January 29, 2012

• "Brother, we are only half awake" ~ Legh Richmond

  Today would have been the 240th birthday of the evangelical divine Legh Richmond, born in Liverpool January 29, 1772.

  In his lecture History of Revival (1740-1852) # 2, Iain Murray cited a minister who said, "Brother, we are only half awake—we are none of us more than half awake." When I heard that, my ears perked up, and I did a little sleuthing on google. I found the quotation was from Legh Richmond. Until that time, I'd never heard of Richmond.

  Murray explained that such a half-awake state very much described the spiritual condition prior to the Great Awakening (and I'll add that with but a few exceptions, it describes the spiritual condition we face today here in the west).

  "Before the great awakening it seemed as though men slept, the world slept, the church slept. Ministers seemed to be asleep in their duties and Christians slept in the pew. Before the great awakening for many years there had been complaints of the absence of powerful conversions and of general decline."

  Then Murray read the words of Dr. Increase Mather from 1721, who at age of 82 was remembering back to years prior:

  "Conversions have become rare in this age of the world... they that have their thoughts exercised in discerning things of this nature have sad apprehensions that the work of conversion has come to a stand. During the last age, scarcely a sermon was preached without someone being apparently converted, and sometimes hundreds were converted by one sermon. Who but now can say that we have seen anything such as this? Clear, sound conversions are not frequent in our congregations. The great bulk of the present generation are apparently poor, perishing, and if the Lord prevented prevent not, undone. Having been for sixty-five years a preacher of the gospel, I feel as did the ancient men who had seen the former temple and wept aloud when they saw the latter."

  Mather's reference there is to Ezra 3, the time after Israel's return from exile when the temple was being rebuilt...

  Ezra 3:10  And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the directions of David king of Israel. 11  And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD,
  
  

  “For he is good,
  for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.”

  
  And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. 12  But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, 13  so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.

  If we keep looking at ourselves as our own benchmark, if we keep comparing ourselves to ourselves, or if we in the Church only choose to compare ourselves to society at large, we're going to think we're doing all right, we'll say we're awake, and we'll go ahead and keep patting ourselves on the back, but in reality, we're not doing all right. We'll be guilty of myopia of the worst kind, a tunnel vision of a most dangerous and deadly sort, for these matters deal with both the eternal destiny of souls and the glory of God. When the Church isn't walking as she ought, when she is half-awake, when those of us in the Christian Church remain half-awake, then God's name is blasphemed, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not being published to the ends of the earth, and all the while souls are dying daily apart from Jesus Christ.

  We in the Church are falling so far short of the Church's former glory and the glory God intends for us. For example, in Isaiah 62, God's expectations for His people are laid out:  righteousness going forth as brightness and salvation as a burning torch, and it is then the nations shall see our righteousness. If you look at the Church, would that be your first thought of her?

  We are so, so far from that shining city on a hill God intends us to be. Only as we examine what God's expectations are for His Church, what His desire for each and every one of us as members of His Body is as we find them in the Scripture, only as we look back at the Church's beginnings and then look back at those times of revival and awakening, it is only then that we will begin to make a right assessment – to begin to see ourselves as God sees us.

  Let us look back at those times when God's people have been humbled, when they had come to the end of themselves, that they saw their insufficiency and their need to rely on Christ rather than on their own ingenuity, machinery and cleverness. Let us look back to those times when the Spirit blew, when God's people came to embrace their own poverty and neediness, when they humbled themselves and fell prostrate before the throne of God and sought the Lord with strong tears and cryings, and followed hard after Christ and clung to Him and Him only, and continued to examine themselves, casting off all their earthly props, despising themselves and no longer putting confidence in their own flesh.

  May God give us eyes to examine ourselves in light of those saints who remained steadfast in the Word of God, lifted up Christ and Him crucified; to examine ourselves in light of those saints who tarried in prayer, those who were faithful watchmen who importunately pleaded for God to rend the heavens and waited upon God to pour out His Spirit upon them, confessing that without Him they could do nothing, and so they continued to seek a heavenly effusion and endowment – for a God-imparted power that was not their own. Let us look upon those on whom the Holy Spirit fell, these men and women and boys and girls became consumed and compelled and emboldened by the baptizing fire and love and light and life of the Holy Spirit – it is only as we do so, will we begin to have a right assessment of our condition and how pitiful we are today, those of us who profess the name of Christian, so we might confess that we are only half awake—we are none of us more than half awake.

