IMMANUEL'S LAND
by David Harsha, 1856.
PREFACE.
The design of this essay is to afford a glimpse of Immanuel's land; to
exhibit some of the powerful attractions of that world of glory. To those
who are asking the way to Zion, with their faces toward there, the author
knows that his present theme will be at all times refreshing. Future
felicity in Heaven is the most cheering subject that can be presented for
the contemplation of the Christian in this valley of tears. What can be more
delightful than for the weary pilgrim who is fast hastening to mansions in
the skies, to meditate on the glories of his future home?
There is much in this subject to animate us in the thorny pathway to
immortality. It affords hope in life's darkest hour; it points with its
glorious light to the realms of bliss, where no tear is ever shed and where
no sorrow ever enters. There is much in Immanuel's land to engage our hearts
in holy meditation while we sojourn as strangers and pilgrims here. The
bright mansions of our Father's house- the many crowns of glory laid up for
us there- the joyous rest that remains for our weary souls- the sweet
employment of the redeemed in glory- the endeared society in the heavenly
home; all are presented to attract us to heaven- to induce us to set our
affections on things above.
Then, let us fix our hearts more steadfastly upon heavenly joys- upon the
glories of Immanuel's land. In handling this delightful subject, the Word of
God has been our guide. To this blessed volume we are indebted for all the
revelations that have been made of the glory of the celestial world. In the
Bible we obtain a glimpse of the glorious land. May He whose infinite love
fitted up those bright abodes of bliss, bless our present effort to the
souls of men, in leading them to lay up their treasures in Heaven, and to
choose that better part which shall never be taken away from them.
Heavenly meditation is a delightful work, in which our souls should be daily
engaged, until we enter the portals of glory, and begin our unending song in
the paradise of God. O! may that sweet hour soon come.
"O! soon may Heaven unclose to me!
O! may I soon that glory see!
And my faint, weary spirit, stand
Within that happy, happy land!"
1. THE PLACE
"I go to prepare a place for you." John 14:2
There is a world of rich delight,
Where warm affections glow;
Where reigns the everlasting light,
Where crystal waters flow.
There happy saints securely dwell
From Satan's deadly power;
Their bliss no mortal tongue can tell,
Unfolding every hour.
They dwell with Jesus, and behold
The beauties of his face;
Secure in the celestial fold,
And crowned by sovereign grace.
From earth and all its empty joys,
Blest Jesus, set me free;
How vain the worldling's gilded toys,
Compared with heaven and thee!
You are my hope, my way, my bliss,
My glory, and my crown;
Descend O blessed Prince of Peace,
And make my heart your throne."
How full of consolation are the Holy Scriptures! They animate the Christian
in his pilgrimage on earth; they point out the way of salvation through a
crucified Jesus; they lead the ransomed sinner to the gates of the celestial
city, and seat him amid the untold and inconceivable glories of Paradise!
The Scriptures urge us to set our affections on the glories of the
Christian's eternal home. To those in whose hearts Christ is formed the hope
of glory, how beautiful, how tender, how soul-reviving is the language of
inspiration! It is written, "If you then are risen with Christ, seek those
things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your
affection on things above, not on things on the earth."
In compliance with the sacred command we shall endeavor, through divine
assistance, to raise our thoughts to those scenes of bliss which the
redeemed perpetually enjoy before the throne of God and the Lamb. We shall
contemplate the place itself, where all the precious flock of Christ are to
dwell through an endless day. In connection with this we shall notice a few
of the powerful attractions of that blessed abode.
Heaven is a place as well as a state. Among the last words of our Redeemer
before He left this valley of tears, we find this cheering declaration and
promise, "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a
place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that
where I am, there you may be also." Precious words from a loving Friend! But
follow Him to the land of promise. Christ has now gone to prepare that place
for us! O what a place will Jesus prepare for his dear children! What a
place will infinite love make! How attractive will it be! Well may we
confess our utter inability to portray the regions of glory, and exclaim
with an enraptured Apostle, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have
entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those
who love Him."
