26. Moore's Remonstrance

Moore's Remonstrance "Should such a man as I flee?"—Nehemiah 6:11.

"He that endureth to the end shall be saved."-Matthew 10:22. On Tuesday, May 28th, Earl Russell died. In biographical notices given by most of the papers allusion is made to the proposition of Lord John Russell to retire from public life while yet a young man in consequence of some serious discouragement which he had received. It is stated that he was deterred from so doing by the expostulations of Thomas Moore, and quotations are made from the "Remonstrance" which that sparkling poet addressed to him. On reading the poem it struck us at once that many of the remarks would apply in other and higher senses to any Christian who should be tempted to withdraw himself from the service of his Lord. The first three verses of the poem we will quote at length:—

"What thou, with thy genius, thy youth, and thy name—Thou, born of a Russell—whose instinct to run The accustom'd career of thy sires, is the same As the eaglet's to soar with his eyes on the sun! Whose nobility comes to thee, stamp'd with a seal Far, far more ennobling than monarch e'er set, With the blood of thy race, offer'd up for the weal Of a nation, that swears by that martyrdom yet!

Shalt thou be faint-hearted and turn from the strife, From the mighty arena where all that is grand And devoted, and pure, and adorning in life, 'Tis for high-thoughted spirits like thine to command?"

Born from above, and bearing the name of Christian, shall the child of God cease to battle for that which is good? Conscious of a sacred instinct which impels him onward and upward, shall he sit down in despair or retire into inglorious ease? Serving a Lord who spared not his heart's blood for man's redemption, and following in the track of thousands of martyrs who counted not their lives dear unto them, shall we selfishly shun self-denial and avoid reproach? No, by God's grace, let us never dream of timorous silence, nor think for an instant that our light can be spared from the darkening horizon of our times. We may have neither eloquence nor genius, but such as we have we will consecrate to the last moment of our lives to him who hath bought us by his precious blood. We may address to every timorous heart the closing verse of Tom Moore, altered to suit the case.

Thus ransomed, thou never canst sleep in the sbade; If the stirrings of impulse, the terror of fame, And the charms of thy cause have not power to persuade, Yet think how to Jesus thou'rt pledged by thy name.

He who wears the name of Christian is sworn to sustain the cause of God and truth with the last drop that warms his veins.