The Sick Man's Employment; or
Views of Death and Eternity RealizedJohn Fawcett, 1774
PREFACEIt was the custom of David, and the practice of Hezekiah, Jonah, and others, kings and prophets, whose writings are contained in the sacred canon of scripture—to rehearse the agonies of their distress when they offered to Heaven their songs of deliverance. They recollected their hours and days of bitterness, and the workings of their souls amidst their sharp and grievous sorrows, to make the remembrance of their salvation the sweeter, and so kindle the zeal of their gratitude to a higher flame. We should strive to imitate such example.
Why should a Christian be any more afraid to tell the world of his afflictions, or distresses? Or why should he be ashamed to let them know, that, amidst those sinkings of life and nature, Christianity and the gospel were his support?
Dear brethren,
To the church committed to the author's care, may grace and peace be multiplied. The following pages are published, primarily, for your edification and comfort; and with a view to excite you and myself to a due improvement of that dispensation of providence to which they refer. The regard you expressed for me under my late affliction, in your prayers for me, and tears on my account, made very deep impressions on my mind; and served to heighten in me that tender and hearty concern for your spiritual and eternal welfare which the connection existing between us naturally requires. I doubt not but I have been reaping the fruits of your prayers to God for me, both in the support I have enjoyed under my affliction, and in my recovery from the bed of languishing.Has the Lord in very deed raised me up from the borders of the grave? May I be enabled to devote every hour of the life he has so graciously prolonged, to the honor of his holy name! I now address you, my dear friends, as one called back from the verge of the eternal world. And what shall I say? Even the same that I have declared unto you from the beginning, which you have received, and in which you stand:
That your natures are depraved, and your souls are lost and ruined by sin.
That Jesus is an all-sufficient and everlasting Savior. He has died for your sins, paid his blood, his life for your ransom—and ever lives to make intercession for you in Heaven.
That an experimental knowledge of him, and living faith in him, are essentially necessary to salvation—even such a knowledge as is influential, operative, and practical; and such a faith as works by love, and is accompanied with all the fruits of holiness in the temper and life.
That the Savior's love is sovereign, free, immense and everlasting!
That his salvation includes a final and complete deliverance from all sin.
That those who have believed, should be careful to maintain good works; and under the happy influence of the grace of God, which has appeared to all men in the blessed gospel, they should deny ungodliness and worldly lusts; and live soberly, righteously, and godly.
That they have their citizenship in Heaven, and continue in the daily expectation and joyful hope of the glory of God.
May the blessing of the God of Heaven attend the little piece which I now put into your hands!
I have found the devotional writings of other writers of special use to my own mind, both in times of health and sickness. They have been rendered so familiar to my mind, that I have sometimes expressed myself in their very words. Nor do I think it needful to make any apology for so doing, in a production of this kind. Suffice it to say, that in the following pages, you have, substantially, the very phrases in which your afflicted friend expressed himself, in the intervals between his fits of pain; as those who attended him can testify.
I am well aware I shall be censured for this publication by the enemies of experimental and vital Christianity. But I am not conscious that any ostentatious views have induced me to make these meditations public; and I am persuaded that what I have here expressed is conformable, though in an inferior degree, to the experience of God's saints recorded in scripture.
If these reflections should be of any service to my dear hearers, or to any others, whether in town or country, to whom I have the honor to stand related in the bonds of Christian friendship, in exciting a spirit of devotion, promoting their love and zeal, or engaging them more earnestly in the pursuit of heavenly objects, I shall be happy, though I fall under ten thousand censures from a giddy world.
Most earnestly do I wish, likewise, that any hint suggested in this small publication, may be owned of God for the conviction and conversion of some poor, careless sinner! Blessed Lord! have you made me a fisher of men? I here cast forth my net, slender and frail indeed, but O, let it not be wholly unsuccessful! Direct it to the right side of the ship, and let it happily draw and gather some souls to yourself. For this my soul longs, more than those who watch for the morning. Save, O Lord, I beseech you! O Lord, I beseech you, send now your blessing! Speak to the heart of every reader of this little book, or all will be in vain.
I only add my best wishes and affectionate prayers for you, my dear charge—that, as you are now my joy, you may be my crown of rejoicing in the day of the Lord Jesus; that you may stand fast in the truth, be fervent in love, lively in hope, holy and humble in your conduct; that you may be faithful unto death, and receive the crown of life in that blessed world to which these contemplations are designed to direct your thoughts.
I remain, dearly beloved,
Your affectionate pastor,
John Fawcett
June 1, 1774.
Section I. The Precariousness of Health, and the Uncertainty of Life
To what perils is life perpetually exposed! How various and numerous are the diseases and the dangers to which we are subject every moment! What is your life? An eminent father of the Christian church is at a loss whether to call it a dying life or a living death. The vigor of our existence falls away, like water that runs apace; and the blissful minutes of our early years vanish like a dream. What is health, but a fading flower! What is life, but a vapor which appears for a little season, and then vanishes away! It is but a speedy flight to eternity, a swift race to the grave, a flying cloud, a vanishing shadow, a perishing breath!
Three days ago I called to the gloomy repository of the tomb; a lovely, blooming creature, the hope of his father, and the joy of his mother. He possessed (at least, in a fond parent's estimation) of whatever may be supposed amiable and engaging in one of his years; and less than two weeks ago, smiling in vigorous health. But fierce disease soon sapped his tender frame, and relentless death quickly snatched him from our fond embrace. He died of the smallpox, aged four years and a half, after telling his father he would go to Jesus.
I have felt for my sweet babe with a sympathizing tenderness, but now I feel for myself. One loud alarm is succeeded by a second, louder still. The stroke is as sudden as the flight of an arrow, and as piercing as the point of a dagger. "Have pity on me, have pity on me, O my friends, for the hand of God has touched me! The arrows of the Almighty stick fast in me, and his hand presses me sorely. What shall I say? He has both spoken to me, and himself has done it. I mourn as a dove. My heart is smitten and withered like grass. O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me!"
Section 2. The Necessity of Constant Readiness for Death
"No one," says Seneca, "has such indulgence from the gods, that he may promise himself tomorrow." A certain historian mentions an eminent person, who being invited to dine the next day, answered, "I have not had a tomorrow for these many years." Methinks I hear the echo of the blessed Redeemer's most necessary and beneficial admonition, "You also be ready, for in an hour when you think not, the Son of man will come." We know not what shall be on the morrow, therefore it is vain to boast of it. Our souls may be required this night, yes, this moment!
