John Fawcett AUDIO gems
 

"Only a few years will pass before I go on the journey of no return." Job 16:22

"Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth." Joshua 23:14

Joshua was now an old man; and as he felt in himself the decays of nature, he reminded the people of his charge concerning it, and took his leave of them in a farewell address, assuring them that he could not be much longer with them as their teacher and governor.

The apostle Peter speaks much in the sane manner of his departure, 2 Peter 1:13-14, "And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live. For our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life." As if he had said, I must soon be dismissed from my present state of service, and therefore would stir up your minds by way of remembrance, that you may be quickened in preparation to quit this world, and to enter into the joy of our Lord.

We have another instance somewhat similar in the apostle Paul, 2 Timothy 4:6: "I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand."

Death is dreaded by many as a most terrible event; but these holy men were enabled to contemplate it with tranquility and composure. They all considered it in the same point of light, as the finishing of their course of activity here, and as taking a journey into the eternal world—the heavenly country. And, my honored friends, since you will not excuse me from addressing you at this time, I now stand up before you, though it is not with the full approbation of my own mind; because I am conscious of my many infirmities, and find my spirits very much broken by the loss of one who has long been dear to me.

I have chosen a subject somewhat congenial to my own circumstances and feelings, and through divine assistance, would suggest a few hints unto you as a dying man. "I am this day going the way of all the earth."

This plain observation arises from the words, that to die is to go a journey to the eternal world. We shall endeavor to consider the subject in this light.
 

1. When a godly man contemplates death as a journey, several pleasing ideas present themselves to his mind.

We often think of a journey with pleasure, and anticipate the enjoyment long beforehand. So a man of elevated piety and a heavenly temper, at some seasons rejoices in hope of the glory of God, or in expectation of being brought into his presence.

Perhaps there is nothing more pleasing in the prospect of a journey, than the hope of having an interview with those valuable friends to whom our hearts are united, and from whom we have been long separated.

This is applicable to the journey of which we are now going to speak. Many have already gone to the celestial country, whose departure from life we have deeply and sincerely lamented. But the hope of meeting them again to part no more, affords peculiar pleasure. On earth we lived with them in harmony and love; but this was but a shadow of what we shall then enjoy in the regions of immortality and unfading felicity! We were enabled to live together as heirs of the grace of life, but then we shall be advanced to the summit of celestial glory! We prayed, we wept, we rejoiced, with one another upon the earth. We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God as friends. We loved one another sincerely; but then our affection will be refined and exalted to the highest degree. Our mutual prayers will be answered, and our felicity will be complete, in the everlasting enjoyment of God, and of one another. The parting stroke was painful, but we shall then be happily united again, where there will be no more death, and where the fear of separation can have no place.

There we shall see a great multitude which no man can number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues. Men of all ranks and degrees; from the east and the west, the north and the south; from the populous city, and from the solitary desert. The heavenly country already abounds with inhabitants, and innumerable multitudes more are still hastening to it.

Nor will this blessed assembly ever break up, but continue through everlasting ages! The children of God who have lived in different periods of time, are there assembled together, and, without doubt, have that knowledge of one another which will be productive of mutual satisfaction and delight. How must the Christian rejoice in the prospect of being introduced into that most blessed society of the best and the holiest of men who ever lived since the world began! He will there hold familiar converse . . .
with Adam and Eve, the first parents of mankind;
with Enoch who walked with God, and was translated that he should not see death;
with Noah, the founder of a new world, who was an upright man, and perfect in his generation;
with Abraham, the father of the faithful;
with Jacob, who as a prince had power with God, and prevailed;
with Joseph, more glorious than when he shone in all the splendor of the Egyptian court.

He will there see Moses, the Jewish lawgiver, the meekest of men, who, while on earth, conversed with God face to face; and Aaron, the saint of the Lord.

He will be introduced into the company . . .
of Job, renowned for his patience in tribulation;
of Elijah, who was zealous for the Lord of hosts, and was caught up to Heaven in a fiery chariot;
of the seraphic prophet Isaiah, who saw the Redeemer's glory, and spoke of him with so much clearness and energy, many hundred years before he made his appearance on earth.

He will be the companion of David, the man after God's own heart, the sweet psalmist of Israel, whose compositions have often elevated his soul to Heaven.

He will be in the society of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, and hear from them a full explanation of those sublime passages in their writings which he could hardly understand on earth.

John, who leaned on the Savior's bosom, will clearly unfold his mysterious visions.

