It will form a fitting close to this brief biography to present a few of the testimonies to the character and work of Bro. Maston, printed in the special memorial number of the "Australian Christian," issued on September 12, 1907. At the close of a biographical sketch, F. G. Dunn writes:--

      In this brief and imperfect sketch, I have refrained, as far as possible, from using the language of eulogy. The simple outlines of his life are, in themselves, the most eloquent eulogy. Bro. Maston enjoyed the distinction, with Bro. T. J. Gore, of being the only American born preachers who permanently took up their abode in Australia. And surely America gave us of her best, when she gave us these two men. And though the United States ever remained to Bro. Maston the grandest country in the world, yet Australasia was scarcely less dear to him. He was, of all men that I have known, the least local in his sympathies. No single congregation could claim him. Of him, it could be truly said: He was a member of the Church of Christ in Australasia. He was known, personally, in all the States and Provinces of Australasia. The Austral Publishing Co. and the "Christian" made his name a household word in all the churches. From all parts of the Commonwealth and New Zealand, brethren sought his [77] advice, and gave him all sorts of commissions. To all who came to him he gave the best he could. Sometimes the advice he gave was not "sugar-coated." But it had the merit of being forcible and honest. He had a supreme contempt for littleness, and for that meanness of soul which always has a grievance.

      In July 1891, Bro. Maston became associated with myself in the editorial work of the "Standard." That association continued with the "Australian Christian." For sixteen years we had unbroken fellowship in journalistic work. Throughout the whole of that period, though frequently differing in opinion, we were never at variance. Now that he is gone, I am glad to remember that no angry words ever disturbed our friendship. I shall often miss my old colleague, and the talks we used to have about the future of the Work. Some day we will meet again, and the fellowship which has been broken for a while will be renewed.

      Other prominent brethren expressed themselves as follows:--

      A. B. Maston was loved and trusted by the brotherhood of Australasia as but few men among us are loved and trusted. His was a noble character. While outspoken in advocacy of what he believed to be right, he did not allow his strong convictions to affect his warm regard for brethren who could not always see with him. This was one secret of his popularity. Another was his unselfishness. He was never known to do a mean, [78] selfish, or ungenerous deed, but freely spent his life and his all for the cause he loved. Believing with all his heart that this was the cause of Christ he threw all his powerful energies into its service. With an untiring zeal for the extension of primitive truth, and the ability to express himself in terse, clear, vigorous language, his influence as a preacher and writer must long be felt. But it was in connection with the Austral Publishing Co., of which he was founder and manager, that his peculiar abilities found their widest scope. His tracts, written by prominent brethren, have been scattered abroad by hundreds of thousands, and who can estimate the good accomplished by the thousands of pamphlets and books he has also published? For over 20 years he fought valiantly against a cruel and finally victorious disease, and only intimate acquaintances knew the tremendous disadvantages under which his work was conducted, or the exemplary patience with which his intense sufferings were endured. As a soldier he fought a good fight; as a runner, he nobly finished his course; and as a trusty steward, he kept unsullied the faith committed to his charge.

      The passing of our beloved A. B. Maston sets a period in the history of the movement with which we stand identified. Our sense of loss is profound. I looked upon our brother as the most representative man amongst us. That he was not an Australian but emphasises that statement, and directs attention to the greatness of the man. Pettiness [79] and meanness had nothing in him. He had too much common sense and saving salt of humour, but above all Christ so dwelt in him these things could not be.

      Simplicity, dignity, gentleness, nobility, fidelity, candour, courage, patience, originality,--how quickly the traits write themselves without fear of challenge. Firmness, also--not obstinacy--it was a joy to work with him in committee. While no man better knew its value in the Lord's work, he had "no time to make money," for having the single eye he devoted all the considerable powers of his life to the advocacy of "the faith once for all delivered."

      In him, the life current ran deeply. He had convictions and the courage of them. He could say with Luther, "Here I stand; I can do no other," and with Paul, "I know whom I have believed," and for the rest could be content to say, "I do not know"--"God holds the key of all unknown, and I am glad." So in patience he possessed his soul. Himself stayed upon Jehovah, he became a stay to many another too easily thinking the foundations were being removed.

      Under keen physical suffering our brother yet grew in grace. The growth was in geometrical progression, such as should characterise every Christian life, so that never did he stand so high spiritually as when God's finger touched him.