"Dangers stand thick through all the ground
To push us to the tomb;
And fierce diseases wait around
To hurry mortals home."How necessary is it to be in a prepared state for death! This should be our principal, our prevailing concern. O, that we were wise, that we understood this, to duly and practically to consider our latter end! When the blast of sickness smites, or ghastly death shows his pale visage, and brandishes his dart; how miserable must be our condition, without a saving interest and a steady confidence in the all-glorious Redeemer! When we are seized with excruciating pain, or overwhelmed with pining sickness—we are as unfit to attend to the important concerns of our immortal souls, and to prepare to meet our God, as we are to run a race, or to grind at a mill.
Our blessed Lord assures us, that without a divine change of heart, called the new birth, we can neither see nor enter into the kingdom of Holiness here. This new birth is as essentially necessary to happiness hereafter, as life is necessary for breath and motion. Without repentance, genuine repentance towards God, and a living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ—die when we may, we are assured eternal destruction must be our portion!
How solicitously, then, should the hours of our health and vigor be employed, in seeking after a true acquaintance with these things! The signal for our removal hence may be given at a moment's warning. Should we not, then, perpetually be, as men who wait for their Lord, when he shall return from the wedding? Should we not have our loins girt, and our lamps burning? Should we not be most earnestly giving diligence to make our calling and election sure? We are subject to a thousand diseases; death is ever near; there is not a pore of our bodies by which disease may not at any time enter. Yet, alas! alas! how ineffectual are these considerations, to rouse secure mortals from their sad insensibility, and their too eager attachment to temporal things, to a due attention to everlasting concerns! Numbers daily fall on our right hand and on our left, some by slow degrees, and others in the twinkling of an eye. Yet the surviving crowds trifle still, as if they had an assured and eternal exemption from the arrests of death. Of all the marks of delusion among men, there can be none equal to that of trusting to a death-bed repentance.
O, that the voice which gave existence to the world, and calls the dead to life, may effectually awaken us from this awful delirium; that we may not sleep as do others, but watch and be sober! Knowing the things that belong to our peace, may we wait all the days of our appointed time until our change shall come! May we have such a spiritual knowledge of Christ, such a steady and unshaken faith in his merits, and such an sincere and superlative love to his name, as may embolden us to look death in the face with comfort, whenever he shall approach, or in whatever form he may attack us!
Section 3. The Acuteness of Pain.
Reflections on the Awful Punishment of Sinners in Hell.
How awfully severe are the paroxysms of this disease! How acute the pain when in its utmost violence! You who have experienced these agonies are witnesses. A deathlike coldness seizes the extremities, which is succeeded by the excessive heats of a scorching fever. Through all the pores, the attenuated juices gush out in profuse perspirations. With incessant toil I toss from side to side, but seek relief in vain. The restless arteries beat strongly; the panting breath is drawn with pain, and the tongue is parched with a thirst, which nothing can allay; while overwhelming sickness, by turns, threatens to seal up at once all the springs of life, and close the eyes to wake no more.
The extreme anguish of my body is heightened by all the horrors arising from great darkness of mind, and a sense of an absent God. "From above, has he sent fire into my bones, and it prevails against them." O that I knew where I might find him! I turn to the right hand and to the left, behind and before, yet I do not perceive him! And though I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer. The terrors of the Almighty seem to set themselves in array against me. Surely he is entering into judgment with me. "He has filled me with bitterness, he has made me drunken with wormwood." "The sorrows of death compass me about, and the pains of Hell get hold on me!"
The pains of HELL! Awful, alarming word! If my present agonies are almost insupportable, what must it be to endure the eternal horrors of the burning lake! Yet this is the just reward of sin. The sorrows I now endure will not last forever. A genuine, though but languid hope, that I shall yet see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, supports my fainting heart. But those dread abodes are
Regions of sorrow! doleful shades! where peace
And rest can never dwell! hope never comes,
That comes to all; but torture without end
Still urges, and a fiery deluge, fed
With ever-burning sulphur, unconsumed!Hark! methinks I hear the yells of yonder blaspheming crowds! Methinks I see mighty throng of drunkards, liars, swearers, adulterers and other ranks of the profane, weltering in the flaming billows, gnawing their tongues for pain, and cursing themselves a thousand times for the infatuation, folly and crimes, which plunged them into that hopeless place.
Whom do I see in those dark regions, gnawed incessantly with the ruthless fangs of the never-dying worm? A numerous crowd, who once despised the gospel of God, and turned a deaf ear to the messages of salvation. In neglect and contempt of Christ, and the things of his kingdom, they went away, one to his farm, another to his business; preferring, either the pleasures of sense, or the paltry concerns of this transitory world—to the treasures of the everlasting gospel, and the momentous affairs of eternity. "Woe unto them! it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for them."
Whom, let me repeat the inquiry, whom do I behold in those infernal flames?
Dives! Eighteen hundred years has he cried out in vain for one drop of water to cool his scorched tongue. But are his miseries any nearer to a close? Ah, no! "The smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever!" "Their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched."
Should the ablest arithmetician try to number the ages of eternity, he would be forever baffled. O, eternity! eternity! O immense, unfathomable depth! Millions of millions of ages, and ten thousand times ten thousand millions more, have no proportion to eternity!
And is it possible for dying mortals to forget this eternity? Is it possible for them to be as thoughtless about it, as if it were no more than an idle dream? What can exceed, what can equal the stupidity, the insensibility, the delusions of sinful man!
Sinner! where are you? Just on the verge of the burning lake of fire! Should the feeble thread of life be cut, should you die in your present state—then destruction, inevitable, eternal destruction awaits you. Ask yourself seriously, "Can you dwell with devouring fire? Can you dwell with everlasting burnings?"
If you can, go on—add iniquity to sin; still treasure up wrath against the day of wrath; and, for the sordid, the short-lived pleasures of sin, reap eternal ages of woe and horror! You are purchasing your carnal delights at a dear rate indeed. Such is the horrid nature of sin, that its proper wages, its just desert is death, or everlasting banishment from God, and an eternal Hell of misery!
Knowing these terrors of the Lord, by these awful considerations, gladly would I persuade my poor perishing fellow-sinners, to serious reflection, "Consider this, all you who forget God, lest he tear you in pieces, and there are none to deliver!" "The wicked shall be turned into Hell, and all the nations that forget God."
Supposing a glass containing the most deadly poison, but sweetly flavored, was set before you; and you were forewarned what would be the certain effect of drinking it. Would the transitory pleasure of tasting the delicious draught, tempt you to wantonly destroy your precious life?
Sin is this sweetened draught that tempts you!
But, O, remember, death is in the pot!
You perhaps have known what it is to shrink from a light affliction, which is but for a moment. How then, do you think that you can bear the eternal vengeance of that powerful arm which stretched out the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth, and poured out the waters of the mighty deep?
There is but one way of escaping this wrath to come; but one door of hope, but one refuge. And that is the Lord Jesus Christ; who exclaims, "Look unto me and be saved, all the ends of the earth."
