may : be the ground of their faith when they come to die: I promise to make them blessed in their death: being IN me, members under me their head, and living in the Lord, they shall die in the Lord: they shall have union with me, and communion too, when they are dying the hour of death, the time of their dissolution shall be a season of great blessedness they shall have my presence in the last moments: I will walk with them through the valley of the shadow of death, and they shall fear no evil: my rod and my staff shall then comfort them. O my God, make thy word good. Sweet Jesus, write this promise upon my heart. O help me to mix faith with it, that when mine appointed time is come, I may experience the blessedness of dying in the Lord. I wait for the time, it is not far off. O keep me, Jesus, till that hour. Keep me, Jesus, in that hour. Save me through life and death, and bless me with thine eternal salvation. Hear, and answer for thy mercies sake. Amen. Meditate, O my soul, upon these blessings. Consider, how great, how many they are. Consider, also thine unworthiness: Thou art less than the least of them. And yet God has set his love upon thee, and has given thee the greatest of them. He has called thee to the knowledge of his love in Jesus, and has shed it abroad in thy heart. He has set thee in the way that leads to the eternal enjoyment of his love, has promised to keep thee all the way, and to bless thee at the end of it. He will make thee blessed in death, and blessed for evermore. Hitherto thou hast found him faithful. Not one good thing has failed, which thou didst ask in faith, and wait for at his hands-Review all his dealings with thee, and see what infinite mercy there was in them. He made thy walk prosperous, thy warfare successful, thy crosses sanctified. hast not taken a false step, but when thou wast not living by the faith of the Son of God. O trust him then and be not afraid. His love has brought thee Thou thus far: He has led thee in the right way to the verge of life, and he declares he will not leave thee nor for sake thee in the hour of death. Fear not to look down fear not to go down with Jesus into the grave. He has promised I will be with thee?" and whereever he is there is heaven. He is with his dying friends, and they are blessed indeed. They die in faith-they live by faith in death-and as soon as faith ceases, they live with their God for ever. The For body falls asleep, and rests safely till the morning of the resurrection. The soul in a moment enters into the joy of its Lord-a joy like his-pure and holy-a fulness of joy-and is satisfied for ever. O what will the heart feel in this blessedness! What acknowledgments will it make to God and the Lamb. To praise him for the wonders of his grace in bringing to that glory will be the happy employment of eternity. To see him as he is, in his divine majesty, is heaven. how great communications of his love the being ever with him, and ever like him will make the soul capable of, we cannot perfectly conceive. These things are at present two high and heavenly, even for our thoughts. By faith we sometimes have a little glimpse of the glory to be revealed, and it eclipses all the grandeur of the world. There are happy moments, when we are permitted to behold the king in his beauty, when he discovers his matchless loveliness, and gives us a taste of the heavenly feast at such blessed seasons the soul is bowed down and humbled to the dust, adoring the infinite mercy and goodness of God. If there be so much of heaven in these manifestations of divine love, what must the full enjoyment be? We may suppose a happy soul, entered into rest thus meditating upon the grace, which brought it to that glory. : Blessing and thanks without ceasing be unto Father, Son, and Spirit, through whose sovereign grace I was chosen to this blessedness, and am now brought to the perfect and everlasting enjoyment of it. This communication with the Godhead through Jesus, is as far beyond my former thoughts of it, as the heaven is above the earth. How great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty, that the most high and holy One would thus communicate his love unto sinful creatures. Glory be to thee, holy Father, for predestinating me to the adoption of children, and for the free gift of the heavenly inheritance. Glory be to thee incarnate Jehovah, for the covenant undertakings for me, for thy life, death, and complete salvation. I worship thee, I glorify thee, O God the Holy Ghost, for quickening me, for teaching me and enabling me through believing in Jesus to experience the love of the Father, and for bringing me to enjoy his endless blessings. Surely the goodness and mercy of the holy Trinity have followed me all the days of my life, were with me when I walked through the valley of the shadow of death, and are now my most blessed portion in the house of the Lord. I am made a pillar in the temple of my God, and am to go no more out. а what exceeding riches of grace are these! What has God done for me? Angels and brethren help me to praise. My debt is immense. No saved sinner can owe him more. It is growing every moment. My praises pay none of it. With my thankful heart, and it is all thankfulness, I only acknowledge his infinite goodness, and own myself his eternal debtor. Blessing and honour, and glory, and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb for ever. Reader, art thou in the way which leads to this glory? If not, may the Lord be merciful unto thee, and bring thee unto it. If thou art seeking to be set right in it: remember Jesus is THE WAY. May his good Spirit enable thee to believe in his word and to trust in it till thou attain the salvation of thy soul. If thou art in the way and hast communion with the Father through faith in the atonement and righteousness of his Son, art thou maintaining it in thy daily walk, and improving it in every duty? And art thou going on thy way rejoicing in God? If thou art sorrowing for outward crosses, or burthened with inward conflicts, canst thou nevertheless find joy and peace in believing? Dost thou march on, victorious in thy warfare, keeping up communion with God against all opposition of thy spiritual enemies? And is thy faith established upon the faithfulness of God, that he will carry on his own work in thee unto the day of the Lord Jesus? In this faith dost thou hope to die. Has God indeed done these wonders for thee? O bless him then with me, and let us magnify his name together. Be thou exalted, Lord, in us, and by us. Every day we would grow up into nearer and holier communion with thee. We desire to be more like thee, and to shew forth more of thy lovely image before mén. O help us to praise thee better with our lips and lives. By the communion of the Holy Ghost we would communicate more by faith with the Son in his salvation, and with the Father in his love. O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, in this divine fellowship we hope to find our heaven upon earth: let it be growing and increasing, helped forward by all means, and if it please thee, by these volumes. Make them, Lord, the instrument under thee of leading thy people into the right way? And of establishing them in it. Accompany the reading of them with the teaching of thy Spirit, and to the advancement of thy glory. I present the books unto thee, ever glorious Jesus, and lay them at thy feet. Thou knowest my heart: accept them graciously, as a public acknowledgment for inestimable mercies. In thy great compassion overlook the faults in them: what is agreeable to the scripture is thine own. use of it to thy praise. I devote myself, my body and soul, my tongue and pen, all I have and am to thy service. I would not look upon myself, as any longer mine own, but being bought with a price, I would glorify thee in the use of all thy gifts and Make graces. With thee I desire to walk through life. In thine arms I hope to die. Through thee I expect soon to enjoy perfect communion with the Father, and the Spirit: Therefore into thy hands I commend myself. Keep me in the right way. Guide me to the end of it, that I may finish my course with joy, and join thy redeemed in giving to thee with the Father and the Spirit, the three in one Jehovah, equal and everlasting praise. Hear, Lord, and answer. Amen. |