Language fails to describe the beauties of Immanuel's land, and the human
mind to conceive its blessedness. "All the glories of kingdoms, all the
beauties of gardens, all the splendor of palaces, yes all the riches of
creation, form but a faint sketch of the sublime original." We cannot know
what heaven really is until we enter into 'the holy place' and sit down
under the shadow of the tree of life in the midst of the Paradise of God.
Then shall we see in the light of glory that it is a happy region; a happy
home indeed.
Heaven is a holy place where the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only
wise God, unveils His glorious perfections in full effulgence. In that
blessed place, the Lamb of God, the Savior of sinners, dwells in His
glorified humanity. There triumphant saints are gathered home to Christ.
There they are made pillars in the temple of God and go out no more. There
the host of heaven dwell in the blissful presence of the King of glory.
This blessed place should attract us. We should look beyond this present
fleeting world. We should endeavor to raise our eyes to Canaan's happy
shores, and obtain a glimpse of those everlasting hills from where our help
comes from. Let the Christian ascend the mount of meditation, and by the
help of God's Word, survey those fair regions which lie beyond the Jordan of
death.
"My, soul, on Pisgah's mount ascend,
where Moses once admiring stood.
There view the promised land extend
beyond the swelling Jordan's flood.
By faith survey the landscape o'er,
Where living waters gently flow;
'Till earth usurp your love no more,
'Till all you're your kindling passions glow."
What glorious prospects are presented to the Christian pilgrim when he, by
faith, gazes on the heights of Mount Zion above! There stands the New
Jerusalem, the city of our God, in dazzling glory. Through its golden
streets the river of life rolls its bright waters; and on the banks of that
crystal stream, grows luxuriantly the tree of life, loaded with the richest
fruits. To those fountains of immortality the Lamb conducts His white robed
followers, and in tasting of joys the purest and noblest, in feasting on the
banquet of redeeming love, the saints spend the ages of glory.
On those 'walls of jasper' and 'streets of gold' the sunbeams are always
shining; but no earthly sun illuminates the celestial city. The glory of God
enlightens it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. Our Heavenly Father is
there, and His glory is manifested there. Jesus our elder Brother is there
and He is the center of heavenly attraction; of heavenly glory.
Heaven is a chosen spot; selected by Christ; prepared from the foundation of
the world for the eternal abode of the righteous. To the heirs of
immortality, Christ will at last pronounce this joyful invitation, "Come,
you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world."
Thus a place is already prepared for the redeemed; a place rendered
infinitely attractive by a display of divine power, wisdom, goodness, and
love. The beauty of heaven should attract us. It is a place of perpetual
loveliness; a kingdom of unfading glory. The earthly Canaan had many
attractions, but what was that to the heavenly? It is the Canaan above that
is so glorious! It is that 'pleasant land and goodly heritage' which
stretches beyond the swellings of Jordan, that is so attractive to the
Christian. Every child of God longs to reach those bright shores of a purer
climate, where everlasting glory bursts upon the weary pilgrim!
Respecting the earthly Canaan, Moses' prayer was, 'I beg you, let me go over
and see that good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and
Lebanon.' How much more should every Christian earnestly strive and pray
that 'an entrance may be administered unto him abundantly into the
everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.'
The earthly Paradise was a charming spot, where grew every tree that was
pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst
of the garden; and there issued a crystal stream to water the lovely region,
and to fertilize a blooming world. How delightful to have dwelt in such a
home as this. But Immanuel's land, the everlasting home of God's children,
shines far more glorious than ever shone the earthly Paradise.
How consoling to think that every child of God shall finally be brought to
that celestial world, to gaze with wondering eyes on its untold glories!
What gratitude do we owe to God for providing such an inheritance for us! To
Him we should continually raise our hearts in grateful songs of praise. We
should call upon our souls and all that is within us to bless His holy name.
We should exclaim with the Apostle, "Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to His abundant mercy has begotten us
again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead;
to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fades not away;
reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith
unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time."