And blessed Paul lay open more at large the unsearchable riches of Christ. It is surely worth while to go a long journey to be introduced into such society as this.

The believer will see those saints above in their own glorious forms. He will see them made perfect in knowledge and holiness, and fully refined from all the dregs of impurity and disorderly passions. He will see them in no more danger of giving or taking offence. He will see Paul and Barnabas perfectly satisfied with each other. Discord will have no place there, nor will any resentment ever rise. No jarring string will ever interrupt the melody of the celestial regions. Calvin and Luther, Melancthon and Zwingli, Whitefield and Wesley, Conformists and Non-conformists, will there entirely accord. They will then see eye to eye. They will, in the fullest sense of the words, all speak the same things, and be perfectly joined together, of the same mind, and of the same judgment.

The believer will there see that minister whose labors, through grace, have been savingly beneficial to his soul; and he will have the happiness of seeing and of thanking those excellent men, whose writings have contributed so much to his instruction and edification in this world.

But after all that can be said about the pleasures which the Christian expects from society at the end of his journey, it is necessary to observe that it is the presence of the Lord of glory that makes this society so delightful. We talk of being introduced into the company of patriarchs and prophets, of apostles, martyrs and confessors, with all the glorious angels of light; but to be with Jesus is more than all the rest combined! Many have languished to behold him, and been willing to die for the sight. They have languished to see the King in his beauty, and to be in his presence where there is fullness of joy, and at his right hand where there are pleasures for evermore. The apostle Paul longed to go the journey we speak of for this very end, "Having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better" than anything else that can be mentioned. The words in the original are so very emphatic, that it is difficult to translate them literally. The apostle seems to labor for expression here, as much as in any part of his writings. "It is better beyond all comparison." The sight of him is indeed well worth dying for. David's language resembles that of Paul, "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?"

But farther; when we have a journey in view, we please ourselves with the hope of seeing the beautiful face of nature. At some seasons of the year, especially in the spring, every part of creation is decorated with attractive charms. Fruitful meadows covered with flocks and herds, flowery lawns, majestic woods and forests, spacious valleys, lofty hills and mountains, rocks and precipices, bubbling streams, flowing brooks and spacious rivers—charm the eye and inspire the heart with spring delight and joy. It might seem as if the bountiful Creator had adorned the surface of the earth with this profusion of beauties, on purpose to give us pleasure in beholding them, and to excite in us the sentiments and sensations of wonder, gratitude and love. The prospect of a journey is highly pleasing, because we hope to have our senses gratified with the sight of these attractive objects.

There are other scenes with the view of which we hope to be indulged in a journey. Peaceful cottages, splendid villas, flourishing towns and wealthy cities, afford a rich variety of entertainment to him who travels.

But none of these things will bear any comparison with the beauties and glories of that celestial country to which the Christian is journeying. It was typically represented as the land flowing with milk and honey, of which Moses had a pleasing view before his death.

Who can attempt to describe that garden of delights, the Paradise of God, in which our first parents were placed before the fall? All the beauties and blessings of creation were united there. It was a type of Heaven—that blessed place to which the Christian is journeying. Heaven is often called Paradise, but no doubt it excels the earthly Paradise as far as Heaven is higher than the earth.

Do we talk of being pleased with the sight of quaint villas, and towns and cities? What are these in comparison with those heavenly mansions of which God himself is the architect? What is the finest and fairest city in the world, when compared with the heavenly Jerusalem! Its gates are pearls, its foundations are precious stones, and its streets are paved with gold; the glory of God enlightens it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. "Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God!"

Thus, when a godly man contemplates death as a journey, many pleasing ideas present themselves to his mind.
 

2. This is a journey which may be near at hand. "I am this day going the way of all the earth." For anything we know, the journey may be just before us; there may be but a step between us and death! We have perpetual admonitions respecting the shortness and uncertainty of life. The word and the ministers of God unitedly call our attention to those subjects, and we ought earnestly to pray that the Lord would teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. "Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life." Psalm 39:4.

Our days are but a span, a hand-breadth, an inch or two of time. Life is but a vapor that appears for a little season, and vanishes away. Life is but like a flower of the field, which quickly fades, withers, and dies away. Our breath is in our nostrils, ever ready to depart, and any motion of our lungs may be the last. What numbers do we hear of who are cut off by sudden death! Many are called to set out on this journey at a moment's warning. The darksome messenger comes, and they must go, whether they are prepared or not; ready or unready, the summons must be obeyed; whether they be busy or indolent, active or negligent—they must immediately set out on this important journey. The call is often given at an unexpected moment.