      Bro. Maston was unique. He was like--himself. No other one can fill his place. Surely the sun "shone brighter at his birth and shadowed when he died." Now the Lord be praised that we were [80] privileged to know him, and the Lord raise up amongst us many more such--"tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog." "The memory of the just is blessed."

      Bro. Maston has entered upon his reward. After long years of suffering he is at rest. I would like to say a few words of appreciation of his noble character. He was my friend, and of a kind and loving friend I speak. His native land was my native land. We were both in another land engaged in the Master's work. He was the younger. He has gone first. I may say that he has been for years a very hero in the battle of life. He knew well that his days could not be far extended, yet in the midst of great pain he worked on and did the work of a strong man. He truly loved the Saviour and his Church. He was one of the most sincere men I ever knew. He literally gave his life for the cause he loved. He had a tender and loving heart. His speech was plain and simply expressive of what he thought. It was not easy to misunderstand him. He had no desire to be otherwise than kind, though sometimes he felt it necessary to oppose where duty suggested. It always gave me pleasure, and thousands of others, to hear Bro. Maston preach, and to read his writings. There was a something in his style peculiarly his own. He was a frequent visitor to our Conference in South Australia, and no one who came was more highly esteemed or more tenderly loved than he. At the last Conference at which he was present, [81] when his name was announced, as he went to the platform to reply to his welcome, the audience rose to their felt. He was specially welcomed. He was a great help at our meetings. The brethren loved him for his great work and noble character. The Jubilee History of the Churches of Christ in Australasia is a monument to his wisdom and untiring energy. There is no such work among our churches anywhere. He will ever have a place in the hearts of the brethren of these lands.

      Service to Christ was a great joy to A. B. Maston. One could not be in his presence long before he would realise this. He was always ready to advise and help both church and preacher whenever opportunity presented. He counted no duty as a burden, but cheerfully executed whatever work the Master placed in his way.

      To him the promises of God were "yea and amen." He had no doubts. The years of dreadful agony were a mighty test of his patience and endurance. We have read of the suffering and patience of Job, but methinks from beginning of time few have endured greater agony, and few could have endured so patiently and trustfully. He was ever conscious of divine presence. He never murmured; the Lord was his help and strength.

      He spared no effort in order to recovery. Like Paul he was ready to die if need be. He was never afraid of death, but yet he longed to live; he found so much brightness in life. A happy home and family, a multitude of Christian friends, the [82] knowledge that his service in connection with the Austral Publishing. Co. was being blessed, and the good he could accomplish in various ways, made him cling to life. But when the Lord clearly revealed to him that his time was drawing near, he willingly submitted without a murmur.

      Death to our brother was great gain. It was a happy release from the body racked with pain. It would be the perfection of his comforts, and the accomplishment of his hopes--a gain in knowledge, holiness and the society of the host who have crossed the border. Personally we shall miss him, but we rest assured that if we follow him in so far as he followed Christ, we shall meet him in the better land.

      My friendship with Bro. Maston reaches back over twenty years. As chairman of the Austral Publishing Co., since its formation sixteen years ago, I have been in closer touch with him during the latter period. The management of the Austral Co., although a small business, needed care. Sometimes questions came before us which seemed to balance almost evenly. On the one hand were the interests of the company, on the other the well-being of the churches. Need I say to those who knew Bro. Maston on which side his weight was cast? The churches were always first. He loved them all.

      When at last he was laid aside, and could speak only in a whisper, and that with difficulty, he often surprised me by his thirst for information [83] about the churches. I could always cheer and brighten him up a little with news of successful efforts for the extension of the Master's kingdom. Near the end, when the lamp of life burned very low, and the weariness of utter weakness was upon him, his only desire was, "I want to go Home." The Father has given him his desire, and the faithful devoted servant is at rest.

      He was a warm-hearted friend, faithful and kind in admonition, keen to appreciate right-doing. He could contend firmly for what he believed to be right, but if heat was engendered by dispute, he was always first to hold out the olive branch. I shall sadly miss Bro. A. B. Maston.

