretching his hands upwards — " And who are you ?" — 
 " Joy." " And who are you ?"— " Gladness." " Then fare- 
 well Sorrow, fareweU Sighing ! Joy and Gladness, I will 
 go with you ! " 
 
 * The same evening he spoke on " the comprehensive- 
 ness of the testimony of John the Baptist to our Saviour. 
 \st, He is * the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of 
 the world.' Hence guilt and condemnation are removed. 
 2d, He ' baptizeth with the Holy Ghost,' hence the power 
 of Satan and the dominion of sin are destroyed. Zd, He 
 is 'the Son of God,' and therefore is qualified to accom- 
 phsh this great work ; and finally, He will be the Judge, 
 
MORE SOULS TO WIX. 
 
 405 
 
 represented by gathering the wheat into the garner, and 
 besto\\^ng rewards of grace on His disciples ; but punishing 
 His impenitent foes, as it is -^Titten, 'burning up the chaff;' 
 hence, in every sense, ' He must increase' — Christ must be 
 everything. ' Therefore, let no man glory in men ; Christ 
 must be all in all.' The Father says of Him, ' This is 
 my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' Happy is 
 the soul that can say, ' This is my beloved Saviour, in 
 whom my soul is well pleased.' " 
 
 The followiufT letter shows that his interest in the 
 welfare of the town of Bridgnorth continued unabated, 
 after many years of absence : — 
 
 TO THE EEV. J. BEXTLEY, SHOETLY AFTER HIS APPOIXTMEXT 
 
 TO ST. Mary's, bridgxorth. 
 
 ' Beckenham Rectory, May 2, 1860. 
 
 ' Rev. axd dear Sir, — From my long connexion with 
 Bridgnorth, you will not require an apology for my writing 
 you a line, though a stranger. 
 
 ' I am very thankful for your appointment, and pray 
 that your faithful labours may win many sinners to tlie 
 Saviour, and lead believers to adorn His doctrine. I am 
 sure that there are many there who will welcome your 
 message. It greatly cheers the heart of my dear son-in- 
 law to find that he is succeeded by such a faithful pastor. 
 
 ' Your office is the most honourable and the most useful 
 upon the face of the earth. It was but the other morn- 
 ing that I was reading Barnes' Commentary on 2 Cor., 
 
406 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 chapters ii., iii. They give a glorious view of the design 
 of the Christian ministry, and its blessed results, as 
 accompanied by the Divine blessing. And when the 
 minister is a man of prayer, as well as a preacher, that 
 blessing is not withheld. 
 
 ' I have been long an upstairs-prisoner ; but I find a 
 sick-room a good library. I have read much of Barnes. 
 I understood that his work was intended chiefly for 
 teachers of Sunday-schools, but it is admirably adapted to 
 the ministers of the Word. I am astonished at the extent 
 of his research, and pleased with the independence of his 
 own mind. On church government we shall differ from 
 him, as lie is not an Episcopalian, but on subjects essential 
 for " edification, exhortation, and comfort," we shall agree 
 with him. 
 
 ' Dear Sir, it is a great privilege to escape superstition 
 and rationalism in the present age, when the enemy 
 appears to be making a desperate, because, perhaps, a last 
 struggle. But ministers and people who keep close to 
 the Throne of Grace and the Word of Grace are both safe 
 and useful. 
 
 ' Light, love, and usefulness attend yourself and Mrs. 
 Bentley for many many years. And may your people 
 know the time of their visitation. — Yours, dear sir, very 
 faithfully, Wm. Marsh.' 
 
 Towards the end of the month of May, just five years 
 from the time of his first visit to Beckenham Eectory in 
 
MORE SOULS TO WIX. 
 
 407 
 
 joyous health and spirits, Arthur Vandeleur came for his 
 last farewell. 
 
 Although he was within a few days of his death, his 
 brave spirit bore him up above the infirmities of consump- 
 tion, and he joined the family circle at meals, ready as 
 ever for cheerful conversation. AATiilst his soul was at- 
 tuned to the highest solemnities, the bright sunshine of 
 his spirit was as sparkling, and the music of his pleasant 
 laugh almost as clear as ever. 
 
 He liked to have his chair placed every evening where 
 he could best see my father's face. Earlier, he had written 
 of him, — ' How much of the Master's likeness do we see 
 in your most beautiful and venerable father ? The atmo- 
 sphere of love and peace which seems ever around him is 
 indeed a breath of Heaven's own air.' And still the sight 
 of that countenance seemed to carry joy to his heart, 
 althouo-h deafness on one side, and a failing voice on the 
 other, prevented much communication. ' I cannot make 
 my voice heard through his trumpet now,' he said, rather 
 sadly ; then brightening up suddenly, he added, ' but we 
 shall have plenty of time for talking together when we 
 meet in the everlasting Home.' 
 
 On the day when he and his beloved wife, who was 
 nursing him with a devotion beyond her strength, left the 
 rectory, he said, ' I should like to go to heaven straight 
 from this dear home. I mean to go to Woolwich to-day 
 to see my little children, and then Mary and I will come 
 again in a few days, and stay to the end.' 
 
 That wish, however, doubtless for wise reasons, was not 
 granted ; probably, to give him the opportunity of bearing 
 
408 MEMOIR OF KEY. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 his last witness for his Saviour to his friends and brother 
 officers at Woolwich. 
 
 My father keenly felt that parting. ' He will never 
 come back/ he said. * The hand of death is npon him. 
 Yet there is no death for Mm, as he himself said, blessed 
 soul ! for his life is hid with Christ in God.' 
 
CHAPTEE XIY. 
 
 SUXSET LIGHT. 
 
 ' Of life's past toils the fading trace 
 Hath given the aged patriarch's face 
 Expression holy, deep, resigned, 
 The calm sublimity of mind. 
 
 Yet his mien 
 
 Is bright with majesty serene ; 
 
 And those high hopes, whose guiding star 
 
 Shines from eternal worlds afar, 
 
 Have with that light illumed his eye 
 
 Whose foimt is immortality ; 
 
 And o'er his features poured a ray 
 
 Of glory, not to pass away.' 
 
 Hema>'S, 
 
SUNSET LIGHT. 
 
 Some weeks before this time, a subject of serious con- 
 sideration had been brought before him, in the offer of the 
 living of Beddington, a village in Surrey, within an easy 
 drive of Beckenham. 
 
 Although still working ably in the service so dear to 
 his heart, he had felt the comfort of having no respon- 
 sible charge of his own, and he dreaded anything which 
 would break up the happy home-circle at Beckenham 
 Eectory. Twice, therefore, he declined the offer ; but 
 when an influential resident in Beddington came more 
 than once to urge his acceptance of it, pressing him to con- 
 sider the blessing that his presence and prayers would be 
 in the parish, combined with the value of his well-known 
 principles, and the power he would have to choose curates 
 who would carry out all his wishes and plans in pastoral 
 work, he felt it right to reconsider the matter, asking counsel 
 of his God concerning it. He also consulted some of his 
 friends, upon whose Christian judgment he could best rely. 
 Tlie late revered and beloved Archbishop of Canterbury, 
 the Bishop of Winchester, in whose diocese Beddington is 
 
412 
 
 AIEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 situated, the Eev. Charles Goodhart, and others not less 
 valued, all alike concurred in telling him that, in their 
 opinion, he would close a door of usefulness Avhich the 
 providence of God had opened to him, if he did not accept 
 this charge. He was not a man to shrink from responsi- 
 bility when once he could trace the Divine hand beckoning 
 him to undertake it, and believing that his earnest prayers 
 for guidance had been answered, he at length decided to 
 yield to the request. Two other circumstances, which he 
 looked upon as leading tokens, helped his decision. One 
 was a visit from Mr. Hamilton, the venerable father of the 
 late rector, who said that it would give him the greatest 
 consolation to know that Dr. Marsh had consented to be 
 the successor of his beloved and only son ; whilst another 
 and yet stronger call to him was that several poor people 
 in the parish had united to plead in prayer that he might 
 be made willing to become their pastor. 
 
 From the time he became rector of Beddington he 
 determined to employ the whole of the income derived 
 from the living in stipends to curates, in parochial and 
 other charities, and the necessary additional expenses 
 of a separate household, so as not to leave any surplus 
 for his family or for his own gratification. The only 
 indulgence he allowed himself was in doubling his sub- 
 scriptions to several benevolent and Christian institu- 
 tions, and in other ways giving even more largely than 
 before towards the furtherance of the work of the Lord 
 and the relief of distress. So heartily did he carry out the 
 Divine command, ' Lay not up for yourselves treasure on 
 earth, but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven,' that. 
 
SUNSET LIGHT. 
 
 413 
 
 knowing there was a sufficient provision for his children 
 secured by trust- property and by his own insurances, he 
 expended, almost every year, a considerable amount of 
 capital, including legacies, in the service of his heavenly 
 Master, and for the benefit of the poor. He felt it to be 
 so important a duty for every Christian to provide for his 
 family, according to his means, without being tempted to 
 hoard, that he wrote several letters in the newspapers on 
 the subject of insurance, and advised the married clergy 
 to adopt the plan, even if they could only afford to insure 
 for £100. 
 
 In his strong view of the error of accumulating money, 
 he would say, ' I have read a melancholy thing in the 
 paper to-day, — a man died possessed of £100,000 !' 
 
 In connexion with this subject, he remarked to the 
 Eev. Henry O'Korke, one of his curates at Beddington, 
 ' I wish I could write all across the sky, in letters of gold, 
 the one word " Saviugs-bank." ' 
 
 On the day of his induction to the living, he was ac- 
 companied by his three daughters, a grand-daughter, and 
 two young friends, to Beddington Church. He was met 
 by the Rev. George Hodgson, rural dean, and vicar of 
 Croydon. It was a bright afternoon in J uly, and the sun- 
 shine lighting up the old grey tower of the church, and 
 streaming through the stately trees of the park, at the 
 entrance of wliich it stands, lent an additional charm to 
 the beauty of the peaceful scene. The loving-kindness of 
 the Heavenly Master had reserved this * calm retreat ' to 
 be the la^-t field of labour where His aged and faithful 
 
414 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 servant should expend the remainder of his strength, in 
 the work he loved so well of gathering more sheaves for 
 the Lord of the harvest. 
 
 After the usual ceremony was over, he returned from 
 the church to the rectory ; and, on entering the library, he 
 prayed with us all that peace might be given to those who 
 were leaving that home, and to those who were about to 
 enter it, and for great blessing on the parish. 
 
 He deeply sympathized with Mrs. Hamilton, and was 
 tenderly anxious in every way to consult her feelings, and 
 to soothe, as far as possible, the severe trial of leaving a 
 home associated with the whole of her happy married 
 life, whilst she, on her part, putting aside her own sorrow, 
 with thoughtful care arranged for his comfort on coming 
 into the house. 
 
 The following day, he addressed about three hundred 
 persons in the schoolroom at Beckenham, on the subject 
 of ' Soul Prosperity,' from the words, * Beloved, I wish 
 above all things tliat thou mayest prosper and be in health, 
 even as thy soul prospereth.' It was the last time that 
 he spoke in that room ; and the people listened to his 
 parting words with even more than their usual reverent 
 love. Their grief at his leaving Beckenham was great ; 
 but those who could walk so far, found a solace in going 
 over, from time to time, to hear him preach, and the 
 members of his Saturday-evening meeting were never for- 
 gotten amongst the numerous guests invited to be present 
 at his birthday parties and other social gatherings. 
 
 On the 4th of August, 1860, he entered the last earthly 
 home which was to be gladdened by his presence. 
 
SUNSET LIGHT. 
 
 415 
 
 His beloved friend, the Ducliess of Gordon, had ex- 
 pressed a wish to hear his first sermon in Beddington 
 Church. She came accordingly, to be the earliest visitor 
 welcomed at the rectory ; and her faithful spirit rejoiced 
 in the hope that a rich blessing would be brought to the 
 parish and neighbourhood by his coming there. It was 
 the last time that they met on earth ; and that meeting 
 was a foretaste of the communion of saints in hea^'en. 
 Many were their ' warm and joyful thoughts of the city not 
 made with hands/ in which their dwelling was soon to be, 
 amidst ' the general assembly and church of the first-born 
 and the spirits of just men made perfect.' Above all, 
 they communed with delight of Him 
 
 ' Whom to serve and whom to know 
 Makes the joy of saints below ; 
 Whom to see, and whom to love, 
 Makes the bliss of saints above.' 
 
 He preached his first sermon from Eev. xxi. 25, * There 
 shall be no night there.' Before closing it, he alluded 
 with tender sympathy to the sorrow of the parishioners in 
 the loss of their devoted pastor ; leading them on to 
 thoughts of the world where, as he said, ' there shall be 
 no night of ignorance, no night of sin, no night of sorrow, 
 and no night of death.' 
 
 On Sunday, the 1 9th of August, he ' read himself in.' 
 In the morning, he went through the usual service, and 
 twenty of the Thirty-nine Articles, and in the afternoon, 
 the service and the remaining Articles. There was no 
 flagging of his energy in any part ; but when the last 
 
41 G MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 sentence was concluded, we expected that he would be 
 somewhat exhausted. However, to the surprise of every 
 one, his voice was raised up with renewed power to 
 address the congregation on the scriptural character of 
 both the Articles and Liturgy of the Church of Eng- 
 land. He showed how closely they were allied to the 
 very language of the inspired Word ; and ended this short 
 extempore sermon with an earnest appeal to every one 
 present to uphold, by the united testimony of life and lip, 
 those blessed scriptural principles which had been over- 
 laid by the errors of the Middle Ages, but brought to light 
 again at the Eeformation. 
 
 Adjoining the rectory grounds are excellent school- 
 rooms which had been built by Mr. Hamilton, with the 
 aid of his parishioners and friends. At the head of the 
 boys' school my father found an admirable master, who 
 had been established there for many years, and who was 
 particularly happy in gaining the respect and affection of 
 the village lads. Mr. Price and his wife were much 
 valued by my father, and he took a constant interest in 
 their work in the schools. 
 
 The courtesy and kindness of his reception by the par- 
 ishioners was very pleasant to him. Foremost to welcome 
 him was Mr. Laurence, who had urged his acceptance of 
 the charge ; he, with his wife and family, became not only 
 valued helpers in parochial work and in the schools, but 
 were also delighted to minister to his happiness, with the 
 never-tiring consideration of love, until the closing hours 
 of his life. 
 
 It was a great addition to his enjoyment, in the newly- 
 
SrXSET LIGHT. 
 
 417 
 
 made friendsliips at Beddington, to find himself in tlie 
 neighbourhood of some of the near relatives of his 
 esteemed old friend ' John Joseph Gurney/ and several 
 of the descendants of Elizabeth Fry. 
 
 With ^Ir. Samuel Gurney, M.P. for Falmouth, and his 
 wife, he had a warm friendship, and through their 
 thoughtful kindness he received many little pleasures. 
 Often his library table would be adorned by them with a 
 rare plant, a foreign fern, or a delicate water lily. Then, 
 again, his mind would be interested by some memoir of 
 one of the nimierous philanthropists belonging to the 
 Society of Friends, or his taste gratified by the loan of a 
 portfoHo of choice engravings. But beyond all these 
 kindnesses to himself, fully as they were appreciated, was 
 his heart rejoiced by the frequent sight, during the sum- 
 mer months, of bright faces of little children from ragged, 
 orphan, and other schools, many of them brought from 
 dark alleys and courts in the heart of London, to play in 
 the hay- fields, and to row on the little river in the gaily 
 painted barge, amongst flocks of beautiful waterfowl, and 
 to spend a holiday in the park and gardens, which must 
 have seemed to them like fairyland. But perhaps the 
 happiest gathering of all was that of the poor women 
 belonging to ^liss Barlee's admirable institution for the 
 emplo3mient of needlewomen. Many of those careworn 
 faces, bearing the marks of their hard struggle to sustain 
 an often suffering life, grew bright as they listened to the 
 gospel stor}^ At the close of the day, some Christian 
 friend would, at Mr. Gurney's request, speak to them of 
 the Lord Jesus and His free salvation, in the hope that 
 
 2 D 
 
418 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 those burdened hearts might carry to their dreary homes 
 not merely the remembrance of lovely country scenes, but 
 the assurance that for them was prepared ' a better coun- 
 try, that is, an heavenly,' where ' they shall hunger no more, 
 neither thirst any more ; neither shall the sun light on them, 
 nor any heat : for the Lamb which is in the midst of the 
 throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living 
 fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away all tears 
 from their eyes.' 
 
 The eldest son of the late honoured Mrs. Fry — that 
 noble and tender friend of the suffering and op23ressed — 
 was amongst those who warmly welcomed the new rector ; 
 and, with his excellent wife and daughters, he shortly 
 afterwards began a devoted work for the Lord in that part 
 of the parish where he resided. 
 
 Another source of enjoyment which my father found 
 in the neighbourhood, was in more frequent inter- 
 course with his beloved young friends, Mr. Blackwood 
 and Sydney Duchess of Manchester. From the time of 
 Mr. Blackwood's first visit to Beckenham, early in the 
 summer of 1856, my father had watched, with thankful 
 interest, the steadfast devotedness of his walk with God. 
 He always endeavoured to secure him, with other excellent 
 laymen, to share with his clerical friends in addressing the 
 assemblies on the lawn ; for he was one of those large- 
 hearted clergy of our Church who gladly give the right 
 hand of fellowship to all who ' shine as lights in the world, 
 holding forth the Word of Life,' not only because they 
 labour in the service of a Master who said of one who was 
 working miracles in His name without an official commis- 
 
SUNSET LIGHT. 
 
 410 
 
 sion, ' Forbid him not ; he that is not against ns is for us ;' 
 but also because he clearly saw the scriptural authority for 
 lay-preaching, in the inspired history of the early diffusion 
 of the Gospel, when its glorious message of life and peace 
 was carried to many and distant lands by the agency of the 
 laity, as recorded in Acts xi. 19, 20 ; and in the notices of 
 Apollos, Aquila, Priscilla, and others. And he also felt 
 strongly about the personal loss which must be sustained, 
 of a large and loving Christian brotherhood, by those who 
 withhold their countenance from evangelistic w^ork. 
 
 Sedulous efforts, he knew, were frequently made to 
 detach some of the best and most zealous laymen from 
 the communion of the Church of England ; and he deeply 
 deprecated the injury to her should this be effected through 
 a want of sympathy and sanction on the part of her clergy. 
 
 But beyond all, lie marked how the Divine blessing 
 rested, in a tenfold degree, upon parishes where the 
 incumbents welcomed ' workmen ' manifestly ' approved 
 unto God,' giving them hearty encouragement in their 
 labours, combined with the benefit of their own longer 
 experience and deeper theological study. 
 
 Two young clergymen were offered a share in the work 
 of Beddington. One, the Eev. Henry Willes Southey 
 had, a few years earlier, spent much time at Beckenhan 
 Rectory, before his ordination, where^ while preparing foi 
 his future office, by laying up wisdom and experience 
 under Mr. Chalmers's counsel and direction, his single- 
 hearted and earnest piety had won my father's warm 
 regard. The other, the Eev. Henry O'Eorke, by a chain 
 of coincidences,, had been ordained to a curacy at Burton- 
 
420 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 on-Trent, where lie had enjoyed the privilege of inti- 
 mate acquaintance with my father's old friend, the Eev. 
 Peter French ; had next assisted the excellent Vicar 
 of Basildon, during the last months of his life, in his 
 pulpit and parochial duties, and had gone from thence to 
 the Eev. David Stewart of Maidstone, just half a century 
 from the time when his honoured father, Mr. Haldane 
 Stewart, had come to work with my father at Basildon. 
 The incumbent of Maidstone had written to him that 
 Mr. O'Eorke wished for duty in the country, and that he 
 could not send him a greater comfort, or spare Bedding- 
 ton a greater boon. 
 
 My father found the parish in excellent order. Cloth- 
 ing and coal clubs, the dispensary, and district visiting 
 societies, with Sunday and day schools, had been estab- 
 lished, and each had a share in his attention and interest. 
 He attended with pastoral care to the accounts of the state 
 of the poor given by the ladies who visited districts in the 
 parish, at the monthly meeting of the society at the rectory ; 
 and he always concluded it with an earnest and affec- 
 tionate address, and a prayer. Each Saturday afternoon 
 some time was devoted to the study of the Bible with his 
 curates ; and a Saturday evening meeting was established 
 in the rectory, like that which had strengthened the bonds 
 of union between the earnest Christians in Beckenham. 
 
 After the autumn ' treat' to the school-children, my 
 f[ither, who was anxious to make acquaintance with all 
 his parishioners, resolved to have a somewhat similar 
 gathering of the working men and lads in the parish, of 
 whom there were a considerable number, — many being 
 employed at a tannery, and at leather, snuff and paper. 
 
SUNSET LIGHT. 
 
 421 
 
 mills. Upwards of four hundred of these men and boys 
 were accordingly invited to a tea-party. For this pur- 
 pose the use of the large hall of the old deserted house in 
 Beddington Park-^ was obtained, by the kind mediation 
 of ^Ir. Gurney. This hall, in which Queen Elizabeth was 
 wont to hold her banquets, was lent every succeeding year 
 for the same purpose, by the courtesy of the absent owner 
 of the place. 
 
 Several of the ladies of the parish gave their assistance 
 in adorning the room, and Mrs. Laurence kindly lighted 
 it with coloured lamps. Tea was provided in the hall for 
 the working men ; and in an adjoining room for other 
 parishioners, with friends from the neighbourhood and 
 from London. After tea was ended, my father addressed 
 them. They could scarcely restrain their enthusiasm as 
 they saw his spirit and energy, and listened to his heart- 
 stirring words ; — and shouts of grateful approbation burst 
 forth when he promised, if life should be spared, to give a 
 similar tea-party, in the course of the following summer, 
 for their wives and daughters. 
 
 A Eussian princess, who had requested to be present 
 on the occasion, was charmed with the scene, but most 
 of all with him who was its centre of interest; and a 
 priest of the Greek Church, whom she had brought with 
 her, after conversing with my father at the rectory, and 
 listening to his address and prayer at the meeting, said, 
 ' If there be a saint upon earth, this is he.' When re- 
 turning to London by the train, he inquired of a young 
 officer from Chatham, who had been staying in the house, 
 ' Is that old priest always as happy as we have seen him 
 
 ^ Since sold to the Governors of the Lambeth Orphanage. 
 
422 MEMOIE OF IlEV. WILLIAM MAKSII, D.D. 
 
 to-night?' and on receiving the reply, 'I never saw him 
 otherwise,' rejoined, ' Then his religion must be a good one.' 
 
 This tea-party was made, as usual, an occasion for 
 collecting absent members of the family, and friends from 
 a distance. Amongst others who came to stay a day or 
 two, were Mr. and Mrs. Acklom, who were then settled 
 at the vicarage of Hemel- Hempstead. 
 
 One more opportunity of intercourse and happy fellow- 
 ship of heart was granted us with these beloved friends 
 before he, whose noble Christian character, fervent love to 
 the Saviour, and judicious zeal in His service, my father 
 so deeply appreciated, was to hear the Master's voice say- 
 ing to him, ' Well done, good and faithful servant, enter 
 thou into the joy of thy Lord.' 
 
 In the month of November, it was recommended by 
 my father's medical adviser that he should pass the winter 
 at Beckenham, on account of the much greater warmth of 
 the house ; the draughts and thinner walls of Beddington 
 Rectory having brought on severe attacks of rheumatism. 
 
 Unfeigned was the joy with which tlie news of his 
 intended return was received in Beckenham. ' To see 
 him in the pulpit,' said one, ' would be as good as a 
 sermon, even if he could not say a word ;' and some, in 
 their expressions of delight in the hope of soon seeing his 
 face again, reminded us of the exclamation of an old 
 woman who used to attend his ministry in Birmingham, 
 ' He looks for all the world just like an old angel !' 
 
 As his carriage entered the village, cottagers with their 
 children came out to welcome him, and the ringers ran 
 from their work to give him a cheerful peal from the 
 belfry. 
 
SUNSET LIGHT. 
 
 423 
 
 During tlie following winter lie was able to take family 
 prayers every night, and to conduct the Saturday evening 
 meeting at Beckenham Eectory. But whilst throwing his 
 interest into all the service of the Lord around him, his 
 heart and prayers were much concentrated on his new 
 parish. His curates paid him regular weekly visits, and 
 brought him full accounts of all the interests in their 
 work, whilst every parochial matter was referred to him, 
 so that his guiding influence was maintained unbroken in 
 the parish. 
 
 The following letters, written in that year and in the 
 early part of 1861, are published to illustrate the sym- 
 pathy and affection which he manifested towards the 
 members of his family, whether nearer or more remote : — 
 
 TO HIS YOUNGEST DAUGHTER. 
 
 ' IsLip Eectoky, July 13, 1860. 
 . . . ' I HAVE been appointed chaplain to the old ladies 
 of Islip,^ and am to preach to them this evening ; so I 
 must retire to search out the choicest treasures to display 
 before them. 
 
 * I shall advise them to take two looks, which I would 
 recommend to all Christians, — " Look Upward, for the 
 grace needed now ; and Forward, for the rest that re- 
 maineth." ' 
 
 He received a visit, whilst staying at Islip, from his 
 old friend, ' young Tom Tyndale.' The following words 
 
 ^ A large Bible-class of poor old women, who met at the rectory 
 ouce a week for Mrs. Trench's instruction. 
 
424 
 
 MEMOIK OF llEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 which he wrote on a slate carried by Mr. Tyndale on 
 account of his deafness, are still preserved : — 
 
 ' How glad I am to have another shake of your hand. 
 It reminds me of former years, and reflection should 
 always produce deep humility and fervent gratitude. But 
 if such is the retrospect, what gratitude do we not owe 
 for the prospect? Paradise, resurrection, perfection of 
 our nature ; knowledge without error ; holiness without 
 sin ; happiness without alloy.' 
 
 TO HIS ELDEST DAUGHTER, NOT LONG AFTER THE DEATH 
 OF HER LITTLE SON. 
 
 ' Beddington, Aug. 28, 1860. 
 
 ' My DARLING Child, — Your letter was most welcome. 
 The more you can look into Paradise the better. Every 
 prospect there is pleasant ; and dear little Eichard is one 
 of the plants in that garden. Oh, how he will grow, and 
 bear fruit unto eternity ! I wish I knew now as much as 
 he knows, and enjoyed as much as he enjoys ! 
 
 ' Matilda is gone back to Beckenham for a few days. 
 ' I do not know how I could have accepted this place if 
 it had not been so near Beckenham. 
 
 ' In ourselves we are all wrong for eternity. In our 
 blessed Lord Jesus, in Whom is our trust, we are all 
 right for eternity. " It is finished ;" — the most blessed 
 words that were ever uttered. 
 
 ' Do not trouble yourself at present about inability 
 either to think or pray. The dulness or difficulty is 
 merely the effect of previous exertion and distress of 
 heart. I wish we could always distinguish between what 
 
SUNSET LIGHT. 
 
 425 
 
 is physical and what is spiritual, and tlien we should not 
 charge the latter with that which is due to the former. 
 
 ' I knew an old Christian at Eeading, who said, in every 
 variation of circumstances, " It is all for the best. I am 
 in the hands of a sovereign God." He knew that sove- 
 reignty is always exercised in the way of mercy.. I could 
 preach a sermon on that subject, and prove it. 
 
 * I preached yesterday with perfect ease ; indeed I 
 have never found any difficulty in making myself heard 
 in this church ; but I regard increasing strength as one of 
 the e^ddences that I was guided here. K. reads with a 
 large niunber of the working-classes in the schoolroom 
 on Sunday evenings. The work seems to prosper. Let 
 us be thankful and humble, and prayerful. Love to you 
 all. Wm. Maesh.' 
 
 TO THE EEY. CHARLES BEIDGES. 
 
 ' Beddington Rectoey, Sept. 9. 
 
 ' My dear Friexd, — A thought has been for some time 
 in my mind, and your pen could realize it. I have never 
 seen any work on the subject. It is this — Christl^xtty 
 AS taught by Jesus Christ. 
 
 ' All doctrines, promises, and precepts of true religion 
 will be found in the personal ministry of our blessed Lord, 
 while he was executing the office of the Prophet that 
 should come into the world." 
 
 ' I would not introduce a single w^ord more than we can 
 find in the four Evangelists. I am disposed to think that 
 the Apostles taught nothing but what may be found, semi- 
 nally at least, in the Gospels. 
 
 * If it meet your mind, I will send you a short analysis 
 
426 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 of what tlie treatise might be. My pen and age cannot 
 attempt more. 
 
 ' You may remember a book by Mr. Overton on The 
 True Churchman. It satisfactorily proved that those who 
 hold evangelical views are the true Churchmen. 
 
 * They who believe and follow all things taught by our 
 Lord are the true Christians. (Perhaps this may also prove 
 that evangelical faith is the Christian faith !) — Your ever 
 affectionate W. Marsh.' 
 
 TO HIS YOUNGEST DAUGHTER. 
 
 • Beckexham Rectory, April 7. 
 
 * I DAILY pray that all w-ho come under our roof at 
 Beddington (as well as visitors at Beckenham) may find 
 it good and profitable, and pleasant to be there. There is 
 a " house not made with hands," in which there is nothing 
 but what is good, profitable, and pleasant. 
 
 ' . . . I thank God for each new encouragement He 
 grants to feeble efforts in His service. Mr. Simeon once 
 said to a person who was praising him for having kindled 
 a flame in the land : " To be sure, sir ; quite right, always 
 praise the poker, tongs, and shovel." That man will 
 always remember in future that the praise is due only 
 to the Hand that uses the instrument. 
 
 ' It is one of the negative blessings of a future state 
 that there shall be " no more pain." What must the 
 positive blessings be ! and what a crowning one in John 
 xvii. 24 ! 
 
 ' You and darling Lucy must not over- tire yourselves 
 in furnishing for us, nor be burdened with " the cares of 
 this life." — Ever your own loving father, W. M.' 
 
SUNSET LIGHT. 
 
 427 
 
 To the Same. 
 
 ' Beckenham, Mai/ 8, 1861. 
 