  The Reverend Alfred Stackhouse, an Anglican minister, referred to Richmond in his lecture, "The Lord Is at Hand." Here's an excerpt (emphasis mine).

  Some of us are communicants; and thereby we profess, before the world, that we have renounced the false principles and practices of the state of darkness, that we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and him alone, for salvation, and that we are wholly devoted to him as sinners saved by grace. Or, to use the metaphor to which I have before referred, our profession is, that, having been awakened as in the night by the power of divine grace, we are now wholly devoted to the work of preparation for the approaching dawn. The minister is distinguished from other communicants principally in this respect, that it is his office to keep others awake, as well as to maintain an awakened spirit in his own mind, and to forward the works of others as well as to fulfil his own. How does the minister then, how do his fellow communicants appear, as the light of day exposes secrets and unfolds realities? We maybe assisted in our reply to this inquiry by the experience of one whose works are known to most of us—an eminent, faithful, laborious clergyman of the church of England ; one whose works of faith and labours of love were highly valued in his day, and are still remembered in almost every country where evangelical truth and spiritual Christianity is valued—I mean the author of the "Young Cottager," and the "Dairyman's Daughter"— Rev. L. Richmond. When it was decided by the medical advisers that the pulmonary disease under which he was suffering must soon terminate his valuable life, a friend communicated to him the opinion. He was not surprised by it. "I knew it, brother," he replied, "seven months ago: I was well satisfied from whence this cough came—that it was a message from above." But observe his view of himself, and of all his works, in the light which then might be said to be opened upon him. His friend had scarcely resumed the conversation, with a remark upon the immense importance of Christian principles, when he raised himself in his chair, and with great solemnity of manner, said, "Brother, we are only half awake—we are none of us more than half awake." In an account, also, of his last moments, given by his (daughter, the clearer views of his mind in the light of that day are still more remarkably unfolded. "One morning," she states, "as I was sitting near him, he burst into tears, and said, 'O my parish! my poor parish! I feel as if I had done nothing for it—as if it had been so much neglected. I have not done half what I ought.' It was more than I could bear," she adds, "to hear him speak in this way; for I had seen him in weariness and painfulness and watchings, spending and being spent, if by any means he might win souls to Christ. I suggested to him his labours and the singular usefulness of his ministry, especially within the last two years. He would still reply, 'No thanks to me! no thanks to me! I see it so differently now, as if I had done just nothing. I see nothing but neglect, and duties left undone.' I could not help reflecting," observes his daughter, "on the different aspect things must have, when eternity is opening upon us"*.