      "Study Christ Jesus." These were among the last words that Bro. Maston spoke to me. They bring before us the real secret of his splendid life. Jesus was the great personal motive and inspiration of all his work. His love for Jesus was strong and constant, and was the keynote of his splendid heroism, his unfaltering trust and hopefulness. To the cause of Jesus he dedicated his splendid powers of heart and mind. The interests of his Master's kingdom were always paramount with him. Nothing delighted him more than to have fellowship with the brethren of his Lord. It was the presence of Jesus that enabled him to labour on though long years of almost constant suffering, that illumined every dark cloud and kept him moving onwards with his face ever towards the [84] sunshine. Yes! Jesus is the explanation of his life. For him to live was Christ.

      Now that he has gone from us we cannot but rejoice that his sufferings are over, and that he is now with Jesus, whom he so loved and served while on earth. Yet, we feel a deep sense of the vacancy created by his death. We feel that a prince has been removed from among us. He towered among us, a figure of commanding strength, and we felt him to be a large part of that brotherhood which he loved so dearly and served so ably. We shall miss him much from our representative councils and conferences. We shall miss him especially from that sphere in which he moved, and through which he exerted his most powerful and far-reaching influence. We shall miss those prayers of his, so virile in their faith and so triumphant in their hope. We shall miss him in church, in office, and in the social circle. We shall miss him as friend, as brother, as counsellor. But his memory is with us, and this is a precious heritage. He being dead will yet speak to us. Never can we forget his patient heroism, his ever present cheerfulness, his loyalty to the Church of Jesus Christ, his love for the brethren, his great work, and his sterling Christian character. In this memory he will live and labour with us still. The influence of such men is ever-progressive--it will never die. It is doubtful whether such men accomplish as much good during this earthly life as after it. Thank God for the memory of great and good men. [85]

      Through the death of Bro. Maston, the brotherhood has lost one of its best workers. It is over 22 years since he became associated with the Victorian Conference, and since then he has ably and honorably filled many positions in connection with the Conference.--Vice-President, President, and member of the Home Mission Committee. He has also been essayist (twice), and preached the first Conference sermon (1888), his subject being, "Be Watchful, Stand Fast in the Faith."

      As member of the Committee he considered it to be a sacred duty to be at his post at every meeting, even when in very bad health.

      I have also been associated with him in the dissemination of religious literature, and can truly testify that his whole life was devoted to the cause of Christ, the growth of the church, and the promotion of the great plea with which we are identified.

      A man of strong personality and indomitable courage, at the same time he had a tender and sympathetic heart.

      It is not very easy to express in words my estimate of A. B. Maston. He was a man I always liked. In spite of his terrible physical ailment, and through it all, he was so brave and patient, and gentle and uncomplaining, that he compelled admiration. Then, again, there was a cheeriness about him which was very attractive, and made him [86] a pleasant companion, and the more so because of his vein of American humour. He always impressed me as being a very sincere man, and as having a real and vital union with God. When he prayed, and when he taught, he often deeply affected me, far more so than most speakers. There was usually, too, something very quaint and uncommon and original in his deliverances, and his illustrations were striking and to the point. He was always clear, and no one could fail to understand what he meant when he dealt with any subject from the platform. I cannot speak of him as a preacher, for I do not remember ever to have heard him give a gospel sermon. He seemed well grounded in the truth, and had a great love for the simplicity of things in Christ, and a kind of contempt of all excuses for departure therefrom. His respect for every divine revelation and institution was profound, and his sanguine assurance of the ultimate supremacy of the Lord and His Church was inspiring and contagious. Bro. Maston was a clever and good man, and has exercised a beneficial influence over the brotherhood in Australasia.

      I am grateful for the opportunity of adding my humble tribute of love and respect for the memory and life-work of our late esteemed Bro. Maston. He always gave me the impression that he was a Christian hero, brave and valiant, fighting fearlessly for the truth as he understood it, under the pressure of a great affliction, and with the possibility of a painful death. [87]

      He had endeared himself to me many years ago, when as a young disciple I tried to be of service in the Master's work. At that time, and much more frequently since I devoted my life to the ministry of the Word, he gave me valuable help and encouragement in the Christian life. I can never repay him for his suggestions. I think, too, he has left the brotherhood his debtor for the splendid work he did as Editor of the "Christian," Manager of the Austral Co., and above all, as a teacher and an evangelist. I rejoice to know that ere he died, some token of our united love and esteem was given to him by the recent "Testimonial Fund." His happy release from pain and suffering cannot be lamented, but as a Church and people, we are poorer for his absence. The truest way to honour him is to strengthen the cause of N.T. Christianity to which he dedicated his life, and for which he laboured so ardently and faithfully, by whole-souled consecration and devotion ourselves.