 ' . . . I BEGGED ]\Irs. AV — to encourage the poor woman 
 to continue in prayer, and to get a Oiristian friend or two 
 to unite with her. I told her also the following anecdote, 
 which I heard many years ago : — A lady was converted : 
 her husband was opposed to religion ; — but he said to 
 a friend, " My wife obeys me cheerfully in everything, 
 except where she thinks her duty to God is concerned." 
 The friend said, " I will lay you a wager that she would 
 not obey you in such a case as this : — You shall invite me 
 and half a dozen more to sup with your wife at a very late 
 hour, when you know she has retired to rest." " I take 
 the bet," he said. The party arrived after midnight. He 
 sent word to his wife that several friends had come to sup 
 with him. She rose immediately, had the supper prepared, 
 and received them kindly. The man who lost the wager 
 said to her, " How could you keep your temper?" She 
 answered, " Unless my husband's heart is changed, this is 
 his only heaven, and therefore I wish to make it as happy 
 to him as possible." When the husband heard it, he said, 
 " This must be true religion and he began to read, and 
 think, and pray for himself; and God put a new spirit within 
 him. Sinners may be drawn, when they cannot be driven. 
 
 ' Do ask the sun to shine, and the east wind to retire, 
 that I may set off for Beddington. — My great love to my 
 housekeepers. My love to everybody. Wm. Maksh.' 
 
428 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 A few of his tlioiiglits, noted down at the time, are 
 inserted here : — 
 
 ' St. Paul wrote against self- righteousness, St. James 
 against un-rigliteousness.' 
 
 ' Fire and wind are beautiful types of the agency of 
 the Holy Spirit. Fire is penetrating, purifying, illumi- 
 nating, comforting. So tlie Holy Spirit can penetrate the 
 hardest, purify the most sinful, illuminate the darkest, 
 and comfort the most distressed heart. 
 
 ' Then, what can resist the wind ? it can ujjroot the 
 strongest trees, it revives, it invigorates, it refreshes. So, 
 like the mighty rushing wind, the Holy Spirit can uproot 
 the strongest prejudices, can revive dead souls, can 
 strengthen and refresh believers.' 
 
 * Fire, light, air, seem to me the best simile for Deity. 
 They are all of the same nature, the same elements, yet 
 varied, and distinct from each other.' 
 
 ' The Jewish nation was compared to a fig-tree ; and 
 the words, " Let no fruit grow on thee henceforth for 
 ever," have indeed been fulfilled, for that nation has 
 borne no fruit since they rejected Messiah ; but when we 
 see the fig-tree again putting forth green leaves, we shall 
 know that summer is nigh! 
 
 ' Whilst the righteousness of our Eedeemer admits us 
 into heaven, the fruits of faith will be rewarded there.' 
 
 ' Love is the peculiar spirit, peace tlie peculiar blessing, 
 of Christianity. " By this shall all men know that ye 
 
SUNSET LIGHT. 
 
 429 
 
 are my disciples, if ye have love one to auotlier." " My 
 peace I give unto you." ' 
 
 ' The imagery of Scripture is astonishing. It ransacks 
 all nature to illustrate Divine Truth ; from the sun in the 
 firmament, to the worm that creepeth upon the earth.' 
 
 ' What a difficulty, says one, when you believe in a 
 free gift of salvation through Christ, where to put good 
 works ? Why, the answer is, " Put them in your life." ' 
 
 ' The memory of the beloved apostle, imder the inspira- 
 tion of the Holy Spirit, was the faithful depository of the 
 deepest and highest thoughts revealed by His Lord to His 
 disciples. The 14th chapter of St. John's Gospel w^as 
 pointed out by an excellent old minister to a physician 
 who held Unitarian sentiments, with the request that he 
 would read it through first according to his own views, 
 and then, divesting himseK of prejudice, read it again as 
 one would who believed in the divinity of the Saviour, 
 and see with which view it best accorded. The physician 
 rose up, as he concluded his second reading of the chapter, 
 saying, with St. Thomas, " My Lord and my God 
 
 ' In these days we want mines, but the Lord accepts 
 mites! 
 
 After reading the 19th Psalm, he said, 'What a series 
 of arguments it contains for the Bible Society. " The law^ 
 of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;" then let us 
 
430 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 give it to the unconverted of mankind. " The testimony 
 of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;" then let 
 us give it to the uninstructed of mankind. The statutes 
 of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart ;" then let us 
 give them to the miserable of mankind. " The command- 
 ment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes ;" then let 
 us give it to the sinful of mankind. What a wonderful 
 Psalm it is : and like the 1st of Eomans it shows us that 
 men are not converted by the works of God, but by the 
 Kevelation of His Word.' 
 
 The privilege which was eagerly sought by his married 
 grandchildren, that the great-grandfather should himself 
 publicly dedicate their babes to the service of Christ in 
 baptism, occasioned another family gathering in the month 
 of February 1861, for the christening, in Beckenham 
 Church, of Margaret Louisa, the first-born child of one of 
 his grand- daughters, who had married tlie eldest son of 
 Hulbert Wathen, Esq. of Beckenham Lodge, a valued 
 parishioner of Mr. Chalmers. 
 
 A few weeks later my father had the joy of welcoming 
 back from India another married grand-daughter, who 
 spent much of her time in England under his roof, and 
 added not a little to his daily pleasure. 
 
 The first tea-party which my father gave in the 
 grounds of Beddington Eectory was to the mill- workers 
 and their wives. They had been assembled by one of 
 his family, for Scripture readings, in a large tannery 
 
SUNSET LIGHT. 
 
 431 
 
 shed, belong;incr to IMr. M'Eae, who, from first to last, 
 forwarded these plans for their religious benefit with 
 hearty goodwill. It had been mentioned by a daughter- 
 in-law of ^rEae, that many of these men would 
 probably cease to attend after the week of the Epsom 
 races. She said it had become an almost uniyersal 
 practice in that neighbourhood for the working-men to 
 spend the 'Derby- day' on the race-course, and that this 
 frequently resulted in betting and hard drinking, and, 
 consequently, in making homes miserable for days after- 
 wards. She earnestly urged, therefore, that an appeal 
 should be made to the men to relinquish the holiday 
 at Epsom. 
 
 After some consideration, and with a great dread of 
 being hard upon working-men, by seeking to depriye them 
 of one of their few pleasures before they had found higher 
 and greater ones, it was at length suggested to them by their 
 friend, at one of their Bible-readings, that if, on considera - 
 tion, they found that they could not ask for the blessing 
 of God to go with them to the race-course, and if they 
 felt that the day's amusement would probably end m sin, 
 would they seek the help of God to enable them to giye 
 it up ? And it was added that, in this case, though a tea- 
 party seemed a poor exchange for the excitement of at- 
 tending the races, Dr. ]\Iarsh would most gladly welcome 
 them to the rectory for the afternoon, and that he and his 
 family would endeayour to make it as pleasant to them 
 as they could. They were requested to take time for 
 consideration, and at the end of two days, out of aboye a 
 hundred ' hands,' all saye three sent in their names to 
 
432 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 accept the invitation. To soften the sacrifice, and to 
 extend the pleasure, their wives and widowed mothers 
 were asked to accompany them, and the use of the park 
 was obtained in order that they might have cricket in 
 the earlier part of the day ; and as Mr. M'Eae kindly 
 provided refreshment there at noon, they were able to 
 enjoy a whole holiday. 
 
 At three o'clock they walked in procession from the 
 park, and were received at the rectory gate, where flowers 
 and coloured favours had been previously prepared, to be 
 distributed by ladies who came to assist at the tea-party. 
 The tea was spread in a picturesque part of the rectory 
 grounds ; and, after a hearty meal, some sacred verses 
 were sung by the women who worked at a paper- mill in 
 the adjoining parish of Carshalton, where the rector had 
 most kindly given his sanction, at the request of the mill- 
 workers, for a weekly Bible-reading to be held by one of 
 Dr. Marsh's family. 
 
 The singing ended, and prayer having been offered by 
 Mr. Southey, they seated themselves on the grass around 
 the aged rector ; and whilst 
 
 ' All 
 
 Saw in his face contentment, in his life 
 The path to glory and perpetual joy,' 
 
 he spoke to them on the happiness of ' being found in 
 Christ' and of being employed in His service. 
 
 Six months afterwards, an unbeliever, referring to that 
 address, said, ' Eighteen years before, I had a great shake 
 away from Christianity by a clergyman treating me in a 
 very hoity-toity way. I have been a free-thinker ever 
 
SUNSET LIGHT. 
 
 433 
 
 since. But I got a great shake back towards Christianity 
 when I heard your father speak about faith in his Saviour 
 making him happy; and yet not so much by what he 
 said as by the sight of his face. It did your heart good 
 to look at it' 
 
 My father had invited some of his old clerical friends, 
 and several laymen who also were devoted Christians, to 
 make short addresses to the assembled party. Between 
 each address a hymn was sung, and the whole was con- 
 cluded with prayer by Mr. O'Rorke, after which all joined 
 in singing the doxology before they parted. 
 
 A poor woman who had been bedridden for many years 
 told us shortly afterwards that she had always dreaded 
 the evening of the Derby-day, for that sounds of oaths 
 and curses, mingled with snatches of profane songs, 
 reached her ears, even through her closed window, when 
 the men returned from the race- course ; and that too 
 often a drunken fight was the close of the day's revelry. 
 ' But,' she continued, * this year it was a different thing. 
 I heard nothing but sweet hymns and cheerful " good- 
 nights," as the neighbours parted at their garden gates.' 
 
 And from another parishioner, we heard that a young 
 mill- worker, who lodged at her house, said, on his return 
 from the rectory, ' No more races for me, landlady, I have 
 found a happier way !' 
 
 On the 20th of July he gave a similar fete to the wives 
 and widows of Beddington, inclusive also of the single 
 women, so that not a few of the faces of the Derby-day 
 tea-party reappeared. On this occasion, a table was also 
 provided for a number of recruits from the Guards' bar- 
 
 2 E 
 
434 
 
 MEMOIR OF KEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 racks at Croydon, many of whom were in the habit of 
 attending a Bible -reading, held for the poor of the parish, 
 on Sunday evening, in the school- room ; and some also 
 came one evening in the week to receive Scriptural 
 instruction from Mr. Baldwin, a young officer in the 
 engineer service, who spent his last summer, before leaving 
 for India, at Beddington Eectory. He had been one of 
 the leaders of the band of young Christians at Addis- 
 combe ; and his high character and noble heart had 
 endeared him in no slight degree to my father. 
 
 This year passed away calmly and happily, with health 
 sufficient for the exercise of the duties in which he de- 
 lighted, and in the enjoyment of the family circle and of 
 his numerous friends. 
 
 TO HIS ELDEST DAUGHTER. 
 
 ' Darling Mary, — . . . The work here appears to be 
 prospering, Deo gratia ! We have encouragement enough 
 to embolden us to ask for more. 
 
 ' . . . Several pleasant Christian visitors have been 
 with us, — last week, dear Lady ErroU and her young 
 sister. Both are seeking to hear their Saviour's voice, to 
 know His love, and to do His will. 
 
 ' " To hear His voice ;" then we have truth. " To 
 know His love ;" then we have peace. " To do His 
 will then we have usefulness, and all leading to glory, 
 honour, immortality, and eternal life. — Your ever loving 
 father, W. M.' 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 * LIVE, WHILE YOU LIVE.' 
 
 ' He liveth long who liveth well ! 
 All other life is short and vain ; 
 He liveth longest who can tell 
 Of living most for heavenly gain. 
 
 Sow love, and taste its fruitage pure ; 
 
 Sow peace, and reap its harvest bright ; 
 Sow sunbeams on the rock and moor, 
 
 And find a harvest -home of light,' 
 
 H. BONAK, 
 
'LIVE, WHILE YOU LIVE.' 
 
 England still remembers tlie days of anxious suspense, 
 followed too quickly by the shock of grief wliicb fell upon 
 every heart and home throughout the land, when, in the 
 2)rime of his noble manhood, the Prince Consort died. 
 
 Eyes that had scarcely ever been dimmed by tears, 
 and those which had almost wept away the power of 
 shedding them, alike overflowed then for their Queen in 
 her desolating sorrow, and for their country in the loss of 
 so wise a counsellor, so shining an example. 
 
 * We know him now, all narrow jealousies 
 Are silent ; and we see him as he moved, 
 How modest, kindly, all-accomplished, wise, 
 With what sublime repression of himself ; 
 
 Wearing the white flower of a blameless life. 
 Before a thousand peering littlenesses, 
 In that fierce light which beats upon a throne. 
 And blackens every blot.' 
 
 The mournful tidings were known in Beckenliam early 
 on Sunday, but the knowledge of it was kept from my 
 father, as he was to preach that morning, and his deafness 
 
438 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 prevented him from being conscious of the silent announce- 
 ment that all hope was over, by the omission from the 
 prayers for the Eoyal Family of that beloved and honoured 
 name. 
 
 When he came home and heard that the blow had 
 actually fallen, it seemed almost to overwhelm him; and 
 a day or two later we were obliged to remove from his 
 room a little picture of the Queen leaning on the Prince 
 Consort's arm ; for its aspect of happy confiding love, in 
 contrast with the thought of the desolation of her widow- 
 hood, so pierced his heart that he wept until palpitation 
 came on. During his subsequent severe illness, this in- 
 cident was mentioned by one of the ladies-in-waiting to 
 her Majesty, and it drew from her tender heart an ex- 
 pression of sympathy which was deeply gratifying to him. 
 
 About a year and a half after the Prince Consort's death, 
 her Majesty, in going from Windsor to Blackheath to see 
 Prince Leopold, had to pass through Beckenham station. 
 A slight delay was necessary to change the carriages on to 
 a different line, and during this time the train was stand- 
 ing at the corner of the rectory grounds, almost under 
 the shadow of its tall old elms. The wish of the Queen, 
 that she should have no greetings on her way, had been 
 made known, and orders had therefore been given at 
 the rectory that none of the family should go outside 
 the gates. From the window of the boudoir, where my 
 father was lying on his couch, he could see between the 
 trees the white steam from the engine which had brought 
 the royal carriage to Beckenham, and his loyal heart beat 
 high with the consciousness of his Queen's presence in the 
 
' LIVE, WHILE YOU LIVe/ 
 
 439 
 
 place, whilst his fervent spirit poured itself out in prayer 
 for her with such earnestness that, when he was told her 
 Majesty had left, he sank back exhausted, and for some 
 minutes v/as unable to return to his morning reading. 
 
 During the time of suspense, when a war with America 
 was imminent, he was fervently engaged in prayer for 
 the preservation of peace. He felt deeply for his eldest 
 grand- daughter in parting with her husband in the expec- 
 tation of active service ; and this, together with his per - 
 sonal love for Colonel Anstruther, lent a private interest 
 to the earnestness of his prayers for the public blessing. 
 The announcement of the release of the prisoners, which 
 sent a thrill of joy throughout the country, was received 
 by him with profound thanksgiving, but scarcely with 
 surprise. His faith had in a measure prepared him to 
 expect it. 
 
 TO HIS youngest DAUGHTER. 
 
 ' January 3, 1862. 
 ' . . . I AM glad you like this new-year's tract.-^ A 
 packet has been sent you, and you shall have as many 
 more as you wish. 
 
 ^ At tlie close of every year he published an ' luvitation to United 
 Prayer,' in a tract of four pages, in which a survey of present events 
 was given, and future hopes were dwelt upon ; but the main object 
 was to entreat Christians to unite in prayer for the outpouring of the 
 Holy Spirit. The plan was begiin by Mr. Haldane Stewart ; after his 
 death it was taken up by my father, and the invitation is now made 
 to the Church of God by Dr. M'Neile. 
 
440 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 ' How we thank God that our sweet Lucy is better, and 
 that darling Louie bears her trial so well. May God in 
 His providence watch over her Eobert, and bring hini 
 and our army safe back from Canada. All well here ; 
 satisfied you should be at the seaside with your nurslings, 
 yet longing to see you. 
 
 ' We are very thankful for the mercy shown to our be- 
 loved Queen, in the power of resignation given her, and 
 her intention to discharge her high and important duties. 
 
 ' Though we are trembling as to America, yet of this 
 we are certain, that all prayer on earth will terminate 
 in endless praise in heaven. Infinite wisdom and infinite 
 love direct all; and this we know, — "the Lord reign- 
 eth." " The government shall be upon His shoulder" 
 who took our sins on His own person. 'Not a sparrow 
 falls unseen, and wisdom directs love. " He doth not 
 willingly afflict or grieve the children of men." In Him 
 may we trust, in Him rejoice, and delight to make known 
 His love. 
 
 ' I had a very large party last Saturday evening at the 
 rectory. I took Acts iv. 14. 
 
 ' The power, when it comes, is omnipotent ; so that I 
 should have no objection to a congregation of infidels, 
 profligates, self-righteous, or formalists. We must exer- 
 cise faith in the power. " According to your faith be it 
 unto you." We ask too little, look for too little, believe 
 too little for blessing on the Word. " Lord, increase our 
 faith !" — Ever your most loving father, W. M.' 
 
LITE, WHILE YOU LITE.' 
 
 441 
 
 To liis daughter and grand- daugliters, on the arrival of 
 the news that the danger of war was averted : — 
 
 ' Beckexham, January 9, 1862. 
 
 ' My Darlings, — " Glory to God in the highest ! on 
 earth, Peace /" 
 
 ' It is a great answer to many prayers. And how plea- 
 sant that it should be sent before the " Week of Prayer" 
 closes — to turn prayer into praise. 
 
 ' May we, as individuals, seek for more grace to show 
 forth His praises, not only with our lips but in our lives ; 
 and to lead us, as a nation, to show our gratitude, by 
 honouring His word and His Sabbath more humbly and 
 heartily. 
 
 ' . . . I almost cried when I heard of the death of dear 
 old Mrs. M'Eae. How well she carried her ninety years, 
 and how much we shall miss her from our summer 
 garden-tea-party. We feel for her son. The longer so 
 good a mother was spared to him, the more he valued her. 
 But it is only joy for herself. Safe for ever. Holy for 
 ever. Happy for ever. — Your most loving father and 
 grandfather, W. Maesh.' 
 
 In the spring of this year, he shared in the joy of the 
 beloved grandchild who had recently returned from India, 
 in welcoming back her husband, Captain Hay Forbes, son 
 of the Honourable Eobert Forbes, who, with his excellent 
 Christian wife, had been for some time amongst my 
 father's beloved and most attached friends. During his 
 short leave, he and his young wife spent much of their 
 time at Beddington Rectory ; for he formed a devoted 
 
4-1:2 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 affection for my father, watcliing him with undisguised 
 admiration, to anticipate his lightest wish. This love was 
 returned with fatherly tenderness, and most fervent 
 prayers for his spiritual welfare. Nor was the aged 
 grandfather satisfied with prayer without effort. By ear- 
 nest conversations on Scriptural subjects, by anecdotes 
 related of souls brought to Christ, and of the happiness 
 found in Him, no less than by the beauty of holiness in 
 his daily life, was the young man drawn, almost insen- 
 sibly, to determine, by the grace of God, to take no rest, 
 and to give God no rest, until he too knew that his life 
 was hid with Christ in God. But it was not imtil the 
 day of their return to India, in the following November, 
 when he and his wife were taking their last farewell of 
 their beloved grandfather, that he knew how full an answer 
 had been given to his prayers. 
 
 TO HIS ELDEST DAUGHTER. 
 
 ' Beckenham Rectory, March 26, 1862. 
 
 * Dear darling Mary, — . . . Though our title to 
 heaven is in Christ alone, yet, such is the Divine bounty, 
 that right conduct is rewarded. You are now reaping the 
 fruits of the good conduct you sowed when a child. 
 
 ' You say you are " a worm." I am glad you think it, 
 because it is "a worm that shall thresh the mountains." 
 
 ' If you had said you were a Goliath, I should have been 
 greatly afraid that your head would have been cut off !' 
 
 ' May 29, 1862. 
 
 * My sweet LITTLE LucY, — What a delightful account 
 you give of the northern home. Your story of the 
 
* LIVE, WHILE YOU LIVE.' 
 
 443 
 
 children's " missiontery" box is very pleasant. But I 
 fear we have too many on this side the Tweed to follow 
 the example of the little one who thinks that " charity 
 begins at home and alas, when that is the case, it gene- 
 rally stays there ! 
 
 'When your time for returning comes, I have told 
 them all that I mean to go for you, unless some thoroughly 
 good escort is found. Kiss all the darlings for me, and 
 tell them to love their Saviour, and to love one another, 
 and to love all the world ; which is all I ask at present. 
 
 ' God bless you alL We enjoy your loving letters and 
 pleasant stories of the little darlings.— Your most loving 
 grandfather, W. IMaesh.' 
 
 The ' opposition'-Derby-day at Beddington Picctory had 
 now become an institution, and was anticipated with 
 scarcely less pleasure by many in the upper classes of 
 society, than by those for whom its celebration was prin- 
 cipally adopted. On this anniversary, there was a large 
 attendance from London and other places, and amongst 
 these friends my father had the pleasure of welcoming 
 Sir Culling Eardley and the Eev. Edmund Hollond. With 
 Sir Culling he had long been linked in many a Protestant 
 and evangelical work of faith and love ; and with ]\Ir. 
 Hollond he was associated in the Simeon Trust, and had 
 found him also ever ready to help in every work of piety 
 and benevolence/ 
 
 1 The late Eev. Charles Simeon, Fellow of King's College, Cam- 
 bridge, had spent an ample fortune in the purchase of livings in im- 
 portant stations, in order to present to them, on vacancies, the most 
 
444 
 
 MEMOIR OF EEY. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 In June the College at Addiscombe was finally closed, 
 as the cadets were to be transferred to the Academy at 
 Woolwich, on the amalgamation of the Indian service 
 with the Queen's army. Monday the 17th was chosen 
 for a last meeting at Beddington Eectory with the members 
 of the Addiscombe Bible-reading. A few friends, includ- 
 ing Mr. Blackwood and Sydney Duchess of Manchester, 
 who had for some time past invited several of the cadets 
 to spend Sunday at their house alternately with Becken- 
 ham and Beddington, came to join in the meeting. 
 
 The afternoon was sultry, so the little band assembled 
 in a shady part of the flower-garden ; and there, after Mr. 
 Blackwood had begun with prayer, we read together 
 2 Tim. ii., and spoke of the Christian's warfare, his hard- 
 ships, his temptations, his sufferings, his assurance, his 
 certain victory, and his glorious reward. 
 
 Before the conversation had quite ended, it was inter- 
 rupted by a heavy thunder-storm, and all took shelter in 
 the rectory. My father was reading in his library ; for, 
 as he had preached the day before, we feared to ask him 
 
 earnest and able evangelical clergymen whom he could find willing to 
 vmdertake the charge. He first associated my father with himself in 
 the Trust, and, shortly before his own death, vested it also in the 
 hands of the late Archdeacon Hodson and Rev. William Carus Wilson, 
 and of the E-evs. William Carus and John Venn, men endowed with 
 the ' spirit of power and of love, and of a sound mind. ' When two of 
 the number were removed by death, the vacancies were filled up by 
 the appointment 'of the Rev. Edward Auriol and the Rev. Edmund 
 Hollond, men of like spirit and principles. 
 
 The meetings of the trustees, which for several years took place 
 under my father's roof, and the affectionate intercourse they ever 
 maintained one with another, were always sources of refreshment to 
 him and to them. 
 
' LIVE, WHILE YOU LIVE.' 
 
 to give an address, less the exertion sliould be too mucli 
 for him. But no sooner did he know that the cadets were 
 in the house, than he expressed his strong wish to meet 
 them once more, to give them a parting blessing. 
 
 Like the high-priest in ancient days, when he came 
 forth from the presence of the Lord to bless the people, he 
 came from seeking the face of his God in the study of the 
 Scriptures ; and, taking his place in the midst of the 
 bright young group, he first gave some heaven-taught 
 counsel to guide them in the ordering of their daily life 
 and conversation, if they desired not merely to be amongst 
 the followers of Christ, but to have the honour and the 
 happiness of being standard-bearers in the army of His 
 chosen and faithful ones ; and then concluded Vv'ith the 
 inspired benediction,— 
 
 ' The Lord bless thee and keep thee : 
 
 'The Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be 
 gracious unto thee : 
 
 ' The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give 
 thee peace.' 
 
 Few could have seen unmoved the A^eteran warrior, 
 whose courage was still as high, and whose devotion to 
 his Master's cause was as unwearied as in the days of his 
 prime, though age had obliged him to relinquish the more 
 arduous part of the service, thus arming the recruits 
 for the field on which, ' having fought a good fight,' his 
 own warfare would shortly be accomplished. God gi^ant 
 that each of those young soldiers may be found at the 
 right hand of the great Captain of our salvation, in the 
 day of His appearing ! 
 
446 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 The Bishop of Winchester kindly preached for him on 
 Sunday, June 29th, and my father much enjoyed his 
 society. 
 
 He had a natural reverence for authority ; and when he 
 had, as in this case, perfect confidence in and sympathy 
 with his diocesan, it was an especial pleasure to him to 
 welcome him under his roof. There were many pleasant 
 events in past years to recall together ; and foremost in 
 their memories seemed to be a visit which the bishop had 
 paid to the Channel Islands, when my father was residing 
 in Guernsey for part of the summer of 1829. It was the 
 first time that a bishop had been there for years, and it 
 produced quite an excitement of interest amongst the 
 inhabitants. The bishop was accompanied, on that visit 
 to Guernsey, by his chaplains, the Eev. Alexander Dallas, 
 and the Eev. Philip (now Archdeacon) J acob. They all 
 united in promoting, in every way in their power, the 
 work of the Lord. The bishop carried on his own 
 special olFice of ordaining and confirming, and also united 
 with his two excellent chaplains in preaching, visiting, 
 and addressing schools. It was a time of great interest, 
 and doubtless of much blessing. One remarkable instance 
 of conversion may be recorded here. In the island of Jersey 
 an unhappy young man was at the time in prison, and 
 under sentence of death for murder, committed in a fit of 
 passion. There had not been an execution in the island 
 for twenty-four years, and the case excited painful interest 
 among the inhabitants. Mr. Dallas and Mr. Jacob visited 
 the poor criminal, and earnestly pointed him to the 
 Saviour. He became truly penitent ; and their conversa- 
 
' LIVE, WHILE YOU LIYE/ 
 
 447 
 
 tions and prayers were made the means of leading liim to 
 cast himself as a guilty sinner on the Lamb of God, who 
 taketh away the sin of the world : thus he was enabled to 
 trust in that Saviour's pardoning love, and to meet with- 
 out dread the awful fulfilment of his sentence. 
 
 In July, a family meeting took place at Beddington 
 Eectory, for the christening of the third son of his eldest 
 grandchild. Eobert Hamilton Anstruther was the last 
 infant for whom he was able to read the baptismal service. 
 The little brothers and sister of the babe clustered round 
 their great-grandfather as he stood by the font, looking up 
 with reverent love into his heavenly face, as with tender 
 solemnity he dedicated the unconscious child to be 
 * Christ's faithful soldier and servant unto his life's end.' 
 
 His birthday was celebrated, as usual, by a tea-party 
 for the women of the parish, and the customary gathering 
 from far and near, and by addresses given by several 
 friends. Amongst many little tokens of love which were 
 brought him on that occasion, was a text illuminated by a 
 niece of my mother's, Mrs. Austen of West Wickham Eec- 
 tory, which, from that time, was always placed opposite 
 the foot of his bed, — ' To me to live is Christ, to die is gain.' 
 
 Almost immediately afterwards, he had a severe attack 
 of illness, accompanied by distressing palpitations of the 
 heart ; but his faith was strong that he would be restored 
 to preach again ' the unsearchable riches of Christ.' He 
 was much gratified by the interest and sympathy mani- 
 fested, both by rich and poor ; and shortly after he had 
 begun to recover, he wrote the following note, and directed 
 
448 MEMOIR OF HEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 that a printed copy should be left at every house and 
 cottage in the parish : — 
 
 ' Beddington Rectory, August 7, 1862. 
 
 ' My dear Friends, — ^Your kind sympathy with me 
 and my family during my late illness calls for my grati- 
 tude to God and to you. 
 
 * Mine hour, it a;^pears, is not yet come to depart this 
 life, as I am in a measure raised up again, and may, per- 
 haps, be permitted to address you again from the pulpit. 
 I am very thankful for the faithful and affectionate dis- 
 charge of that, and other duties, by my beloved brethren, 
 Mr. Southey and Mr. O'Eorke. 
 
 ' If life be always uncertain, it must be emphatically so 
 at my age. But my present motto is, " Work whilst it 
 is day yet trust in no work except that which was 
 wrought during thirty- three years, above 1800 years ago. 
 
 " Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness 
 My beauty are, my glorious dress." 
 
 ' With reference to the hour of death, I have often 
 thought I should like to have the humility of the publican, 
 — " God be merciful to me, a sinner ! " and to offer the 
 prayer of Stephen, — " Lord Jesus, receive my spirit and 
 to exercise the faith of David,—" Into Thy hands I com- 
 mend my spirit, for Thou hast redeemed me, 0 Lord, 
 Thou God of truth." 
 
 ' May the Divine blessing rest on you and your families ; 
 and may we all, taking the Word of God as our guide, 
 finally meet in the world of light and love. — Ever your 
 faithful and affectionate friend, William Marsh.' 
 
' LIVE, WHILE YOU LIVE.' 
 
 449 
 
 TO HIS SECOND DAUGHTER. 
 
 ' Beddixgtox Rectory, August 8. 
 
 ' Dka-R daelixg ]\Iatilda, — Many thanks for your 
 love-letter. There is no love lost. Xever was a father 
 more blessed in his daughters. Oh, what unspeakable 
 happiness it will be to meet in that world, not only where 
 all is light and all is love, but where there is no parting. 
 " So shall we ever be with the Lord." Sweet word of the 
 inspired apostle. That will be the sunshine on all. AYe 
 do not take glory from the sun when we admire flowers 
 and fruits. AVe know the sun to be the source of those 
 beauties and benefits. So in heaven we shall see the glory 
 of the Lord in all He does to make His people happy. 
 The glory of Him will be seen in all His wonderful 
 prayer on earth will be fully answered (John xvii. 24). 
 
 ' Love attends you. Dear Constance and Fred, are en- 
 joying the quiet of Beddington Eectory and the fresh 
 air from the downs. Their sweet little child is here also. 
 My dear Mrs. Marsh takes great care of me. She unites 
 in love. W. Maesh.' 
 
 To the Same. 
 
 ' Beddixgtox. 
 
 ' Daelixg Matilda, — ^\e had a pleasant visit yester- 
 day from Lord Eadstock. He is a faithful and devoted 
 Christian. 
 
 'I am remarkably well to-day, but always hoping to 
 be better; and shall never be satisfied till quite well, 
 when 
 
 2 F 
 
450 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLI A.M MARSH, D.D. 
 
 " Sin, my worst enemy before, 
 Shall vex my eye and ear no more. 
 My inward foes shall all be slain ; 
 Nor Satan break my peace again. 
 
