49. The Patient meditates upon his Grave and Resurrection

EXHORTATION.

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth, and believeth in me, shall never die."—John xi. 25, 26. Whoever contemplates his grave as a Christian, will not be frightened, how dark soever it may appear. 1. It is a chamber of rest, where we shall be relieved from all pain, sorrow, care and tribulation. 2. The body shall not remain in the grave, cut the bones and weary limbs, after a long rest, shall rise again on the day of judgment, brilliant as the sun, and be reunited with the soul. 3. Though loved ones must be left behind for

THE PATIENT MEDITATES UPON a time, yet there will be a joyous meeting hereafter in heaven. If those we love persevere in the faith and fear God, they will follow us, and then we shall nevermore be separated from them. As regards the good things of this world, God will replace them with heavenly gifts. In view of all this, there can be nothing dreadful to a patient in the contemplation of the grave. Gracious and merciful God! Behold, I am prepared to live or to die according to thy holy will. I do not fear death, because I know that after much sorrow and tribulation, it will bring me to rest. Neither do I fear the grave, for lo, it shall be my bed of rest; the misery and sickness of life will not follow me into the grave, but must remain behind. O quiet spot, O welcome resting place! when will my weary limbs and my feeble body be laid into thy womb? Jesus himself has hallowed my grave, he has made it an easy couch, by being laid therein himself after his sufferings were past; when all his pains and sorrows were at an end. In like manner has the Lord provided a resting place for my body upon earth, and a place of refreshment for my soul in heaven. If men seek soft beds to rest upon, yet their rest is not to be compared to mine when in the grave. Many a one must HIS GRAVE AND RESURRECTION.

bear pain and trouble in his bed of down, but in my grave no mishap will reach me, no distress will approach me. Thus the grave is a bed, free from all suffering and evil. Why should I fear the grave? I shall not remain in it. I know that my Redeemer liveth, and he will afterwards wake me again out of the earth. Whoso believeth in me, says Jesus, has eternal life, and I shall call him at the latter day. The grave is therefore but a short sojourn, wherein my body shall sleep, until Jesus will come and say, Arise, ye dead, and come to judgment. The hour will come in which all who are in the grave will hear the voice of the Son of God, and will come forth. When I shall hear that voice, I, too, shall arise from my grave, my body shall be reunited with my soul, it shall be made immortal and glorified. I shall shine as the sun, all my weakness shall be put away. As the grain of wheat sprouts up again when it appears to be dead in the earth, so shall my bones be gathered again. It shall be sown in corruption, but shall arise without corruption; the natural body shall be sown, and a body endowed with spiritual and heavenly gifts shall arise. What sighs, groans, weeps, and struggles here, shall there arise in fresh, unspotted glory. Because thou didst rise from the dead, I shall not remain in the grave; thy resurrection is the chief of my comforts, and can banish the fear of death itself.

For where thou art, I, too, shall come, with thee to make my endless home; therefore I go rejoicing. Amen.

1. Why should the grave inspire my terrors,

I rather long to reach its goal;

For there, true rest shall be my portion,

There springs the comfort of my soul.

Whoever fears the quiet grave,

The world yet holds him for its slave.

2. The grave is where my limbs so weary

With rapture find their resting place;

For thither, sorrow, care, affliction,

And illness, carry not their chase;

Who speaks in terror of the tomb,

Knows not what peace dwells in its gloom

3. The grave takes all the heavy burden

Of trouble and distress from me,

And gives me sweet repose and quiet;

O God, for this be thanks to thee!

From sin and sorrow, dread and fear,

I shall be disentangled here.

4. The grave is laid with downy pillows,

And Jesus spreads the drapery;

And no one will disturb my slumbers,

While angels keep their watch o'er me.

The body rests from all annoys,

The soul ascends to heavenly joys.

THE CONVALESCENT RETURNS THANKS.

5. Then soul and body both reposing,

In Jesus, and beneath the sword,

Have each attained the safest shelter,

To wait the coming of the Lord.

Whence the good Shepherd in his own

Good time shall lift them to his throne.

The Convalescent returns thanks to God for his Restoration to Health.

EXHORTATION.