Conscious of this, let my own soul, and every other helpless, self-despairing sinner, fly speedily to the gracious Redeemer; and, with the utmost ardor, lay hold on this hope set before us!
Jesus, I throw my arms around,
I hang upon your breast;
Without a gracious smile from you,
My spirit cannot rest.Give me one kind assuring word
To drive my fears away;
Then cheerfully my soul shall wait
Until the appointed day.
Section 4. Relief under the Consciousness of Guilt, by Views of the Atonement of Christ.
My conscience recollects the follies of my youth, and the long train of later and more aggravated offences, and tells me it would be just for God to forever to condemn me. I acknowledge the humbling and solemn truth. I can rank among none but the chief of sinners. Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you, and am no more worthy to be called your son."
I can draw no comfort from my own obedience; all that I can say is, I have aimed at sincerity and uprightness, and my conscience does not accuse me of the contrary. But alas! alas! I have failed in every point. My poor, imperfect obedience, fills me with shame upon every view of it. In myself I am a guilty, miserable offender. "Lord, you know all my foolishness, and my sins are not hidden from you." Confusion and death are my due. You write bitter things against me, and make me to remember the sins of my youth. It is of your mercies, O Lord, that I am not consumed."
But lo! the divine Redeemer has bled and died! He has bled and died as a atoning sacrifice for our sins! Cheering declaration! But is it true indeed? Yes! "It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save simers, of whom I am chief." "He has loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood." Happy tidings! Welcome news! Transporting discovery! More welcome than cold water to the thirsty soul! More delightful than the sweetest charms of the most melodious music to the listening ear. It is joy in trouble, and light in darkness. It is health in sickness, and life in death. I feel, yes, adored be divine grace, I feel its sovereign energy to quell the rising tempest in my troubled breast!
"Where now, O where shall wrathful thunders fall?
Christ's blood o'erspreads, and shields me from them all."The glory of this soul-quickening truth, sheds its sacred influence on my drooping mind. He gave himself for us—not barely for our good, but absolutely in our stead. Our sins were caused to meet upon him; and for these he was stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. He nas wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. Thus, by his own dear life, he ransomed guilty worms from death. The vials of wrath due to my provocations, were all poured out on the head of that spotless victim! Here is the door of hope in the valley of Achor.
My faith now fixes on a bleeding, dying Christ, and looks to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The question is not now, Whether God can be just in pardoning the vilest sinner. This has been determined long, long ago, by the adorable Trinity. "I will betroth you to me forever, yes, I will betroth you in righteousness and judgment."
Trouble not your thoughts how to clear my justice in that act. I know the thoughts that I have towards you, thoughts of peace, and not of evil. The case is well weighed and equitably settled. The just and holy God can righteously pardon.
O my soul! dwell on the life-giving theme.
My soul flees to Jesus and takes sanctuary in his sin-atoning satisfaction. This is her privileged place, where neither law nor justice will arrest her. "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." Romans 3:24-26. O blessed ground of comfort and peace! Here is firm footing, here is solid rock.
Now that I am upon the verge of eternity, and perhaps just going to launch into the invisible world, I can find consolation in nothing short of this precious truth—complete, entire, everlasting satisfaction made for sin, by the death of Christ.
"He has put away sin by the sacrifice of himself; and by one offering has perfected forever those who are sanctified." Two payments can never, righteously, be demanded for the same debt. Lo! "The fountain is opened for sin and impurity. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin."
What a solace in life, what a comfort in death, to a poor self-condemned criminal, is this conspicuous and capital truth of the everlasting gospel! Encouraged by this, may I not say, "And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us!" Romans 8:30-34
Be it that my sins are as scarlet, and more in number than the hairs of my head, yet the blood of Christ shall wash me white as snow. Through him, our God will "abundantly pardon, and cast all our sins into the depth of the sea. To him give all the prophets witness, that whoever believes in him shall receive remission of sins."
If the law requires punishment, Jesus, as the end of it, endured torments unutterable. If the law insists on blood, Jesus has fulfilled its requirements with blood divine. Does the law call for righteousness? Jesus voluntarily submitted to its authority, performed to the utmost every jot and tittle of its commands; and thereby, to the honor of God, and the everlasting consolation of all that believe, brought in perfect and everlasting righteousness. Hence, there is, there can be no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus; and as a proof of their being so, walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
O, precious Redeemer! O, precious blood! O, precious salvation! Sure relief, this, for a wounded conscience; honorable to God, safe for man, and most efficacious in its influence on the heart, to engage it to love, and stimulate it to obedience.
Those who represent this doctrine as having a licentious tendency, give the fullest proof that they have not the experimental knowledge of it; and, as such, they speak evil of what they understand not.
We love him because he first loved us. We are most effectually engaged to live unto him, who believe that he died for us. O! the blessings, the comforts, that spring from a right knowledge of Jesus! This is the knowledge which the blessed apostle Paul valued above all other attainments; in comparison of which, he counted all things but loss and dung. The knowledge of Jesus and him crucified, was, in his estimation, the one thing needful.
Section 5. The Sovereign Support Which the Gospel Affords in the Immediate Prospect of Death.
Those truths which I have endeavored, in my feeble way, to hold forth to others—are now my support and comfort. And O, how efficacious are they for that purpose! The doctrines of the divine word are, at all times, if properly applied—the noblest cordials that can be administered to the afflicted bosom. When it is out of the power of any worldly considerations to afford relief, how effectually have these been found to sustain the fainting heart!
How enlivening is the consideration of that everlasting covenant, which is "ordered in all things and sure, and contains all our salvation, and all our desire!"
How relieving is the thought of peace being made by the blood of the cross!
How comforting is the view of the sufficiency of pardon through the atoning sacrifice of the Son of God.
How elevating is the consideration of deliverance from the thraldom of sin, the tyranny of Satan, the sting of death, and the power of the grave, through the complete conquest he has gained!
How animating is the prospect of that life and immortality, which he has brought to light by the gospel!
How reviving are the many exceeding great and precious promises of his word—that he will never leave nor forsake us; that when we "pass through the fire, he will be with us, and through the waters, they shall not overflow us;" and that, "when flesh and heart fail, he will be the strength of our heart, and our portion forever!"
The Psalmist says, "Unless your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in mine affliction!" And again, "This is my comfort in my affliction, for your word has quickened me." To the divine word, he was indebted for all his comfort. The promises have been called by some:
the saint's legacies;
the rainbow of hope in floods of sorrow;
the saint's plank to swim upon to Heaven.How little can any creature contribute to the comfort of one agonizing in the pangs of death! It is the divine word alone which can afford relief. The divine word alone is able to buoy up the soul, and keep it from sinking in the overwhelming billows of affliction and sorrow. "I will never forget your precepts, for with them you have quickened me!"