  Christian friends, will not the experience of this eminent minister assist us greatly in estimating our own principles, and examining our conduct, as in the light of the day of the Lord? If such a man was thus ashamed of himself, what must our estimate of ourselves be? If such works appear as nothing in the light of eternity, what shall be said of those of which we, perhaps, have been tempted to make our boast? Have not we reason to exclaim that we are only half awake? Have we not reason to be ashamed even of our best actions, and to esteem as absolutely nothing our greatest efforts? My friends, some of us may appear to be diligent, and faithful, and zealous, and earnest, in comparison with others; nay, more, some of us may be distinguished from our fellowmen by "works of faith and labours of love;" but we are viewing ourselves now in the light of the day of the Lord, and with the understanding that we are tested by the standard of perfection rather than by the attainments of our neighbours. O, how contemptible our pride appears in this light! how utterly baseless any show of merit! What! the devotion of a life-time not meritorious? The persevering labours of a faithful man of God, shall these be accounted worthless? My friends, the light of the day of the Lord reveals the Christian standard so clearly, that his greatest attainments increase his self-abasement. And see how the rising dawn exposes our neglect, our carelessness, our worldly conformity, our unbelief, our coldness, our selfishness. These things were concealed by the imperfect light of the night season; or, if not concealed, they were justified by the laws of a spurious charity. Our neglect, perhaps, was thought to be justifiable, on account of the peculiar circumstances of our case. Our carelessness was excused by the plea that perfection was not attainable. Our worldliness was thought to be necessary for the diffusion of our Christian light, and to avoid the charge of singularity. Even our unbelief and coldness of heart and selfishness were not without their plausible arguments. But now, in the better light of the approaching day, all these vain excuses are forgotten. Every fault, every inconsistency stands out in all its naked deformity. And observe, further, how by this light the pathway through which we have parsed is illuminated, and the imperfections of bygone days are brought to view. How different everything appears! In those days, probably, we acquitted ourselves of blame; but now the truth is made manifest. See, there an opportunity might have been improved; there a habit might have been corrected; there self-indulgence was preferred to self-denial; there the heart went after covetousness, when the glory of God demanded its best efforts. O, what ingratitude to him who gave his Son for us! what disregard, too, for our own best interests! The heirs of an incorruptible inheritance, the citizens of an eternal kingdom have been wasting their time and strength upon the trifles of a moment—trifles, too, which were calculated to hinder rather than set forward their salvation! Christian friends, can you realize enough of the light to perceive these truths? But there is more, much more to be said; for the light of the day exposes other realities. The carnally-minded are now separated from the spiritually-minded, the converted from the unconverted, formalists from the true communicants, "lovers of pleasure" from "lovers of God." By the light of the night season these distinctions could not be clearly discerned ; and the rule was, "judge nothing before the time" (1 Cor. iv. 6); but now the state of the heart is revealed—now the truth is made known. And what painful disappointment, what sad exposures are the result! Christian friends, it was once the opinion of a faithful and highly-esteemed minister, who is now with the Saviour (Rev. E. Bickersteth), that he had not one unconverted communicant connected with his church. Would such an opinion, think you, be justified with respect to our small body of communicants? What does the light of the day of the Lord reveal concerning this? Remember, nothing but vital godliness will bear this light. Formalism, and every kind of self-deception, every kind of hypocrisy must be discovered, and put to shame by this spirit-searching test.

  * Memoirs of Rev. Legh Richmond, p. 414.

  ---

  Luke 12:35  “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36  and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37  Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38  If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39  But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40  You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
  

  "Have not we reason to exclaim that we are only half awake?"

  ---

  Source: "The Lord Is at Hand;" four Lectures delivered during Lent, at Perth, by the Rev. Alfred Stackhouse, found in "The Church of England Magazine"<http://books.google.com/books?id=Bw_OAAAAMAAJ&pg=PP7#v=onepage&q&f=false>, August 31, 1854, Volume 37 - July to December 1854, 137-139.

  For more on Legh Richmond, please see http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Richmond,_Legh_%28DNB00%29.  I'd highly recommend your reading Richmond's "The Annals of the Poor," <http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19671/19671-h/19671-h.htm>.

  Please Note: If God has been giving you a desire to see the church revived, please see my other sites, tent_of_meeting (prayer for revival) and deerlife (ministry encouragement), please comment below and/or message me. I would also encourage you to read these posts which express some of my heart for revival.
  

  • Naphtali News: the Ministry of the Word & Prayer
  • postcards from England: "The Burden for Revival" (ML-J)
  • postcards from England: are we excited over a dead fish and a car wreck?
  • postcards from England: "the fog is lifting on My Church"
  • my holy ambition
  • Here I stand & from here I cast (devoted to prayer & the ministry of the Word)
  • Lloyd-Jones 30 years later ~ Thank you, Dr. Lloyd-Jones for preparing the way
  • Revival resources, etc.
  • More revival resources: opportunity and eyes to see the ruins, a burden from God
  • the lost treasures of Christianity & the call to pray for revival (Bible reading: Ezra 1)
  • Reformation Rebels: Are you willing to be a rebel for the sake of the Church?
  • adopting God's purpose for the nations is for your joy & His glory (Letter 76 on joy)
  • Are you storming heaven – or are you sleeping?
  • Lent III. - Are you looking at the fields?
  • "the infinite significance of the eternal Kingdom"
  • Naphtali News: God speaking to me about my failures & the one thing needful
  • Why not pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit

  Photo credits:

  Image of the Rev. Legh Richmond's engraved portrait from T.S.Grimshawe's Memoirs of the Rev. Legh Richmond found at http://www.grimshaworigin.org/WebPages/ThomShut.htm / {{PD-Art|PD-old-100}}

  Work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schadow,FW-Die_klugen_und_t%C3%B6richten_Jungfrauen-2.JPG  / CC BY-SA 3.0 / {{PD-Art|PD-old-100}}

  Scripture quotations unless otherwise indicated are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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