Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

whose eyes all tears shall be wiped; they shall know no more what death meaneth. In heaven there is no sorrow, nor crying; nor shall there be any more pain, for all old things shall be done away: the former things are passed away, past and gone; nothing remains but joy and gladness, and praising of our great Creator, sounding our continual hallelujahs to the King of kings.

Lord, is it my duty to be fitting and preparing myself for this blessed state, and for my approach before thy awful tribunal? and dare I still neglect it? Help me to remember that I must work

while it is day; the

night of sickness, sorrow, and death, are approaching, and then I cannot work. Lord Jesus, make me meet, make me fit for thy blessed self, that when I come to leave this base world, I may be admitted to the heavenly society of saints and angels, cherubim and seraphim, where are ten thousand times ten thousand, saying, with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and

strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. Every creature in heaven and earth shall then say, Blessing, honour, and glory, and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen and Amen.

PAPER XII.

I AM frequently assaulted with this sore temptation, that I shall never persevere and hold out to the end, but shall tire and faint, and grow weary, so that every trial shall master and overcome me; so that I sometimes fear there is no hope for me of entering into rest: I fear I shall fall short of eternal life, which is a cutting consideration to me, and sometimes sinks me into the depth of misery. But that I may not wholly despond, I will here recite some places of scripture which consist of precepts and

promises; and which, I hope, may be of use to me, and may make me stir up myself to do, what in me lieth, to lay hold on the hope set before me; and may cause me to look to thee, O blessed Father, for grace and strength to hold out to the end of my days. Let me not grow weary in welldoing, for in due time I shall reap if I faint not.

In Rev. ii. 10. it is said, Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

Doth God say, Fear none of those things which ye shall suffer? and yet shall I be overwhelmed, and dejected, and distracted, for fear of troubles and calamities? Here is mentioned the worst of enemies, the devil; he shall afflict some, and cast them into prison; but at this we ought not to be terrified, for sometimes God doth it to try his poor people, and he doth permit them to

be in tribulation: but God limits the time, it is expressed here ten days, that is a certain for an uncertain time; it implies but a short time were it at our adversary's, the devil's disposal, we might be as many years as here are mentioned days, yea all our life-time in continual sorrow; but we are in the hands of a merciful God; and though he see meet sometimes to scourge and try us, yet he will not let us be tempted beyond what he will enable us to bear; and for our encouragement he hath said, If we be faithful to death, he will graciously reward us. He that saith, Be thou faithful, make me faithful, and then I need not doubt but he will give me this crown of life. It is not, nor cannot be merited by us; it is the free gift of God. Here are several promises he has graciously made to those that hold out to the end; as in verse 7. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Who would not strive to overcome, that at last he may be admitted into the paradise

of God, where he shall eat of the tree of life, and then shall hunger and thirst no more, but shall be happy in the enjoyment of God and the Lamb, to all eternity!

Ver. 11. He that overcometh, shall not be hurt of the second death. What a comfortable promise is this! The first death is nothing in comparison of the second; what is death temporal, if compared to death eternal! When we die, we are deprived of earthly friends and earthly comforts; but if the second death hath dominion over us, then there is an eternal banishment from the comfortable presence of God, and an eternal separation between God and the poor soul (which is hell itself). O Lord, give me grace that I may so fight, strive, run, and conquer, and at last overcome, that I may not be hurt of the second death.

Ver. 17. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it. This is an unspeakable

« VorigeDoorgaan »