      There will be a glorious fellowship of saints by-and-by, and amongst them we may hope to greet our dear brother, to whom, having lived and died "in Christ," belongs, along with all who are "faithful unto death," the heirship of heaven's glorious rewards. "Thy brother shall rise again" (Jno. 11:23).

      In the departure of A. B. Maston from this world the cause of Christ and the Church of God has lost a great man. Bro. Maston had a clear knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and he dearly loved [88] the Church. His energies were devoted to the Lord's cause, and he spared neither time nor talent to make the name of Jesus known, both far and near. Providence had richly gifted him with those qualities of mind and heart so that he could make his addresses on spiritual themes both simple and interesting. His originality of style was very marked, and often stood him in good stead. Few other men have done more during the last twenty years to spread primitive and apostolic Christianity in Australasia. The Churches of Christ owe a great deal to him. He was ever valiant for the truth as it is in Jesus. If a few words can sum up his life, I would write of him, "Faithful unto death." A noble, courageous, earnest Christian has gone from our midst, but we will ever cherish his memory. The last time, at Easter last, I gripped his hand to say "Good-bye, God bless you, brother," he looked up into my face and said, "Bro. Rankine, I will be on the look-out for your coming on the other side." He is safe now, "where beyond these voices there is peace."

      My association with our late Bro. Maston has been very intimate, specially since the formation of the Austral Publishing Company, and I can testify to one great aim of his life being to serve the brotherhood through that institution. But it seems more fitting to speak as secretary of the Church of Christ, at Swanston-st., Melbourne, of which Bro. Maston was a member for some years [89] past, and served the church as deacon and one of the presiding brethren.

      Bro. Maston often spoke of the obligations of church members in supporting all the interests of the congregations with which they are identified. He was loyal and true in this respect. While able, he was a regular attendant at the Lord's table, the gospel service, and the week-night meeting, taking any part allotted to him to the very best of his ability. "I love the Church of God," was a favourite thought.

      As an officer, he used his wide experience in helping to the effective management of church affairs, and was ever ready to render personal service in any direction possible.

      As a presiding brother at the Lord's table, Bro. Maston was pre-eminent. Always preparing with great care, he lent great dignity to the occasion. Sometimes he spoke very few words before the breaking of bread: such as he made use of were well chosen. His prayers in the church were eloquent and inspiring. I do not remember any brother more eloquent and impressive in prayer. In the reception of new members Bro. Maston was peculiarly happy, and benefited the old as well as those concerned sometimes as though an address might have been delivered. His memory will always help us.

      Our departed brother was a man of clear-cut conceptions of the fundamentals of the gospel, and absolute fearlessness in their expression; a man of profound faith in God, absolute trust in God, and supreme reverence for the Holy Scriptures. He had unbounded confidence in and admiration for the church as a divine institution, and as a perfect expression of the wisdom and power of God, to cure all the spiritual and social ills that afflict mankind. Knowing that the future of the race depends upon the character of the youth in the present, he was a sincere friend to the young, ever ready with counsel or with coin to help to the utmost of his ability young men, particularly those who by preaching the gospel sought to realise their noble aspirations. He believed in the plea of the Church of Christ with a faith that was sublime, and loved the brotherhood with an affection, and served it with a loyalty that has been rarely equalled and perhaps never excelled. While his life was abundant in immediate results, it was perhaps more remarkable for a sowing which, in successive harvests, shall yield a greater abundance as the years roll by.

      There is no necessity to ransack the vocabulary for adjectives in the superlative degree to adequately express a just appreciation of the character and work of A. B. Maston. The rugged, uncompromising grandeur and simplicity of his character, the transparent honesty and directness of its aim, lend themselves to eloquent expression in the simplest of language.

      It redounds to the honour of his memory that, when reviewing his life, the mind is not arrested and held enthralled by the brilliance of his attainments, but turns naturally in the direction of admiration of the noble achievements by the right use of moderate, though in no wise meagre talents, of which he was a faithful steward.