 Then shall I see, and hear, and know, 
 All I desired and wished below ; 
 And every power find sweet employ 
 Tn that eternal world of joy." 
 
 And, next to the sight of the Saviour, to see you all there 
 — Oh, what joy ! 
 
 ' Would you like to hear a dream I had last night ? I 
 saw before me — side by side — 
 
 ' The Babe of Bethlehem— The Eternal King. 
 
 ' The Man of sorrows — filled with unutterable joy. 
 
 ' The outcast of men — the Judge of the world. 
 
 ' He had not where to lay His head, — the universe as 
 His property.' 
 
 On the 12th of August a telegram reached the rectory 
 from the father of one who had been amongst the most 
 devoted of the young Christians at Addiscombe. The 
 telegram only said, ' Pray for the departing spirit of our 
 beloved Arthur. He is quite conscious. All is peace.' 
 
 It was the first intelligence of his illness which had 
 i^eached my father, and it deeply touched him. He had 
 remarked the rapid ripening of the youth from the day 
 when — trained from infancy in Scriptural knowledge, and 
 blessed with the unceasing prayers of a tender mother — 
 he had, at Beckenham Rectory, believed on the Lord 
 Jesus Christ with the heart unto righteousness, and had 
 gone forth ' to confess Him with the mouth unto salva- 
 tion,' amidst his companions at a military college. 
 
' LIVE, WHILE YOU LIVE.' 
 
 451 
 
 From that hour, sensitive as he was to an almost femi- 
 nine degree, the brave and faithful spirit of that young 
 soldier never flinched. To those who watched him closest, 
 it seemed that he never even wavered, but that his light 
 grew brighter and brighter until the sun of his earthly life 
 went down at noon. 
 
 Delicacy of health obliged him to resign his commis- 
 sion as first engineer of the term, just as he had taken the 
 highest honours of the college. After a time he turned 
 his thoughts to studying for Orders, and matriculated 
 at Trinity College, Cambridge, where, during his brief 
 career, he was remarked as being ' pre-eminent amongst 
 the number of those who deserve the name of consistent 
 and happy Christians.' Wherever he went, during the 
 vacations, his society was felt to be an influence for 
 increased holiness and earnestness. At once he sought to 
 be employed in visiting the sick, and constantly conversed 
 with those of his own age on the subjects nearest his 
 heart ; and he has been known to give up travelling in 
 the same carriage with his own friends, in order to carry 
 on a conversation with a third-class passenger, begun on 
 the platform of the railway station, that he might press 
 upon his companion the blessedness of choosing the Wa.y 
 of Life. 
 
 When he was seized with fever at Interlachen, he said 
 to his devoted mother, ' It is better to depart and be with 
 Christ — far better.' So dear was the Bible to him, that 
 he would fall asleep, at times, with it clasped in both 
 hands. On one occasion he said to his French nurse, 
 * Je suis tres-malade. Je suis pauvre, miserable pecheur. 
 
452 
 
 MEMOIE OF REY. AVILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 mais par I'amour de Jesus Christ qui est mort pour nos 
 peches, je serai sauve.' The last three words she de- 
 scribed him as saying most earnestly, with clasped hands. 
 Then he ended by repeating the words, ' Le sang de 
 Jesus Christ nous nettoye de toute peche/ And when 
 the names of father, mother, and sisters fell on an un- 
 conscious ear, the name of Jesus lighted up his face with 
 a radiant smile. So passed away the spirit of Arthur 
 Elliott into the presence of that Saviour whom he had so 
 early sought and so early found. 
 
 TO HIS ELDEST DAUGHTER. 
 
 ' Beddingtox Kectory, Sept. 1. 
 
 ' Dear darling Mary, — I prayed that you might have 
 a safe, prosperous, and useful journey ; and now I ought 
 indeed to be thankful for your letter just received. Do 
 tell Eose when she arrives that I am very fond of roses. 
 I am so glad to hear that the rose-bud is prospering. 
 
 ' We have had a glimpse of the dear Wildmans again 
 — warm and bright as ever, and rejoicing in the hope of 
 the appearing of our blessed Lord. 
 
 ' Our dear Georgie has sailed for India. He has a 
 brave spirit and a tender heart, and is, I believe, a true 
 Christian. May grace be given him to be ' steadfast, un- 
 movable, and ahvays abounding in the work o: the Lord.' 
 
 ' Will Islip have a sermon for Lancashire ? We are to 
 have two next Sunday (D.F.) Some poor persons are 
 sending in their pence beforehand. One young woman, 
 apparently a servant, or a dressmaker, brought Katie a 
 
' LIVE, WHILE YOU LIVE.' 
 
 453 
 
 sovereign at tlie schoolroom last nigiit, and slipped it into 
 her hand wrapped up in paper. 
 
 ' Row many Christians seem to think that it is indeed 
 the Last Time. Good news ; though the enemy, knowing 
 his time is short, may make a great effort to retain his 
 power. I^ature is, alas, for him, but grace is against him ; 
 and grace must reign : that also, is our individual hope 
 ,Rom. V. 20, 21). "Comfort ye, comfort ye." Love to 
 the quartette. W. 
 
 To the Same. 
 
 * Beddixgtox Eectory, SejJt. 23. 
 
 ' . . . A PENITENT and believing sailor said, To save 
 such a sinner as I am ! He shall neve?- hear the last of 
 it!" This expression, so frequently made use of by un- 
 forgiving persons, never was, that I know, applied in a 
 Christian sense, before this case. It was remarkably 
 scriptural, for the hallelujahs of heaven will be eternal. 
 
 ' I greatly enjoy the honest tar's expression, " He shall 
 never hear the last of it." We are too apt to forget that 
 praise is well-pleasing to God. " '\Alioso offereth Me praise, 
 glorifieth Me ;" and St. Paul states the same (Heb. xiii. 
 15). I am thankful also for the 16th verse: it is a 
 wonderful thing that such sinners can please God. But, 
 " accepted in the Beloved," we are " complete in Him." ' 
 
 Since he had begun to rally from his attack of illness 
 in the summer, the desire of his heart had become intense 
 to preach again in his own church. ISTotwithstanding the 
 doctor's fears, he determined that nothing less than the 
 
454 
 
 MEMOIK OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 hand of God interposing should hinder him from making 
 the effort ; and all who heard him were astonished by the 
 energy and power with which he delivered his Master's 
 message. 
 
 His family watched him with rejoicing yet trembling 
 hearts, as he entered his pnlpit once more ; but anxiety 
 was soon absorbed in the deep and thankful interest with 
 which they listened to the thrilling tones of that beloved 
 voice, as he described the blessedness of Heaven like one 
 familiar with the customs of that Country. 
 
 As we all left the church, Captain Forbes, who knew 
 well the risk of life which had been incurred by the exer- 
 tion, could not help exclaiming, ' AVell, I never saw such 
 pluck ! Our old veteran would march up to the cannon's 
 mouth before us all at the order of his commander-in-chief, 
 and not waste so much as a thought upon danger ! ' 
 
 But the effort so soon after the exhaustion of illness had 
 been too great ; and the repetition of it on the following 
 Sunday brought on a similar attack of the heart to that 
 from which he had suffered in the summer, so that he was 
 again laid by, to enter his pulpit no more ; although he 
 continued to give addresses on scriptural subjects from 
 his wheel- chair in the rectory, or its grounds, where from 
 two to five hundred persons from time to time were assem- 
 bled to hear him. 
 
 In the preceding month of July, he had written to ask 
 the Archbishop of Canterbury if he might claim his pro- 
 mise to plead the cause of the Church Missionary Society 
 in Beddington Church. The Archbishop replied, ' My 
 
' LIVE, WHILE YOU LIVE.' 
 
 455 
 
 dear friend, I should have been delighted to preach for 
 you ; but my health is failing so much that I think the 
 next place of worship I shall enter will be — 
 
 " Where congregations ne'er break up, 
 And Sabbaths never end." ' 
 
 On the 6th of the following month of September, in 
 simple trust in his Saviour, and in perfect peace, that 
 blessed Archbishop passed into the eternal world ; leaving 
 behind him a name fragrant as ' precious ointment.' 
 
 TO HIS ELDEST DAUGHTER. 
 
 ' Beddixgtox Rectory, Sept. 29, 1862, 
 ' Yesteeday I addressed a full and attentive congrega- 
 tion, and endeavoured to point them to something more 
 beautiful than anything to be found on earth, from Eev. 
 xxii. last part of 3d and whole of 4th verse. I gave them 
 a dark view of our fall in the first Adam, but an exceed- 
 ingly bright view of our recovery by the second Adam. 
 The text shows, with reference to the blessed — 
 
 ' 1 . Their perfect service. 2. Their intimate fellowship. 
 3. Their entire consecration. 
 ' Application — 
 
 '1. AVill any say, "We will not serve God?" Pause, 
 and think of the consequence. Pause again, and think of 
 the love that still invites you. " Let the wicked forsake 
 his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts ; and let 
 him return unto God, and He will have mercy upon him ; 
 to our God, for He will abundantly pardon" (Isa. Iv.) 
 
 ' 2. Do any desire to serve God? Press forward 
 
456 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 through difficulties ; help will come. Let those who love 
 His service think daily of the future state, where there 
 will he knowledge without error, holiness without sin, and 
 happiness without alloy.' 
 
 The following imaginary dialogue was sent in a letter 
 to Captain Hay Forbes, shortly after his return to India, 
 and will serve as a specimen of the pleasant way in which 
 the grandsire gave his counsel while expressing his loving 
 confidence : — 
 
 A Dialogue on Christianity between tivo Hindus, 
 done into English hj W. M. 
 
 ' Dear friend, have you yet thought anything about this 
 Christianity which is making such a stir in our country?' 
 
 ' N'o ! for I do not see that the Christian religion is any 
 better than our own.' 
 
 ' I thought so too, till one of them put their Shaster 
 into my hands, which I found to be very beautiful, teach- 
 ing men to love their Creator, and one another ; and that, 
 though they were sinners, there was a Saviour and a 
 heaven for them. It is but fair to judge of their religion 
 by their Book, and, next to that, by the conduct of those 
 who love the Book and evidently desire to follow it. I 
 do confess that, before I read the Book, I was much im- 
 pressed in favour of it by the conduct of some Christians 
 who were sincere. For instance, let me request you to 
 look at Captain and Mrs. Hay Forbes ; their just and up- 
 right conduct ; their kindness to those who are in need or 
 
' LIVE, WHILE YOU LIVE.' 
 
 457 
 
 trouble. Tliey tell me that there is a throne of grace for 
 all who approach it, sensible of their need ; and that such 
 are sure to succeed, through their Eedeemer; and that 
 mercy and grace lead to everlasting happiness and glory. 
 I confess that I begin to see that it is Christianity that 
 can bless mankind, in life, in death, and in eternity. 
 Dear friend, once more let me request you earnestly to 
 look at Captain and Mrs. Forbes, and the Christian mis- 
 sionaries in our country, and to read their Book. Their 
 Book calls true disciples " the light of the world," and 
 "the salt of the earth;" the light, by their knowledge; 
 the salt, by their practice. My dear friend, if I could 
 work a miracle, I would turn you into light and salt 
 immediately.' 
 
 ' Ha-ha- ha ! I believe you wish my happiness ; I will 
 read and think, and observe Captain and Mrs. Forbes all 
 the time they are in India. Farewell ! ' 
 
 His annual tea-party for the men of the parish was 
 given on the evening of the 7th of November. It hap- 
 pened to be most dreary weather — fog and rain, — so that 
 it would have been a risk for his health, had he attended 
 it. Still, so heartily had he enjoyed the anticipation of 
 being present, that it was not until within the last half 
 hour that he relinquished the opportunity of meeting so 
 large a number of his parishioners, of witnessing their 
 pleasure, and of pleading with them for their eternal 
 profit. When he found that it would be really imprudent 
 to go, he wrote the following letter, to be read to them by 
 one of his curates : — 
 
458 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 'Nov. 1th, 1862. 
 
 ' Dear Friends,— If Providence had permitted, I should 
 have had great pleasure in meeting you this evening. I 
 shall be present with you in spirit, and shall hope that on 
 all your hearts the impression will be made, that Chris- 
 tianity is a kind and a pleasant religion, and that it 
 forbids no innocent pleasures, but only such as would be 
 injurious to us as rational and accountable creatures. 
 
 ' The book of Proverbs says of " wisdom," which is 
 true religion, "that her ways are ways of pleasantness, 
 and all her paths are peace." Alas ! the children of men, 
 in general, will not walk in her paths, and therefore is 
 there so great a want of peace in our world. I could wish 
 you, if you have not already done it, to read that book 
 through, one chapter each day, till you come to the end ; 
 and if you have done it, I could wish you to repeat it. It 
 does so clearly prove that "godliness is profitable unto 
 all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and 
 of that which is to come." 
 
 ' But Christianity brings out this trutli in all its fulness, 
 by making known the Saviour, and making Him known 
 as loilling as well as ahle to save. A consciousness of sin 
 may make us doubt, and that remaining in the mind 
 might lead to despair. But " it is a faithful saying, and 
 worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the 
 world to save sinners," and He casts out none who come 
 to Him. It was a wise reflection of a poor man called 
 Joseph, who was but half-witted, " Jesus Christ came 
 into the world to save sinners ! Poor J oseph is a sin- 
 ner ; therefore Jesus Christ came into the world to save 
 
' LIVE, WHILE YOU LIVE.' 
 
 459 
 
 poor Joseph." Behold, therefore, we bring yon " glad tid- 
 ings of great joy for this Sa^donr is preached to you, 
 His atoning blood takes away all sin, and His inter- 
 cession in heaven keeps the way open for the honourable 
 exercise of mercy ; hence, if we confess our sins, God is 
 faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us 
 from all unrighteousness." 
 
 ' Oh, never get tired of a book that contains such good 
 news ; and remember that our heavenly Father will give 
 the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him.-^ .... 
 
 ' Dear friends, well may we exclaim, " ^Yho is a God 
 like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and delighteth in 
 mercTj!' And we should therefore never doubt of the suc- 
 cess of our prayers for the mercy and grace that we need, 
 till we arrive in that land where sin, sorrow, temptation, 
 and death are known no more. I cannot close this short 
 address without acknowledoinsj with thankfulness vour 
 kind and generous feeling towards our suffering brethren 
 in the north, shown in the liberal way you have contri- 
 buted, and are continuing to contribute, for the supply of 
 their wants.^ I delight to subscribe myself, in conjunction 
 with my beloved brothers and most useful helpers, !Mr. 
 Southey and Mr. O'Rorke — Your affectionate friend and 
 pastor, AViLLiAM Maesh.' 
 
 1 Then foUo\red the story of ' Praying Tom.' — See pp. 25, 26. 
 
 - The men and boys working at Mr. M'Rae's leather-miU and tan- 
 nery vohintarily subscribed from 25s. to 27s. a week, as long as the 
 distress continued in Lancashire and Cheshire ; and scarcely less gener- 
 ous efforts were made by others in the parish who worked for their 
 bread, and by the children of the schools. 
 
460 
 
 ^lEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MAESH, D.D. 
 
 It was in the month of November 1862 that he bade 
 farewell to his beloved grandchild, Honoria Forbes and 
 her husband, on their return to India — a parting he 
 keenly felt. He took leave, about the same time, of Mr. 
 Frederick Wathen, a young clergyman, known to him 
 from childhood, who, after finishing his blameless and 
 useful career at Oxford, gave himself up to the work 
 upon which his heart had long been set — a missionary's 
 life in India. His devoted service there was shortly 
 brought to a close by a fatal fever, during which he was 
 nursed with brotherly tenderness by Captain Forbes 
 whilst his gentle wife soothed and supported the sor- 
 rowing heart of her who was soon to be left desolate. 
 
 When the young missionary had passed away, leav- 
 ing this as his dying testimony, * I am at perfect peace 
 with God ; Christ has washed away all my sins/ — the 
 faithful wife, who had gone out with brave and cheer- 
 ful heart to follow him through dangers, and nurse him 
 in sickness, came on her lonely way back to England, a 
 widow with her orphaned babes, within three years of 
 her marriage. 
 
 The loving mother, who with Christian self-forgetful- 
 ness had fostered her son s noble purpose of life from his 
 childhood, bore the sorrow of his death Avitli a holy acqui- 
 escence in the will of her God. She did not long survive 
 him. Within a year, her life of piety and usefulness on 
 earth was exchanged for the rest that remaineth for the 
 people of God. 
 
' LIVE, WHILE YOU LIVE.' 
 
 4G1 
 
 TO HIS ELDEST DAUGHTER. 
 
 ' Beckexiiam Eectory, Dec. 6. 
 ' Daelixg Maey, — . ... A bow shot at a venture does 
 execution. We never shoot the right arrow altogether in 
 vain. 
 
 'You will like to read the delightful letter enclosed, 
 from Henry Clarke, one of the first of our young friends 
 at Addiscombe. He is anotlier of the frequent instances 
 T have observed of the sons of Christian mothers, on 
 vv'hom a peculiar blessing has rested from their youth 
 upward. 
 
 * Cummmg's book on the Great Tribulation, like all 
 his works, is very interesting. It may be that the time 
 of that tribulation is at hand, and it may be very terrible. 
 But it will usher in a great ecstasy of joy to those who 
 trust alone in Jesus. 
 
 " E'en then shall this be all my plea : 
 Jesus has lived aud died for me." 
 
 Tliat name opens heaven's doors immediately.' 
 
CHAPTEE XYI. 
 
 THE THKESHOLD OF HEAVEN. 
 
 He hath been near unto the golden gate ; 
 Serene he waited for his Master's calling : 
 It came, — " A little longer thou must wait, 
 The sands of life have not yet ceased their falling." 
 
 Servant of God ! thou hast not long to stay ; 
 Soon the weak bonds that hold thee here shall sever ; 
 Then shalt thou gaze upon the perfect day, 
 And Him thou lovest, for ever and for ever.' 
 
THE THEESHOLD OF HEAYEX. 
 
 On the last night of the year 1862, my father vv'as 
 seized with a sudden attack of the heart. It was the 
 commencement of a long and severe illness. The dan- 
 gerous s}TQptoms increased with such rapidity that, from 
 the evening of the 5tli of January until noon of the 
 following day, his family, with his doctor, watched beside 
 him, fearing that each hour must be his last. During 
 that night — for us, full of anguish and suspense, for him, 
 of serene calm and holy joy, there flowed from his lips a 
 stream of heavenly teaching, to which those around him 
 listened with wondering admiration.^ 
 
 At first his thoughts were dwelling on the song of the 
 aged Simeon, and, in a voice which rang through the 
 silence of midnight, he exclaimed, ' Lord, now lettest 
 Thou Thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have 
 seen — mine eyes have seen — mine eyes have seen Thy 
 SALVATION 1"' and, turning to us, he added, 'and this 
 
 ^ His eldest daughter was occupied during four hours of that night 
 in writing down, unseen by him, the words that fell from his Hps. 
 
 2 G 
 
466 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 salvation is for you all.' A little while later he quoted 
 the hymn — 
 
 ' But timorous mortals start and shrink 
 To cross that narrow sea.' 
 
 * Why should they ? ' he exclaimed. ' They may go 
 over Jordan dry-shod.' 
 
 Then lifting his eyes and hands to heaven, he said, — 
 
 ' Blessed Saviour, — 
 Washed in Thy Blood, 
 Clothed in Thy Righteousness, 
 Prepared by Tby Spirit, 
 Employed in Thy Service, 
 E-eceived into Thy Kingdom, 
 Praise, praise be to Thee !' 
 
 He quoted the words, ' Looking unto Jesus,' add- 
 ing— 
 
 ' Look and live ; 
 Look and love ; 
 Look and obey ; 
 Look and be happy ; 
 Look and follow Him ; 
 Look and go to Heaven.' 
 
 Children and grand-children had gathered around him 
 for last blessings and last looks of love. But he was yet 
 again to be raised up from the very gate of death, or 
 rather it seemed to us that he awaited his Master's call at 
 the gate of heaven, and when the order came, ' Tarry thou 
 the Lord's leisure,' he turned back at that bidding to 
 eairth once more ; as if to let us gain some idea by the 
 shining of his face how those who are counted worthy to 
 
THE THRESHOLD OF HEAVEN. 
 
 467 
 
 stand before the Son of Man ' are made like imto Him, 
 when they see Him as He is.' ^ 
 
 But his recovery was subject to frequent relapses ; and 
 during the night of February the 4th, my sister and I were 
 anxiously watching by his side during severe suffering in 
 his chest and palpitation of the heart. Suddenly he 
 mastered his faltering breath to say, ' Oh, m?j Saviour 1 who 
 didst suffer for my sins, Thou wast alone in Thine agony. 
 Thou hadst no words of loviuQ- comfort said to Thee. I 
 r/iust weep' (his tears were falling). ' I am standing with 
 the Marys at the foot of Thy cross. 0 blessed, blessed 
 Jesus, how Thy heart must have beat till Thou saidst, " It 
 IS FINISHED 1" But it is C£uiet now. It has been at rest 
 these eighteen hundred years ; and it will be at rest for ever. 
 Oh, I am so glad — I am so glad it was all over eighteen 
 hundred years ago, when Thou saidst, " It is finished !" 
 The claims of justice met — the law magnified — the door 
 opened — the types fulhUed — the prophecies accomplished 
 — the atonement completed — mankind redeemed — It is 
 finished ! Let all the angels of God worship Thee !' 
 
 ^ This was the week which had been set apart by many Christians, 
 throughout the world, for special prayer. Amongst other places opened 
 for a similar i)iiri)ose in London, a daily prayer-meeting was held at 
 Freemasons' Hall. To the chairman of this assembly a note was for- 
 warded from Dr. Marsh's family to request him to ask those gathered 
 together to plead with God that, if it would best promote His glory 
 and the good of His Church, that beloved life might jet be spared 
 for a season. This petition was read, and one who was jjresent at the 
 time wrote : — ' Your request seemed to find a response from almost 
 every soid there. If you had heard the " Amen" from coimtless voices, 
 it would have strengthened your hearts. 
 
 From that hour he began to revive. ' Women received their dead 
 raised to life again.' 
 
468 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 After a time, ease was mercifully granted, and we heard 
 liini hushing himself to sleep with sweet fragments of 
 joyful thoughts. The last we caught was, ' My Saviour, 
 my righteousness, my hapjjiness, my heaven, my Lord, 
 my God, my Glory.' 
 
 On the morning of the 20th of January he called me 
 to his side and said, ' Tell me which text in the Bible is 
 a fountain of good to the guilty ?' 
 
 ' Is it tliis,' I asked, — ' " Tlie blood of Jesus Christ His 
 Son cleansetli ns from all sin" ? ' 
 
 * That is the meritorious cause — but not the Fountain. 
 Shall I tell it to you? It is in the 16th verse of the 3d 
 chapter of the Gospel of St. John, — " God so loved the 
 
 WORLD, THAT TIe GAVE HiS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT 
 WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HiM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT 
 
 HAVE Everlasting Life." 
 
 ' In that way justice and love are reconciled. It would 
 have been inconsistent with the purity and integrity of 
 the Divine Government to forgive the sinner without an 
 atonement. By providing an atonement, and that through 
 the sacrifice of the Son of God Himself, a further view 
 was given of the wonders of Divine love. What an 
 exhibition of love was the crucifixion of the Saviour — 
 God sacrificing Himself in the Manhood for mankind. 
 Creating, preserving, providing love, is not love in the 
 highest sense — the essence of love is self-sacrifice. 
 
 ' And this will be manifested to the universe. " Which 
 things the angels desire to look into ;" and they will be 
 permitted to do so. " That unto principalities and powers 
 in heavenly places might be known by the Church the 
 
THE THRESHOLD OF HEAYEX. 
 
 469 
 
 manifold wisdom of God." ^Vho shall put a limit to the 
 effect of awe, adoration, and holiness, which shall be pro- 
 duced throughout creation by the knowledge of the whole 
 of the Divine plan and of its success, when the final 
 victory of this battle-field — the world, is won, and the 
 proclamation of it is sounded to the utmost limit of 
 creation. 
 
 ' There is an answer, therefore, in two words, to all 
 sceptical doubts, 
 
 " Eternity and the Universe." 
 
 ' The first — because it may well take an Eternity for 
 the Infinite God to reveal Himself to finite man ; and the 
 last — because the whole Universe will be benefited by 
 God's dealings with our world. 
 
 ' All mistakes touching the cliaracter of God arise from 
 a want of trust in His own revelation of Himself in these 
 words, " God is Love." 
 
 ' Here is the great battle between Eaitli and Unbelief. 
 
 ' Some, to reconcile things in the Eevealed AA'ord, 
 which seemed to them inconsistent with their human and 
 therefore limited ideas of a God of Love, have chosen to 
 believe but in part, or to reject revelation altogether ; in- 
 stead of humbly yet wisely waiting for the Infinite God to 
 explain Himself in the fulness of time, and throughout 
 the duration of Eternity.' 
 
 ' I like that saying, " Sin, sin, what hast thou done 1" 
 ' But I like this saying better, Saviour, Saviour, what 
 hast Thou done 
 
470 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 ' That is a beautiful description given by St. Paul, 
 " The express image of His person." What the Son of 
 God is, let the sons try to be — let them imitate the 
 character of God. God is Love. 
 
 ' One comes and says to Him, " But I have sinned 
 against you." " And I have forgiven you ! And I will 
 bring you to a world where you shall sin no more." " I 
 should like not to sin any more in thought, or word, or 
 deed." " You are a pleasant child. Go in peace." 
 
 ' " Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which 
 is in heaven is perfect." I do not think it means sinless 
 perfection, but imitation ; you will see the context is that 
 we are to do as our Father in heaven does, " who maketh 
 His sun to shine on the evil and on the good." " I will 
 not give up that text to John Wesley. If we had a walk 
 together, I would say — " I^ow, Wesley, there 's a wicked 
 man, I am going to give him something ; I would be a 
 perfect man ! That man has spoken ill of me, and treated 
 me ill, notwithstanding I had show^n kindness to him and 
 to his family. I will give him a ten-pound note." Then 
 the poor man says, " Oh, I '11 never speak ill of him again ; 
 I '11 tell every one to whom I abused him of this ten- 
 pound note !" 
 
 ' This is love. " If God so loved us, we ought also to 
 love one another." ' 
 
 In one of his last attacks of palpitation, as it was pass- 
 ing off he seemed much oppressed in spirit. My sister 
 asked him, ' Does any particular thought trouble you V 
 — ' Yes. I have two scenes before me, — sin, and my 
 
THE THEESHOLD OF HEAYEX. 
 
 471 
 
 Saviour ; Calvary, and the glory to be revealed. And 
 they are too much for me. I look at the one, and I feel 
 as if my heart would break for sorrow. I turn to the 
 other, and it is ready to burst with joy.' 
 
 In one of his wakeful nights, he was overheard saying, 
 ' Beautiful!' On being asked of what he was thinking, 
 he replied, ' Of that prayer in the Litany, " By Thine 
 agony and bloody sweat, by thy cross and passion, by Thy 
 precious death and burial, by Thy glorious resurrection 
 and ascension, and by the coming of the Holy Ghost — 
 good Lord deliver us !" And I have made a little com- 
 mentary upon it, — " Deliver us from the guilt and power 
 and love and practice, and finally from the existence of 
 aU sin 1" ' 
 
 Soon afterwards he added, ' I think, if I were a Dis- 
 senter, and read the Litany, I should become a Church- 
 man, or at least adopt those pra}' ers ! For many years 
 past I have prayed the prayer for " all conditions of men," 
 just before going to sleep, every night. The chapter which 
 I usually repeat then is the 14th of St. John. By it the 
 Lord bids His people to ' rest in His love." ' 
 
 One morning, when he was getting better, alluding to 
 the comforts by which he was surrounded, he said, with 
 clasped hands, ' Thanks for food and raiment, fitting and 
 convenient ; and thanks far more for robes of Pdghteous- 
 ness and garments of Salvation ! Covered with the justify- 
 ing robes of a Saviour's righteousness, and adorned with 
 the garments of Salvation wrought by the Holy Spirit ; 
 and both coming from and delighted in by God the 
 Father ! 
 
472 
 
 MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 * It has been one of the errors of the Chnrch of Eome, 
 to blend the two in one, until she lost sight of the com- 
 pleteness and perfection of the Title. The one is entirely 
 the work of the blessed Eedeemer ; and our only ground 
 of meritorious Title. The other is the work of the Holy 
 Spirit, moulding us more and more unto the likeness of 
 Christ, which becomes our meetness for the Heavenly 
 Inheritance ; " Who hath made us meet for the Inherit- 
 ance of the Saints in Light." 
 
 / * Let us remember, therefore, that there is the meetness 
 . of merit, ALL through Christ ; and the meetness of fitness, 
 \ through the work of the Holy Spirit.' 
 
 Another morning, whilst I was giving him his break- 
 fast, he said to me, ' Would you like to hear my boasting ? 
 I can boast of thirty-three years without spot of sin, 
 ; within or without !' 
 
 He looked at me earnestly, to see if I had caught his 
 i meaning ; and so I replied to him in the words of an old 
 i hymn, in Avhich the Saviour is supposed to be speaking to 
 the sinner, — 
 
 1 ' MINE all-sufiicient merits 
 
 Shall appear 
 Before the Throne of Glory 
 
 In thy stead. 
 I '11 put into thy story 
 f What I did: 
 
 j 
 
 i ' Eight !' he rejoined, ' He is mine, who so passed his 
 I years on earth : thus His spotless life on earth is mine : 
 I His righteousness is mine. " He of God is made unto 
 ^ us wdsdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and re- 
 . demption." ' 
 
THE THRESHOLD OF HEAVEX. 
 
 473 
 
 ' I think our taste for the beautiful will be gratified to 
 the uttermost in another woild. How lovely is the de- 
 scription of the Xew Jerusalem 1 And when I think of 
 those words of the blessed Saviour, " father, I icill that 
 they also ichom Thou hast given me he ivith me ichere I am, 
 that they may behold My glory," I can believe that the 
 house that holds Him must be glorious too. And He is 
 preparing" it for us! 
 
 ' " My thirsty spirit faints 
 
 To see the Land I love ; 
 The bright inheritance of saints, 
 Jerusalem above." 
 
 ' " Then shall I see, and hear, and know, 
 All I desired or sought below ; 
 And every power find sweet employ 
 In that eternal world of joy." 
 
 ' I have been thinking much of a volume in a word. 
 Brightness of the Father's gior}\ Xot merely Likeness, 
 but Brightness." ' 
 
 ' Divine love differs from all human love in this, that 
 human love sees something amiable in the creature, dis- 
 cerns a similarity, finds somewhat to sympathize with ; 
 but Divine love is " whilst we were yet sinners !"' 
 