While the man is vainly dreaming of years of felicity on earth, God says unto him, "You foolish mortal, this night shall your soul be required of you!" Thus the words of inspiration are verified: "In an hour when you think not, the Son of man will come." The living know that they must die. All men are sensible that they must go this journey sooner or later, but the general part of mankind consider it as at a considerable distance. This is a fatal source of carnal security, forgetfulness of God, and neglect of the great salvation.

When the Holy Spirit awakens you to a sense of your sinful and miserable condition, he will set death, judgment, and eternity, before your eyes; he will remind you that you should not boast of tomorrow, for you know not what a day may bring forth. Hence he is said to convince of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.

Oh that every one in this assembly may leave here under a deep conviction that his journey of death may be very near! Then he will begin to be seriously attentive to everlasting things, and will no longer trifle with God and with the eternal interests of his own soul.
 

3. This is a journey which we cannot avoid. It is the "way of all the earth." Those who forget God and live wickedly must go this journey. If they are unwilling to set out in it, they must be driven away: "The wicked is driven away in his wickedness." Some journeys may be put off to a future time; they may be deferred for a day, a week, or even a year. But this is not the case with the journey to the eternal world. Thousands would wish to defer it, at least for a little while, if it were in their power. Could they bribe the darksome messenger who is sent to call them away by the largest gifts they have it in their power to bestow, they would attempt it. They are eagerly attached to present objects, and unwilling to leave them. They have their portion in this life; they have looked for nothing better than that which this world can give. It is no wonder, therefore, that they are unwilling to relinquish all that they have loved, desired, and sought, above everything else.

"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Hence they are so earnestly and eagerly desirous of living a little longer. But their wishes are vain and unprofitable. They are conscious that they are unready for their last journey, and they dread the consequences. Hence death is to them the King of Terrors, more to be feared than anything else. But he is a messenger that will not be denied, an enemy that cannot be resisted. All the earth must yield to him. The high and the low, the rich and the poor, the prince on the throne and the beggar on the dunghill—all must go the journey of death, whether willing or unwilling, whether full of hope or sunk in despair, whether elevated with the joy of faith, or troubled with the terrors of approaching destruction.

In some journeys a man may engage a servant or a friend to go in his place; but this is inadmissible here, for no one can engage another to go this journey for him. It is so absolutely impossible, that no one ever thinks of proposing it to his servant, his friend, or relation. Nor can anyone in this respect "redeem his brother, nor give unto God a ransom for him, that he should still live forever, and not see corruption."

The veracity of the divine word is demonstrated in millions of instances, "Dust you are, and to dust you shall return!" You cannot say that proper warning has not been given to you, since every instance of mortality with which you are acquainted has this voice in it: "Prepare to meet your God!" This warning is felt in the ties of friendship when broken; it may be seen in the widow's tears, and heard in the cries of orphans. Graves are opened around us to devour their prey, and multitudes are lodged in them of every age, rank, and degree. "Man goes to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets." You cannot avoid this journey!
 

4. It is of great importance to be prepared for this journey. When a journey of grave importance is before us, a great deal of thought and care are employed, and much time spent in making preparation for it. But, though to be properly fitted and prepared for the journey of death is the greatest of all concerns—few, alas! are as attentive to it as they ought to be. The Redeemer of our souls most solemnly addresses us all upon this subject, "You must also be ready, for in an hour when you think not, the Son of man will come."

A very weighty question hence arises: What is the true, the best preparation for the journey of death?

I answer in a few words, a living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The voice of the gospel everywhere is, "Whoever believes in him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life." The complete atonement of Christ, received and trusted in, is that which disarms death of his sting, which silences the thunders of the law, and brings us to the enjoyment of peace and reconciliation with God.

Hence the apostle Paul tells us what was the prevailing desire of his heart, "That I may win Christ, and be found in him; not having my own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is by the faith of Jesus Christ, the righteousness of God by faith." I would meet death at my Savior's side, who has abolished it, and brought life and immortality to light. Or, like Simeon, I would meet death with the Savior in my arms, the arms of faith. Then I would say, "Lord, now let you your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation." I dare thus venture on this solemn journey. The valley of the shadow of death is dark and gloomy; there are a thousand terrors there; but I would say, "Lord, I fear no evil here, for you are with me." Hence said the apostle Paul, "I know in whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him until that day." Being savingly interested in Jesus Christ by faith, death is ours; it is a part of our patrimony; so that to die is gain. Whatever makes this journey an object of terror and dread—a lively faith in Jesus Christ removes it, and takes it away. Death's terror is the mountain which faith removes. "Tis faith disarms destruction; Believe, and look with triumph on the tomb.