      He leaves no monument, in aspiring attempts at the solution of the great philosophical problems of the age, and still less in any masterpiece of scholastic erudition. Better than this he has left the influence of a Christ-like and eminent practical life to "tell on ages--tell for God."

      Nor, on the physical side, is the lesson of his life without an intensity of meaning and pathos. It is a demonstration of how under the most disqualifying and dispiriting of conditions, the grace of God, and the strength which comes from trust in Him, is sufficient to maintain the energies in the manifestation of an active, faithful, and honoured life, through which shine out the cardinal virtues of courage, fortitude, and fidelity. [92]

      Of him and his work it may be justly said, as in the divine appreciation of one of old, in the words of Holy Writ:--"He was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and much people was added unto the Lord."

      In taking up our pen to write a brief tribute to the life and worth of our much-beloved and lamented Bro. Maston, we feel how inadequate any words of ours are to do him justice. We were acquainted intimately with him for a quarter of a century, and we can truly say we knew him to love and admire him. His time, energies and ability were spent in advancing the cause he so much loved. All the brethren in the Commonwealth will be the poorer through his removal from us. Bro. Maston was firm to principle, affectionate, self-denying, and obliging, which secured him the love and esteem of the brotherhood, the whole of which will long associate with his name the most tender recollections. Our sympathies go out to his beloved ones left behind.

      Relief and loss are the words that best express my sense of the departure of our much loved friend and brother, A. B. Maston. Relief, because his intense and prolonged sufferings--agonies, we may say--are over. Loss, because he filled a place in our lives, and in the work of the brotherhood, which seemed to be his alone. But of his [93] public life I need say nothing. It is enough to know that his praise is in all the churches.

      During the twenty years I have had the pleasure of his friendship, I have had many glimpses of his nobility of soul. He lived such a busy life that it was not often that one could have a quiet talk with him, but when these moments were ours, the deep tenderness of his spirit soon became apparent, and his love for the brotherhood in general, and for individuals in particular, were things that made his greatness grow upon you. Personally, I owe him a debt of gratitude for his interest in my sons, who worked so many years under his direction at the Austral.

      "Bro. Maston is dead." We expected it; loving him, we desired it; yet how lonely we all feel to know that the lion-hearted Christ-like Maston has gone. We shall often find ourselves saying,

and we do not know how we can spare him. Yet he has lived a very full life, and the monuments of his industry and consecration are about us.

      I think Bro. Maston's favourite hymn must have been, "I love Thy Church, oh God," for he loved the Church with a deep, passionate love. Pain, disappointment, poverty, difficulty, opposition, were nothing if Christ's Church advanced like "an army with banners," and the greatest sorrow to Bro. Maston was lack of success of the enterprises [94] of the Church. He belonged to no other organisation. The Church filled his life, and absorbed all his energies.

      This love was the seed of all the growth of the various enterprises associated with Bro. Maston's name--Sower Tracts, Jubilee History, Austral Publishing Co., "Australian Christian," and Australian Bible College, These things helped to push on the chariot of Zion, and so, had Bro. Maston's enthusiastic, strenuous support.

      Loving the Church as he did, Bro. Maston could not understand a half-hearted worker in the vineyard of the Lord. As all roads lead to Rome, so everything in Bro. Maston's life pointed to Christ and His Church.

      I knew him for nearly twenty years. We were intimately associated. We did not always agree, but he never spoke an unkind word, and never refused to help when help was needed. No more tender, loving friend ever lived than A. B. Maston. No man was so well known all over Australia and New Zealand as Bro. Maston. He was a benediction to any life or church or Conference with which he was associated. New South Wales expresses its sympathy with Sister Maston and the family is the absence of their loved one. Such a life invites lengthy articles--it was so full of incident and so fruitful in results. I have only touched one or two head-lands of a Maston Continent.

