53. The Dying One anticipates joyful Converse in Heaven
EXHORTATION.
"After this, I beheld, and lo, a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations, and kindred, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands: and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb."—Rev. vii. 9, 10. What more sweet and delicious could a dying man choose for the subject of his meditations, than the joys of heaven, and the communion of the saints, the thought of which so often encourages a pious Christian here on earth. 1. At the approach of death we must learn to look upon the things of earth, as things to be shortly left behind. 2. We should therefore cherish heavenly contemplations of the joys of heaven, which will fall to our lot, when, after departing this life, we shall be transferred to the raptures of the skies. 3. We should also reflect upon the converse we shall enjoy, in beholding God face to face and mingling with the angels and the elect. In thinking upon these heavenly associations and our prospect of happiness, death grows sweeter and a holy emotion is experienced in the soul. JOYFUL CONVERSE IN HEAVEN.
How lovely are thy mansions, O Lord of hosts! my soul yearneth for thy courts, O when shall I arrive there to behold thee face to face, and stand before thy throne with all the angels and thy chosen saints! O what great glory and bliss shall I meet with, when released from this mortal coil! O what glory awaits me! I shall see the triune God face to face; what I have here believed, I shall there behold, what I cannot understand, I shall there fully know and comprehend; there I shall be penetrated and filled with heavenly light. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God! My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God? It is the chief joy to look upon God, in whom we believe while here below, but without seeing him. In this sight will consist the highest pleasure, the most delicious sweetness, and the most perfect bliss. Here I am among men, here I have been constrained to wear out my life among friends and foes, but in glory I shall meet many thousands of angels, who hover in splendor and light around God's throne, and sound the Holy, Holy, Holy God, the Lord of Hosts There I shall meet all the pious and the chosen who have ever dwelt upon earth. I shall THE DYING ONE RECALLS meet my dearest friends who have died before me, with whom I shall remain forever in sweet communion. O then how shall my soul rejoice! Then yearning shall be succeeded by enjoyment, I shall be with the Lord alway, where troubles shall no more assail me; and this will not last for an hour or a year, but for ever and ever, without cessation. Amen. 1. What surpassing strains of glory
Burst upon my ravished ears!
What superb and splendid mansion
To my dazzled sight appears,
On the pleasant lawns of heaven;
Where to those sweet rest is given,
Who were stedfast in the faith
Through all trials, unto death.
2. Truly 'tis the land of goodness
For the wicked come not there;
He alone shall there be welcomed,
Who has learned with Christ to bear
God himself on all dispenses
Light and life, who seek his glances;
Here the faithful all enjoy
Peace and bliss without alloy
3. God himself, whom mortal vision
Never on the earth beheld,
Stands confessed to the delighted
Gaze of those whose hearts have swelled
THE PROMISES OF GOD.
85s
At the strange and thrilling story
Of the greatness of his glory;
Eyes and ears unceasingly
Feast upon the sight they see.
4. Myriads there of angel servants
Hover round the lofty throne,
Some to stand and wait, some pacing
Here and there, some giving tone
To the gush of their devotion,
Some at rest and some in motion,
All arrayed in heavenly sheen;
In their midst shall I be seen!
5. There the joyous church triumphant
Heavenly converse still maintain,
Thinking rarely of the sorrows
Which they cannot taste again;
Like the sun their garments shining,
Bliss is theirs beyond defining;
Crowned, and bearing palms in hand
At the Lamb's high throne they stand.
THE DYING ONE CONSOLES HIMSELF IN
The Dying One consoles himself in thinking of the Assistance of the Triune God. EXHORTATION.
"Comfort me with apples. His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me."—Song of Solomon, ii. 5, 6. True believers are sure of the assistance of the triune God.
1. The heavenly Father will be constant in his fatherly love, and not forget his child. 2. Jesus Christ, who has purchased the soul with his blood, will not forsake it in its last struggle. 3. The Holy Ghost will strengthen them with his holy comfort. Though hearing and seeing fail, though all the senses die out, yet the dying Christian rests securely upon the promise, "I am with thee in trouble." Happy he whom God permits to experience all this in his dying moments. Come, Lord Jesus, and take my soul to thee. I have already tasted thy sweetness, therefore I yearn and thirst for its full and flowing streams. I do not look upon death with terror, for I die in the love of the heavenly Father. The Father who throughout my life has provided for, nourTHINKING OF THE ASSISTANCE OF GOD.
ished, led and guided me, should he now depart from me, when the end of my life is at hand?
O no, he loves me too well. If a father clings to the bedside of his sick child, and helps him wherever he can, how much more can I be assured of the aid of my almighty Father in heaven? Now my heavenly Father will allot to me the heritage which Jesus purchased for me by his death. He will bid me enter into the kingdom which he has prepared for me from the beginning of the world. Dying is not dreadful in my sight, I die united with Jesus Christ; this communion I have entered upon here in the faith, and it shall never be dissolved. In this communion I am a living member of the body of Jesus Christ, of which he is the head; if the head knoweth how fare its limbs, so does Jesus know of my fate. I am in him and he in me, and in this holy communion I now will die. If he has said, "I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world," he will be with me also in my last struggle. As he loved his own even unto the end, having given himself unto death for their sake, so doth he love them also when they are about to die. If, therefore, I am in the arms of my Jesus, death is not dreadful to me, because I have him with me, who, by his death, has cured death of all its bitterness. I do not dread death, I die in the fellowship of the Holy
THE DYING ONE CONSOLES HIMSELF IN
Ghost, who has chosen my heart for his temple in my life, and who will remain united with me in death. He who has so often comforted me in affliction, gladdened my heart in sorrow, refreshed me in distress, and preserved me under trial, he will not leave me in my final hour, but will bear testimony unto my spirit that I am surely a child of God. Yes, because he is the pledge of our inheritance, therefore he assures me even now that I am an heir of glory, and shall enter into full possession. The Father hands me my crown; Jesus leads me by the hand to bliss; the Holy Ghost adorns me with light and joy; the holy angels rejoice at my coming into eternal gladness; all the elect and the faithful receive me with delight. Amen. 1. With pleasure I look forth to death,
Free from alarm or terror;
It brings me to the arms of God,
And keeps me safe from error.
Then I shall see him face to face,
And always revel in his grace
In heavenly pastures roaming.
2. Then I shall come to Jesus Christ,
And sink in his embraces;
Who here my solace was, and light
Shall there receive my praises;
THINKING OF THE ASSISTANCE OF GOD.
As to the groom the bride repairs,
So unto thee my spirit fares,
Jesus, my sole salvation!
3. The countless host of angels there
Shall gather to receive me;
A portion of their dazzling light
They will delight to give me;
I shall be like the seraphim
That chant the never ending hymn,
Of Holy, Holy, Holy!
4. And there my bounding steps shall meet
The chosen countless legions,
Who saunter, in surpassing bliss,
Around those heavenly regions;
Their sufferings and their toil are o'er
And now they rest for evermore,
Where they desired to enter.
5. O comfort, joy and happiness,
That thenceforth shall surround me:
No sorrow and no bitterness
Thereafter shall confound me.
Rejoicing, bliss and wonderment,
Rest, peace, refreshment, and content,
Shall take their true beginning.
THE DYING ONE RESOLVES