(iii) AN APPEAL FOR COMMITTAL
E.E.Hoyte
I am encouraged to say a word, dear brethren, specially for the help of the young brethren with us. Our brother is now absent from the body - his absence is felt already - but he is present with the Lord. He has finished his course; it is one thing to begin but another thing to finish. He has finished the race, as Paul says (see 2 Tim 4: 7); the race involved all that had to be encountered in his life here in the history of the testimony. Now I just wish to convey to our young brethren that there is a vacancy in this locality. Our brother has served faithfully, as we have been saying, and now there is a vacancy. The appeal is therefore to the younger ones who are left to carry on the testimony. My word to the dear young men is to see that you fill in some degree the vacancy that is in this locality. If you do not belong to this locality, see that you take the matter on in supplying what is needed in the testimony and be committed to it; "Occupy thyself with these things", 1 Tim 4: 15.
I want to say a word as to the time that we each one have. Our brother has filled out his days; but I want to call attention to Christ, the One who is most worthy of being spoken of on this occasion. The Lord Jesus is speaking in this psalm typically. His days were shortened; His days here were about half the span of our dear brother. The Lord's time here was thirty-three and one half years. Most of us are beyond that. But the extent of what the Lord accomplished in the three and a half years of His service is what I want to call attention to. I knew a brother who used to say, How much there is to be done and so few available to do it! So I want to solicit our young brethren in the presence of our departed brother that you take your share in suffering, as Paul says, whatever that might involve. As I was saying of the Lord Jesus, His span was thirty three and a half years, and how He served! He said "My food is that I should do the will of him that has sent me, and that I should finish his work", John 4: 34. How committed He was, unswervingly, to the will of God! Then again John tells us that He said "must work the works of him that has sent me while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work", chap 9: 4. Our brother has ceased his work. The time will come for that for most of us if the Lord tarries. That is what the Lord says: "I must work... while it is day". That is, the Lord is not missing any opportunity; He says, I must do it, I must work today, the night comes when no one can work: Let the young men take that to heart. If you have not yet begun to work, begin today; the time is passing. What are the dear young brethren doing? In this passage which I read the Lord's days were shortened and He is speaking about it to the Father. Our brother was speaking about the Lord speaking to His own, but here He is speaking of His Father, typically: "He weakened my strength in the way, he shortened my days". The Lord's days were shortened; they did not reach the span that Moses spoke of, threescore years and ten; they were half that, but how condensed! John says at the end of his gospel that if all the things that Jesus did were recorded not even the world itself would be able to contain the books. Think of the majesty of the Man who was here for God, doing His will and who filled out that service in three and a half years. He is saying here, "My God, take me not away in the midst of my days". He felt what it was to be taken away from the work. He did not say, It is time enough, I give up, but "take me not away in the midst of my days!" He had pleasure in doing God's will to the finish. God intervenes, there is a hiatus you will notice, and then He says "Thy years are from generation to generation. Of old hast thou founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands: They shall perish, but thou continuest... But thou art the Same, and thy years shall have no end". Two divine Persons are speaking, One in manhood and One in deity. God says to Him, Thy days are short but Thou art the Same and Thy years have no end. That is the answer of the Father: "Thou art the Same". So we think of Him now not only in His manhood but in His deity, how great He is! He speaks in manhood but the Father says, Thou are greater than that, Thy years have no end. Wonderful dear brethren! The Lord said, too, "I have completed the work which thou gavest me that I should do it", John 17: 4. We want to finish our course with joy. May the Lord help us to do this.
Burial of H.C.MacGregor
BROOKLYN NY
28 June 1975