Читать книгу Sermons of Christmas Evans - Evans Christmas - Страница 17

Here we pass over several years of Mr. Evans’ history, during which nothing of very special interest occurred, except the agitation of the Fullerian controversy. This is a matter which requires only a passing notice in this brief memoir. We let it sleep in silence.

Mr. Evans was now nearly sixty years of age. Infirmity, the result of his arduous labors and numerous afflictions, began to prey upon his system. The several congregations under his care had hitherto constituted but one church. But the number of preaching places had now become too great for him, in his enfeebled state, to continue his pastoral visits and labors among them as he had done. He therefore advised them to form themselves into separate churches, two or three stations uniting in one. This was the occasion of a dark and dreadful storm upon the apostle of Anglesea. Some of the churches refused the ministers he recommended, and called others whom he disapproved. Then arose a bitter party spirit, and a general contention, among the congregations. Mr. Evans was severely censured, and even assailed with the shafts of slander. Many of his former friends forsook him, and some of those who professed to feel for him in his troubles did nothing for his vindication. The severity of these public calamities was increased by private afflictions. His beloved wife had gone “the way of all the earth.” He was himself brought very low by sickness, in which he nearly lost his only remaining eye, and seemed fast tending to his final home.

But though cast down, he was not destroyed. “I wonder greatly,” says he, “that I did not sink into the grave under the weight of sorrows that came upon me in my old age, together with an accumulation of trials of all kinds; but the Lord sustained me. There was, in the midst of all, a strong persuasion in my mind, that there was yet much work for me to do for God in the world, as well as much to suffer, ere I died. If I only entered the pulpit, I felt raised as it were to Paradise – above my afflictions – until I forgot my adversity; yea, I felt my mountain strong, my mind was in such a heavenly frame, and as anxious as ever for the conversion of sinners. The truth appeared to me in its power like a hammer in its strength. The doctrine dropped as sweet as the honey, yea, sweeter than the honeycomb, and as comfortable as the best wine. I was now particularly wishful that all the ministers in Anglesea should join with me, according to the promise, ‘If two of you agree to ask the same thing, it shall be given unto you of my Father which is in heaven;’ for I had such confidence that then I should see prosperity attending the ministry, and that I should not die until I had finished my work. I said to a brother: – ‘Brother, the doctrine, the confidence, and strength which I feel, will make some persons dance with joy yet in some parts of Wales.’ ‘Yea, brother,’ said he, with tears flowing in streams from his eyes.

“Every thing now contributed to remove me from Anglesea. The unbending disposition of those who were offended at me, and the ardor of my own spirit, believing that there was work for me to do in some other field of the harvest of the Son of man, and my having prayed earnestly for twelve months for the direction of Divine Providence, together with the visions of my head in the night seasons, appeared to unite together to lead in one direction. At length, the determination to leave Anglesea, afflicted as I was, preponderated. I was much like Jacob, leaving his father and his mother, going with his staff only over Jordan: so was I, leaving the church: I had prayed, yea, I had striven with God for its prosperity, and had labored nearly forty years with it – now leaving it – possessing nothing of this world’s goods, save the horse upon which I rode, and a small amount of silver in my pocket; and scarcely could I say that these were mine.”