better off?
not so, brethren, for God is just. The rich have their trials too: I am
not rich myself, but I have seen the rich with careworn countenances; I
have also seen them in madhouses; from which you may learn, brethren,
that the lot of all mankind is hard; that is, till we lay hold of faith,
which makes us comfortable under all circumstances; whether we ride in
gilded chariots or walk barefooted in quest of bread; whether we be
ignorant, whether we be wise--for riches and poverty, ignorance and
wisdom, brethren, each brings with it its peculiar temptations. Well,
under all these troubles, the thing which I would recommend you to seek
is one and the same--faith; faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, who made us
and allotted to each his station. Each has something to do, brethren.
Do it, therefore, but always in faith; without faith we shall find
ourselves sometimes at fault; but with faith never--for faith can remove
the difficulty. It will teach us to love life, brethren, when life is
becoming bitter, and to prize the blessings around us; for as every man
has his cares, brethren, so has each man his blessings. It will likewise
teach us not to love life over much, seeing that we must one day part
with it. It will teach us to face death with resignation, and will
preserve us from sinking amidst the swelling of the river Jordan.'

And when he had concluded his address, he said, 'Let us sing a hymn, one
composed by Master Charles Wesley--he was my countryman, brethren.

'Jesus, I cast my soul on Thee,
Mighty and merciful to save;
Thou shalt to death go down with me,
And lay me gently in the grave.
This body then shall rest in hope,
This body which the worms destroy;
For Thou shalt surely raise me up
To glorious life and endless joy.'

Farewell, preacher with the plain coat and the calm serious look! I saw
thee once again, and that was lately--only the other day. It was near a
fishing hamlet, by the sea-side, that I saw the preacher again. He stood
on the top of a steep monticle, used by pilots as a look-out for vessels
approaching that coast, a dangerous one, abounding in rocks and
quicksands. There he stood on the monticle, preaching to weather-worn
fishermen and mariners gathered below upon the sand. 'Who is he?' said I
to an old fisherman who stood beside me with a book of hymns in his hand;
but the old man put his hand to his lips, and that was the only answer I
received.