When sore afflictions press me down,
I need your quickening powers;
Your word that I have rested on,
Shall help my heaviest hours.A word from God's mouth can heal a wounded, distressed spirit, even while the body still continues to pine and languish. "In the multitude of my thoughts within me, your comforts delight my soul." A word of promise applied to the heart . . .
will conquer the horrors of death,
will make a legion of devils flee,
and turn our Hell to Heaven.A word from your lips, O my God! can remove mountains of guilt, fear, and despair; and fill my heart with sacred joy and peace, in spite of all the united efforts of Satan and unbelief to disquiet it.
One glance of yours, one piercing ray
Shall kindle darkness into day.
One word of yours shall quell my inward strife,
And call your half dead servant back to life;
Shall sooth my passions, all my fears control,
And with that peace divine fill all my soul,
Which nothing earthly gives, nor can destroy,
The mind's calm sun-shine, and the heartfelt joy!
Section 6. Death Disarmed
The pale messenger of death seems to be approaching. It is probable I have but a few days, a few hours longer to live. But, glory be to God! I am not afraid to die. Death comes, not armed with those horrors in which I have sometimes beheld him; he approaches with an angel's face, and a deliverer's hand. It is sin which alone furnishes death with his dreadful sting; and through the atoning blood of the dying Savior, all my sins are done away. O, precious Christ! precious blood! and precious faith, by which we are enabled to claim an interest in both!
Death's terror is the mountain which faith removes,
'Tis faith disarms destruction!
Believe, and look with triumph on the tomb.O, my friends, it is sweet lying in these circumstances, when we can, with propriety, adopt the noble challenge, "Death, where is your sting? Grave, where is your victory?" I have ventured my all in the hands of the Savior of sinners. Here I cast the anchor of my hopes, and here I leave myself. I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day. The foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are his." I have the promise and the oath of the eternal God for my support, security, and consolation. "He who believes on me," says the divine Redeemer, "shall never die!" That is, he shall not die eternally.
He who has promised is faithful. What is there in death, that I should dread? The sons of Jacob were not afraid to go down into Egypt, when they knew that their dear brother was governor of the country; why then should I shudder at the thoughts of death, since this shall transmit me into the presence of my dear Lord and Savior? No! in this happy hour I perceive nothing dreadful in the aspect of death. He approaches my bed, he accosts my languishing heart—but with no tokens of harm, armed with no frightful sting; but commissioned on an errand of peace. He comes with gentle invitations from my gracious Redeemer. Welcome, welcome, O kind messenger of my liberty and happiness! Cut short your work upon me; execute your office; open the prison doors; knock off my fetters, and let my soul now gain her sweet release from cumbrous flesh, and take her speedy flight to Abraham's bosom! Come, you bright celestial spirits, you guardians of the just; take me on your wings, and convey me safely through the airy regions.
Hark! they whisper! angels say,
Sister spirit, come away!
The world recedes; it disappears!
Heaven opens to my eyes! my ears!
With sounds seraphic ring;
Lend, lend your wings! I mount! I fly!
O, grave, where is your victory?
O, death, where is your sting?Persevere in faith and patience. It is but a little, a very little while—and your work will be at an end. Soon the sighs and groans shall be converted into everlasting hallelujahs. A few more weary steps, and the journey of life will be finished. A few more struggles, and the warfare will be accomplished, the conflict shall cease, and the happy eternity of bliss and triumph commence.
After these painful agonies, how greedily shall I drink in immortal bliss and pleasure? Adieu to sickness, and these excruciating pains, forever. Adieu to sorrow, sadness and sighing. All tears shall be wiped away; and the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne, shall lead me to fountains of living water. Break away, you thick clouds; begone, you envious shadows, and let me see the glories you conceal. Let me survey the happy regions, which I hope before long to possess. O, blessed eternity! With you come liberty, and peace, and love, and endless felicity. Pain and sorrow, and tumult, and death, and darkness, vanish before you forever.
Yonder are the delectable hills, and harmonious valleys, which continually echo to the songs of angels. There the blissful fields extend their verdure, and there the immortal groves ascend; but, how dazzling is your prospect, Î city of God, of which such glorious things are spoken!
The Jordan of death is a shallow and fordable stream. The Lord of life and glory has passed through before me, in his way to yonder happy and holy world. I see the footsteps of my dear Savior at the bottom, and Heaven and happiness on the other side. "Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for you are with me;" and, having such a convoy, what should I dread?
Then shall you hear my heart-strings break,
How sweet the minutes roll!
A mortal paleness on my cheek,
And glory in my soul.
Section 7. Divine Love and Grace
How could the Almighty have given us a brighter display, or a more astounding proof of His infinitely rich grace and love, than He has done by surrendering His only begotten Son to condemnation and death for our sakes? We talk of wonders. All wonders are lost in that of the incarnation and bloody passion of the adorable Jesus.
Who can measure the height, who can fathom the depth, or number the length and breadth of that love of the eternal God, who thus spoke in reference to my poor sinful perishing soul: "My Son shall bleed, that you may be healed. My Son shall die, that you may live eternally. Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other!"
Was it not likewise astonishing and immeasurable love in the dear Redeemer, thus to speak: "Willingly, willingly I become incarnate. I give Myself to be made a curse, to bleed, to suffer, to die—that this poor rebel may be brought back to God; that this condemned criminal may be pardoned and saved."
There is nothing in us, or done by us, that can be a motive, inducement, or recompense to this astounding love. It is as absolutely free as it is unspeakably great. Christ loved us, not on account of any foreseen excellency in us, or upon any expectation of recompense from us. Nay, He loved us, not only without, but against our deserts. Who can number, who can estimate the fruits and blessings of this love? Greater I cannot desire, richer I cannot enjoy. They are more in number than the sands on the seashore!
How many sins does it pardon,
how many needs does it supply,
how many evils does it avert, and
how many gifts, honors and privileges, does it confer!
What opposition does it overcome, and what obstacles does it remove!How sovereign is its power, as well as superabundant its riches!
If ever my poor soul is brought to yonder bright world above, "Grace, grace!" must be my theme to all eternity. None are so great a debtor to rich grace as me. Let me live and die in the admiration of it.
"May you have the power to understand, as all God's people should—how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully!" Ephesians 3:18-19
O, goodness infinite! goodness immense,
And love that passes knowledge! Words are vain,
Language is lost in wonders so divine,
Come then expressive silence, muse his praise.
Section 8. The Heavenly World
When one was asked why he was born, he answered, "That I might meditate on Heaven." Surely the believing soul is born again for this noble end. Consider, O my soul, what and where you shall be in a little while.
WHAT shall you be? A glorified saint, a triumphant conqueror, a crowned king, a companion of cherubim, an attendant on the Lamb wherever he goes, a spectator of all the glories of the upper world!
