Great Heart (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1885 edition. Excerpt: ... THE KING'S MESSENGER. I. CHERE is a beautiful poem by Palgrave, the English poet, called "The King's Messenger." The first verse of it is as follows: "He goes in silence through the crowd, A veil is o'er his face; Yet where but once his eyes are turned There is an empty space. The whispering throngs divide and stir: 'Tis hel 'tis the King's Messenger " It was, I suppose, because I was thinking of this verse, that I called this last sermon in this course on Great Heart, "The King's Messenger," for Death is the messenger which God sends to us all to take us to himself. Let me read to you from John Bunyan's story, the account of the final summons which was seat to the Pilgrims. And before I read it, let me tell you that the great Rufus Choate once said that, in his opinion, this account of Mr. Standfast in the river, was the most beautiful passage in all the range of English writing with which he was familiar. Here is the description of the coming of the King's Messenger: Then there came forth a summons for Mr. Standfast. This Mr. Standfast was he whom the rest of the Pilgrims found upon his knees in the Enchanted Ground. And the post brought it him open in his hands: the contents thereof were, that he must prepare for a change of life, for his Master was not willing that he should be so far from him any longer. At this Mr. Standfast was put into a muse. "Nay," said the messenger, "you need not doubt of the truth of my message; for here is a token of the truth thereof, 'Thy wheel is broken at the cistern.'" Eccles. xii. 6. Then he called to him Mr. Great Heart, who was their guide, and said unto him, "Sir, although it was not my hap to be much in your good company during the days of my pilgrimage, yet, since the time I knew you, you have...