Sermon Illustration

In all regions of life a wise classification of men arranges them to their aims, rather than their achievements. The visionary who attempts something high and accomplishes scarcely anything of it, is often a far nobler man, and his poor, broken, foiled, restless life, far more perfect than his who aims at marks on the low levels and hits them full. Such lives as these, full of yearning and aspiration, though it be for the most part vain, are: Like the young moon with a ragged edge E’en in its imperfection beautiful.

“I see that candle,” says Warwick, “makes small show in the day which at night yields a glorious lustre, not because the candle has then more light, but because the air hath the more darkness. How prejudicial then is that ambition which makes me seem less than I am, by presuming to make me greater than I should be! They whose glory shines as the sparks amongst stubble, lose their light if compared to the Sun of glory. I will not seat myself higher than my place, lest I should be disgraced to a humility; but if I place myself lower than my seat, I may be advanced to the honor of ‘Friend, sit up higher.’ I had rather be exalted by my humility, than be brought low by my exaltation.”

Ambition, arising either from a discontented mind or from a false estimate of our powers, leading us to seek a high position, will be sure to prove a snare. The pathway of pride leads upwards, but the summit of the hill is so enwrapped with mist, that those who climb lose themselves in the darkness, and at last topple over a precipice, at the bottom of which they groan, with no friends near to pity, until destruction becomes their lot.

Ambition is often established in men upon performing the most degrading tasks; so climbing is performed in the same posture with creeping. A slave has but one master; the ambitious man has as many masters as there are persons whose aid may contribute to the advancement of his future.

The famous Battle of Marathon had been fought, in which Miltiades led his little army of ten thousand men against a force of 300,000 Persians. After his glorious victory, Miltiades became for the hour a nation’s idol. Themistocles, then a youth, was observed to be remarkably pensive and sad, refusing to join in his accustomed amusements, and often spending whole nights in thought and wakefulness. When asked the cause of this change in his deportment, he answered, “The trophies of Miltiades will not suffer me to sleep.” His whole soul was possessed with the desire to become similarly distinguished among his countrymen. To this end he bent every purpose of his soul. Scorning fatigue and ease, he planned, and labored, and studied, until he had placed his name high on the scroll of fame. He created a navy, which enabled Greece to cope with Persia on the sea, and to win a glorious and decisive victory over the great leader Xerxes. Yet what were the perishing honors of Miltiades compared w...

I had a good friend who preserved the axle of the cart in which he wheeled home his goods when he first came to London. It was placed over his front door, and he never blushed to tell how he came up from the country, worked hard, and made his way in the world. I like this a deal better than the affected gentleness which forgets the lone half-wit which worked in solitude with nothing in their pockets when they entered this city. They are indignant if you remind them of their poor old father in the country, for they have discovered that the family is very ancient and honorable; in fact, one of their ancestors came over with the Conqueror. I have never felt any wish to be related to that set of vagabonds; but tastes differ, and there are some who think that they must be superior beings because they are descended from aristocrats. Nobodies suddenly swell as if they were everybody. Observe that Jacob does not say, “Years ago I was at home with my father Isaac, a man of large estate.” No...