WHERE shall you be? Far beyond the sun and stars, in the regions of immortal day, the celestial city, the heavenly Jerusalem. In that city which is of pure, transparent gold; whose foundations are garnished with all manner of precious stones; whose gates are pearls, whose light is glory, and whose temple is the living God.
Is it called a kingdom?
It is a kingdom of righteousness.
It is a kingdom of peace.
It is a kingdom of glory.
It is a an everlasting kingdom.
"Then shall the righteous shine as the sun, in the kingdom of their Father."
There I shall join the innumerable company of angels. And if they are happily instrumental in my well-being here—then much more may I suppose, they will be so there, when I shall be more capable of communion with them.
If now there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents now—then what joy will there be over a perfect, glorified soul?
If our angels there behold our Father's face—then how rejoiced will they be at our safe arrival on those peaceful shores?
And, surely, love and union will make these joys reciprocal. We shall join the happy choir, who rest not, day nor night, saying; "Holy, holy, holy is Lord God Almighty! Who is, and was, and is to come."
Nor is this all. There will likewise be the company and blessed society of glorified saints, who doubtless have a clear and distinct knowledge one of another. Can I imagine that the knowledge of the inhabitants of that happy world is more imperfect than the knowledge of saints below? Shall we not know much more, and not less, than we do here? Does not Heaven exceed earth, as much in knowledge as in joy? Have not the blessed angels a distinct knowledge of the lowest believer on earth? And are they not, as such, called their angels? If the two disciples knew Moses and Elijah on the mount, whom they had never seen before—then much more shall those who have been connected by the sweetest ties of Christian fellowship below, have the happiness of a clear knowledge of one another in Heaven.
My old acquaintance with many a holy person gone to Christ, makes my thoughts of Heaven the more familiar to me. O, how many of them could I name! And it is no small encouragement to one, who is to enter upon an unseen world, to think that he goes no untrodden path, nor enters into a solitary or singular state; but he follows all the redeemed who have passed by death, from the creation of the world to this day, into endless life.
And O, how delightful will that communion of saints be, where the warmest love, and the firmest concord are experienced! Remember, O my soul, how happy the course of my pilgrimage has been rendered, by the fragrance and usefulness of the graces of fellow-Christians! How endeared have my faithful friends and companions been! How comforting, refreshing, reviving were their holy assemblies, heavenly conversation, and devout prayers! What then, O, what will it be, to live with glorified saints in Heaven in the eternal enjoyment of perfect love.
And you, my dear friends, who have been my chosen companions here, it rejoices me to think of having your company and fellowship in the eternal world. How emboldening to consider, that I am to go the same way, and to the same place and state, with all the believers and saints that have ever gone before me!
We'll charge our parting souls to meet above,
In yon blessed regions of immortal love;
Where friendship, heaven-born, perfect growth attains,
And ever flourishes, and ever reigns.Come, then, my associates in tribulation, let us be of good cheer! Soon the imperfect fellowship which we enjoy together below, shall be perfected in the eternal kingdom of our Father. We have sighed and sung, rejoiced and wept together, below; and by a tender sympathizing concern, borne one another's burdens, strengthened one another's hands, and each contributed to the advancement of his brother's joy. A friendship so divine must exist forever. Death itself shall not dissolve the tie; the unseen world shall neither destroy nor diminish the privilege—but heighten, ennoble and advance it, beyond all conception.
Let us then look over the few intervening days of sorrow and affliction below, and ever live in the joyful expectation of our meeting around the throne of God and of the Lamb!
There, on a green and flow'ry mount,
Our weary souls shall sit;
And with transporting joys recount
The labors of our feet.But after all, may I not say as others have done before me: "Lord! I would not care for Heaven, were it not for the hope of enjoying you there? Where the King is, there is the court; and where the presence of God is, there is Heaven. Were there no mansion of bliss to entertain me, no weight of glory to crown me, no angels of light to attend me—yet God would be all in all to me."
Think, O my soul, what a life you shall live in the presence and enjoyment of infinite and eternal love! I now behold him as through a glass, dimly and obscurely, as through the crevices of my darksome habitation; but then he will shine on me and in me forever, with the most refulgent beams of love. I shall joyfully behold his unveiled face. I shall listen, without obstructing mediums, to his transporting voice. His gracious looks through the lattice, have often revived me here below; but then shall my satisfaction be full and complete, when I behold his face in righteousness, and awake in his likeness! All beauty, excellency, and perfection center in him. Whatever there is of loveliness in any, or all, of his creatures—is found in full perfection in him, and infinitely more.
Jesus is the chief among ten thousand, and altogether lovely! His presence makes Heaven what it is. His smiles create eternal day in the bright regions above; and fill the celestial assembly with transports of delight.
"Oh, that my words were now written; oh, that they were printed in a book! That they were engraved with an iron pen in the rock forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God! I shall see him myself, and my eyes shall behold him forever."
There I shall see the sacred body of the Son of God, now glorified and shining with ineffable splendor. I shall see the same immaculate body which the virgin bore, and the disciples saw transfigured on the Mount.
I shall see those blessed feet which went about doing good; which Mary washed with her tears, and wiped with the hair of her head; and which at length, were transfixed and nailed to the fatal tree.
I shall see those temples which were once crowned with lacerating thorns; and the face once defiled with shameful spitting, but now radiant with unutterable splendor and glory.
I shall see those dear hands, so often stretched out to heal the sick, and at length extended on the ignominious cross, when the crude iron tore the shivering nerves, until he said, "It is finished!" and bowed his head, and died.
The print of the nails, and the other scars of honor in his flesh, which doubting Thomas once saw and handled, will be ever beheld with inexpressible wonder, love, and joy, by all the tribes of the redeemed.
"Your eyes shall behold the King in his beauty." Your eyes shall see him who for your sake, was gashed with wounds, and covered with blood; who was pierced with nails, and stabbed to the heart; by whose stripes you are healed. Your eyes shall behold him who once, when working out salvation for us, had nowhere to lay his head, was an exile in Egypt, a prisoner at Pilate's bar, a corpse in Joseph's sepulcher; but who rose triumphant thence, bursting the adamantine chains and iron bars of death, and ascended up on high, leading captivity captive. You shall see him who is now in the midst of the eternal throne, who appears as a Lamb that has been slain, and yet is King of kings, and Lord of lords; who is worshiped, honored, and adored by all the angelic hosts, and all the spirits of just men made perfect. You shall be in "his presence, where there is fullness of joy, and at his right hand, where there are pleasures for evermore." Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing!
"Brethren, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14
Section 9. Longing to Die and Be with Jesus
Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why do the wheels of his chariot linger? Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!