Under many pleasing views, heaven is attractively set forth by the sacred
writers. To accommodate their descriptions to our capacities they adopt
various emblems, drawn from sublunary scenes. These figurative expressions
but faintly exhibit the glory of the land of immortality. But they will
suffice us for the present. Indeed, in our present state of existence, we
could not possibly bear the full effulgence of that glory, which will burst
upon the ransomed soul when mortality is swallowed up in life.
1. Heaven is represented as A COUNTRY, "a better country." Of the Patriarchs
it is said that they 'sought a country,' that they 'desired a better
country, that is, a heavenly one; wherefore God is not ashamed to be called
their God, for He has prepared for them a city.' Heaven is that 'pleasant
land' to which all Christian pilgrims are traveling. We are now in a
wilderness world, where the winds of adversity blow upon us, and the
tempests of sorrow sweep along our pathway. But this present world is not
our home. Our march is heavenward; to the glorious land. Guided by the
Captain of our salvation, we are coming up from the wilderness, and our feet
shall soon stand on the glorious mount of God. Our conversation is in
heaven, our future inheritance lies there, and we are looking on it as our
eternal home. No wonder then that it should appear so attractive in our
eyes. No wonder that we should long to behold the good land which is afar
off.
All true believers desire that 'better country.' They feel that they are
strangers and pilgrims here. They look beyond this present world to those
regions of perpetual delight where they expect to spend countless ages. The
hope of salvation animates them in every earthly trial, and the promises of
God's Word elevate their view above this crumbling world. Their hearts
overflow with joy unspeakable, and full of glory, when they are assured of
the blessed truth that their eyes see the King of heaven in His beauty, and
the celestial Canaan in its glory!
Heaven is a promised land. We are journeying unto the place of which the
Lord said, 'I will give you.' God's Word is true. Every saint that has lived
on earth shall be brought to this heavenly world, where Jesus reigns in all
His glory. Cheer up then, you drooping saints! View that happy world where
your Savior reigns, and where you are shortly to reign with Him!
2. Heaven is described as A GLORIOUS CITY, a city that has foundations,
whose builder and maker is God. But who can perfectly paint the splendor of
that city, whose light is the glory of God? 'Beautiful for situation, the
joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion.' Where will you begin to enumerate the
attractions of that celestial city, the abode of the redeemed? Glorious
things are spoken of you, O city of God. We can gain but a glimpse of its
glories now, in the light of God's Word, but they will be seen and told
through all eternity. With the eye of faith let us now view the city of our
God, the New Jerusalem, set on Zion's holy hill.
How dazzling does it appear. Its walls of jasper, its gates of pearls, its
streets of gold, the city itself 'of pure gold like unto clear glass.' When
the splendor of 'that great city, the holy Jerusalem,' was manifested to the
beloved John, rapt in heavenly vision on the isle of Patmos, he describes it
as 'having the glory of God, and her light was like unto a stone most
precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. And the building of
the wall of it was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like unto clear
glass. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every gate was of one pearl.
The street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.' How
brightly shines the heavenly Jerusalem, irradiated by the glory of God! No
city on earth ever shone like this!
Nineveh and Babylon, 'the glory of kingdoms,' were once splendid cities; but
that City of Light, whose foundations were laid before earth rose from
chaos; whose builder and maker is God Himself, far outshines them all in
unutterable splendor. Yes, and when all earthly cities shall have been
buried in everlasting ruin, when this terrestrial globe shall have passed
away in one awful conflagration, the celestial city of Zion shall shine in
eternal glory, while ransomed sinners walk in golden streets!
Let the Christian pilgrim who has set out from the city of Destruction to
the city of Immanuel, often contemplate his glorious home. Attracted by its
glory, let him look into it, and long to be among its shining inhabitants,
who sound on golden harps the praises of redeeming love. Standing at the
gates of the celestial city, let him gaze, with John Bunyan, on its
splendor, as those pearly gates are opened wide to admit the transfigured
pilgrims. "Now just as the gates were opened to let in the men, I looked in
after them, and behold the city shone like the sun; the streets, also, were
paved with gold, and in them walked many men with crowns on their heads,
palms in their hands, and golden harps to sing praises with. There were of
those who had wings; and they answered one another without intermission,
saying, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord.' And after that, they shut up the
gates; which when I had seen, I wished myself among them."