 When speaking out of the abundance of his love to 
 his children, touching ' the fellowship of heart there had 
 been between himself and them,' he added, ' How tenderly 
 and sacredly you have kept the Fifth Commandment. It 
 is the link between heaven and earth, between the love to 
 God and the love to the neiglibour.' 
 
474 MEMOIE OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 ' " Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin 
 of the world." How vast is redemption ! We shall never 
 know hoiu great its extent nntil we see the final result. 
 Nor even then ! for St. John tells us, that the redeemed 
 will be " a great multitude which ow man can number." 
 And they will be " out of every kindred, and tongue, and 
 people, and nation." That must include all heathen nations, 
 as w^ell as others. "The blood of sprinkling, which speak- 
 eth better things than that of Abel," which cries from the 
 ground for pardon for the earth on which it was shed, may 
 / sprinkle and plead for unconscious numbers who are "feel- 
 ' ing after God." They may go to sleep in dull twilight, 
 and awake up in the brightness of the Sun of Eighteous- 
 ness.' 
 
 ' Human nature is redeemed. Amongst those who 
 liave had the opportunity of knowing this, they only are 
 benefited who believe it. " God so loved the world, that He 
 gave His only begotten Son, that ivJiosoever believeth in Him 
 should not perish, but have everlasting life." That is dis- 
 tinct. But St. John made no exaggerated statement when 
 he wrote by Divine inspiration Eev. v. 9.' 
 
 After quoting the text, ' The blood of Jesus Christ His 
 Son cleanseth us from all sin,' he wrote down these 
 words, — 
 
 ' It is that blood which justifies' (Eom. v. 9). 
 ' It is that blood which sanctifies' (Heb. ix. 13, 14). 
 ' It is that blood which glorifies' (Eev. i. 5, 6). 
 ' It is that blood which calls forth the hallelujahs of 
 heaven' (Eev. v. 11, 12). 
 
THE THRESHOLD OF HEAVEX. 
 
 475 
 
 ' There are two much greater objections to the Bible 
 than any Bishop Colenso has brought forward: Isf, It is 
 too humiliating for man's pride. 2d, It is too holy for 
 man's practice.' 
 
 ' I have had the presumption to make an answer to 
 Pope's well-known lines, — 
 
 " For modes of faith let senseless bigots fight, ^ 
 He can't be wrong whose life is in the right." 
 
 ' It was this, — 
 
 ' In Christian faith let Christian men be strong, 
 He can 't be right whose faith is in the wrong.' 
 
 ' I am going to set a task to all who reject the Bible ; they 
 are to write me four chapters that will be equal to the 
 1 4th, 1 5th, 1 6th, and 1 7th chapters of St. John. They will 
 deserve a great prize if they write me four better 1' 
 
 The delight which he always felt in little children was 
 not lessened even in his extreme illness, and to them his 
 sick-room seemed the happiest place in the house. Little 
 Malcolm and Florence Forbes, two of his great-grand- 
 children who were living at the rectory, could scarcely 
 be persuaded to pass the door of his room, though one of 
 them, who was too young to speak, could only hold out 
 her hands in entreaty to be allowed to go to him. Their 
 happiness was complete when allowed to sit on a pillow 
 on either side of him. The earliest snowdrops, violets, and 
 primroses were gathered for him by the little sons of Mr. 
 
476 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARStl, D.D. 
 
 and reverent looks to his bedside. Little Ealpli, Evelyn, 
 and Harry Anstruther, by their own earnest request, were 
 brought down by their parents (on one of their frequent 
 visits) to see their great-grandfather when he was danger- 
 ously ill. It happened that he had fallen asleep just be- 
 fore they arrived, but the eldest was admitted into the 
 room, and quietly climbed on a sofa at the foot of the bed, 
 where he could stand and watch the placid face. On 
 awaking, my father stretched out his arms to the child, 
 who sprang forward to meet his embrace, and for some 
 moments neither spoke. Then my father said, ' Mayest 
 thou be satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing 
 of the Lord!' adding, ^Love your Saviour all your days, 
 dear little Ealph, remembering that He loves you.' 
 
 The other little ones were now summoned, and each 
 received a tender blessing. 
 
 To one of his grandsons, who was going to a public 
 school that winter, he jjave a simple word of advice, which 
 was well remembered and followed, — ' Do not, my dearest 
 Ken, be afraid of saying, " No," but say it kindly.' 
 
 TO STEVENSON BLACKWOOD, ESQ. 
 
 'Feb. lOth. 
 
 ' My beloved Brother, — Indeed I have not forootten 
 those two verses ! Frequently have I to resist the enemy 
 with them by the help of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 ' I want the power to sleep, and I remember that it is 
 written, " So He giveth His beloved sleep." But I say, 
 how is it possible that I can claim to be His beloved ? 
 Then I begin repeating to myself chaps, v., vi., and viii. of 
 
THE THEESHOLD OF HEAVEN. 
 
 477 
 
 the Epistle to the Eomans. And I find from chap. v. 8, 
 that sinners may come under the title of beloved. " God 
 commendeth His love towards ns, in that, while we were 
 yet sinners, Christ died for lis." Hence I jump for joy at 
 chap. viii. 29 to the end, and thus enter into the triumph 
 of verses 38, 39. And what a triumph it is I An unin- 
 spired man could never have written those words. If you 
 had an hour to spare, how glad I should be if you could 
 cast your eyes over the manuscript of my little commen- 
 tary on that epistle, with a pen and ink and sheet of paper 
 by your side, making addenda et corrigenda. My love to 
 you and to the dear Duchess. Blessings on you both, 
 and on the children. I shall love to see you if my life 
 be prolonged a little. And I shall love to see you vith 
 life prolonged for ever, in the presence of our Life, our 
 Love, our Lord and Saviour, our all in all. — Yours ever 
 affectionately, Wm. Maesh.' 
 
 In conversing with one of his daughters, he said, — 
 ' The longer I Kve, the more I see the value of an Epi- 
 scopal Church government, with parochial divisions, but 
 this is a preference, not an exclusion. It is not necessary 
 to the Christianity of a nation. When we meet in heaven 
 those from whom we have differed on such points, we shall 
 say, " Brother, brother, we were all in the wrong ; all too 
 much warped in our views of the necessity of non-essen- 
 tials ! " Let the Gospel be preached and practised in a 
 country, and blessed is that nation.' 
 
 The present Archbishop of Canterbur}', shortly after 
 
478 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 entering upon the duties of his diocese, had expressed a 
 wish to see my father. When it was first proposed, he was 
 too ill to be allowed to see a stranger, but as soon as he 
 had rallied a little, the Archbishop came from Lambeth. 
 My father welcomed him with warm thanks for his kind- 
 ness, and soon afterwards said, ' I have a jewel for your 
 Grace. I put it by when I first heard of your kind inten- 
 tion of coming to see me. Will you accept it ? You will 
 find it in the forty- first chapter of Isaiah. " Fear thou 
 not ; for I am with thee : be not dismayed ; for I am thy 
 God : I will strengthen thee ; yea, I will help thee ; yea, 
 I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteous- 
 ness.'" 
 
 ' I shall keep it as your gift, thankfully indeed,' the 
 Archbishop replied ; ' and will you turn it into a prayer 
 for me ? ' 
 
 Then my father spoke of the nearness of the Saviour, of 
 His tender kindness to the sinner, and His far tenderer 
 love to the believer ; of His assurance to the sinner, " Him 
 that Cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out ;" of His 
 encouragement to the believer, " For whosoever shall give 
 to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water 
 only in My name, verily, I say unto you, he shall in no 
 wise lose his reward." ' 
 
 In the course of conversation, the Archbishop told him 
 that he well remembered having listened with delight to 
 his address to the Jewish children some years before at 
 Exeter Hall. At the close of tlie interview, my father 
 asked him for his blessing. The Archbishop hesitated, 
 saying, 'You should rather bless me;' but on its being 
 
THE THRESHOLD OF HEAVEX. 
 
 479 
 
 requested a second time, he complied, pronouncing the 
 blessing out of the service for the Visitation of the Sick ; 
 and then saying, ' Bless me now ! let me have your 
 blessing;' he knelt down by his side and guided my 
 father's hands to his head, reverently kissing them at the 
 close. 
 
 The visit produced a most gratifying impression on the 
 heart of the beloved invalid, and made him even more 
 earnest in prayer than before, for one holding so liigh and 
 responsible an office. 
 
 In the summer of the previous year my father had 
 offered a title to orders, with the third curacy of Bedding - 
 ton, to a son of his old and highly valued friend, Captain 
 J. E. Gordon, R.X., well known, both in the House of Com- 
 mons and m the country at large, for his able and fearless 
 advocacy of Protestant principles, and for his earnest and 
 faithful adherence to the truth of God, in doctrine and 
 practice. Mr. George Gordon was ordained by the Bishop 
 of Winchester at Christmas, and from that time devoted 
 himself with almost filial reverence and affection to his 
 rector, by whom he was beloved both for his father's 
 sake and his own. After working earnestly for nearly 
 two years in the parish of Beddington, he took a laborious 
 cure in London, and then gave his services gTatuitously 
 to the work of the Church Missionary Society in India. 
 Soon after Mr. Gordon's ordination, Mr. Southey was 
 offered a more permanent sphere of duty, which he saw it 
 right for the sake of his family to accept, though feeling 
 deeply at parting from my father. When alluding to this 
 prospect, he said, ' We must pray earnestly as well as 
 
480 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 seek diligently for a like-minded successor. How well 
 and how happily dear Southey and O'Eorke have worked 
 together. However closely I may keep the secret as to 
 what my children have been to me, I must tell the world 
 that it never knew two better or pleasanter curates ! I 
 pray for them daily, that as they have been taught of God 
 to say, 
 
 ' Happy day, happy day. 
 When Jesus washed my sms away ;" 
 
 They may also be ever able to add, 
 
 " He taught my heart to vMtch and pray, 
 And live rejoicing every day;" 
 
 and I pray for them that they may be kept from being in 
 any way or degree " corrupted from the simplicity which 
 is in Christ.'" 
 
 When Mr. Gordon came to see him, just after his ordi- 
 nation, he said, ' You have in your possession the only 
 lever which can raise our fallen world near to heaven — 
 the Bible.' And a little while afterwards, ' In my mind 
 I have been making a plan for correcting all the mistakes 
 made by good Christians. It is to tell them not to read 
 the first three chapters of Ephesians only, but to read the 
 wdiole six ; then they will make no mistakes, or at least 
 need not. It is a partial comprehension of Christianity 
 which is the cause of all erroneous views concerning it.' 
 
 He welcomed a visit from his friends Mr. and Mrs. 
 Samuel Gurney towards the end of January ; and as Mr. 
 Gurney held his hand, he said to him, ' I have greatly 
 
THE THRESHOLD OF HEAVEX. 
 
 481 
 
 enjoyed your friendsliip and that of dear Mrs. Gurney. 
 Shall I give you my short view of Christianity ? " Hence- 
 forth I call you not servants, but friends," said our Lord 
 and Saviour. Believe in Him as your friend — that is 
 faith ; act as His friend — that is practice. 
 
 ' Years ago I heard one of the Society of Friends say, — 
 " Let us seek for simplicity of intention and simplicity of 
 dependence." I have never forgotten it, but have prayed 
 for it constantly. Intend only, intend all for the glory of 
 the Lord Jesus. Depend wholly and entirely on the help 
 of God the Holy Ghost.' 
 
 Soon afterwards he dictated the following letter : — 
 
 TO SA^a'EL GUEXEY, ESQ., M.P. 
 
 ' My dear Friend, — Many thanks for the valuable 
 volume you have sent me. 
 
 ' Joseph John was a scholar — Joseph John was a phi- 
 losopher — Joseph John was a Christian — Joseph John 
 was an honour to the community of which he was a 
 member. And what made him such but the Word and 
 the Spirit of God ? 
 
 ' When Bishop Bedell, an ardent Protestant, but a most 
 loving and benevolent man, died, a zealous Eoman 
 Catholic exclaimed, " May my soul be with Bishop 
 Bedell's:" 
 
 * Joseph John was a Friend, and I am a Churchman, 
 but — May my soul be with Joseph John's ! 
 
 * If the Friends who are readers of that book, and the 
 younger members in particular, are guided by it, they will 
 be wise, holy, and useful Christians.' 
 
 2 H 
 
482 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 During the whole time of his illness he received 
 many visits, not only from old friends and relatives, but 
 also from his curates and some of his parishioners. All 
 were welcomed with his unvarying sweetness and serenity, 
 and received messages of encouragement and comfort from 
 his lips. His most frequent visitor was Mrs. Laurence, of 
 Beddington, whose tender sympathy and constant thought- 
 fulness for his comfort and pleasure had made almost a 
 tie of relationship between them. 
 
 One day he received a visit from Captain Harris, E.N., 
 so well known throughout the navy, not only for his own 
 high standing as an officer, but also for his admirable 
 training of the cadets, that it had been said by several 
 distinguished officers in the service, ' He has regenerated 
 the navy.' He had long been know^n to my father by 
 character, and by his encouragement of a voluntary Bible - 
 class, held every evening, by about eighty of the cadets, 
 on board the ^ Britannia.' My father had heard, w^ith deep 
 interest, of the elevated moral tone resulting from these 
 meetings, not only amongst those who joined them, but 
 spreading in its measure over the whole ship's company, 
 until gambling, drinking, and swearing became almost 
 unknown. 
 
 My father congratulated Captain Harris warmly upon 
 the honour of having nurtured, at all risks and costs to 
 himself, this confession of Christ amongst the boys under 
 his care, and added, ' Would you like to hear how I class 
 the Church of Christ on earth? — Apostles, prophets, 
 martyrs, sufferers for Christ's cause, missionaries, ministers, 
 and penitent believers. " Blessed are ye when men shall 
 
THE THRESHOLD OF HEAVEN. 
 
 483 
 
 revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner 
 of evil against you falsely, for My sake." " Eejoice, and 
 be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven." ' 
 
 Within two years of this interview, that noble Chris- 
 tian, after passing through a stormy time of trial, closing 
 with a few days' painful illness, departed with triumphant 
 joy into the presence of his Saviour. 
 
 My father found great comfort, during the whole of his 
 prolonged illness, in the unwearied kindness and care 
 of his old friend and doctor, Mr. Williams of Bromley. 
 He w^as also frequently visited by Mr. Skey,^ whose cheer- 
 ing presence always seemed to do scarcely less good than 
 his skilful remedies. Never did either of these friends 
 leave his side without receiving a w^ord of heavenly coun- 
 sel, and unfeigned was the admiration and respect witli 
 which they both regarded him. 
 
 On one occasion, when prevented from coming himself, 
 Mr. Skey sent his eldest son, who was associated with 
 him in professional practice. My father was extremely 
 charmed with this gifted and attractive young man, and 
 spoke to him earnestly about making choice of Christ 
 without delay. He listened with deep respect and 
 evident feeling, and knelt whilst my father prayed for a 
 blessing upon him.^ 
 
 ^ President of the Royal College of Surgeons. 
 
 - He was then in the flower of his manhood, with apparently a long 
 aad successful career opening before him, to add celebrity to a name 
 already made. He could have thought as little that morning as we 
 did that his life was numbered by days, and Avould end without a 
 moment's warning. 
 
 It was not known or imagined, until after his death, that he had 
 
484 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 At the early part of this lingering illness, my father 
 had commenced dictating to the beloved grand- daughter 
 who constantly resided with him, and whose mind and 
 feelings so blended with his own that she could almost 
 anticipate his thoughts, a brief exposition of St. Paul's 
 Epistle to the Eonians. His mind had for a long time 
 dwelt much on this epistle ; and as the attacks from 
 which he suffered increased in severity and danger, his 
 anxiety not to leave this little work unfinished increased 
 also. 
 
 Most touching was it to see him, during the intervals 
 of comparative ease, exerting himself to dictate a few 
 sentences, for this his last opportunity of spreading 
 through the press the knowledge of the gospel of the 
 grace of God. Several times he pursued the labour, 
 which to him seemed only a mental recreation, until an 
 attack of palpitation obliged him to desist. So earnest 
 was his interest in this work, that his doctor thought that 
 the energy of his desire to complete it might even be the 
 means of prolonging his life. When told that the imme- 
 diate danger of his illness was past, it mingled with his 
 reasons for thankful content in the prospect of lingering 
 for a season on earth, as soon as he knew that such was 
 the will of his Lord. ' It will be delightful,' he said, ' to 
 serve my Master and Saviour for a little longer on earth, 
 
 begun to bear liis testimony for Christ. A patient from St. Bartho- 
 lomew's Hospital, who came to Beckenham E.ectory, when lamenting 
 over his early removal, said, * How he will be missed ! he was so kind 
 and good. And when a patient lay dying, he would stand by his side 
 and say, " There is a Saviour who died for us all. You had better 
 j)ut your trust in Him, and then you will be all right." 
 
THE THRESHOLD OF KEAVEX. 
 
 485 
 
 and to make my beloved ones happy again adding, in 
 his own bright and playful manner, ' and now I can 
 finish my Eomans 1' 
 
 It was finished early in the summer of that year ; but 
 was kept beside him, during the brief remainder of his 
 life, for occasional enriching with some fresh thought or 
 quotation, and, above all, for prayer for blessing upon it. 
 
 He sent the manuscript to be overlooked by two 
 friends on whose opinion he set a high value, — the Eev. 
 Charles Goodhart, of Park Chapel, Chelsea, whom he 
 loved with the heartiest sympathy and regard, and 
 counted as one of the noblest of the witnesses for God 
 and His Truth in our country ; and the Eev, T. Lloyd 
 Phillips, one of Mr. Chalmers' curates, and for some time 
 editorial secretary of the Bible Society ; from whose clear 
 intellect and sound judgment he coveted criticisms for his 
 work, as truly as he prized the regard and affection which 
 made light of any trouble which could render him a 
 service. 
 
 My father had lost nothing of the vividness of his in- 
 terest in all public matters, especially as connected with 
 the concerns of his Master's kingdom. 
 
 The marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales 
 occupied his heart with tender enthusiasm. He was the 
 first to propose plans for keeping the day, with general 
 rejoicings, at Beddington, and a subscription for a dinner 
 for the poor of his parish. After a part of one of his 
 wakeful nights had been spent in earnest supplication for 
 a blessing on the royal bride and bridegroom, he composed 
 the following prayer, to be distributed amongst his friends, 
 
48G 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 and all the parishioners of Beddington and Beckenham, 
 with an earnest request that the subject of it should be 
 constantly remembered before God : — 
 
 A PRAYER FOR THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES. 
 
 ' Almighty and most merciful Father, we thank Thee, 
 amongst innumerable blessings, for great national mercies, 
 for the free use of Thy Holy Scriptures, and the faithful 
 preaching of Thine everlasting Gospel. 
 
 ' And at this time, whilst Thou wilt not forbid us to 
 lament our great loss in the death of so wise, useful, and 
 Christian a man as the late Prince Consort, yet we thank 
 Thee for the manner in which his children have been 
 trained. 
 
 ' We pray that the lieart of our beloved Queen may be 
 supported, and comforted, and stayed upon Thee, her God, 
 and that all her royal family may be a joy to her. 
 
 ' We pray for the Princess who is now connected with 
 Prussia, that Thy blessing may ever rest upon her, and on 
 her royal husband and children. 
 
 ' But, at this time, we especially pray for His Eoyal 
 Highness the Prince of Wales. We believe that Thou 
 hast guided him to make a right choice ; and we pray 
 Thee to bless the young Princess whom Thou hast com- 
 mitted to his care and love ; and to grant that domestic 
 peace, harmony, and love may be their portion. 
 
 ' Endue them with Thy Holy Spirit ; enrich them with 
 Thy Heavenly Grace ; and prosper them with all happi- 
 ness. May they ever follow the directions of Thy Holy 
 
THE THEESIIOLD OF HEAYEX. 
 
 487 
 
 Word, given to Husbands and to Wives ;^ and be filled 
 with that wisdom whicli is profitable to direct under all 
 circumstances. If Thou art pleased to bless them with a 
 family, may their children be to them what they have 
 been to their honoured parents, to their joy, and for a 
 blessing to the country (Eph. vi. 1-3). 
 
 * We pray that Truth and Justice, Eeligion and Piety, 
 may be ever established in our land ; and that the Xation 
 may be kept faithful to the glorious privileges of a Chris- 
 tian Sabbath and an open Bible ; so as to prize Thy 
 Sabbaths, and lorofit by Thy Word, and ever abide by the 
 Truth as revealed in it. Be Thou a wall of fire round 
 about us, and the Glory in the midst of us. 
 
 ' Hear us, Father of ^Mercies ; and provide for the 
 needy, means of obtaining sustenance; and bless all 
 ranks and orders amongst us, that all may fill their dif- 
 ferent stations to Thy Glory and the general good ; and may 
 finally meet in that Kingdom which cannot be moved, 
 wherein dwelleth Eighteousness, free from all sin and 
 sorrow, and in possession of perfect light, and love, and 
 joy for ever. 
 
 ' 0 hear us, of Thine infinite Mercy and Grace, through 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom, with Thee and the Holy 
 Ghost, be the praise for ever and ever.' 
 
 ^ See Ephesians v. 25 : ' Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ 
 also loved the Cliurcli, and gave Himself for it.' And 1 Peter iii. 7 : 
 ' Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, 
 giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being 
 heirs together of the grace of life ; that your prayers be not hindered.' 
 
 Also see Ephesians v. 22, 23 : ' Wives, submit yourselves unto your 
 own husbands, as unto the Lord. Let the wife see that she reverence 
 her husband.' 
 
488 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 On tlie 24tli of April, after a lingering illness, little 
 Eosamond, my brother's only child, fell asleep in her 
 Saviour's arms. She had borne her sufferings with great 
 patience ; and a short time before her death she said, ' I 
 wish I were grown up, that I might do something to 
 please the Lord Jesus.' 
 
 She was told that she need not wait to please Him 
 until she was grown up, for that she could do so at 
 once by obeying Him, and that He had said, ' Suffer little 
 children to come unto Me, and forbid them not.' 
 
 ' Oh, I am so glad!' she replied, ' for I have come to 
 Him, I know. I am so glad it pleased Him.' 
 
 My father was tenderly attached to the gentle and 
 lovely child ; and so deeply did he sympathize with her 
 bereaved parents in their great sorrow, that it occasioned 
 a temporary return of his illness. 
 
 But from the end of the month of April his recovery 
 was steady, and he began to anticipate with great delight 
 the renewal of opportunities of speaking for his Master 
 to the people committed to his charge. 
 
 One evening, after reading Bushnell's sermon on ' The 
 Power of an Endless Life,' he said to Mr. Chalmers, ' That 
 is a great and noble sermon. Some of the others in this 
 volume have left an unsatisfied feeling in my heart. They 
 display great intellect, but they lack the sprinkling of the 
 blood. There should be no sermon ivithout that. Never 
 should a sinner leave one of our churches without hearing 
 of the Saviour, Even in preaching to real Christians who 
 required being built up, and exhorted, and led on to 
 higher attainments, St. Paul said, " To write the same 
 
THE THRESHOLD OF HEAYEX. 
 
 489 
 
 things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it 
 is safe." For wherever tliese are gathered together, there 
 may be also some soul ready to perish, — and he might 
 perish before I could have another opportunity of bidding 
 him " Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin 
 of the world." When I preach again, may I preach Jesus 
 more clearly, more freely, more persuasively, than ever 
 before.' 
 
 During his illness he had spent much thought and 
 prayer upon one who w^as at that time very prominently 
 before the public — the Bishop of jS^atal; and at length, 
 ' while he was musing, the fire burned,' and he could not 
 refrain from entering into correspondence with him. It / 
 need scarcely be said that his words of a^rgument, warn- \ 
 ing, and entreaty were written in gentle and deferential 
 though uncompromising language. The bishop answered • 
 him at some length, and with most respectful courtesy, ■ 
 appearing to be touched by the faith and fervour which ; 
 had led an old man, amidst a suffering and dangerous | 
 illness, thus to lay to heart that which he believed to be f 
 the peril of such views for him who held them and for : 
 those who should be led by him. j 
 A few days afterwards the bishop enclosed for his ,i 
 perusal a letter from a working-man in Glasgow. Its | 
 object was to express thanks, on his own behalf and that 
 of others of his class, for the deliverance which Bishop 
 Colenso had given to their minds from the thraldom of 
 old prejudices into the unfettered liberty of free thought \ 
 and speculation. 
 
 There was something about the whole letter deeply 
 
490 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 I saddening. The writer had evidently been taught in his 
 ' childhood from 
 
 ' The big ha' Bible, once his father's pride,' 
 
 but now, leaving the simple faitli of those early days, 
 : was wandering in the mazes of scepticism, without a light 
 < to f?uide him. 
 
 My father was greatly distressed by the tone of the 
 ; letter, and wrote, by that day's post, to a Christian friend 
 in Glasgow, begging him to go at once and see the man, 
 seeking power from the Holy Ghost to reach his heart 
 .with the message of the gospel of life and peace — ' God 
 so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, 
 , that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but 
 have everlasting life.' Three days later came the solemn 
 answer, ' I lost no time ; but my visit was too late. The 
 .night before, the man had died suddenly.' 
 
 My father's thoughts were not a little occupied now in 
 seeking for a successor to his curate, Mr. Southey, and 
 he wrote to one of his daughters as follows : — 
 
 ' How much we shall miss dear Southey and his active 
 and useful wife. It will be difficult to fill the vacancy. 
 Let us take the surest way to find that for which we are 
 seeking — by going to Heaven for the right man. " Ask, 
 and it shall be given you." But as we are also to use 
 means, you shall write for me to the friends of whose 
 names I send you a list, and inquire whether they know 
 of a suitable curate. 
 
THE THRESHOLD OF HEAYEX. 
 
 491 
 
 ' I wish for one wlio, besides the great points required, 
 would be a pleasant fellow-worker with my dear O'Eorke, 
 who has been invaluable both to the parish and to myself. 
 And I cannot forget that he refused a good living from 
 our late beloved Archbishop to remain with me ; although, 
 had I known it in time, I could not have allowed him 
 to do so. . . . 
 
 ' Last night I found out the essence of Christianity in 
 three short sentences: "My Master;" "My Lord and 
 my God " Thou knowest that I love Thee." 
 
 ' " My Master," whom I delight to serve. 
 
 ' " My Lord, and my God," in whom I trust for time 
 and for eternity. 
 
 '"Thou knowest that I love Thee;" Thy character. 
 Thy sayings. Thy government. Thy salvation, and Thy 
 person. 
 
 ' . . . . Bless thee, my darling, for going over to do my 
 work amongst my dear poor people. Yet I miss my 
 tender nurse, and long for thy return to-morrow. 
 
 ' Thy dearly loving father, William Maesh. 
 
 ' They are all taking the greatest care of me, and " keep- 
 ing me in cotton wool !"' 
 
 His prayers touching the additional assistant in the 
 parish were answered to his heart's desire. Mr. O'Eorke 
 mentioned to him that it was possible Mr. French of Agra, 
 who had returned from India for his health, might like 
 such a charge. My father eagerly responded to tlie sug- 
 gestion ; and shortly afterwards Mr. French began his 
 
492 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 work at Beddington. There followed a time of united, 
 earnest, and prayerful work, and of true and kappy com- 
 munion of spirit between Mr. French, Mr. O'Eorke, and 
 Mr. Gordon. To my father the pleasure of their society 
 was only second to the comfort and joy of having all his 
 plans for the good of the parish carried out by men of 
 no common gifts and devoted piety. 
 
 His return to Beddington, after so severe and prolonged 
 an illness, was hailed with more than usual expressions 
 of joy. 
 
 The school children stood outside his library window, 
 singing a welcome ; and he found the rectory adorned 
 with the choicest flowers, brought thither and arranged 
 with thoughtful care by Mrs. Laurence, and the two Miss 
 Ferrers, daughters of a former rector, who had remained 
 as residents in the parish. 
 
 To save him the fatigue of going upstairs, his bed, with 
 its white curtains and sky-blue quilt, was now placed in 
 the old oak-pannelled library, just where he could see, 
 through the oriel window, round which white roses hung 
 in clusters, the gay flower-beds on the smooth green, 
 lawn, and the shady little fir ^vood which led into the 
 field beyond. 
 
 The summer passed away calmly and happily. ]\Iy 
 father, as he acquired strength, resumed his habit of 
 giving addresses to young and old at the rectory, although 
 he was forbidden by his doctors to enter the pulpit. Mr. 
 Goodhart, of Park Chapel, Chelsea, preached for him twdce 
 in Beddington Church ; and Dr. Ewald, who had married 
 one of a family who had greatly valued my father's 
 
THE THRESHOLD OF HEAVEX. 
 
 493 
 
 ministry in Leamington, and for whom lie had a sincere 
 regard, came to plead the cause of the Jews' Society. 
 
 Many of his old friends visited him in the course of the 
 summer, and were astonished at the continued powder of 
 his mind and buoyancy of his spirit. The Miss Leycesters, 
 who were paying a long visit at Beckenham Eectory, came 
 frequently to see him. They both entered vividly into 
 his chief interests, and he delighted in their society. It 
 charmed him to hear, amongst many other plans of kind- 
 ness, of macaroni breakfasts for poor Italian boys in Lon- 
 don, and how a way had been won to their hearts thereby 
 for readings from the Bible in the Italian tongue. The 
 younger sister constantly corresponded with him on the 
 business of the society for sending Englishwomen as mis- 
 sionaries to the women of the East, in the service of which 
 she constantly employed herself, especially in examining 
 the candidates and selecting those who were most suitable 
 for the work in India. Those who knew Emma Leycester, 
 and the charm of her cultivated mind, bright sweetness, 
 and childlike unworldliness of spirit, with single-hearted 
 desire to promote her Saviour's glory, wiU readily under- 
 stand that there was between her and her aged relative a 
 tie scarcely less endearing than that of father and daughter. 
 Only seven months after he was taken from us, she too 
 was called to endure a brief but sharp season of suffer- 
 ing ; and then, with unfaiKng faith and triumphant joy, to 
 pass through the dark valley into the presence of the 
 Saviour, whom (she said) my father had led her, in her 
 early days, to trust and love. 
 
494 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 TO HIS ELDEST DAUGHTER. 
 