      Although sharing with the dear ones bereaved, and with all the brotherhood, deep sorrow at losing so good and noble a friend and helper as the beloved A. B. Maston, yet I know I am likewise sharing a thankfulness which all feel, that so patient and heroic a sufferer is now at rest. He has waited with cheerfulness and with a faith, looking toward his Saviour during a long struggle for this blessed release and entrance into the sunshine of his eternal home. He was a good friend to me, and I thank God for the influence of his manly counsel and Christ-like life. What his life's work has meant to the many he befriended and to our great brotherhood, only eternity will reveal. He had one passion, to know Christ. The world has been enriched by his work, and the Church he loved made stronger; and now he has gone we are all poorer for the loss of a helper, friend and brother. I thank God for giving A. B. Maston to us in the vigour of his manhood, and am glad to believe that God has given his hero the conqueror's reward. [96]

      "There the weary be at rest"--and who shall come short of thankfulness that it is so? That he whom we have so loved, who these many years has dwelt within the shadow of suffering, should have passed beyond the veil into the glory of the presence and entered upon the domain of eternal peace,--is it not cause for profound thankfulness?

      Yet, withal, it is sad; sad indeed to think that we shall not again see him on this plane of life, that he has passed beyond our ken, and that for lack of him the world is all the poorer, and our hearts the emptier. Howbeit, God, He knoweth best, and beyond, "face to face," we shall "know" something of the mysteries of Divine providence, when, with our beloved brother, we stared at the right hand of the Almighty, in whose presence there is fulness of joy and pleasures evermore.

      A. B. Maston was of the rank of heroes,--there, was in him that nobility of character, that consecration of aim, that fearlessness of man, that spirit of gentleness, which at all times and under all circumstances are distinguishing characteristics of the true type of hero. It is, perhaps, not too much to say that some words of Carlyle's, in which he eulogises Luther, the Hero-Priest, have a singular application to our brother, for to me, at least, he ever seemed to be of the royal breed of hero. Says Carlyle: "I will call this--a true great man; great in intellect, great in courage, affection and integrity; one of our most lovable and precious men. Great, not as a hewn obelisk, but as an [97] Alpine mountain,--so simple, honest, spontaneous, not setting-up to be great at all; there for quite another purpose than being great." Noble words--and who shall deny their application to our brother?

      For nearly twenty-four years it has been my pleasure and privilege to know Bro. Maston, and during all those years his single aim seemed ever to be the advancement of the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ. Full of the significance of his work, he was always genial and blithe--aye, says Carlyle, "it is ever my thought that the most God-fearing man should be the most blithe man"--and to this test our brother rang true.

      The Church owes him much for his fidelity to principle, and his gentle firmness in fulfilling the duties of Editor of the "Australian Christian," and the whole-souled consecrated labours he put into the direction of the Austral tract and other publications. He was unable to work half-heartedly, for this is indeed an impossibility, to the hero (it is the hall-mark of the weakling), and so his physical strength was the only limitation of effort he recognised.

      When the Jubilee History was being completed, early in 1903, Bro. Maston wrote that if he succeeded in getting it through the press, his work would be finished--he wished to live till then! Yet, for nearly four years more he has fought and kept at bay the foul-fanged fiend that vampire-like sucked his very life-blood; four more years he gained in which to prove his love to God and his love for his brethren. Then came this--his last written [98] message to me, dated Feb. 21 of this year: "I am now fighting in the last ditch, am unable longer to work"--that meant death, and hero-like, if his work were done, 'twas only because the Angel of the Shadows had placed his chill, restraining grasp upon the active brain and hand, and whispered, "The Master hath need of thee, come up higher!"

      The Churches of Christ in New Zealand mourn his loss as of a dearly-loved brother, whose labours in the past did very much to advance the cause of primitive Christianity in these islands. To our bereaved Sister Mrs. Maston and her children we extend our deepest sympathy, and leave them prayerfully in the hands of Him who is the God of the widow and the fatherless.

      "With Christ, which is very far better." The words remind us that it would be selfish to even wish to recall to earth those who have been favoured with a summons to the presence of the King. Much as the brethren throughout Australia will miss Bro. Maston, whom they had learned to love and esteem, no one but rejoices that he has entered into rest, and has reached the land where there is no pain.

      Though dead, our brother yet speaketh. The wonderful patience, the marvellous cheerfulness with which great tasks were attempted and accomplished, in the face of suffering such as we cannot imagine, the passionate love for the church [99] which the Lord bought with His own precious blood, the strong uncompromising plea for a Christianity pure as at the beginning, the ready help extended to the brethren in any time of need--the memory of these things will be with us. We have seen the heroism of a Christian life, and should not forget the sight.

[LABM 77-100]