Of that city of glory, John declares, "I saw no temple therein; for the Lord
God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it." There was a temple in the
earthly Jerusalem, but there is none in the heavenly. Nor is any required
there. Sweet, intimate communion with God and the Lamb will be enjoyed there
without a medium. The glorious manifestation of the divine presence will
forever dispense with the use of all means of communication between God and
His people. Here we worship Him in earthly temples, by the means which He
has appointed; but there we shall dwell in His immediate presence, and drink
at the Fountain of Life!
The celestial city is so gloriously illuminated by the effulgence of God
that it has no need of a natural luminary to shine in it. And the city had
no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the glory of
God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. The divine presence
sheds such a radiance there that it lights up all heaven in everlasting
glory. Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness, shines there; and in His light we
shall see light. Truly light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the
eyes to behold the sun. But no light is so sweet as this, and no sun so
pleasant to behold as the Sun of Righteousness shining in His meridian
splendor! In that celestial city, there shall be no night. Eternal day beams
with unclouded splendor in the city of Immanuel. No natural or moral
darkness shall ever overspread the landscape of glory. "Your sun shall no
more go down, neither shall your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord shall be
your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended."
But look again at that celestial city. Emanating from God's eternal throne,
the river of life flows through its midst. "And he showed me a pure river of
the water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and
the Lamb." The heavenly Jerusalem is enriched with 'the river of God, which
is full of water.' This is the stream that makes Immanuel's land to bloom
with immortal joys. This is the river of pleasure; the river whose streams
shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the
most High. There, the inhabitants of Zion may bathe in the pure fountains of
immortality, 'close by the throne of God,' and drink freely of those
swelling streams of purest joy which flow through the realms of glory.
In the city of our God is the tree of life, of whose delicious fruit the
saints eat, and under whose ambrosial bowers, they dwell in eternal repose,
and celestial bliss. "In the midst of the street of it, and on either side
of the river, was there the tree of life, which bore twelve kinds of fruits,
and yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the
healing of the nations."
There is much in the heavenly Jerusalem to attract you; many crowns of
glory; many mansions of bliss; many songs of praise; much that the eye has
never seen, the ear never heard, nor the human mind never conceived. Strive
then to obtain an interest in Jesus, that you may 'have right to the tree of
life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.' How cheering is the
promise of the Savior, "To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree
of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God!" Then fight the good
fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, and you will come off more than a
conqueror through Him that loved you and gave Himself for you.
3. Heaven is represented as A GLORIOUS BUILDING, the building of God, the
future happy home of the Christian. "For we know, "says the Apostle, "that
if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building
from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." Confident of
reaching this blessed home, the believer is enabled to exclaim with the
Psalmist, "Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my
life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Heaven is the
eternal Father's house, in which are many mansions; the home of the
redeemed, where congregated nations sing the song of Moses and the Lamb.
When Christ would comfort His sorrowful disciples He sets forth heaven under
the endearing emblem of a home; a Father's house, adorned with many spacious
mansions. "In my Father's house, says the Savior, are many mansions; if it
were not so, I would have told you." There is something peculiarly
attractive in this description of heaven. How sweet is even an earthly home;
but how endeared will be that home above, where we shall meet with our
Heavenly Father, with our elder Brother, with our dear Christian friends,
who went to glory before us; with the whole household of faith! In that
house not made with hands, there are 'many mansions' for our enjoyment.
There is ample room and provision for all God's children in the upper
sanctuary, everything to render them happy, unspeakably happy through all
eternity!
May the reader so live in the faith of the gospel, that when his clay
tabernacle is ready to crumble into dust, his immortal spirit, guided by the
angels of God, may take its joyful flight to the mansions of glory, and
dwell forever in those realms of bliss, where beauty smiles eternally, and
pleasure never dies!