 'Beddixgtox Rectory, Oct. 9, 1863. 
 'Dear darling Mary, — . . . You and I think and 
 feel alike. I get so tired of my own heart. I like your 
 remedy, "Simply to cast one's-self on Jesus." I add, 
 " It is finished." Eemember that ; and yet let us work 
 as hard as we can. That is the way to grow in grace, and 
 to prove it. 
 
 ' Dear Susie came to us from Watlington Park, and 
 paid us a little visit, which was very pleasant. " Our Car" 
 arrived next, and then good Mrs. Scott from Colchester. 
 So you see our old friends find us out in our new home. 
 Can you, and dear little Mary and Fanny come on 
 Tuesday next, when we shall have plenty of room ? I 
 wish Francis could also come. By-and-bye we shall all 
 meet in one mansion, and say, " Thou hast placed my feet 
 in a large room." 
 
 ' My love to you all. Sweet Lucy, who writes for me, 
 says, " How will you end your letter ?" I tell her, hy love 
 vjithout end from your loving father, W. M.' 
 
 ' P.8. — Since I have been here I have read Chalmers's 
 Daily Readings on the Psalms. Very enlarged views ; 
 very spiritual ; very full of common sense ! What a man 
 he was ! and at last, translated, as it were ! 
 
 ' You did not take the little book on prophecy, so I send 
 it after you. ... I have always shrunk from fixing dates. 
 But I have not been afraid of believing " Surely, I come 
 quickly," and o^ praying " Even so, come, Lord Jesus I"' 
 
THE THKESHOLD OF HEAYEX. 
 
 495 
 
 "When entering on the charge of Beddington, my father 
 had felt so tenderly for the parishioners in their sorrow at 
 the recent loss of their beloved pastor, whose earnest 
 labours they had enjoyed for nineteen years, that he was 
 anxious to avoid making any unnecessary changes in the 
 existing arrangements for the church and parish. The 
 only exception he made was the substitution of a regular 
 weekly service and sermon, instead of the prayers on 
 saints' days. But, besides the services he found there, a 
 cottage lecture had been added; and wdien the duties 
 were shared by three curates, extempore lectures were 
 deKvered every week at two school-rooms in different 
 parts of the widely-scattered parish, and a third at a 
 cottage in another direction. 
 
 A Bible-woman was also employed, whose salary was 
 generously given by Mr. Laurence. She was a simple 
 and hearty Christian, and soon made her way into the 
 confidence of the poor. Before she began her work at 
 Beddington, she had been known and approved by Mrs. 
 Eanyard, the foundress of the noble institution of ' the 
 missing link ' between rich and poor, the marvellous pro- 
 gress and success of which my father had watched and 
 furthered with the warmest interest and sympathy. 
 
 It could not be expected but that, amidst the respectful 
 and cordial kindness which he experienced in his parish, 
 on all sides, deepening into tender anxiety during his ill- 
 ness, there should yet arise some shades of differing opinion 
 on questions touching Church matters. His manner of 
 dealing with such divergencies of judgment amongst his 
 flock was marked by his habitual courteous and gentle 
 
496 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 consideration for the feelings of others, combined with a 
 steadfast firmness where he felt principle to be concerned. 
 
 It will be seen by the following extracts from one of 
 the letters written on the occasion, that a desire had been 
 expressed by some to introduce the practice of monotoning 
 the Church service. 
 
 To one of his parishioners he wrote as follows :- - 
 
 ' Your visit of yesterday was a great pleasure to me. 
 I truly value your hearty friendship. 
 
 ' With regard to our Church matters, there are many 
 things which may seem harmless in themselves, but 
 become dangerous by their affinity. 
 
 'A strong effort is being made to unite the Latin, 
 Greek, and English Churches. This would be the ruin of 
 our constitution, and of the prosperity of our country ; 
 because it is contrary to the Divine will, as revealed in 
 the Holy Scriptures, to unite truth with error. 
 
 ' The main object of introducing intoning, and other 
 practices which usually accompany it, into the churches 
 of our country, is to undermine the principles of the 
 Keformation, by accustoming the congregations to listen 
 to a service performed for them, appealing more to the 
 senses than the spirit; and in that, and other ways, 
 assimilated to the mode of worship of the Church of 
 Eome. 
 
 'As patriots, no less than as Protestant Christians, 
 we should resist everything which would help to open 
 the flood-gates to Eomanism. It is said by some that the 
 spirit of tlie Church of Eome is now more in accordance 
 
THE THKESHOLD OF HEAVEX. 
 
 497 
 
 with the tolerant sphit of the Church of England. But 
 alas 1 while she claims for her prerogatives infallibility 
 and unchangeableness, she mnst act upon her original per- 
 secuting dogmas, wherever she has the power ; as we see 
 in the case of those noble Spaniards, who have just been 
 saved with great difficulty, by the appeals of several 
 Governments, from the horrors of galley- slavery ; to which 
 they were sentenced solely for the crime of reading the 
 Word of God ! 
 
 ' The Church of England has not only declared in her 
 rubric the doctrine of the Church of Eome touching the 
 sacrifice of the mass, to be " idolatry abliorrcd of all faith- 
 ful Christians!'^ but she deems the system in general to be 
 so dangerous, that out of her Thirty-nine Articles she has 
 sixteen expressly against the same, besides the strong 
 protests in many of her Homilies. The sixth article is 
 the glory of our Church ; by that may she always abide, 
 and may you and I, as individuals, do so likewise. " Holy 
 Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation ; so 
 that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved 
 thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should 
 be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought re- 
 quisite or necessary to salvation." 
 
 ' It is on these grounds that I cannot give my consent 
 to any change in our simple and scriptural form of 
 worship which would tend to assimilate it to, or symbolize 
 with, that of the Church of Eome.' 
 
 His anxious concern on the whole of this momentous 
 question seemed only to intensify, as he was himself 
 
 ^ Eubric at the close of the Communion Service. 
 2 I 
 
498 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 drawing nearer his rest. Not alone in tlie direction of 
 Eitualism was lie alarmed at the development of the 
 Eomanizing movement, but whilst doing all the justice 
 of which his high nature was capable to the devout and 
 self-sacrificing purpose of individuals, he viewed with 
 equal distrust and anxiety the increase of the number 
 of Sisterhoods. He saw in them the germ of conventual 
 life, in all its rigidity and unhappiness, its line of de- 
 marcation between secular and religious life in place of 
 the hallowing of common life, its severance of home-ties, 
 and its injurious concentration of interest in spiritual 
 directors and confessors. ' The system cannot but culmi- 
 nate in the Church of Eome,' he said, ' as surely as a river 
 flows to the ocean.' 
 
 The principle of monastic life he believed to be opposed 
 to the Divine will. ' God made the family,' he would 
 say ; ' priests made the nunnery. Asceticism demands 
 the bondage of life-vows. God gives " glorious liberty " 
 to His children to " serve Him with gladness " and with 
 " a free heart," while watching, day by day, the guiding 
 of His eye.' 
 
 It need scarcely be repeated here, that, whilst he thus 
 clearly expressed and firmly stood by his life -long con- 
 victions as to the doctrines and practices of the Church 
 of Eome itself, or those which paved the way for their 
 reception, he was very tender towards the individual 
 members of her communion. To one of his daughters 
 who was visiting a dying Eoman Catholic, he said, ' You 
 are right not to disturb the mind of one who is drawing 
 near to another world by alluding to churches or dogmas. 
 
THE THRESHOLD OF HEAVEX. 
 
 499 
 
 Seek only to lead liiin to rest on the Lord Jesus Christ 
 alone for salvation ; to let none stand between him and 
 " the One Mediator between God and man, the man 
 Christ Jesus ;" and to believe in His " OXE sacrifice 
 OXCE offered for the sins of the whole world ;" and he is 
 SAVED in the Lord with an everlasting salvation; he is 
 one of those of whom the Master spoke, in the words 
 recorded in John v. 24, " He that heareth my word, and 
 believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, 
 and shall not come into condemnation ; but is PASSED 
 
 FROM DEATH UXTO LIFE." ' 
 
 The following letter, Aviitten about the same time, will 
 show that, whilst faithfully caring for the spiritual welfare 
 of his parish, not only for its own sake, but also as an in- 
 tegral part of the church to which he was devotedly 
 attached, the temporal condition of the poor throughout 
 the country shared in his thoughts, his sympathies, and 
 his efforts : — 
 
 ' There is a subject on which The Times might give 
 its powerful and generous advice much to the honour of 
 our country, and to the alleviation of the misery of 
 many poor people — I mean as to the appointment of the 
 governors of workhouses. 
 
 ' The electors, in a town, or district, should never 
 choose " A," or " B," " because he needs such a situation," 
 but only men who are qualified for the office. 
 
 ' "Workhouses are not prisons for criminals, but asylums 
 for the aged, the poor, and those who have met with mis- 
 
500 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 fortunes and have no means of relief The governor, 
 therefore, as to rules, order, and proper discipline, may be 
 inflexible as a judge, but should be also tender as a 
 mother. 
 
 ' There are many persons, in the present day, who have 
 such a dread of a workhouse that they would rather sub- 
 mit to starvation than become inmates of one, not so 
 much because the workhouse lowers them in the scale of 
 human society, as because they hear of the rigour and 
 cruelty too often exercised within those walls. 
 
 ' The Holy Scriptures speak frequently and strongly on 
 the duty of showing kindness to the aged, the fatherless, 
 and the widow. 
 
 ' He is not best qualified who is orer-shrewd in 
 examining into the truth of cases in order that the 
 public money may never be misapplied. 
 
 ' If persons come to the workhouse late in the evening, 
 and apparently in very great distress, why not give them 
 a decent night's lodging and food until the case can be 
 inquired into the next day ? 
 
 ' If young outcasts apply for admission, they might be 
 received, and be taught some trade which would pay for 
 their own expenses while in the workhouse. Very few 
 would give up their free lives out of doors unless desiring 
 to reform, or actually starving, and such in either case 
 have a claim for attention and relief 
 
 ' You may ask me why I enter upon the subject. I 
 have just been reading of cases even in London, of per- 
 sons who have actually died of starvation ; and in our 
 courts of justice, workhouse officials have been blamed for 
 
THE THRESHOLD OF HEAVEN. 
 
 501 
 
 refusing to admit such cases of distress until (as they said 
 in excuse) they had had time to investigate the circum- 
 stances. 
 
 ' A passage of Scripture occurs to me, which is as ap- 
 plicable to a nation as to the individual to ^Yllom it was 
 originally addressed, " Break off thy sins by righteousness, 
 and thy iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, if it may 
 be a lengthening of thy tranquillity." ' 
 
 TO THE REV. JOHN MILLER, D.D., THEN RECTOR OF BIRMINGHAM, 
 NOAV OF GREENWICH. 
 
 ' Beddixgtox Eectory, October 15. 
 
 ' My dear Dr. Miller, — I take it for granted your 
 sermon on " Controversy a Scriptural Duty" wdll be 
 printed ? Would it not be well also to have it put in the 
 form of a little book for general circulation ? 
 
 ' We have met with sincere and good High Churchmen, 
 but such are not aware of the tendency of their views. 
 Yet one of them said, the other day, he had rather be a 
 Eoman Catholic than a Dissenter. Is it possible that he 
 could ever have read the sessions of the Council of Trent, 
 or the creed of Pope Pius iv. ? It is impossible for com- 
 mon-sense to prove that system and the New Testament 
 Christianity to be otherwise than antagonistic. We must 
 continue to pray " that it may please Thee to lead into the 
 way of truth all such as have erred and are deceived." 
 
 ' There is a deep-laid conspiracy against the Pro- 
 testantism of our Church and country. If permitted to 
 succeed, judgments will fall on the land ; but if Popery 
 
502 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 prevail a for short time, it will terminate in infidelity as 
 the last antichrist. Satanic influence is not sufficiently 
 recognised, yet it will prevail till the enemy be bound. 
 "Erom the crafts and assaults of the devil, good Lord, 
 deliver us !" 
 
 ' May your health and strength continue, and that of 
 dear Stowell and others, to be champions in the war of 
 truth against error. — Yours ever affectionately, 
 
 * William Marsh.' 
 
 TO THE late revered AND LAMENTED CANON STOWELL. 
 
 'October 16, 1863. 
 
 ' My DEAR Stowell, — I am thankful for your faithful- 
 ness, and by grace you will be faithful unto death. 
 
 ' That was a sterling saying of Dr. Hook, on the third 
 day at the Manchester Conference : " The first thing a 
 clergyman should do, should be to ascertain clearly, as an 
 honest man, what are the real principles of the Church of 
 England." The non-natural sense put upon the Articles 
 by some, is a departure in heart from the Church of 
 England; she requires them to be taken in their plain, 
 literal, grammatical sense. 
 
 ' The Archbishop of York's speech at the Churcli 
 Missionary Anniversary, calling for devout thankfulness 
 to Almighty God for what the Society has already accom- 
 plished, is a sufficient answer to the innuendoes lately 
 uttered against it. 
 
 ' My dear friend, the Jesuit is abroad, and if (as I fear) 
 the Church of England is to be visited with chastisement 
 
THE THRESHOLD OF HEAVEN. 
 
 503 
 
 for her want of faithfulness to her own principles, 
 Eomanism will prevail. After that, infidelity will suc- 
 ceed, and there may be a violent struggle. But after 
 that, He will come who will " put down all rule, authority, 
 and power " opposed to the glorious gospel of the grace 
 of God. " Amen : even so, come, Lord J esus." 
 
 ' I fear it is in vain for me to think that you would 
 ever have a spare Simday to occupy Beddington pulpit, 
 otherwise you might plead here the cause of the Church 
 Missionary Society before the end of the year. — Ever 
 yours affectionately, William ]\Iarsh.' 
 
 TO THE EEV. JOHX RVLE.-^ 
 
 ' Beddington Rectory, October 20. 
 ' My dear Eyle, — If I should ever visit you, I should 
 like a " sitting" in your new schoolroom ; so I pay for it 
 in advance, £1 — I only wish it were £100. I am so glad 
 to hear of the movement at Ipswich. The great enemy is 
 awake and astir ; if we sleep, the land will be sown with 
 tares. May truth conquer among our Suffolk brethren, 
 and the wheat they sow produce an abundant harvest. 
 Controversy, " with meekness and wisdom," in the present 
 day is a bounden duty ; silence would be too like neutra- 
 lity, and neutrality is treason. — Yours most truly, 
 
 ' WiLLiAi\i Marsh.' 
 
 ^ Of Mr. Eyle's Commentary on the Gospels^ lie said, ' I know notliing 
 of the kind likely to be more useful. It is clear as light. And Mr. 
 Kyle's tracts were those which lie gave away most widely, excepting 
 only the series entitled 'Christ is all,' by his beloved friend, Arch- 
 deacon Law, now Dean of Gloucester. 
 
504 
 
 xAIEMOm OF REV. WILLIAM MAUSH, D.D. 
 
 TO T. S. WEIGHT, ESQ. 
 
 ' Dear Mr. Wright, — ... I fear the hope of gain has 
 
 been a temptation to poor , inducing him to sell 
 
 tracts of extreme views. How numerous and how subtle 
 are the devices of the enemy ! There is no safety but in 
 adhering to the Word of God, and in prayer for the Spirit 
 of God ; and thus the will is strengthened to incur risks 
 rather than to act contrary to truth, duty, and conscience. 
 The laity must rise up, and see that error be put down, 
 or the Church of England will fall, and all Protestantism 
 in this country. Many Dissenters are^little aware that the 
 fall of our Church would remove the sea-wall, and they 
 would then soon be overwhelmed in the flood. All lovers 
 of Scriptural truth should unite (as they have done at 
 Leamington), and should pray that the Government may 
 act wisely and firmly. 
 
 ' But our privilege is to look beyond it all, to a 
 kingdom, wliich can never be moved, and a Church 
 which will be without spot, wrinkle, or any such thing. 
 There cannot be such till " that which is perfect be 
 come." 
 
 ' Kindest remembrances to jNIrs. Wright. — Yours affec- 
 tionately, W. Marsh.' 
 
 During the summer my father's mind had been much 
 occupied with thoughts concerning the Lord's return, 
 which he was led to think, from many signs of the 
 
THE THEESHOLD OF HEAVEX. 
 
 505 
 
 times, might not be very long delayed. He loved more 
 than ever to dwell upon this hope when conversing 
 with his own family, and with the friends who visited 
 him. 
 
 Long ago he had given heed to the snre word of pro- 
 phecy, but now his anxiety deepened that the subject 
 should be kept prominently before the minds of the 
 people of God as a powerful motive for increased activity 
 in His service, and for seeking^ Q-reater attainments in 
 personal holiness. Whilst ' of that clay and that hour 
 knoweth no man,' he would quote ; yet remember that it 
 is also said, ' Ye, brethren, are not in darkness that that 
 day should overtake you as a thief.' Then, alluding to 
 passing events, and comparing them with the signs fore- 
 told by our Lord of His coming, he would add, in a 
 triumphant tone, 'When these things hcgin to come to 
 pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your 
 redemption draweth nigh.' 
 
 In the hope of arousing the interest of many in the 
 neighbourhood on this subject, he arranged that a con- 
 ference shoid.d be held at Beddington in Xovember. 
 Having obtained the use of the large hall in the Park 
 for two days, it was planned that the working-men's 
 annual tea-party should be given on Monday the 2d, 
 that the conference should meet in the morning and after- 
 noon of the 3d ; and that the day should be ended by 
 an evening service in the church, with the celebration of 
 the Lord's Supper, bearing in mind the words of St. Paul, 
 ' As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do 
 show the Lord's death till He come.' 
 
506 
 
 MEMOIR OF KEY. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 AVlien my father sent out the invitations/ he made a 
 request in each that prayer might be offered that all 
 who should meet on that occasion might receive 'an 
 unction from the Holy One ; ' and that the presence of 
 God the Holy Ghost, the Teacher, Sanctifier, and Com- 
 forter, might be felt and known amongst them. 
 
 These prayers received a full answer. Many wrote 
 word afterwards that it had been a marked day in their 
 heavenward journey ; ^ and others said they had never 
 before felt so conscious of the presence of the Lord Jesus 
 as during those meetings, and in the intervals between 
 them, which were chiefly spent in prayer and praise, and 
 holy converse. 
 
 1 The following letter was an answer received from one of those 
 whose presence he had first invited : — 
 
 ' Liverpool, 28th October 1863. 
 
 ' Beloved Friend, — Impracticable ! I am specially engaged here 
 for Nov. 1, 2, 3, and 5. 
 
 ' The vision is yet for an appointed time. Though it tarry, we will 
 still be waiting for it. "It wiU surely come, it will not tarry." 
 
 ' Then shall Isa. xxvi. be sung in the land of Judah, and the song of 
 Moses raised in the same key with the song of the Lamb. The sub- 
 ject is the same, — the Lord's victory over the enemies of His Church. 
 The enemy changes aspects, — Egyjjt, Assyria, Babylon, Rome ; our 
 Captain changeth not. Hallelujah ! And what are we? "Weak and 
 helpless;" yet "more than conquerors." 
 
 ' Peace, His peace, perfect peace, be ever with you, my dear old 
 friend. Hugh M'Neile.' 
 
 - One of these was shortly called to enter her heavenly home. The 
 account of the blessing which she found at this conference is told in 
 the simple but beautiful story of her brief life and peaceful death, 
 entitled, Clear Shining; a Memoir of Gertrude Acklom. By her 
 Mother, 
 
THE THEESHOLD OF HEATEX. 
 
 507 
 
 The following extract is taken from a letter written a 
 few days afterwards, by the Eev. Marcus Eainsford, now 
 incumbent of Belgrave Chapel, London : — 
 
 'Ee^t:eexd axd dear Sie, — ... I can truly say I 
 had a fresh and full baptism of the Holy Spirit at your 
 conference, and I heartily joined with others in asking 
 a special blessing on the dear aged servant of the Lord 
 who had brought us together. . . . Probably, when next 
 we meet, His name will be written on our foreheads ; and, 
 in the meantime, our names are written in His heart, 
 eno-raven on His hands, and on His shoulders.' 
 
 The 3d of Xovember set in with such storms of wind 
 and rain as made us fear that comparatively few would 
 be able to attend the meetings. But by ten o'clock, 
 between sixty and seventy of my father's personal friends 
 had arrived at the rectory, and assembled in the library to 
 hear from lum a short but heart- stirring address, in which 
 he dwelt chiefly on the words, ' The Lord is at hand.' 
 ■ Xot only providentially, not only spiritually, but per- 
 sonally ; not alone to faith, but also to sight.' Afterwards 
 they proceeded to the hall, which was already nearly 
 filled. From some miles around the people had gathered 
 together ; and a remarkable spirit of solemnity and 
 devotion prevailed. 
 
 Copies of the h}'mn-book called The Praise of Jcsits 
 had been distributed ; and the seiwice commenced with 
 singing a hymn, in Avhicli every heart and voice seemed 
 to join. This was followed by prayer and a short address 
 
508 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 from the Eev. William Pemiefather, after wliicli the fol- 
 lowing letter from my father was read aloud by Mr. 
 O'Eorke : — 
 
 ' Beloved Friends, — You are assembled together for 
 the greatest object that can occupy the human mind, — 
 the glory of God in the salvation of man. You are also 
 employing the best means to promote that object, for 
 
 " Prayer is appointed to convey 
 The blessings God designs to give ;" 
 
 and there appears to be a special honour set upon united 
 prayer. Our blessed Lord has not only promised to hear 
 it, but to grant His presence to it, for " where two or three 
 are gathered together in My name, there am I in the 
 midst of them." 
 
 * You have also in view that which will be so brifrht a 
 manifestation of the Divine glory both to this world and 
 to the universe, — the Second Advent of our blessed Lord. 
 N"ot till then will the enemy be bound and error be 
 banished, and Jcav and Gentile form one flock, under 
 One Shepherd. 
 
 ' It is the great and constant subject of the Christian 
 Scriptures. The apostolic writings employ it to awaken 
 salutary fears, to excite joyful hopes, and to quicken be- 
 lievers in the discharge of every duty. N'or should we 
 forget that with this subject Eevelation closes : " Behold, 
 I come quickly ;" and St. John, as if personating all be- 
 lievers, answers, " Amen : even so, come. Lord Jesus." 
 
 ' You will allow me to add to these few thoughts, that 
 
THE THRESHOLD OF HEAVEX. 
 
 509 
 
 till that glorious period, in the righteous judgment of God, 
 Satanic influence will obtain over our world. And, dear 
 brethren, none of us is likely to escape it but by daily 
 prayer and daily reading of the Holy Scriptures. Thus 
 " Kesist the devil, and he will flee from you," terrified by 
 the discovery that One is with you who has him in a 
 chain. Our Lord himself, in His personal conflict with 
 the devil, overcame him by the Scriptures. But we must 
 have the Holy Sx3irit to apply the Word ; therefoi-e " draw 
 nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you." It is only 
 by the diligent use of the Scriptures, and by constant 
 prayer, that individuals or nations can be preserved in 
 the truth to the end. Therefore, " I commend you unto 
 God, and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build 
 you up, and to give you an inheritance among them that 
 are sanctified." Thus you will be useful in life, safe in 
 death, and blessed in eternity. 
 
 ' And let me ask your prayers for myself, that I may 
 die resting only on the simple faith that a full, perfect, 
 and sufficient sacrifice was made for sin, when our Lord 
 proclaimed on Calvary, " It is finished !" After all His 
 unknoAvn sufferings for us, it will be heaven to behold 
 His glory ; and to this happiness may we all be brought, 
 and to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost shall be the 
 eternal praise.' 
 
 The meeting was continued for about two hours with 
 undiminished interest. The speakers were the Eevs. 
 Marcus Eainsford, Charles Goodhart, Claremont Skrine, 
 and Daniel Wilson of Islington. Prayer was offered or 
 a hymn sung between each address; and the whole was 
 
510 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 closed by a short exposition of Canticles ii. 8-17, given by 
 Mr. Pennefather. 
 
 Dinner had been prepared in the school-room for a 
 hundred guests who had received special invitations, 
 and refreshments were provided for others in the ante- 
 room, of the hall. 
 
 When the meeting w^as resumed in the afternoon, it 
 was carried on with unabated interest and fervour. Mr. 
 O'Korke commenced it with prayer, and then Mr. French, 
 Colonel Eowlandson, and Mr. Blackwood, each spoke, in 
 turn, faithful words of warning, counsel, and encourage- 
 ment, touching the dangers, the duties, and the hopes of 
 the Church of Christ in these days. 
 
 The twilight of the winter's evening soon deepened 
 into night, and the only light in the old hall — the flicker- 
 ing blaze of the log- fire burning on the open hearth, its 
 flames lighting for a few moments the uplifted faces, or 
 showing the speaker pleading earnestly for his Lord — 
 seemed to be in keeping with the deep solemnity of 
 the last address ; which touched upon the probability of a 
 time of great tribulation intervening before the Lord's 
 return, and urged a constant state of preparedness. 
 
 Just as it was ended, a message was brought from my 
 father to say that he would speak a few words to any who 
 liked to come to the rectory. Many gladly responded to 
 his invitation, and again the library was filled with lis- 
 teners, eager to hear his ripened experience. 
 
 The brief remembrances written down afterwards can 
 give but little idea of the power of the spoken words, as 
 the aged saint, his face radiant with the joy of his Lord, 
 
THE THRESHOLD OF HEAYEX. 
 
 •Ml 
 
 spoke out of tLe fulness of his heart in varying tones, now 
 solenm, now persuasive, and now exulting. He spoke 
 first of the character of God, then of the mistaken views 
 of men concerning Him. 
 
 ' God is not loved because He is not known : "Acquaint 
 now thyself witli Him, and be at peace, thereby good shall 
 come unto thee." 
 
 ' He has revealed Himself in His word : " God is light ;'' 
 ■ God is love." 
 
 ' He has manifested HimseK in His Son : " In this was 
 manifested the love of God toward us, because that God 
 sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might 
 live through Him." 
 
 ' But the heart of the natural man is so hard, and his 
 will so stubborn, that they must be renewed and subdued 
 by the power of the Holy Spirit : " For the love of God is 
 shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which He 
 hath given unto us." 
 
 ' Then, when the Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity 
 are known and believed in, " The name of the Lord is a 
 strong tower," and the soul that is sheltered there is safe 
 f^r eternity.' 
 
 An hour after tea had been served in the schoolroom, 
 all who could remain joined in the evening ser^'ice in the 
 church and partook of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. 
 The preacher was the Eev. Thomas Xolan, who gave an 
 excellent sermon on the words, ' Till He come !' 
 
 Just before my father left his parish to pay his winter 
 visit to Beckenham, one of his churchwardens thus wrote 
 to him : — - 
 
512 
 
 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 * Eeverexd axd dear Sir, — I am much obliged by your 
 kind remembrance of me, sliown by your handsome pre- 
 sent of a standard Church work. 
 
 ' I shall very much value the gift for the honoured 
 donor's sake, and also for its intrinsic merit. 
 
 ' As I suppose we shall soon hear of your returning to 
 your warm and comfortable winter quarters, permit me 
 to express my hopes of your continued preservation in 
 health during your absence, and of your return to your 
 flock next spring in a good state of health. AVe all value 
 you, and are proud of so bright an example of what the 
 decliniDg years of a clergyman ought to be.' 
 
 The close of the old year and the opening of the new, 
 my father had always regarded as a very solemn season, 
 and it had been his custom to hold a meeting in his parish 
 for prayer and exposition of the Scripture on the last 
 night of the old year, and to administer the Sacrament, in 
 addition to the service and sermon on Kew- Year's Day. 
 Even in the feeble health of his later years, he had been 
 in the habit of waiting until the midnight hour had struck, 
 ushering in the Xew Year, that he might meet it with 
 prayer and with praise before retiring to rest. Quoting the 
 words, 'We spend our years as a tale that is told,' — * humi- 
 liation for the past year,' he said, ' with its long catalogue 
 of sins and shortcomings, and its tale of listless love and 
 service to Him who so loved us as to give His life for us, 
 should mingle with thankfulness for abounding mercies, 
 and most of all for " the blood which cleanseth us from all 
 sin;"' and for the coming year, 'there should be happy 
 
THE THEESHOLD OF HEA^TX. 
 
 513 
 
 confidence in the promised grace and strength of our 
 Eedeemer, and in the fatherly wisdom and kindness of 
 the Almighty Providence which has foreseen all its un- 
 known events, with intent and power to make them work 
 together for good to them that love God.' 
 
 More than once the first sound we heard, after the chim- 
 ing of the church bells had announced the New Year, was 
 his beloved voice repeating the following verses : — 
 
 ' This God is the God we adore, 
 
 Our faithful unchangeable Friend, 
 Whose love is as great as His power, 
 And neither knows measure nor end. 
 
 'Tis Jesus, the First and the Last, 
 
 Whose mercy shall guide us safe home ; 
 
 We '11 praise Him for all that is past, 
 And trust Him for all that 's to come. ' 
 
 It was the moment his daughters especially prized to 
 have with him, to receive his blessing. On one year he 
 gave it in these words, to be turned into a daily prayer : 
 
 ' " Be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus ; " 
 "The Lord give thee understanding iii all things " The 
 Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee 
 peace." ' 
 
 On being reminded of those words the following year, 
 and asked, ' Can you ever give us any blessing so full 
 as that ? ' he promptly replied, ' Yes ; and fuller stilL 
 " Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be midtipliccl" ' 
 
 On this, the last of these solemn seasons which he 
 spent on earth, he seemed to see every blessing as con- 
 centrated in the promise, ' I will be a God unto thee.' 
 
 2 K 
 
514 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 He commenced the year 1864 in such fairly good health, 
 
 that no mournful impression fell upon our hearts that it 
 
 was to be the last N'ew- Year's Day on which we should 
 
 receive the greeting and the blessing so dearly prized ; 
 
 and look upon 
 
 ' The sweet attractive kind of grace, 
 A full assurance given by looks, 
 Continual comfort in a face 
 
 The lineaments of gospel books.' 
 
 As he was not allowed to venture out of doors in the 
 cold weather, he wished to partake of the sacrament of 
 the Lord's Supper at the rectory with his family; and 
 Mr. O'Eorke came over in the afternoon and administered 
 it to us. Just before the service, my father gave a short 
 address on the words, ' As often as ye eat this bread, and 
 drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till He come.' 
 And after the close, his voice broke the stillness with 
 prayer and praise. 
 
 Early in this year he welcomed with delight the Eev. 
 John Sandys, who came to spend a few days with him, — 
 not to revive their friendship, for its warmth had never 
 been lessened, but to enjoy an intercourse which had 
 become less frequent since my father's state of health 
 had obliged him to give up his annual visit to Mr. Sandys 
 in London, and owing also to his removal into N"orfolk. 
 