Haste, my Beloved, fetch my soul,
Up to your blessed abode;
Fly, for my spirit longs to see
My Savior and my God.O happy event that will ease me of all the pains of my body, and all the conflicts of my soul! Death, like a valuable physician, shall at once cure all my distempers in both. I shall then no more hear from a fellow-mortal's tongue what a glorious place the heavenly Jerusalem is—but I shall walk, myself, in the golden streets of the city of our God. One moment's sight of it will inform me more what it is, than all the volumes in my library could ever do.
"How long, O Lord, holy and true!" Speak the word, and sign my release from this cumbrous flesh. Bid me that I come unto you, as you did Peter upon the water—reach forth your gracious hand, and take me to your bosom.
"When shall I come and appear before God?"
O, to mount! to mount away!
And leave this clod of heavy clay!I cannot but, in some sort, shrink back at the thoughts of recovery, and of returning to the world again, though, on some accounts, desirable. Discouragements arise from the view of my own great weakness, and the numberless enemies, snares and dangers, which beset my path; lest I should in one respect or another, dishonor that sacred name, and injure that good cause, which are dearer to me than life. I tremble, I shudder at the thought! I long for those peaceful and holy regions, where sin and temptation shall be known no more. If my heart deceives me not, I feel a willingness to bear the sorrows and afflictions of this mortal state, but I dread the thoughts of being ensnared by sin. I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better than even being employed in his service below; nevertheless to abide in the flesh may seem more needful for my family, my flock, and those who are committed to my care.
Much rather would I continue to exist even on this bed of pain, excruciating as it is, than live in health and ease to dishonor God. But "why are you cast down, O my soul? Why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God." He is not only faithful to his promise, that his people shall never finally perish; but he is able to keep them from falling in their way to the kingdom, and present them before the presence of his glory!
This is the summit of my wishes: I ask not long life, nor the riches, honors, or pleasures of this world; all I desire is that I may be introduced into your glorious presence, and be kept from sin and every unworthy practice in my way thither. Grant me this, for your own honor, and I ask no more. It would not satisfy me only to die the death of the righteous, I would also live the life of the righteous. I ask no exemption from sufferings, but only preservation from sin.
Section 10. The Vanity of the World, and God Our Only Happiness
'Tis finished now, the great deciding part;
The world's subdued, and Heaven has all my heart!What is the sum of all that this world can tempt me with?
Unhappy is he who has no better portion than what this fluctuating world can afford. He may, whatever he possesses, not only be miserable forever hereafter, but even a stranger to peace here, like the troubled sea which cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
The time of mourning for the departure of all earthly enjoyments is at hand. We shall see them as Eglon's servants did their master: fallen down dead before us, and weep because they are not.
"Cast but a glance at RICHES, and they are gone; for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle!" Proverbs 23:5
"Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath" Proverbs 11:4
"But God said to him: You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?" Luke 12:20
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21
Worldly riches are not true riches. Worldly riches are not durable, but uncertain riches.
HONOR is a temptation to some. But how arduous is the attainment thereof, and what is it when enjoyed? It is a puff of noisy breath. It is as deceitful as a brook, as uncertain as a wave of the sea, as transitory and fleeting as the breaking bubble. He who thinks he shall one day be made happy by honor, is pursuing an empty shadow, grasping the volatile smoke; or in the language of inspiration, "He is sowing the wind, and shall reap the whirlwind."
The CARNAL PLEASURES of this world, at best, are only vanity and froth; and frequently, wormwood and gall. To be enamored with these, is to court death and damnation.
A dying bed will tear away the mask from all these flattering delusions, and set them before us in a just and proper light. In affliction's looking-glass, we may plainly perceive the vanity and insignificance of this world, and the importance and surpassing claims of eternity. Lord, let the thoughts of the glory and bliss which you have prepared for me in Heaven, cause me to turn away with disdain from the delusive baubles—the alluring pleasures and delights of this world! Have you prepared a mansion for me in Heaven, and shall I prefer a pitiful earthly abode? Who would place so large and capacious a vessel as the immortal soul under a few drops of carnal pleasure, and neglect the source of everlasting joy? Who would disregard an eternal kingdom to embrace a dunghill?
If a heathen could say, "I am born to greater and higher things, than to be a drudge to the world;" much more should the Christian thus judge. "We are born to liberty and honor," says another of the sages of antiquity. But the blessed gospel only can teach us what liberty and honor are.
The volume of inspiration shows us that God himself is the center, rest, refuge, portion, and exceedingly great reward of an immortal soul. We are endowed with capacities and powers, so vast and unbounded, that nothing short of an infinite good can fill them.
It is well observed by an ancient Christian writer, that, "To love the chief good is our greatest happiness." God is supreme perfection in himself, and the highest good to the creature; hence it must be our highest wisdom to choose him, cleave to him, and rest in him forever.
"O my soul, God is your end and excellency; and your happiness lies in the enjoyment of him. The felicity of man consists in his favor. His love is better than life. His smile constitutes Heaven, and his frown is worse than destruction. You earthly vanities, adieu! My soul is winged by Heaven, to grasp at an infinite good. Lord, I follow hard after you. Whom have I in Heaven but you? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides you.
"Let it not offend you, that a worm of the earth adores and loves you. You have formed me with an immortal nature, which nothing short of your own infinite self can satisfy. The wide creation affords nothing adequate to my enlarged and extended desires. Deprived of the enjoyment of you, and I should eternally pine away in poverty and wretchedness. My soul can meet with no other objects equal to her wishes. You alone can satisfy the capacious desires of the soul you have created; and you are all in all.
Let others stretch their arms like seas,
And grasp in all the shore;
Grant me the visits of your face,
And I desire no more!
Section 11. The Profit of Afflictions
Had we been without our sharpest trials, we would probably have missed our sweetest consolations. The Christian's heaviest sorrows and choicest comforts often go hand in hand. Yes, when tribulation abounds, then consolation, sometimes, super-abounds. The charitable relieve the poor and indigent, as their necessities increase; even so, the Lord Jesus Christ comforts his people as their troubles multiply. "In the day that I cried, you answered me, and strengthened me with strength in my soul." Psalm 133:3.
The divine promises are like vessels of cordial wine, reserved for, and broached in times of distress. The dear child of God is made to experience that there is a joyous and unutterable support in having a God to go to and call upon in the day of trouble. He has said, Jeremiah 33:3, "Call unto me, I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things which you know not."
The furnace is no unusual place in which to find the saints of God, nor is it any unusual thing to find God himself in the furnace with them; especially, when it is, as it were, heated seven times hotter than usual. "He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him," is his gracious promise. "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior!" Isaiah 43:1-3
He is as ready to support his people in all their afflictions, as a man is to comfort his dearest child, or to allay the anguish of his own smarting flesh.
