Death
Death is no longer a fearful and sad event, but a beautiful and glorious transformation, made possible by Christ's death.
George Herbert preaches about the transformation of death from a terrifying and grim concept to a beautiful and graceful transition, symbolized by the infusion of blood into death's face after our Savior's sacrifice. He encourages the congregation to view death as a peaceful slumber and to trust in a faithful grave, where we can rest half of what we have, whether in this life or the next.
Text
Death, thou wast once an uncouth hideous thing,
Nothing but bones,
The sad effect of sadder grones:
Thy mouth was open, but thou couldst not sing.
For we consider'd thee as at some six
Or ten yeares hence,
After the losse of life and sense,
Flesh being turn'd to dust, and bones to sticks.
We lookt on this side of thee, shooting short;
Where we did finde
The shells of fledge souls left behinde,
Dry dust, which sheds no tears, but may extort.
But since our Saviours death did put some bloud
Into thy face;
Thou art grown fair and full of grace,
Much in request, much sought for, as a good.
For we do now behold thee gay and glad,
As at dooms-day;
When souls shall wear their new aray,
And all thy bones with beautie shall be clad.
Therefore we can go die as sleep, and trust
Half that we have
Unto an honest faithfull grave;
Making our pillows either down, or dust.
Sermon Outline
- Death as a Natural Process
- Death as a Spiritual Reality
- The Impact of Christ's Death
- The Confidence of Faith
- Trusting in God's plan
- The comfort of eternal rest
Key Quotes
“Death, thou wast once an uncouth hideous thing, Nothing but bones, The sad effect of sadder grones: Thy mouth was open, but thou couldst not sing.” — George Herbert
“But since our Saviours death did put some bloud Into thy face; Thou art grown fair and full of grace, Much in request, much sought for, as a good.” — George Herbert
“For we do now behold thee gay and glad, As at dooms-day; When souls shall wear their new aray, And all thy bones with beautie shall be clad.” — George Herbert
Application Points
- We can trust in God's plan and have confidence in eternal rest.
- Death is a natural process, but it holds the promise of eternal life.
- Faith in Christ gives us a new perspective on death, making it a beautiful and glorious event.