think that such men frequently appear among us. They are few; scattered, one by one, along the line of the history of the Church, they appear at intervals, rare, egregious. We have but one Andrewes, one Ken, one Keble. One suffices for a while; a little salt keeps much fresh. Such a life is like a high-water mark; it shows how full the tide may flow. From the standard thus set, the sluggish, the timid, the indolent, will keep as far away as they can. No matter; the mark is there to show what may be realized among us; that which has been may be once more. But when? But when? God knows. And now a few words as to the following discourses. There are some things which it were well for men to do themselves, instead of leaving them to be done by others after they are gone. It is so especially with the publishing of sermons. They are generally written in haste and under pressure; they need revision; no one can do what ought to be done, if the writer does not. In the case of Dr. de Koven the choice was between refusing an earnest request from many quarters, and putting before the public what he might have deemed unfit for close inspection. But we choose the latter course; and, in doing so, would call the attention of the reader to the fact that the following discourses are printed from unrevised manuscripts, and exactly as he left them; no one has dared to touch them; they are in the very state in which they came from his pen. It should also be remembered that he preached without notes-not without preparation, but entirely with xvi PREFACE. out manuscript, and his greatest sermons were delivered in that way. It was his habit, afterward, to make memoranda of what he had said, with the intention of filling them out when he could find time; and of these notes of sermons already preached there remain some six volumes -mere skeletons of discourses, with remarks and observations thrown in here and there to show the train of thought. He had been often requested to publish, but put it off on account of the pressure of his duties, until it was too late. The sermons selected are, with one or two exceptions, of recent date; some have a special interest. One was preached on St. Peter's Day, A. D. 1868, before the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the chapel of St. Augustine's College at Canterbury, on the text, "That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me." Another was preached in Trinity Chapel, New York, in 1874, just after he had undergone one of those ordeals which are torture to a sensitive soul like his; it is on the text, "Thou shalt hide them privily by Thine own Presence from the provoking of all men: Thou shalt keep them secretly in Thy tabernacle from the strife of tongues." This sermon he wrote out, instead of preaching it extemporaneously, fearing lest something might be misquoted or incorrectly reported. It was after his famous speech in the Convention at Baltimore, and before his election to the Episcopate, by the Diocese of Illinois, in 1875. There are some earlier sermons. They are arranged in correct order and the dates are given. In doing this, we have done all that is in our power. Who can convey an idea, to one who never saw or heard him, of the effect produced by that impassioned manner, and that wonderful voice, which, now ringing like a clarion, and anon sinking to the lowest, gentlest tones, thrilled the soul and sounded depths within men which perhaps in their case may never be touched again by mortal speech? Yet surely we shall all be the better for communing with that spirit even under these imperfect forms; for being thus brought in contact with that lovely life, so pure, so calm, so sweet, so grand, so true. It was made. what it was by God's discipline; a life whose natural desires were crossed, a life filled with reproaches; the life of one spoken against, assailed, denounced by men who knew not what they said; a life of hard work, vast responsibilities, and hourly cares; and thus made a gentle life, a life rooted and grounded in God, spiritual, detached from the world. Alas, my brother! Thy lot is with the Saints, indeed-thy place among the blessed; but we are left behind, in our dim journey, to learn from thee, and such as thou, how God lifts men, by hardness and suffering, to a place in His Everlasting Kingdom. O patient soul! rare character, whom discipline made what thou art! O man greatly beloved, who didst not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when rebuked of Him; whose way toward thy Master was safe and direct; now dost |