"Behold thou art made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee."—John v. 14. It is not to be denied that most men are ready to pray in sickness, and that they frequently make great promises to God, of what they will do if he will restore them to health; they mean to become new creatures, pious Christians, zealous in prayer, and assiduous in worship. But alas! daily experience shows that but very few of them adhere to this promise. 1. A true Christian, delivered from illness by the hand of God, should therefore understand, praise, and extol the omnipotence of God, which not only cast him on his bed of sickness, but also raised him up again, and graciously released him from the danger of death. 27*

THE CONVALESCENT RETURNS THANKS

2. A patient who has thus been restored, must keep the promises made on his death-bed. For it is better to make no promises, than to break them after they are made. 3. Having, like Hezekiah, regained new powers, he must not only thank his almighty deliverer when alone, at home, and on his knees, but also hasten to the house of God, and abase himself before the Lord, thereby also giving others an opportunity to see the goodness of God, which has been extended to him. 4. He must frequently recall the anguish of his soul, consider the danger in which his life was placed, and lead a pious and godly life, in honor of the omnipotent, triune God. Almighty and gracious God! I come before thy holy face, and thank thee from the bottom of my heart, for having raised me up again from my bed of sickness. I still think of the hours of anguish, of the sorrowful nights, of the great danger in which I hovered. But lo, thy mighty hand has graciously raised me from my couch; thou hast set me on my feet again, and enabled me to go out and to come in. Thy grace has transformed my complaints into a dance; thou hast taken off my sack-cloth, and girt me with joy. Lord! Lord! thou hast done great things TO GOD FOR HIS RESTORATION TO HEALTH.

for me, whereof I am glad; thy love and mercy have helped me to this hour. For this I surely know that whoso serveth God, he will be comforted after affliction, and released from trouble;

and after chastisement he will find grace. For thou, O God! dost not rejoice in our perdition;

after the storm thou permittest the sun again to shine; after the weeping and wailing thou dost overwhelm us with joy. This mercy and fatherly care I too have experienced in my sickness; therefore, while I live, I will think of the anguish of my soul, but I will also proclaim before the great congregation, what thou, almighty God, hast done for me; thou hast blessed the medicine, thou hast assuaged my pains, thou hast given me strength to overcome my suffering, thou hast given me days of refreshment after the wretched and weary nights, and hast had pity on me like a father in my tribulation. Therefore, praise the Lord, O my soul, and what is in me praise his holy name; praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Praise the Lord with me, all ye who have ever been in pain, sickness, or suffering, and let us unite in extoling his holy name. For when we cried in our wretchedness, the Lord heard our cries, and helped us out of all our troubles.

They who look upon the Lord in their wretchedness, in faith and with prayer, shall not be con-

THE CONVALESCENT RETURNS THANKS founded; he does not suffer them to walk away in sorrow from his throne, but has mercy upon them. O my God! let the grace and mercy thou hast thus extended to me, be constantly before my eyes and in my heart. Now I know and have discovered that thou art a mighty God, for thou canst restore the dead to life, the sick to health, the feeble to strength, and the afflicted to gladness. O in my pains and sickness, I have discovered that silver and gold, honor and glory of the world, and even kind friends, did not avail to lift the cross from my shoulders, and if thou hadst not helped me, I should have perished in my misery. Therefore, I will no longer strive after vain and fleeting things, but will rejoice in thee; I will avoid the sinful converse of the world, and cling to thy altar, where is heard the voice of thanksgiving, and where thy wonders are told; I will renounce ungodly things and worldly lusts, and live chaste, righteous and godly in this world, so that when thou shalt come with my dying hour and the end of my life, I may be prepared to enter into the joys of heaven. Amen. TO GOD FOR HIS RESTORATION TO HEALTH.

1. How can I praise thy goodness,

As fully as I ought?

How pay the just thanksgiving,

For all thy wonders wrought?

Thou hast released, unchained me,

From what oppressed me sore;

My spirit bounds with lightness,

Wrestling with death no more.

2. Nor shall my lips be idle,

For they have voice again

To sing the fitting praises

Of him who broke my chain.

My heart shall join the anthem

And everywhere it goes,

Tell how his loving kindness

Delivered me from woes.

3. I sat apart, deserted,

And thou didst raise me up;

How can I fairly think it,

That thou didst give thy cup,

Thy cup of heavenly vigor,

That came at trying hours,

And strengthened my endurance

With more than earthly powers!

4. I knew no place of refuge,

I had no help to seek;

Yet saw I deeds of wonder

When thou didst take my weak

And sorely harassed body,

And laidst it on thy knee,

Saying in soothing accents,

"Fear not, I am with thee."

5. Yea, truly thou wert with me,

And by thy strong right arm

I overcame the terror

That would have done me harm.

Praised be the Lord of Glory,

He saw me in distress,

And sent his serving angel

His suffering child to bless.

Jesus.

"Come, ye blessed of my Father."—Matt. xxv. 34.

Death.

"They rest from their labors."—Rev. xiv. 13.


How sweet my body rests, no more by sufferings riven;

How doth my soul rejoice, in the delights of heaven!

PART IV.

EXHORTATIONS, PRAYERS AND HYMNS for the Dying.