Francis Bourdillon, 1873
 

Perhaps, reader, you seldom think of dying. You may be one of those who drive away the idea of death, and only think of enjoying life as much as possible. You fear death because of what comes after it. Yet the thought of death must cross your mind sometimes, for things are happening before your eyes every day which remind you that you must die. Try to forget it as you may — the thought of your death will come. Now, when it does come, this is probably your wish: "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!" (Numbers 23:10). 

Is it not so? When you feel any wish at all about it — do you not wish this?

There is among your acquaintances, a certain class of people who differ in some important respects from the rest. You are not intimate with them perhaps — yet you cannot fail sometimes to meet with them. There are one or two such, it may be, among the men you work with; or you have to do business with such occasionally; or you meet some of them in society. In various ways, you cannot fail now and then to come across such people. Perhaps you do not like them much. You think them too strict and grave and dull. They will not take part in all you are accustomed to do; some of the amusements of which you are very fond — they draw back from.

Sometimes you speak of them thus: "They are good sort of people enough — but they carry things too far; there is such a thing as being righteous overmuch."

At other times you may even join in the laugh against them. "There goes one of the saints," you say; or you smile and agree when another says it: "These are the people who think themselves better than everybody else." Yet these, reader, are the very people whose end you would choose — these are they whose death you would like to die. You would not own it perhaps — but ask your own heart whether it is not so.

I know not who or what you are, though I address you so freely — for I cannot tell into whose hands this book may come; only God grant it may come to some for good! But of this I feel no doubt, that whatever your life may be — the secret wish of your heart is, "Let me die the death of the righteous!"

I say, "Whatever your life may be," for people of very different lives may take up these pages. Possibly you may be living in gross sin — yes, but you do not wish to die in it. You may be a drunkard, for instance — but you do not wish to die a drunkard. You may be given to swearing — but the swearer's end is, I am sure, far from your desire; or your Sabbaths may be wasted in idleness or sin; yet you do not wish for a Sabbath breaker's death. Or again, for bad habits stick to one another — you may be all three — drunkard, swearer, and Sabbath breaker; but is there anything further from your wish, than to die the death of such people?

Or you may be one of a different character altogether — steady, moral, and respectable — but much set on the world. Gain may so occupy you as to leave little or no thought for your soul. Yet when you do think of such things, and it comes across your mind that you must die — then the death of the worldly is not the death which you desire.

Or again, you may be bent on pleasure, living a sort of butterfly life in constant search of enjoyment. If so, you have probably a set of companions as mirthful and thoughtless as yourself, with whom most of your time is spent.

Now, when you think of dying — is it their death you would choose? Would you have your last end like theirs? No, no! I am sure you would not. You may like their company now, but you would not choose their death — and you know, reader, they must all die some day, all your mirthful companions as well as yourself.

Once more, it is possible that an unbeliever may take up this book, and perhaps for the very purpose of making sport of it. Nay, you may be one of those unhappy people who even scoff at the Bible itself and profess to disbelieve what God has written. You are very bold now, and, when you and your chosen companions are together, you encourage one another in loud and daring blasphemy, and often protest that nothing shall ever change you.

Yet a change of one kind must come — you must die; and would even you choose to die as you are living?

Did you ever see a fellow-unbeliever die? Probably not, for people of your opinions generally avoid one another at such a time. But did you ever hear how a noted skeptic, Voltaire, died? It is said that his attendants fled from his bedside, unable to bear so terrible a scene; and the woman who cared for him, on being applied to afterwards to attend another sick man, made this reply, "Is he a Christian? I have attended one dying infidel — and I will never attend another!"

Yes, you are bold enough when you are with your companions, and strong in health and spirits. But even now, when you are ailing or alone, the thought of death comes across you with a horrible dread! You cannot at such times believe your own lie; and though you would not own it — yet your secret feeling is sometimes akin to this: "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!"

Yes, the wicked, the worldly, the mirthful, and the unbelieving — bent as they may now be on their own pursuits or seemingly hardened in their opinions — are forced to turn their thoughts quite another way when they think of death. Not one of them can bear to think of dying as he lives. "Let me die the death of the righteous!" is the secret wish of their hearts.

Now, reader, do you know whose words these are? They were spoken by a covetous and wicked man, over three thousand years ago — one who knew the right way but chose the wrong way; one who could speak well, but who lived wickedly — Balaam, the son of Beor. And do you know what his end was? Did he die the death of the righteous, and was his last end like his? No! Far from it! He never repented; no change of heart ever took place in him; he lived and died a wicked man and perished miserably among the enemies of the Lord! (Numbers 31:8, Joshua 13:22)

You see then, that the mere wish will not give you a happy end. It did not save Balaam — nor will it save you. No, reader! Do not deceive yourself — your death will probably be like your life. Unless a great change takes place — your wicked course will have a miserable end! A life spent to the last in pleasure, or devoted to the world — will not and cannot close in a happy death.

Mark! I say, "Unless a great change takes place," for through God's infinite grace — great changes have been wrought. The dying thief was a striking instance — and saving grace is as powerful now as it was then.

But do not presume on this case. Never think within yourself, "I can go on as I am until death is near, or at least for the present — and then I shall prepare to die." Are you sure that you will see death coming? Are you certain of having time and warning? Are you not provoking God to withhold His grace and to cut you off just as you are? Ah, what a fearful risk you run, if you are building on a death-bed repentance! You may have no death-bed — or you may be racked with pain. Your mind may fail; your brain may be in a fever; a thousand things may happen to make it impossible to do life's work — the work of seeking pardon and peace through Christ — when death is at hand.

I say again, do not deceive yourself — do not blind your own eyes. Are you sincere in your wish? Do you really desire to die the death of the righteous, and to have your last end like his? Then give heed to these parting words. It may be so! Whatever you may be now — wicked, worldly, thoughtless, or unbelieving — your end may yet be that of the righteous. I desire to press this home to you — rather, may God write it on your heart. Your end may yet be happy and holy.

But how? In one only way. Not by going on as you are, not by putting away the thought of death, not by trusting to a death-bed repentance — but by turning at once to God in Christ.

What does the Lord Himself say to you in His word? "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon!" (Isaiah 55:6-7).

"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good. 'Come now, and let us reason together,' says the Lord, 'though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool!'" (Isaiah 1:16-18)

"Turn at my rebuke; surely I will pour out my Spirit upon you; I will make known my words known to you!" (Proverbs 1:23)

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved!" (Acts 16:31)

Thus, but thus only — your wish may be accomplished. Thus, through God's boundless mercy in Christ Jesus — you may find pardon, acceptance, and salvation. Thus may you begin at length to live to God. And when your earthly course has run, then you will die the death of the righteous and have a last end like his.