 Eeferring to this visit, Mr. Sandys, in concluding the 
 letter quoted before,^ wrote as follows : — 
 
 ' The little visit I paid to Beckenham in the February 
 before dear Dr. Marsh's removal to his heavenly home, I 
 
 ^ See pages 75-78. 
 
THE THRESHOLD OF HEAVEN. 
 
 515 
 
 sliall never forget. His mind seemed as clear as ever, his 
 conversation as animated, and there was a radiancy of 
 countenance, and a manifest ripeness for heaven, which 
 it was indeed good to contemplate. 
 
 * Notwithstanding his great age, his cheerfulness was 
 not a whit abated. At the time of my visit the snow was 
 lying thick on the ground. His bedroom adjoined the 
 drawing-room ; and as he was coming from one to the 
 other in a wheel- chair, he called to me and said, with 
 his pleasant humour, ' Sandys, if any one asks you how 
 friend Marsh is, say, " Oh, he takes his drive every day !" 
 "What ! not in such weather as this ?" " Yes ; every day \" ' 
 
 ' ]\Iy feeling at the time of that visit w^as (I remember) 
 this, — I wish all I love were here with me to witness the 
 loveliness and power of religion as they shine forth in this 
 old servant of the Lord. 
 
 ' " AMierein, it may be asked, were his faidts ? for none 
 here are perfect." None in the sight of God. " Behold, I 
 am vile," was the confession of the pre-eminently humble 
 Job. Like lowliness of heart characterized your dear 
 father. But Daniel's enemies could find against him no 
 occasion or fault ; and for a friend or enemy to find occasion 
 or fault in your dear father would, methinks, be a hard 
 matter. Of our adorable Piedeemer it is written, " Yea, 
 He is altogether lovely." And to no other of His followers 
 that I ever saw might the same words be, with an equal 
 legree of truth, applied. 
 
 ' My love and veneration for your dear father were very 
 great. Yoic will not think, but some may, that these have 
 IjliQded my eyes to any defects that may have existed. 
 
51G 
 
 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 The cliaracter of my mind is just tlie reverse. The more 
 deeply I love a person, the more sensitive am I to any 
 failing or defect there may be in them. I mention this 
 because the amount of weight to be given to what any 
 one says depends in no inconsiderable measure upon the 
 character of his mind.' 
 
 During the spring his health continued to improve. 
 He carried on a large correspondence on public and 
 private interests, including letters to various religious 
 periodicals, and was able to enjoy his usual studies, as 
 well as to read tlie Times in the morning and the Reccn^d^ 
 in the evening. 
 
 He was delighted with a pamphlet, on the subject of the 
 Second Advent, sent to him about this time by Dr. Steven- 
 son.^ A warm friendship, arising from remarkable sym- 
 pathies of heart and character, had long existed between 
 them, to which a new link had been added, in the previous 
 year, when, at the Beddington Prophetical Conference, 
 Dr. Stevenson's thoughts had been first led to dwell on 
 the hope of the near approach of the Coming of the Lord. 
 
 Before my father's return to Beddington, his heart was 
 cheered by tidings that reached him from his parish, of a 
 blessing which God was bestowing there, through the visit 
 of a devoted clergyman,^ who has taken these words for 
 
 1 The reading of the Record was a great enjoyment to him, as it 
 seemed for the time to carry him again into public religious interests, 
 and amongst many of his old and valued friends. 
 
 2 Vicar of Patrixbonme. 
 
 3 Eev. William Haslam, Rector of Buckenham, Norfolk. 
 
THE THRESHOLD OF HEAVE:>'. 
 
 517 
 
 the motto of his life, * Time is short — Souls are precious 
 — Jestjs is worthy.' 
 
 The ground had been well prepared by the faithful and 
 earnest preaching of the Gospel of Christ; so that in many 
 hearts the good seed already sown now took root, sprang 
 up, and flourished. There could be no doubt as to the 
 reality of the change in them, for it was attested by new 
 lives and happy faces. 
 
 The work thus begiin was carefully fostered and carried 
 on by the three clergymen, who had the joy of seeing it 
 steadily increase, as month after month went by. 
 
 A desire was soon felt by many to join in prayer for 
 the furtherance of this blessiQg ; and it was expressed to 
 Mr. OTiorke, with the suggestion that those who wished 
 should be invited to remaiQ in the schoolroom, at Bed- 
 dington Comer, for imited prayer, after the conclusion of 
 the Sunday evening service. 
 
 He gave the plan careful consideration before proposing 
 it to my father, who heartily assented to it; and Mr. 
 French and Mr. Gordon gladly joined in carrying it out 
 
 An evident blessing rested on this meeting. Xot only 
 were the newly awakened watched over and nurtured in 
 the heavenly life, but the Christians of longer standing 
 were also greatly strengthened by this bond of fellowship. 
 
 In the adjoining parish of Mitcham there was a similar 
 work of the grace of God, accounts of which my father 
 heard with deep interest, firom the rector — a grandson of 
 his late beloved friend Bishop Wilson, and his curate, 
 the Eev. Eichard Graves ; whose love to their Saviour and 
 earnest life in His service made their frequent visits to 
 
518 MEMOIR OF EEV. ^VILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 Beddington Eectory a source of much pleasure to my 
 father. 
 
 TO THE EEV. J. H. J. HAXDCOCK. 
 
 ' BeckexhajM Rectory, February 20, 1864. 
 
 ' ]\Iy dear Mr. Handcock, — You ask whether I believe 
 that the full assurance of faith is attainable, and that it 
 should be sought for by every one? To this I reply, 
 Assuredly I do, because I am a Churchman. 
 
 ' The service of our Church opens with the announce- 
 ment, " He pardoneth and absolveth all them that truly 
 repent, and unfeignedly believe His holy Gospel." In the 
 Collect for the Second Sunday in Advent, we are taught 
 by our Church to pray " that we may embrace and ever 
 hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life," etc. Also, 
 in the 17th Article, it is declared, " that the godly con- 
 sideration of our election in Christ . . . doth greatly 
 establish and confirm our faith of eternal salvation, to be 
 enjoyed through Christ." 
 
 ' Again, most assuredly do I believe that this full 
 assurance is attainable, and should be sought for by all, 
 because I am a Christian, and believe that it is the 
 design of Christianity to bring us into a state of ^:)g«c<:; 
 with God," by declaring that Christ has " died for our 
 sins, and has risen again for our justification." And our 
 Saviour Himself hath said, " He that heareth my word, 
 and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, 
 and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from 
 death unto life." 
 
THE THRESHOLD OF HEAVEX. 
 
 519 
 
 ' Yea, moreover, the object of Christianity is to raise 
 us to that highest of all privileges, even joy in the Lord. 
 Xo sooner had the Philippian jailor believed on the 
 Saviour than he rejoiced in God. Xo sooner had Can- 
 dace's treasurer believed on Christ as having made an 
 atonement for sin, than " he went on his way rejoicing." 
 
 ' This joy in the Lord gives great strength to meet trial 
 and to perform duty. Then why do not all believers 
 partake of it ? 
 
 ' First, Because some are of a naturally morbid and 
 dejected turn of mind, and they do not attain to joy 
 because they do not ask helieving that they shall receive 
 (Matt. xxi. 22). 
 
 ' Secondly, Because of inadequate ^iews of the fulness 
 and freeness of the grace that is in Christ, causing doubts 
 and fears, and so preventing perfect peace. 
 
 ' Thirdly, Because of some indulged sin, in heart or life, 
 that grieves the Holy Spirit, and therefore this joy, which 
 is one of His fruits, is withheld. But such should pray, 
 " Show me wherefore Thou contendest wdth me ? If I 
 have done iniquity, I will do so no more." And all should 
 pray, " Remember me with the favour which Thou bearest 
 unto Thy people, and visit me with Thy salvation, that I 
 may see the felicity of Thy chosen, and rejoice in the 
 gladness of Thy people, and gloi^y with Thine inheritance." 
 
 ' Thus I believe that assurance is attainable, and is to be 
 sought by all ; because I have read, and I believe, my Bible. 
 
 * See the following passages : — 2 Cor. xiii. 5, and 1 John 
 V. 13, which latter text is especially interesting when com- 
 pared with John xx. 31. Paul would have the Philip- 
 
520 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 pians " rejoice in the Lord alway for Christianity is a 
 happy as well as a holy religion. 
 
 ' Little faith is safe, but it is not so happy or so useful 
 as great faith ; and no one should be content with little, 
 when he might have much. — Yours affectionately, 
 
 ' William Marsh.' 
 
 to james grant, esq. 
 
 * Dear Mr. Grant, — I am glad that your inkstand is 
 not dry. I want you to write on the following subjects 
 Grieving the Holy Spirit; quenching the Holy Spirit; 
 resisting the Holy Spirit ; doing despite to the Holy Spirit. 
 
 ' I fear these important subjects are too much over- 
 looked. 
 
 ' I should like you to write also on the following sub- 
 jects : — The evil spirit is represented as a destroyer (roar- 
 ing lion) ; as a deceiver (the serpent) ; as an adversary 
 (Satan) ; as an accuser (the devil). 
 
 ' If the plans of the evil spirit were more considered, 
 and the power of the Holy Spirit more invoked, what prayer 
 there might be ; and how would the influence of the Holy 
 Spirit be cherished ; and the injury of grieving or quench- 
 ing Him be manifest ; and the extreme danger of resisting 
 Him, or doing despite to Him, be evident. — Yours faith- 
 fully, Wm. Marsh.' 
 
 A quarterly clerical meeting was held at the house of 
 the Eev. Eobert Tritton, rural dean at Morden, in the 
 neighbourhood of Beddington, and although my father 
 
THE THEESHOLD OF HEAVEX. 
 
 521 
 
 could not be present, yet Mr. Tritton's thouglitful kind- 
 ness in letting him know beforehand what would be the 
 passage of Scripture under discussion, enabled him each 
 time to take his regular part in it, by writing down a few 
 thoughts which were read aloud at the ensuing meeting. 
 A copy of one of these letters had been taken, from which 
 the following extracts are given : — 
 
 On 2 Timothy i. 
 
 ' Deae Me. Teittox, — In accordance with your re- 
 quest, I willingly send a few thoughts on the passage of 
 Scripture to be considered at your next meeting. 
 
 ' Yer. 5. — I have often been much delimited in observ- 
 ing (for I have seen it in many families) the children of 
 believing parents following in their steps, and the promise 
 being fulfilled, " The children of Thy servants shall con- 
 tinue, and their seed shall be established before Thee " 
 (Ps. ciL 28). 
 
 ' With regard to the 7 th verse, I have thought that it 
 contains all that we principally need. In discussing this 
 i verse some time ago with a brother clergyman, I differed 
 from him in thinking that the word " power " related to 
 the authority of the minister over the people, behe^ing it 
 in that place to mean courage. When a doubt arises as 
 to the correct rendering of a word, the context will often 
 decide its true meaning. 
 
 ' Here, in the 8tli verse, it is opposed to fear, or cowar- 
 dice, to which temptations the ministers of Christ in 
 those days were especially subject, in consequence of the 
 persecution they might have to endure.' 
 
522 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 A well-known Greek scholar, who was present at the 
 time, said, that undoubtedly the word hvvafii^ was used 
 sometimes in the sense of ' couras^e.' 
 
 ' But courage must be softened by love, and courage 
 and love must be under the direction of a " sound mind " 
 to make the completeness of the Christian character. 
 " Wisdom is profitable to direct," and reading, medita- 
 tion, and prayer will further the growth of this heavenly 
 wisdom, and keep the fire burning — ava^wirvpeiv, ver. 6. 
 
 ' It would be a useful petition to offer up every morn- 
 ing, — Give me the spirit of power, and of love, and of a 
 sound mind." 
 
 ' Ver. 9. — How careful the Apostle is to exclude human 
 merit from any part in our salvation ; yet there never 
 was a more special pleader for good works than St. Paul. 
 
 ' In this verse we may also notice that he ever main- 
 tains the sovereignty of God, which is always exercised 
 in showing mercy. 
 
 ' In the 6th verse he equally maintains the respon- 
 sibility of man. 
 
 ' Ver. 10. — How thankful we should be who live under 
 the light and liberty of the Christian dispensation ! 
 
 'Ver. 12. — What courage confidence in Christ will 
 give ! 
 
 ' Ver. 14. — May we always remember how dependent 
 we are on the Holy Ghost for the reception, maintenance, 
 and preservation of Divine truth. 
 
 ' Vers. 16-18. — The servant, like his Master, notices 
 and remembers every act of kindness shown to him. 
 
THE THEESHOLD OF HEAVEX. 
 
 523 
 
 ' Oh, hoic much is contained in that expression, Find 
 mercy of the Lord in that day 1" 
 
 * My prayers often ascend for a blessing on your 
 clerical meeting. 
 
 ' The folloAving Collects have occurred to me as suitable 
 to this subject : — The Collect for St. Stephen's Day, for 
 Quinquagesima Sunday, and for the Xinth Sunday after 
 Trinity. — I am, dear Mr. Tritton, yours most sincerely, 
 
 * William IMaesh.' 
 
 TO HIS GEAXD-DArCxHTEE. 
 
 ' Mav 11. 1S(34. 
 
 ' Deae daelixg LITTLE LucT, — . . . " Faith Cometh by 
 hearing and hearins: bv the Word of God," and the Word 
 of God leads to the Saviour, and the Saviour leads us to 
 heaven. That Word also leads us to seek to be useful to 
 others by the ^ay. 
 
 ' A poor boy subscribed for a Bible. When it was brought 
 to him, he said, " I only want the first parr. I will not 
 read your Christian Scriptures, I am a Jew." Those who 
 carried the Bible, however, persuaded liim to keep it. 
 After more than a year the same collectors re-visited this 
 district. They inquired for the boy ; a poor woman said, 
 " All ! he is dead ; we all remember him. He used to 
 visit the sick in our coim, read the Bible to them, and 
 often out of liis little earnings give them a few pence." 
 
 ' We ask for " power from on higli " to be given to 
 Captain Trotter and ^Ir. Blackwood, for theii^ addresses at 
 Willis's Booms. My love to dear Lord and Lady Kintore ; 
 
521 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 and tell tliem I pray /or a deep and lasting blessing to 
 rest on all their endeavours to hasten the coming and the 
 kingdom of our Lord J esus Christ. The sowing-time will 
 soon be over, and then the sowers and reapers will shout 
 together at the Harvest Home. You will like -to read the 
 enclosed. It gives a pleasant glimpse into the happy 
 and useful lives which our dear little Mya and Mr. BoUand 
 are leading in the midst of their crowded parish. ^Vhat 
 changes I have seen wrought in various places, during my 
 long lifetime, by the untiring efforts of many a devoted 
 evangelical clergyman of our Church. They have been 
 workers, indeed ! But still the labourers are few compared 
 to the need of the vast fields of corn standing " white 
 unto the harvest," so that we may bless G-od for sending 
 us again, in these latter days, the help of laymen full of 
 faith and power," " sanctified and meet for the Master's 
 use." . . . Give my love to dear Car Maitland, and bid 
 her come and see her old friend on her way back to Park 
 Place. — Ever your loving grandfather.' 
 
 TO THE REV. DAWSON MASSEY. 
 
 'June 24, 1864. 
 
 ' Dear Mr. Massey, — I shall receive with thankfulness 
 such a gift. Sure I am that when I have read it I shall 
 have to thank you again, and most readily to recommend 
 it. You have taken the history of an interesting period. 
 So many centuries under Pagan Eome and under Papal 
 Eome, twin sisters. 
 
 * That the professed teachers of mankind should have 
 
THE THRESHOLD OF HEAYEX. 
 
 525 
 
 been the deceivers of mankind will form a melanclioly 
 chapter in the history of our world. Yet so it has been — 
 to wit, — Brahmins among the Indians, Monlvies among 
 the Mahometans, Eabbis among the Jews, and Priests 
 among the Christians. 
 
 ' Where the Scriptures are unkno\\Ti or neglected, error 
 must prevail. The Bible is the only infallible book of 
 faith and practice. The opposition of the Church of 
 Eome to the study of it, in itself proves that she is no 
 longer a Church of Christ ; and yet we hope that numbers 
 of Eomanists, after all, trust only in the Saviour, — and so 
 will help to fill His kingdom. 
 
 ' We are praying that Ireland may obtain increase of 
 light. God bless you in all your labours to win sinners 
 to the Saviour, and to lead believers to adorn His doctrine. 
 Many thanks for the sweet text which you have sent to 
 old eighty-nine. — Yours ever affectionately, 
 
 ' Wm. Marsh.' 
 
 He has more than once described the difference between 
 a true and false religion, by standing before us, first as a 
 teacher of a false religion with a closed Bible behind him, 
 saying, ' You are to believe what I tell you, and be satis- 
 fied with the voice of the church.' Then coming forward 
 as a teacher of the true religion, with the Bible wide open, 
 he would say, ' Believe nothing that I teach you which 
 you cannot prove for yourselves by most certain warrant 
 from Holy Scripture.' 
 
526 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 TO MISS MANN. 
 
 ' . . . " The accuser of the brethren/' in order to harass 
 and hinder them, brings past sins before them again and 
 again, after they have been repented of, and washed away 
 in the blood of the Lamb, and forsaken. But they were 
 all foreknown and pardoned when the Saviour said, " It 
 is finished." 
 
 ' " Only believe." The plan for us is, — Believe and be 
 at peace ; believe and love ; believe and work ; believe 
 and suffer ; believe and die ; believe and go to heaven. 
 " Lord, increase our faith ! " 
 
 ' One of the old divines said, when on a dying-bed, " A 
 list of all my sins was presented to me. I knew it was 
 done by the enemy ; so I said. Write at the bottom, ' The 
 blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin f and the 
 temptation to despair fled away." — Yours truly, 
 
 ' Wm. Marsh.' 
 
 The two following letters, although they have found a 
 place here considerably beyond their date, could scarcely 
 be omitted without loss : — 
 
 TO THE LATE COLONEL JACOB, BOMBAY ARTILLERY, ON THE 
 DEATH OF HIS WIFE, WHICH TOOK PLACE ONLY A YEAR 
 BEFORE HIS OW^N. 
 
 'Eectory, Beckenham, March 18. 
 
 ' Dear Colonel Jacob, — I have known what it is to be 
 turned out of Paradise, and can indeed sympatliize with 
 you. All I could say for some time was, "Thou art 
 
THE THRESHOLD OF HEAVEX. 
 
 527 
 
 righteous, 0 Lord !" but when I could reflect upon the 
 happiness of the departed, the grief was a little assuaged. 
 
 ' How difficult it is not to look down into the grave 
 when it is actually open — yea, and oftentimes after that : 
 but she is not there. AVherever Paradise is, there are 
 the blessed dead We are therefore taught to look 
 upward. 
 
 ' I have just been preaching on Psalm xciv. 19 : In 
 the multitude of my thoughts within me, Thy comforts 
 delight my souL" 15^*, The state of mind here described. 
 2c?, The consolation afforded. 
 
 ' I will only send you some of the latter. 
 
 * Sorrow may not be speedily removed, but it shall be 
 alleyiated by covenant truths and promises : By positive 
 jassurances of good from all events ; and by the prospect 
 of our future rest. 
 
 ' God has loved His people with an everlasting love. 
 Therefore all His arrangements for time have a reference 
 to their good in eternity. 
 
 ' But the Comforter alone can truly comfort (^Prov. 
 XXV. 20). 
 
 'May that Eternal Spirit bring every alleviating and 
 consolator}" thought to your mind. 
 
 ' Tears, indeed, are not forbidden. It was at a grave 
 that — " J esus wept." He can sympathize with you. 
 
 * God help us all to look forward to His kingdom, 
 in which tears are for ever wiped away. — Yours veiy 
 truly, 
 
 ' Wm. Maesh.' 
 
528 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLLVM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 TO THE LATE HONOURABLE MRS. MACKENZIE, ON THE DEATH 
 OF HER LAST SURVIVING SON, AGED TWENTY-ONE. 
 
 ' Dear Mrs. Mackenzie, — What can I say to comfort 
 you ? Dear Frank came of age, and was immediately put 
 in possession of his estate in Paradise. Follow him there 
 in thought, as you will at the appointed time in person. 
 Then also you will see what he has escaped in this world 
 of trial, sin, and suffering. 
 
 ' Some live a long life in a short time. It was so with_ 
 him. Though not in age, yet in grace ; he was like a 
 shock of corn that cometh in, in his season — 
 
 " To such we'll follow on, 
 Leaning on Jesus all the way, 
 Who on our hearts lets clown a ray 
 Of comfort from His Throne." 
 
 ' Perhaps faith could never be fully exercised, if circum- 
 stances we suppose improbable under the government of 
 love, did not arise. " If thou hadst been here, my brother 
 had not died." A natural thought. But we know the 
 reason why Lazarus died, and though indeed the veil was 
 very soon removed in that case, yet, it is but a little while 
 and the veil will be removed in other cases. 
 
 ' I was glad darling Katie was well enough to go at 
 once to Cambridge. She found in your dear daughter a 
 remarkable example of faith and resignation. The good 
 Lord comfort you all, and give you bright views of the 
 coming re-union— the coming glory of the Lord and aU 
 His people. — With hearty sympathy, yours very affec- 
 tionately, Wm. Marsh.* 
 
CHAPTER XYII. 
 
 'WITHIX SIGHT OF THE CITY.' 
 
 ' The Celestial City is fiill in my view. Its glories have shone 
 upon me, its breezes fan me, its odours are wafted to me, its 
 sounds strike upon my ears, and its spirit is breathed into my 
 heart. Nothing separates me from it but the Eiver of Death, 
 which now appears but as a rilh that may be crossed at a step.' 
 
 Payson. 
 
'WITHIN SIGHT OF THE CITY.' 
 
 At midsummer of 1864, Mr. French, whose services 
 my father had highly appreciated for his parish, was 
 appointed to a church in Cheltenham. The following 
 extract from his farewell letter will show how deeply 
 he, on his part, had valued the association with my 
 father : — 
 
 * My dear Dr. Marsh, — I do thank you most sincerely 
 for all the fatherly kindness and consideration you have 
 shown me since I became your curate. And I trust 
 my ministry, whether long or short, may ever bear the 
 impression of Beddington and Beckenham, — the Bethany 
 and Bethphage, I would fain believe, the blessed Lord 
 would have chosen had He preached to London instead 
 of to Jerusalem.' 
 
 The glowing beauty of the cloudless summer of that year 
 seemed to be reflected about him. Never had we seen his 
 face so brilliant in colouring and expression— never had 
 the charm of his conversation been more rich and spark- 
 
532 MEMOIPw OF EEY. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 ling — never had his heart of love so poured forth its 
 heavenly warmth and tenderness. 
 
 All the lingering symptoms of his long illness had been 
 mercifully removed, and we only knew how fragile was 
 the life just verging on its ninetieth year, by the increas- 
 ing transparency and beauty of his face, just as our hearts 
 faintly foretold his nearness to heaven by looks and tones 
 and ways too lovely for earth. 
 
 More than ever he was the centre of delight to his 
 family. Every hour seemed to have suffered loss which 
 was passed away from him. Yet his presence, with his 
 own close and evident communing with his Saviour, his 
 earnest charges to all to work while it is day, and his warm 
 sympathy and fervent prayers for blessing in every at- 
 tempt to serve that Master, stimulated those about him 
 to fresh efforts in such service. 
 
 The home circle was frequently enlarged by the visits 
 of those whom we knew would especially value the pri- 
 vileeje of seeing him, and hearinc? him converse. Amongst 
 these, the youngest daughter of his valued friend the 
 late Mr. Hardy, M.P. for Bradford, well known for his 
 noble Christian character, clear scriptural views, and stead- 
 fast Protestantism, was staying at the rectory for part of 
 that summer. The youngest sister of Hedley Vicars came 
 to pay a farewell visit before leaving England with her 
 husband, the Eev. Frederick Tayler, who liad been ap- 
 pointed Head of the College of Perth in Australia. The 
 young clergyman, whose frank and manly character at 
 once attracted my fathei\ beheld with admiration and 
 delight the aged saint who had entered the land of Beulah, 
 
* WITHIX SIGHT OF THE CITY.' 
 
 533 
 
 • where the sun shineth night and daj ; ' and just before 
 :hey sailed he wrote, that the memory of that face would 
 ^^ver be a call to them to ' serve the Lord with gladness' 
 iu their distant home. The daughter of Lord Wriotheslej 
 Eussell had asked to bring a friend who had been educated 
 at a school in her father's parish, and was one of the members 
 of his Bible class. After preparing her for confirmation, he 
 had watched with hopefulness her growing interest in the 
 thinijs of God ; but now, when she was returnin^r to her 
 home, with her heart still wavering between the world 
 aud Christ, it occurred to his devoted Christian wife and 
 (laughter that it might be the turning-point of her life if 
 she could see how bright aud beautiful was the sunset 
 light of a day — the morning, noon, and evening of which 
 iiad alike been spent in the Lord's vineyard. The answer 
 to their prayers was granted; for, during the visit, that 
 young heart surrendered itself to the Saviour s call 
 
 The evenings were chiefly passed around my father's 
 arm-chair in the drawing-room ; and often he would lay 
 down his book, and hold his listeners entranced by anec- 
 dotes of his early friends and early days, and of wonders 
 wrought by the gi-ace of God, all told with an animation 
 and charm which carried his hearers into the very centre 
 i:)f the scenes he described. 
 
 Then he woidd pause for a time and resume his read- 
 ing, and again his rejoicing spirit would break forth in 
 singing some of the hymns of praise he loved so well 
 
 It was his wish, with reference to his birthday gather- 
 ing, that this year there shoidd be connected with it a call 
 to liis clerical brethren, to meet specially for prayer and 
 
534 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 addresses on the subject of the Coming of the Lord. Several 
 laymen were also invited, and the day fixed for it was 
 Tuesday the 1 9th of July, the eve of his birthday. When 
 we recall the thought and prayer with which he arranged 
 the plans for both these meetings., it seems to us now that 
 there must have mingled with the gladness with which he 
 looked forward to tlie festival, a solemn yet joyful pre- 
 sentiment that it was to be his last anniversary on earth. 
 
 The following was the form of invitation which he sent 
 for the 19th :— 
 
 ' " THE NIGHT IS FAR SPENT, THE DAY IS AT HAND." 
 
 ' We intend, therefore, in obedience to the apostolic 
 command, to " assemble ourselves together, and to exhort 
 one another, so much the more as we see the day ap- 
 proaching." 
 
 ' Will you join our gathering here at half-past three 
 o'clock in the afternoon of Tuesday, the 19th instant? 
 And, in the meanwhile, unite with us in fervent prayer, 
 that the power of the Lord may be present with us, that 
 we may be " filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost," 
 " looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of 
 God." — Your faithful servant and brother in the Lord, 
 
 ' William Marsh.' 
 
 Hearty and numerous were the responses to this invi- 
 tation, and those who were present will not soon forget 
 the power with which he spoke that day ; the clear testi- 
 mony to the blessedness of resting alone on the finished 
 work of Christ, of walking in conscious, unbroken com- 
 
' WITHIN SIGHT OF THE CITY.' 
 
 535 
 
 mimion with Him, and of looking for His coming glory ; 
 nor the pouring out of his soul in prayer, and the sudden 
 hurst of sacred song — the overflow of the joy with which 
 he * drew water from the wells of salvation.' 
 
 After alluding to the more widely diffused expectation 
 of the near Coming of the Lord, and to the numerous cal- 
 culations of dates in the prophecies which converge in the 
 present decade, he went on to say — ' But be that as it may, 
 we are expressly told by an apostle, that the First and 
 Second Advents of the Messiah are the great subjects of 
 Holy Writ, for the Spirit of Christ was in all the prophets, 
 testifying beforehand of the sufferings of Christ and of the 
 glory that should follow. For what end did the Eedeemer 
 come into this world ? He came to glorify God, to magnify 
 the law, to make " a full, perfect, and sufiicient sacrifice" 
 for the sins of the whole world, to offer a free pardon to 
 guilty man, and so to take out of the way every obstacle 
 which hindered his coming to God for pardon, peace, and 
 grace here, and for glory hereafter. 
 
 ' At the First Advent of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
 Christ, it appears to me that He came especially to exer- 
 cise the office of a prophet, as the great Prophet that should 
 come into the world. 
 
 ' Since His ascension into heaven, His work as a propliet 
 being ended, He has assumed the office of a priest ; the 
 forerunner is for us entered within the veil, " even Jesus, 
 made an High Priest for ever." By His intercession, He 
 keeps the way open to the throne of grace, and therefore 
 mercy and grace can flow freely to us. 
 
 ' Some, alas, have a very imperfect view of the way in 
 
536 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 which God deals with man. They have not got a proper 
 understanding of either His justice or His mercy. They 
 look upon the work of Christ as accomplished in the 
 perfect example which He left to us by His life, and 
 overlook the purpose of His death as the sacrifice for 
 the sins of the world, that He might be at the same time 
 " a just God and a Saviour." 
 
 'Doubtless the blessed Eedeemer left us an example 
 that we should follow His steps ; and the more watch- 
 fully, prayerfully, and faithfully we follow in that blessed 
 pathway, the fuller will be our peace, the brighter will 
 be our hght, the wider will be our usefulness. But 
 equally without doubt His death took place that we 
 might be pardoned and accepted through it alone, and 
 have life and peace in time, and glory in eternity. 
 
 'A ]^oor man who had sought and found salvation 
 through Jesus Christ, and was rejoicing in Him, was asked 
 by a friend whether he did not fear that his soul would be 
 in danger if he should lose his joy. He replied, " Xever ! 
 for I am on the Eock, and though I may tremble on the 
 Ptock, the Eock never trembles under me." 
 
 ' AMiat a beautiful view is given to us of the perfection 
 of the work of our blessed Eedeemer, in that He could say 
 with His dying breath, " It is finished." 
 
 ' Dear friends, on that short saying / red all my hopes of 
 eternal life, and I beseech you all to do the same. 
 
 * But now let me speak to you of the Second Advent, 
 which is the Christian's g^eat hope (as the First Advent is 
 the foundation of his faith) ; for then Christ will assume 
 His office of King ; and not till then will the great enemy 
 
' WITHLS' SIGHT OF THE CITY/ 
 
 537 
 
 of souls, the " accuser of the brethren," be bound, error be 
 banished, sin be subdued, and creation cease to groan ; 
 because at His coming He will establish the kingdom of 
 truth, righteousness, and peace. "What Christian is there 
 who, believing this, when he hears the Saviour's voice 
 sajdng, Surely I come quickly," wiU not reply, " Amen, 
 even so, come. Lord Jesus !" 
 