Sin is the sting of death.

Sin is that which gives death all its destroying power.

Sin is that which makes us afraid to go this final journey.

Sin raises a thousand terrors in the mind.

But he who believes in Jesus, beholds him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, or puts it away by the sacrifice of himself. Hence the believer triumphantly cries, "O death, where is your sting?" It is drawn, it is gone, and death has become harmless. "Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ!"

A sense of the lack of a proper righteousness wherein to appear before the bar of God, will make us fear to die. But the believer can say, "Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength!" "He is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes."

A consciousness of impurity makes death formidable, since "without holiness no man can see the Lord;" but the heart is purified by faith in that precious blood which cleanses it from all sin. A living faith sanctifies the mind by leading it to the fountain opened for sin and impurity.

A prospect of the judgment to come makes a man dread to enter on the journey of death, since after death comes the judgment! But the believer in Jesus knows that the Judge is his friend and Savior, and as such he loves and longs for his appearing; for "there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." The Judge will say to them, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

The fear of the divine displeasure makes men shudder at the thoughts of death. But the believer beholds God's reconciled face in Christ, and says, "Being justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him."

The gloominess of the grave makes some men afraid to die. It is indeed a dwelling of darkness and corruption. But He who has said, "O death, I will be your plague," has also said, "O grave, I will be your destruction!" Let his own precious and animating words never be forgotten, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" Yes, Lord, we believe it! You shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto your own glorious body, according to the working whereby you are able to subdue all things unto yourself. In short, faith is connected with that love to God without which no man is prepared to die, or fit to go to Heaven.

Can you suppose that any man will be admitted into the regions of immortal love and purity, whose mind is alienated from God, and whose heart is full of enmity against him? To imagine this would be to dream of impossibilities. The kingdom was prepared for those who love God, and for no others. But then, love to Him is the certain attendant of faith in his name, for "faith works by love."

Faith is also productive of that deadness to the world which is necessary as a fitness for Heaven. "Whoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith." My brethren, you cannot go this journey safely, unless you are thus prepared. Above all things be attentive to this, for nothing can be of equal importance with it.

Let me then address every individual in this large assembly, and beseech you to be seriously attentive to the things which belong to your eternal peace. You know that you must go this journey, but are you prepared for it? The message of God to Hezekiah was, "Set your house in order, for you must die, and not live!" You must soon leave all the pleasures, endearments, and advantages of your present state—and launch forth into an unknown eternity. Let it be the uppermost concern of your minds to be found in a state of happy preparation for the journey.
 

5. This journey is to be taken but once. "It is appointed unto men once to die." The body indeed will be raised again, and at the resurrection of the just it will return to life. But he who goes the journey of death, never returns to this world again; his place shall know him no more. He returns not to the same condition, to the same work, to the same sufferings, the same weaknesses and sorrows, "Are not my days few? Cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little before I go whence I shall not return." This holy man kept in mind the idea of the journey which we are now representing, and profited by it, "When a few years are come, then I shall go the way whence I shall not return."

Thousands are going this journey every day, of all ages, of all ranks, and of all conditions; but not one of them returns again to tell us what he has met with, or where he has been. Brethren, we ourselves must soon visit that undiscovered country, from the confines of which no traveler returns. For,
 

6. This journey is to an everlasting dwelling. If we are the children of God—it is a journey to Heaven, to the regions of immortal light and felicity; to "a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." But, if we are the children of the wicked one, it is a journey to Hell, to the abodes of darkness, horror, and black despair, "prepared for the devil, and his angels." The broad way of self-indulgence, folly, and wickedness, most certainly leads to eternal damnation.

At death our state is unalterably fixed—fixed forever. There is no repentance in the grave, nor are pardons dispensed to the dead. These shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal. This will be the sentence of the great Judge of the living and the dead, a sentence which we must all shortly hear.

