Chapel of Ridley Hall, Cambridge.Chapter x, concluded.
In immediate conclusion, I would most earnestly plead, then, in the interests of true Christian service, for what in these hurrying times we need so specially: a deeper entrance of our souls into the secret of the presence of the Lord. Work is not food for the spirit any more than for the body. Amidst a multitude of works the worker’s soul may wither, and the works will feel the difference in due time. We must, because we are servants, and not masters, bondservants and not contractors, limbs and not Head, we must see to it that we are living and serving not only so as to get through a great deal of action, but so as to be vessels meet for the Master’s use, in His way and not our own. And for this we must live, so to speak, behind our service; we must live, in a true and holy sense, independent of it. We must live upon Jesus Christ, not upon energy, upon success, upon notice, upon praise; God forbid. And to live upon Him in service, we must, in the rule and habit of our lives, watch over times of solemn, sacred, blessed intercourse with Him in secret. We must, despite all the influences of our day, make time for thoughtful prayer, for reverent search into His Word, for recollection of our treasures in Him, time to exercise the more deliberate acts of a living faith in His great promises, and in the unseen realities of the things eternal. So shall we come forth evermore to serve, and to serve indeed.
Thank God, the picture is not a visionary one – not an ideal of the land of the clouds. It is the secret of many a life of steadfast, chastened, humble, Christ-reflecting service in the great
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