 ' The First Advent is the source of all our hopes of 
 eternal life ; but when we have been admitted ficeely into 
 the kingdom of glory through the Saviours obedience 
 unto death, we shall find, at the Second Advent, that 
 there is nothing that we have either done or suffered for 
 Him that will not be graciously remembered, and even 
 rewarded by Him. 
 
 ' " Therefore, my beloved brethi-en, be ye steadfast, un- 
 moveable, always aboimding in the work of the Lord, 
 forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in 
 the Lord." 
 
 ' Be steadfast in this faith, that Christ died for our sins. 
 
 ' Be unmoveable from this hope, that through His re- 
 •surrection all who believe on Him shall have a joyful 
 resurrection, when all sins and all infirmities shall be gone 
 for ever. For " So also is the resurrection of the dead. 
 It is sown in corruption ; it is raised in incoiTuption. It 
 is sown in dishonour ; it is raised in glory. It is sown in 
 weakness ; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural 
 body ; it is raised a spiritual body." 
 
 ' Lastly, be alway s abounding in the work of the Lord. 
 The fruit of such work may be, and often is, seen even 
 here, and most certainly shall be seen hereafter ; for " the 
 
538 MEMOin OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 day shall declare it," and the reward shall be reaped, for 
 " ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." 
 
 ' I remember a good minister, who said, when leaving a 
 country parish for a charge in London, " I do not know 
 that I have been a blessing to one soul in this place." But 
 not long after this he received a letter, signed by a hun- 
 dred and twenty persons, thanking him for the good they 
 had derived from his ministry. 
 
 ' A faithful and prayerful discharge of religious, moral, 
 and social duties and services can never be " in vain in 
 the Lord." This is illustrated in His parable of the 
 talents (Luke xix. 12-28). 
 
 ' Oh what a Saviour is ours, who forgets our sins ! " I, 
 even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for 
 mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." " The 
 blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin." 
 
 ' Oh what a Saviour is ours, who never forgets our ser- 
 vices, however poor and imperfect ! " Verily I say unto 
 you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of 
 these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me." 
 
 ' Let us then diligently " search the Scriptures," which 
 make known to us such a Saviour and such a Master. 
 
 ' Trust in the finished work of salvation accomplished 
 by Christ at His First Advent, and look for the glory to 
 be revealed at His Second Advent ; that, when He says, 
 "Surely I come quickly!" you may be ready to reply, 
 " Amen : even so, come. Lord Jesus." ' 
 
 The 20th of July was celebrated as usual by a large 
 gathering of poor and rich, all invited to an early tea on 
 
' WITHIN SIGHT OF THE CITT/ 
 
 .539 
 
 the rectoiy lawn. It was one of the sunniest days of that 
 brilliant summer ; friends gathered around him, from far 
 and near, to wish him joy on entering his ninetieth year ; 
 and nothing seemed to be wanting to add to the interest 
 and grace of the scene. 
 
 The first visitors who arrived were two who held places 
 very near his heart, the Duchess of Sutherland and Lord 
 Shaftesbury. Two years earlier the Duchess had made 
 his acquaintance, and from that time had ever been 
 regarded by him with tender and prayerful interest. On 
 his preceding birthday, she had brought him a beautiful 
 copy of the " Bible, with Commentary wholly biblical,'' 
 which was treasured by him with special value. The 
 charm of her bright and gentle presence from time to 
 time, with her open communication and warm sympathy 
 on the subjects nearest his heart, combined with her 
 unvar}'ing thoughtfulness about him in absence, were 
 amongst the pleasures which a lo^-ing Father had pro- 
 vided so richly for his aged servant to enjoy in his last 
 years out of Paradise. 
 
 The next who arrived was his valued old friend, the 
 Eev. Henr}' Venn, of the Church Missionary Societ>% with 
 the first black bishop, just then on the eve of his departure 
 for his diocese of Abbeokuta and the Xiger. To him my 
 father said, ' If a man desire the office of a bishop, what 
 saith the Word of God that he desiretli? — a large in- 
 come? — a palace? — to be called "my lord?" !N"oI "he 
 desiretli a good world' TTork for Christ is the true 
 honour of the bishop And turning to Mr. Venn he said, 
 ' You, dear brother, have large opportunities of working 
 
540 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 for Christ ; continue to work zealously, faithfully, prayer- 
 fully. Work while it is day.' 
 
 Between three and four hundred women and girls were 
 assembled round the tea-tables on the lawn ; and on the 
 terrace which overlooked it, their aged rector, in his 
 wheel-chair, was surrounded by others of his parishioners, 
 and new friends, and old friends, — some of whom had not 
 seen him for many a year ; amongst these were Lord and 
 Lady Mayo^ and their daughter ; a beloved sister of Hedley 
 Vicars, with her husband, the Eev. Leonard Burrows of 
 Eugby; Mr. Goodhart; Mr. Auriol, and several other of 
 my father's clerical brethren, besides many of the laity, 
 gathered around him. Behind his chair, in their scarlet 
 turbans and dark-blue flowing robes, stood two Afghans ;^ 
 and on his right hand stood the Archbishop of Canter- 
 bury, now benevolently enjoying the scene, again looking 
 with reverence on the holy and radiant face of the 
 patriarch by his side, and then, at his request, com- 
 mencing the service of the day with prayer. 
 
 1 From a letter from Mr. Venn, who also wrote of tliis interview as 
 follows : — ' Upon my rejoining Bishop Crowther, after seeing your 
 beloved and revered grandfather, he said to me that the venerable 
 man appeared so ready for his entrance into glory, that he almost ex- 
 pected it might take place that moment.' 
 
 2 Since that time Lady Mayo has also entered into rest, saying on 
 her dying bed, ' Lord Jesus, take me quickly to Thyself I T long to 
 be with Thee.' 
 
 Ghoolam, one of these Afghans, had formed such a reverent 
 attachment to my father, that when the tidings reached him that he 
 had j)assed into the presence of his Saviour, he exclaimed, ' His reli- 
 gion shall now be my religion, his God shall be my God ; for I must 
 go where he is, and see his face again ! ' 
 
' WITIIIX SIGHT OF THE CITY.' 
 
 5-il 
 
 After this, many voices joined in the hymn which thus 
 begins, — 
 
 * Lord, I hear of showers of Llessing 
 Thou art scattering full and free, 
 Showers the thirsty land refreshing, 
 Let some droppings fall on me, 
 
 Even me.' 
 
 The singing was accompanied hv a harmonium, which 
 had been placed on the terrace, and was played by Mr. 
 Hawkins (afterwards ordained to the curacy of Becken- 
 ham), who had won my father's affectionate regard from 
 the days when he was one of the first to propose the Bible- 
 reading amongst the cadets at Addiscombe, and, as a sub- 
 officer, to open his room for it. 
 
 Every sound was hushed, when the first words were 
 lieard from my father's lips, as he began : 
 
 * Beloved friends, — including all my dear parishioners 
 here, — One of the first martyrs, at his trial, said, "Eirjhty 
 and six years have I served Christ, and He has never 
 forsaken me, and I will not forsake Him in my old age." 
 And, faithful to his word, he died a mart}T. 
 
 ' Although I cannot number so many years in the 
 service of that blessed Master, this I can say, seventy-one 
 years ago a faithful and revered minister of Christ taught 
 me to love my Bible, showed me that it was the Word of 
 God, and the only book in our world which could teach 
 us the way of salvation. 
 
 ' That man was Mr. Cadogan. The Lord Chancellor of 
 that day — Thurlow — passing through Pleading, heard from 
 the landlord of the Crown Hotel that the vicar of St. 
 Giles's Church was just dead. The li\'ing was in his gift ; 
 
542 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 and Lord Thurlow made up liis mind at once as to the 
 disposal of it. Early the next morning he went to 
 Caversham Park, then the residence of Lord Cadogan, 
 for whom he inquired. The servant replied, " You can't 
 see his lordship yet ; but you may sit down in the hall, 
 if you like." 
 
 ' So the Lord Chancellor sat down ; and, after some 
 time had passed, Lord Cadogan came through the hall, 
 and started with surprise as he recognised his unexpected 
 guest. 
 
 ' " Why, my Lord Chancellor ! how came you here ?" 
 ' " Your servant gave me leave to sit down in your 
 hall." 
 
 ' So, after a good laugh together, they went into the 
 breakfast-room. The Lord Chancellor then said, " I 
 heard that the vicar of St. Giles's was dead, and I thought 
 it might be pleasant to your family and to your son if I 
 offered him the living." 
 
 ' It was accepted. And that was the manner in which 
 Mr. Cadogan's ministry was brought to Eeading. I have 
 thought very often of him lately, because he taught me to 
 love my Bible, and to believe that it made known salva- 
 tion to fallen man ; and from that time a friendship was 
 formed between us which lasted till his death. At his 
 first entrance on the ministry he did not so clearly know 
 the way of salvation as he afterwards learned and preached 
 it ; but he had great earnestness and zeal on the subject 
 of religion, and that is a good beginning. 
 
 ' A former acquaintance wished to lend him the works 
 of Paine and Voltaire ; he wrote him word in reply, that 
 
' WITHIN' SIGHT OF THE CITY,' 
 
 543 
 
 lie had not yet done with Moses and the prophets. An 
 admirable determination, that ! And we shall never have 
 done with Moses and the prophets, because thev are " the 
 servants of the Most High God, and show nnto us the 
 way of salvation afterwards more fully developed in the 
 Xew Testament. 
 
 ' On the death of Mr. Cadogan, a tablet was erected to 
 liis memory in St. Giles's Church. Bacon, who was 
 chosen as the sculptor, begged permission to write the 
 epitaph. Having given the name and date, he carved a 
 pillar with these words upon it, " I will make him a 
 pillar in the temple of my God." And on the tablet he 
 thus described ^Ir. Cadogan as a minister : " Chiist was 
 his theme, his refuge, and his joy." 
 
 ' It was this that gave energy to his ministr}', and suc- 
 cess to his labours. His last words were, I die in the 
 faith of Jesus Christ, and iii love to all mankind, and in 
 special love" — here his voice failed; it was supposed he 
 was going to add, " to all Christian brethren." 
 
 * I have paraphrased that epitaph thus, " Christ was his 
 theme as a minister, his refuge as a sinner, his joy as a 
 believer." 
 
 ' I need not dwell on Christ his theme as a minister, ' 
 before you, my beloved friends in the ministiy, who are 
 here to-day, because I believe Christ is your theme. But 
 let me say a few words to all present on ••' Christ his 
 refuge as a sinner." Dear friends, what other refuo;e 
 have we ? The law of God condemns us. Under that 
 condemnation we must be banished from the Divine 
 " presence. But Jesus Christ is the refuge, the shadow 
 
544 
 
 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 of a great rock in a weary land." By faith I come to my 
 Saviour, and I find He has fulfilled the law for me ; He 
 has died for me ; He has done all for me ; and as it was 
 with John Bunyan's pilgrim when he came to the foot 
 of the cross, the burden of sin falls off' and rolls into the 
 Saviour's grave. 
 
 ' Never enter any other refuge, whatever it may be, for 
 all others are false. Jesus alone must be your refuge. 
 In Him you will find the propitiation for the broken law 
 of God, and all the righteousness which its precepts de- 
 mand. I have no other hope, in the prospect of death, but 
 in the Saviour's words, " It is finished." When He uttered 
 them, He ratified the promises, embodied the types, ful- 
 filled the prophecies, and yielded a perfect obedience unto 
 death, which glorified God and brought pardon and peace 
 to man. 
 
 ^ Are we not in the habit of thinking of our Saviour as 
 a great way off? It is not so. He is near, He is present 
 — a refuge in temptation, under trial, and in the hour of 
 death. 
 
 * But it was not only said of Mr. Cadogan that Christ 
 was his refuge as a sinner, but also that " Christ was his 
 joy, as a believer." 
 
 ' And now I can blame my own ministry, doubting 
 whether I have dwelt enough on this truth, that Christ 
 brings present happiness. Cliristianity is for the present 
 happiness of believers, as well as for their future joy in 
 eternity. 
 
 ' St. Paul writes to the Eomans : " Being justified by 
 faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus 
 
WITHIX SIGHT OF THE CITY. 
 
 545 
 
 Clirist;" and prays for them that they may "be filled 
 with all joy and peace in belie\dng, and ahound in hope 
 by the power of the Holy Ghost." And he thus exhorts 
 the Philippian Christians: ''Rejoice in the Lord cdicay : 
 and again I say, Eejoice." 
 
 ' I do not say that the assurance of hope is essential to 
 salvation ; but it is a very blessed privilege, and one that 
 should be diligently sought after. 
 
 ' There are two remarkable passages on this subject in 
 the inspired writings of St. John ; one in his Gospel, the 
 other in his first Epistle. 
 
 *' In the 31st verse of the 20th chapter, he assigns the 
 reason for writing his Gospel : — 
 
 ' " These are written, that ye might believe that J esus 
 is the Christ, the Son of God ; and that belie^-ing ye 
 might have life through His name." 
 
 'And in the 13th verse of the 5th chapter of his first 
 Epistle, St. John addresses those who have believed, and 
 tells them it is on their account that he has written the 
 Epistle, as supplemental to the Gospel. 
 
 ' " These things have I written unto you that believe on 
 the name of the Son of God ; that ye may knoic that ye 
 have eternal life." Know it for your support amidst trials 
 and persecutions, in the time of sorrow and in the hour of 
 death ; and that you may persevere in that blessed faith, 
 knowing that "believing on the name" of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ you have eternal life." ^ 
 
 ^ During the last few years of his life he always kept beside him a 
 supply of the Bible Society's small edition of St. John's Gospel, and to 
 each of his visitors he gave a copy, with this note written on the mar- 
 gin, by the 31st verse of chap. xx. : ' See 1 John v. 13.' 
 
 2 M 
 
546 
 
 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 * Dear friends, tlie three cardinal graces of Christianity 
 — Faith, Hope, and Love —have a direct tendency to pro- 
 mote our happiness. 
 
 * As sinners, faith leads us to the Saviour, and will 
 divest us of all slavish fear. 
 
 'Whilst passing through a world of sorrow and trial, 
 lw2oe points us to Heaven as the world of uninterrupted 
 joy and eternal rest. 
 
 ' And sure I am (for in selfishness there can be no true 
 happiness), that in the exercise of love to God and man 
 there is real and lasting pleasure. 
 
 ' Thus it can be clearly proved that faith in an atoning, 
 pardoning Saviour, working by love, which is Scriptural 
 Christianity, brings present happiness, as well as insures 
 future bliss. Let me exhort you, therefore, diligently to 
 "search the Scriptures," and earnestly to pray for the 
 Holy Spirit, that, through His grace and power, you may 
 live and die in the exercise of Faith, and Hope, and Love. 
 
 ' Thus our Church would lead us to pray, in the words 
 of one of her beautiful collects — 
 
 ' " Almighty and everlasting God, give unto us the 
 increase of faith, hope, and charity ; and tliat we may 
 obtain that which Thou dost promise, make us to love 
 that which Thou dost command; through Jesus Christ 
 our Lord. Amen." ' 
 
 A few of the guests were obliged to leave early ; and 
 amongst them Lord Shaftesbury : not wishing to be called 
 upon to make a speecli, he was keeping out of sight. 
 ' But I cannot let him go without his saying a few words 
 
' AYITHIX SIGHT OF THE CITY.' 
 
 547 
 
 to my people ; and he is sucli an old friend, I must hear 
 his voice again/ urged my father; and when, unable to 
 resist the plea, Lord Shaftesbury came forward, and heard 
 the entreaty, ' Do speak to them ; tell them to read and 
 love their Bibles he hesitated no longer, and gave them 
 a brief and impressive address on the priceless value of 
 the Scriptures. 
 
 After some hymns had been sung, ^Ir. Auriol and Mr. 
 Goodhart, followed by Colonel Travers and Mr. Black- 
 wood, spoke words of counsel and comfort to those 
 assembled ; and the meeting was concluded with prayer 
 by Mr. O'Eorke and Mr. Gordon. 
 
 No shadow^ fell on our hearts amidst the gathering- 
 shades of that lovely summer s evening, foretelling that 
 that day five weeks the 'hoary head,' which was our 
 ' crown of glory,' would be laid upon the bed of death ; 
 and that his next birthday would be when ' an entrance 
 was ministered unto him abundantly into the everlasting 
 kingjdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.' 
 
 The following letter, though not received until some 
 time later, may be inserted here : — 
 
 FROM H. PIIILLEICK, ESQ. 
 
 ' To me his memory is halloAved with such an elevation 
 of Christian excellence as to be unrivalled. I never knew 
 any one so altogether rooted in Christ — so altogether grow- 
 ing up and flourishing in Christ — as he was from first to 
 
548 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 last. I thank God for his holy teachings in my boyhood, 
 and for his lovely life, which (as it seems to me) would 
 need but little transformation to become that of the risen 
 saint, with the exchange only of his earthly crown of 
 joy, for the crown of glory that fadeth not away.' 
 
 An anecdote in the following letter, illustrative of 
 his benevolence to animals, recalled to us his kind- 
 ness to a white cat, the gift of one of his friends at 
 Beddington. The little creature had attached itself so 
 faithfully to him that it would watch from sunrise at the 
 door of his room, ready to seize the first opportunity of 
 springing in there to establish itself as his companion 
 for the day. When he was dangerously ill, and scarcely 
 able to bear any weight, it still maintained its accus- 
 tomed place on his coverlet, because he refused to allow 
 its comfort to be interrupted for his own : — 
 
 ' Brethertox Parsoxage, lOth Oct. 1864. 
 ' Accept my grateful thanks, for the remembrance of 
 your dear father, whose loveliness by nature and grace is 
 afresh brought before me. I have known not a few of 
 God's best servants in our day, but — during forty years, 
 since I first saw him — I have never yet come across any 
 man to be measured with your now sainted and happy 
 father for winning sweetness, heavenly-mindedness, and 
 entire annihilation of self . . . One day, when I called 
 upon him, I found him in his study, but not in his 
 accustomed place ; for his favourite cat was asleep in his 
 own easy- chair. He said to me, with that gentleness so 
 peculiar to him, " Mr. Wilde, please not to disturb him." 
 
' WITHIN SIGHT OF THE CITY.' 
 
 549 
 
 It was so like him, — a tender word for dumb animals 
 even, as well as for all his fellow- creatures, old and 
 young, who happened to fall in his way. 
 
 ' I had learned to esteem and admire his pure and 
 exalted character long before I personally knew him. 
 Mutual friends (amongst them the late Miss Hancock of 
 Xorwich, useful in her day and generation) prepared me 
 for those rare excellences and attractions I met with in 
 dear Mr. Marsh, while I was his curate in Birmingham. 
 If all Christian ministers were of like mind and mould 
 with that charming man, lioio the Gospel would win its 
 way in the world, and its power, its wisdom, and its 
 grace, so developed, would draw others to the Saviour. — 
 Believe me, very faithfully yours, Ealph Wilde.' 
 
 It was during a wakeful night that the following little 
 paraphrase of the Lord's Prayer was composed by him, 
 and written down from his dictation the next morning :— 
 
 ' Our Fatlier, — 
 
 By right of creation. 
 By gracious adoption. 
 
 ' Which art in heaven, — 
 
 The home of Thy angels, 
 The seat of Thy glory. 
 
 ' Hallovjecl he Thy Name, — 
 
 By the thoughts of our hearts ; 
 By the words of our lips ; 
 By the actions of our lives. 
 
550 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 * Thy kingdom come, — 
 
 Of Providence, to protect us ; 
 Of Grace, to refine us ; 
 Of Glory, to crown us. 
 
 ' Thy will he done on earth, as it is in heaven, — 
 Submissively, cheerfully. 
 And, finally, perfectly. 
 
 ' Give lis this day onr daily bread, — 
 
 Of temporal things for our bodies. 
 Of spiritual things for our souls. 
 
 ' And forgive us our trespasses, — 
 
 Against the precepts of Thy law, 
 And the grace of Thy Gospel. 
 
 ' As we forgive them v'ho trespass against us, 
 In imitation of Thy love, 
 And to the glory of true religion. 
 
 ' And lead its not into temptation, — 
 
 Of such honours, riches, or pleasures 
 As might war against the soul. 
 
 ' But deliver us from evil, — 
 Of Satan to deceive us ; 
 Of sin to defile us, 
 
 ' For Thine is the kingdom, — 
 Of Providence and Grace. 
 
 ' The fower, — 
 
 To establish it. 
 
 ' And the glory, — 
 Of all good. 
 
' WITHIX SIGHT OF THE CITY.' 
 
 551 
 
 For ever, ami for ever : Amen, — 
 So let it be ; 
 So it is ; 
 So it shall be.' 
 
 ' By this Prayer of our Lord — 
 The Father bless, 
 The Son adore. 
 The Spirit praise. 
 For eYermore. 
 
 Amen, and Amen.' 
 
 Towards the end of July, his eldest daughter, with her 
 husband and children, was going abroad for a time, and 
 she was able to leave with comparatively little anxiety, 
 as he appeared remarkably Y'ell. On her birthday, which 
 she usually spent with him, as it occiuTed within four 
 days of his own, he gave her a traYelling desk, and said, 
 as he placed it in her hand, ' I was going to make you a 
 speech, but Moses shall speak for me ;' and then quoted 
 lumbers yL 2-i-26. It was his farewell blessing, for 
 they were never to meet again in this life. 
 
 The days of that summer glided by, each one brighter 
 and happier than that which had gone before. On 
 Sunday the 14th of August, he seemed if possible to be 
 even in fuller enjoyment than ever of the day so dear 
 to his heart. His awaking was always bright and in- 
 stantaneous, and generally announced by some morning 
 song of praise. This time it Y'as — 
 
552 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 ' To-day He rose and left the dead, 
 And Satan's empire fell ; 
 To-day the saints His triumphs spread, 
 And all His wonders tell.' 
 
 It was the Sunday when the early communion was ad- 
 ministered in the church ; and, before we left the house to 
 join in it, he gave us his blessing. On our return, he said, 
 ' I was with you in spirit. I read the service here ; it is 
 a beautiful expression of depths of humiliation and heights 
 of adoration. Our worship can take no higher flight than 
 this ascription— rising above all thanksgiving connected 
 with ourselves — "We give Thee thanks for Thy great 
 GLORY." You find the same note struck by the Psalmist, 
 Give thanks at the remembrance of His Holiness !" ' 
 
 He read, as had always been his custom whenever pre- 
 vented from joining in public worship, the morning ser 
 vice inclusive of the psalms and lessons, with the utmost 
 devotion of countenance and manner. Afterwards, he 
 returned to the reading of the Bible, with which he had 
 begun the day. Since he had been deprived of ' going to 
 the house of God in company,' he had made Sunday a day 
 for feasting on the Holy Scriptures, spending at least four 
 hours in reading them ; intent as a schoolboy on a new 
 story, scarcely able to lay down the book. Yet, if any one 
 came in, desirous of conversing with him on sacred subjects, 
 he would put it away for the time, not only with his 
 wonted gentle courtesy, but with thankful readiness to 
 take up any work which the Lord had appointed for him. 
 
 On that Sunday evening, he was in gay spirits ; and 
 
\VITHIX SIGHT OF THE CITY. 
 
 553 
 
 when the family party had assembled round the tea-table, 
 he said to a beloved youno- oraud-dauohter who had been 
 spending the summer with him, ' Xow, dear little Agnes, 
 you shall hear a celebrated vocalist !' And then he sang 
 a Hebrew chant : 
 
 ' Ail bene, Ail bene, 
 Bene, bene, beth cara.' 
 
 ■ Lord build, Lord build Thy house speedily 1 even in our 
 day.' Then he resumed his reading ; but shortly after- 
 wards, with clasped hands and upraised eyes, he sang 
 again, with wonderful power of voice, part of the Halle- 
 lujah chorus, commencing with the words, ' King of 
 Kings, and Lord of Lords,' and ' He shall reign for ever.' 
 Then passing, with the rapid transition of thought, from 
 the coronation of the King of kings to the fulfilment of 
 His promise, that His redeemed shall sit down with Hiin 
 on His Throne, he sang the hymn beginning — 
 
 ' There is a land of pure delight, 
 Where saints immortal reign.' 
 
 Monday morning was spent as usual in reading and 
 witing, but in the afternoon he suffered from faintness 
 and oppression of breath ; still the night brought refresh- 
 ing sleep, and on Tuesday the 16th he was able to go out 
 in his wheel- chair, to take what he called his ' grand 
 tour ' round the garden and field ; and in the evening he 
 remained in the drawing-room later than usual Well do 
 those who were around him remember how beautiful a 
 picture he looked, as he sat in his own arm-chair, dressed 
 
554 
 
 MEMOIR OF EEY. WILLIAM MAESH, D.D. 
 
 ill his sky-blue wrapper, reading a large New Testament 
 beneath the shaded lamp which cast a glow of light upon 
 the noble head, with its crown of silver hair, resting 
 against a crimson cushion ; while, for a background, on 
 the white wall, hung coloured sketches of Jerusalem, and 
 of scenery in the Holy Land ; and beside him, through 
 the bay window, surrounded by roses and jessamine, the 
 rising moon could just be seen above the trees. Presently 
 he put down his book, and began to sing- — 
 
 ' Israel, thy Creator bless, 
 And with joyful tongue express, 
 That His mercies far extend, 
 And His bounty knows no end.' 
 
 Then, as if his heart was too full of praise to restrain 
 itself, again his voice rose with 
 
 ' Salvation, oh ! the joyful sound, 
 
 'Tis pleasiu-e to our ears, 
 A sovereign balm for every wound, 
 A cordial for our fears.' 
 
 And he sang the whole hymn, ending witli the chorus — 
 
 ' Glory, honour, praise, and power, 
 Be unto the Lamb for ever, 
 Jesus Christ is our Redeemer, 
 Hallelujah, Amen.' 
 
 And yet once more he sang aloud his favourite Hebrew 
 melody, ' Lord, build Thy house speedily.' 
 
 There was no undertone, in the glad music of that 
 summer night, foreboding that it was the last of long 
 
WITHIN SIGHT OF THE CITY. 
 
 000 
 
 years of happy family evenings, and that none other like 
 it remained for ns on earth. Little we thought, as the 
 beloved voice sank into silence, that his next song of 
 praise would be sung with ' angels and archangels, and all 
 the company of heaven.' 
 
 ' The twilight of a Sabbath eve 
 Was deep'ning in the west, 
 As one by one a household met 
 To share its sacred rest. 
 
 Around the window where they sat, 
 
 Beneath the moon's fair light, 
 Hung the bright stars of jessamine, 
 
 And trailing blossoms white. 
 
 But evermore each eye was turn'd 
 
 W-Tiere one, in honoiu''d age, 
 Mused in his tranquil solitude 
 
 Upon an open page. 
 
 For he who long his Master served, 
 
 In combat undismay'd, 
 Borne from the heat of battle now 
 
 Upon his shield was laid ! 
 
 And in this patient waiting kept, 
 
 So long he tarries still ! 
 " Till his Lord come," we almost said, 
 " What if it be His wiU ! " 
 
 A light upon his brow serene, 
 
 Its fullest radiance beam'd, 
 And on the crown of silver hair, 
 
 Which like a glory seem'd. 
 
 But brighter far than all, the glance 
 
 Of calm, yet deep content, 
 And the sweet smile whose sparkling play 
 
 Like sunshine came and went : 
 
55 G MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 'While now he sang of Canaan's land, 
 
 And of its fields of light, 
 And of the perfect day which fears 
 Xo darkening shades of night. 
 
 And yet in louder, fuller strains 
 He raised his joyful song ; — 
 
 Then waved his hands with parting grace. 
 As if he blessed the throng.'^ 
 
 Beddington Rectory. 
 August 18(54. 
 
 1 By the author of Grace and Remembrance. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 •'THROUGH THE FLOOD ON FOOT.' 
 
 ' So we went slowly down 
 To the river side, 
 Till we stood in the heavy shadows 
 By the wild black tide. 
 
 We could hear that the Lord was speakiag 
 
 Deep words of grace ; 
 We could see their blessed reflection 
 
 Upon our father's face. 
 
 ' ' Farewell I — T cannot fear. 
 
 Do you not see Hjs grace ?" 
 And even as he spoke he tum'd 
 Again to the Master's face. 
 
 So they two went closer down 
 
 To the river side. 
 And stood in the heavy shadows 
 
 By the wild black tide. 
 
 But when the feet of the Lord 
 Were come to the waters dim, 
 
 They rose to stand on either hand, 
 And left a path for Him. 
 
 So they two passed over quickly 
 
 Towards the goal. 
 But the wistful longing gaze 
 
 Of the parting soul 
 
 Grew only more rapt and joyful 
 As he held the Master's hand ; 
 
 We think, or ever he was aware. 
 They were come to the Holy Land.' 
 
 B. M. 
 
THEOrCrH THE FLOOD OX 
 
 FOOT.* 
 
 Ox Wednesday, my father awoke weak and weary ; and 
 as the day wore on, he became more ill, so that in the 
 afternoon his daughter [Matilda, whom he was accustomed 
 playfully to call his ' chief doctor/ was sent for. Although 
 there was no alarming symptom, he evidently felt that his 
 end was drawing near, for he said to Mrs. Marsh, as she 
 sat anxiously and tenderly watching by him, ' It is right 
 vou should be prepared, dearest, — this is dying.' 
 
 Thursday morning brought no improvement, and Mr. 
 Skey was sent for from London, He came at once, and 
 pronounced the illness to be very serious, but at the same 
 time he gave us some hope that the wonderful power of 
 rallying iu his constitution might yet enable him to re- 
 cover ; and we, who had so often seen him given back 
 from the very gates of death, in answer to our prayers, 
 took comfort from this hope. 
 
 Xot withstanding great sufferiug and weakness, his spirit 
 of loving consideration for all aroimd him, and the bright 
 playfulness of his disposition, shone out continually. He 
 had a kind word for ever}* one who came into his room. 
 
560 MEMOIR OF KEY. WILLIAM MAESH, D.D. 
 
 To Mr. Skey he said, ' Dear friend, what a shadow that 
 vanisheth away is the longest human life ! But there is a 
 heaven, and there is a Saviour. Seek that Saviour, arid 
 heaven is yours, and all is well.' 
 
 In the afternoon he received a letter from his eldest 
 daughter from Germany, which he read with great interest, 
 and then said to us, * Do not let darling Mar}^ be made 
 anxious, and her holiday be spoilt.' 
 