Can we conceive anything more dreadful than the doom of a dying sinner? To be driven from the presence of Christ as accursed, and to be consigned to everlasting misery—who can for one moment bear the thought! If a man knows himself to be in danger of this, in danger every hour, every moment, should he not eagerly and earnestly cry out, "What must I do to be saved?" O Lord, make speed to save me; make haste to help me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit.

Oh what a solemn journey is that which we have before us! A journey to eternity, a journey which will bring us where we must be, not for an age only, but for millions of ages, more millions of ages than there are sands on the sea shore; more millions of ages than there are blades of grass on the surface of the earth; more millions of ages than there are atoms in the universe! If we are uncertain what the end of this journey will be with respect to ourselves, how can we be at rest about it?

Let the negligent professor bestir himself without delay, and "give diligence to make his calling and election sure." Since the journey is of such importance, and for so long a stay—then surely it is needful to know where you are going, especially since the knowledge of this is an attainable privilege. "We know that, if the earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens!"

Oh remember, remember, my dear fellow-creatures, the journey you have to take is a journey to eternity! No journey can bear any comparison with this, in respect to importance. Your final journey ends in eternal joy—or everlasting woe; in consummate felicity—or in unutterable and unceasing anguish. "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord!" Hear, that your souls may live.
 

7. The expectation of this journey should loosen our hearts from earthly things.

What is this world to us—or all that it contains? We are going a journey to an eternal world, and the time of our departure is near at hand. Why should we cleave to that which we are just going to leave, and to leave forever? Arise, and depart; this is not your rest, your abiding place, because it is polluted, and will shortly fall a sacrifice to devouring flames! "You have here no continuing city," and therefore should be seeking one that is to come; "a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." This poor world is not your home; you should consider yourselves as strangers and pilgrims, traveling towards the heavenly country.

On due reflection, it must appear a great impropriety to be eagerly attached to the vain objects around us in the present world. Naked we came into it, and naked we must depart out of it, without the possibility of taking anything along with us, when we go our journey. "We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out; therefore having food and clothing, let us therewith be content."

Whatever we have in this world, be it more or less, it will presently be no longer ours. Be it silver or gold, house or land, pleasant gardens or growing plantations—they will shortly be left to others. "I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless." Ecclesiastes 2:18-19. We have acquired them, but we scarcely know who shall gather or possess them; much less do we know what use shall be made of them when we are gone. The consideration of the journey which is before us should check our eager pursuit of such uncertain worldly enjoyments, and prevent us from setting our hearts upon them. We have concerns of infinitely greater importance. We have possessions in prospect, as far surpassing what this world can afford, as Heaven is higher than the earth. May our hearts be dead to all earthly good. May our affections be set on things above, and our thoughts be in Heaven—that better country to which we are going, and where we will dwell forever.
 

8. Lastly, the prospect of this journey should moderate our sorrow under present afflictions.

What, though we have many and severe trials in the course of our pilgrimage here? We are going to leave them all, and be free from all of our troubles forever. "Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." If we are true disciples of Jesus, we have just reason to reckon that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Are we deprived of our dear pious relatives and friends? Let us remember that we too are "going the way of all the earth." We shall so soon follow them that it is scarcely worth while to bid them farewell. Yet we feel the parting stroke to be a severe trial. The death-bed of those whom we dearly and tenderly love is the most pitiable scene with which we are acquainted in this world. All that was excellent and amiable in the departing character, rises to the recollection with thrilling energy. The solemnity of that point of time closes mortal life, and opens upon an untried eternity; and that point once passed, the consideration of the sure and eternal blessedness of those that die in the Lord, forever released from all pains of body and mind—are affecting beyond what language can describe. We seem then indeed to feel that this poor world is a land of shadows. That all on earth is shadow—and all beyond is substance. How we long for that blissful state where change shall be no more!

A few more intervening days, and we also shall stand on the verge of time—on the brink of eternity! May divine grace enable us to cast the anchor of faith and hope firm on the Rock of ages, and though the storm may be severe, we shall get safely to land, and our landing will be triumphant!

How soothing is the reflection that those whom we have deposited in the tomb are sleeping in Jesus! The breathless clay is in his custody, waiting for the final manifestation of the sons of God. Could we but more frequently and more fully realize the great subject of the Christian salvation, we would be perfectly convinced that the grievous sufferings which sometimes attend our dying friends and relatives are, comparatively, as nothing—when considered as introductory to a state of eternal glory and blessedness.

A period is approaching, "when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality." Then shall be brought to pass the saying which is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory!" Death will be completely, entirely, and eternally, overcome.