"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your word." Psalm 119:67
"It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn Your decrees." Psalm 119:71
"I know, O LORD, that Your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness You have afflicted me." Psalm 119:75
"This is the will of God, even our sanctification." And that afflictive dispensations are the appointed means for promoting that end, the divine Word abundantly testifies: "He chastens us for our profit, to make us partakers of His holiness." May we not, then, truly say, "Happy is the man whom God corrects." "Blessed is the man whom You chasten, and teach out of Your law."
1. By afflictions we gain much knowledge of ourselves. When corrupt nature is vexed, it shows its real self. As in tempestuous weather, the chinks and openings in the roofs of our houses are most sensibly perceived--so in sharp afflictions we learn our own defects, weaknesses and sins.
2. Afflictions tend to wean us from the world. When in uninterrupted health and prosperity, we are apt to be too much pleased with our present condition, and to lose sight of the crown of glory and the everlasting mansions above--the loud alarm of afflictions rouses us from the enchanting delusion! The violence of a tempest impels the mariner to long the more earnestly for the haven of rest.
3. Afflictions serve, likewise, to quicken our affections to the Lord Jesus Christ. While in ease and tranquility, a spirit of lethargy too often pervades the mind, in regard to Christ and the blessings of his salvation. But, when the tides of distress and sorrow come rolling in upon us, we are willing, we are glad to seek rest in him who is our only hope and Savior in times of trouble.
On all these, and many other accounts, I hope I can say, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted." Yes, thanks to my heavenly Father for the sharpest pains I have felt!
In truly sanctified afflictions we have a striking solution of Samson's riddle. How often, and how remarkably is it explained and fulfilled in the experience of the saints in times of distress! "Out of the eater, came something to eat. Out of the strong, came something sweet." Judges 14:14
How fit is it that He who is infinitely wise and inconceivably kind, should choose our inheritance for us! And how does it befit us to acquiesce entirely in His appointment!
Good when He gives, supremely good,
Nor less when He denies;
Afflictions from His sovereign hand
Are blessings in disguise!The Lord has just removed my dearly loved boy, perhaps to teach me that he has a sovereign right and supreme claim to my heart. Amen, even so Lord Jesus!
Take my poor heart, and let it be
Forever closed to all but Thee;
O seal my heart, and let me wear
That pledge of love forever there.God has spoken once, yes twice, and his hand has touched my own bodily frame. This, perhaps, is to teach me, that the present world is not my rest; but that he will, before long, remove me from hence. The swelling waves of affliction are but to raise me nearer Heaven, and the yawning deeps are designed to awaken my desires after my Master.
All these considerations should teach me to be patient, humble, and resigned. "I was silent, I opened not my mouth, (to murmur or repine,) because You are the one who has done this." I know from whom this awful stroke came, You did it! You, whom I have offended, and therefore I ought to take it patiently; you whom I love, and so I can take it kindly. The Lord has not dealt with me according to my deserts. I am chastened, but not consumed. I lie in a bed of pain, but instead of this I might have had a bed of flames! I am poor and needy, but the Lord thinks upon me in my low estate, and puts underneath me his everlasting arms. I accept, therefore, this correction most thankfully; yes, though he slays me, yet will I trust in him. He visits me with his chastening rod, but this is in mercy. The rod comes on mercy's errand. He kindly sweetens the bitter cup, and makes all my bed in my sickness. This calms my soul, and quiets every unruly thought and passion. I charge my heart to be silent and patient still, and to wait for the salvation of the Lord.
I would humble myself under the mighty hand of God. May his fatherly chastisement bring forth in me the peaceable fruits of righteousness. May my whole soul be sweetly and happily stayed on His divine power, truth, faithfulness, wisdom and love; that I may be enabled to bow with humility, submission and adoration, before my God and Father, saying, "Here I am, let him do to me as seems good in his sight." I know that he is too wise to be mistaken. I know that he is too good to be unkind. I know that he is leading me forth by a right, though it be a rough way, that I may go to a city of habitation. I know that He is leading me forth by a right, though it be a rough way, that I may go to a city of habitation. May I bow my head, and dutifully stand in the lot which my Almighty Sovereign is pleased to assign to me.
Come then, my soul,
Commit you all your griefs
And ways into his hands,
To his sure truth and tender care,
Who earth and Heaven commands.
Section 12. The Inexcusableness of Indifference in the Things of Religion
I have ever loathed a spirit of lukewarmness and indifference in religious matters, but never so much so as now. Detestable sluggishness! To trifle in the pursuit of any important object is inexcusable; but here it is inexpressibly criminal. My conscience now reproaches me on account of my past inactivity. I see the ambitious and earthly-minded solicitous and restless to make themselves great in the world. What toils do they undergo, what unwearied pains do they take—to purchase the regard and veneration of their fellow-worms! What projects do they form, and with what difficulty and unwearied labor do they pursue their designs—while they are in quest of gaudy toys!
And shall I trifle in the pursuit of celestial felicity and honor? Shall I loiter in the noble strife, when every moment's toil will be recompensed with eternal ages of rest and triumph? See! see! the moments fly, the labor shortens, and the immense reward draws near! The palm of victory, the starry crown, are in view! The happy realms and fields of light entertain me with their glorious prospect. Rouse up, O my soul, to the most active pursuit of these felicities! Rouse up all your powers, and let it never be your reproach to breathe the pernicious spirit of Laodicean lukewarmness.
Indolence, in religious matters, is inexpressibly offensive to the Lord Jesus Christ. And well it may. If Christianity is a reality, then it is the most excellent and important of all subjects. How inexcusable, then, must it be, to treat it with apathy and negligence! How affronting to its divine Author, to pursue it with a divided heart! The Lord Jesus assures lukewarm professors, that this temper is nauseous to him. Why, O you triflers in religion! Why do you halt you between two opinions? If the Lord is God, then follow him. If Baal is God, then follow him.
A woe is denounced on those who are at ease in Zion.
Insensibility and indifference often steal upon the minds of Christians by imperceptible degrees. Too many seek their beloved Lord and Savior as on the bed of carnal ease and security. Do we need to wonder, then, that they find him not?? Let me ever imitate the man after God's own heart, in soliciting repeatedly and perseveringly, for quickening grace. "My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your word." Psalm 119:25
While many sit down in ease and indolence, and rest satisfied with present attainments. May celestial and invincible ardor ever fire my bosom after more conformity to, and nearer communion with Jesus! I am persuaded that there are higher degrees of divine knowledge, faith, love and heavenly-mindedness, to be attained in the Christian life, than multitudes, who name the name of Christ, experience. May we ever be assisted to express somewhat of the spirit which so eminently fired the breast of the blessed apostle Paul! May we ever be dissatisfied with our present attainments! May we forget the progress already made, the things that are behind—and strain every nerve in reaching forth to what is before us! May the glorious prize of our high calling be so displayed before our believing eyes, that all the ardor of our souls may be awakened to attain it! May we never sit down to sleep, never loiter along the way, nor stoop to gather despicable pebbles, nor strive to load ourselves with thick clay (gold)! May we never slacken our pace, but daily increase our speed, in running the race which is set before us, until we arrive at the goal and receive the crown of life!