 Yet we longed to telegraph to her, knowing how 
 earnestly she would desire to be beside him in his illness ; 
 but no address had been given where letters could reach 
 the travellers until Saturday, and we still leant upon the 
 hope that by that time there might be a change for the 
 better. 
 
 In the afternoon he was moaning frequently, as if in 
 much pain ; but whenever any one spoke to him, or even 
 stood by his side, he answered in a cheerful voice, and 
 with his own bright smile. From his deafness he did 
 not know that his expressions of pain were audible, and 
 evidently thought that by speaking cheerfully he could 
 spare us the knowledge of his suffering. 
 
 During the night he slept very little, but though worn 
 and weary, his heart was overflowing with love. When 
 his youngest daughter was standing by him, he said, 
 ' Stay where you are a minute, my darling, that I may see 
 your face well. If I were only a second Sir Joshua 
 Keynolds, I would paint it at once, tliat I might wear it 
 always next my heart.' 
 
 On Friday, Lady Emma Dalzell, who had been almost 
 as a daughter to liim, came from Beckenham; and he asked 
 
' TIIEOUGH THE FLOOD OX FOOT.' 
 
 561 
 
 tenderly after her brothers, especially one who was an 
 invalid ; for no suffering of his own caused him to forget 
 the anxieties of others. Never did we hear him utter a 
 complaint or murmur. His lips were ever full of thanks- 
 giving, and praise was the constant occupation of his 
 dying days as it had been of his long lifetime. 
 
 It is impossible to describe the change that came over 
 the whole household as day by day his illness increased. 
 All longed to be with him constantly, but while there was 
 any hope that the precious life might be preserved, it was 
 right that his room should be kept as quiet as possible. 
 The door was left open ; and those who sat in the draw- 
 ing-room, listening sadly to the heavy breathing, felt the 
 shadow of the gathering cloud darken their hearts. Yet 
 even then we scarcely thought that in less than a week 
 the whole heaven of our happy home would be ' black 
 with clouds,' and its sun have set for ever. 
 
 He had frequently of late expressed his conviction that 
 we were entering upon troublous times ; and in one of 
 his latest letters had dictated the following sentence : — ' I 
 am a Jeremiah about my Church and my country. The 
 Church is on an inclined plane towards the precipice of 
 Eomish error, and there are some who seem to be patting 
 her upon the back who are in reality pushing her down- 
 wards.' At another time, he said, ' Avoid all that 
 symbolizes with Rome.' And then, with an expression 
 of deep distress in his countenance, ' I pray for those who 
 are within convent walls — those prisoners without crimes. 
 The whole system is opposed to the revealed will of God.' 
 
 To Dr. Carpenter he said, 'Train up your children in 
 
 2 X 
 
562 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 Bible knowledge, for a time of great trouble is at hand, 
 and no other knowledge will enable tbem to stand in the 
 day of trial and temptation.' 
 
 In the course of the afternoon he sent to his grand- 
 daughter, who had kept out of his room a good deal that 
 day, as the doctors had requested that only three should 
 be there at one time, saying, * Surely I have not seen you 
 since 1764!' Adding, ' My darling, how I have loved 
 you ! — and how I have prayed for you I ' 
 
 On Saturday night he scarcely slept at all, but seemed 
 enjoying a rapt communion with his Saviour, often say- 
 ing, half aloud, as if answering one who had spoken to 
 him, 'My Saviour — my dear Saviour. Yes, my Lord, 
 my blessed Saviour.' 
 
 The days and nights had passed so strangely with him 
 from the want of sleep and of his usual occupations, that 
 on Sunday morning he awoke, for the first time probably 
 for more than seventy years, without knowing that it was 
 the Lord's Day. It was not till the afternoon that he said 
 to a faithful and devoted nurse, v/ho had come over from 
 Beckenham, ' Is this really Sunday ? What a thoughtless 
 man I am ! I never spent such a Sunday as this before ! ' 
 adding, with a smile, 'You had better send me out of 
 the world, that I may learn how to keep a Sabbath 1 ' 
 But seeing her eyes fill with tears, he said, ' There is the 
 eternal Sabbath, you know, which we shall all spend 
 together ; ' and continued, as if speaking to himself, 
 ' The dear Archbishop wrote to me from his dying bed 
 that we should meet soon where Sabbaths never end.'" 
 In the morning he had dictated a beautiful and animated 
 
' THROUGH THE FLOOD ON FOOT.' 
 
 563 
 
 letter to ^Irs. Joseph Sturge, whose husband's life he was 
 reading, concluding with the words : ' Oh ! blessed brother 
 and sister, how happy they must be in a world where they 
 can neither see, nor feel, nor hear anything contrary to 
 true happiness. And not only so, but where they realize 
 the certainty that the blessed system is becoming uni- 
 versal. "For He must reign until He shall have put 
 down all rule, and all authority and power" opposed to 
 truth, righteousness, and peace.'' 
 
 By Sunday night his deafness had increased so much 
 that he could not even hear a word. He continued 
 patientl}' and gratefully to take the food and medicine 
 offered him ; and though it was evidently with great 
 effort that he swallowed it, he always had some playful 
 and tender saying for those who brought it. 
 
 His grandson, Mackenzie Chalmers, walked from Beck- 
 enham in the afternoon, and received his fervent blessing ; 
 and in the evening one of his grand- daughters, Katherine 
 Wathen, arrived, with her husband, to take leave of him. 
 He welcomed them with one of his bright, loving smiles, 
 and blessed them. 
 
 He had a few hours' sleep on Sunday night, and we 
 felt that it was given in answer to the prayers offered up 
 for him, from far and near, that day; for by this quiet 
 sleep his sufferings were lessened. He awoke on Monday 
 morning repeating the verse — 
 
 ' Poor, giiilty, weak, and helpless worm, 
 
 Into thine arms I fall ; 
 Thou art my strength, my righteousness, 
 
 My Jesus, and my all.' 
 
564 
 
 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MAESH, D.D. 
 
 When the doctor arrived he told us that he feared a few 
 days only remained of that blessed life. Again was his 
 absent daughter telegraphed for, and we began to count 
 the hours till the time when we thought it possible she 
 might arrive. 
 
 During the day he spoke but seldom, as his voice was 
 very hoarse. But now and then he repeated a text or a 
 verse of a hymn ; and once remarked, ' I like that pretty 
 saying — 
 
 " Give me a place at Thy saints' feet, 
 Or some faU'n angel's vacant seat."' 
 
 To his second daughter, who was standing by him, he 
 said, ' My Matilda — my sister' (and then smiling at his 
 child, he added, * and you are my Matilda too) said, when 
 she was dying, and her throat was closing, 
 
 " My days of praise sliall ne'er be past, 
 While life, and thought, and being last, 
 Or immortality endures." 
 
 ' My throat is closing now, and I say also, 
 
 " My days of praise shall ne'er be past." ' 
 
 Several times in that day we believe that he was allowed 
 to see one or more of the redeemed spirits, who would, 
 we felt, be crowding down to the brink of the river to 
 watch for and to welcome him; for he spoke more than 
 once to our mother — the beloved of his early days — say- 
 ing, ' Maria, darling ;' and two or three times smiled, and 
 waved his hand towards the foot of the bed, when none 
 whom OUT eyes could see were standing there. 
 
 As he tenderly bade his son good-night, he gave him 
 
' THROUGH THE FLOOD ON FOOT.' 
 
 565 
 
 tlie texts, ' I will bless thee, and thou shalt be a blessing,' 
 and ' Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord of hosts.' 
 
 Dr. Carpenter came about ten o'clock, and after he had 
 seen him, told us that this night would be a crisis in his 
 illness, and a most anxious one. As he was unable to 
 remain, we asked him to send Dr. Lanchester, one of his 
 partners, who came at once, and whose attentions were 
 a great comfort to the beloved one. 
 
 At twenty minutes to twelve he suddenly spoke, but in 
 a voice so strange, so distant, that had we not known the 
 words he was saying we could scarcely have understood 
 them, and repeated the following hymn : — 
 
 ' When all thy mercies, 0 my God ! 
 My rising soul surveys, 
 Transported with the view, I 'm lost 
 In wonder, love, and praise. 
 
 Ten thousand, thousand precious gifts 
 
 My dailj'- thanks employ ; 
 Nor is the least a thankful heart. 
 
 That tastes these gifts with joy. 
 
 Through every period of my life 
 
 Thy goodness I '11 proclaim ; 
 And after death, in distant worlds, 
 
 Eesume the glorious theme. 
 
 Through all eternity to Thee 
 
 A joyful song I '11 raise ; 
 But, oh ! eternity 's too short 
 
 To utter all thy praise.' 
 
 Closing with the sentence, * When I consider the works 
 of God, in providence and in grace, they seem marvellous.' 
 
 His grand-daughter was w^aiting to write down any words 
 that might fall from his lips, to be our treasures w^hen we 
 
566 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 should hear that voice no more — but no words came — the 
 silence of death had begun already ; he was gradually 
 being withdrawn from all intercourse with earth, for he 
 could no longer hear our voices, or speak to us. 
 
 About six o'clock on Tuesday morning he signed for 
 a slate, and when Mr. O'Eorke handed it to him, he wrote 
 the following words with trembling hand : — ' Tell the 
 clergy to preach Christ, to live Christ, to serve Christ, 
 and they shall joy and praise in eternity.' He could not 
 speak, but we could tell by the movement of his lips that 
 he several times repeated the words ' My Saviour.' He 
 also wrote two or three short sentences on the slate : ' Do 
 not sorrow, you are kept, etc./ for he had not strength to 
 finish the text. From having had little or no sleep, he 
 thought it was the middle of the day, while it was still 
 early morning, and, with his usual thoughtfulness for 
 others, wrote on the slate, ' Dr. Lanchester, luncheon.' 
 
 The evening drew on, and with every sound of wheels 
 our hopes pictured his daughter's arrival, while we con- 
 tinued to pray (but it was all that we dared to ask now) 
 that the Lord would leave him just long enough to see her, 
 for we felt that for ourselves we could let him go that 
 hour, rather than see him suffer, or detain him for our 
 selfish pleasure from the sight of Him for whom his soul 
 thirsted. 
 
 ' A pilgrim for his new abode 
 
 Is making preparation, 
 Who long hath closely walk'd with God 
 
 In joy and tribulation. 
 Now faint and weary with his load, 
 He pants to reach the blest abode 
 
 For which he long hath striven : 
 
' THKOUGH THE FLOOD OX FOOT.' 
 
 567 
 
 His soul is thirsting, God, for Thee ; 
 O grant him, grant him soon to see 
 Thy glorious face in heaven. 
 
 Lord Jesus, through death's gloomy night 
 
 This pilgrim soon must wander ; j 
 Light of the world, be Thou his light, j 
 
 Uphold, and guide him yonder. 
 In life he walk'd with Thee ; in death 
 Do Thou receive his parting breath, 
 
 Sweet rest of weary mortals ; j 
 Thou wast his help in life ; be Thou 
 His help and comforter e'en now, 
 
 Through heaven's eternal portals.' 
 
 At miduiglit the final change commenced ; and for only 
 one more night the privilege was ours of watching beside 
 and ministering to him who was onr joy, our crown, our 
 glory. His daughter printed in large letters to catch his 
 failing sight, the words, ' A pillow for my heart's beloved.' 
 * God is love.' (He says), ' I have loved thee with an 
 everlasting love.' 
 
 It had been for some time his custom, the last thing 
 every night, to ask for a text from one of his daughters for 
 special meditation, and tliis he used to call his ' pillow.' 
 Those were the last words on which his eyes rested, and 
 as they rested there, a heavenly light shone in them. 
 
 We watched in silence through the night in the dimly 
 lighted room, listening to the laboured breathing, and 
 scarcely daring to think of what lay before us on the 
 coming day. 
 
 Early in the morning he made a sign for his spectacles 
 and put them on, himself, with a little help from Mrs. 
 Marsh, and then looked round on us all with inexpressible 
 
568 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 tenderness ; he tried to write again, but his hand could 
 scarcely guide the pencil. Suddenly the voice which we 
 thought we should hear no more till the Eesurrection 
 morning, broke the silence, and in a tone of wonderful 
 love he said the one word, ' Mary !' whilst his eyes, which 
 were already growing dim in death, were for a moment 
 bright with life and power. 
 
 One by one we all drew near and knelt to kiss his hand, 
 and to receive its gentle pressure, as he raised his eyes in 
 prayer, and thus we took our silent farewell. His wife, 
 son, son-in-law, daughters, grand-daughters, his curates, 
 and several dear friends, besides the devotedly attached 
 servants of the household, and from Beckenham Rectory, 
 each in turn, received that unspoken blessing. Then most 
 of them withdrew to the end of the room, leaving his 
 family aroimd his bed. He looked tenderly towards Mrs. 
 Marsh, and pointed upwards, when he saw her tears. 
 
 He signed for the window to be thrown wide open, 
 and the sunshine came streaming in on his heavenly face. 
 After the heavy rain in the night, everything was looking 
 refreshed and lovely, and the clematis, then in blossom, 
 which hung around the library window, was glittering in 
 the sun, as it formed the frame through which he took 
 his last look into the garden. 
 
 He lay tranquilly, surrounded by those who loved him 
 best. Presently Dr. Lanchester felt his pulse for the last 
 time, and afterwards he himself signed to his daughter 
 Matilda to come near, and placed the thin wrist in her 
 hand, with a smile of tenderest confidence, knowing that 
 she would like to be the last to feel its faint and now 
 
' THROUGH THE FLOOD OX FOOT.' 
 
 569 
 
 fast-failing beating. Tlien, with serene dignity, and almost 
 a leisurely calm, he raised liis hand, and closed his own 
 eyes, — to spare us one pang, and to draw the curtain that 
 would ]nde earth from his sight and leave him alone with 
 his Saviour. 
 
 Xo sound of sorrow broke the stillness of that holy 
 place. AVe had gone with him to the bank of the river, 
 and there waited in silence for the arrival of the Shining 
 Ones who were to carry him to the Celestial City. 
 
 The heart that had so overflowed with love still beat 
 with tremulous motion ; and the hand which clasped a 
 hand of the daughter whose life's blessedness it had been 
 never to be parted from him, closed firmly, as if he would 
 have drawn her into the promised land at the same moment 
 with himself, by the power of that ' love which is strong 
 as death.' 
 
 Then as the church bells began to chime for the service, 
 with a few gentle breathings his spirit passed away. 
 
 By the look of radiant joy, adoration, holy awe, and 
 almost surprise, upon his face at the last, we felt that it 
 was no angel Q-uard alone that liad come for him, but 
 that his eyes had seen ' the King in His beauty ;' that he 
 had not only been made ' most blessed for ever,' but also 
 ' exceeding glad with his Saviour's countenance.' 
 
 ' Soft through the open casement 
 Stole in the summer air, 
 And faintly came the chiming 
 Of bells that called to prayer : 
 
570 
 
 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 "While on his couch reclining, 
 That loved one rested now ; 
 
 The gracious lips were silent. 
 And chill the stately brow. 
 
 But on the face there deepen'd 
 A look of tender awe ; 
 
 As when the loved disciple 
 His risen Master saw.^ 
 
 As when the untold glory — 
 
 The unapproached light, — 
 Veil'd from our mortal vision. 
 Burst on the martyr's sight. 
 
 And in that hush of wonder, 
 And love, and awe, and praise, 
 
 Gently his spirit enter'd 
 Upon eternal days. 
 
 Still was that vision's rapture 
 Upon the face exprest, — 
 
 Only the silence told us 
 He was indeed at rest. 
 
 They say that Death has enter'd, 
 And here his vigil keeps ! 
 
 But still we know the Master 
 Has said his servant "sleeps." 
 
 He comes Himself to wake him ; — 
 Perchance the morn is near — 
 
 So, though our home be darken'd, 
 Say not that Death is here.'^ 
 
 Beddington Rectory, 
 August 1864. 
 
 1 John xxi. 7, 
 
 2 By the author of Grace and Reinembrance. 
 
CHAPTEE XIX. 
 
 'THE QUIET RESTIXG-PLACE.' 
 
 ' And needest thou our prayers no more, safe folded 'mid the bless'd 
 How changed art thou since last vre met to keep the day of rest ! 
 Young with the youth of augels, wise with the growth of years ; 
 For we have pass'd, since thou hast gone, a week of many tears.' 
 
 How wise, and great, and glorious, thy gentle soul has grown. 
 Loving as thou art loved by God, knowing as thou art known I 
 Yet in that world thou carest still for those thou lov'dst in this ; 
 The rich man did in torments, and wilt not thou in bliss ? 
 
 For sitting at the Saviour's feet, and gazing in His face, 
 Surely thou 'It not unlearn one gentle human grace. 
 Human, and not angelic, the form He deigns to wear ; 
 Of Jesus, not of angels, the likeness thou shalt bear.' 
 
 By the Author of The Three Wakings.' 
 
THE QUIET EESTIXG-PLACE. 
 
 In accordance with his own wish, he was buried in the church- 
 vard at Beddington : where his grave was made, beside the porch, 
 by the little path leading to the vestry. 
 
 The 2d of September was the bui'ial day; and from far and 
 near friends gathered to follow him, mom*ners in heart for the 
 father in Christ who was that day to come to his grave • in a 
 full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season.' The 
 precious body was laid in a plain coffin of polished oak, its only 
 ornament a silver star, bearing the following inscription : — 
 
 • Eev. WiLLL\M Marsh, D.D., Rector of Beddingtou. 
 ' Born July 20th, 1775 ; died August 24th, 1864. 
 
 • " All the days of my appointed time will I wait till my change 
 come : Thou shalt call, and I will answer ; Thou wilt have a 
 desire to the work of Thy hands:" "For the Lord Himself 
 shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the 
 Archangel, with the trimip of God: and the dead in Christ shall 
 rise first." 
 
 ' "Wherefore comfort one another with these words."'* 
 
 The coffin was placed in the library until the hour came for 
 its removal to the grave. In the interval of waiting, the execu- 
 tors opened a small packet of papers addi*essed to themselves, and 
 thus found the following parting blessing, which came like a voice 
 from heaven to comfort his heart-stricken children and grand- 
 children : — 
 
 ' Darldsg Katie and all my Children, — Let not my depar- 
 ture over-grieve you. You will consider how long my life has been 
 spared. But, above all, look forward to the happy meeting which 
 the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ will grant ; and I know you 
 will like to serve Him by the way. 
 
574 
 
 MEMOIR OF KEV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 ' T tliank you all for your most dutiful and affectionate, yea, 
 most loving conduct. Never was a man so blessed with such 
 children. 
 
 ' I have often thanked Grod for my children, and those to 
 whom four of them have been married ; and since, those to whom 
 my grandchildren have been married. They have all been most 
 dutiful and affectionate. May the Lord " who has fed me all 
 my lifelong" — the angel (or messenger of the covenant of grace, 
 our blessed Redeemer) who has redeemed me from all evil," 
 bless them all, and my great-grandchildren. May they live in 
 faith, and hope, and love. It is the happiest life in this world, 
 and prepares for perfect happiness in the world to come. 
 
 ' I pray God to bless my kind executors, and all my friends, 
 especially the dear people among whom I have ministered. 
 
 ' I have been spared to see my children's children. Oh that 
 they might see "peace upon Israel," and all finally meet in the 
 land of light, and love, and joy, to the praise of God and the 
 Lamb for ever ! 
 
 ' I wish my executors to place all my papers, and manuscripts, 
 and letters, etc., in the hands of my daughter Catherine, for any 
 use she may wish to make of them. (Signed) W. Marsh.' 
 
 At length the hour came ; to no stranger hands was the pri- 
 vilege granted of rendering the last act of respect, but 'devout 
 men' from amongst the recent converts at Beddington, and some 
 from an earlier work of the grace of God at Beckenham, were 
 waiting with reverent tenderness to ' carry him to his burial.' 
 
 After a brief prayer by Mr. Chalmers in the library, the 
 mournful procession was ready to depart. Many of the number, 
 but a few weeks before, on his birthday, had rejoiced with 
 them that did rejoice, as they saw him come forth from that 
 very room, radiant with life and beauty ; and now they stood 
 as mourners in the hall, weeping with them that wept, as from 
 the same door was carried forth the silent form of the dead. 
 
 Followed by his wife, his son, his daughters, and his grand- 
 children ; by relations and friends, near and distant; by grey - 
 haired brethren in the ministry, veterans in Christ's service ; 
 by laymen whose hands he had upheld with his counsel, his 
 sympathy, and his prayers ; by young officers whose faith he had 
 
' THE QUIET EESTIXG- place/ 
 
 575 
 
 strengthened to withstand the snares which surrounded them ; 
 by his old churchwarden from Colchester, and sons of friends 
 who had died in the Lord there ; by members of his old con- 
 gregations in Leamington and Birmingham ; by some of the 
 Society of Friends ; by a large company who loved him from 
 Beckenham and Bromley ; by many of the clergy from the 
 neighbourhood ; by numbers of his parishioners ; by faithful 
 and sorrowing servants from both rectories ; by mourners old 
 and young, rich and poor, the friends of years and the friends 
 of weeks — the body was borne to the grave. 
 
 The road from the rectory was lined with people, who filled 
 the churchyard when the procession had passed into the church ; 
 and by their solemn stillness showed their deep sympathy. 
 
 Mr. O'Korke and Mr. G-ordon, who sorrowed as sons for a 
 father, met the funeral at the gate. In the pause, whilst the 
 long train quietly took their places in the church, — to soft, low 
 music, his favourite hymn was sung, — 
 
 ' There is a land of pure delight. ' 
 
 Profound silence reigned in the church during the reading of 
 the service. The last declaration of faith had been made, the 
 threefold blessing pronounced; and whilst the mourners wore 
 still standing around the open grave, and hundreds lingering 
 sorrowfully, unwilling to leave the place where he was laid, words 
 of comfort were spoken^ on the Voices which bear their testimony 
 at the beginning of the burial service. 
 
 The voice from heaven — 
 
 ' I am the Kesurrection and the Life ; he that believeth in 
 Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live ; and whosoever 
 liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.' 
 
 The voice from the dead — 
 
 ' I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at 
 the latter day upon the earth ; and though after my skin worms 
 destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God ; whom I shall 
 see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another.' 
 
 The voice of the bereaved — 
 
 ' The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; blessed be 
 the name of the Lord.' 
 
 ^ By tlie Kev. Edward Hoare, of Tunbridge Wells. 
 
576 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 All day tlie rain had fallen heavily until just before the funeral 
 left the rectory. But now, as the preacher's voice ceased, the 
 setting sun broke forth from behind a bank of gloomy clouds, 
 and poured such a flood of golden light over all the scene, that 
 it seemed as if heaven's gate had been thrown open to let its 
 glory stream a while upon earth. At the same moment a white 
 dove was seen slowly descending towards the grave, over which 
 it poised with outspread wings, and after resting there awhile, 
 soared out of sight towards heaven : — meet emblem for him whose 
 peaceful and loving spirit had passed into the skies. 
 
 As many had come from a distance, and wished to remain until 
 late in the evening, refreshment was provided for them in the 
 school-room; and afterwards a meeting was held there, by the 
 curates, for prayer for the parish which had suffered so great a 
 loss, for the bereaved family, and especially for the daughter 
 whose absence from her father's death-bed added such poignancy 
 to her share of the sorrow so deep for all. 
 
 It was whilst these prayers were being made for her, that she 
 entered the desolated home. No tidings of his illness had reached 
 her until five days after his death. Although hopeless then 
 of looking upon the beloved face once more, she had travelled 
 day and night to be in time to follow him to the grave. On her 
 account the funeral had not taken place until after the arrival of 
 the express train from Folkestone ; but then all expectation of 
 her return that day was at an end. 
 
 Watch was kept by the grave that night, for it was left open 
 that she might see his quiet resting-place. 
 
 ' Another cli amber yet, 
 Its curtain is of grass, and closely drawn ; 
 But the pale pilgrim, in its portal set, 
 Looketh toward the dawn. 
 
 Ofttimes red roses He 
 On the green curtain of that chamber low. 
 And blossoms like the deep-blue summer sky, 
 
 Or like the winter snow. 
 
 Now lay the pilgrim down — 
 Set thou his feet, and face, and closed eyes, 
 Where they may meet the golden-raying crown 
 
 Of Christ's own great sunrise. 
 
' THE QUIET EESTIXG- PLACE.' 
 
 577 
 
 So let him rest. 
 Unheard all sound of mourning — let thy weeping cease : 
 Translate the grave into a gentler word — 
 
 Call it the chamber Peace 1 
 
 On Sunday, the 4th of September, funeral sermons - were 
 preached in Beddington Church by the Kev. John Venn (who, 
 with great kindness, came from Hereford, at considerable incon- 
 venience), and the Revs. Henry Elliott^ and Charles Goodhart. 
 who had each for many years known, loved, and honoured the 
 aged saint, to whose holy living and dying they now bore their 
 testimony. 
 
 To these was added another public tribute, when, on the fol- 
 lowing Sunday evening, the school-room was filled with sor- 
 rowing parishioners to hear an address given by his dear friend, 
 Colonel Rowlandson, on the farewell words of St. Paul (2 Tim. 
 iv. 1-8), as illustrated in the life and death of their aged pastor ; 
 by his following Christ, renouncing all righteousness of his own ; 
 his personal and heart-felt reliance upon the atoning blood and 
 righteousness of the Lord Jesus ; his liberty of access to the 
 throne of grace ; his abiding joy in God, which was the source 
 
 1 ' The pilgrim they laid in a chamber whose w■indo^Y opened toward the 
 Sim rising ; the name of the chamber was Peace, where he slept till break 
 of day.' — Pilgriw's Progress. 
 
 2 Published in a small volume, entitled, Memorial Sermons ore the occasion 
 of the Death of the Rev. William Marsh, D.D. 
 
 2 The Rev. Henry Venn Elliott, incumbent of St. Mary's, Brighton, where he 
 faithfully exercised his varied and eminent gifts in the work of the Lord for 
 thirtj'-eight years. Though he had laboured for so long a period, \vith un- 
 ceasing devotedness, in that glorious service, he was full of life and energy, 
 as was shown by his coming from Brighton to attend the funeral on Friday, 
 returning in the evening to prepare his sermon, and coming again on Saturday 
 night to be ready for his Sunday's work. A twofold act of kindness, which 
 can never be forgotten by those whose hearts experienced the comfort of his 
 considerate and self- forgetting sympathy, and the help of his holy conversa- 
 tion and prayers, together with those of the two other valued and mutual 
 friends. 
 
 Mr. Elliott preached in his o-wn church on New Year's Day, 1S65, from 
 the text, ' Occupy till I cvme but before the first month of that year had 
 closed, he had heard the blissful words, ' The Master is come, and calleth for 
 thee.' 
 
 2 0 
 
578 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 and secret of his abiding victory over the world and sin ; his 
 reflection of the Saviour's image before his fellow-men, caused 
 by the indwelling of the Holy Ghost ; his constant recourse to 
 the Wonderful Counsellor ; hence his calmness, making the lan- 
 guage of complaint a thing unknown to his lips ; his love to all 
 who belonged to the Lord Jesus, and his zeal for God ; his chief 
 delight and study in four books, within the reach of all : the 
 book of God's creation ; the book of God's providence ; the book 
 of the human heart ; the Word of the Living God ; his love for 
 and earnest expectation of the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 And lastly, his creed and motto through life were, ' Jesus 
 only,' and ' My fresh springs are in Thee.' 
 
' THE QUIET RESTING-PLACE.' 
 
 579 
 
 "they who turn many to righteousness shall shine 
 AS the stars for ever and ever." 
 
 "but these are written, that ye might believe that 
 jesus is the christ, the son of god; and that believing, 
 ye might have life through his name."— john xx. 3l 
 
 "these things have i written unto you that believe 
 on the name of the son of god ; that ye may know that 
 ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the 
 name of the son of god,"— 1 john v. 13. 
 
 TO THE PRAISE OF THE GLORr OF THE GRACE OF GOD, 
 a:ND TO THE BELOVED MEMORY OF 
 
 WILLIAM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 RECTOR OF BEDDINGTON, SURREY; 
 BORN JULY 20th 1775, 
 
 FELL ASLEEP IN JESUS, AUGUST 24TH 1864. 
 
 FOR SIXTY-FOUR YEARS 
 HE WAS "a good MIXISTER OF JESUS CHRIST, 
 NOURISHED UP IN THE WORDS OF FAITH AND OF GOOD DOCTRINE," 
 "an example of THE BELIEVERS IN WORD, IN CONVERSATION, 
 IN CHAEITY, IN SPIRIT, IN FAITH, IN PURITY." 
 
 IN HIS BIBLE THESE WORDS WERE FOUND WRITTEN — 
 AT THE CLOSE OF MY MISISTUr, MAT MY SPIRIT BE THAT 
 OF THE PUBLIC AX, "GOD BE MERCIFUL TO ME A SI^'ER:" MY 
 PRAYER THAT OF STEPHEX, "LORD JESUS RECEIVE MY SPIRIT:" 
 MY FAITH THAT OF DA flD, " 1X7 0 THY HAXDS I COMMEXD MY 
 SPIRIT ; THOU HAST REDEEMED ME, 0 LORD GOD OF TRUTH." 
 
 NOT VERY LONG BEFORE HIS DEATH, HE WAS HEARD SAYING, 
 " BLESSED SAVIOUR ! WASHED IN THY BLOOD, CLOTHED WITH 
 THY RIGHTEOUSNESS, PREPARED BY THY SPIRIT, EMPLOYED 
 IN THY SERVICE, RECEIVED INTO THY KINGDOM ; 
 PRAISE, PRAISE, TO THEE ! " 
 
 " THE SAME MAX WAS JUST AXD DEVOUT, WAITING 
 FOR THE COXSOLATIOX OF ISRAEL; AXD THE 
 HOLY GHOST WAS UPOX HIM." 
 
580 
 
 MEMOIR OF REV. WILT J AM MARSH, D.D. 
 
 Farewell, my Father, until ' the trumpet shall sound 
 and the dead shall be raised.' 
 
 ' Sacred and sainted now to us is thy familiar name : 
 High is thy sphere above us now, and yet in this the same ; 
 Together do we watch and wait for that long-promised day. 
 When the Voice that rends the tombs shall call, ' Arise, and 
 come away, 
 
 My Bride and my Redeemed, winter and night are past, 
 And the time of singing and of light has come to thee at last ; 
 When the Family is gathered, and the Father's House complete. 
 And we and thou, beloved, in our Saviour's smile shall meet. ' 
 
 EDINBURGH : T. CONSTABLE, 
 PRINTEK TO THE QUEEN, AND TO THE UNIVERSIl Y. 
 
4