We see our beloved relatives, and our dear friends in Christ, "going the way of all the earth;" but we know where they are going, even when they walk through the gloomy valley of the shadow of death.

If we have to drink deeply of the cup of sorrow, we are going where we shall drink the cup of consolation; where everlasting joy shall be upon our heads, where all tears shall be wiped away, and there shall be no more sorrow nor crying. "Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart."

If losses and poverty attend us in this world, we are going where all the riches of Heaven are to be enjoyed. A throne and a kingdom are prepared for us; and, being faithful unto death, we shall receive the crown of life. Every want will be removed, every wish fulfilled, and every desire granted; for "he who overcomes shall inherit all things;" he shall possess the riches of Heaven to the full extent of his most enlarged desires. The Lord says concerning him, "I will be his God—I will be to him a source of complete and everlasting blessedness. And he shall be my son—to inherit my kingdom, and dwell with me in it through eternal ages!

If we groan in this tabernacle under a load of bodily afflictions, we are going to that land where the inhabitants shall never more say, "I am sick." Mark yon poor cottager; his dwelling is damaged, and ready to fall; the windows are shattered, the roof is broken, and in the walls are many chinks and openings. You pity him, and tell him that his house is much out of repair. He answers with composure: I know it is so, but that gives me little concern; for I am soon going to the Celestial City. I shall soon move into a most comfortable and commodious dwelling; which my kind benefactor, as an act of unmerited love, has built, furnished, and prepared for me. I shall, therefore, joyfully leave this poor abode in which I suffer many inconveniences.

Apply this to the afflicted Christian. His body is enfeebled, shattered, and broken by disease, but he knows he is going to leave it, and this expectation supports and relieves him. We know that when this earthly body is dissolved, we have a better to go to, a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens! With this consideration our blessed Redeemer comforts the hearts of his followers: Let not your hearts be troubled—look forward to the heavenly world. In my Father's house from whence I came, and where I am going, there are many mansions where there will be everything to accommodate you in the most delightful manner! If it were not so, I would have told you, and not permitted you to impose on yourselves by any airy dream. I am now going, not only to receive my own reward, but to prepare a place for you and to dispose everything for your most honorable reception into that world of glory and felicity!

Thus we have briefly considered death as a journey. When viewed in this light, it affords some pleasing ideas to a godly man.

It is a journey which may be just at hand, a journey which we cannot avoid. It is of great importance to be prepared for it. It is to be taken but once, for it is a journey to an everlasting dwelling. The consideration of it should loosen our hearts from earthly things, and moderate our sorrow under present afflictions.

Let us now close our meditations on this subject. This journey, I fear, will be a dreadful one to some here present. O you who forget God, you who strive to banish the thoughts of death and eternity far from your minds—in what language shall I address you? What words shall I adopt in order, if it shall please God, to rouse you from your stupidity and insensibility? The dark messenger will soon arrive to call you away. Youth, and health, and strength, are no security. If none went on this journey but those who had reached threescore years and ten—then the case would be very different. But perhaps far more die before they have arrived at the meridian of life, than those who have passed that period.

Oh, you young people! may God give you an ear to hear his voice today! If the aged are past feeling for their souls—then we would hope better things of you. If they are like the beaten anvil, hardened by repeated strokes—then surely this is not your case. If they are like the deaf adder which stops her ear—then surely God will give you an ear to hear, and a heart to understand, that your souls may live. He alone can rouse the most insensible, whether old or young.

Unto you, O men, do I call. Prepare to meet your God. You will soon be called to meet him; and woe unto you if you are not prepared. Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light. He stands with open arms, ready to receive the returning sinner. Let none say, "There is no hope." A foundation is laid in the Redeemer's death, for the hope and encouragement of the most guilty and miserable of mankind. Without one moment's delay, begin to cry for mercy; for whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Once more I say, since this journey is unavoidable, and the time of it is uncertain. Since endless felicity, or everlasting misery hang in the balance, let it be your first and chief concern, through grace, to be prepared for it. This is the voice of Christ himself: "You also be ready, for in an hour when you think not, the Son of man will come."

Let no one in this congregation rest one day longer without knowing where he is going. Negligence in this, argues a state of insensibility and stupidity that can't be imagined.

Christian brethren, wait for the signal to go this journey. Have your loins girt, and your lights burning, and be like men that are looking for their Lord's coming. Remember he has said, "Behold, I come quickly." Let your answer be, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Amen.