How little do the majority of those called Christians, of those too, in whom we would hope the root of the matter is found; how little do they witness of the power and comforts of Christianity! And, which is still more to be lamented, how contentedly do they live without aspiring after them! Where shall we find that fervency of love and zeal, that lively and steady faith, that deadness to the world, and those heavenly tempers—which enter so deeply into the essence of vital godliness? In whom shall we find an assured hope of immortal blessedness! How few can we find "rejoicing in the prospect of the glory of God?"
O, that we may be recovered from that lethargic indolence, which deadens our attention to the one thing needful!
Come Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove,
With all your quickening powers;
Come shed abroad a Savior's love,
And that shall kindle ours.
Section 13. The Evil of Angry Contentions in Religious Matters
It was Luther's prayer, "that God would deliver his church from the vain-glorious teacher, the contentious pastor, and useless questions." Have not we, in the present age, reason to say, Amen, to it? It has been said, "Where controversy begins, religion often ends." And, though I am persuaded that this is not always the case, yet is it not certain, that when we deal much in disputes, especially about smaller matters—we hazard our own peace of mind, and endanger the spirit of meekness and love.
In some circumstances, Providence may call us lo contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints, against its common enemies; but a great many trying disputes are carried on by the professing followers of Jesus, which have not only been unedifying, but greatly harmful to the interests of religion in general, and particularly to the life and power of godliness in the soul. Let us then follow after the things that make for peace and things whereby one may edify another. Let brotherly love continue.
The approach of death, and the near prospects of eternity, will teach us the vanity of striving about words to no profit. It is the devil's device to draw off our attention from weightier matters. God loves unity among his people.
The curtains of the tabernacle were to be coupled together, that it might be one tabernacle, Exodus 36. What should this signify, but the but the knitting and clasping together of the saints in love? In the primitive ages, the very enemies of God were struck with the mutual love that appeared in the followers of Jesus; and often cried out, "See how they love one another, and are willing to die one for another!" Whereas now, the opposers of godliness warm themselves at the fire of our contentions, and say, "Aha, so would we have it."
O that we might all endeavor to speak the same things, and be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment! This would make us men of one heart and soul, which is the most lovely and engaging sight in the world. Unity is a lively emblem of Heaven. Let us strive together against the common foe, and his various stratagems; but let there be no strife between us, no opposition one to another, because we are brethren; children of the same Father, members of the same body, partakers of like precious faith, embarked on the same journey, heirs of the same inheritance, and traveling to the same country.
Partakers of the Savior's grace,
The same in mind and heart;
Nor joy, nor grief, nor time, nor place,
Nor life, nor death, shall part.We all are one, who him receive,
And each with each agree;
In him our root, our head we live,
Blessed point of unity!Closer and closer let us cleave,
To his beloved embrace;
Expect his fullness to receive,
And grace to answer grace.
Section 14. The Onsets of Satan
When God corrects and causes us to feel the smart of his rod, Satan, in the height of his malice, labors to cast his salt and vinegar into the wound. The busy enemy is ever wakeful and vigilant. When death approaches, he has but one cast for the game, one skirmish more, before he closes the victory forever. In such circumstances, therefore, he never fails to try the power of his diabolical arts, as far as the Almighty Sovereign shall permit him. As Esau waited until the days of mourning for his father, that he might execute his malicious purpose on Jacob, so it is here.
Times of affliction are the days of mourning, in which Satan designs us the greatest mischief. He not only tempts and distresses us, but often accuses the poor afflicted children of God. His name, Satan, denotes him to be an adversary, an accuser. He aggravates the sins of God's people, and calls aloud for vengeance; crying, "Down with them, down with them, even to the dust." He says, like Pharaoh of old, "I will pursue them with malice and rage, I will tear them in pieces like a lion, my lust shall be satisfied upon them."
Happy for us that the dear Redeemer cuts short his power, and will not allow us to be tempted above that we are able; but with every temptation, will make a way for our escape at present, and will bruise Satan under our feet shortly.
The tempter, likewise, frequently assails us after peculiar manifestations of divine love to the soul, whether in sickness or health. The smiles, as well as the frowns, of our heavenly Father, expose us to Satan's snares. We are in danger on both hands, and the subtle enemy spies his advantage. As some vile impostor attacks a young, rich heir, and endeavors by a thousand arts to inveigle him out of it; even so Satan attacks the Christian when he has been on the mount of comfort. Christ had pronounced a blessing on Peter, for the confession he had made; the all-discerning Savior presently perceived Satan standing at Peter's elbow, "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail." Luke 22:31-32
The apostle Paul was transported into the third Heaven, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter; but soon the messenger of Satan buffets him, which was to him as a thorn in his flesh. This, as it is a proof of Satan's malice, so the permission of it is an instance of God's mercy, as is evident from the case just mentioned: it was allowed so to be, says the holy apostle, lest I should be exalted above measure. Take courage then, O my soul, the adversary, though subtle and furious, is under the restraining hand of Omnipotence, and victory is sure on the Christian's side!
Section 15. The Reality and Importance of the Religion of Jesus
There is an unmistakable reality in the religion of Jesus. Of this I have been long persuaded; but the bright conviction never struck me so deeply as now, "I thought so once, but now I know it."
They who never felt the real influences of religion on their own souls, will not believe that others feel them. Serious piety is a subject of ridicule with many. This is one of the cursed snares of Satan, by which he ruins thousands. They treat religion as if it were only a dream, and the zeal of its professors as the intemperate heat of a distempered brain, or the effect of wild enthusiasm.
This is just as the grand deceiver would have it. Dreadful delusion! This is fatal to the interests, and destructive to the comfort of the immortal soul! A dying bed would teach them otherwise. Were the veil of mortality now to drop, so long as my tongue could move, I would bear testimony even with my dying breath, against the levity and atheism of the age. Living, operative Christianity, is the greatest reality in the world!
And as it is a real thing, so "it is the only thing that will stand us in good stead with God in the hour of death. Neither wealth, nor power, nor greatness, nor friends, will be of any avail then. Men may despise it while they are in health and strength, and in the midst of affluence and pleasure; but where is the wretch that dares laugh at it in the immediate views of eternity?
Ah! no. They then think otherwise. Had they millions of worlds, they would part with them all, to obtain comforts and hopes which are derived from the Gospel. How desirable then, is a saving interest in Christ! He alone can save an immortal soul from the miseries of the second death, and give it an admission into the realms of light and glory above. O may this therefore be the grand object of our concern, and may every thing else be held in sovereign contempt, when compared with this, the greatest good.